The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

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GUEST: Allison Smith, Founder of Queen's Park Today

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Russia announced Tuesday it will significantly scale back military operations near Ukraine’s capital and a northern city, as the outlines of a possible deal to end the grinding war came into view at the latest round of talks.

The announcement was met with skepticism from the U.S. and others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia cannot be trusted. Although the signals from the talks are “positive,” they ”can’t silence explosions of Russian shells,” he said in a video address.

Ukraine will continue negotiations, he said, but officials do not trust the word of the country that continues “fighting to destroy us.”

GUEST: Thomas Hughes, Post-Doctoral Fellow with the Centre for International and Defence Policy at Queen's University

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The federal government will present a new budget on April 7, 2022.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced the date of the budget during question period on March 29, in keeping with tradition. Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, expectations are high about the vision the budget will offer to Canadians about the path ahead.

GUEST: Moshe Lander, Senior Economics Lecturer with Concordia University

The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

The province of Ontario and the federal government have signed a $13.2-billion agreement to lower the cost of child care in the province to an average of $10 a day by September 2025.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the joint announcement during a press conference in Brampton, Ont., on Monday.

GUEST: Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce

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GUEST:  Jean Charest, Leaderships Candidate for the Federal Conservative Party

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The Governments of Ontario and Canada reached a childcare agreement. This is important for businesses and something the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has repeatedly called for. At a time when labour shortages are having a significant impact on businesses, this is a watershed moment for women, families, and the economy.

Women’s participation in the labour market is a precondition to our economic recovery and future prosperity. While childcare had been a challenge for Ontario families long before the pandemic, the crisis had disproportionate impacts on women who took on most of the unpaid care that became necessary as schools and daycares closed.

GUEST: Claudia Dessanti, Senior Manager of Policy, Ontario Chamber of Commerce

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GUEST: Matthew Best, Freelance Journalist for the The Globe & Mail, and Ottawa Citizen in Lviv

The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

Canada’s defence spending has been under fire recently for falling below the 2% of GDP mark that the NATO pledge requests. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh called the target “arbitrary” and pointed out that the NDP do not think that this increase in defence spending is the right approach. All this as pressure mounts on Canada to increase deployment in Eastern Europe amidst the war on Ukraine.

GUEST:  Jagmeet Singh, Leader of the Federal NDP

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Ontario has finally signed on to the $10 a day childcare deal with the federal government. The signature comes as Ontario’s provincial election looms on the horizon. Supposedly, Ford withholding his approval has increased the pledge from the federal government. This and more with Bill’s next guest.

GUEST:   Dr. Lori Turnbull, Director of the School of Public Administration with Dalhousie University

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At the crest of the provincial election, Ontario’s political parties are gearing up with new slogans and their platforms. The Ontario Liberals have their new “Plan for Economic Dignity” and the Progressive Conservatives have their GET IT DONE slogan. Will the plan by the Liberals help claw them out of their 3rd place spot? How effective is a simple slogan like GET IT DONE?

GUEST:  Dr. Joanne McNeish, Associate Professor of Marketing with Ryerson University