10/3: Canada Covered

With COVID-19 cases on the rise in Canada, the lingering question that’s on a lot of peoples minds is “When the heck are we gonna get a vaccine for this thing?” Well, some promising signs on this front as a pair of pharmaceutical companies say they have vaccines almost ready to go. Dave is joined by National Post health reporter Sharon Kirkey to talk about why cases are on the rise in Canada, the...

Erin O’Toole could well be Canada’s next prime minister. He just needs to do something that has happened just once in the last 30 years, win a Conservative majority. And to do that, he’s looking for voters you don’t typically see right-wing parties courting. Union members. Dave is joined by National Post politics reporter Brian Platt to talk about why O’Toole is looking at this voter base as a way...

The Republicans may have lost the White House, but it doesn’t mean their party is battered and bruised. With a conservative majority on the supreme court, and potentially retaining the Senate, the Republicans are in a good place to keep president-elect Joe Biden in check over the next four years. But what does a Republican Party look like without Donald Trump? Nicholas Lemann, a staff writer at Th...

As a candidate for U.S. president, Joe Biden talked about wanting to get the country off its dependency on oil. But how things will actually play out under President Biden — and what this means for Canada’s energy sector — is still up in the air. Will that stance mean less U.S. oil production, which means an opportunity for Canadian companies? Could Alberta’s oil be hit with a cross-border carbon...

The Canadian Forces is looking to set up a new propaganda arm to try to influence the behaviour of people in this country. The proposal, revealed in documents uncovered by Postmedia, are an extension of a plan from the Chief of Defence Staff to ‘weaponize’ the military’s public affairs branch Dave is joined by Ottawa Citizen military affairs reporter David Pugliese, who uncovered the story, to wal...

It has been 11 years since an Ottawa teen vanished without a trace. Initially thought to be a runaway, there appears to be no indication of what happened to Justin Rutter. Dave Breakenridge is joined by Ottawa Citizen reporter Taylor Blewett about the circumstances around Rutter’s disappearance, why his family has concerns about the investigation, and whether his mother feels she’ll ever get closu...

B.C. Premier John Horgan shocked many, including his governing partners in the Green Party, when he called a snap election last month. And while many felt voters would punish Horgan and the NDP for heading to the polls during a pandemic, breaking an agreement with the Greens in the process, the NDP now has a majority government. Dave is joined by Vancouver Sun legislative columnist Rob Shaw to tal...

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals survived a confidence vote over a Conservative push to dig deeper into the WE Charity affair. Canadians may be spared a fall election, but the political games are far from over. Dave is joined by National Post political reporter Chris Nardi to discuss why the Liberals seemed keen to push us close to a pandemic election, why this move poses a problem for the NDP, and wheth...

The 1984 death of Christine Jessop and wrongful conviction of Guy Paul Morin rocked the country. In a surprise announcement this month, police announced they had identified Christine’s Killer. Dave is joined by Toronto Sun columnist Joe Warmington by phone to talk about the historic case, who it’s believed the killer is, and how police solved this mystery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...

The story of Barry and Honey Sherman, whose murder nearly three years ago remains unsolved, has taken another twist. The fight over the couple’s estate files has hit the Supreme Court this week. National Post crime reporter Adrian Humphreys joins Dave to talk about how an inheritance proceeding wound up at Canada's highest court, why the family is fighting to have these records kept private and wh...

The viral video showing a dying Indigenous woman screaming while she is subjected to verbal abuse by staff at a Quebec hospital has reignited the debate over racism in the health-care system. The recording, made by Joyce Echaquan herself from her hospital bed, has led to the firing of two hospital staff members, and has sparked a coroner’s investigation. But there are many saying that this is a de...

Already battered by a price roller-coaster in 2020, big players in Canada’s oilpatch have announced plans for cost-cutting or layoffs. Oilsands giant Suncor was the latest to announce changes, with a planned 10-15 per cent cut to its workforce. Dave is joined by Calgary Herald business columnist Chris Varcoe to discuss what’s driving these moves, how deep the industry’s problems go, and what it me...

One of the hardest hit provinces in COVID-19’s first wave, Quebec’s rising case numbers suggest it is into a second wave of the pandemic. The spike in cases in September has meant that premier Francois Legault has had to announce stricter lockdown restrictions in some areas. Dave is joined by Montreal Gazette Assistant City Editor Monique Beaudin to discuss where the spike in cases is coming from,...

After proroguing parliament in August, the Liberals delivered just their second throne speech since being elected in 2015.  And with the support of Jagmeet Singh and the NDP, the Justin Trudeau’s team avoids having to fight an election battle a year into their second mandate.  I’m Dave Breakenridge and this is 10/3.  I’m joined by Parliamentary bureau chief and National post columnist John Ivison ...

For more than 200 years, science has had a sure-fire way of dealing with many deadly, debilitating viruses. The vaccine. And as we move through theCOVID-19 pandemic, a vaccine is what we’re hinging our hopes on if we want to get back to normal. Dave is joined by National post health reporter Sharon Kirkey to discuss how important a vaccine is to beating the pandemic, how officials could decide who...

Since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down many sectors in our economy, the federal government has been doling out cash to Canadians. The CERB, or Canadian Emergency Response Benefit, was meant to help people through a very unexpected bumpy ride. But the CERB has sparked renewed discussions about a universal basic income in Canada. Dave Breakenridge is joined by national post political reporter Stuart...

A dark chapter in B.C. criminal history has come to a close.  Jamie Bacon, the last person convicted in the Surrey Six massacre, has been sentenced to an additional five years on top of time served, for his role in the slayings.  Vancouver Sun Crime reporter Kim Bolan joins Dave to look back at the Surrey six killings, discuss what Bacon ultimately pleaded guilty to, and why the case was so compli...

When it comes to gun crime in Canada, one question that often gets asked is “where are these guns coming from?”  Some of them are ill-gotten Canadian firearms, but many of them are smuggled across the border from the United States, where guns are plentiful.  But just how do they get here?  Dave is joined by National Post reporter Adrian Humphreys to talk about recent case in the U.S. that breaks d...

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were still learning about the virus, Canadians looked to the top doctors for advice. In B.C. and Alberta, people were comforted by the calm demeanours of Doctors Bonnie Henry and Deena Hinshaw. But, as provinces have rolled out back-to-school plans, that comfort has started to fade, with much of the criticism being directed at the health officials. Dave Brea...

Floating amid the 2020 U.S. presidential election campaign, is a conspiracy theory that Donald Trump is the only one who can stop a cabal of Satanists who are molesting and trafficking in children. While unique in its details, QAnon shares DNA with childhood allegations of ritual sexual abuse unearthed in a 1980 book by a Victoria woman and her psychiatrist. Dave is joined by freelance writer Jen...

After a very lengthy wait Sunday night, Erin O’Toole was crowned leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He now faces the dual challenge of acquainting himself with voters, while preparing for the possibility of facing Justin Trudeau in a general election… because who knows what can happen with a minority parliament, right? Dave is joined by National Post columnist and Ottawa bureau chief John...

For the first time in 101 years, there will not be a Grey Cup winner. And for the first time in 102 years, there won’t even be a CFL season. The Canadian Football League cancelled plans for shortened play in a hub city, after failing to get a loan from the feds. Dave is joined by Postmedia national sports columnist Dan Barnes to discuss why the feds turned down the league, whether we’ll see a 2021...

After a months-long campaign hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Conservative Party of Canada will soon have a new leader. The deadline for ballots is just days away, and it’s anticipated Andrew Scheer’s successor will be crowned on August 23. Just who that will be is very much up in the air. The National Post’s Brian Platt joins Dave to talk about why Peter MacKay’s front-runner status isn’t a...

Fault lines in the Liberal government were laid bare Monday with the resignation of finance minister Bill Morneau. Morneau had served as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s only finance minister since the Liberal government was elected, but he has opted to step down as MP less than a year into the government’s second term. Dave is joined by the National Post's Chris Nardi to talk about the friction be...

This episode is part of Postmedia’s reopening Canada series. Getting kids back to school is seen by many as one of the keys to getting Canadians back to work in the wake of COVID-19. But, as the first day of school looms, many are worried that the first math lesson of the year focused on counting new infections. Dave is joined by National Post health reporter Sharon Kirkey to talk about what we’ve...