The Alex Pierson Show

In what was only supposed to last three days, has now turned into six grueling months of war and destruction in Ukraine. According to reports, Russian soldiers are scattering from the Kharkiv region and chaotically fleeing upon sighting Ukrainian forces. Could this be a turning point in the war on the European nation? Marcus Kolga, Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute's Centre for Advancing Canada's Interests Abroad, and Director of DisinfoWatch, joined Alex to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the weekend, Pierre Poilievre won the leadership race of the Conservative Party of Canada by a landslide. While he congratulated his fellow contenders for their efforts to unite the party and bring in new faces, it was ultimately Pierre himself who drew in the largest numbers. Most notably that of younger people. Why does he appeal to the young voter so much? To answer this, Alex is joined by Sam Routley, Doctoral Student in Political Science at Western University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A video has been circulating online showing what appears to be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reading from an anti-Trudeau book. While it looks all too real, it is indeed fake. More specifically it's a deepfake. What is a deepfake and how can it be used for bad? David Shipley, cyber security expert and CEO of Beauceron Security, chats with Alex about this particular video and the implications it can have on public figures in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With only weeks away from a municipal election, Toronto saw three deaths related to gun violence this past weekend. Torontonians no longer feel safe in their communities and as Louis March, Founder of the Zero Gun Violence Movement, says, "The safe zones have been breached." Louis joins Alex to discuss the latest string of gun violence in the city and what all three levels of government need to do to help mitigate this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"752 Is Not A Number" is the name of the new documentary being screened at TIFF this year. The documentary looks to focus on the victims and families of those affected by the downing of Flight PS752 which happened on January 8, 2020. Joining Alex to talk about it is the award winning Canadian-Iranian director of the film, Babak Payami. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's no secret that the Queen was a lover of all things equestrian. Her connection to Canada's Woodbine Racetrack is very deep, and with her death on Thursday, the question comes up on whether or not the famous horserace gets renamed or not. To tell Alex about this is Jim Lawson, CEO, Woodbine Entertainment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Thursday, September 8, 2022, the world stood still as it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II, passed away at the age of 96. The Queen had served as the reigning monarch for 70 years and became the longest sitting British monarch. With ten days of mourning now being observed, Canadians are now looking forward into what will change, what stays the same, and how it will affect them in the long run. In this special podcast episode, Alex is joined by various guests to discuss the Queen, our new monarch, King Charles III, and how significant this will be to Canada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Early Thursday morning, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II has been under medical supervision at Balmoral, but what's different this time is that Buckingham Palace has put out an official statement regarding her health, and the family is all at her side. Could this be close to the end of her reign as Queen? To tell us about the impact of this story, Alex spoke with Dr. Carolyn Harris, Historian and Royal Commentator, Author of ‘Raising Royalty: 1000 Years of Royal Parenting.' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to announce new measures to tackle inflation, including details of a plan for dental care for low-income families. They're planning to send out up to $650 for two years, per child, to help pay for dental appointments as a stop gap measure, but is it enough? To speak about this, Alex spoke with Dr. Lisa Bentley, President of the Ontario Dental Association, about this. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the tragic attacks in Saskatchewan, and the loss of one suspect (Damien Sanderson), police arrested the other alleged attacker, Myles Sanderson, yesterday about 100km away from where the attacks happened. While in police custody, though, he ended up becoming medically unwell and died. What does this mean for the case now? To tell us all about it, we're joined by Jim Van Allen, a Threat and Risk Assessment Consultant with Investigative Solutions Network Inc. & Former Manager of the OPP Criminal Profiling Unit at OPP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices