The Current

When the Taliban banned girls from attending school beyond Grade 6, Hazrat Wahriz knew what was coming and quietly began preparing. A former Afghan diplomat and educator now living in Canada, Wahriz helped launch Daricha, a network of underground schools run from homes and supported by local communities across Afghanistan. In this conversation, he talks about teaching under constant risk, why real change has to come from within a society, and what keeps him hopeful  even as he knows he may never see the full results of his work.

We check in with the National Affairs Panel on the eve of the Prime Minister's visit to China. After a dramatic week when the U.S. captured the leader of Venezuela and made a series of threats against countries across the Western Hemisphere, should Canada risk warmer ties with authoritarian regimes?

Amid threats to take over Greenland by force, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to meet with Danish officials next week. He says President Trump wants to buy the Arctic territory. That rattled people in both Greenland and Denmark.

A cocktail bar with what must be the world's smallest dance floor. A locavore restaurant inside the proprietors' farmhouse. An experimental Chinese dining room tucked inside another restaurant. Their owners have embraced tiny because it brings them and their customers joy.

With Ontario considering getting rid of elected trustees and school boards, questions are being raised about the role of boards. Across Canada, there isn’t a clear answer with some provinces moving to eliminate boards, and others fighting to keep them. We look at the options, and what the research says is the best approach to help kids learn.

Grip strength might seem like a small thing,  but researchers say it can reveal a lot about how we age. Health and fitness journalist Alyssa Ages explains why grip strength is linked to longevity, what it actually reflects about the body, and how to maintain strength in realistic, everyday ways.

Calgary is dealing with a busted water main… again. One of the city's major water lines recently burst for the second time in 18 months. Crews are scrambling to fix it but it's shone a spotlight on the city's infrastructure issues. Plus Calgary is not alone, other Canadian cities use similar pipes and could be on a clock for a burst of their own. 

The hit Canadian TV show that follows the secret relationship between hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rosanov is everywhere right now. It's prompting conversations online about LGBTQ love and hockey culture. We speak with Matt Kenny, a former competitive hockey player, who had a similar experience to the fictional characters about why the show is striking such a chord with people. Plus Brock McGillis, one of the first male professional hockey players to come out as gay, talks about why he thinks there's still more work to do in making hockey a more inclusive sport. 

Christian Weedbrook's company Xanadu has announced major breakthroughs in quantum computing and just received $23 million in funding from the federal government to advance their technology. As part of The Current's series speaking to Canadian business leaders, he joins us to discuss the significance of quantum technology for Canada's economic future and why he wanted to build his company here in Canada. 

With the Winter Olympics just weeks away, Canadian athletes are speaking out about the rising cost of representing their country. Luger Trinity Ellis says she’s cutting pennies just to stay competitive. Speed skater Hayden Mayeur says even athletes at the top of the funding scale are struggling to cover rent, food, travel, and equipment. We hear from Hayden Mayeur about working part-time and why he believes future athletes may depend more on private sponsorship than public support. Then, David Shoemaker, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee on why funding hasn’t increased and what he’s asking Ottawa to do now.

Nearly four years into the war in Ukraine peace is still elusive. What would it take to get there? Matt Galloway speaks with Yevhen Matvienko and Tim Mak about the current state of the war, Zelenskyy's popularity and could Russia end up with part of Ukraine?

And prediction markets, where people bet real money on real-world events are moving into the news itself. CNN and CNBC have struck deals with a company called Kalshi, bringing betting odds into their coverage of politics, the economy, and even war. Reporter Danny Funt explains why this alarms journalists and ethicists, the risks of conflicts of interest and insider trading, and what happens to public trust when news becomes something you can wager on.

Dr. Paul Parks is an ER doctor in Medicine Hat, and President-elect of the section of Emergency physicians of the Alberta Medical Association. He describes ERs that simply cannot cope with the number of patients needing care, and says the Smith government's efforts to reform the healthcare system are only creating more chaos.

A year-long Guardian investigation has uncovered dozens of baby deaths around the world - including Canada - linked to mothers influenced by Free Birth Society, or FBS. We speak with Sirin Kale, one of the journalists behind the investigation of the multi-million dollar business run by two influencers promoting the idea of giving birth with no medical assistance,

Last year was a bit of a whirlwind when it came to the news. From ongoing atrocities around the world in places like Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan to stories closer to home like the catastrophic fires that ripped across Canada this summer and the ongoing fallout of the U.S. trade war. Matt Galloway talks to Angus Hervy, the editor of Fix the News, about the good news we might have overlooked and why these stories are so important.

After the US raid on Venezuela and arrest of its de facto leader Nicolas Maduro, Donald Trump warned a number of other countries that they could be next. Matt Galloway speaks to Janice Stein, founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto and Jorge Heine, former Chilean cabinet minister and co-author of The Non-Aligned World: Striking Out in an Era of Great Power Competition.

After a months-long pressure campaign, the U.S. military stormed into Caracas this weekend, capturing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. We look at what this means for the future of Venezuela—with Phil Gunson, a senior analyst for the Andes region of the International Crisis Group and Luis Duno-Gottberg, a Venezuelan scholar, and the Lee Hage Jamail Professor of Latin American Studies at Rice University.

As Canada moves into 2026, a lot of people are feeling unsure about the economy. After a year of trade tensions, job worries, and high living costs, many Canadians are asking: what happens next? And how does it affect my money? We break down what’s shaping Canada’s economy in 2026, from uncertainty in trade with the U.S. to longer-term challenges around growth and productivity. We’re joined by Pedro Antunes, Chief Economist at the Conference Board of Canada and Shannon Lee Simmons, financial planner and founder of the New School of Finance.

Joe MacInnis has spent his life going where very few people ever have — beneath the ice at the North Pole, down to the wreck of the Titanic, and into the deep waters of Lake Superior to visit the Edmund Fitzgerald. Now 88, the Canadian physician and deep-sea explorer looks back on a lifetime of high-risk exploration. He talks about the moment he caught “sea fever” as a teenager, what those extreme environments taught him about fear and teamwork, and why leadership — not technology is what really matters when survival is on the line.

Podcaster, professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway believes young men are struggling with feelings of alienation, loneliness, and failure. And that's a danger to all of us, especially when they buy into the dangerous rhetoric they hear online. We talk to him about his new book, Notes on Being a Man, what he's learned from his own life, and why this is such a passionate mission for him.

When seven fishermen disappeared off Newfoundland’s coast last summer, everyone feared the worst. But as hours turned into days and hope dwindled, the men were found — alive. The ‘Lucky 7’ share their harrowing brush with death in our documentary Lost at Sea.

Tensions between grocery suppliers and retailers came to a head during the pandemic. Karen Proud will oversee a new code of conduct meant to solve disputes and name and shame bad actors. But critics say she needs a bigger stick, like the ability to issue fines.

CBC host of Locals Welcome Suresh Doss talks about the new show -- and why visiting diaspora establishment restaurants paint a vibrant picture of families' journeys to make Canada their home.

It had been a century since Texada Island had seen a grizzly bear. So when one swam 5 kilometres from the mainland over to the community off the B.C. coast, it created curiosity, panic and division about how to live with a giant predator — a giant predator they named, Tex. Molly Segal brings the story of that island community, and the bear, in her documentary, A Bear Called Tex.

Artificial Intelligence exploded in 2025. This year saw big promises -- that AI would usher in an age of unprecedented abundance, solve intractable problems, and touch every corner of our lives. At the same time, we saw growing anxiety around AI taking jobs, worries there's an AI bubble, and warnings around the dangers of AI. So, between the hype and the anxiety, what was AI's impact in 2025? And what can we expect from AI in 2026? Sinead Bovell, a Canadian futurist, and Jaxson Khan, CEO of Aperture AI and a former federal policy advisor, join us to help answer the big questions.

Fewer Canadians are donating and volunteering. The economy, the pandemic, age are all factors -- but longtime leaders in the charitable sector say we've also lost some shared values. We speak with a lifelong volunteer about why she volunteers and what it means to them. We also talk to Megan Conway from Volunteer Canada and Bruce MacDonald from Imagine Canada about why Canadians have less to give, how we can start to bring back values of service and participation -- and what happens to our communities if we can't.

Longtime Nashville Predator Jordin Tootoo is the subject of a new documentary, highlighting life in the North, his struggle with substance abuse and how the serenity he felt on the land in Rankin Inlet was matched only by the peace he felt playing hockey.

Jad Abumrad’s new podcast, Fela Kuti: Fear No Man, digs into Fela Kuti’s life, the good and the bad because he not only pioneered Afrobeat and pushed against the impacts of colonialism but he was also a deeply complicated and flawed man who left a wake of inspiration and trauma.

As 2025 comes to a close, Canadian politics looks very different than it did a year ago. Prime Minister Mark Carney wraps up his first year in office leading a minority government. It was a year that saw Justin Trudeau step aside, a surprise election, and a tariff war. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre lost his seat and now faces tough questions about his leadership. All of this has unfolded as Donald Trump’s second presidency continues to reshape Canada’s political and economic reality. To take stock of the year, and to look ahead to what 2026 might bring, we convene our year-end national affairs panel with Rosemary Barton, Ryan Tumilty, and Rob Shaw.

Some of the biggest inventions in history started with someone being told they were wrong, and then not taking “no” for an answer. For Terry O’Reilly, those are the most captivating stories. In his new book,  Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Change the World,  the host of CBC’s ‘Under the Influence’, explores what we can learn from mavericks, including Taylor Swift — and why in a world where we always need new ideas to grow, our first instinct is to reject them.

Many small communities across the country are struggling to survive as people age and their children choose big city life. Powell River, B.C. is trying to keep its own numbers up with the help of a conductor who’s worked with some of the world’s biggest orchestras. In her documentary War and Peace, the CBC’s Liz Hoath hears from locals who say Arthur Arnold is bringing a lot more than music to their town of 13,000 people.

Writing has shaped Margaret Atwood’s life, from childhood poems about rhyming cats to watching The Handmaid’s Tale become “an approaching reality” in Trump’s America. The Queen of CanLit sat down with Matt Galloway to discuss her new memoir, Book of Lives — and ended up giving Galloway an impromptu palm reading.

Shachi Kurl, the President of the Angus Reid Institute, a polling firm, join us to give us an insight into how Canadians are feeling about the economy and politics after a turbulent year for the country.

Jimmy Darts has become a social media star through his kindness videos. He has over 12 million followers and 400 million likes, just on his TikTok account. Through his account, he gives and raises thousands of dollars for strangers. We talk to him about his work, and his new book Undercover Kindness.

It was another year of devastating floods, fires and other extreme weather events. The Trump Administration also levelled dramatic cuts to climate science and pledged to break up one of the world’s leading weather forecasting research centres. And here in Canada, the federal government reversed a series of climate policies. We speak to climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe and Rick Smith of the Canadian Climate Institute about where they are finding optimism as 2025 comes to a close

One Canadian dies every two days waiting for an organ. Stephanie Azzarello feared she'd be one of them. For people waiting for a liver, like Azzarello, there’s an option to find a living donor. Usually it comes from a family member or close friend… but not always. The woman who offered to help Azzarello after seeing her social media post was a stranger who lived in another country, had never met her. In her documentary, Because of Her, Liz Hoath brings us their story — and how their lives were brought together.

Her mother Mary's death left acclaimed Indian writer, author of The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy feeling "unanchored in space with no coordinates," even though she'd often been a target of Mary's wrath. Roy talks to Matt Galloway about her new memoir, "Mother Mary Comes to Me," revealing their fraught relationship, and how her mother's trailblazing character influenced Roy's writing.

Some Canadians are changing their travel plans and heading to international destinations outside of the United States. We speak with two Canadian snowbirds, one who decided to travel to Mexico, rather than make their annual trip to Texas. While another returned to their Florida home, but not without some hesitation, only to find fewer Canadians around. And we hear from Wayne Smith, the Director of the Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Research on the latest numbers,  what's driving them, and what that means for local economies.

Susan Orlean is the best selling author of seven books including The Orchid Thief and The Library Book, and has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. On stage at the Vancouver Writers Fest, she talks about being curious about the world, and how that's led her to the most unexpected stories. She tells the stories behind her stories of the American Man at Age 10, being portrayed by Meryl Streep, becoming the patron saint of pandemic drinking, and why ending her marriage made her think of a tire driving over a nail. Her new memoir is titled Joyride.

The great Newfoundland satirist has been touring the country this fall, selling out theatres with his latest standup show. He joins us to reflect on the year in Canadian politics. Rick Mercer's Stand Up For Canada premieres Dec 28 at 9 PM on CBC TV and streams on CBC Gem.

Musicians Shad and Talia Schlanger join Matt Galloway for their picks of the best Albums of 2025.

An Alberta cattle producer has been steering his herd through years of drought and says it feels pretty good to have more 'jingle in his jeans' right now with record high beef prices. And a Winnipeg butcher says in spite of eye popping beef prices, his customers so far are still willing to fork over big bucks for the right cut. We speak with Sylvain Charlebois, a professor and senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, and a visiting scholar at McGill University about what’s fueling Canada’s soaring beef prices — and how that can change.

Long-time CBC Radio host Michael Finnerty shares how training as an apprentice cheesemonger in London's Borough Market nourished his soul, gave him a sense of purpose and helped him rediscover the power of community. He talks about his new book "The Cheese Cure"  while taking Matt Galloway on a tasting journey through the sampling of four Canadian cheeses.

A polar bear cub has defied the odds in Northern Manitoba after being adopted by another mother bear, leaving researchers excited about what it could mean for polar bear health and survival amidst climate pressures on the species.

Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi says the process towards peace he hoped to hear about on the ground in the West Bank and Jerusalem appears to be stalled. In Gaza, people continue to suffer as winter sets in.

Jimmy Lai is one of the most high-profile critics of Beijing and the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party.  Sebastien Lai is Jimmy Lai's son  He joins Matt Galloway to talk about his father’s fight for democracy as he faces life in jail.

Sasha DiGiulian spent nine days trapped on a ledge in a storm before becoming the first female climber to make up the famously difficult Platinum route on El Capitán.

We speak with Dr. Jesse Papenburg at Montreal Children's Hospital about the high number of kids coming into the ER and having to be hospitalized with influenza. And then we turn to Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Organization in Saskatchewan who explains why the H3N2 influenza strain this year is causing harsher illness, and what to expect in the years to come as the US begins to taper back sharing its virus data with Canada and the rest of the world.

Our panel of experts give us their top picks for 2025. Food journalists Lucy Waverman, Jonathan Cheung, and Chris Nuttall-Smith name their top picks for cookbooks that will inspire you in the kitchen.

Zadie Smith wonders if she's weird. She pays attention to a lot in an age when our attention has been captured and her phone-free life can be lonely. It's been twenty-five years since Zadie Smith published her widely acclaimed novel 'White Teeth'. She talks to Matt Galloway about aging, attention, clubbing, why she loves Billie Eilish, and her new book of essays 'Dead and Alive'.

Eisha Marjara's documentary "Am I The Skinniest Person You've Ever Seen?" examines her desire to halt her transition into womanhood and the complex ties in her immigrant family. She hopes doing so will help others feel less alone.

There's been a lot going on in Quebec politics this year while many of us may have had our eye on the Canada-US relations. The Quebec government has been under fire for its policies on doctors, on secularism, on a new constitution, and more. The new leader of the opposition Quebec Liberals is under heavy pressure to resign. And the Parti Quebecois, which many had written off, is now talking about winning the next election in October, and promising a  referendum when it does. We talk to Emilie Nicolas, a columnist for Le Devoir in Montreal, and Valérie Gaudreau, a political columnist for Le Soleil in Quebec City about the future of Quebec politics, and its impact for Canada.

The CBC's David Common was in Jamaica more than a month after parts of the island were devastated by a category 5 hurricane. He takes us to a local hospital where the roof was ripped off and patients are still showing up with injuries from the storm. He also introduces us to locals who are trying to get back on their feet and hoping that tourists will still be coming this winter season. Tourism makes up one third of Jamaica's GDP and employs hundreds of thousands of people.

Winter surfing is a thing, and it's happening all over Canada — from the giant waves of Lake Superior to the Atlantic coast to Tofino, B.C. Three winter surfers from across this country share their love for the sport, how it compares to summer surfing and what keeps pulling them back to chase waves in the frigid winter waters

Two gunmen attacked the Jewish holiday event, Hanukkah by the Sea on Bondi Beach, Australia on Sunday. Hundreds were there to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah. At least 15 people were killed, and dozens more were injured. One of the attackers was also killed, the other is in critical condition. We talk to Ben Knight from the vigil in Sydney. He is a senior reporter for ABC News Victoria, and a former ABC correspondent based in Jerusalem and Washington. We also talk to Rabbi Steve Wernick, the Senior Rabbi of Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto about how the pain being felt in Australia is reverberating in Jewish communities around the world.

A CBC investigation recently found there are thousands more people behind bars in Ontario jails than just a few years ago. But the number of jail beds has remained the same. This is all happening while federal and provincial politicians are discussing new bail reform legislation -- changes that could lead to a further influx of accused people being incarcerated. The CBC's   Julie Ireton brings us her documentary "Catch 22."

10 years after the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, three members of the family of the late Murray Sinclair, the chair of the commission, reflect on his legacy. Stephanie and Sara Sinclair are the co-editors of two new collections of writing, "A Steady Brightness of Being" and "You Were Made for this World." They talk about their own family history, and the importance of sharing stories, knowledge and culture — as a path to a better future. And Niigaan Sinclair, Murray's son, and columnist and university professor, reflects on his Dad's lessons of love, and the time he spent at his father's bedside before he died.

Jess Michaels and Liz Stein say their sisterhood of women harmed by Jeffrey Epstein are determined to keep up the pressure as the deadline for the Trump administration to produce the documents approaches and beyond.

For the past three months, Mark Bittman has been running a curious experiment: a fine dining restaurant where patrons pay as little as $15 for a meal. The former New York Times food writer wanted to see whether it was possible to run a restaurant where the food was healthy and locally sourced, the staff was treated and paid well and the prices were affordable. His solution: philanthropic donors, and prices on a sliding scale. As Community Kitchen prepares for its final dinner service on Saturday, Bittman tells Matt Galloway about what the project has taught him about what it would take to change the food system.

Doctors, scientists and tech experts are being courted by top Canadian hospitals and universities. And why some top Canadian scientists say it’s time to “come home” amidst the immigration turmoil gripping the United States.

Manitoba nurses are taking the unique step of voting to 'grey list' two hospitals in that province.  Following repeated calls for help dealing with physical violence in the workplace, nurses at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg and the Thompson General Hospital in northern Manitoba say they've had enough.  Find out what that designation means and why it's caught the attention of nurses across the country.

In 2021, the federal government launched a national daycare plan that promised accessible and affordable daycare, the aim was reducing fees to $10 dollars a day. Five years in, we check in on two families in Regina and Winnipeg on how the plan is working for them. We also speak with Carolyn Ferns, Public Policy Coordinator for the Ontario Coalition For Better Child Care, and Kerry McCuaig, a Fellow in Early Childhood Policy at the University of Toronto, on what more needs to get done.

The godmother of punk says she never had a choice when it came to being an artist -- it was her calling from the moment she first laid eyes on a Picasso in a Philadelphia gallery. She talks about creating through loss, listening to omens and reliving her childhood, in new memoir Bread of Angels.

If you're looking for a family doctor, maybe some good news? More Canadians are finding primary care providers. We look at the ways funding, government policy and some innovation in healthcare are moving the dial when it comes to family medicine.

A study looking at over 50,000 dogs in the U.S. is aiming to understand how they age, and what clues dogs can tell us about how humans age, too. We speak with Daniel Promislow, one of the co-founders of the Dog Aging Project, about the genetic and environmental factors that allow dogs to age healthily.

The war in Sudan continues to rage. It’s a power struggle between the country’s military and the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces or RSF. The U.S. has labelled it a genocide. The ICC is investigating reports of war crimes. It is widely considered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Humanitarian organizations are struggling to keep up and refugees feel forgotten.

Journalist and filmmaker Michelle Shephard recently returned from Chad, on the border with Sudan. This is her documentary, Surviving Sudan.

CBC's Adrienne Arsenault sits down with Matt to talk about her interview with beloved children’s author Robert Munsch, a conversation he calls his “last hurrah.” She walks us through Munsch’s reflections on dementia, memory, the kids who shaped his stories, and his decision to have medical assistance in dying. She also shares the surprising revelation that he's left behind as many as 50 unpublished stories waiting to be released.

Waymo has set its sights on the Canadian market. The self-driving taxi company owned by Google parent company Alphabet, runs autonomous vehicle taxis in a number of American cities. Now it's exploring coming to Toronto. How safe are they? And can they handle winter conditions? And why some experts say self-driving cars will reshape cities and landscapes, the same way the car did one hundred years ago.

As tech companies shift towards innovations in artificial intelligence, companies like Amazon, Meta and IBM have announced tens of thousands job cuts. And this is having a trickle down effect on entry-level positions. We speak with Bibi Souza, a Vancouver software engineer and BC’s head of Women in Tech, about how the work of junior engineers has been on the decline with the adoption of AI tools that can code. We also speak with Sandra Lavoy, a manager with the global recruitment agency, Robert Half, about how to break into this challenging job market.

Netflix is looking to take over the TV, film and streaming assets of Warner Bros. Now another company, Paramount, is making its own play, with a hostile takeover bid. We talk to Globe and Mail film editor Barry Hertz about the possible end results of all this: a corporate monolith with even more control over how we consume films and TV shows, and who gets to make them.

A year ago, Toronto opened Dunn house, a first-of-its kind social medicine housing initiative for people who are unhoused and frequent users of emergency rooms. We're joined by Dr. Andrew Boozary, a primary care physician and executive director of social medicine at University Health Network, who initiated this program. He shares the program's first-year results and what it would

Did you know that your vehicle won’t have been properly safety tested for female drivers or passengers? That’s because all the modern safety features we have like airbags and seatbelts have all been designed to protect the average male body. We speak with Chris O’Connor, who’s known as “the father of the modern crash test dummy” about how his company is changing that by designing the first-ever female crash test dummy.

As we all gear up to spend money on gifts this holiday season — we might be tempted by the many retailers offering some sort of "buy now, pay later" program at their online checkout. Recently, Paypal has started offering it in Canada. And while it can be appealing, as an interest-free way to purchase big-ticket items, financial experts Shannon Lee Simmons and Bruce Sellery warn that it can also lead to overspending — as we indulge in an ever-escalating list of "wants" as opposed to "needs."

Dave Bidini on what it means to be Canadian, why he loves the Great Lakes and what it was like to collaborate with some of Canada's most celebrated artists including Inuk throat singer and novelist Tanya Tagaq; poet and storyteller Chief Stacey LaForme; and the late Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip.

Deadly boat strikes, U.S. warships in the Caribbean, and now President Donald Trump is threatening to stop Venezuelan narco-traffickers on land. As the pressure to oust President Nicolas Maduro mounts, we speak with Phil Gunson, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, in Caracas about the possible outcome of a forced regime change and what Venezuelans want.

At hearings in Washington, American business groups say that, despite some irritants, they like North American free trade. But U.S. President Donald Trump says he's willing to walk away from the three-way deal, if Canada and Mexico don't bend to his demands.

We are bringing you some actually good news and a new drug that is showing incredible promise in fighting HIV/AIDS. It's called lenacapavir. It's not available in Canada yet, but it's getting its first real-world test in three African countries. We talk to Dr Darrell Tan, a leading Canadian HIV prevention researcher about the promise of lenacapavir, and why Canadian doctors should be doing more to make sure HIV prevention drugs get to the people who need them most. And Dr Catherine Martin, a senior researcher with Wits Reproductive Health and HIV in Johannesburg.

For the third time in 40 years team Canada has qualified for the World Cup, but who will they play? How good is this squad and what is their ceiling in the upcoming World Cup? We take a look at arguably the best men's soccer team ever as Canada gears up to co-host its first World Cup.

The CBC's annual campaign, Make the Season Kind, to support local food banks is on right now. We'll talk to our producer Anne Penman, who has coordinated the CBC British Columbia food bank fundraiser for 39 years, about the growing need and how you can help. If you want to contribute to your local food bank, go to cbc.ca/kind, or you can donate by texting KIND to 20222.

Buying Canadian has been top of mind this year — but some people are warning that it might not survive the holiday season. With the cost of living crisis and holiday expenses, some research suggests people do want to buy Canadian — but don't always follow through with their wallet. We speak with a couple local business owners about how impactful the Buy Canada movement has been on their companies, and with an expert to unpack what the gap is between what Canadians want to buy, and what they actually do buy.

The leader of the BC Conservatives, John Rustad says he's not going anywhere. His party says they've voted in a new leader and Rustad is out. We hear from Rob Shaw about a very confusing day in British Columbia politics.

Imagine your toddler playing with a soft teddy bear, but with ChatGPT baked in. These AI toys can chat to your kid, play games, and even say ‘I love you.’ But as more of them hit the market, experts are warning that we don’t know how they will impact a child’s creativity and social development — while a recent report found that one toy was able to engage in sexually explicit or even dangerous conversations.

There’s been at least 16 storms since the start of the year across Asia. Most recently a series of cyclones, monsoons and floods have killed more than 1,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Hundreds are still missing, hundreds of thousands are displaced, and several million are impacted. We speak with Lesthia Kertopati, senior journalist for BBC Indonesia about how days after the storm many on the Indonesian island of Sumatra are still desperately looking for their loved ones — and the challenges in the way of relief efforts.

Volunteer firefighters on Pender Island, B.C. are getting plenty of attention for some of their fire safety videos that have remade an iconic scene from the film Twilight to get their message across. We speak with Todd Bulled, the volunteer firefighter behind the videos about where the inspiration came from.

We grow a lot of wheat in Canada and export most of it. Could we do more value-added processing here? In central Alberta, that's the hope as a new flour mill gets built south of Red Deer.

Podcaster, professor and entrepreneur Scott Galloway believes young men are struggling with feelings of alienation, loneliness, and failure. And that's a danger to all of us, especially when they buy into the dangerous rhetoric they hear online. We talk to him about his new book, Notes on Being a Man, what he's learned from his own life, and why this is such a passionate mission for him.

Algoma Steel has announced 1,000 layoffs in the coming months even though it received millions of dollars in taxpayer dollars. We talk to the Union president Bill Slater, and Mayor Matthew Shoemaker to discuss what happens next in the community.

Generic GLP1-1s  are set to come to Canada next year — significantly lowering the price. What will this mean for people's lives and health?  With as many as ten per cent of Canadian adults on these drugs — we look at how consumer spending is changing.

Exclusive data collected by CBC shows absenteeism from school is on the rise in Canada, but why are kids missing school? Parents and researchers say it's hard to know for sure, but youth mental health and a lack of support for different learning needs at school is part of the problem.

Christian churches across Canada say more young people are turning to faith — reversing a decades long trend. Current producer Juliana Konrad wanted to find out why and talked to young people, church leaders, and experts about why Gen Z is turning to Christianity — and what it says about what it means to be young today and face an uncertain future.

The Supreme Court is set to hear a case about the time limits it placed on criminal trials in 2016. Victims who watched those they accused walk free are demanding change — and justice. But a criminal defence lawyer says governments need to fix the justice system, not violate the rights of the accused.

A 70 year old American woman — died alone in a Montana hospital  Susie Silvestri put her home up for sale so she could afford to come to a private, unregulated health centre in Moose Jaw. She eventually was forced to flee Canada after falling through gaps in Saskatchewan’s health care system. The CBC’s investigative reporter Geoff Leo shares Susie’s story.

Is it the airlines? The airports? The regulators? Or us? U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is urging airplane passengers to dress and behave better to bring back the "golden age" of travel.

Scientists have discovered our brain organizes itself differently based on different life stages, with some stages working more efficiently than others. A new study from the University of Cambridge identified five main brain "eras" - child, adolescent, adult, early ageing, and late ageing. We speak with the lead author of the study to find out more about these stages and what this research might mean for mental health and dementia research.

Our National Affairs Panel gets you caught up on all the latest politics.  Rosemary Barton,  CBC's Chief Political Correspondent, Stephanie Levitz, the Globe and Mail's Senior Reporter in the Ottawa bureau and Ryan Tumilty a political reporter with the Toronto Star join host Matt Galloway.

The Quebec government tabled a new secularism legislation that would impose strict rules about religious expression in public. This comes on top of the current ban of religious symbols worn by teachers, judges and police officers. The province says the changes will ensure equality, but religious groups argue the opposite is happening. We speak with Michel C. Auger, columnist at La Presse and a regular commentator for Radio-Canada about the implications of this law.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were all smiles in Calgary on Thursday as they inked an energy deal that promises a new era of cooperation.The memorandum of understanding is aimed at clearing a path toward a new oil pipeline from Alberta to the west coast and Asian markets.That path gets rocky in British Columbia. We speak with former Alberta premier Jason Kenney about why he thinks this pipeline is necessary for Canada's economy. Then, we hear from Chief Maureen Nyce of the Haisla Nation about how far they're willing to go to make sure this pipeline doesn't go ahead.

Toronto journalist Anna Mehler Paperny had experimental surgery that placed electrodes in her brain in the exact location neurologists believe could be the source of her depression. She's part of a clinical study out of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre that uses deep brain stimulation to treat mood disorders. She speaks about the procedure and her hopes that the study, a first of its kind in Canada — will lead to a better understanding of the physiology of depression and its treatment.

We might be getting closer to understanding how those giant heads on Easter Island ended up there — and no, it’s not aliens! Instead they may have “walked” with the help of ropes. We speak with Carl Lipo, professor of anthropology at Binghamton University in New York, and Terry Hunt, professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona. They have been researching for an answer for more than two decades, and now published two studies with new information about how the moai of Easter Island were built and moved around