Open Minds with Christopher Balkaran

Christopher Balkaran
  • 4.4 (7)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE

Imagine if you could explore, with genuine curiosity, the most controversial and divisive topics of our time. The conversations would push you to explore new areas and uncover insightful ‘a-ha’ moments that pique your interest. These talks could help answer the questions you may have, like: why would anyone support capital punishment? Or, what are the pros and cons to tobacco control, or public healthcare, or legalizing sex work? I’m Christopher, and I have created engaging Podcast discussions since 2018 to do exactly this. I invite guests involved in these areas to share with me their opinions. My hope is that through this natural exploration, I can craft a Podcast experience that attempts to build bridges during a time when we need it the most. Join me as I attempt to uncover these issues with true, genuine curiosity.

  1. 6D AGO

    #238: MAiD in Canada: Are We Protecting the Vulnerable, Or Failing Them? | Dr. Ramona Coelho

    Send a text In this episode of the Open Minds Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Ramona Coelho to examine one of the most consequential public policies in modern Canada: Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). Canada now reports that approximately 5% of all deaths occur through MAiD. Track Two cases, those not at end of life, continue to raise questions about disability, capacity assessments, oversight, and whether psychosocial suffering is being treated as irremediable. Dr. Coelho serves on Ontario’s MAiD Death Review Committee and the Federal Expert Advisory Group on MAiD for Mental Illness. Her perspective offers insight into what is happening on the ground and what policy safeguards may be missing. mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring Jewish...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast

    56 min

  2. 07/22/2025

    #237: Unpacking MAiD in Ontario with Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer

    Send 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 Death Review Committee (MDRC), Dr. Huyer offers a rare and in-depth perspective on what the data really shows, how legislation is being interpreted in practice, and whether concerns over coercion or systemic failure hold weight. MAiD Death Review Committee Reports https://arpacanada.ca/ontario-maid-death-review-committee-reports-2024/ mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring Jewish...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast

    46 min

  3. 07/08/2025

    #236: Dr. Salim Mansur: Multiculturalism or Identity Crisis?

    Send 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 the political, philosophical, and constitutional roots of multiculturalism in Canada—revealing how a once well-intentioned idea may now be weakening liberal democracy and national cohesion. From the War Measures Act to the Emergencies Act, and from Pierre Trudeau’s grand vision to Justin Trudeau’s declaration that Canada has “no core identity,” this conversation unpacks the real consequences of prioritizing group identity over individual liberty. mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring Jewish...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast

    58 min

  4. 06/24/2025

    #235: Peter Copeland, Canada’s Border Blindspots - Fentanyl and the Myth of Security

    Send 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 trafficking and human smuggling to legal blind spots and our fractured jurisdictional model, Peter offers a research-backed, nonpartisan perspective on the known unknowns we face. What can Canada learn from its allies? Why are our legal frameworks outdated? And is our public safety strategy more reactive than proactive? This conversation brings much-needed depth to an issue that often escapes the spotlight. mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring Jewish...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast

    43 min

  5. 06/10/2025

    #234: Professor Paul Robinson (pt 2) - Proxy, Peace, or Prolonged Pain?

    Send 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 media: Have Western sanctions actually worked? Why does media silence dissent within Ukraine? And is Canada’s role sustainable—or even justified—in a war with no clear end? From examining the economic reality of sanctions and shadow fleets to questioning the strategic silence on Ukraine’s democratic backsliding, this conversation pulls no punches. We also explore the uncomfortable truth about Western foreign policy’s double standards, and whether Ukraine is being used as a proxy in a much larger geopolitical chess match. Professor Robinson and I also tackle the peace process—if it can even exist—and the uneasy truth that peace often means compromise no one wants to make. We dissect the differing diplomatic philosophies between the Biden and Trump camps, the shifting Overton window in Canada, and the quiet erosion of civil society’s voice in the name of “duty.” mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring Jewish...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast

    1 hr

  6. 05/06/2025

    #233: Mark Carney Is Not Justin Trudeau – And That Might Be a Good Thing

    Send 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 federal election and what I think Mark Carney actually represents. From the tone of his first press conference to his early decisions — like refusing a coalition with the NDP and allowing Pierre Poilievre to run in a by-election — Carney seems to be signalling a major pivot from Trudeau’s performative politics. But let’s not get too comfortable. I also explore eyebrow-raising Liberal policies still on the table: statutory funding for the CBC, the push for a national digital ID, IVF funding directed toward specific groups, and a carbon tax on foreign goods based on other countries’ climate policy (yes, really). Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast

    17 min

  7. 04/08/2025

    #232: The War in Ukraine - What We're Not Saying, Paul Robinson

    Send 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-Russia war. We cover everything from sanctions, NATO posturing, and artillery use to questions of democracy and the role of the West’s military-industrial complex. We also take a sobering look at Ukraine’s demographic and economic future, and why so few are willing to question the consensus. A wide-ranging conversation that challenges conventional thinking and asks: Are we even allowed to have this conversation? mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring Jewish...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast

    46 min

  8. 04/01/2025

    #231:The Truth Behind Ukraine’s War: Dr. Ivan Katchanovski, Media and Myths

    Send 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 whose peer-reviewed research sheds a sobering light on Ukraine’s internal divisions, the roots of war, and the media’s oversimplified story.  We talk about Crimea, Donbas, NATO and the infamous Maidan sniper massacre—an event that reshaped Ukraine and global geopolitics. Dr. Katchanovski’s insights challenge widely held beliefs and force us to ask: what do we really know about this war? mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issuesmosaic is Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County's news magazine show, exploring Jewish...Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast

    57 min
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4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Imagine if you could explore, with genuine curiosity, the most controversial and divisive topics of our time. The conversations would push you to explore new areas and uncover insightful ‘a-ha’ moments that pique your interest. These talks could help answer the questions you may have, like: why would anyone support capital punishment? Or, what are the pros and cons to tobacco control, or public healthcare, or legalizing sex work? I’m Christopher, and I have created engaging Podcast discussions since 2018 to do exactly this. I invite guests involved in these areas to share with me their opinions. My hope is that through this natural exploration, I can craft a Podcast experience that attempts to build bridges during a time when we need it the most. Join me as I attempt to uncover these issues with true, genuine curiosity.

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