Front Burner CBC News & Politics

You might be hearing some positive-sounding headlines about Canada's economy recently. Inflation is coming down, and we've (so far) managed to avoid the recession many were predicting following the pandemic. So why do so many Canadians still feel like they're struggling to get by?

In a word: productivity. The Bank of Canada has called the country's economic productivity situation an "emergency," and economists say there's a direct link between productivity and standard of living.

BMO chief economist Doug Porter explains.

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It’s been six years since Jaskirat Singh Sidhu crashed a truck into a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team — killing 16 people, injuring 13 others and forever changing the victims’ families.

Sidhu, a former permanent resident of Canada, has spent years in prison. Now, he’s been ordered to be deported to India — which critics say is a systemic problem in our legal and immigration systems that leaves noncitizens facing a ‘double punishment.’

The Narwhal’s Prairies Bureau Chief, Sharon J. Riley, joins us to discuss Sidhu’s case and how it's raising questions over fairness and justice, including whether Sidhu has faced enough punishment for his actions.

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As Alberta struggles to navigate several years of dry conditions in the province, its historic water license system has come under scrutiny. In short, whoever got water rights first has first dibs on the water today.

One of the small towns that really benefits from this system is Magrath, established in 1899 by Mormon settlers from Utah and Idaho. But its senior water rights are becoming more contentious as other communities are forced to buy water amid an increasingly taxed supply.

We hear from CBC Calgary reporter Joel Dryden, who visited the town and tells us what the water rights debate is like today and whether any changes to those rights are on the table.

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Standing in the pouring rain, and drowned out by protest music, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stood in front of 10 Downing street with an announcement: the British public would be heading to the polls for a snap election on July 4th. 

British Politics has been a whirlwind for the last decade, with several conservative governments, and the polarizing passage of Brexit. And after nearly 15 years in the political wilderness, the Labour Party looks primed to deliver a historic election victory. 

The BBC’s UK Political correspondent Rob Watson joins the show to discuss an election that stands to deliver change, however moderate, to the British public. 

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For months, Haiti has been ravaged by out-of-control gangs, especially in the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince. But international forces are expected to arrive any day now, led by Kenya.

Getting in and out of Haiti is dangerous — and for many, impossible. But CBC’s Paul Hunter managed to go inside the gang-controlled capital and tells us what life is like for Haitians struggling to escape the brutal conditions and how they feel about the looming international intervention.

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Red Lobster used to be one of the biggest names in the world of casual dining — but now the restaurant chain is on the brink of collapse as it files for bankruptcy protection. Was its famous "endless shrimp" promotion really too much for the restaurant to handle? Or is this more about the business decisions of a private equity firm and a major Thai seafood company?

Business Insider senior correspondent Emily Stewart takes us through the story of Red Lobster's years-long fall from glory — and how it joins a club of other businesses knocked out by private equity.