Free For All Friday - Hour 1

Amanda Galbraith breaks down the biggest stories of the day with Canada's top newsmakers.

• Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre appeared on the highly-popular Joe Rogan Experience this week. Will this podcast appearance help him politically, both in Canada and in the States? Did it help Canada's image in a testy trade war with Trump? Postmedia’s Brian Lilley dissects the key highlights.
• Alberta is moving to restrict MAiD with new legislation. We dig deeper with Inclusion Canada CEO Krista Carr, a disability advocacy organization which supports the move.
• Five years and billions of dollars later, Meta is putting the Metaverse on the backburner. Tech analyst Carmi Levy explains why that matters.

Free For All Friday - Hour 2

Contributors from all over the country join The Roundtable to discuss the top stories of the week. Today’s edition features Bluesky Strategy Group vice-president Jordan Paquet and Canadian Shield Institute managing director Vass Bednar.

Topic 1: Pierre Poilievre’s Joe Rogan Experience: How the leader of Canada's Conservatives handled his appearance on the world’s biggest podcast.

Topic 2: Ontario Premier Doug Ford made waves this week when he congratulated a homeowner for shooting a robber who broke in. Our panelists dig into those comments, as well as the wider issue of rising crime.

Topic 3: Canada has slipped to 25th in the World Happiness Rankings, according to this year’s World Happiness Report. So why exactly is that frown not turning upside down as often?

Topic 4: This Hour Has 22 Minutes recently made a spoof of 'The Pitt', a rising star in today's TV series lineup. The skit itself made fun of Canadian healthcare. Good satire or done in poor taste?