Season 2
The biggest issues in the upcoming federal budget
On this episode of WONK, host Amanda Lang talks to Armine Yalnizyan and Sean Speer about huge budget pressures, tariff fallout and how to fortify the economy
How Canada ended up in a business investment crisis
On PPF’s WONK this week, National Bank Chief Economist Stéfane Marion talks to Amanda Lang about the fall of Canadian manufacturing and how to fix it
How Trump’s tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy
On this episode of WONK, host Amanda Lang talks to David Frum about America’s looming economic problem, why Trump needs tariffs and how Canada should respond to the threat
Catherine McKenna on climate costs and polarization
On this episode of WONK, the former environment minister talks about the balance between economic growth and climate costs, a life in politics and the importance of tackling hard things
The fight to fix social media and protect children from online harms
On PPF’s WONK podcast, host Amanda Lang talks to Ava Smithing, advocacy director of the Young People’s Alliance, about social media algorithms, advice for parents and taking on tech platforms
What does major projects success look like?
On PPF’s podcast WONK, host Amanda Lang talks to Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson about Canada’s new energy ambitions and the challenges ahead.
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Tiff Macklem on the search for economic stability
On PPF's WONK podcast, host Amanda Lang talks to the Bank of Canada governor about the ongoing impact of tariffs, affordability issues and the tough times ahead
How to save a crumbling pillar of Canadian democracy: local news
Lisa Sygutek of the Crowsnest Pass Herald, Stacey Brzostowski of The Haida Gwaii News, and Andrew Phillips, a columnist with The Toronto Star, talk about the role of local news and stopping its decline
A 30-day window to save Canada’s economy
In this episode of WONK, Riaz Kara, Janice Stein and Edward Greenspon discuss the trade war pause and what Canada has to do to face this existential threat
How Canada’s energy industry can respond to Trump
In this episode of WONK, energy experts Jackie Forrest, Janet Annesley and Bryan Cox explain the exposure to U.S. tariff threats and the challenge of energy security
President Trump and Canada’s hard choices
In this episode of WONK panelists Luiza Savage, Don Wright and Sean Speer discuss the risks and opportunities for Canada in the first days of Trump's second term.
Is Canada really ready for President Trump?
In this episode of WONK, a panel of PPF Fellows — Marta Morgan, Peter Loewen and Mark Cameron — discuss Trump's taunts, tariff troubles and what's missing from Canada's response.
Erin O’Toole on how to deal with Donald Trump, Arctic security and energy
The former leader of the Conservative Party — and wonk at heart — discusses why he's big on boosting defence and why talking publicly about Trump is a bad idea
What we heard so far on WONK: Season 2
Check out our catalogue of smart conversations on PPF's policy podcast, hosted by Amanda Lang
B.C.’s game-changing bet on wind power
In this episode of WONK we gather an all-star panel of Western wonks — Janet Annesley, Kwatuuma Sayers and Don Wright — to talk about energy and a bold new way to speed development