The Big Story

It's been an interesting past few months for the Federal Conservatives, from several MPs crossing the floor, to reports of inner-circle fighting, to Pierre Poilievre questioning PM Carney's education in economics.

In more recent events, the Federal Opposition leader has since claimed that Canada is in a 'full-blown' recession, and has called for unity among Alberta separatists.

Host Maria Kestane speaks to Glen McGregor, political correspondent for CityNews to discuss what challenges Poilievre's caucus may return to after the summer recess, and what issues are currently dividing the party.

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Plus: Pierre Poilievre is expected to call for a shift in federal policies with rising separatist movements in Alberta, Iran's military says it's stopping offensive operations after exchanging fire with Israel, and looking ahead to the World Cup - security and the top-ranked stadiums. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future
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Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca 

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Louise Arbour, a former lawyer, Supreme Court Justice, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is being sworn in as Canada's next Governor General. It comes at a nuanced time for Canada's global identity.

Host Catherine Jette speaks to Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto about the Governor General's role in Canada, whether or not Canadians feel connected to the monarch, and how Arbour could use this precarious geopolitical moment to capture the country's appetite for unity and identity.

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Enjoy this special feed drop of our sister show "In This Economy?!"

Following a negative performance for economic growth in the first quarter of 2026, the Canadian economy fell into what's been described as a "technical recession". While the headline was pounced on for political debate, with such a small decline (just a 0.1% contraction) and some parts of the economy still doing quite well, economists are downplaying the significance of all this recession talk.

Nevertheless, under the weight of the trade war with the U.S., there are a lot of questions around the recent signals by the Bank of Canada even talking about hiking interest rates and whether the central bank will be changing its message to the markets next week with it's policy announcement on June 10th.

Host Mike Eppel speaks with Royce Mendes, the managing director and head of macro strategy at Desjardins, about this so-called "recession", and what the consequences of reading too much into it might be.

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Plus: can Albertans actually be dual citizens if the province separates from Canada, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has requested a face-to-face with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the Ontario government is going after illegal ticket resellers again, and could B.C. see its first Conservative premier in a century? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future
episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca 

Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky