10/3: Canada Covered

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...

The reduced sentence for an Edmonton man convicted of five sexual assaults has once again raised concerns about how Canada’s justice system handles cases of sexual violence. Matthew McKnight’s crimes warranted 16 years, the judge said, but ultimately he was handed a sentence of half that amount. Dave is joined by advocate Kristin Raworth, herself a survivor of sexual violence, to discuss why the s...

What started as a controversy about ties between the prime minister’s family and a prominent Canadian charity, and a 900 million dollar government contract has turned into an ethics investigation involving Justin Trudeau and one of his senior ministers, as well as more scrutiny on the operations of WE charity. The brewing scandal came to a head last week in key testimony before a parliamentary com...

Canada’s oil and gas sector took a major hit as COVID-19 shut down travel and a price war cratered the cost of a barrel. But as our economy starts to grow again, things are a little more sluggish in the oilpatch. Dave talks with Calgary Herald business columnist Chris Varcoe about how the industry has rebounded, what the pandemic has done to the bottom lines of some big players, and what the outlo...

This is the time of summer when parents are thinking about back to school. New clothes for the kids. New school supplies. Watching their children grow. But COVID-19 has added a new dimension to the back to school discussion: how to do so safely, while we’re still in the middle of a pandemic. While some provinces are still working out plans or waiting on school boards to submit theirs, Alberta laid...

This episode is part of Postmedia’s Reopening Canada series, a look at how the country’s economy is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite diving into a deep recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s economy is reopening, and showing signs of growth. Experts say while the recession was as deep as anyone can remember, it is relatively short-lived. But how long Canada will take...

What seemed like a noble program in the middle of a pandemic — a grant that would pay students for volunteer hours — has turned into a political nightmare for the prime minister. The Justin Trudeau government’s $900-million Canada Student Service Grant  program was awarded to WE Charity, an organization with ties to the PM and his family members. Amid controversy, WE has pulled out of the project,...

Among those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic was the air travel industry, as restrictions on movement and social distancing rules meant no one was flying. Now the economy is starting to re-open, airlines and airports are facing a struggle to coax passengers to return to the skies. Dave is joined by Financial Post reporter and Down to Business podcast host Gabe Friedman.  This episode is part o...

Who or what is a Cronk? That’s the question a university of Calgary researcher asked himself when he spotted that word in an 1880s version of a Calgary newspaper. What happened next is the best of all social media stories. Dave is joined by Paul Fairie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When COVID-19 hit, many workers across the country who were able to started working from home. More than three month’s in, and for many, it be a permanent change. But the end of the office isn’t without problems. Dave is joined by Financial Post reporter Vanmala Subramaniam. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amid calls for sweeping police reform in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, some have been wondering what any changes will mean for community safety? How would a reformed police respond to gang violence? Why is it important that they do? And what needs to be done to steer people from the gang lifestyle? Dave is joined by Jamil Jivani, author Why Young Men: The Dangerous Allure of Violent Mov...

Calls for police reform are growing louder in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, and in Canada, the debate is starting to hit city halls and provincial legislatures across the country. In Edmonton, city council is in the middle of a heated public hearing, where councillors are being told story after story of incidents of racism, and demands for action on defunding or reforming the the police...

Back in April, a Liberal MP from southern Ontario was charged with a series of crimes: criminal harassment, assault and break-and-enter. But despite the serious nature of the crimes, and the stature of the man accused, the allegations weren’t uncovered until two months later.  Dave BreakenridgeI is joined by National Post crime writer Adrian Humphreys who explains the allegations against the MP, w...

Mobile ordering apps offer consumers a great deal of convenience. No lines, no fuss. But those apps are capable of tracking you and your movements with an almost creepy degree of accuracy. Dave is joined National Post Technology Reporter James McLeod about how he discovered Tim Hortons was keeping tabs on him, even when his app wasn’t on, how much detail they collected and why consumers should be...

As the world stands up in protest of police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis cops, talk grows louder of the need for drastic reforms. Among the solutions being discussed are changes to drug policy, an end to street checks or carding, and pulling money from police budgets to put into better mental health and social supports. Many are calling for "defu...