Scott Reid guest hosts for Vassy Kapelos today.

On today's show:

• Is a resolution between Russia and Ukraine as close as America's President thinks it is?
• CTV's Mike LeCouteur analyzes a crazy year in news. Then, Scott opens the phone lines and gathers your thoughts.
• The Daily Debrief Panel - featuring Saeed Selvam and Jeff Rutledge.
• Teck Check with tech analyst Carmi Levy: Did you know that Canadians are one of OnlyFans' top customers?
• Movie critic Richard Crouse sifts through the best (and worst) flicks that 2025 had to offer.
• A snapshot of this year's World Juniors, and what's at stake for Canada, with technical producer Stephen Ellsworth.

Tim Powers guest hosts.

On today's show:

• Tim speaks with Lt-Colonel John Murray from the Salvation Army about how the high cost of living is hitting charities hard this Christmas
• CTV Film Critic Richard Crouse has his top picks from 2025 to watch over the holidays
• Travel expert Barry Choi on how to get through holiday trips without meltdowns at the airport
• The Daily Debrief panel with Jeff Rutledge and Stephanie Levitz
• It's the 25th anniversary of the Bell Capital Cup, Tim speaks with tournament manager Mark Sluban about the milestone

Tim Powers guest hosts.

On today's show:

• Who will be getting a white Christmas in Canada? Doug Gillham, Senior Meteorologist with The Weather Network
• Assembly of First Nations Region Chief for Quebec Francis Verreault-Paul
• Retail expert Bruce Winder with a look at 2025 holiday shopping trends
• The Daily Debrief panel with Jordan Paquet and Sharan Kaur
• Comedian Mark Critch explains the great Newfoundland tradition of "Tibb's Eve"
• TSN's Gord Wilson with a preview of the World Junior Hockey Championship

Tim Powers guest hosts for Vassy Kapelos today.

On today's show:

• Dr. Isaac Bogoch reacts to concerning new data about this year's flu season.
• CTV U.S. political analyst Eric Ham on the latest escalation in USA-Venezuela tensions.
• Tech Check with tech expert Carmi Levy: A San Francisco power outage leaves Waymo's self-driving cars stranded at intersections.
• The Daily Debrief Panel - featuring Garry Keller and Sabrina Grover.
• Nick Saul, the CEO of Right To Food Canada, talks about food insecurity at the holidays.
• TSN's Dean Brown reacts to Sidney Crosby becoming the Pittsburgh Penguins' all-time leading scorer, a record that was previously held by franchise icon Mario Lemieux.

Free For All Friday - Hour 1

Amanda Galbraith breaks down the biggest stories of the day with Canada's top newsmakers.

On today's show:

• Starting in January, Canada will formally converse with America and Mexico in the hopes of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Deal. What’s at stake for the Canadian economy during next year’s CUSMA review? We dig deeper with international trade lawyer Robert Glasgow.
• Six months ago, Pablo Rodriguez became the leader of the Quebec Liberals. Six months later, he was forced to resign over an alleged vote-buying scandal during the leadership race. What does his sudden resignation mean for the Quebec Liberals, the looming provincial election, and separatism in Quebec? Here to speak on that is André Pratte, a former Canadian Senator and a former Chair of the Quebec Liberal Party Policy Committee.
• In 2025, we saw 3 shades of Canada’s Conservatives. We saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. Joining us for an in-depth analysis is former Conservative MP Lisa Raitt, who also served as a Cabinet Minister under the Harper government.

Free For All Friday - Hour 2

Contributors from all over the country join The Roundtable to discuss the top stories of the week. Today's edition features Henley Strategies founder Laryssa Waller and former Justin Trudeau Deputy Chief of Staff Brian Clow.

Topic 1: This year's biggest story in the Canadian political arena, and the headlines to watch as we look ahead to 2026.

Topic 2: The most overplayed story of 2025, the worst political gaffe of 2025, and the headlines that flew under the radar.

Topic 3: The most surprising political moment of 2025, the most successful political operator, and who made 2025’s ‘naughty list’.

Topic 4: Ranking the best 'kicker stories' of 2025.

From the entire Free For All Friday team, we wish you a very Merry Christmas, and we'll talk again in 2026!

In this special year-end edition, Vassy Kapelos takes a look back at the top stories of 2025.

On today's show:

• Mike LeCouteur, Brian Platt, and Rob Benzie join the show for an extended Daily Debrief Panel, as we re-examine the most pivotal moments in Canadian politics over the past 12 months.
• CTV U.S. political analyst Eric Ham evaluates President Trump's primetime address, and the key takeaways from Wednesday's message as we head into 2026.
• Carmi Levy tackles the top A.I. stories of 2025.
• A batch of holiday cooking tips with Montreal-born chef Chuck Hughes.
• Movie critic Richard Crouse reflects on the top entertainment stories of 2025.

Provincial and territorial leaders will meet with Prime Minister Carney tomorrow for the first time since a contentious MOU on energy production was signed between the feds and the Alberta government.

On today's show:

• The federal government's 'Buy Canadian' procurement policy is officially in effect. Vassy chats with Canadian Procurement Minister Joel Lightbound.
• Vassy interviews Ukraine's Ambassador to Canada about the ongoing efforts to end a bloody war with Russia.
• The Explainer with infectious disease expert Dr. Dale Kalina-Samji: What should you do if you get the flu?
• The Daily Debrief Panel - featuring Laura D'Angelo, Jeff Rutledge, and Stephanie Levitz.
• Vassy speaks with Rick Smith, the President of the Canadian Climate Institute, about the Carney government's climate policy.
• Quebec Liberal leader Pablo Rodriguez, who was once a Liberal MP under the Trudeau regime, will be stepping down from his provincial post amid a string of recent controversies. We gather instant reaction from CTV political analyst Tom Mulcair.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says he won't step down ahead of his leadership review in January, even if another MP crosses the floor to hand the Carney Liberals a majority. Vassy Kapelos sits down with Poilievre for a year-end discussion.

On today's show:

• Money Talk with John Klotz: How did we fare financially in 2025, and what should we be preparing for in 2026?
• The Daily Debrief Panel - featuring Graham Richardson, Sharan Kaur, and Laryssa Waler.
• Vassy speaks with former diplomat Michael Kovrig about the conviction of Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai.
• Brian Kingston, the President of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, discusses the implications of Ontario's Premier pivoting away from Ontario's E.V. business.