The Rundown

When external shocks have jolted the provincial economy, governments have stepped up and spent, to support hard-hit businesses and workers. Think of the 2008 financial crisis or the COVID-19 pandemic. But with public debt now north of $400 billion, and fears of what it'll cost to backstop Donald Trump's tariff threats, does the province have the balance sheet strength to protect us from the worst?

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Voters in Ontario will be heading to the polls on February 27. For some, in the north, the trip will certainly be colder - but what else sets their experience apart? What are the ballot issues that could energize people in the region, and are they prepared to send the PCs back to Queen's Park? For insight, we welcome: David Tabachnick, a professor of political science at Nipissing University in North Bay; Wendy Landry, the mayor of Shuniah, a municipality just outside Thunder Bay, and president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association; and Livio Di Matteo, an economist at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.

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Why are Gen Z and millennials drinking less alcohol than their parents did? And how has the Non-Alcoholic industry changed over the years? We gather a panel of experts to look at the recent decline in drinking and what we can learn from it.

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Traditionally, in Ontario politics the Liberals and New Democrats would fight over endorsements from organized labour, while the Conservatives stood on the sidelines. Those days are gone. In just t first week of the Ontario election campaign Doug Ford's Tories have already received several union endorsements. For insight on why, we welcome: JP Hornick, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union; Karen Brown, president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario; Victoria Mancinelli, director of communications at the Laborers International Union of North America; andJeff Gray, Queen's Park reporter for the Globe and Mail.

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When former finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned due to her opposition to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's fiscal policy, it sent shockwaves through Parliament Hill. Now she wants her boss's job. But who was Chrystia Freeland before her meteoric rise in Canadian politics? Host Steve Paikin talks to journalist Catherine Tsalikis about her new biography: "Chrystia: From Peace Valley to Parliament Hill."

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Ontario has ponied up billions and billions of dollars to be the electric vehicle capital of the world. But with the Trump administration's pivot away from EVs, and tariffs on top of that, has this province's investment been misguided? Brian Kingston, President and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association; Rachel Doran, VP of Policy and Strategy of Clean Energy Canada; Josipa Petrunic, President & CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium; and Greig Mordue, Associate Professor in the School of Engineering Practice and Technology at McMaster University and the ArcelorMittal Dofasco Chair in Advanced Manufacturing Policy join Steve Paikin to discuss.

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Meta is ending its third-party fact-checking program in the U.S. and allowing "more speech" on Facebook and Instagram. It says it will move towards a community notes model similar to "X," as Mark Zuckerberg becomes more aligned with the Trump administration. The Agenda invites a panel of experts to break down what this means for us and the future of social media.

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They are two of our country's best and best-known actors, but they're also known for rarely acting in the same project. Happily, they have made an exception to that rule in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" currently on stage at the Bluma Appel Theatre in the provincial capital. Find out more about why this married couple in real life wanted to play one of the most dysfunctional, unhappy couples on stage. Martha Burns and Paul Gross join Steve Paikin to discuss.

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The Agenda's week in review debated Premier Doug Ford's tariff rationale for an early election, examined why Canada needs to take a real stab at reducing interprovincial trade barriers, and asked whether climate action still matters to voters. Guests include Jeffrey Simpson, Jessica Green, Monte Solberg, Sabrina Nanji and Richard Southern talking with host Steve Paikin.

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Erin Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Advanced Symbolics Inc., joins The Agenda to share what Polly, the A.I. pollster, has to say about the public's response to Ontario Premier Doug Ford's snap election call. She will also be sharing what top issues Ontarians are caring about.

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