Let's Talk Politics

Send us Fan Mail Taxes trigger anxiety for a lot of people, and it is often rooted in one assumption: if I file, I’ll owe, and if I mess up, I’ll get punished. We sit down with Wayne Long, Secretary of State for the CRA and financial institutions, to talk about what the Canada Revenue Agency actually does for Canadians and why rebuilding trust starts with better service, clearer answers, and a rea...

Send us Fan Mail A $29 million jet proposal is easy to headline. Lead in school drinking water, mold in portables, and classrooms so hot a student passes out during an exam are easier to ignore, until you realize they’re happening in a province that can afford better.  In this episode of Let’s Talk Politics, we sit down with René Jansen in de Wal, President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to move from grassroots community leadership to the federal cabinet table? In this episode of Let’s Talk Politics , host Julia Pennella sits down with Mandy Gull-Masty , the Minister of Indigenous Services of Canada, for a raw and insightful look at the evolution of representation in Canada. Minister Gull-Masty shares her journey from the Grand Council of the Cre...

Send us Fan Mail Alberta can feel like two places at once: a province of mountains, parks, and big ambition, and a province carrying a new political tension that keeps showing up in national headlines.  I sit down with NDP MLA Lizette Tejada, Alberta’s shadow Minister for Immigration and Multiculturalism, to talk through what is actually happening beneath the noise and what it means for everyday l...

Send us Fan Mail Rights don’t live on paper, they live in paycheques, rent payments, and whether you can afford to stay safe. We sit down with Jade Pichette, Director of Programs and Advocacy at Pride At Work Canada, to unpack a blunt idea that cuts through the noise: economic security is the defining issue for queer and trans people right now. When money shapes access to housing and healthcare, i...

Send us Fan Mail Red tape can sound responsible until you realize it often means “wait your turn” while people keep getting hurt. This is Part 2 of my conversation with Jade Pichette, Director of Programs and Advocacy at Pride At Work Canada. We’re continuing the conversation around what’s needed to modernize the Employment Equity Act in Canada and the frustrating gap between what governments say...

Send us Fan Mail The numbers say Canada’s economy is stable. Everyday life tells a different story. We sit down with Brendon Bernard, Senior Economist at Indeed, to explain that disconnect and translate the labor market data into what it means for your job search, your workplace, and your family decisions.  We get into why Canada is stuck in a low hire, low fire cycle, how that freezes opportunity...

Send us Fan Mail AI is supposed to make life cheaper, faster, and more productive, so why does inflation still feel stubborn and why do rate cuts still feel uncertain?  Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with Senior Economist at Indeed, Brendon Bernard.  In this episode, we dig into a counterintuitive idea: the AI boom can be inflationary before it becomes disinflationary. When trillions flow in...

Send us Fan Mail Trillions are pouring into AI, but where does the real value live—and who gets left behind?  We sit down with Chief Economist and EVP Research at Centurion Asset Management, Carl Gomez to unpack the economic engine behind the AI surge, from the debt and equity financing that fuels data centers to the market incentives forcing CEOs to overhaul their playbooks.  The story goes far b...

Send us Fan Mail A housing boom can feel like prosperity—until the numbers stop adding up. We sat down with chief economist and EVP Research at Centurion Asset Management, Carl Gomez to examine Canada’s great housing reset and why an economy so tied to mortgages, pre-sales, and condo construction is now confronting record-low business investment and stagnant productivity.  From Toronto to Vancouve...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Season 2 of Let’s Talk Politics. And welcome to another year of… whatever this is. Another year where economists whisper “recession” as affordability slips further out of reach. Another year where genocide plays out on our phone screens in real time. Another year of rising global tension, where democracies are stress-tested daily and “World War III” no longer feels...

Send us Fan Mail Prices climbed faster than paychecks, bonds rewrote the cost of money, and the old promises of globalization fell apart in plain sight.  We sit down with Carl Gomez, chief economist and EVP of research at Centurion Asset Management, to map the Great Reset: why term premiums are back, why “higher for longer” isn’t just a headline, and how a K-shaped economy is sorting winners and s...

Send us Fan Mail Canada’s manufacturing sector stands at a pivotal crossroads. With U.S. protectionist trade policies sending shockwaves through global markets, supply chains, and the manufacturing industry, the golden age of free trade and globalization is behind us. In its place is a new era where national resilience and strategic autonomy take precedence—one that demands a complete reimagining...

Send us Fan Mail This is part 2 of my conversation on all things manufacturing and industrialization with Alex Greco, Senior Director of Manufacturing and Value Chains at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Manufacturing's future in Canada hinges not on machines but on people. The sector faces what Alex describes as a "skills mismatch" rather than just a labor shortage. While companie...

Send us Fan Mail Hunger doesn't discriminate, but our systems often do. In 2024, Statistics Canada reported that 10 million Canadians — including 2.5 million children — lived in households that couldn’t reliably afford food. That’s families skipping meals, parents making impossible choices, and children going to school hungry in one of the world's wealthiest nations. And while food insec...

Send us Fan Mail Tariff threats, labor shortages, and political uncertainty are creating unprecedented challenges for Canadian manufacturers. Matt Conley, Manager of International Trade and Skills Policy at Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), provides a powerful perspective on navigating these turbulent waters while building resilience in Canada's manufacturing sector. What once seeme...

Send us Fan Mail Trade wars have real consequences, and right now Canada's manufacturing sector is absorbing the shock of escalating US tariffs firsthand. When steel and aluminum tariffs jumped from 25% to 50%, they didn't just change numbers on paper – they fundamentally altered the landscape for thousands of businesses and workers across the country. Matt Conley, Manager of Internation...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome back to Let’s Talk Politics ! This is Part 2 of my conversation with economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work, Jim Stanford. In this episode, Stanford brings clarity to contentious economic debates and issues — from wealth inequality and corporate power to the misleading narratives that shape our political discourse. It’s a candid, eye-opening discussion you wo...

Send us Fan Mail Canada at a Crossroads: Jim Stanford on Tariffs, Recession Risk, and Rethinking Economics What happens when a leading economist breaks down the storm clouds gathering over Canada’s economy? Jim Stanford, Director of the Centre for Future Work, delivers a compelling analysis of how looming U.S. tariffs could trigger a recession on par with the downturns of the 1980s and ’90s. Stanf...

Send us Fan Mail ​​The transformation of Toronto's waterfront represents a microcosm of urban challenges and opportunities facing major cities across North America. Tim Kocur, Executive Director of the Waterfront BIA, takes us deep into how this iconic area is evolving while tackling some of the most pressing urban issues of our time. Toronto stands at a crossroads of urban development. With...

Send us Fan Mail Toronto's shoreline holds untapped potential that could transform the city's global standing. Tim Kocur, Executive Director of the Waterfront BIA, reveals that what we see today represents only half of what's possible for the 10-kilometer stretch connecting Exhibition Place through the central harbor to the developing Port Lands. Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) oc...

Send us Fan Mail Money talks, and what it's saying about gender equality in Canada isn't pretty. We've left  $180 billion of GDP growth on the table by failing to ensure women's full participation in our economy. That's not just a moral failing—it's economic malpractice. Joining us once again to break it all down is Marwa Abdou, Senior Research Director at the Canadia...

Send us Fan Mail What’s the real economic cost of excluding women from the workforce, business opportunities, and leadership roles in Canada? The answer might shock you – nearly $180 billion in lost GDP according to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. This eye-opening figure represents more than just a moral failure; it's a massive missed business opportunity that Canada simply can't affor...

Send us Fan Mail Polling has quietly revolutionized Canadian politics, transforming from occasional front-page news to a constant stream of data that shapes both voter behavior and party strategy. Political analyst  Éric Grenier joins us to unpack this evolution and what it means for democracy in the digital age. "The fact that polling numbers come out adds credence, adds urgency to political...

Send us Fan Mail The political winds have shifted dramatically in Canada following a transformative federal election that has ushered Mark Carney into the Prime Minister's Office. This episode dives deep into the new government's first moves with expert analysis from Kelly Baker, founder of Informed Advocacy and one of Canada's top lobbyists. Carney's approach to governance alr...