Podcast for Inquiry S04E06: Trials and tribulations trying to bring a refugee to Canada

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 Pakistan due to threats on his life.  Omer has been living in hiding in Nepal for several years. 

Though Omer’s should have been a straightforward case, the experience of navigating the bureaucracies of several nations - as well as the COVID-19 pandemic - has been anything but. Brian and Brent describe the challenges they have experienced with bringing Omer to Canada, as well their insights in Canada’s overall refugee system. 

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A video recording is also available: 

 

Secularism in Canada with Rocky Mountain Atheists

After my successful presentation of Stab Everyone You Love to Rocky Mountain Atheists late last year, I was welcomed back earlier this week to talk about the history of secularism in Canada.

It was wonderful to see some now familiar faces via Zoom and there was a lively Q&A session afterwards. The recording is now available. Watch and enjoy!

Podcast for Inquiry S04E05: Distinguishing jargon from gobbledygook - Dr. Jonathan Stea on evidence-based medicine over wellness industry misinformation

Dr. 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 very difficult for an layperson to distinguish between a new technique they don’t understand that works, and a new technique they don’t understand that is gibberish. “Quantum neurological reset therapy” should get your spidey sense tingling, and Jonathan shares a few other signs of pseudoscientific grift as well. 

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A video recording is also available: 

Canadian election and democracy for beginners

Last week I had the pleasure to give a talk to the members of Ensaneyoun, a secular group for Arabic-speaking immigrants to Canada. I do not speak any Arabic, but fortunately everyone there spoke English very well. My talk is about Canadian democracy, its institutions and structures, and what each citizen's vote entails. This was followed by a 90-minute Q&A session (not included in the video below). If you want to learn the basics of how Canadian democracy works, invest a half hour. Let me know what you think!