Podcasts

Episode 21 - Is AI Coming for Your Job?

AI is here and it’s here to stay. Apps like ChatGPT are now allowing us to perform complex tasks with the click of a button.

As we begin to use these new versions of AI, our jobs are destined to change. So, what will an average day of work look like a decade from now? Which jobs will AI impact the most? And is AI coming to replace our jobs altogether?

In this episode, we sat down with AI expert Tahsin Mehdi, an economist in the social analysis and modeling division of Statistics Canada, to answer our questions about how AI will transform our work lives in Canada.

Episode 20 - Why Economists Are Sounding the Alarm on Productivity

Canada's workforce is among the most educated in the world. But when it comes to worker productivity, we've seen a real slump over the past few years. The quarterly data published by StatCan in June 2024 confirms Canadian workers are continuing to underperform compared to our neighbours to the south. This comes as no surprise to this episode's guest, Guy Gellatly, Chief Economic Advisor at StatCan. The latest quarterly numbers are a continuation of an ongoing decline in Canada's productivity that economists have been tracking for years.

But what factors influence worker productivity? And why does it matter if Canadians are less productive? As a matter of fact, what even is productivity? In this episode, we asked Guy to help us understand how we got to this point and why it matters for Canadians.

Episode 19 - It's Not Easy Bein' Green

We can try our best, but its not always easy knowing what's best for the environment. The world is complicated, and it isn't as simple as reduce, reuse, recycle—though that's a great place to start!

In the immortal words of Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy bein' green."

We have two stories exploring that theme. The first is one we made in-house asking just how green our digital world really is, and the second comes from the Simply Science podcast exploring the world of urban forests.

Episode 18 - Why Food Inflation Is Such A Hard Nut To Crack

Are you feeling like it's a little bit harder to bring home the bacon... from the grocery store? The latest data indicate that food prices have mostly stabilized... but why does it feel like the cost of feeding your family is still going up? Today, we're talking food inflation with StatCan's resident smart cookie Taylor Mitchell.

Episode 17 - It's 8pm... Do You Know What Your Kids Are Googling?

StatCan released new analysis into the online culture our kids are growing up in, and it's far from the best of all possible worlds: misinformation, bullying, violence… and worse. Analyst Rachel Tsitomeneas joins us to dive into the findings.

Episode 16 - How Do You Say "Language Revitalization" in Cree?

In this episode, we speak with Randy Morin and Belinda kakiyosēw Daniels, who share their knowledge of the Cree language with learners at the Nêhiyawak Language Experience, about the wisdom encoded in Indigenous languages, as well as the opportunities for these languages and the barriers they face.

Episode 15 - A Little Less Misinformation, A Little More True Facts, Please

In the age of social media, AI, and deepfakes, discerning fact from fiction is a crucial skill. Nowadays, we're not just getting our information from the six o'clock news. Friends, family, researchers, influencers, entertainers, news anchors, advertisers… Who can you trust?

Episode 14 - I Got 99 Problems But Being Misgendered on the Census Isn't One

In this episode, we explore gender with drag king Cyril Cinder and we talk census 2021 with StatCan's Anne Milan.

Episode 13 - Will The 40 Millionth Canadian Please Stand Up?

Canada reached an important milestone June 16, 2023. For the first time, there were 40 million people living in Canada. That means that someone out there is the 40 millionth Canadian. But who is it?

Episode 12 - In a Movie About the Economy, Is Inflation the Bad Guy?

StatCan's Consumer Price Index tells us a lot about the economy… if you know what to look for. Guy Gellatly, Chief Economic Advisor at StatCan, joins us at the mic to break down the CPI and answer our questions about the economy. What's the ideal inflation rate? Is no inflation the best kind of inflation? And what is a deflationary spiral?

Episode 11 - Green Houses, Not Gases

Andrew DeFazio, Climate Change Advisor at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) joins us to explore how we can climate-proof our housing strategy and home-proof our climate strategy.

Episode 10 - Why Haven't We Ended Poverty Yet?

It used to be that Statistics Canada didn't measure poverty. Not exactly. Poverty is complex, and there wasn't a single definition that everyone agreed on. So while StatCan did measure low income and other income inequality indicators, it didn't measure poverty per se. That is, until 2018, when the government chose to use the Market Basket Measure, or MBM, as Canada's Official Poverty Line. That means that the government now uses the MBM to track its poverty reduction targets.

Episode 9 - Sylvia Ostry: Lessons From A Legend

We're celebrating the 50th anniversary of Sylvia Ostry's appointment as chief statistician. In this episode of Eh Sayers, featuring interviews with her sons, Adam Ostry and Jonathan Ostry, we are pleased to introduce you to this remarkable woman and to share with you eight pieces of advice inspired by her life.

Episode 8 - Dude, Where's My Semiconductor?

Over the last few years we have seen plenty of service disruptions, closures of services and delays. But what is the real cause of these disruptions and what is the supply chain that everyone is talking about?

Episode 7 - Doctor's Appointment? There's an App for That!

Virtual healthcare was a rarity before COVID-19 but immediately after the pandemic hit in March 2020, Canadians were forced to rethink how they access healthcare. Dr. Gigi Osler joins us to explore the barriers to virtual healthcare, the changes we saw during the pandemic, and what's being done to make virtual care permanent, rather than just a temporary COVID-19 measure.

Episode 6 - Created Equal

In this episode, we turn a critical eye to the ways that cognitive bias risks perpetuating systemic racism. Statistics are supposed to accurately reflect the world around us, but are all data created equal?

Episode 5 - Why Should You Care About Inflation?

Our guest, Taylor Mitchell, an economist at Statistics Canada, speaks with us about why you should care about inflation, its impact on different population groups and the cost of living.

Episode 4 - Who Wins and Who Loses in the Gig Economy?

This fourth installment of Eh Sayers focusses on the growing market of gigs and their place in an ever-changing landscape of job flexibility and/or instability.

Episode 3 - The Craft of Crafting in Canada

In this episode we talk about the Craft of Crafting in Canada, its renaissance and its necessity.

Episode 2 - Unravelling: Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian families

In this episode, we try to unravel some of the impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian families.

Episode 1 - Talk about the barriers, not the disability: Activity limitations and COVID-19

This first episode of Eh Sayers is a heart-felt discussion on disability in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We discuss the realities of people living with disabilities, their challenges and all the changes that the pandemic has brought in their daily lives.

National AccessAbility Week 2021

New barriers and new freedoms: A conversation with StatCan's Champion for Persons With Disabilities