Alex Himelfarb served as Canada’s top public servant, Clerk of the Privy Council, under three Prime Ministers: Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and, briefly, Stephen Harper. He knows a thing or two about the immense challenges of governing at the highest levels. He's also been fascinated by the big trends that policymakers must come to terms with, such as inequality and climate change. Himelfarb believes we are in - what he describes as - ‘The Age of Crisis’. He speaks with host Edward Greenspon about...
Oct 31, 2024•31 min
The question on everyone's mind these days: What happens if tariff-loving Donald Trump wins the U.S. election in November? Specifically, what does it mean for Canada, our side of the world's biggest trading relationship? Host Edward Greenspon talks to Canada’s chief NAFTA negotiator, Steve Verheul, about the ‘ugly choices’ we face in dealing with a more protectionist America, changes in global trade and why Canada can’t just ‘sit back and wait’ to see what happens.
Oct 24, 2024•30 min
The biggest turnaround since the Second World War is underway in Atlantic Canada. But it comes with a bit of a cautionary flag. As PPF’s Atlantic Canada Momentum Index shows, growth is occurring at a more tentative pace than the year before. WONK host Edward Greenspon talks to all-star economist David Campbell — the wonk of the East — about what’s going well and what needs to be going better.
Oct 17, 2024•32 min
As the climate warms and geopolitical tensions heat up, Canada’s eyes, and the appetites of the world, are increasingly turning north. An area renowned for its stark beauty is now also viewed as an untapped resource for rare earth and critical minerals. It is also feeling the impacts of global warming more acutely than almost anywhere on Earth. Host Edward Greenspon speaks with R.J. Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories, about this new North, his message to Ottawa and the immense changes...
Oct 08, 2024•28 min
There are few people in Canada who understand the ins-and-outs, the strengths and the undeniable weaknesses of our healthcare system as well Dr. Jane Philpott. She recently poured her decades of invaluable experience into a new book called Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada. A core prescription in her book? That primary care must be easily accessible to everyone. On this episode, Host Ed Greenspon talks to Dr. Philpott about what that would take.
Oct 03, 2024•29 min
Over 13 years, the organization Raven Lacerte co-founded with her dad has distributed seven million little squares of moose hide that people wear on their lapels. The Moose Hide Campaign has sparked an estimated 30 million conversations about ending violence toward women and children in Canada. She speak with host Edward Greenspon about how it all started and the progress she’s seen in that time.
Sep 26, 2024•29 min
On lists of influential people to watch, Sean Speer is often described as a guide, an influencer and a conservative who is committed to policy. He was senior economic adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Today, he's an editor-at-large at The Hub, the conservative leaning news and opinion website. And he's a leading thinker on the ideas behind conservatism as a political movement. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about what's driving political instability in the world and breaks down the in...
Sep 19, 2024•26 min
If you are a Canadian who's interested in the world, then you are almost certainly a Canadian who has encountered Professor Janice Stein. She’s Canada’s preeminent interpreter of global issues through her teaching, academic research and regular media appearances. She is the founding director at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and she's a good friend of PPF. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about Israel, Ukraine and the deepening conflict betwee...
Sep 12, 2024•30 min
Season 2 of WONK launches September 12! Join host Edward Greenspon, president and CEO of the Public Policy Forum, for another season of thoughtful conversations with passionate leaders and policy makers who are helping to shape the policy of this country. New episodes launch Thursdays.
Sep 09, 2024•43 sec
John Risley is best known for his by-the-bootstraps creation of global seafood giant Clearwater — and for orchestrating its sale to a coalition of First Nations. The self-made billionaire’s next big project is as chairman of World Energy GH2, which plans to build a massive green hydrogen project on Newfoundland’s west coast. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about why the project could be revolutionary, what keeps him anchored in Atlantic Canada and why he went to "wind farm academy."
May 09, 2024•33 min
The University of Calgary economics professor’s views on the intersection of policy and economics are in high demand because, well, his cool empirical perspective makes them so compelling. Trevor Tombe talks to host Edward Greenspon about why the now-operational Trans Mountain pipeline isn’t the boondoggle critics think, why Canada’s economy lags the U.S. and why he’s only the second most famous economist from Maple Ridge B.C.
May 02, 2024•37 min
As chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada for the past 23 years, Craig Wright has offered essential insight through booms and busts, from the great financial crisis to the pandemic. Everyone from CEOs to prime ministers, to news reporters have relied on his prognostications. When he retires in June, he’ll relinquish his title as longest serving big bank economist. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about what’s changed over his career and where Canada needs to do better.
Apr 25, 2024•29 min
Tucked into this year’s federal budget document was something a little out of the ordinary and of great consequence: Indigenous Loan Guarantees. The program has the potential to open massive energy and resource developments that will benefit both Canada and Indigenous communities. Mark Podlasly is the chief sustainability officer of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, which has championed the program. He joins host Edward Greenspon to explain how it puts Indigenous communities on a whole...
Apr 18, 2024•30 min
Canada’s lagging productivity has become what the Bank of Canada calls a national ‘emergency’. The OECD’s incoming chief economist, Álvaro Santos Pereira, a dual citizen of Portugal and Canada, is one of the foremost experts on the subject. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about why Canada lags other countries, the opportunities it’s missing, and why he’s optimistic Canadians will rise to the challenge.
Apr 10, 2024•33 min
Scott Balfour is the CEO of Emera, the owner of Nova Scotia Power and a major player in energy in the United States. He is central to the efforts to wean Canada off carbon and build a clean electricity system – all at a time when demand for power is soaring. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about investments, promising technologies and the so-called ‘energy trilemma.’
Apr 04, 2024•32 min
After 12 years leading one of Canada’s fastest growing cities, Halifax Mayor Mike Savage recently announced he’ll be stepping down. In his time as mayor, Halifax went from worrying about its declining, aging population to becoming a magnet for newcomers and residents from other provinces. Savage joins host Edward Greenspon to talk about his successes, managing growth and the importance of local journalism.
Mar 28, 2024•32 min
David Shoemaker is the CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee, the organization tasked with promoting Olympic values and helping get Canadian athletes onto the podium. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about why he expects big things in Paris, the challenge of making sport safer in Canada, and the delicate balance of international competition in a time of war.
Mar 21, 2024•32 min
Canada is perhaps the most successful immigration nation in the world. But its system is showing some cracks, as immigration is twinned in the public mind with housing shortages and high rental costs. Rupa Banerjee, Canada Research Chair in Economic inclusion, Employment and Entrepreneurship of Canada’s Immigrants, talks to host Edward Greenspon about what Canada’s getting wrong and why it’s unfair to blame foreign students for housing woes.
Mar 14, 2024•31 min
The longest-serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and the first woman to hold the position, weighs in on the good and the bad of the federal government’s long-awaited online harms bill. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about anti-hate laws, freedom of expression and why some provisions in the new bill will likely end up before the courts.
Mar 07, 2024•31 min
JP Gladu is one of Canada's visionary leaders in the national dialogue around Indigenous ownership in the economy. He has decades of experience bringing Indigenous communities together with industry and governments in pursuit of their economic sovereignty. He joins host Edward Greenspon to talk about the rise of Indigenous business, getting the government to say 'yes', and overcoming fear and ignorance of Indigenous ownership.
Feb 29, 2024•32 min
John Hannaford is the Clerk of the Privy Council, the most senior job in the public service. It is really three jobs rolled into one: deputy minister to the Prime Minister, Secretary to the cabinet and head of the public service. Hannaford talks to host Edward Greenspon about the historic challenges facing the public service, the renewed focus on ethics and the importance of fearless advice.
Feb 22, 2024•32 min
Paul Wells is the dean of political reporting in Canada. For 30 years he wrote for national news outlets before recently launching his own little media empire. He has a buzzing Substack and podcast. His brand name is now, well, his name. He joins host Edward Greenspon to talk about his life in a fast-changing media landscape, the future of journalism and why he stopped caring about being edgy.
Feb 15, 2024•32 min
Shingai Manjengwa is one of the leading AI educators and thinkers. She is the head of AI education at chainML, the founder of Fireside Analytics, and the director of professional development at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about how AI actually works, its challenges and why we shouldn’t fear the future.
Feb 08, 2024•34 min
Dr. Vivek Goel was an ace up Canada’s sleeve when the pandemic hit. He’s a physician and top public health researcher. He was on COVID-19’s Immunity Task Force and advised the national body for COVID-19 research. He’s also the president of the University of Waterloo. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about the unrest in higher education institutions, the importance of health data and what a better pandemic response could have looked like.
Feb 01, 2024•31 min
Anne McLellan is known as ‘Landslide Annie’ for her nail biting wins as a Liberal MP in Alberta. She served as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Minister of Public Safety, Minister of Health and deputy Prime minister. Today, she’s a co-chair, along with former conservative cabinet minister Lisa Raitt, of the coalition for a Better Future. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about working for Jean Chrétien, why Alberta is misunderstood and Canada’s lack of fo...
Jan 25, 2024•32 min
Crystal Smith is the elected chief of the Haisla National Council and the guiding force behind a multi-billion-dollar LNG project on Haisla territory that is fast becoming a model for Indigenous led and owned development. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about the dramatic changes occurring in her home town of Kitimaat Village, overcoming environmental opposition to LNG, and her hopes for the future.
Jan 18, 2024•29 min
Marc Garneau has been a naval officer, an astronaut and a cabinet minister. He’s led the Canadian Space Agency and served as ‘Capcom’ at NASA – that is, the voice of Houston on shuttle missions. For his remarkable career(s), his name is etched in the history books, on two highschools and a postage stamp. Garneau talks to host Edward Greenspon about a life of no regrets, the highs and lows of astronaut life, and why he’s never asked Justin Trudeau about his exit from cabinet.
Jan 11, 2024•34 min
Peter Nicholson has advised leaders of the OECD, major corporations and was instrumental in Canada's deficit busting 1995 budget. Today, the dean of public policy thinking in Canada has turned his efforts to the topic of wind power, and its potential to make Atlantic Canada the next energy superpower. He talks to Edward Greenspon about the urgent energy transition, why he ‘marches toward the sound of gunfire,’ and how he became mentor to a young Elon Musk.
Dec 21, 2023•35 min
Jayna Hefford is one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians, having won four straight gold medals. She’s also one of the top goal scorers ever to play the game of hockey. Now she’s turning her considerable talents to the Professional Women’s Hockey League, a six-team league of elite players that hits the ice next month, on Jan. 1, 2024. She talks to host Edward Greenspon about inspiring a new generation players, working with Billie Jean King and what it takes to launch a brand new league.
Dec 14, 2023•25 min
At a time when news outlets are falling into decline and disappearing from the map, Jeff Elgie has been steadily growing Village Media from his base in Sault Ste Marie, Ont. In the process he has wound up at the centre of one of the most important debates of the digital news era: how to effectively sustain journalism and, by extension, the strength of our democratic fabric. He talks to host Edward Greenspon about the government's recently announced $100-million agreement with Google, and what mo...
Dec 07, 2023•33 min
