10/3: Canada Covered

Already battered by a price roller-coaster in 2020, big players in Canada’s oilpatch have announced plans for cost-cutting or layoffs.

Oilsands giant Suncor was the latest to announce changes, with a planned 10-15 per cent cut to its workforce.

Dave is joined by Calgary Herald business columnist Chris Varcoe to discuss what’s driving these moves, how deep the industry’s problems go, and what it means for Alberta’s economy.

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One of the hardest hit provinces in COVID-19’s first wave, Quebec’s rising case numbers suggest it is into a second wave of the pandemic.

The spike in cases in September has meant that premier Francois Legault has had to announce stricter lockdown restrictions in some areas.

Dave is joined by Montreal Gazette Assistant City Editor Monique Beaudin to discuss where the spike in cases is coming from, who is affected by the new lockdown, and what measures are being taken.

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After proroguing parliament in August, the Liberals delivered just their second throne speech since being elected in 2015. 

And with the support of Jagmeet Singh and the NDP, the Justin Trudeau’s team avoids having to fight an election battle a year into their second mandate. 

I’m Dave Breakenridge and this is 10/3. 

I’m joined by Parliamentary bureau chief and National post columnist John Ivison to discuss whether the throne speech was the big agenda reset Trudeau suggested it would be, and why the NDP decided to back the Liberals. 

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For more than 200 years, science has had a sure-fire way of dealing with many deadly, debilitating viruses.

The vaccine.

And as we move through theCOVID-19 pandemic, a vaccine is what we’re hinging our hopes on if we want to get back to normal.

Dave is joined by National post health reporter Sharon Kirkey to discuss how important a vaccine is to beating the pandemic, how officials could decide who receives it first, and what concerns people may have about it.

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down many sectors in our economy, the federal government has been doling out cash to Canadians.

The CERB, or Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, was meant to help people through a very unexpected bumpy ride.

But the CERB has sparked renewed discussions about a universal basic income in Canada.

Dave Breakenridge is joined by national post political reporter Stuart Thomson about what a basic income would look like, who is pushing this idea, and what some of the potential pitfalls are.

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A dark chapter in B.C. criminal history has come to a close. 

Jamie Bacon, the last person convicted in the Surrey Six massacre, has been sentenced to an additional five years on top of time served, for his role in the slayings. 

Vancouver Sun Crime reporter Kim Bolan joins Dave to look back at the Surrey six killings, discuss what Bacon ultimately pleaded guilty to, and why the case was so complicated in getting to sentencing. 

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When it comes to gun crime in Canada, one question that often gets asked is “where are these guns coming from?” 

Some of them are ill-gotten Canadian firearms, but many of them are smuggled across the border from the United States, where guns are plentiful. 

But just how do they get here? 

Dave is joined by National Post reporter Adrian Humphreys to talk about recent case in the U.S. that breaks down the journey from an Ohio gun show to the streets of Toronto. 

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Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were still learning about the virus, Canadians looked to the top doctors for advice.

In B.C. and Alberta, people were comforted by the calm demeanours of Doctors Bonnie Henry and Deena Hinshaw.

But, as provinces have rolled out back-to-school plans, that comfort has started to fade, with much of the criticism being directed at the health officials.

Dave Breakenridge is joined by the National Post’s Tyler Dawson about where the criticism has come from, why the doctors are the targets, and how much provincial politics play a role.

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Floating amid the 2020 U.S. presidential election campaign, is a conspiracy theory that Donald Trump is the only one who can stop a cabal of Satanists who are molesting and trafficking in children.

While unique in its details, QAnon shares DNA with childhood allegations of ritual sexual abuse unearthed in a 1980 book by a Victoria woman and her psychiatrist.

Dave is joined by freelance writer Jen Gerson about what led to the Satanic Panic conspiracy, why it spread so easily, and what we’ve learned that can help combat conspiracies like QAnon.

Read Jen's article for The Capital: The destructive conspiracy theory that Victoria unleashed upon the world.

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After a very lengthy wait Sunday night, Erin O’Toole was crowned leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

He now faces the dual challenge of acquainting himself with voters, while preparing for the possibility of facing Justin Trudeau in a general election… because who knows what can happen with a minority parliament, right?

Dave is joined by National Post columnist and Ottawa bureau chief John Ivison about what are the next step for O’Toole after winning the leadership, how he balances the more centrist and right-leaning factions within the party, and how quickly he could have to face voters.

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