

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

Feb 26, 2019 • 20min
Jagmeet Singh wins divisive race in B.C.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has won a seat in the riding of Burnaby-South. It's just one of three byelections that took place across the country. The CBC's Briar Stewart and Hannah Thibedeau break down the political stakes of the Burnaby-South byelection, and what it might tell us about the upcoming federal election.

Feb 25, 2019 • 19min
Should Tech Companies Pay Us For Our Data?
Our behaviour online creates a lot of data that's useful for tech companies - what we buy, what videos we watch on YouTube, what movies we see on Netflix. Author Glen Weyl says if tech companies make money off this information, we should get paid for it.

Feb 22, 2019 • 25min
Why residential school survivors want an apology from the Pope
An unprecedented summit on the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church is taking place at the Vatican. For many victims, it's a chance to seek justice. That includes Evelyn Korkmaz, a residential school survivor calling on the Pope to apologize for the Church's involvement in residential schools. She tells host Jayme Poisson why and CBC reporter Jorge Barrera helps us understand the historical relationship between the Catholic Church and Canada's residential schools.

Feb 21, 2019 • 21min
Explaining the Vancouver Measles Outbreak
With eight confirmed cases, Vancouver is facing Canada's worst measles outbreak in years. Dr. Natasha Crowcroft on why the infectious disease is having a worldwide comeback.

Feb 20, 2019 • 27min
What does United We Roll stand for?
On Tuesday a convoy of trucks arrived in Ottawa. The rolling protest is driven by Canadians who want pipelines, hate carbon taxes and are calling for more help for the Alberta economy. But there is another element: some in the group have also been protesting immigration and using hateful, racist, language. Today on Front Burner, CBC's David Common and Rosemary Barton explain the complicated politics around this protest.

Feb 19, 2019 • 17min
Trudeau's right-hand man resigns amid SNC-Lavalin scandal
On Monday afternoon one of the most powerful men in Ottawa resigned. Following allegations of political interference in a court case involving engineering giant SNC-Lavalin, Gerald Butts stepped aside as the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister. Today on Front Burner, CBC Parliamentary reporter John Paul Tasker explains why Justin Trudeau's most senior adviser-and longtime friend- would resign while denying any wrongdoing.

Feb 18, 2019 • 24min
Should Canadian ISIS fighters be allowed to return home?
Two Canadian women have surrendered to US-backed forces after spending years in ISIS-controlled territory. Journalist Michelle Shephard made a documentary about a similar case last year. She says repatriation is a thorny subject for the Canadian government. "It really feels like the Canadian policy has been not to have a policy," says Shephard.

Feb 15, 2019 • 21min
Twitter trolls target Canadian pipeline, immigration debates
CBC/Radio-Canada journalists crunch the data on more than 9-million troll tweets and reveal foreign campaigns to influence Canadians' opinions. Retweets focused on issues like pipelines and immigration. Jeff Yates joins us to explain what he learned. Elizabeth Dubois from the University of Ottawa paints the wider picture of how troll activity is changing.

Feb 14, 2019 • 25min
An essential timeline of the Mueller investigation
The talk around Washington these days, is that the Mueller investigation is winding down. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry into whether there was collusion between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Russia to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election has dominated the headlines since 2017. Nobody knows for sure when it will wrap. But we do know that this story has taken a long and winding road. Today on Front Burner, CBC Washington correspondent Keith Boag breaks down the most essential elements of the saga.

Feb 13, 2019 • 20min
A widening scandal and SNC-Lavalin's history of alleged corruption
With Jody Wilson-Raybould's resignation from the Liberal cabinet, the scandal involving SNC-Lavalin and the Liberal government continues to grow. CBC investigative reporter Dave Seglins guides us through the troubled history of the engineering company that's at the heart of the political firestorm.


