After catching you up on the news of the week in business in The Briefs, Amanda Lang speaks with Duke Change, CEO of Canada Helps, to hear about the unexpected impact the recent Canada Post work stoppage had on charities who rely on mailed cheques from donors every holiday season.

The loonie has sold off heavily in recent months, touching as low as 66 cents US at one point in December. Amanda Lang speaks with Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist at Alberta Central, and Trevor Tombe, an economist at the University of Calgary for their thoughts on what the loonie’s weakness means in the scheme of things, and how Canadian consumers and businesses should plan to deal with the currency.

Amanda Lang speaks with Dillon Baxter, the CEO of PlantSwitch, about his company’s promising new technology for environmentally friendly and biodegradable cutlery and packaging. And in her Takeaway, Amanda says the apparent demise of the Net Zero Banking Alliance feels all too predictable given the current political climate, and serves as a reminder of the dangers of asking corporations to get out in front of always shifting political winds.

After catching us up on the news of the week in The Briefs, Amanda Lang speaks with Beth Burke, CEO of the Canadian American Business Council for a look of the state of the economic relationship between Canada and the U.S. headed into a second Trump presidency.

After looking back at the year that was for Canada’s economy, Amanda Lang checks in with Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist with CIBC for his thoughts on what the advent of a second Trump administration might mean for businesses and consumers next year

Amanda Lang checks in with Goldy Hyder, President & CEO of the Business Council of Canada for a read on what the business community thinks about the outlook for 2025. Donald Trump’s policies loom large and will likely bring some uncertainty, but opportunities abound for businesses. Next, Amanda Lang speaks with Lana Payne, President of Unifor, for her take on what the year ahead looks like for workers and organized labour after a tumultuous 2024.

Amanda Lang speaks with Penelope Graham, Director of Content at Ratehub.ca for her thoughts on where the Bank of Canada is in its rate cycle, and what it means for consumers. And in her Takeaway, Amanda Lang says while it’s hard to argue with the performance of bitcoin this year, but from an investment perspective it’s as risky and volatile as ever, so buyer beware.