This Matters

Guest: Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau Chief Tonda MacCharles

Canadians have been bracing themselves for a potential trade war for over a month, and on Tuesday U.S. President Donald Trump actually launched it, imposing 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports. And that appears just to be the beginning.

The Star's Tonda MaCharles talks us through the immediate aftermath, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "remarkable" speech, Canada's retaliatory tariffs and the logic behind them, responses from others including Pierre Poilievre and Doug Ford, and Trump's own speech to the U.S. Congress on the day the trade war was launched.

We look at the ways this is likely to impact the Canadian and American economies, and why Trump may be testing the pain threshold of his own citizens and the investors whose opinion he typically so values. And given that the stated reason for imposing the tariffs — illegal drug trafficking — is obviously not true, host Edward Keenan and MacCharles consider what Trudeau said is the larger logic of Trump's aggression: a takeover of Canada.

PLUS: Who exactly signed this "terrible" North American trade deal Trump is always complaining about?

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Toronto Star Queen's Park Bureau Chief Robert Benzie

On the one hand, Doug Ford won a third straight majority (the first such feat by a premier in Ontario since the 1950s). On the other hand, he doesn't seem happy about it, because he wanted more seats. The Star's Robert Benzie explains why, and looks at the similar dark cloud/silver lining result faced by other parties (and shares former premier David Peterson's observation about why winning too big is as much a curse as a blessing). He also breaks down the results, and the turnout (NOT the worst participation rate ever, FWIW), and discusses the prospects for long-simmering issues such as health care to come to the surface now that the election is over.

PLUS: Why you could consider this a "Seinfeld" election

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Toronto Star affordable housing reporter Victoria Gibson

Ontario is racing towards a snap election on Feb.27 and for a lot of voters, two issues loom well above the rest: housing and healthcare. Both are at breaking point, and both are dominating party platforms. As part of our pre-election coverage, we're delving into these issues. Where do things really stand, are any of the candidates offering actual solutions, and what should you, the voters be thinking about as you head to the polls?

We talk housing on today's episode. Millions of people in Ontario are struggling with a reality where housing is not just unaffordable; for many, it's almost impossible. Rents are out of control, homeownership feels like a distant dream, subsidized housing waitlists are stretching into decades and homelessness numbers have shot up by 25 per cent since the last election. We keep hearing big promises about 1.5 million new homes, more affordable units, incentives for developers, but is any of it actually working?

Guests: Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, NDP Leader Marit Stiles, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

Star's political columnist Martin Regg Cohn also leads the TMU Democracy forum, where he recently sat down with Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner to discuss what they might do for Ontarians if their party wins the upcoming election. Doug Ford, the Progressive Conservative leader who hopes to be reelected, declined to participate in the forum.

Here in three separate episodes, Martin leads conversations with the leaders who did agree to participate in front of a live studio audience. The leaders speak about what makes them tick and what clicks with voters; the policies, the personalities, and the problems facing our province. Here's the episode with Mike Schreiner.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Martin Regg Cohn and Paulo Marques.

Guests: Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, NDP Leader Marit Stiles, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

Star's political columnist Martin Regg Cohn also leads the TMU Democracy forum, where he recently sat down with Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner to discuss what they might do for Ontarians if their party wins the upcoming election. Doug Ford, the Progressive Conservative leader who hopes to be reelected, declined to participate in the forum.

Here in three separate episodes, Martin leads conversations with the leaders who did agree to participate in front of a live studio audience. The leaders speak about what makes them tick and what clicks with voters; the policies, the personalities, and the problems facing our province. Here's the episode with Marit Stiles.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Martin Regg Cohn and Paulo Marques.

Guests: Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, NDP Leader Marit Stiles, Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner

Star's political columnist Martin Regg Cohn also leads the TMU Democracy forum, where he recently sat down with Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie, NDP Leader Marit Stiles and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner to discuss what they might do for Ontarians if their party wins the upcoming election. Doug Ford, the Progressive Conservative leader who hopes to be reelected, declined to participate in the forum.

Here in three separate episodes, Martin leads conversations with the leaders who did agree to participate in front of a live studio audience. The leaders speak about what makes them tick and what clicks with voters; the policies, the personalities, and the problems facing our province. Here's the episode with Bonnie Crombie.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Martin Regg Cohn and Paulo Marques.

Guest: Toronto Star health reporter Megan Ogilvie

Ontario is racing towards a snap election on February 27 and for a lot of voters, two issues loom well above the rest: housing and healthcare. Both are at breaking point and both are dominating party platforms. As part of the Star's pre-election coverage, we're delving into these issues. Where do things really stand, are any of the candidates offering actual solutions, and what should you, the voters, be thinking about as you head to the polls?

Today's episode will focus on healthcare. With overflowing ERs, health-care worker burn-out and more than two million people without a family doctor, Ontario's healthcare has been in trouble for years. Can anyone bring it back on track?

Audio sources: Global News, CTV, CBC, Youtube

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz

Guests: Toronto Star Queen's Park Bureau Chief Robert Benzie and Queen's Park reporter Rob Ferguson

On Valentine's Day, and then again on Family Day, the provincial leaders engaged in this Ontario campaign's two debates. Rob and Rob from our Queen's Park bureau recap why they may be the most substantial events of the campaign so far, allowing viewers to dig into many of the issues that define life in the province.

They also discuss whether they heard any "kill shots" or "knock-out punches" from the podiums — and what the best lines and most noteworthy exchanges were. And then they discuss what's happened since: the polls, the fight between the Liberals and the NDP to poach each other's voters, and Doug Ford's preparations for a second trip out of the country during the campaign.

PLUS: The crudely confrontational challenge that Bonnie Crombie issued to Doug Ford on Wednesday

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Ed Keenan and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Toronto Star Queen's Park Bureau Chief Robert Benzie

During an election campaign, it's unusual for a premier to take his campaign to stops in foreign countries — but these are unusual times, and this is an unusual Ontario election. The Star's Robert Benzie joined Doug Ford and Canada's other premier's on their visit to a snowy Washington, D.C. this week and tells us who they met with, what they are hoping to accomplish, and the prospects for success in getting their message through when the entire U.S. government is in Trump-inspired chaos. Benzie also unpacks what this might mean for the Ontario election race, and why Ford might prefer to be seen in the U.S. — where approximately none of his voters live — rather than knock on doors here at home. PLUS: What does talk of Canada as the 51st state have in common with a dead cat?

This episode was produced by Ed Keenan and Sean Pattendon.

Guest: Toronto Star City Hall Bureau Chief Ben Spurr

The city, we often hear, is a "creature of the province," and as such almost all city hall business hangs on the indulgence of the premier. So for Toronto, the stakes in the provincial election would seem to be high. It's not hard to think of specific examples of issues that could turn based on the results, from bike lanes to Ontario Place to safe injection sites, to the ongoing negotiations about the "new deal" financial plan. Even more broadly, the current premier has taken an activist, micro-managing approach to Toronto, and central policies like housing and transit depend on provincial funding.

City Hall Bureau Chief Ben Spurr and host Edward Keenan discuss a range of things that could change for Toronto based on this election, and about why you don't hear much in the way of specific talk about the Toronto angle from the leaders in debates.

PLUS: Why Mayor Olivia Chow has been quiet about the campaign, and is unlikely to endorse anyone.

This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Paolo Marques and Ed Keenan.