Conservatives may finally decide toembrace gay marriage at a policy convention later this month. Ormaybe not. More than a decade after same-sex marriage was legalisedin Canada, the party still defines it as a union between one manand one woman. BC’s Premier is under attack forconflict-of-interest, relating to over $300,000 in salary top-upsand a bunch of expensive fundraisers. The Tyee’s legislative bureauchief Andrew MacLeod fills us in on the time she told him the moneywas for a car allowance. Newfoundland and Labrador’s budgetsituation has gotten so bad that the province is shutting down morethan half of their libraries. Memorial University economist AlisonCoffin (who ran for the provincial NDP in the last election) talksabout what got the province to where it is today.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Conservative MP’s op-ed aboutthe sexism in Parliament got a lot of praise. But Sarah Beuhler sawit as hypocritical and an attempt to gain favour for a possibleleadership bid. She debates with Supriya and guest co-host JaneLytvenenko whether a Conservative MP can be a feminist.Mike Duffy’s cleared of all chargesin the Senate expense scandal.We hear from protestors who wereliving inside the offices of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canadafor over a week. The Winnipeg office is still occupied.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest co-host Vicky Mochama went out to the Hill to interview women about what it’s like to work in a space built for 19th century gentlemen. In the wake of the NDP convention, the big question is whether Canada can stomach a party that’s a centimetre off centre.  A powerful listener calls in with opinions on the Senate.  Subscribe to Vicky’s newsletter, NOT SORRY.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fractures in the Conservative Party are showing as people jump into the leadership race. Desmond wants to know why the Liberals flip flopped on an issue of torture. Supriya wants to get in on that sweet tax free status we've been hearing about in the Panama Papers. University of Victoria economics professor Lindsay Tedds tells us why, despite the projected $30 billion deficit, "the budget might in fact balance itself." Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jane Lytvynenko, CANADALAND’s news editor, guest co-hosts with Supriya Dwivedi. As the NDP approaches a leadership review, Jane and Supriya try to figure out who Tom Mulcair even is. Maclean’s Quebec Bureau Chief Martin Patriquin laughs off the idea that the Quebec government will clean itself up after recent arrests in the provincial corruption scandal. Jane and Supriya offer free advice on how the Trudeau government can make itself more transparent without having to do the whole public consultation thing.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andrew Loku was shot and killed by police last July. But the public doesn’t know who did it. When the Special Investigations Unit announced that the officer who killed him would not face charges, it led to a protest organised by Black Lives Matter Toronto that has lasted over a week, day and night, through rain and an ice storm. Protestors have gathered from around the country, demanding for the name of the officer who killed Andrew Loku to be released and for more accountability when police kill or beat black citizens. Desmond speaks to organisers and supporters at the demonstration.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canada’s arms deal with Saudi Arabia has raised a lot of controversy, but they’re not the only ones getting our weapons or weapons parts. Supriya wants to know who else Canada is selling arms to, what oversight exists to make sure our weapons aren’t being used unethically and what happens if we do see a reason to break an arms contract. She talks to NDP defence critic Hélène Laverdière, who wants to create a Parliamentary sub-committee to oversee arms sales. She also talks to Anthony Fenton, a PhD candidate at York University who studies political economy of Canada and the Middle-East.  Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A group of Senators says partisan activity has "seriously eroded the credibility and reputation” of their workplace. So they’ve formed a non-partisan working group to try to fix it. Senator Diane Bellemare talks to Desmond and Supra after quitting the Conservative caucus and joining this new group. Senate scholar Heather Hughson says this is exactly what’s needed to restore faith in the Chamber.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No new episode today. We'll be back next week.Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andray and Desmond host a live panel asking how cities are preparing refugees to fend for themselves in a year’s time and how they can get on their feet in our terrible job market. Featuring: Michael Qaqish, an Ottawa city councillor and the city’s refugee liaison; Ula Abu Rashed, a student at the University of Ottawa whose family fled Syria for Germany last fall; Rouba Al-Fattal, a part time professor of Middle East and Arab politics at the University of Ottawa. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Ottawa, leading the #Canadians4Refugees campaign. Support COMMONS: http://commonspodcast.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.