The Ben Mulroney Show - The truth behind diet soda/Snowbirds/$9 cup of coffee is affordable?

Episode Date: May 21, 2026

GUEST: Lianne Phillipson  /  Registered Nutritionist, Podcast Host and Author. Podcast is EAT THIS with Lianne and website is liannephillipson.com   GUEST: Maryse Carmichael, the first female CF Snowbirds pilot and 1st female Commanding Officer of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds  Guest: Dr. Eric Kam, Economics Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University - If you enjoyed the podcast, tell a friend! For more of the Ben Mulroney Show, subscribe to the podcast! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://link.chtbl.com/bms⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Also, on youtube -- ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BenMulroneyShow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Ben on Twitter/X at https://x.com/BenMulroney Insta: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠ Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠ TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠@benmulroneyshow⁠⁠⁠ Executive Producer:  Mike Drolet Reach out to Mike with story ideas or tips at [e-mail] Enjoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast is brought to you by the National Payroll Institute, the leader for the payroll profession in Canada, setting the standard of professional excellence, delivering critical expertise, and providing resources that over 45,000 payroll professionals rely on. Behind every F-35 jet is a Canadian company. Horizontal tails built in Winnipeg, engine sensors from Ottawa, and stealth composite panels crafted in Loonberg to name just a few.

Thanks to thousands of skilled Canadian workers, the F-35 aircraft is delivering unmatched capabilities for 20 Allied nations around the world. and will generate more than $15.5 billion in industrial value for Canada. This ad is sponsored by the F-35 partner team, Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, and RTCS. Learn more at www.W.W.F35.com slash Canada. All right, time to get to know your host just a little bit better. Some of you know this story.

Some of you are new to the Ben Mulroney show. But if you've been following along since the beginning, you know that when I was the host of Canadian Idol, I would drink. I'd have my morning coffee like two or three cups and then over the course of a workday I would drink 18 Diet Cokes before the end of the show

18. I said to my assistant who one day became my boss I said Ryan I'm gonna have a microphone in this hand and if you see this hand empty you're not doing your job

there better be a Diet Coke in this hand at all times And then I started developing an ulcer. And I stopped drinking it. And now I would say I probably have maybe three on a big week four Coke zeros over the course of a week. And sometimes none. I don't think ever more than four. And so there is clearly too many on one side.

But is what I'm drinking too much? I don't know. I don't know. So let's talk with Leanne Phillipson. She's a registered nutritionist, podcast, host, and author. And her podcast is called Eat This with Leanne. And I welcome you to the show, Leanne Phillipson. Thank you, Ben.

Yes. 18. 18 Diet Coke's a day. Yeah, I love me. And how did you feel? Oh, I felt like garbage, of course. Felt like garbage because I was drinking 18. But, you know, there's so much in the news about diet sodas.

And there's, I mean, there's studies that say, it can lower cognition, it can lead to diabetes, which surprises a lot of people because they thought it was the sugar that would lead to diabetes. And so there's, but there's, there's, there's, there's, there's corollatory info, but there's no, there's no causation yet. You can't prove the causation yet. And so where do you land on, on just on the notion of,

we're not going to get rid of all the bad things for all the people. So if we're going to limit the little, the bad things, things, what's an acceptable risk? So I think when we talk about diet sodas, we also maybe need to just take a step back for a second and talk about like the real version. And, you know, what is it that people are, I'm sorry, I've got a plane going over me right now. That's okay. So loud.

Sorry, guys. I can hear you. You keep going. Oh, okay, great. Regular soda. The reason why the diet kind of came is because everybody became to understand that, you know, your regular soda, it's super high in sugar. And drinking anything like soda is just, it's just a super high way of sugar into your bloodstream,

into your stomach, then into your bloodstream, your pancreas has to react, secretes insulin, tries to get it out of the bloodstream and into the cells. And then that's how fat is created, whether it's a carbohydrate, a drink, it's, just happens faster. High fructose corn syrup is terrible for your liver and now of all ages, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is turning up for people. So when I talk to people about why do you go to diet sodas? Well, it's because I feel good about it. I don't have as much shame. That's the number one reason why people would move on to a diet soda. In an ideal world, I'm a nutritionist. I would love for people not to drink their sugar because it takes a long

time to get into a place where you say, oh, I've had enough. And part of the problem with the diet sodas is that the aspartame, the sucralose, the whatever it happens to be, it's almost like it's trying to trick your brain into saying, ah, you've had some sweetness. Except it's not, glucose so your brain doesn't get the message that oh I'm actually ified now and that go on to number two three number four number five I want to I want to ask you so you're saying I taste the sweetness yes but the reaction in my brain is different yes because your blood sugar doesn't raise because it's an artial sweetener okay and in the end your brain says well where is it

it. Where's the sweet? Where's the glucose? I thought that something sweet was coming because your taste buds are tasting the sweet. So the signal, the hunger signal, doesn't, that switch doesn't get flipped. And your brain says, okay, great. I've had my sweetness now. I can move on and I'll go and have something else on the next blood sugar crash. Then you'll go through the same thing again. But at least your brain get satisfied. Yeah. So in the case of the diet so that it doesn't happen. And so they'll drink more of it, 18, apparently.

You want more sweetness, more sweetness, more sweetness, because your brain is not getting that signal to say, great, thank you very much. I'm done. And I can move on now. What do you make of the people who will go to McDonald's and they will get a big Mac, Mac extra large, extra value meal and get the Diet Coke. Yes. It makes sense to them in the moment.

What do you say when you see order like that? I mean, just drive through the drive-through. Just keep on going if you can. It's not ideal and people don't like it. They say, oh, you're just such a party pooper. When you say these things, I totally get that. I've talked to clients and they say, I don't, I prefer the taste of diet to regular.

So do I. I mean, I prefer zero zero now. Yes, that has, I think it is gink, not ginkgo, um, ginseng in it. So it's giving you rather than getting the caffeine from your diet Coke, then you're all, then you're getting a little bit of that, um, sort of herbal. It might feel a little herbal like it's a better, better one. But if you're drinking that after 12, 12 p.m. you're a sensitive, you might as well be having a coffee because it's going to disrupt your sleep.

And the more your sleep is disrupted, the more your blood is disrupted, the more first thing in the morning you're going to make a kick in the butt to get going. And then the whole cycle starts. So when I talk to people about how on earth can you get off of this roller coaster that you're on? And as you said, you felt like crap. But it takes something in order, in my experience with all of my clients, it takes something to happen in order to, you know, stick an elbow in this, this wheel that you're on and this thing of, of however many drinks you're having. Yeah. And I actually had a client once who had an excellent, this is a fantastic story.

She said, I cannot, I can't give up my 20 Diet Coke's a day. Oh, she had twice. She beat me. Yeah. What is it about the Diet Coke that you love? number one it was the as she opened the can she was then like transported or you know her mouth and her taste buds they were going they were ready and then was the first sip yeah was almost like a big stress reliever for her so what we did during it's a ritual and it's a way for her to

chill out to you know she was like I'm nervous I'm nourishing my nervous system. I'm giving myself the stress release. It just gives me a moment and I'm somewhere else from where I am right now. And the way that we dealt with it was I asked her to notice from that first sip, how did it still taste halfway down the can? A quarter of the way down the can. And she said, I don't know, I didn't really notice it after that. And eventually we got to a place where she was drinking half a can and she would get rid of the rest it's not easy to do people think if i've bought the can i'm going to drink it all but she started to have less and less and less of the can and then she started to understand her body more and realize that after the flip that's smart it's

long thing returns i don't actually really enjoy the rest of it leanne if she was almost like Like it's a ritual. If she was, what she was actually saying to you is she has so much stress in her life that 20 times a day she needs some sort of help to de-stress. So it would suggest, yes, talk to your nutritionist, but also maybe a mental health professional.

Oh, we got to run. Leanne, we got to run, but we're going to continue with this conversation. Got lots more to discuss, including it's not just physical issues with diet sodas. There could be cognitive issues that are going to be dragging you down. So one more thing to talk about with Leanne when we come back. Amazing Days is on now at your local Metro.

Save big on amazing items. Like fresh, extra large seedless watermelon's only $699 each, only till May 27th. Shop in store or online at metro.ca. Woza is back at Food Basics. Get 325 to 350-millimeter dove, body wash, or hair care for just $4.85 each. Shop in store and online until May 27th. Food Basics. Always more for less.

Welcome back, and we are continuing our conversation with Leanne Phillipson. She's a registered nutritionist, and we're talking about the potential ills that could come from drinking too much Diet Coke or other diet sodas. And I professed my addiction to them back 25 years ago. Someone who is still a proud consumer of Diet Coke is the president of the United States, Mr. Donald J. Trump. And now, Leanne, there's news out of Brazil that if you drink too much of the artificial sweeteners that are common in these sodas, that you could experience significantly faster declines in memory and thinking skills. And the jokes about Donald Trump write themselves. And they said the effect was equivalent to about 1.6 years of extra brain aging. That's scary.

That's scary. because we have this issue these days where we've extended our lifespan, but that extension hasn't come with a commensurate rise in the quality of that life. Yes, there is health span and there is lifespan. And everybody thinks, oh, yeah, I'm going to live till I'm 100. If that last 20 years is, you know, in a home and you have dementia and you don't know who your family are, then that is not lifespan. Yeah.

Why would you want to still be around? But this study is, it's emerging research. You know, there's a lot of links to this and there's nothing really definitive yet. So those that are drinking the diet pops, you know, they say, well, they haven't really totally proven it yet. Well, in 2023, the World Health Organization, they put the, you know, the word carcinogen next to these artificial sweeteners, which I think is enough to sit up and listen. you can do everything in moderation. It's not that you have to give it up all together,

but for anyone who has some daily consumption, it's the small thing you do and the small things that you change that make a huge difference. And there's another aspect to this that artificial sweeteners, they can shift the balance of your microbiome, the good versus the bad bugs in your gut. That's called your microbiome. And because the artificial sweeteners have been linked with a change in your gut microbiome, your gut is, has 80% of your immune system in there. So it can negatively affect your immune system. Serotonin is made in your gut.

And that affects your mood and your mental health. So there's another link there too. That's interesting. And also, even though these artificial sweeteners, are, as we talked about before the break, we talked about your brain not getting the message. You think, it's okay, I'm not having sugar. So it's really not a problem.

But in a very roundabout way, you can still end up with blood sugar problems. You're trying to have a diet in the first place. And dementia is now called diabetes type three. Interesting. Now, we got a couple of texts, and this is one that's going to, we're going to have to lean into your expertise on this one.

What are the effects of phosphate in pop and the effects on bone loss and osteoporosis? Yeah, that's a really big one. It's a huge, a lot of, there's some antagonistic nutrients and the phosphorus and calcium are antagonists. So there is research that says the more bubbly water, including soda water, which is a great alternative if you need the bubbles to the sweeter versions, diet or otherwise. So there is some research stating stay off the bubbly water if you have osteopenia, which is the beginning of osteoporosis or weak bones. So that's a very, very good one to highlight. I want you to know that I really, I did do, I think a positive swap in terms of like the bubbled drinks.

I went from 18 Diet Coke a day to at least a handful of tequila sodas. At least a handful. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, tequila is. You've got the soda in there. The soda's in there.

Yeah, get my citrus in the lime juice, you know. As far as I'm concerned. A little bit of raven. Yes. As far as I'm concerned, that is a net positive. And like I said, after that first drink, everything my kids do is adorable. So. Oh, without a doubt.

Yeah. Without a doubt. All right. Here's another one. I knew the ill effects of pop 30 years ago. Did not let my children have it today. They are slim and healthy and have no desire for it. Well, good for you.

I'm just kidding. You know, my kids complain all the time about mom being a nutritionist, but I know somewhere deep in there, it's going to, you know, the things that they do now are their own choices, but they have a foundation. So well done to any parent that has positively influenced on every aspect of your child's life, not just food. Hey, let me ask you a question, Leanne.

There are so many nutrition and health influencers out there. some most of whom do not have your background and your education and you're you know you've desired to get it right they're going out there for clout and they're going out there for to say that thing that's going to get them to go viral um when you look at that and you look at that these are the people who are for better for worse or the face of the type of thing that you do how do you feel about that uh it scares me yeah in some respects because you know i've been doing this for over 25 years and dedicated my life to helping new parents to feed their babies. I've written two books about families. My podcast, over 200 episodes, was digging in deep

so people understand and really take power in themselves and understanding themselves. I'm actually just launching a new program called Foundations Before Fixes so that people can stop listening to the influencers and all the things that used to do, get in a cold plunge, do this, do that, optimize your handful of supplements, all of that stuff. And how about we look at your nervous system and just like listen in. Listen in to yourself because I think all of these influencer type biohacking type things, we've gone to the other extreme, which is so incredibly common. Yeah, you've been doing this.

The only thing I can do is offer better things, which is what I'm doing with this new program. Now, you've been doing this since before that world was invented. Has that world tried to invade yours? Have you been going about your life and going about your career? And it has this sort of this new era. Have the people who are pushing the products? Have they come to you? And they said, hey, we got this great thing.

It would be awesome. We'll give you some money. Just to talk about how great these products are for people. Yes. Yeah? Yes. Yes. Yes.

But back in the day, I also had some submarine vendors who wanted me to tell a pregnant mom that the meatball sub was there. So it just is a little different now. Not good for my, my. I was going to make it. Okay. Fact. Fact. Listen, I'm going to say it all today.

I'm laying it bare for you. But before we came on air, I told, I told my producer and my tech producer over here, I said, I'm going home tonight. and I saw this thing on Instagram. I am making pizza meatball subs. Oh, no way. And I explained it. All it is is bread and like a pizza and you put the meatballs inside. You cover it with cheese and you stick it in the air fryer.

And all I care about it in this moment is will my kids eat. Although I did get them, convince them that we were going to have some, we were going to have some vegetables on the side. And that was it. Okay. So anyway, I had to tell you. It feels like I'm talking. It feels like I'm talking to, like a religious figure.

You're just making me want to unburden myself, Leanne. Oh, throw some spinach in with that meatball when you cover it up. Oh, not a bad idea. Am, I do that. Leanne, how hard is it once kids get onto it on, like, would they get the hook of that taste? How hard is it to get them off of it? Their brains create an addictive thing? It is definitely addictive.

And there are so many people out there that are truly addicted. It's not alcohol. It's not, you know, all the other things that anybody can be addicted to, but it's ultra-processed food. It's the sweetness that you taste, whether it is from a zero product or a full high-fructose corn syrup product, your brain gets the message all the time. And the more it gets, the more it wants. There are studies that have looked at cocaine versus. sugar and the effect of it on the brain and it's not dissimilar. Interesting.

So when you're dealing with a child, you have to know that you have to wean them off of it. It depends on the parents. Some people just go cold turkey, but a really great alternative could be kombucha, which is fermented tea. You still have the bubbles, you still have the sweetness. It's got a funny, beerish after taste to it, but it is still in the realm of something sweet pop-esque.

but it also has very good bacteria in it. It's a fermented tea. So it's giving your gut microbiome what it needs. But it is tricky. You'll probably need some help to get them off. Leanne Philipson, Leanne Phillipson.com, registered nutritionist, podcast host, Eat This with Leanne, obviously, an author as well. Thank you so much for being here.

I feel lighter already. My pleasure. Thank you so much. All the best. All right. Don't go anywhere when we come back. we're going to be talking with the first female commanding officer of Canada's snowbirds

because we've been told they're out of commission until the 2030s. Another story of us not doing what we should be doing to support these things that matter to Canadians. Don't go anywhere. Imagine you've been charged with a crime and the only witness pointing the finger at you isn't even human.

I remember thinking, are you serious? What is this thing? It's something artificial, created by a mysterious Canadian. And it's coming for all of us. A life-defining technology. Crime as we know it will never be the same. I'm like, oh my God, he's lying. From CBC's Uncover, The Expert Witness.

Available now on CBC Listen, or wherever you get your podcasts. To some, AI chatbots are helpful tools. To others, an existential threat. But what happens when someone falls in love with one? I can't believe I'm doing this with somebody that's not a human. What if a chatbot makes you lose your grip on reality? She said that her life work was advocating for AI rights because they're sentient and they're enslaved. From CBC podcasts, this is understood, artificial intimacy.

Available now. I think so many Canadians have a memory, at least one memory, of going to an air show or being at a Canada Day celebration or a Victoria Day. It doesn't matter. You're outside in Canada at some point as a kid and your eyes look to the sky and you see planes flying in such tight formation that they look like they are. It's a hive mind. It's got to be.

It's got to be a trick. The skill required to get those planes to fly that closely together. I mean, it's crazy. And what they do, they inspire awe. in the eyes and the hearts and the minds and the souls of young Canadians. And of course, I'm talking about the snowbirds. They are, unlike anything I'd ever seen as a kid, I don't think I'll ever see talent and skill like that again.

And sadly, there's going to be a generation of kids who won't be seeing it because it's been announced that the federal government is retiring the snowbirds aging CT-114 T-Tudor Jets after the 2026 season. And to talk about this, we're joined by Baris Carr-Michel. She's the first Canadian Forces Snowbirds pilot and first female commanding officer of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. Mariz, thank you for being here and thank you for your service. Well, thank you. And thank you for allowing me to talk a little bit about the snowbird.

This is, it's a sad moment. Look, I get it. I get it. We got to replace the planes. But it feels weird to me that we didn't plan for this. You know, our prime minister said, look, I inherited this and they're at the end of their life. but the end of the life of a plane is not a surprise necessarily. These things require maintenance, and you can tell, somebody can say,

hey, we're running out of the parts. They don't make these parts anymore. And we don't have enough runway to get these to when we get the new planes, pun intended. And absolutely. I mean, the planes are 63 years old. The snowbirds have been flying them for 55 years. We knew this was coming. And you know what?

what you mentioned right at the beginning of the introduction, that was me. I was that little kid at the Bagginsville International Air Show in the late 70s, and I saw the nine red and white jets in the sky thinking, oh, are they going to hit each other? Yes. And then I thought about, you know, the pilots that were in the cockpit. And then, you know what? I decided that I would later on join the K&Arm Poyces and become a snowboard pilot. I was fully inspired by that.

That's amazing. And now, and sadly, now there's a generation, because we're talking about a pause for what, three, four, five, six years? Yeah. And look, I mean, that's one thing. That's a very Canadian government thing, to wait until the last possible second

and then say, oh, we had no choice. We have to wait for these planes. Okay, that's, I'm used to that. The thing that upsets me on your behalf, and I'm sure I'd love for you to speak on this, is in the CTV news video that I saw, the alumni association of the snowbirds were referencing the fact that the planes, it's not a apples to apples swap. You're going from these jets to turboprops, which feels to me like a technological step backward. And the alumni associate said, this would not have been our first choice. which implies heavily that they were not consulted. So what the heck's going on here?

Yes, so you know for me, the airplane is one thing. The pause is certainly another great concern. The planes that are, I mean, I applaud the government for selecting a replacement. So that's wonderful to see that. At a time where we know the Royal Canadian Air Force is going to a tremendous program of modernization, several fleets are getting replaced. So there are some significant challenges, both on the personal side, some shortages there, some of the fleets that are getting replaced, and now one more fleet that's getting replaced.

But this pause is such an issue. And, you know, I'm going to talk to you as a pilot, really, and as a former commanding officer. The skills that are required to fly a nine-plane show. So low level, full aerobatics, sometimes flying formation inverted of 300 feet from the ground. Yeah. Those skills take time to develop. We're talking about 55 years of learning. Yeah.

And is it, Maris, tell me, is when a new pilot comes into the snowbirds, is it part of the protocol for the elder statesmen and women of the snowbirds to teach? Absolutely. To teach the unteachable? Absolutely. And, you know, I arrived at the squadron with the snowbirds. I was already an instructor. I had 1500 hours on the airplane. Yeah.

Even then, it took me six months over the winter to get ready for our show season. And what are those things that you had to learn? Because put me in the cockpit with you. Okay, I'm in the plane with you. And I look to my left and there's, I can see the individual beard hairs on the pilot next to me. Like, that's how close they are. So what, it's different, right? Everything about it's different.

Talk to me about the pressure. Tell me what it's like being in that cockpit. So I would say the most important thing that you have to learn is how to handle emergencies in a large formation. You're not only by yourself and your own airplane that you can react, whichever way you want. Now, in nine airplane formation, the formation integrity is essential. You are close to the ground. How are you going to handle those emergencies? Another really important factor is those rejoins.

You know, sometimes you do a Canada burst or you do some type of split. Well, you all have to come back in formation. So now we're talking about eight airplanes rejoining on lead. So again, you're close to the ground. So you have to be really aware. And then another really important thing that happens over the entire winter is building trust between all nine members, all nine pilots that are. flying. And how much of that is living together on in in Moose Jaw? Yes, it's living together.

It's trusting each other that when I say I will be exactly six feet from your wind tip, I will be there. Wow. You know, and you can trust me that I will be there. And if I'm not, I'm going to tell you that I'm not there. And I will communicate properly. So there's a lot of operational expertise that you can't just put that on the shelf. And then in five years, say, We're going to pick that up. Yeah, you can't pause it. Mariz, what happens if you're in formation and I don't know, there's wind or there's, you know, something happens. The sun gets in somebody's eye.

Have an engine failure. Somebody sneezes. What happens if the tips of the wings touch? It really depends how hard you touch. It has happened in the past where, you know, you basically swap paint, as we say, and you're okay and you can continue flying. Sadly, back in 1998, two airplanes touched. One lost a portion of their tail, and sadly, the pilot lost his life. So this is the type of risk we're dealing with.

And to me, a long pause, you're now increasing the cost to reform this aerobatic team. And then it's riskier, that's for sure. What is your most proud moment as a snowbird pilot? what is your craziest story and what are the memories you carry around with you? We only have about a minute left so I'm going to ask you to go quickly.

Yes. Well, Ben, you know what? Proudest moment being over permitting on Canada Day. It does not get any better than last. You remember what year it was? Because I might have been down there staring at you guys.

2002. Oh, no, no. I was out of there. No, but I remember watching, I'm watching the snowbirds back in the day on Canada Day. That's wonderful. But that's what the snowbirds

bring is the inspiration, the pride, at the moment in time in Canada's history, where it is so important to show strength, to show pride, and to get the entire country together. So the numbers are there. The red and white jet, they fly, they can flag across North America, and they're ambassadors. We need them. We cannot have this spot. Mariscair, Michael, thank you very much. Again, thank you for your service. Thank you for the memories that you've built for generations of Canadians. The snowbirds are gone temporarily. They certainly won't be forgotten. And here's hoping

you and the team are able to pick up where you left off. Thank you very much. Thank you for the conversation. It was great. All right. We've got Eric Cam joining us next. We're talking about a $9 cup of coffee. Is it worth it? Can it be justified? Maybe you're spending too much on coffee altogether. We'll talk about that next. Welcome

back. And so I went to Tim's this morning to get a farmer's wrap, and I do a little switch. I get rid of the hash brown and I replace it with a second egg, and it's better for you, and I don't miss it.

I do not mean. I thought I would. Don't miss it. But I realized in purchasing this very filling breakfast that it costs less than a particular coffee that I get for a special someone in my life every morning. And at Starburst, bucks. And that's important because of what we're about to talk about next. So let's welcome Eric Cam,

economics professor from Toronto Metropolitan University into the conversation. How you doing, my friend? I'm well. How are you? I'm good. What do you start your day with? Because I just take black coffee wherever I can get it. I like coffee that's on sale. So no matter what's on sale at Costco or wherever else I happen to be, when I see it on sale, either as a currig cup or as a powder or as something I have to grind in my grinder. I don't care. I drink four or five or six a day, Ben. So I honestly can drink anything. For me, yeah, for me, it's a, it's a vehicle to get caffeine into my bloodstream.

That's it. I'm not looking to, not looking for it to change my life except just make me a little more awake. But anyway, the reason we brought up the cost of coffee is the CEO of Starbucks is defending the fact that they have a $9 cup of coffee. Let's listen to this defense. In some cases, you know, a $9 experience does feel like you're splurging. And then what that means is we have to make it worthwhile.

What we're seeing is people, you know, they want to have a special experience. And regardless of what your income level is, in some cases, you know, a $9 experience does feel like you're splurging. And then what that means is we have to make it worthwhile, right? And look, Eric, I don't know where you're going to go with this. There's a part of me that does appreciate a certain extent of that logic. For example, at the Starbucks by my place, the barista Donnie is the nicest, most charming guy. And he knows the one thing I go in for. And when he sees me walk in, he starts working on it.

So that by the time I've even, it's ready sometimes before I've even ordered for it. And I promise you, it does make up for the cost to a certain extent. But I'm going to ask you this question. does he even need to be justifying the $9 coffee? I mean, if it doesn't sell, they'll change it. Well, that's exactly right. There are, you know, the market can fix everything if you let the market work. But to your point, Ben, and you really hit it, Starbucks stopped being a coffee company a long time ago, right?

Starbucks is selling convenience, customization, social spaces, mobile ordering, and what economists we like to call a premium experience. So the issue is that, you know, consumers are increasingly reaching sort of this psychological. limit, right? Yes, we live in a world of high cost, rent, groceries, and debt payments. So when someone sees a $9 coffee, they shudder. But in reality, they're not holding a knife at your back. They're going to offer you this premium experience. And as it should be in a market economy, if you want to buy it, you will. And if you don't want to buy it, you won't. So I don't see a problem with this. Well, also, let's not forget, you mentioned their business and on the coffee. They're also an unregulated bank and a huge one at that. The amount of money,

money that they're sitting on from people giving the money to load up on their cards, it's in the tens of billions of dollars. I don't know what they do with that money because they're not just sitting on it waiting for you to buy yourself a latte, but yeah, that's a big part of their business today. But you know, okay, two things to that. Number one, that's the same as the famous line in the movie about McDonald's. You thought you were in the burger business. You're in the land business.

So a lot of that's the same. And number two, people that love Starbucks are going to go to Starbucks. Me personally, I don't care if you call it Ethiopian blend. I know burnt coffee when I can take it. Okay, so, yeah, so you and I found common cause. The market will correct it. If it's too expensive, they'll figure out a way to part ways with that idea. But here's somebody who is making a good point about the high cost of coffee in your life.

And it's Kevin O'Leary. Stop buying coffee for $5.50. I can walk around with anybody for day and show you that they're wasting 15% of their money, sometimes 20, stupid stuff. You know, you go to work, you spend 15 bucks on a sandwich. What are you an idiot? It costs you 99 cents to make a sandwich at home and bring it with you. So what if you bring it with you?

Bring your own water if you have to, or your own drink, or bring your own coffee muck. You start to add that up every day. It's a ton of money. Most people, particularly working in metropolitan cities that are just starting out on their job, making their first 60,000, piss away about 15,000 a year on stupid stuff. And that's what they should stop doing. Listen, I know a lot of people don't have a lot of time for Kevin O'Leary, but he's giving out some pretty solid free advice.

Well, yes, he did. He's a bit of a yacht, but he did give out some good advice. I mean, from a pure budgeting perspective, the man's absolutely not wrong. But where economists and behavioral researchers would push back a little bit is the assumption that humans make these decisions purely to maximize financial efficiency. People also value time, convenience, social interaction. action, work-life balance. So buying lunch for some people might not just be about food. It can be

a stress reliever. It can save preparation time or just give you some social connection during the day. So, you know, what's connecting this story to the previous story is some people cannot buy their coffee or their lunch out and let's hope that they don't. But for those who do, there is a sort of a higher cause other than just the eating part of the day. Yeah, for I'm now at the point in my life where priorities have changed with the kids being how old they are in short order they're going to be going away to university that comes with its own raft of costs and um and i can afford a coffee every day if i want but it hurts me to spend that money because i know that i would want if i could i could spend it on something else that i probably want more and that's going to make me feel better than that cup

of coffee that is only as i said a vehicle for caffeine uh so you know sometimes you got to go through the fire to make sure you don't get burnt in the future, but you got to get burnt first. You know what? Ben, I got to tell you quickly, you know what? You know, you and I are around the same age. We all have kids. And I find as I get older, I can't justify it for me, but I can justify it for my children. Yeah, 100%. Absolutely. Okay, let's talk about the alcohol ban. A lot of people thought, you know, Doug Ford of Ontario, a few other provinces, we're going to, We're going to ban Americans, the purchase of American booze in their provinces. And it wasn't going to affect the American.

Turns out it is hurting them. It's hurting them in significant ways. And the U.S. spirits group is describing the impact of these boycotts as devastating. And people say, okay, go tell your president. Go tell your president. But it seems like they want their cake, they want their rum cake, and they want to eat it too. Yeah, and for many Canadians, refusing American spirits, feels like some odd act of economic patriotism, right? It's a way of expressing frustration with broader political or trade tensions.

And, you know, emotionally, it does create a sense of odd, I find solidarity or national pride. I mean, I've seen us rally around hockey, but never rally around alcohol. Listen, the reality is, you're right. Anytime there's a boycott, anytime that there's trade dysfunction, both sides do get hurt. But what is not disputable is that this can only hurt Canada more than it hurts the United States just by the sheer size of the two economies, Ben. Look, and you brought it up. So let's finish on this is I find it very rich that some of these elbows up people

who support boycotting American this and American that are supporting the Carolina hurricanes in their attempt to take down the only Canadian team left in the NHL playoffs called the Canadians. I got a producer over here who's agreeing. Yes, he's going to support the hurricanes. At this time where we are under siege, this is our sport, this is our culture. This is the only Canadian team left in a league that we founded at a time where we're being told by Canadian, by Canadian, by Canadian. But supporting the Canadians as they try to be the first team to bring the cutback since 1993,

that's a bridge too far. It is a bridge too far. You hear what I'm dealing with here? You agree with me, Eric. Okay, first of all, guys, calm down, right? You get to, a little bit like coffee. You get to support whoever you want to support. What actually scares me over and above all this is that now this trade dispute is becoming aligned with cultural identity.

And once that happens, we know that disputes tend to last longer and become harder to reverse. And we don't want this, as bad as this thing is, you don't want it to last one day longer than it has to. So, listen, I know where you're coming from. and Ben, go Montreal, go. Hell, yes. No, no, you're not, turn his microphone off. Boo, Eric. Turn his microphone off.

Yeah, you've talked too much. Okay, Eric Cam, thank you very much, my friend. Stay healthy, both of you. The world is changing from the misuse of AI and the rise of deepfakes to the dangerous spread of misinformation. It's getting harder

for Canadians to separate fact from fiction. That's why having a trustworthy news source is vital. At Global News, we're committed to objective journalism that cuts through the noise. Stick to the facts. Global News, Canada's trusted news.