Front Burner

Starting Sunday, political and economic representatives of a world order that Donald Trump is intent on shattering are gathering in Kananaskis, in Alberta's Rocky Mountains.

That on its own would be high stakes. But add to it Mark Carney's aggressive national to-do list, and you've got two days that could show us how much Canada and the world have changed since Trump became president a second time.

Aaron Wherry, a senior writer with CBC's Parliamentary Bureau, joins the show to unpack what he'll be watching for as he covers the event. 

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

For years now Canada's been badgered to pony up, and spend more money on the military. Those calls have come from our actual military itself, our NATO allies, and more recently the U.S. President.

Well it looks like Mark Carney is going to pull out the credit card, and commit to spending an extra $9.3-billion on the armed forces by March, bumping our military spending up to two per cent of Canada's entire GDP.

Carney has also pledged to end this country's reliance on the U.S. for equipment by diverting billions of dollars in spending to Canadian manufacturers.

The timing awkwardly coincided with news about an embarrassing foray into Canadian military procurement: our plans to buy a fleet of F-35 fighter jets from America that the auditor general reported was billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule.

So, what is Carney's vision for the future of our military? And how serious are the threats against Canada?

David Pugliese, defence reporter with the Ottawa Citizen, talks us through it.

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

As many as 40,000 Canadians are out of their homes right now with evacuation alerts and states of emergency in effect across much of western Canada, from B.C. through northern Ontario. Many, especially those from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, have been away from home for weeks, with no indication of when they'll return.

CBC Thunder Bay's Sarah Law brings us the story of evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation, making their way to Thunder Bay, Ont., as fire bears down on their fly-in, fly-out community.

Then, Chief David Monias of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba tells us about the struggle his community has had getting the resources to effectively fight the fires and support its community members through the ongoing evacuation.

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

The city of Los Angeles has been embroiled in protests for days after a series of ICE raids rounded up dozens of people. Now, after President Donald Trump sent in 2000 members of the National Guard, the city finds itself in the middle of a fight between the White House and state and local governments over the rights of undocumented immigrants.

Jeannette Zanipatin is a lawyer and the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), an L.A.-based organization that supports immigrants. The group has been involved with some of the demonstrations. She explains how this situation came to be, what the community has been dealing with and the legal and political implications of Trump’s crackdown. 

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

A feud between Elon Musk and U.S. President Trump escalated and exploded over the course of 72 hours last week.

It started off with Musk’s criticism of Trump’s new spending bill, calling it a “disgusting abomination.” Trump later criticized Musk during a press conference in the Oval Office, saying that he would have won the 2024 election without the millions of dollars Musk spent to support him. From there, a barrage of attacks ensued over social media, and threats to cancel government contracts and cooperation. 

Dasha Burns, Politico’s White House Bureau Chief and host of “The Conversation with Dasha Burns”, is here to walk through the twists and turns of this public breakup, and reflect on who wins and who loses when two of the most powerful people in the world fight.

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

What is Canadian content? And why does it matter? The Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission has been hearing very different answers to that question — as they try to come up with new CanCon rules. Commotion's Elamin Abdelmahmoud talks with storyteller Jesse Wente, policy expert Vass Bednar and showrunner Anthony Q Farrell about why getting CanCon right has never been more important.

Big laughs. Smart takes. Every day. Commotion is where you go for thoughtful and vibrant conversations about all things pop culture. Host Elamin Abdelmahmoud calls on journalists, critics, creators and friends to talk through the biggest arts and entertainment stories of the day, in 30 minutes or less.

More episodes of Commotion are available at: https://link.mgln.ai/L1GJWq

On Sunday, Ukraine launched Operation Spider’s Web, a surprise drone attack that went deep inside Russia, reaching as far as Siberia for the first time.

Ukraine says 117 drones were smuggled into Russia, hidden in the roofs of wooden sheds and later loaded onto the backs of trucks then launched remotely. The result was an enormous blow to Russia’s strategic bomber fleet.

Cheaper than traditional weapons and commercially available, drones have become increasingly important to both sides of the Ukraine-Russia war and in conflicts around the world.

Josh Schwartz, an assistant professor of international relations at Carnegie Mellon University, joins the show to explain how they are transforming modern warfare.  

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

The Liberals have tabled new legislation that would significantly expand law enforcement powers and tighten immigration of all kinds, including refugee claims, in a move to appease the Trump White House — but critics say it raises major concerns for Canadians' civil liberties.

Meanwhile, Mark Carney met with Canada's provincial and territorial premiers this week in his first ever first ministers' meeting, and the post-meeting vibes have been extremely positive. There seems to be a general agreement on the idea of building a new east-west pipeline — but almost nothing else about it is clear, including who would actually build it. How long will the honeymoon last?

The Toronto Star's Althia Raj and CBC Ottawa's Aaron Wherry are on the show to tackle this political doubleheader.

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

A little over five months ago, few outside of the New York City real estate scene knew who Steve Witkoff was. Now, as the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, he’s not only been tasked with trying to end the war in Gaza but he’s also at the centre of negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine and with Iran to secure a new nuclear deal. 

To understand how one of President Donald Trump’s closest friends came to spearhead negotiations in some of the most complex foreign policy files of the last few years we talk to Isaac Stanley-Becker, staff writer at The Atlantic who recently wrote a profile on Steve Witkoff. 

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

Since October 7, access to food in Gaza – and its systematic restriction by Israel – has been the subject of international condemnation. 

The most recent incident is the killing of dozens of Palestinians attempting to obtain food from an aid distribution centre.

Israeli settlers have blocked roads, and aid delivery. Aid convoys and workers have also been targeted with violence. And as of March, Israel established a full scale blockade on aid into the Gaza strip. Today a trickle has been allowed into the territory.

International organizations have been warning of famine in Gaza for more than a year. 

Alex de Waal is the executive director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University, and author of ‘Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine.’ He joins the show for a discussion about starvation crimes, why the weaponization of food during wartime continues, and how famine has proven difficult to prosecute in court.

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