The Red Passport

Canada and Europe have been growing closer for years but after an extraordinary week in Strasbourg, the relationship may be entering entirely new territory.

Former European parliamentarian and party leader Sir Graham Watson joins Peter Donolo, Jeremy Kinsman and Louise Blais to unpack the move toward deeper Canada-Europe cooperation. From associate EU membership and student exchanges to defence procurement and Arctic sovereignty, they examine the opportunity, political risks and Watson's provocative idea that Canada is becoming as much a North Atlantic nation as a North American one.

Twenty-five years after Canada stood with the United States following the attacks of September 11, the relationship looks almost unrecognizable.

Louise, Peter and Jeremy reflect on how they experienced 9/11, then fast-forward to the latest in the trade war and the changing politics of the United States. Is the current rupture temporary, or does Canada need to prepare for a fundamentally different relationship with its closest neighbour?

Nearly four decades after Canada tied its economic future to closer integration with the United States, is that experiment coming to an end?

International trade lawyer Lawrence Herman joins Peter and Jeremy to discuss Ottawa's delegation walking out of negotiations with Washington and why he believes the old free-trade relationship is gone. The conversation then turns to how Canada can build a more resilient economy through stronger ties with Europe and Asia, not to mention fewer trade barriers between provinces.

With a tariff deadline looming, Canada and the United States may be inching toward a deal. But in the coming days, attention will turn to how a possible agreement will be sold to Canadians.

The three amigos examine whether a deal can satisfy two very different audiences: Trump, who needs to claim a victory, and Canadians who seem wary of deep concessions. Peter argues that what is being called a negotiation is closer to a shakedown, Jeremy is concerned about what Canada will give up, while Louise, Québec's trade envoy, considers what Canada may need to accept to avoid further economic damage.

Canada may have to pay a steep price whether it makes a deal with Trump or not.

Louise Blais rejoins Jeremy Kinsman and Peter Donolo to debate an aggressive new round of tariffs scheduled to take effect August 19. Drawing on consultations with Québec manufacturers, Louise warns that cancelled orders, shutdowns and thousands of job losses could follow within weeks. Can Mark Carney stabilize the relationship without rewarding coercion? The larger question is how much short-term economic pain Canada is prepared to absorb to protect its sovereignty.

The rules of the game with Canada's most important partner have been tossed aside, and the outcome of the next round is as murky as Donald Trump's reflecting pool.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Manley joins Peter Donolo and Jeremy Kinsman to discuss Canada's leverage with Trump's America, from trade and Iran to the G7 and the Gordie Howe Bridge. The question remains whether Canada can play the long game without blinking.

Military conflicts are easy to start and painfully difficult to end.

As Donald Trump's war with Iran enters its fourth month, Jon Allen joins Jeremy Kinsman and Peter Donolo to discuss how a conflict once promised to be short and decisive became a global crisis. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, energy markets are under pressure and America's allies are reassessing what U.S. leadership now means.

Allen, Canada's former Ambassador to Israel, argues the conflict was shaped by the egos of both Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, and by a miscalculation about how Iran would respond once attacked. The conversation turns to possible negotiations, the limits of Israeli and American leverage, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the wider fallout for NATO, the G7 and countries that once relied on American stability.

Louise Blais returns for a special episode on CUSMA, joining Peter Donolo and Jeremy Kinsman to unpack the next phase of North American trade negotiations.

Now serving as Québec's trade representative, Louise explains why the July 1 review date is not a cliff edge, but a critical moment to assess where the agreement is working and where pressure is building. The discussion turns to tariffs on steel, aluminum, vehicles and other key sectors, and why those measures may be hurting American competitiveness as much as Canadian exporters.

The three also look at Canada's leverage, the risks and opportunities of deeper North American economic integration, and what this week's Trump-Xi summit may mean for Canada as Washington and Beijing continue to shape the global trade and security environment.

​Just days before Donald Trump is set to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing, Jeremy Kinsman and Peter Donolo welcome back Howard Balloch, Canada's former ambassador to China, to discuss the state of play heading into ​the summit and​ various scenarios that may emerge from it.

Balloch's view is that Xi arrives with a clear strategy, while Trump remains far harder to predict. The discussion turns to Taiwan, China's long game, the risks of a new G2-style world order, and what smaller powers like Canada can do when the two most powerful countries increasingly shape the rules around trade, security​ and global stability.