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The Sunday Magazine

CBC Podcasts & Radio On-Demand

CBC Radio’s The Sunday Magazine is a lively, wide-ranging mix of topical long-form conversations, engaging ideas and more. Each week, host Piya Chattopadhyay takes time for deep exploration, but also makes space for surprise, delight and fun.

Location:

Canada, ON

Description:

CBC Radio’s The Sunday Magazine is a lively, wide-ranging mix of topical long-form conversations, engaging ideas and more. Each week, host Piya Chattopadhyay takes time for deep exploration, but also makes space for surprise, delight and fun.

Twitter:

@cbcsunday

Language:

English

Contact:

CBC Audience Relations P.O. Box 500, Station A Toronto, ON M5W 1E6 416-205-3311


Episodes
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That's Puzzling! for April 2025

4/9/2025
In the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, Piya Chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Playing along this month are CBC P.E.I. meteorologist Jay Scotland and Parksville, B.C. listener Kristin Nickells.

Duration:00:28:00

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Tariff fallout, Dog philosophy, Resistance to Trump 2.0, That's Puzzling!

4/6/2025
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with The New York Times' Peter S. Goodman, economist Armine Yalnizyan and The Toronto Star's Tonda MacCharles about the impacts of U.S. President Donald Trump's expanded trade war, philosopher Mark Rowlands muses on what dogs can teach us about living a good life, journalists Ross Barkan and Mark Joseph Stern survey the state of resistance to Trump in his second term, and we play an all-new round of our monthly challenge, That's Puzzling!

Duration:01:39:53

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Caroline Darian, daughter of Gisèle Pelicot, tells her own story

4/2/2025
It was one of the most notorious rape trials in French history. Last year, Dominique Pelicot was convicted and jailed for drugging and raping his then-wife, Gisèle Pelicot, over the course of a decade – and recruiting dozens of other men to abuse her while she was unconscious. Gisèle Pelicot opted for a public trial, making her identity known, to raise awareness for other victims like her. The trial also put their three adult children in the spotlight. But one of them says her own experience has been overlooked. Not only was Caroline Darian forced to reckon with the shocking revelations, but also with the discovery that photographs of her were found on his computer – and with what she believes they suggest. Darian shares her journey with Piya Chattopadhyay in a Canadian broadcast exclusive interview. Note: This conversation contains frank discussion of sexual violence.

Duration:00:47:19

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Sunday Election Panel, Gisèle Pelicot's daughter Caroline Darian, John McWhorter on pronouns

3/30/2025
Host Piya Chattopadhyay breaks down the first week of the federal election campaign with The Economist's Rob Russo, Le Devoir's Emilie Nicolas and The Hub's Sean Speer. Then, Caroline Darian, daughter of Gisèle and Dominique Pelicot – the victim and perpetrator, respectively, at the centre of last year's notorious rape trial in France – reflects on how her father's crimes have affected their family. Finally, linguistics professor John McWhorter dives into the historic, linguistic and cultural debates surrounding pronouns. Discover more at cbc.ca/sunday

Duration:01:33:58

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Defending human rights is a 'relentless struggle,' says former HRW head

3/26/2025
For nearly half a century, Human Rights Watch has shone a light on abuses, trying to hold perpetrators accountable. And for nearly three decades, Kenneth Roth was its executive director. He joins Piya Chattopadhyay to reflect on the victories, setbacks and realities of defending human rights today, as explored in his memoir Righting Wrongs.

Duration:00:22:53

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Sunday Election Panel, Former HRW head Kenneth Roth, Tariffs and border communities, Cartoonist Barry Blitt, Canadian symbols

3/23/2025
Host Piya Chattopadhyay sets up the federal election with The Economist's Rob Russo, Le Devoir's Emilie Nicolas and The Hub's Sean Speer, Kenneth Roth looks back on nearly three decades at the helm of Human Rights Watch, The Sunday Magazine's Levi Garber explores how tariff uncertainty is affecting border communities, Barry Blitt reflects on the art of political cartooning, and we consider what Canada's symbols say about us. Discover more at cbc.ca/sunday

Duration:01:36:21

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Oil Check: Decoding our complicated relationship with fossil fuels

3/19/2025
Energy has become a flashpoint in the U.S. trade war with Canada, and Canadians should expect to hear a lot more about oil and gas – including potential new pipelines – once the federal election gets underway. And it underscores the renewed relevance of fossil fuels around the world: Energy companies like BP have backed away from their pandemic-era pledges to decarbonize, Donald Trump is vowing to "drill baby drill," and countries from Canada to Kazakhstan are signing off on new fossil fuel projects. So what does it mean for a warming planet and the future of renewables? As The Sunday Magazine's Pete Mitton explores in his documentary Oil Check... it's complicated.

Duration:00:23:50

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Sunday Politics Panel, Oil and gas, Buying Canadian, Plant intelligence

3/16/2025
Guest host David Common speaks with political journalists Rob Benzie, Stephanie Levitz and David Sanger about the ongoing trade war with the U.S. and Mark Carney's first moves as prime minister, The Sunday Magazine's Pete Mitton explores what's behind renewed energy around oil and gas, historian Stephen Bown reflects on Hudson's Bay's legacy as it as it announces plans to liquidate if it can't secure financing, retail strategist David Ian Gray talks about how primed businesses are to meet the "buy Canadian" demand, and The Atlantic's Zoë Schlanger shares the latest science around plant intelligence. Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Duration:01:40:17

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Why the Israel-Hamas war provoked Omar El Akkad's 'breakup' with the West

3/12/2025
Acclaimed novelist Omar El Akkad grew up in Qatar, yearning for uncensored magazines and Hollywood movies, and believing in the Western project. But after moving to Canada as a teen, and a journalistic career covering the U.S. response to 9/11, El Akkad started seeing cracks in his conception of the West. Then, watching the response to the Israel-Hamas war changed everything for him. El Akkad speaks with Piya Chattopadhyay about taking stock of those fissures with his new book, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This.

Duration:00:31:33

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Trade war turbulence, Spy thrillers in the Trump age, Pandemic lessons, Omar El Akkad

3/9/2025
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Tonda McCharles, Toluse "Tolu" Olorunnipa and Megan Janetsky about how the trade war is playing out across North America, bestselling author Joseph Finder explains the history of spy thrillers and how they connect to the current geopolitical climate, we take stock of five years since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared with Dr. Zain Chagla, Helen Branswell and Dr. Peter Singer, and novelist Omar El Akkad talks about his "breakup" with the West and his new book One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Duration:01:39:00

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That's Puzzling! for March 2025

3/5/2025
n the latest edition of our monthly challenge That's Puzzling!, Piya Chattopadhyay competes against one familiar voice and one clever listener in a battle of brain games devised by puzzle master Peter Brown. Playing along this month are John Northcott, host of the CBC Radio’s World Report, and Justin and Rowan Wallace, a father-son duo from Whitehorse.

Duration:00:27:11

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Trump/Zelensky tensions, Sunday Political Panel, Provincial trade borders, That's Puzzling!

3/2/2025
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks to the Sunday political panel about the state of federal and provincial politics in light of Trump's looming tariff threats, we revisit the case of Gerard Comeau, whose Quebec beer run more than a decade ago led to a Supreme Court Case, University of Ottawa professor of international affairs Roland Paris and Michael Bociurkiew discuss the recent confrontation between US President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House, and our monthly challenge That's Puzzling! returns. Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Duration:01:38:04

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Mother of murdered journalist tells what she learned by meeting his ISIS killer

2/26/2025
When Diane Foley meets the ISIS man who kept her son in 21 months of brutal captivity before beheading him, her family opposes the meeting. Diane Foley and bestselling author Colum McCann speak with Piya Chattopadhyay about the life and death of James Foley and the importance of listening to people you hate and who hate you.

Duration:00:27:40

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U.S. - Russia relations, Attention spans in the ditial age, Pope Francis, Diane Foley and Colum McCann honour James Foley

2/23/2025
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks to Retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman about the U.S.'s relationship with Russia as the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war approaches, we learn about the "cognitive crisis" of shrinking attention spans with Marion Thain, Papal commentator and author Michael Higgins speaks to why Pope Francis' papacy has differed from others, and journalist James Foley's legacy is remembered by his mother, Diane Foley, and writer Colum McCann. Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Duration:01:24:52

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Gossiping about gossip: Kelsey McKinney on the origins and value of spreading juicy rumours

2/19/2025
As the pandemic forced us to socialize at a distance, journalist and writer Kelsey McKinney was suddenly unable to collect the juicy stories she’d usually get over drinks with friends, so she started the popular Normal Gossip podcast… and it became an instant hit. After years of gossiping on the airwaves, McKinney joins Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss her new book, You Didn’t Hear this From Me, to break down the origins of gossip, the reason people everywhere love to to do it and the risks that come with spreading rumours if you don’t know where they came from.

Duration:00:19:40

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Trump's tariffs' effect on Canadian politics, Cancelling cancel culture, The latest development on the Gaza ceasefire deal, Gossiping about gossip with Kelsey McKinney

2/16/2025
Host Piya Chattopadhyay speaks to Rob Russo and Tonda MacCharles about how Canadian politics are being affected by Donald Trump's promised tariff threats, social justice activist Loretta Ross discusses her new book Calling In and her alternative ideas to cancel culture, we get the latest on developments around the Gaza ceasefire deal from The Economist's Gregg Carlstrom, and podcaster and writer Kelsey McKinney breaks down the origins of gossip, and why people everywhere love to do it.

Duration:01:27:04

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Inside the shadowy cyber espionage world that's threatening democracies

2/12/2025
As founder and director of the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, Ron Deibert has spent his career tracking down and uncovering some of the world’s most clandestine cyber espionage operations. Now, the cybersecurity expert is pulling back the curtain on this shadowy world in his new book, Chasing Shadows. Deibert tells David Common how our democracies have become vulnerable to these threats as we become more reliant on technology – and what we need to do to protect them.

Duration:00:24:47

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Trump's whirlwind week, Cyber espionage and democracy, Bill Gates, Canada's economic strategy

2/9/2025
Guest host David Common speaks with The Washington Post's Toluse "Tolu" Olorunnipa and Semafor's Kadia Goba about Donald Trump's flurry of controversial actions this past week, The Citizen Lab's Ron Deibert takes us inside the shadowy world of cyber espionage, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates reflects on how his early years shaped him, and political economist Mark Manger and Mathew Holmes from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce consider strategies to bolster Canada's economy amid Trump's tariff pause. Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Duration:01:40:49

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From awkward kid to tech titan: Bill Gates reflects on how growing pains, persistence shaped him

2/5/2025
As the co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates made his name as one of the most influential people in modern tech. Now, in his new memoir Source Code: My Beginnings, he's looking back on the forces that made him. In a wide-ranging Canadian broadcast exclusive interview, Piya Chattopadhyay speaks with Gates about navigating childhood social challenges, how his passion for computers blossomed, what drove his confidence to take on tech giants as a teen, and his candid belief that he'd be diagnosed with autism if he was growing up today.

Duration:00:36:11

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Trump's tariffs, Pico Iyer on silence, Aviation politics, Foreign interference, That's Puzzling!

2/2/2025
Guest host David Common speaks with CBC News senior business reporter Peter Armstrong and The Globe and Mail's Marieke Walsh about the economic implications of – and political response to – Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods, writer Pico Iyer reflects on what embracing silence has taught him about life and loss, aviation journalist Kerry Lynch discusses recent changes in aviation and politics, former CSIS national security analyst Stephanie Carvin unpacks key takeaways from the foreign interference report, and we play another round of our monthly challenge, That's Puzzling!. Discover more at https://www.cbc.ca/sunday

Duration:01:35:54