Police have been facing heavy scrutiny lately over how they handle protests, from the convoy in Ottawa to pro-Palestine demonstrations. OPP Acting Superintendent Marcel Beaudin shares the police perspective on this issue. Until recently, Beaudin ran the OPP’s Provincial Liaison team that deals with demonstrations and protests. He has also been a leader in the service’s Indigenous Policing Bureau. This episode was recorded at the Munk School. Subscribe to Paul's Substack for a premium version of ...
Feb 21, 2024•47 min
Paul's former sparring partner Andrew Coyne joins us to discuss the state of politics, the media and the “difficult and dangerous” times we're living in. These days, Andrew Coyne is a columnist for the Globe and Mail. This episode was recorded at the Munk School. Subscribe to Paul's Substack for a premium version of this show: paulwells.substack.com
Feb 14, 2024•45 min
It’s been four months since Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel, leading to the war in Gaza. Is there an end in sight? Foreign policy analyst Janice Stein joins Paul to weigh in on the crisis in the Middle East, the other crises that the world is facing, and the importance of embracing uncertainty in conflict. Janice Stein is the Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management and Negotiation at the University of Toronto and the Founding Director of the Munk School. This interview was recorded at the...
Feb 07, 2024•50 min
Join us for a night of jazz, political wonkery and a novel-length poem about werewolf whalers for some reason. Featuring: - Shuvaloy Majumdar, the new MP for Calgary-Heritage - Jason Guriel, reading from his book The Full Moon Whaling Chronicles - Larisa Galadza, Canada’s former ambassador to Ukraine - Jazz singer Caity Gyorgy, accompanied by Mark Limacher on piano
Dec 13, 2023•1 hr 9 min
CBC/Radio-Canada announced today that they’re cutting 600 existing jobs and leaving another 200 vacant positions unfilled. Shortly before these cuts were announced, their president and CEO Catherine Tait joined Paul to lay out her case for a public broadcaster, and her vision for its future.
Dec 04, 2023•48 min
As the former president of Estonia, Toomas Henrik Ilves has a unique perspective on Russian aggression. Though he grew up in the United States, he moved back to Estonia and got into politics, helping to lead a technological revolution that has given them a unique advantage for a country of only 1.3 million inhabitants. He talks to Paul about building up his country’s tech sector, pushing to get Estonia into NATO, and what it’s like watching from a small, Baltic country as Russia grows more aggre...
Nov 29, 2023•31 min
When John Tory resigned as mayor of Toronto, Olivia Chow decided to take another shot at the job. Despite much of the establishment lining up against her, she won. She talks to Paul about that campaign, and about trying to implement her vision for the city on a shorter-than-usual term, while dealing with a $1.5 billion deficit from COVID. This episode was recorded live at the University of Toronto’s Munk School.
Nov 22, 2023•42 min
The Quebec government recently announced it will double university tuition for out-of-province students, raise international student fees, and change how the money from those fees is distributed. The new measures will disproportionately affect the province’s three English universities. Graham Carr, president of Concordia University in Montreal, tells Paul that these changes will cause a major blow to Concordia’s finances. He also talks about how we got here, and why this has become such a hot bu...
Nov 15, 2023•48 min•Season 2Ep. 10
The National Gallery of Canada had a rough year, as they reckoned with shifting attitudes towards culture and representation. Their new CEO, Jean-François Bélisle, joins Paul to talk about how he plans to move forward, and what a national art gallery should look like in the year 2023. This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre. FURTHER READING: Turmoil Engulfs Canadian Art Museums Seeking to Shed Colonial Past - The New York Times Subscribe to Paul's Substack for a premium versio...
Nov 08, 2023•40 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Mark Sutcliffe decided to run for mayor of Ottawa after being frustrated by the Freedom Convoy and the city's ill-fated LRT project. He won. A year into his term, he reflects on trying to solve some of the city’s biggest problems, including saving the downtown core and getting the LRT back on track. This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre. Subscribe to Paul's Substack for a premium version of this show: paulwells.substack.com...
Nov 01, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu joins Paul to talk about reconciliation, drug policy, and the road that led her from working with the most vulnerable members of society, to sitting in Trudeau's Cabinet. This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre. Subscribe to Paul's Substack for a premium version of this show: paulwells.substack.com
Oct 25, 2023•37 min
Author and Globe and Mail writer John Ibbitson joins Paul to discuss his new book, The Duel: Diefenbaker, Pearson and the Making of Modern Canada. Ibbitson talks about how the decade-long showdown between these two Prime Ministers set the stage for the world we live in today, and why he believes Diefenbaker has been unfairly maligned in the historical record. This interview was recorded live at the National Arts Centre. Subscribe to Paul's Substack for a premium version of this show: paulwells.s...
Oct 18, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Timothy Garton Ash has chronicled some of the biggest moments in European history for over 40 years. In his new book, Homelands: A Personal History of Europe, he offers a history of postwar Europe, told through personal memoir. He talks to Paul about the future of Europe, the war in Ukraine, advising George W. Bush on how to think about the European Union, having Victor Orbán as a student, and why these days, his main concern is about the United States. This episode was recorded at the Universit...
Oct 11, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 5
The part of King Lear has a storied history, with classic performances by actors like William Hutt, Brian Cox and James Earl Jones. At 64, Paul Gross has taken on the role at Stratford, and he thinks the whole mythology around it is “just bullshit.” He reflects on the weight of the role, making Lear his own, and why Shakespeare still feels relevant. In the episode, we mention Paul Gross's age as 62, but he is 64. We regret the error. You can get a premium version of this show with extra content ...
Oct 04, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 4
B.C. Premier David Eby has a lot to contend with: a housing crisis, the opioid epidemic, healthcare, foreign interference, the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, federal-provincial relations, and the province's energy needs. We get into all of it. You can get a premium version of this show with extra content by subscribing to Paul's newsletter: paulwells.substack.com
Sep 27, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 3
As traditional news organizations have faced a steady decline, the online local news network Village Media has been thriving in small and medium-sized communities. But as the government and tech giants have gotten into a standoff over Bill C-18, the Online News Act, Village Media has been forced to pause their growth. Their CEO Jeff Elgie talks to Paul about how C-18 has hurt his business, and what’s at stake. You can get a premium version of this show with extra content by subscribing to Paul's...
Sep 20, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Kennedy Stewart is a former federal NDP MP and was mayor of Vancouver from 2018 to 2022. In his new book, Decrim: How We Decriminalized Drugs in British Columbia , he writes about how he worked with the federal government — and, eventually, with a provincial NDP government he saw as far less cooperative — to decriminalize simple possession of street drugs in British Columbia. He joins Paul to talk about that experience, as the national conversation around drug policy heats up. You can get a prem...
Sep 13, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The job of Government House Leader is always a challenge, but it's especially so in a minority Parliament. For Justin Trudeau's outnumbered Liberals, that minister is Mark Holland. One of the Liberals' longest-serving MPs, he's responsible for steering the government's legislative agenda through Parliament. He speaks frankly about the perils of political life, his own struggles with mental health, and about navigating a partisan landscape to get stuff done.
Mar 29, 2023•44 min
k.d. lang reflects on her four decade-long musical career, which may have reached its end. “All music tends towards silence and I have to honour the silence,” she tells Paul in an open and wide-ranging conversation in Calgary.
Mar 22, 2023•35 min
In May, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley will get a shot at becoming Premier again. Paul meets Rachel in Calgary to discuss her vision for the province and the prospect of facing off against a united conservative movement. She also talks about the opioid crisis, the federal healthcare deal, the future of the energy industry and dealing with Ottawa.
Mar 15, 2023•42 min
What is the future of sitting in the dark with strangers? The film industry has had to face major existential questions lately, between disruptions from COVID and the rise of streaming. Cameron Bailey, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, joins Paul to talk about it. He also talks about how TIFF became the world-class institution that it is, his path from film critic to CEO, and casting his first ballot for the Oscars.
Mar 08, 2023•42 min
Judging from the Group of Seven’s paintings, you would think post-war Canada was nothing but empty wilderness. But the women artists of the period showed a different vision of the country, filled with cities, people and industry. Sarah Milroy is the Chief Curator for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, which houses a vast collection of the Group of Seven’s work. She talks about how they have been working to expand the idea of Canadian art, to invite in the women and the Indigenous artists who...
Mar 01, 2023•41 min
Andy Byford has gained a reputation as the person to call when your public transit system is in crisis. In over three decades as a public servant, he has run transit systems in Toronto, New York and London, England. He talks about what makes a good transit system, a recent wave of violent crime, and his public battle with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Feb 22, 2023•54 min
The Trudeau Government has made a lot of promises about reconciliation. As the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Affairs, Marc Miller’s job is to follow through on them.In this live conversation, Minister Miller talks frankly about his successes and failures in the role. He also talks about his own background, including his childhood friendship with Justin Trudeau, his time in the military and learning to speak Mohawk. This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa....
Feb 15, 2023•43 min
Friday Night Lights author Buzz Bissinger joins Paul to talk about his storied career and his new book, The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II. He also discusses ghostwriting Caitlyn Jenner’s memoir, why he left Twitter, his time at Vanity Fair, and why he’s considering leaving the US. Thank you to Perfect Books in Ottawa for hosting this conversation.
Feb 08, 2023•44 min
What can history tell us about the world we live in? Paul is joined by acclaimed historian Margaret MacMillan, author of books including Paris: 1919, Nixon in China and History’s People. They discuss some of the major events shaping the world today, including the war in Ukraine, the fallout of Brexit, Xi Jinping’s regime in China, and where Canada fits in to it all. This episode was recorded live at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Feb 01, 2023•41 min
Former finance minister Bill Morneau joins Paul to talk candidly about his life in politics, his resignation, and his vision for the future of the Canadian economy, from pension reform to green energy. His new book is called Where To From Here: A Path to Canadian Prosperity.This episode was recorded live at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Jan 25, 2023•43 min
Last week, German police arrested 25 members of a far-right group who were plotting a coup. What is the Reichsbürger movement? How dangerous are they? And what does this incident tell us about the nature of political extremism in Europe -- and closer to home? To answer these questions, Paul Wells is joined by Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project.
Dec 14, 2022•37 min
This week, Paul has two conversations about the struggle for democracy in Eastern Europe, with people who are living through it. First, Janis Kazocins, national security advisor to the president of Latvia, talks about what lessons we can draw from the Baltic states to shed light on Ukraine, NATO and Russia. Next, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya talks about how she went from being an “ordinary housewife” to running as the pro-democracy candidate in the Belarusian election. Though there’s reason to belie...
Dec 07, 2022•41 min
Children's hospitals across North America are seeing a major surge of sick kids as a result of the "tripledemic" of COVID, RSV and the flu. And they're struggling to keep up. Alex Munter, President and CEO of CHEO, talks candidly about how the current crisis in children’s healthcare has only exacerbated problems that began long before the pandemic.
Nov 30, 2022•48 min
