It’s some of the most wrenching news to come out of this pandemic: horrific allegations of elder abuse and neglect at five Ontario long-term care homes, outlined in detail by the Canadian military, whose members have been providing assistance to seniors since late April. But they're not the first to blow the whistle. Now that COVID-19 has exacerbated the situation, Rosie wonders: could this finally be the spark that overhauls the system? Plus, Elamin takes a closer look at some of Ontario’s rece...
May 28, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 18
Elamin and Rosie have spent weeks wondering how and when Canada might start rebooting parts of the economy. But now that virtually every part of the country is starting to re-open, Elamin has a new question: how safe is it out there? Has the risk changed at all, since the onset of the pandemic? Plus, Rosie shines a light on another challenge that has emerged over the last ten weeks: getting food on the table. Do Canadians need to worry about food security, here at home?
May 21, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Rosie and Elamin check in on two borders this week: the one Canada shares with the U.S., and the one Quebec shares with Ontario. In both cases, one side’s dealing with a much more serious COVID-19 case load than the other. When it comes to Quebec, and especially Montreal, Rosie wants to know: how did it get this bad? How did one region get hit so much harder than virtually everywhere else in Canada? Looking south, Elamin wonders if our American neighbours could be eager to ease the travel restri...
May 14, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 16
While it’s been about five months since Andrew Scheer announced he’s stepping down as Conservative leader, he pledged to stick around until a replacement was picked — meaning he remains Canada’s leader of the Official Opposition, through this unprecedented pandemic. This week, he warned that the government’s COVID-19 support programs could discourage Canadians from returning to work, risking labour shortages as some provinces begin to reopen parts of the economy. But how do you begin to dial bac...
May 07, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 15
If you’re listening to this in New Brunswick right now, congratulations! You’re allowed to go to the beach today. Rosie and Elamin are not. But as Rosie points out, provincial reopening plans vary greatly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction simply because the COVID-19 case load in each province is so different. Still, Elamin wants to know: as Manitobans hit up patios next week while their neighbours to the east remain indoors, will the Prime Minister have to alter his cross-country messaging? Plus...
Apr 30, 2020•28 min•Season 2Ep. 14
It’s been a tough week, in a tough month, in a tough year. In the wake of last weekend’s devastating tragedy in Nova Scotia, questions have inevitably been raised about federal gun control. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on several occasions this week that his government was on the verge of introducing new legislation that would ban assault weapons — a pledge they made in the 2019 election, since shelved by the pandemic. But could this recent tragedy expedite those plans? And speak...
Apr 23, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 13
So, we’re a month into this whole thing: the physical distancing, the not being able to hang out, the favourite restaurants being closed, and the kids staying home from school. That’s also four weeks of the economy being at a virtual standstill. How can the federal government get people back to work, and how soon? As Rosie puts it, kick-starting the economy is not so much flipping a switch as it is slowly turning a dial, like a dimmer. And as Elamin points out, the government faces some massive ...
Apr 16, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Projections. Models. Curves. Political coverage is getting a whole lot more mathematical these days, as provinces release their pandemic predictions to the public. But when we hear these best- and worst-case scenarios, Rosie wonders: do they have the potential to help — or harm? Plus, Elamin takes a look at the current state of Canada-U.S. relations, after last week’s scuffle over shipments of N95 masks. Could COVID-19 have a lasting impact on the relationship between our two countries, long aft...
Apr 09, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 11
The start of a new month means rent is due for millions of Canadians all across the country. But people can only apply for these new federal government assistance programs starting next week. As Elamin points out — that leaves a lot of people in the lurch. With job losses and EI claims also mounting, could this pandemic widen an already worrisome wealth gap? And how prepared is the federal government to take on all of this additional spending? As Rosie puts it, they’re now fighting a war on two ...
Apr 02, 2020•22 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Did you notice the Prime Minister sounding more stern this week? Elamin says it’s like the scene in a family minivan: if you don’t stop acting up back there, dad’s gonna turn this car around and no one’s gonna get any ice cream. In this case, the ice cream is civil liberties — the freedom to still leave your house, at a safe distance from others, during this COVID-19 pandemic. As government officials warn of possible “stringent measures” to clamp down on those not following public health directi...
Mar 26, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Elamin gets the most important question out of the way first: how are you? As the entire country faces an unprecedented public health emergency, it’s easy to get lost among the nonstop COVID-19 updates — and Rosie and Elamin get it. It’s a lot. It’s unusual to see the prime minister announcing major updates every day, let alone in front of his house while he continues to self-isolate. But are Canadians hearing what they need to hear from the government right now? And with Parliament suspended, i...
Mar 19, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 8
With new updates coming every day on the spread of coronavirus, Elamin wonders: what are people looking for, from their government? And do Canadians need to hear a more complete picture from authorities, on what could lie ahead? As the prime minister announces this week a billion-dollar support package for Canadians in the face of COVID-19, Rosie points out — there’s a federal budget coming down the pipe this month, too. How will they balance a financial roadmap for the year ahead against more s...
Mar 12, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 7
After weeks of wondering who's in and who's out, the stage is finally set for the federal Conservative leadership race. Eight contenders will fight it out to become party leader, and by extension, Leader of the Official Opposition -— a plum job, in a minority parliament. Catherine Cullen, senior reporter for CBC News, sits in for Rosie this week and joins Elamin in running through the list of hopefuls. And as several candidates say they intend to bring down the Liberal government at the first op...
Mar 05, 2020•27 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This week, Justin Trudeau’s cabinet had a tough decision on the docket: approve the Teck Frontier oilsands mine in Alberta, or turn it down? Turns out, they never had to make the call, as the company announced on Sunday they were pulling the project. Teck’s CEO hoped the withdrawal might “allow Canadians to shift to a larger and more positive discussion about the path forward,” which has Rosie wondering — can we move forward on reconciling resource extraction and climate change? And how can poli...
Feb 27, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In the week since Rosie and Elamin last spoke, the rail blockades and protests in support of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation have evolved into a "full-blown national crisis," as Elamin puts it. It's the third major issue the federal government has faced in less than two months. Elamin wants to know: what should the government be doing to resolve things? And where does this “rule of law” fit into it all? And Rosie takes a closer look at the political stakes: thirty years after the Oka Crisis, and t...
Feb 20, 2020•24 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Demonstrations have rolled out across the country this week in support of the Wet’suwet’en Nation, where members have been fighting the construction of a natural gas pipeline on their traditional territory. And it’s got Elamin thinking about a big question: when it comes to reconciliation, how far is Canada really willing to go? Plus, Rosie takes a look at what’s otherwise occupying the Prime Minister this week — a campaign to get Canada a spot on the UN Security Council. But after two decades a...
Feb 13, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 3
You can count on one hand — exactly — how many times in Canadian history senators have suspended one of their own, but no senator has ever been permanently expelled from the Red Chamber. As Senator Lynn Beyak faces a second possible suspension in less than a year, Rosie and Elamin wonder: might her peers set a new precedent? Plus, Elamin examines the state of Justin Trudeau’s relationship with the provinces. Is enough attention being paid to the places where the Liberal Party won zero seats?
Feb 06, 2020•26 min•Season 2Ep. 2
When Rosie and Elamin last spoke, the question of what might happen to Conservative leader Andrew Scheer loomed large. Now that he's stepping down, the race to choose a new party leader is heating up. Elamin runs through the long list of names you won't see on the ballot. Plus, Rosie takes a look at what's topping the government's agenda as MPs returned to the House of Commons, and explains why things might be moving a bit slower than you’d expect.
Jan 30, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 1
By popular demand, our hit election primer podcast — co-hosted by Rosemary Barton (Chief Political Correspondent, CBC News) and Elamin Abdelmahmoud (BuzzFeed News) — is relaunching as a political weekly. Its broader goal in divided times: to help Canadians understand our politics, and each other, better.
Jan 23, 2020•1 min
Though the Conservatives lost urban votes in Ontario and Quebec, Andrew Scheer says it’s possible for him to hold socially conservative views and be the next prime minister. The results say differently, and Elamin breaks them down. Plus, Rosie speculates why Trudeau is taking so long to build a new cabinet that checks a lot of different boxes: [ ] gender balanced, [ ] regional representation, [ ] experience. This is our last episode before we take a break! Now that the federal election is over, ...
Oct 31, 2019•27 min•Season 1Ep. 9
So, that just happened. The Liberals have been re-elected with the smallest vote share of any government in history. Rosie and Elamin reflect on what Trudeau can (and can’t) do with his party’s new minority status and a growing regional divide.
Oct 24, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 8
It’s the final stretch before voting day and opinion polls suggest it will be a very close race. Elamin wants to define some key terms (coalition, anyone?) and walk through a brief history of minority governments. Plus, Rosie wants to check in with strategic voters. What’s the difference between voting for your favourite party and voting against your least favourite? What’s smart? What’s cynical? Could strategic voting be both?
Oct 17, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 7
We’re told to avoid politics at the dinner table, but with advanced polls open on Thanksgiving weekend, it may be harder to avoid the subject this year. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, says Rosie — but she’s got some advice. And Elamin wants to talk about younger voters. More Millennials are now eligible to vote in Canada than Baby Boomers. How will they, and their younger Gen Z siblings, wield their collective power? And what does Rihanna have to do with it?
Oct 10, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 6
You could be forgiven for thinking only diehard political junkies watch election debates. Rosie thinks we should change that. She makes the case for spending some of your precious time watching the leaders duke it out for your vote. Plus, we’re just a little over halfway through the campaign and Elamin is feeling uninspired. The polls suggest he’s not alone. He wants to talk about the barely budging numbers and why a lack of bold ideas may be to blame.
Oct 03, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The polls suggest that a majority of Canadians (9 out of 10) see addressing climate change as “important or urgent.” But do they behave and vote accordingly? Rosie wants to talk about political posturing and the state of the planet. And Elamin tries to predict this year’s “ballot box question.” His current front runner is an affordable cost of living — but should it really be simple as voting for the party that will save you the most money?
Sep 26, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The Liberal campaign is in damage control mode after Time surfaced a yearbook photo of Justin Trudeau wearing “brownface” in 2001. Elamin and Rosie got on an overnight call to talk about his swift apology — and the likely lengthier fallout.
Sep 19, 2019•20 min•Season 1Ep. 3
The federal election campaign has officially started, and Rosie wants to talk about what women want. They aren’t a monolith — but how they vote could determine the outcome of this election (as it did in 2015). And Elamin wants to talk about immigration policy. He say it's both an economic issue and a way for parties to do a bit of virtue signalling.
Sep 12, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Rosie takes stock of each party’s position out of the gate. What’s at stake for each leader — and what would success look like? And Elamin wants to talk about the elephants in the room. How does each leader talk about the things they’d rather not talk about?
Sep 05, 2019•24 min•Season 1Ep. 1
