Front Burner

CBC•www.cbc.ca

Front Burner is a daily news podcast that takes you deep into the stories shaping Canada and the world. Each morning, from Monday to Friday, host Jayme Poisson talks with the smartest people covering the biggest stories to help you understand what’s going on.

We’re Canada’s number one news podcast and a trusted source of Canadian news. We cover Canadian news and Canadian politics, Pierre Poilievre, Mark Carney, the Donald Trump administration, the upcoming 2025 Canadian election, provincial politics from Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and politicians Danielle Smith, David Eby and Doug Ford.

We cover Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary as well as other municipalities across Canada. In this Canadian election year, Front Burner will be focusing more on Canadian politics. We will take a close look at Mark Carney’s first few weeks as Prime Minister-Designate, the Conservatives and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre as well as other leaders like Jagmeet Singh from the NDP and Quebec’s Yves-François Blanchet from the Bloc Québécois during the 2025 Canadian federal election.

The podcast goes beyond Ottawa and digs deeper into major election issues like U.S.-Canada relations, jobs, the economy, immigration, cost of living, housing and rental costs, taxes and tariffs, democracy and technology. The Front Burner daily podcast covers Canadian news from every province and territory: Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon.

We cover news from major cities like Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. When U.S. President Donald Trump declares he wants to make Canada the 51st state, and decides to implement tariffs, Front Burner has an analysis into what is happening. We cover Elon Musk’s DOGE. We cover the latest in technology from the rise of bitcoin and crypto, the future of TikTok, Meta, artificial intelligence, influencers, and more. Look to our archives to see fact-checked stories about infrastructure, fascism, border security, immigration, Pierre Poilievre, Justin Trudeau, the Republican Party, American politics, Canadian politics, India, China, Trump’s tariffs, Mark Carney, Elon Musk, Toronto, technology, artificial intelligence, international students, healthcare, and inflation. We cover global news like the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the ceasefire, the Ukraine-Russia war, and the U.S. economy and U.S. politics.

Front Burner is a part of your morning news routine. Whether you’re in Toronto or Vancouver or Washington, this is the news that matters to Canadians. We take a look at the economy and break it down from the budget to interest rate hikes to inflation to recessions to jobs to the cost of living. We look at the policy around housing, Canadian housing supply, and what this means for first-time home buyers, renters, and those with a mortgage. We look at technology, from AI to the manosphere to social media like Meta, Twitter, Facebook, and more. We look at influential newsmakers like Elon Musk and influential technology industries like crypto and AI.

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Episodes

Pope watch: who's next up?

Charles Collins discusses the Catholic Church's process of selecting a new Pope, the evolving demographics of the College of Cardinals, and the differing priorities between cardinals from the Global South and the West. He also touches on potential candidates and the challenges the next Pope will face, including navigating social issues and political polarization.

May 08, 2025•27 min

Mark Carney goes to Washington

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump had their first face-to-face meeting, amidst an ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S. The relationship between the two countries is at a historic low. On top of existing tariffs, Trump said on Monday that he wants to impose 100 per cent tariffs on movies produced outside the U.S. The move could have devastating implications for the Canadian film industry. On top of all that, there was the potential for things to go si...

May 07, 2025•23 min

Amnesty International chief on the fight for human rights

Dr. Agnès Callamard has been a leader in the human rights sector for decades, and since 2021 has worked in the role of Secretary General for Amnesty International. She joins the show to discuss doing human rights work at this difficult historical moment, the future of international law, Canada’s role on the world stage, the question of genocide, and some of the lessons that can be drawn from the world’s most precarious frontiers.  For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.c...

May 06, 2025•42 min

How 100 days of Trump is changing America

The first 100 days of Donald Trump’s second administration have been turbulent, controversial, and transformative. Today we’re joined by Alex Shephard, a senior editor at the New Republic, to take stock of the most consequential changes, their impact on the United States and its place in the world, and to what extent they are irreversible. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts...

May 05, 2025•29 min

Are you worried about U.S. travel?

This episode of Front Burner explores the rising concerns among Canadians regarding travel to the United States. It examines potential encounters at the border, the necessity of fear, and safe travel strategies. Hannah Sampson discusses legal rights, phone searches, and the economic impact on U.S. tourism, offering insights into navigating travel during this period of increased scrutiny.

May 02, 2025•25 min

Where does Pierre Poilievre go from here?

The Conservative Party of Canada is once again the Official Opposition. Now, the Tories are grappling with the disappointing results of Monday’s election. They lost to the Liberals after leading in the polls mere months ago and their party leader, Pierre Poilievre, failed to win in his own riding.  But it wasn’t a total loss. The Conservatives won 41 per cent of the popular vote, and picked up more seats than any other party, flipping both red and orange seats to blue.  Top Conservativ...

May 01, 2025•27 min

Mark Carney's next challenge: minority rule

The episode analyzes the implications of the Liberal's minority government win in Canada, exploring challenges and strategies moving forward. It discusses potential deals with other parties, the influence of Donald Trump, and the need to address cost of living concerns. The conversation also examines the future of the Liberal Party's coalition and potential shifts in voter sentiment.

Apr 30, 2025•23 min

Mark Carney wins, a country divided

A recap of the Canadian federal election results with Mark Carney leading the Liberal Party to victory. The discussion covers the split vote, the NDP's decline, Conservative gains, and the challenges of governing a divided country. The episode also analyzes the implications of a potential two-party system and the future of Canadian politics.

Apr 29, 2025•32 min

The road to election day

It’s election day. The campaign has been short, but it’s been packed with plenty of drama. From annexation talk and economic chaos to stunning polls reversals to internal party blowups.  Today we’re speaking with host of the The House podcast Catherine Cullen to spend a bit of time marveling at what an eventful several months this has been and talk about how things could have been different.   We’ll also get into what she’s looking for as the results come in.   Make sure to w...

Apr 28, 2025•33 min

Weekend listen: Power & Politics’ campaign wrap

It's almost election day, and our colleagues at Power and Politics have been putting out a weekly wrap, where political strategists break down what the biggest federal election stories actually mean for the campaign. This week, former Justin Trudeau adviser Laura D'Angelo, former Harper government staffer Michael Solberg and former Alberta NDP strategist Zain Velji talk platforms -- do they matter, at this stage in the campaign game? And especially for a party like the Conservatives, who keep po...

Apr 26, 2025•42 min

Cuts, spending, spin: The economics of party platforms

This episode of Front Burner dissects the costed platforms released by the Liberal and Conservative parties in the lead-up to the federal election. The discussion covers major spending items, projected deficits, and differing approaches to economic growth. It also explores the challenges of interpreting these platforms and their implications for voters.

Apr 25, 2025•28 min

The politics of the toxic drug crisis

Since 2016, the toxic drug crisis has taken more than 50 thousand Canadian lives. The Conservative party has promised $200-million a year to fund addictions recovery care for 50,000 people, according to the party's platform. Leader Pierre Poilievre has also vowed to “defund drug dens” – imposing strict new rules for overdose prevention sites and supervised consumption sites. Liberal leader Mark Carney has said that his party would review the effectiveness of such sites, while the federal NDP sup...

Apr 24, 2025•35 min

How different are the party platforms?

This episode breaks down the Liberal, Conservative, and NDP platforms, examining their promises on key issues like housing, climate change, cost of living, and crime. Experts analyze the proposed policies, highlighting the differences in approaches to increasing housing supply, meeting climate targets, and making life more affordable. The discussion also covers proposed tax cuts, economic stimulus measures, and approaches to tackling violent crime and online exploitation.

Apr 23, 2025•35 min

The legacy of Pope Francis

Pope Francis brought a lot of firsts to the Catholic Church. He was the first from Latin America, and under him, the church became increasingly globalized and diverse. He spoke up for LGBTQ rights, for the people of Gaza, and for migrants and refugees around the world. In 2022, he apologized for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's residential school system. But his death on Monday comes at a complicated time for the church. The Vatican is grappling with the new political direction in the Unit...

Apr 22, 2025•23 min

Do drugs belong in therapy?

On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now. More episodes of On Drugs are available at:  https://link.mgln.ai/Q5X33U

Apr 21, 2025•41 min

Recapping the high-stakes leaders' debate

As the federal election reaches the homestretch, four party leaders squared off in Montreal Thursday evening in the only English-language debate of the campaign. Liberal leader and polling frontrunner Mark Carney took heat from all sides as the Conservatives' Pierre Poilievre, the NDP's Jagmeet Singh and the Bloc's Yves-François Blanchet kept the barbs coming his way all night. Aaron Wherry is a senior writer with CBC's Ottawa bureau. He breaks down how everyone performed and what we learned fro...

Apr 18, 2025•30 min

A pre-debate state of the race

With just over a week until election day, Canada's main party leaders go head to head tonight in the only English language debate.  So, where does the campaign stand? Is anything shifting? How do people feel about the leaders at the moment? Where are parties drawing their biggest support and losses from?  David Coletto, the CEO of the polling firm Abacus Data, joins the show today to tell us what the latest polls are saying. He will rejoin the show as just one of several special guests...

Apr 17, 2025•26 min

When China and the U.S. fight, who wins?

A big part of Donald Trump’s global tariff regime targets the Chinese economy in a bid, he says, to force the country into a deal favorable to the United States. Despite this, officials in China have been undeterred — claiming that tariffs will hurt Americans more than Chinese, and drawing comparison between the actions of Donald Trump and Mao Zedong’s ‘cultural revolution.’ Chinese officials have also responded to Donald Trump’s tariff program saying, in part: “if war is what the U.S. wants, be...

Apr 16, 2025•41 min

The Conservative kingmaker behind Poilievre

Three terms and a decisive majority under Stephen Harper. Erin O'Toole's leadership run — and subsequent castigation. Pierre Poilievre's meteoric ascendency to within striking distance of the country's top office. What do these things all have in common? Jenni Byrne, the longtime Conservative powerbroker running Poilievre's campaign, who has moved in the party's inner circles since first joining the Reform Party at age 16. Simon Lewsen recently profiled Byrne for Maclean's. He takes us through h...

Apr 15, 2025•28 min

Election! Rallies, reporters, and tax havens

Election day in Canada is only two weeks away. All the major parties have been holding rallies across the country, with some Conservative supporters bringing “Do you believe the polls?” signs to a party event. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is facing scrutiny over limiting media access, and Liberal leader Mark Carney is facing questions about his time working in the private sector and billion-dollar funds he oversaw in tax havens. Rosemary Barton is the CBC’s chief political correspondent....

Apr 14, 2025•31 min

Weekend Listen: The deadliest attack you’ve forgotten. The investigation you never heard.

In the wake of 9/11, anthrax-laced letters unleashed a new wave of terror across the nation. But who was behind the attacks — and why has America nearly forgotten this story? As government buildings shut down and law enforcement scrambled to track the perpetrator, the FBI launched one of the largest and most complex investigations in its history. Untangling a web of scientific evidence and false leads, the case took unexpected turns with lasting consequences. From Wolf Entertainment, USG Audio, ...

Apr 12, 2025•38 min

What did Trump just do to the economy?

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on much of what he calls "reciprocal tariffs" barely a week after first imposing them — while also implementing a 10 per cent tariff across the board on most countries, and a whopping 145 per cent tariff on China. Markets first soared at the news, then went back into freefall. Members of Trump's cabinet claimed this was the strategy all along. The chaos even brought the stability of U.S. government bonds into question. Justin Wolfers, a profes...

Apr 11, 2025•26 min

The last time the U.S. tariffed the world

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on his sweeping global reciprocal tariffs for all countries, except for China. Trump has long expressed his love of tariffs. Just last week, he spoke about how believes the U.S. was founded on tariffs, and that they could have helped the country avoid the Great Depression. Then, referring to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, the President said: “They tried to bring back tariffs to save our country, but it was gone. It was gone...

Apr 10, 2025•23 min

Jason Kenney’s case for a Conservative government

Today our guest is Jason Kenney, the longtime federal Conservative MP and former United Conservative Party premier of Alberta.  Kenney worked closely for many years with now-Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre, and he has been outspoken on the trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump. So today we’re having him on to talk about tariffs, the Canadian election, and tensions within the Conservative movement. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit:  https://www.cbc.ca/radio/...

Apr 09, 2025•36 min

Election reignites pipeline politics

Donald Trump’s trade war has revived calls for the building of east-west pipelines within Canada, as a way for the country to unleash its natural resources and reduce its dependence on the U.S. as its key trading partner. But do the economics of building new pipelines — or the logistics, or the environmental realities — actually make sense here? And what are the parties actually saying about them? Today we’re speaking to Andrew Leach, an energy and environmental economist and an Associate Profes...

Apr 08, 2025•27 min

Trump’s global market meltdown, explained

U.S. President Trump’s latest and most severe tariffs have caused a bloodbath on the global markets and widespread economic anxiety. JP Morgan’s chief economist raised the odds of a global recession by the end of the year to 60 per cent, up from 40 per cent. People are looking at their jobs being eliminated in places like auto plants, and elsewhere in the manufacturing sector. Journalist Joe Weisenthal is the co-host of Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast. He’s here to explain the global mark...

Apr 07, 2025•25 min

Weekend Listen: Exposing the truth by living a lie

FBI undercover agent Scott Payne’s job was to infiltrate the most dangerous gangs of our times: outlaw bikers, drug cartels and the international neo-Nazi networks hellbent on inciting a race war.  He was taking down these groups from within. And Scott was good at it — people confided in him their most audacious plans for mass violence and domestic terrorism. In the second season of White Hot Hate, host Michelle Shephard gives you an unvarnished view of a life undercover. Because after a 28...

Apr 05, 2025•32 min

Election! Fallout from Trump’s trade bomb

Canada may have dodged the worst of Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs, but it didn’t emerge unscathed. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that he is going ahead with a 25 per cent tariff on "all foreign-made" automobiles – a devastating blow for the Canadian auto sector, plunging it into uncertainty. Aaron Wherry, a senior writer with the CBC’s parliamentary bureau, joins the show to discuss the fallout from Trump’s latest levies, how Canada’s political leaders are responding and what it all mea...

Apr 04, 2025•29 min

Trump's trade war goes global

In the culmination of countless speeches, tweets and campaign promises, U.S. president Donald Trump has finally unveiled sweeping tariffs on goods imported into the country — from nearly every country it does business with. He dubbed it "Liberation Day," calling it the start of a new era of economic independence for the United States, saying it will bring jobs and industry back to the country. But some economists say the tariffs will throw international trade into chaos, with unpredictable knock...

Apr 03, 2025•29 min

Yale fascism expert on fleeing to Canada

Last week one of the U.S.’s leading scholars and thinkers on fascism announced his intention to leave his country, which he said was “tilting toward authoritarian dictatorship.” Jason Stanley will be leaving Yale and taking up a post at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.  Stanley has been warning about the threat and rise of fascism in the United States since Donald Trump’s first term – his work notes the throughline between American Jim Crow and the Third Reich, fas...

Apr 02, 2025•30 min

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