Friday Focus: Munk Debate on Foreign Wars, a shaky ceasefire with Iran, and Carney braces for tough trade talks

Friday Focus: Munk Debate on Foreign Wars, a shaky ceasefire with Iran, and Carney braces for tough trade talks

April 24, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the upcoming Munk debate on foreign policy, the Iran war and its economic implications, and trade negotiations between Canada and the US.

Rudyard and Janice open the show with news of the Spring 2026 Munk mainstage debate: Be it resolved, don't go hunting monsters . A timely debate on competing interventionist and restraint-based approaches to foreign policy now contending for dominance in the halls of power. Rudyard and Janice move on to the Iran war and the shaky ceasefire that Trump has extended despite Iran's attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. With the Strait now closed, this has become an economic war and an endurance test: which country can withstand the pain longer? This is the single largest energy shock the modern world has ever seen that will bring about significant inflation. How will inflation further radicalize populist movements and destabilize governments around the globe? In the back half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to upcoming trade talks between Canada and the US. PM Carney is warning Canadians that there is a bumpy road ahead and concessions will need to be made that will likely yield a scaled down agreement with a narrower scope. Rudyard suggests that despite Trump's animosity towards our country, Canadians would be wise to accept that our economic interest lies in a better…

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