Friday, October 14th 2022

Guest: Philip Cross, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Many of the country’s top economists are predicting that a recession is coming, and it will hit harder and last longer than previously forecast. The Canadian housing market has been pegged as being one of the most distorted in the world and, while interest rates are rising in order to combat inflation, that has often led to a recession. What would a recession look like now and is it inevitable? Philip Cross, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and former chief economic analyst at Statistics Canada, joins “This Matters” to break down the indicators for us

This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio source: Bloomberg

Thursday, October 13th 2022

Guest: Judy Dempsey, senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and editor-in-chief of Strategic Europe

As Russia rains rockets down on a devastated Ukraine in retaliation for land victories in the Kherson region and for attacking the bridge to Crimea, the war trudged past its eight month with no real sign of diplomatic efforts to come to a peaceful conclusion. As allies try to send more weapons and support to Ukraine, Russia is trying to rally and reinforce its troops by calling up more civilians to join the fight. How does this conflict end?

This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paul Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio sources: CBC, BBC, CPAC, PBS and CNN

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Wednesday, October 12th 2022

Guest: Jon Festinger, adjunct professor at the Allard School of Law

The federal government is changing how the internet is regulated in Canada. Bill C-11, also known as the Online Streaming Act, is new legislation that will give the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) the task of regulating companies like Netflix, YouTube and TikTok, similar to what it does with radio and television broadcasting. Many critics point out that internet streaming is very different and question if a similar approach is the right idea. There are also concerns about where user-generated content fits in. Jon Festinger, an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia’s Peter A. Allard School of Law and a faculty member in the Centre for Digital Media, joins “This Matters” to discuss.

This episode was produced by Brian Bradley, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Tuesday, October 11th 2022

Guest: Will Oremus, Washington Post journalist

Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter in April for $54.20 U.S. a share and, after signing to buy it, proceeded to act like a man who clearly wanted out of the $44 billion deal. Musk and Twitter were set to go to court, but the business giant and tech investor sent word last week he plans to honour the terms of the purchase and close the sale. What happens now? Plenty of employees are fearful for their jobs and some of the moves Musk said he wants to make. Wanting less moderation and more free speech, could that lead to more growth?

This episode was produced by Alexis Green, Paulo Marques and Raju Mudhar.

Audio sources: Bloomberg

Friday, October 7th 2022

Guest: Bruce Arthur, columnist

Developments with Hockey Canada have sparked a national conversation after revelations the organization spent millions in settlements following sexual misconduct claims that go back decades. There has been a push for change as the government amplifies its probe into Hockey Canada’s top leadership and big name sponsors like Tim Hortons, Scotiabank, Telus and Canadian Tire have been falling like dominoes. There are dire questions about the future of the game’s governing body and a larger conversation about sexual violence and misogyny in Canada’s hockey culture. Columnist Bruce Arthur joins “This Matters” to share his opinion.

This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paulo Marques and Brian Bradley