Big Thinking Podcast

Soccer is often described as the world's game. It crosses borders and brings people together through languages and cultures in ways few other sports can. And every four years, the FIFA World Cup turns that connection into a global spectacle, drawing billions of people into the same unfolding story of victory, heartbreak, and national pride. Soccer has the power to bring people together, but it can also reflect the divisions that already exist beyond the field. So who actually gets to belong? From local clubs to the FIFA World Cup, the experience of the game can be very different depending on who is playing. For this episode of the Big Thinking Podcast, Karine Morin is joined by Greg Yerashotis, Assistant Professor at Trent University. For years, he has looked at the relationship between sport and social inclusion, more recently through the lives of immigrant youth playing soccer in Toronto. Their experiences offer a different way of seeing the World Cup, and of asking what belonging looks like when the whole world is watching.

Those who’ve completed a degree in Canada know that it’s a demanding experience, but for many students without safe or stable housing, the challenge is even greater. Right now across the country, some students are balancing coursework with couch-surfing, living in unsafe housing, or facing impossible choices between paying rent, buying groceries, and continuing their education. And for years, this reality has largely been invisible. Today, on the Big Thinking Podcast, we’re talking about what it takes to turn evidence into action: how research can move beyond documenting a problem, to helping establish partnerships across sectors to create practical solutions. Through her work, Emily confronts the stigma around student homelessness so that institutions can better respond to students’ needs.

Comment continuer à vivre, à espérer, à aimer alors que notre époque semble entrer dans une suite de crises climatiques, sociales, politiques et humaines? Nicolas Langelier, journaliste, chroniqueur et éditeur et fondateur de l’entreprise sociale Atelier10, se joint à Karine Morin pour discuter de son plus récent essai, Ce qu’on trouve dans la cendre : Méditations sur le sens et le courage dans un monde en effondrement.

Alors que le Canada cherche à affirmer son rôle comme chef de file en recherche et innovation, une question essentielle se pose : quelle place accorde-t-on à la recherche en français, particulièrement en dehors du Québec? Trop souvent ignorées, les communautés francophones en situation minoritaire jouent pourtant un rôle déterminant dans le développement du savoir, de la culture et de l’identité canadienne. Dans l’épisode de ce mois-ci du balado Voir Grand, Karine Morin est accompagnée d’Émir Delic, Doyen des facultés et des études collégiales à l’Université Sainte-Anne. Ensemble, Karine et Émir se penchent sur la question de l’impact de la recherche hors Québec, de ses défis, de ses contributions et de son potentiel pour l’avenir.

Across healthcare, education, and advocacy, many assumptions about disability are being challenged and, in some cases, dismantled. Among them are questions related to intimate relationships and sexuality, where stigma can get in the way of safety and rights. On this month’s episode of the Big Thinking Podcast, Karine Morin is joined by Dr. Alan Martino, Assistant Professor in the Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Program at the University of Calgary.

Something remarkable happens when spaces are allowed to feel more human—when they are welcoming, grounded in care, and shaped with intention. When there’s time to sit together, perhaps good food on the table, and an openness that feels closer to being welcomed into someone’s home than arriving at an institution of learning. Across the country, centres for Black studies are emerging as spaces like these. They are places where Black scholarship is held with care, where history and leadership are approached through joy, and where intellectual life is nurtured rather than extracted. That spirit of joy comes to the Big Thinking Podcast this month. Andrew B. Campbell joins Karine Morin for a conversation about Black leadership through history, the power of building scholarly spaces that are expansive rather than extractive, and what becomes possible when we show up not just as participants, but as allies and co-conspirators in sustaining this work.

As global conflicts intensify, the federal government is being forced to make hard choices about security, defense spending, and values. These choices raise a pressing question: can the country maintain its commitment to Women, Peace, and Security, also known as WPS, while adapting to a rapidly changing global defense landscape? In this episode of the Big Thinking Podcast, Karine Morin is joined by Stéfanie Von Hltaky, Canada Research Chair in Gender, Security, and the Armed Forces to unpack how WPS commitments collide, coexist, or transform within our national defense framework.

Canada’s future is being written in the places where people learn and in how those places connect. If collaboration holds the key to shaping that future, how do we begin unlocking its full potential? Listen to our new Big Thinking Podcast episode in partnership with The Conversation featuring Karine Morin, President and CEO of the Federation, and Pari Johnston, President and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada, in conversation with Kim Honey, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Conversation Canada.

Pourquoi est-il essentiel de croiser les regards, les expertises et les méthodologies de différents domaines pour mieux comprendre la complexité des défis en matière de santé publique? Quels sont les bénéfices concrets observés lorsque des chercheuses et chercheurs issu.e.s de différents domaines collaborent ensemble? Aujourd'hui sur le balado Voir Grand, Karine Morin est rejointe par Magaly Brodeur, clinicienne et chercheuse à l'Université de Sherbrooke, afin d'explorer l'importance des approches interdisciplinaires pour soutenir la recherche importante face à des problèmes complexes.

Bienvenue au Congrès en conversation, une série spéciale présentée par le balado Voir Grand et La Conversation Canada, où nous invitons des intervenant.e.s clés du Congrès 2025 à partager leurs recherches et leurs expériences dans le contexte de notre thème Redessinons le vivre-ensemble. Dans cet épisode, notre hôte Martine Turenne, Rédactrice en chef de La Conversation Canada, est rejointe par la Professeure Megan Cotnam-Kappel. Ensemble, elles abordent le projet VRAenligne, une initiative de la Professeur Cotnam-Kappel qui explore la citoyenneté éthique à l'ère du numérique, en particulier chez les jeunes francophones qui vivent en milieu minoritaire en Ontario et en Alberta. Au coeur de leur discussion, elles vont s'interroger sur le rôle des jeunes dans l'espace numérique et se poser la question : comment perçoivent-ils leur citoyenneté dans un monde digital?

Welcome to Congress in Conversation, a special series presented by the Big Thinking Podcast and The Conversation Canada, where we convene key voices at Congress 2025 to share their research and experiences within the context of our theme Reframing togetherness. In this episode, our host Eleni Vlahiotis, writer and editor specializing in media, business, labour and Canadian politics at The Conversation Canada, is joined by Dr. Daniel Conway and together, they take a closer look at the rise of Pride branding in the global north, the pressures and contradictions multinational companies face in different cultural and political landscapes, and what the current moment reveals about the limits and possibilities of corporate allyship.

Que ce soit en pleine campagne électorale ou entre deux scrutins, les politiciennes, politiciens et partis politiques ne quittent jamais vraiment la scène publique, qui est aujourd’hui devenue numérique. Ce mois-ci sur le balado Voir Grand, Thierry Giasson explore, en conversation avec Karine Morin, comment les personnalités politiques se construisent une image, captent notre attention et façonnent le débat public à travers des stratégies de marketing sophistiquées.

In this episode of the Big Thinking Podcast, we dive into the complex world of wildfire research in Canada. Wildfires are becoming more frequent and intense, and understanding their causes and effects is more important than ever. What is the science behind them? What is their connection to climate change? And what role does interdisciplinarity play in wildfire research? Our host Karine Morin is joined by Dr. Mike Flannigan, BC Innovation Research Chair in Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science, and Dr. Shannon Wagner, Vice-President of Research at Thompson Rivers University to answer all of these questions.

In this episode, we’re exploring the ever-growing impact of artificial intelligence on digital politics and media. From shaping political campaigns to influencing public discourse, AI is transforming the way we engage with politics. Karine Morin is joined by Fenwick Mckelvey, Associate Professor in Information and Communication Technology Policy in the Department of Communication Studies at Concordia University, to break down the risks, rewards, and ethical challenges surrounding AI in the digital realm.

La montée des groupes radicaux au Québec et au Canada est-il un phénomène isolé, ou le miroir d'une inquiétante tendance mondiale? Dans cet épisode, nous explorons la définition de l'extrémisme, ainsi que les idéologies et l'impact croissant des groupes extrémistes de droite. Pour cet épisode, le professeur Frédérick Nadeau se joint à Karine Morin afin de mieux comprendre les racines de l'extrémisme québécois.

Earlier this year, the Council of Canadian Academies released its report “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Post-Secondary Research System.” The report examines measures that can enhance EDI, the benefits and challenges of implementing them, and their potential impacts on people and institutions. In this episode, Dr. Wendy Rodgers, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Prince Edward Island and Chair of the Expert Panel on EDI Practices for Impactful Change, joins Karine Morin to talk about this important report.

In this episode, we’re exploring a topic that has grabbed headlines across Canada over this past year – the cap on international students enrolled in our colleges and universities, and the ripple effect it’s having on higher education and immigration. For this episode, our host Karine Morin is joined by Lisa Brunner, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia Centre for Migration Studies.

Bienvenue au Congrès en Conversation, une série spéciale présentée par le balado Voir Grand et la Conversation Canada, dans laquelle nous invitons les chercheur.euse.s qui participent au Congrès à partager leurs recherches et leurs expériences dans le contexte de notre reponsabilité commune envers notre société, nos systèmes et notre planète. Pour ce dernier épisode de notre série spéciale au Congrès, notre hôte Annie Pilote, Présidente du Conseil d'administration de la Fédération est accompagnée par Aliyah Datoo, étudiante de deuxième cycle universitaire à l'université Simon Fraser.

Welcome to Congress in Conversation, a special series presented by the Big Thinking Podcast in partnership with The Conversation Canada where we convene researchers presenting at Congress 2024 to share their research and experiences within the context of shared responsibility to our society, systems, and planet. For our second episode, our host Nehal El-Hadi, journalist, editor, and producer at The Conversation Canada is joined by Kshamta Hunter, Manager of Transformative Learning and Student Engagement within the Sustainability hub at the University of British Colombia.

Welcome to Congress in Conversation, a special series presented by the Big Thinking Podcast in partnership with The Conversation Canada where we convene researchers presenting at Congress 2024 to share their research and experiences within the context of shared responsibility to our society, systems, and planet. For this first episode, our host Nehal El-Hadi, journalist, editor, and producer at The Conversation Canada is joined by Christopher Dietzel, a postdoctoral fellow at Concordia University.