The Big Story

Has the White House gone completely "pay for play"? While experts debate the ethics of U.S. President Donald Trump's latest actions including accepting a plane from Qatar, others are watching his foray into cryptocurrency closely. While many in the space have called for more regulation of crypto, "Trump coin" is causing issues for those trying to build cryptocurrencies as a legitimate financial in...

Canada's unemployment rate remained relatively stable for the month of April, sitting at 6.9%. But the rate for youth unemployment jumped to its highest figure in the past two decades excluding pandemic figures, now sitting at a little more than 15%. And as companies continue to strategize how to stay afloat among tariffs, more specifically, who they can get rid of and who they have to keep around...

You can’t always see it but plastic is everywhere. So much so – that it’s now in our rain and it’s there because of humans. It’s almost as worrisome as acid rain was in the 1970s – an issue that is no longer a major concern. Host Kris McCusker speaks to Benji Jones, Environmental Correspondent at Vox in New York, about how pervasive plastic has become – and what you can do to mitigate your exposur...

Tomorrow Prime Minister Mark Carney will be unveiling his first cabinet since receiving a minority mandate from voters 2 weeks ago. The decisions will not be easy, as Carney has to navigate regional representation, a leaner inner circle, and a trade war with the U.S. that hangs over every federal decision. So who stays and who may get promoted? Host Cormac Mac Sweeney is speaking about the delicat...

Punctuality – its definition and importance really depend on who you speak to. A recent study out of the UK shows a generational divide when it comes to tardiness and how it could be perceived by those around us. Host Melanie Ng speaks with peak performance coach and best-selling author, Hina Khan @coachwithhina, about a number of scenarios and why there is a sweet spot when it comes to how you sh...

“Peace be with you”. Those were the first words spoken from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to the massive crowd below by the newly chosen pontiff, now known as Pope Leo XIV. 133 cardinals from around the world voted in a handful of rounds before the final decision was made and the white smoke billowed from the Sistene Chapel chimney. Formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, Leo is the first pope fro...

Prime Minister Mark Carney has made his first trip to the White House to meet President Donald Trump, with Trump heaping praise on Carney. But the meeting wasn't all sunshine, as the two leaders clashed over trade positions and Trump's ongoing musings of making Canada the 51st state. Host Cormac Mac Sweeney breaks down the first face-to-face in the oval office with Colin Robertson, a former Canadi...

Is Hollywood North in jeopardy, based on a social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump? After musing about hitting foreign film production with a 100% tariff, there are concerns this could shut down the film industry in Canada. Host Mike Eppel is gauging reaction from Andrew Barnsley, President of the Toronto Film School. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future ep...

Today, Prime Minister Mark Carney will make his first trip to the White House to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. Tariffs, the economy, and military defense will be the key focus for Carney as he looks to set Canada on a path to negotiations to end the trade war between our countries. This first face to face meeting between the leaders will be crucial to set the tone of the relationship for...

After a stunning election loss in which Pierre Poilievre couldn’t hold on to his own seat in Parliament, what comes next for the federal Conservatives? Will there be a push to oust Poilievre? What will the Party look for in its campaign post-mortem? Why are Conservative premiers calling out their federal counterparts? Host David Smith speaks with two veteran conservative strategists, Jordan Paquet...

We're dropping a timely episode of In This Economy into the weekend feed. We now have clarity now on Canada's new government, but predictions about the state of economy going forward are murkier. There are signs the economy is contracting, so what does that mean for you? Host Mike Eppel speaks with Dawn Desjardins, Chief Economist at Deloitte Canada. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as s...

Canadians could be in for a break at the grocery store for the next couple of months. After food inflation ticked higher in March, a food economist is expecting more stability through the summer months with the next update from Statistics Canada coming on May 20th. Host Kris McCusker speaks to Stuart Smyth, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Sas...

Warning: this episode may be triggering for some listeners. Friday has been declared a day of mourning in British Columbia for the victims of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival attack. What was meant to be a celebration quickly turned to tragedy on Saturday, as nearly a dozen people were killed and dozens more injured when a suspect drove their vehicle into a crowd at a Filipino festival in Vancouver. The...

The Liberal minority government is now officially set. What's also now official is the deep dive into what went wrong into the campaigns of Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh, two party leaders who lost their seats on Monday night. Between the Doug Ford fight with Poilievre and the NDP losing official party status, there are many storylines to emerge from the election. Here to break it down with h...

In what's been a very upside down election campaign - the results were just as wild. At time of writing at 2:30am, it's a Liberal minority government. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is in danger of losing his seat and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh stepped down as leader after losing his seat of Burnaby Central. In this stripped down version of The Big Story, host David Smith stayed up really late...

After 36 days, it all comes down to this. Canada is voting for his next leader and all eyes are on the Liberals and Conservatives with a neck and neck race. It comes after a wild swing from the winter when the Conservatives had a double digit lead in the polls. Host Richard Southern and NewsRadio's Parliament Hill Correspondent Cormac Mac Sweeney discuss the campaign and all the political events o...

Owning a small or medium sized business is never easy, and this year, it's been even more challenging. The small business sector is the country's largest employer and they're facing a ton of uncertainty from tariffs and the threat of higher inflation and a potential recession. Host Mike Eppel talks to Simon Gauldeault, Chief Economist and VP of Research for the Canadian Federation of Independent B...

In today’s episode of Bite Back with Abbey Sharp, I will be talking to Dr Emily Contois, an Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa specializing in how identities are formed at the vital intersection of food, the body, and ideas about health. She is the author of “Diners, Dudes, and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture” and co-editor of “Food Instagram: Identity, In...

The federal election....from the "fringe". Most voters are familiar with the major national parties running in this election, such as the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, & Greens. But there are actually 16 registered political parties looking for your vote. Some of them are known as fringe parties, while others are upstarts, hoping to make an impact down the road. Today on The Big Story, we're shini...

Elections Canada saw a record-breaking 2 million people cast their ballot on the first day of advanced voting for the federal election, resulting in a grand total of more than 7.3 million over the four day period. And as Canada enters the final stretch of campaigning in one of the most critical elections of our time, what can these preliminary numbers tell us about what's to come? Which party coul...

Pope Francis has passed away at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of breaking ground in the vatican and his attempts to modernize the Catholic church. Francis also left a lasting impact on Canada, with a 2022 trip to apologize for the church's role in the residential school system. Host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks with Emma Anderson, a professor of religious studies at the University of Ottawa,...

It’s been hotly debated by scholars and advocates for decades: do we need to change the way we elect governments in this country? On April 28th, there will be 91 candidates on the ballot in the riding of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. It will be the longest ballot in Canadian election history. Of 91 candidates, 85 are independent protest candidates from the Longest Ballot Committee, a group...

One week from today Canadians will cast their ballots to pick their next government, in what has been described as an existential election amid U.S. President Trump's trade and sovereignty threats. As we enter the final stretch of the campaign, parties are shifting their strategies to ensure they get supporters to the polls and secure every vote they can. What can we expect from the parties in the...

It used to be a social no-no, but Canadians now seem to find themselves diving head-first in political engagement, dialogue, and awareness, all in the wake of what's perceived to be one of the most critical federal elections of our lifetime. Just three months ago, however, Canadians were at odds with each other over who they wanted the face of their country to be, what name they wanted the flag to...

This week, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre re-ignited debate about Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Poilievre is pledging to use the Notwithstanding Clause to bring in justice reforms, including reviving Harper-era consecutive life sentences that were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Host David Smith speaks with constitutional law expert Professor E...