The Big Story

If everyone in Canada had a family doctor, we could prevent hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits before they happen. But millions of Canadians don't have one, and can't find one. And as family doctors get older and retire, while the population continues to grow, this is only going to get worse.Why are family doctors in Canada an aging population? How can we attract more young doctors to take up family practices? And what kind of strain does it put on the system when millions of us have no first option when something is wrong, other than the local ER?GUEST: Dr. Alika Lafontaine, President of the Canadian Medical Association and rural anesthesiologist We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

(This is part one of a five-part series examining Canada's health care crisis. How we got here, what comes next, and what we can do about it.)Nurses are almost everyone's first point of contact with our health care system. And if you need extensive care, they will be your most reliable caregivers. But they're quitting. In droves. And without them, well, things like hospitals and long-term care facilities don't actually work.What's causing the mass exodus? What can we do to stop it? And what do people hoping to enter the nursing profession need to make an impact when they get here?GUEST: Natalie Stake-Doucet, former practicing nurse, Faculty Lecturer and PhD, Université de Montréal We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Polls show a lot of support among Canadians for reexamining, and perhaps even ending, our relationship with the monarchy. This is clearly an opportunity to do something. But what does that something actually entail? What would happen if Canada tried to reopen the Constitution to become a republic? If that's not feasible, what other steps could we take to distance ourselves from the royal family? And in 10 years, who will be on the Toonie?GUEST: Stephen Maher, journalist and author, writing in ipolitics.ca We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

In recent years many conservative politicians have catered to the more extreme parts of their base to get elected, only to find that once in power they are obliged to continue to serve them. In the CPC leadership race, Pierre Poilievre managed to peel support away from would-be PPC voters and others on the fringe.He needs these votes to beat Justin Trudeau and the Liberals in the next election. But the challenge he will face is harnessing their support without falling prey to their worst tendencies. Can he do it? How?GUEST: Justin Ling, investigative journalist, author of the Bug-Eyed and Shameless newsletter We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

As they choose a new leader and prepare for a looming 2023 election, Alberta's United Conservative Party is looking ... anything but. Never mind leadership hopefuls taking shots at one another, outgoing leader Jason Kenney is still premier and is openly deriding some of the proposals from his would-be successors.Meanwhile, Albertans care about the rising cost of living more than they do about picking yet another fight with Ottawa, so who among the UCP hopefuls is ready to help them, and how? And what is the leadership fight doing to the UCP's prospects in the next election, which will come no later than next May?GUEST: Jason Ribeiro, political commentator and doctoral researcher at the University of Calgary We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Three people, including a police officer, were killed. The gunman dies as well. The crimes stretched over three cities, five police agencies and hours of the middle of a day in Southern Ontario. But more than a week after the shooter was killed by police, there still isn't much to explain why this happened.What do we know about the victims and the suspect? Why would he begin his attack by ambushing a cop in a coffee shop? What will we learn in the weeks ahead? And, once again, without a proper trial, how much of what police do eventually discover will they share with the public and the media?GUEST: Wendy Gillis, crime and police reporter, Toronto Star (Read a minute-by-minute account of the shootings right here.) We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

As September begins, many companies are making a big push to bring their employees back to the office. But new data shows that employees are getting even more comfortable working from home, and are reporting improved mental health as a result. Meanwhile, the labour market favours workers, and employers are struggling to retain talent—which leaves them with little leverage when employees say they'd rather work remotely.So what happens now? Because one thing is becoming clear: If employers can't get their workers back at the start of a new school year, with no pandemic restrictions and office space begging to be used ... they're probably not coming back to the office, ever.GUEST: Vanmala Subramaniam, Future of Work reporter, The Globe and Mail We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

Queen Elizabeth II is at rest, but history is moving forward. This weekend, hundreds of thousands will say their final goodbyes to the monarch. On Monday tens of millions around the world will watch her funeral, attended by royals, world leaders and other dignitaries. And then, sometime soon, the world will have to grapple with King Charles III, the legacy of the monarchy and what commonwealth countries like Canada want to do next...GUEST: Lisa LaFlamme has covered almost every major moment in the monarchy over the past 20-plus years. She joins The Big Story from London, where she is covering the Queen's death for CityNews. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

We learned earlier this summer just how vulnerable our connected services can be. It seems like the government did, too. With a new memorandum of understanding and revisions to the competition act, it looks as if the federal government is trying to stabilize what many consider an essential service. But will new regulations have any teeth? And how could it change what services Canadians receive, and how much they pay?GUEST: Vass Bednar, executive director of the Masters of Public Policy in Digital Society program at McMaster University We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter

In less than a week, Ukrainian forces have regained more than 3000 square kilometres of territory occupied by Russia, and they plan to keep pushing. Videos show Russian tanks and ammunition left behind as soldiers flee. It's been an incredible offensive—but is it enough to turn the tide of this conflict? And what happens if Russia is humiliated in front of the world? What might Vladimir Putin do then?GUEST: Balkan Devlin, Senior Fellow at the MacDonald-Laurier Institute, Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc. We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca Or @thebigstoryfpn on Twitter