Power & Politics

Weeks after announcing a plan to reach NATO's two per cent of GDP defence spending target, Prime Minister Mark Carney committed Canada to reaching the alliance's new goal of five per cent by 2035 at the NATO summit in the Netherlands. Former vice-chief of the defence staff Guy Thibault breaks down what it would take to get there. Plus, Maine Gov. Janet Mills makes the case that more Canadians should visit her state, arguing their avoidance of the U.S. isn't hurting the president but 'their friends here in Maine.'

U.S. President Donald Trump accused both Iran and Israel of violating a fragile ceasefire early Tuesday — saying 'they don't know what the f--k they're doing' and demanding Israel recall planes — but later said the ceasefire was in effect. Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan discusses how the military ensured the safety of Canadian personnel when Iran targeted a U.S. military base in Qatar, and the feasibility of Canada reaching a five per cent of GDP NATO defence spending target. Plus, former U.S. ambassador to NATO Douglas Lute analyzes what's at stake for the alliance as its summit in the Netherlands gets underway.

Former Canadian diplomats posted in Israel and Iran break down the U.S. president's announcement that Iran and Israel have 'fully agreed' to a ceasefire beginning overnight Monday, including why Iran would accept the end of the conflict hours after retaliatory strikes targeting a U.S. military base in Qatar. Plus, retired vice-admiral Mark Norman evaluates how much the security pact that Canada and the European Union signed Monday can bolster Canada's defence industry, and the message it sends to Washington about Canada's push to be less reliant on the U.S. 

Front Burner is a daily news podcast that takes you deep into the stories shaping Canada and the world. 

Last week, the team spent a few days in Three Hills, Alberta, a small town northeast of Calgary. They attended an event about Alberta independence, and spoke to a wide array of people about separation from Canada, and the possibility of an upcoming referendum on the issue. CBC Calgary’s Jason Markusoff also came along.

People in Three Hills will be voting in a provincial byelection this Monday, where a separatist party – the Alberta Republican Party – is running a candidate. So in a way, separatism is already on the ballot.

More episodes of Front Burner are available here: https://link.mgln.ai/1wndLS

The Weekly Wrap panel breaks down the biggest moments in Canadian politics this week. With Laura D’Angelo, Michael Solberg and Zain Velji.

Both halves of Bill C-5 passed in the House of Commons before it rose for the summer on Friday, but Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith broke with the party to vote against measures to enable the fast-tracking of major projects. Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman tells Power & Politics why her party supported the legislation, and says 'no one group has a veto' to projects despite many Indigenous communities' objections to the bill and B.C.'s objection to a bitumen pipeline. 

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly discusses the prime minister's intention to raise — or lower — tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum at the end of the leaders' 30-day deadline for a trade and security deal, and lays out her government's new plan to support the steel industry by putting a quota on some foreign imports. Plus, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada is pushing for 'maximum restraint' as the U.S. considers whether it will enter the Israel-Iran war, and details measures to help Canadians leave the region.

Parliamentary secretary to the prime minister Kody Blois defends his party's effort to rush its bill on projects of 'national interest' through the House of Commons this week, despite mounting concerns from Indigenous leaders, environmental groups and other Liberals. Then, Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler explains his objections to both Bill C-5 and an Ontario bill that allows the province to suspend municipal and provincial laws to speed up projects, and why he says it will be a 'long, hot summer' if the federal bill passes.

The G7 summit in Alberta ended without a joint statement on the war in Ukraine, with a senior Canadian government source saying the U.S. resisted pointed language that it feared could jeopardize negotiations with Russia. Plus, in an exclusive interview with the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte says the alliance 'simply cannot, going forward, defend ourselves' with two per cent of GDP defence spending. He says he's 'fairly confident' Canada and its allies can reach five per cent.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he and U.S. President Donald Trump 'agreed to pursue negotiations toward a deal within the coming 30 days' following meetings at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta. Canada's U.S. Ambassador Kirsten Hillman discusses the 'acceleration' officials agreed to in the meetings. Plus, Everett Eissenstat, Trump's representative at the G7 summit in Charlevoix, Que., contrasts the ongoing summit with the issues that led to Trump's dramatic withdrawal from the final communique in 2018.