Hub Podcasts

Steve Paikin, the host of TVO's The Agenda, discusses how journalism has evolved over the course of his career, the opportunities and challenges of working for a public broadcaster, and what he thinks about the future of the news media. The episode is part of The Hub's Future of News series in which The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, will be in conversation with journalists and policy thinkers...

Executive Director Rudyard Griffiths and Editor-at-Large Sean Speer discuss this week's Conservative and Liberal caucus meetings, the upcoming return of Parliament next week, and Tucker Carlson's visit to Alberta, including how these disparate events connect and could impact both Canadian politics and conservatism moving forward. The Roundtable features Hub executive director Rudyard Griffiths and...

Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Amanda Lang and The Hub's Editor-at-Large Sean Speer discuss Ottawa's new cap on international student visas and its implications for Canadian universities as well as the business community's deteriorating relationship with the Trudeau government and its implications for public policy and the economy. The Hub Dialogues feature The Hub's editor-at-la...

Carolyn Tuohy, professor emeritus of political science and distinguished fellow at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, discusses her must-read long-form essay published in late 2023 entitled, "To be a policy optimist, try some rose-coloured realism." The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conversation with leading entrepreneurs,...

Canadian Senator and former journalist Paula Simons discusses recent developments in the new media, the potential role of public policy to support the industry, and the future of journalism in Canada. The episode is part of The Hub's Future of News series in which The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, will be in conversation with journalists and policy thinkers to explore the challenges facing th...

Executive director Rudyard Griffiths and editor-at-large Sean Speer discuss the growing sense that Canada is "broken" and its consequences for the country's political culture. They also cover this week's World Economic Forum meeting in Davos and whether the ongoing salience of political populism in the United States and elsewhere is a sign that we are living in a post-Davos world. The Roundtable f...

Leading author, journalist and thinker David Frum and The Hubs Editor-at-Large Sean Speer discuss Donald Trump's decisive win in the Republican Party's Iowa primary, how the Conservative Party of Canada should respond to growing demands for its climate policy, and the public backlash to the City of Toronto's renaming of Dundas Square. The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Spee...

Tim Schwab, a D.C.-based investigative journalist, discusses his provocative, new book, The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire . The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conversation with leading entrepreneurs, policymakers, scholars, and thinkers on the issues and challenges that will shape Canada's future at home and abroad. The episod...

Steve Hayes, editor and CEO of The Dispatch, discusses the state of the news media industry, the evolution of conservative journalism, and how The Dispatch fits within these trends. The episode is part of The Hub's Future of News series in which The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, will be in conversation with journalists and policy thinkers to explore the challenges facing the news media indust...

This week's Hub Roundtable discusses the 100 days since Hamas' terrorist attacks against Israel, with a particular focus on the reaction in Canada and what it tells us about the country's national identity and practice of pluralism. They also cover new polling that shows the Liberals are far behind the Conservatives and discuss the factors behind the post-holiday plunge including Prime Minister Tr...

This is the fifteenth episode of The Hub's bi-weekly series featuring Sean Speer in conversation with award-winning journalist and best-selling author Amanda Lang. The two discuss some big labour market trends in Canada as we enter 2024 including the rise of "gig work", the growth in the federal government's employment footprint, and whether Canadian workers will face pressure to return to the off...

This episode of Hub Dialogues features Tim Bale, author and professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, about his fascinating book, The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation. The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conversation with leading entrepreneurs, policymakers, scholars, and thinkers on the issues and challenges that will sha...

This episode of Hub Dialogues features Amy Mitchell, the founding executive director of the Center for News, Technology & Innovation, on how information and technology are transforming journalism, the role of public policy to support the sector, and how we can ultimately cultivate a pluralistic and diverse media ecosystem. The episode is part of The Hub's Future of News series in which The Hub's e...

This week's Hub Roundtable discusses Claudine Gay's resignation as the president of Harvard and its implications for universities across North America. We also discuss new research on Canada's economic underperformance relative to its OECD peers and what is needed to pull the country out of a sense of complacency. The Roundtable features Hub executive director Rudyard Griffiths and Hub editor-at-l...

This episode of Hub Dialogues features Sean Speer in conversation with Martin Wolf, the chief economics commentator at the Financial Times, about his must-read, new book, The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism. This episode was originally published on April 25th, 2023. The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conversation with leading entrepreneurs, policymakers, scholars,...

This episode of Hub Dialogues features Sean Speer in conversation with Chuck Klosterman, a best-selling author and journalist, about his must-read book, The Nineties. The episode was originally published on June 22nd, 2023. The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conversation with leading entrepreneurs, policymakers, scholars, and thinkers on the issues and challenges...

This week's Hub Roundtable discusses the big issues that will command The Hub's attention in 2024 including economic stagnation, immigration policy, internet regulation, and the future of journalism. We then set out our predictions for the economy, Canadian politics, and geopolitics in the coming year. The Roundtable features Hub executive director Rudyard Griffiths and Hub editor-at-large, Sean S...

This episode is part of The Hub's bi-weekly series featuring Sean Speer in conversation with leading author, journalist, and thinker David Frum. The two discuss recent high-profile cases of young conservative activists and journalists who have fallen down a far-Right path, including what is behind these trends and what can be done to reverse them. The episode was originally published on August 4th...

This episode of Hub Dialogues features Sean Speer in conversation with child advocate Gregg Behr and award-winning writer Ryan Rydzewski about their poignant book, When You Wonder, You're Learning: Mister Rogers' Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids. The episode was originally published on April 27th, 2023. The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in...

This week's Hub Roundtable discusses the growing tendency on the part of governments to pursue their priorities in the form of policy mandates on private businesses including the Online News Act and the new electric vehicle sales mandate. We also have prominent Canadian historian Jack Granatstein join to talk about his famous book, Who Killed Canadian History?, twenty-five years after it was first...

This is the forty-sixth episode of The Hub's bi-weekly series featuring Sean Speer in conversation with leading author, journalist, and thinker David Frum. The two discuss the big issues and questions from 2023, including the Israel-Hamas war, the Conservative Party of Canada's strong political year, and Donald Trump's stronghold over Republican politics in spite of his legal issues, as well as th...

This episode of Hub Dialogues features Rudyard Griffiths in conversation with best-selling author and senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute Yossi Klein Halevi about Israel after the October 7th attacks, what is at stake for Israeli democracy and security, and the future of a potential peace process with Palestinians. The Hub Dialogues features The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conv...

This episode of Hub Dialogues features author and journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon on her provocative book, Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy, and its diagnosis of what's gone wrong in the news media. The episode is part of The Hub's Future of News series in which The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, will be in conversation with journalists and policy thinkers to explore the challen...

This week's Hub Roundtable discusses new polling that suggests the Conservative Party's political momentum has stalled a bit, including its possible causes and the political implications heading into the new year. We also cover a recent debate about the placement of period products in men's washrooms on Parliament Hill and what the episode signifies about liberalism and politics. The Roundtable fe...

This is the fourteenth episode of The Hub's bi-weekly series featuring Sean Speer in conversation with award-winning journalist and best-selling author Amanda Lang. The two looked back on an eventful 2003 of business and economic news and look forward to some of the issues that will shape 2024. The Hub Dialogues feature The Hub's editor-at-large, Sean Speer, in conversation with leading entreprene...