Newstalk Today

Evan Solomon speaks with Ottawa Interim Police Chief Steve Bell about the use of the Emergencies Act in February. Bell says it was "necessary" to bring an end to the downtown blockades. 

On today's show: 

• Ottawa’s Interim Police Chief Steve Bell on the use of the Emergencies Act in February and how the city is preparing for more protestors headed to Ottawa on Canada Day. 
• Anita Anand, Canada’s Defence Minister, on modernizing the North American defence plan.
• Derek Lints, the father of 17-year-old Daniel Lints who died by suicide after being sexually exploited online. He is warning parents of global sextortion targeting teen boys.
• Larry Haas, former White House official and Senior Fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council on Donald Trump and the January 6th hearings. 
• Alejandro Ramirez-Serrano, an engineering professor at the University of Calgary, who is developing "rescue robots" to be used in disasters. 

• Nick Lund, science and nature writer (known online as The Birdist). He provides an update on the Steller's sea eagle that captivated birders after it landed in Nova Scotia from Russia. 

Evan Solomon breaks down Defence Minister Anita Anand's announcement which promises billions in new spending over the next 20 years to modernize North America's aging defensive systems.

On today's show: 

• We play Evan's full conversation with Patrick Brown, Conservative leadership candidate, on allegations of cheating in the leadership race. 

• Bruce Moncur, founding member of Valour In the Presence of the Enemy, provides an update on the efforts to have Pte. Jess Randall Larochelle awarded the Canadian Victoria Cross. 

• Avia Eek from Eek Farms in Ontario’s Holland Marsh discusses whether farmers get paid more as prices soar. 
• Rick Westhead, TSN Senior Correspondent, on Hockey Canada testifying on the agency's involvement in alleged sexual assaults.
• Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Transport Minister, on airport delays and COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Free For All Friday - Hour 1

Deb Hutton, filling in for Amanda Galbraith, breaks down the biggest stories of the day with Canada's top newsmakers.

On today's show:

• Michael Geist, law professor at the University of Ottawa and Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law on Bill C-27 and Bill C-11.
• Dan Kelly, president and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, who is critical of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's announcement on affordability and inflation.
• For today's cross-country road trip segment, we speak with Kate Rogers, Mayor of Fredericton, New Brunswick. What are the hidden gems in her city?
• Crystal Nicholls, admin of the ‘Buy Nothing York Mills/North Toronto/Lawrence Manor’ Facebook group. What are the breadth of offerings with Buy Nothing groups?

Free For All Friday - Hour 2

Hosts from all over the country join the roundtable to discuss the five biggest stories of the week. 

This week's show features panelists Michael Cooke, chair of Canada’s Journalists for Human Rights and former editor of the Toronto Star, and Sharan Kaur, former Deputy Chief of Staff to Bill Morneau and current political strategist.

Topics:

1. Do recent Liberal decisions point to a whole-of-government incompetence?

2.  

   Newly released race-based data has found people of colour face disproportionate levels of force by Toronto police. Though the interim police chief has apologized, many activists say it's not enough.

3. Canada has presented a multi-pronged affordability plan outlining how the government intends to address inflation. Will it actually help?

Evan Solomon takes your texts and calls on whether drinking alcohol in parks should be legal in every city.

On today's show: 

• What’s the most important step the federal government can take to fight inflation? We hear from you.
• Jeremie Harris, host of the Towards Data Science podcast, on the dangers of AI—particularly looking at the risk of malicious use.
• Overhyped v. Underplayed with Scott Reid, CTV News political commentator and former communications director for Prime Minister Paul Martin.
• Is crypto dead? Are you a crypto investor? We take your texts and calls.
• Riskin It All with Dan Riskin, CTV science and technology specialist.

Evan Solomon talks with Canada's Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc about changes to federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates for travellers and public servants.

On today's show:

• NDP MP Matthew Green discusses challenging Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on answers given during an Emergencies Act committee hearing. 
• Jon Krohn, host of the Super Data Science podcast, on a Google engineer who was suspended after claiming a computer chatbot he was working on had become sentient. 
• Sandy Hudson, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada, on the Toronto police report which found officers use more force against Black people with little explanation.
• The War Room with strategists Tim Powers and Zain Velji, and former NDP leader Tom Mulcair.
• We play Evan's full conversation with Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, on changes to vaccine mandates for travellers and public servants.
• Dr. Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, on plans to explore Venus. 

Evan Solomon speaks with Dr. Isaac Bogoch, who says the Canadian government should have lifted its vaccine travel mandate months ago.

On today’s show

• The federal government is lifting most of Canada’s air-travel vaccine requirements
• An Ottawa mother says she spent 10 hours in the emergency room waiting for her six-month old baby to be seen.
• BNN Bloomberg host Amanda Lang discusses the crypto crash and concerns about a possible recession.
• In Mary’s Harbour, Labrador, drivers are forced to take a 100 kilometre round trip to get to the nearest gas station
• Ohio State Representative Daniel Troy explains why some American politicians are pushing to add Canada to a national watch list.
• Some movies you can only see with certain people, will Evan’s wife pass the Top Gun Test?

Evan Solomon speaks with David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, on a new poll which found 44% of respondents believe big events like wars, recessions and the outcomes of elections are controlled by small groups of people working in secret.

On today's show: 

• David Coletto, a founding partner and CEO of Abacus Data, discusses the findings of a new poll on conspiracy theories in Canada. 
• Former gymnast Amelia Cline reacts to new measures from the federal government to protect athletes from maltreatment and abuse.
• Rob Batherson, president of the Conservative Party of Canada, on the leadership race and membership numbers.
• Lucas McAneney, an Ontario man who won the Buffalo Marathon while pushing his sleeping two-year-old son in a stroller.

Evan Solomon speaks with Canadian Armed Forces veteran James Topp, who is marching to Ottawa to protest federal COVID-19 mandates.

On today's show: 

• Declan Hill, an investigative academic and journalist specializing in the study of organized crime and international sports, on the controversial Saudi-funded LIV Golf Series. 
• James Topp, a 28-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, who is marching across Canada to protest government mandates.
• Duncan Dee, former chief operating officer at Air Canada, on the chaos at Toronto Pearson International Airport. 
• Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on the new federal greenhouse gas emission offset credit program.
• Overhyped v. Underplayed with Scott Reid, CTV News political commentator and former communications director for Prime Minister Paul Martin.
• Riskin It All with Dan Riskin, CTV science and technology specialist.

Evan Solomon talks with former ambassador Bruce Heyman about his calls for a bigger and bolder partnership between Canada and the United States. 

On today's show: 

• Bruce Heyman, former U.S. Ambassador to Canada, on calls to strengthen the cross-border partnership. 
• A small drug trial in the U.S. found that every single cancer patient who received an experimental treatment had their cancer vanish. Sascha Roth, one of 18 patients now in remission, joins the show. 
• The War Room with political strategists Zain Velji and Tim Powers, and former NDP leader Tom Mulcair.
• Abby Lampe, a 21-year-old woman from North Carolina, who is the reigning Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll champ.

Evan Solomon explores how some cities may soon require Airbnb hosts to list only their own homes or units within them as a way to tackle the housing crisis. Then, we take your calls: Do you agree with this?

On today's show: 

• We play Evan's full conversation with Conservative leadership candidate Patrick Brown.
• Jenni Byrne, senior advisor to Pierre Poilievre's leadership campaign, joins the show.
• London city councillor Mariam Hamou on her city looking to crack down on Airbnbs and short-term rentals.
• 21-year-old North Carolina native Abby Lampe, who is the reigning Cooper’s Hill Cheese Roll champion.