Cross Country Checkup

A staggering $1 trillion is set to be handed down from older Canadians to their heirs over the next two years. According to CPA Canada, it's the largest transfer of generational wealth in Canadian history. Behind the numbers are lots of issues, from the impact on house prices to our basic sense of fairness. 

What conversations are you having about inheritance? How should we spread the wealth between generations?

In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s decisive victory last week, political watchers are reflecting on why Trump won, why Harris lost, and what it could all mean for Canada. The top issues in the U.S. election – the economy, immigration, and political polarization – also resonate with voters here in Canada, as Canadian parties prepare for their own election campaigns.

David Herle is a partner with the consultancy firm The Gandalf Group, a former Liberal campaign strategist, and the host of the Herle Burle podcast. Ken Boessenkool is a partner at Meredith-Boessenkool policy advisors and served as a campaign advisor to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. They joined us to take your questions about the U.S. election result and what it means for Canadian politics.

Across the country, Canadians are watching what Donald Trump has been saying during his campaign, how he says it, what he promises to do if he gets elected, and what impact it will have on this side of the border.

What would a Donald Trump victory mean to you? What could it mean for Canada?

A.I. is already having an impact on Canadian creators, employers, and students. A 2023 survey by KPMG consulting found over a third of the companies they spoke to are regularly using ChatGPT in their work. So what are the concerns around artificial intelligence and how should Canadians prepare for the future?

David Gerhard is the head of Computer Science at the University of Manitoba. He took your questions about A.I.

Wherever you are in the country emergency department wait times are a concern for many people. How are they affecting you?

And in our second hour, Ontario premier Doug Ford has a tabled a bill that would require the province to approve any new bike lanes and give it the power to remove existing lanes built in the last five years. The premier says the goal is to reduce gridlock. But many experts say bike lanes actually reduce congestion on streets with provinces like BC and the city of Montreal spending millions of dollars on cycling infrastructure. When it comes to bike lanes do your streets have too many or too few?

Ontario premier Doug Ford has a tabled a bill that would require the province to approve any new bike lanes and give it the power to remove existing lanes built in the last five years. The premier says the goal is to reduce gridlock. But many experts say bike lanes actually reduce congestion on streets with provinces like BC and the city of Montreal spending millions of dollars on cycling infrastructure. When it comes to bike lanes do your streets have too many or too few?

There’s a lot at stake for Americans in this election and that’s also true for Canadians - America’s closest ally and largest trading partner.

On this podcast you’ll hear from callers on both sides of the border, across Canada and the United States. Our question: What’s at stake for you in the US Election? This is “America Votes: A Cross Border Conversation" - a co-production between CBC, The Middle, and WDET in Detroit.

SpaceX launched its fifth Starship test flight on Sunday. The company's goal is to build a resuable rocket that could reach the moon one day, and maybe even Mars. Colonel Chris Hadfield was the first Canadian to walk in space, completing multiple space missions, spacewalks, and even serving as commander of the International Space Station back in 2013. With SpaceX reaching a new milestone this week, he joined us recently to take your questions about all things space-related.

Late last month a video surfaced of a 13 year old girl being attacked with about 30 young people there as bystanders. Police charged five youth who were identified as the “aggressors”. it's not an isolated incident. 

Statistics Canada says youth crime was up 5 percent IN 2022. is this a recent phenomenon? Or do we just have more videos on social media now to prove it? Have you been affected by youth violence? What conversations are you having at home?

For many of us, the most important role we'll ever have is "parent". It's also one of the most challenging. So it's no surprise the US Surgeon General recently issued a warning about the potential toll of parenting on mental health. Which parenting issue is causing the most stress in your family? How did the way you were parented affect the way you parent today?