Cross Country Checkup

Tipping used to be pretty straightforward, 15 per cent at a restaurant, a couple extra dollars for a cab driver. But expectations have changed and a lot of us are struggling to figure out who to tip, how much, and who gets the money? Which services deserve a tip and which ones don’t? Is it a fair way to pay workers?

The rebel offensive in Syria has been incredibly quick and effective, recently taking the last of the country's major cities, the capital, Damascus. According to Russian state media, the overthrown Syrian leader Bash-ar al-Assad has been granted asylum in Moscow. The main rebel group leading the offensive, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham says former Prime Minister Mahammed Gha-zee al-Ja-la-lee will oversee state institutions for now. The sweeping change comes after nearly 14 years of civil war. The conflict has seen more than 500-thousand Syrians killed, while millions have fled the country. What questions do you have about Syria and the fall of Bashar al-Assad? And in our second hour: Tipping. Expectations have changed about who to tip and how much. Which services deserve a tip and which ones don’t? Is it a fair way to pay workers?

Whether at groceries stores, gas stations or online banking, self-service is a nearly unavoidable aspect of daily life. For many, using apps to order food and book flights is efficient and cheap. But the there is no shortage to the frustrations that come along with automated phone calls or trying to find the right produce code at the grocery checkout. Has self check-out made your life better or worse? And in the second hour, whether it's Canada Post, Donald Trump or working out screen time with your kids, life is a negotiation. We spoke to an expert on negotiating to help you resolve conflicts and get the deal done.

Whether it's Canada Post, Donald Trump or working out screen time with your kids, life is a negotiation. We spoke to an expert on negotiating to help you resolve conflicts and get the deal done.

On Thursday the Prime Minister proposed giving all Canadians a 60-day tax break on groceries. Since GST/HST is already excluded from some food staples the 60 day tax break would apply to items like prepared foods; snacks, beer, wine as well as toys, books, and Christmas trees. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has called the tax break a “trick", while the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh is taking credit for the idea, arguing the changes should be made permanent. What do you think about the tax break? Is it enough to help with your food costs? In our second hour, The Canadian government is trying to phase-out gas-powered cars and move to 100 percent electric by 2035. But while sales continue to rise, the curve is flattening a bit. Cost, range anxiety, seem to be slowing the pace. Car makers, in turn, are cutting quotas or shifting to more hybrid rather than pure electric vehicles. Why are you pumping the brakes on buying a new EV?

It's been almost two weeks since Donald Trump was re-elected. So far the US president-elect has announced a slate of cabinet nominations and some nominees are facing heavy scrutiny. Our AMA guest is journalist Zack Beauchamp. He's a senior correspondent for Vox who covers US democracy. He's also the author of a new book, “The Reactionary Spirit: How America's Most Insidious Political Tradition Swept the World”. He took your questions about Trump's cabinet picks and what to expect from his second term.

Whether you're running a small business or live in a rural area, Canada Post is an essential service for many Canadians. There are also people who have very little connection to the postal service as email, online billing and private delivery companies have made many Canadians less reliant on the mail. Then there are other issues: what's fair for workers, particularly after the high inflation of the last few years? What responsibility does management have to control costs? When, if ever, should the government step in? How is the Canada Post strike affecting you, and what do you think should be done about it?

In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s decisive victory last week, political watchers are reflecting on why Trump won, why Harris lost, and what it could all mean for Canada. The top issues in the U.S. election – the economy, immigration, and political polarization – also resonate with voters here in Canada, as Canadian parties prepare for their own election campaigns. David Herle is a partner with the consultancy firm The Gandalf Group, a former Liberal campaign strategist, and the host of the Herle Burle podcast. Ken Boessenkool is a partner at Meredith-Boessenkool policy advisors and served as a campaign advisor to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. They joined us to take your questions about the U.S. election result and what it means for Canadian politics.

A staggering $1 trillion is set to be handed down from older Canadians to their heirs over the next two years. According to CPA Canada, it's the largest transfer of generational wealth in Canadian history. Behind the numbers are lots of issues, from the impact on house prices to our basic sense of fairness. What conversations are you having about inheritance? How should we spread the wealth between generations?

A.I. is already having an impact on Canadian creators, employers, and students. A 2023 survey by KPMG consulting found over a third of the companies they spoke to are regularly using ChatGPT in their work. So what are the concerns around artificial intelligence and how should Canadians prepare for the future? David Gerhard is the head of Computer Science at the University of Manitoba. He took your questions about A.I.

Across the country, Canadians are watching what Donald Trump has been saying during his campaign, how he says it, what he promises to do if he gets elected, and what impact it will have on this side of the border. What would a Donald Trump victory mean to you? What could it mean for Canada?

Ontario premier Doug Ford has a tabled a bill that would require the province to approve any new bike lanes and give it the power to remove existing lanes built in the last five years. The premier says the goal is to reduce gridlock. But many experts say bike lanes actually reduce congestion on streets with provinces like BC and the city of Montreal spending millions of dollars on cycling infrastructure. When it comes to bike lanes do your streets have too many or too few?

Wherever you are in the country emergency department wait times are a concern for many people. How are they affecting you? And in our second hour, Ontario premier Doug Ford has a tabled a bill that would require the province to approve any new bike lanes and give it the power to remove existing lanes built in the last five years. The premier says the goal is to reduce gridlock. But many experts say bike lanes actually reduce congestion on streets with provinces like BC and the city of Montreal spending millions of dollars on cycling infrastructure. When it comes to bike lanes do your streets have too many or too few?

There’s a lot at stake for Americans in this election and that’s also true for Canadians - America’s closest ally and largest trading partner. On this podcast you’ll hear from callers on both sides of the border, across Canada and the United States. Our question: What’s at stake for you in the US Election? This is “America Votes: A Cross Border Conversation" - a co-production between CBC, The Middle, and WDET in Detroit.

For many of us, the most important role we'll ever have is "parent". It's also one of the most challenging. So it's no surprise the US Surgeon General recently issued a warning about the potential toll of parenting on mental health. Which parenting issue is causing the most stress in your family? How did the way you were parented affect the way you parent today?

According to CBC’s Poll tracker, the Conservatives have almost a 20-point lead over the governing Liberals, and their lead has been holding steady for months. We know that there will be an election before October 2025, though it could come sooner. We wanted to take stock of who Pierre Poilievre is and what a possible Poilievre government might look like. Shannon Proudfoot is a feature writer at The Globe and Mail, Stephanie Levitz is a Senior Politics Reporter at the Globe and Mail. They answered your questions about the Conservative Party leader.

In less than a year, NASA is sending four astronauts to fly around the moon as part of the Artemis II mission. The 10-day flight will test NASA's space exploration capabilities with astronauts aboard for the very first time. And Ontario’s Jeremy Hansen will be part of that crew, making him the first Canadian astronaut – and first non-American – to fly to the moon. Jeremy Hansen joined us to answer questions about space exploration, his career journey, and the Artemis II mission.

Addiction can be agonizing and, far too often, deadly. It can tear apart families and communities. So it's not surprising that politicians are under pressure to do something about it. And increasingly, some provinces are calling for involuntary care: forcing some people into treatment and keeping them there until the program is finished. There are still lots of questions. Does it work? Will it reduce the number of people using dangerous drugs? And how will governments decide who should be sent to treatment, without their consent? Will that power be exercised fairly?

Our AMA guest today will be a familiar voice to our listeners. Carol Off spent sixteen years co-hosting CBC’s As It Happens, after a career as a correspondent reporting from all over the world. The thousands of interviews she’s conducted have laid the groundwork for her new book entitled “At a Loss for Words: Conversation in the Age of Rage.” Each chapter is devoted to a politically-charged word - freedom, democracy, truth, woke, choice and taxes. The book delves into how the meaning of each of these words has been weaponized to further drive divisiveness in society. Carol joined us to answer your questions about her new book and the state of polarization in politics.

A lot of Canadians are feeling the pain of polarization. In politics for sure. But many felt pushed apart by the pandemic, from masks to vaccines to where you got information you trusted. Debate is sometimes replaced by slogans. People and their positions reduced to a single word: Marxist, fascist, elitist, extremist. So how is polarization affecting you? How are you handling political disagreements?