/newsroom/taxonomy/term/11403/all en /newsroom/channels/news/expert-conspiracy-theories-hindering-hurricane-milton-relief-effort-360357 <p>Conspiracy theories alleging that Hurricane Milton was geo-engineered and was directed to hit areas with a concentration of Republican voters are rife on social media platforms and there are concerns that this is hindering disaster relief efforts. Here is an expert from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ who can provide comment on this issue:</p> Fri, 11 Oct 2024 15:23:16 +0000 katherine.gombay@mcgill.ca 314703 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/experts-canada-and-us-reach-border-deal-irregular-migrants-347287 <p>The Trudeau government has reached a long-discussed deal with the United States on irregular migration which will allow Ottawa to close the Roxham Road irregular crossing at the Canada-U.S. border. The deal would close a loophole in the agreement, which came into force in 2004 and currently prevents Canadian law enforcement from turning back asylum seekers who enter Canada from the United States at border locations that are not official ports of entry. (<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/deal-roxham-road-migrants-biden-trudeau-1.6788358">CBC News</a>)</p> Fri, 24 Mar 2023 19:57:19 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 297458 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/expert-federal-budget-2022-338976 <p>The federal Liberals unveil their latest budget that aims to balance promises made in the 2021 election campaign, in the pact with the NDP, and recently to Canada's global defence allies. The 2022 budget released Thursday includes more than $31 billion in new spending over the next five years. It’s targeted at speeding the flow of goods through the country’s supply chains, boosting housing supply and jolting businesses out of an anemic period of investment. (<a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8742169/liberals-2022-federal-budget-billions-new-spending/" target="_blank">Global News</a>)</p> Thu, 07 Apr 2022 20:45:28 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 288081 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/expert-elon-musk-buy-twitter-44b-us-339305 <p>Elon Musk has sealed a deal to acquire Twitter for $44 billion US. The move comes after the richest man in the world started buying shares in the company in March, complaining that the social media network wasn't doing enough to ensure free speech. The company rebuffed his advances for weeks before the two sides struck a deal over the weekend that was made official on April 25. (<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/musk-twitter-monday-1.6429802" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">CBC News</a>) </p> Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:54:33 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 288109 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/expert-whistleblower-frances-haugen-says-facebook-making-online-hate-worse-334442 <p>Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told British lawmakers that the social media giant stokes online hate and extremism, fails to protect children from harmful content and lacks any incentive to fix the problems, providing strong momentum for efforts by European governments working on stricter regulation of tech giants. While her testimony echoed much of what she told the U.S. Senate earlier this month, her appearance drew intense interest from a British parliamentary committee that is much further along in drawing up legislation to crack down on social platforms.</p> Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:22:54 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 282252 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/expert-sikh-canadians-play-integral-part-canadian-election-outcome-333327 <p>NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has emerged as the most likable of the federal party leaders as Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s popularity sinks amid the election campaign, a new poll suggests. The Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News found Singh was the only party leader who was viewed more positively than negatively, with 45 per cent approval versus 39 per cent disapproval among those surveyed. (<a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8145113/canada-election-ipsos-leadership-singh/" target="_blank">Global News</a>)</p> Wed, 15 Sep 2021 15:18:46 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 275207 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/experts-ottawa-tested-facial-recognition-millions-travellers-torontos-pearson-airport-332052 <p>The federal government quietly tested facial recognition technology on millions of unsuspecting travellers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport in 2016. The six-month initiative, meant to pick out people the Canada Border Services Agency suspected might try to enter the country using fake identification, is detailed in a document obtained by <i>The Globe and Mail</i> through a freedom of information request. The project is the largest known government deployment of the technology in Canada to date.</p> Tue, 20 Jul 2021 17:22:30 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 270382 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/training-next-generation-leaders-responsible-use-artificial-intelligence-331551 <p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our world in powerful ways, from improving medical care and changing the retail landscape to enabling convenient features on our smartphones. But as AI increasingly underpins our daily lives, important questions about its application – and potential misuse – will continue to arise.</p> Tue, 15 Jun 2021 19:43:01 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 269871 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/expert-quebec-court-upholds-most-provinces-secularism-law-330552 <p>Quebec’s secularism law is largely legal, a Superior Court judge ruled on Tuesday, April 20, even as he acknowledged it violates the rights of Muslim women and has cruel and dehumanizing consequences for those who wear religious symbols. Justice Marc-André Blanchard upheld the bulk of the religious symbols law, while striking down clauses pertaining to English-language school boards and a ban on members of the provincial legislature wearing face coverings. (<a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7772987/quebec-secularism-law-bill-21/">Global News)</a></p> Wed, 21 Apr 2021 13:04:52 +0000 frederique.mazerolle@mcgill.ca 260778 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/how-are-emerging-technology-and-media-shaping-democracy-325552 <p>The <a href="/maxbellschool/">Max Bell School of Public Policy</a> is launching a new <a href="/maxbellschool/research/centre-media-technology-and-democracy">Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy</a> at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ. Collaborating with leading researchers, policy thinkers, and journalists, the Centre works to understand the impact of emerging technology and media on policy and public life.</p> Tue, 20 Oct 2020 16:05:51 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 244174 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/covid-19-social-media-users-more-likely-believe-false-information-323390 <p>A new study led by researchers at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ finds that people who get their news from social media are more likely to have misperceptions about COVID-19. Those that consume more traditional news media have fewer misperceptions and are more likely to follow public health recommendations like social distancing.</p> Tue, 28 Jul 2020 20:15:35 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 230567 at /newsroom /newsroom/channels/news/covid-19-pandemic-uniting-canadians-no-other-event-decades-322328 <p>A new study by researchers from Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and the University of Toronto finds a cross-partisan consensus on battling COVID-19 in Canada. Unlike in the U.S., this consensus is fostering broad agreement on the threats posed by the pandemic and the actions necessary to contain it – all of which is crucial to efforts to fight the virus.</p> Fri, 22 May 2020 20:09:16 +0000 shirley.cardenas@mcgill.ca 212201 at /newsroom