Newstalk Today

We start a new segment today: The God Pod. Reverend Joel Crouse speaks about how his church is finding inventive ways to provide spiritual services amid the pandemic. Then, he takes your texts and calls. Are your spiritual needs being met? How has the pandemic impacted your spiritual life? Later in Hour 2, Evan Solomon speaks to Nathalie Charland, the Senior Director of Scientific and Medical Affairs at Medicago, about the human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine happening in Quebec. We also chat with Brad Hunter, a National Crime Columnist for the Toronto Sun, about Ghislane Maxwell's appearance in court today.

We continue our coverage into the WE Charity scandal today. We speak with NDP MP Charlie Angus about his thoughts on the sole-sourced contract. Then, we hear from you. Where do you want to see things go from here? Do you accept the PM's apology? We also chat with Alberta NDP MLA Shannon Phillips about being illegally surveilled by police when she was Environment Minister.

Premier Doug Ford announces new details of the province's Phase 3 COVID-19 plan, saying that several regions of Ontario will be entering the final stage on Friday. What are the new rules? Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease physician at the Toronto General Hospital, breaks down the confusion and provides his perspective on the COVID-19 situation across Canada.

Evan Solomon breaks down Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's apology over the WE Charity contract. Then, we dig into the whole WE Charity scandal with Globe and Mail reporter Bob Fife. Do you accept the Prime Minister's apology? We take your calls, texts, and emails. Plus, we speak with Blues singer Lady A, who is being sued by the band Lady A over the name.

Should drug possession be decriminalized? The Canada Association of Chiefs of Police thinks so. We talk to Waterloo Region Police Chief Bryan Larkin about the CACP's statement. Then...Ottawa has it's own "Karen," a woman who called the police on a black man in a public park. We also speak with Dustin Kagan-Fleming, CJAD800 reporter, about the Amber Alert sent out in Quebec and the two missing children.

Bill discusses the latest developments of the WE Charity scandal, and he speaks with Conservative Finance Critic Pierre Poilievre about the Tories asking the police to investigate the contract. Then...we speak with Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, about the scandal. We also take your texts and calls on the issue.

With governments around the world implementing cash support systems to deal with the economic fall-out caused by COVID-19, the idea of introducing some form of national Basic Income is gaining renewed interest. What are the pros and cons? Mike Moffatt, an Assistant Professor at the Ivey Business School, joins Evan Solomon in Hour 2. Is this something you would support? Edmonton’s CFL team is heeding sponsors' calls, accelerating a review of a potential name change. Are we going to see more sports teams change their brand?

The government of British Columbia says it will crack down on nightclubs ignoring COVID-19 guidelines. This comes after three virus-linked deaths in the province since Tuesday. We speak to Adrian Dix, the Minister of Health for British Columbia. On Wednesday, the Canadian government released a fiscal snapshot almost four months into the pandemic. Evan Solomon goes 1-on-1 with Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

We look-ahead to the fiscal snapshot being released today and what it could mean for YOU. Then...we discuss the open letter published in Harper's Magazine which warns against the threat to free speech. We ask you: Has 'cancel culture' gone too far? Then...we play Overhyped vs. Underplayed with Tom Mulcair, CTV News Political Analyst and former NDP Leader. We also chat with Pierre Poilievre, Conservative Finance Critic, about today's fiscal snapshot and the WE charity contract.

We speak with Jim Stanford, Economist and Director for Centre for Future, about tomorrow's fiscal snapshot and the idea of introducing a basic income in Canada. We take your texts and calls: Should Canada introduce a basic income? Then...we head to St. John's and speak with Dr. Timothy Christie, regional director of ethics services for Horizon Health, about the city's motion to make racial discrimination a punishable offence. Later...we chat with Russ Fee, a man in Calgary who won the Governor General's award for fighting a wolf and saving a family.