Publications

Disinformation Roundtable Discussion Summary

Strengthening Canada's Resilience Against Disinformation

A Report on Prepared for the Massey College and Canadian Mennonite University Conference: Social Media Disinformation: How to Prevent, Identify, and Combat, Winnipeg, Manitoba (May 1st, 2025), and revised for the Massey College Disinformation Roundtable, Toronto (June 18th, 2025).

Notes on Bail

A bullet point outline of history of bail, the relevant Charter clauses, developments since the 1972 Bail Reform Act, SCC decisions prompting bail changes, Bill C-75 (2019), Bill C-48 (2023) and events leading to it, recommendations for future bail reform, Pierre Poilievre's statements on future bail reform.

Lloyd Axworthy: My Life in Politics

In this stirring and beautifully written memoir, Lloyd Axworthy tells the unlikely story of a Canadian prairie boy raised in the Social Gospel tradition becoming a prominent force in both national and international politics. After studying politics at Princeton at the height of John F. Kennedy’s Camelot, and marching for civil rights in Alabama, he returned to Canada and embarked on an illustrious political career at the height of Trudeaumania.

The Notwithstanding Clause and the Canadian Charter: Rights, Reforms, and Controversies

Section 33 – the notwithstanding clause (NWC) – was written into the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to allow Parliament and the provinces to provisionally override certain rights. This book examines the NWC from all angles and perspectives, considering who should have the last word on matters of rights and justice – the legislatures or the unelected judiciary – and what balance liberal democracy requires.

The Moral Responsibility of the University

Set in the context of protest about the recent Israel-Palestine conflict, this paper argues that the moral responsibility of academic institutions is to facilitate research and civil discourse on such matters, and not be an advocacy group for any cause or group.

In Memoriam: Hugh Segal and Progressive Conservatism

A brief outline of the life and contributions to Canadian society of former Massey College Principal, Hugh Segal, and of the celebration of life the College organized for him on September 19, 2023. It summarises some of the many thoughts and recollections shared by the family, friends, and colleagues who came together that day.

The Future Of Freshwater In Canada

In September 2023, the Forum for Leadership on Water and Massey College at the University of Toronto convened a symposium of the Canadian water community to break down barriers, generate ideas and agree on solutions to a growing water and water-related climate crisis in Canada. This report, produced in association with the United Nations University Institute of Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) is a summary synthesis of the proceedings.

Visionary, Advocate, Spreader of Joy: Hugh Segal, 1950-2023

A tribute to the life, public policy interests, and personality of a great Canadian “visionary, advocate, spreader of joy:" former Massey Principal, Hugh Segal, 1950-2023.

Unlikely Insider: A West Coast Advocate in Ottawa

At a time when too many of the world’s political leaders are consolidating power by playing on divisions and stoking fear, Unlikely Insider, a memoir by former federal cabinet minister and senator Jack Austin, comes as a welcome reminder of the value of public service as a force for economic progress, social justice, and nation-building.