PrimeTime Politics with Michael Serapio
Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC)
PrimeTime Politics is a comprehensive round-up of the day in Canadian politics, from breaking stories to developments on longstanding issues. Key moments, feature interviews, panels, in-depth analysis and more. It’s the day in half an hour.
Michael Serapio is a renowned television anchor and reporter, whose broadcasting career has spanned more than two decades of covering some of the most challenging news stories in real time. In addition to being the face of CPAC's live programming, he hosts the channel's nightly political round-up, PrimeTime Politics, and is the first Filipino-Canadian male to anchor a national newscast in Canada. In 2023, Michael was recognized with a Canadian Screen Award for his work anchoring a breaking news special on the Ottawa occupation in February 2022.
Prior to joining CPAC in 2022, Michael spent 12 years as a host and anchor with CBC News Network. Before that, he was a reporter with CTV British Columbia and CityNews Toronto.
Michael Serapio is a renowned television anchor and reporter, whose broadcasting career has spanned more than two decades of covering some of the most challenging news stories in real time. In addition to being the face of CPAC's live programming, he hosts the channel's nightly political round-up, PrimeTime Politics, and is the first Filipino-Canadian male to anchor a national newscast in Canada. In 2023, Michael was recognized with a Canadian Screen Award for his work anchoring a breaking news special on the Ottawa occupation in February 2022.
Prior to joining CPAC in 2022, Michael spent 12 years as a host and anchor with CBC News Network. Before that, he was a reporter with CTV British Columbia and CityNews Toronto.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 16, 2022 • 30min
Joly on China, Indo-Pacific Strategy - December 15, 2022
Michael Serapio questions Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly on China, the Indo-Pacific strategy, and other pressing issues.
And political commentators Kate Harrison, Susan Smith, and Kim Wright debate the latest headlines.
Dec 15, 2022 • 27min
House Adjourns, Health Care, Seal River - December 14, 2022
Government House Leader Mark Holland joins Michael Serapio to review the fall sitting of Parliament.
Dr. Rod Lim, head of the children's emergency department at London Health Sciences Centre, provides a frontline perspective on Canada's health care crisis.
And Stephanie Thorassie, executive director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance, discusses the potential for an Indigenous protected area in northern Manitoba.
Dec 14, 2022 • 28min
Military Misconduct and Culture Change - December 13, 2022
Defence Minister Anita Anand has pledged to implement all recommendations from an independent review on sexual misconduct and military culture. Michael Serapio has reaction from MPs Bryan May (Liberal), Shelby Kramp-Neuman (Conservative), and Lindsay Mathyssen (NDP).
Charles Sousa discusses his byelection win for the Liberals in Mississauga--Lakeshore, Ont.
And François Boileau, the federal ombudsperson for taxpayers, outlines his latest report on the Canada Revenue Agency.
Dec 13, 2022 • 28min
Remembering Jim Carr - December 12, 2022
MPs Terry Duguid (Liberal), James Bezan (Conservative), and Richard Cannings (NDP) join Michael Serapio to mark the life of former cabinet minister Jim Carr, who passed away today at age 71.
Bob Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, discusses his diplomatic mission to Haiti to determine Canada's potential role in ending the country's political unrest.
Eric Grenier (The Writ) previews the federal byelection in Mississauga--Lakeshore, Ont.
Dec 10, 2022 • 29min
Premiers Continue Health Care Pressure - December 9, 2022
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs joins Michael Serapio for questions on the continuing provincial demand for more federal health transfers.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald discusses this week's Special Chiefs Assembly.
And journalists Catherine Lévesque (National Post) and Marsha McLeod (The Globe and Mail) review the week's top political developments.
Dec 9, 2022 • 30min
Industry Minister On Foreign Investment, National Security - December 8, 2022
Michael Serapio questions Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne on his proposed changes to foreign investment review and the Investment Canada Act.
Political commentators Kate Harrison, Susan Smith, and Kim Wright debate today's top headlines.
And part two of our interview with Sport Minister Pascale Ste-Onge looks at the Hockey Canada scandal and ending the toxic culture that remains in many Canadian sports.
Dec 8, 2022 • 28min
Bank of Canada Hikes Interest Rates Again- December 7, 2022
Economists Kevin Page and Armine Yalnizyan join Michael Serapio to analyze the Bank of Canada's latest interest rate hike that puts the key benchmark rate at 4.25%.
Dallas Smith, president of the Nanwakolas Council, discusses today's $800-million federal pledge for Indigenous-led conservation projects in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Ontario.
And Sport Minister Pascale Ste-Onge explains her refusal to attend the FIFA World Cup in Qatar -- and whether it was a show of support for LGBTQ+ and migrant workers' rights.
Dec 7, 2022 • 29min
A-G Flags Billions in Questionable Pandemic Benefits - December 6, 2022
Auditor General Karen Hogan joins Michael Serapio to discuss her latest reports on COVID-19 benefits and wasted vaccine doses.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault talks about the UN biodiversity conference now underway in Montreal -- and the effort to produce a global agreement on species at risk and ecosystem protection.
Ukrainian parliamentarian Mariya Ionova and former deputy prime minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze discuss the situation in their country as Russian attacks continue and winter looms.
Dec 6, 2022 • 30min
Bill C-21, Hospital Pressure, Big City Mayors - December 5, 2022
MPs join Michael Serapio to debate Bill C-21 and which firearms should and should not be banned: Rachel Bendayan (Liberal), Raqual Dancho (Conservative), and Peter Julian (NDP).
Dr. ALika Lafontaine, president of the Canadian Medical Association, reacts to the unprecedented pressure on children's hospitals this autumn from COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory illnesses.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage, chair of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Big City Mayors Caucus, talks about their meetings this week in Ottawa.
Dec 3, 2022 • 28min
The Week in Review - December 2, 2022
Michael Serapio reviews the week's top political developments -- including the Alberta sovereignty bill -- with journalists Tyler Dawson (National Post), Bob Fife (The Globe and Mail), and Stephanie Levitz (Toronto Star).
André Laliberté, a University of Ottawa professor of political studies, talks about the controversy over this week's on-campus speech by Chinese ambassador Cong Peiwu.
And Conservative Senator Salma Ataullahjan discusses her bill on human trafficking, which reached the House of Commons floor for debate earlier today.
