Far and Widening: The Rise of Polarization in Canada

About the project

Released in 2023, Far and Widening: The Rise of Polarization in Canada sought to understand how polarization was manifesting in Canada. The report is now considered the most systemic diagnostic to date. PPF engaged Victoria Kuketz, its Digital Democracy Fellow, to architect and lead this project, in addition to investigative journalist, Justin Ling, to write the culminating report. 

This seven-segment project took a systemic approach, involving more than 1,600 young adults, eight researchers and writers, five community organizations, two think tanks and one investigative journalist — all studying, documenting and reporting on the issue of Canadian polarization and its ongoing threat to a healthy democracy.  

At the centre of this project were live community roundtables, in which PPF partnered with community organizations to engage young adults in discussions around the impact of polarization on their lives and the issues that mattered to them. At the core of all of this was listening with intent to create pathways for authentic engagement and responsive policy. 

This project marks the third instalment of the three-part Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression and Digital Democracy Project. The former was established in spring 2020 with a three-year mandate to better understand, anticipate and respond to the effects of new digital technologies on public life and Canadian democracy.

With this in mind, the project involved a dynamic and comprehensive program of study. PPF engaged communities across the nation through its approach of working with the country’s foremost thinkers, doers and deciders, including:  

• Eight expert-led research papers: In partnership with McGill University’s Center for Media, Technology and Democracy, eight leading academics wrote essays on different aspects of polarization:
  1. Aengus Bridgman’s The role of social media in polarizing Canadians 
  2. Stephanie Carvin’s Polarization and Ideologically Motivated Extremism in Canada since 2015
  3. Wendy Hui Kyoung Chun and Sonja Solomun’s Polarization as the technological goal—not the error
  4. Elizabeth Dubois and Guillermo Renna’s Echo Chambers and filter bubbles don’t reflect our media environment
  5. Erica Ifill’s Journalism in the Age of Polarization
  6. Eric Merkley’s Mass Polarization in Canada: What’s Causing it? Why Should We Care? 
  7. Hedi Tworek and Sonja Solomun’s Beyond Technology: The Role of Information Interference in Climate and Election Obstruction
  8. Riley Yesno’s Indigenous People and the Rise of the Far Right 

• Community roundtables: PPF engaged Victoria Kuketz, an established policy and grassroots community leader, who designed and led this project. Victoria built partnerships with grassroots organizations and scaled six nationwide community roundtables to engage youth on their experiences of polarization in their home communities. As a result, PPF aligned with preexisting programs and the youth who either lead or seek services from them. There was a focus on the 18-34 demographic in order to keenly understand the youth perspective as little was known on this issue. PPF acknowledges and expresses thanks for the contributions of YMCA Canada, Apathy is Boring, Love Nova Scotia, the Lifelong Leadership Institute and First Work Ontario in achieving diverse and regional youth representation. These youth were paid an honorarium for their contributions. 

• A national survey: PPF partnered with RIWI to survey 1,500 youth across Canada to complement the roundtables and provide a representative sample. 

• A symposium and roundtable in March 2023: This event convened the democracy sector to share project learnings and cultivate discussion.  

• A national virtual townhall: In partnership with the Democratic Engagement Exchange, PPF reconvened all those who participated in the community roundtables to report back on all that we learned from them. 

• A final report: Renowned journalist Justin Ling brought together each element of the project and released a groundbreaking report.  

• An expert advisory: PPF was pleased to engage the participation of a preeminent group of Canadian leaders who advised this project, including: 

Chair: Victoria Kuketz, Digital Democracy Fellow, Public Policy Forum 

• Edward Greenspon, President and CEO, Public Policy Forum, 2016-2024 
• Chief Cadmus Delorme, Prior Chief, Cowessess First Nation 
• Dr. Cristine de Clercy, Jarislowsky Chair, Trent University 
• Dr. Eric Merkley, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto 
• John Beebe, Founder, Democratic Engagement Exchange, Toronto Metropolitan University 
• Nathalie Des Rosiers, Principal, Massey College 
• Samantha Reusch, Executive Director, Apathy is Boring 
• Trevor Massey, Chair, Lifelong Leadership Institute 
• Morris Rosenberg, Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Health, and Deputy Attorney General of Canada 
• Shweta Menon, Policy Lead, Public Policy Forum  
• Justin Ling, journalist and project report writer