PODCAST

The Big Story

Frequency Podcast Network

An in-depth look at the issues, culture and personalities shaping Canada today.

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00:17:39

Your happiness could be just a ‘third place’ away

The Big Story ·

2025/02/07

Work, home. Work, home. For many, days go back and forth like a ping pong match. That’s why when we have the reprieve of something outside the cycle, like a regular coffee meet-up or a book club at a neighbour’s house, things just feel better. We transport to a place where we can relax and be ourselves. However, the importance of this physical space to our well-being is often underestimated. Host Melanie Ng speaks with Roxanne Francis, a psychotherapist, coach and consultant, about the importance

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00:19:02

Should alcohol face the same restrictions as cigarettes?

The Big Story ·

2025/02/06

**WARNING: This episode discusses addition and thoughts of suicide. Please take care.** Going out for a beer, glass of wine, or cocktail? Experts are increasingly raising the alarm about the health impacts of alcohol, and calling for more government action to alert the public. One Senator in Canada is leading the charge for change, introducing two pieces of legislation that aim to treat alcoholic beverages the same as tobacco products, with warning labels and advertising bans. Host Cormac Mac

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00:19:32

How border communities are dealing with tariff limbo

The Big Story ·

2025/02/05

After a wild few days, the U.S. tariffs are on pause. Canada has avoided the measures, for now, but the threat still hangs over the country. The uncertainty has residents in Canada’s border cities on edge. In communities where thousands of people cross the Canada-US border to go to work each day, a trade war could mean economic devastation. In response to the crisis, mayors of border communities from coast to coast have come together to form the Border Mayors Alliance.Host David Smith speaks with

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00:13:17

Tariffs on pause. For now.

The Big Story ·

2025/02/04

In an extraordinary turn of events, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced late Monday that the U.S would be delaying tariffs against Canada for 30 days. The move from President Donald Trump comes after the Government of Canada committed an additional $200 million to fighting drug trafficking at the Canada-US border.Why did Trump change his mind at the last minute?Host David Smith speaks with political strategist Kate Harrison, Vice-Chair of Summa Strategies, about the politics surrounding Trump’s

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00:16:10

Canada's potential trade war

The Big Story ·

2025/02/03

**UPDATE** Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said proposed tariffs on Canadian goods will be paused for 30 days after he spoke with President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon.In a social media post, Trudeau said he outline Canada’s $1.3 billion border plan and also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl.The Big Story will be covering the latest developments in the weeks to come. ==========================President Donald Trump has followed through on his threats. Tariffs

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00:24:47

Has democracy gone out of style for Gen Z?

The Big Story ·

2025/02/03

Heading the polls for the very first time after becoming the age of majority used to be a badge of honour that Canadian youth would wear proudly – but has democracy gone out of style? Youth voter turnout has dropped about 7% since the snap election that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called in 2021 from the 2019 federal election, after another drop since the 2015 election.Are youth no longer interested in civic engagement or is this current digital era causing a lack of trust in Canada's democratic

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00:30:51

Will Doug Ford's early election gamble in Ontario pay...

The Big Story ·

2025/01/31

After months of speculation, Doug Ford has sent Ontarians to the polls early.The election campaign officially kicked off this week, with party leaders making their pitches to voters.Why now? What’s it got to do with Donald Trump? And U.S. Tariffs?Host David Smith speaks with two Ontario political insiders: Andrew Brander from Crestview Strategy, who was an advisor to the Ford Government, and Lindsay Maskell, a Liberal strategist and former advisor to Premier Dalton McGuinty. We love feedback at

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00:20:11

Demystifying opinion polls as election fever heats up

The Big Story ·

2025/01/30

From door knocks to landline calls, online clicks to AI, someone always wants to know what you think. With election season on the minds of Ontarians and Canadians, are your opinions accurately being reflected in the public opinion polls you see splashed all over the headlines? Host Melanie Ng speaks with veteran pollster, political strategist and consultant, John Wright to talk methodology and why these polls aren’t going anywhere. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for

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00:16:35

Should we be concerned about DeepSeek A.I.?

The Big Story ·

2025/01/29

DeepSeek took the stock market by storm this week, with the Chinese start-up causing a huge market meltdown on Monday. It has huge implications for the world of A.I, but what does it mean for Canada? Host Kris McCusker does a deep dive on the Chinese-based app with Graham Dobbs, Senior Economist, The Dais, at Toronto Metropolitan University.We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.caOr @thebigstoryfpn

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00:21:02

So how's the Liberal leadership race going?

The Big Story ·

2025/01/28

The Liberal leadership race lost a candidate over the weekend. Ottawa MP Chandra Arya has been kicked out of the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader and as Prime Minister, however the party is keeping mum on the reasons for denying Arya a chance to be a candidate in this campaign. Host Cormac Mac Sweeney examines the move with Greg MacEachern of KAN Strategies, as well as membership challenges for the party, the endorsement battle, the Trump effect, and the possibility the new leader

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00:25:58

Listening to your gut: the truth behind the red dye...

The Big Story ·

2025/01/27

It can be found in some of your favourite candies, baked goods and beverages: red dye no. 3. The FDA has recently banned the synthetic dye from food (by 2027) and oral medication (by 2028) in the United States, but Health Canada says they won’t be following suit. So what’s the real danger behind this colour additive compared to others we ingest?Host Melanie Ng takes a deep dive into the research with Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe, Professor and Canada Research Chair with the Department of Molecular and

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00:13:15

What's going to happen with interest rates next week?

The Big Story ·

2025/01/26

If you weren't sure what was going to happen with interest rates with the new U.S. administration in place, you're not alone. We're just days ahead from the first policy announcement from the Bank of Canada and it's to be interesting to see where it goes.Host Mike Eppel speaks with Royce Mendes, Managing Director and head of Macrostrategy at Desjardins Capital Markets. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at

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00:33:21

Weekend listen: What is Trump's AI agenda?

The Big Story ·

2025/01/25

Donald Trump wants to ‘Make America First in AI’. He has announced a $500 billion deal with Silicon Valley to accelerate AI development in America.At stake in this technological arms race? Human rights, national security and the rules-based global world order.What’s Trump’s agenda?Host David Smith speaks with Don Lenihan, an expert on how digital technology shapes society and governments, about how artificial intelligence is poised to shape Trump’s second term. We love feedback at The Big Story, as

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00:22:38

An inside look at how the feds are dealing with the...

The Big Story ·

2025/01/24

It's only been 5 days since Donald Trump has been president, but you'd be right to feel like we've been through many news cycles since then and dozens of headlines. The governing Liberals, while dealing with its own leadership race and pressures to dissolve Parliament, are working through the very real threats of the U.S. government about tariffs and becoming the 51st state. To make sense of what the government is doing and feeling about week 1 of the new Trump era, host Cormac Mac Sweeney speaks

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00:24:55

What's happening with the TikTok ban?

The Big Story ·

2025/01/23

The United States banned TikTok. But Donald Trump says it can still operate in America, for now. The Executive Order that Trump signed on his first day in office only protects TikTok for 75 days.170-million users, billions of dollars and U.S. national security are at stake.What happens next?Host David Smith is joined by tech analyst and journalist Carmi Levy to break down what we know, and don’t know, about the TikTok ban.We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future

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00:15:55

Breaking down Trump's inauguration speech. As...

The Big Story ·

2025/01/22

Donald Trump has been sworn in as U.S. president for a second time – but this term is likely to look different than the first one.Especially if the inauguration speech is any indication. Host Kris McCusker speaks to Wayne Petrozzi, Professor Emeritus, department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University about how Trump could change the game in the next four years – and how Canada and Canadians should prepare.We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions

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00:19:31

Trump 2.0: no tariffs yet but what's next?

The Big Story ·

2025/01/21

Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States. But he chose not to follow through on his threat of tariffs on Canadian imports on his first day in office.What does that mean? And what happens next? Do we still need to worry? Host David Smith speaks with Xavier Delgado, expert on the Canada-US relationship and Senior Associate at the Woodrow Wilson Centre’s Canada Institute in Washington, D.C..We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future

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00:19:45

Liberal leadership race: Mark Carney vs Chrystia...

The Big Story ·

2025/01/20

The two frontrunners vying to replace Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader have officially launched their campaigns.Both Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland’s launch events could have gone better. Carney’s inexperience on the political stage showed in Edmonton, while Freeland was the target of protestors in Toronto.Host David Smith breaks down how the two candidates performed, and what the keys to success will be for their respective campaigns. We love feedback at The Big Story,

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00:18:56

Weekend listen: Is the electric vehicle still the...

The Big Story ·

2025/01/19

It's a real tipping point for electric vehicles. Although the feds have a goal of having 100% zero emission vehicles on the road by 2035, there are major challenges.In the second part of a weekend series on electric vehicles, host Mike Eppel speaks to David Adams, President and C-E-O of Global Automakers of Canada about the future of EVs. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.caOr @thebigstoryfpn

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00:24:26

Weekend listen: How politics are impacting the...

The Big Story ·

2025/01/18

A group of auto sector groups came together in Ottawa this week to call on the Trudeau government to scrap its plan to mandate electric vehicle sales quotas starting next year. With Parliament prorogued, and an election on the horizon, automakers and dealerships have no idea whether they will be able to comply with the EV sales mandate starting next year. They say the situation is untenable, creating chaos for consumers, and the government is silent.On top of that, Canada’s auto sector might be

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The Big Story

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