The Hill Times' Hot Room

Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne about his new book, The Crisis of Canadian Democracy. The two touch on why Canada's political system has concentrated so much power in the hands of the prime minister, why the big parties can afford to ignore some parts of the country, and what it will take to set things right. 

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May joins The Hot Room to break down Mark Carney's Building Canada Act, which proposes to give the cabinet the power to skip major infrastructure and natural resource projects past the environmental assessment process. 

Peter Mazereeuw and Sheila Copps dig into the return of Parliament, how Mark Carney might handle Question Period, whether the Liberals should elect a Conservative House speaker, and more.  2025 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards | Sat, Jun 14, 2025, 6:30 pm | Southam Hall | National Arts Centre   Nominate your favourite artist for a Governor General's Performing Arts Award | National Arts Centre

Mark Carney's finance minister, François-Philippe Champagne, says the government isn't releasing a budget this year. Peter Mazereeuw digs into why, what that means, and how the government gets its money, with the help of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy's Mostafa Askari.

Author, columnist and CEO Rose LeMay joins The Hot Room to discuss her new book, Ally is a Verb: A Guide to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Jared Wesley, a political scientist at the University of Alberta, about how Albertans are taking the election of another Liberal government, Danielle Smith vs. Mark Carney, and the tensions between East and West. 

"There's executive risk all over these platforms," says former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, now with the University of Ottawa's Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy.  Page takes a high-level look at the Liberal and Conservative party election platforms with Peter Mazereeuw.

Ekos Research pollster Frank Graves joins The Hot Room to discuss the historic Liberal collapse and resurgence in opinion polls over the past year, why men and women are so far apart in their party preference, and the conservative activists rejecting opinion polls that show their party trailing. 

Canada Proud? Protecting Canada? Hill Times reporter Stuart Benson joins the podcast to talk about the so-called "third party" groups behind political ads posted on trucks and spamming your screens.

Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Sahir Khan, an expert in government finances at IFSD, about election promises from Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre to cut wasteful spending in government—and what the next prime minister should really do to get taxpayers the best bang for their buck.

Hot Room host Peter Mazereeuw reviews the building pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump over his trade war, and walks you through the highlights of Mark Carney's cabinet choices. 

Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Flavio Volpe, the president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association of Canada, about Donald Trump's chaotic approach to imposing and removing tariffs on Canada. Volpe weighs in on how Canada's political leaders how fared so far, and how Canada can win the fight. 

Rebecca Bligh, the president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, joins the Hot Room to talk about how she and Canada's mayors are pushing back against a trade war with the U.S., and what tariffs could mean for your town or city. 

Peter Mazereeuw walks you through Justin Trudeau's high-speed rail proposal, and what's happening in the week ahead in this solo mini-pod. 

Peter Mazereeuw speaks with conservative strategist and Hill Times columnist Gerry Nicholls about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's pivot to a new message, as the Liberals choose a new leader and Donald Trump takes aim at Canada.

Peter Mazereeuw talks with Alasdair Roberts about the reasons Canada's governments have struggled to work together to achieve big things, and how to build better political practices to help Canada survive through the tumultuous years ahead.  Roberts is a professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts and author of The Adaptable Country: How Canada Can Survive the Twenty-First Century.

Eric Miller is a Washington-based trade consultant who used to work in Canada's government. He joins The Hot Room to explain the how a trade war between Canada and the United States is likely to play out, and how it could affect ordinary Canadians. 

Frank Baylis talks with Peter Mazereeuw about his campaign for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. 

Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Sheila Copps, a former deputy prime minister in Jean Chrétien's Liberal government, about Chrystia Freeland's resignation from the cabinet and the troubles plauging the Liberal Party. 

Host Peter Mazereeuw explains how the government might pass legislation to create a two-month sales tax holiday through a House of Commons paralyzed by a Conservative filibuster. Then, he speaks with Corinne Pohlmann, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business's vice-president of advocacy, about the challenges facing businesses that will have to implement the temporary tax break. 

The Hot Room takes another look at the housing shortage with Carolyn Whitzman, a PhD in urban planning and author of, Home Truths: Fixing Canada's Housing Crisis. 

Foreign actors have been funding crime and democratic corruption in Canada. Jessica Davis of Insight Threat Intelligence explains how the money gets in, what it's used for, and how we can help authorities to stop it. 

Canada's environment commissioner, Jerry DeMarco, rejoins The Hot Room to talk about his audit of the government's Net Zero Accelerator initiative. DeMarco's team found that the government has awarded billions to businesses without requiring any commitment that the money will be spent effectively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a significant cut this week to the number of temporary and permanent immigrants who will be admitted to Canada in the coming years. Peter Mazereeuw speaks to Elizabeth Long, an immigration lawyer and partner at LM Law Group in Toronto, to get her perspective on this shift and what it could mean for immigrants who have already settled in Canada, and those who want to. 

Hill Times columnist Bhagwant Sandhu weighs in on the dispute between Canada and India, and what you need to know about the politics of Indo-Canadian communities.

Hill Times reporter Irem Koca joins The Hot Room to explain the fight over documents that has led to a week-long filibuster in the House of Commons. 

Peter Mazereeuw talks to Health Minister Mark Holland about the launch of HERC, or Health Emergency Readiness Canada, a new organization that will fund pharmaceutial research and manufacturing, and help coordinate the government's response to future pandemics.

Peter Mazereeuw talks with Yaroslav Baran, a Pendulum Group consultant and former chief of staff to a government House leader, about how confidence votes work, and how the big parties will strategize around them in the coming months.

Hill Times columnist David Crane and Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association president Flavio Volpe debate the best way forward for Canada, as China aims to export high-quality, low-price electric vehicles around the world.

Former NDP strategist Karl Bélanger joins The Hot Room to discuss NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's move to withdraw from his party's "supply and confidence" deal with the governing Liberals, and what it means for the months ahead.

Peter Julian, the House leader for the New Democratic Party, speaks with Peter Mazereeuw about the upcoming return of Parliament, the NDP's supply and confidence agreement with the Liberals, and more. 

Senator Ratna Omidvar speaks with Peter Mazereeuw about the problems with Canada's temporary foreign worker program, and how the federal government could make it better for migrant workers and businesses that rely on them.

Peter Mazereeuw talks with Nneka Otogbolu and Leah Sanford of the Foundation for Black Communities about the 100-plus Black charities funded by their organization so far, their call for more Black community members to help them choose new recipients, and more. 

Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Ben Rowswell, the convenor of the Circle for Democratic Solidarity and Canada's last ambassador to Venezuela, about the crisis unfolding in that country. 

Former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps joins The Hot Room to discuss rumours, leaks, and the fortunes of Justin Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland, and Mark Carney. 

Peter Mazereeuw talks with Stephen Saideman, the director of the Canadian Defence and Security Network and Paterson chair in international affairs at Carleton University, about the NATO leaders' summit in Washington; what a Trump presidency would mean for the alliance; Canada's commitment to the two per cent target; and its plan to buy a new batch of attack submarines. 

Senator Raymonde Saint-Germain talks to Peter Mazereeuw about the Senate reforms passed this spring, what will top the Red Chamber's agenda this fall, and gives a warning to the government about its use of omnibus bills. 

Host Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Calgary MP George Chahal about the city's water crisis, the last weeks of the parliamentary session, the life of an MP in the summer, and his advocacy to stop the deportation of Jaskirat Singh Sidhu.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is one of just a few MPs who have seen the unredacted version of a new report on the work foreign governments have done to corrupt Canadian politics. She joins The Hot Room to tell us what she took away from that report, and what needs to change. 

McGill University's Daniel Béland joins The Hot Room to explain what Quebecers make of the federal parties vying for power, and why.  

Host Peter Mazereeuw interviews Lynette Ong, an expert on power and authoritarianism in China at the University of Toronto. Ong explains how and why China's government tries to shape political outcomes in other countries, and what Canada and its political parties can do to protect themselves.

NDP MP Charlie Angus is preparing to wrap up a 20-year career in federal politics. He joined The Hot Room to talk about his career, why he's not running for re-election, and the state of Canadian politics in 2024. 

Chris Aylward, the leader of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, joins The Hot Room to talk about the government's plan to require civil servants to spend more time working from the office, and how his union plans to push back this summer.

MP Scott Reid joins the The Hot Room to talk about his proposal to stop governments from changing the rules of the House of Commons without consent from the opposing parties.

Kathleen Ross, a family doctor and the president of the Canadian Medical Association, speaks with Peter Mazereeuw about the changes that could set Canada's ailing family medicine systems back on track. 

Former health minister Jane Philpott comes on the podcast to talk about how to fix Canada's ailing primary health systems, and her new book, "Health for all: A doctor's prescription for a healthier Canada."

Canada's political parties are fighting a court battle to avoid federal privacy laws—and the government is taking their side. Hill Times reporter Ian Campbell joins host Peter Mazereeuw to explain why and how.

Justice Minister Arif Virani joins The Hot Room to talk about his controversial bill to crack down on online hate speech, 'revenge porn', and more.  

Host Peter Mazereeuw talks to Arthur Milnes about his years working with late former prime minister Brian Mulroney. 

The Haida Nation's governing council will soon get legal recognition from the federal government. It's on its way to settling the nation's land claims. Gaagwiis, the president of the Haida Nation, joins the Hot Room to talk about the Haida, and what legal self-governance means for their future. 

Peter Mazereeuw takes you through a four-minute preview of the week to come in Canadian politics, including Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly's visit to the Middle East.