The Big Story

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston announced more than $130 million in budget cuts to several supports and programs, including sports, healthcare, climate change, and Black, Mi'kmaw and Gaelic communities. Although he's reversed more than $53 million in grant cuts, the arts and culture are still left to fend for themselves.

Protest against the cuts overall have broken out across the province, even making their way to the Oscars following Tamara Deverell's production design win.

Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to the Oscar winner herself, a BC native who lives in Nova Scotia, to discuss how government grants to the arts help put Canada's name on Hollywood's map. Then, Caryn is joined by Sébastien Labelle, a Nova Scotian actor and the artistic director of Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax, about the ripple effect of Houston's proposed cuts, and why he's calling the move 'smoke and mirrors'.

Learn more about Mayworks Kjipuktuk/Halifax here: https://mayworkskjipuktukhfx.ca/

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Plus: European leaders meet in Brussels, Poilievre on Joe Rogan's podcast, Canada's ranking on the World Happiness Report, and can the Canadian Armed Forces keep out white supremacists? We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future
episodes. You can find us:

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A recent investigation exposed several members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) had accounts on a whites-only dating site that worked to promote white supremacy ideology. It comes almost a year after the RCMP arrested four men, including CAF members for plotting to forcibly take over land in Quebec using military weapons.

Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Dr. David Hofmann, the Director of the Criminology and Criminal Justice Program at the University of New Brunswick and an expert on far-right extremism and violence, to discuss how - or if - the CAF is able to sift out white supremacists from their recruitment, why militaries are so attractive to white nationalists, and how the CAF takes action once an extremist is identified.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
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Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

Plus: The Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 2.25%, the federal government is appealing a ruling on its use of the Emergencies Act, and Venezuela wins the World Baseball Classic. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future
episodes. You can find us:

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Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky

It's been an emotional rollercoaster of a week so far for US President Trump.

First he was greatly disappointed that none of his allies wanted to donate their military resources to guard commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. Then he said he wasn't surprised that NATO worked on what he called a 'one way street' basis.

Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Willy Lowry, one of the hosts of Two Blocks from the White House - a CBC podcast about US politics from a Canadian context - and a correspondent for CBC News in Washington. The two discuss where Trump's calculations went wrong for on ally support, how Canada could use a 'get out of jail free' card, and how much deeper the war could expand.

You can listen to Two Blocks from the White House here: https://app.magellan.ai/listen_links/2BFTWHxTBS

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:
Through email at [email protected]
Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky