Political journalist Paul Wells | Ask Me Anything

At the moment, many Candians are going through crisis. We started the show with an evacuee from Churchill Falls, a town in Labrador. Hundreds of people were evacuated from that town because of a wildfire this week. As well, the residents of Calgary are being asked to conserve water after that water main break earlier this month. But in many catastrophes, there has also been an outpouring of kindness – often from total strangers. When your city or community was faced with a crisis – what acts of kindness did you give or receive?

This Thursday is the first debate of this U.S. presidential election campaign. U.S. President Joe Biden will square off against former U.S. President Donald Trump. Ali Velshi is an award-winning journalist, chief correspondent with MSNBC, and host of the weekend program, "Velshi.” He answered your questions about his career, his new book, as well as the state of politics – and democracy – in the United States.

About 20 per cent of Canadians work most of their hours from home according to Statistics Canada. Some cities are now asking whether downtown cores need workers to return to the office. Is it fair for employers and politicians to push for workers to come back? Is working from home better for you? What's best for your community?

For many Canadians housing affordability is the issue right now. The federal Liberals have promised to build 3.9 million homes by 2031. But recent warnings from CMHC say housing production in Canada is still lagging behind. Sean Fraser is the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities He answered your questions about the housing crisis.

If you or your child is wrapping up high school or university, you’ve probably got more questions than answers about what comes next. From diving straight into work, taking a gap year, or pursuing further education, there are plenty of options. Sabrina McTaggart is a career coach who helps young adults find their career paths. Rachelle Doucet is a high school guidance counsellor. They answered your questions about grads and what comes next.

Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador are considering banning future generations from ever being allowed to buy tobacco. Do you think this approach will work? And how did you manage to quit smoking?

Canada's Competition Bureau is going to study the country's domestic airline industry. Many of us rely on airlines to stay in touch with family to conduct business and to explore this vast country but it can be expensive. How can we make it better? Does Canada’s airline industry need an overhaul? Are there enough travel options in your part of the country?

For years, medical experts have been calling for the national guideline for routine breast cancer screenings to be lowered from 50-years-old. But last week, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care released a draft recommendation that said it’s not going to lower the recommended screening age to 40 for women with average risk – and that decision has been met with widespread disapproval. Our AMA guest this week was Dr. Jean Seely. She’s the head of the breast imaging section at the Ottawa Hospital and professor of medicine in the radiology department at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Seely answered your questions about screening for breast cancer.

In British Columbia there were 25-hundred and eleven illicit drug deaths last year -- the majority of them involving the opioid fentanyl. Meanwhile, the provincial government announced it's banning illicit drug use in public spaces, a key feature of last year's pilot program which aimed to decriminalize drug use in many instances. Amidst the decriminalization debate, what's the solution to the toxic drug crisis? If you are in recovery -- what can we learn from your story?

Journalist Paul Wells has been covering federal politics for decades. He’s written about former Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Paul Martin. His new book explores Justin Trudeau’s time in office since his government came to power in 2015. He answered your questions about federal politics.