10/3: Canada Covered

In October 2016, a University of Toronto psychology professor named Jordan Peterson gave an impassioned speech to student protesters in front of Sidney Smith Hall. The events surrounding Peterson at the time would spark a larger discussion about free speech on university campuses across Canada that continues to this day. It’s now a widely held belief that campus free speech is under threat from student protesters, campus organizations, and even university officials. Josephine Mathias produced a documentary investigation into free speech on universities. She joins Dave to talk about what she found. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A little over a year after cannabis was legalized in Canada, companies are taking financial losses, amid sluggish sales for some products and a lack of retail space. The Financial Post's Vanmala Subramaniam joins Dave to explain how the cannabis industry went from being unable to meet demand, to have trouble moving their product. She lays out what this means for the introduction of edibles into the market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don Cherry was fired from Hockey Night in Canada after a rant criticizing "you people" who "come here" but don't wear poppies. Cherry, who refused to apologize, was no longer a relevant hockey commentator, argues Postmedia sports columnist Scott Stinson. The long-time NHL fixture refused to change as attitudes around hockey evolved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we bring you episode 1 of the Dark North: Gangs of Montreal. It's a new true crime podcast being produced by the Montreal Gazette and Postmedia. It was pure coincidence but the Hells Angels opened their first Canadian chapter in Quebec just seven weeks before Nicolo Rizzuto took control of the Montreal Mafia. Those events in 1977-78 kickstarted a violent decades-long struggle to control the criminal underworld in Montreal. Subscribe to the Dark North on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A minority government means Justin Trudeau's agenda could be difficult to implement. National Post columnist John Ivison explains that unlike Stephen Harper, Trudeau may not be satisfied with the more incremental approach to governing that comes with a minority. Ivison also explains possible risks for the NDP of propping up the Liberals, the potential for growing public debt and western alienation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conservatives have "lost the plot" argues Sean Speer, who was an advisor to former prime minister Stephen Harper. In an essay for the National Post Speer argues that conservatives need to look beyond the policies of the past and apply conservative principles to modern problems. One problem is the transition towards a knowledge economy and the working class people left behind. Speer talks to Dave about this and other issues facing conservatives in Canada, in the wake of 2019 election. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Dark North is a new podcast about crime in Canada. Each season will focus on a different city. Season 1 examines the struggle for control of Montreal's underworld, hosted by Montreal Gazette crime reporter Paul Cherry. Episode 1 traces how the Hells Angels and the Rizzuto crime family came to Montreal. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-dark-north/id1479595886 Or at the Montreal Gazette https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/gangs-of-montreal-episode-1-how-it-began Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Quebec government has unveiled a values test for new immigrants, but it is a watered version of what was promised during the 2018 provincial election. Drawing a sample from a pool of about 100 questions drafted by a private consulting firm hired by the government an immigrant in the qualified worker category could be asked whether women and men have the same rights in Quebec. True or false? There will be 20 questions in all. A pass is a score of 75 per cent (15 questions correct), but in the event of a fail, the person can take the test again two weeks later. Dave is joined by Montreal Gazette political reporter Philip Authier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the wake of Justin Trudeau's return to power after the election, conservative eyes are turning to Alberta where Jason Kenney is confidently leading a right of centre of government. Kenney is benefitting, critics would say fuelling, from increasing talk of separatism and western alienation. His first budget, released days after the federal vote, has faced criticism on the left for cutting too much, but also on the right for de-indexing income taxes, which adds up, critics argue, to a tax hike. Dave is joined by National Post Alberta reporter Tyler Dawson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an election night that saw Justin Trudeau returned with a strong minority government, federal Conservatives will be conducting a post-mortem on this campaign. They will have to consider everything from their fiscal policies, to their environmental platform, to the performance of their leader. And in each area where they stumbled, they’ll have to decide: Was the problem one of strategy, or tactics? In other words, do they need a whole new approach — or do they need to do a better job of selling their vision? Should they move to the centre or more confidently present their conservative ideas? Dave is joined by Stuart Thomson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A decade-long struggle for control of Montreal's mob continues as mafia leader Andrea Scoppa was gunned down Monday. Scoppa has been described in court as the leader of a Calabrian clan operating within the Montreal Mafia. He rose up in the Rizzuto organization but his status apparently changed after the death of leader Vito Rizzuto at the end of 2013. Police sources worry that more violence is coming. Montreal Gazette crime reporter Paul Cherry joins Dave. We also debut our new true crime podcast, the Dark North. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Trudeau's Liberals may have won the most seats Monday night but that doesn't mean anybody won the election. Andrew Scheer and the Conservatives failed to capitalize on Liberal scandals. Jagmeet Singh and the NDP failed to fully capitalize on a well-fought campaign by a charismatic leader. And the Trudeau Liberals were reduced to a minority government. Dave is joined by National Post reporter Stuart Thomson to break down the results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heading into Monday’s election, the Liberals and Conservatives are closer in the polls than any time perhaps since the 1972 election when Pierre Trudeau’s reduced to a minority government. Andrew Coyne joins Emily Jackson to break down what happens if no party wins a majority. Coyne also points out that both major parties are fear mongering about the other in final gambit to win a majority. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Trudeau has offered very little opposition to Quebec's Bill 21 that would prevent people wearing visible religious attire from holding positions of authority in the civil service, such as a teacher. The Toronto Sun's Brian Lilley argues Trudeau would never give a similar pass to other provinces like Ontario and Alberta, currently governed by conservative premiers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Polls are showing that a minority government is a very real possibility, prompting increasing talk of a Liberal coalition with the NDP. To appeal to progressive voters, both parties are targeting the oil and gas industry turning Alberta into somewhat of a villain. Justin Trudeau is vulnerable to on this issue because he purchased the Trans Mountain pipeline. However, he argues that all revenues from the pipeline will be used to transition away from oil and gas while claiming he will fight Canada's conservative premiers. Dave is Joined by National Post Alberta correspondent Tyler Dawson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet has revived the fortunes of the separatist party in Quebec. Blanchet performed well in both the French and English debates and has aligned the federal bloc with Quebec's right leaning CAQ government. While both the Liberals and the Conservatives were both hoping to expand their seat count in the province, Blanchet's growing popularity means that is less likely. A Justin Trudeau Liberal minority is now a likely outcome after the Oct. 21 election. Maura Forrest from the National Post joins Dave. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this week, 14-year old Devan Bracci-Selvey was stabbed in front of his Hamilton school while his mother watched in horror. Toronto Sun crime columnist Brad Hunter visited Hamilton and spoke with teachers and students. Bracci-Selvey was bullied constantly since the beginning of the school year. The Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School administration is being accused of being in denial over its bullying problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

None of the federal party leaders are taking deficits seriously, National Post columnist Andrew Coyne argues. Failing to put Canada's fiscal house in order means less room for spending during a recession, less wealth for future generations and an inability to make budget priorities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two weeks out from election day, the six major federal leaders traded blows in the campaign's only English language debate to feature Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer called Trudeau a "phoney" who doesn't deserve to govern Canada, while Trudeua accused his opponent of being in service to the rich. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party leader Elizabeth May attacked both Scheer and Trudeau from the left, while People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier attempted to flank on the right. But, thanks to an unwieldy debate format, National Post columnist Chris Selley explains why this was one of the worst debates he has ever seen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the trial draws nearer for the man charged with killing 10 people and injuring 16 using a rented van as a weapon, we're beginning to learn more about the accused. A video and transcript of the police interview with Alek Minassian, hours after the deadly attack offers frightening new details. Toronto Sun columnist Michele Mandel walks us through Minassian’s ties to the incel movement and how it played a role in the events of April 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a somewhat rocky start, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has started to recover some lost momentum. But in what polls are showing is a two-way race between the Liberals and Conservatives, expectations for the NDP are somewhat muted. Parliamentary bureau chief John Ivison walks us through how Singh has regained some steam, but how his attempts to make the election a class war could backfire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades Canadian governments have been making lofty climate change commitments. And for decades, Canada has failed to meet any of these goals. Ottawa Citizen reporter Tom Spears explains why solving climate change is so hard from a technology, as well as a policy point of view. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cellblock footage shows a London police sergeant kick, punch, stomp and step on a 24-year-old woman, an unco-operative, intoxicated suspect who was cuffed, bound at the ankles and restrained by four other officers, who do nothing to stop the assault. Afterwards, the woman was charged. It was months before the truth was uncovered. London Free Press reporter Randy Richmond doggedly pursued the story for his series on the assault and the London Police Service. For today's show, Randy interviews the assault victim. Background reading: We are the Cops series PLEASE READ OUR SURVEY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suburban Toronto is usually a bellwether for Canadian elections. National Post reporter Brian Platt visited ridings in Brampton and Etobicoke. He found that the NDP could be a spoiler in Brampton, thanks to Jagmeet Singh's popularity there. In Etobicoke he found voters were concerned about gun violence. In both cases, Doug Ford is only one issue among many, despite what Liberals candidates might say. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Multiple years-old photos have emerged of Justin Trudeau wearing brownface and blackface costumes. Trudeau's persona as a progressive who stands up for minorities is being challenged as critics call him a hypocrite. The National Post's Vanmala Subramaniam joins Dave to explain how the controversy unfolded and why blackface and brownface are so offensive. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Both the Liberals and Conservatives have accused the other side of being associated with far right activist Faith Goldy. National Post reporter Joe Brean joins Dave to explain how Goldy skidded into the election campaign. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the election kicked off, new details emerged related to the SNC scandal. The Justin Trudeau Liberals have refused to lift cabinet confidentiality even for the RCMP. Dave is joined by Andrew Coyne who explains how this latest development could affect the Liberals chances of re-election. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Political parties of all stripes talk about making life more affordable for average Canadians. But will they actually focus on the reasons why wages have stagnated, and why Canada isn't as competitive as it could be? Dave is joined by National Post politics reporter Jesse Snyder. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Liberal government’s tally stands at 4,545 spending announcements worth about $12.8 billion, for August alone. That is an unprecedented number of announcements and can tell us a lot about how the Liberals plan to focus their efforts during the election campaign. Dave is joined by National Post politics reporter Stuart Thomson. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is almost at the end of his four-year mandate. And as Canadians get set to head to the polls, there are lots of unanswered questions about how this election will go. Dave is joined by National Post political columnist John Ivison. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is facing a looming battle with unions representing teachers and support staff in the province’s schools. And the situation may get magnified if provincial cuts become fodder for federal liberals in next month’s election. Dave is joined by Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been nearly two weeks since Kevin O'Leary was involved in a fatal boating collision. Dave is Joined by Toronto Sun crime columnist Brad Hunter who gives an update on the police investigation. PLEASE TAKE OUR SURVEY Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Violence in Vancouver’s underworld flared up again this summer, with the death of a prominent member of the Hells Angels. Suminder Grewal, from Surrey’s Hardside chapter, was gunned down at a Starbucks drivethru last month, the second member of that chapter to be killed in less than a year. Dave is joined by Vancouver Sun crime reporter Kim Bolan. Please take our survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does a vulnerable teen wind up dying of an overdose, the victim of a bad trip that was filmed and broadcast on social media? Carson Cremeni died in hospital in early august after falling victim to just such a scenario. Dave is joined by National Post features writer Richard Warnica. Background: What came first, cruel intentions or an addiction to creating content? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anger at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over pipelines, his carbon tax and a seeming lack of support for western issues has spurred some to start talking western separation. Depsite current separatist parties being a non-entity, and Alberta electing staunch federalist Jason Kenney in the spring, the Idea of a “Western Exit” or Wexit is catching the attention of some. Dave is joined by National Post reporter Tyler Dawson. Background reading: Is a Wexit in Alberta's future? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A debate has sprung up in Canada over the controversial practice of gay conversion therapy. Cities and provinces have banned it, and now there is discussion over making the practice a criminal offence. We look at why conversion therapy is seen as harmful to the LGBTQ community, what it entails, and the legal questions around a push to criminalize it. Dave is joined by Edmonton Journal reporter Liane Faulder. Background reading: Conversion therapy: controversy swirls as definitions and dimensions remain elusive Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A scathing report for the federal ethics commissioner has brought the SNC Lavalin scandal back into the news cycle. And with a federal election looming, it could prove problematic for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. We look at what the report says, what new we have learned and what the fallout has been in Ottawa. Dave is joined by National Post federal politics reporter Brian Platt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

China is currently facing scrutiny for its actions against protesters in Hong Kong, but that isn’t the only human rights crackdown raising concern. In the northwest province of Xijiang, millions of people from a Muslim minority group known as Uyghurs have been detained in what the government calls re-education camps and some commentators call concentration camps. Uyghur students in Canada are fearful about the fate of their families back home, and what could happen to them when they eventually have to return to their country. We look at the treatment of Uyghurs in Xijiang province, how it is affecting students here and why they are speaking out. Dave is joined by Ottawa Citizen reporter Jacob Hoytema. Background reading: Uyghur students in Canada fear for their families in China — and their futures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should estheticians who offer services to women be allowed to refuse service to transgender women who have not yet gone through with reassignment surgery? That’s a question before the B.C. human rights tribunal, and one which has sparked controversy across the country. We look at how this case got started, why it is such a hot-button issue, and what the ramifications are. Dave is joined by National Post reporter Joseph Brean. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canada’s image on the international stage took a big hit in 2018 with Justin Trudeau’s disastrous, much-mailgned trip to India. But it goes deeper than that, with ambassadors and diplomats worried about how Trudeau’s approach to foreign relations damaging our place in the international community. Dave is joined by National Post parliamentary bureau chief John Ivison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 15, a young couple, Chynna Deese from North Carolina, and Lucas Fowler from Sydney, Australia, were found dead on the Alaska Highway in northern British Columbia. Four days later, the body of 64-year-old Leonard Dyck a lecturer at the University of British Columbia, was found 475 kilometres from the first crime scene. Once believed to be missing persons, 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky, both from Port Alberni, B.C., are now fugitives on the run from RCMP. Guest host Trevor Robb is joined by Vancouver Sun reporter Stephanie Ip. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Australian regulators have banned chiropractors from working on babies, the practice is growing in Canada. And with some training to practice spine manipulation on babies limited to 12 hours over the course of a weekend, some in the Canadian medical community are concerned. We look at the justification for the practice, what evidence there is to support it, and what Canadian regulators have to say. Dave is joined by National Post health writer Sharon Kirkey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the knocks against the federal Conservative party, rightly or wrongly, is that it’s not friendly to women. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tried to play up this division with initiatives like a gender-balanced cabinet, and targeting the party of Andrew Scheer over issues like abortion. We look at how some Conservative candidates are trying to break the stereotype, what inspired them to run, and what it means to the party in this election. Dave is joined by National Post politics reporter Marie Danielle Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A known killer walks out of a mental health facility on a day pass. He doesn’t return and it’s believed he has fled to China. The public isn’t even told this has happened for 11 days. You’d be forgiven for asking what the heck happened here. Because it did happen in Toronto, and officials are still demanding answers. Dave is joined by Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Canadians set to go to the polls this fall, the feds have unveiled plans detailing how they would respond to an attack on our democracy. Authorities in our country have watched the fallout from recent elections in countries like France and the United States and say they want to avoid any similar issues here. We look at the details of the plan, what attacks Canada could expect, and why protecting our elections is so important. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even in a city already filled with historic buildings, Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier hotel stands out as a favourite for many. But the national historic site has been embroiled in controversy over plans for a large addition at the back of the scenic property. Ottawa city council recently upheld a previously granted heritage permit for the addition, despite public outcry over the design. Many feel it stands out too much, or takes away from the historic look of the hotel. We look at why the addition has been so controversial, what the city’s stance is, and why the building is so important. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is humanity closer to unleashing the horror of the Planet of the Apes? That remains a nightmare scenario for the distant future, but genetic editing potentially takes us a small step closer. Dave talks to the National Post's Sharon Kirkey about how scientists are adding human stem cells to the brains of monkeys, why they’re actually doing this, and what potential ethical issues there are. Get one month of online access to the National Post free at nationalpost.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A potent, addictive drug is making a resurgence on the Prairies, and police are on alert. Within the last couple of years, methamphetamine has once again found itself on law enforcement radar, even as police are still dealing with the opioid epidemic. We look at what cities are dealing with the issue, what police are concerned about and what the draw for users is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A vacancy rate that has hit rock bottom, ever-rising rents, and a back-and-forth between the city and the province over how to fix the problem. No, we’re not talking about Toronto. Or Vancouver. We’re talking about Charlottetown. The capital of PEI is dealing with a vacancy rate lower than 1 per cent, and rents in some cases have doubled. We look at what’s driving the problem, what measures people are taking to be able to afford rent, and what solutions are being looked at. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you listen to the polling, as of right now Conservative leader Andrew Scheer stands a good chance of ousting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government this fall. But it’s not necessarily a clear path to victory. Dave is joined by Postmedia's Parliamentary bureau chief John Ivison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices