Front Burner

Last week, more than 100 people rioted outside a compound near Kyiv that was being used by Ukraine’s National Guard, alleging the military was abusing new recruits inside. Videos of the incident have gone viral, with unverified allegations of a “neo-Nazi torture chamber” spreading across social media.

Evidence is now emerging that this incident may not have been as organic as it seemed — that it may have been orchestrated by provocateurs. But it has highlighted the very real anger in Ukraine over the military’s use of forced conscription.

Today we’re going to take a look at Ukraine’s conscription practices, and the backlash against them, with Dan Peleschuk, a Reuters correspondent based in Kyiv.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

For the first time in 22 years, Canada has released a new national security strategy. The 13-page document lays out the government’s goals and priorities for, as they put it, a “stronger Canada”. It covers everything from military spending and protecting the Arctic to bolstering Canada’s intelligence services and vaccine procurement.

But as Canada puts up its defences, is it losing sight of itself? Our guest, former Foreign Affairs Minister and retired chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council, Lloyd Axworthy, wrote a piece for the Toronto Star headlined, “Mark Carney has flipped the plan on how to protect Canada and here is why I’m concerned.”

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

The federal budget was unveiled Thursday afternoon, and it lays out some of the big bets the Carney government plans on making in the years ahead. A $36-billion tax break to kickstart an “investment supercycle”. A number of affordability measures. A plan to end homelessness within a decade.

But those bets also raise some uncomfortable questions.

Can we really fast track huge nation building projects and still hit our climate goals? How much debt are we taking on to pay for it all? And will any of this actually make life more affordable?

CBC senior parliamentary writer Aaron Wherry was in the budget lockup, and he’s here to break it all down.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

In the wake of the Democratic sweep of the U.S. midterms, we take a deeper look at the factors that got us here, from Iran to data centres. We also examine what could come next from a rejected Republican Party and a blue Congress.

David A. Graham joins us. He's a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Project: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping America.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Trump-backed picks lost and Republican strongholds crumbled as Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate.

Alex Shephard, senior editor at The New Republic, is here. We talk about some of the stunning Democrat wins, like Texas and South Carolina. How will they wield their newfound power?

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts