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Canada stands at a crossroads: lead boldly or fall behind. Hosted by John Stackhouse, this limited series is built around one urgent question: what must Canada build now to thrive in the world arena? Disruptors: The Canada Project takes listeners across the country to meet the visionaries tackling our most urgent challenges from sovereign launch capacity on the east coast and AI-revived trade routes in Hudson Bay, to critical minerals refining in Quebec, Pacific Gateway expansion in BC, agtech innovation on the Prairies, AI-ready power in Alberta, and trusted data infrastructure in Ontario. These aren’t just stories of invention they’re a blueprint for closing the productivity gap and building the infrastructure that underpins Canada’s sovereignty and prosperity.
Newfoundland
The real threat isn’t submarines anymore it’s the underwater cables carrying our digital economy, and Newfoundland’s robotics are the only thing standing between us and the deep.
Guests:
David Shea (CTO and EVP, Kraken Robotics)
General Rick Hillier (Former Chief of the Defence Staff)
Atlantic Canada
If Canada can’t launch its own satellites, it can’t lead its own future, and Nova Scotia is building the launchpad.
Guests:
Chris Hadfield (Canadian Commander of the International Space Station)
Stephen Matier (CEO, Maritime Launch Services)
Rahul Goel (CEO, NordSpace)
British Columbia
Canada’s ports have fallen behind the world’s best, but Roberts Bank Terminal 2 is about to automate our way back to the top of global trade.
Guests:
Peter Xotta (CEO, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority)
Tamara Vrooman (CEO, Vancouver Airport Authority)
Devan Fitch (The project’s Program Director)
Manitoba
Indigenous-owned rail and drone-powered innovation are turning Churchill into Canada’s northern gateway and reconnecting the Prairies to a world that’s shifting Arctic.
Guests:
Wab Kinew (Premier of Manitoba)
Chris Avery (CEO, Arctic Gateway Group)
Grant Barkman (CEO, DecisionWorks)
Saskatchewan
AI is grading grain in minutes instead of hours, and Saskatchewan’s ag-tech revolution is turning prairie data into global food security.
Guests:
Kyle Folk (Founder and CEO, Ground Truth Ag)
Murad Al-Katib (CEO, AGT Food and Ingredients)
Nunavut
A 1,200-kilometre Inuit-led power line could end the North’s diesel dependence and give Canada its first physical link to Arctic sovereignty.
Guests:
P.J. Akeeagok (former Premier of Nunavut)
Anne-Raphaëlle Audouin (CEO, Nukik Corporation)
Quebec
China controls 90% of the world’s graphite refining but Quebec is building the full mine-to-anode supply chain that could break that stranglehold.
Guests:
Jean Charest (former Premier of Quebec)
Eric Desaulniers (Founder & CEO, Nouveau Monde Graphite)
Ontario
Canada’s secret weapon in the AI race isn’t bigger data centres it’s trust, jurisdiction, and decades of building secure systems in Waterloo.
Guests:
Tom Jenkins (Chair, OpenText)
Shannon Bell (EVP, Chief Digital Officer & CIO, OpenText)
Janice Stein (Founding Director, Munk School, University of Toronto)
Alberta
Old coal plants are becoming AI-ready power hubs, and Alberta’s “bring your own power” model could unlock thousands of megawatts for the hyperscale future.
Guests:
Danielle Smith (Premier of Alberta)
John Kousinioris (President & CEO of TransAlta)
Building Canada
After a season of big bets and bold plans, one question remains: How do we actually build this before the world passes us by?
Guests:
Daniel Debow (Chair, Build Canada)
Lucy Hargreaves (CEO, Build Canada)
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