The House

By CBC

What's The House about?

Making sense of the political decisions that affect your life. Every Saturday, host Catherine Cullen takes you to Parliament Hill — and across Canada — for in-depth coverage and analysis of the week’s major political news.

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The House episodes:

04.20.2024
A new tax on the rich, a long awaited pipeline, and a crisis in sports betting
It may sound boring, it might be confusing, but the federal government’s new capital gains tax change could just become a major political sticking point. The House hears from tax experts and others about what the change could accomplish and...
04.13.2024
Get off my lawn! The fed-prov home building battle
Everyone agrees that Canada has a housing crisis, but coming to consensus — and executing on — solutions is not quite so easy. Alberta looked to put up a wall between the federal government and municipalities this week, and Premier...
04.06.2024
Trudeau's pre-budget extravaganza, and what a post-axe-the-tax Canada might look like
We’ve already had a few glimpses at the next federal budget, thanks to a flurry of announcements this week and last. The finance minister joins The House to talk about those pledges and what more to expect. Then, it’s...
03.30.2024
The real dirt on the Liberals’ two-billion-tree pledge
The federal government has promised to plant two billion trees by 2031 as part of the fight against climate change. But it’s not quite going to plan. This special edition of The House digs into the real-world challenges of planting...
03.23.2024
Is the carbon tax toast?
It’s certainly feeling the heat. The Liberal government’s landmark climate policy, the carbon tax, has long been the target of the opposition Conservatives’ ire. But the Conservatives have allies, now — provincial premiers chief among them. The House hears from...
03.16.2024
What actually happens on Parliament Hill?
Let’s face it: politics doesn’t have a great reputation. It can be frustrating — especially when it feels like you don’t really know what’s going on. On this special edition of The House, host Catherine Cullen takes you inside the...
03.09.2024
Funding UNRWA, prepping for natural disasters and foreign influence in... video games?
The federal government changed course on funding for a key agency helping Palestinians in Gaza, saying the humanitarian crisis there was increasingly dire. Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, talks about that decision. Then, we break down...
03.02.2024
How Brian Mulroney’s years in power — and countless phone calls — changed Canada
Brian Mulroney will leave a legacy as one of Canada’s most consequential prime ministers, who in a time of great global change also transformed Canadian politics. The House digs deep on Mulroney’s legacy, hearing from a former prime minister, senior...
02.24.2024
Death threats, intimidation and assault — all this for baby eels?
It sounds surprising, but baby eels, or elvers, have become big business in Canada. And along with the profits have come poachers — and some serious threats. The House digs into why the government is convinced they need to shut...
02.17.2024
Free birth control? A look at pharmacare's future
The Liberals and NDP are in intense negotiations over the shape of a pharmacare deal. At stake? The possibility of free birth control, diabetes medications or other drugs for Canadians. The House looks at what the policy could mean. ...
02.10.2024
Must fix: auto theft, online harms and health care
A car was stolen in Canada every five minutes in 2022. Some Canadians are unlucky enough to have it happen to them multiple times — the federal justice minister, for instance. It’s a growing problem, and this week The House...
02.03.2024
Danielle Smith’s gender policies and the PM’s decrepit old house
Sweeping new rules on gender-related medical procedures, sex-ed and more have landed Alberta in the spotlight again this week. Two journalists break down the politics of Premier Danielle Smith’s controversial move. Then, the federal government announced a three-year delay on the...
01.27.2024
Emergencies Act pushback, Tucker Carlson in Alberta, and farewell to Ed Broadbent
If you thought you’d heard the end of convoy politics, think again. The federal government’s argument that it was justified in using the Emergencies Act to dispel the convoy protests in early 2022 was dealt a blow this week. We...
01.20.2024
Canada's 'complicated dance' with China, and surviving Trump 2.0
Canada’s relationship with China has been tense for years. Can it be salvaged? And while diplomats are hard at work on that question, another major challenge looms: a potential second Trump term. The House tackles both those issues this week. Then,...
01.13.2024
Gaza immigration program sparks hope — and concern
A lot of questions surround the new special immigration program for some people stuck in Gaza: Why is Canada demanding such personal details? And can Canada actually get anyone out of the warzone, even if they’re approved to come here?...
01.06.2024
Heartbreak and hope: Our special coverage of the toxic drug crisis
This week, The House brings you the most compelling interviews from this fall’s coverage of the toxic drug crisis: from recovering drug users, to mothers who’ve lost children to opioid overdoses, to law enforcement trying to keep up as politicians...
12.30.2023
How Parliament actually works
Parliament can be confusing. Here to help is The House’s guided tour of Parliament, where you’ll hear politicians of all stripes answering some questions about how the place actually works. Five Carleton political science students joined host Catherine Cullen to wander...
12.23.2023
2023 was a wild one in politics. How much do you remember?
As another very busy and consequential year in Canadian politics wraps up, test how much you remember with our year-end quiz. This year, host Catherine Cullen will gather a crack team of political wonks to see how they fare. Murad...
12.16.2023
Canada calls for a ceasefire
After weeks of debate and political fighting, Canada has made a major vote in favour of a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. The House digs into Canada’s position on the Israel-Hamas war, as well as the situation in Ukraine, in...
12.09.2023
Cap or no cap: The division over Canada’s latest climate policy
The federal government hopes it will put Canada on track to meeting its climate targets. Some provinces say it’s needlessly harmful. The House digs into Canada’s new proposed oil and gas emissions cap to find out what government, environmentalists and...
12.02.2023
Alberta and Ottawa: It’s complicated
It’s rarely an easy ride with the Alberta-Ottawa relationship, and this rollercoaster week was no different. Starting with Alberta playing the sovereignty act card for the first time, then hugging it out over a big announcement … it may result...
11.25.2023
'Asinine' red tape is still stalling home building
We don’t have to tell you that Canada is still mired in a housing affordability crisis. But will newly announced government measures make a dent? The House hears from someone trying to make affordable housing work in Ontario, and Toronto...
11.18.2023
Canada is an illegal fentanyl exporter. Wait, what?
It’s true. Fentanyl is not only killing Canadians — organized crime gangs are making it here and selling it abroad, the RCMP says. A senior RCMP official responsible for fighting organized crime talks about efforts to disrupt the deadly supply...
11.11.2023
Is this climate policy worth the political heat?
With one carve-out of the carbon tax already in the books and another waiting in the wings, can the federal government hold to its red line and stop further undermining of its landmark climate policy? The House looks at how...
11.04.2023
Politicians are misbehaving. Meet their new ref
The federal government’s decision last week to carve out oil for home heating from the carbon tax has spurred cries for additional exemptions. Saskatchewan has even threatened to stop collecting the tax on home heating altogether. New Brunswick Premier Blaine...
10.28.2023
Not *quite* axing the carbon tax
The Liberal government has announced new measures to ease the burden of the carbon tax on rural Canadians, a carve-out from one of their landmark policies. Liberal MP Kody Blois, the chair of the Atlantic caucus who helped push for...
10.21.2023
'Unfathomable' fear in Jewish and Muslim communities in Canada
Tension and anxiety remain high in both Jewish and Muslim communities in Canada. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc sits down to talk about how the government is handling a rise in anti-semitism and islamophobia as a result of the conflict...
10.14.2023
Can Canada do anything to help in the Middle East?
A week of violence and tragedy is ending with fears of further escalation. Alia Zaki of the UN World Food Programme joins The House to talk about how the humanitarian situation is developing right now. Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney...
10.07.2023
On the frontlines of the toxic drug crisis
An average of 21 Canadians die every day from opioid-related overdoses. The situation has only worsened in recent years. In a special edition of the program, The House travels to Thunder Bay, Ont., a city that has the highest rate...
09.30.2023
Was this Canada’s biggest diplomatic embarrassment?
A week after Canadian parliamentarians rose in the House of Commons to honour a man who turned out to have fought in a Nazi unit, how bad is the damage to Canada’s reputation? The House hears from foreign policy expert...
09.23.2023
Murder and war: A big week for Canada’s global relations
A frenetic week in Canadian foreign affairs began with a bombshell allegation by the prime minister accusing the Indian government of involvement in the murder of a Canadian pro-Khalistan activist and ended with an in-person address to Parliament by Ukrainian...
09.16.2023
Some Liberal MPs weren't happy. Has Trudeau won them over?
The governing Liberals went into a caucus retreat this week down in the polls, concerned about unity and without a clear plan to pull themselves back together. On the other end of the weekend, have the political winds shifted? Three...
09.09.2023
Generation Poilievre: Conservatives' pitch to Canadians
Canadian conservatives gathered in Quebec City this weekend for their first policy convention in the Pierre Poilievre era. Jenni Byrne, one of Poilievre’s top strategists, joins The House to talk about how the party has changed and what it plans...
09.02.2023
From cows to cockpits: Our summer talking to MPs in their ridings
In a special, end-of-summer edition of The House, the program looks back at some of the most interesting, enlightening and intense parts of our summer series. CBC journalists spoke to eight different MPs about what inspired them to get into...
08.26.2023
Would cutting back on international students help Canada's housing crunch?
With Canada mired in a housing shortage, focus this week turned to the question of whether the hundreds of thousands of international students entering this country every year are crowding others out. The House speaks to students, experts and others,...
08.19.2023
Thousands flee as record wildfire season continues
Canada is experiencing a record-breaking wildfire season, and this week the blazes forced evacuations of Yellowknife and parts of Kelowna, among other communities. Minister of Northern Affairs Dan Vandal talks about the particular challenges people in northern and remote communities...
08.12.2023
Will a scathing auditor's report stick to Doug Ford?
This week on The House: What will the Ontario auditor general’s bombshell Greenbelt report mean for Premier Doug Ford? Rob Benzie of the Toronto Star and Jessica Smith Cross of The Trillium break down the news and the impact it...
08.05.2023
Justin and Sophie: When the personal is political
This week on The House: Two longtime Hill watchers — former CBC parliamentary bureau chief Rob Russo and Toronto Star columnist Susan Delacourt — break down the significance of the news of the separation between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and...
07.29.2023
Justin Trudeau shuffles the deck
After a month in which the planet was scorched by record- setting heat, the federal government released its plans for ending “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies and will soon unveil an emissions cap for the oil and gas industry. Alberta Premier...
07.22.2023
A climate of uncertainty is putting Canada’s green push at risk
As the federal government and some of its provincial counterparts are continuing to clash over climate policies, leaving industry in the middle, MEG Energy CEO Derek Evans sits down with guest host Kathleen Petty to talk about how his company...
07.15.2023
Why billions in investments have yet to fix health care
Five months after the prime minister greenlit more health-care funding for the provinces, why aren't we seeing more action — and more fixes — from Canada's provinces? Guest host Karina Roman checks in with Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, head of the...
07.08.2023
500 days of war have left Ukraine — and NATO — at a crossroads
In this special edition of The House, guest host Murray Brewster brings you to a humanitarian aid centre in liberated Kherson, Ukraine. Then, two Ukrainian MPs lay out what they hope to see from NATO allies at next week’s summit....
07.01.2023
Canada’s North at a ‘critical point’
On this special Canada Day edition of The House, we’re taking a closer look at the North. It’s an integral part of Canada’s identity, but for those living there, a lack of housing and high food prices are creating extreme...
06.24.2023
Exclusive: Canada’s top national security chiefs speak out
After months of controversy around foreign interference, the prime minister’s top national security and intelligence adviser, Jody Thomas, talks about the need for her and her colleagues to do better in giving advice about foreign interference — and what she...
06.17.2023
Ex-party leader issues all-party warning: social media is warping politics
The controversial transfer of Paul Bernardo to a medium security prisoner has landed the federal public safety minister in hot water — the CBC’s Aaron Wherry breaks down the political implications. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Richard Wagner weighs...
06.10.2023
Wildfires are spreading. How do we stop them?
After a controversial stint as special rapporteur looking into foreign interference in Canadian elections, David Johnston has resigned. Journalists Janyce McGregor and Susan Delacourt talk about the dramatic breaking news. Also, Canada has suffered through the beginning of what could...
06.03.2023
Climate fights past, present and future
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault speaks to host Catherine Cullen about whether he and Smith can get on the same page when it comes to climate policy, then Emily Croft, a captain with the Hubbards, N.S. volunteer fire department, describes her...
05.27.2023
Alberta's election is close. Calgary could decide it
The House is on the ground in Calgary for what could be one of the closest elections in Alberta’s history. Host Catherine Cullen meets voters across the city, talks to pollster Janet Brown, goes door-knocking with nurse-turned-NDP candidate Diana Batten...
05.20.2023
Should Canada pay even more to be part of the EV future?
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland discusses the controversy over funding for a major electric vehicle project. Sen. Peter Boehm and international affairs expert Vina Nadjibulla analyze the G7 meeting in Japan and Canada’s sanctions regime. CBC’s Cat Tunney takes an in-depth...
05.13.2023
Canada is eyeing digital news reform. Facebook isn't having it
Whistleblower Frances Haugen explains why Facebook and the government are clashing over proposed regulations to how tech platforms treat online news. Journalists Stephane Levitz and Stuart Thomson break down developments in the foreign interference controversy. The House takes an in-depth...

What's The House about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The House episodes:

A new tax on the rich, a long awaited pipeline, and a crisis in sports betting

Get off my lawn! The fed-prov home building battle

Trudeau's pre-budget extravaganza, and what a post-axe-the-tax Canada might look like

The real dirt on the Liberals’ two-billion-tree pledge

Is the carbon tax toast?

What actually happens on Parliament Hill?

Funding UNRWA, prepping for natural disasters and foreign influence in... video games?

How Brian Mulroney’s years in power — and countless phone calls — changed Canada

Death threats, intimidation and assault — all this for baby eels?

Free birth control? A look at pharmacare's future

Must fix: auto theft, online harms and health care

Danielle Smith’s gender policies and the PM’s decrepit old house

Emergencies Act pushback, Tucker Carlson in Alberta, and farewell to Ed Broadbent

Canada's 'complicated dance' with China, and surviving Trump 2.0

Gaza immigration program sparks hope — and concern

Heartbreak and hope: Our special coverage of the toxic drug crisis

How Parliament actually works

2023 was a wild one in politics. How much do you remember?

Canada calls for a ceasefire

Cap or no cap: The division over Canada’s latest climate policy

Alberta and Ottawa: It’s complicated

'Asinine' red tape is still stalling home building

Canada is an illegal fentanyl exporter. Wait, what?

Is this climate policy worth the political heat?

Politicians are misbehaving. Meet their new ref

Not *quite* axing the carbon tax

'Unfathomable' fear in Jewish and Muslim communities in Canada

Can Canada do anything to help in the Middle East?

On the frontlines of the toxic drug crisis

Was this Canada’s biggest diplomatic embarrassment?

Murder and war: A big week for Canada’s global relations

Some Liberal MPs weren't happy. Has Trudeau won them over?

Generation Poilievre: Conservatives' pitch to Canadians

From cows to cockpits: Our summer talking to MPs in their ridings

Would cutting back on international students help Canada's housing crunch?

Thousands flee as record wildfire season continues

Will a scathing auditor's report stick to Doug Ford?

Justin and Sophie: When the personal is political

Justin Trudeau shuffles the deck

A climate of uncertainty is putting Canada’s green push at risk

Why billions in investments have yet to fix health care

500 days of war have left Ukraine — and NATO — at a crossroads

Canada’s North at a ‘critical point’

Exclusive: Canada’s top national security chiefs speak out

Ex-party leader issues all-party warning: social media is warping politics

Wildfires are spreading. How do we stop them?

Climate fights past, present and future

Alberta's election is close. Calgary could decide it

Should Canada pay even more to be part of the EV future?

Canada is eyeing digital news reform. Facebook isn't having it

Not quite axing the carbon tax