

Front Burner
CBC
Front Burner is a daily news podcast that takes you deep into the stories shaping Canada and the world. Each morning, from Monday to Friday, host Jayme Poisson talks with the smartest people covering the biggest stories to help you understand what’s going on.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 20, 2021 • 24min
A mother, and a doctor, in Gaza
Najla Shawa is getting her young daughters to count the sounds of bombs at night — turning it into a game to try to soothe their fears. Dr. Mohammed Abu Mughaiseeb is navigating rubble-strewn streets to deliver medical aid — made harder now that one of his clinics was damaged in an airstrike. Today, a view from the ground in Gaza.

May 19, 2021 • 29min
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole (part two)
Would Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole support a union at Amazon? Why isn’t he resonating with younger Canadians? Ahead of a looming federal election, hear more in part two of a wide-ranging interview.

May 18, 2021 • 25min
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole (part one)
Erin O’Toole says he supports a ban on conversion therapy, but that doesn’t mean everyone in his party has to share his beliefs. Ahead of a looming federal election, hear more in part one of a wide-ranging interview with the federal Conservative party leader.

May 17, 2021 • 22min
Alex Gibney: Big Pharma created the opioid crisis
Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney’s scathing new documentary, The Crime of the Century, looks into how Big Pharma created and profited from the opioid crisis.

May 14, 2021 • 22min
“Bamboo ballots”, UV light and a bizarre election recount in Arizona
How do a treasure hunter, claims of bamboo fibres in ballots and QAnon-related conspiracies all come into play in the official “audit” of the 2020 U.S. election currently underway in Maricopa County, Ariz.? The Daily Beast’s politics reporter Will Sommer explains.

May 13, 2021 • 18min
Understanding the latest Israel-Hamas fighting
As violence escalates between Israel and Hamas, we’re joined by journalist Irris Makler for a run-down of some of the major events of the past few days, as well as some context on the last month of tensions that led to this week’s eruption.

May 12, 2021 • 21min
Metro Vancouver’s gang wars
Gang violence is on the rise again in Metro Vancouver, fueling worries about recruitment in the region’s South Asian community. Today on Front Burner, host Jayme Poisson talks to two people working in anti-gang intervention, with a focus on South Asian youth and families.

May 11, 2021 • 27min
Trudeau's chief adviser grilled over sexual misconduct in the military
The prime minister’s most senior adviser has been called to task about who knew what when regarding allegations of sexual misconduct against the former head of the Canadian Forces. CBC senior defence writer Murray Brewster shares his analysis.

May 10, 2021 • 22min
Summer 2021: Expectations vs. reality
Canada's vaccine rollout is speeding up, raising the possibility of COVID-19 restrictions loosening in the next few months. Today on Front Burner, infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Lynora Saxinger talks about the kind of summer we could expect to have.

May 7, 2021 • 22min
The debate over vaccine passports is here
As European countries make plans to reopen tourism, this week the federal government promised certification to get Canadians travelling again. We look at the massive practical and ethical implications of vaccine passports with help from Maclean’s writer Marie-Danielle Smith.


