The House

Fifty per cent U.S. tariffs on billions of dollars of Canadian goods have now taken effect and Prime Minister Mark Carney is vowing dollar-for-dollar retaliation after trade talks collapsed late Friday night. CBC’s Peter Armstrong lays out what we know about the breakdown at the table. Then, two former federal cabinet ministers, Canada-U.S. advisory committee member Lisa Raitt and Carney’s former chief of staff Marco Mendicino, discuss what another trade war escalation could mean for Canada’s economy and the future of free trade.

Plus, the Prairies are known as Canada's breadbasket. But could Canada boost its global agri-food exports to become the world's breadbasket? Guest host Leisha Grebinski travels to Coleville, Sask. to speak with lentil and grain farmer Dean Roberts about the technological, infrastructure and labour barriers he faces in getting more of his crops to global markets.

Evan Shout — president and CEO of financial consulting firm Maverick Ag — explains how often he hears Roberts' concerns among other farmers he coaches and why Canada's agriculture industry needs a bigger seat at the federal decision-making table.

Then, Evan Fraser, executive director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph and Jennifer Clapp, a professor and Canada Research Chair in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo, discuss whether boosting exports is the right goal for Canada, or if it should focus on food security at home.

This episode features the voices of:
Lisa Raitt, former Conservative cabinet minister and member of the Advisory Committee on Canada–U.S. Economic Relations
Marco Mendicino, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior counsel at Cassels
Dean Roberts, owner of Oakdale Farms and chair of SaskOilseeds
Evan Shout, president and CEO of Maverick Ag
Evan Fraser, executive director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph
Jennifer Clapp, professor and Canada Research Chair in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo

As wildfires continue to burn out of control in B.C., guest host Chris Walker follows Conservative MP Dan Albas, whose riding includes the evacuated town of Summerland, as he travels the backroads to Penticton to where many of his constituents have fled. In this documentary, Walker speaks to Albas and neighbouring MP, Helena Konanz, about the emergency response; to volunteers and evacuees about what they have lost; and to B.C. Premier David Eby about climate change and forest management.

And, long before the wildfires made working outside difficult, the farmers of the Okanagan Valley were already having a worrying summer, as drought conditions have meant severe water rationing. In the next in our summer series on food security, The House travels to Coldstream, B.C. to meet vegetable farmer Rochelle Zelaney, as well as water scientist and former executive director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board Anna, Warwick Sears, to discuss farming in drought conditions and whether Canada’s food security will suffer.

Plus, in just a few days Canadians will find out if Trump will go ahead with imposing a crushing 50 per cent tariff on hundreds of Canadian goods. For B.C.'s lumber industry, that outcome could be fatal. Ashlee Cribb, CEO of Gorman Bros. in West Kelowna, explains the stakes for her company – and the community.

This episode features the voices of:
Dan Albas, Conservative MP for Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna
Helena Konanz, Conservative MP for Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay
David Eby, Premier of B.C.
Doug Holmes, mayor of Summerland, B.C.
Rachelle Zelaney, co-owner of Zelaney Farms
Anna Warwick Sears, director of the Okanagan Basin Water Board
Ashlee Cribb, CEO of Gorman Bros.

After a provincial politician in New Brunswick made international headlines for delivering a speech containing obvious AI prompts, and as the House of Commons continues to lean on hybrid proceedings and a voting app, it's clear technology is changing politics. But are these changes helping or hurting politicians? The House asks a panel of three past MPs: former interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen, former Liberal cabinet minister Marco Mendicino and former NDP MP and provincial cabinet minister Nathan Cullen.

Plus, as the federal government shared plans this week for a new medical countermeasures laboratory meant to improve preparedness for future health emergencies, south of the border, a Republican-led Senate committee held former top U.S. health official Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for declining to answer questions about COVID-19. Host Catherine Cullen checks in with Mona Nemer, Canada’s chief science advisor since 2017, about this moment in public trust and the path forward for pandemic preparedness.

And, more than half of all households in Nunavut are food insecure, according to Statistics Canada. As part of The House’s ongoing summer series on food security, Joseph Murdoch-Flowers, executive director at the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre in Iqaluit, joins the program to talk about the work his group is doing to help and how the federal government could improve its efforts.

This episode features the voices of:
Candice Bergen, former Conservative Party interim leader and senior strategic advisor at Signal Hill
Marco Mendicino, former Liberal cabinet minister and senior counsel at Cassels
Nathan Cullen, former NDP MP and vice-president with StrategyCorp
Mona Nemer, Chief Science Advisor of Canada
Joseph Murdoch-Flowers, executive director at the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre

Canada is known around the world for high quality crops, but advocates estimate the country is missing out on a $25 billion industry by not processing more of that food at home. As the federal government gears up to invest more in domestic processing, guest host Matt Allen talks to soybean farmer Chris Hundt and pickle farmer Dan Froese about their vegetables being exported, only to be sold back to Canadians at a premium.

Then, Matt tours a first-of-its-kind soybean plant in Benmiller, Ontario with New Protein International’s Martin VanderLoo and Graham Markham to talk about their ambition to create high quality protein powder right here in Canada. Finally, Matt Allen sits down with Dragon’s Den’s Arlene Dickinson to discuss whether venture capitalists are afraid of putting their money where their mouth is by investing in Canada’s food industries.

Plus, Doug Ford has often praised Prime Minister Mark Carney, but after Ottawa quashed Ford's desired expansion of Toronto's Billy Bishop airport, the Ontario premier's MPPs are publicly questioning a project close to Carney's heart: Alto high-speed rail. Is this just turbulence between the two leaders, or are they at risk of a crash? Hill watchers Marieke Walsh from the Globe and Mail and Politico’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey join The House to discuss.

This episode features the voices of:
Jamie Schmuck, owner of Forest City Crossfit
Chris Hundt, soybean farmer
Martin VanderLoo, CEO of New Protein International
Graham Markham, chief development officer of New Protein International
Dan Froese, pickle and pepper farmer
Henry Voth, employee of Hartung Brothers
Jamie Froese, pickle and pepper farmer
Neil Reimer, district director on the board of the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers
Arlene Dickinson, founder of District Ventures Capital
Nick Taylor-Vaisey, Ottawa bureau chief for Politico
Marieke Walsh, senior reporter with The Globe & Mail

Prime Minister Mark Carney met with all of Canada’s premiers in Charlottetown on Thursday to discuss how best to respond to Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats. Guest host Mitch Cormier canvasses a room of reporters waiting for the results of the First Ministers Meeting, then speaks with PEI Premier Rob Lantz, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and incoming council of the federation chair, NWT Premier R.J. Simpson about how exactly Canada might respond.

And, The House's summer season focus on food security continues with Ottawa's push to bring down food costs and drive competition in Canada's grocery sector — namely by funding local 'food hubs' across the country.

What are these hubs, and can they really make a difference for Canadian pocketbooks? Mitch Cormier travels around Prince Edward Island to meet farmers Trisha and Rose Viaene — who flipped the table on big grocers after being lowballed for their garlic crop — and corner store owner Krunal Patel, who has to buy dry goods from Canada's grocery empires, to stock his shelves. Then, Grower's Station executive director Ann Higgs, PEI Federation of Agriculture executive director Donald Killorn and food expert Mike von Massow explain how these food hubs help both farmers and small grocers, and whether scaling them up will bring food costs down.

Finally, Agriculture Minister Health MacDonald sits down with The House to share why the federal government is concerned about grocery competition and what he hopes Canadians' grocery carts will look like as the food strategy takes effect.

This episode features the voices of:
Rob Lantz, Premier of Prince Edward Island
Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta
R.J. Simpson, Premier of Northwest Territories
Trisha Viaene, former garlic farmer
Rose Viaene, executive general manager of Riverview Country Market
Jenn Pfenning, president of the National Farmers Union
Charles Aondo, delivery driver for Growers Station
Ann Higgs, executive director of Growers Station
Mike von Massow, food economist at the University of Guelph
Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture