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

The 'agonizing' front lines of Edmonton's 2nd wave

New restrictions have been announced in Alberta as the province struggles with the highest rate of new coronavirus infections in the country. As hospitalizations rise, we check in with two Edmonton doctors on the front lines of the pandemic, to hear about the impact they're seeing the virus have up close: Dr. Darren Markand is an intensive care unit physician, and Dr. Shazma Mithani is an emergency room physician and the spokesperson for the section of emergency medicine within the Alberta Medic...

Dec 09, 2020•21 min

COVID-19 puts Big Tech under the microscope, again

The wildfire spread of misinformation about COVID-19 on social media is giving critics of Big Tech ammunition in their fight. It comes at a time when Facebook and Google face major antitrust lawsuits in the U.S., and some are calling on Canada to do more to regulate tech giants. Our guest is Taylor Owen, director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University, and host of the Big Tech podcast.

Dec 08, 2020•24 min

A gambler, cartels and a high-profile arrest inside the RCMP

It’s been more than a year since Cameron Ortis, the former director-general of the RCMP’s National Intelligence Coordination Centre, was arrested and charged under Canada’s Security of Information Act. The Fifth Estate’s Bob McKeown discusses the bizarre chain of events that led to Ortis’s arrest, including the vandalism of the graves of a high-stakes gambler’s parents.

Dec 07, 2020•25 min

The dying days of Trump’s presidency

It's been a month since Joe Biden was voted in as the next president of the United States. But a lot has happened since then. There are the final weeks of Donald Trump's chaotic tenure, the importance of Georgia's runoff Senate race and the tensions that are dividing the Democrats even as they prepare to take power. Today, former CBC Washington correspondent Keith Boag joins us to get us up to speed.

Dec 04, 2020•25 min

The Bolshoi dances on amid record COVID-19 cases

Many world-renowned ballet productions, from Swan Lake to Romeo and Juliet, have graced the stage of the legendary Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow since the 1800s. No matter what wars and revolutions the Russians confronted, the Bolshoi would find a way to stay open. That is, until COVID-19. The theatre closed down for six months this year because of the pandemic. It relaunched in the fall, and it's getting ready for a busy Christmas season. Today on Front Burner, CBC Russia correspondent Chris Brown ...

Dec 03, 2020•22 min

Politicians are Among Us

Last weekend NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and U.S. congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised over $200,000 US for charity by livestreaming a game called Among Us on the streaming platform Twitch for nearly six hours. Among Us is a popular space-murder-mystery multiplayer online game. About 100,000 people watched the livestream. Today, CBC senior writer and gaming columnist Jonathan Ore is here to fill us in on Among Us and Twitch and to explain how left-wing politicians are taking full advantage...

Dec 02, 2020•24 min

Liberals pledge $100B to heal the pandemic economy

On Monday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced the Liberal government will spend up to $100 billion to support the post-pandemic economy. The priority is, as Freeland says, to do “whatever it takes” to help Canadians, despite the record-high $381 billion deficit. CBC senior parliamentary reporter David Cochrane breaks down the details of the economic update, and tells us what critics had to say about it.

Dec 01, 2020•24 min

A vaccine is coming to Canada, but when?

As Pfizer and Moderna's vaccine candidates get closer to being approved in countries around the world, many Canadians are wondering when they might be able to get a shot here. Prime Minister Trudeau has said most Canadians could be vaccinated by next September, but the details on when those vaccines may arrive in the country — and how they'll be distributed — remain hazy. The government is also facing questions about whether other countries could be way ahead of Canada. Two parliamentary reporte...

Nov 30, 2020•24 min

‘The Great Reset’, politics and conspiracy

Last week, after a video of one of his speeches went viral, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to address a growing controversy over “The Great Reset”. The term means different things to different people. To the World Economic Forum it’s a vague goal to make the world more equal and address climate change in the wake of the pandemic. To Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre it’s evidence of a “power grab” by “global financial elites”. And to others, it’s part of a baseless and wide-ranging...

Nov 27, 2020•24 min

A return to Wuhan

Last January, Wuhan became the epicentre of the coronavirus. The Chinese city went under a strict lockdown for almost two months. The conditions were so severe that buildings were sealed off, and barricades erected. Today, the economy is booming again, but many people are still reeling from the trauma brought by the virus and the way it was managed. CBC Asia correspondent Saša Petricic travelled to Wuhan to better understand what life is like there now. He tells host Jayme Poisson about what he ...

Nov 26, 2020•22 min

13 deadly hours

New details revealed by The Fifth Estate question the RCMP's timeline about the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history. It's been seven months since a gunman disguised as a Mountie went on a rampage, killing 22 people over 13 hours in Nova Scotia, travelling a distance of nearly 200 kilometres. Gillian Findlay joins Jayme to describe the fuller picture of what happened in that time, how the RCMP was one step behind the killer, and how the public was left in the dark.

Nov 25, 2020•27 min

Virus rages in 'precarious' Alberta

In the first wave of the pandemic, Alberta was one of the provinces that seemed to have things relatively under control. Now, the province has daily case rates three times as high as Quebec or Ontario, and ICUs in Calgary and Edmonton have been hitting 90 per cent capacity. But Premier Jason Kenney hasn't addressed the province at a COVID-19 briefing for almost two weeks, and has resisted repeated calls for lockdowns from doctors and other experts. It's leading some Albertans to tweet the hashta...

Nov 24, 2020•24 min

Never mind the deficit?

Canada is spending a tremendous amount of money to get the country through the COVID-19 pandemic, but a growing movement says we can shed our old worries about the federal deficit. Modern monetary theory argues that since we control our own currency, the country can create more money and never go broke. Today, Front Burner examines this controversial idea and how it relates to Canada.

Nov 23, 2020•28 min

A bid to upend drug laws in Vancouver

Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart wants to decriminalize small amounts of illegal drugs. If he gets his way, Vancouver will be the first Canadian city to do so. The move comes as overdose deaths continue to surge in Vancouver and across the country. CBC Vancouver producer Jodie Martinson has been speaking to drug users in the city. She’ll explain the significance and limitations of the possible change.

Nov 20, 2020•25 min

Pro-labour, pro-union Conservatives?

In recent public and media appearances, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole has talked up the need to fight inequality through labour rights, and lamented the decline of unionization in the private sector. He's also blamed the Liberals for favouring elites over workers, and trade deals over jobs in Canada. These issues have become recurring themes as he introduces himself to Canadians after being elected leader of the Conservatives back in August. Today on Front Burner, CBC senior parliamentary rep...

Nov 19, 2020•24 min

Update show: New vaccine, election conspiracy, fisheries fight

Today on Front Burner, we’re bringing you updates on three stories we’ve been following: the latest vaccine news, a new twist in the Mi’kmaq lobster dispute, and a Canadian company embroiled in a major U.S. voter fraud conspiracy.

Nov 18, 2020•21 min

Lessons learned, forgotten from the 1st wave

The second wave of the coronavirus is battering much of the country right now. Over the weekend, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec all had record-breaking new case numbers. As some familiar issues re-emerge, like deadly outbreaks at long-term care homes, we're talking to Globe and Mail health columnist Andre Picard about what Canadians learned from the first wave, and what lessons we've missed.

Nov 17, 2020•25 min

The trial of Alek Minassian

It was one of the most harrowing attacks in recent Canadian history. Alek Minassian plowed into pedestrians on a busy section of Yonge Street in Toronto with a rented van, killing 10 and wounding 16. Just before his attack on Facebook, he wrote of an 'incel rebellion,' aligning himself with the ideology of involuntarily celibate men who blame women for the fact they are alone. Minassian has admitted he carried out the attack. But this week, as he faces trial for murder and attempted murder, his ...

Nov 16, 2020•23 min

Free Britney?

This week, Britney Spears lost a legal battle to remove her father as her conservator — a court-ordered agreement that has put him and a lawyer in charge of her finances and daily life since 2008. Her conservatorship has spawned #FreeBritney, a sometimes-conspiratorial movement whose adherents believe Spears is essentially a prisoner in her own life. But it has also attracted the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union, who have offered Spears legal support and consider her guardianship ...

Nov 13, 2020•24 min

Fake wolves and real military propaganda in Canada

For some time now, Ottawa Citizen journalist David Pugliese has been digging into the so-called ‘weaponization’ of the Canadian military’s public affairs branch. He’s recently obtained documents suggesting that the military had wanted to set up this new organization to influence Canadians using propaganda and other techniques. According to the office of the Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, this plan will not go forward. But it’s just the latest in a story that involves everything from dossiers on...

Nov 12, 2020•21 min

Everything you need to know about Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

This week, as COVID-19 cases continue to climb across the country, there is a glimmer of hope for returning to normal life: a vaccine. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech say that results from a Phase 3 study of their vaccine candidate look promising and that immunity could last a year. Today, we hear from CBC science and technology reporter Emily Chung on what we know about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that early results suggest is 90 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19.

Nov 11, 2020•23 min

The long road ahead for US President-elect Joe Biden

Joe Biden is now U.S. president-elect. But Donald Trump is still in the White House. And there are no signs of a co-operative transition on the horizon. Today, longtime CBC Washington correspondent Keith Boag returns to explain the uphill battles Biden is facing on everything from the coronavirus response to uniting a divided country.

Nov 10, 2020•22 min

I’ll take “Icons” for 400, Alex

For 36 years, Alex Trebek hosted the trivia show ‘Jeopardy!’ with gravitas and wit. On Sunday morning, Trebek died of pancreatic cancer. He was 80 years old. Today, we discuss Trebek’s legacy and what he meant to his fans with Andy Saunders, a ‘Jeopardy!’ superfan and the operator of TheJeopardyFan.com.

Nov 09, 2020•24 min

Is American democracy broken?

It’s been an eventful week following the U.S presidential election, as we continue to await the final results. From Trump’s demands to stop the vote count, to the lawsuits contesting ballots in several states, one key theme that’s emerged is that America’s democratic system is being tested. This is an issue that Lawrence Lessig has been studying for a long time. He’s the author of “America, Compromised” and “They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy”, and the founder of Equal Citizens, a...

Nov 06, 2020•26 min

Trump takes to the courts as Biden makes gains

Two days after the U.S. election, we still don’t know who the next President of the United States will be as the vote counting continues in key battleground states. Today we are joined by CBC senior Washington editor Lyndsay Duncombe to help us sort through the growing legal battles and the narrowing paths to victory for both Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

Nov 05, 2020•23 min

A presidential waiting game

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election is still yet to be determined. Vote counting in crucial battleground states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan are still not completed. Today, CBC’s Lyndsay Duncombe and Alex Panetta on what we know after a long night, and what we are still waiting to find out.

Nov 04, 2020•20 min

What it takes to win the White House

Election day in the United States has finally arrived. More than 90 million people have already cast their ballots in advance — a historic high that signals just how consequential many Americans believe this election will be. And while polling shows that Joe Biden has maintained his lead over Donald Trump, in the key battleground states that decide elections Biden has a much slimmer edge. Today, CBC Washington correspondents Susan Ormiston and Paul Hunter join us for a look at the strategies tha...

Nov 03, 2020•29 min

Lessons from Bush v. Gore election debacle

By the end of election night in 2000, the new president of the United States was not clear. The crucial state of Florida was finally deemed too close to call for either George W. Bush or Al Gore. What followed was 36 days of battles in the courts over ballots, whether or not to recount them and how. In 2020, court battles over the U.S. election have already begun. Today, Fiasco host and Slow Burn co-creator Leon Neyfakh on the 2000 U.S. election, and what we can learn from it today.

Nov 02, 2020•34 min

10,000 COVID-19 deaths, 3 lives remembered

This week, Canada hit a grim milestone: more than 10,000 people in the country have died from COVID-19 — although experts say the true number could be higher. Today, we hear about three of the many who have been lost: Shawn Auger, the first recorded Canadian in his 30s to die from the disease; Gurinder Anand, who made his mark on Montreal with his cooking and community spirit; and Bontu Abdulahi, a personal support worker and devoted mom.

Oct 30, 2020•21 min

What voter suppression looks like in the U.S. election

Hours-long lines, polling place closures, and voter roll purges are just a few of the ways that this upcoming U.S election is challenging voting rights in the country. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is also an unprecedented demand for mail-in ballots, adding many logistical challenges and complications to vote counting. Many voters are also concerned about the effectiveness of the post office. Today on Front Burner, we explain voter suppression in this U.S election with CBC Washington corre...

Oct 29, 2020•24 min

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