Best Centre For Inquiry Canada Podcasts (2025)

1
BONUS: BAHACON 4 in Sarnia Ontario, August 8-10, 2025 16:55

10d ago16:55

16:55

The fourth BAHACON is coming in a little over two month’s time. Leslie speaks with Jeff Brooks about the conference’s location, speakers, and other attractions that makes the Bluewater Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics conference so popular for attendees from across North America. Learn more and register at https://bahacon.com/ Podcast for Inquiry…

1
New clear nuclear news, with Jason Donev 1:26:54

17d ago1:26:54

1:26:54

Prof. Jason Donev is tenured at the University of Calgary. He leads the world’s largest and most used energy resource for adults, www.EnergyEducation.ca. As a reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Prof. Donev works to help people understand nuclear power's role in providing reliable energy without emitting greenhouse gases. Ja…

1
A little less livestock, a lot more action - with Mark Lynas 59:22

1M ago59:22

59:22

Mark Lynas is the author of several environmental books, including Seeds of Science (2018), Our Final Warning (2020), and the forthcoming Six Minutes to Winter. Until 2024 he was research and climate lead with the Alliance for Science at the Boyce Thompson Institute, an affiliate of Cornell University. Mark is now the policy lead with the pro-scien…

1
Nigerian Nightmare: The personal toll of being a Humanist, with Mubarak Bala 1:16:31

2M ago1:16:31

1:16:31

Mubarak Bala was born in Nigeria's Kano State, on the southern coasts of the Sahara Desert, in 1984. He was schooled in both the Islamic and modern education system. This makes him an outlier, since most families believe the two school systems are mutually exclusive. Boko, Western Education, is Haram, or unIslamic. When Mubarak started doubting the…

1
Cell phones, Cinemas, and Comestibles: Canada’s Conundrum with Monopolies, with Vass Bednar 1:14:18

2M ago1:14:18

1:14:18

Vass Bednar is the Executive Director of McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy program, and the co-author of The Big Fix: How Companies Capture Markets and Harm Canadians. Our conversation starts with the observation that many sectors in Canada’s economy are dominated by one or only a few firms. Vass and Leslie discuss whether that is good …

1
Trials and tribulations trying to bring a refugee to Canada 50:43

2M ago50:43

50:43

In 2019, Brian and Brent (members of the Calgary-based Rocky Mountain Atheists) joined a “Group of Five (G5)” sponsorship committee (one of the ways Canada allows private citizens to resettle refugees in Canada) to bring a UN recognized refugee, Omer, to Canada. When Omer expressed doubts about his faith, he had to flee his native country of Pakist…

1
Distinguishing jargon from gobbledygook - Dr. Jonathan Stea on evidence-based medicine over wellness industry misinformation 1:05:15

3M ago1:05:15

1:05:15

Jonathan Stea (BlueSky, Facebook) is a full-time practicing clinical psychologist and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary. In today’s episode, Jonathan reveals that many mental health practitioners have no scientific grounding for their treatments, which can lead to disaster - yet it can be ve…

1
Time for a public Covid inquiry 1:05:11

3M ago1:05:11

1:05:11

Kevin interviews Dr. Gary Davidson, lead author on the Final Report of the Alberta Covid Pandemic Data Review Task Force. They discuss the criticism of the Report, and what Dr. Davidson believes should be the next steps following the report’s release. Dr. Davidson would like to see a full, formal inquiry where critics and supporters alike can put t…

1
Burkas, beatings and bicycles - The life of Yasmine Mohammed 1:07:11

3M ago1:07:11

1:07:11

Yasmine Mohammed is a human rights activist and author of Unveiled: How the West Empowers Radical Muslims. Yasmine is one of the most prominent and vocal figures supporting persecuted freethinkers across the globe, from elevating the voices of marginalized freethinkers on her podcast, to creating a global network of allies across religious and poli…

1
Everything you always wanted to know about the solar system* (*but were afraid to ask), with John E. Moores 56:05

4M ago56:05

56:05

John E. Moores (X, Bluesky) is a planetary scientist and associate professor at York University. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, formerly served as the Science Advisor to the President of the Canadian Space Agency and has contributed to five NASA and ESA-led space missions. He is the co-author of Daydreaming in the Solar System, whic…

1
Double standards and the rule of law 1:00:29

4M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

John Carpay discusses a double standard he sees in the application of the law. He cites the case of Derek Reimer, a Calgary pastor who has been convicted of causing a disturbance after protesting drag queen story hours at public libraries. John points out numerous cases of protests that caused disturbances, many in front of police, where no one is …

1
Pickering's political attack ad 1:10:39

4M ago1:10:39

1:10:39

John Carpay starts off by reading an interesting X post asserting that wokeism is not dead, despite all the commentary that the ideology is on the way out. Then, he points to a news story about the 15,000+ Canadians who died last year while on healthcare waiting lists. Finally, we discuss a 13-minute political attack ad, paid for by the City of Pic…

1
Gaia Vince identifies the four horsemen of the Anthropocene 59:06

4M ago59:06

59:06

Gaia Vince (@wanderinggaia) is an award-winning science writer and author. She is particularly interested in the interaction between human systems and Earth’s planetary systems. Her research has taken her around the world. Gaia’s latest book is Nomad Century: How Climate Migration Will Reshape Our World. We are already at 1.6 degrees Celsius above …

1
On prorogation and fair elections 1:01:30

4M ago1:01:30

1:01:30

This show, we start off by discussing the court action against the Prime Minister's decision to prorogue Parliament - filed the day after the PM's press conference. Then, John highlights a story out of British Columbia, where some are calling for an investigation of potential voting fraud in the last provincial election. The allegations concern a r…

1
Canada has not reconciled with its Indigenous peoples, say Maureen Bulbrook and Christina Ninham 1:23:02

5M ago1:23:02

1:23:02

Maureen Bulbrook and Christina Ninham are Indigenous lawyers who know from direct experience that Canada has never stopped discriminating against its First Nations people, from the Doctrine of Discovery at the time of contact to current day (with Prime Minister Harper arguing that residential school records should be destroyed even as he apologized…

1
A busy year at the Justice Centre 1:03:44

5M ago1:03:44

1:03:44

We at the Justice with John Carpay podcast take it easy at the end of the year. Instead of our usual conversation, we’ll play a recording of a mid-December Zoom meeting with our donors. Marcie Clare, the Justice Centre’s Events and Special Projects Coordinator, hosts. The meeting was a recap of all the work we did in 2024, and mixed in is a bit of …

1
John Carpay's new book: Corrupted by Fear 1:00:30

5M ago1:00:30

1:00:30

John Carpay discusses his new book, Corrupted by Fear: How the Charter was betrayed, and what Canadians can do about it. The eBook is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Though John has been publishing opinion pieces and columns for decades, this is his first book. He gives us some insight into what inspired him to write it. He then reads the In…

1
Paco Calvo considers the possibility of plant intelligence 1:02:15

5M ago1:02:15

1:02:15

Paco’s thesis is a provocative one: plants are, in a meaningful sense, intelligent. Paco discusses what intelligence is, and how we might recognize it in other beings. People used to believe that only humans are intelligent. Over time, other mammals were deemed to also think and feel. Today, most people grant that many animals, such as birds and oc…

1
Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God, with Catherine Nixey 1:05:03

6M ago1:05:03

1:05:03

Why do scholars now refer to early Christianities instead of early Christianity? How has the meaning of the word “Heresy” changed from its original definition to taking on its current connotations? Why did Christianity grow from a fringe cult with few followers and disdained by the intelligentsia and people in power to becoming the largest religion…

1
Does DEI violate the Charter? 57:35

6M ago57:35

57:35

To open the show, Kevin asks John if Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies violate the equality provisions in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This leads to a discussion about the cultural shift away from DEI among large corporations in the US, both before and after the recent presidential election. Canada is lagging behind. We…

1
A digital fence? 58:57

6M ago58:57

58:57

John and Kevin discuss the requirement that drivers headed to the United States will have to submit photo ID and biometric data in advance. Why is this necessary, and how does this requirement tie in with concerns about digital ID? John and Kevin then discuss a column of John's in which he puts forward the idea that our constitution might protect u…

1
Saving civilization is about more than climate change, says Professor Katherine Richardson 1:31:36

6M ago1:31:36

1:31:36

All life on earth ultimately depends on energy and how it flows between biological and geochemical systems on the planet. Katherine Richardson and her team identified nine boundaries which need to be respected if our planet is to remain conducive to human thriving. Climate change is just one of them. We are exceeding six boundaries, and in recent y…

1
A false sense of security for parents 59:15

7M ago59:15

59:15

Lawyer Marty Moore takes us through the good and the bad of proposed changes to Alberta's Education Act. There is a lot in here that firmly establishes parental rights and puts some serious guardrails around gender transitions for minors. Parents will now have to opt-in to explicit sex education in the classroom. However, the Education Act will all…

1
The Zexi Li lawsuit in court 53:59

7M ago53:59

53:59

Lawyer James Manson brings us up to date on the $290 million lawsuit brought by Ottawa resident Zexi Li and others against the Freedom Convoy. In court on Oct 28, Mr. Manson put forward his arguments in an appeal against the dismissal of his Anti-SLAPP motion that would have ended the lawsuit. It's still early days, he says, but he's already put fo…

1
Climate Change Charter Rights? 1:02:21

7M ago1:02:21

1:02:21

We discuss a recent Ontario Court of Appeal decision, Mathur v. Ontario, which was the subject of a recent National Post column by Jamie Sarkonak. In this case, a group of teenagers had gone after the Ford government when it lowered the CO2 targets created by the previous government. The kids claimed the change in government policy violated their C…

1
Melanie Trecek-King defines and discusses critical thinking 1:02:19

7M ago1:02:19

1:02:19

Many people - especially those in skeptical organizations like CFIC - talk about the importance of critical thinking. But what is it? How can we use it effectively? How do people navigate complex subject areas without developing deep expertise? Melanie Trecek-King, creator of Thinking is Power, discusses how people internalize beliefs, how they can…

1
Does our legal heritage matter? 1:01:17

7M ago1:01:17

1:01:17

John shares his thoughts on a National Post column criticizing recent statements from Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner. He agrees that undermining the value of legal precedent harms the rule of law. John also discusses a column in which he supports adding the right to refuse a vaccine to the Alberta Bill of Rights, as proposed by Premier …

1
Does the Bible endorse slavery and genocide? Dr. Joshua Bowen provides receipts. 1:12:20

8M ago1:12:20

1:12:20

In his first appearance on Podcast for Inquiry, Dr. Josh Bowen compared what we know about history from archaeology and contemporaneous literature with the stories from the Old Testament. In today’s episode, Dr. Bowen reveals what the Bible has to say about slavery and genocide, and goes a bit outside his comfort zone to talk about whether the Old …

1
True Reconciliation 1:00:31

8M ago1:00:31

1:00:31

Justice Centre President John Carpay shares his perspective on the residential school system and on NDP MP Leah Gazan's Private Members' Bill (Bill C-413), which would make it a Criminal Code offence to condone, deny, downplay, or justify the residential school system. He discusses the potential impact of this Bill on freedom of expression, the Tru…

1
Kate Cohen believes atheists should be out and proud 1:20:21

8M ago1:20:21

1:20:21

Kate Cohen talks about her journey from privately knowing she was a non-believer to writing We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (And Maybe You Should Too). She discusses how being an atheist and a commitment to honesty informed how she raised her children, and how being forthright about her lack of belief in social interactions …

1
Corrupted by Fear 59:45

8M ago59:45

59:45

Justice Centre President John Carpay returns to the show to tell us about the book he's writing with the working title "Corrupted by Fear." It's about Canadian court judgments in constitutional challenges to the many Covid restrictions over the last 4 years. Judges, he's found, relied heavily on fear driven media narratives. He also discusses two r…

1
Opening closed minds on campus 58:08

9M ago58:08

58:08

Lawyer Glenn Blackett talks about cases he's working on that involve free speech on campuses across Canada. This is part of the Justice Centre's Spotlight Campaign this month. He describes the case of the University of British Columbia's Free Speech Club where the administration shut down an event in which journalist Andy Ngo was to talk about Anti…

1
Greg Oliver asks: Why is religious discrimination official provincial educational funding policy? 58:16

9M ago58:16

58:16

5Greg Oliver, founder and president of the Canadian Secular Alliance, believes that governments should not favour one faith over another, nor believers over non-believers. That three Canadian provinces continue to this day to fully fund a Separate school system for a single faith - Catholicism - is an egregious violation of secular principles that …

1
Punished by the Process 58:59

9M ago58:59

58:59

Host Kevin Steel talks to former Ontario MPP Randy Hillier, an outspoken critic of the government's response to Covid. While exercising his Charter freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, he was issued 25 tickets with fines. For his participation in the 2022 Freedom Convoy, he even faces criminal charges. In this interview, he speaks to the i…

1
Science Denial: Why It Happens and What To Do About It, with Gale Sinatra 1:07:27

9M ago1:07:27

1:07:27

Everyone is vulnerable to fallacies that can lead to misunderstanding scientific topics. In her book (written with Barbara Hofer), Science Denial: Why It Happens and What To Do About It, Gale investigates many of these, including: Cognitive biases Emotions Motivated reasoning Identities Gale also explains what all of us can do to increase our scien…

1
Discrimination and an Abuse of Process 59:31

9M ago59:31

59:31

Lawyer Paul Jaffe joins the podcast to talk about how BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry targeted and ticketed churches during Covid lockdowns. He goes over what evidence was presented and what evidence wasn't allowed by the court in cases where - and this may surprise listeners - British Columbians are arguing that Dr. Henry acted in a …

1
Defeating threats to parental rights 58:11

10M ago58:11

58:11

Lawyer Marty Moore defines parental rights and argues we should not separate parental rights from children's rights; they work together. Our lawyers are involved in cases across the country, from British Columbia and Saskatchewan to Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Marty Moore takes us through a few of these. The main action is happening in New …

1
Anti-natalism with Mark Maharaj 59:34

10M ago59:34

59:34

Anti-natalism is the philosophical idea that choosing to have children is an unethical act. Mark explains what anti-natalism is, as well as what it isn’t, and describes how he came to subscribe to anti-natalist thought. Learn more about anti-natalism from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (https://iep.utm.edu/anti-natalism/) and Stanford Ency…

1
Donations and "Discreditable Conduct" 59:22

10M ago59:22

59:22

Lawyer James Manson walks us through the case of Constable Michael Brisco, who is asking the court to review a charge of discreditable conduct. The charge was laid against him by the Windsor Police Service after he made a $50 donation to the peaceful Freedom Convoy in 2022. Constable Brisco was forced to forfeit 80 hours' pay as punishment. Justice…

1
Kelly Weinersmith asks: Are we ready to live off-planet? 1:02:44

10M ago1:02:44

1:02:44

Dr. Kelly Weinersmith (@FuSchmu) is the co-author (with her husband Zach) of Soonish and A City on Mars. Kelly maintains that while having humans living off Earth would be awesome, we’re simply not ready for it yet. She answers many of Leslie’s questions: Why can’t we go to Mars if we have the will? Why can’t we all just get along? Why should we ex…

1
Exposing Covid Narratives 48:34

11M ago48:34

48:34

Lawyer Lee Turner joins Kevin Steel to discuss the case of Dr. Charles Hoffe, who faces a complaint from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia after speaking out against government and pharmaceutical solutions to Covid. The College couldn't convince the disciplinary panel to accept their statements as facts in a significant vic…

1
The search for truth, with Carolyn Biltoft 1:03:42

11M ago1:03:42

1:03:42

Carolyn Biltoft received her PhD in World History from Princeton University in 2010. Her work fuses the tools of world history, intellectual history, cultural studies and critical theory. Carolyn has thought deeply about the nature of truth, and realized that each person necessarily has an incomplete understanding, because we only experience a smal…

1
The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself, with Robin Reames 1:09:11

11M ago1:09:11

1:09:11

Robin Reames is the incoming Culbertson Chair of English at Indiana University. She researches and writes about the history of ideas, particularly lost ideas from the ancient Greek rhetorical tradition that can enrich our lives today. Leslie and Robin talk about her book, The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself: The Power of Rhetoric in Polarized …

1
What’s the point if there’s no god? Ralph Lewis has an answer. 1:17:38

12M ago1:17:38

1:17:38

Dr. Ralph Lewis is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, a practicing psychiatrist, and blogs for Psychology Today. Leslie and Dr. Lewis explore the themes in his book, “Finding Purpose in a Godless World: Why We Care Even if the Universe Doesn’t”, including addressing some key questions: Does the universe have a purpose? Why are we …

1
Defending Parental Rights in New Brunswick 55:42

12M ago55:42

55:42

John Carpay and I start by discussing the Canadian Civil Liberties Association's constitutional challenge to a New Brunswick school policy requiring that parents of children under 16 be notified when their child undergoes a gender transition at school. Then, we discuss a recent poll showing that a majority of Canadians are now concerned with threat…

1
The Founding Myth, with Andrew Seidel 1:01:01

1y ago1:01:01

1:01:01

Andrew Seidel (@AndrewLSeidel) is the author of The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism is un-American, and works for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. He and Leslie discuss the birth of the United States and its founding documents. Andrew reveals that America was not intended to be in any way a Christian nation, yet a signi…

1
The Ten Commitments, with Kristin Wintermute and Emily Newman 1:15:59

1y ago1:15:59

1:15:59

The Ten Commitments come from the American Humanist Association’s Center for Education. They “represent our shared humanistic values and principles that promote a democratic world in which every individual’s worth and dignity is respected, nurtured, and supported, and where human freedom and ethical responsibility are natural aspirations for everyo…

1
Return to the Rule of Law 1:03:54

1y ago1:03:54

1:03:54

During a Q&A session at an April 11 public meeting in Ottawa, John Carpay was asked about the unequal treatment of protestors in Canada. We start the show with his thoughts on the problem of discrimination against protestors. We move on to discuss a book that John was given while on that same trip to the capital, entitled “Against the Great Reset: …

1
Alternative medicine nearly killed me, says Kat Mac 1:03:14

1y ago1:03:14

1:03:14

Kat McLeod is passionate about dispelling misinformation, especially regarding herbal remedies. Taking herbal supplements nearly killed her, so she volunteers at the University of Alberta as a mentor for pharmacy and medical students, arming them with the knowledge that can hopefully prevent the kind of suffering she has endured. Kat and Leslie tal…

1
Individual Rights and Indigenous Difference 56:41

1y ago56:41

56:41

Lawyer Marty Moore takes us through a complex Supreme Court of Canada decision, Dickson v. Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, about whether First Nations governments are subject to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. If they are, then what protections would they have to preserve what is known, legally, as "indigenous difference?" Vuntut Gwitchi…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Centre For Inquiry Canada Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide