Wonk

Although President Donald Trump swept the table in the U.S. election, the vote still showed an America sharply divided. Recent events represent a high watermark of the polarization that has come to dominate politics in much of the Western world. Host Edward Greenspon talks to Peter Loewen, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University, about the big changes in American life and politics, what it will take to reunite the country and the lessons for Canadian leaders.

From tariffs to tax cuts, Americans, Canadians and people around the world are thinking through the implications of Donald Trump’s proposed economic plans. Wonk host Edward Greenspon talks to Brett House, a professor at Columbia Business School and a former deputy chief economist at Scotiabank about the major flaws in Trumponomics, why CUSMA sowed doubt in the minds of investors... and how Taylor Swift’s tour helps explain some of the economic trends unfolding today.

After one of the most consequential elections in U.S. history, we've gathered a trio of consequential policy wonks to help us understand what went down in this election and what the result means to Canada and the world. PPF Fellows Don Wright, Janet Annesley and Sean Speer join WONK host Edward Greenspon to talk about President Trump’s decisive victory, the big political shifts that are unfolding and the potential impact on Canada’s future.

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 the economic and political forces behind it, and what needs to happen to save democracy.

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.

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.

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 that are unfolding.

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.

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.

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 increasingly pressing question of state capacity.

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 between China and the United States.

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.

Brave New Work special | Episode 3 of 3 Vass Bednar takes over as host of Policy Speaking, for a special Brave New Work discussion on new data policymakers can use in this digital era. Joining the podcast is Paul Cowan, Chief Marketing Officer at FreshBooks who talks about the birds-eye-view insights his accounting company gleaned during the COVID economic crisis, and how sharing those trends helped Canada's policymakers. We also have Caitlin Stanley, Regional Manager at GoFundMe who talks about the early data points her company sees like rises in GoFundMes for medical expenses – even in Canada – and for other basic necessities like food through the pandemic. Finally we sit down with Murad Hemmadi, the Ottawa correspondent at The Logic to talk about the shift in public opinion on data sharing, from controversies of the past to the historic credit and debit card debt info sharing agreement begun by VISA and Interac with Canada's government. Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe to Public Policy Forum updates and be first to know about new events, reports and projects. -- Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

Brave New Work special | Episode 2 of 3 Vass Bednar takes over as host of Policy Speaking, for a special Brave New Work discussion on algorithms that pit workers – especially precarious workers – against the clock. Joining the podcast is Emily Guendelsberger, author of 'On the Clock', who wonders: how do you measure misery at work and what do political solutions for misery look like when policymakers are insulated from the dehumanising daily experience of low-wage work. Later in the podcast, labour relations expert Sean O’Brady talks about how technology is driving workers out of work, rather than improving their work. And he touches on union solidarity-from-home. Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe to Public Policy Forum updates and be first to know about new events, reports and projects. -- Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

Brave New Work special | Episode 1 of 3 Vass Bednar takes over as host of Policy Speaking, for a special Brave New Work discussion on how to think more fully about technological change. This week's focus is on skills and surveillance, with special guests: Unifor economist and policy analyst Kaylie Tiessen who talks trends in workplace training and how truck driving has been transformed; Director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association Brenda McPhail who talks about the right and very wrong ways surveillance can be used in the workplace; and author of 'The Secret Life of Groceries' Benjamin Lorr who talks about how minimum wage grocery work is no longer the care-free job we nostalgically remember. Follow the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts. Subscribe to Public Policy Forum updates and be first to know about new events, reports and projects. -- Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

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."

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.

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.

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 new path.

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.