Off the Hill: Corporate interference and the climate crisis

Foreign interference has made headlines in Canada lately – but what about corporate interference?

Corporate interference – or corporate capture – refers to the means by which large corporations can (and do) influence politicians and political decision-making. You don’t hear about it too much in mainstream media – but it’s unfortunately alive and well in Canada. We have to wonder: how does corporate interference affect the climate crisis in Canada?

This month, our Off the Hill panel discussed this and more. Guests this month include: MP Leah Gazan, political economist Gordon Laxer and climate and housing justice activist Diana Yoon. Hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies.

During the panel, we took two polls:

Polls taken during Off the Hill.

About our guests

Leah Gazan is Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre. She is currently the NDP critic for Children, Families, and Social Development, as well as the deputy critic for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Leah is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory.

Diana Yoon is a climate and housing justice activist based in Toronto. She is currently organizing with Climate Justice Toronto. Yoon holds a Master’s of Arts in Critical Human Geography from York University. Formerly, Yoon held the Geography grad student department steward for CUPE3903.

Gordon Laxer (PhD) is a political economist, professor emeritus and founding Director of Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta. Gordon is author of two award winning books Open for Business: The Roots of Foreign Ownership in Canada, and After the Sands: Energy and Ecological Security for Canadians. He has edited four other books and published over 50 peer-reviewed publications.

Off the Hill is a fast-paced live panel on current issues of national significance, hosted by Robin Browne and Libby Davies. Off the Hill focuses on the impact politics and policy have on people, and on ways to mobilize to bring about progressive change in national politics — on and off the hill. To support this panel, visit rabble.ca/donate.