The Current

Statistics Canada numbers show the economy stalled in July. The trade war is hitting some harder than others, like the Stelco workers in Hamilton, Ontario who got news that part of their steel plant is closing indefinitely. We hear from Ron Wells, one of their union leaders, plus Deloitte Canada's Dawn Desjardins tells us why she sees the country's growth continuing to slow down.

On this Day of Truth and Reconciliation, we speak with award-winning CBC reporter Jackie McKay who travelled to the village of Kispiox, BC, to learn about the man at the centre of a historic battle to hold the government and the church accountable for sexual abuse at the Alberni Indian Residential School. Willie Blackwater's class action lawsuit was one of the first in Canada, setting the stage fo...

Mosquitos, cockroaches, venomous snakes, and adults who steal candy from children, just some of the winning scientific discoveries at this year's Ig Nobel Prize. The award highlights research so bizarre and improbable you can't help but laugh at it. We speak with winner Chonghong Cao, a Canada Research Chair and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at McGill University about how his team...

Margaret Atwood is donating 1 million dollars to Western University. The money will establish a new chair in avian biology and honour her late partner and fellow novelist Graeme Gibson who loved birds. We speak with Chris Guglielmo Professor of Biology and Director at the Centre for Animals on the Move at Western University about what this donation could mean for the research of birds and why huma...

Diesel gas prices have spiked, hitting truckers and farmers especially hard. That means prices for things we buy are going up too. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the federal government to take action. But energy expert Richard Masson is skeptical about the Conservative proposals. He says prices won't come down until the wars in Iran and Ukraine end, but Ottawa could still offer som...

Netflix's new reality show based on the infamous Stanford prison experiment is being met with controversy. The original psychological experiment had to be abandoned prematurely because of the harm it was causing participants. So why is Netflix releasing a reality series based on a troubling psychological experiment? And what could it tell us about what makes people abuse authority? We speak with J...

Almost 30 years after the death of Princess Diana, her brother Charles Spencer has written a new memoir about her life, her struggles, and the royal institutions that played a role in both. He sits down with Matt Galloway to discuss the book Swan Song: Diana, my sister, and her legacy. 

Jordan Kawchuk has struggled with alcohol use disorder for years. When he's drinking, he says nothing else matters. He's just finished his fifth attempt at treatment, but some doctors and advocates say people like him aren't getting the science-based treatment they need.

We speak with the creators of the series North of North as they launch Season 2 after the show became an international hit. Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril tell us about what it's like to film a comedy in Iqaluit, about the good things, and the challenges faced by those living in Canada's North.

A new poll done for CBC news shows separatist support is dropping in Alberta, so is the popularity of Premier Danielle Smith and her party. We speak with the independent pollster Janet Brown who conducted the survey about what these findings mean. Plus, Dozie Anyaegbunam, host of The Newcomers Podcast, says he fears the fractures created by all 10 questions, including five about immigration, will...

Have you heard that same story over and over again from your aging parents?  Mary Ann McColl certainly did.  But instead of just complaining, like the rest of us, she decided to study the stories to see if there was something more there.  Mary Ann is a professor emerita of occupational therapy at Queens University. Her new book is The Ten Stories: What Aging Parents Want Us to Hear....

Donald Trump ruled out using military force to annex Canada. The head of US Pacific Command called the idea of attacking Canada "preposterous." But Mark Carney called it an "extreme tail risk" that would be "irresponsible" not to prepare. We unpack the Canadian Prime Minister's eye-catching interview with the New York Times, with Stephen Saideman, a professor of political science at Carleton Unive...

Dr. Subodh Verma is a cardiac surgeon who has operated on more than 6,000 hearts. We speak with the surgeon-scientist and University of Toronto Professor of Surgery about what it's like to hold the human heart in his hands, and why breakthroughs in medicine and science can only happen through acts of interdependence.

Emilie Nicolas, columnist for Le Devoir, and Michel C. Auger, columnist for La Presse break down the state of play in Quebec's provincial election, as five party leaders make their case to voters in the final debate of the campaign.

It's been a big week for new species. First, a new cat species was announced and then a new penguin made headlines. But scientists say this is just the tip of a rather huge iceberg.   Dirk Steinke is amongst the scientists who believe there are literally millions of species in the world yet to be revealed. Most are insects, spiders, and arthropods but there are some bigger animals to find too...

Paul Workman was a foreign correspondent for more than 35 years, covering conflict and catastrophes around the world for CTV and CBC News. But when he was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a rare type of blood cancer, he chose not to tell his employer and to keep on working. We speak with Paul Workman about why he decided to keep his disease secret, and where one draws the line about what your employe...

In 2007, 20-year-old Vienna Luke was sexually assaulted by her brother-in-law. Decades later with the support of her older sister Shawnessy Luke, Vienna went undercover to elicit a confession from her abuser.  Their story is the subject of a new CBC podcast “ Personally: Agent Layla. ”

New Brunswick is considering banning fishing and hunting licences for American citizens, as part of their government's response to the latest round of U.S. tariffs. But Americans make up the majority of clients for most outfitters in the province — and they pay thousands of dollars to hunt moose, Atlantic salmon, black bears, and other local wildlife in the province. Canadian outfitters say a ban...

The American author argues in her The Atlantic cover story "Empire of Grift" that Donald Trump and his circle have revolutionized U.S. foreign policy for private gain. Some of it is ideological. Much of it is driven by self-interest. Anne Applebaum says Canada is right to adapt. And she wonders if America understands what it has become.

The White House press pool is banding together to suspend its video coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump. It comes after Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. The Atlantic staff writer David A. Graham talks about why Trump is taking this step now and what it means for press freedom in the U.S. 

With artificial intelligence on the rise, teaching staff at many universities are taking a hard look at how they teach and assess their students. Carleton University Religion Professor Shawna Dolansky talks about why she's banned all technology from her classrooms. McMaster University Physical Engineering Professor Mike Welland discusses how he's integrating AI into his teaching. And Samuel Madden...

Across the country, schools are grappling with how to use artificial intelligence in the classroom and it's sparking a debate over how to balance the risks of AI in education against the benefits. Ben Humphreys is a member of the group Parents for AI Caution in Educational Spaces Vancouver and is calling for a two year pause on the technology in schools. Simon Worley is a high school teacher in No...

Bestselling author Ben Macintyre has told many compelling spy stories — but Vladimir Kuzichkin's may be the most unusual yet. In his new book, Redwood, Macintyre explains how Kuzichkin's obsessive desire to find a solution to his own sexual problems drove him to defect from the Soviet KGB and start spying for British Intelligence in Tehran in the 1980s, and why the intelligence he gathered altered...

Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, joins us to weigh in on freshly introduced government legislation that aims to increase speed and certainty around major infrastructure projects — which labour leaders worry could infringe on workers' right to strike.

A police constable was injured in a shootout by the Sons of Jacob synagogue as Yom Kippur services began. Synagogue President Norm Weddum believes that the officer saved the lives of everyone huddled inside. The alleged shooter is in hospital in life threatening condition. Weddum wants to know why he went on the attack.