10/3: Canada Covered

Last week, Alberta became the province with the highest minimum wage in Canada, with a bump to $15/hour. Labour groups are happy, but some businesses are feeling the pinch more than others. Dave and Edmonton Journal food reporter Liane Faulder take a look at how the restaurant industry has been faring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quebec politics got turned upside down this week, with Francois Legault and his Coalition Avenir Quebec taking down the governing Liberals. Legault won on a platform of shrinking the size of government, and fixing health and education, but also limiting the number of immigrants to Quebec. Dave and Montreal Gazette politics reporter Philip Authier look at what the change in government will mean for...

The U.S., Canada, and Mexico have a new agreement to replace NAFTA, but there’s still political fallout to consider. We look at how Canada fared, how the Justin Trudeau government looks in all this, and how this could change future trade agreements. Plus, we catch up on what has apparently been a turbulent first year in office for Julie Payete, Canda’s Governor General. Dave is Joined by the Natio...

Abdulahi Hasan Sharif is charged with five counts of attempted murder in addition to charges for fleeing Edmonton police and possessing a knife. While police initially said they were investigating the events as “acts of terrorism,” no terrorism charges have been laid. Dave is joined by reporter Jonny Wakefield, who spoke with Sharif's partner recently. Read more: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/c...

When people think about sports and Alberta, there are two things that immediately come to mind: The Oilers dynasty of the 1980s, and Calgary’s appearance on the world stage as hosts of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games. It’s a  possibility that Calgary and surrounding alpine slopes will once again host the best athletes on the snow But it’s not without controversy. We look at the debate that has a bid...

A pair of tornadoes touched down in the Ottawa-Gatineau region Friday, the first time a tornado has hit a major Canadian city in decades. Homes were destroyed, people were injured, but miraculously no one has yet died from the the storm.  The aftermath caused the capital to be eerily quiet on Monday. Dave is joined by Ottawa Citizen reporters Elizabeth Payne and Tom Spears.  Learn more about your...

As Canada and the U.S. Negotiate NAFTA behind closed doors, at top U.S. Republican Lawmaker has publicly turned up the heat. The GOP house whip has said there is ‘growing frustration’ in Congress with what he calls Canada’s negotiating tactics. Dave and National Post reporter Tom Blackwell look at what the urgency is in the talks, and what it may take to get a deal done. Learn more about your ad c...

The two big drug topics that are front and centre in the minds of Canadians are the coming legalization of marijuana, and the opioid crisis, which has seen thousands die of overdoses from fentanyl and other deadly drugs. Is there anything that can be learned from Portugal, which decriminalized all drugs following a wave of overdose deaths in the 1990s? Dave is joined by Vancouver Sun columnist Dap...

As NAFTA talks between Canada and the U.S. roll on, suggestions grow louder that we roll back on supply management in our farming sector That has met with fierce resistance in Quebec, and the issue has become a flashpoint in that province’s ongoing election campaign. Dave and Montreal Gazette reporter Rene Bruemmer look at what’s at stake, and how the Liberal government’s fortunes hang on the outc...

Just as construction was set to begin on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, the Federal Court of Appeal threw a wrench into the process. Dave and Edmonton Journal columnist Graham Thomson look at what the court ruling means for the future of the project, and for the future of two of its biggest backers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Rachel Notley. Learn more about your ad c...

On Monday, federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould approved the Dräger DrugTest 5000, a device that will soon be available to police forces across the country to combat drug-impaired driving, as the government prepares for cannabis legalization in October. Lawyers from a Vancouver-based law firm say they are ready to challenge the usage of the newly approved saliva-screening device for marij...

The Conservative Party of Canada headed to Halifax hoping for a display of unity and momentum as electioneering heats up. But outspoken Quebec MP Maxime Bernier rained on their parade in a big way, announcing he was leaving the party. Dave is joined by National Post reporter Marie-Danielle Smith, who explains the long simmering fight between leader Andrew Scheer, and his one-time opponent, and whe...

A war of words is waging between Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Toronto city council.   The fight, over shrinking that city’s council, to just 25 seats from a proposed 47, will spill into a courtroom later this month.   Dave is joined by Toronto Sun political bureau chief Antonella Artuso to discuss what both sides are saying and how it’s more than just a fight between two levels of government. Le...

Since last's month's spree shooting in Toronto that left two people dead and 13 others injured, there has been renewed calls for a handgun ban in Canada. Dave is joined by National Post columnist Chris Selley, who argues why a handgun ban might not have the desired outcome of reducing gun violence in Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the floodgates on Canada's legal cannabis market are set to open this fall, Mohawks on the Kahnawake territory near Montreal say they don't plan on submitting to outside regulation.   Rather than abide by Quebec's system of government-run and taxed cannabis stores, the Kahnawake Mohawk Council will move forward with its own plan to cultivate and distribute weed on the territory.   On this episo...

On Friday morning four people were shot dead in Fredericton, including two police officers. Little is known about the alleged shooter, or what might have motivated these crimes. Dave is joined by Canadian Press reporter Morgan Lowrie who covered the story from the small New Brunswick city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tweets from the federal government calling on Saudi Arabia to release imprisoned political activists have landed Canada in a growing spat with the Gulf kingdom. The Saudis have expelled the Canadian ambassador, frozen new business deals, and recalled students studying in Canada. Dave is joined by National Post reporter Marie-Danielle Smith to discuss the unusual international incident. Learn more...

Two Canadian gangsters wound up dead weeks after they allegedly pulled the trigger killing a Turkish drug trafficker in Dubai.  Dave talks to Vancouver Sun crime reporter Kim Bolan about the B.C. gang members’ involvement in the international murder plot, how they wound up dead, and how police withheld information about the case.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been nearly a month since Doug Ford officially became premier of Ontario. On this episode Toronto Sun editor-in-chief Adrienne Batra joins host Dave Breakenridge. They discuss how Ford came to power despite opposition from Ontario's more established Conservatives, and how he seems intent on reversing the legacy of the previous Liberal government as quickly as possible. Dave and Adrienne als...

Canadian Monika Schaefer is on trial in Germany for Holocaust denial, and has been held in jail for more than six months without bail. Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons joins Dave Breakenridge to discuss how the former Green Party candidate and Jasper National Park warden went from social justice warrior to hold her anti-semitic views, and why a case like this is important in 2018. Learn mor...

Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the truck driver charged in the crash that killed 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team and injured 13 others, made his first appearance in court Tuesday. Saskatoon Star Phoenix justice reporter Bre McAdam joins host Dave Breakenridge to discuss what's next in the court process and the hurdles faced in prosecuting a case like this. Also joining Dave is Calgary Herald...

On Friday RCMP announced that they have laid more than two dozen charges in connection with the crash that killed 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. Jaskirat Sidhu, a 29-year-old man from Calgary, has been charged with 16 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and 13 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm. Sidhu was arrested Friday...

Justin Trudeau responded on Canada Day to allegations he groped a female reporter 18 years ago at a B.C. festival by saying he doesn't remember any "negative interactions" from that time.   The issue has plagued the prime minister since Frank Magazine republished a 2000 editorial from the Creston Valley Advance that accused Trudeau of "inappropriately 'handling' the reporter while she was on assig...

Canada's auto industry is bracing itself in the wake of threats from U.S. president Donald Trump of steep tariffs. Windsor Star reporter Trevor Wilhelm says it would be a "nightmare" scenario.  Also joining Dave Breakenridge on this episode are Financial Post reporter Naomi Powell and Detroit Free Press business writer Phoebe Wall Howard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...

A court has ruled Alberta’s beer taxation system is unconstitutional, and ordered restitution be paid to breweries in Ontario and Saskatchewan. We look at what sparked the ruling, and why it’s so hard to navigate policymaking around beer drinking. This week host Dave Breakenridge is joined by Edmonton Journal legislative reporter, Clare Clancy, Calgary Herald business columnist Chris Varcoe and Ot...