10/3: Canada Covered

In a province facing concerns over health care, education, and what to do with a booming oil-based budget surplus, the race to replace Jason Kenney as United Conservative Party and premier has largely focused on one major issue: Alberta’s autonomy.

The discussion about various ways to advance Alberta’s place in Confederation was once again front and centre at the final leadership debate in Edmonton.

National Post reporter Tyler Dawson joins the program to discuss Tuesday’s debate, whether anyone appears to have gained any ground on front-runner Danielle Smith, and why the issue of autonomy, or sovereignty, has been such a looming presence.

Background reading: Final UCP leadership debate focuses on same issues that ended Kenney's term: Alberta autonomy and COVID-19

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The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly Canadians from coast to coast.

But four of those deaths, from a small community hospital in eastern Ontario, are being treated as a murder investigation.

Ottawa Citizen reporter Aedan Helmer joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss the doctor behind the accusations, who the victims are and what we know about the case so far.

Background reading: OPP lay three more first-degree murder charges against doctor in deaths at Hawkesbury hospital

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As hospitals across the country face staffing shortages, ward closures and increasing wait times, several premiers had a summit with a federal minister to address healthcare reform.

Premiers from Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI sat down with the intergovernmental affairs minister this week to discuss possible solutions.

National Post political reporter Bryan Passifiume joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss some of the main issues raised at the summit, what premiers want to see from the federal government, and what the next steps are to address the problems.

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A year after the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans who helped Canadians during the war are still stuck in the country.

Many are living in hiding, fearful of the repercussions they and their families could face if they’re found.

National Post reporter Tom Blackwell joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss how precarious the situation is for our allies in Afghanistan, why there’s a delay in getting them out, and what the federal government says they’re doing to help.

Background reading: On the run and hiding in a hole: Thousands of Afghans who helped Canada still facing Taliban vengeance

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The Papal visit to Canada was seen by many as an important step on the path to reconciliation.

But did Pope Francis’s apology for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools go far enough? And in the grand scheme of things, does it make a difference?

Doug Cuthand, Indigenous affairs columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss the significance of the visit, what the Church needs to do now, and what role the federal government has to play going forward.

Background reading: Cuthand: Pope's Canadian visit prompts mixed Indigenous reactions

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A group of patients have launched a charter challenge to help them get access to what they say is life-saving treatment of psilocybin mushrooms.

Psilocybin, more commonly referred to as magic mushrooms, is seen as a way to treat extreme cases of anxiety and depression.

Sam Riches, who writes for the National Post and the GrowthOp, joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss why psilocybin is seen as a viable treatment in these cases, how hard it is to access, and why these patients are suing the government.

Background reading: Canadian patients fighting for psilocybin access sue federal government

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The governing body for hockey in Canada is facing a lot of scrutiny for how it handled the investigation into, and settling of, an alleged sexual assault involving some members of the 2018 world junior team.

Sponsors have pulled funding, and executives have appeared before members of parliament to answer questions, but many are wondering what it will take to make systemic change to the organization that governs the game from the grassroots to the elite level.

Postmedia national sports writer Scott Stinson joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss how these allegations, and others, came to light, what Hockey Canada has pledged to do going forward, and how that may not be enough.

Background reading: Scott Stinson: Latest Hockey Canada revelations only add to the strong whiff of a coverup

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When a new federal Conservative leader is elected September 10, will the party rally behind the leader, or will it come out of this contest showing fractures?

A moderate group of Conservatives is looking to highlight some more mainstream policies during the campaign, but some within the party feel it’s a shot at perceived front-runner Pierre Poilievre.

National Post political reporter Catherine Levesque joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss why this group is organizing, what issues they’re advancing, and what we can expect in the homestretch of the leadership contest.

Background reading: As 'moderate' Conservatives meet, suspicions of anti-Poilievre plotting grow

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Amid a summer of troubles in Canada’s airline industry, Calgary and Vancouver staff of big player WestJet could soon walk off the job.

The strike would be the latest in a line of disruptions Canadian travellers have faced this summer as they take to the skies after two years of pandemic restrictions.

Calgary Herald business reporter Josh Aldrich joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss why these WestJet workers could be heading to the picket line, how it potentially adds to existing problems, and when travellers could see an end to delays and cancellations.

Background reading: Potential strike action at WestJet could add to air travel woes

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The leader of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics arrives in Canada in the coming days, with a focus of the trip being reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and an apology for abuses committed at church-run residential schools.

The visit comes amid declining influence and attendance for the church, a change that has been happening over decades.

National Post reporter and Michelle Lang Fellow Jessica Mundie joins host Dave Breakenridge to discuss the significance of the Papal visit, how some Catholics reconcile their faith with the church’s dark history, and what the state of the church is in Canada today.

Background reading: The state of the Catholic Church in Canada, amid scandals and declining attendance

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