Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was sworn in Friday, and by Sunday night was on a plane to meet the leaders of France & the U.K.. It was a stark contrast to Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre & NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who both stayed closer to home, unveiling platform promises in smaller cities across Canada. With an election call imminent, which strategy was smarter? And what did Carney’s overseas trip accomplish? Catherine Cullen, Daniel Thibeault and Jason Markusoff pick apart...
Mar 19, 2025•31 min
It’s official: Canada has a new prime minister. Former central banker Mark Carney has been sworn in as Canada’s new leader and will immediately take on the challenge of U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariffs. To do so, he’s got a new, slimmed-down cabinet. Housing Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith joins the show to discuss the new crew, and Carney’s move to scrap the consumer carbon tax. Then, a panel of party strategists digs deeper into Carney’s road ahead. Plus, Carney could be Canada’s s...
Mar 15, 2025•49 min
Mark Carney won the Liberal leadership as polls for the party were surging. But will the momentum last? Or will voters revisit feelings of being fed-up with the decade-old government? On this episode of the election weekly House Party, Catherine Cullen, Jason Markusoff and Daniel Thibeault dig into the differences between Mark Carney and outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau, and whether the change is enough to win an election.
Mar 12, 2025•29 min
Canada’s trade battle with the United States is officially underway. But since it kicked off on Tuesday, there have been near-constant twists and turns as U.S. President Donald Trump switches up his motives, his tariffs and his exemptions for Canadian trade. So how big a hit is Canada’s economy taking in this fight? Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand joins the program to discuss the federal government’s response and her work dismantling interprovincial trade barriers. Then, business owners shar...
Mar 08, 2025•49 min
The “dumb” tariffs are on. The federal government has responded — but with Prime Minister Trudeau about to step down and a new Liberal leader being crowned on the weekend, a federal election could be mere days later. So what does all this mean for how people will vote and the parties’ campaign strategy? Is Carney becoming the popular anti-tariff choice? Or will Poilievre hold onto his lead in the polls? On this new, weekly election-focused podcast, three veteran political reporters — Catherine C...
Mar 05, 2025•28 min
Once again, Canada is staring down the barrel of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on almost all Canadian goods. After a month-long pause, the tariffs are slated to go into effect on March 4 — as Trump continues to claim fentanyl and illegal immigrants are pouring into his country from Canada. In a special episode of The House, host Catherine Cullen walks Washington’s corridors of power with Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman as she tries to save the Canadian economy...
Mar 01, 2025•54 min
In one corner: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has for years pledged to defund Canada’s public broadcaster. In the other: the current Liberal government, which after months of delay has unveiled their plan for CBC — one that overhauls its mandate but also calls for increased funding. Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge joins The House to discuss her pitch, as host Catherine Cullen asks why it’s arriving in the final weeks of the Trudeau government. Plus, as Liberal leadership contestants...
Feb 22, 2025•49 min
World leaders are gathering in Germany this weekend to discuss threats to international security, including Russia’s war on Ukraine. But for some countries — Canada included — the latest threat is coming from U.S. President Donald Trump. CBC’s defence correspondent Murray Brewster guest hosts The House to look at international crises unfolding in real time. We start with Oleksandra Matviichuk — head of the Center for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize — who shares her ...
Feb 15, 2025•50 min
Canada got a temporary reprieve from Donald Trump’s tariffs, but the fight is far from over — and may be more existential than we thought. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau now says the U.S. president’s threat to turn Canada into the 51st state ‘is a real thing.’ Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, joins The House to discuss if Trump is actually a threat to Canadian sovereignty and whether Canada’s new border measures — including a “fentanyl czar” — are enough to appease Trump. Then, with all the...
Feb 08, 2025•49 min
We’ve been waiting weeks for this, and even now — we’re still not exactly sure what to expect. But today, we may finally see U.S. President Donald Trump level punishing tariffs on Canada. The White House has told reporters tariffs are happening this weekend, and Trump himself has said there’s nothing Canada can do to avoid them. One of CBC’s foreign correspondents in Washington joins the program to unpack the details from the White House. We then hear from a Canada-U.S. expert about what’s in st...
Feb 01, 2025•49 min
Time's up for anyone mulling a bid to lead the Liberal Party. With the deadline to enter behind them, candidates have just a few days left to sign up new members, and a little over a month to drum up support. One of the frontrunners joins The House in studio: former finance minister Chrystia Freeland sits down with host Catherine Cullen to make her case for running the country Then: Ontario Premier Doug Ford has confirmed he’ll call a snap election next week and send Ontarians to the polls at th...
Jan 25, 2025•50 min
Donald Trump is headed back to the White House on Monday, meaning his tariff threats could become a reality and wreak havoc on the Canadian economy. So what’s Canada’s opening move if Trump charges forward? Host Catherine Cullen checks in with premiers at their important meeting in Ottawa this week to strategize a response, but not everyone is on the same page. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. joins the show to discuss the federal government’s plan, and an economics professor explains which provi...
Jan 18, 2025•50 min
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday he will step down from his job once the Liberals find someone to replace him. Now, the leadership race is on, with all sorts of politicians in the Liberal caucus and beyond feeling out whether they’ve got a shot to succeed Trudeau. The backdrop to all of this is U.S. president-elect Donald Trump claiming he’ll use economic force to absorb Canada as a new American state. On today’s episode, a top leadership contender discusses why she’s considering a...
Jan 11, 2025•52 min
This week, The House brings you some of the most compelling interviews from our coverage of immigration issues in Canada — from ministers who’ve overseen major policy changes to experts who say Ottawa’s recent clampdown will shake up the Canadian economy and post-secondary institutions. Plus, rare access to Toronto’s immigration holding centre, where migrants are locked up while waiting to hear if they’ll be deported. This episode features the voices of: Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid ...
Jan 04, 2025•50 min
It ended with a shocking cabinet resignation — but 2024 was packed with plenty more political ups and downs. How many headlines do you remember? Listen along and test your smarts as host Catherine Cullen quizzes three keen Parliament Hill watchers who battle it out in The House's annual showdown, featuring Brian Platt of Bloomberg News, Nojoud Al Mallees of The Canadian Press, J.P. Tasker from CBC’s Parliamentary Bureau — and a very special American media guest.
Dec 28, 2024•46 min
This week in politics has been so massive, one MP’s stunned response summed it up: “WTF?” In the span of five days, the finance minister resigned; a growing list of Liberal MPs called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to quit; the federal cabinet got shuffled; NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh vowed to bring down the government; and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre wrote to the Governor General to ask her to reconvene Parliament. On today’s pod, a longtime Liberal MP calls for Trudeau to go. A ministe...
Dec 21, 2024•54 min
Ontario premier Doug Ford made a splash this week when he suggested his province could withhold energy exports to the United States if president-elect Donald Trump slaps steep tariffs on Canadian goods. Is Ontario gearing up for a trade war with the U.S? Ontario’s energy minister explains how far the province is willing to go on the issue. Then, the CEO of Abacus Data joins the program to discuss his new poll that shows Trump is more popular in Canada than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and what...
Dec 14, 2024•53 min
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling for interparty unity in the face of Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Canadian goods. But it didn’t take long for the Liberal-Conservative divisions to appear. So is it still realistic to talk about Team Canada? Two Ottawa bureau chiefs weigh in on Canada’s attempt to show a united front against the incoming U.S. president. Next, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly joins Catherine Cullen to discuss Canada’s new Arctic foreign policy, the crisis...
Dec 07, 2024•49 min
First up, Trudeau makes a surprise visit to see Donald Trump the same week the president-elect promised to slam Canada with 25% tariffs on all goods. Then, Canada’s former ambassador to the U.S. discusses whether the threat is real, and what Canada should do about it. Next, it’s a building that very few Canadians ever get to go inside. The Immigration Holding Centre in Toronto detains migrants who are either considered a flight risk, a danger to the public, or can’t be identified. The House gets...
Nov 30, 2024•49 min
Democracy is a conversation, and we're here for it. Every Saturday, Catherine Cullen makes politics make sense, taking you to Parliament Hill and across Canada for in-depth interviews, documentaries, and analysis of the week’s news — from across the political spectrum.
Nov 30, 2022•2 min
