The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge - Your Turn - Part Two of Your All Time Favourite Canadian TV Show

Episode Date: April 11, 2024

The question was simple, name your favourite past or present Canadian TV show. The answers poured in -- enough for two weeks of shows. Today the final list of your choices and they're pretty interesting. And they come from all over the world. Plus the Random Ranter with his thoughts on what is holding back Canadian productivity.

And hello there, Peter Mansbridge here. You are just moments away from the latest episode of The Bridge. It's Thursday, your turn, your favorite television show, past or present. It's part two of that question. That's coming right up. And hello there, Peter Mansbridge in Toronto today. Yes, it's your turn. The second part had been designed just for one part, just for last week, but we had so many entries into this question of your favorite television show, Master President, and they've literally covered the decades since television started in Canada in the 1950s. Lots of really interesting choices.

And they continue to be this week in part two of this segment. The Random Ranter will be by as well a little later. He's always fun to listen to. He's in a bit of a grumpy mood today. So we'll see where he turns his attention. Okay, before we get started, though, I've got a bit of an announcement to make about, well, about next week's Your Turn.

We're going to have a guest, and you're going to ask that guest questions because it is, of course, your turn. We're going to have a guest, and you're going to ask that guest questions, because it is, of course, your turn. Not my turn, your turn. And as we've seen in all the surveys and research that's been done in the last couple of years, one of the top issues, at times it's the number one issue, at other times it's number two or number three, but it's always in that kind of top grouping, is housing. Well, the government's been scrambling over the last year to come up with some housing initiatives to solve what is clearly a crisis in different parts of the country. So here's what I want, and here's what I would like to see happen

the housing minister Sean Fraser he's been in the job for what about a year, year and a half somewhere in that neighborhood and he's been handed this hot potato deal with housing come up with new ways to create

housing opportunities in the country, and worry about the youngest generation who are looking at the very strong likelihood that they'll never be able to own a house. There either aren't houses available, or they're just sky-high prices. So he's been working at that. And tomorrow will be kind of the packaging of all the different things they want to do, and he'll be announcing that tomorrow. At which time your opportunity comes in, you get to ask the housing minister

the issue you feel you want to hear answers to in terms of housing. So, first of all, don't write today. You haven't heard the full package. Listen to it tomorrow. And then write out your question. And I'll pick the top, I don't know, eight or ten, whatever, questions to ask the minister next week.

He won't see them beforehand. He'll get to hear them for the first time when I read them to him on the program. Okay? So that's the idea. Here's the way you should frame a question. I don't want a lecture. I don't want a short story. I want your questions about housing. So you first of all got to listen to their plan, the Liberal government's plan. And then let's hear your question. What is it directly to any one of the points in the plan or to an overall theme about the plan?

So there's your, here are the conditions write out the question no more than a couple of sentences once again I don't want to hear a big long story I want to hear a question include your name and the location you're writing from your city, your town, your community

your village, your whatever okay and you got to have them in location you're writing from, your city, your town, your community, your village, your whatever. Okay? And you've got to have them in no later than 12 noon Eastern time next Wednesday. So that's a little earlier than usual. But I've got to get them organized and prepared for that show. So 12 noon next Wednesday is the cutoff time. But you'll have the information you need tomorrow to come up with your question.

And if you want to make it specific to the region you live in, then go for it. Fraser has been traveling all over the country. He knows the different issues at stake in every part of the country. He's from the Maritimes. So he's an Eastern Canadian for the Maritimes, from Atlantic Canada. Okay? But he knows the country, and he's been traveling the country.

Remember, before housing, he was the immigration minister, so he's had, you know, he's been in cabinet for a while. He gets it, and he also gets that this is a huge issue right now. And he's the point man on it. For the government. And he's been under attack from the opposition parties. So here's your opportunity. Once again, your opportunity to ask questions to the Minister of Housing on the housing situation. So I'd love to hear from you.

Write to themansbridgepodcast at gmail.com. themansbridgepodcast at gmail.com. Cutoff time, 12 noon, Eastern Time, next Wednesday. Look forward to it. And thanks for your help, because it's your turn. All right. Let's get to this week's program. As I said, we had lots of letters last week.

Couldn't get through them all, and then more came in over the days that followed. We added a couple of days to the kind of deadline. It was a short window that we opened for these kind of nominations. But we had lots of new ones. There were some re-nominations, of course, of programs that are already being nominated. But there were some new ones. And I think it's fair to say that some of these new ones, well, they were a little more offbeat.

They all existed. They're former Canadian television shows, both past and present. So here we go. We're starting, just to show the worldwide audience of the bridge. We're starting by hearing from Brian Wagner in Shanghai, China. Great city. Great city. I first went to Shanghai in 1976. But I digress.

Let's get to Brian's letter. The Canadian show that left the deepest impression on me is the Buckshot show. Buckshot seemed to be tailor-made just for kids in Calgary. Actually, you're right, Brian, it was. It was a local show that ran from 1967 to 1997, 30 years. It was accessible in a way few other shows could claim to be, with many episodes featuring kids from the local community in the audience waiting for their opportunity to be gently interviewed by Buckshot on TV. I got my chance as a youngster and saw firsthand how the

man was just as kind and personal as he was on the screen, Ron Barge's enduring celebrity in Calgary shows that I'm not the only one who was deeply touched by his presence on the airwaves. That's great. I'd never heard of the Buckshot Show, but I have now. Doug Moffitt from East Lansing, Michigan. He grew up in Winnipeg. As a young boy in the 50s and early 60s, I often didn't know whether I was watching a Canadian TV show or an American one.

But Razzle Dazzle was certainly Canadian. It was fun and I think witty by 10-year-old Sanders. Howard the Turtle was great. The Groners, terrific. And a contest where the prize was a trip to Paris. Well, it was Paris, Ontario, but still. 60 and more years later, I still remember that. Good guess, Doug. Razzle Dazzle was hosted by Alan Hamill, who went on to host several American game shows and talk shows, and some in Canada, too.

He married Suzanne Summers of Three's Company fame. They were married for more than 45 years, until she sadly died just last year. Matt Bordato in Sherwood Park, Alberta. You know, that's a suburb of Edmonton. The Canadian TV show I would like to submit is Uh-Oh, a quiz-based game show directed towards kids hosted by none other than Wink Yahoo. Even better was the Punisher character

who would dump goo on contestants whose teammates gave incorrect answers. I wanted so badly to be on the show, but didn't think they did any filming in Alberta. One of the most fun game shows ever. It was a YTV show. Ran for seven seasons. And Matt, you're right.

They never shot in Alberta. Every episode was shot in Toronto. Lindsay Ross in Sydney, Nova Scotia. One Canadian TV show that lives rent-free in my mind is 19-2. It was based on a French-language program of the same name. As an English speaker, I watched the version with Jared Kiso, now of Letterkenny fame. Knowing what a comedy actor he is now,

it's wild looking back on the serious crime drama. It was so refreshing to see the Canadian perspective on law enforcement compared to the usual American gunslingers. They spent multiple episodes chasing one stray bullet. Truly Canadian. Michael Brisson in Kitchener, Ontario. This hour has seven days. Amid the tensions of 1964, the issues of the time, the opening trumpeted theme,

the big seven coming out of darkness into harsh white light, a big voice declared, This hour has seven days. Then out of the beautiful darkness, with a small audience behind, came the sharpest Canadian journalist, ciggies in hand, swiveling in red and white tulip chains to peer closely toward cabinet ministers and ask what everybody in Canada

really wanted to know that night. It was so electric, so exciting, and so unlike TV had been. Sadly, it was cancelled by the CBC in a controversy too complex to set out here. Perhaps, you know, it was the greatest CBC controversy of all time. I'll tell you a little more. The show began in 64, it was cancelled in 66. It was hosted most memorably by John Draney, Patrick Watson, Laurier Lapierre.

You can see the debut episode on the archive section of the CBC website. Ron Snyder in Edmonton. Back in 1998 and running just two years, there was a very interesting quirky series on CBC called Twitch City. It was starring and partly created by Don McKellar. It featured Molly Parker, Bruce McCullough, and Mark Kinney, amongst other notables. It was shot in the Kensington Market area of Toronto

when McKellar played a television addict who refused to leave his apartment. Definitely worth watching if you could track it down. Well, there are at least a couple of episodes on YouTube. Brandon Mitchell in Stockholm, Sweden. I remember watching North of 60 reruns on CBC New Brunswick. I must have watched the entire series a couple of times when I was young. A few years ago, I was lucky enough to find episodes on YouTube. In my mid-30s, I see it much differently. I was brought to tears by Tina Keeper's role as

Michelle. All the actors were brilliant, especially Gordon Tatousis. It really shed light on a dark, dark past and our treatment of Indigenous people. Joseph Murdoch Flowers in Ikelebi, Nunavut. The Canadian TV show that means the most to me is The Urban Peasant with the late James Barber. Mr. Barber cooked simple, delicious recipes that were easy to do at home. His attitude was warm, relaxed, and inviting. He told us there are four recipes in the world. Bake it, boil it, fry it, or screw it up.

He also used to say that in cooking, you use what you got. Kate Gaukel-Turvet in Listowel, Ontario. That's not far from my home in Stratford. It's northwest of Kitchener. The opening notes of Hockey Night in Canada take me right back to our living room with my three older brothers eating chips out of a Tupperware bowl and having a glass of pop shop pop. Most of my

family cheered for the Leafs, but I adored Bobby Orr and was a loyal Bruins fan. Bobby, who's a friend of mine, just turned 75 the other day. Great memories of an outstanding All-Canadian

right down to the beer commercials television show. Peter Athanasopoulos. Athanasopoulos in Rocky Mountain House, just west of Red Deer. CBC's On the Road Again, from 1987 until 2007. Gotta say, it's one of those truly Canadian shows that exposes the viewer to our regional uniqueness. Wayne Rostad was the host of the program

and took us along with him on his quest for some truly eye-opening experiences. Programs like this are necessary entertainment and educational and gives the viewer a little insight into our beautiful people's lives and beautiful landscapes. You're here. Don Mitchell in Ottawa. Country Canada.

Not just focused on agriculture, it looked into many aspects of living in rural Canada from many viewpoints. It was a great show for a kid who wanted to see all parts of the country and not just the cities. Julie Hamara in Toronto. The show that stands out for me is Little Mosque on the Prairie. I'm not Muslim, but the show really struck a chord with me during my brief stay in Saskatoon.

The show did a great job of diffusing sensitive issues in the wake of 9-11 without taking itself too seriously. It was both cheesy and heartfelt in a way that only the CBC could pull off. Sorry, that was my wandering hands there. Conrad Padilla in Winnipeg. Trailer Park Boys. Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles, living in Nova Scotia, continually cook up questionable news schemes to get ahead in the world,

despite having few resources and little education, and never letting failure or even stints in prison get in the way. They are the most relatable and hilarious of all small-time criminals that I have ever seen on television. Steve Loudon in Rattlesnake Harbor. That's in Ontario, about an hour southwest of Hamilton. Steve says it's the Rick Mercer report, thoroughly Canadian, from Rick's rants to the community events from across the country, it's sorely missed.

You know, Rick and Jan Arden are going to be taking, I don't know whether it's a cross-country, I assume it probably is, tour in the next little while. They're going to be doing a show together. So I'm sure you can be sure that there'll be a hint of the old RMR, the Rick Mercer report on that one. Chantal Courcy in Ottawa. Memories of one show flood back.

Bobino, or as I fondly called it, Bobino et Bobinet. This show was on Raja Canada from 1957 to 1985 and had more than 5,000 episodes. Bobino was a man named Guy Sange. Bobinet was his sister, a puppet. Growing up in Quebec, I shared countless hours watching this show with my beloved big sister. There was an undeniable magic to it, a sense of anticipation that built with showtime drew nearer. It was a cherished part of my upbringing. It seamlessly blended education, entertainment, and sheer fun, all while maintaining the innocence and wonder of childhood. However, what truly elevates this show to a special place in my heart is the memory of my late father.

He held a profound admiration for Bobino because he believed it respected children, nurtured their imaginations, and taught us how to speak French proficiently in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. Saeed Sayedan in Toronto. I have a vivid and special memory of Road to Avonlea. I watched this series along with my family before I immigrated to Canada. It gave us a really good understanding of Canadian culture, communities, and landscape.

Road to Avonlea follows the story of a young girl who's sent from Montreal to live with her mother's relatives in a small village in Prince Edward Island after her father is accused of a financial scandal. The show features their challenges and triumphs in the early 20th century, capturing the charm of rural Canadian life during that era. Doug Clark in Castlegar, B.C.

Codco was a wonderful show. It was a comedy that highlighted the oddball Newfoundland humor. It aired in the same era as Kids in the Hall, but I preferred Codco. The actors from this show went on to form the nucleus of This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Yeah, well, you're certainly right about the connection to 22 Minutes, Doug. Kathy Jones, Mary Walsh, they were originals of both CODCO and 22 Minutes. Let's take our first break. Well, it's our only break. Let's take our break.

We've got lots more letters to come, and we'll deal with them when we come back. And welcome back. You're listening to The Bridge, the Thursday episode. It's part two of your favorite Canadian television show's past or present. We had so many entries last week to this question that we've had to extend it into a second week, which we're doing. And we should let you know, as I think I've mentioned before, that we are putting the answers to some of these great Canadian questions on my website, thepetermansbridge.com.

There's not a lot of stuff on that website. You know, some of my books are mentioned on the website. But also, I wanted to put these on, you know, some of these, you know, your favorite Canadian book, your favorite Canadian vacation spot. And I think this week, coming up is, I think this week we're placing the vacation spot, your favorite Canadian vacation spot on the website.

And in weeks ahead, we'll do the favorite Canadian television shows on there as well. Anyway, right now you're listening to Sirius XM, Channel 167, Canada Talks, or you're listening on your favorite podcast platform. However you're listening to us, we're glad you're along. All right, back to the letters. Laurie Simpkins in Curtis, Ontario. That's just east of Toronto, apparently. My all-time favorite Canadian TV show is The Marilyn Dennis Show. I started watching from the very first episode that featured Jan Arden.

I was so happy when PVRs became a thing so I wouldn't miss an episode. She had musical guests, movie stars, chefs, home improvement, travel, fashion and medical experts just to name a few. Her show helped me calm during the COVID lockdown. I was fortunate enough to sit in her audience on occasion and audience members always have the pleasure of a take-home gift. If I'm not mistaken, she's soon to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. That's right. After 13 seasons, Marilyn retired from her show in June of last year. She is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Canadian Screen Awards this year.

John Minchell of Comox Valley, B.C. My favorite TV program was a CBC Canada Day documentary called A Flag for Canada. This program was the best depiction of the struggle and challenge of getting the Canadian flag designed and through Parliament that I've ever seen. I still remember the depiction of the battle of wits between Lester Pearson and John Diefenbaker in the program. It really brought that era of Canadian history and politics to life. You've got to go back a bit to see that one.

It was aired in 2003, but you can still see it on YouTube. A flag for Canada. Richard Sainer in Guelph. I've had a lifelong interest in weather forecasts, fueled by the weather forecasters of the nightly news. In particular, two individuals have stood out to me. The first was Percy Saltzman with his iconic blackboard map of Canada, which he would fill with all sorts of weather data,

using his huge piece of chalk, which he would flip in the air as he signed off with, and that's the weather. The other was the Nationals' Claire Martin. Her humor made even a terrible forecast, almost bearable, followed by her smiling send-off. And back to you, Peter. He was such a good guy, eh?

Don't you like him? John Anderson in Stainer, Ontario. That's near Barrie. Hands down for me as a teenager in the early 70s. Ian Tyson's variety music show called Nashville North with Ian Tyson and his band, The Great Speckled Bird. His lineup was a window into a ton of great Canadian talent and an inspiration for me.

Brendan Edge in Ottawa. I'd have to say Royal Canadian Airfars. I grew up watching it, usually lying on the floor with my parents and grandparents nearby, laughing at the slapstick, and as I became more politically aware, I appreciated the good-hearted jibes at our politicians and saw the depth behind the humor as I used it to bond with my parents and grandparents. It helped me realize that, yeah, we had stuff to joke about and stuff that could be better, and it made me want to work at making things better.

For the last five years, I've worked on Parliament Hill as a legislative assistant, but we'll see where this road of trying to make a difference and applying a bit of humor to it takes me. Well, good luck with that, Brendan. Derek Forsyth in Edmonton.

The program I remember with the most fondness is The Friendly Giant. I remember mornings in front of the family black and white television, waiting eagerly for that familiar line where Friendly would invite us in by hurrying over to his castle so he could let the drawbridge down and open the big front doors for us, always ending with, are you ready? Here's my castle. Then the music, that harp and recorder playing the familiar intro as the doors opened, inviting children everywhere in for a visit. To hear a story, listen to some music and visit with some friends. Look up, way up, and I'll call Rusty.

Has to be one of the most iconic phrases in Canadian television history. I looked forward to sharing those episodes with my son. I so much wanted to share the joys of this simple program and have him watch with me for the cow jumping over the moon after Friendly had closed the big front doors and pulled up the drawbridge and the music was playing to end the program. I was able to locate a few copies of episodes on YouTube and played them with my son. He loved them.

But there was only a handful, and after many efforts, I abandoned the search for more. I miss that show still. Sarah Allinger in Vancouver. I'll always have a soft spot for the polka dot door. I used to love to imagine, excuse me, visiting the giant playroom, playing with Humpty Dumpty, Marigold and Bear and getting to meet Pokeroo.

Dennis Simpson had been a regular host during my early childhood and much later while working in Vancouver's theatre community. I harbored a deep dread that I'd run into him at some opening night reception and make a fool of myself by blurting out, you taught me how to tell time. About a year before his passing, I had the opportunity to work with Dennis on a local theater production, and he turned out to be one of the kindest, most generous humans I've ever met. Someone who had a knack for making everyone he spoke to feel special. When I eventually confessed my longtime fear to him, he just smiled and told me,

that would have been lovely. While it saddens me to know that our paths will never cross again. I'm so grateful that I had a chance to know him. Dennis Simpson was also an original member of the acapella group, the Nylons. Didn't know that. Didn't know the connection, I mean. Anne Assoff in Miramichi, New Brunswick.

My favorite Canadian TV show was Black Harbor, a family drama which ran in the late 90s. It featured an engaging storyline and the beauty of the south shore of Nova Scotia. Never missed an episode. Pat Colpitts in Riverview, Manitoba, part of Winnipeg, I guess, just finished a very long spring walk and smiled and laughed at many of the shows people wrote to you about. That was in part one.

In the late 60s, early 70s, I remember coming home from school and watching Graham Kerr, The Galloping Gourmet. Quite sure he might have been the pioneer of early Canadian cooking shows. I believe he was also Australian, but I'm not too sure. The kicker, though, was he drank from a wine glass numerous times throughout the half hour. Likely not real wine, but he did seem to be a wee bit sloppy when his dish was complete. Actually, Kerr was not Australian. He was born in England.

He's still alive. Lives in Seattle, Washington. He's 90 years old. Maybe he's listening right now. The show was first broadcast on CBC in December 1968. Was taped at the local CBC station in Ottawa, CBOT. At its peak, the Galloping Gourmet

was seen in 38 countries with more than 200 million viewers. That's pretty impressive. Rory Richardson in Winnipeg. My favorite Canadian television show, Yvonne of the Yukon. It was good. It was weird. It was Canadian humor.

So I had not heard this about this show, so we had to look it up. This is an animated series about a French explorer who ends up frozen in ice for 300 years and is then thawed out. Went off the air in 2004, but it now has its own YouTube channel. Okay, I got a cough here. So I hit the mute button and I coughed.

Kurt Christie in Guelph. My favorite Canadian television show was Daily Planet, which concerned itself with science. For seven of its many years, it was co-hosted by Zia Tong and Dan Riskin. I used to watch it in bed before turning out the light for the day. I still miss those hosts and, of course, the show itself. Michael Balenki in Winnipeg. Street Legal is the show that has, by far, set the standard for legal drama shows in North America.

It not only provided interesting and realistic legal issues and confrontations, but also showed the successes and challenges of professional and private relationships. The show also clearly articulated the cunning subterfuge and power struggles between lawyers, judges, the police, clients, and administrators, eventually leading to justice served with real-life hard decisions learned. And you can still watch Street Legal. There are episodes on CBC Jam. Sherry Moran in Ottawa. It is definitely Wojak. It ran from 1966 to 1968 and starred John Vernon as Steve Wojak,

a big city coroner involved in a variety of controversial matters, including homosexuality, Arab-Jewish relations, and racism towards indigenous people. It was tremendously successful and ended only because Vernon was enticed by bigger paydays in Hollywood. I was in grade eight at Catholic school when it started, taught by a very progressive nun who encouraged us to openly discuss episodes after they aired, including one dealing with abortion. To use modern parlance, the show and our discussions were awesome. You can see the pilot episode of Wojack on YouTube, by the way.

Marilyn Shung in Brampton. My favorite Canadian show was Mr. Dress-Up. As the first Canadian-born child of immigrants, I learned English before starting kindergarten by watching the kind Ernie Coombs.

I loved the sound of his markers as his amazing drawings magically appeared on his easel. The recent documentary, Mr. Dress-Up, The Magic of Make-Believe on Amazon Prime, brought back warm, wonderful memories. Pam Finley in Bodrum, Turkey. Pam grew up in Killarney, Manitoba. Of all the great Canadian television shows I faithfully watched,

none stood out more than Mr. Dress-Up. I'm now 60, living and teaching very far from Canada, but walking beside Ernie Coombs as best I can. I can't find the words to express how much the show inspires me. Present tense intended. Okay, here's the last one. And really, this isn't a show.

I remember a great old producer of mine, a fellow by the name of Des Smith, who'd worked, was Canadian, worked at the CBC, worked at CBS, worked at NBC. And he was my producer on a Sunday night show I used to do.

Sorry, I got a real frog in my throat here today. That should be better. And whenever he'd hear somebody call the news a show, he'd say, no, no, no. The news is not a show. It's a broadcast. I've always remembered that. So I say in honor of Des, this last program that's submitted, is nominated for Best Canadian Television Show Past or Present,

should not be considered a show. The nomination comes from Marcello Perez in Gothenburg, Sweden. A Canadian television program that impacted me the most was The National, presented by guess who? As a new immigrant to Canada in the summer of 2010, I was eager to acquire some understanding of the country, and that one quiet hour in front of the television was sacred and well spent. I'm on my second immigration now, living in Sweden. I've never found an equivalent to the national.

Well, that's nice to hear. Thank you, Marcello. So when you do the totals, when you do the kind of wrap-up after two weeks of this, the number of different programs mentioned in your letters, different programs, right? Many got multiple nominations, but the number of different altogether, 70, 70 different Canadian television programs. The show is mentioned most often, working from the bottom up.

Tied for number five, Front Page Challenge and SCTV. Tied for number two, the Beachcombers, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and Hockey Night in Canada. Can you guess who number one was? The number one show mentioned most often. Mr.

Dress Up. There you go. You pick them. And you did for today's special edition of Your Turn. Hope you enjoyed the flashback to memory lane.

But the beauty of television today because of YouTube and CBC Jam and other vehicles is that these things are still as alive today as they were when they were first broadcast. And it's interesting to see in the case of Mr. Dress-Up, the number of people who still watched it as a kid, and now they're kind of sharing it with their kids, whether it was Mr. Dress-Up or Friendly Giant.

That's good to see. That's nice. Okay. It's Thursday, and it's not just your turn. It's the random ranter's turn, too. As I said, he's got a little bit of a grumpy attitude today. That's all right. It's a rant.

So what has he got to say on this day? Let's find out right now. The Canadian economy is severely lacking in competition. Break it down sector by sector and you'll see we're ruled by oligopolies. We've got five major banks, three telecom companies, five grocers, and two airlines. And for all those those big companies can anyone really say they get great service i mean i hope you do but i never have i just get service fees automated responses and that feeling of having my wallet squeezed at every corner i'm not happy about it and i'm sure most people aren't happy about it. But big businesses don't seem overly concerned because big businesses are only worried about one thing. And it isn't the

quality of their service. It isn't their employees. And it isn't providing value. It's profit. Profit they protect through market domination and quiet collusion. I mean, I don't know about you, but where I live, it doesn't matter if I go to Esso, Shell, or the Petrocan. The price is the same. And it doesn't matter who I get my cell phone from. The service will suck, and the bill will be for the same amount. At least until it goes up, that is. Because that's the way it works. The price goes up and up and up. And inflation has only made it worse because now they have an excuse to raise

their prices. And it's the perfect camouflage for raising their margins at the same time. Look at Loblaws. Their net profit of $2.1 billion in 2023 is over double what it was in pre-pandemic 2019. It's obscene. But now they've grown too big to effectively regulate, and we're all paying the price. I mean, in Canada, they largely call their own shots. They don't fear the government, and they don't fear new competition, because they're in a place where they can simply crush it, drive it out of business, or buy it out and shut it down. Look at the airlines. When the discount operator Flair started up with domestic flights, WestJet and Air Canada matched them rate for rate and departure time for departure time.

It was no contest. The competition ran them out of many domestic markets, and as soon as they left, back came the higher rates and away went the direct routes. Now, I always thought the solution to this was the Competition Bureau. But when was the last time they kiboshed a merger or did anything to spur competition? I mean, in their own words, the Bureau's analysis found that Canada's competitive intensity has fallen over the years, a finding that was reflected across all the indicators measured. Well, way to go, Competition Bureau. You recognize the problem and you failed to act on it when you did nothing to stop Rogers from acquiring Shaw,

RBC from eating up HSBC, or Loblaws from taking over shoppers. But I get it. Those are big dollar mergers and the big get bigger. Well, us small fry, we just pay and pay and pay some more. There you go. The random ranter for this week. A couple of quick reminders. Special program next week. Really want you to think about this.

Love to see your thoughts on it. The government announces its full housing policy tomorrow. The Minister of Housing, Sean Fraser, is a fan of the show, he says. He also wants to be on it, and he's going to be on it next week, answering your questions. So I invite you to first listen to or read about the announcement tomorrow. And when you go through it,

knowing that housing is a priority issue for many Canadians, if not them personally, their families' priorities, their children's priorities. How are they ever going to be able to have a house? Or even rent a house? So that's the issue next week.

And the issue is your questions to the minister so send them in keep it short include your name and location honor the embargo time of 12 noon next wed Wednesday to get your questions in. And I'm looking for a straightforward question to the minister, and the minister, it'll be put to him, and he'll have to answer it right here on the bridge. Okay? So that'll be next Thursday's show. You can write to themansbridgepodcast at gmail.com,

themansbridgepodcast at gmail.com. themansbridgepodcast at gmail.com. I look forward to reading your potential questions. I'll pick probably the eight or ten best ones, in my view, and those will be the ones that we challenge the minister with. And you can listen to see whether he actually answers the question, which is one of your biggest complaints about politicians, that they are asked questions which they never answer. Well, we'll see what happens next week.

Tomorrow, it's a good talk with Chantel and Bruce, lots to talk about, including the Prime Minister's appearance at the Foreign Interference Commission and some of his answers which have provoked headlines today. And so we'll chat about that tomorrow, among other things. Okay, I'm Peter Mansbridge. Thanks so much for listening today. Talk to you again in, well, in 24 hours.