Front Burner CBC News & Politics

Canada announced last week that it has added Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to its list of terrorist organizations under the criminal code. It now joins the United States as the only Western countries to do so. 

Unlike most groups on Canada’s terror list, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is an official arm of the Iranian government. The designation is something some Iranian Canadians and Conservative MPs have been calling for many years. So who are the IRGC? And, why now?

Kaveh Shahrooz, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and activist, joins us to explain what the IRGC is and why he’s been pushing for this move.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

After going down three games to zero against the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup final, the Edmonton Oilers won the next three games in a row to tie the series.

It’s a feat that’s only been accomplished twice, and both times were in the 1940s.

Can the Oilers complete one of the greatest comebacks in pro sports in game seven tonight?

After a long cup drought for both Edmonton and Canada, what would the win mean for the city and the country?

And what would a ring for Connor McDavid’s status among the best players ever?

Daniel Nugent-Bowman is the Oilers reporter for the Athletic. Mark Connolly is the host of CBC’s Edmonton AM. 

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Calgarians are still rationing water more than two weeks after a catastrophic pipe break — and the city says they’ve got at least two more weeks to go before it’s fixed.

There’s still much we don’t know about why this pipe broke down, but what experts do know is that other Canadian cities should be gearing up for similar crises. Huge amounts of their infrastructure — from roads to subway cars to schools and community centres — hasn’t been properly maintained for decades, and it’s nearing the end of its life span.

Matti Siemiatycki, the Director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Simone and Malcolm Collins are pronatalists: they believe many countries are headed toward a catastrophe of shrinking population, and that we need to have more babies to save them. Other supporters of the movement include Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

By choosing embryos with the genetic traits they want, are they practicing eugenics?

Is their push to boost babies in rich countries really different from racist conspiracy theories about immigrants?

Jenny Kleeman is a journalist and broadcaster, as well as the author of books including The Price of Life: In Search of What We're Worth and Who Decides. She recently visited the Collins’ home in Pennsylvania.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

 If price is one of your top reasons for why you haven’t bought an electric car, China is looking to solve that problem. Chinese consumers can buy high quality electric cars for as little as $10 -thousand USD and Chinese carmakers are looking to expand their reach globally.

But American and European governments are hoping to put a stop to it with high tariffs to give local manufacturers a fighting chance. But is it too late?

Steve LeVine, the author of The Powerhouse: America, China and The Great Battery War and editor of the Electric, joins us to talk about why China’s electric vehicle market is booming and what that could mean for western automakers.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

On the weekend, more than 90 countries held a conference in Switzerland billed as a “peace summit” for Ukraine.

But Russia was not in attendance. The summit failed to reach a consensus on a final statement. And the way forward on a peace process remains totally unclear, with Russia and Ukraine drawing intersecting red lines on territory and security.

So after over two years of war, what do Ukrainians feel like the path is to ending it?

How are they coping with mounting losses and strains on resources?

And what would they – and Russia – be willing to sacrifice to finally reach peace?

CBC’s Briar Stewart brings us the view from the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where Russia began a new offensive last month.

For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts