Tickets on sale soon!
Subscribe to our mailing list to be notified when tickets go on sale.
Presented by UBC Centre for Climate Justice, Vancouver Writers Fest, and Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
Eighteen years after it was first published, Naomi Klein’s groundbreaking book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, is back on the bestseller lists—for reasons much against her will. The Trump Administration has put the world into a state of shock, using the rolling chaos it creates to push through the most radical pillage of the public sphere ever attempted. It is rushing through a drastic realignment of the international order: one in which Canada is intensely vulnerable. Tariffs may be just the beginning.
In this vital event, Naomi Klein will be joined by her brother and collaborator Seth Klein, author of A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency. In conversation with CBC Radio’s Elamin Abdelmahmoud, the two will discuss pressing topics such as:
- The historical roots of Trump’s tactics, and what is new and uniquely dangerous about his uses of shock and fear.
- The apocalyptic mood of the ascendant authoritarian right.
- Why incrementalism and simple retaliation to Trump and the populist right are not enough.
- Why a robust response to Trump’s economic attack requires hurting him where he’s most vulnerable—the oil and gas industry—rather than rushing to extract more fossil fuels, metals, and minerals, especially without Indigenous consent.
Rather than responding to the current crisis with panic and despair, how can we treat it as a portal; an opening to leap into a better version of society? Hear an argument for why Canada and BC need to seize this moment to build an economy far less vulnerable to external shocks, that takes the transition from a fossil fuel and extraction-based economy seriously. Attendees will leave inspired by what is possible, and armed with practical policy ideas for charting Canada’s path in a time of crisis.
General Admission: $40
Youth Tickets (Under 25): $20
Premium Seating (Gold): $80
Premium Seating (Silver): $60