Resuming Debate

Canada’s latest job numbers show labour force participation hitting a 29-year low. Meanwhile, youth unemployment jumped to 13%.In this week’s podcast, I sit down with Bérengère Fouqueray and Corinne Pohlmann from the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) to discuss one of their recent reports, “Work in Progress: Bridging the gap between small businesses and Canada’s youth”. We discuss the disconnect between young job seekers and employers, and how they can more effectively find each other.You can read the full report from CFIB here: https://www.cfib-fcei.ca/hubfs/research/reports/2026/work-in-progress-en.pdf

Alberta's place in Canada is being hotly debated in the lead up to a separation referendum. On today's episode, the godfather of western Canadian populism Preston Manning joins me to discuss the situation. We also dig into the history of western Canadian third party movements, and how we got from "The West Wants In" to a push for separation.During our conversation, I referenced an earlier conversation with Michael Kazin about the nature of populism, which you can find here:https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/resuming-debate/id1562896468?i=1000568009107

Tensions between Canada and the US are the highest they have been in a very long time. Why is this happening, what should Canada be doing in response, and what is the role of the Loyal Opposition during these challenging times?Joining me to discuss these questions and more is Member of Parliament Shuv Majumdar, Conservative Shadow Minister for Canada-US Relations. Shuv has worked extensively on foreign affairs, including advising Prime Minister Stephen Harper on foreign policy. Before getting elected Shuv also led the Foreign Policy and National Security program at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.You can click here to find and follow Shuv on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

After being appointed Shadow Minister for Employment, I did a lot of reading about philosophies of work. In the process, I very quickly became fascinated by the writings of Dorothy Day, one of the most interesting and important 20th century thinkers involved in social action, writing, and concepts of social justice that are both pro-work and pro-poor. She is a figure of profound religious and political significance, particularly for the Catholic community in North America. Joining me for this fascinating episode is Robert Ellsberg, a longtime associate, collaborator, and friend of Dorothy Day and editor of her writings. Robert is the publisher, executive director and editor-in-chief of Orbis Books, and is the former managing editor of The Catholic Worker (which Day edited herself until her death in 1980).You can find many of Dorothy Day’s writings on the Catholic Worker website, here: https://catholicworker.org/dorothy-day/dorothy-day-writing/The Catholic Worker also features many commentaries on her writings and work, as well as a short biography which you can read here: https://catholicworker.org/dorothy-day/

Conservatives recently announced proposals for major reforms to the parental leave system in Canada, introducing greater flexibility for parents, allowing learning on leave, and making it easier for parents to earn extra income while watching their kids. Part of the rationale for this policy was the reality of Canada’s sharply declining fertility rates – and the growing gap between the number of children that women report they want to have and the number of children they are actually having. Why is this happening, why we should care, and what can be done about it?Joining me for this conversation are Paige MacPherson and Andrea Mrozek, two brilliant policy minds working with two different Canadian think tanks. Both Paige and Andrea are also mothers themselves and are vocal advocates for families and family-first policy.Link to relevant Cardus research:https://www.cardus.ca/in-the-news/media-coverage/canadas-fertility-crisis-is-no-longer-a-minor-concern/https://www.cardus.ca/research/family/reports/she-s-not-having-a-baby/https://www.cardus.ca/research/family/reports/home-alone/