The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Audio) - Steve Paikin Signs Off The Agenda

Episode Date: June 28, 2025

After 19 seasons as anchor of TVO's flagship current affairs program The Agenda, Steve Paikin signs off with a final goodnight. As well, a brief highlight reel, including Jean Chretien, Salman Rushdie, Doug Ford, Janice Stein, Elizabeth Dowdeswell among others, offers a glimpse of the range and depth of what the show covered over the years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news. So I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner and I'm back with season three of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy.

On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Just a few words from me. They always teach you in journalism school not to have an agenda. Agendas are for politicians, we were told, not for journalists. Well, despite that admonition, we do have a modest agenda on this new program. It is, plain and simply, to present to our viewers, for an hour every weeknight, an issue or two that we presume to think you should know more about,

to be a thoughtful and up-to-date member of this province and this country at this time in our history. Huey Siegel once said that when conservatives make the kind of cuts your government made, they're called heartless barbarians and bastards by the public. But when Jean Chrétien does it, for some reason, people say, oh well, I guess it was necessary. Do you think there's a double standard in the country about liberals and conservatives? It's a question of trust.

They trust you to make the right guess. I presume they keep voting for me after that. Thanks for joining us for the Agenda in the Summer. Welcome back to our studios here in Yonge and Eglinton. Don't touch that dial. Leave it right here on TVO all night long. We're going to have the best coverage. We're going to have all results all the time.

We are not going to do business this way, people. Raise the rates! Raise the rates! Raise the rates until we get the federal government! Ladies. We won't be great until we get this federal budget. Ladies. We won't be. It's part one of the Agenda on the Road tonight, live from Windsor, Ontario. Those were some of the voices we heard yesterday at the Agenda Camp here in Brockville, Ontario. Many of the ideas presented at Agenda Camp form the basis of an Agenda on the Road broadcast.

I think it's important to realize that there isn't another broadcaster doing this kind of thing. Why an uptick in popularity at this particular moment in our history? Basically, between one third and one half of all zombie movies have been made in the last 10 years, basically since the 9-11 attacks. My recollection is nobody that night thought what has transpired over the past month would transpire right? I agree nobody dead

Nobody dead usually the mayor is the mayor. Mm-hmm, but you seem to be almost a co-mayor Is that I wouldn't say a co-mayor make no mistake about it. Rob makes all the decisions That is it for tonight's agenda in the summer I'm Pia Chaddapada the moment to go you sort of gasped in what sounded like frustration listening to sort of how partisan this is all going to become. Half a century, so that really kind of begs the question, you're old aren't you? How old are you? Um, seriously?

I think by my watch we're just about approaching nine o'clock which means the polls are going to be closing somehow Salman Rushdie Under the threat of death managed to get married and have children. How does he do it? Incredible sexual attraction. I'm feeling it right now Imagine talking to John and McDonald about retirement or Laurier We'll do this again when he's gonna be respectful. Okay, well, there's a first for everything. Good evening everybody and welcome to Waterloo, Ontario.

We are in Thunder Bay, Ontario tonight from the city with a heart of gold. That's Timmins, Ontario. Hey, you guys are our guinea pigs for this new way of doing television, which we're all figuring out during the course of this pandemic. I'm Nam Kiwanika and that's next on the agenda in the summer. Is there a story you've reported on this year that struck a chord with either you or your audience?

You call her mean and I wonder, would you say the same about a male colleague? Would you call them mean? I said a lot of it. No, I read the book and there's no other politician in there that you call no no unprecedented unpredictable Unbelievable we're delighted to have you with us for this special broadcast Keep it here because we really will have the most comprehensive coverage and analysis available tonight How did a 33 year old entrepreneur and an unlikely cast of characters sell the idea of basketball?

What immediately? Was in your head and in your heart? There wasn't much in my head. It was mostly in my heart. When you think of Ontario, what do you think? Ha ha ha! Ha ha ha! Grazia! Thank you.