The Rundown

The Liberal government wants to know how to encourage Canadian pension funds to invest more at home. But that is not always in the interests of beneficiaries. A look at Canada's potential, and problems, when it comes to attracting massive investments.

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Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt may be the greatest leaders in the history of democracies. Their achievements in winning the Second World War are well known, but perhaps less well known is the role their mothers played in their success. Historian Charlotte Gray's latest book is called "Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons: The Lives of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt," and she joins Steve Paikin to discuss who these mothers were.

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A former chief of the Thunder Bay Police Service facing serious charges by the Ontario Provincial Police confirmed the long suspected systemic racism within the police force. This is not the first time that there has been a call for a more competent police in northern Ontario and First Nation leaders are now sending their decisive call to disband the Thunder Bay police. For insight, we welcome:
Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation;
Melanie Beardy and Vincent Ostberg, the parents of Jenna Ostberg who died under tragic circumstances;
Julian Falconer, founding partner of Falconer's LLP and the lawyer representing Jenna's parents ; and Jon Thompson, a journalist based in Thunder Bay.

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Barbara McLean, with her husband, retired doctor Thomas Wilson, has been running a sheep farm in Ontario for 50 years. What changes has she seen over the years? Jeyan Jeganathan talks to McLean about her life on the farm, and her plans for succession, and other topics from her book, "Shepherd's Sight: A Farming Life."

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Rita Miceli discusses her experience raising her autistic child. Tech expert Sinead Bovell on Canada's AI future. Have strong mayor powers made a difference? And, Mandi Gray discusses her book, "Suing for Silence."

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Sudbury, Ont., has a complicated past. Settlers came to the area with the building of the railway, but the mining and logging industries made the area so toxic that not even shrubs or grasses could grow. But over the last half-century, governments, researchers and the industries themselves have been working to bring natural life back-and it's only halfway done. In this episode, contributor Warren Schlote describes how Sudbury became a desolate wasteland. We'll meet one of the people who has led the 'regreening' process, and hear about how some unresolved industrial damage is harming marginalized people to this day.

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After the rise of the #MeToo movement, activists noticed an increase in a new tool to fight against allegations of sexual assault. Some men accused of misconduct have turned to defamation lawsuits as a way to protect their career and reputation. Does Canadian law make it too easy for men to sue their accusers? Is this the new avenue to litigate sexual assault cases? Mandi Gray explores these questions in her new book, "Suing for Silence: Sexual Violence and Defamation Law."

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Once upon a time, every Ontario mayor got elected by winning the majority of votes across their municipality. But when it came time to vote at council, they had just one vote like every other councillor. Not so anymore. A little over a year and a half ago, the Ontario government gave the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa so-called strong mayor powers. It meant that under certain circumstances, these mayors could override council votes that they'd actually lost. Today, 46 mayors in total have those extra powers. How's it all working out? Well, we've gathered three of the 46 here to find out: Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath; Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward; and Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie.

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We don't often get significant new books on former prime ministers, let alone on two in the same book. But from 1958 to 1968, Canada got two of its most noteworthy PMs. Journalist John Ibbitson's new book is called, "The Duel: Diefenbaker, Pearson and the Making of Modern Canada." Steve Paikin caught up with him in the House of Commons.

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Over the years, Timothy Garton Ash has seen a lot of European history, and now the Oxford University professor has written a book on his first-hand travels through Europe's history, some of which was apparently subversive enough that the Stasi - the East German spy service - had a file on him. The book is called "Homelands: A Personal History of Europe," and it's won the 2024 Lionel Gelber Prize for the best book on foreign affairs.

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