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10/10/2008 : Battle of the Echos

Sat, Oct 11

Now, with all this talk about the economy, it's worth reminding ourselves where the term comes from ... In this podcast our Friday guest host this week, David Suzuki, will provide you with some dialogue about where the term "economy" comes from and a bit about the evolution of the idea itself.

09/10/2008 : Margaret Atwood

Fri, Oct 10

There's an old Chinese proverb that goes, better eight hundred in cash than a thousand in credit, sage advice in these uncertain times. Both Americans and Canadians are struggling with the highest amounts of personal debt ever seen in history. One person who has been watching all of this unfold is Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Listen to that concersation in this podcast.

08/10/2008: Canadian Economy

Thu, Oct 9

Here in Canada, economists from the five major banks say they expect little or no growth in the Canadian economy ... and that the word "recession" doesn't even begin to describe what the world is dealing with. In this podcast, we listen to thoughts on the state of the Canadian economy and the politics of prescribing remedies for what may or may not be ailing it.

07/10/2008: Afghanistan and The Election

Wed, Oct 8

The outgoing Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan says the war against the Taliban cannot be won. In an interview over the weekend, Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said it was time to "lower expectations" and that NATO should focus on reducing the Taliban insurgency to a more manageable level. His pessimistic outlook has thrust Canada's own military role in Afghanistan back into the election spotlight. So,we've gathered representatives of each of the main federal parties to find out what the

06/10/2008: Conflict in Sri Lanka

Tue, Oct 7

The Tamil Tigers, as the rebel group is known, have been fighting for 25 years to carve out a separate Tamil state in the north and east of the country. But the conflict swung heavily against the rebels last year after security forces seized control of their eastern territory. The military is now launching almost daily attacks against The Tamil Tigers' last strongholds in the north. As the fighting escalates, activists warn that many more civilians will be killed or displaced.

03/10/2008: Premiers Panel

Sat, Oct 4

Throughout the campaign, leadership has been a defining issue. It's also a running theme on The Friday Edition of The Current this morning. So to begin, we've gathered our own group of Canadian political leaders -- three former premiers -- to weigh in on what they saw on Thursday night.

02/10/2008: Bush's Conservatism

Fri, Oct 3

To his critics, George Bush has been many things, few of them good. But the idea that he would spend his last months in office trying to convince members of his own party that he's not a socialist ... well, that would have been unimaginable even just a few months ago.

01/10/2008: Lies, Rhetoric and Truthiness

Thu, Oct 2

Most people accept that a certain amount of partisan spin is an inevitable part of the political game. But walking the line between effective sophistry and outright lies can be treacherous business. In today's podcast, we discussed the the issue of political rhetoric and spin in poilitical discourse.

30/09/2008: No Bailout - Consumer Confidence

Wed, Oct 1

Panic swept through North American stock-markets when the markets plummetted this week. The proposed bailout was seen as a ray of hope for investers. And when that hope was extinguished on Monday afternoon, that left consumers and experts with some feelings of uncertainty. The Current caught up with some experts on the issue to discuss the latest on the market turmoil.

29/09/2008 : Native Issue in Canada

Tue, Sep 30

Some Canadians feel that the way that Native issues are handled in this country is a disgrace. Those same people say that it's time for all of our political leaders to start talking about what they would do to address those problems. In this podcast we examined some thoughts on the issue in the context of the upcoming election.

26/09/2008: O'Leary on the Economy

Sat, Sep 27

Today's Friday guest host was Kevin O'Leary. Now infrastructure is hardly the sexiest thing in the world. But it affects every single one of us, pretty much every day. Listen to how we tackle the subject in this weeks podcast.

25/09/2008: Executive Pay

Fri, Sep 26

One of the hardest pills for many people to swallow in all this is the idea that the executives who steered some of the world's biggest financial institutions into total collapse might walk away unscathed, even handsomely rewarded with million-dollar severance packages. In this podcast we examined the issue of executive compensation.

23/09/2008: Private Health Care

Wed, Sep 24

For good or bad, private health care clinics have become a feature of Canadian health care. But what kind of impact they're having on the system is open to debate ... especially as they move from niche services to more general primary care.

22/09/2208: Aboriginal Jury

Tue, Sep 23

For decades, there have been persistent rumblings in Canada's legal community about native Canadians being systematically excluded from juries. Little was done about it ... in part because it was hard to prove. But an affidavit filed with a coroner's inquest in Kenora, Ontario earlier this month spells out demonstrable shortcomings in aboriginal representation on the local district jury list.

19/09/2008: Afghanistan and the Elections

Sat, Sep 20

There has been plenty of news out of Afghanistan lately. A Taliban and Al Qaeda resurgence, increasing NATO and American air strikes, and growing civilian casualties.What we explore in this podcast, is why Afghanistan hasn't been more of an election issue in this election.

18/09/2008: Community Confidential

Fri, Sep 19

But while good-paying jobs, low taxes and good government programs are bread-and-butter issues for middle class families across the country ... immigrant families often face additional financial challenges. So for a sense of the economic priorities in Canada's diverse ethnic and cultural communities, we've brought back our weekly "Community Confidential" panel.

17/09/2008: Stephane Dion

Thu, Sep 18

Mr. Dion has given himself the unenviable task of persuading voters that a tax on carbon is a good idea ... even if it's matched by income tax cuts. So, Anna Maria Tremonti spoke with Stephane Dion yesterday when he was in Halifax. Here's how it went.

16/09/2008: Corporate Bail-outs

Wed, Sep 17

The faith of anyone with even the faintest connection to Wall Street was severely tested yesterday as New York's Dow Jones average plunged more than 500 points. Lehman Brothers Holdings -- one of the street's biggest and most legendary investment bank's --filed for bankruptcy protection... an act that would have been unthinkable even a year ago. But what happened yesterday is remarkable for one more reason.

15/09/2008: Who's Afraid of Elizabeth May?

Tue, Sep 16

As we begin week two of the federal election campaign, Elizabeth May has a lot of people on the run. She stared down Stephen Harper and Jack Layton, as well as the consortium of broadcasters that stages the leaders' debate and fought her way to a place at the podium. In this podcast we explore the title question introduced by David Suzuki: Who is afraid of Elizabeth May?

12/09/2008: Immigration, Non- Issue

Sat, Sep 13

Jan Wong was the guest host on today's edition of The Current. We are a country of immigrants. Our cities, our towns and our farms are populated with people who have come from all corners of the globe. Most come for the same reason -- they want a better life. And some have been lucky enough to find it. But despite the launch of a national election, immigration activists are lamenting the fact that the issue still isn't on the political radar.

11/09/2008: NDP Leader - Jack Layton

Fri, Sep 12

One the first day of the election campaign, Jack Layton said that if Stephen Harper was going to quit his job, he was going to apply for it. So consider this a job interview. Listen here for more with Jack Layton.

10/09/2008: Average Voter

Thu, Sep 11

Look to your left. Look to your right. Now take a moment and decide if you trust the people sitting next to you to elect a government on your behalf. Some do and some don't. In this podcast, we'll be taking a look at the issue of the average voter.

09/09/2008 : Kill Bills

Wed, Sep 10

When Canada's 39th Parliament was officially dissolved on Sunday, it left behind some unfinished business. Specifically, 35 bills that are now in a kind of legislative purgatory. This day's podcast will tell you more about where bills go to die and what happens to them after they do.

08/09/2008: Election Panel - Economic Leaders

Tue, Sep 9

It feels like only about two years and eight months since our last federal election. And yet here we are again. Not surprisingly, the party leaders don't agree on much except that the reason we're here is because of Canada's limping economy and that one of the defining questions of the campaign will be who has the goods to lead us through what could be a few lean years. For their thoughts on that, we've gathered four people who have been through a few election campaigns of their own.

05/09/2008: Culture and Politics

Sat, Sep 6

On top of the funding cuts, Canadian artists are furious over legislation such as Bill C-10, a bill they say would give the government the power to control what kind of TV shows and movies they're allowed to make. At the heart of all this is the question of what role the government should play in supporting and regulating arts and culture in Canada. And so, with an election call expected to come on Monday, we're diving head-first into that debate in this podcast.

04/09/2008: Politics of Motherhood

Fri, Sep 5

Sarah Palin is many things ... State Governor, Republican campaign ballast, mooseburger devotee ... and as of last night, Vice Presidential candidate. But from the moment she was tapped to be John McCain's running mate, her status as a mother-of-five and soon-to-be grandmother-of-one has been her defining political feature. For a few hours at least, it was supposed to be an asset ... something that would bring women flocking to an otherwise alienating Republican ticket. But it turns out that her

01/09/2008: Green Leader

Tue, Sep 2

The pre-election posturing looks headed for a fever pitch this week. In this segment we dove head-first into the political fray along with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.

29/08/2008: Canada's Ambassador to Afghanistan

Sat, Aug 30

Even by Afghanistan's increasingly diminished standards, this has been a difficult month. Taliban attacks on coalition forces have been frequent and fierce.Arif Lalani knows the situation all too well. For the last 15 months, he's been Canada's Ambassador to Afghanistan. He's considered by many to be a rising star in the Canadian diplomatic corps. Listen to his take on the current situation in Afghanistan.

28/08/2008: Private Security Firms in Afghanistan

Fri, Aug 29

Earlier this month, Master Corporal Josh Roberts was shot to death while he was manning the turret in a light-armoured vehicle in Afghanistan's Zhari district.The Canadian Government is still investigating the incident. But it's raised a lot of questions about how private security contractors operate. In this podcast we delved deeper into this murky issue in an attempt to understand how it all works.

26/08/2008: Maple Leaf Recall

Wed, Aug 27

The tainted meat outbreak in Ontario has now claimed twelve lives. The size of the recall is staggering. It's also an indication of how concentrated the meat-processing industry has become. And for farmers like Don Mills, that's part of the problem.

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