Hosted by Christopher Balkaran · 🇺🇸 US · EN-CA · 240 episodes
Established thought leaders with verified media credentials.
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.
Christopher Balkaran hosts Open Minds with Christopher Balkaran, a society show with 240 episodes published.
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 t
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 (M
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, philosoph
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 smuggli
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 sa
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 wha
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 every
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 rese
Send 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 with capital punishment,
Send 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 dependency on foreign
Send 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 Canadian history. From
Send a text I sit down with Dr. Kerry Bowman, a Canadian bioethicist and environmentalist, to discuss the ethical implications of vaccine mandates and pandemic policies. We explore the balance between individual autonomy
Send a text I sit down with Dr. Robert Klitzman—director of the Masters of Bioethics program at Columbia University—to delve into the complex intersections of medicine, ethics, and culture. In this episode, we explore fa
Send a text How has border security evolved with technology? In this episode of the Open Minds Podcast , I sit down with Professor Rey Koslowski , a leading scholar on border control and migration . I explore how AI, dro
Send a text I welcome back Chloe Smellink, psychotherapist-in-training, for a deep dive into men’s mental health, the stigma surrounding therapy, the troubling rise of MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) in Canada, and th
Send a text I sit down with Dr. Ramona Coelho to revisit the complex and controversial topic of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada. Dr. Coelho shares insights from recent Health Canada and Ontario coroner repor
Send a text I engage with Jessica Vaughan , Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, to break down the complexities and consequences of modern immigration policies. Jessica shares insights from h
Send a text Support the show Visit my NEW Website! https://www.christopherbalkaran.com Check out my Instagram/Tik Tok for daily posts: Instagram @openmindspod Tiktok @openmindspodcast
Send a text I continue my conversation with NOAA’s Tom Knutson, diving deeper into the multi-decadal view of hurricane patterns in the Atlantic. Together, we explore the complexities of hurricane frequency and intensity,
Send a text In this episode, I am joined by climate expert Tom Knutson to explore the nuanced science of climate change, focusing on Atlantic hurricane patterns, extreme rainfall, and the complexities of climate modellin
Dr. Ramona Coelho
family physician
3 appearances on this show
Peter Copeland
policy advisor to the Ontario Provincial government, philosopher of science · Macdonald-Laurier Institute
1 appearance on this show
Paul Robinson
Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa · Tempus Network
2 appearances on this show
Ivan Katchanovski
Ukrainian-Canadian political scientist
1 appearance on this show
Jason Foster
CEO and Founder · Athabasca University
1 appearance on this show
Dr. Robert Klitzman
Professor of Psychiatry, Director of the Master of Science in Bioethics Program · Columbia University
1 appearance on this show
Sylvain Charlebois
Professor and Senior Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab · Dalhousie University
1 appearance on this show
Christopher
seasoned pediatric flight nurse · Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
1 appearance on this show
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Open Minds with Christopher Balkaran is hosted by Christopher Balkaran. The show is categorised under society (culture) and has published 240 episodes.
Open Minds with Christopher Balkaran has published 240 episodes.
Open Minds with Christopher Balkaran regularly covers society, culture, government. It sits in the society category, with a culture focus.
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Episodes of Open Minds with Christopher Balkaran average 48 minutes. a focused format where a clear narrative arc and tight preparation matter most.
Our data rates Open Minds with Christopher Balkaran's guest bar at 80/100 (Premium tier). Established thought leaders with verified media credentials. Sign in to PitchCentric to see how your own Pod Score compares against this show.
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