The Rundown

Contemplating whether there's such a thing as a Canadian identity, and what it might be, has been a national pastime probably for as long as Canada has existed. And there's no way to talk about Canada or Canadian politics without taking regionalism into account. None of this is new, but amid pressures or circumstances, such as extreme polarization, could that malleable idea of Canada become too weak to hold it all together? We consider that with guests: Margaret MacMillan, author and emerita professor of International History at the University of Oxford, and University of Toronto; Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation at the University of Saskatchewan; Paul Wells, author of "An Emergency in Ottawa: The Story of the Convoy Commission;" Akaash Maharaj, Ambassador-at-Large for the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, and a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto; Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship; and Lydia Petrovic, author of "Lost in Canada; An Immigrant's Second Thoughts."

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Olivia Chow is Toronto's new mayor. Steve Paikin talks to Saeed Selvam, managing director of New West Public Affairs, and Sabrina Maddeaux, political columnist for the National Post, about what the newly elected mayor means for the Toronto, the issues that decided election, factors that contributed to the outcome, voter turnout, and more.

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When Canadians talk about free trade, they're usually referring to the international context. Maybe that's because it's easier to figure out, than the Gordian knot of domestic trade barriers that have gone up over the decades. Lawyer Ryan Manucha makes a heroic effort to untangle it all, in his book, "Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional Dustups: Canada's Quest for Interprovincial Free Trade." The book won this year's Donner Prize for the best public policy thinking, writing, and research by a Canadian.

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What governments know about each of us, what they do with that data, and how they make decisions based on it, is supposed to be available to citizens. It's a fundamental principle of democratic accountability. But as a recent series in The Globe and Mail demonstrated, that's not quite how it all works. The series is called ,Secret Canada,, and it raises many questions about how freedom of information works in this country, or more likely, how it doesn't work. For insight, we welcome Brooks Fallis, critical care & internal medicine physician; Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario Patricia Kosseim; and the investigative reporters behind The Globe and Mail's series, Secret Canada: Robyn Doolittle and Tom Cardoso.

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Steve Paikin talks to Ontario Liberal leadership candidate Ted Hsu - the current MPP for Kingston and the Islands - about his reasons for entering the race and his plans for the direction of the party.

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Sqwish is far from any pick-up basketball game you've probably seen. There is no score keeping or rules, instead it's centred around silliness, fun, and being an important third space. Field reporter Jeyan Jeganathan profiles the drop-in basketball night for Toronto's queer, non-binary, trans community and really anyone who hasn't felt comfortable in a traditional basketball setting.

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Recapping our week we look at whether Ontario cities need a night mayor to manage nightlife activities and revenues. Then, are Canadians living longer? And if they do, how can their quality of life be even better?

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Authors Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Tahira Rehmatullah join Jeyan Jeganathan to discuss their book, ,Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice," which examines how the criminalization of marijuana harmed racialized communities in the U.S. and Canada, and ways to make the legalized cannabis industry more inclusive.

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In the last few years, the number of Canadians living to 100 and beyond has reached record highs; now seen as the second-fastest growing age group in Canada. In the next 40 years, Canada could have nearly 100,000 centenarians. The Agenda explores the genetic and environmental factors that lead to these elite agers, the societal implications of these numberselderly, and asks whether there is a hard ceiling when it comes to how long humans can live.

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Architect Eladia Smoke, and fashion designer Alyssia Sutherland of Ally's Ribbons talk about the change of mindset that needs to happen when looking at Indigenous creativity. Both are living in a different way than the world we occupy. They both are bringing in that knowledge to what they do.

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