Power & Politics

After Prime Minister Mark Carney's second speech on Canada's place in a changing global order this week, former prime minister Brian Mulroney's chief of staff David McLaughlin and former Liberal campaign co-chair David Herle discuss whether Carney is meeting the moment at home — and why Herle says global issues are '100 miles of bad road' for Conservatives. Then, the Power Panel discusses whether Carney's speeches are preparing Canadians for difficult days ahead, or preparing them to go to the ballot box. 

U.S. President Donald Trump took aim at Prime Minister Mark Carney's World Economic Forum address during his own speech in Davos, Switzerland, saying 'Canada lives because of the United States' and that Carney should 'remember that' in his next remarks. Former Canadian ambassador to the UN Bob Rae compares Trump's performance to Marlon Brando's titular character in the Godfather, contrasting what he calls Carney's message of 'hope' with Trump's message of 'pettiness.'

In a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney told other nations that competing to appease the world's great powers is 'the performance of sovereignty while accepting subordination,' and asserted that the old, semi-fictional world order based on rules is 'not coming back — we should not mourn it.' Senator and former G7 sherpa Peter Boehm and former Canadian deputy permanent representative to the UN Louise Blais discuss Canada's daunting task of finding a new place in the global power structure. Plus, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe explains why the Canada-China meetings he attended in Beijing last week were 'the most positive' he's seen.

U.S. President Donald Trump told NBC on Monday that he's following through with his threat for escalating tariffs on eight European allies if there's no deal for the U.S. to purchase Greenland. Greenland's Minister of Business, Mineral Resources, Justice, Energy and Gender Equality Naaja Nathanielsen calls for continued talks but tells Power & Politics that there's a 'red line' for Greenland: 'We do not want to be bought or sold, and we do not want to be occupied by an ally.' Plus, parliamentary secretary to the prime minister Kody Blois explains why the Carney government believes the deal that lowers tariffs on tens of thousands of Chinese EVs will lead to investment and partnerships in Canada.

There’s a new CBC podcast we think you’ll enjoy. Two Blocks from the White House takes a clear-eyed look at what’s happening in the U.S. right now and examines how it stands to impact Canadians. In the first episode, reporters from CBC’s Washington bureau dig into America’s increasingly aggressive global posture. Has President Donald Trump’s promise of “America First” evolved into something closer to American imperialism? And what are the consequences for Canada?For more unscripted, smart analysis from journalists with a foot in both countries and a press pass to the White House, find and follow Two Blocks from the White House wherever you get your podcasts, or here: https://link.mgln.ai/2BFTWHxPnP

As Prime Minister Mark Carney gets an agreement for tariff relief in Beijing, he's hailing a new path forward with China — but facing concerns it's another step back with the U.S. Zain Velji, Jamie Ellerton and Laura D'Angelo break down whether dropping tariffs on tens of thousands of Chinese EVs is an affordable cost of admission for a Canada-China reset. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney is leaving Beijing with an agreement for lower Chinese agricultural tariffs in exchange for a major carve-out from Canada's 100 per cent levy on Chinese EVs — leading Ontario Premier Doug Ford to blast the 'terrible' deal over fears it will 'tick off' the U.S. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Unifor president Lana Payne and Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong join Power & Politics to react.

Canada and China reached an agreement on energy during Prime Minister Mark Carney's first day of talks in Beijing, but Chinese tariffs on agricultural goods like canola remain in place. Will Carney's meeting with President Xi Jinping change that? Michael Kovrig was imprisoned by China for over 1,000 days, but tells Power & Politics why he's in favour of Carney's trip. Plus, Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson responds to criticisms about loopholes in his government's Buy Canadian policy as he announces an investment in Toronto's subway trains.

Quebec Premier François Legault announced his resignation on Wednesday, giving his CAQ party just months to find a new leader — and to reverse the separatist Parti Québécois's wide polling lead — ahead of the province's October election. Former Quebec adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper Dimitri Soudas and former Quebec adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Jonathan Kalles discuss whether the resignation of two party leaders in as many months opens up the race, or locks in the province's path to another sovereignty referendum. Plus, Business Council of Canada president Goldy Hyder outlines the opportunities for Canada in China as Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares to meet President Xi Jinping.

Coastal First Nations in B.C. say their stance on a pipeline from Alberta to B.C. has not changed following a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday. Power & Politics hears from one of those nations and a former Alberta energy minister.

With B.C. Premier David Eby on a trade mission in India and Prime Minister Mark Carney leaving for China to meet with President Xi Jinping this week, Indian High Commissioner Dinesh K. Patnaik tells Power & Politics that 'trust' is returning to his country's relationship with Canada — but still asks 'where's the evidence' behind Canadian officials' accusations of election interference and links to a B.C. murder. Plus, economist Justin Wolfers explains why he believes the Trump administration's criminal probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is a 'brutal form of bullying and intimidation' that risks the U.S. economy and monetary policy for decades to come.

The United States is reshaping the global order around Canada with military intervention in Venezuela, threats to annex a NATO ally and claims of ‘dominance’ over the entire Western Hemisphere. Zain Velji, Jamie Ellerton and Laura D'Angelo discuss how Canada can possibly approach a power that’s fighting both the world — and itself.

Chrystia Freeland has officially resigned her seat in the House of Commons, leaving the minority Liberal government now two seats shy of a majority. Plus, more details emerge about the fatal ICE shooting of a Minneapolis woman this week.

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance says Renee Nicole Good, the woman fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, is 'dead because she tried to ram somebody with her car.' University of Wisconsin associate professor of law and use of force expert John Gross breaks down every stage of the encounter between ICE and Good, saying it's clear from video that 'she never attempted to ram the officer.' Then, Minnesota state Sen. Zaynab Mohamed refutes Vance's claim that Good was part of a radical left-wing network, saying 'the only radical group' is his administration that's 'invading' U.S. cities.

 A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday less than two kilometres from where a police officer murdered George Floyd in 2020. Minneapolis city council member Aurin Chowdhury tells ICE to 'pack your bags and leave,' arguing the Trump administration is using an 'occupation' and false anti-immigrant narrative to distract from economic failures. Then, civil rights lawyer and past president of the Minneapolis NAACP Nekima Levy Armstrong refutes U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that the shooting was self-defence: 'If there were concerns about her trying to drive away, you can shoot a tire — you don't have to shoot a person in the head.'

The White House clarified its ambitions for Greenland on Tuesday, stating that 'acquiring Greenland is a national security priority' for the U.S. and that 'utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option.' Greenland's pro-independence opposition leader Pele Broberg responds by arguing for direct negotiations with the U.S. on Greenland's future. Then, Former Canadian Ambassador to NATO Kerry Buck discusses what a threat from NATO's most powerful member to annex another member's territory could mean for the future of the alliance. 

After arresting the president of Venezuela, U.S. President Donald Trump is issuing new threats, warnings and predictions of collapse for Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Greenland and Iran — all while his State Department posts online that 'This is OUR Hemisphere.' Canada's former UN ambassador discusses how Trump and other powerful leaders are trying to 'carve up' the world. Plus, former Colombian vice-president Francisco Santos Calderón reacts to Trump's threat of military action against Colombia.