Group Chat: Making Sense of Canada’s Democracy With a Few Friends

About Group Chat: Making Sense of Canada’s Democracy With a Few Friends

Canada’s democracy is under threat, and the stakes are high. But when we focus on how we are connected, we find the power to act - to strengthen what’s working and fix what’s not. This is what is behind the Samara Centre for Democracy’s latest podcast, hosted by Sabreena Delhon. It’s called Group Chat and this five-part series is where we bring people together to make sense of what’s happening in our democracy. Group Chat is funded by the Rideau Hall Foundation and the Flanagan Foundation. If you like this podcast, help us keep it going. Your donation supports the show along with the Samara Centre for Democracy’s mission to realize a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. Learn more at samaracentre.ca (http://samaracentre.ca). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Samara Centre For Democracy

Category

education · government · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 May 2025

Latest episode

15 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

11 of 11 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   15 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Beyond Elections: Mini Publics as a Tool for Democratic Renewal with Dr. Seána Glennon

   Host Sabreena Delhon interviews Dr. Seána Glennon about how deliberative mini-publics, like Ireland's Citizens' Assembly, offer a powerful tool for democratic renewal and tackling complex issues in Canada.

2. 

   24 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Live from Toronto Tech Week: Democracy and AI

   Host Sabreena Delhon interviews Beatrice Wayne, Anatoliy Gruzd, and Ana Brandusescu about AI's impact on Canadian democracy and navigating online information.

3. 

   9 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Age-Gating

   Host Sabreena Delhon interviews Samara Centre's Beatrice Wayne and Alex MacIsaac about the practical implications and effectiveness of age-gating legislation for online safety.

4. 

   7 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Re-imagining Academic Freedom and Advocacy

   Host Beatrice Wayne interviews scholars Debra Thompson and Eve Haque about academic freedom and advocacy amidst democratic challenges in Canada.

5. 

   21 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Behind the Mic

   Host Sabreena Delhon interviews Executive Producer Debbie Pacheco about the "Group Chat" podcast's behind-the-scenes creation and a new listening party guide.

6. 

   9 Jul 2025TRANSCRIPT

   The Politics of (Back) Home

   Host Anita Li and guest Jaskaran Sandhu discuss how diasporic politics influence local democracy and civic engagement.

7. 

   2 Jul 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Is Technology Democracy’s Saviour or Downfall?

   Former Digital Minister Audrey Tang and economist Glen Weyl discuss technology's role in democracy with Bianca Wylie, exploring its potential as both a savior and a downfall in this interview.

8. 

   24 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT

   The Notwithstanding Clause: Hero or Villain?

   Lawyers Warda Shazadi Meighen, Karin Galldin, and Peter Biro analyze the notwithstanding clause within Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, determining if it protects or overrides citizen's rights in this interview episode.

9. 

   18 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Live From Montreal: Innovations in Democracy

   Malorie Flon, Bianca Wylie, and Sarah Yaffe discuss democratic innovations like citizens' assemblies that supplement traditional voting practices, recorded live in Montreal, in an interview episode.

10. 

    10 Jun 2025TRANSCRIPT

    This Group Chat Will Surprise You

    Annamie Paul reveals the existence of a covert, cross-partisan group chat that supported her during her time in politics and inspired the creation of the Group Chat podcast, offering insights into political survival; this is an interview.

11. 

    29 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

    Group Chat Trailer

    Host Sabreena Delhon introduces Group Chat, a five-part series podcast from the Samara Centre for Democracy, which explores Canada's democracy and how to strengthen civic engagement.

Inside a recent episode

Beyond Elections: Mini Publics as a Tool for Democratic Renewal with Dr. Seána Glennon

Published 15 Jul 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Around the world, governments have been experimenting with new ways of involving citizens much more directly in making difficult legal reform and policy decisions. And one very exciting development in this space is the rise of deliberative mini-publics. Now, what is a deliberative mini-public? It sounds very theoretical and But what we're talking about here are representative groups of ordinary citizens, regular citizens like you and I, not experts, chosen by lot, who deliberate together and make proposals for legal and policy reform. […]

Who has been a guest on Group Chat: Making Sense of Canada’s Democracy With a Few Friends

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Seána Glennon
• Beatrice Wayne
• Anatoliy Gruzd
• Ana Brandusescu
• Alex MacIsaac

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 6 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

12

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Contact Group Chat: Making Sense of Canada’s Democracy With a Few Friends

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Group Chat: Making Sense of Canada’s Democracy With a Few Friends