The world is changing every day. Now, more than ever, these questions matter. What’s happening? And why should you care? This Matters, a daily news podcast from...
Why Canada must brace for U.S. interference in the 2025 election
Guest: Toronto Star reporter Allan Woods Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney just had their first call since Carney took office, and by all accounts, it was productive. But also, the fact that this call is making headlines is just another sign of how much Trump and the U.S. will loom over Canada’s upcoming election. From Trump’s political influence and the spread of disinformation to the idea (his own) that his presidency actually helped keep the Liberals in power; this election is shaping up to be as much about the U.S. as it is about Canada. Canada has always had to live in America’s shadow—but this time, the biggest foreign threat to our democracy isn’t Russia or China—it might be our closest ally. Produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques
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Grandpa, what did you do in the trade war?
Guest: Ken Greenberg, urban designer and co-founder of Elbows Up Toronto “This is not a trade war,” Charlie Angus said to a packed crowd at a church this week, “it’s an attack on who we are as people.” A lot of Canadians have been feeling that recently, as U.S. President Donald Trump not only imposes tariffs on us, but talks about taking our country over. The response in the public is like something few of us have seen, a swelling patriotism. But a lot of us have also been feeling a sense that while we want to do something, we aren’t sure how, beyond buying Canadian at the grocery store. Ken Greenberg, who originally came to Toronto as a Vietnam war resistor before a career in public life as a planner and designer, is co-founder of a group called 'Elbows Up Toronto' aiming to organize people to turn those feelings into grassroots action. Their Monday night meetings are part rally, part brainstorming session, and serve as what Greenberg calls a “clearing house” where people can trade information and strategy and coordinate for further action. It is, he says, a chance to realize what Canadian culture really means (and can mean), and to emerge a better, stronger country for it. This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.
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A life spent undercover with terrorists trying to incite a race war
Guest: Michelle Shephard, former Toronto Star reporter and co-author of “Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America’s Nazis” Scott Payne spent his career deep undercover in the drug trade, criminal networks and among racist terrorists — and despite some harrowing close calls that saw him stripped naked and almost exposed, he lived to tell the tale. The woman he told it to — former Star reporter Michelle Shephard, who co-wrote a new book with Payne — sits down with This Matters to talk about what he went through and what he learned. This includes a time when he found himself in a field in the American south under a literal burning cross at a KKK rally, and how he learned that famous racist organization is now “your grandfather’s white supremacists” given the threat posed by The Base, a newer racist terrorist group bent on spurring a race war to bring about the collapse of society. Shephard discusses how Payne tried to stay safe while putting criminals in jail, and the toll it took on his mental health and family life. PLUS: the time Payne had a hood pulled off his head and found himself being unexpectedly “knighted” into the Ku Klux Klan. This episode was produced by Julia De Laurentiis Johnston, Ed Keenan and Paulo Marques.
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Why a retired college president’s $1M payout is causing controversy
Guest: Toronto Star journalist Janet Hurley Ontario’s colleges and universities are facing a financial crisis. Millions in deficits, staff layoffs, and program cuts have become the norm. In the midst of all this, at George Brown College, one expense is fuelling controversy. A former president receiving over a million dollars in retirement payouts while the college suspends programs and tightens its budget. It has renewed a bigger conversation about administrative growth, executive compensation, priorities and the future of post-secondary education in the province. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz and Paulo Marques.
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In conversation with Amira Elghawaby on the rise of Islamophobia in Canada and fighting hate
Guest: Amira Elghawaby,Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia Islamophobia and hate is on the rise in Canada. Political rhetoric is growing more divisive. Statistics show a surge in reported hate crimes against visible minorities. And in the middle of it all is Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia. Since taking on the role, she has faced relentless pushback and personal attacks. In early March, her office has released a new guide on tackling Islamophobia at a time when tensions appear to escalating in the country. With growing concerns that rising hate and anti-Muslim sentiment from a U.S. under Trump, could spill over here, Elghawaby's job is cut out for her. In a candid conversation with This Matters, she unpacks all of this, the need for her newly released guide and the future of her role and work in an increasingly polarized political climate. This episode was produced by Saba Eitizaz, Paulo Marques and Sean Pattendon.
The world is changing every day. Now, more than ever, these questions matter. What’s happening? And why should you care? This Matters, a daily news podcast from the Toronto Star, aims to answer those questions, on important stories and ideas, every day, Monday to Friday. Hosts Saba Eitizaz and Ed Keenan talk to their fellow journalists, experts and newsmakers about the social, cultural, political and economic stories that shape your life.
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