The Paikin Podcast

Epizode

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  How to Fix Canada’s Health Care System 20.08.2026 46min

  Michael Decter and Michael McCarthy join Steve to discuss their book The Canadian Health Care Guerrilla Handbook, how to be a “ninja warrior” for your health care, the role of family doctors as “gatekeepers,” non-urgent emergency room visits, and why patients need to advocate for themselves to get good care. They also discuss Canadians going to the United States for health care, the crisis of accessing mental health care, and concerns over MAID.
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  (Best Of) World on Edge: Will Canada Survive the End of the American Empire? 18.08.2026 45min

  In our “Best of The Paikin Podcast,” we look back at our most popular episode of all time. If American democracy ends, what happens to Canada? Stephen Marche joins Janice Stein on World on Edge to debate the threat America poses to Canadian sovereignty, whether we are prepared for Trump’s new world order, how we can learn from Ukraine and Finland, and how we can defend ourselves both economically and militarily.
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  Danielle Crittenden: Parental Grief and Navigating an “Alternate Universe” 13.08.2026 59min

  Danielle Crittenden joins Steve to discuss her book, Dispatches from Grief: A Mother's Journey Through the Unthinkable, being deported to an “alternative universe,” her daughter Miranda’s diagnosis with a brain tumour, Miranda’s unexpected death, navigating the “bureaucracy of death,” why “everything is wrong” about parental grief, the physicality of grief, EMDR therapy, not letting grief control your days, and learning to live with the unthinkable.
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  (Best Of) Martin Short: Being Canadian in Trump's America 11.08.2026 47min

  Steve and Martin Short discuss what it’s like being a proud Canadian in America, Jimmy Kimmel being pulled off the air, if there is increasingly a cost to be paid for making jokes about the wrong people in America, and Mark Carney’s "elbows up" commercial with Mike Myers. Then, a deep dive into Short’s comedy career, his experiences on Johnny Carson and David Letterman, making fun of Conan, his love for Diane Keaton, meeting his hero Frank Sinatra, who he thinks was the greatest late show guest of all time, and why he and Steve Martin are the bestest of pals.
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  Rocco Rossi: Finding Solitude and Walking the Camino de Santiago 06.08.2026 44min

  Rocco Rossi has had an eclectic career. He ran for mayor of Toronto in 2010 and for Queen’s Park in the 2011 Ontario election. He has headed up the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Prostate Cancer Canada, and is currently president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. He has also walked the Camino de Santiago in Europe multiple times. He talks with Steve about why he makes the trek, what it offers him, the solitude he finds, walking it with his son, and the novel he wrote based on those adventures. They also discuss his run against Rob Ford for mayor of Toronto and flipping over to the Progressive Conservatives in the 2011 Ontario election.
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  (Best Of) Premier Danielle Smith: Is It Time for Alberta to Leave Canada? 04.08.2026 45min

  In our “Best of The Paikin Podcast,” we go back to our very first episode. Steve flew to Calgary to sit down with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to discuss Alberta’s sovereignty act, if this could be Alberta’s "Brexit moment," Doug Ford and his Ontario brand of conservatism, getting “Jason Kenneyed,” meeting with Trump at Mar–a-Lago, how to play Trump’s ego, the future of conservatism and the rise of the right-wing podcast sphere – and, well, a few more things.
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  Bob Rae: Wildfire Politics, UK Chaos, and Billy Bishop 30.07.2026 47min

  Ontario’s 21st premier and Canada’s former ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, joins Steve for one of their monthly chats to discuss the federal government saying no to expanding Billy Bishop Airport on Toronto’s waterfront, the fallout between PM Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the wildfires in Canada and Europe, whether the Liberal government has decided national unity is more important than climate change, and whether Canadian voters still give a damn about climate change. They also discuss British politics, Andy Burnham becoming the seventh British PM in ten years, Nigel Farage’s resignation and by-election “stunt,” and the legacy of Lindsey Graham.
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  World on Edge: Russia Attacking Europe, NATO, and a Nuclear Saudi Arabia 28.07.2026 36min

  In this episode of World on Edge, Janice Stein and Steve discuss the NATO summit in Turkey, the “Trump whisperer” Mark Rutte, why Turkey matters to NATO, Article 5, Germany’s steep increase in defence spending, and growing concerns that Russia could attack Europe. They also discuss Trump’s changing tone on Zelensky and Ukraine, the strength of Putin’s position within Russia, how the Ukraine War ends, and the nuclear agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United States.
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  Everything Political: Trump’s Wildfire Tariffs, Finding Decency, and the Gordie Howe Bridge 24.07.2026 58min

  Christine Elliott joins the Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement to discuss Trump's wildfire tariffs, the Gordie Howe bridge opening, and Elliott's organization Decency Matters. They also get into past incivility in politics, including an assault in Parliament with a hickory stick, whether politics is more civil behind the scenes than in front of the cameras, and what can be done to make politics more decent. They also take audience questions, including one on growing Canadian government debt and another on Conservative Party candidates being barred from participating in debates during elections.
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  AI Minister Evan Solomon: The AI Revolution, Economic Fallout, and Data Centre Backlash 22.07.2026 1h 7min

  Canada’s Minister of AI and Digital Innovation Evan Solomon joins Steve to discuss whether the AI revolution will make the Industrial Revolution more than a century ago look like a tea party, his role as Canada’s first-ever AI Minister, growing concerns about job loss, whether we are marching into a political revolution, the backlash against energy-consuming data centres, and whether we can trust big technology companies. They also discuss NDP leader Avi Lewis’s statement that “we are rushing into an unregulated experiment” run by some of “the plain weirdest people that have ever been masters of the universe on planet Earth,” Geoffrey Hinton’s concerns about the existential risk AI poses, and Solomon’s decision to get into politics and the transition from journalist to cabinet member.
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  Walter Russell Mead: America at 250, The Trump Doctrine, and the “Drama Queen” President 16.07.2026 45min

  Walter Russell Mead joins Steve to discuss America’s 250th anniversary, how “we’re in an uncharted world with a man who doesn’t believe in charts,” Trump’s political genius, how he sees drama as the core of power, not achievement, and a possible successor to Trump. They also discuss Trump’s foreign policy, whether there is a Trump doctrine, the unpredictability and chaos in which he operates, the rise of asymmetrical warfare, the Iran war, Trump’s relationship with Putin, and how Mead compares them to two mafia guys.
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  Paik’s Takes: Canada in the EU, American Influence in Alberta, and Soccer is Boring 14.07.2026 59min

  In our third edition of “Paik’s Takes,” Steve is joined by The Big Story’s Caryn Ceolin to discuss why Steve thinks soccer is boring, whether the World Cup was worth it for Canada, why Steve thinks municipal politics should be capturing more of our attention, including the race for Toronto mayor, and Caryn’s take that America’s next Democratic presidential candidate will not run on a platform of free trade. They then answer a wide range of listener and viewer comments and questions: - Steve’s greatest political disappointment? - Canada joining the EU? - Gavin Newsom and the 2028 Democratic nomination - American influence on Canadian politics - National unity over climate change? - Is net zero 2050 still a thing? - The scourge of modern dating?
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  World on Edge: America’s Doomsday Clock, Canadian Optimism, and the Imperial Presidency 09.07.2026 38min

  Stephen Marche, host of the Gloves Off podcast, joins Steve to discuss Canada-U.S. relations, how Canada is making its way through the “mess” south of the border, the weakening of American power worldwide, and his optimism for Canada’s ability to navigate the Trump era. They also discuss America’s “Doomsday Clock,” authoritarianism on the right and left, whether the Supreme Court is creating an “imperial presidency,” whether America can go back to normal, the divide between “Old Canada” and “New Canada,” and the decline of authoritarianism worldwide.
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  James Scongack: What is the Future of Nuclear Power? (Sponsored Content) 08.07.2026 40min

  James Scongack, COO and Executive Vice President at Bruce Power, joins Steve for a sponsored piece of content in partnership with Bruce Power to discuss the history of nuclear power, when the nuclear era began in this province, the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima, what impact that had here in Canada, Germany’s response to Fukushima and the decision to entirely phase out nuclear power in the country. They then discuss “energy tribalism,” the role of natural gas, the need for a mix of different energy source, getting the grid to net-zero, the future of nuclear power, Bruce Power’s C project, small modular reactors, Ontario’s role in providing medical isotopes and how energy could factor in to the on-going CUSMA negotiations with Trump.
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  Everything Political: “Davos Carney,” the Shame of 24 Sussex, and Condo Buybacks 02.07.2026 39min

  The Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement discusses the campaign to restore 24 Sussex Drive, if it should be torn down entirely, and if it’s an embarrassment to Canada. They also discuss the federal government’s plan to buy condos in B.C. that developers can’t sell in the hope of turning them into affordable housing, if this is a good idea, the blowback to it, and then take some “letters to the editor,” including one letter on whether Carney is an out-of-touch international elite and another from a listener who feels a “sense of confidence that Canada is being represented by someone with the experience, intellect, and emotional maturity required for this moment.”
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  Bill Browder: Is Russia Losing the Ukraine War? 30.06.2026 40min

  “I’ve fought Putin for 17 years.” Bill Browder, head of the Global Magnitsky Justice campaign, joins Steve to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, how Russia is now incurring eight men killed or seriously wounded for every one lost by Ukraine, whether Russia is losing the war, Putin’s recent statement that he wants to negotiate, and why Browder thinks Putin would rather watch Russia burn than admit he can’t win the war. They also discuss how Putin may become a “drowning man,” how he could react if cornered, how Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries are shifting support for the war in Russia, whether Trump’s new world order is a win for Putin and Russia, European security, the Global Magnitsky Act, and Russia’s recent sanctions on Browder’s teenage son.
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  World on Edge: Did the Iran War Achieve Anything? 25.06.2026 47min

  Let’s review this, shall we? The United States and Israel decided to unilaterally attack Iran. There were a number of justifications for the attack: stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, deterring Iran’s ability to export terrorism, punishing the Iranian regime after it killed tens of thousands of its own citizens, having greater control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, enhancing Israel’s security from its most dangerous neighbour, and if they got really lucky, precipitating regime change. Has any of that happened? What has, in fact, been achieved? Janice Stein breaks it all down on this episode of World on Edge.
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  Harvey Brownstone: Meeting Hate with Levity and Becoming Canada’s First Openly Gay Judge 23.06.2026 1h 7min

  Harvey Brownstone’s “life story is one of the most astonishing you’ll ever encounter.” He joins the pod to discuss his book, Without Prejudice: My Life as a Gay Judge, his early life, his traumatic experience coming out to his parents, being disowned, and living in poverty at Queen’s University. From there they discuss his early years as a lawyer, the homophobia and hate he experienced, how levity can sometimes be the best response, becoming Canada’s first openly gay judge, and the upcoming movie about his life.
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  Everything Political: Carney Infatuation Syndrome, the G7, and a One-Term PM 18.06.2026 57min

  The Everything Political panel with former MPs Martha Hall Findlay and Tony Clement discusses “Carney infatuation syndrome,” if the honeymoon will ever end, rumours that Carney may stand down after one term, the G7 summit, if the “strands” of a new world order are being woven, and Canada’s “conscious uncoupling” from the United States. They also discuss the World Cup, the corruption of FIFA, and the usual round of “Good on Yas.”
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  Bob Rae: USMCA, Trump’s Bluff, and Dealing with Chaos 16.06.2026 48min

  In our second edition of a monthly segment, Steve is joined by “the most difficult man to introduce in Canada,” Bob Rae, to discuss Trump’s negotiating style, how we’ve “seen this movie before,” and if America First doesn’t mean America alone. They then discuss the deal with Iran, how it is not a victory for Trump, the diverging interests of Israel and America, the possibility that Netanyahu may step down and not run for another term, and the expansion of the Billy Bishop Airport.