Cross Country Checkupwith Duncan McCue

As an instructor at Laurentian University, Aaron Langille lectures on the ins and outs of game design — and the tactics that can make games addictive. But in his class, students are taught how to make their games engaging without getting players hooked.

Hundreds of parents in Quebec have launched a class action lawsuit alleging the video game Fortnite is too addictive. Also, Ask Me Anything with Sharon and Bram.

Cancel — or call-out — culture, often thrives in online forums and aims to hold people to account publicly. But it is preventing critical conversations from occurring, according to a psychologist who says he's been "cancelled" himself.

In Toronto, hundreds called on the Toronto Public Library to cancel a talk by writer Meghan Murphy Tuesday night. Are boycotts of controversial, offensive or questionable public speakers helping or hurting free speech?

Martha Hall Findlay, president and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, tells Cross Country Checkup that one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s key tasks following the election is to unite the country in order to avoid separatism talks.

The Liberals formed a minority government during Monday's federal election but the Conservatives won the popular vote. Meanwhile, the Bloc Quebecois surged over incumbent NDP candidates in Quebec.

The prolonged slump in the oil and gas sector has left tens of thousands of Albertans unemployed, and the election question many are asking is whether the newly-elected federal government will finally get shovels in the ground on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

This week on Checkup: Two cities, one pipeline. Your vote. We're debating the Trans Mountain expansion from both ends of the pipeline in a special two-city election eve town hall.

Liberal Party candidate Patty Hajdu took calls from Cross Country Checkup listeners during the recurring Ask Me Anything segment and answered questions about Western province alienation, electoral reform and the Liberal Party's commitment to reconciliation.

Conservative Party candidate Erin O'Toole took calls from Cross Country Checkup listeners during the show’s recurring Ask Me Anything segment and answered questions on international aid and relations with China and Israel.

Disagreement can sour any party, but according to one expert, there are ways of tackling tough topics without a food fight.

If your Thanksgiving sounds anything like the federal leader's debate, you're not alone — civil debate is in decline.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh took calls from Cross Country Checkup listeners during the show’s recurring Ask Me Anything segment and answered questions on Canada-U.S. relations, his party’s climate change plans and employment for rural youth.

Young Canadians are voting less than previous generations did, but one expert says engaging them early could change that. It's an idea that B.C. municipalities and some federal leaders are on board with.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May Canada should lower the voting age, and so does every municipality in British Columbia. But just because you can drive to the polling station, should you have the right to vote? 

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May says Alberta's oil workers won't be left out under her party's plan to transition the country's fossil fuel industry to sustainable energy. 

Some parents have mixed feelings about students skipping school to attend climate strikes taking place across Canada and around the world.

Amidst cross country climate strikes, we're talking about climate change this week on the campaign trail. Plus, both Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and Peter Mansbridge will take your calls.

Ryerson University assistant professor Cheryl Thompson has traced the roots of black and brownface performances in Canada back to the 1840s.