10/3: Canada Covered

The resurgence of the Taliban has thrown Afghanistan into chaos and has put thousands of lives in danger, as those who helped Canada and its military allies fear for their safety. But after Canada stopped its evacuation flights last week, many are wondering what can be done to help those left behind. Toronto Sun reporter Bryan Passifiume walks us through the chaos people faced trying to get out of...

Canadians go to the polls on Sept. 20, and this election campaign was pitched by Justin Trudeau as a chance to have a say in the direction of the country in the next 17 months. Based on the first third of the race, do we have a sense of what that will look like? In the first of a series of election panels National Post columnist Sabrina Maddeaux and Edmonton Sun columnist Lorne Gunter join Dave to...

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister surprised many political watchers with his sudden resignation announcement, less than two years since his PC party won a resounding mandate from voters. The move comes amid questions about his handling of the pandemic, as well as controversial comments about colonization and residential schools from within his government. Winnipeg Sun columnist Josh Aldrich joins D...

Imagine being arrested and charged with a pair of murders, but you weren’t the person responsible. That was the case for an Ontario man, who spent more than two years in jail suspected in a pair of 2017 killings linked to the criminal underworld.  National Post senior reporter Adrian Humphreys joins Dave to discuss the slayings, how police zeroed in on suspects and one man was left holding the bag...

Less than two years since Canadians handed the Liberals a minority government, we’re heading back to the polls again. Justin Trudeau hopes to see his party win a majority government, despite many wondering whether there’s any need to take Canadians to the polls now. National Post columnist and Ottawa bureau chief John Ivison joins Dave to discuss Trudeau’s motivation to call an election, what issu...

At the Tokyo games, Canada put up its best performance outside the Soviet boycotted 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. We hit new heights in terms of medals, while athletes set new national benchmarks, even after a year delay and interruptions to training due to the pandemic. Postmedia national sportswriter Scott Stinson joins Dave to discuss Canada’s successes, some missteps, and how the Tokyo games w...

A break-in on a rural Alberta property left a resident of the home badly beaten and the intruder dead. The tragedy unfolded after the intruder had already broken into the home twice and released by Mounties. Calgary Herald columnist Licia Corbella joins Dave to discuss the deadly confrontation, the toll it has taken on the residents of the home, and why the intruder was let go, only to return to t...

Canadian swimmer Penny Oleksiak made history at the Tokyo Games by becoming our most decorated Olympian. She collected her seventh medal in the pool, and at just 21 years old, it’s not a stretch to think she’ll add more hardware in Paris just three years from now. Wes Gilbertson, covering the games for Postmedia, joins Dave to discuss Oleksiak’s jump to prominence at the 2016 Games, what her perfo...

Since they have been introduced, COVID-19 vaccines have been seen as the ticket out of the pandemic. But as the delta variant takes hold in Canada, and second-dose uptake slows, debate has grown around whether we should introduce vaccine passports, as has been done elsewhere. Tasha Kheiriddin, a columnist at the National Post and principal at Navigator LTD., joins Dave to discuss how a vaccine pas...

Two of the most notable athletes at the Tokyo games have made headlines, but not for their podium finishes.  Tennis phenom Naomi Osaka and gymnastics star Simone Biles both made early exits from the games, and both have cited concerns over their mental health.  National Post columnist Sabrina Maddeaux joins Dave to discuss the significance of Osaka’s loss and Biles’ departure from the team and all...

Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. has been shut down.   But there are signs we could see a return to cross-border traffic by the end of the summer, with both Canada and the U.S. offering re-opening dates.   National Post political reporter Anja Karadeglija joins Dave to discuss the plan for reopening, how crucial the border is for busin...

After a year delay, and mounting concern due to rising COVID cases, the Tokyo Olympics are upon us.   Thousands of athletes, officials and media are descending on the city, and while everyone is hoping things go smoothly, not everyone is happy about the games going ahead.   Postmedia national sports writer Scott Stinson, in Tokyo for the games, joins Dave to discuss the mood in Tokyo, concern over...

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s big cities will be facing a number of economic challenges, and two of the biggest in the west will be doing so with fresh leadership.  Calgary and Edmonton will elect new mayors in the fall as Naheed Nenshi and Don Iveson bid farewell.  The National Post’s Alberta correspondent Tyler Dawson walks us through what both mayors will be most remembered for,...

After the controversy-plagued tenure of Julie Payette, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Mary Simon will be Canada’s next Governor General.    Our country’s first Indigenous vice-regal comes with an impressive diplomatic resume and extensive experience as a First Nations advocate. And it comes as Canada is reckoning with reconciliation.    National Post political reporter Chris Nardi joins D...

What happens when you get over an infection, but it never really goes away?  For thousands, perhaps 10s of thousands, of people across Canada, recovering from COVID hasn’t actually meant recovering, but instead a long journey of potentially debilitating symptoms, with no end in sight for them.  Vancouver Sun reporter Lori Culbert joins Dave to discuss how widespread long-COVID is, how debilitating...

When Canada’s Olymians arrive in Tokyo later this month it won’t be the games that they, or anyone was expecting. While events are going forward, Japan is limiting who can come into the country, and of course there’s the whole concern lingering due to a global pandemic. Postmedia national sports writer Dan Barnes joins Dave to discuss how the pandemic changed training and qualifying for athletes,...

An Alberta woman who admitted to fatally shooting her husband is now fighting to have her 18-year sentence for manslaughter reduced. In 2017, Helen Naslund admitted to shooting her abusive husband Miles in the head in 2011, and hiding his body with the help of one of their sons. Edmonton Journal reporter Jonny Wakefield joins me to discuss the events that led to the killing, why the sentence was a...

The discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves on the site of a former residential school in Saskatchewan has once again renewed focus on Canada’s track record on reconciliation and its treatment of First Nations peoples. The find is the latest in a series of discoveries since 215 unmarked graves were found at a Kamloops site, drawing international attention on Canada. National Post reporter Chris N...

Just when we think we have a handle on the pandemic, we get thrown another curveball. COVID-19 cases in Canada are on the decline, vaccinations are up, and provinces are starting to re-open, but a new variant has taken hold here, potentially leaving us vulnerable to a new spike in infections. National Post health reporter Sharon Kirkey joins Dave to talk about where the variant has taken hold in C...

As the COVID-19 pandemic has dragged on, some businesses have raised concerns over their ability to keep workers on staff due to shutdowns, but also due to government benefits and COVID anxiety keeping people at home.  And as the government looks to roll back some of these benefits, there are concerns that it’s too soon, as it’s unclear whether we’re approaching a true return to normal.  National...

In the plan to reduce Canada’s carbon emissions, Alberta’s oil industry has stuck out as a question mark.  It’s a major driver of the economy, but does produce a lot of emissions. But 5 of the biggest players in the oilsands have announced they plan to get to net-zero by 2050.  Calgary Herald columnist Chris Varcoe joins Dave to discuss what’s behind the announcement, how the companies plan to get...

Four members of a Muslim family in London Ontario were killed and their young son injured when a driver plowed into them.  That driver has been charged with murder and police say it’s a hate-motivated crime based on the victims' religion.  London Free Press reporters Jennifer Bieman and Jonathan Juha join Dave to talk about the victims, the police investigation and how this horrific crime has rock...

As Canada appears to be nearing the end of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Manitoba is still facing a crisis point at its hospitals.  The peak for hospitalizations is expected to hit this week in Manitoba, even as cases are declining, forcing the transfer of patients to other provinces, such as Alberta and Ontario.  Winnipeg Sun columnist Josh Aldrich joins Dave to discuss the current str...

Canada’s dark legacy of residential schools has forced back into the spotlight with the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at a site in Kamloops. It has renewed calls for reconciliation, while reminding Canadians that thousands of Indigenous children who were taken from their homes never returned.   And it has once again sparked pressure on governments to do their part to find where children may be...

The light is at the end of the long COVID-19 tunnel.  That is at least the message Canadians are getting from many provincial premiers, who have released re-opening plans as we sit on the cusp of summer.  But it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.  National Post reporter Tyler Dawson joins Dave to discuss what’s behind the differing approaches, why we’re getting these plans now, and when we could...