The Paikin Podcast

MP Ali Ehsassi joins Janice Stein on World on Edge to discuss the ongoing Iran War, if this could become a forever war, why regime change doesn’t come out of the barrel of a gun, and what the United States failed to understand about Iran. They also discuss the economic fallout in Iran, the Iranian diaspora in Canada, if Iran is farther away from a nuclear weapon, the possibility of nuclear prolife...

President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, Mark Shapiro, joins Steve at the Rogers Centre, perched atop the dugout, to discuss last year’s World Series, the heartbreak of game 7, chasing excellence instead of outcomes, his father, Ron Shapiro, and if he thought he’d be with the Blue Jays this long. They also discuss why the election of Trump has made him happier to be in Canada, geopolitics and I...

Michael Bonner joins to discuss his book, The Crisis of Liberalism: The Origin and Destiny of Freedom, the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, then they go back and look at the early 90s and the promise of the end of history, the growing tension between individual and group identity, and why many misunderstand the origins of liberalism. Then they discuss the backlash to DEI, whethe...

Ric Bienstock joins Steve to discuss her documentary Speechless, the explosion of the culture wars on college campuses, why we have lost the ability to talk to each other, and how free speech has been reshaped in colleges and beyond. They also discuss the rise of the “woke right,” if they have come to mirror the woke left they oppose, if anyone really cares about free speech anymore, how to do DEI...

Francis J. Gavin joins Janice Stein to discuss his new book, Thinking Historically: A Guide to Statecraft and Strategy, why we need to know history to understand the uncertain geopolitical order today, whether Trump and his advisors understand history, why it’s necessary to understand countries such as China, Russia, and Iran, and which President of the United States knew the most history. They th...

Gord Stellick and Ronnie Shuker join Steve to discuss the 75th anniversary of Bill Barilko’s overtime goal to win the Leafs the Stanley Cup in 1951, if it was the greatest Leafs goal ever scored, and the mystery around his disappearance that summer while on a fishing trip. They also discuss the new feature-length documentary in production, “Frozen in Time: The Bill Barilko Story,” that will break...

The Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement discusses Hungary voting out Viktor Orban, if populism is waning, if we have hit “peak Carney,” the history of “outsider” Prime Ministers, and American influence on Canadian politics. They also discuss Alberta and proportional representation, the cynicism many feel in politics, declining economic prospects, and wha...

Former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Elizabeth Dowdeswell joins Steve to discuss the threats to Canada’s democracy, how fragile democracy can be, and her new award for “advancing democracy through education.” They also discuss her decade as Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor, voter turnout, if we should lower voting age, social media, the growing threat from AI, and how education can safeguard democra...

Justin Ling joins the Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement to discuss the newly minted majority government in Canada, why Justin thinks this is now a true national unity government, why Tony thinks Carney is actually now a “pottery barn” government, whether a stronger mandate will enable the government to address the dual unity crises in Quebec and Albert...

John Fraser joins Steve to discuss his new book, The Governors General: An Intimate History of Canada's Highest Office, why he cares about this history when so few do, why it took 80-plus years to get an actual Canadian Governor General, and why it’s a position that is “merciless.” They also discuss every single Governor General since 1952, including the “magisterial” Vincent Massey, Georges Vanie...

Janice Stein and Steve discuss Trump’s threats to leave NATO, what that would mean for Canada, his threats to Iran, and, although Trump has sown chaos and uncertainty in world affairs, if the markets operate as a significant guardrail to his actions. They then answer some viewer questions on what will replace the old world order, if consensus can ever be achieved in global forums such as the UN on...

Ashley Prime, former UK diplomat who has served all over the world, including in China, Italy, Jamaica, and Canada, joins Steve to discuss King Charles’s visit to America, if he will push back on Trump and defend Canada, PM Starmer’s plunging popularity, what Brits think of the Iran War, and why many people feel “politically homeless” in the UK. They also discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine, the “usef...

Kathleen Monk joins the Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement to discuss the NDP convention, Avi Lewis’s first ballot victory, whether he is the right choice to rebuild the NDP, and the passing of his father Stephen Lewis. They also discuss how the NDP can be relevant again, the equity card moment at the convention, whether the NDP will be about “the facto...

Former premiers Kathleen Wynne and Philippe Couillard join Steve Paikin at York University’s Glendon College to discuss the rise of populism in Canada, decreasing levels of trust in government, and the threat populism poses to democracy in Canada. They also discuss where things went wrong, rising levels of inequality, the disenchantment young people feel with the political system, why young folks...

Arif Lalani, former Canadian Ambassador to Jordan, Iraq, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, joins Janice Stein to discuss George H.W. Bush’s approach to the Gulf War in 1990 compared to Trump’s war in Iran, why he did not bother to build any coalition, how Janice sees this as an incoherent and “shambolic war,” the work of Witkoff and Kushner, and how nobody seems to be doing their homework...

In the first ever edition of “Paik’s Takes,” Steve offers a few, well, takes and answers questions from viewers. Is this the most dangerous and uncertain time Steve has experienced in his more than four decades as a journalist? Should athletes make political statements? Is Canada still a meaningful ‘middle power,’ or is that just a comforting myth we tell ourselves?  Then, in response to our first...

The Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement discusses the most recent floor crossing to the Liberal caucus, how Carney has been able to convince four different MPs to come over, if it’s wrong or undemocratic to get a majority through these means, and how unprecedented historically all these crossings are. They then discuss Pierre Poilievre’s international ex...

One episode. Two very different views on the Middle East. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel, Sharren Haskel, joins to discuss her country’s decision to attack Iran, their strategy and endgame, as well as Israel’s conduct in Gaza. You’ll also be hearing from someone who appeared before the International Court of Justice on behalf of Palestine. That's Queen’s University international law profess...

Thomas Juneau joins Janice Stein to discuss the war in the Middle East, if doing nothing is an option for Canada, the diaspora politics involved, what role middle powers can play, and how Canada has been “lazy” about its national security. They also discuss the incredible pace of this war, why you cannot “bomb your way to regime change,” the incoherent strategy of this war, how the Iranian regime...

John Baird, Canada’s former foreign minister, joins Steve to discuss the war in Iran, whether Canada should support it, PM Mark Carney’s evolution on reacting to this war, and if it could turn out like another Iraq or Libya. They then discuss the internal deliberations within the federal government when a war breaks out, how decisions are made to support a war or not, and the tough choices Canada...

The Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement discuss PM Carney’s initial support of American airstrikes on Iran, his recent comments about giving diplomacy a chance, how Canada was not consulted beforehand, whether this is an illegal war, whether the UN and international law matters anymore, and the viability of Carney’s middle power theory.  Support us: patr...

Ryan Hass joins Janice Stein to discuss the prospect of an American intervention in Iran, regime change, and the negotiations between America and Iran on the nuclear issue. They then look at how close China is to invading Taiwan, what China wants, how China sees its role in the new emerging world order, the rising global nuclear threat, and what sort of relationship Canada should build with China....

Welcome to the first edition of The Paikin Podcast "Redline Debates." Four years ago this month, a convoy of truckers essentially took over the nation's capital, and beyond disrupting life there, it became a Rorschach test on how you felt about everything from vaccinations to parliamentary democracy.  Justin Ling from the Toronto Star and Candice Malcolm from Juno News join to debate what the Free...

Linda McQuaig joins the Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement to discuss her book, “Cancelling Billionaires Before They Cancel Us: The Urgent Case for a Wealth Tax,” whether billionaires should exist, how current levels of inequality can lead to “revolution,” how Canada’s tax system needs to change, the politics around bringing in a wealth tax, and if it w...

As the Ukraine War nears its fourth anniversary, we devote a special edition of The Paikin Podcast to understand where things stand today, the toll four years of war has had on the Ukrainian people, and how much longer it can go on. The episode features a variety of different voices and interviews, including: - Former MP Chrystia Freeland - Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Dariia March...