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WONK

Public Policy Forum
WONK
Latest episode

193 episodes

  • WONK

    Premier RJ Simpson on northern investment the need for better Arctic defence

    2026-10-01 | 27 mins.
    Canada’s Arctic is getting a level of attention it hasn't seen in decades. The federal government is promising to put some $35 billion towards asserting Canada's Arctic sovereignty, creating economic opportunities and, it is hoped, long-term prosperity for Northern communities. But how will these investments do that? When will we see shovels in the ground? Host Michael Serapio is joined by the Premier of the Northwest Territories, RJ Simpson to talk about Arctic resources, building roads and why Canada needs to up its Arctic defence.

    Subscribe to PPF’s Build Big Things newsletter: https://ppforum.ca/newsletters/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • WONK

    Canada’s search for $1 trillion — and new friends

    2026-09-24 | 33 mins.
    Canada's push to diversify its economy has taken some big steps: An international investment summit in Toronto; a trip by PM Mark Carney to the European Parliament to explore becoming an associate member of the EU; and a meeting in Saint-Pierre with French President Emmanuel Macron. What do these developments tell us about Canada's efforts? How interested is the world in what Canada has to offer? And what will it take to turn that interest into growth? Host Michael Serapio is joined by Gitane De Silva, Executive Director of the Peter Lougheed School of Politics & Democracy at the University of Alberta and Brett House, an economist and professor at Columbia Business School.

    Subscribe to PPF’s Canada-U.S. newsletter: https://ppforum.ca/newsletters/

    Learn more about PPF Academy’s learning program, Managing Canada’s interests under Trump 2.0: https://ppforum.ca/academy/canada-united-states-policy-program/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • WONK

    Canada’s former top trade negotiator Steve Verheul: Moving beyond the U.S.

    2026-09-17 | 24 mins.
    Ever since Donald Trump was reelected in 2024 and started talking about Canada as a 51st state, cross border trade has been a sore point. But in recent weeks, there has been great urgency as the United States slapped tariffs on many goods and the fate of CUSMA hangs in the balance. PM Mark Carney has said “America is trying to break us so that they can own us.” So what can Canada really do to diversify its trade and thrive next to a suddenly unfriendly neighbour? Host Michael Serapio talks to Canada’s former chief trade negotiator and PPF Fellow Steve Verheul about his new report From Reliance to Resilience and what could happen next.

    Read Verheul’s report for PPF: https://ppforum.ca/publications/from-reliance-to-resilience/

    Subscribe to PPF’s Canada-U.S. newsletter: https://ppforum.ca/newsletters/

    Learn more about PPF Academy’s learning program, Managing Canada’s interests under Trump 2.0: https://ppforum.ca/academy/canada-united-states-policy-program/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • WONK

    Gov. Josh Shapiro on Canada-U.S. relations

    2026-06-25 | 31 mins.
    Josh Shapiro is the governor of Pennsylvania. He talks to host Amanda Lang about fixing CUSMA, the importance of the U.S. midterms and the trade instability caused by President Donald Trump. This is the final episode of season 4 of WONK. We’ll be back this fall with a brand new season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • WONK

    How to make a nation of supertraders

    2026-06-18 | 33 mins.
    The need to pivot away from our dependence on the U.S. as a trading partner has definitely been driven home to Canadian businesses. But actually doing that is a different story. If there's a base camp for that climb, it's Export Development Canada (EDC), the Crown Corporation whose mission is to help Canadians develop new markets. Alison Nankivell, EDC's CEO, joins host Amanda Lang. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About WONK
WONK is a show about big ideas in unprecedented times. Hosted by Michael Serapio, we unpack some of the most pressing issues and challenges facing Canada, and talk to some leading thinkers and policymakers about how to tackle them. New episodes drop on Thursdays. This feed also hosts the archive for Public Policy Forum's podcast, Policy Speaking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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