The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge

Today an encore presentation of an episode that originally aired on December 22nd. It's that time of year when the Good Talk panel convenes to talk about the year-end position on the political landscape in Canada. Bruce and Chantal with their thoughts about the leaders and the parties, with some questions unlike any we have asked before.  Good fun and good analysis all rolled into one. Hosted by S...

Today an encore presentation of an episode that originally aired on December 12th. James Moore and Gerald Butts are back with us for the Moore Butts Conversation #12. We talk a lot about polls but what happens behind the scenes when the polls are released? What do the public and the press not see when the numbers cause chaos in one party or another? These conversations are one of the reasons The B...

Today an encore presentation of an episode that originally aired on October 17th. What happens behind the closed doors when a government faces a crisis -- who says what, and what are the do's and don'ts of crisis management? Former Harper cabinet minister James Moore and former Trudeau principal secretary Gerald Butts take us inside with their latest "conversation". Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWiz...

Today an encore presentation of an episode that originally aired on September 11th. In the tenth instalment of what has become a very popular conversation, former Conservative cabinet minister James Moore and former principal secretary to prime minister Trudeau Gerald Butts focus on helping us understand political trends.  Today, again burying their partisan feelings, the two look at the issue of...

Today an encore presentation of an episode that originally aired on December 21st. Your letters this week are very moving, your memories of holidays past for family and friends. I thank you for all of them. I'll read as many as I can today and I'll pick one to be the recipient of the new book by Mark Bulgutch and myself, "How Canada Works". And of course the Random Ranter with his take on this tim...

It's that time of year when the Good Talk panel convenes to talk about the year-end position on the political landscape in Canada. Bruce and Chantal with their thoughts about the leaders and the parties, with some questions unlike any we have asked before.  Good fun and good analysis all rolled into one. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collec...

Your letters this week are very moving, your memories of holidays past for family and friends. I thank you for all of them. I'll read as many as I can today and I'll pick one to be the recipient of the new book by Mark Bulgutch and myself, "How Canada Works". And of course the Random Ranter with his take on this time of year.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for infor...

It's the final regular episode of Smoke, Mirrors and The Truth and we focus on some comments Justin Trudeau made in his annual year-end interview with podcaster Terry DiMonte. The prime minister is clearly worried about the influence the American right is having on Canada.  Are we seeing a preview of the next election campaign? Bruce is here with his collector's edition of SMT! Hosted by Simplecas...

It's an end bit special today as we approach the holidays. Topic One is that old daydreaming habit many of us have when we fly on a passenger jet -- if something happens to the pilots, could we takeover even with no real flying experience? A surprising number of us think we could. That's just one of more than half a dozen end bits you will find interesting. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company...

The accidental killing of three Israeli hostages by Israeli troops has led to new calls, many from Israelis, for a ceasefire in Gaza.  Would Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu agree, would Hamas agree? Those questions and many more for our regular Monday guest Janice Stein of the Munk School at the University of Toronto. Plus, the latest from Ukraine. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pc...

As the year closes some Liberals seem to have their bounce back, while some Conservatives are a bit anxious. The CPC still has a double digit lead in the polls which is more than enough for a majority, but as Yogi used to say, it certainly "ain't over till it's over". Bruce and Chantal have lots on this and more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about o...

Hard to believe at a time with so many issues facing Canadians that the number one topic in your letters this week was the claim that 77 percent of Xmas trees sold in the USA this year are artificial trees. Your thoughts on that seem to indicate you agree with the direction of tree purchases, plus lots of comments about the latest Moore Butts conversation which we aired on Tuesday. And of course t...

Going back to the future may be one way to look at Housing Minister Sean Fraser's latest announcement for a housing fix. Another way may be to listen again to what the Random Ranter had to say on housing on September 7th!  Bruce Anderson is here for SMT. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

James Moore and Gerald Butts are back with us for the Moore Butts Conversation #12. We talk a lot about polls but what happens behind the scenes when the polls are released? What do the public and the press not see when the numbers cause chaos in one party or another? These conversations are one of the reasons The Bridge continues to be ranked #1 by Apple in their lists of which Canadian political...

The US government continues to be pressured to speak up louder against the continued Israeli invasion of Gaza and the thousands who have been impacted by it. At the same time questions are being asked as to why the world is ignoring the sexual violence charged against Hamas during the October 7th attacks. Dr Janice Stein has strong views on both issues during her regular Monday appearance on The B...

Bruce and Chantal discuss what Justin Trudeau told the editorial board of one of the country's most influential newspapers. The key question is, is he staying in the job as Liberal leader and Prime Minister or is he going to step down? The role of an editorial board in how we get our news is the subtext of this discussion on Canada's number one political podcast. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz c...

Another on-the-road edition of The Bridge, this time from Calgary. And this week the Random Ranter finishes his three-part series on his advice for each of the three main national political leaders. His focus this week is Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adver...

The CBC has decided to make up its budget shortfall of 125 million dollars with a series of cuts in personnel and programs. Is the public broadcaster worth saving and if so how? Bruce is with us for SMT and he has some thoughts about all this and the way CBC management is handling it. Not surprisingly, so do I! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...

Some of my favourite stories are about the history of Canada's Arctic and almost all of them have been written by Ken McGoogan. He's our guest today with his exciting new book Searching for Franklin. If you think you know the Franklin story you'll want to hear this, if you don't know it. this just might get you hooked. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...

From Halifax today (on my book tour for "How Canada Works") we focus as we do every Monday on the two big wars affecting our world -- the Middle East and Ukraine. Conflict analysis expert Dr Janice Stein from the Munk School at the University of Toronto is with us again as she helps guide us through both stories.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...

A committee exchange in Ottawa brings back a debate that we thought was long over. What's the real reason behind the affair? Plus we start with allegations of rape and harassment inside CSIS and ask is this the last straw for CSIS leadership? If the spies aren't accountable who is? Bruce and Chantal have their thoughts on this plus a series of other issues dominating talk in Ottawa. Hosted by Simp...

Lots of your comments on this week's special episode on disinformation. Seems you loved it and want more. Plus the Ranter continues his three-part series on advice for the party leaders -- this week it's for the NDP. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

At least four members of Parliament accepted free trips to Israel last week to hear about the Israel-Hamas war. Members of the Liberal and Conservative parties took the deal, and members of the NDP and the Bloc said no.  The full delegation included 53 people. Some of those numbers are misreported in this podcast and will be corrected in episode 905. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See p...

Some say it's the scourge of our times, but if so what can be done about it?  Lee McIntyre is an American philosopher and author who's written extensively on the issues of truth and disinformation. He's studied the impact of both and shares his thoughts about how best to deal with them.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of...

We are in the final day of a four-day pause in the Middle East war, but the question now is will the pause continue? The hostage for prisoner swap seems to be going fairly well and there are now calls for it to be extended, but are the two sides willing to do so?  Middle East analyst Dr Janice Stein is with us for her regular Monday conversation about the situation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWiz...