Welcome to Viewpoints, the podcast where we dig beneath the headlines to challenge assumptions and explore ideas that shape our society. In this episode, host Sean Rasmussen sits down with Steven Reich, a PhD student in educational policy at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), for a frank and eye-opening conversation about the state of our schools.

Why has education become a political battleground, and what gets lost when we shift the focus away from students themselves? Steven shares his unconventional path from law to education research, and unpacks how educational policy, trends, and fads filter down from academia and government offices into the classroom—often with negative consequences. From the rise and pitfalls of whole language reading instruction, to imported American ideologies like critical theory and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), Steven argues that our schools are swept up in untested trends, sometimes at the expense of proven approaches based in cognitive science.

We’ll hear why evidence-based, direct teaching methods are often sidelined in favor of more political or philosophical trends; what actually works for helping students learn to read and think critically; and how education policy too often reflects ideological orthodoxies rather than the needs of students, teachers, or families. Steven offers a candid, at times provocative perspective on what’s broken—and what it will take to get back on track.

Whether you’re a teacher, parent, policymaker, or simply curious about the forces shaping Canadian education, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. So settle in, and get ready to hear a side of the education debate you rarely get from the mainstream.

About the Guest

Stephen Reich is a former lawyer and current PhD student. His research concerns education’s capture by an ideological but evidence-poor Critical Theory, at the expense of cognitive science-informed best practices to effectively, efficiently, and equitably impart children with humanity’s most consequential knowledge and skills accumulated to date, necessary for both future innovation, and responsible participation in adult society. Stephen’s upcoming doctoral research will examine the ideological underpinnings of teacher-training in Ontario and whether it is designed to prepare teachers for the reality of classroom teaching. Stephen is a co-chair of University of Toronto's Heterodox Academy and a member of the organization’s national executive. Apart from his work in educational policy, Stephen is a former actor, and current choral director, vocalist and musical arranger.

Topics Covered

Here’s a comprehensive sequence of the main topics covered in this episode of Viewpoints, along with sub-topic bullets under each primary topic:

1. Introduction to Educational Policy as a Political Battleground

2. Steven Reich’s Background and Path to Educational Policy

3. Philosophy and Approach to Educational Policy

4. The Structure of Educational Policy and its Flow into Classrooms

5. Examples of Policy Influence on Classroom Practice

6. Discussion of Teaching Methods: Whole Language vs. Cognitive Science-Based Learning

7. Rote Learning, Memory, and Critical Thinking

8. History and Spread of Critical Theory in Education

9. Evidence, Testing, and Lack Thereof in Educational Theory Adoption

10. The Disconnect Between Official Policy, Teacher Preparation, and Classroom Realities

11. Teacher Experiences and Institutional Culture

12. Multiculturalism, Identity Politics, and Social Justice in Education

13. The Purpose of Education: Competing Philosophies

14. Political and Practical Solutions for Reform

15. Closing Thoughts and Next Steps

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Find out more, go to viewpointspodcast.ca

Host Sean Rasmussen sits down with political scientist Frances Widdowson to tackle the Kamloops unmarked graves controversy and the broader implications for indigenous affairs in Canada.

They highlight the effects of the so-called "Aboriginal industry," and discuss the importance of truth-seeking for real progress. Frances shares her personal experiences facing academic backlash, emphasizing the critical need for open dialogue and the pursuit of truth in understanding and resolving complex social issues.

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Dr. Frances Widdowson is a political scientist who has spent her career investigating the politics and ideologies of indigenous affairs in Canada. She’s currently working on a documentary about the Kamloops unmarked graves controversy. Links:

• Website: wokeacademy.info
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=583500277
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@franceswiddowson1600

In this episode, host Sean Rasmussen speaks with Sociologist Neil McLaughlin about the challenge of political polarization on campus and the wider society -- and how we might move to a better place. We cover a lot of ground: The Jordan Peterson controversy, the Heterodox Academy, public intellectuals, Chris Rufo's activism, Erich Fromm, elitism, the crisis of meaning, leftist authoritarianism, the CBC, Canadian politics, and much more.

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About the Guest

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Dr. Neil McLaughlin is Full Professor in the Department of Sociology at McMaster University. His research focuses on the sociology of public intellectuals, the sociology of reputations, the international spreading of conspiracy theories and the sociological dynamics of disciplines, universities and ideas. He is currently working on the political correctness debates and the Jordan Peterson controversy.

He has studied the rise and goal of the reputation of critical theorist Erich Fromm, the radical writings of Noam Chomsky, the philanthropy of George Soros, the public intellectual debate in Canada, the missing women, Canadian public intellectuals, the crisis and renewal of Canadian sociology, the writings of Edward Said, David Riesman and George Orwell.

In this episode Sean Rasmussen speaks with Melanie Bennet, co-host of the popular YouTube channel, The Canadian Culture Wars Report, about the activist takeover of Ontario’s K-12 Education system.

K-12 Education in Ontario has undergone a transformation in the past twenty years, by taking some fairly radical and untested concepts and methods from obscure academic disciplines and pushing them through the system, in a top-down manner. Not many parents understand what is happening. However, the Ontario Human Rights Commission recently released The Right to Read Report condemning the Ministry of Education for using methodologies that are leading to poor student achievement (instead of evidence-based methodologies that are shown to work).

Why are educators doing this? Why isn’t there more pushback from parents? Is it possible to depoliticize education? We discuss these questions and more, including: the purpose of K-12 education, political echo chambers, “progressive” politics, the reactionary right, the reluctance of centrist Canadians to get involved in culture issues, and the Trump administration’s new education executive order. It’s a great conversation you’re not going to want to miss, especially if you have a child in public school.

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About the Guest

Melanie Bennet is co-host of the popular YouTube channel, The Canadian Culture Wars Report, a show that explores the ideological shifts that are shaping Canada’s education system and public institutions. Links:

The Canadian Culture Wars Report

@finkledusty

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Resources

Ontario Human Rights Commission – Right to Read Inquiry

Parents Rights Coalition of Canada

Host Sean Rasmussen speaks with Mia Hughes, author of The WPATH Files. If you have felt like mainstream Canadian coverage you’re seeing on gender issues has been lacking, you’re right, and you’ll want to listen to what Mia has to say. We discuss gender ideology, gender medicine and how Canada’s handling of gender issues is lagging years behind Europe and the UK–who have all changed their policies in response to emerging evidence.

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About the Guest

Mia Hughes is Senior fellow at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, the author of The WPATH Files and the director of Genspect Canada. British born, Mia currently resides in Ottawa, Canada. Her links:

Twitter (X): https://x.com/_CryMiaRiver

Genspect Canada: https://genspect.org/genspect-canada/

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute: https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/

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To find out more about Viewpoints, visit viewpointspodcast.ca

In this episode host Sean Rasmussen speaks with Mark Milke, the president ofThe Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy. It's a wide ranging conversation that gets to the heart of what it means to be Canadian. We also discuss the anti-reality of many of the utopian political movements in the 21st Century, Trump's trolling statements about being the 51st state, the role of think tanks and much more.

Topics discussed:

• Should Canada become the 51st State?
• What does "being Canadian" mean anymore?
• The dangers of concentrated power
• Reason under attack in the 21st Century
• Anti-reality in political thinking
• Dealing with past wrongs and the rewriting of history
• DEI and Cancel culture
• The Aristotle Foundation and the role of think tanks
• Reforming universities
• And much more...

About the Guest

Mark Milke is the founder and president of theAristotle Foundation for Public Policy. He is the author of six books, over 70 studies, and over 1,000 columns published in the last 25 years. His policy work has been published by think tanks in Canada and internationally, including theFraser Institute, theMontreal Economic Institute, theAmerican Enterprise Institute, and theHeritage Foundation. He is also editor of the Aristotle Foundation’s first book, The 1867 Project: Why Canada Should Be Cherished–Not Cancelled. His sixth book,The Victim Cult is an Amazon bestseller.

For more information, and the transcript, visitviewpointspodcast.ca.

Many of the guests on Viewpoints, so far, have been critical of the mainstream media for being too left-leaning. Well, in this episode you're going to hear from someone who thinks that mainstream media is, if anything, still too right-leaning.

Josh Elstro is a podcast and multimedia producer for Convergence Magazine, a publication that works with organizers and activists to promote socially progressive causes.

We discuss media bias, echo chambers and the possibility of talking across political divides. It is a fun and spirited discussion that I think you're going to enjoy, regardless of your politics.

Some of the topics we get into (and often disagree on) are:

• Is the media too left or too right-leaning?
• NPR and its catering to white progressives
• Coverage of the Palestinian cause
• Neoliberal capitalist dominance in the media
• Billionaires influence in politics
• Is wokeness even a thing?
• Do people on the right have any legitimate beefs or are they all Trumped up, pun intended?

And much more....

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  To find out more about Viewpoints the podcast, visit: ⁠viewpointspodcast.ca

There is a bill before the Canadian Senate right now, Bill C-293, titled “An Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness.” But, despite its innocuous and bureaucratic sounding title, it could have far-reaching implications for Canadians. At least according to my guest today...

Returning guest Lisa Miron has been raising the alarm about the potential dangers of this bill to the Canadian democratic processes and civil liberties.

Links for further reading:

Lisa Miron’s Substack

The official C-293 Bill

Nate Erskine-Smith’s response page (with video)