Beyond the Headlines

India is playing an increasingly important role on the global stage, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. Now the world's most populous country, India is in the midst of its largest general elections, with a staggering 969 million eligible voters, making it the biggest election the world has ever seen.

While experiencing rapid economic growth and projected to become the world's third-largest economy by 2030, India is also facing ...

In our upcoming episode, we embark on a journey through the intricate realm of sustainable innovation and carbon markets, illuminating their profound significance in sculpting a pathway towards a net-zero future in the 21st century. As the spectre of climate change looms large, confronting humanity with unprecedented environmental challenges, the imperative to curtail carbon emissions has emerged as a paramount concern. Against thi...

In a day and age where technological innovation and information processing systems are driving economic development in society, there exists a frontier that promises to redefine the very fabric of computation. Welcome to Quantum Computing. In today’s Beyond the Headlines Podcast join us as we unravel and explore the future of how the principles of Quantum computing can revolutionize the way we process information. From groundbreaki...

In today’s episode, we delve deep into the critical issues surrounding gender equality in Canada, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the major challenges and developments in gender equality, paying special attention to the disturbing rise in gender-based violence during this period and how it varies across different regions in the country. Our conversation then extends to examining areas where Canada sho...

*Trigger Warning: This episode includes content dealing with upsetting, sensitive, and potentially triggering themes including institutionalized modes of oppression, sexual violence, and violence against children.

Today’s episode delves into the history and enduring consequences of Canada's residential school system. With a focus on understanding the systemic abuses inflicted upon Indigenous children and communities, we examine t...

This episode examines China’s dramatic transformation over recent decades, transitioning from rapid economic growth and liberalization, particularly post its 2001 WTO accession, to a phase of increased tensions with Western nations. This shift, amidst rising geopolitical tensions and internal policy shifts, demands a deeper, more nuanced understanding that goes beyond traditional top-down analyses. The focus is on a bottom-up appro...

It has now been two years since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. Last year, in February 2023, there was a prevailing sense of optimism and hope as the Ukrainian armed forces were able to hold back the Russian advance and even reclaim large swaths of territory. Now, 12 months later, that sense of optimism has been diminished to a great extent. Disappointing results from the Ukrainian fall counteroffensive along with stiff Ru...

The global decline in fertility rates poses significant challenges for socio-economic structures, with Canada experiencing a notable decrease that mirrors this worldwide trend. This reduction in birth rates leads to an aging population, straining healthcare, pension systems, and altering workforce dynamics. In Canada, the fall in fertility rates necessitates a reevaluation of immigration policies to counterbalance demographic shift...

*Trigger Warning: this episode includes content dealing with upsetting, sensitive and potentially triggering themes including sexual violence, torture, and death.*

The Japanese Military Sexual Slavery, known as the “Comfort women” history refers to the system of sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese government during World War II. From 1931 and 1945, between 50,000 and 200,000 girls and women across the Asia Pacific, were forced ...

Climate justice is once again making headlines. On today's episode, we sit down with Assistant Professor Hanna Morris and Professor Kariuki Karagia from the University of Toronto to discuss climate change as an intersectional barrier to social justice. This episode is a collaboration with the Munk School Environmental Working Group. The EWG is a student-led organization that aims to raise the profile of environment, sustainability,...

The majority of Canadians, about 3 out of 4, live in one of Canada's large urban centres and Canadian Downtowns are growing more rapidly than ever before.  In the rise of pressing urban policy issues like housing affordability, transportation, climate change and resilience, and social equity and inclusion, how do we imagine the future of our urban centers? 

Today, we will turn to two experts to dissect their experiences working at ...

In 2015, 193 member countries of the United Nations agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs are meant to be a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity by improving health and education, reducing inequality, and spurring economic growth – all while tackling climate change and preserving our environment. Now that it’s 2023, the clock is ticking, and the road to 2030 is at its halfway poin...

The Israel-Hamas war has taken an immense toll on both sides and caused thousands of casualties. As difficult of a topic as this is, shedding light on this war, with an objective and critical lens, is a vital endeavor in the hope that history should never repeat itself in this way again.

Today, we take a step back to discuss the histories in the region and the rise of Hamas to power, through to the present-day. For our guest toda...

Ontario has launched a new initiative called Roadmap to Wellness, which aims to develop a comprehensive and connected mental health and addiction system for the region. Over 1 million Ontarians face mental health and addiction issues each year, and the system faces challenges including long wait times, service fragmentation, and lack of evidence-based funding. We spoke with our Allyson Theodorou about Ontario’s Roadmap to Wellness ...

Are Canadian students being set up for success as adults in a democratic society? A functional democracy requires its citizens to participate fully in its collective institutions, which exist to serve the public interest and create public value. In this episode, we are looking at the role that civics education plays in creating a healthy, happy society. We believe that a strong civics education provides up & coming citizens with th...

Are Canadian students being set up for success as adults in a democratic society? A functional democracy requires its citizens to participate fully in its collective institutions, which exist to serve the public interest and create public value. In this episode, we are looking at the role that civics education plays in creating a healthy, happy society. We believe that a strong civics education provides up & coming citizens with th...

For this episode, two guests join us to talk about the telecommunication monopoly in Canada, Professor Fenwick McKelvey from Concordia University and Mr. Joe Rowsell from Telus. With the ongoing merger between Shaw and Rogers, and the recent service outage experienced by Rogers’ users, we have seen rising concerns within Canada’s monopolistic Telecommunication industry.  We dive into the current landscape of the industry and explor...