Podcast: The Public Discourse
On this podcast, we talk to people across Canada about the values and principles that inform the way they are thinking about society, and how we can create a better public discourse. Staff of the Office of Public Affairs bring together guests who are contributing to the national conversation, and explore with them how insights from religion, science, and practice can help to foster new approaches to challenges facing Canadian society.
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Episodes
Season 3: “A Vision of Oneness”
This mini-series of The Public Discourse examines ideas of dialogue, equality and justice inspired by the life and teachings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, whose passing 100 years ago is commemorated this year. We will discuss some of these themes and how they relate to the needs of contemporary society.
Episode 6: Beauty and the Human Spirit
We talk with Hossein Amanat, Siamak Hariri, and Prof. Brigitte Shim about how a building or a place can help to illuminate the inner life of a person, and what role architecture can play in the spiritual upliftment of society. Amanat, Hariri, and Prof. Shim are principals at their respective Canadian architecture firms.
Episode 5: Education and Social Progress
We talk with Anne Snyder and Eric Farr about the nature of an educational process that can empower people to contribute to social progress. Snyder is Editor-in-Chief of Comment Magazine and Farr is a PhD student at the University of Toronto.
Episode 4: Championing Justice
We talk with Shain Jackson and Dr. Roshan Danesh about the work of transforming society to reflect the principles of justice and oneness, with a focus on Indigenous peoples. Jackson is Coast Salish from the community of Sechelt, and President of Spirit Works Limited. Dr. Danesh is a lawyer, conflict resolution innovator, and educator.
Episode 3: The Role of Religion in Eradicating Violence Against Women
This is an edited conversation among panelists who spoke about the role of religion in eradicating violence against women, hosted by the Bahá’í Community of Canada’s Office of Public Affairs in partnership with the Southern Chiefs’ Organization, the Stop Violence Against Women coordinating committee of Perth County, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.
Episode 2: Confronting Hatred and Prejudice
We talk with Mohammed Hashim and Jelana Bighorn about how we can confront the problem of hatred and prejudice in our society and promote the oneness of humanity. Hashim is executive director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and Bighorn is an educator.
Episode 1: Promoting Dialogue and Consultation
We talk with Sabreena Delhon, Michael Sabet, and Dr. Jennifer Wolowic about how we can strengthen processes of dialogue and consultation. Delhon is executive director of the Samara Centre for Democracy, Sabet is a PhD student at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Wolowic is program manager at the SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue.
Season 2: “Rebuilding Together”
This mini-series of The Public Discourse explores how we will work together to rebuild society, after the coronavirus pandemic. We will talk about the core values that guide our thinking, social issues that need new attention, and how we can create a society that reflects our highest aspirations.
Episode 8: Economic Choices
We talk with Jessey Njau and Erik Friedmann about the economic choices people are making during the pandemic, and how they can point us to new ways of thinking about our social and economic life. Friedmann is co-founder of OK! Kombucha, and Njau is a founding member of Zawadi Farm.
Episode 7: Environment and Human Civilization
We talk with Prof. Thomas Homer-Dixon and Paul Hanley about the civilizational change humanity needs to make in order to build a just and sustainable world. Prof. Homer-Dixon is Founder and Director of the Cascade Institute, and Hanley is an author and writer on environmental subjects.
Episode 6: Faith as a Vehicle for Dialogue
This is an edited conversation among representatives of national religious communities, who gathered as part of the DemocracyXChange Festival to talk about how faith can be a vehicle for dialogue. It includes representatives of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Canadian Council of Churches, World Sikh Organization, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the Baha’i Community of Canada.
Episode 5: Youth and Social Transformation
We talk with Tanika McLeod and Ashraf Rushdy about how young people are adapting to the conditions created by this health crisis, and the ways in which they can help to lead processes of social transformation. McLeod is a young entrepreneur and Rushdy works with the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity.
Episode 4: Education, Technology and Community
We talk with Taban Behin, Brian Dijkema and Hoda Farahmandpour about how we should think about the nature of technology and its relationship to the education of young people. Behin is a PhD student at the University of Victoria, Dijkema is Vice-President of Cardus, and Farahmandpour is a PhD student at the University of Toronto.
Episode 3: Advancing Gender Equality
We talk with Jessica Prince and Thea Symonds about the implications of the principle of gender equality for how we think about work, childcare, education, and family life after COVID-19. Prince is a lawyer and board member of the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, and Symonds is Coordinator for the Violence Against Women Coordinating Committee in Perth County.
Episode 2: Overcoming Us versus Them
We talk with Cyril Cromwell and Kyle Schmalenberg about the current conversation on race and identity, and consider how principles of justice, oneness and equality can help us to overcome the divisions between “us” and “them”. Cromwell is the Learning and Development Manager at YouthREX, and Schmalenberg is a freelance filmmaker.
Episode 1: Rethinking and Rebuilding
We talk with Dr. Shahrzad Sabet and Akaash Maharaj about how principles and concepts - like oneness, love, justice, and equality - can help to guide our thinking about how to rebuild after COVID-19. Dr. Sabet is a Research Fellow at New York University, and Maharaj is the CEO of the Mosaic Institute.
Season 1: “Resilience in the face of adversity”
In this podcast mini-series, we talk about how the coronavirus health crisis reveals insights about the values that bind us together.
Episode 7: Resilience and Relationships
We talk with Jessica Bolduc, Thomas Snow, and Carrington Christmas about the concept of resilience, and how spirituality and service find expression in their lives and work with youth. Bolduc and Snow are part of the 4Rs Youth Movement, and Christmas works with the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres.
Episode 6: Environment and Public Policy
We talk with Elizabeth May about how to do politics differently, and consider whether the coronavirus could be a hinge moment in history for how we think about our relationship with the environment. May is the Member of Parliament for Saanich—Gulf Islands and Parliamentary Leader of the Green Party.
Episode 5: Hope and Solidarity during COVID-19
We talk with Rabbi Dr. Laura Duhan-Kaplan and Peter Noteboom about the ways in which religious communities in Canada are fostering hope and solidarity in a time of coronavirus. Noteboom is the General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches, and Rabbi Dr. Duhan-Kaplan is Director of Inter-religious Studies at the Vancouver School of Theology.
Episode 4: Leadership and Public Policy
We talk with Karim Bardeesy and Akaash Maharaj about the qualities of leadership during a time of crisis, and how to build a unifying vision around public policy that serves the common good. Bardeesy is the Executive Director of the Ryerson Leadership Lab and Maharaj is the CEO of the Mosaic Institute.
Episode 3: The Role of Community
On this episode, we talk with Ana Serrano and Shabnam Tashakour about the role of the community in responding to coronavirus, and the values they hope will characterize our future society. Serrano holds leadership positions with the Canadian Film Centre and Open Democracy Project, and Tashakour is a member of the Bahá'í Continental Board of Counsellors for the Americas.
Episode 2: The Power of Religion
On this episode, we talk with Hannah Marazzi, Esther Maloney and Eric Farr about the ways in which religion and spirituality are shaping responses to the coronavirus health crisis, and how we can emerge from the crisis with a new consciousness. Marazzi works with Cardus, Maloney leads the Illumine Media Project, and Farr is a PhD student in religion.
Episode 1: The Value of Service to Others
On this episode, we talk with Dr. Lita Cameron and Prof. John Milloy about how an ethic of service to others is informing the response of physicians and government officials to the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Cameron is a family physician in Hamilton, and Prof. Milloy is a professor of public ethics and former minister in the Ontario government.