Front Burner
Hosted by CBC
About this Show
Front Burner is a daily news podcast that takes you deep into the stories shaping Canada and the world. Each morning, from Monday to Friday, host Jayme Poisson talks with the smartest people covering the biggest stories to help you understand what’s going on.
Latest Episodes
Weekend Listen: Was this referendum worth it? We ask Danielle Smith
Canada is complicated. Alberta has opinions. Ride shotgun with host Kathleen Petty on West of Centre for conversations about the state of politics in Canada, as power and influence shifts West. Whether you live here or just can't look away, you’ll get the no-nonsense analysis you need to make sen...
Elon, Starlink and the betrayal of Ukraine
Two weeks ago, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he’d struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply the world with millions of tonnes of Russian diesel. It stunned Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said he felt betrayed. Trump responded by saying it was time fo...
What's behind the youth protests in France?
France is in the midst of a weeks-long, nationwide protest that began with high school students lamenting the conditions of their public schools and issues like overcrowding, teacher shortages, and deteriorating facilities. But these protests quickly became a national uprising, the largest t...
Inside Biden's Gaza policy
For more than a year, the Biden administration said it wanted to limit the destruction in Gaza, increase humanitarian aid and bring the war to an end. But as the humanitarian crisis accelerated, the U.S. continued to supply Israel with weapons and diplomatic protection.In his book 'Crossing the R...
Alberta decides to stay in Canada
After a historic referendum, Albertans have voted to remain in Canada. When we recorded this episode, just over a third of the votes had been counted, and 76 per cent of them were in favour of staying.CBC Alberta reporter Jason Markusoff joins Jayme to break down what the result means for the fut...
CFB Wainwright tragedy + the final Alberta referendum push
Jayme Poisson travels to Edmonton to take you inside two rallies where campaigners for a united Canada – and campaigners for Alberta independence – make their last pitch to voters before Monday's referendum. Plus, what we know about the deadly fire at CFB Wainwright in Alberta that left four...
Politics! Carney in Alberta, Stelco showdown
Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Alberta this week, making a final pitch for unity in the lead-up to the province's referendum on potential separation. Meanwhile, the government is threatening legal action against steel company Stelco over layoffs related to the trade war. And the U.S. Ambassador...
Is the world locked in an energy war?
Today we are going to spend some time trying to understand the expanding front lines of two ongoing wars, where the battlefield isn't just marked by trenches, snipers and fortifications, but also by energy infrastructure, supplies and distribution.Think of them as energy wars, currently being fou...
The other nine referendum questions in Alberta
Alberta's referendum is next week and advance voting is already underway. Much of the attention has centred around the separation question. But there are actually ten questions being put to a vote next week.Today on Front Burner, Jayme Poisson speaks with CBC Calgary's Jason Markusoff about the o...
Is AI inevitable? Jill Lepore says no
In late September, amid mounting warnings about the risks of AI, the CEOs of six of the world’s most powerful technology companies signed an agreement on artificial intelligence. U.S. President Donald Trump called the accord “morally binding”. But it isn’t legally binding – it’s essentially a ple...
How gambling became the game
How did sports betting go from being illegal to being EVERYWHERE? The answer lies in the convergence of daily fantasy sports apps, a bombshell New York Times op-ed, and the potential of a multi-billion dollar payout. This episode of Understood: The Big Bet tells the story of how a pivotal Supreme...
Brazil rides the 'Donroe Doctrine's' orange wave
Right now former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is on house arrest, after being sentenced to 27 years in prison. On Sunday his son Flavio won the first round of that country's presidential elections, his wife, and two more of his children were voted into office. A runoff election is three wee...
Decoding the Russian plague scare
Since last week, there have been a series of alarming bits of news emerging from Siberia. It began with the mysterious death of a woman who worked at a plague research institute. Russia has said she contracted pneumonia but has been slim on details. But the World Health Organization wants more in...
Quebec separatism in the 'elbows up' era
With the election of the Parti Québécois in Quebec Monday night, it's the first time in twelve years that Canada will have a separatist government in power. Over the course of the campaign, the party's leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, made clear some of the fights he could take up with Otta...
Naomi Klein on Carney, trade war and 'end times'
Celebrated author Naomi Klein joins the show to talk about how Mark Carney's response to Trump's trade war echoes themes in her book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. We also discuss her latest work "End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World. For transcripts of...