The House

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney have made another stride in their important MOU: A new carbon pricing agreement that is far less than the targets set by Justin Trudeau. Is the deal enough to calm down separatists? Could it anger environmentalists within Carney's team? Ottawa bureau chiefs Tonda MacCharles of the Toronto Star and Stuart Thomson of the National Post lay out the stakes.

Plus, the House takes an in-depth look at whether the government should ban social media accounts for kids. We visit a high school to hear how teenagers feel about a ban; Anxious Generation research partner Ravi Iyer lays out what’s at stake if restrictions are not put in place; Meta’s Rachel Curran defends the company’s practices; tech company CEO Steve Borza describes how age verification technology works (or doesn’t); then Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew explains how his province’s social media and AI Chatbot ban for kids could work.

This episode features the voices of:
Stuart Thomson, parliamentary bureau chief for the National Post
Tonda MacCharles, Ottawa bureau chief for the Toronto Star
Ravi Iyer, managing director of the University of Southern California Marshall School’s Neely Center and research partner with the Anxious Generation Movement
Rachel Curran, head of public policy for Meta Canada
Steve Borza, CEO of Bluink Ltd
Wab Kinew, premier of Manitoba

Alberta is experiencing a political earthquake after the provincial NDP claimed they had a video showing a separatist organizer showing people how to use a database that included leaked voter information. The House Party podcast team — Catherine Cullen, Daniel Thibeault and Jason Markusoff — reunite to discuss the fallout and how seriously Carney needs to take the separatist movement.
And, in a rare and wide-ranging interview the director of Canada’s spy agency, Dan Rogers, sits down with host Catherine Cullen to talk about foreign interference in Alberta, the presence of the IRGC in Canada, and what the government’s efforts to re-engage with India and China mean for Canadian security.

Plus, you've probably heard of Kalshi and Polymarket — online platforms that let users effectively bet on just about anything, even Canadian politics. Now, two Canadian companies have gotten regulatory approval to launch their own prediction markets. Werner Antweiler, an associate professor at UBC and national security expert Wesley Wark join The House to discuss whether these markets could exacerbate gambling concerns and if they pose a risk to Canadians' security.

This episode features the voices of:
Daniel Thibeault, parliamentary bureau chief for Radio-Canada and host of Les Coulisses du Pouvoir
Jason Markusoff, CBC Calgary
Dan Rogers, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Werner Antweiler, associate professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business
Wesley Wark, senior fellow at at the Centre for International Governance Innovation

This week, the Carney government released its first spring economic update — which painted a better-than-expected picture of Canada's finances despite a long U.S. trade war and instability in the Middle East.

The question on many Canadians' minds is: How does this update help them? Host Catherine Cullen visits an Ottawa grocery store to hear from owner Eli Njaim and his customers about the rising cost of food. Then, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne explains what the government's latest spending plan does to alleviate the affordability crisis.

Also in the update is a new "national savings and investment account” that will help grow wealth for future generations of Canadians. The Conservatives are calling it a “Sovereign Debt Fund.” Bloomberg News’ Laura Dhillon Kane and Mark Rendell of The Globe and Mail break down what the new fund is — and if it will work.

And, bestselling historian and fascism expert Timothy Snyder joins The House to discuss how Canada is navigating the Trump presidency, the risks of American influence in Alberta’s sovereigntist circles, and the health of Canadian democracy.

This episode features the voices of:
Eli Njaim, owner of Mid-East Food Centre
François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance
Laura Dhillon Kane, Ottawa bureau chief for Bloomberg News
Mark Rendell, economics reporter for the Globe and Mail
Timothy Snyder, historian and bestselling author

As Prime Minister Mark Carney fleshes out his vision for how Canada might weather economic uncertainty with the government’s spring economic update, co-hosts Catherine Cullen and John Northcott speak to politicians, experts and voters from the centre of this week’s action on Parliament Hill.

In a week where trade irritants were on full display between Canada and the United States, Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a new crew he wants to advise him on Canada's economic relationship with America. Former Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and former Liberal minister and Canadian UK High Commissioner Ralph Goodale have been drafted to that lineup and join The House to talk about how this team of rivals is going to work.

Plus, Carney's announcement came days after he posted a ten-minute video on YouTube declaring Canada's economic ties to the U.S. a "weakness" that must be corrected. Since that post, the prime minister gained half a million views and tens of thousands of subscribers. Former advertising advisor to Stephen Harper, Dennis Matthews and former digital strategist for Justin Trudeau, Dave Sommer unpack Carney’s media strategy and discuss whether Canadians will continue to like and subscribe, or click away.

And, at a live panel organized by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Catherine Cullen sits down with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt, Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson and the chair of the Council of the Federation PEI Premier Rob Lantz to talk about working with Prime Minister Mark Carney, interprovincial trade, and what all of Canada’s provinces and territories can agree on.

This episode features the voices of:
Erin O’Toole, former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Ralph Goodale, former Liberal cabinet minister and Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
Dennis Matthews, president of Creative Currency and former advertising advisor to prime minister Stephen Harper
Dave Sommer, senior vice-president of marketing and communications for UHN Foundation, former deputy director of communications for prime minister Justin Trudeau
Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
Susan Holt, Premier of New Brunswick
Rob Lantz, Premier of Prince Edward Island
R.J. Simpson, Premier of Northwest Territories