Front Burner

Canada and the politics of Gaza flotillas

Prime Minister Mark Carney has condemned what he described as the “abominable treatment” of flotilla activists detained by Israeli authorities. His statement came after the release of a video showing...

Israel’s open nuclear secret

Earlier this month, 30 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to the Trump administration with a remarkable request: to publicly acknowledge that Israel has nuclear weapons. Israel is widely believed to be...

Is Carney undoing the Liberals’ climate legacy?

Late last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a new energy agreement that paves the way for a new pipeline to the West Coast. It includes an industrial carbon pricing...

How should Canada handle Alberta separatism?

Alberta premier Danielle Smith is calling a court ruling “antidemocratic” after judge struck down the petition which hoped to trigger a separatist referendum this fall. The ruling came in part because it...

What happens when a conspiracy theory drives into your backyard?

In The Cult Queen of Canada from CBC’s Uncover, a tiny Saskatchewan town faces a surreal crisis when a cult leader calling herself “The Queen of Canada” occupies an abandoned school. As neighbours turn on...

Iran quagmire: why can’t the U.S. end the war?

The ceasefire in Iran has been in place for five weeks, with no clear end in sight to the war. The latest peace negotiations fell apart, with U.S. President Trump saying that the ceasefire is on “life...

Princeton president on the future of university

Today on the show, the President of Princeton University, Christopher Eisgruber, joins us. He makes a defense of the role of post secondary institutions at a time when they are at the centre of a culture...

Weakened, Trump heads to China

President Trump arrives in Beijing today for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He’s bringing with him a long list of tech and business titans like Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and...

Should Canadian airports be privatized?

As part of its Spring economic update, the federal government revealed that it’s considering privatizing the country’s airports. The Prime Minister says it could free up money to fund other major projects and...

The perils of unregulated AI

Recent polls show that Canadians are increasingly concerned about the growth of AI.And yet, the AI race is hurtling forward with few guardrails. In many cases, people aren’t even being given a lot of choice...