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Balancing protection for kids online while ensuring free speech and privacy for everyone else isn’t easy, which is why Ottawa has muffed it so many times, leaving Canada decades behind other countries in monitoring the harmful excesses of social media algorithms. With Bill C-34, the new Safe Social Media Act, the government just maybe has something workable, as Emily Laidlaw, Canada Research Chair in cybersecurity law at the University of Calgary, tells Brian. She explains the strengths and potential weaknesses of the legislation, how far it will go in protecting people from harm, concerns about the new “digital regulator,” and whether the government is now going to force us all to scan our IDs and carefully watch what we say online. (Recorded June 25, 2026)
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As Liberal MPs moan anonymously that Prime Minister Mark Carney is a mean boss, his defenders say it’s just high performance expectations (unlike the last leader’s). But, as our Political Hack panel looks back on the parliamentary sitting just ended, they question Carney’s own performance: his damage to Canada-U.S. trade negotiations; broken promises on affordability; and a disgraceful bailout for B.C. condo speculators. Meanwhile, his fundraiser for 24 Sussex risks turning into another sleazy Liberal donation grift. Yet Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre seems unable to dent lofty Liberal popularity numbers, and the NDP isn’t helping. Brian discusses it all with hosts of Postmedia’s exclusive Political Hack newsletter, Stuart Thomson, parliamentary bureau chief, and Tasha Kheiriddin, national columnist. (Recorded June 26, 2026)
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President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran is seen as a total capitulation to the Islamic Republic, and most of all in Israel, which fought alongside the Americans. Brian speaks with Eylon Levy, former Israeli government spokesman, and Danny Citrinowicz, a former Israeli intelligence officer now with the Atlantic Council. Levy explains how the deal allows Tehran to drive a wedge between Washington and Jerusalem, just as America’s historic support for the Jewish state wanes — perhaps permanently. Citrinowicz analyzes why the joint U.S.-Israeli operation was ill-conceived from the start and why it’s ending badly, and warns that Israel’s ongoing battle to curb threats from Iran and its proxies may now only serve to further alienate the White House. (Recorded June 18 and 19, 2026)
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Tech firms and civil libertarians are sounding the alarm about “lawful access” legislation the Liberals seem hellbent on passing before summer. They warn that the backdoor it would create to access people’s encrypted internet communications puts us all at risk and makes it impossible for secure platforms to operate in Canada. Security officials say it’s necessary to keep up with the online criminals they lack modern tools to catch. Former national security adviser to the prime minister, Richard Fadden, tells Brian why Bill C-22 strikes a reasonable balance and the fears of serious privacy violations are unwarranted. Natalie Campbell, senior director at the Internet Society, explains why the dangers are real, and even graver than most people realize. (Recorded June 11 and 12, 2026) 
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A prime minister walks into a synagogue for an antisemitism speech and makes things worse. It’s not a joke, as our three guests all agree. Because Mark Carney and his government fear landing on the wrong side of Muslim leaders and their voting blocs, they say, his lecture on preserving Canadian tolerance refused to acknowledge why it’s so endangered: radicals who so rabidly hate Israel that they’re destroying Canadian values with their violent attacks against Jews. Brian is joined by Talia Klein Leighton, of Canadian Women Against Antisemitism, Amir Epstein, of the Jewish activist group Tafsik, and activist Ariella Kimmel. They explain the shock in their community after Carney’s speech and how more Jews say they now realize the Liberals are not their friends. (Recorded June 5, 2026)
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