The House

CBC’s new weekly podcast, Two Blocks from the White House, takes a clear-eyed look at what’s happening in the U.S. right now and what it means for Canadians.

In this episode, the White House was back at it last week, threatening tariffs on Bombardier and aircraft made in Canada. And Prime Minister Mark Carney was warned by the U.S. Treasury Secretary not to ‘pick a fight’ ahead of CUSMA trade negotiations.

When it comes to the Trump administration’s trolling comments and tariff threats, how can Canadians know what to take seriously? CBC Washington correspondents Katie Simpson, Paul Hunter and Willy Lowry dig in.

Find and follow Two Blocks from the White House wherever you get your podcasts, or here: https://link.mgln.ai/2BFTWHxTheHouse

Conservative Party members are gathering in Calgary to review Pierre Poilievre's leadership as big questions loom about whether they can win over a larger share of the electorate. In a special edition of The House, captured from the convention floor, host Catherine Cullen sits down with key Conservatives, party insiders, a pollster and Hill watchers to discuss where the party stands today and what it needs to do to secure that elusive election win.

This episode features the voices of:
Steve Outhouse, Conservative campaign manager
David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data
Ben Woodfinden, Senior adviser at Meredith Boessenkool & Phillips, former director of communications for Pierre Poilievre
Erika Barootes, Conservative commentator and former principal secretary to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
John Paul Tasker, senior reporter for CBC's parliamentary bureau
Stephanie Levitz, senior reporter for the Globe and Mail

CBC’s new weekly podcast, Two Blocks from the White House, takes a clear-eyed look at what’s happening in the U.S. right now and what it means for Canadians.

This week CBC’s Katie Simpson, reporting from Minnesota since the weekend, joins Paul Hunter and Willy Lowry to unpack the human toll and political consequences of the unrest in Minneapolis and examine what this moment could mean for both Trump’s broader immigration strategy and his 2026 prospects.

Find and follow Two Blocks from the White House wherever you get your podcasts, or here: https://link.mgln.ai/2BFTWHxTheHouse

It was a speech heard around the world. In front of global leaders, Prime Minister Mark Carney laid bare Canada's new foreign policy vision: Middle powers need to team up — or they'll be on the menu for hegemons like Russia, China and the United States.

Two former diplomats — American Ambassador Tom Shannon, who at one point held the third-highest rank in the U.S. foreign service, and Canadian Senator Peter Boehm, who has served as a G7 sherpa — discuss the significance of the Carney doctrine and whether Canada will pay a price for standing up to Donald Trump.

Then, former Republican Senator Jeff Flake talks to The House about what it will take for some members of his party to stand up to Trump and whether Carney’s speech is resonating in the United States. Plus, Germany's ambassador to Canada Tjorven Bellmann explains what her country thinks about Carney's call to action.

There's also a question of what actions Carney will take to match his words. Catherine Cullen asks International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu what the government plans to do next and how its trade diversification efforts are going.

Finally, after turning heads in Davos, Prime Minister Carney gave a second, Canadian-focused speech at the cabinet retreat in Quebec City — which has furrowed some brows at home. CBC’s Aaron Wherry lays out the domestic reverberations of Carney’s two speeches.

This episode features the voices of:
Tom Shannon, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
Peter Boehm, Canadian senator and former G7 sherpa
Jeff Flake, former Republican senator for Arizona
Tjorven Bellmann, Germany's ambassador to Canada
Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade
Aaron Wherry, senior writer for CBC Politics

Prime Minister Mark Carney's trade deal with China has sent a jolt through Canada and beyond. In exchange for allowing more Chinese-made electric vehicles to enter the Canadian market, Beijing has agreed to lower duties on some agricultural and seafood products.

Catherine Cullen first speaks with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew about what the deal means for his province; then former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole discusses the risks of a closer relationship with China; and Business Council of Canada CEO Goldy Hyder discusses the PM’s possible calculus behind the deal.

Plus, Carney is not the first prime minister to try to improve Canada’s relationship with China. From Trudeau Sr. to Trudeau Jr., Jia Wang of the University of Alberta’s China Institute and former ambassador Guy Saint-Jacques chart the highs and lows of bilateral relations and tensions; then Politico’s Phelim Kine breaks down the Trump administration’s reaction to Carney calling China a “more predictable partner” than the U.S.

Also: François Legault is stepping down as premier of Quebec mere months ahead of a provincial election that polls suggest could be won by the separatist Parti Québécois. Philip Authier of the Montreal Gazette and Daniel Thibeault, Ottawa bureau chief for Radio-Canada, discuss whether Legault's decision throws a wrench in the PQ's plans for a referendum.

This episode features the voices of:
Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba
Erin O'Toole, former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Goldy Hyder, CEO of the Business Council of Canada
Jia Wang, senior fellow at the China Institute at the University of Calgary
Guy Saint-Jacques, former Canadian ambassador to China
Phelim Kine, Washington-based China correspondent for POLITICO
Philip Authier, National Assembly reporter for the Montreal Gazette
Daniel Thibeault, parliamentary bureau chief for Radio-Canada and host of Les Coulisses du Pouvoir