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, including her bold plans for a sweeping "People's Audit" of City Hall, establishing citizens' assemblies and a new "civic commons," increasing the Empty Homes Tax to 9%, and aggressively taking housing off the speculative market through community land trusts.

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, streamlining housing approvals, tackling public safety, cutting property taxes for family doctors, and shifting the electoral system in Vancouver.

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 explain what the administration's stance actually means for Israel. Closer to home, we examine the collapsing tent of the BC Conservatives, mapping out the grim legislative fallout following the sexual assault charging of MLA Jordan Kealy and the subsequent statement from MLA Amelia Boultbee. Finally, we look at the AI boom and Jeff Bezos's bizarre transition into a new anarcho-syndicalist era as he attempts to seize the global means of compute. Connect with us: Catch us on Instagram and Twitter at @thearmanakhil. If you want to support independent radio, do us a massive solid and leave us a review on Spotify! Our angelic theme music is composed by the wondrously talented Sarah Pratt, whose notes continue to elevate our souls to heights we didn't know existed.

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 Mark Carney’s bizarre brand new "Canada Strong" Sovereign Wealth Fund video that could have been used to promote an AI-generated crypto scam. Once we get past the digital slop, we look at the actual policy behind the looming corporate privatization of Canada's airports and ports, alongside a quick legislative update on Bill C-22. Then, we cross the Pacific to break down Donald Trump’s surreal private tour of a Beijing garden, where he jealously guarded his newfound bromance with Xi Jinping. Finally, we give a critical update on the Strait of Hormuz before diving into the cold, hard metrics proving that Trump's second-term sequel is pulling significantly worse reviews, and worse polling numbers, than his 2018 original. Connect with us: Catch us on Instagram and Twitter at @thearmanakhil. If you want to support independent student radio, do us a massive solid and leave us a review on Spotify! Our angelic theme music is composed by the wondrously talented Sarah Pratt, whose notes continue to elevate our souls to heights we didn't know existed.

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.

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, considering the historical outcome for the empire. That logic extends to JD Vance, who blames "green energy scams" for skyrocketing costs in Asia, despite the fact that those price hikes are driven by US attacks on Iran rather than the renewables that actually insulate against oil volatility. Finally, we look at Pierre Poilievre’s unexpected evolution on the Joe Rogan Experience; for a man who spent years telling us "Canada is broken," he has suddenly emerged as the country’s premier international hype-man.

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 feasibility of Trump’s choosing the next leader of Iran. Next, we look at Mark Carney’s recent trip to Asia. We break down his push for a new kind of multilateralism, which looks a lot like a modern version of the Non-Aligned Movement, and what it means for Canada's role in a divided world. Closer to home, we discuss Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's bizarre allegations against Sean Orr regarding drug distribution on Christmas Day. Finally, we tackle the BC Budget, digging into the real causes of the deficit and what these rising costs actually mean for the province's future.

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 broader conversation about autos, affordability, and why Carney may be leaning on conservative premiers for political cover. We also examine Dallas Brodie’s failed outreach at UBC after OneBC lost official party status, and what the episode says about political legitimacy on campus. Finally, we turn to the end of BC’s drug decriminalization pilot and place it alongside falling crime rates across major North American cities.

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 a Secret Santa gift. We also break down the MOU between the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta on a proposed bitumen pipeline and how it has put conservatives in a bind. In B.C. politics, we congratulate ourselves for correctly predicting Rustad’s exit as leader of the B.C. Conservative Party and the not-so-subtle rise of federal MP Aaron Gunn as his potential replacement. Meanwhile, internationally, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro appears to be turning to karaoke diplomacy as he stares down the possibility of an American invasion.

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 finally, Mark Carney gears up for his first budget while Ken Sim hits pause on property tax hikes.