The House

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 to do next. Journalists Stephanie Levitz and Joël-Denis Bellavance break down the political implications of the goings-on. Plus — former CSIS director Dick Fadden and China expert Jia Wang discuss the appointment of a commissioner heading up a public inquiry into foreign interference.

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 politics, their hopes for their time in Ottawa and what they love most about their ridings.

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, and Immigration Minister Marc Miller also sits down to discuss the federal government’s perspective. Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, talks about the presumed death of Yevgeny Prigozhin two months after his short-lived mutiny. In the latest instalment of our summer series The House tours the riding of Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes with Conservative MP Michael Barrett. Plus — federal government scientist Yan Boulanger explains how climate change is exacerbating what is now a record-breaking fire season in Canada.

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 face when it comes to wildfires. The House also explores the effect Meta’s block of news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada is having on the local news industry. Two journalists explain why the Conservatives have jumped ahead in the polls and what the Liberals might do about it at a cabinet retreat next week. Plus — Bloc Québécois MP Christine Normandin takes the CBC’s Jennifer Chevalier on a tour of her Quebec riding to talk military history, sovereignty — and hot air balloons.

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 could have on Ford’s political fortunes. Then, The House looks to the east coast, where federal protections for endangered North Atlantic right whales have prompted fishery closures over the last few seasons. Host Catherine Cullen asks two Maritime MPs, Liberal Serge Cormier and Conservative Rick Perkins, about what it will take to ensure whales and fishers can coexist. Plus — the latest in our “Backbenchers’ backyards” series with one of the youngest MPs on the Hill, and a tribute to Hugh Segal.

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 Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. Canada’s new sport integrity commissioner, Sarah-Ève Pelletier, talks about the kinds of complaints she’s received and whether a public inquiry into abuse in sport is needed. Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the UN special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights, describes her harrowing trip to prisons and camps in Syria — and what the Canadian government must do to bring its citizens home. Plus — the CBC’s Mary-Catherine McIntosh heads to the riding of Cumberland-Colchester to meet Conservative MP Stephen Ellis as part of our “Backbenchers’ backyards” summer series.

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 Danielle Smith has pushed back on those efforts, she joins The House to discuss her perspective. Journalists Tonda MacCharles and Christopher Nardi break down the massive cabinet shuffle in Ottawa. Sean Fraser, the new minister of housing, infrastructure and communities talks about how he plans to solve a severe housing crisis in Canada. Plus — Catherine Cullen tours a Montreal riding with Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi to find out how his upbringing and identity shapes how he represents his diverse district.

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 is navigating Canada’s climate targets. University of Saskatchewan labour expert Charles Smith and The Logic reporter Murad Hemmadi break down the implications of the Port of Vancouver strike for other unions trying to grapple with automation and AI. The House continues its summer series Backbenchers’ Backyards, as the CBC’s Anne Penman travels to Vancouver East to talk with NDP MP Jenny Kwan. Plus, journalists Shannon Proudfoot and Stephanie Levitz break down Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s stylistic shift and look ahead to a potential cabinet shuffle in the next few weeks.

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 Ontario College of Family Physicians, who highlights ways to alleviate some of the pressure on the system; and Globe and Mail columnist André Picard explains why “political courage” might be the key. Plus — economists Trevor Tombe and Bradley Ruffle break down what the most recent Bank of Canada rate hike means for Canadians; and The House tours a Saskatchewan riding and air force base with Conservative MP Fraser Tolmie as part of our summer series.

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. Ben Hodges, the former commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe, discusses the state of the war right now — and how it might end. Plus, Kerry Buck, former Canadian ambassador to NATO, and Orysia Lutsevych, a Russia and Eurasia expert at UK’s Chatham House, discuss the high stakes heading into the alliance’s meeting in Lithuania.