10/3: Canada Covered

As Canada and the U.S. Negotiate NAFTA behind closed doors, at top U.S. Republican Lawmaker has publicly turned up the heat.

The GOP house whip has said there is ‘growing frustration’ in Congress with what he calls Canada’s negotiating tactics.

Dave and National Post reporter Tom Blackwell look at what the urgency is in the talks, and what it may take to get a deal done.

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The two big drug topics that are front and centre in the minds of Canadians are the coming legalization of marijuana, and the opioid crisis, which has seen thousands die of overdoses from fentanyl and other deadly drugs.

Is there anything that can be learned from Portugal, which decriminalized all drugs following a wave of overdose deaths in the 1990s?

Dave is joined by Vancouver Sun columnist Daphne Bramham who spent a week in Portugal for a seven-part  series on drug policy.

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As NAFTA talks between Canada and the U.S. roll on, suggestions grow louder that we roll back on supply management in our farming sector

That has met with fierce resistance in Quebec, and the issue has become a flashpoint in that province’s ongoing election campaign.

Dave and Montreal Gazette reporter Rene Bruemmer look at what’s at stake, and how the Liberal government’s fortunes hang on the outcome of these talks.

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Just as construction was set to begin on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the Federal Court of Appeal threw a wrench into the process.

Dave and Edmonton Journal columnist Graham Thomson look at what the court ruling means for the future of the project, and for the future of two of its biggest backers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

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On Monday, federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould approved the Dräger DrugTest 5000, a device that will soon be available to police forces across the country to combat drug-impaired driving, as the government prepares for cannabis legalization in October.

Lawyers from a Vancouver-based law firm say they are ready to challenge the usage of the newly approved saliva-screening device for marijuana in court as soon as it hits the road.

Vancouver Sun reporter Behdad Mahichi joins Dave to discuss the concerns raised over roadside drug testing.

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The Conservative Party of Canada headed to Halifax hoping for a display of unity and momentum as electioneering heats up.

But outspoken Quebec MP Maxime Bernier rained on their parade in a big way, announcing he was leaving the party.

Dave is joined by National Post reporter Marie-Danielle Smith, who explains the long simmering fight between leader Andrew Scheer, and his one-time opponent, and where the conservative movement goes from here.

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A war of words is waging between Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Toronto city council.   The fight, over shrinking that city’s council, to just 25 seats from a proposed 47, will spill into a courtroom later this month.   Dave is joined by Toronto Sun political bureau chief Antonella Artuso to discuss what both sides are saying and how it’s more than just a fight between two levels of government.

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Since last's month's spree shooting in Toronto that left two people dead and 13 others injured, there has been renewed calls for a handgun ban in Canada.

Dave is joined by National Post columnist Chris Selley, who argues why a handgun ban might not have the desired outcome of reducing gun violence in Canada.

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As the floodgates on Canada's legal cannabis market are set to open this fall, Mohawks on the Kahnawake territory near Montreal say they don't plan on submitting to outside regulation.   Rather than abide by Quebec's system of government-run and taxed cannabis stores, the Kahnawake Mohawk Council will move forward with its own plan to cultivate and distribute weed on the territory.   On this episode Dave is joined by Montreal Gazette reporter Christopher Curtis to discuss how the First Nation will implement its plan.

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On Friday morning four people were shot dead in Fredericton, including two police officers.

Little is known about the alleged shooter, or what might have motivated these crimes.

Dave is joined by Canadian Press reporter Morgan Lowrie who covered the story from the small New Brunswick city.

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