WONK

Few places in Canada have been as threatened by Trump's tariff war as New Brunswick, with an economy built around forestry, seafood and energy. But there's opportunity arising too. New Brunswick's maritime port is booming with Canadian cargo looking to avoid U.S. tariffs. And the Premier has a strategy to develop new mines in the province. Premier Susan Holt talks to host Amanda Lang about selling Canada to the world, rebooting mining and why 400 km of pipeline could change the country.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most Canadians are still adjusting to the inflation that has settled across our economy from the last big geopolitical disruptions. Now a new one threatens to send prices higher again... all this at a time when Canada is trying to rebuild its own economic engine. Jim Stanford is the director of the Centre for Future Work and one of Canada’s most prominent economists. He speaks with host Amanda Lang about the far-reaching impact of energy prices, social capital and leaning into Canada’s strengths.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's hardly a secret that Canada has a housing problem. Usually it's described by the affordability issues around owning a home, but there is another and arguably more pernicious problem. Too many Canadians simply don't have one. Treating housing as a human right is one way to start facing that second housing crisis. Host Amanda Lang talks with Pearl Eliades, a Quebec-based lawyer specializing in human rights and a professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, and Dr. Andrew Boozary, founding executive director of the Gattuso Center for Social Medicine at the University Health Network in Toronto.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada has changed tack on its climate efforts from a price on carbon and a philosophical view that fossil fuels might be phased out to a more pragmatic policy that embraces energy development while still aiming to meet climate targets. It's a tricky line to walk at any time, but especially while the economy faces a generational upheaval. Host Amanda Lang talks to Minister of Environment and Climate Change Julie Dabrusin about industrial carbon pricing, pushing EVs and building out national urban parks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some of the thorniest problems of our time won't be solved with the tools and systems that we currently use, but that doesn't make them beyond our capacity to solve. Tom Chi has spent his career at the center of innovation and process design — that includes at Google X, the moonshot factory inside Google. He now has a new book and a message about process and problem solving when it comes to climate. He talks to host Amanda Lang about a new way to think about economics.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nestled in a tiny fishing outport in Newfoundland, Fogo Island Inn has become a luxury stop for the well-traveled. But it is a lot more than that -- by design. Fogo's part of a social enterprise called Shorefast, and while its success has definitely created wealth for the local economy, its founders believe that the model of community-based entrepreneurship is highly exportable. Host Amanda Lang talks to Zita Cobb about how to build Canada’s economy one community at a time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With gambling in the palm of everyone's hand, it's not just big business: it's changing the world of sports. It also ignores the harms that come along the way. Danny Funt is a journalist and the author of a new book, Everybody Loses: The Tumultuous Rise of American Sports Gambling. He talks to host Amanda Lang about the dark side of sports betting, why professional sports has embraced it and why the public can’t get enough.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prime Minister Carney's recent speech in Davos was hailed globally as a pivotal moment. But, as is always the case, the question becomes, what's next? In Canada, finding new trade partners is obviously top of the agenda. So is getting out of our own way on internal trade barriers. David Eby is the Premier of British Columbia. He talks to host Amanda Lang about this new reality, LNG and global trade.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Toronto startup recently launched 10 low earth orbit satellites as part of a new commercial satellite network. Meanwhile, a Canadian astronaut is poised to be one of the first to orbit the moon, and new investments are being made in space technology in this country. Chris Hadfield is one of Canada's best known astronauts, the first Canadian to walk in space, commander of the ISS, an engineer, former fighter pilot, musician and a best-selling author. He speaks with host Amanda Lang about why 2026 will be a critical year in space.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even by recent standards, the world right now feels precarious with the U.S. attack on Venezuela and saber rattling over taking over other countries, all while abandoning international cooperation. It's hard not to wonder, where does it leave the rest of us? Host Amanda Lang talks to former UN ambassador Bob Rae about dealing with Donald Trump, the future of the UN and why it’s time to worry.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.