The Paul Wells Show

When John Tory resigned as mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow decided to take another shot at the job. Despite much of the establishment lining up against her, she won. She talks to Paul about that campaign, and about trying to implement her vision for the city on a shorter-than-usual term, while dealing with a $1.5 billion deficit from COVID.

This episode was recorded live at the University of Toronto’s Munk School.

The Quebec government recently announced it will double university tuition for out-of-province students, raise international student fees, and change how the money from those fees is distributed. The new measures will disproportionately affect the province’s three English universities.   

Graham Carr, president of Concordia University in Montreal, tells Paul that these changes will cause a major blow to Concordia’s finances. He also talks about how we got here, and why this has become such a hot button issue in Quebec.

The National Gallery of Canada had a rough year, as they reckoned with shifting attitudes towards culture and representation. Their new CEO, Jean-François Bélisle, joins Paul to talk about how he plans to move forward, and what a national art gallery should look like in the year 2023.

This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre.

FURTHER READING:
Turmoil Engulfs Canadian Art Museums Seeking to Shed Colonial Past - The New York Times

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Mark Sutcliffe decided to run for mayor of Ottawa after being frustrated by the Freedom Convoy and the city's ill-fated LRT project. He won. A year into his term, he reflects on trying to solve some of the city’s biggest problems, including saving the downtown core and getting the LRT back on track.

This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre.

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Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu joins Paul to talk about reconciliation, drug policy, and the road that led her from working with the most vulnerable members of society, to sitting in Trudeau's Cabinet.

This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre.

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Author and Globe and Mail writer John Ibbitson joins Paul to discuss his new book, The Duel: Diefenbaker, Pearson and the Making of Modern Canada. Ibbitson talks about how the decade-long showdown between these two Prime Ministers set the stage for the world we live in today, and why he believes Diefenbaker has been unfairly maligned in the historical record.   This interview was recorded live at the National Arts Centre.   Subscribe to Paul's Substack for a premium version of this show: paulwells.substack.com   

Timothy Garton Ash has chronicled some of the biggest moments in European history for over 40 years. In his new book, Homelands: A Personal History of Europe, he offers a history of postwar Europe, told through personal memoir. He talks to Paul about the future of Europe, the war in Ukraine, advising George W. Bush on how to think about the European Union, having Victor Orbán as a student, and why these days, his main concern is about the United States.

This episode was recorded at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

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The part of King Lear has a storied history, with classic performances by actors like William Hutt, Brian Cox and James Earl Jones. At 64, Paul Gross has taken on the role at Stratford, and he thinks the whole mythology around it is “just bullshit.” He reflects on the weight of the role, making Lear his own, and why Shakespeare still feels relevant. 

In the episode, we mention Paul Gross's age as 62, but he is 64. We regret the error.

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B.C. Premier David Eby has a lot to contend with: a housing crisis, the opioid epidemic, healthcare, foreign interference, the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, federal-provincial relations, and the province's energy needs. We get into all of it.   You can get a premium version of this show with extra content by subscribing to Paul's newsletter: paulwells.substack.com

As traditional news organizations have faced a steady decline, the online local news network Village Media has been thriving in small and medium-sized communities. But as the government and tech giants have gotten into a standoff over Bill C-18, the Online News Act, Village Media has been forced to pause their growth. Their CEO Jeff Elgie talks to Paul about how C-18 has hurt his business, and what’s at stake.   You can get a premium version of this show with extra content by subscribing to Paul's newsletter: paulwells.substack.com