Canada's long awaited budget will be tabled on November 4th. It's the first one in 18 months and will lay out the new Carney government's agenda from a dollars and cents perspective.

What are the signals it will send to the markets? How does the process work? And what are the politics at play?

Yaroslav and Heather discuss the play-by-play process, estimates, ways and means vote, implementation bills, and more.

Sound complicated?

Hear from the guy (aka Yaroslav) who used to help whip the vote on The Hill and can nerd out in plain language to help you understand how it all works.

Headline spoiler: despite all the hoopla about a Christmas election, voters will probably be spared another trip to the polls by a few too many bathroom breaks. At least for now.

We’re unpacking Canada’s evolving Indo-Pacific strategy: what it means, where it’s headed and why it matters now more than ever.

This week Yaroslav Baran is joined by two luminaries of foreign policy and trade with a particular expertise in the Asia-Pacific region: Vina Najibulla is Vice-President, Research & Strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and Jonathan Berkshire Miller is Co-Founder & Principal at Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has just completed a whirlwind tour of China, Singapore, and India—three countries chosen with clear intent. This marks the Carney government’s first major diplomatic engagement in Asia, signaling a strategic re-entry into a region that’s central to Canada’s long-term economic and geopolitical interests.

So what is Canada trying to achieve? And is it working?

Three key messages emerged from this tour:

1. The Indo-Pacific remains a top priority—Canada is serious about diversifying its economic and security relationships beyond the U.S. and Europe.
2. Diplomacy is shifting toward pragmatism, with engagement even in complex relationships like those with China and India.
3. Economic resilience is front and center, with a renewed push to deepen commercial ties and reduce over-reliance on traditional partners.

Minister Anand’s visit also laid the groundwork for Prime Minister Carney’s upcoming trip to Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea, where he’ll attend the ASEAN and APEC summits. This is a long-anticipated opportunity for Canada to articulate its regional priorities and engage in high-level bilateral meetings, including potential talks with China and key ASEAN partners.

One of the most notable developments is Canada’s first-ever comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Indonesia—a major milestone in our ASEAN engagement. This deal includes non-tariff access for Canadian goods.

Whether it’s in ASEAN, South Asia, or the broader Indo-Pacific, collaboration with India will be key to a truly connected and resilient strategy.

After four years advising two Prime Ministers of Canada on foreign policy, Oz Jungic breaks his silence with Pendulum.

Jungic is moving on to another role outside of the political sphere and sat down with host Yaroslav Baran to discuss how decisions are made at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), how the decision to recognize Palestine came together, and the evolving NATO response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

And he drops some hints about where he's going next.

Get the insider's inside scoop on The Swing.

As Canada doubles down on resource development and infrastructure through its new Major Projects Office (MPO) and Bill C-5 (An Act to Enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act) the constitutional Duty to Consult Indigenous Peoples is becoming a defining opportunity for the country’s economic future.

Hosts Heather Bakken and Yaroslav Baran explore how the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ties directly to political tensions around major development, and why Indigenous consultation is no longer just a legal formality but a litmus test for national credibility and investment certainty.

This episode breaks down the legal foundations of the Duty to Consult, its evolution through Supreme Court rulings, and the growing expectation of securing Indigenous consent and partnership. Is Ottawa’s stated vision of Indigenous equity participation backed by meaningful engagement, or simply more staging? Tune in to find out.

The House is back! This week on The Swing, we examine Canada’s return to Parliament and the political tone-setting that will shape the months ahead.

Parliamentary committees are structured groups of MPs drawn from all parties, designed to mirror the composition of the House. Yaroslav, a parliamentary procedural expert, explains how committees work and why they matter.

Transport Minister, Chrystia Freeland, resigns from Cabinet to become Ottawa's special envoy to Ukraine.

Beyond Canada, we look at Europe’s defense industrial strategies, where protectionism and supply chain diversification intersect. How would Canada integrate into the European defense procurement system?

Is Albania going where angels fear to tread? Yes Minister. It is the first country in the world to appoint AI to a ministry. What does it have to do with Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Goethe's The Sufferings of Young Werther? Tune in to find out.

This episode offers sharp insights into how Ottawa is preparing for its toughest test yet.

Canada's lawmakers will be returning to the House next week in what promises to be a high-stakes fall sitting of Parliament. They will be welcomed by tariff shocks, fiscal pressure and a sharpened opposition.

The audio briefing dives into:

1. Machinery of government required for new marquee agencies like the Building Canada Homes initiative and the Major Projects Office.
2. Canada’s new top bureaucrat, Michael Sabia, and what his no-nonsense style means for a faster, leaner public service.
3. The re-entry of Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre to Question Period.

Yaroslav Baran and Heather Bakken dissect Baran's latest opinion piece, 'A Fall of Contradictions, Focus and Discipline', in the Hill Times.

Mark Carney's government will table a long-awaited budget that must reconcile a paradox: the need for fiscal restraint alongside investment imperatives. The prime minister has the ultimate balancing act with deep cost-cutting across government while simultaneously rolling out tens of billions in new spending from emergency bailouts for steel, aluminum, and canola to massive long-term defence investments aimed at meeting NATO’s spending target.

For anyone tracking Canada’s domestic politics, trade wars with the U.S., or the shifting global order, this is a seven-minute investment you won't regret.

This week on The Swing, Yaroslav Baran, Balkan Devlen, and host Heather Bakken unpack three pivotal developments shaping Canada’s political and economic trajectory. A Cabinet Planning Forum sets the stage for a high-stakes fall session and budget. The new Major Projects Office launches in Calgary to fast-track infrastructure and send a clear signal to Alberta’s energy sector. And China’s high-profile Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit reveals new alignments with global power blocs.

How do these shifts redefine Canada’s role in the world, its economic resilience, and its political strategy at home? Tune in for an in-depth discussion.

Hop on The Swing to look at Canadian politics through a wider, global lens.

This week, Yaroslav and Heather break down Prime Minister Mark Carney’s scrapping of U.S. tariffs, his surprise stop in Kyiv with nearly $2B in new aid for Ukraine, and a European tour cementing defence, trade, and NATO ties.

Back home, Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre reclaimed a seat in Parliament with a byelection win. And from Hamilton, the curious case of a young Canadian crypto hacker who pulled off multi-million-dollar heists but is now on the lam.

This week on The Swing, Yaroslav and Heather unpack three developments that reveal just how unpredictable, and globally entangled, Canadian politics has become.

The August 1 trade deadline came and went without a deal between Canada and the United States. Meantime Statistics Canada released the latest numbers 0n Canadian International Merchandise Trade.

Ottawa made a foreign policy pivot. Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. Harkening Canada’s traditional role as a middle-power mediator, they explore the domestic implications and international fallout.

And democracy just got a stress test. Elections Canada is revising its ballot format after 'The Longest Ballot Committee' registered more than 200 candidates for the upcoming by-election in Battle River–Crowfoot, which will determine whether the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada gets a seat in The House, to protest the first-past-the-post voting system. Yaroslav has led Canadian Observation Election missions abroad and cautions against the potential danger protest movements could pose to an electoral system and the importance of election security.

This episode is essential listening for anyone following Canada-U.S. relations, trade policy, or the broader dynamics of economic nationalism and geopolitical strategy.

Hosts Heather Bakken and Yaroslav Baran are joined by Fen Hampson, Chancellor’s Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University and Co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-US Relations. Together, they unpack the fast-approaching August 1 trade deadline, triggered by U.S. President Trump’s threat of a 35% tariff on Canadian exports.

Does this mean we're heading to Armageddon on August 1st? (Spoiler alert: it does not).

Fen provides critical insight into what’s really at stake while clarifying that most Canadian exports are CUSMA-compliant and therefore shielded from the looming tariffs. Tensions remain high over steel, aluminum, and softwood lumber, with ongoing disputes and strategic maneuvering from both countries.

The discussion also delves into supply management politics, the implications of Bill C-202, the complex dairy-quota standoff, and how geopolitics, market realities, and regulatory frameworks shape trade outcomes.

Fen makes the case for Canada's competitive edge with The North as a strategic asset, rich in critical minerals and energy potential, and how northern development could redefine Canada's economic future as well as the national conversation on pipelines and sovereignty.