The Rundown

Since being sworn into office for a second time, President Donald Trump has slashed or suspended billions of dollars of funding for research and international aid, and cut thousands of jobs, plunging federal agencies and universities into chaos. This has some researchers considering a career change - and others contemplating leaving the U.S. Could Canada become a haven for researchers looking to innovate? Let's find out from: In Calgary, Alberta, Sarah Laframboise: Executive director of Evidence for Democracy; In Washington, D.C.: Keith Martin, Executive director for Consortium of Universities for Global Health; In Montreal, Quebec, Richard Gold, professor at McGill University's Faculty of Law, and chief policy and partnerships officer at Conscience, a non-profit focused on addressing market failure in drug development; And in Kingston, Ontario: Stephen Archer, Cardiologist and director of the Translational Institute of Medicine at Queen's University.

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Most people don't even want to think about the prospect of another pandemic. But experts are warning that it's important to track and contain H5N1, more commonly known as bird flu, which has been detected in Ontario. Recently, it's forced poultry farms into quarantine and turned up in Canada geese. Last November, it caused the hospitalization of a British Columbia teen. So, what do we know about avian influenza - and how concerned should we be? Joining us now on that, in Guelph, Ontario: Dr. Shayan Sharif, professor of immunology at the Ontario Veterinary College; And here in our studio: Dr. Samira Mubareka, infectious-diseases physician, medical microbiologist, and scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute.

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Pope Francis papacy is considered the most progressive to date. But as he fights an extended illness, the process for electing a new pope has likely already begun. What mark has the current pope made on the more than one billion Catholics around the world, what's involved in choosing his successor, and in what direction might a new pope lead the Catholic Church? For insight, we welcome: Michael W. Higgins, author of "The Jesuit Disruptor: A Personal Portrait of Pope Francis," and Emma Anderson, University of Ottawa professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies.

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Many questions abound about the role artificial intelligence will play in humanity's future. Philosopher and author Christopher DiCarlo, one of the world's leading voices on the ethics of AI, looks at our complicated relationship with this technology and how we might prepare ourselves for its place in our world. It's all in his new book "Building a God: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and the Race to Control It". He's also principal and founder of Critical Thinking Solutions and he joins Steve Paikin to discuss.

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Jason Dunkerley was born with a condition that has rendered him blind his entire life. And yet, somehow, he has managed to represent Canada at five Paralympic Games and numerous other international events as a runner. How he does that, not to mention negotiating the obstacles in the rest of his life, is the subject of his new memoir. It's called "Visions of Hope: Running Towards My Own Truth".

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Premier Doug Ford has been re-elected in Ontario's 44th provincial election. With voter turnout at 45% and lost seats for the Progressive Conservative party, what does this mean for Ontario's democracy? Joining The Agenda to discuss is Martin Regg Cohn, Political Columnist for the Toronto Star; Karim Bardeesy, Executive Director of the Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University; Sonal Champsee Director at Not One Seat and Nelson Wiseman, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Toronto.

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The Agenda's week in review looked at the state of Ontario's K-12 and post-secondary education systems, how the PC government has handled both, and whether voters were paying attention to either when casting their ballots in the 44th general election.

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The live broadcast of Ontario's 44th general election includes context in the first hour where host, Steve Paikin, and co-host John Michael McGrath will discuss what makes this election special. Jeyan Jeganathan spoke with people across Ontario to hear what issues matter the most to them, and Nam Kiwanuka is joined by people who work in our communities to learn what they are seeing on the front lines. Erin Kelly, CEO of Advanced Symbolics, will join Steve Paikin to share insights about what Polly has been tracking this election. And, closer to when the polls close, Steve Paikin and John Michael McGrath will be joined by Deb Hutton, host for Newstalk 1010; Kim Wright, principal and founder of Wright Strategies; Dan Moulton, partner at Crestview Strategy; and Jackie DaSilva, campaign strategist and consultant, to hear what they are looking forward to seeing on election night. This coverage will span gavel to gavel and will go in depth on how voters across the province will cast their ballots.

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With just one day to go before election day, we're joined by two journalists who spend a lot of time talking to voters in two of Ontario's largest cities.

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A provincial tuition freeze and a federal cap on foreign student visas are squeezing the funding available for Ontario's post-secondary institutions, particularly colleges. Layoffs and program cuts have become common as a result, meaning less choice for students. So if higher education is in crisis, why is it not a bigger campaign issue for Ontario's political parties ahead of the election?

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