Cross Country Checkupwith Duncan McCue

The prolonged slump in the oil and gas sector has left tens of thousands of Albertans unemployed, and the election question many are asking is whether the newly-elected federal government will finally get shovels in the ground on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

This week on Checkup: Two cities, one pipeline. Your vote. We're debating the Trans Mountain expansion from both ends of the pipeline in a special two-city election eve town hall.

Liberal Party candidate Patty Hajdu took calls from Cross Country Checkup listeners during the recurring Ask Me Anything segment and answered questions about Western province alienation, electoral reform and the Liberal Party's commitment to reconciliation.

Conservative Party candidate Erin O'Toole took calls from Cross Country Checkup listeners during the show’s recurring Ask Me Anything segment and answered questions on international aid and relations with China and Israel.

Disagreement can sour any party, but according to one expert, there are ways of tackling tough topics without a food fight.

If your Thanksgiving sounds anything like the federal leader's debate, you're not alone — civil debate is in decline.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took calls from Cross Country Checkup listeners during the show’s recurring Ask Me Anything segment and answered questions on Canada-U.S. relations, his party’s climate change plans and employment for rural youth.

Young Canadians are voting less than previous generations did, but one expert says engaging them early could change that. It's an idea that B.C. municipalities and some federal leaders are on board with.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May Canada should lower the voting age, and so does every municipality in British Columbia. But just because you can drive to the polling station, should you have the right to vote? 

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says Alberta's oil workers won't be left out under her party's plan to transition the country's fossil fuel industry to sustainable energy. 

Some parents have mixed feelings about students skipping school to attend climate strikes taking place across Canada and around the world.

Amidst cross country climate strikes, we're talking about climate change this week on the campaign trail. Plus, both Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and Peter Mansbridge will take your calls.

Ryerson University assistant professor Cheryl Thompson has traced the roots of black and brownface performances in Canada back to the 1840s.

Whether the Liberal leader can shift the campaign away from questions about his use of blackface may depend on how Canadians judge Trudeau’s multiple apologies about the matter.

It’s only week two of the campaign and already it’s an election beset by political scandals. What do Trudeau's blackface revelations say about racism in Canada?

The former Liberal cabinet minister and now independent candidate says truth is at the centre of her campaign, and her decision to become a political free agent will give her greater freedom to speak for constituents.

It's election time, Canada. Have you had enough of the stump speeches already? It's your turn to talk. What qualities do you expect from the next prime minister? Then, it's your chance to Ask Rick Mercer Anything.

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 edition of Cross Country Checkup's new recurring Ask Me Anything segment.

Regardless of vaping’s potential dangers, banning e-cigarettes isn’t a solution, says public health professor David Hammond. He argues that instead, there needs to be tougher regulations on the product and how it's marketed.

Health Canada is warning teens to stay away, while there have been more than 200 vaping-related medical emergencies in the U.S. Is it time to ban the popular cigarette alternative? Then, Rosemary Barton answers your questions!