“It’s Political" will be coming to you a little bit later today because of yesterday’s Fiscal update. We’ll have a round table discussion on Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s latest numbers, and look back on what’s led to these rising interest rates and the possible recession around the corner.

Programming note: To respond to the news agenda, today's episode will be released early this evening

Probing and insightful conversations with Canada's top political insiders, hosted by Althia Raj. A bi-monthly political podcast from the Toronto Star.

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If 22 people were being shot each day on Canadian streets, you might expect a federal state of emergency to be called, a co-ordinated federal-provincial-territorial response, billions of dollars flowing out of government coffers to stop the violence. The opioid crisis hasn’t received the same kind of all-hands-on-deck approach. Instead, there has been immense politicization of the issue, with different sides arguing different approaches while accusing political opponents of making the crisis worse and literally killing people.  In this episode of “It’s Political,” we tackle the question of how to deal with the opioid crisis through different lenses. First, we’ll look at the move behind decriminalization of personal possession for small amounts of illegal drugs. We’ll hear about the experience in British Columbia with its three-year decriminalization pilot, the reforms its brought and the impact in Ontario. We’ll look at the impact of safe injection sites, and the experience so far with “safe supply.” What is working, what is not working as well as it could be and what’s behind the lack of progress? Then, we’ll sit down with Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams and discuss his province’s focus on treatment and why he believes “safe supply” isn’t the answer. Finally, Federal Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu joins us to provide the federal government’s perspective. Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, CTV, and BreakTheNeedle’s X account. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Michal Stein and Althia Raj. Joy SpearChief-Morris assisted with production. Kevin Sexton mixed the show. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel. In this episode: Alberta Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams, Federal Minister of Indigenous Services Patty Hajdu, Moms Stop the Harm co-founder Leslie McBain, Akosua (last name withheld), who has been sober from drugs for six years, Dorian Clough, a person living with addiction, Memorial University Assistant Professor Gillian Kolla, Sudbury’s safe consumption site’s former manager Amber Fritz, McMaster University Assistant Clinical Professor Dr. Lori Regenstreif, Peterborough Deputy Chief of Police Jamie Hartnett, Vancouver City Councillor Rebecca Bligh, Richmond City Councillor Alexa Loo, Surrey City Councillor Linda Annis, University of Alberta Associate Professor Elaine Hyshka, and Liberal MP for Beaches-East York Nathaniel Erskine Smith. Hosted by Althia Raj.

How do we solve the opioid crisis?

Hours after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was expelled from the House of Commons for calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “a wacko” and refusing to withdraw his comments, both leaders’ parties had issued fundraising emails pointing to the incident on Parliament Hill and asking for donors for more cash. Fundraising is a huge part of what political parties do, it keeps their operations going and builds their war chest for the next election campaign. It also helps to buy them votes. The more money they have, the more they can spend on advertising and organization, and the more votes they can get. Since the end of the per-vote subsidy, parties are now dependent on public donations and those who donate tend to be more partisan and more ideologically extreme. So what does that mean for our politics? On this episode of “It’s Political,” we take a look at party financing. First, we’ll take a look at the current rules, how they evolved and who they give voice to. Then, we’ll head up to the Hill to get some MPs' views on the topic, before finally sitting down with three former party operatives to break down the perceived challenges of our current system and how it could be reformed to reduce the influence of those with deeper pockets. Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, the CBC, the Liberal Party of Canada, the NDP, the Conservative Party of Canada, the National Citizens Coalition’s YouTube channel, CNBC, WTOL, and PBS, This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Michal Stein. Joy SpearChief-Morris assisted with production. Kevin Sexton mixed the show. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel. In this episode: Former Conservative Party of Canada national campaign manager and former director of operations Fred DeLorey, former Liberal Party of Canada national director Sheila Gervais, former NDP director of operations David Hare, former Conservative Party of Canada director of fundraising Jaime Girard, co-founder of Democracy Watch Duff Conacher, Canada 2020 CEO and former senior director of communications for the Liberal Party of Canada Braeden Caley, McMaster University political science associate professor Andrea Lawlor, Royal Military College political science associate professor Holly Ann Garnett, Acadia University Politics Professor Alex Marland, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Calgary Conservative MP Greg McLean, Ajax Liberal MP and Health Minister Mark Holland, Langley—Aldergrove MP Tako Van Popta, and Montreal-area Lac-Saint-Louis Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia.

Party money: Is it time to change how we finance politics?

We started “It’s Political” two years ago with an episode on the NDP’s supply and confidence agreement. Back then, we wondered, would the party get any credit for what they accomplished? Two years on, public opinion polls suggest the answer is “no.” The NDP believes the answer is really “maybe,” and one they hope to turn into a resounding “yes.” This week, we look at the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the NDP. First, Toronto Star reporter Raisa Patel, Abacus Data CEO David Coletto, Singh’s chief of staff Jennifer Howard, will lay out the challenges, internally and externally for the NDP. Then, our panel of NDP strategists will discuss what the party should do and can do to unite progressives against the possibility of a majority Conservative government. Finally, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh will join us to discuss the supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals and the path ahead. Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, CBC, CTV, and Global. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Michal Stein. Joy SpearChief-Morris assisted with production. Matt Hearn helped Kevin Sexton mix the show. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel. In this episode: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Toronto Star reporter Raisa Patel, Abacus Data CEO David Coletto, Singh’s chief of staff Jennifer Howard, NDP strategist and GT & Co. partner Brian Topp, former NDP MP David Christopherson, former director of communications to Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley and Wellington Advocacy vice president Leah Ward, and taxi driver Kirby Pittman. Hosted by Althia Raj.

Is the NDP winning the fight for working people?

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled her latest budget Tuesday, with big spending plans to increase the housing supply, deliver on commitments to Indigenous people, boost funding to the Canadian military and finally deliver on a promise to create a Canada Disability Benefit. But there is more to the budget’s $39.3 billion in new spending than just those big ticket items. There is a little bit of money in there for nearly everyone. It is an election budget, with lots of promises, most of which start to kick in next year. And to pay for it all, without sinking further into deficit and blowing past Freeland’s debt-to-GDP ratio, the federal government is increasing the inclusion rate on capital gains, affecting business investments and, with some exceptions, those Canadians earning more than $250,000 from capital gains annually. This week on “It’s Political,” we’ll look at the government’s 2024 spending plan and its decision to target capital gains as a way of raising taxes with economists Armine Yalnizyan and Christopher Ragan. But before that discussion, we’ll unpack the budget process and look at the last budget, the 2023 budget, and review its forecasts, its promises and what it actually delivered on. Some of the clips this week were sourced from CPAC, WhiteHouse.gov and Right Side Broadcasting. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Michal Stein, and mixed by Kevin Sexton. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel. In this episode: Armine Yalnizyan, an economist and Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers, Christopher Ragan, the director of McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, Heather Scoffield, senior vice president of strategy at the Business Council of Canada, Yves Giroux, the Parliamentary Budget officer, Tyler Meredith, a senior fellow at the Munk School and former budget crafter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Kevin Page, the president and CEO of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, and Evert Lindquist, a University of Victoria School of Public Administration professor. Hosted by Althia Raj.

Do budgets matter?

The federal government’s latest effort to regulate speech on the internet was met with relief from parents who’ve long advocated for a safer space online for their children, but with alarm from free speech advocates who believe the government’s bill goes too far. This week on “It’s Political,” we dig into the Online Harms Act with a number of experts, discussing what it contains and what the controversies are about. Then we sit down with Justice Minister Arif Virani. In this episode: Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani, as well as the Center for Media, Technology and Democracy founding director and McGill University associate professor Taylor Owen, the Canadian Constitution Foundation litigation director Christine Van Geyn, University of Calgary associate professor and Canada research chair in cybersecurity law Emily Laidlaw, the Canadian Center for Child Protection’s executive director Lianna McDonald, University of Ottawa professor and Canada research chair in internet and e-commerce law Michael Geist, former Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission vice chair and Macdonald-Laurier Institute senior fellow Peter Menzies, University of Windsor law professor Richard Moon, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation’s CEO Mohammed Hashim, B.C. Civil Liberties Association staff counsel Safiyya Ahmad, and NDP House leader Peter Julian. Hosted by Althia Raj. Some of the clips this week were sourced from CPAC, CTV, Global, The Canadian Press Gallery, CBC, City, The Rebel’s YouTube and Privacy Lawyer David Fraser’s YouTube. This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Michal Stein and Althia Raj, and mixed by Kevin Sexton. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.  

Programming note: To respond to the news agenda, today's episode will be released early this evening

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