

The Sunday Magazine
CBC
CBC Radio’s The Sunday Magazine is a lively, wide-ranging mix of topical long-form conversations, engaging ideas and more. Each week, host Piya Chattopadhyay takes time for deep exploration, but also makes space for surprise, delight and fun.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 16, 2025 • 23min
National pride is riding high. But what does it really mean to be Canadian?
U.S. President Donald Trump's bluster about making Canada the 51st state has sparked a surge in Canadian patriotism, just in time for the federal election. But what does it really mean to be Canadian? The current wave of national pride tends to play up nostalgic tropes about hockey and hosers. But Canada is changing, and a new sense of Canadian identity may be emerging today. The Sunday Magazine’s Pete Mitton explores the meaning, power and pitfalls of Canadian pride.

Apr 13, 2025 • 1h 40min
Global trade turmoil, Uncertainty science, Voters weigh in on the election, Canadian identity and pride
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with trade expert Carlo Dade and political economy associate professor Gregory Chin about the week's global trade turmoil and China's role within it, author Maggie Jackson explores what science says about the impacts and potential upside of uncertainty, four Canadians share what's driving their decisions in the federal election, and Pete Mitton considers the meaning, power and pitfalls of Canadian pride.Discover more at cbc.ca/sunday

Apr 9, 2025 • 28min
That's Puzzling! for April 2025
In the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, Piya Chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Playing along this month are CBC P.E.I. meteorologist Jay Scotland and Parksville, B.C. listener Kristin Nickells.

Apr 6, 2025 • 1h 40min
Tariff fallout, Dog philosophy, Resistance to Trump 2.0, That's Puzzling!
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with The New York Times' Peter S. Goodman, economist Armine Yalnizyan and The Toronto Star's Tonda MacCharles about the impacts of U.S. President Donald Trump's expanded trade war, philosopher Mark Rowlands muses on what dogs can teach us about living a good life, journalists Ross Barkan and Mark Joseph Stern survey the state of resistance to Trump in his second term, and we play an all-new round of our monthly challenge, That's Puzzling!

Apr 2, 2025 • 47min
Caroline Darian, daughter of Gisèle Pelicot, tells her own story
It was one of the most notorious rape trials in French history. Last year, Dominique Pelicot was convicted and jailed for drugging and raping his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, over the course of a decade – and recruiting dozens of other men to abuse her while she was unconscious. Gisèle Pelicot opted for a public trial, making her identity known, to raise awareness for other victims like her. The trial also put their three adult children in the spotlight. But one of them says her own experience has been overlooked. Not only was Caroline Darian forced to reckon with the shocking revelations, but also with the discovery that photographs of her were found on his computer – and with what she believes they suggest. Darian shares her journey with Piya Chattopadhyay in a Canadian broadcast exclusive interview.Note: This conversation contains frank discussion of sexual violence.

Mar 30, 2025 • 1h 34min
Sunday Election Panel, Gisèle Pelicot's daughter Caroline Darian, John McWhorter on pronouns
Host Piya Chattopadhyay breaks down the first week of the federal election campaign with The Economist's Rob Russo, Le Devoir's Emilie Nicolas and The Hub's Sean Speer. Then, Caroline Darian, daughter of Gisèle and Dominique Pelicot – the victim and perpetrator, respectively, at the centre of last year's notorious rape trial in France – reflects on how her father's crimes have affected their family. Finally, linguistics professor John McWhorter dives into the historic, linguistic and cultural debates surrounding pronouns.Discover more at cbc.ca/sunday

Mar 26, 2025 • 23min
Defending human rights is a 'relentless struggle,' says former HRW head
For nearly half a century, Human Rights Watch has shone a light on abuses, trying to hold perpetrators accountable. And for nearly three decades, Kenneth Roth was its executive director. He joins Piya Chattopadhyay to reflect on the victories, setbacks and realities of defending human rights today, as explored in his memoir Righting Wrongs.

Mar 23, 2025 • 1h 36min
Sunday Election Panel, Former HRW head Kenneth Roth, Tariffs and border communities, Cartoonist Barry Blitt, Canadian symbols
Host Piya Chattopadhyay sets up the federal election with The Economist's Rob Russo, Le Devoir's Emilie Nicolas and The Hub's Sean Speer, Kenneth Roth looks back on nearly three decades at the helm of Human Rights Watch, The Sunday Magazine's Levi Garber explores how tariff uncertainty is affecting border communities, Barry Blitt reflects on the art of political cartooning, and we consider what Canada's symbols say about us.Discover more at cbc.ca/sunday

Mar 19, 2025 • 24min
Oil Check: Decoding our complicated relationship with fossil fuels
Energy has become a flashpoint in the U.S. trade war with Canada, and Canadians should expect to hear a lot more about oil and gas – including potential new pipelines – once the federal election gets underway. And it underscores the renewed relevance of fossil fuels around the world: Energy companies like BP have backed away from their pandemic-era pledges to decarbonize, Donald Trump is vowing to "drill baby drill," and countries from Canada to Kazakhstan are signing off on new fossil fuel projects. So what does it mean for a warming planet and the future of renewables? As The Sunday Magazine's Pete Mitton explores in his documentary Oil Check... it's complicated.

Mar 16, 2025 • 1h 40min
Sunday Politics Panel, Oil and gas, Buying Canadian, Plant intelligence
Guest host David Common speaks with political journalists Rob Benzie, Stephanie Levitz and David Sanger about the ongoing trade war with the U.S. and Mark Carney's first moves as prime minister, The Sunday Magazine's Pete Mitton explores what's behind renewed energy around oil and gas, historian Stephen Bown reflects on Hudson's Bay's legacy as it as it announces plans to liquidate if it can't secure financing, retail strategist David Ian Gray talks about how primed businesses are to meet the "buy Canadian" demand, and The Atlantic's Zoë Schlanger shares the latest science around plant intelligence.Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday