Épisodes

  • Duty to Consult
    Jul 19 2025

    According to the Supreme Court of Canada, the Crown has a legal obligation to consult Indigenous peoples before decisions are made that could infringe on their rights. What meaningful consultation actually looks like has come into sharp focus this week as Prime Minister Carney met with First nations leaders about Bill C-5, which aims to fast track approvals for major infrastructure projects like pipelines or mines. So what does the "duty to consult" in Canadian law actually mean? To answer your questions, Just Asking spoke to two experts. Sara Mainville is the managing partner of JFK Law. She’s also the former Chief of Couchiching First Nation. And Deliah Bernard is Partner and Co-Founder of Roots Strategies, which is an Indigenous affairs agency. She was also a former senior Indigenous affairs adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.


    Further Reading: What does the duty to consult First Nations, Inuit and Métis mean?

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    1 h et 5 min
  • Buy Now Pay Later
    Jul 19 2025

    Buy Now Pay Later apps like Klarna and Afterpay have become ubiquitous since the pandemic, allowing users to pay for items in small installments over time instead of footing the bill all at once. But now, some financial experts are sounding the alarm that these easy-to-use apps can lead to financial trouble later on - and that the growing industry needs more regulation. To answer your questions about these apps, Just Asking was joined by two experts. Elizabeth Mulholland is the CEO of Prosper Canada, a national charity dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for Canadians living in poverty. Omar Fares is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the faculty of business at the University of New Brunswick.

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    46 min
  • What questions do you have about improving your sleep?
    Jul 12 2025

    Summer is supposed to be a time for rest and relaxation — unless you're among the millions of Canadians who suffer from poor sleep. How do the changing seasons affect our sleep schedule? We spoke with Dr. Michael Mak, a sleep medicine specialist and psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Lynne Peeples a science writer and author of the book The Inner Clock: living in sync with our circadian rhythms.

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    46 min
  • What questions do you have about combating extremism in Canada?
    Jul 12 2025

    This week, the RCMP revealed that four men are being accused of an alleged anti-government plot that involved creating a militia and seizing land. Two of the men arrested were members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

    Police are calling the plot an act of "ideologically motivated violent extremism." Last December, the RCMP, CSIS and the Five Eyes Alliance published a report warning about the rise in young people attracted to violent ideologies. So what are the driving forces behind these movements? What warning signs can family members look out for, and what more can be done to root out this extremism from institutions like the military? We spoke with Barbara Perry, the director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism at Ontario Tech University, David O'Brien, the director of Mental Health at Yorktown Family Services, where he works with young people to redirect them from violent extremism and hate groups, and Jeanette Manning, the co-author of Walking Away from Hate: Our Journey Through Extremism, which details her own experience with her daughter after her daughter left a white supremacist group.

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    1 h et 8 min
  • Coercive control
    Jul 5 2025

    The Diddy trial came to a close this week, with the jury delivering a mixed verdict. Combs was found not guilty on the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, but was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. During the trial, the judge ruled the prosecutor's expert witness couldn't use the term "coercive control." To help us understand what this form of abuse looks like, Just Asking spoke to two experts. Pamela Cross is a feminist lawyer and a member of Ontario’s Domestic Violence Death Review Committee. She is also the author of the book, And Sometimes They Kill You: Confronting the Epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence. Carrie McManus is the Director of Innovation and Programs at Sagesse, which is a Domestic Violence Prevention Society in Calgary.

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    1 h et 15 min
  • What can we do with our trash?
    Jul 5 2025

    Canada produces more waste per person than any of its peer countries. And in the not-too-distant future - we could run out of space for all that trash. Ontario has just under a decade until its landfills will reach capacity. So what policy choices will Canada have to make in the wake of this garbage crisis? What examples are there of better waste systems? Just Asking spoke to two experts to answer your questions about trash. Myra Hird is a professor in the department of Environmental Studies at Queens University where she studies waste. Emily Alfred is a waste campaigner for the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

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    37 min
  • NATO and its current role on the world stage
    Jun 28 2025

    NATO allies, including Canada agreed to significantly increase defense spending, pledging to reach five per cent of GDP over the next decade. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte praised President Trump for pushing the alliance to boost their funding shares. But what will this funding accomplish? Are these thresholds realistic? To answer all your NATO questions, Just Asking spoke to two experts. Oleksa Drachewych is an Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Western University. And Erika Simpson is an Associate Professor of International Relations at Western University and the President of the Canadian Peace Research Association.

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    1 h et 7 min
  • Personal hygiene hacks
    Jun 28 2025

    It's officially summer - that time of year where we all have to get a little more comfortable feeling sticky, sweaty and maybe a little... stinky? So what are the best ways to stay fresh and clean during the hotter months? Just Asking spoke to two experts about the science behind staying clean and how to address our sweaty, smelly discomfort. Jason Tetro is a microbiologist and the author of the book, “The Germ Files.” Sarah Everts is a science journalist and the author of the book, “The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration.”

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    45 min