Hub Podcasts

Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer discuss President Trump's abrupt termination of trade negotiations with Canada following his reaction to the Ontario government's recent advertisement featuring a speech from Ronald Reagan. They explore how Trump's sensitivity to the ad may be related to an upcoming Supreme Court hearing on November 5th that could challenge his emergency tariff powers, potentially...

Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub . Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:18 - Just how much damage did Justin Trudeau do to Canada's economy? , by Livio Di Matteo 7:13 - Canada's lost dynamism: What Peter Howitt's Nobel Prize reminds us about growth , by Alicia Pla...

In this episode of Hub Politics, host Sean Speer is joined by Amanda Galbraith, co-founder and president of Oyster Group, and David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Data, to discuss Prime Minister Carney's recent major speech at the University of Ottawa. Their general reaction is that his "rambly technocratic" presentation missed the mark: it failed to provide concrete plans to improve the lives...

Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer discuss Prime Minister Carney's primetime television address to the nation, and how it fell short of expectations despite being positioned as a major speech. In particular, they discuss Carney's pledge to divert exports away from the United States and his commitment to balance the operational budget within three years, questioning the feasibility of both goals give...

Alberta isn't always the "true blue" province some might think. Independent pollster Janet Brown and political commentator Dave Cournoyer join Alberta Edge host Ryan Hastman to dissect the province's political DNA — from the cowboy archetype to Alberta's unique brand of tax aversion. Together, they explore how decades of royalty windfalls have allowed governments to sidestep tough political choice...

Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub . Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:22 - Need to Know: A tale of two (Albertan) cities , including commentaries by Falice Chin and Peter Jon Mitchell 6:49 - In defence of Ronald Reagan , by Sean Speer 17:13 - Build Toronto aims...

John Stackhouse, senior vice-president at the office of the CEO at RBC, and Jackie Pichette, director of skills policy for RBC Thought Leadership, discuss Canada's post-secondary education crisis and its implications for economic competitiveness. They argue that while Canada faces historic nation-building investments in sectors like defence, AI, and energy, universities and colleges are scaling do...

Rudyard Griffiths and Harrison Lowman discuss a recent Government of Canada advertising campaign promoting Canadian patriotism and national pride, and the jarring disconnect between the ad's upbeat, flag-waving messaging and the current reality facing Canadians, from economic uncertainty, high unemployment, to everyday cost of living struggles. They explore whether this represents state propaganda...

Charles Burton, senior fellow at Sinopsis.cz and former diplomat at Canada's embassy in Beijing, discusses Canada's complex relationship with China as Prime Minister Carney prepares for a potential meeting with President Xi Jinping. As our government begins to thaw its frozen trade and diplomatic relationship with the Middle Kingdom, he examines China's use of economic coercion tactics, and warns...

Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub . Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:16 - With patriots like these, who needs Trump? A review of Elbows Up! , by Howard Anglin 6:17 - Vancouver Parks' Harry Potter freak out and how the media covers 'controversial' events , by Pe...

Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer discuss recent reports from the Globe and Mail of a potential Canada-U.S. trade deal that could come before the upcoming APEC summit. They discuss how this sectoral trade agreement would likely cover steel and aluminum through quota systems, rather than tariff elimination, while notably excluding major industries like autos and lumber. They explore potential conces...

Dwight Newman, professor of law at the University of Saskatchewan, discusses a landmark B.C. Supreme Court decision that recognized the Cowichan Tribes' Aboriginal title over urban land in Richmond, B.C.He explains the legal implications for property owners who received letters warning the claim could affect their ownership rights and the tension between modern property ownership and Indigenous ti...

Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub . Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:21 - Need to Know: Justin Trudeau's most consequential legacy is here to stay , including commentaries by David Coletto and David Tarrant 7:16 - Ontario's auto era is over , by Matt Spoke 14:2...

Jeff Guthrie, the president and CEO of the Canadian Credit Union Association, discusses the significant but underutilized role of Canada's credit union network in the country's financial services ecosystem. Ahead of their Hike the Hill event in Ottawa this week, Guthrie explains how the unions are being constrained by provincial regulations that prevent them from operating nationally and competing...

David Harris, executive vice chair of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, discusses his must-read book, Antisemitism: What Everyone Needs to Know. He brings light to the alarming rise of antisemitism across the Western world, how antisemitism is fundamentally a non-Jewish problem, and how it serves as an early warning system for broader threats to liberal democracy. He a...

Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer discuss Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre's recent letter highlighting a $42 billion federal deficit benchmark for the upcoming November 4th budget. They argue that this position represents a fundamental shift where the Conservative Party has now accepted the former Trudeau government's deficit spending levels as the new baseline, effectively abandoning th...

Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub . Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:16 - It's time to ring the economic alarms, Canada , by Gregory Mason 5:30 - Why I flew to Israel for the hostage release , by Karine Toledano 10:53 - The virtues underpinning Western society...

Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub . Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:30 - The Weekly Wrap: Stop painting Alberta as the villain of Canada , by Sean Speer This program is narrated by automated voices. Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get all our best conte...

Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer Foreign Minister Anand's recent diplomatic mission to China and what it signals about Canada's evolving relationship with Beijing. They question whether this represents genuine policy triangulation amid U.S.-Canada trade tensions or a concerning normalization of ties with a regime that has imprisoned Canadian citizens, engaged in foreign interference, and imposed p...

Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub . Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:17 - Premier Ford is Canada's cartoonish Mayor Quimby , by David Polansky 8:03 - Interprovincial pipelines fall under federal responsibility, former Alberta premier reminds B.C. and Ottawa , b...

In this episode of Hub Politics , host Sean Speer is joined by Amanda Galbraith, co-founder and president of Oyster Group, and David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Data, to discuss Prime Minister Carney's recent announcement on bail reform and increased police funding. They examine how this policy shift represents a significant departure from the previous Liberal government's positions and mir...

Full Press discusses whether mainstream media properly portrayed the Freedom Convoy, following the soft sentencing of lead organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber. They explore the appointment of conservative radio show host Ben Mulroney as host of Global News' flagship political show The West Block. Finally, they debate whether news outlets are limiting free speech by scrapping their comment sect...

Hub Headlines features audio versions of the best commentaries and analysis published daily in The Hub . Enjoy listening to original and provocative takes on the issues that matter while you are on the go. 0:23 - Need to Know: The Free Press is an independent media success story—but could it have happened in Canada? , including commentaries by Lucy Gay and Dan Robertson 6:59 - Kick a robot for me...

Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer analyze the major blow to Canada's automotive sector as Stellantis moves Jeep production from Brampton, Ontario to Illinois, despite $15 billion in government subsidies for electric vehicle battery manufacturing. They argue this decision exemplifies the failure of Canada's industrial policy approach to electric vehicles. The Hub is Canada's fastest growing independ...

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney argues that both B.C. Premier David Eby and federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson appear to have forgotten which jurisdiction interprovincial pipelines fall under. He says the Constitution is clear that such projects are a matter of federal authority—a principle reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada. Kenney adds that Mark Carney's "build, baby, build" promise...