Power & Politics

It's a pivotal time for all three main federal political parties. Greg MacEachern, Mélanie Richer and Fred DeLorey check Canada's political pulse as the Liberals inch closer to a majority government.

We're changing things up on Fridays. To get you the Power & Politics podcast before your weekend starts, each Friday we're making an earlier drop with one of our favourite panels: The Reporter Roundtable, where some of Ottawa's smartest journalists take you behind the Hill's biggest stories. This week, La Presse's Joël-Denis Bellavance, The Economist's Rob Russo and CBC's Aaron Wherry discuss the start of voting in byelections that could complete a Liberal majority, and whether the results could still surprise us all. 

The price of oil surged again following U.S. President Donald Trump's Wednesday night address on the Iran war. Conservative transportation critic Dan Albas explains his party's call to cut taxes on gas for the rest of the year, arguing the over $5-billion price tag can be covered by cutting wasteful spending. Plus, Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association president Flavio Volpe argues that assembling Chinese EVs at the idle Stellantis plant in Brampton, Ont., would be a 'devolution' of the 'whole automotive ecosystem' in the region.

In an annual report on international trade grievances released on Tuesday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative named a number of new Canadian 'barriers,' including Ottawa's 'Buy Canadian' rules, drug pricing, and accusations Canada isn't doing enough to stop goods made with forced labour. Plus, Unifor president Lana Payne reacts to a Bloomberg report that says automaker Stellantis is discussing making Chinese electric vehicles at its idle plant in Brampton, Ont.

Former Ontario NDP leader, Canadian UN ambassador and humanitarian Stephen Lewis died at the age of 88 on Tuesday. Environmentalist David Suzuki tells Power & Politics about the time he spent with his friend less than two days before his death, and about his hope that Lewis's model will endure for Canadian youth: 'That you can stand up for your principals, you don't have to compromise them in order to gain electoral power.' Plus, Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin says Ottawa is 'categorically' not lowering emissions requirements for Alberta despite failing to deliver two deals the day before their pipeline MOU's deadline. 

The federal NDP selected Avi Lewis as its new leader on Sunday, drawing immediate criticism from the Alberta and Saskatchewan NDP as they attacked Lewis for past comments and his stance on fossil fuels. Lewis joins Power & Politics to defend his policies and his vision for restoring a caucus reduced to six seats. Plus, Housing Minister Gregor Robertson defends his nationwide progress on housing despite what he calls a 'challenged' Ontario market. 

Canada finally hits NATO's two per cent GDP spending target, but how much does it actually change for the armed forces? Zain Velji, Rachael Segal and Laura D'Angelo debate if this achievement makes Canada safer. 

With the federal NDP's next leader set to be chosen this weekend, Power & Politics hears from front-runner Avi Lewis. Plus, NDPers weigh in on the future of their party after a devastating 2025 election loss.

For the first time since the 1980s, the NATO military alliance confirms that Canada has met its two per cent of GDP target for defence spending. Defence Minister David McGuinty tells Power & Politics how Canada will reach the next target of five per cent spending, and reveals the different ways Canada could offer military support after a ceasefire in the Strait of Hormuz. Plus, B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma calls on Ottawa to legislate age restrictions on social media, saying a full ban on certain ages 'has a lot of benefits.'

Ottawa and Ontario say they're teaming up to temporarily — but completely — remove the HST on new home purchases under $1 million, and give back up to $130,000 on new homes up to $1.5 million. Power & Politics talks to Ontario Housing Minister Robert Flack about how much it can turn around a slumping market. Plus, ahead of the party's leadership convention this weekend, MP and candidate Heather McPherson lays out her vision for reversing the party's 2025 electoral fortunes.

As the Iran war drives global energy shocks, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her province and Ottawa may miss at least one of their MOU's April 1 deadlines aimed at setting the stage for an oil pipeline. Parliamentary secretary to the minister of energy Corey Hogan tells Power & Politics that Ottawa and Alberta are 'ahead of schedule on a few things' and are really working on the 'nuts and bolts' on policies like a carbon price. Plus, the Power Panel reacts to renewed Conservative calls to fire Immigration Minister Lena Diab.

An Air Canada Express runway collision at LaGuardia Airport has killed two pilots and brought to light concerns about air traffic control safety in the U.S. and Canada. Power & Politics has the latest details from New York, and hears from a former investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada on what the ongoing investigation could entail.

Ottawa continues to say it will stay out of any offensive action in the Iran war, but a joint statement with allies says Canada is ready for 'appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage' in the Strait of Hormuz. Zain Velji, Michael Solberg and Supriya Dwivedi debate how much political room there is for Ottawa to get involved in the region. 

U.S. President Donald Trump continued to attack his NATO allies for not sending ships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, posting on Truth Social that they are 'COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!' Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole reacts. Plus, Prime Minister’s Council on Canada-U.S. Relations member Jean Charest discusses the next steps toward a CUSMA review after the top U.S. trade official accused Canada of lagging behind Mexico.  

Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan released a two-hour interview with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Thursday, where political philosophy and mutual condemnation of COVID-19 mandates interwove with talk of mixed martial arts and Poilievre's denial of a conspiracy theory about former prime minister Justin Trudeau. CBC's Kate McKenna breaks down the biggest moments, including when Poilievre said he wished the U.S. president would 'knock that s--t off' on 51st state comments. Plus, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the conversation on energy projects has changed under Prime Minister Mark Carney, but approval and development 'does need to be quicker.'

The Bank of Canada held its key interest rate steady on Wednesday, as Governor Tiff Macklem described an uncertain economic future caught between the potential for higher oil revenues and the threat of damage from inflation. CBC's Peter Armstrong explains why inflation risks are a 'dual crisis' with the continuing damage from U.S. trade uncertainty, and RBC senior economist Claire Fan reacts to the central bank's warning that the risk of price hikes spreading increases as the war stretches on. Plus, Abacus Data's David Coletto and Leger's Sébastien Dallaire dissect the numbers underlying the Liberals' big lead in recent polling.

After the U.S. president threatened NATO allies for not sending ships to the Strait of Hormuz, Canada's Defence Minister David McGuinty reiterates that 'we were not consulted, we have not been active and we're not going to be active' in the Iran war offensive, saying Canada also isn't currently considering any military options to protect states in the region from Iranian attacks. Plus, The Writ's Éric Grenier breaks down how the Liberals reached a polling high a year after Prime Minister Mark Carney was sworn in, and what it could mean for majority-deciding byelections next month.

U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for countries including China and his NATO allies to send ships and help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for the world's oil that's been choked by Iran — but neither friend nor foe has agreed to do so. Retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie, a former Canadian Army commander, says 'the level of strategic incoherence coming out of the White House, and specifically the president of the United States, is unsupportable.' Plus, C.D. Howe Institute fellow-in-residence Don Drummond explains why new numbers that showed inflation cooled last month are likely to rise for March and April.

The NDP lost its first floor-crosser to the Carney Liberals the day after voting began for its new leader, further reducing a caucus that lost more than two-thirds of its members in the last election. Zain Velji, Michael Solberg and Carlene Variyan discuss what the future of the party could be, and what a long-term collapse would mean for Canada's political landscape.

CBC's Peter Armstrong breaks down new Statistics Canada data that says the country lost 84,000 jobs last month, marking the biggest drop outside of the pandemic since 2009. Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer discusses the international pressure points developing after two weeks of the Iran war, and whether there's any path to end the conflict in the near future. Plus, Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson reacts to Prime Minister Mark Carney's plan to invest $35 billion in the North, and weighs in on whether the money is going to the right places.

CBC's David Common joins Power & Politics from Amman, Jordan, where he recaps the new Iranian supreme leader's vow to keep blocking a key waterway for oil shipments and reports that Iran may have put mines in the strait. CBC's Kyle Bakx discusses the possibility that a rollercoaster of oil price spikes could drive investment in Canada's oil industry. Plus, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree defends his government's new lawful access bill against questions about privacy.

Former NDP MP Lori Idlout joins the Liberals, letting them secure a majority if they win two of three April byelections. NDP president Mary Shortall and leadership candidate Heather McPherson react. Former Liberal Party campaign co-chair David Herle, former NDP director Anne McGrath and former Conservative chief of staff David McLaughlin debate the pains it could cause each party — including an even smaller NDP caucus, a Conservative Party drifting further from power and the difficulty of managing a 'razor-thin' Liberal vote advantage in the House. Plus, Nunavut Premier John Main discusses what he hopes the crossing of the territory's only MP will mean for its future.

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu tells Power & Politics that her announcement of $228.8 million to reskill tariff-hit Ontario workers isn't a sign that her government is giving up on near-term U.S. tariff relief, instead calling it an 'insurance policy.' Plus, interim NDP Leader Don Davies says a Tuesday night parliamentary debate on the war in Iran failed to address his concerns about Prime Minister Mark Carney's response, saying Carney's support of U.S.-Israeli strikes is 'fundamentally wrong and a betrayal.'

Iran announced Monday that the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, Mojtaba Khamenei, will be his successor. The Stimson Center's Randa Slim and NATO Defense College fellow Bessma Momani discuss how the selection of a hardliner with 'revenge intentions' could impact Iran's approach to the war. Plus, as Prime Minister Mark Carney calls three byelections, The Writ's Éric Grenier breaks down the challenge the Liberals could face in winning all three ridings to pass the threshold for a majority in the House of Commons.

Laura D'Angelo, Zain Velji and Michael Solberg debate whether Prime Minister Mark Carney’s changing statements on the Iran war this week reflect the nuance of the situation — or merely amount to Carney contradicting himself. 

In the first high-level trade meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump called off negotiations with Canada in October, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on Friday. CBC's Kate McKenna reports the few details we've received surrounding the meeting, and former prime minister Justin Trudeau's deputy chief of staff Brian Clow previews what to expect from the CUSMA talks with Trump this month. Plus, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield led one of the lawsuits that saw the U.S. Supreme Court strike down Trump's broadest tariffs, and explains his argument as he leads a 24-state lawsuit against the tariffs Trump used to replace them.

After just six days of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, more than a dozen countries have become involved either as direct targets or through interception of drones and missiles. Arif Lalani, a former Canadian ambassador to multiple nations in the region, breaks down the risk for further expansion. Plus, former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says Prime Minister Mark Carney presented a 'clear-eyed, positive, strong view of the world' to Australia's Parliament this week.

AI Minister Evan Solomon debriefs Power & Politics on his meeting with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, following revelations that the company banned the Tumbler Ridge, B.C., mass shooter's ChatGPT account but didn't report it to police. Solomon says Altman agreed to safety requests including the direct reporting of threats to the RCMP and said Altman assured him a review of past flags for threats is already underway. Plus, Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong accuses Prime Minister Mark Carney of making 'contradictory' statements about supporting both U.S.-Israeli strikes and de-escalation with Iran — but Chong affirms that supporting the strikes was the right move for Canada. 

At a news conference where he took questions for the first time since his India trip began and the U.S and Israel attacked Iran, Prime Minister Mark Carney called for 'rapid de-escalation' in the Middle East and said 'Canada reaffirms that international law binds all belligerents' — but stopped short of saying the U.S. or Israel violated it. CBC's Rosemary Barton breaks down Carney's comments, and former Liberal foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy explains why he says Carney is taking the wrong approach to the U.S. on Iran.

Fallout from the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran continues to expand throughout the Middle East as Iran retaliates with widespread attacks in the region and Israel launches waves of missiles on Lebanon in response to attacks by Hezbollah. Former Canadian ambassador to the UN Bob Rae describes the diplomatic role Canada can play to avoid a larger regional war. The Stimson Center's Randa Slim brings us the view from Beirut. Plus, Canada's last head of mission in Iran Dennis Horak, lawyer and human rights activist Kaveh Shahrooz and University of Ottawa professor Thomas Juneau discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's changing comments about his endgame for Iran.

Before Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in India this week, a senior Canadian official reignited controversy by saying the federal government believes Indian interference has stopped. Laura D'Angelo, Zain Velji and Michael Solberg break down how trade collided with security, and whether the Liberals are striking the right balance as they pursue a free trade deal with India.