Canadian military spending hasn't traditionally been a top election issue. But thanks to Canada's shifting relationship with the United States, it certainly is right now. To answer your questions about Canada's military readiness, Just Asking was joined by two guests. Richard Shimooka is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute who studies defence policy. And Whitney Lackenbauer is the Canada Research Chair in the Study of the Canadian North, and an expert on Arctic security. We'll also hear from former Nunavut Premier Paul Quassa on Arctic sovereignty and defence.

You might not need a study to tell you that Canadians aren't particularly happy right now, but in case you do, the Global Happiness Report has Canada ranked as the 18th happiest country in the world. That's down from last year's ranking, and much lower than fifth place which was Canada's highest rank ever (back in 2015). To answer your questions about how to be happy, Just Asking spoke to two guests. Gillian Mandich is a happiness researcher, and Dr. Saunia Ahmad is a clinical psychologist. We also heard from Darren Hamilton, assistant professor of music education at the University of Toronto, and the University of Toronto Faculty of Music Gospel Choir.

Another federal election campaign means we are about to be bombarded by opinion polls. Weekly polls, local polls, aggregate polls, there is a ton to keep track of. To answer your questions about political polls and how they work, Just Asking brought on two guests. Mario Canseco is a pollster and the President of Research Co., and Feodor Snagovsky is a professor of political science at the University of Alberta who specializes in the comparative analysis of elections and political behaviour.

Tariff uncertainty has slowed Canada's housing market, and reports show that the national average asking price for rent has gone down for five months in a row. So is this finally good news for renters and buyers? Whether you are renting, buying, leasing, or selling - Just Asking was joined by two experts with advice for you. Tom Storey is a realtor in Toronto, and Sydney Blum is a community legal worker at Dalhousie Legal Aid.

It's been another week of escalating tariffs and threats between the United States and Canada. The U.S. placed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports coming across the border, and Canada responded with its own counter-tariffs on U.S. goods. Whether it's dairy, lumber, or trade deficits, Donald Trump has made a lot of claims about the Canada-U.S. relationship the last few weeks. To help us fact-check, Just Asking was joined by Jim Stanford - an economist and the Director of the Centre for Future Work in Vancouver. And Rambod Behboodi - a trade lawyer and senior counsel at the law firm Borden Ladner Gervais.

Ontario is seeing a surge in measles cases right now. Public Health Ontario is reporting 350 total cases since an outbreak began on Oct. 28, 2024. The number has increased by 173 cases in the last several weeks. To answer your questions about measles, Just Asking spoke with guests Dr. Brian Conway - President and Medical Director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre. And Devon Greyson - Assistant Professor at the School of Population and Public Health, UBC.

It seems like the trade war is here to stay for the foreseeable future. That was the message from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after another week of threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. What do you want to know about tariffs and how this all affects your personal finances? We put your questions to Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, a political economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and Bruce Sellery, an expert on personal finances.

You can find a bully in many places - in a school yard, at work or maybe even at the highest levels of government. Some have accused U.S. President Donald Trump of being a bully, in a world of international politics, where diplomacy is the norm. Canadians have been forced to respond. When you've got no choice but to take on your bully, how do you do it? Just Asking spoke with Tony Volk, a Brock University professor and scientist who studies bullying as well as parenting, personality and psychopathy and Linda Crockett, the founder of the Canadian Institute of Workplace Bullying Resources.

More adults under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with cancer and doctors aren't sure why exactly. The trend is apparent in specific types of cancers, such as colorectal and breast cancer. And doctors say that an increase in obesity and sedentary lifestyles could be to blame. What questions do you have about early-onset cancer? Just Asking spoke with Tim Caulfield, Law professor and research director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, and an expert in medical misinformation.

After an explosive press conference, a mineral deal between the United States and Ukraine is off the table for now. What does this mean for a war that has been going on for 3 years now? What's next for Ukraine? Just Asking was joined by two guests to answer all of your questions. Paul Goode is an Associate Professor and McMillan Chair of Russian Studies at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University. Ann Fitz-Gerald is the Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs and a Professor in Wilfrid Laurier University’s Political Science Department.