Just Asking

U.S. President Donald Trump will hit Canadian imports with a 25% tariff starting this Tuesday. To talk about these tariffs and how other Trump policies affect Canada, we spoke to two guests. Pedro Antunes is Chief Economist at The Conference Board of Canada. Laura Dawson is Executive Director of Future Borders Coalition.

On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he's pulling out of the Paris climate agreement. Canada is still in, as are many other countries. To explain what this all means, we spoke to two guests. Kathryn Harrison is a professor of political science at the University of British Columbia who teaches courses on climate and energy policy. Alienor Rougeot is a 26-yeard-old climate activist who has attended international climate conferences.

Donald Trump, Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland and Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde all gave speeches in recent days that captured at least national attention. So what makes a great speaker? What about those who have an anxiety about public speaking? We spoke to two guests about ways to overcome those fears. Dr. Martin Antony is a psychologist who says he's seen people turn down jobs to avoid public speaking, and students who avoid taking classes where they have to talk in front of their peers. Plus, Suzannah Baum is an author, speaker, and executive speech coach. We also spoke to Joze Piranian who is a lifelong stutterer turned International Keynote Speaker and Stand-up Comedian.

A ceasefire deal has been reached between Israel and Hamas. But there are still a lot of questions to be answered about how it will work exactly, and whether each phase will be fully implemented. We spoke to two guests about what comes next in Gaza. Jon Allen is Senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Diana Sarosi is the Director of Policy and Campaigns at Oxfam Canada.

About one million Canadians have an eating disorder according to numbers from Stats Canada. That number is likely higher, because so many people don't recognize they have one and never get help. At the same time, there is rampant misinformation about health and food on social media. To answer your questions about eating disorders, we spoke to three guests. Amanda Raffoul is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. Gina Dimitropoulos is a Professor of Social Work at the University of Calgary and research lead of the Calgary Eating Disorders Program. Chloe Grande is an eating disorder recovery speaker and writer.

Justin Trudeau has said he will step down as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, and as Prime Minister, once his replacement is found. And the race to replace him will soon begin. We had two guests on Just Asking to discuss who could replace Justin Trudeau. Zain Velji is a political strategist and partner at Northweather and has worked on leadership campaigns at the provincial level in Alberta. Daniel Béland is a professor of political science and director of the McGill Institute for the study of Canada.

Many kids are back to school this week. They're cracking open their books and learning about migrating butterflies, where France is on a map, or what happens when you add vinegar to baking soda. There's so much information, and so many stories to be found between the covers of a book. But how do you get children excited about reading? We had two guests on Just Asking to help answer your questions about kids and reading. Marc Joanisse is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Western University. Katelyn Bryant is a psychologist and assistant director of the Mary J. Wright Child and Youth Development Clinic.

An estimated 6.4 million Canadians provide unpaid care to dependent adults. We spoke with two guests about situations that come up when caregivers are trying to navigate care for an aging adult. Dr. Samir Sinha is a geriatrician and clinician scientist at Sinai Health and the University Health System in Toronto. Laura Tamblyn Watts is the CEO of the national seniors advocacy organization, CanAge. She’s also an elder law lawyer and the author of Let’s Talk About Aging Parents.

We've all heard the statistic less than 10 per cent of plastic used in Canada gets recycled. You may have met people who have given up on recycling altogether. This week on Just Asking we spoke with Myra Hird, Professor in the school of environmental studies at Queen's University about busting some myths around the Blue Box.

Our guest experts offer tips on how to make the holiday season a bit easier (or at least more fun) whether you are throwing a party or just attending one.