Gormley, Thursday, December 12, 2019
8:30 – The new USMCA trade agreement, which is set to replace NAFTA, was signed this week and is now waiting to be ratified by Canada and the USA before coming into full effect. The deal’s final terms included some last-minute changes, such as new rules about exclusivity for biological drugs, stricter enforcement of labour standards, and tougher requirements for rules of origin on steel and other materials used in auto manufacturing. Canada’s Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland called the deal a “progressive” agreement to replace NAFTA, but will it really help Canada’s economy in the long run? Are the changes positive for Canadian industries? To discuss these questions, John is joined by Colin Robertson, vice-president with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and part of the team that negotiated the original NAFTA.
LIVE: Colin Robertson, vice-president at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and part of the teams that negotiated the Canada-US FTA and NAFTA.
9:00 – Bug’s Day: The HOUR OF RAGE!
10:30 – Despite the public perception that education funding has been cut back in Canada over recent years, a new study from the right-leaning Fraser Institute shows that there has been an increase in public education spending across Canada, and it’s increased by billions of dollars more than was necessary to offset enrollment growth and inflation. However, in Saskatchewan (along with BC and Newfoundland and Labrador), we saw a drop in real per-student spending between 2012/13 and 2016/17. Saskatchewan’s spending on public schools increased by 12.5% over that period (the highest increase outside of Alberta and Manitoba), but Saskatchewan also saw the second-highest jump in enrollment, at 6.5%. Fraser Institute Executive VP Jason Clemens was a co-author of the study, and he joins Gormley to discuss what we can learn from the study and how Saskatchewan stacks up on public school spending.
LIVE: Jason Clemens, Executive Vice President, Fraser Institute and co-author of the new report on education spending.
11:00 – Christmas tree production is down in 2019 according to the National Christmas Tree Association, as more and more people are choosing fake trees over real ones during the Christmas season. In the US, 47% of households put up a real Christmas tree back in 1989, but 30 years later that number is just 21%. The fake trees are more convenient and save money in the long run, but do fake trees really have the same magic as a real Christmas tree? Give us a call at 1-877-332-8255 and join the conversation!
12:00 – We see Santa everywhere at Christmastime, but there’s a lot more to jolly old St. Nick than just a photo booth at your local mall and Coca-Cola commercials. To help explain the history behind the Christmastime icon, John is joined by Gerry Bowler, retired history professor and author of “The World Encyclopedia of Christmas,” “Santa Claus: A Biography,” and “Christmas in the Crosshairs.”
LIVE: Gerry Bowler, author and retired history professor at the University of Manitoba.