TED@Destination Canada
Destination Canada and TED collaborated to create TED@DestinationCanada, producing 14 TED Talks from the brightest speakers and biggest changemakers connected to Canada. The theme of the event was O P E N.
O P E N
When we come together with open hearts and open minds, anything is possible. We see connections everywhere. We welcome all ideas, experiences and ways of life—because this is how we learn, grow and change.
On Thursday, February 23, 14 speakers took the stage at the TED Theater in New York City to record their talks so they can be shared globally.
These speakers and their innovative ideas represent all regions of our country, a span of generations, a wealth of backgrounds and a diversity of perspectives. We know their ideas will spark conversations that will help drive our country and our global community forward.
Learn more about the speakers below.
View all the talks on the TED website.
If you have any questions, please contact: TED@DestinationCanada.com
#TEDatDestinationCanada
Updated July 4, 2023
TED Talks
Rebecca Darwent, Philanthropic advisor
How to fund real change in your community
Cohen Bradley, Master of ceremonies
How to weave a cultural legacy through storytelling
Michael Green, Architect
The natural building blocks of sustainable architecture
Normand Voyer, Molecular prospector
Are life-saving medicines hiding in the world's coldest places?
Azim Shariff, Morality mapper
Does working hard really make you a good person?
Kevin Smith, Coastal explorer
The unexpected story of one of the biggest coastal cleanups ever
Jiaying Zhao, Behavioural scientist
How to feng shui your fridge -- and other happy climate hacks
Alysa McCall, Polar bear protector
What to do when there's a polar bear in your backyard
Lori McCarthy, Food laureate
How to find a sense of belonging - wherever you are
Paul Bloom, Psychology provocateur
The surprising psychology behind your urge to break the rules
Kris Alexander, Video game wizard
How video games can level up the way you learn
Performers
Silla, Urgent voices
The ancient art form of Inuit throat singing
In this powerful performance, the Inuit duo Silla performs the ancient art form of katajjaq, a type of throat singing found only in the Canadian Arctic.
Silla is an Inuit duo blending divergent styles of traditional and contemporary katajjaq (throat singing) across a wide range of genres. Performing together since 2005, Silla members Charlotte Qamaniq and Cynthia Pitsiulak hail from Iglulik and Kimmirut Nunavut, respectively.
Their moniker comes from the Inuktitut word Sila, which encompasses concepts of weather, land, spirit of the atmosphere, cunning and intelligence. The name evokes the rich musical texture and nuance throat singing creates, and acknowledges the powerful spirituality and traditions that have kept it alive through the historical and modern threats posed by colonialism.
Silla has been twice nominated at the Juno Awards and has won two Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards.
Mélissa Laveaux, Musical alchemist
“La Baleine” / “Nan Fon Bwa”
Singer-songwriter Mélissa Laveaux performs two mesmerizing songs, "La Baleine" and "Nan Fon Bwa," alongside bassist Sébastien Richelieu.
Mélissa Laveaux is a Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist who sings in both English and Haitian Creole, the language of her parents. She began her career in Ottawa's feminist riot grrrl punk community, releasing her first album, Camphor & Copper, in 2008. She now lives in Paris—which inspired her second album, Dying is a Wild Night.
Laveaux’s work often explores the ethnomusicology of Haiti, including songs of rebellion she heard as a child (Radyo Siwèl, 2018). On her fourth studio album, Mama Forgot Her Name was Miracle (2022), Laveaux dives into the poetic, therapeutic and spiritual aspects of music, conjuring grown-up lullabies and nursery rhymes while invoking influential voices from the past. For her, music is a tool of political resistance.
