Hot Politics!

To wrap up the first season of Hot Politics, host David McKie's guest is no other than Canada's National Observer's columnist and sister podcast Maxed Out's host, Max Fawcett.Recent days have witnessed politicians recognizing partisanship. Former leader of the Conservative Party Erin O'Toole and former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney both delivered speeches about divisiveness and nastiness, particularly on social media.Max joins David to discuss how the divide is not just hurting the public perception of politicians but democracy itself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Haida Gwaii is a stretch of islands teeming with life just off the coast of British Columbia. The land, its skies, and the bodies of water around it have been protected for thousands of years by local Haida guardians. Protecting Haida Gwaii is a story about a First Nation that continues the fight for its rights, despite having inhabited the territory for thousands of years. Read more about Haida Gwaii at Canada’s National Observer. Written by Brandi MorinEdited by Zahra KhozemaCover art by Ata Ojai Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harvesting critical minerals from the ocean bottom — five kilometers below the surface — is the newest frontier. The minerals found in rocks on the ocean floor are the lifeblood of solar, wind and electric batteries. But what do we know about the ocean bottom? Does anything live there? David McKie explores the issues around seabed mining. How important is it to the efforts to stop using fossil fuels? Can it be done without damaging the seabed? And with companies ready to start harvesting, do we know enough about the risks to the underwater ecosystem? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There aren't many people in Canada unfamiliar with the name David Suzuki. The outspoken environmentalist and passionate educator is best known for hosting CBC's The Nature of Things. At the age of 87, he's still angry and calling on people to be better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ontario's Greenbelt has been protected for more than 20 years. It includes some of the best farmland in Canada, and both Conservative and Liberal governments have worked hard to make it an environmental treasure. Now it seems, none of that matters. Premier Doug Ford has decided that developing the Greenbelt is key to the housing crisis and is even giving developers a tax break. We hear from municipalities who are not just upset about the environmental destruction, but angry that the tax break to developers could result in higher property taxes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To wrap up the first season of Hot Politics, host David McKie's guest is no other than Canada's National Observer's columnist and sister podcast Maxed Out's host, Max Fawcett. Recent days have witnessed politicians recognizing partisanship. Former leader of the Conservative Party Erin O'Toole and former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney both delivered speeches about divisiveness and nastiness, particularly on social media. Max joins David to discuss how the divide is not just hurting the public perception of politicians but democracy itself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did China attempt to interfere in Canada's elections? Should there be a judicial inquiry? David Johnston, the Special Rapporteur appointed by the Prime Minister, resigned on Friday. What's next? David McKie talks with security and intelligence reporter Jim Bronskill and former senior national security official Artur Wilczynski to sort it all out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May holds the record for the longest-serving female leader of a Canadian federal party. But in 2019, she stepped down. There was turmoil in Green Party. When her replacement quit after the party had its worst election in decades, May returned to the job she held for 13 years. In an exclusive one-on-one chat with the party leader, David McKie explores that decision and asks if she will stay.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do we all need to give up eating meat? After all, how we produce and consume animal products has significant environmental consequences like deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and excessive use of resources like land and water. David Mckie's guests on this episode of Hot Politics explain how we can keep eating meat while transitioning to more sustainable production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fossil fuel industry says carbon capture is the key to getting to zero emissions by 2050. Governments seem to agree - providing grants and tax credits to the industry. But is it? David McKie examines what exactly happens with carbon capture and talks with two people who say it is not a cost-effective way to get to zero emissions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Harvesting critical minerals from the ocean bottom — five kilometers below the surface — is the newest frontier. The minerals found in rocks on the ocean floor are the lifeblood of solar, wind and electric batteries. But what do we know about the ocean bottom? Does anything live there? David McKie explores the issues around seabed mining. How important is it to the efforts to stop using fossil fuels? Can it be done without damaging the seabed? And with companies ready to start harvesting, do we know enough about the risks to the underwater ecosystem? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada’s conservatives gathered in Ottawa recently to talk policy and brainstorm what they need to do to win power during the next general election. There was a lot said about the evils of the carbon tax, the suffering of ordinary Canadians and the failures of the Trudeau government policies. David McKie examines whether it sounds like they are ready to lead the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ontario's Greenbelt has been protected for more than 20 years. It includes some of the best farmland in Canada, and both Conservative and Liberal governments have worked hard to make it an environmental treasure. Now it seems, none of that matters. Premier Doug Ford has decided that developing the Greenbelt is key to the housing crisis and is even giving developers a tax break. Municipalities are not just upset about the environmental destruction, they are angry the tax break to developers could result in higher property taxes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There aren't many people in Canada unfamiliar with the name David Suzuki. The outspoken environmentalist and passionate educator is best known for hosting CBC's the Nature of Things. At the age of 87, he's still angry and calling on people to be better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent decision to close fish farms in the Discovery Islands of British Columbia was long-awaited and controversial. Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joyce Murray talked to Hot Politics about the risk to juvenile salmon swimming past the fish farms to the ocean. Her conclusion, based on various scientific reports, resulted in taking a precautionary approach to the risk and refusing to renew fish farm licences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Farming is tough. And in the middle of a climate emergency causing floods and droughts, farmers are looking for ways to look after the land while looking after their livelihood. A new approach to both these problems is making a difference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Researchers in the U.K. wanted to find just how much climate disinformation on Twitter is out there. They looked at the platform's data over seven years and found it worsened yearly. Another researcher in the U.K. is part of an international group that collaborates on tracking disinformation on climate change in real-time. They tracked disinformation at COP26 and COP27, the international conference dealing with the climate crisis. Wait until you hear what they found. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we unwind into the holidays, we'd like to bring your attention to another Canada’s National Observer creation: This true crime climate podcast is called The Salmon People. The investigation, by Sandra Bartlett, our Managing Producer for podcasts, takes us just off the coast of British Columbia, where wild salmon started dying by the millions. We follow an unlikely detective - a whale biologist - Alexandra Morton - who battles against government, industry and multinational corporations to save Canada’s wild salmon population. You can binge the entire series on your favourite podcast streaming platform.Hot Politics and The Salmon People are made possible by listeners like you. If you’ve supported the podcast already, thank you. If you haven’t, click here to donate what you can to help us keep producing valuable journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

COP15 - the U.N. conference on protecting nature and the planet's animals. Like the Paris conference that extracted promises on fossil fuel emissions this conference wanted promises on the ecosystem. Did they get it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How far back does disinformation go? You'll be surprised to learn the fossil fuel industry began their efforts to control the way people think about them more than a 100 years ago. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.