Friday Focus: Iran's window of maximum leverage and a new AI model puts financial systems at risk

The U.S. and Iran are locked in a long-term stalemate over the Strait of Hormuz. With the midterms looming, the Iranians view the next few weeks as the window of maximum leverage. If the strait stays closed into the summer months people will start to feel the pain in a very real way that could tip …

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Mark Carney's new sovereign wealth fund is a solution in search of a problem down

Mark Carney has proposed a “Canada Strong Fund” which will launch with a C$25 billion endowment focused on domestic infrastructure, part of a broader effort to reduce Canada’s reliance on the United States after tariffs have strained the economy. Canadians would also be able to invest their own sav…

Friday Focus: Munk Debate on Foreign Wars, a shaky ceasefire with Iran, and Carney braces for tough trade talks

Rudyard and Janice open the show with news of the Spring 2026 Munk mainstage debate: Be it resolved, don't go hunting monsters. A timely debate on competing interventionist and restraint-based approaches to foreign policy now contending for dominance in the halls of power. Rudyard and Janice move o…

Friday Focus: A landmark Israel–Lebanon ceasefire and the erosion of party loyalty in Canada

The historic Israel-Lebanon ceasefire announced this week is the result of a direct conversation between the President of Lebanon and the Prime Minister of Israel. And yet, this deal was brokered by the U.S. against the wishes of Bibi Netanyahu as it has impeded Israel's ability to push Hezbollah b…

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Mark Carney gets his Liberal Majority

Thanks to recent floor crossings and last night's by-election, the Liberal Party now has a majority government and a 15 point favourability lead that has unnerved and divided the Conservatives. Should MPs be able to cross the floor at their will? Andrew argues that public officials crossing over fr…

Friday Focus: A historic week in geopolitics signals the unravelling of America's global dominance

Janice and Rudyard believe this war was a strategic defeat for the U.S. with Iran now in control of a chokepoint through which 25% of the world's energy flows. Is this the end of freedom of navigation in international waters? Iran is proposing a toll for passing through the Strait of Hormuz using c…

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: the end of Pax Americana and the Liberals are one seat closer to a majority government

Can the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran hold? In the span of twenty-four hours Trump went from threatening to end their civilization to considering a joint venture to toll the Strait of Hormuz. America's inability to open the strait without a ceasefire is a confession of weakness, one t…

Friday Focus: Trump has no good options in Iran and the NDP leans into left-wing populism

While Trump made public statements this week about bringing the war to an end soon, there is significant troop movement in the Middle East suggesting the opposite. There is no telling what comes next, and there is no path to opening up the Strait of Hormuz without a huge escalation. Iran now has co…

Munk Dialogue with Andrew Coyne: Trump's mixed messages on Iran and the NDP elects a new leader

Rudyard and Andrew reflect on Trump's mixed messaging about the war with Iran. Troop deployment to the region would suggest he is escalating this conflict which could throw the world economy into a recession. What happens when Trump leaves office? Does America snap back to normalcy or does another …

Friday Focus: Is Trump about to TACO out of this war?

Trump extended his deadline on striking Iran's power plants, but no one really knows if there is progress on peace talks. Mediators report a vibe that despite the rhetoric coming out of Iran there is interest in ending this war. Meanwhile Trump's public attempts to calm the markets won't work, and …