A discussion series hosted by MP Nate Erskine-Smith featuring experts, fellow parliamentarians, and other elected officials of all stripes.
www.uncommons.ca (https://www.uncommons.ca/s/uncommons-podcast?utm_medium=podcast)
Happy Passover and Easter to those celebrating.
I hope everyone is able to enjoy some of this beautiful long weekend, and I hope some of you will also enjoy this Uncommons episode with the always thoughtful Karina Gould.
We met in Karina’s stomping grounds of Burlington at Peach Coffee Co. (https://peachcoffeeco.com/pages/visit-us), and we cover a lot of ground, from AI and online safety, to Ford’s OSAP cuts, to school food. But the broader conversation is really about the future of progressive politics.
Karina is a friend, she was an excellent minister (competence is underrated in politics!), and I still think she’d make a great premier, even though she’s opted out of the leadership race.
A reminder that it’s advance polls for the three by-elections from today through Monday.
And another reminder that we’re marching in this Sunday’s Beaches Lions Easter Parade, and you can join us at 1:30 pm at the RC Harris water treatment plant (the most important Easter tasks are rhyming clues for the kids’ Easter hunt and ironing my yellow/purple suits for the parade).
I’ve been asked to be the grand marshal this year, which is pretty fun considering it’s my last year marching as an MP, I volunteered in the parade with the Lions before I was elected, and I watched this same parade as a kid.
My belief is that government is there to be a force for good in people's lives. And when I think about what the job of the government is, it's to protect people, to keep them safe. That could be our borders, but that might also be economically, make sure we don't have people that are going hungry. All of these things that we actually have the power to do and that we could do, but we have to be intentional about doing it. - Karina Gould
Follow Karina on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/karina.gould), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/karinagould), X (https://x.com/karinagould).
Watch more episodes of Uncommons on YouTube: click here (https://www.youtube.com/@nateforontario)
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca (https://www.uncommons.ca?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
17 Dec 2025
Attention: Govern or Be Governed
At the Attention Conference in Montreal, I spoke with four leading voices on digital governance about what Canada needs to do on tech accountability. Canada keeps introducing bills that die on the order paper. Meanwhile, the UK, EU, and Australia have moved forward with meaningful reforms. What will it take to get us there?
Featuring conversations with:
* Damian Collins (former UK Minister of Tech) on the UK’s Online Safety Act
* Vass Bednar (SHIELD) on digital sovereignty and why Canada needs to structurally separate the ad tech stack
* Imran Ahmed (Center for Countering Digital Hate) on the journey from Cambridge Analytica to protecting kids online
* Aengus Bridgman (Media Ecosystem Observatory) on how influencers now dominate political information
Chapters:
0:00 Damian Collins: UK’s Online Safety Act & Platform Accountability
15:27 Vass Bednar: Digital Sovereignty & Restructuring Tech
31:30 Imran Ahmed: Protecting Kids Online
45:20 Aengus Bridgman: News Bans, Deepfakes & Information Integrity
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca (https://www.uncommons.ca?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
15 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT
Sports, Sovereignty, and Reconciliation
Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report. We’ve seen significant albeit imperfect progress since and there’s much more for us to do together.
On this episode of Uncommons, I’m joined by Ava Hill and Willie Littlechild, two incredible Indigenous leaders. We talk about the state of reconciliation and what real partnership could and should look like, with a specific focus on their work to advance Indigenous participation in sport.
Ava Hill is a former Six Nations Chief, and Willie Littlechild is a former TRC commissioner, former MP, and residential school survivor.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca (https://www.uncommons.ca?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
Inside a recent episode
Karina Gould on Uncommons
Published 3 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] There is an enforceability challenge. I sued someone successfully for defamation and it was in small claims and I said this to the judge. I said, it's not about the damages. I'll give them $33 ,000 to charity that works to address misinformation, disinformation politics. It's, it's really a question of, I talk a lot about addressing disinformation or making sure that rules are fit for purpose, but we do have existing rules and we need to make sure that they're enforced and that they're applied where there is wrongdoing and where there are public wrongs. And you're getting at the same challenge in many ways when it comes to deepfakes or misrepresentation and really privacy reachers there, I mean, you can't just impersonate someone, you can't steal someone's identity, you can't misrepresent, like there are wrongs here and sometimes it's an enforcement challenge. […]
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