Context Beyond The Headlines

Apr 26 2023 1

Context Beyond The Headlines Podcast artwork

Go deeper into the news and current affair impacting Canada and what it means for Christians trying to make sense of it all with Context Beyond the Headlines podcast. We sit down with people who have first-hand experiences to get their perspectives on how changes to society will affect Canadians and how the church can play a role in walking alongside the most vulnerable. Host Maggie John tackles how faith intersects with everything from abortion, decriminalization of drugs, reconciliation, human trafficking and systemic racism. Listen every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Where was God? Canada's Deadliest Mass Shooting

Apr 26 2023 29 mins

April 18th, 2020, the residents of the small town of Portapique, Nova Scotia, went to sleep that night, not knowing they would wake up to complete mayhem in the middle of the night. Many heard gunshots and saw flames billowing in the night sky. An anonymous alert by the RCMP left many not knowing what was going on. By 11:26 a.m. on April 19th, 23 people were dead, and three people

The Great Relocation: The Migration to Eastern Canada

Mar 22 2023 29 mins

This week on Context: Canadians are on the move. In the past five years inter-provincial migration has grown exponentially. Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia have seen an influx of people moving from neighbouring provinces to start a new life. Most interprovincial migrants come from Ontario. Between July 1st, 2021, and June 30th, 2022 over 14,000 more people came to Nova

Canada’s Forgotten Pioneers : How African Nova Scotians have contributed to the history of Canada

Feb 15 2023 29 mins

This week on Context we tell the story of African Nova Scotians and how they’ve contributed to the history of Canada. They’ve been in Canada for almost 300 years and yet some of us don’t know their stories and all that they have given us. Context is on the road as Maggie John travels to Nova Scotia to speak with Isaac Saney, a historian in African Studies at Dalhousie Univers

Mental Health: A Nation in Crisis

Nov 23 2022 29 mins

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is calling it a crisis in our country. After years of campaigns dispelling the stigma around mental health, we are now facing a shortage of mental health care support, with some wait lists a year-long leaving many Canadians with nowhere to turn for help. Fewer than 1 in 3 Canadians with mental illness can access care. The pandemic has put

Syria : 11 Years Later

Nov 16 2022 29 mins

Eleven years of war in Syria -- with devastating consequences. What began as the Arab spring- pro-democracy demonstrations erupting all over the Middle East in 2011 soon turned into war when the Syrian government had enough. Crackdowns intensified; Syrians were killed, as protestors demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad. Then, a civil war erupted, accompanied

Rage : Why Are Canadians So Angry?

Nov 09 2022 29 mins

Anger: we see it in traffic. We hear it on the radio, and we read it online. It’s all around us. But are Canadians angry? For many years we have been depicted as one of the nicest- happiest people in the world. Something has changed. According to the “Rage Index”- a new way to measure our crankiness in this country- unvaccinated Canadian

Medical Assistance in Dying - Easy Access to Death?

Nov 02 2022 29 mins

Canada is among the 12 countries in the world that have made assisted death legal. Brought into law 6 years ago, MAID continues to be a point of contention in this country. Last year alone, 10,000 Canadians died by the procedure, with numbers expected to increase this year. When

Gendercide: The Dangers of Being a Girl

Oct 26 2022 29 mins

The cost of being a woman in the world can be deadly as we saw recently with the death of Mahsa Amini – a 22-year-old Iranian woman, detained by morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab correctly. She died after falling into a coma while in police custody. It is the most recent case that has resurfaced the debate around gender equality everywhere. &n

Racial Awakening: Where Are We Now

Oct 19 2022 29 mins

Two and a half years ago the world stopped as we all watched George Floyd die before our eyes. After years of hearing about the racial injustice experienced by people of colour - the world seemed ready to finally listen. But according to statistics Canada the number of reported hate crimes went up. Anti-black hate crimes went up 92% in 2020; hate crimes against indigenous people in

Migrant Work: The True Cost of Labour

Oct 12 2022 29 mins

A tragic death on an Ontario farm has led to calls for more rights and safety requirements for migrant workers working under Temporary Foreign Worker permits. The workers fill vital positions - primarily in agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, and home care. But are migrant workers being treated humanely? An open letter from Jamaican farm wo