Tumbler Ridge shooting upends the agenda: The week in review
Peter Mazereeuw gets you up to speed on what happened on and away from Parliament Hill this week in this five-minute mini-pod.
Good Talk -- Has Trump Lost It? Is It Advantage Canada?
Remember that old saying "Stick a fork in him, he's done"? Some people are beginning to say that about Donald Trump, which may well work in Canada's favour. A little early or no? Chantal Hebert and Bruce Anderson on that, and also more on the possible Alberta referendum and Washington's supposed involvement.
The Numbers: Liberals in majority territory, but there's no election — yet?
With the polls showing a spike in support for the Liberals, speculation has also spiked about an early election. What do the polls say about whether Mark Carney’s Liberals or Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives should want to head back on the campaign trail in 2026?
Games abroad, grief at home | Adam van Koeverden
Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden joins Playbook Canada from the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, where he’s watching Team Canada compete and looking ahead to a potential Canada–U.S. hockey showdown. But back home, the mood shifts dramatically as news of a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., brings Parliament to a halt and forces Prime Minister Mark...
On the ground in Tumbler Ridge, after the mass shooting
Tuesday’s deadly mass shooting in the community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, marks the second deadliest school shooting in Canadian history. Nine people are dead, including the shooter, and at least 25 others are injured. Many details are still unknown, but today, we’re talking about the aftermath of the tragedy. Globe reporters Matthew Scace and Alanna Smith give us the...
Tragedy in Tumbler Ridge
A horrific mass shooting took place in the small community of Tumbler Ridge, B.C. on Tuesday – one of the deadliest in Canadian history. Nine people are dead, including the suspect, and 27 more were injured. Many of the victims were as young as 12 or 13 years old. CBC senior reporter Caroline Barghout is in Tumbler Ridge covering the...
What's to come in the aftermath of one of Canada's deadliest school shootings?
Warning: this episode contains themes of gun violence and suicide. Please take care. British Columbia and the rest of Canada continue to mourn the innocent lives taken in a senseless school shooting at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon. Law enforcement have identified the shooter as 18 year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, who was confirmed to have died by...
Raj/Russo: Let's Break A Deal -- Trump Threatens Gordie Howe
Really? Donald Trump now says he will refuse to allow the multi-billion-dollar new bridge between Canada and the U.S. to be opened. That's the bridge Canada paid for, and Trump heralded just a few years ago. It's the latest twist in the trade war, and it's just one of the stories we focus on today with Althia Raj and Rob...
Jivani Goes To Washington
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Carney shifts gears on EV and climate policies
The federal government recently announced that it is scrapping the zero emissions vehicle mandate – brought in by the Trudeau government in 2022. Zero emissions vehicles such as EVs were supposed to make up 20 per cent of all new car sales this year, increasing to 100 per cent by 2035. This is the latest Trudeau-era climate policy that Prime...
Should Canada have nuclear weapons?
The final remaining agreement constraining U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons expired last week. The New START treaty was established by President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in 2010. And since then the treaty has governed much of the global landscape concerning nuclear weapons and non-proliferation. Reporting suggests both sides remain in talks. Yet as the U.S. threatens...
The Jeffrey Epstein Scandal Goes Global
It used to be seen as a passing, dirty, American sex scandal in the beginning, but over time it has also involved an ex-President, business, political and entertainment figures, and the current President. But now, over the past few weeks, the Epstein scandal threatens major figures in other countries. Today, on her regular Monday appearance, Dr Janice Stein of the...
Carney's China deal is deeper and more dangerous than tariffs
It’s setting off alarm bells in the White House for good reason: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new “strategic partnership” with Beijing is bigger than just the diversification and freeing up of trade in Canadian food exports and Chinese electric vehicles that he claims. As Brian discusses with longtime China-watcher Sandra Watson Parcels, there are details of the pact that haven’t...
What does Canada's EV plan mean for the future of our auto sector?
In a bid to help Canadians afford lower-emission vehicles, Ottawa unveiled a new EV strategy last week. Prime Minister Carney scrapped the Trudeau-era EV sale mandate, instead introducing rebates for customers and new emission standards for manufacturers.
Carney shifts gears to get more EVs on Canada's roads
Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled the government's new auto strategy – which pulls the plug on the EV sales mandate, but includes measures to encourage Canadians to buy EVs and companies to build and sell those cars here. Host Catherine Cullen asks Industry Minister Mélanie Joly why taxpayers should continue to spend money to help automakers. Then, auto industry...
Good Talk -- Running From Behind: Why Pierre Poilievre Should Listen To A Winner
Not even a week after Pierre Poilievre's resounding victory at the leadership review vote in Calgary, the Conservative leader found himself struggling. Why? Because he seemed offside on strategy with the often referred to "Godfather" of his party, Stephen Harper. It was a big week for Harper as he was in Ottawa to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his first...
‘Hang tight’: Why Quebec sovereignty and separatism are in the headlines again
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Mireille Lalancette (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières) and Éric Bélanger (McGill University), the co-holders of the Quebec Research Chair on Democracy, Living Together and Common Values, about the rise in support for the provincial Parti Québécois, which has promised another referendum on leaving Canada.
Can Carney’s auto strategy save the industry from Trump?
Prime Minister Mark Carney drops Canada’s EV mandate as part of a plan to strengthen the auto sector in the face of U.S. trade threats. Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives strike a new collaborative tone. And Stephen Harper's calls for unity. Rosemary Barton hosts Chantal Hébert, Andrew Coyne and Althia Raj.
Carney's bump, Poilievre's challenge and the NDP's choice
The Writ Podcast is back for the 2026 political season, and what better way than to re-convene the Pollster Panel! Dan, Andrew and James are back to break down the state of public opinion in federal politics. What do they make of Mark Carney’s bump in the polls after his Davos speech? What challenges does Pierre Poilievre face after passing...
The Washington Post and billionaires’ assault on journalism
Today on the show we are going to discuss the complete gutting of the Washington Post, an American institution. The paper that broke Watergate. The paper that just nine years ago told the world “Democracy Dies in Darkness”. And we’re going to place this latest news in the context of a much broader political assault on journalism, and the further...
Liberals flex, Conservatives reflect | Rachel Curran
It’s been referred to as “Harperpalooza” in Ottawa this week: a prolonged celebration of the 20th anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s first election victory. Conservatives celebrated past glories at reunions and a swanky gala, but present-day obstacles loom. On this episode of the Playbook Canada podcast, co-hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric examine how Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party is...
Voices from inside Alberta’s separatist movement
Canvassers are currently collecting signatures for a petition in Alberta that could trigger a referendum on whether Albertans want to remain a part of Canada. The volunteers are with a group called Stay Free Alberta, whose leaders are Mitch Sylvestre and Jeffrey Rath.
What’s behind Trump’s latest Canada threats?
Last week the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a very public warning to Prime Minister Mark Carney. At the centre of that warning is the USMCA trade deal, which kept Trump’s tariffs from unleashing even deeper damage to the Canadian economy. A mandatory review of the US-Mexico-Canada pact is kicking-off now. It has turned into a high stakes negotiation...
Jason Kenney on MAGA, Conservatives, Separatists and Canada
Our guest today is Jason Kenney, the 18th Premier of Alberta, and a multi-portfolio Cabinet Minister for Stephen Harper’s Conservatives from 2006-2015.
What happened to $10-a-day child care?
The federal government’s Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program was meant to bring child care fees down to $10 per day and create 284,000 new daycare spaces by the end of March this year. A recent report found the program is expected to miss that goal by 90,000 spaces – and many places haven’t reached the initial $10 a...
Epstein’s orbit: will justice come?
Jeffrey Epstein’s vast connections with the rich and powerful, the world over, are on full display in the over 3 million files and documents released by the U.S. Justice department late last week. There’s mounting evidence of Epstein’s relationships with people like President Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and tech titan Peter Thiel...
Moore Butts -- Can Political Makeovers Work?
What does and what should Pierre Poilievre do now after receiving a ringing endorsement from his party? Was the Poilievre we saw on the weekend the same Poilievre we will see in the future? James Moore and Gerald Butts have another one of their very popular conversations, now also available on our YouTube channel.
The Numbers: Poilievre prevails in Calgary but trails in the polls
Pierre Poilievre received 87.4% support in his leadership review at the Conservative convention in Calgary — a number we said in last week’s episode would be the “most boring” because it would be neither extremely high nor problematically low. But now that Poilievre has passed this test, he has to face his next challenge: closing the widening gap in the...
I Recorded a Right-Wing Influencer Party at Poilievre’s Convention
Pierre Poilievre just cruised through his leadership review, but is the party really buying what he’s selling? Noor Azrieh goes inside the Conservative convention in Calgary, from the polished speeches on stage to the simmering anger offstage.
At what point does Alberta Separatism become a threat to national sovereignty?
The future of Alberta could either help strengthen Canadian interprovincial trade or mark a new chapter in America's history. Either way, the roadmap to the outcome has put our country's sovereignty at a threat. So much so that BC Premier David Eby called out separatists who went to the White House in recent weeks as 'treasonous'. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith...
Avi-ously (plus Culture Lab sneak peek)
David Herle, Scott Reid, Jordan Leichnitz, and Kory Teneycke provide insights on the latest in Canadian politics.
Should Canada Include Nuclear Weapons In Its Defence Strategy?
Canada is about to spend billions of dollars on upgrading its defence capabilities. Has the discussion about what to do been broad enough? There's one for Dr. Janice Stein of the Munk School at the University of Toronto as she makes her regular Monday appearance on The Bridge.
The Conservatives’ plan to outflank Carney in a snap election
Brian Lilley was live on the floor of the Conservative convention in Calgary, where the party gave emphatic support to keeping Pierre Poilievre as leader — and expectations were high for the Liberal government to call an election this spring. While there, Brian spoke with longtime Conservative MPs Michelle Rempel-Garner and Chris Warkentin about why they think Prime Minister Mark...
Politics! Poilievre’s win, election speculation
Pierre Poilievre easily won his leadership review in Calgary on the weekend with 87.4% of the vote. Today, senior Parliamentary bureau writer Aaron Wherry talks about the convention, whether it guarantees Poilievre’s future and what challenges still lie ahead for the Conservative leader. Plus, why a press conference at a grocery store prompted election speculation.
What Broke Housing in Canada, and How to Fix It
In this episode of Futureproofing Canada, host Jennifer Ditchburn speaks with Carolyn Whitzman, one of the country’s leading housing experts, about how decades of policy choices created today’s housing crisis and what it will take to fix it. Drawing on international examples and her own research, Whitzman explains why Canada stopped building enough affordable and non-market housing, how zoning, financing...
Rob Batherson debriefs on Poilievre’s leadership win and what’s next for Conservatives
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with former Conservative Party president Rob Batherson from Calgary, Alta., on Jan. 31, the last day of the Conservative convention after 87 per cent of delegates voted in favour of Pierre Poilievre’s leadership.
Davos Ripples or Aftershocks?
Did the Prime Minister's Davos speech really shift Canada's place in the world, or just poke the bear? Jeremy, Louise and Peter unpack the Trump Administration's backlash, Mexico's alternate strategy and what a post‑USMCA Plan B could look like for Canada.
Where do the Conservatives go from here?
Conservative Party members are gathering in Calgary to review Pierre Poilievre's leadership as big questions loom about whether they can win over a larger share of the electorate. In a special edition of The House, captured from the convention floor, host Catherine Cullen sits down with key Conservatives, party insiders, a pollster and Hill watchers to discuss where the party...
Good Talk - Is The White House Conducting Foreign Interference in Alberta?
Alberta is at the centre of two major stories as the week ends -- Pierre Poilievre is in Calgary tonight waiting for his party's verdict on his leadership. Meanwhile Albertans who want out of Canada say they have the White House on their side and some of the things being said by Trump officials would seem to agree. Bruce and...
Leader or loser: Poilievre’s crucial vote
In just over a decade, the Conservative Party of Canada has lost four elections, picked three new leaders, and turned on two of them when they failed to become Prime Minister. As the party votes on Pierre Poilievre’s future as leader of the Conservative Party, Front Burner speaks to Conservative insiders, Abacus Data CEO David Coletto and senior parliamentary writer...
Why your grocery bill is still so high
Inflation in Canada has stabilized, but food inflation is continuing to rise. Food prices rose 5 per cent in 2025, and some items saw much larger increases – such as beef and coffee. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced some affordability measures this week – like an increase to the GST credit – aimed at lowering grocery bills.
Ask Me Anything 3 - Plus The Random Ranter
The third and final installment in our January series of "Ask Me Anything", your questions for me about, well, about anything! And questions you sure had. We thought this would be just one show, but it's been three.
Election vibe check | Steven MacKinnon
Election vibes are back on Parliament Hill as Prime Minister Mark Carney rides a post-Davos bump and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre prepares for a critical leadership review. Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon joins Playbook Canada to discuss playing nice in the House, election speculation and floor crossers.