Front Burner

Prime Minister Mark Carney has condemned what he described as the “abominable treatment” of flotilla activists detained by Israeli authorities.

His statement came after the release of a video showing activists from around the world blindfolded, restrained, and forced face-down on the ground as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the detention site.

Up to a dozen Canadians were among those detained, according to the group who organized the flotilla. All have since been deported. 

Today we’re joined by Heidi Matthews, legal scholar and assistant professor at York University’s Osgoode Law School, who traveled alongside an earlier flotilla as a part of a legal support vessel. She joins to discuss the politics and history of the Gaza flotillas, and the tradition of nonviolent direct action.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Earlier this month, 30 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the Trump administration with a remarkable request: to publicly acknowledge that Israel has nuclear weapons.

Israel is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East. But unlike other nuclear powers, Israel has never officially acknowledged its arsenal.

That nuclear policy is known, in Hebrew, as “amimut” or opacity. And for decades the United States has largely gone along with it. 

Today, historian Avner Cohen, author of ‘Israel and the Bomb’, joins us to explain how Israel built its nuclear program in secret, and why that silence still matters today.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Late last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a new energy agreement that paves the way for a new pipeline to the West Coast. It includes an industrial carbon pricing deal, and is contingent on the approval of the Pathways project— a proposed carbon capture, utilization and storage facility.

The agreement was panned by environmentalists who said, among other things, that the Liberals are sacrificing the climate goals they spent the better part of a decade legislating.

Climate journalist Arno Kopecky writes for publications like The Narwhal and Canada's National Observer. He’s here to talk about whether Mark Carney is betraying his own environmental bona fides and a decade of Liberal groundwork.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Alberta premier Danielle Smith is calling a court ruling “antidemocratic” after judge struck down the petition which hoped to trigger a separatist referendum this fall. 

The ruling came in part because it found that the province failed to consult with First Nations whose treaty rights would be affected by a vote to separate. Still, separatist groups and the province are appealing the decision and looking to forge ahead.

But how does Alberta’s separatist movement stack up against other secessionist causes and how should Ottawa handle it? The Globe and Mail’s Andrew Coyne joins us.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

In The Cult Queen of Canada from CBC’s Uncover, a tiny Saskatchewan town faces a surreal crisis when a cult leader calling herself “The Queen of Canada” occupies an abandoned school. As neighbours turn on each other, a retired teacher leads resistance in a story about what happens when online extremism spills into the real world. Hosted by Rachel Browne.

Crime. Investigation. Revelation. Uncover brings you explosive, high-caliber true crime year-round. From CIA mind control to serial abuse, mysterious disappearances to wrongful imprisonment.

More episodes of The Cult Queen of Canada are available wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/CQOCxFB

The ceasefire in Iran has been in place for five weeks, with no clear end in sight to the war. The latest peace negotiations fell apart, with U.S. President Trump saying that the ceasefire is on “life support.” So what happens now? What kind of pain will Iran be able to tolerate? And how can the U.S. get itself out of this quagmire?

The Economist’s Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom joins us to discuss the latest.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Today on the show, the President of Princeton University, Christopher Eisgruber, joins us. 

He makes a defense of the role of post secondary institutions at a time when they are at the centre of a culture war and the target of an incredibly hostile White House that casts universities and professors as the enemy.

He discusses the limits of free speech, his views on civility, artificial intelligence and more.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

President Trump arrives in Beijing today for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He’s bringing with him a long list of tech and business titans like Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg.

There’s a lot on the line.

The two countries have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat trade war for years – which escalated last year after Trump’s Liberation day tariffs. They came to a truce in the fall but the relationship is still fraught. In addition, the war in Iran looms. China is an ally to Iran and the largest buyer of its oil.

Jonathan Cheng is the Wall Street Journal’s China bureau chief. He walks host Jayme Poisson through what to expect in the coming days.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

As part of its Spring economic update, the federal government revealed that it’s considering privatizing the country’s airports. The Prime Minister says it could free up money to fund other major projects and improve air travel for Canadians.

But a number of critics have come out against the idea. One of them is veteran journalist and activist Linda McQuaig, author of ‘The Sport and Prey of Capitalists: How the Rich Are Stealing Canada’s Public Wealth’. She joins us to talk about what the government is proposing and how things can go when public infrastructure comes into private hands.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Recent polls show that Canadians are increasingly concerned about the growth of AI.

And yet, the AI race is hurtling forward with few guardrails. In many cases, people aren’t even being given a lot of choice around using it. Many jobs now include the use of AI.

Today, we are talking about that tension and more with technology ethicist Tristan Harris.

He’s been sounding the alarm about AI growth, arguing that the tech industry is currently in a dangerous race without the proper checks and that the consequences will be profound.

Harris is the co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, which he founded after working at Google. He’s also featured in the new documentary The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts