Wonk

One of the dangerous things about constantly talking about the challenges that our economy faces is losing the sense of urgency that it needs. With the new fiscal update under our belts, and plenty of uncertainty in the weeks and months ahead, host Amanda Lang checks in with one of Canada’s top economists, Frances Donald, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist at RBC.

When it comes to affordability, few issues hit more than housing. We need homes of all types without cratering the value of the existing housing stock. That's not an easy task, but it is one the federal government is lending its policy to. Host Amanda Lang talks to Gregor Robertson, the federal minister of housing and infrastructure and former mayor of Vancouver.

The challenges facing Canada are pretty enormous, from our aging population to trade issues changing the fabric of our economy. It's a hard time to be a young person thinking about the future. Canada's universities are at the center of this struggle to equip them with the skills they need. Host Amanada Lang talks to former N.B. premier and former ambassador to the U.S. Frank McKenna about his gift to St.FX University, creating future leaders, and managing Canada-U.S. relations.

One of the key goals the federal government has laid out is to attract more investment to Canada after years of outflows. So have we finally turned a corner? Host Amanda Lang talks to TMX Group CEO John McKenzie about building home-grown talent, focusing on long term growth and unlocking Canada’s potential.

The conflict with Iran has raised a lot of questions about Canadian oil, gas and energy. If we produce so much of the stuff, why are we at the mercy of bottlenecks in the Strait of Hormuz? Jay Khosla is executive director of economic and energy policy at the Public Policy Forum. Susannah Pierce is the former CEO of Shell Canada and also led the development of the LNG Canada terminal. They join host Amanda Lang to talk about strategic reserves, east-west pipelines and the missing electricity link.