Can Canada Deliver? Women, Leadership, and the Systems Behind the Build with Emily Feairs and Frédérique Tsai-Klassen

Canada is in the middle of what its Prime Minister calls a "hinge moment" — a decade of building that demands billions in federal investment across construction, defense, energy, and housing. There's just one problem: every one of those sectors is operating with a fraction of its available talent. Only 5% of women work on construction sites. Only 4% serve in the army. And despite decades of initiatives designed to attract and retain women in skilled trades and strategic sectors, the numbers aren't moving.In this episode of the EdUp Canada Podcast, host Michael Sangster sits down with Frédérique Tsai-Klassen and Emily Feairs — co-founders of The Power Shift — to ask a harder question than most: what if the system itself is the problem? Drawing on their widely-read Hill Times op-ed on Canada's trade strategy and the grassroots convenings drawing hundreds of women from across government, industry, academia, and the forces, Frédérique and Emily make a compelling case that training more women isn't the answer — rebuilding the institutions those women are walking away from is.Expect an honest, evidence-grounded conversation about structural barriers, what it actually takes to retain skilled talent, what sectors and countries are getting it right, and what Canada's window of opportunity looks like right now.[00:06:00] — "Canada cannot meet its ambitions with only part of its talent fully engaged" [00:07:30] — The Numbers That Should Alarm Everyone[00:09:30] — "Asking Women to Sit at a Broken Table" [00:12:00] — Institutions Are Not Neutral [00:15:30] — What Getting It Right Actually Looks Like[00:18:00] — 550 People and a Waiting List[00:21:30] — Power Is What Others Value [00:26:30] — Women Will Hold 40% of Capital by 2030 Listen to past episodes here: https://www.edupcanada.ca/ Read the full transcript here: https://share.descript.com/view/6fKZwzyU4nk Learn more about The Power Shift here: https://thepowershiftseries.ca/