Safe Space

Financial Post reporter James McLeod and Black Lives Matter Toronto co-founder Sandy Hudson join the panel this week to talk about the drama from the G7 and protesting police at Pride. 

We're back after a one-week break, and boy is there a lot to catch up on. First, an update on the federal government's decision to buy a pipeline, and why it could blow up in Justin Trudeau's face. Then, a recap of the wild Ontario election campaign and our predictions of whose election-night party will be the most fun. Joining us this week are Hayden King, executive director of the Yellowhead Institute at Ryerson University, and Heather Barlow, a public and government relations consultant with the Daisy Group. Ishmael joins in remotely from the Big Apple. Follow Hayden on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hayden_king Follow the Yellowhead Institute: https://twitter.com/Yellowhead_ Follow Heather on Twitter: https://twitter.com/heather_barlow_

  Across Canada, Indigenous and Black children are apprehended by provincial child welfare agencies at much higher rates than their white counterparts. Children can languish in the system, separated from their families for years, even as the parents try desperately to fight against the bureaucracy and bring them back home. In some cases, babies are even taken from mothers right after birth. Joining us to talk about this and more are Kike Ojo, project manager for One Vision One Voice, whose goal is to improve the child welfare system for African Canadians in Ontario, and Maclean's journalist Kyle Edwards, who has reported on how Indigenous children fare in the system. Follow Kike: https://twitter.com/mskikeojo Follow Kyle: https://twitter.com/kylejeddie

Toronto Star reporters Morgan Campbell and Fatima Syed join the panel this week to talk about why the province of Ontario is refusing to release a videotape from a jail where a man died, and the new unfair rule in the world of track that seems to target Caster Semenya. 

In under a month, Ontario will elect a premier. In one year, Alberta will do the same. The two provinces are different in so many ways - economies, cultures, cities - but in other ways, Alberta and Ontario are facing similar questions about their political futures. Can the Liberals hold on to Ontario? Will the May 2019 election be a Kenney coronation? Our guests help answer these questions and more: Emma Graney is a reporter for the Edmonton Journal covering the Alberta legislature and Marieke Walsh is a Queen's Park reporter for iPolitics.

Canada is legalizing weed... allegedly. We've been told it will be legal at some point in 2018 but we still don't have a firm date. And there are also serious concerns about how the Liberals' approach will shape the industry, who will benefit, and who will be left out. Our guests this week: Supriya Dwivedi, morning host for Global News Radio 640 Toronto, and Rachel Browne, who covers cannabis for Vice News Canada. Follow Supriya on Twitter: @supriyadwivedi Follow Rachel on Twitter: @rp_browne

This week we talk about the horrific vehicular attack in Toronto that killed 10 people, what we know about the suspect, and what can be done about angry young men. Then, with the weather warming up again, we talk about the expected increase in irregular border crossings by refugee claimants. Joining the panel this week are Vice News Canada reporter Mack Lamoureux and immigration lawyer Cheryl Robinson.  Follow Mack on Twitter: @macklamoureux

Alexandre Bissonnette is in court for killing six people in a Quebec City mosque in January 2017. We discuss what has come out during his sentencing hearing, and whether it changes our understanding of the case. Also, what led a Starbucks manager to call the cops on two black men in Philadelphia mere minutes after they arrived in the coffee shop? And is anti-bias training the solution? We're joined this week by Globe and Mail reporter Les Perreux and freelance writer Sarah Hagi. Follow Les on Twitter: @perreaux  Follow Sarah on Twitter: @geekylonglegs

This week, the whole show is devoted to the fight over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion that has pitted the Alberta and federal governments against BC, local municipalities, and First Nations who object to the project. To help make sense of the issue, Vicky and Ishmael are joined by Vanmala Subramaniam, money and economics editor at Vice Canada, as well as journalist, author, and climate activist Naomi Klein. Follow Vanmala on Twitter: @VanmalaS Follow Naomi on Twitter: @NaomiAKlein

Toronto Star race and gender columnist Shree Paradkar and The Week tech columnist Navneet Alang are making their triumphant returns to Safe Space. On this week's show, the gang talks about why Canada can't talk about systemic racism (or at least white pundits can't seem to). Also, how we're all getting screwed by Facebook whether we use the site or not. Special guest host Amanda Ghazale Aziz fills in for Vicky. Follow Shree: https://twitter.com/ShreeParadkar Follow Navneet: https://twitter.com/NavAlang Follow Amanda: https://twitter.com/a_ghazale

Canadians like to think of their country as a safe haven for people fleeing persecution from other parts of the world. But when people fall through the cracks of the immigration system, they can end up behind bars — sometimes for years.   Toronto Star investigative reporter Brendan Kennedy and immigrant rights activist Nisha Toomey joined Vicky and Ishmael on Safe Space to explain how Canada's immigration detention system works, how it got this way, and what reforms are possible.    Follow Brendan: twitter.com/BKennedyStar Visit the End Immigration Detention Network: endimmigrationdetention.com

Chatelaine senior writer (and our first threepeat guest) Sarah Boesveld is joined by VICE News reporter Hilary Beaumont to talk about Canada's peacekeeping mission to Mali, harassment on the hill and what, if anything, is still good about Facebook.

Ontario's Progressive Conservatives have a new leader after a chaotic 6-week campaign to replace Patrick Brown. The party chose Doug Ford. What? Jessica Smith Cross, editor of QP Briefing, walks us through what this means for the PCs, Ontario, and the rest of the country. Meanwhile in federal politics, Jagmeet Singh has once again come under the microscope for his association with Sikh nationalists. Does he support violent extremists? Is it racist that we're even asking him that? DailyXtra's Arshy Mann is back in the studio to talk about the Sikh-Canadian community's internal politics. 

Safe Space is coming back for another season, so Vicky and Ishmael are checking in and saying hello. New full episodes start March 16th! Follow the show on Twitter: www.twitter.com/itsasafespace

Writer Kyrell Grant and comedian Lauren Mitchell join the panel to talk about their favourite news stories of the year. 

Daily Xtra reporter Arshy Mann and iPolitics Parliamentary reporter Beatrice Britneff are on the pod to talk about Canada's dying/murdered newspaper industry, as well as the value of a public apology for past wrongs committed by the state.  Follow Arshy on Twitter: @ArshyMann Follow Beatrice on Twitter: @bbritneff

Reuters investigative reporter Anna Mehler Paperny joins Sharmeen Khan of the End Immigration Detention Network on the podcast this week to focus on the problems, reforms and future of Canada's prison system.     

Chatelaine senior writer Sarah Boesveld and writer/comedian Jordan Sowunmi are here to dive into nostalgia for classic Canadian TV and why there are so few great Canadian shows being made today. Then the panelists puzzle over how Blake Shelton became People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" and whether country music is actually any good. Follow Sarah on Twitter: @SarahBoesveld Follow Jordan on Twitter: @jordanisjoso

Toronto Star investigative reporter Robert Cribb and J-Source managing editor H.G. Watson are here to talk about the Paradise Papers and how the global elite hide their wealth from the taxman, as well as whether the CBC's new version of The National can save the evening newscast. Also, Ishmael and Vicky talk about Drake's bizarre handbag habit.  Follow Robert Cribb: @thecribby Follow H.G. Watson: @HG_Watson

National Post columnist Jen Gerson and Buzzfeed news reporter Jane Lytvynenko join the panel to talk about Jason Kenney's future in Alberta and whose job it is to keep foreign interference from ruining social media during elections.