It's Political with Althia Raj

Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s new Prime Minister Friday morning, after winning the Liberal leadership race in a landslide. He unveiled a new, leaner cabinet but tapped many of outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau’s ministers for key portfolios. Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau Chief Tonda MacCharles and national politics reporters Ryan Tumilty and Mark Ramzy join host Althia Raj to talk about Carney’s cabinet picks, his first move as prime minister and what it says about the timing of the next federal election. Also on the show, pollster Alex Kohut of North Poll Strategies breaks down the Liberal leadership race numbers, and what they tell us about some of the challenges and opportunities the Liberal party may face and seize on the campaign trail. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel. Some of the clips this week were sourced from CPAC and Right Side Broadcasting Network.

Mark Carney, the former Bank of Canada governor, trounced the competition Sunday winning the Liberal leadership with nearly 86 per cent support. Carney will become prime minister in the days ahead. He will appoint a new cabinet. And is widely expected to call a federal election campaign next week. In this bonus episode of “It’s Political,” the Toronto Star’s national columnist Susan Delacourt joins Althia Raj to discuss Sunday’s leadership event, from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s speech to Carney’s big introduction to the country, whether former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland should be in cabinet and what to watch for in the days ahead. The clips this week were sourced from CPAC and CBC. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton, who also served as sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was slapping tariffs on Canada this week, and the federal government — along provincial premiers — responded. This week on “It’s Political,” Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly joins Althia for an in-depth interview during the ongoing trade war with the United States. Joly talks about the hectic week which saw Trump impose 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, negotiating with an unpredictable administration, and how Canada is preparing for a future with a more hostile American neighbour. But tariffs are just one part of a larger shift in American foreign policy under Trump. Since assuming office, the U.S. president has repeatedly threatened to annex countries, including Canada. He has battled publicly with historic allies, such as Ukraine, and become friendlier with Russia. What does this shift in American policy represent for the rules-based international order the U.S. itself sought to establish?  Two foreign affairs specialists weigh in on that.  In this episode: Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly. Raquel Garbers, a visiting executive at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and principal architect of Canada’s defence policy, “Our North, Strong and Free” and Roland Paris, the director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. Hosted by Althia Raj. Some of the clips this week were sourced from C-SPAN, CPAC, the Canadian Press Gallery, CBC, CNN, Global news, NBC, CBS, Fox, BBC, Sky News, and Emmanuel Macron’s X account. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

Liberal leadership contenders faced off in two debates this week, and the stakes were high, with the winning candidate set to replace Justin Trudeau as prime minister and lead the party into the next election. The debates were dominated by the spectre of Donald Trump, with a central question being who can best lead Canada in this moment of national crisis.  Our political panel, Toronto Star Deputy Bureau Chief Alex Ballingall, Ottawa bureau reporter Ryan Tumilty, and Abacus Data CEO David Coletto, join host Althia Raj to break down what we learned about the candidates and perceived frontrunner Mark Carney’s weaknesses.  Liberal MPs Randy Boissonnault and Francis Drouin also weigh in on their choices for the next Liberal leader. Some of the clips this week were sourced from CPAC, the Liberal Party of Canada, the podcast “The Rest Is Politics” and Global News. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

For the past two years, the Conservatives drove home the message that things were “broken” in Canada and that the governing Liberals, specifically Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was to blame. Whether it was branding the rising cost of living  ‘Justinflation’ or blaming those costs on the Liberals’ carbon price and urging Canadians to ‘Axe the Tax,’ the Tories’ messaging was working perfectly fine. Then U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House and, with that, a new obstacle blocked Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's path to power. Trump says he's serious about annexing Canada through economic means. His threats to impose across-the-board tariffs have already caused panic in this country, and it's led to a bounce in the polls for the federal Liberals. Though the Conservatives had enjoyed a 27-point lead over the Liberals for a while, a Leger poll this week seemed to confirm a new trend: a single-digit gap between both parties — and if Mark Carney led the  Liberals, the possibility the Grits could win. With Trudeau’s resignation, and Liberal leadership candidates pledging to axe-the-tax, those issues are now off the table. Is it Trump's return that changes the ballot question for the next Federal election? Does winning now depend on whether the Conservatives can be seen as the best defenders of Canada against an unpredictable threat coming from our southern border? In this episode of “It’s Political,” Pollara Chief Strategy Officer Dan Arnold and 338canada.com’s editor-in-chief Philippe J. Fournier join us for a deep dive on what the numbers really signal. Then, we’ll explore the current challenges facing Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative party with Toronto Star Ottawa reporters Raisa Patel and Ryan Tumilty, along with Radio-Canada’s Christian Noël. In this episode: Pollara Strategic Insight’s Chief Strategy Officer Dan Arnold, 338canada.com Editor-in-Chief and Politico Contributor Philippe J. Fournier; Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau reporter Raisa Patel; Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau reporter Ryan Tumilty; and Radio-Canada parliamentary bureau journalist Christian Noël. Hosted by Althia Raj. Some of the clips this week were sourced from CPAC, Fox News, CBC, CTV, Radio-Canada, Global News, CP24, Toronto Sun, the X accounts of Pierre Poilievre, Chrystia Freeland, and Mark Carney, and Poilievre’s YouTube account. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Julia De Laurentiis Johnston. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

Wesley Wark is a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and has deep knowledge in national security. Charlie Angus, an NDP MP, has represented Timmins—James Bay since 2004 and is vocal about foreign interference in elections. They discuss the findings of a major inquiry into foreign influence on Canadian elections. Wark emphasizes the need for transparency from intelligence agencies, while Angus raises alarms about social media's impact, particularly highlighting Elon Musk's potential role in electoral dynamics.

The 2025 political landscape is looking very different than it did just a few weeks ago. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pending resignation, the prorogation of Parliament, and the sudden Liberal leadership race has offered the Grits a new lifeline.  U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to hit Canada with 25 per cent tariffs on Feb. 1 also offers the political parties another chance at reframing themselves and what they want the ballot question to be at the next election, whether that’s in eight weeks or eight months.  This week on “It’s Political,” former Conservative party campaign director Fred DeLorey, former Prime Minister's Office head of policy and cabinet affairs Marci Surkes and former NDP press secretary Allison Gifford join Althia to talk about the shifting landscape and what it means for the major players.  But first, Future Borders Coalition’s Laura Dawson explains what Trump’s latest threats could mean for Canada, and how best to brace for the impact. In this episode: Compass Rose Group chief strategy officer and former senior advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Marci Surkes; NorthStar Public Affairs chair Fred DeLorey; Clear Strategy vice-president of public policy Allison Gifford; and Future Borders Coalition executive director Laura Dawson. Hosted by Althia Raj. Some of the clips this week were sourced from CPAC, CP24 and the White House.  This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton.  Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

It’s been an eventful year in Canadian politics — from Chrystia Freeland’s bombshell resignation, to allegations of foreign interference involving Parliamentarians, to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming return to the White House. As 2024 draws to a close, the Star’s Ottawa bureau takes your questions and looks back on the year that was and what we can expect in 2025.  In this episode: Ottawa bureau reporters Raisa Patel, Ryan Tumilty, and Mark Ramzy. Hosted by Althia Raj. Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, CP24, the Canadian Press, and CBC. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

United States President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House is renewing pressure on Canada to focus more on defense spending and border security. In February, Trump warned NATO members that if they didn’t pay their fair share — spending 2 per cent of their country’s GDP on their military — they should not assume the U.S. would leap to their defence.  In July, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada would meet the 2 per cent target, but only in 2032. The Liberals have invested billions to update the Canadian Armed Forces, but decades of underinvestment have led to serious capability gaps. This week, on “It’s Political,” we take a look at the state of the Canadian Armed Forces and ask how prepared Canada is for the threats we face. First, we’ll hear from experts: Canadian Army Commander Lieutenant-General Michael Wright, Carleton University Associate Professor Philippe Lagassé, University of Calgary Associate Professor Rob Huebert, Observatory on Politics and Security in the Arctic Director Mathieu Landriault, Canadian Global Affairs Institute President David Perry, Royal Military College of Canada Professor Jane Boulden, and retired Royal Canadian Air Force brigadier general Kevin Whale. Then, Althia will sit down with National Defence Minister Bill Blair.  Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, the Halifax International Security Forum, the CBC, CTV, Global, NBC and ABC.  This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton.  Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

The House of Commons is in gridlock. Government bills and private members’ legislation have stalled. The Senate is running out of government matters to study.  Parliament is paralyzed by a Conservative filibuster that started in late September.  The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Green Party accuse the Tories of hijacking the Commons for their own parliamentary games. The Conservatives say they are filibustering their own motion — tabling one sub-amendment after another —  to pressure the Liberals to turn over documents to the RCMP. The documents were requested by parliamentarians months ago — but the Liberals have ignored the demand, refusing to hand all the records over in unredacted form.  The Conservatives accuse the government of trying to hide evidence of Liberal corruption involving millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money. Who’s telling the truth? This week on “It’s Political,” we turn our attention to the Conservative filibuster and the allegations at the heart of the standoff in Parliament.   First, we’ll dig into the substance of the request for documents with Toronto Star Ottawa bureau reporter Mark Ramzy.  Then our panel of experts – former PMO senior director Marci Surkes, former senior Conservative communication adviser Yaroslav Baran and former NDP MP Matthew Dubé –  will join Althia to discuss the political strategies at play, and what it will take to finally end the standoff.  6:08 — Mark Ramzy outlines the substance behind the filibuster 18:18 — Political panel discusses the parties’ political strategies around the filibuster. In this episode: Toronto Star reporter Mark Ramzy, Compass Rose Group chief strategy officer and former senior advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Marci Surkes; Pendulum Group Co-founder and former senior Conservative advisor Yaroslav Baran; and Proof Strategies vice-president and former NDP MP Matthew Dubé. Hosted by Althia Raj. Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery, and the National Post. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton.  Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.