In May, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley will get a shot at becoming Premier again. Paul meets Rachel in Calgary to discuss her vision for the province and the prospect of facing off against a united conservative movement. She also talks about the opioid crisis, the federal healthcare deal, the future of the energy industry and dealing with Ottawa.

What is the future of sitting in the dark with strangers? The film industry has had to face major existential questions lately, between disruptions from COVID and the rise of streaming. Cameron Bailey, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, joins Paul to talk about it. He also talks about how TIFF became the world-class institution that it is, his path from film critic to CEO, and casting his first ballot for the Oscars.

Judging from the Group of Seven’s paintings, you would think post-war Canada was nothing but empty wilderness. But the women artists of the period showed a different vision of the country, filled with cities, people and industry.   Sarah Milroy is the Chief Curator for the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, which houses a vast collection of the Group of Seven’s work. She talks about how they have been working to expand the idea of Canadian art, to invite in the women and the Indigenous artists who are often overlooked.   This episode was recorded live at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.   Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment will open on March 3rd at the National Gallery of Canada.

Andy Byford has gained a reputation as the person to call when your public transit system is in crisis. In over three decades as a public servant, he has run transit systems in Toronto, New York and London, England. He talks about what makes a good transit system, a recent wave of violent crime, and his public battle with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The Trudeau Government has made a lot of promises about reconciliation. As the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Affairs, Marc Miller’s job is to follow through on them.In this live conversation, Minister Miller talks frankly about his successes and failures in the role. He also talks about his own background, including his childhood friendship with Justin Trudeau, his time in the military and learning to speak Mohawk. This episode was recorded live at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. 

Friday Night Lights author Buzz Bissinger joins Paul to talk about his storied career and his new book, The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II. He also discusses ghostwriting Caitlyn Jenner’s memoir, why he left Twitter, his time at Vanity Fair, and why he’s considering leaving the US.   Thank you to Perfect Books in Ottawa for hosting this conversation.

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.

Former finance minister Bill Morneau joins Paul to talk candidly about his life in politics, his resignation, and his vision for the future of the Canadian economy, from pension reform to green energy. His new book is called Where To From Here: A Path to Canadian Prosperity.This episode was recorded live at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Last week, German police arrested 25 members of a far-right group who were plotting a coup. What is the Reichsbürger movement? How dangerous are they? And what does this incident tell us about the nature of political extremism in Europe -- and closer to home? To answer these questions, Paul Wells is joined by Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director of the Counter Extremism Project.

This week, Paul has two conversations about the struggle for democracy in Eastern Europe, with people who are living through it. First, Janis Kazocins, national security advisor to the president of Latvia, talks about what lessons we can draw from the Baltic states to shed light on Ukraine, NATO and Russia. Next, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya talks about how she went from being an “ordinary housewife” to running as the pro-democracy candidate in the Belarusian election. Though there’s reason to believe she won, her opponent claimed victory and crushed dissent. Paul spoke to her onstage at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.