The Arman and Akhil Show
by CiTR & Discorder Magazine
The Arman and Akhil show brings you interviews with local activists, politicians and policy experts from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. We go beyond current affairs to understand what motivates people in their lives and careers.
Episodes
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Elections 2026: The Landlord Backlash & Why Voters Just Want Cold Hard Cash
We kick off on home turf with the municipal results and how Ken Sim’s negative strategy backfired as Pete Fry swept the mayoralty. Moving to provincial politics, we map out the post-mortem of why David Eby’s NDP was ousted by Lorne Doerkson’s BC Conservatives. We dissect Eby’s snap election…
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Can Eby, Sim or the Pigeons Bring Us Together?
The Vancouver mayoral race has gotten a lot smaller, so we take a look at the candidates who are still standing and what they’re actually running on. We also get into the debate over amalgamating Vancouver with the North Shore, including the story of a North Vancouver councillor who was elected...
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Vancouver Green's Pete Fry on Bringing People Together
Vancouver City Councillor Pete Fry joins the show to discuss his path from hosting co-op radio at SFU and working in communications to advocacy and city politics. He lays out his vision for more affordable low-rise housing, accessible shelter, and a more equitable approach to infrastructure...
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COPE's Stephanie Allen on Why Vancouver Needs Real Democracy
COPE Mayoral Candidate Stephanie Allen joins the show to break down her backstory from the private real estate sector to BC Housing, what drew her to run for a progressive party, and why she believes Vancouver needs a return to real, participatory democracy. She lays out her vision for the city,...
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Vancouver Liberal's Kareem Allam on Why Ken Sim Has Got To Go
Vancouver Liberal Mayoral Candidate Kareem Allam joins the show to break down his backstory as a key advisor to Ken Sim, what fractured their relationship, and why he believes Vancouver is more divided than ever. He lays out his vision for the city, including his bold plans for annexing UBC,...
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Qatar Takes the L While Bezos Seizes the Means of Compute
This week, we kick things off on the pitch where Qatar takes a massive L as Mark Carney shows up to give the Canadian Men's National Team their well-deserved flowers. Moving to global conflict, we parse Donald Trump’s latest posturing on the Iran deal alongside JD Vance’s frantic attempts to...
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Carney Covets Cash While Trump Makes a Friend in the Secret Garden
Welcome to Episode 40 of the Arman and Akhil Show, broadcasting live from UBC’s Vancouver campus on the unceded territories of the Musqueam people. This week, we dive into a packed lineup of domestic economic grifts and international bizarre-o-world theater. First up, we dissect Prime Minister…
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OneCity's William Azaroff on Why Vancouver Needs a Vision
OneCity Mayoral Candidate William Azaroff joins Arman and Akhil in studio. We break down his backstory in film and not-for-profit and what drew him back to Vancouver. He lays out his vision for Vancouver including more housing, faster transit, holistic public safety and more.
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Qatar’s Gas is Gone, but Trump’s Hot Air is Infinite
We begin by breaking down the current state of the war, including the fallout from Iranian strikes on Qatar’s LNG facilities. We then dive into the absurdity of Donald Trump comparing the Iran conflict to Pearl Harbor; a bizarre analogy to invoke while hosting the Japanese Prime Minister,...
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The Shia Trump Theory and Ken Sim’s Christmas Fever Dream
On this episode of the Arman and Akhil Show, we're cutting through the noise of a pretty chaotic week. We start with the Iran War, looking at why the official reasons for the conflict don't seem to line up and what the actual outcomes might be. We also take a more speculative turn, looking at the...
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The Prisoner’s Dilemma but Dallas Brodie Already Defected
This week, Arman and Akhil unpack Mark Carney’s Davos speech and what it reveals about the pressure facing middle powers in a fractured global order. We explore how that thinking shows up in Canada’s evolving China strategy. Scott Moe’s enthusiasm for the new canola and EV agreement opens a…
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How Michael Ma Stole Jamil Jivani’s Christmas
On today’s episode, we start by discussing how India’s air pollution index significantly understates just how polluted the country really is. We then turn to the Federal Conservative Party, where a toxic internal atmosphere has led to a floor crossing and, tragically, left MP Jamil Jivani without…
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AI Jesus Save Us, Especially Usha Vance
A 30-year-old Reagan speech just blew up US-Canada trade talks. JD Vance’s Hindu wife might soon need to find Jesus. In BC, John Rustad’s Conservatives are eating their own as the leader refuses to quit. Silicon Valley is throwing cash at AI like it’s 1999 as the bubble talk is getting loud. And...
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Gunn Takes Shots, Trump Strips Gamers’ Health Packs
On today’s episode, the BC Conservatives are at war again: this time over the firing of staffer Lindsay Shepherd and some suspicious subtweets from MP Aaron Gunn. South of the border, Republicans push a shutdown while yanking health care from millions of young voters who backed them. In the…
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Trump Goes Maoist, Rustad on the Ropes
In today’s episode, we break down the short- and long-term impacts of Trump’s new $100K fee for H1B visas. We examine the global fallout from the assassination of Charlie Kirk, then uncover the BC government’s questionable accounting as it struggles with the loss of revenue from the rescinded...
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Modi Courts Pooh Bear, Sim Cancels Africa
On this episode of The Arman and Akhil Show, we take a closer look at the City of Vancouver’s cancellation of the African Descent Festival and whether it was justified. Then, we shift to global affairs as India moves closer to China following new U.S. tariffs imposed by Donald Trump. We also…
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Trump's Hindus Are Not Sending Their Best
In this episode, we examine FBI Director Kash Patel’s “gangster government” approach to the Epstein saga and Intelligence Chief Tulsi Gabbard’s bizarre attempt to investigate former President Obama. We then cover the recent cabinet shuffle in British Columbia and the provincial government’s…
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Crossing the Rubicon: Trump, Canada and Israel
We unpack the fallout between two of the world’s most powerful figures - President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Then, we examine Trump’s controversial deployment of U.S. Marines to California to suppress escalating protests. Next, we explore how Canada is embracing the Abundance Agenda, with the…
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Why No One Can Buy a Home with Russil Wvong
We talk to Russil Wvong from morehousing.ca about why so many Canadians feel like owning a home is no longer possible. What is driving the crisis, and what needs to change in government to fix it? We also unpack recent comments from new Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson and look at the...
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Election Countdown, Tariff Turmoil & ABC’s By-Election Blow
In this episode, we break down the final pitches from Canada’s political parties as the country heads into the last week before election day. We also dig into how Trump’s controversial "Liberation Day" tariffs are disrupting global shipping—and examine his latest clash with the Federal Reserve as...
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Musk vs. Grandma & Poilievre's Immigration U-Turn with George Radner
Join us as we chat with organizer George Radner about his time on the Kamala campaign as a 'Ballot Curer.' George sticks around to unpack the latest U.S. headlines, from the bizarre assault on Social Security to ICE detaining a Canadian traveler—and whether Chuck Schumer’s days are numbered.…
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Trump Weighs Russian Alliance and Medicaid Cuts After Historic Hockey Defeat
We break down the latest stories, including Canada's recent victory over the United States in hockey. We then discuss Trump's recent rapprochement with Russia and how his actions against Canada are fueling Mark Carney's rise in the polls. Meanwhile, Mayor Ken Sim expels Councillor Bligh after she...
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"Canada Alone" with Author Dr Kim Richard Nossal
We speak with the author of "Canada Alone: Navigating The Post-American World", Dr Kim Richard Nossal. Though the book was published two years ago, it forsaw the dystopian world of trade wars we have entered - how to respond.
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Canada's Fight Against Trump Tariffs with Professor Cameron Maxwell
We spoke with UBC Political Science Professor Cameron Maxwell about how Canadians must respond to Trump's tariffs and whether the US and Canada are descending into oligarchy. We then discuss how the Trump administration seems to be turning its back on the working class and embracing the tech…
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Breaking Up Canadian Monopolies with Dr Robin Shaban
We first take a quick detour to Vancouver City Council where a city councilor found children's drawings about climate change "intimidating". We then speak to Dr Robin Shaban of Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project on their recent piece "Are regulatory moats Canada’s form of corruption?". We take a look...
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US Elections with Idan Kashani
Continuing our coverage of the US Elections we speak to Berkeley exchange student, Idan Kashani. We look into why he is supporting Harris, his thoughts on immigration policy in the United States and his optimistic view of Vancouverism.
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U.S. Elections with Texas Conservative Jackie Chea
We speak to Texas Conservative Jackie Chea, on her background, why she is supporting Trump, and what's next for the United States. We dive into abortion, U.S. Healthcare, and January 6th.
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JD Faceplants As VP and Ken Sim Gets a Gym
In this episode we break down the latest developments on City Council, involving a new gym and the Vancouver Integrity Commissioner. We then turn South of the border, where VP candidate JD Vance appears to be on a mission to tank Trump's campaign while humiliating his wife, and chants of "Lock…
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The Global Maelstrom: Elections and Shots Fired
We first look at the UK elections, from Ed Davies spirited campaign to the racialized surge of the Reform Party. In France we break down Macron's gambit in calling the election and how it went wrong. We wrap up the show by analyzing why it is difficult to replace Biden, and what Trump's shooting...
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Elephants vs Mice: Encampments, BC Politics and South Indian Struggles
We kick things off with Archibishop Desmond Tutu's 1986 address at Stanford University on standing up to injustice. As polls tighten, we then discuss why people need to pay close attention to the party platform of the BC Conservatives, and Arman gives some UI feedback to Akhil on the BC NDP's...
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Propaganda 2024: WW3, Canada's Budget and Mango Smuggling
In this episode Arman and Akhil break down various media reports that seemed to serve a particular agenda. Akhil relates his experiences visitting a Boeing factory in light of the latest safety concerns. We then look at why reports of WW3 during the recent Iran-Israel conflict may have been...
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From Vancouver to Varanasi: Where Candidates Come From?
In this episode we attempt to answer the question: Where do the candidates we see on the ballot come from? We look at how Akhil fell into the role of treasurer of the BCNDP in the electoral district of Vancouver-Fairview/Vancouver-Little Mountain and the upcoming face-off of "Arman and Akhil…
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The Second Coming: Elections and Ethnonationalism in 2024
2024 is the year of elections but also dominated by the return of ethnonationalism. In this special episode, we take a whirlwind tour of key developments from countries around the world. We start with Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre's combative media relations, housing and immigration...
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Former City Councillor Andrea Reimer: Why We Need Power Literacy
To kick off 2024 we speak with City Councillor and currently an Adjunct Professor of Practice at UBC’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Instructor at SFU. Andrea takes us through her incredible journey from her time on the streets, to organizer, to green politician and then Vision...
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Israel Suggests Sending Palestinians to Canada, The Fall of SBF and Trudeau's Carbon Conundrum
On today's episode we break down the recent events during the ongoing conflict in Gaza. We then discuss the rise and fall of former FTX CEO SBF after he was found guilty on all counts. Finally we take a look at Trudeau's apparent reversal on the carbon tax.
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Manitoba Elects a Rapper, Canada Invites a Nazi and BC United Scores an Own Goal
We break down a ton of clips in this episode. On the provincial side we look at Manitoba's historic election of a First Nation, and more importantly, rapping, Premier as well as how BC United are falling in the polls following a name change and defections to the BC Conservatives. In national…
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Special Guest Musician Sarah Pratt and India or Bharat
In this episode, we have musician Sarah Pratt, who makes the music for our show. We also break down current affairs including India's attempt to re-brand as Bharat during the G20, Swiftmania, Doug Ford's continued Green Belt woes and much more. Note: Apologies for the AV issues during the...
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Why Ana Poilievre Proves Barbie is Right
We discuss our experience watching The Barbie Movie, Ana Poilievre's political talent, Pierre Poilievre's recent outreach to the Indian cricket community, Doug Ford's Greenbelt unravelling, Rishi Sunak's taste in private planes and Death Valley's cashing in on climate change.
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Asma Hashmi on the Political Economy of Pakistan
Arman interviews Asma Hashmi, a PhD student from SFU, about Pakistan's past and present. They discuss the two nation theory that led to the partition of India and Pakistan, the modernization of Pakistan's economy, and the military's role in politics and society. Learn about the challenges and...
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Ashtosh Kamble and Horace Yu on AI and Space Exploration
In this episode, we talk to AI and plasma coating experts Horace Yu and Ashtosh Kamble about the latest developments in their fields. We discuss how AI is creating new possibilities and challenges with generative models, such as deep fakes and synthetic media. We also explore how plasma coating…
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Pierre Poilievre Promotes Punjabi Pilgrimage + TikTok Teen Terrors
We break down to weirdest clips in news this month including Canadian Conservative Party leader, Pierre Poilievre's sudden desire to send every Canadian to Amritsar on a direct flight, why the townspeople of Courtenay, BC are living in fear of a group of teens who have taken up the door kicking...
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Daniel Francis on Becoming Vancouver: A History
In this episode of the Arman and Akhil show we chat with historian Daniel Francis about his latest book, "Becoming Vancouver." Francis takes us on a journey through the evolution of this iconic city, including the impact of the Canadian Pacific Railway on its development. From its early…
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Councillor Christine Boyle on Housing and the 2022 Election
We speak to Councillor Christine Boyle of OneCity on the Housing Supply Act, the decision to scrap the Vancouver Renter Office, Chinese interference in the 2022 Election, and much more!
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Mental Health in Schools and "Eby-World" with John Yetman and Hugh Chan of University Hill Secondary
In this wide-ranging discussion we speak with young political aficionado Hugh Chan and Social Studies Teacher John Yetman, on mental health in schools and current affairs. Hugh Chan relates his experiences as an inside in both Premier Eby's leadership campaign and the Forward Together municipal...
About this show
The Arman and Akhil show brings you interviews with local activists, politicians and policy experts from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. We go beyond current affairs to understand what motivates people in their lives and careers.
Hosted by
CiTR & Discorder Magazine
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