Shows
Canada Tariff News and TrackerUS Imposes Sweeping 35 Percent Tariffs on Canadian Goods Amid Trade Tensions Reshaping North American Economic LandscapeIt’s Monday, August 11, 2025, and we’re tracking the fast-moving tariff story reshaping Canada–U.S. trade. According to The Logic, as of today the U.S. has imposed a blanket 35 percent tariff on virtually all Canadian goods, with limited exceptions: energy products and potash face a lower 10 percent rate, and there’s no carve-out for autos or agriculture. The Logic reports there is currently a 35 percent tariff on all Canadian goods except energy and potash, and no sectoral exemptions.These measures sit within Washington’s new “reciprocal tariffs” regime. Mondaq notes the tariff schedule formally took effect August 7, with...
2025-08-1103 min
Public SparkMaking sense of Canada's National Action Plan on Open GovernmentSource: https://opencanada.blob.core.windows.net/opengovprod/resources/b17b6dab-febb-4bca-8328-2bd19220ee96/august-2023-updates-to-the-2022-24-national-action-plan-on-open-government_en.pdf?se=2024-11-03T17%3A11%3A01Z&sp=r&sv=2019-07-07&sr=b&sig=0Cn7J%2BZMMJ3qWXEHmbe764hTuFmWM7HtphV7rhwnOok%3D Breaking Down Canada's Open Government Action Plan: What You Need to Know Join us as we dive into Canada's latest National Action Plan on Open Government in this easy-to-understand conversation. We'll explore how the government is working to become more transparent, what it means for everyday Canadians, and the exciting updates. Perfect for citizens, students...
2025-01-2718 min
The Open Canada PodcastIs Canada Losing its Appeal? with Daniel BernhardRuth 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.
2023-03-3028 min
The Open Canada PodcastGlobal Polycrisis with Thomas Homer-DixonRuth 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 mechanisms that underlie some of the biggest issues facing humanity, in the hope of finding global solutions. Visit O...
2023-03-0827 minThe Open Canada PodcastPluralism in an Age of Multipolarity with Meredith Preston McGhie 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's work focuses on engaging with local communities to first find what pluralism means to...
2023-03-0640 minThe Open Canada PodcastPartnering for Accountability with Senator Ratna OmidvarRuth 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 personal interest, support the integration and settlement of displaced peoples. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world.
2023-02-0727 minThe Open Canada PodcastTo Combat Corruption Abroad, Start Here with Susan Côté-Freeman and Jon AllenThere 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 Toronto and Canada's former ambassador to Spain. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world. Spec...
2022-12-0131 minThe Open Canada PodcastInclusive Democracy for Good Governance with W. Andy Knight 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, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in t...
2022-11-2235 min
The Open Canada PodcastA Club for Settling Refugees with Craig Damian SmithThe world's supply of refugees is greater than it has been in recent history, yet the Global North's collective willingness to resettle them is at an historic low. New Open Canada Podcast co-host Ruth Mojeed Ramirez speaks with Craig Damian Smith, a researcher studying migration and politics, and the founder of Pairity, a data-driven platform to facilitate community-based refugee integration. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world.
2022-11-1131 min
The Open Canada PodcastThe Limits of Solidarity After Covid with Jean-François TardifAs we approach the third anniversary of the global pandemic, Ben examines the cost of vaccine inequity. The hardest hit societies remain in the global south and are not receiving the vaccine doses needed to get the virus under control. Jean-François Tardif is a development economist and founder of Results Canada. Along with Robert Greenhill of the Global Canada Initiative, Mr. Tardif conducted groundbreaking research on the scarring left on the peoples, economies and societies of low income countries. Ben also introduces his new co-host Ruth Mojeed Ramirez, Chief Equity Officer of The Inclusion Project, whose first interview is com...
2022-10-2829 min
The Open Canada PodcastThe Americas After American Hegemony with Maxwell CameronDo Latin America's autocracies deserve a seat at the Summit of the Americas' table? Some democratically-elected governments say they do. Host Ben Rowswell, Canada's former ambassador to Venezuela, discusses dilemmas of diplomacy in the Americas with Maxwell A. Cameron, professor at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at University of British Columbia, and author of the forthcoming book "Challenges to Democracy in the Andes: Strongmen, Broken Constitutions, and Regimes in Crisis". The second season of the Open Canada Podcast is coming this fall with conversations from Venezuela, Afghanistan, Iraq and other locations worldwide. Visit OpenCanada.org for re...
2022-08-0931 min
The Open Canada PodcastHow to Write a National Security Policy with Wesley WarkCanada has only produced one document outlining a comprehensive national security strategy, in 2004. Open Canada host and CIC president Ben Rowswell was on the team of experts that designed it. His guest Wesley Wark, a national security expert and senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance (CIGI), recently completed a year-long proposal on how to revise the strategy – and to outline the important role citizens have to play. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world.
2022-03-1032 minThe Open Canada PodcastPutin and the Past with Jeremy KinsmanOpen Canada co-host and Canadian International Council Distinguished Fellow Jeremy Kinsman was Canada's Ambassador to Russia from 1992 to 1996. In this special episode, new co-host and Open Canada Editor-in-Chief Kareem Shaheen speaks with Kinsman about the Russian president's invasion of Ukraine, his antagonism toward Europe and why he refuses to let go of the past. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world. Special thanks to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for supporting The Open Canada Podcast.
2022-03-0141 min
The Open Canada PodcastClimate Progress and Constructive Ambiguity with Jen Allan and Jeremy KinsmanAre Climate Change Conferences of the Parties (COPs) resulting in policy wins for the planet or only "blah, blah, blah"? Joining former Ambassador Jeremy Kinsman is Jen Allan, a Canadian climate policy specialist who lectures at Cardiff University and the author of The New Climate Activism: NGO Authority and Participation in Climate Change Governance. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world. Special thanks to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for supporting The Open Canada Podcast.
2022-02-1736 min
The Open Canada PodcastDemocracy and Reality with Ulrike Klinger and Jeremy KinsmanSocial networks have become agencies of disinformation, warns co-host Jeremy Kinsman, asking how citizens can manage their democracy when they are being exposed to such different versions of reality. The former ambassador is joined by Ulrike Klinger, professor of digital democracy at European New School of Digital Studies and associate researcher at Berlin's Weizenbaum Institute. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world. Special thanks to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for supporting The Open Canada Podcast.
2022-02-0437 min
The Open Canada PodcastIs Democracy Western or Universal? with Sanjay Ruparelia The notion that democracy is a form of government native to a certain part of the world, whether it be Europe or North America, that it's somehow endemic or culturally-aligned with certain societies, seems to fly in the face of the evidence. Some Western countries are moving away from democracy, while many Asian, African and Latin American countries have proud, resilient democracies. Ben speaks with Sanjay Ruparelia, who holds the Jarislowsky Democracy Chair at Ryerson University on the universality of democracy, and how it might be time for the West to learn from the Rest for a...
2022-01-2135 min
The Open Canada PodcastThe Competition Between Democracy and Autocracy with Thorsten Benner The challenge of rebuilding a global democratic alliance to manage complex new transnational problems must be addressed outside of traditional circles and by an increasingly diverse array of actors, argues Thorsten Benner, co-founder and director of Germany's Global Public Policy Institute, who joins Ben from Berlin. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world. Special thanks to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for supporting The Open Canada Podcast.
2022-01-1524 min
The Open Canada PodcastTwo Countries Redefining Liberal Democracy with Amb. Sabine SparwasserAs neighbouring countries exhibit growing populist and nationalist tendencies, Germany and Canada find themselves more likeminded than ever, on foreign policy as well as in domestic affairs. German Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser and co-host Jeremy Kinsman, Canada's former ambassador to the EU, Italy and Russia, explore what the two countries could accomplish together. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world. Special thanks to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for supporting The Open Canada Podcast.
2021-12-3031 min
The Open Canada PodcastClimate Policy Compromise with Dr. Sabrina SchulzWelcome to The Open Canada Podcast, a program that puts citizens at the heart of global affairs with exclusive access to international policymakers, hosted by veteran diplomats Ben Rowswell and Jeremy Kinsman, respectively President and Distinguished Fellow at the Canadian International Council. Climate change policy must be considered in tandem with issues of equality and social cohesion because "we are saving our planet and our democracies, together," argues Dr. Sabrina Schulz, Executive Director of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, in conversation with Jeremy Kinsman. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the world. Special thanks to t...
2021-12-1629 min
The Open Canada PodcastThe Cost of Vaccine Inequity with Dr. Alan Bernstein and Dr. Peter SingerWelcome to The Open Canada Podcast, a program that puts citizens at the heart of global affairs with exclusive access to international policymakers, hosted by veteran diplomats Ben Rowswell and Jeremy Kinsman, respectively President and Distinguished Fellow at the Canadian International Council. Beyond our borders, the pandemic rages on. Among low-income countries, less than 10 percent of the population has been vaccinated. Ben discusses the risk of a "catastrophic moral failure", according to the World Health Organization, if efforts are not made to make vaccine distribution equitable for all. He is joined by Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institute F...
2021-12-1631 min
The Open Canada PodcastThe New Borders with Dr. Ayelet ShacharWelcome to The Open Canada Podcast, a program that puts citizens at the heart of global affairs with exclusive access to international policymakers, hosted by veteran diplomats Ben Rowswell and Jeremy Kinsman, respectively President and Distinguished Fellow at the Canadian International Council. In the inaugural episode, Ben speaks with Dr. Ayelet Shachar, Professor of Law, Political Science and Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, and author of The Shifting Border: Legal Cartographies of Migration and Mobility, on what borders mean in the 21st century for sovereignty and human rights. Visit OpenCanada.org for reflections on Canada's place in the wo...
2021-12-1637 min
A Podcast Called INTREPIDEp 162 Stand on GuardIn the late spring of 2021, University of Toronto Press released Stand on Guard: Reassessing Threats to Canada’s National Security, by Stephanie Carvin. This episode features the introduction to the book which presents the evolving context in which threats to the security of Canada are manifesting and evolving. Carvin argues that rather than responding to national security threats with fear, Canadians need to responsibly widen their understanding and respond with empathy to best meet the challenges of the 21st Century. You can read the Open Canada review of the book here: https://opencanada.org/book-review-stand-on-guard/
2021-07-0924 min
Unpublished CafeForeign Affairs in Canada's 2019 ElectionPUBLISHED: 08/18/2019
Today on the Unpublished Cafe podcast: Will Canada’s federal election be won on the international stage? Voters are mere two months away from heading to the ballot box. When the Liberals came to power in 2015, Justin Trudeau pledged “Canada is back” and “Sunny Ways” as a counter to the ten years of Stephen Harper. But the positive words and ambition were somewhat derailed by the 2016 US election which vaulted Donald Trump into the Oval Office. Since then Canada’s foreign policy has been turned upside down by his erratic behavior.
Today on the Unpublished...
2019-08-1834 min
MidratsEpisode 280: Best of NATO in Afghanistan, With Stephen SaidemanLost to many whose news sources in the USA consists of the major newspapers and the standard networks, for most of the last dozen+ years, the conflict in Afghanistan has not been a USA-Centric battle; it has been a NATO run operation.When the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force has been an American 4-star, the visuals can be misleading.For most of the last decade, American forces were dominate in only one region of Afghanistan, the east. Other NATO nations from Italy/Spain in the west, Germany in the North, and Commonwealth nations and th...
2015-05-1700 min
MidratsEpisode 212: NATO in Afghanistan with Stephen M. SaidemanLost to many whose news sources in the USA consists of the major newspapers and the standard networks, for most of the last dozen+ years, the conflict in Afghanistan has not been a USA-Centric battle; it has been a NATO run operation.When the Commander of the International Security Assistance Force has been an American 4-star, the visuals can be misleading.For most of the last decade, American forces were dominate in only one region of Afghanistan, the east. Other NATO nations from Italy/Spain in the west, Germany in the North, and Commonwealth nations and th...
2014-01-261h 01