The system of low-cost, hyper-efficient manufacturing that emerged after the end of the Cold War promised to deliver the goods—literally—and usher in a new era of high growth and cheap consumer products. But after years of supply chain disruptions brought on by the pandemic and growing detachment between China and the West, we're now seeing how fragile that system really can be.

Is it time for something new? Sean Speer thinks so. He's the PPF Scotiabank Fellow in Strategic Competitiveness at the Public Policy Forum and Editor-at-Large of The Hub, and in this episode, he makes the case for building up industry in Canada to make more of the stuff we need at home.