Episodes

  • Gov. Josh Shapiro on Canada-U.S. relations

    Gov. Josh Shapiro on Canada-U.S. relations
    Jun 25 2026
    Josh Shapiro is the governor of Pennsylvania. He talks to host Amanda Lang about fixing CUSMA, the importance of the U.S. midterms and the trade instability caused by President Donald Trump. This is the final episode of season 4 of WONK. We’ll be back this fall with a brand new season.
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    32 mins
  • How to make a nation of supertraders

    How to make a nation of supertraders
    Jun 18 2026
    The need to pivot away from our dependence on the U.S. as a trading partner has definitely been driven home to Canadian businesses. But actually doing that is a different story. If there's a base camp for that climb, it's Export Development Canada (EDC), the Crown Corporation whose mission is to help Canadians develop new markets. Alison Nankivell, EDC's CEO, joins host Amanda Lang.
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    33 mins
  • Evan Solomon on the promise and perils of AI

    Evan Solomon on the promise and perils of AI
    Jun 11 2026
    Few innovations have held the amount of promise and — let's face it — peril as artificial intelligence. Will it be mankind's greatest leap forward or its absolute demise? Into this uncertainty comes Canada's new AI strategy, one which tries to walk the line between promise and peril. Host Amanda Lang talks to Evan Solomon, Canada's first Minister of AI and Digital Innovation.
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    32 mins
  • Building an economy that helps people flourish

    Building an economy that helps people flourish
    Jun 4 2026
    More than 25 years ago, management consultant Joseph Pine introduced a revolutionary concept he called the experience economy. It helped shape how companies would reframe their businesses, but also their approaches to customers. Pine described the economy as being divided into progressions of economic value, from the lowest, commodities, to goods or manufacturing, to services, and finally, experiences. Now he's introducing a fifth level of value, which he calls transformation. His new book is called The Transformation Economy. He joins host Amanda Lang.
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    32 mins
  • The big risks facing Canada and the world

    The big risks facing Canada and the world
    May 28 2026
    Anyone who thinks that insurance is dull hasn't thought about it in the right way. The ability to offset risk is the structural foundation of everything in a modern economy, including our own individual ability to avoid personal financial ruin. Charles Brindamour is CEO of Intact Financial, the largest property and casualty insurer in Canada. He talks to host Amanda Lang about climate change, natural disasters and tech vulnerabilities.
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    38 mins
  • Why the Canadian economy will be okay

    Why the Canadian economy will be okay
    May 21 2026
    One of the dangerous things about constantly talking about the challenges that our economy faces is losing the sense of urgency that it needs. With the new fiscal update under our belts, and plenty of uncertainty in the weeks and months ahead, host Amanda Lang checks in with one of Canada’s top economists, Frances Donald, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist at RBC.
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    53 mins
  • Gregor Robertson on the housing dilemma

    Gregor Robertson on the housing dilemma
    May 14 2026
    When it comes to affordability, few issues hit more than housing. We need homes of all types without cratering the value of the existing housing stock. That's not an easy task, but it is one the federal government is lending its policy to. Host Amanda Lang talks to Gregor Robertson, the federal minister of housing and infrastructure and former mayor of Vancouver.
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    30 mins
  • Frank McKenna on Canada’s future and dealing with America

    Frank McKenna on Canada’s future and dealing with America
    May 7 2026
    The challenges facing Canada are pretty enormous, from our aging population to trade issues changing the fabric of our economy. It's a hard time to be a young person thinking about the future. Canada's universities are at the center of this struggle to equip them with the skills they need. Host Amanada Lang talks to former N.B. premier and former ambassador to the U.S. Frank McKenna about his gift to St.FX University, creating future leaders, and managing Canada-U.S. relations.
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    33 mins