The West Block

Will the government apologize to Vice Admiral Mark Norman?  Should they?  And will people continue to vote for Greens? Plus Canada China relations, what role is the China-U.S. trade war playing in this relationship? Guests: Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Service and Procurement; Elizabeth May, Green Party Leader; Paul Evans, China Expert Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Since the revolution in Iran forty years ago, women have been forced to veil and have been restricted in activities outside the home.  But many women inside and outside of Iran have had enough--how are they pushing back? Guest: Masih Alinejad, Iranian journalist and author Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this edition of The West Block we travel out west to Alberta to see first hand how much this province relies on the oil industry.  Why do Albertans feel alienated and is the talk of separating from the rest of Canada resonating?  And why is the Indigenous community so divides over the potential expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline project which would take oil from Alberta to the west coast...

Floods in Canada. Bush fires in Australia. Tornadoes in the United States. Environment Canada’s senior climatologist David Phillips on extreme weather as the new normal and what should government’s do about? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we talk to Transport Minister Marc Garneau about federal-provincial relations in the wake of the Alberta election. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh joins us and talks about whether the party is ready for this year's election. And we go trapshooting with Conservative MP Michael Barrett in a new segment called Hill Hobbies.  Guests: Marc Garneau, Transport Minister; Jagmeet Singh, NDP leader...

BUSINESS INVESTMENT IN CANADA IS VANISHING BECAUSE OF TAXES AND REGULATIONS.  AND ONE OF THOSE AREAS WHERE INVESTMENT IS DOWN IS IN FOOD PRODUCTION.  RECENTLY MAPLE LEAF FOODS, THE COUNTRIES LARGEST PORK PROCESSOR ANNOUNCED IT WAS BUILDING ITS NEW MEATLESS FOOD PROCESSING PLANT IN INDIANA.  A LOSS OF ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED JOBS AND MILLIONS MORE IN LOST REVENUE.  WHAT DO THESE LOSSES MEAN FOR CANADA’S...

In this episode we talk about proposed changes that would impact asylum shopping, then why does legal cannabis cost more than what can be purchased on the black market?  And the Alberta election, the campaign and what to expect on Tuesday. Guests: Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction; Jason Kenney, United Conservative Party Leader, Jen Gerson, Freelance Journalist;...

Will a delay until the end of October help get a deal for Brexit? Guest: Kenneth Armstrong, Professor of European Law at the University of Cambridge  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould tells her story on alleged political interference in the SNC-Lavalin affair that led her to quit cabinet and the Prime Minister to kick her and fellow cabinet minister Jane Philpott out of the liberal caucus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A new tool to help people with physical, mental and emotional issues. Guest: Silken Laumann, Olympian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we take a look at the latest audio and written submissions to the Justice Committee by former Attorney General Jody Wilson Raybould.  Plus the latest in the trade dispute between Canada and China and the tense relations between the government and Indigenous Peoples. Guest: Randy Boissonnault, Liberal MP; Bob Fife, The Globe and Mail; David Akin, Global News; Grand Chief Stewart Phillip,...

Canadian officials are warning their U.S. counterparts that the new NAFTA deal may not be ratified in Canada as long as the steel and aluminum tariffs remain in place.  Does the steel union support this? Guest: Ken Neumann, National Director United Steel Workers of Canada Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Artificial Intelligence is changing our lives...is there a role for government to play and should policy makers regulate this cutting edge technology? Guest: Kenneth Cukier, Senior Editor The Economist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More bombshells this week with the ongoing SNC-Lavalin affair...this in the midst of the government delivering its last federal budget before the fall election.  We'll hear from the government and the opposition on what may happen next. Guests: Karina Gould, Minister of Democratic Institutions; Lisa Raitt, Conservative; Daniel Blaikie, NDP; Bill Morneau, Federal Finance Minister Learn more about y...

Why are western governments monitoring the upcoming Ukraine elections so closely? Guest: Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO and Executive Director of the Ukranian Canadian Congress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is the West monitoring the Ukraine elections at the end of the month?  Is Russia interfering?   Guest:  Ihoh Michalchyshyn, CEO and Executive Director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ukrainians go to the polls at the end of the month.  There are signs that Russia is behind a campaign of fake news to influence the outcome.  Why are western nations watching this election so closely? Guest:  Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO and Executive Director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week's show: Opposition MPs are trying to keep the SNC-Lavalin controversy in the spotlight, but the Liberals are hoping the budget will change the channel. We'll hear from Liberal advisor and Canada's Ambassador to the United States David MacNaughton on SNC-Lavalin, as well as USMCA and steel tariffs. Then a former ambassador has his sights on a new job. We'll ask Kevin Vickers why he wan...

THE U.S. IS EXPECTED TO BECOME THE WORLD’S TOP OIL EXPORTER IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.  SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE GLOBAL OIL INDUSTRY? Guest:  Charles Mason, HA True Chair in Oil and Gas Economics, and Associate Dean in the College of Business, at the University of Wyoming   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A second cabinet minister resigns, the Prime Minister's former Principal Secretary testifies before the Justice Committee...the opposition wants the former Attorney General to come back to the committee and testify again.  Lots on the show this week. Guests: Karina Gould, Minister of Democratic Institutions; Pierre-Poilievre, Conservative-Ontario; Peter Julien, NDP-British Columbia; Mike Van Soele...

EXPLOSIVE TESTIMONY, CALLS FOR THE PRIME MINISTER TO STEP DOWN, AND A CABINET SHUFFLE ...ALL AS MPs BEGIN A TWO WEEK BREAK AWAY FROM PARLIAMENT HILL.FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD TOLD THE JUSTICE COMMITTEE LAST WEEK SHE EXPERIENCED A CONSISTENT AND SUSTAINED EFFORT BY THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE WITHIN GOVERNMENT INCLUDING THE PRIME MINISTER TO POLITICALLY INTERFERE IN HER DECISION ON...

Long awaited talks between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un collapsed on Thursday when the U.S. refused to lift sanctions to appease North Korea.  What happens now and where does this leave relations between these two nations? Guest: Troy Stangarone, Senior Director of Congressional Affairs and Trade at the Korea Institute   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

Should nations take back their citizens if they fought for ISIS?  And what about the families of these foreign fighters?  And does de-radicalization work? Guest: MUBIN SHAIKH, A FORMER SECURITY INTELLIGENCE AND COUNTER TERRORISM OPERATIVE WITH CISIS AND RCMP UNDERCOVER OPERATIVE AND AN EXPERT ON COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The plot thickens in the SNC-Lavalin affair. Jody Wilson-Raybould resigns from Cabinet, a move Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called surprising. He contends the government did nothing wrong, nor did Wilson-Raybould ever come to him to say otherwise. She's not talking yet, so what happened and why is SNC-Lavalin so important? We'll search for answers. And we'll also talk the law and carbon tax as Sa...

The Liberal-dominated justice committee voted to investigate the SNC-Lavalin affair after sparks flew at an emergency meeting on Parliament Hill. The promised probe falls short of what the opposition wanted. And there are questions about just how much light a group of partisan politicians can shed on what happened between the Prime Minister's Office and the former attorney general. We're joined by...