This episode of Pod Bless Canada features a conversation between MLI’s communication officer Ai-Men Lau and Sherap Therchin. Therchin is the executive director of the Canada Tibet Committee, an organization that promotes human rights and democratic freedoms in Tibet. Therchin and Lau discuss the recent motion that was passed by the Special Committee on Canada-China relations which supported the resumption of dialogue between the representatives of Tibet and the Chinese government. Additionally, ...
Sep 04, 2020•21 min•Ep. 51
This episode of Pod Bless Canada features a conversation between MLI’s Director for the Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad, Shuvaloy Majumdar, and Sarah Teich, a Canadian attorney and consultant who is the author of the Institute’s most recent paper titled “Not Immune – Exploring liability of authoritarian regimes for the COVID-19 pandemic and its cover-up.” Teich’s paper argues that hundreds of thousands of deaths and trillions of dollars in economic damages could have been prevente...
Jul 24, 2020•26 min•Ep. 50
Like other authoritarian regimes, the Russian government has taken full advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to spread disinformation. However, while the crisis may serve as a convenient backdrop for Moscow’s campaigns of disinformation, this is only a small part of a much larger trend. To make sense of this situation, MLI Senior Fellow Marcus Kolga was joined by the Daily Beast’s Editor-at-Large, Michael Weiss. In addition to his role at the Daily Beast, Weiss is also writing a forthcoming book o...
Jun 22, 2020•35 min•Ep. 49
In this latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Communications Officer Ai-Men Lau was joined by Alex Lee and Davin Wong from Alliance Hong Kong Canada (ACHK) to discuss the recent turbulent events in Hong Kong as a result of China's proposed the controversial National Security Law. Davin Wong is the Director of Youth Engagement and Policy Initiatives and Alex Lee is the Director of Strategy and Policy at ACHK. Lau, Lee, and Wong also discuss the overall response from Canada’s federal government,...
May 27, 2020•33 min•Ep. 48
In this latest of episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Communciation Officer Ai-Men Lau was joined by Robert Falconer, a reserach associate at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary. Falconer is a leading expert on refugee, immigration, and border policy with a specific focus on the inclusion of immigrants in the economy, healthcare system, and social life in Canada. Lau and Falconer discuss the burdensome and challenging process immigrant doctors face in becoming accredited to practice ...
Apr 15, 2020•28 min•Ep. 47
In this latest of episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Senior Fellow Balkan Devlen was joined by David Manheim, a post-doc at the University of Haifa in the Health and Risk Communication Research Center. Manheim has done extensive work in terms of modeling risk across a wide variety of domains. Both he and Devlen are superforecasters with the Good Judgement project, currently forecasting global spread and impact of COVID-19. In their discussion, Devlen and Manheim reflect on existential risks, philo...
Mar 27, 2020•41 min•Ep. 46
In this latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Communications Officer Ai-Men Lau was joined by MLI Distinguished Fellow Dr. Jack Mintz to discuss the problems facing Canada's natural resource sector, particularly in Alberta. In their discussion, Dr. Mintz reflects on the turmoil facing the industry, particularly as a result of an ongoing oil price war that has arisen as a side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic impacting oil demand. Lau and Dr. Mintz also discuss some of the longer-term structural...
Mar 25, 2020•28 min•Ep. 45
In this latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Senior Fellow Charles Burton was joined by Brig. Gen. (Ret) Dr. Robert Spalding, the author of “Stealth War.” During their conversation, Gen. Spalding outlines how China has leveraged an increasingly globalized, interconnected, and digitally-mediated world to infiltrate and influence Western economies and societies. According to Gen. Spalding, linkages between democracies and authoritarian regimes like China have largely failed to change China for ...
Mar 08, 2020•35 min•Ep. 44
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Ken Coates comments on the ongoing protests and rail disruptions caused by opponents of BC's Coastal GasLink pipeline project. Moreover, given the withdrawal of the Teck Frontier oil sands mine project, Coates takes a critical look at the government's approach to the situation. Despite the popular narrative, Indigenous peoples across Canada are becoming increasingly involved as partners in natural resource development projects, in...
Feb 28, 2020•29 min•Ep. 43
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Senior Fellow Charles Burton discusses the recent Taiwanese national elections, and what these important democratic contests mean for Taiwan, Canada, the region, and the world. Moreover, given the outbreak of the so-called "coronavirus," (COVID-19), Burton examines the political pressure that this crisis is putting on China. He discusses how Beijing's own actions have been making its situation more difficult in the long term.
Feb 18, 2020•34 min•Ep. 42
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Senior Fellow Balkan Devlen was joined by Dr. Hanna Shelest, Editor-in-Chief of Ukraine Analytica and one of Ukraine’s sharpest analysts of international affairs. The two discuss last week’s announcement of sweeping changes to Russia’s constitution and their potential implications. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Shelest weighs in on what she suspects Russian President Vladimir Putin is up to as he sets about radically reforming Russia’s political in...
Feb 03, 2020•27 min•Ep. 41
Every year, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute names the person or institution that has had the greatest impact—for good or ill— on Canadian public policy as Canada’s Policy-Maker of the Year. In this special episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Communications Manager Brett Byers was joined by MLI Senior Fellow Charles Burton to discuss why the Institute named Chinese Communist Party General-Secretary, Xi Jinping, as our 2019 Policy-Maker of the Year. Though his influence and his impact on public polic...
Dec 31, 2019•34 min•Ep. 40
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Research Advisory Board Member Dr. Elliot Tepper was joined by Quentin Hodgson, a senior international and defense researcher at the RAND Corporation focusing on cybersecurity, cyber operations, risk management, and command & control. Their discussion explores how NATO can (and must) update itself to better prepare for 21st century threats. With the recent celebration of NATO's 70th Anniversary and a meeting of NATO leaders in London, serious qu...
Dec 04, 2019•38 min•Ep. 39
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Senior Fellow Marcus Kolga was joined by historian, political scientist, former Liberal Party of Canada leader, and the President and Rector of Central European University, Michael Ignatieff. The two discuss the seemingly growing conflict between liberalism and rising populism, particularly in Eastern Europe. Throughout their wide-ranging discussion, Ignatieff shares his insights on the challenges posed by populist forces, the role of Russian disinf...
Nov 20, 2019•32 min•Ep. 38
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Shuvaloy Majumdar was rejoined by Balkan Devlen, a frequent MLI author and an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen. Devlen is a foremost expert when it comes to the security policies of Turkey and Russia. Following up on their discussion from earlier this year, the two discuss Turkey’s recent invasion of Kurdish held territories in Northern Syria and what the situation means fo...
Nov 04, 2019•32 min•Ep. 37
In this episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Research Advisory Board Member Dr. Elliot Tepper was joined by Dr. Stephen R. Nagy, a leading expert on international relations in the Indo-Pacific region. Their discussion explores how Canada, as a middle power, can better engage with countries in this region to promote both our economic and security interests. Dr. Nagy provides an overview of Canada’s current relationships with significant countries in the Indo-Pacific. In so doing, he distinguishes bet...
Sep 23, 2019•27 min•Ep. 36
In this latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI communications manager Brett Byers was joined by MLI Munk Senior Fellow Sean Speer, who is the author of an important new paper titled “Forgotten People and Forgotten Places: Canada’s Economic Performance in the Age of Populism.” Byers and Speer discuss the paper, which delves into the headline data on employment, labour force participation, income, and other key economic indicators to better understand where there may be economic challenges and wh...
Sep 11, 2019•26 min•Ep. 35
In this latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Research Advisory Board Member Dr. Elliot Tepper was joined by Dr, Andrew Ladley - a leading expert in mediation and international conflict resolution. Dr. Tepper and Dr. Ladley explore a variety of historic crises around the world that have benefited from mediation, touring through the past, present, and future of mediation as a conflict resolution tool. Dr. Ladley cites examples such as the Tamil-Sri Lankan conflict, the Taliban in Afghanistan, a...
Aug 16, 2019•32 min•Ep. 34
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Sean Speer was joined by Dr. Shawn Whatley, also an MLI Munk Senior Fellow, to discuss healthcare and pharmacare reform in anticipation of the upcoming Canadian federal election. Recent polling indicates that Canadians are increasingly prioritizing healthcare on their list of voting issues. As a healthcare practitioner who has sat on local and provincial health boards across Ontario, Whatley is a leading expert on the future of Ca...
Aug 02, 2019•41 min•Ep. 33
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Communications Manager Brett Byers was joined by MLI Munk Senior Fellow Sean Speer to discuss the economy and the economic dimensions of ongoing tensions with China. The conversation covered the labour market, economic growth, place-based economic policies, and the China-US trade war. In their wide-ranging conversation, Byers and Speer also explored the apparent disconnect between low unemployment numbers and sluggish economic growth. Given Canada's...
Jun 29, 2019•36 min•Ep. 32
In the latest episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Shuvaloy Majumdar sat down with Balkan Devlen, an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Copenhagen and a foremost expert when it comes to the security policies of Turkey and Russia. The two discussed recent developments in the Levant region of the Middle East, with a particular eye towards Turkey’s interests and geopolitical goals in the region vis-à-vis Russia. Other topics of discussion ...
Jun 01, 2019•29 min•Ep. 31
In this episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Senior Fellow Charles Burton was joined by Martin Lee - the founder of Hong Kong's Democratic Party who is known as “the Father of Democracy” in Hong Kong. Burton and Lee discuss the extradition issue gripping Hong Kong in the larger context of democratic rights and freedoms in the region. The recent sentencing of nine leaders of Hong Kong’s pro-democratic Umbrella Movement shows that Beijing’s grip is tightening over Hong Kong’s free society, including t...
May 21, 2019•30 min•Ep. 30
In this episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI counterterrorism analyst and research intern Irfan Yar is joined by Constantino Xavier, a leading expert on Indian political institutions, decision-making processes, and security relationships with other Indo-Pacific nations. This discussion continues MLI’s examination of India’s ongoing general elections, the world’s largest democratic exercise. Mr. Xavier shares his expertise on leading election issues, such as economic growth, infrastructural moderniza...
Apr 26, 2019•26 min•Ep. 29
In this special episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Sean Speer is joined by Ken White to discuss the Mueller report and contemporary legal and policy issues in the United States. A criminal defence lawyer, civil litigator, former federal prosecutor, legal expert, and public policy commentator, White has particular expertise when it comes to free speech issues, public corruption, and government fraud. As the world eagerly awaits the public disclosure of further details from the Mu...
Apr 13, 2019•37 min•Ep. 28
In this episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Shuvaloy Majumdar is joined by Dhruva Jaishankar, one of India’s foremost experts on international affairs. With India’s elections – the world’s largest democratic exercise – fast approaching Majumdar and Jaishankar discuss the top geopolitical issues facing the country. Topics of discussion include the role of China in the Indo-Pacific region, India’s careful but constructive economic engagement with China, the need for macro-economic ...
Apr 10, 2019•36 min•Ep. 27
In this episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Shuvaloy Majumdar is joined by Jonathan Manthorpe, a legend in Canadian journalism and international affairs and recent author of the timely Claws of the Panda: Beijing's Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada. The two discuss the central themes and fortuitous timing of Claws of the Panda, which first hit bookshelves shortly after Canada’s arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou cast Canada-China relations into chaos this past Decem...
Mar 25, 2019•21 min•Ep. 26
In this episode, MLI Senior Fellow Marcus Kolga is joined by Col. Ilmar Tamm of the Estonian National Armed Forces and Maj. Gen. Andis Dilāns of the Latvian National Armed Forces, both also managers of the multi-nation Baltic Defence College. They begin by introducing the Baltic Defence College, which just celebrated its 20th Anniversary. Founded to help integrate former-Soviet military officials within the Western defence architecture, the College is shared, managed, and financed by the Baltic ...
Mar 08, 2019•15 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Sean Speer is joined by Tyler Cowen to discuss his latest book, “Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals.” A leading US economist and intellectual, Dr. Cowan was ranked among the “Top 100 Global Thinkers” by Foreign Policy Magazine. Dr. Cowen describes Stubborn Attachments as a defence of a free society with a particular emphasis on long-term thinking and the power of compounding economic growth. He arg...
Feb 27, 2019•16 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Shuvaloy Majumdar is joined once again by the venerable Ward Elcock, one of Canada most decorated public servants and a leading national security expert. The two discuss recent developments in Canada’s relationship to China, an issue now receiving unprecedented global attention in the wake of Canada's arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. The conversation locates this event in the broader context of China’s role as a rising power and the increasingly salient ...
Feb 15, 2019•21 min•Ep. 23
In this episode, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Shuvaloy Majumdar is joined by Israel’s Ambassador to Canada, Nimrod Barkan, to discuss recent developments in the shifting sands of diplomacy in the Middle East. Ambassador Barkan explains the recent cooperation between Israel and Gulf states, an emerging alliance in which Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi also acknowledged membership in earlier this month. The Ambassador points to the threat posed by Iran, now supported by Turkey, as the primary f...
Feb 05, 2019•25 min•Ep. 22
