WONK

In short order, Canada has experienced a Liberal leadership race, a new Prime Minister, a trade war attack from its closest ally, and now a federal election. How is democratic accountability maintained through this unprecedented action? How do the wheels of government keep turning? Host Amanda Lang talks to Canada’s former top bureaucrat, Michael Wernick, about the "weird place" we’re in, the job of the public service and the changes on the horizon.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney’s review of Canada's purchase of F-35 jets is another battle line drawn in the ongoing trade war. But it has also re-opened old scars. Canada has been trying to replace its aging jets for decades now. Two people who have lived the file, former defence minister Peter MacKay and former assistant parliamentary budget officer Sahir Khan talk to host Amanda Lang about the politics of procurement, the need for better discourse and what’s at stake.

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Andrew Furey has been the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador for an extraordinarily eventful five years, from the pandemic and its fallout to going all in on oil and gas, and lately, of course, the chaos of Trump and a trade war. The popular leader shocked everyone recently when he announced he’s leaving politics. Host Amanda Lang talks to Furey about why he’s stepping down, his fears about the U.S. president’s motives and the need for a Canada-first strategy.

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After weeks of uncertainty it finally happened: Canada has been plunged into a trade war it desperately hoped to avoid. Even as it unfolds the path is unclear. Already there are signs that some tariffs could be reduced or removed, but it will cause pain on both sides of the border. Make no mistake, we are in a new era of Canada-U.S. relations. David Paterson is Ontario’s representative in Washington, and understands what's at stake and what's happening on the ground like few others. He was former VP at General Motors and BlackBerry, and was chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. He talks to host Amanda Lang about what's motivating Trump's tariff attack, how he wins over U.S. lawmakers and why he doesn't think the U.S.-Canada relationship is permanently damaged. 

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Local news has been disappearing at an alarming rate, leaving a huge void in communities and undermining a key pillar of democracy. Guest host Alison Uncles talks to Lisa Sygutek, the publisher of the Crowsnest Pass Herald, Stacey Brzostowski, editor and publisher of The Haida Gwaii News, and Andrew Phillips, former editor-in-chief of The Montreal Gazette and Victoria Times Colonist, and a columnist with The Toronto Star, about misinformation, community ties and why they have a newfound sense of optimism in their battle for survival against big tech. They also delve into the results of a new PPF report outlining some key steps to help put the local back in local news.

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Canada has a very short time to act before Donald Trump's 30-day tariff reprieve ends. It's a tall order given the stakes and magnitude of the challenge ahead. Our panel of experts, host Edward Greenspon, Janice Stein and Riaz Kara, talk about the need for a disciplined response, the time-intensive task of diversification, and why the smart move now might be to reopen trade negotiations.

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President Donald Trump’s tariff threats have forced Canadians to take a long, hard look at our economy and how it needs to evolve. This is especially true for the oil and gas industry which is deeply linked with the United States. Our panel of top energy wonks — Jackie Forrest, Janet Annesley and Bryan Cox — discuss the impacts and real costs of U.S. tariff threats, and the path to Canadian energy security.

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The moment Canadians have been waiting for, and in some cases dreading, is here. President Donald Trump is continuing to threaten us with massive tariffs, but now with all the levers of a president who controls both houses of Congress. What does Trump's so-called "Golden Age for America" mean for the world and for Canada? Our expert panel — Luiza Savage, Don Wright and Sean Speer — discuss the dangers and opportunities in the early days of Trump’s new term, what Canada needs to be doing and why this presidency is nothing like 2016.

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In the lead-up to President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, he has escalated his taunts and economic threats against Canada. How can we prepare for the potential upending of a trade relationship that is the backbone of the Canadian economy? To help sort through this we've gathered one of our all-star panels: Marta Morgan, former deputy minister of foreign affairs, Peter Loewen, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, and Mark Cameron, a former director of policy and research in the prime minister's office. They discuss Canada’s challenges, missteps and the odds we’ll have new tariffs on Day 1 of Trump’s second term.

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The former leader of the Conservative party was almost the Prime Minister of Canada. In the 2021 election, his party won more votes than the Liberals, but not more seats. O’Toole, now the president and managing director of ADIT North America, is out of politics, but he remains a wonk at heart. He joins host Edward Greenspon to discuss how he’d deal with Donald Trump, defence spending and what today’s leaders get wrong.

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