The Paikin Podcast

Edward Fishman joins Steve to discuss his book, Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare, the emerging rules of this new era of economic war, whether globalization is dead, why the old era was abandoned, and the key chokepoints around the world, including China’s rare earth minerals, the U.S. dollar, and the Strait of Hormuz.

They also discuss weaponizing chokepoints, Trump’s tariffs, whether Canada holds any cards in its trade war with the U.S., how a middle power like Canada can survive in an era of economic war, whether we’ll all be...

Normally on World on Edge, we look at other countries in the thick of significant upheaval. But today, we turn the camera lens on ourselves. Martha Hall Findlay joins Janice Stein to discuss Alberta’s referendum results, what they mean, what comes next, what Danielle Smith will do with the separatists in her party, the referendum’s nine other questions, and rising anti-immigration sentiment.

Then Janice and Steve discuss the protests and riots in France and across Europe, the grievances and economic pressures driving them, France’s long history of protest, the looting, and Trump’s claim that “th...

Joseph P. Kennedy III joins Steve to discuss the upcoming midterm elections, the Republicans’ spending advantage, recent polls, the possibility of flipping Texas, the 51st-state talk, whether Trump’s treatment of Canada is an issue for voters, Trump’s personal enrichment and “grifting,” and the possibility of inappropriate or even illegal efforts to overturn the election results.

They also discuss “moral capitalism,” the rise of Democratic Socialists, how different American history would have been had his grandfather, RFK, not been assassinated, and the Kennedy family’s relationship with RFK Jr.

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The Everything Political panel, with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement, discusses Alberta’s referendum, Danielle Smith’s high-wire act, and the role Canada’s premiers played in the lead-up to the referendum. Then they open up the mailbag and take questions on term limits and the gerontocracy, open borders, media bias, Tony’s boomer remarks, the risk Carney is running by trying to sell our airports, the most exciting election Steve has covered, and the most underrated politician in Canada.

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Gary Marcus joins Steve to discuss calls to slow down AI development, Anthropic’s IPO and mounting debt, Trump’s self-policing approach, the Hugging Face incident, rogue AI agents, anthropomorphizing AI, and whether LLMs, at their core, are incapable of ever truly aligning with human values.

They also discuss whether AI is better than we are at writing literature or doing math (and if so, whether we should let it be), mathematician Tristan Buckmaster’s accusation that OpenAI stole from his unpublished work, how to regulate AI, and whether politicians who barely understand how AI works are up to...

Andrew Cohen joins Janice Stein on World on Edge to discuss Canada’s foreign policy, whether Canada is now “awake,” the peacekeeping era, Carney the statesman, whether his “middle powers” coalition is more than just speeches, Canada’s defence spending, and whether “soft power” still matters in the world today.

They also discuss Arctic sovereignty, Canada becoming an “associate member” of the EU, to what extent we can go our own way without America, and Quebec’s recent election.

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Bob Rae and former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella join Steve for a live taping of the podcast in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. They discuss the great "rupture" in Canada-U.S. relations, the day the world turned upside down, the "arsonist" in the White House, why Abella thinks we have been tolerating intolerance for too long, Trump's tariffs and threats of annexation, how Rae thinks Trump could try to divert fresh water from Canada, the ideological nature of the U.S. Supreme Court, rights being systematically rolled back in America, and...

Dimitri Soudas joins Everything Political with Martha Hall Findlay to discuss the state of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre’s leadership, Conservative MP Scott Aitchison announcing his retirement, the upcoming referendum in Alberta, elections in Quebec and BC, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and Trudeau’s record on Indigenous issues.

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Martha Hall Findlay joins Steve to discuss the University of Calgary’s new study on the economics of Alberta’s separation, how much it would cost Alberta to separate, estimates of up to $170 billion in the first five years, the difficulty of negotiating pipelines if you’re not part of Canada, and the smoother versus more “turbulent” fiscal possibilities.

They also discuss Indigenous treaty complications, hiring 60k people into a new Albertan civil service, the possibility of Alberta becoming the 51st state, why Alberta would end up more like Puerto Rico than Texas, and the comparisons of the upcomi...

Janice Stein joins Steve on World on Edge to discuss the geopolitics of AI, whether growing fears that AI could annihilate humanity are overblown, the AI arms race with China, and Trump's threats to "destroy" Iran.

Then Sandy White joins to discuss Canada's dual separatisms and whether the huge national focus on Alberta's upcoming referendum may leave us vulnerable to separatists in Quebec.

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Kristina Kallas joins Steve for a live taping of the podcast to discuss her mission as Estonia’s Minister of Education, the role education plays in national security, declining trust in governments, AI as a mass misinformation machine, and the challenge of processing the sheer volume of information coming at us.

They also discuss Estonia's experience living next to a belligerent neighbour in Russia, this era of information warfare, the war in Ukraine, Putin's aspirations in the Baltics, why education systems need to train us to be in a constant state of learning, and bringing AI into cl...

The Everything Political panel, with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement, discusses the prospect of Canada joining the EU, what exactly an "associate" membership entails, growing concerns over AI, the AI arms race with China, calls from the heads of Anthropic and other major AI companies to slow down, and whether Canada is prepared.

They also discuss Carney's investment summit, privatizing Canada's major airports, and the usual round of "Good on Yas."

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Carol Off joins Steve to discuss her book, True Patriot Love: Reporting from the Frontlines of Canadian Sovereignty, how Canada has become a beacon for liberal democracy, the rising threat to our sovereignty, how we can find our own way beyond American dependence, and the free trade debate of the 1980s.

They also discuss her childhood, Pierre Trudeau's decision to move ahead with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms without Quebec's signature, the Meech Lake Accord, the CBC's role in Canadian identity, criticisms of left-wing bias at the CBC, and her experiences reporting in Bosnia, Rwanda, Somalia...

Canada's foreign minister during 9/11, John Manley, joins Janice Stein on World on Edge to look back on the attacks, whether they were the most significant event of the 21st century, how they reshaped the global order, the war on terror, the forever wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and PM Jean Chrétien's decision not to join the coalition that attacked Iraq.

They also discuss Canada's involvement in Afghanistan, the Canadian relationship with the United States in the early 2000s, the revival of George W. Bush's legacy, Canada's role in the post-9/11 world, and how the world saw A...

Canada's former transport minister David Collenette remembers 9/11, the immediate aftermath, the decision to close Canadian airspace, how he managed the 500 flights carrying 75,000 people that were headed to Canada at that moment, the bomb threats called into Canadian airports, and the story of Gander, Newfoundland.

He and Steve also discuss concerns about a possible attack in Canada, working with his American counterparts, and our relationship with the United States then versus now.
 

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What are the world’s most troublesome hotspots? Kamran Bokhari joins Janice Stein to discuss the United States rolling out a new foreign policy to replace an 80-year-old approach, whether there is any strategy or it’s just chaos, tensions between the U.S. and China, whether China is America’s enemy, the ongoing Ukraine war, the future of Russia, the Iran war and the emerging Middle Eastern security architecture, and, of course, U.S.-Canada relations.

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The Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement discusses Carney’s decision to call off trade negotiations with the United States, whether this was a negotiating tactic, the possibility of a deal, whether retaliatory tariffs are a good idea, and a “united front” for Canada’s premiers.

They also discuss the “good politics, bad economics” of being Elbows Up with Trump, Doug Ford’s comments, Trump’s zero-sum approach to negotiations, American booze on Canadian shelves, and the usual round of “Good on Yas.

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In our “Best of The Paikin Podcast,” historian Margaret MacMillan joins Steve to discuss the history we are living through, how it reminds her of the zero-sum period before the First World War, how seriously Canada should take Trump’s 51st state rhetoric, and the history of American attempts to invade Canada.

They then discuss Canada’s defence spending, how Trump is unlike any president in American history, how he reminds her of Louis XIV or Henry VIII, the history of middle or smaller powers holding off greater powers, and the cracks growing in the MAGA movement.

Michael Decter and Michael McCarthy join Steve to discuss their book The Canadian Health Care Guerrilla Handbook, how to be a “ninja warrior” for your health care, the role of family doctors as “gatekeepers,” non-urgent emergency room visits, and why patients need to advocate for themselves to get good care.

They also discuss Canadians going to the United States for health care, the crisis of accessing mental health care, and concerns over MAID. 

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In our “Best of The Paikin Podcast,” we look back at our most popular episode of all time. If American democracy ends, what happens to Canada? Stephen Marche joins Janice Stein on World on Edge to debate the threat America poses to Canadian sovereignty, whether we are prepared for Trump’s new world order, how we can learn from Ukraine and Finland, and how we can defend ourselves both economically and militarily.

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Danielle Crittenden joins Steve to discuss her book, Dispatches from Grief: A Mother's Journey Through the Unthinkable, being deported to an “alternative universe,” her daughter Miranda’s diagnosis with a brain tumour, Miranda’s unexpected death, navigating the “bureaucracy of death,” why “everything is wrong” about parental grief, the physicality of grief, EMDR therapy, not letting grief control your days, and learning to live with the unthinkable.

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Steve and Martin Short discuss what it’s like being a proud Canadian in America, Jimmy Kimmel being pulled off the air, if there is increasingly a cost to be paid for making jokes about the wrong people in America, and Mark Carney’s "elbows up" commercial with Mike Myers. Then, a deep dive into Short’s comedy career, his experiences on Johnny Carson and David Letterman, making fun of Conan, his love for Diane Keaton, meeting his hero Frank Sinatra, who he thinks was the greatest late show guest of all time, and why he and Steve Martin are th...

Rocco Rossi has had an eclectic career. He ran for mayor of Toronto in 2010 and for Queen’s Park in the 2011 Ontario election. He has headed up the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Prostate Cancer Canada, and is currently president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. He has also walked the Camino de Santiago in Europe multiple times. He talks with Steve about why he makes the trek, what it offers him, the solitude he finds, walking it with his son, and the novel he wrote based on those adventures. They also discuss his run against Rob Ford fo...

In our “Best of The Paikin Podcast,” we go back to our very first episode. Steve flew to Calgary to sit down with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to discuss Alberta’s sovereignty act, if this could be Alberta’s "Brexit moment," Doug Ford and his Ontario brand of conservatism, getting “Jason Kenneyed,” meeting with Trump at Mar–a-Lago, how to play Trump’s ego, the future of conservatism and the rise of the right-wing podcast sphere – and, well, a few more things.

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Ontario’s 21st premier and Canada’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, joins Steve for one of their monthly chats to discuss the federal government saying no to expanding Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto’s waterfront, the fallout between PM Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the wildfires in Canada and Europe, whether the Liberal government has decided national unity is more important than climate change, and whether Canadian voters still give a damn about climate change. They also discuss British politics, Andy Burnham becoming the seventh British PM in ten years, Nigel Farage’s resignation and by-e...

In this episode of World on Edge, Janice Stein and Steve discuss the NATO summit in Turkey, the “Trump whisperer” Mark Rutte, why Turkey matters to NATO, Article 5, Germany’s steep increase in defence spending, and growing concerns that Russia could attack Europe. They also discuss Trump’s changing tone on Zelensky and Ukraine, the strength of Putin’s position within Russia, how the Ukraine War ends, and the nuclear agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United States.

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Christine Elliott joins the Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement to discuss Trump's wildfire tariffs, the Gordie Howe bridge opening, and Elliott's organization Decency Matters. They also get into past incivility in politics, including an assault in Parliament with a hickory stick, whether politics is more civil behind the scenes than in front of the cameras, and what can be done to make politics more decent. They also take audience questions, including one on growing Canadian government debt and another on Conservative Party candidates being barred from participating in debates during elections.

Canada’s Minister of AI and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon joins Steve to discuss whether the AI revolution will make the Industrial Revolution more than a century ago look like a tea party, his role as Canada’s first-ever AI Minister, growing concerns about job loss, whether we are marching into a political revolution, the backlash against energy-consuming data centres, and whether we can trust big technology companies.

They also discuss NDP leader Avi Lewis’s statement that “we are rushing into an unregulated experiment” run by some of “the plain weirdest people that have ever been masters of t...

Walter Russell Mead joins Steve to discuss America’s 250th anniversary, how “we’re in an uncharted world with a man who doesn’t believe in charts,” Trump’s political genius, how he sees drama as the core of power, not achievement, and a possible successor to Trump. They also discuss Trump’s foreign policy, whether there is a Trump doctrine, the unpredictability and chaos in which he operates, the rise of asymmetrical warfare, the Iran war, Trump’s relationship with Putin, and how Mead compares them to two mafia guys.

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In our third edition of “Paik’s Takes,” Steve is joined by The Big Story’s Caryn Ceolin to discuss why Steve thinks soccer is boring, whether the World Cup was worth it for Canada, why Steve thinks municipal politics should be capturing more of our attention, including the race for Toronto mayor, and Caryn’s take that America’s next Democratic presidential candidate will not run on a platform of free trade. They then answer a wide range of listener and viewer comments and questions:

Stephen Marche, host of the Gloves Off podcast, joins Steve to discuss Canada-U.S. relations, how Canada is making its way through the “mess” south of the border, the weakening of American power worldwide, and his optimism for Canada’s ability to navigate the Trump era.

They also discuss America’s “Doomsday Clock,” authoritarianism on the right and left, whether the Supreme Court is creating an “imperial presidency,” whether America can go back to normal, the divide between “Old Canada” and “New Canada,” and the decline of authoritarianism worldwide. 

Season two of the Gloves Off podcast.

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James Scongack, COO and Executive Vice President at Bruce Power, joins Steve for a sponsored piece of content in partnership with Bruce Power to discuss the history of nuclear power, when the nuclear era began in this province, the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima, what impact that had here in Canada, Germany’s response to Fukushima and the decision to entirely phase out nuclear power in the country.

They then discuss “energy tribalism,” the role of natural gas, the need for a mix of different energy source, getting the grid to net-zero, the future of nuclear power...

The Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement discusses the campaign to restore 24 Sussex Drive, if it should be torn down entirely, and if it’s an embarrassment to Canada. They also discuss the federal government’s plan to buy condos in B.C. that developers can’t sell in the hope of turning them into affordable housing, if this is a good idea, the blowback to it, and then take some “letters to the editor,” including one letter on whether Carney is an out-of-touch international elite and another from a listener who feels a “sense o...

“I’ve fought Putin for 17 years.” Bill Browder, head of the Global Magnitsky Justice campaign, joins Steve to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, how Russia is now incurring eight men killed or seriously wounded for every one lost by Ukraine, whether Russia is losing the war, Putin’s recent statement that he wants to negotiate, and why Browder thinks Putin would rather watch Russia burn than admit he can’t win the war.

They also discuss how Putin may become a “drowning man,” how he could react if cornered, how Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries are shifting suppo...

Let’s review this, shall we? The United States and Israel decided to unilaterally attack Iran. There were a number of justifications for the attack: stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, deterring Iran’s ability to export terrorism, punishing the Iranian regime after it killed tens of thousands of its own citizens, having greater control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, enhancing Israel’s security from its most dangerous neighbour, and if they got really lucky, precipitating regime change. Has any of that happened? What has, in fact, been achieved?

Janice Stein breaks it all down on thi...

Harvey Brownstone’s “life story is one of the most astonishing you’ll ever encounter.”  He joins the pod to discuss his book, Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge, his early life, his traumatic experience coming out to his parents, being disowned, and living in poverty at Queen’s University. From there they discuss his early years as a lawyer, the homophobia and hate he experienced, how levity can sometimes be the best response, becoming Canada’s first openly gay judge, and the upcoming movie about his life.

Book: “Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge”

The Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement discusses “Carney infatuation syndrome,” if the honeymoon will ever end, rumours that Carney may stand down after one term, the G7 summit, if the “strands” of a new world order are being woven, and Canada’s “conscious uncoupling” from the United States. They also discuss the World Cup, the corruption of FIFA, and the usual round of “Good on Yas.”

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In our second edition of a monthly segment, Steve is joined by “the most difficult man to introduce in Canada,” Bob Rae, to discuss Trump’s negotiating style, how we’ve “seen this movie before,” and if America First doesn’t mean America alone. They then discuss the deal with Iran, how it is not a victory for Trump, the diverging interests of Israel and America, the possibility that Netanyahu may step down and not run for another term, and the expansion of the Billy Bishop Airport.

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Welcome to the first collaboration between The Paikin Podcast and Charlie Angus’s Meidas Canada. Steve and Charlie get into how we should understand this moment in history, how we are in a “new age of monsters,” and the rising authoritarian threat. They then discuss fears they have for the future of Canada, the two separatisms in Alberta and Quebec, whether Avi Lewis was the right choice for the NDP, where the NDP goes from here, and whether the left can build a durable populism that can rival right wing populism. 

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In a special episode recorded in front of a live audience at The Albany Club, Greg Brady joins the Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement to discuss Carney's speech on antisemitism — whether it hit the mark, why he didn't mention anti-Zionism, and whether Israel's actions have contributed to the rising antisemitism in Canada.

They then discuss the mood of conservatives in Canada today, the frustration within the Conservative Party, whether Pierre Poilièvre is the right leader, whether Carney is the worst possible matchup for Poilièvre, and the usual round of "...