Three stories to expand your worldview, delivered daily. Matt Galloway cuts through a sea of choice to bring you stories that transcend the news cycle. Conversations with big thinkers, household names, and people living the news. An antidote to algorithms that cater to what you already know — and a meeting place for diverse perspectives. In its 20 years, the Current has become a go-to place for stories that shape and entertain us. Released daily, Monday to Friday.
The Current is produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada — and has recently recorded live shows about the Canadian election in Surrey and Burnaby BC. And shows to come in Oshawa and the 905, Red Deer, Alberta, Quebec City and Halifax.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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...
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....
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....
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 Ny...
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.
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....
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."
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 ab...
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....
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....
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.
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.
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....
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.
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 podcas...
