The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge

The RCMP is going to set up special units to protect politicians and senior civil servants. What has the country become that has led to this? Bruce and Chantal have their thoughts on that plus the latest on the David Johnston story and whether he can carry on with his job. Also what to believe about the latest poll showing the Conservatives may have reason to be concerned about their position in their fight for power.

Lots of issues from your letters this week starting with an important warning from my trucker friend in the Maritimes.  The forest fire problem in that region could get a lot worse before it gets better.  Also thoughts about our guests this week and one very much in particular.

It looked like the NDP leader was in a political jam criticizing the government while at the same time propping it up.  But someone, maybe Jagmeet Singh himself, came up with a great line to get himself to safe ground.  Bruce does his SMT analysis on that plus the Alberta election and artificial intelligence too.  Lots to listen to this week.

A young Canadian medic fighting with the Ukrainians takes us inside the story with his first-hand account of what it's like at the frontlines of the war.  His name is Brandon Mitchell and he's from Miramichi, New Brunswick.  His story is one that tells us what this war is really like.  Brian Stewart also drops by for a condensed Stewart Report on the latest developments in the war.

A week after the Johnston Report we leave the politics out of the discussion and talk only about what we learned, including what do we know about how we handle our secrets.  And when a top-secret report goes up to the Primer Minister how many people may have first seen it -- you might be surprised.  Special guest is security and intelligence expert Stephanie Carvin. 

You could be excused if you thought all the posturing this week from the two major parties was all "just politics".  But was it?  Chantal and Bruce have their say on that plus, who is Michael Sabia and why does he matter to so many people?  

Lots of emails with your views in the first twenty-four hours after the release of the Johnston Report on Election Interference. Those views reflect in many ways the different views we witnessed on Parliament Hill when the report was released.  And the Random Ranter has his take as well focusing on how this week has impacted the state of political leadership in the country.

The classic example of the morning after the day before.  It all boils down to one question, who do you trust? Yesterday had it all, a respected person with a controversial report, an opposition party not buying it, a government trying to defend it and the media caught in the middle.  Bruce has his thoughts and so do I.  

You could be excused if you didn't realize Henry Kissinger was still alive, but he is and as he turns 100 this week, he's still actively proposing plans for world peace.  The controversial former US Secretary of State forms part of what Brian Stewart's weekly Ukraine commentary is all about this week. 

Today an encore presentation of an episode that originally aired on May 15th. Our two political heavyweights, Conservative James Moore and Liberal Gerry Butts, move their latest non-partisan discussion to the question of lies and their growing place in modern politics.  Like it or not the lie is in the toolbox of politics and Donald Trump isn't the only one using it.  How did that happen and where does it lead?  Those are the questions we tackle in Moore-Butts #8.