Our election coverage continues!   Stephen Gordon, economics professor at University of Laval, evaluates the economic policy we’ve seen on the campaign trail so far, from tax cuts to housing plans.    Author Mark Bourrie talks about his new book, Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre.    CTV host and chief political correspondent Vassy Kapelos trades notes with Paul on the campaign so far.

The election campaign heads into its second week, and everything feels brand new. The Liberal campaign plane finally has the Liberal logo on it. Mark Carney has a candidate he should probably drop. Pierre Poilievre is having a very hard time moving the debate from the issue he can’t win on to an issue he might win on. And Jagmeet Singh would just like to be noticed. We’ve got Allison Gifford, Marci Surkes and Jason Lietaer to break it down for you.

This is an elections podcast now. Each week throughout the election, we'll bring you a variety of smart commentators to keep you upto speed. This week, former Progressive Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod talks about her old riding of Nepean, where Mark Carney is running, with Pierre Poilievre running just next door. MacLeod has also worked with Poilievre, and weighs in on his leadership. And Hélène Buzzetti, political columnist for les Coops de l’information, talks about the political landscape in Quebec. Can Carney overcome his weak French and lack of familiarity with Quebecers? And can the Conservatives gain ground in the province? Season 3 of the Paul Wells Show is supported by McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy

Campaign Week 1, featuring an assist from Danielle Smith   The original Conservative on our Panel, the great Garry Keller, won his nomination battle in Nipissing—Timiskaming. Now he’s off trying to get elected to Parliament. (Note to readers who worry that this corner might be endorsing somebody: Please vote for whoever you want!) So, in a move reminiscent of Season 2 of Bewitched, we’ve got a new Darrin: Say hi to Jason Lietaer, the veteran of Harper-era campaign tours who is now President of Enterprise Canada.   We’ve got a lot to talk about, because this is the first of five (or six) weekly Panels as we follow the election campaign. Joining Jason are our Panel veterans, Allison Gifford of Clear Strategy and Marci Surkes of Compass Rose. On the menu: ballot-question framing, campaign performance, and Alberta premier Danielle Smith’s decision to tell Breitbart News that Pierre Poilievre would get along much better with Donald Trump.

This week, we’re replaying one of our favourite interviews. What can history tell us about the world we live in? Paul is joined by acclaimed historian Margaret MacMillan, author of books including Paris: 1919, Nixon in China and History’s People. They discuss some of the major events shaping the world today, including the war in Ukraine, the fallout of Brexit, Xi Jinping’s regime in China, and where Canada fits in to it all.   This episode was recorded live at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. It was first broadcast on February 1st, 2023.   Season 3 of the Paul Wells Show is supported by McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy

Former Defence Minister and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has been horrified by what he’s been seeing from the new Trump administration. He got so mad that he ended a lengthy Twitter hiatus to sound off about it. He joins Paul to share his views on Trump’s takeover of America conservatism, Trump’s relationship with Ukraine, and what Canada should do about U.S. aggression.

Paul breaks down some of the major challenges facing higher education in Canada, including a lack of political will to invest in the sector.    He is then joined by a panel of insiders for their takes on what to do about it. How are they handling this moment? What does the future look like? And how can universities make the case for their relevance in a changing world?   The panelists are: Graham Carr, President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University Maud Cohen, President of Polytechnique Montréal Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic) at McGill University Season 3 of The Paul Wells Show is sponsored by McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy.

Writer, professor and cousin-of-Paul Ira Wells was concerned about the rise of censorship coming from both sides of the political spectrum. So he wrote a book about it, diving into the history of people trying to control what you read. That book is called On Book Banning: Or, How the New Censorship Consensus Trivializes Art and Undermines Democracy. He talks to Paul about the personal incident that sent him down this path, how the censors justify their actions, new threats to books in the digital age, and much more.  Season 3 of The Paul Wells Show is sponsored by McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy.

Mark Norman believes an attack from the U.S. in not hypothetical. It’s already happening. And Canada’s lacking a strategy to respond.    He first laid out his argument in an opinion piece for the National Post titled  “Canada’s relationship with the U.S. can’t be saved.”   He joins Paul to explain why he thinks we need to change our national mindset towards the U.S.    Mark Norman is the former Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and Vice Chief of the Defense Staff of Canada.   Season 3 of The Paul Wells Show is sponsored by McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy.

The Conservative leader is planning a big rally in Ottawa this weekend. It follows a sustained slide in the polls. Can he change his message for a world of Donald Trump and Mark Carney? Does he even want to? Our Panel — Garry Keller, Allison Gifford, Marci Surkes — discusses all of this and more.