The House

It's a week that embodied Carney's "build, baby, build" mantra. We started with the federal government announcing it will push to have three northern projects fast-tracked under the Building Canada Act, and ended with a new plan to refurbish 24 Sussex Drive — the prime minister's official residence.

But could this derelict building be too politically radioactive to fix? Hill watchers Tonda MacCharles and Stuart Thomson break down whether Carney's plans for 24 Sussex will trigger a thorny political fight, and Canada is today on major projects.

Plus, former Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman tells The House what signals she will be looking for as the CUSMA negotiations continue and what she’s hearing from her contacts in the United States.

And, the "unparliamentary" stories you've never heard about the House of Commons. From fist fights to sneaking a salmon into Question Period, author Charlie Feldman joins Catherine Cullen on Parliament Hill to explain the crazy, spicy history he details in his new book — and why he believes it's important to include in the story of Canada's democracy.

This episode features the voices of:
Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa bureau chief for the Toronto Star
Stuart Thomson, parliamentary bureau chief for the National Post
Kirsten Hillman, Canada's former ambassador to the United States
Charlie Feldman, author of Unparliamentary

Opioid overdose deaths are dropping in Canada, but there is still a long way to go. Canada’s Fentanyl Czar Kevin Brosseau is fresh back from meeting officials in Washington, he tells The House what worries him most about this public health crisis and why the increasingly small quantity of opioids crossing the border is still an irritant for the Americans.

Plus, a special parliamentary committee says Ottawa should 'indefinitely exclude' people whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness from applying for medical assistance in dying — an idea that three Canadian senators vigorously oppose. Kristopher Wells, a member of the Progressive Senate Group, explains why he disagrees with the recommendation. Then we hear from BC Conservative MP Tamara Jansen on why MAID expansion should be stopped.

And, if at first you don't succeed with your privacy bill: try, try again. The Liberals' third attempt at updating its privacy laws was tabled earlier this week, which includes a 'right to request deletion' and rules on personal data collection. House producer Derek Vanderwyk explains what's inside this key piece of legislation, then BlackBerry co-founder Jim Balsillie discusses whether it strikes the right balance on upholding Canadians' privacy without stymieing innovation.

This episode features the voices of:
Kevin Brosseau, Canada's fentanyl czar
Kristopher Wells, Canadian senator
Tamara Jensen, Conservative MP
Dr. Francois Marquis, deepfake victim
Dr. Marla Shapiro, deepfake victim
Tamir Israel, Director of the Privacy, Surveillance & Technology Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
Teresa Scassa, Canada Research Chair in Information Law and Policy at the University of Ottawa
Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Ethics, Media and Communications at McGill University
Jim Balsillie, co-founder of BlackBerry

The federal government has unveiled the newest iteration of its online harms bill — legislation that proposes to ban children under 16 from having social media accounts, as well as putting new regulations on social media platforms and AI chatbots. When should Canadians expect to see changes? Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller joins The House to explain.

Plus, the Gordie Howe bridge between Windsor, Ont and Detroit, Michigan was supposed to open this week, until American officials wanted a few more details sorted out. Is it just another pawn in the CUSMA negotiations? Should Canada make concessions to get the bridge open? Political Strategists Marci Surkes and Kate Harrison talk about the latest drama with the United States.

And, before the iconic chamber of the Supreme Court of Canada closes for over a decade of renovations, The House sits down with Chief Justice Richard Wagner to talk about the court, politicization of the justice system and the impact of AI on Canada’s courtrooms.

This episode features the voices of:
Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Minister
Marci Surkes, former senior advisor to Justin Trudeau and chief strategy officer at Compass Rose
Kate Harrison, Conservative strategist and vice chair at Summa Strategies
Richard Wagner, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada

After a long wait, Canada's AI strategy has arrived — a document that encourages people to learn and adopt the technology in the hopes of creating 250,000 new jobs. Host Catherine Cullen speaks with AI experts and skeptics Jake Hirsch-Allen, Kristen Thomasen and Hamish van der Ven about what it means for employment, children’s safety and the environment. Then, Minister of AI Evan Solomon joins the program to explain why Canadians need to understand this technology despite their low trust in it.

Plus, there seemed to be a little bit of movement in trade negotiations with the United States this week – despite more trolling from President Trump about Canada becoming the 51st state. Lisa Raitt is on the advisory committee on Canada-U.S. economic relations and tells The House what progress has been made as the July 1st deadline inches closer.

And, in a wide ranging exit interview at Rideau Hall, outgoing Governor General Mary Simon tells Catherine Cullen why she wasn’t sure she would be able to finish her five years in the role and reflects on how Canada is doing on reconciliation and national unity.

This episode features the voices of:
Sumaiya Ahmed, librarian at the Toronto Public Library
Prachi Salvi, director and marketing consultant
Jake Hirsch-Allen, director of partnerships at The Dais
Hamish van der Ven, associate professor at the University of British Columbia
Kristen Thomasen, chair in Law, Robotics, and Society at the University of Windsor
Evan Solomon, Minister of AI
Lisa Raitt, member of the Advisory Committee on Canada–U.S. Economic Relations
Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada

The House is on the ground at the country’s biggest defence and security show, for an in-depth look at Canada’s plan to spend big on the military. Catherine Cullen meets Stephen Fuhr, Secretary of State for Defence Procurement, former Defence Minister Peter MacKay, New Brunswick premier Susan Holt, as well as defence contractors to hear about unmanned fighter jets, AI in warfare, and whether Canada is prepared to tick off Donald Trump with some of its military purchases.

Plus, former Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced his resignation from Parliament over concerns about Carney’s climate commitments. Parliament Hill watchers Paul Wells and Shannon Proudfoot discuss whether Guilbeault’s departure will hurt — or possibly help — the Prime Minister.

And, in the days before the World Cup begins across North America, president of the Canada Border Services Agency Erin O’Gorman joins The House to discuss Canada’s new entry requirements over Ebola, and whether an increase in spending on the Canada-U.S. border has made it harder to get into the country.

This episode features the voices of:
Stephen Fuhr, Secretary of State for Defence Procurement
Peter MacKay, former defence minister
Susan Holt, Premier of New Brunswick
Paul Wells, author and podcaster
Shannon Proudfoot, feature writer for the Globe and Mail
Erin O'Gorman, president of the Canada Border Services Agency