The Important Stuff Podcast
The Important Stuff Podcast is a dive into the world of government policy, national and international politics with your hosts, Robert MacGillivary and Fareed Khan, opinionated and seasoned observers of government and politics, who will break down the most pressing issues from Canada, the US and around the world. From dissecting legislative developments to exploring global political trends, this podcast will tackle the topics that shape the world with wit, insight, analysis and a touch of humour. Whether you’re a policy wonk or just curious about the forces that drive change in your community or overseas, this podcast will provide commentary, opinion and analysis about the important stuff you need to know.
Episodes

Sunday Apr 27, 2025
Sunday Apr 27, 2025
In this episode we talk about the federal party platforms that were released in the past week or so. Today we are one day before the election, and the race between the the Liberals and the Conservatives is still quite tight. The NDP are down in the polls and face the risk of losing official party status. This is part 4 in the series covering the 2025 Federal Election.

Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
Tuesday Apr 22, 2025
In this episode we talk about a very serious situation. That is, the one taking place in Gaza right now - a situation labelled by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as a genocide, and being investigated by the the International Court of Justice as a “plausible" genocide. We talk about Canada's lack of effort in regard to condemning this level of atrocities. Mark Carney has shown that he is no different than Justin Trudeau, in that he says the right things but there seems to be little substance behind the words, with him saying at one point that he does not want to "politicize" the situation by using the word genocide.
We also discuss the federal election debate who said what. Will the debate move the needle? Who performed well, who did not? Listen to find out.
Human Rights Watch - A Threshold Crossed (Apartheid, 2021)
Anesty International - Israel is Committing Genocide in Gaza
Independent Jewish Voices (2025, Canada)
You can find our podcasts on Y Insights at: Yinsights.org/podcasts
You can find Fareed's blog on Rabble at: Rabble.ca/author/fareed-khan/

Saturday Apr 12, 2025
Saturday Apr 12, 2025
In this episode we talk about home building plans of the federal parties, US tariffs, and tax free savings accounts. This is part 2 of the 2025 Federal Election series.
You can find our podcasts on Y Insights at: Yinsights.org/podcasts
You can find Fareed's blog on Rabble at: Rabble.ca/author/fareed-khan/

Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
Wednesday Mar 26, 2025
In this episode we talk about the election polls for each party, military spending in Canada and in outher NATO countries, include the decision on Canadian fighters, innovation in Canada, and the role of the U.S. as the world's police force. We are also going to talk about the most recent impacts of Trump on Canada and the world, and talk of third term, and ignoring court orders. We will cover some of the party positions with a comparison of the positions of Pierre Poilievre with the positions of Donald Trump.

Thursday Mar 13, 2025
Thursday Mar 13, 2025
A unapologetic and frank discussion of the main events of the past 10 years that will be a part of Justin Trudeau's Legacy, covering the top six things he did right and then what he did wrong during his term in office as the Prime Minister of Canada, after winning three elections, two of which where he formed a minority governments.

Thursday Mar 06, 2025
Thursday Mar 06, 2025
The risk that Trump is moving the United States closer to Fascism, including some of his most absurd proclamations. Control of the media by large corporations and billionaires. What is fascism? Discussion on political parties in Canada.