The Big Story

Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec announced a historic energy deal with help from Ottawa to replace a detested 1969 deal and a confusing 2024 MOU. The new agreement would see Quebec pay 1.8 cents per kilowatt-hour to Newfoundland and Labrador, with that price rising to 7.4 cents over the next 50 years. The deal, however, remains un-signed, amid a looming Quebec election, as well as an absent stamp of approval from Indigenous communities in each province. Host Maria Kestane speaks to François Bouffard, electrical engineering professor at McGill University to discuss what makes this new deal so important, and the history that precedes it.

Plus: A petition calls for the U.S. ambassador to Canada to be removed, Canadians seeking treatment for rare diseases face challenges, the summer wildfire season hits a historic milestone, a union in Vancouver takes action to delay a major infrastructure project, and OpenAI launches a chatbot designed specifically for teenagers.

A petition with more than 230,000 signatures continues to make its way across Canada in hopes of ousting the US Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra. Signatories believe the diplomat has further strained Canada-US relations by adding fuel to President Trump's annexation threats, and allege he's made "repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse inconsistent with diplomatic protocol." Host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Colin Robertson, a former Canadian diplomat and Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. They discuss whether the petition could hold any weight in Parliament, and what Canadians want out of a potential replacement.

Plus: the Quebec election frontrunner shelves a sovereignty referendum until after the Trump presidency is over, the NBA spars with ESPN over its reporting on the L.A. Clippers investigation, a grizzly bear cub escapes from his enclosure at the Calgary Zoo, and why did Pope Leo excommunicate members of a traditionalist Catholic sect?

There has been a schism in the Catholic church. In early July, Pope Leo excommunicated an ultra-conservative sect known as the Society of St. Pius X, after they ordained new Bishops against his orders. It's the largest break in the church in 156 years. With its members and followers, Leo has effectively kicked out 600,000 Catholics-- a tough move by the still new Leo, who has made church unity a central theme of his pontificate. Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Dr. Catherine Foisy, a professor of Christianity at the University of Quebec in Montreal about why the Pope made the move, what it says about the state of the Catholic Church, and what it says about how Pope Leo is approaching this geopolitical moment.

Plus: Statistics Canada says the annual rate of inflation accelerated to three per cent in July, Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to make an announcement about energy security regarding Churchill Falls, an autopsy is being performed following the death of television star Hayden Panettiere, new research shows the beneficial relationship between young teens struggling with anxiety and dog ownership, and how do we stop antisemitism on university campuses?

A new report commissioned by the federal government says antisemitism is a systemic problem on university and college campuses, adding post-secondary institutions have failed to address the problem. It finds more than 95% of Jewish students say they saw or experienced antisemitism last year, with nearly 18% of those incidents being from a faculty member. Overall, 70% of those Jewish students surveyed believe their school simply doesn't take antisemitism seriously. Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with the study's lead author, Dr. Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies and Metropolis Institute, about the findings, where the resurgence is coming from, what can be done to address the findings, and more.

Enjoy this special feed drop from our sister show "In This Economy?!" 2026 has certainly been a "headline driven" year for the markets. Whether it's A.I., war, tariffs and trade, or inflation and interest rates, the markets have seen big daily price swings, and several sectors have seen huge percentage run-ups for stocks—along with big losses. As of the first week of august, the TSX composite index, Dow Jones industrials average, and Nasdaq have all set record highs, up by on average 12% to 14% for the year, a respectable rate of return for money in an index fund. Host Mike Eppel speaks to Jordan Damiani, an investment advisor and certified financial planner at Meridian Credit Union, about being focused on the big picture, and why and how to keep calm and stay strategic with your investments instead of being distracted by the headlines and the flood of so called "finfluencers" on social media platforms.

Plus: Farage secures victory over Binface, some students protesting work permit denials face scrutiny over their current status in Canada, officials in B.C. say the public will still be able to access a Vancouver Island castle if it’s handed over to First Nations, some companies opt to weather the possible storm with more U.S. tariffs looming, and could Canada put American alcohol back on shelves to secure tariff relief?

Since almost the very beginning of the trade war, alcohol from the United States has been banned from most Canadian shelves. It was done as a way of putting pressure on the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump-- and it's worked. The so-called "booze ban" has been a constant irritant south of the border, hitting hard at states like California and Kentucky. But that soon could be coming to an end, with new reporting suggesting that Canada is willing to get rid of the ban in exchange for relief on some tariffs, as the deadline for new duties looms. Host Caryn Ceolin is speaking with Kaylie Tiessen from the Canadian Shield Institute-- a thinktank that looks to grow Canadian economic leadership-- about the effectiveness of the bans, if they're worth giving up for relief, and more.