Wonk

We convened an expert panel for an emergency WONK session to talk about President-elect Donald Trump's latest tariff threats and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago. Host Edward Greenspon talks with Janice Stein, the Founding Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, Steve Verheul, Canada's former chief trade negotiator, and Andrew Phillips, a columni...

How do we hit Canada's climate goals without harming consumers and the overall economy, especially if that harm hits some regions particularly hard? To untangle this, host Edward Greenspon talks to Andrew Leach, a professor at the University of Alberta's Department of Economics and Faculty of Law. He's also an architect of Alberta's climate change strategy under former Premier Rachel Notley. As on...

Although President Donald Trump swept the table in the U.S. election, the vote still showed an America sharply divided. Recent events represent a high watermark of the polarization that has come to dominate politics in much of the Western world. Host Edward Greenspon talks to Peter Loewen, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, about the big changes in American life and po...

From tariffs to tax cuts, Americans, Canadians and people around the world are thinking through the implications of Donald Trump’s proposed economic plans. Wonk host Edward Greenspon talks to Brett House, a professor at Columbia Business School and a former deputy chief economist at Scotiabank about the major flaws in Trumponomics, why CUSMA sowed doubt in the minds of investors... and how Taylor...

After one of the most consequential elections in U.S. history, we've gathered a trio of consequential policy wonks to help us understand what went down in this election and what the result means to Canada and the world. PPF Fellows Don Wright, Janet Annesley and Sean Speer join WONK host Edward Greenspon to talk about President Trump’s decisive victory, the big political shifts that are unfolding...

Alex Himelfarb served as Canada’s top public servant, Clerk of the Privy Council, under three Prime Ministers: Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and, briefly, Stephen Harper. He knows a thing or two about the immense challenges of governing at the highest levels. He's also been fascinated by the big trends that policymakers must come to terms with, such as inequality and climate change. Himelfarb believe...

The question on everyone's mind these days: What happens if tariff-loving Donald Trump wins the U.S. election in November? Specifically, what does it mean for Canada, our side of the world's biggest trading relationship? Host Edward Greenspon talks to Canada’s chief NAFTA negotiator, Steve Verheul, about the ‘ugly choices’ we face in dealing with a more protectionist America, changes in global tra...

The biggest turnaround since the Second World War is underway in Atlantic Canada. But it comes with a bit of a cautionary flag. As PPF’s Atlantic Canada Momentum Index shows, growth is occurring at a more tentative pace than the year before. WONK host Edward Greenspon talks to all-star economist David Campbell — the wonk of the East — about what’s going well and what needs to be going better.

As the climate warms and geopolitical tensions heat up, Canada’s eyes, and the appetites of the world, are increasingly turning north. An area renowned for its stark beauty is now also viewed as an untapped resource for rare earth and critical minerals. It is also feeling the impacts of global warming more acutely than almost anywhere on Earth. Host Edward Greenspon speaks with R.J. Simpson, Premi...

There are few people in Canada who understand the ins-and-outs, the strengths and the undeniable weaknesses of our healthcare system as well Dr. Jane Philpott. She recently poured her decades of invaluable experience into a new book called Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada. A core prescription in her book? That primary care must be easily accessible to everyone. On thi...

Over 13 years, the organization Raven Lacerte co-founded with her dad has distributed seven million little squares of moose hide that people wear on their lapels. The Moose Hide Campaign has sparked an estimated 30 million conversations about ending violence toward women and children in Canada. She speak with host Edward Greenspon about how it all started and the progress she’s seen in that time.

On lists of influential people to watch, Sean Speer is often described as a guide, an influencer and a conservative who is committed to policy. He was senior economic adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Today, he's an editor-at-large at The Hub, the conservative leaning news and opinion website. And he's a leading thinker on the ideas behind conservatism as a political movement. He talks to...

If you are a Canadian who's interested in the world, then you are almost certainly a Canadian who has encountered Professor Janice Stein. She’s Canada’s preeminent interpreter of global issues through her teaching, academic research and regular media appearances. She is the founding director at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and she's a good frien...

John Risley is best known for his by-the-bootstraps creation of global seafood giant Clearwater — and for orchestrating its sale to a coalition of First Nations. The self-made billionaire’s next big project is as chairman of World Energy GH2, which plans to build a massive green hydrogen project on Newfoundland’s west coast. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about why the project could be revoluti...

The University of Calgary economics professor’s views on the intersection of policy and economics are in high demand because, well, his cool empirical perspective makes them so compelling. Trevor Tombe talks to host Edward Greenspon about why the now-operational Trans Mountain pipeline isn’t the boondoggle critics think, why Canada’s economy lags the U.S. and why he’s only the second most famous e...

As chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada for the past 23 years, Craig Wright has offered essential insight through booms and busts, from the great financial crisis to the pandemic. Everyone from CEOs to prime ministers, to news reporters have relied on his prognostications. When he retires in June, he’ll relinquish his title as longest serving big bank economist. He talks to host Edward Gree...

Tucked into this year’s federal budget document was something a little out of the ordinary and of great consequence: Indigenous Loan Guarantees. The program has the potential to open massive energy and resource developments that will benefit both Canada and Indigenous communities. Mark Podlasly is the chief sustainability officer of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, which has championed...

Canada’s lagging productivity has become what the Bank of Canada calls a national ‘emergency’. The OECD’s incoming chief economist, Álvaro Santos Pereira, a dual citizen of Portugal and Canada, is one of the foremost experts on the subject. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about why Canada lags other countries, the opportunities it’s missing, and why he’s optimistic Canadians will rise to the cha...

Scott Balfour is the CEO of Emera, the owner of Nova Scotia Power and a major player in energy in the United States. He is central to the efforts to wean Canada off carbon and build a clean electricity system – all at a time when demand for power is soaring. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about investments, promising technologies and the so-called ‘energy trilemma.’

After 12 years leading one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage recently announced he’ll be stepping down. In his time as mayor, Halifax went from worrying about its declining, aging population to becoming a magnet for newcomers and residents from other provinces. Savage joins host Edward Greenspon to talk about his successes, managing growth and the importance of local jo...

David Shoemaker is the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, the organization tasked with promoting Olympic values and helping get Canadian athletes onto the podium. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about why he expects big things in Paris, the challenge of making sport safer in Canada, and the delicate balance of international competition in a time of war.

Canada is perhaps the most successful immigration nation in the world. But its system is showing some cracks, as immigration is twinned in the public mind with housing shortages and high rental costs. Rupa Banerjee, Canada Research Chair in Economic inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada’s Immigrants, talks to host Edward Greenspon about what Canada’s getting wrong and why it’s unfai...

The longest-serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first woman to hold the position, weighs in on the good and the bad of the federal government’s long-awaited online harms bill. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about anti-hate laws, freedom of expression and why some provisions in the new bill will likely end up before the courts.

JP Gladu is one of Canada's visionary leaders in the national dialogue around Indigenous ownership in the economy. He has decades of experience bringing Indigenous communities together with industry and governments in pursuit of their economic sovereignty. He joins host Edward Greenspon to talk about the rise of Indigenous business, getting the government to say 'yes', and overcoming fear and igno...

John Hannaford is the Clerk of the Privy Council, the most senior job in the public service. It is really three jobs rolled into one: deputy minister to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the cabinet and head of the public service. Hannaford talks to host Edward Greenspon about the historic challenges facing the public service, the renewed focus on ethics and the importance of fearless advice.