Updated on April 30, 2025
UBC Arts experts are helping to shape national conversations on Canada’s most pressing political and social issues.
This month, faculty shared insights on topics such as foreign interference in elections, housing affordability, immigration, and democratic resilience—appearing in media outlets including The New York Times, Time, The Guardian, The Globe & Mail, CBC, The National Post, and more.
Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions (SPPGA)
Why Voter Distrust is Brewing
Chris Tenove, assistant director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions, wrote about why rumours of manipulation and fraud are swirling as Canadians head to the polls.
Maclean’s
Low-tech vote: Why does Elections Canada use paper ballots and hand-counting?
Chris Tenove commented on the importance of a paper trail in Canada’s elections.
Ottawa Citizen
Foreign interference threats in Canada’s federal election are both old and new
Professor Heidi Tworek and Chris Tenove of UBC’s Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions co-wrote a piece for The Conversation examining the long history of foreign interference in Canada’s elections, and what to watch for in the upcoming federal election.
The Conversation
Surprises and old patterns: AI and misinformation in the 2025 federal election campaign
Professor Heidi Tworek warns that misinformation may be circulating in private channels and comments on attempts to raise public awareness about the rise of AI-generated misinformation and disinformation.
CTV News
Threats of Disinformation during election
Professor Heidi Tworek, director of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions, spoke to CTV News about how Canadians can shield themselves from disinformation during the Canadian federal election.
CTV News
Department of Geography
Grieving, yet giving: Filipino Canadians remain strong after Vancouver truck crash kills 11
Geography professor Geraldine Pratt commented on Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program, which ran from 1992 to 2014 and enabled 75,000 individuals from the Philippines to become permanent residents.
New Straits Times
Opinion: The climate conundrum facing political leaders: The public wants to have it both ways
The natural environment looms large in Canadian identity, but we are not a climate leader, write UBC sociology professor David Tindall, Mark C.J. Stoddart and UBC geography professor Philippe Le Billon.
Vancouver Sun
This is a climate policy election
Geography professor Simon Donnner and Political Science professor Kathryn Harrison wrote about the federal parties’ positions on climate change.
The National Observer
Study challenges claims foreign buyer taxes are racist
A study co-authored by UBC Geography professor emeritus David Ley rejects claims that restrictions on foreign capital in real estate are xenophobic, and warns that a developer-driven “growth machine” is reshaping Canada’s housing affordability narrative.
Business in Vancouver
Department of Political Science
Canada Election Highlights: Mark Carney Wins New Term as Prime Minister
Professor Antje Ellerman commented on how Trump’s threats to Canada caused the issue of immigration to fade into the background during the recent federal election.
New York Times
The impact of strategic voting in Canada
Professor Terri Givens wrote about how the Liberals benefited from strategic voting, while the NDP appeared to lose the most from this strategy.
The Conversation
It’s Time for Canada’s Mark Carney to Think Big on Climate, Experts Say
Professor Kathryn Harrison commented on how the Liberal Party’s win means that Canada will likely stay the course on many existing environmental policies.
Time
Questions swirl around decimated NDP in former British Columbia strongholds
Political scientist Stewart Prest said he didn’t believe the vote split in Monday’s vote – where the Liberals and the Conservatives combined to take 85 per cent of the popular vote – is a “permanent state.”
The Toronto Star
Does the ‘immigrant vote’ exist? Experts don’t think so
Professor Irene Bloemraad said that newcomers have many of the same issues as people who were born in Canada, including the cost of housing, the difficulty of finding a medical doctor and the wait times for medical procedures.
City News
What will it take to defend Canada? Experts say party platforms miss the target
Political Science professor Michael Byers said the next prime minister will need to strengthen partnerships with European NATO allies, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand in the absence of a reliable ally to the south.
Radio Canada
The New Patriotism: Where Do You Sit?
Professor Max Cameron authored an article about whether the surge of Canadian pride will erase or reinforce our collective capacity to face up to our flaws.
The Tyee
Most candidates in B.C. have no electoral experience
Richard Johnston, professor emeritus of political science, commented on the importance of government experience for candidates in protecting democracy and public transparency.
Times Colonist
In federal leaders’ debates, these are the topics set to dominate
Political Science lecturer Stewart Prest spoke about the issues to watch for in the leaders’ debates and the risks that Poilievre and Carney face in presenting their policies to the public.
Global News
Deputy leader of the Green Party of Canada given 51 days in prison
Professor emeritus Richard Johnston commented on how Angela Davidson’s sentence might reinforce her appeal as an environmental activist.
Times Colonist
Poilievre Promises LNG Canada Approval. There’s Just One Hitch
Lecturer Stewart Prest spoke about how Pierre Poilievre’s political rhetoric distorts facts.
The Tyee
B.C.’s ridings look different this federal election. Here’s how that shakes things up
Lecturer Stewart Prest says the redrawn political boundaries will reshape campaign strategies and political calculations.
CBC
B.C. MLA criticized for western separatist post says he is a proud Canadian
Lecturer Stewart Prest discussed the emergence of western alienation and separatism after a Conservative MLA shared a western separatist post on Facebook.
Maple Ridge News
Department of Psychology
Are you flourishing? Many young adults aren’t, new study suggests
Psychology assistant professor Eric Kim spoke about a new global study he co-authored which found that young adults in high-income countries feel worse than expected about their physical and mental health, relationships, income, work and more.
CBC
The best day ever: have scientists found the secret of happiness?
UBC psychology researchers used machine-learning techniques to analyze data from the American Time Use Survey and work out how the amount of time people devoted to various activities determined whether they rated their day as “better than typical”.
The Guardian
Scientists have discovered the formula for the perfect day – and I couldn’t agree more
The Independent spotlighted a UBC psychology study which analyzes the formula for a perfect day.
The Independent
By Attacking Science, Poilievre Takes a Page from Trump’s Playbook
Psychology professor Dr. Catharine Winstanley co-wrote an op-ed for The Tyee about the importance of DEI in biomedical research and academia more broadly.
The Tyee
4 actions to support a sustainable democracy: No heroism required
Psychology professor emeritus Wolfgang Linden wrote about how simple, psychology-informed actions can bolster democracy.
The Conversation
School of Public Policy and Global Affairs
4 things to know about the young conservative anti-crime president of Ecuador who was just re-elected
SPPGA Lecturer Grace Jaramillo commented on Ecuador’s re-election of President Daniel Noboa, a pro-Trump conservative.
Fox News
Department of Sociology
Collective trauma after festival attack could ripple for months, experts say
Professor Seth Abrutyn spoke about how collective trauma can be triggered by large-scale attacks, environmental disasters, suicide clusters and mass shootings, and spoke about the importance of public memorials.
Toronto Sun
Housing Scarcity & High Rents Change Living Dynamics
Professor Nathanael Lauster spoke about the lifestyle impacts of housing scarcity and high rents.
CTV News
Department of Theatre and Film
A long, long way to run
Professor Ernest Mathijs commented on the enduring appeal of The Sound of Music.
Deseret News
Vancouver School of Economics
How Trump May Unintentionally Cut Carbon Emissions
Professor Brian Copeland said that a recession may cause emissions to drop a bit because of less economic activity, but will make the long-run transition to a less carbon intensive society harder.
New York Times
Canada’s red-ink era is here to stay as parties promise deficits
Professor Kevin Milligan commented on the Liberal Party’s economic platform.
The Globe & Mail
How immigration is concealing Canada’s economic crisis
Professor Paul Beaudry commented on Canada’s shrinking per-capita GDP and how to drive innovation to support long-term growth.
National Post
