The Munk Debates Podcast

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.
This week, the U.S. President became a troll under a bridge, we learned AI is coming for our jobs, and America could be headed towards war with Iran. But amidst it all, a big story in Minnesota did not get the coverage it deserves: in a major retreat, the Trump administration is withdrawing significant numbers of ICE agents from the area. This story shows the importance of local people on the ground organizing and recording unseemly and unlawful behaviour for the public. Meanwhile there are musings that the President is considering pulling out of CUSMA negotiations as relations with Canada continue to decline and his behaviour gets more erratic. What will happen if he loses in the midterms? A defanged Trump is a more dangerous president than the version we are currently witnessing. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice talk about the likelihood of the Liberals calling a spring election to seize on high poll numbers, presenting their case to Canadians as needing a national mandate as they enter into tough CUSMA negotiations. Rudyard and Janice suggest, however, that there is more going on behind the scenes that is driving Canada towards a snap election.

For 72-hour advanced access to the full-length editions of Munk Dialogues with Andrew Coyne consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $50 annually, or $1.00 per episode. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.
Donald Trump is trying to claim that the new $6.4-billion bridge built between Windsor and Detroit - fully funded by Canada - should belong in part to the US. This is not just about a bridge, it's a commentary on the decline in US-Canada relations. Trump's bizarre Truth Social post also tries to delegitimize Canada as a vassal state of China and a threat to the United States. Trump is trying to destabilize Canada and all signs suggest he will attempt to use the leverage of CUSMA to impose all kinds of conditions on us as we enter into new trade negotiations. Andrew believes he is overstating his leverage and destroying the American trade position such that every traditional US trade partner is looking elsewhere to make deals. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Andrew turn to Canadian domestic politics and rumours that Mark Carney will call a spring election to shore up a majority government. Why would the Liberals want an election sooner than later? And can Carney get his majority without forcing Canadians to head to the polls?

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.
Will the US go to war with Iran? Donald Trump is being taunted: if he backs down on his demand that Iran restrict its ballistic missiles program he will lose face in the Middle East. Janice believes that if Iran agrees to a deal that pauses its nuclear weapons program indefinitely Trump should take it and claim a big win. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to the big finance news of the week, specifically the mass selloff in software stocks that wiped one trillion dollars from the stock market due to the release of new AI bots that can automate legal and financial services. How can software companies survive in this environment? Why was the market response to these AI bots so severe? This is a signal to how new technologies are coming for white collar jobs in a way that we can't even imagine. Are policymakers working on a response to how radical this job dislocation will be to our economy?

The full length edition of this Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne is being made available to all paying and non-paying subscribers
Members of the Alberta separatist movement have been travelling regularly to meet with members of the Trump administration. Should this be considered treasonous? Does the province of Alberta have legitimate grievances? Equalization is not a good program but it is not a plot against Alberta. How can we pull together and rediscover what we have in common in the face of American hostility? Andrew argues that we must channel this crisis into a positive direction and protect what is good and great in this country. In the back half of the show Andrew proposes a security agenda for Canada to strengthen our democracy and our borders. Where is the urgency and creativity of a policy agenda to match the diagnosis of rupture? And do any of Canada's political parties have the vision and fortitude to rise to this unique challenge?

Become a Munk Donor ($50 annually) to get 72-hour advanced access to the full length editions of Friday Focus. Go to www.munkdebates.com to sign up.
Rudyard and Janice begin today's show with the dangerous escalation between Iran and America. Trump has moved an Armada into the Middle East following his demands that Iran cease enrichment of uranium and limit its ballistic missile program. Will Trump use force if Iran does not comply? And what are the targets? Turkey and Qatar are trying to broker an agreement but the Ayatollah, a fervent idealogue, does not want a deal. This is a very dangerous situation that could easily escalate without a clear plan. In the second half of the program they discuss the fallout from Mark Carney's Davos speech and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer's suggestion of a North America customs union. This would build a wall of tariffs around the continent and lead to much deeper integration with the U.S., in opposition to Carney's plans for trade diversification. Why would America want this? And will Trump stoke the flames of Alberta separatism to influence upcoming trade negotiations?