Front Burner

Alberta premier Danielle Smith is calling a court ruling “antidemocratic” after judge struck down the petition which hoped to trigger a separatist referendum this fall.

The ruling came in part because it found that the province failed to consult with First Nations whose treaty rights would be affected by a vote to separate. Still, separatist groups and the province are appealing the decision and looking to forge ahead.

But how does Alberta’s separatist movement stack up against other secessionist causes and how should Ottawa handle it? The Globe and Mail’s Andrew Coyne joins us.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

In The Cult Queen of Canada from CBC’s Uncover, a tiny Saskatchewan town faces a surreal crisis when a cult leader calling herself “The Queen of Canada” occupies an abandoned school. As neighbours turn on each other, a retired teacher leads resistance in a story about what happens when online extremism spills into the real world. Hosted by Rachel Browne.

Crime. Investigation. Revelation. Uncover brings you explosive, high-caliber true crime year-round. From CIA mind control to serial abuse, mysterious disappearances to wrongful imprisonment.

More episodes of The Cult Queen of Canada are available wherever you get your podcasts, and here: https://link.mgln.ai/CQOCxFB

The ceasefire in Iran has been in place for five weeks, with no clear end in sight to the war. The latest peace negotiations fell apart, with U.S. President Trump saying that the ceasefire is on “life support.” So what happens now? What kind of pain will Iran be able to tolerate? And how can the U.S. get itself out of this quagmire?

The Economist’s Middle East correspondent Gregg Carlstrom joins us to discuss the latest.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

Today on the show, the President of Princeton University, Christopher Eisgruber, joins us.

He makes a defense of the role of post secondary institutions at a time when they are at the centre of a culture war and the target of an incredibly hostile White House that casts universities and professors as the enemy.

He discusses the limits of free speech, his views on civility, artificial intelligence and more.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

President Trump arrives in Beijing today for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He’s bringing with him a long list of tech and business titans like Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg.

There’s a lot on the line.

The two countries have been embroiled in a tit-for-tat trade war for years – which escalated last year after Trump’s Liberation day tariffs. They came to a truce in the fall but the relationship is still fraught. In addition, the war in Iran looms. China is an ally to Iran and the largest buyer of its oil.

Jonathan Cheng is the Wall Street Journal’s China bureau chief. He walks host Jayme Poisson through what to expect in the coming days.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts