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 each other, a retired teacher leads resistance in a story about what happens when online extremism spills into the real world. Hosted by Rachel Browne. Crime. Investigation. Revelation. Uncover brings you explosive, high-caliber true crime year-round. From CIA mind control to serial abuse, myst...
May 18, 2026•39 min
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 support.” So what happens now? What kind of pain will Iran be able to tolerate? And how can the U.S. get itself out of this quagmire? The Economist’s Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom joins us to discuss the latest. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/fro...
May 15, 2026•26 min
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 war and the target of an incredibly hostile White House that casts universities and professors as the enemy. He discusses the limits of free speech, his views on civility, artificial intelligence and more. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transc...
May 14, 2026•38 min
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 Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg. There’s a lot on the line. The two countries have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat trade war for years – which escalated last year after Trump’s Liberation day tariffs. They came to a truce in the fall but the relationship is still fraught. In addition, the war in Iran l...
May 13, 2026•29 min
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 improve air travel for Canadians. But a number of critics have come out against the idea. One of them is veteran journalist and activist Linda McQuaig, author of ‘The Sport and Prey of Capitalists: How the Rich Are Stealing Canada’s Public Wealth’. She joins us to talk about what the govern...
May 12, 2026•26 min
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 around using it. Many jobs now include the use of AI. Today, we are talking about that tension and more with technology ethicist Tristan Harris. He’s been sounding the alarm about AI growth, arguing that the tech industry is currently in a dangerous race without the proper checks and that th...
May 11, 2026•30 min
On the week where Alberta separatists should have been celebrating a major milestone on their quest to split the country apart, they are instead facing a police investigation and the anger of people across the political spectrum. Separatist group the Centurion Project released the names, addresses and phone numbers of all eligible voters in the province during a political recruitment gambit that could undermine their whole mission. We’re joined by Jason Markusoff who covers Alberta politics for ...
May 08, 2026•29 min
The Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act, passed in 1964 and 1965 respectively, marked the beginning of multi-racial democracy in the United States. But in the decades since, those achievements have been steadily contested. Just days ago, The U.S. Supreme Court dealt yet another blow to the Voting Rights Act with a decision regarding the Louisiana congressional map. Many experts say the Voting Rights Act is facing an existential moment where it stands to be narrowed, marginalized, and legislat...
May 07, 2026•31 min
Australia was the first country to adopt a ban. Canada’s federal government is signaling that something is coming from them soon. A recent Angus Reid poll found 75 per cent of Canadians support the idea. But even among those who acknowledge the harm social media causes for young people, the answer is not so clear cut. We’re joined by Taylor Owen, the Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications at McGill University. He’s a part of the federal government’s expert advisory group on online...
May 06, 2026•36 min
He was “Captain Canada” last year and at one point, the most popular conservative in Canada. But now Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s taken a hit in the polls after a series of decisions that include the purchase and almost immediate sale of a $28.9-million private jet that his critics are calling the “gravy plane”. Two recent polls have seen the Ontario PCs drop enough to find themselves almost on par with the Liberals, a party that’s currently helmed by an interim leader. Doug Ford’s personal appro...
May 05, 2026•30 min
We are entering week two of a dramatic trial that pits two of the biggest names in tech against each other: Elon Musk and Sam Altman. Musk is suing OpenAI, a company that he co-founded, claiming they betrayed their original mission in order to chase profits. According to him, the fate of the world is at stake. But OpenAI says it’s all sour grapes, and that he's just upset that they did so well after he stepped down. New York Times technology correspondent Mike Isaac has been covering the trial i...
May 04, 2026•28 min
Following the recent shooting connected to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, false-flag conspiracy theories emerged almost instantly online. A false-flag is a covert operation designed to appear as though it was carried out by someone other than the true perpetrator. And the complicated thing is that false-flag operations are not just the figments of paranoid imagination. Throughout history, governments have used deception, staged attacks, and manipulated attribution to justify war, consol...
May 01, 2026•32 min
The shockwaves triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran have made clear the extent to which the global economy relies on oil, and the U.S. dollar. It’s no accident. So today we are going to try and understand how and why the U.S. and Saudi Arabia created this system, and how severely it’s being tested by this war. David Wight is our guest. He’s a lecturer at the University of North Carolina Greensboro and the author of Oil Money: Middle East Petrodollars and the Transformation of U.S. Empire, 1...
Apr 30, 2026•27 min
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has delivered its spring economic update amidst an unpredictable global backdrop. It included a better-than-expected deficit figure and billions of dollars for skilled trades workers, as well as a sovereign wealth fund. Senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong breaks down what the document tells us about Canada’s finances and the Liberal government’s priorities. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transc...
Apr 29, 2026•28 min
For years, Jim Balsillie has been one of the loudest voices in the country to speak out about how data is being used to concentrate wealth and power, and to manipulate our behaviour. That’s included helping the province of Manitoba take aim at algorithmic or surveillance pricing, where businesses offer different prices based on consumers' personal data. As well as being the former Research In Motion co-CEO, Jim is the founder of the Canadian Shield Institute, which is a non-partisan organization...
Apr 28, 2026•27 min
On Saturday night, as U.S. President Donald Trump sat on a dais in front of a room full of journalists, gunshots were heard inside the building. An armed man was taken down by Secret Service members, and the President was evacuated, unharmed. Paul Hunter was there, and describes what happened in that room, and what to make of what may be the third attempt on Trump’s life. Paul is CBC's senior Washington correspondent and co-host of the podcast Two Blocks from the White House. Find Two Blocks fro...
Apr 27, 2026•36 min
Nearly two months into the war on Iran one thing remains clear: Iran has secured strategic leverage that before this war began, seemed unlikely. And it's left many asking why the United States’ military - the most powerful in the history of the world — so often finds itself unable to win wars or satisfy its strategic objectives? All kinds of military analysts and historians believe the U.S. has lost or failed to meet its strategic objectives in virtually every war it has participated in since 19...
Apr 24, 2026•31 min
In his 14 months as director of the FBI, Kash Patel has not only overseen a radical transformation of the bureau, but has also embroiled himself in a seemingly endless list of controversies. Late last week, The Atlantic published a scathing story with allegations of erratic behavior, excessive drinking, and unexplained absences. In response, Patel filed a $250 million defamation suit against the magazine, accusing it of publishing false and damaging claims. Reporter Marc Fisher joins us to talk ...
Apr 23, 2026•31 min
A conflict playing out in British Columbia is testing the limits of reconciliation in the province. It’s a fight that involves resource extraction, democracy, political flip-flops, and a test of values. It has set off fears that people may not own their homes and raised the legal prospect that Indigenous groups could veto laws around resource extraction. Others have called this fearmongering, and it has many Indigenous people and leaders asking if the province takes reconciliation seriously. Rob...
Apr 22, 2026•36 min
Jayme sits down with Nobel laureate economist, Daron Acemoglu, a professor at MIT, and one of the leading thinkers about labour, politics and technology. He’s the author of the best-selling book “Why Nations Fail” and the forthcoming work “What Happened to Liberal Democracy?”. They talk about the decline of western liberal democracy, the alienation of the working class, AI, and more. This was a live conversation at a summit put on by OCAD and Toronto Metropolitan University called the Democracy ...
Apr 21, 2026•28 min
During the spring, farmers around the globe work to get the seeds and enough fertilizer in the ground to maintain the growing season. If that doesn't happen, food prices spike and farmers could face lower crop yields. That is very much at risk of happening right now because of the Strait of Hormuz’s closure. About a third of the world’s seaborne fertilizer goes through the strait and prices have skyrocketed. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization warns that this could lead to a global food c...
Apr 20, 2026•24 min
U.S. President Trump announced Thursday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, following diplomatic talks in Washington. This follows an intense period of violence, in which more than 2100 people have been killed in Lebanon, including a Canadian citizen. Prime Minister Mark Carney has condemned Israel’s actions in Lebanon, which he characterized as an illegal invasion. CBC’s Evan Dyer says that’s a major change from how Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau spoke ...
Apr 17, 2026•35 min
The energy crisis spurred by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz is wreaking economic havoc on much of the world; especially in Asia and Europe, where shortages have already forced people to ration fuel, travel less for work, and pay more for food. And it could all get even worse, because this week, after ceasefire talks fell apart, the Trump administration imposed a blockade of its own. Now, as both countries play a high stakes game of chicken on the Strait, many questions remain. What ships...
Apr 16, 2026•23 min
Pope Leo has once again criticized the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, saying “I don’t think the message of the gospel is meant to be abused in the way some people are doing, and I will continue to speak out loudly against war.” This is not the first time the pontiff has criticized Trump's behaviour and policies. Trump responded with a Truth Social post calling the Pope “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy”. Trump later posted and deleted an image depicting himself as a Christ-like figure. R...
Apr 15, 2026•35 min
With last night’s byelection wins, Prime Minister Mark Carney is now leading a majority government. But after five floor crossers joined the Liberals, spanning from the NDP to the social conservative wing of the Conservative party, there are questions around what exactly that government stands for. Aaron Wherry is a senior writer with CBC’s parliamentary bureau. He’s here to talk about how a majority will change things for the Liberals, and what Carney’s big tent looks like. For transcripts of F...
Apr 14, 2026•29 min
After a fourth Conservative MP crossed over last week, the Liberals are now only one seat shy of an official majority. And with two out of three byelections taking place today in safe Liberal ridings, it’s widely expected that Mark Carney and the Liberals will get their majority government after the results come in. Tonda MacCharles is the Toronto Star’s Ottawa bureau chief. She’s here to talk about the challenges facing Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whether he can keep his caucus in lin...
Apr 13, 2026•27 min
After six weeks of war and a fragile ceasefire Iran is going into high-level talks with the U.S. battered but defiant. Whether any kind of real agreement can be reached remains to be seen. The U.S. and Iran are extremely far apart in their demands. Vali Nasr is a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins University and the author of “Iran’s Grand Strategy: A Political History”. He joins us to talk about why Iran’s leadership remains steadfast and what the war ha...
Apr 10, 2026•27 min
By the end of the day on Wednesday, the tenuous ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. was already being tested. Israel continued to bomb Lebanon heavily, and Iran attacked Gulf countries. There was confusion over whether the Strait of Hormuz was open or not. And then there are the larger questions. What was the real cost of this war? Who came out on top? Today on the show The Economist geopolitics editor David Rennie is here. He also talks about the shape of this deal and whether it resolves any o...
Apr 09, 2026•31 min
Today on the show we are going to talk about a grave threat made by U.S. President Donald Trump towards Iran where he wrote that unless the Strait of Hormuz is opened up “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” It set off a whole day of worried speculation. Could this mean the obliteration of Iran’s energy grid and water plants? A nuclear strike? Or could it be some incredibly high stakes bluster in search of an off-ramp? On Tuesday evening the picture got margina...
Apr 08, 2026•33 min
Today, a check-in on Israel’s expanding wars in Iran and Lebanon, violence in the West Bank and details of a new law that could see the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks. Jayme welcomes Israeli journalist Meron Rapoport back to the show. Meron has been reporting on Israel for over 30 years, and was formerly the head of news at Israel's Ha’aretz newspaper. He’s now an editor with the Hebrew-language news site Local Call. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: http...
Apr 07, 2026•30 min
