Playbook Canada

By PoliticoNews Government

Playbook Canada episodes

March 19 Is Trump making China great again?
Hosts Mickey Djuric and Nick Taylor-Vaisey invite “China watcher” Phelim Kine to the show to discuss a stunning new POLITICO poll. The survey of thousands of people in Canada, Germany, France, the U.K., and the United States revealed how people around the world really feel about MAGA — and what is happening as a result. Speaking of polls: Will Carney’s soaring popularity hold? We discuss. Plus, Mickey talks truths and optics with Angus Reid president Shachi Kurl.
26 min
March 12 How close is Carney to a majority?
Co-hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric talk
through the latest floor crosser, Lori Idlout, who abandoned Canada's progressive party this week to join the Liberals. Nick reflects on his recent trip to Washington and his conversation with U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer. Plus, Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar joins for the 200-second interview.
25 min
March 05 Carney walks the Iran tightrope | Richard Madan
Co-hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric dig into the prime minister's latest thoughts on the strikes in the Middle East. Pierre Poilievre takes his first trip abroad as opposition leader and offers his best rebrand yet. And Manitoba's man in Washington, Richard Madan, joins the show.
23 min
February 26 Carney’s big trip, Gould’s tight ship | Karina Gould
Co-hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric break down Prime Minister Mark Carney’s latest global tour, starting with a politically delicate reset in India, followed by stops in Australia and Japan as Ottawa looks to diversify trade beyond the U.S. Plus: the Liberal government ramps up pressure on OpenAI over AI safety after the Tumbler Ridge shooting revelations.
And Finance Committee Chair Karina Gould joins for this week’s 200-second interview on the budget, Andrew Scheer’s nervous tell and whether she and Carney are actually pals.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer
⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada
22 min
February 19 Cross-borders and floor crossers | Scott Aitchison
A new POLITICO/Public First poll finds what one pollster calls “a sort of unrequited hatred” shaping the Canada-U.S. relationship, with Canadians increasingly skeptical of Washington even as Americans maintain a warmer view of their northern neighbor. Meanwhile in Ottawa, another Conservative floor crosser shifts the balance in the House and revives fresh election speculation around Mark Carney’s minority government. Plus, Conservative MP Scott Aitchison joins from Milan to talk Olympic gold, housing lessons from Italy and the temperature on Parliament Hill.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer
⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.
24 min
February 12 200 seconds with Canada's No. 1 sports fan | Adam van Koeverden
Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden joins Playbook Canada from the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, where he’s watching Team Canada compete and looking ahead to a potential Canada–U.S. hockey showdown. But back home, the mood shifts dramatically as news of a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., brings Parliament to a halt and forces Prime Minister Mark Carney to confront a national tragedy.
Also on the show: Donald Trump’s outburst over the Gordie Howe bridge, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani’s Washington trip and the leadership chatter it sparked, plus the debate over whether hybrid sittings in Parliament should come to an end.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer
⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.
27 min
February 05 Liberals flex, Conservatives reflect | Rachel Curran
It’s been referred to as “Harperpalooza” in Ottawa this week: a prolonged celebration of the 20th anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s first election victory. Conservatives celebrated past glories at reunions and a swanky gala, but present-day obstacles loom.
On this episode of the Playbook Canada podcast, co-hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric examine how Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party is still searching for a winning message, while Mark Carney’s Liberals project confidence — perhaps even hubris — by tapping MPs for diplomatic posts, brushing off House vacancies, and moving quickly to lock in candidates ahead of looming by-elections.
Also on the show: what that confidence could mean in the weeks ahead, from cross-party cooperation on affordability to Canada’s renewed focus on the Arctic. Plus, Rachel Curran, a former top policy adviser to Harper and now a senior executive at Meta, joins the podcast to reflect on working for Harper, the evolving tech-policy landscape, and whether news could soon return to Facebook and Instagram in Canada.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer
⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.
23 min
January 29 Election vibe check | Steven MacKinnon
Election vibes are back on Parliament Hill as Prime Minister Mark Carney rides a post-Davos bump and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre prepares for a critical leadership review. Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon joins Playbook Canada to discuss playing nice in the House, election speculation and floor crossers.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer
⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.
24 min
January 22 Carney’s global test | Philippe J. Fournier
At Davos, Mark Carney laid out Canada’s place in a volatile world. Playbook Canada examines the political moment at home and what comes next as MPs head back to the Hill. Then, forecaster Philippe J. Fournier, founder of 338Canada, joins the show to give his predictions, including whether there will be an election in 2026.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer
⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.
28 min
January 15 Carney looks east, Trump looks north | Paul Wells
As Mark Carney heads to China and Donald Trump talks tough about Greenland, Canada’s place in a shifting world order feels constantly fragile. Veteran columnist Paul Wells and POLITICO’s China and Indo-Pacific affairs correspondent Phelim Kine join Playbook Canada to unpack what’s at stake — and how closely Washington and Beijing are watching.
Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter
Phelim Kine is POLITICO’s China and Indo-Pacific affairs correspondent
⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer
⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

23 min

About Playbook Canada

From the publisher's feed

Each week, POLITICO’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric bring to life the stories that are driving the news in Ottawa and beyond — drawing on their deep reporting from Parliament Hill and…