Episode list

The West Block

Episode #12.1

Sat, Sep 17, 2022
Guests: John Baird, Former Cabinet Minister James Moore, Former Cabinet Minister Mary Simon, Governor General
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Episode #12.2

Sat, Sep 24, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and hinting that he might consider using weapons of mass destruction in his war on Ukraine, but Ukraine and its allies aren't backing down. 'The West Block' host Mercedes Stephenson speaks with Canada's envoy to Ukraine, Larisa Galadza, on this latest escalation in the conflict. Plus, Stephenson speaks with Nicholas Marcus Thompson, one of the lead plaintiffs in a landmark proposed class action lawsuit filed by Black civil servants against the federal government, alleging decades of discrimination and harassment.
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Episode #12.4

Sat, Oct 08, 2022
Guests: Jason Kenney, Outgoing Alberta Premier; Danielle Smith, Alberta Premier-Designate. Location: Calgary, AB
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Episode #12.7

Sat, Oct 29, 2022
As emergency rooms are hitting breaking points across the country, with a cough and cold season surge, 'The West Block' host Mercedes Stephenson speaks with Dr. Rod Lim, pediatric emergency physician, and emergency physician Dr. David Carr about the factors fueling this health-care crisis. Plus, Stephenson also speaks with Erin O'Toole, former Conservative leader and former veterans affairs minister, as well as advocates Bruce Moncour and Debbie Lowther, about the dire lack of veteran support.
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Nov. 13, 2022: China interference concerns and Veterans Affairs Minister in hot seat
Amid new allegations of Chinese political interference in Canada, 'The West Block' host Mercedes Stephenson speaks with national security expert Akshay Singh, former Canadian ambassador to China David Mulroney, and Global News investigative reporter Sam Cooper about the need for Ottawa to take action against this national security threat. Plus, Stephenson speaks with Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence MacAulay about the calls for his resignation and his failed promises to meet national standards.
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Ukraine, China and more top stories of 2022: Where we go from here
From the 'Freedom Convoy' to allegations of Chinese political interference, 2022 had plenty of major news events. 'The West Block' host Mercedes Stephenson sat down with Global News' David Akin, Amanda Connolly and Mackenzie Gray to analyze the top news of the year, and discuss what stories we should be watching in 2023. Plus, we revisit our conversation with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna at the Halifax International Security Forum. Stephenson speaks with Stefanishyna about what it will take to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine - one of the biggest international headlines of the year.
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Episode #12.23
Host: Mercedes Stephenson; Guests: Kenny Chiu, Former Conservative MP; Dick Fadden, Former CSIS Director; Anita Anand, Defence Minister. Location: Ottawa, ON
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Episode #12.24
Host: Mercedes Stephenson. Guests: Artur Wilczynski, Former Assistant Deputy Minister, Communications Security Establishment; Politics Panel: Stephanie Levitz, The Toronto Star; and Robert Fife, The Globe and Mail
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Biden visit and budget fears, and what's at stake for Canada?
U.S. President Joe Biden has met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau many times before, but there's a unique sense of urgency surrounding Biden's upcoming official visit to Ottawa. "The West Block" host Mercedes Stephenson sat down with Kirsten Hillman, Canadian Ambassador to the United States, to discuss what priorities will likely be top of the agenda. Plus, Canadians may have had flashbacks to the 2008 financial crisis last week when it looked like the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank was spreading before Washington stepped in. Ahead of the federal budget announcement on March 28, Stephenson speaks with Kevin Page, former Parliamentary Budget Officer and head of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy, and Lisa Raitt, former Conservative cabinet minister and vice chair of global investment banking at CIBC, about the state of Canada's economy.
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Episode #12.36
Host: Mercedes Stephenson. Guests: Rachel Notley, NDP Leader; Ron Liepert, Conservative-Calgary Signal Hill; Evan Menzies, Crestview Strategies. Location: Calgary, Alberta
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Edit Focus

Stelvio. Crossroads of Peace

Stelvio. Crossroads of Peace

A documentary that showcases an extraordinary place in the heart of Europe: The Stelvio Pass. Here, at 3,000 metres above sea-level in the middle of the Italian Alps, one finds an imposing natural treasure where the present meets the past and the visitor discovers a breath-taking landscape and mountain sports experience. Whereas the Stelvio alpine glacier is a big tourist attraction for summer skiing, the mountain road to the Pass, an engineering wonder built in 1825 by the Austrian Empire, hosts the most famous stage of the Giro d'Italia. But people once battled here not just for sporting reasons: One hundred years ago soldiers on those peaks experienced the so-called White War which took place on the highest and coldest battlefield of World War I. After one hundred years trenches, cans, bombs and weapons from that cruel war are still found in the snow by people like Mario Pasinetti, a hotel porter and former member of the Italian Alpine brigade, who collects war remains in his spare time. Through Mario's story the viewer meets the people that make the Stelvio a lively microcosm: Claudia, a female forest ranger; Gustav Thöni, a former world skiing champion; Pompa, an aficionado and pilot of vintage airplanes as well as inventor of Artic rescue tools which he tests personally on the glacier; and Lorenz, a shaman who lives at the foot of the Stelvio road. Through these people and other characters, along with the help of majestic mountain shoots (including helicams and wescam shoots), this documentary enables us to discover the unexpected power and magic of this alpine microcosm that has changed from a point of collision between hostile forces to a place of interchange and discovery, of encounters and leisure activities: a "crossroad of peace".

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