Resuming Debate

Canada’s latest job numbers show labour force participation hitting a 29-year low. Meanwhile, youth unemployment jumped to 13%.

In this week’s podcast, I sit down with Bérengère Fouqueray and Corinne Pohlmann from the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) to discuss one of their recent reports, “Work in Progress: Bridging the gap between small businesses and Canada’s youth”. We discuss the disconnect between young job seekers and employers, and how they can more effectively find each other.

You can read the full report from CFIB here: https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/hubfs/research/reports/2026/work-in-progress-en.pdf

Alberta's place in Canada is being hotly debated in the lead up to a separation referendum. On today's episode, the godfather of western Canadian populism Preston Manning joins me to discuss the situation. We also dig into the history of western Canadian third party movements, and how we got from "The West Wants In" to a push for separation.

During our conversation, I referenced an earlier conversation with Michael Kazin about the nature of populism, which you can find here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/resuming-debate/id1562896468?i=1000568009107

Tensions between Canada and the US are the highest they have been in a very long time. Why is this happening, what should Canada be doing in response, and what is the role of the Loyal Opposition during these challenging times?

Joining me to discuss these questions and more is Member of Parliament Shuv Majumdar, Conservative Shadow Minister for Canada-US Relations. Shuv has worked extensively on foreign affairs, including advising Prime Minister Stephen Harper on foreign policy. Before getting elected Shuv also led the Foreign Policy and National Security program at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

You can click here to find and follow Shuv on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

After being appointed Shadow Minister for Employment, I did a lot of reading about philosophies of work. In the process, I very quickly became fascinated by the writings of Dorothy Day, one of the most interesting and important 20th century thinkers involved in social action, writing, and concepts of social justice that are both pro-work and pro-poor. She is a figure of profound religious and political significance, particularly for the Catholic community in North America.

Joining me for this fascinating episode is Robert Ellsberg, a longtime associate, collaborator, and friend of Dorothy Day and editor of her writings. Robert is the publisher, executive director and editor-in-chief of Orbis Books, and is the former managing editor of The Catholic Worker (which Day edited herself until her death in 1980).

You can find many of Dorothy Day’s writings on the Catholic Worker website, here: https://catholicworker.org/dorothy-day/dorothy-day-writing/

The Catholic Worker also features many commentaries on her writings and work, as well as a short biography which you can read here: https://catholicworker.org/dorothy-day/

Conservatives recently announced proposals for major reforms to the parental leave system in Canada, introducing greater flexibility for parents, allowing learning on leave, and making it easier for parents to earn extra income while watching their kids.

Part of the rationale for this policy was the reality of Canada’s sharply declining fertility rates – and the growing gap between the number of children that women report they want to have and the number of children they are actually having. Why is this happening, why we should care, and what can be done about it?

Joining me for this conversation are Paige MacPherson and Andrea Mrozek, two brilliant policy minds working with two different Canadian think tanks. Both Paige and Andrea are also mothers themselves and are vocal advocates for families and family-first policy.

Link to relevant Cardus research:

• https://www.cardus.ca/in-the-news/media-coverage/canadas-fertility-crisis-is-no-longer-a-minor-concern/
• https://www.cardus.ca/research/family/reports/she-s-not-having-a-baby/
• https://www.cardus.ca/research/family/reports/home-alone/

Liberals are making major changes to Canada’s Military Justice System, in ways that experts and other parties say will make the situation worse for victims.

Over the past year, Bill C-11 on the Military Justice System has undergone careful review and significant amendment in committee. One of the first actions by the Liberals after getting their majority was to undo that work and advance a completely different version of the Bill.

Joining me this week to discuss these changes to C-11 and to do a deep dive into the issues around Canada’s Military Justice System is retired Lieutenant Colonel Rory Fowler, a lawyer and expert on matters related to military justice who testified before the Defence Committee on Bill C-11 during its review.

Government has a basic obligation to protect kids from sexual abuse. Exposing children to explicit sexual material is undeniably a form of abuse.

At the same time, there is understandably a level of suspicion associated with any effort by government to impact the online space. So how can we protect kids in a way that is both responsible and effective?

Bills by Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne have now passed the Senate three times, unanimously, and received support from Conservatives, New Democrats, the Bloc, and many Liberals. On this episode, I am joined by Senator Julie to discuss these efforts and how these bills would work.

I'm honoured to be joined this week by Carol Anstey, Member of Parliament for Long Range Mountains, a riding covering the whole western coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. MP Anstey was elected in the last general election following a successful career as a real estate agent and then broker, as well as a consultant for small- to medium-sized businesses.

In our conversation, we talk about her experience transitioning from the private sector to public service, from “the Rock” to “the Mainland”, the shifting political landscape in Newfoundland and Labrador, and some of the unique local issues that are driving a return to Conservatism.

Be sure to follow Carol on X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Canada’s housing crisis has become a central issue in the national conversation, with a deepening divide between those who own a home and those who worry that they never will own a home. While there are many factors contributing to the issues of housing supply and affordability, beauty might be an important and under-discussed consideration.

Joining me this week are Jaydean Boldt, principal at New Urban Design Group, and Sam Farthing, an architect specializing in classical and sacred architecture in Saskatoon. Both Jaydean and Sam are thinking about the housing crisis in the context of how good and beautiful urban design can help foster greater acceptance of housing construction in communities where more homes are needed. Together we explore the issue of NIMBYism and what’s behind it, whether beauty in design is objective or cultural, and how good urban form might help bridge divides over housing construction. We also discuss the practical considerations influencing whether developers and local governments choose to build beautiful.

Could rediscovering beauty contribute to more affordable housing?

GUEST LINKS

• Connect with Sam at https://www.sfarchitecture.ca/
• Connect with Jaydean at https://www.newurbandesigngroup.com/

What does the ancient philosophy of Stoicism have to do with modern Canadian politics? According to my guests, a lot. At a time when we are grappling with how to adjust to unexpected changes outside our control, Stoicism provides a series of ideas and techniques which are potentially very useful as we adapt. When applied to national action, this outlook has been called "National Stoicism".I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with William B. Irvine and Ben Woodfinden to talk about what we can learn individually and collectively from Stoic philosophy. William B. Irvine is a writer, philosopher, and professor well known for his speaking and writing on Stoicism. His website (https://www.williambirvine.com/) will connect you to his books and other writings, and you can subscribe to his Substack here: https://morebetterthinking.substack.com/ Ben Woodfinden is a Senior Advisor & Director for a prominent Canadian GR firm and is a Doctoral student and Political and Constitutional Theorist at McGill University. He is also Pierre Poilievre’s former Director of Communications. You can read Ben’s writings for The Hub at https://thehub.ca/author/benwoodfinden/, follow him on X at https://x.com/BenWoodfinden and subscribe to his Substack at https://thedominion.substack.com/.