Front Burner

CBC

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.

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59 episodes
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Avg 29 min
English

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August 21 · 29 min
Carney's big challenge as Canada-U.S. trade deal nears
On Thursday, Canadian trade representatives were in Washington for more talks amid a tentative trade deal with the U.S.  Coming out of the meeting, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said that they were "very close" to reaching an agreement. Today, CBC senior parliamentary writer Aaron Wherry and Abacus Data CEO David Coletto are here to parse through what we know so far about the impending trade deal and talk about the political test Prime Minis
August 20 · 38 min
Trade war update // What happened to 'woke' politics?
In 2020, the politics of racial justice appeared to be everywhere: the killing of George Floyd sparked one of the largest protest movements in American history, and progressive ideas about policing, prisons, racism and inequality moved into the political mainstream. But many of the central demands of the millions who took to the streets were ultimately not met. Six years later, some of the politicians and activists who came of age during that period now appea
August 19 · 25 min
New U.S. tariffs paused – for now. How did we get here?
Late Tuesday night, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would pause the implementation of the 50 per cent tariffs on a range of Canadian goods for three days, saying the two countries had reached a tentative agreement. Shortly after, Prime Minister Mark Carney put out a statement that read, in part: "Substantial progress has been made, although there is important work still to be done." Host Jayme Poisson spoke to senior business correspondent Peter Armstrong earlier in
August 18 · 23 min
Is Israel deliberately starting wildfires in Lebanon?
This past weekend, Israeli strikes killed at least 11 people in southern Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry. It was the deadliest attack since a fragile ceasefire was reached in June, meant to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah – though attacks continued.  On top of airstrikes and drone attacks, residents and emergency workers in the region are accusing Israeli forces of intentionally starting wildfires which have been ripping through homes, fore
August 17 · 29 min
'Fed up' Canadians' push to oust U.S. ambassador
During Pete Hoekstra's tenure as U.S. ambassador to Canada, he has called Canada’s federal election campaign “un-American”, amplified one of Donald Trump’s “51st state” posts, and reportedly unleashed an expletive-laden tirade on an Ontario trade official. Now, a petition calling on him to be expelled from the country has gathered nearly 200,000 signatures. Today, Matina Stevis-Gridneff, the Canada bureau chief for the New York Times, tells us who Pete Hoekstra is, why some C
August 14 · 34 min
Canada's immigration 180: Part 2
Prime Minister Mark Carney's message on immigration is all about control. He has repeatedly talked about how new arrivals are down. And deportations are up, too. Today, part two of our documentary on how Canada's political class changed course on immigration, how it happened so quickly, and what it means for the country now as our population shrinks for the first time in Canada's history. For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: <a href="https://www.cbc
August 13 · 21 min
Canada's immigration 180: Part 1
It wasn't too long ago that much of Canada's political class was united in their embrace of immigration to help grow the population and with it, the economy. Now, many of those same politicians are singing a different tune as it's regularly stated as fact that Canada's immigration consensus is broken. Today, part one of a two-part documentary on the political 180 on immigration, how it happened so quickly, and what it means for Canada as the country shrinks its population f
August 12 · 28 min
Nigel Farage: Mr. Brexit's wild ride
For more than a decade, Nigel Farage has been one of the most influential people in British politics. His anti-Europe crusade was key to securing Brexit. And up until recently, it seemed quite possible that his right-wing populist party, Reform UK, could win the next general election.  Then, Andy Burnham took over as the new Labour prime minister. And a string of financial scandals appeared to put the normally unflappable Farage on his heels.  In Ju
August 11 · 36 min
How Syria's former first lady aided the bloody regime
When Bashar al-Assad fled Syria in December 2024, it brought a sudden end to a family dynasty that had ruled the country for more than fifty years. The collapse of his government also prompted a new wave of reporting into the lives of the Assads — and particularly Bashar’s wife, Asma al-Assad. Before she became Syria’s first lady, Asma was Emma Akhras, a British-born investment banker from West London. Once profiled by Vogue as a modernizing force and “a rose in the desert,”
August 10 · 25 min
Could the Alto high speed rail plan be derailed?
There's been talk of high-speed rain for generations in Canada and while there's been a lot of studies and political promises, there's not a lot to show for it.  Finally, plans are taking shape for the Alto high-speed rail project, which could get you from Toronto to Montreal in just 3 hours. Except well before construction begins, it's facing push back. Farmers in Ontario and Quebec are worried about how the proposed route will affect their land. A grow
August 7 · 27 min
Why aren’t we more ready for wildfires?
Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes throughout B.C. due to wildfires over the past week. The province warns that the fires could get worse in the coming days. The list of communities devastated by wildfires, and the intensity of the fires themselves, keeps growing. What was once a rare event has become disturbingly common. So why haven't we figured out a better way to fight wildfires? And what could we be doing differently? Mike Flan
August 6 · 27 min
Spain’s mass border breach fuels anti-migrant backlash
Last Thursday, spurred by a flurry of online rumours, 72,000 migrants arrived from neighbouring Morocco to the shores of Ceuta, a tiny Spanish enclave in North Africa. According to Spanish media, around 142 of them died at the border, mostly from drowning or trampling. Within two days, most of the migrants left, largely on their own accord. But what’s lingered is a political crisis for the pro-immigration Spanish government in an increasingly anti-immigration European Un
August 5 · 28 min
Canada’s push for a ‘nuclear renaissance’
Earlier this summer, the federal government announced that it would build up to ten new nuclear reactors in the next fifteen years to help achieve Canada’s energy goals. Canada isn’t alone in making this kind of big investment in nuclear power. Plans are underway to build more reactors in the U.S., China, India, and across Europe.  Still, there are concerns about costs, safety and the long term management of radioactive waste. Jacopo Buo
August 4 · 31 min
Where's the fight to keep Canada together?
On October 19th, Albertans will head to the polls to vote on whether or not there should be a referendum on staying a part of Canada or separating. So, how is the campaign to keep Canada united faring? What about the campaign for Alberta to leave?  Today on Front Burner, guest host Jason Markusoff in Calgary speaks with Toronto Star opinion writer Richard Warnica about his reporting on both campaigns, the enthusiasm gap, and what it might mean for the future of the count
August 3 · 55 min
The Billionaire Age Pt 1: How did we get here? From IDEAS
IDEAS, hosted by Nahlah Ayed is a daily podcast that explores how ideas over place and time shape our world. There are 19 centibillionaires and a growing list of 3,000 billionaires worldwide. So it might not surprise you that the richest one per cent possesses nearly half of the world’s wealth. History has never seen such an extreme concentration of wealth. Some economists argue the battle of the 21st century is between oligarchy and democracy. How did we get here? IDEAS begi
July 31 · 33 min
Republican revenge against Anthony Fauci
As the face of America's COVID-19 response, Anthony Fauci was a nearly constant presence in American life throughout the pandemic. To some, he was revered, reaching a sort of celebrity status. But to a movement on the American right, he eventually became a villain, accused not simply of mishandling the pandemic, but of misleading the public about its origins, and even bearing some responsibility for COVID-19 itself. This week, Fauci testified before the U.S. Senate's Homeland
July 30 · 26 min
Carbon capture: a Canadian political history
A key part of Carney's deal to get a new pipeline built in Alberta involved the creation of the Pathways Project, which he touted as "the world's largest carbon capture and utilization and storage project." Canadian political leaders, both Liberal and Conservative, have been pinning high hopes on carbon capture technology for two decades, as a way to keep oil flowing while limiting emissions. But so far, it hasn't been adopted at a mass scale. Investigative reporter Carl Meye
July 29 · 32 min
What happens when AI breaks containment?
This week, Sam Altman, CEO and founder of OpenAI, got much of the tech world talking after declaring that we are living in the singularity: a theoretical point when machines, with artificial intelligence, surpass human ability and are able to grow and improve beyond our control.  This comes less than a week after OpenAI admitted that two of its models went rogue and hacked another start-up. It has some American lawmakers proposing legislation that would ensure companies
July 28 · 30 min
Is Trump overseeing a new 'Red Scare'?
The Trump administration is increasingly conflating communism and the political left, casting them as threats to American national security. The rhetoric is beginning to take institutional form. The administration has directed federal agencies to investigate networks it says facilitate political violence, convened an international summit on so-called “far-left” terrorism, and published a report placing prominent American activists, politicians and organizations within a broad
July 27 · 30 min
The saga of the Gordie Howe bridge
Today, the Gordie Howe Bridge is set to officially open to the public, connecting Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan.  Its ceremonial opening on Friday was a one-sided affair. It was originally supposed to be a joint ceremony with U.S. officials, but that was cancelled after President Donald Trump announced his plans to hit Canada with a new whack of tariffs.  That’s just one of the many bumps in the road to getting this bridge open. </

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