Cross Country Checkup

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Ask Me Anything: Peter Mansbridge

Former chief correspondent and anchor of CBC News' The National Peter Mansbridge takes your calls on Cross Country Checkup.

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Ask Me Anything: Elizabeth May

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May takes your calls on Cross Country Checkup.

Download Ask Me Anything: Elizabeth May
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Sept. 29, 2019 - How important is climate change to your vote?

Greta Thunberg, the latest UN report and climate strikes across Canada on Friday. This week on the campaign trail, we're talking about climate change.

Download Sept. 29, 2019 - How important is climate change to your vote?
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Sept. 22, 2019 - How do you feel about Justin Trudeau's blackface apology?

Earlier this week, photos and video of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau in blackface and brownface surfaced. It's only week two of the campaign and already it's an election beset by political scandals.

Download Sept. 22, 2019 - How do you feel about Justin Trudeau's blackface apology?
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Sept. 15, 2019 - Which party leader do you trust most?

It's election time, Canada. Have you had enough of the stump speeches already? It's your turn to talk. Our Checkup ballot question this week: Which party leader do you trust most?

Download Sept. 15, 2019 - Which party leader do you trust most?
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Ask Me Anything: Rick Mercer

Comedian Rick Mercer takes your calls on Cross Country Checkup.

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Ask Me Anything: Rosemary Barton takes your calls

Rosemary Barton — co-host of CBC News' The National as well as the new CBC election podcast Party Lines — took your calls in the first installment of our new recurring Ask Me Anything segment on Cross Country Checkup.

Download Ask Me Anything: Rosemary Barton takes your calls
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Sept. 8, 2019 - Is it time to ban flavoured e-cigarettes?

Mysterious vaping-related illnesses are cropping up in the United States. Michigan has moved to be the first U.S. state to ban flavoured electronic cigarettes. It's wildly popular among underage teens. Our question this week: Is it time to ban flavoured e-cigarettes? Then in our final half hour, Rosemary Barton answered your calls on our new recurring Ask Me Anything segment on Cross Country Checkup.

Download Sept. 8, 2019 - Is it time to ban flavoured e-cigarettes?
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Sept. 1, 2019 - What do you do if your kid's teacher doesn't make the grade?

It's time to hit the books and shake the summer stupids. Millions of kids will return to school next week for another school year. But for parents, it's a time of high anxiety and the start of many questions. Our question this week: What do you do if your kid's teacher doesn't make the grade?

Download Sept. 1, 2019 - What do you do if your kid's teacher doesn't make the grade?
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Aug. 25, 2019 - What's giving you economic jitters as we near the election?

The US-China trade war, stock market dives and something called an inverted yield curve have economists warning that a recession may be on the horizon. Meanwhile, as Canada gears up for an election, what costs are keeping you up at night? Childcare, housing, or what you're paying at the pump?

Download Aug. 25, 2019 - What's giving you economic jitters as we near the election?
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Aug. 18, 2019 - Does Canada have moral responsibility in Hong Kong?

There are 300,000 Canadians living in Hong Kong and many others here, at home, watching events nervously. As the protests in that city enter the 11th week, how are the tensions affecting Canadians in both countries? Guest host David Common.

Download Aug. 18, 2019 - Does Canada have moral responsibility in Hong Kong?
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Foreign Affairs parliamentary secretary says 'plans are in place' to assist Canadian citizens in Hong Kong

Speaking to Cross Country Checkup on Sunday, MP and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Rob Oliphant tells defended Canada's 'consistent', 'strong' response to Hong Kong protests.

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Aug. 11, 2019 - Are we doing enough to protect Canada's wildlife?

What more can be done, locally and nationally, to support threatened and endangered species in Canada? Cross Country Checkup guest host Michelle Eliot takes Canadians' calls.

Download Aug. 11, 2019 - Are we doing enough to protect Canada's wildlife?
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Aug. 4, 2019 - What's your best or worst vacation story?

We've all had one: the vacation that defied all expectations. Did you end up stuck on the tarmac for hours waiting for take off, or find yourself staying at a hotel that didn't deserve even one star? Or was there a magical moment, like unexpectedly crossing paths with a majestic moose for the first time? Our question this week: What is your best or worst vacation story?

Download Aug. 4, 2019 - What's your best or worst vacation story?
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July 28, 2019 - Is it wrong to eat meat?

Climate change, ethical eating, and nutritional research have made the choice to eat or not eat meat more fraught than ever. From Beyond Meat burgers to Canada's ban on shark fins to disagreement over the country's new food guide, is the drop in Canada's per capita meat eating virtuous or virtue signalling? With guest host Asha Tomlinson.

Download July 28, 2019 - Is it wrong to eat meat?
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July 21, 2019 - How is Canada doing when it comes to tackling racism?

"Why don't they go back and help fix the broken, crime infested places from which they came?" A tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump, referring to a group of Democrat congresswomen of colour. Justin Trudeau says statements like Trump's are not how we approach issues in Canada, but stopped short of calling them racist. How are we doing on race issues in this country?

Download July 21, 2019 - How is Canada doing when it comes to tackling racism?
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July 14, 2019: How is our genetic information shaping who we are?

On the surface, it's a small trade-off. You take a simple test in the comfort of your own home and your ancestral background is thrown wide open to you. But who knows the implications of rummaging through that genetic closet?

Download July 14, 2019: How is our genetic information shaping who we are?
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July 7, 2019: Are boomers to blame for millennials' misery?

There's no doubt millennials are struggling. Home ownership in major cities — where there's work — is a pipe dream. A pensionable job for life is a fiction. But as boomers live longer in good health, some are keen to hang on in the workforce. As far as they are concerned, this time is still their time — and while 30-somethings continue to live like students, those boomers sure have a lot of house.

Download July 7, 2019: Are boomers to blame for millennials' misery?
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June 23, 2019: Can a pipeline expansion and climate emergency co-exist?

The House of Commons passed a non-binding motion Monday declaring that Canada is in the midst of a "national climate emergency." The next day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet approved an expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline (TMX). Pledging all profits from TMX to climate change efforts, Trudeau says that climate action can co-exist with a growing energy economy — but not everyone's convinced. Our question this week: Can a pipeline expansion and climate emergency co-exist?

Download June 23, 2019: Can a pipeline expansion and climate emergency co-exist?
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Ask Me Anything: Anna Maria Tremonti takes your calls

After 17 years — and thousands of interviews — Anna Maria Tremonti is signing off from CBC Radio's The Current. But before she goes, she's giving you the microphone. It's your turn to Ask Anna Maria Tremonti Anything.

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June 16, 2019: What does the Raptors win mean to you? Plus Anna Maria Tremonti takes your calls

It has been called a game changer in Canadian sport. Jurassic Parks from coast to coast to coast went wild Thursday as the Toronto Raptors took home the NBA Championship trophy — the first for a Canadian team. Our question this week: What does the Raptors win mean to you? Then in our final half hour, Anna Maria Tremonti — departing host of CBC Radio's The Current — takes your calls in our first Ask Me Anything segment on Cross Country Checkup.

Download June 16, 2019: What does the Raptors win mean to you? Plus Anna Maria Tremonti takes your calls
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June 9, 2019 - What will it take to make Canada safe for Indigenous women and girls?

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report finds that Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or to go missing than members of any other demographic group in Canada - and 16 times more likely to be slain or to disappear than white women.

Download June 9, 2019 - What will it take to make Canada safe for Indigenous women and girls?
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June 2, 2019: Is it time to delete Facebook?

With a federal election around the corner - and concerns surrounding the safety of Canadians' online data and, crucially, the security of democracy - some are wondering if Facebook is taking too big a bite out of their private life.

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May 26, 2019: How are you affected by Canada's new wildfire reality?

There have been 430 wildfires in Alberta since March 1. British Columbia faced two back-to-back years of record-setting wildfires. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario faced the worst wildfire season in a decade last year. While drier weather, overgrown forests and a lack of controlled burns are leading to more fires across the country, changing weather patterns are sparking them earlier.

Download May 26, 2019: How are you affected by Canada's new wildfire reality?
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May 19, 2019: Is basketball the new national sport?

The possibility of the Raptors making it to the finish line piqued interest in the sport beyond just die-hard fans. Over its 25-year history with the NBA, the only Canadian basketball team in the league has been considered the underdog. But, the tide seems to be changing. Canadians were glued to their screens during last weekend's magic moment when Kawhi Leonard's buzzer-beater defeated the Philadelphia 76ers. With a peak audience of 3.8 million viewers, it was the most watched NBA game ever in Canada. "The country has adopted the Raptors as their own," said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. Our question this week: Is basketball the new national sport?

Download May 19, 2019: Is basketball the new national sport?
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May 12, 2019: Is it time to reassign household chores?

Women still shoulder the burden of many household chores and take on much of a family's emotional labour, according to recent studies. Meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently finds working women take on 65 per cent of childcare duties - while working men take on the remaining 35 per cent. But even when same-sex couples become parents, the division of labour isn't equally split, with one partner taking on more professionally and the other domestically. Our question this week: Is it time to reassign household chores?

Download May 12, 2019: Is it time to reassign household chores?
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May 5, 2019 - Should the measles shot be mandatory?

The World Health Organization says that the number of reported measles cases around the globe has quadrupled in the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year. The measles outbreak is, once again, stoking the vaccination debate, particularly on social media networks like Twitter and Facebook - two platforms which have struggled to contain the spread of misinformation.

Download May 5, 2019 - Should the measles shot be mandatory?
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April 28, 2019 - Is your community ready to deal with an environmental disaster?

Thousands of residents in New Brunswick and Quebec are struggling with rising waters this week. It's déjà vu for many in the two provinces - New Brunswick was hit by record flooding last year, while Quebec saw flood waters rise in the spring of 2017. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather in Canada will increase in the future because of climate change. Is your community ready to deal with an environmental disaster?

Download April 28, 2019 - Is your community ready to deal with an environmental disaster?
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April 21, 2019 - What ideas do you have to make recycling easier?

Plastic, paper, electronics - as you dive into spring cleaning this month, are you still scratching your head over where they should go? Decades after the birth of recycling, many are still confused with the dizzying array of symbols.

Download April 21, 2019 - What ideas do you have to make recycling easier?
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April 14, 2019 - What does freedom of expression mean in the age of social media?

Facebook announced Monday it banned Canadian far-right political commentator Faith Goldy and various extremist groups as part of their push to limits the spread of content promoting white nationalism. Is a ban like this able to stop online hate? Who should police hateful or discriminatory opinions on social media? Where should we draw the line between hate speech and free expression?

Download April 14, 2019 - What does freedom of expression mean in the age of social media?
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April 7, 2019 - Is a carbon tax the best solution to slow down climate change?

A new climate change report, this time commissioned by the Environment and Climate Change Department, finds that Canada is experiencing warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. Floods, severe wildfires and rising sea levels are listed as potential consequences of Canada's warming environment. Coincidentally, the report was made public Monday, the same day that a federal carbon tax came into effect in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick.

Download April 7, 2019 - Is a carbon tax the best solution to slow down climate change?
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