The Current

As tech companies shift towards innovations in artificial intelligence, companies like Amazon, Meta and IBM have announced tens of thousands job cuts. And this is having a trickle down effect on entry-level positions. We speak with Bibi Souza, a Vancouver software engineer and BC’s head of Women in Tech, about how the work of junior engineers has been on the decline with the adoption of AI tools that can code. We also speak with Sandra Lavoy, a manager with the global recruitment agency, Robert Half, about how to break into this challenging job market.

Did you know that your vehicle won’t have been properly safety tested for female drivers or passengers? That’s because all the modern safety features we have like airbags and seatbelts have all been designed to protect the average male body. We speak with Chris O’Connor, who’s known as “the father of the modern crash test dummy” about how his company is changing that by designing the first-ever female crash test dummy.

As we all gear up to spend money on gifts this holiday season — we might be tempted by the many retailers offering some sort of "buy now, pay later" program at their online checkout. Recently, Paypal has started offering it in Canada. And while it can be appealing, as an interest-free way to purchase big-ticket items, financial experts Shannon Lee Simmons and Bruce Sellery warn that it can also lead to overspending — as we indulge in an ever-escalating list of "wants" as opposed to "needs."

Deadly boat strikes, U.S. warships in the Caribbean, and now President Donald Trump is threatening to stop Venezuelan narco-traffickers on land. As the pressure to oust President Nicolas Maduro mounts, we speak with Phil Gunson, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, in Caracas about the possible outcome of a forced regime change and what Venezuelans want.

Dave Bidini on what it means to be Canadian, why he loves the Great Lakes and what it was like to collaborate with some of Canada's most celebrated artists including Inuk throat singer and novelist Tanya Tagaq; poet and storyteller Chief Stacey LaForme; and the late Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip.

At hearings in Washington, American business groups say that, despite some irritants, they like North American free trade. But U.S. President Donald Trump says he's willing to walk away from the three-way deal, if Canada and Mexico don't bend to his demands.

For the third time in 40 years team Canada has qualified for the World Cup, but who will they play? How good is this squad and what is their ceiling in the upcoming World Cup? We take a look at arguably the best men's soccer team ever as Canada gears up to co-host its first World Cup.

We are bringing you some actually good news and a new drug that is showing incredible promise in fighting HIV/AIDS. It's called lenacapavir. It's not available in Canada yet, but it's getting its first real-world test in three African countries. We talk to Dr Darrell Tan, a leading Canadian HIV prevention researcher about the promise of lenacapavir, and why Canadian doctors should be doing more to make sure HIV prevention drugs get to the people who need them most. And Dr Catherine Martin, a senior researcher with Wits Reproductive Health and HIV in Johannesburg.

The CBC's annual campaign, Make the Season Kind, to support local food banks is on right now. We'll talk to our producer Anne Penman, who has coordinated the CBC British Columbia food bank fundraiser for 39 years, about the growing need and how you can help. If you want to contribute to your local food bank, go to cbc.ca/kind, or you can donate by texting KIND to 20222.

There’s been at least 16 storms since the start of the year across Asia. Most recently a series of cyclones, monsoons and floods have killed more than 1,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Hundreds are still missing, hundreds of thousands are displaced, and several million are impacted. We speak with Lesthia Kertopati, senior journalist for BBC Indonesia about how days after the storm many on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are still desperately looking for their loved ones — and the challenges in the way of relief efforts.

Volunteer firefighters on Pender Island, B.C. are getting plenty of attention for some of their fire safety videos that have remade an iconic scene from the film Twilight to get their message across. We speak with Todd Bulled, the volunteer firefighter behind the videos about where the inspiration came from.

Imagine your toddler playing with a soft teddy bear, but with ChatGPT baked in. These AI toys can chat to your kid, play games, and even say ‘I love you.’ But as more of them hit the market, experts are warning that we don’t know how they will impact a child’s creativity and social development — while a recent report found that one toy was able to engage in sexually explicit or even dangerous conversations.

The leader of the BC Conservatives, John Rustad says he's not going anywhere. His party says they've voted in a new leader and Rustad is out. We hear from Rob Shaw about a very confusing day in British Columbia politics.

Buying Canadian has been top of mind this year — but some people are warning that it might not survive the holiday season. With the cost of living crisis and holiday expenses, some research suggests people do want to buy Canadian — but don't always follow through with their wallet. We speak with a couple local business owners about how impactful the Buy Canada movement has been on their companies, and with an expert to unpack what the gap is between what Canadians want to buy, and what they actually do buy.

Podcaster, professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway believes young men are struggling with feelings of alienation, loneliness, and failure. And that's a danger to all of us, especially when they buy into the dangerous rhetoric they hear online. We talk to him about his new book, Notes on Being a Man, what he's learned from his own life, and why this is such a passionate mission for him.

We grow a lot of wheat in Canada and export most of it. Could we do more value-added processing here? In central Alberta, that's the hope as a new flour mill gets built south of Red Deer.

Generic GLP1-1s  are set to come to Canada next year — significantly lowering the price. What will this mean for people's lives and health?  With as many as ten per cent of Canadian adults on these drugs — we look at how consumer spending is changing.

Algoma Steel has announced 1,000 layoffs in the coming months even though it received millions of dollars in taxpayer dollars. We talk to the Union president Bill Slater, and Mayor Matthew Shoemaker to discuss what happens next in the community.

Exclusive data collected by CBC shows absenteeism from school is on the rise in Canada, but why are kids missing school? Parents and researchers say it's hard to know for sure, but youth mental health and a lack of support for different learning needs at school is part of the problem.

Christian churches across Canada say more young people are turning to faith — reversing a decades long trend. Current producer Juliana Konrad wanted to find out why and talked to young people, church leaders, and experts about why Gen Z is turning to Christianity — and what it says about what it means to be young today and face an uncertain future.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a case about the time limits it placed on criminal trials in 2016. Victims who watched those they accused walk free are demanding change — and justice. But a criminal defence lawyer says governments need to fix the justice system, not violate the rights of the accused.

Is it the airlines? The airports? The regulators? Or us? U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is urging airplane passengers to dress and behave better to bring back the "golden age" of travel.

A 70 year old American woman — died alone in a Montana hospital  Susie Silvestri put her home up for sale so she could afford to come to a private, unregulated health centre in Moose Jaw. She eventually was forced to flee Canada after falling through gaps in Saskatchewan’s health care system. The CBC’s investigative reporter Geoff Leo shares Susie’s story.

Scientists have discovered our brain organizes itself differently based on different life stages, with some stages working more efficiently than others. A new study from the University of Cambridge identified five main brain "eras" - child, adolescent, adult, early ageing, and late ageing. We speak with the lead author of the study to find out more about these stages and what this research might mean for mental health and dementia research.

Our National Affairs Panel gets you caught up on all the latest politics.  Rosemary Barton,  CBC's Chief Political Correspondent, Stephanie Levitz, the Globe and Mail's Senior Reporter in the Ottawa bureau and Ryan Tumilty a political reporter with the Toronto Star join host Matt Galloway.

The Quebec government tabled a new secularism legislation that would impose strict rules about religious expression in public. This comes on top of the current ban of religious symbols worn by teachers, judges and police officers. The province says the changes will ensure equality, but religious groups argue the opposite is happening. We speak with Michel C. Auger, columnist at La Presse and a regular commentator for Radio-Canada about the implications of this law.

We might be getting closer to understanding how those giant heads on Easter Island ended up there — and no, it’s not aliens! Instead they may have “walked” with the help of ropes. We speak with Carl Lipo, professor of anthropology at Binghamton University in New York, and Terry Hunt, professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona. They have been researching for an answer for more than two decades, and now published two studies with new information about how the moai of Easter Island were built and moved around

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were all smiles in Calgary on Thursday as they inked an energy deal that promises a new era of cooperation.The memorandum of understanding is aimed at clearing a path toward a new oil pipeline from Alberta to the west coast and Asian markets.That path gets rocky in British Columbia. We speak with former Alberta premier Jason Kenney about why he thinks this pipeline is necessary for Canada's economy. Then, we hear from Chief Maureen Nyce of the Haisla Nation about how far they're willing to go to make sure this pipeline doesn't go ahead.

Toronto journalist Anna Mehler Paperny had experimental surgery that placed electrodes in her brain in the exact location neurologists believe could be the source of her depression. She's part of a clinical study out of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre that uses deep brain stimulation to treat mood disorders. She speaks about the procedure and her hopes that the study, a first of its kind in Canada — will lead to a better understanding of the physiology of depression and its treatment.

The veteran politician says we are living through a time of upheaval, but he still has hope, as he leaves his post at the United Nations. "If I fall into pessimism or cynicism, then all I'm doing is basically giving up the space to the people who I know would like to do bad things."

Thomas King was one of Canada's best-known Indigenous writers. But it turns out he is not Indigenous at all. His books, including The Inconvenient Indian and Green Grass, Running Water were critically acclaimed and taught in schools. We speak to Anishnaabe writer and humourist Drew Hayden Taylor who considers Thomas King a friend and mentor, and scholar Kim Tallbear of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate nation about why these kinds of revelations keep coming — and what needs to change.

Firefighters in Hong Kong battled a deadly blaze for a second day today. At least 65 people are confirmed dead, but there may be hundreds still missing. The Wang Fuk Court public housing complex is home to nearly 5000 people. Three construction company employees have been arrested for manslaughter. We speak with James Griffiths, the Asia correspondent for the Globe and Mail in Hong Kong.

For many, the raccoon is a pest, a pesky critter getting into your garbage, your attic, anywhere it doesn't belong. But for some these little trash pandas are pets, not pests. Turns out there's new science to support the idea that raccoons are moving towards domestication. Hear from a raccoon owner about the joys of raising these wild creatures - and what the science tells us about how humans are helping move raccoons from outside nuisance to inside companions.

As Washington continues to negotiate between Ukraine and Russia, a Ukrainian MP hopes diplomacy can end the war and secure his country's future. But a Russia watcher says getting Putin to lay down his arms won't be easy.

When Allan Brooks opened ChatGPT to help his son with a simple question, he didn’t expect the conversation to turn dark. But over three weeks, he says the chatbot fed into a growing delusion – telling him “You are not crazy. You are ahead.” and urging him not to “walk away” from what it framed as a world-changing discovery. The experience left Allan with severe psychological fallout, and he’s now suing OpenAI. We speak with Allan about how he spiralled into delusions and what his case reveals about the risks of emotionally persuasive AI systems.

He built a global company from Waterloo, Ont. and he says more Canadian businesses could do the same, if they didn't keep making the same strategic mistake. The former co-CEO or Research in Motion argues Canadian businesses and policy-makers aren't doing enough to create and protect its intellectual property — and that's holding us back more than tariffs. We talk to him about why he's an economic nationalist — and what it will take to bring Canada's economy into the 21st century.

A grizzly bear attacked a school group in a remote Indigenous community in central B.C. last week — and it brought to light an ongoing debate about what the best way to manage and co-exist with grizzly bears is. Some think hunting should be allowed back on the table — others say there's ways to co-exist with bears safely without resorting to killing them.

There’s fear and frustration in Surrey, BC..The city is facing a wave of violent extortion threats that have been gripping the province for the last two years. We speak with CBC’s Sohrab Sandhu about how the community is feeling. B.C. RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer talks about whether law enforcement is doing enough and criminologist Wade Deisman takes a look at what the motive behind the violence might be.

Ryan Wedding is now at the centre of one of the biggest international crime investigations in the world. He's wanted in connection with multiple drug and conspiracy crimes, including ordering and orchestrating murder. He's one of the FBI's most wanted criminals and there's a reward of up to $10 million US for any information that could help catch him. We speak with journalist Jesse Hyde who's been covering Wedding for over a decade about how he went from Olympian to alleged drug kingpin.

For decades Bill McKibben has been warning the world about the risks of climate change. But his latest book is surprisingly hopeful, even if he does think it's too late to save the world from climate change. "Here Comes The Sun" documents the remarkable growth of solar power — and the dramatic drop in its cost. He joins us for a conversation about where the solar revolution is going — and what keeps him hopeful about the future of humanity.

Jad Abumrad’s new podcast, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, digs into Fela Kuti’s life, the good and the bad because he not only pioneered Afrobeat and pushed against the impacts of colonialism but he was also a deeply complicated and flawed man who left a wake of inspiration and trauma.

Alberta says allowing doctors to work in the public system and bill patients privately will shorten wait times for everyone, while keeping costs down. But critics — including many Alberta doctors — say the plan will make care worse for everyone.

Murad al-Katib started his pulse crop business in his basement. Now it's worth $3B a year and in 120 countries. At a time when many Canadian businesses are trying to diversify their markets, and get into value-added manufacturing, al-Katib's company AGT has actually done it. He's built rail infrastructure, manufacturing businesses, and partnerships around the world. He talks about the secret of his success, and why Canadians one day may thank Donald Trump for shaking us out of our complacency.

Louise Penny’s new novel explores a sinister plot to make Canada the 51st state, but she’s keen to point out that she wrote it before Donald Trump was re-elected as U.S. president. She spoke with Matt Galloway live on stage at the Haskell Free Library — right on the U.S.-Canada border — about life imitating art, and why she cancelled her U.S. book tour. They're joined on stage by Montreal singer-songwriter Patrick Watson, to discuss the intersection of art and politics.This special bonus podcast episode was recorded with a live audience at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a unique venue straddling the border between Quebec and Vermont.

A black line on the floor marks the U.S.-Canada border that runs through the Haskell Free Library, and through the lives of the people who live in Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont.Matt Galloway hosts a live show in this unique venue, after months of simmering political tensions that have tested the enduring friendship of the two countries. We hear from bestselling author Louise Penny, musical guest Patrick Watson and local residents who live the reality of the border line, every day.

A surgical team at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto has started doing brain angiograms using a remote-controlled robot. We speak with Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira, the neurosurgeon who has performed 10 of the procedures, and Nicole Cancelliere, a robotic medical radiation technologist at Unity Health Hospitals, about the potential of the technology, and how it can save lives and save the health system money by offering access to neurosurgical care to people living in remote communities.

In her new book How My Dog Saved My Life, former CBC producer Cate Cochran tells 30 Canadian stories of dogs who have changed everything for their humans, saving their lives literally and figuratively. We'll meet some of these remarkable canines, including a black lab and golden retriever mix named Foreman who's trained to provide medical assistance for his owner, Sinead Zalitach. Sinead was born with an extremely rare congenital condition called Parkes Weber syndrome and Foreman is so attuned to her that he knows she's in trouble before she does.

New Brunswick is one of the provinces most vulnerable to US tariffs. And they’re hitting wood product makers and soft-wood harvesters the hardest. We'll hear from James McKenna, who owns a kitchen cabinet business, about how he's trying to keep his company afloat in the face of 50 per cent tariffs coming in January. Then Premier Susan Holt will tell us what the province is doing to help and what kind of support she's expecting from the federal government. 

The women who survived sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein have been demanding accountability. Now Congress is acting, voting to release the government's files on the powerful and connected sex offender. Anti-trafficking advocate Lauren Hersh says that's in part thanks to the women's bravery.

Two weeks ago, anti-corruption investigators in Ukraine revealed allegations that men close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received $100 million US in kickbacks through a state energy company. The list includes a friend from Zelenskyy's comedian days, who co-owned his production studio. Tim Mak, editor of The Counteroffensive, notes that people are outraged in the country because corruption is the animating force in Ukrainian politics. Simon Shuster, a Zelenskyy biographer, says the president has a history of giving people second chances, but in the middle of a scandal like this, that might come back to bite him.