Wonk

Tim Snyder is one of America’s most important scholars. While his work has focused on Eastern Europe, Russia and on the Holocaust, more recently he's written hugely popular books about the nature of tyranny and freedom. He recently moved with his family to Canada, where he is in high demand as someone who can help make sense of what is happening in the world. He talks to host Amanda Lang about Ame...

Within five years, ‘agentic AI’ could make 40 percent of today’s skills irrelevant. Valérie Pisano is the president and CEO of MILA — Quebec AI Institute, founded by one of the godfathers of AI, Joshua Bengio. She speaks to host Amanda Lang about why the latest technology is being dramatically underestimated and whether it’s time for governments to put the brakes on its unregulated development.

Canada needs to get moving on some big nation-building projects that will boost our economy and enhance our sovereignty. It’s a key part of the government’s ‘one Canadian economy’ legislation now being debated. Host Amanda Lang talks to Jay Khosla and Yiota Kokkinos about their ‘Build Big Things’ report and what it will take — from financing to political will — to get this trillion-dollar-opportun...

Jean Chrétien, Canada’s oldest living prime minister, isn't taking Western separatism lying down. Having seen Canada through the threat of Quebec separation, his Clarity Act of 2000 could find new currency today. Chrétien — now 91, mentally sharp and still not pulling his punches — speaks with host Amanda Lang about Donald Trump, Team Canada and his message to Alberta.

One of the biggest challenges facing the Canadian economy is improving what we already do: Better efficiency, more open trade. It's what Ottawa is calling ‘one Canadian economy.’ Trevor Tombe is one of Canada's most sought after economists and the go-to expert on interprovincial trade barriers. He talks to host Amanda Lang about how we get there and the winners and losers of cross-Canada trade.

Job number one of Canada's new Liberal government is salvaging our trade relationship with the United States. Next is the job of uniting the country — doing away with internal trade barriers and getting big projects built. All of that is the unwritten mandate of Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc. He talks to host Amanda Lang about his plan to get to ‘zero tariffs’ with t...

One of the biggest clean energy storage facilities in the world — the Oneida Energy Storage Project in Ontario — connected to the grid this month. It's a big clean energy win, but it's also a model for how Indigenous partnerships can propel energy projects in Canada. The driving forces behind the project, Matt Jamieson, president and chief executive officer of Six Nations of the Grand River Develo...

Once eradicated in Canada, measles is making a comeback in Canada. Is it part of a bigger, post-pandemic trend we're seeing of vaccinations declining? What will it take to get public health back on track? Host Amanda Lang talks to Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association, and Dr. Michael Gardam, a leading infectious disease expert about confronting misinformation, acknowledgi...

Paul Wells is the de facto dean of political journalism in Canada — a longtime observer and interpreter of what happens in Ottawa. He talks to host Amanda Lang about some surprising shifts in the wake of the federal election, including an easing of the 'ever-deepening animosity' that’s become a trademark of politics, evidence of a common understanding of what's good for Canada and why we should be...

In her incredible career as a journalist and author, Sally Armstrong told stories no one else would about the atrocities of war and became a towering figure for women's rights. She speaks with host Amanda Lang about the ongoing fight for rights, the ‘small group of greedy men' who start wars and how a former phys-ed teacher at a magazine called Homemaker became a groundbreaking war correspondent.

Tim Snyder is one of America’s most important scholars. While his work has focused on Eastern Europe, Russia and on the Holocaust, more recently he's written hugely popular books about the nature of tyranny and freedom. He recently moved with his family to Canada, where he is in high demand as someone who can help make sense of what's happening in the world. He talks to host Amanda Lang about Amer...

It’s getting hard to tell who's a friend and who's an enemy in this turbulent geopolitical era. As Canada searches for new trade partners, one big question that's emerging is what to do about China. Is it time to rethink an economic relationship or are the security risks still too great? Host Amanda Lang talks to Peter Van Praagh, founder and president of the Halifax International Security Forum,...

The federal election has been dominated by Donald Trump and his tariffs. But is that the key ballot question? Energy, infrastructure, defense, productivity, housing and affordability, just to name a few, all loom large. The challenges are piling up and the economic future is dark. Host Amanda Lang gathers an all-star election panel — Armine Yalnizyan, Sean Speer and Jay Khosla — to talk about what...

Canada’s happy trade arrangement with the U.S has ended. And while it seemed sudden and alarming, it was not totally unforeseeable to those watching the bigger shifts in global trade. Among those who predicted this moment, Roger Martin. He's the former dean of the Rotman School of Management and a best-selling author. He talks to host Amanda Lang about how globalization began to unravel, the probl...

In short order, Canada has experienced a Liberal leadership race, a new Prime Minister, a trade war attack from its closest ally, and now a federal election. How is democratic accountability maintained through this unprecedented action? How do the wheels of government keep turning? Host Amanda Lang talks to Canada’s former top bureaucrat, Michael Wernick, about the "weird place" we’re in, the job...

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s review of Canada's purchase of F-35 jets is another battle line drawn in the ongoing trade war. But it has also re-opened old scars. Canada has been trying to replace its aging jets for decades now. Two people who have lived the file, former defence minister Peter MacKay and former assistant parliamentary budget officer Sahir Khan talk to host Amanda Lang about the pol...

Andrew Furey has been the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador for an extraordinarily eventful five years, from the pandemic and its fallout to going all in on oil and gas, and lately, of course, the chaos of Trump and a trade war. The popular leader shocked everyone recently when he announced he’s leaving politics. Host Amanda Lang talks to Furey about why he’s stepping down, his fears about the...

After weeks of uncertainty it finally happened: Canada has been plunged into a trade war it desperately hoped to avoid. Even as it unfolds the path is unclear. Already there are signs that some tariffs could be reduced or removed, but it will cause pain on both sides of the border. Make no mistake, we are in a new era of Canada-U.S. relations. David Paterson is Ontario’s representative in Washingt...

Local news has been disappearing at an alarming rate, leaving a huge void in communities and undermining a key pillar of democracy. Guest host Alison Uncles talks to Lisa Sygutek, the publisher of the Crowsnest Pass Herald, Stacey Brzostowski, editor and publisher of The Haida Gwaii News, and Andrew Phillips, former editor-in-chief of The Montreal Gazette and Victoria Times Colonist, and a columni...

Canada has a very short time to act before Donald Trump's 30-day tariff reprieve ends. It's a tall order given the stakes and magnitude of the challenge ahead. Our panel of experts, host Edward Greenspon, Janice Stein and Riaz Kara, talk about the need for a disciplined response, the time-intensive task of diversification, and why the smart move now might be to reopen trade negotiations.

President Donald Trump’s tariff threats have forced Canadians to take a long, hard look at our economy and how it needs to evolve. This is especially true for the oil and gas industry which is deeply linked with the United States. Our panel of top energy wonks — Jackie Forrest, Janet Annesley and Bryan Cox — discuss the impacts and real costs of U.S. tariff threats, and the path to Canadian energy...

The moment Canadians have been waiting for, and in some cases dreading, is here. President Donald Trump is continuing to threaten us with massive tariffs, but now with all the levers of a president who controls both houses of Congress. What does Trump's so-called "Golden Age for America" mean for the world and for Canada? Our expert panel — Luiza Savage, Don Wright and Sean Speer — discuss the dan...

In the lead-up to President Donald Trump’s return to the White House, he has escalated his taunts and economic threats against Canada. How can we prepare for the potential upending of a trade relationship that is the backbone of the Canadian economy? To help sort through this we've gathered one of our all-star panels: Marta Morgan, former deputy minister of foreign affairs, Peter Loewen, the dean...

The former leader of the Conservative party was almost the Prime Minister of Canada. In the 2021 election, his party won more votes than the Liberals, but not more seats. O’Toole, now the president and managing director of ADIT North America, is out of politics, but he remains a wonk at heart. He joins host Edward Greenspon to discuss how he’d deal with Donald Trump, defence spending and what toda...

British Columbia gave the green light this week to nine wind energy projects intended to meet the insatiable demand for clean electricity. In the words of B.C. Premier David Eby, "we need a lot more juice." Eight of these projects are majority owned by First Nations communities and all are set to proceed without the regular environmental assessments. Host Edward Greenspon speaks with an all-star p...