Ruth Mojeed Ramirez speaks with Kerry Buck, former Canadian Ambassador to NATO and seasoned diplomat, about Canada’s place in an increasingly complex and contested global landscape. They discuss NATO’s evolving role beyond Europe, Canada’s lagging investment in multilateral institutions, and why regional crises like the conflict in the Global South demand greater Canadian engagement. As shifting alliances redefine global diplomacy, this conversation explores where Canada stands and what it must ...
Jul 10, 2025•28 min
In this episode, Ruth Mojeed Ramirez sits down with Alireza Yazdi, director on the board of the Canadian International Council, a Canadian with both Persian and Jewish roots, to explore the deeply personal and political complexities of the Israel-Iran relationship. Against the backdrop of escalating conflict and shifting power dynamics in the Middle East, they discuss identity, belonging, and what it means to witness two ancestral homelands in tension. Is there space for dialogue and diplomacy, ...
Jul 04, 2025•31 min
In this episode, Ruth welcomes Patricia Fortier who is a retired Canadian diplomat whose career spanned over three decades, marked by significant contributions to international relations, crisis management, and governance.
May 30, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 41
In this episode, Ruth Mojeed Ramirez dives into Canadian foreign policy and Indigenous governance with Leah Sarson whose recent work explores the evolving roles of leadership, law, and resource management.
Jan 06, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 40
In this episode, Chris Kilford shares insights on Canada's involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war, drawing from his extensive experience in defense and foreign policy. He discusses the evolving nature of the conflict, NATO’s expanded role, and the broader geopolitical shifts impacting Canada.
Nov 08, 2024•36 min
In this episode, Ruth Mojeed Ramirez has an insightful conversation with Paul Meyer on Canada's position as a middle power and the need for transformation in Canada's foreign policy to address current global challenges.
Oct 24, 2024•27 min
In this episode, Ruth Mojeed Ramirez and Dr. Bessma Momani talk about Canada's geopolitical stance on global issues and how it will be impacted by the upcoming elections.
Aug 21, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 37
In this episode, Ruth Mojeed Ramirez discusses the growing tensions between East-West relations in clean-tech manufacturing and supply with Steven Knell.
Jul 31, 2024•35 min•Ep. 36
On this episode, Ruth Mojeed Ramirez discusses the impact of artificial intelligence on how we do work, and the structural inequalities faced by migrant workers in Canada.
May 06, 2024•38 min•Ep. 35
On this episode, Ruth Mojeed Ramirez discusses with Armin Safavi, member of the Canadian International Council's Young Professionals Network. They discuss Middle East politics and Iran's growing visibility and prowess as a nuclear power, as well as the impact of sanctions and nuclear diplomacy.
May 06, 2024•32 min
In this packed episode, Ruth discusses the war in Gaza and the possibility of a two-state solution with Jon Allen.
Apr 03, 2024•33 min•Ep. 33
Ruth Mojeed Ramirez speaks with Shawky Fahel, founder of the Canadian International Development Organization, about the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the urgent need for Canada's leadership in responding to the plight of Palestinians.
Mar 07, 2024•28 min•Ep. 32
On this special episode, Ruth discusses with Ambassador Jacqueline O'Neill about Canada's efforts on "Women, Peace and Security", and the pivotal role of women in global peacekeeping and securitization.
Jan 30, 2024•40 min•Ep. 31
Ruth Mojeed Ramirez discusses with Kerry Buck, former Permanent Representative and Ambassador to NATO. They discuss how Canada can reinforce it's impact on global affairs, and how emerging issues in different parts of the world affect us in Canada.
Jan 09, 2024•34 min•Ep. 30
Ruth discusses with Nadir Patel, the former High Commissioner of Canada to India, the need for public and private sector collaboration for economic development.
Dec 22, 2023•27 min•Ep. 29
Ruth catches up with Anil Arora, Chief Statistician of Canada, to discuss what the data can tell us about trends in migration and how immigration impacts the Canadian labour market.
Dec 22, 2023•27 min•Ep. 28
The second part of this two-part episodes focuses on Canada’s efforts supporting organizations like the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Economic Co-operation & Development and other multilateral institutions in collecting data, implementing data prompts and working with diverse groups, including women entrepreneurs, to strengthen global efforts on gender equity and human rights.
May 30, 2023•32 min•Ep. 27
This episode focuses on the imperative for inclusive policymaking and establishing democracy as an evolving process requiring collaboration and concerted efforts in assessing the functionality and viability of our democratic institutions, and how trade can be an effective tool for advancing diplomacy.
May 30, 2023•30 min•Ep. 26
In this episode Ruth connects with Senator Peter Boehm, Senate of Canada & Chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade. They discuss Canada's role in global trade negotiations, our relations with The U.S. and NATO, and how Canada can further engage talent from around the world.
Apr 13, 2023•29 min•Ep. 25
Ruth speaks with The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, about Her Honour's distinguished history of bringing Ontario to the world, the climate crisis, elmployment equity, and her aspirations of engaging Canadians in an ever changing society.
Apr 13, 2023•30 min•Ep. 24
On this episode, Ruth discusses with Sunil Johal, Professor of Public Policy and Society at the the University of Toronto & Vice-President Public Policy at the CSA Group, public policy implications of remote work and how we as a society can rebuild in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Apr 13, 2023•30 min•Ep. 23
On this episode, Ruth discusses with Ambassador Catherine Stewart, Canada's Ambassador for Climate Change, on Canada's action plan for combatting the climate crisis. The Ambassador shares insights on the government's National Adaptation Strategy and the plan for engaging multi-level collaborators and actors on shared priorities for improving the wellbeing of Canadians, and those most impacted by climate change.
Mar 29, 2023•30 min•Ep. 22
Ruth speaks with Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, on Canada’s immigration statistics, focusing on a recent report by Statistics Canada on the dwindling uptake in citizenship by recent immigrants and newcomers to Canada. Daniel discusses how Canada can learn from its past successes on immigration to attract and retain newcomers to the country. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada’s place in the world.
Mar 29, 2023•29 min•Ep. 21
Ruth speaks with a researcher who studies the way global crises intersect. Professor Thomas Homer-Dixon is the executive director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University. His studies look at the “polycrisis,” looking to find what common threads can be found across multiple serious global problems. Climate change, the war in Ukraine, and the European energy crisis all intersect in ways that fuel the food crisis on the African continent. Homer-Dixon’s research seeks to unearth the mecha...
Mar 08, 2023•28 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, Ruth speaks with a leader looking to make the world embrace diversity. Meredith Preston McGhie is the secretary general for the Global Centre for Pluralism, and has worked for decades in Africa and Asia on the frontlines of diplomacy in some of the world's most troubled regions. She’s looking to spread the principles of pluralism across the globe. Pluralism is, at its core, a respect for diversity within a society, though it can look different from place to place. Preston McGhie...
Mar 06, 2023•41 min•Ep. 19
Ruth speaks with a Canadian Senator looking closely at issues of ethics and accountability. Senator Ratna Omidvar recently sponsored Bill S-222, the Effective and Accountable Charities Act, which aims to improve the nonprofit sector's “resource accountability", as well as the Frozen Assets Repurposing Act which proposes to stem the tide of corruption by ensuring Canada can repurpose stolen or otherwise misappropriated funds. Sen. Omidvar hopes these new resources could, to touch upon another per...
Feb 07, 2023•27 min•Ep. 18
When he ran for leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, Michael Ignatieff laid out a bold plan to place the promotion of democracy at the heart of Canadian foreign policy. 17 years later, Ignatieff outlines how his time in politics and his wariness of the many failed attempts at democratization that ended in flames. He now proposes instead that Canada and other democracies “tend our own gardens.” What changed? In today's Open Canada podcast episode, hear his recent keynote address to a confe...
Jan 16, 2023•39 min•Ep. 17
En route vers 2023, un premier épisode en français pour réfléchir sur un problème persistant : un déséquilibre commercial dramatique existe toujours entre l'Afrique et les pays occidentaux comme le Canada. C'est une manifestation d'une structure de l'économie mondiale qui maintient une inégalité permanente entre le nord mondial et le sud, selon Maïka Sondarjee, professeure en développement international à l'Université d'Ottawa, qui propose un internationalisme radical. Elle est l'autrice de Pers...
Dec 22, 2022•36 min•Ep. 16
There is no single issue that undermines the credibility of democracies worldwide more than perceptions that those in power are misusing public funds. Corruption is a transnational problem but in order to properly address it, Open Canada's invited experts argue, we must confront our own lax track record at home. Ben is joined by Susan Côté-Freeman, President of Transparency International - Canada, and Jon Allen, Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of ...
Dec 01, 2022•32 min•Ep. 15
The agenda to support democracy around the world requires efforts to make the entire global system more democratic, not just at the national level. While the Global South remains disempowered, conversations about the rights of the citizens of those countries are necessarily limited. Ruth welcomes a guest who has extensive experience studying both global governance and democracy in the Caribbean and Africa. Dr. W. Andy Knight is Professor of International Relations at the University of Alberta, a...
Nov 22, 2022•36 min•Ep. 14
