Open Minds with Christopher Balkaran Podcast
1) #237: Unpacking MAiD in Ontario with Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer
Send us a text I sit down with Dr. Dirk Huyer, Ontario’s Chief Coroner, to explore the evolving complexities behind Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada. As the chair of the province’s MAiD De...Show More
2) #236: Dr. Salim Mansur: Multiculturalism or Identity Crisis?
Send us a text I sit down with Dr. Salim Mansur, professor emeritus and political scientist, to explore the untold story behind Canada’s multiculturalism policy. Dr. Mansur pulls back the curtain on t...Show More
3) #235: Peter Copeland, Canada’s Border Blindspots - Fentanyl and the Myth of Security
Send us a text I’m joined by Peter Copeland, Deputy Director of Domestic Policy at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, to unpack the truths and myths around Canada’s border security. From fentanyl traffi...Show More
4) #234: Professor Paul Robinson (pt 2) - Proxy, Peace, or Prolonged Pain?
Send us a text I sit down once again with Professor Paul Robinson to continue our exploration of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. We dive into the uncomfortable questions rarely addressed in mainstream...Show More
5) #233: Mark Carney Is Not Justin Trudeau – And That Might Be a Good Thing
Send us a text After nine years of Justin Trudeau, Canadians finally got a change — but is it real change, or just better branding? In this solo episode, I break down the aftermath of the April 28th f...Show More
6) #232: The War in Ukraine - What We're Not Saying, Paul Robinson
Send us a text I sit down with Professor Paul Robinson — historian, author, and expert in Russian and Eastern European studies — to explore what lies beneath the dominant narratives of the Ukraine-Rus...Show More
7) #231:The Truth Behind Ukraine’s War: Dr. Ivan Katchanovski, Media and Myths
Send us a text Why does the Western narrative on Ukraine feel so one-sided? In this episode of the Open Minds Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Ivan Katchanovski, a Ukrainian-Canadian political scientist w...Show More
8) #230: Canadians are in Favour of Capital Punishment - Mario Canseco, Research Co.
Send us a text Interestingly, Canadians have shown their support for capital punishment almost 50 years of polling data. In 2025, Research Co. found that approximately 54 percent of Canadians agree wi...Show More
9) #229: Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program - Fix or Problem? With Jason Foster
Send us a text Christopher Balkaran dives into Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program with Professor Jason Foster from Athabasca University. We explore the realities of migrant labor, the economic ...Show More
10) #228: Former Police Chief Peter Sloly - Understanding the Freedom Convoy
Send us a text On the three-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy, I sit down with former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly to unpack the complexities of one of the most significant protests in modern ...Show More