Each week, the Maclean’s Ottawa bureau sits down with Cormac Mac Sweeney to discuss the headlines of the week. This week, the clock started ticking on NAFTA renegotiations. The Trump administration formally gave 90-day notice to launch trade talks with Canada and Mexico. Now that the trigger has been pulled, what is the Trudeau government in for—and how should it handle these critical economic negotiations? We speak with John Weekes, Canada’s chief negotiator during the first NAFTA deal.
Are the federal government and the province of Saskatchewan heading to a legal battle over carbon pricing? Premier Brad Wall called a recently released discussion paper on the carbon pricing plan a ransom note, and threatened a court challenge. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna joins us to say the announcement is not meant as a pressure tactic, and she’s confident the feds are standing on solid constitutional ground.
The Trudeau government is planning to make a formal apology to the LGBTQ2 community by the end of the year. But critics are wondering why it’s taking so long, and where the details are about pardons and compensation. MP Randy Boissonnault, the Prime Minister’s special adviser on LGBTQ2 issues, joins the show to explain the government’s plan.
Finally, we end our show with the Ottawa Power Rankings, which let you know the three political stars—and the three duds—over the last week.
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The full episode
Part 1. What’s next on Canada-U.S. trade?
The clock started ticking on NAFTA renegotiations. The Trump administration formally gave 90-day notice to launch trade talks with Canada and Mexico. Now that the trigger has been pulled, what is the Trudeau government in for—and how should it handle these critical economic negotiations? We speak with John Weekes, Canada’s chief negotiator during the first NAFTA deal.
Part 2. The latest federal-provincial showdown
Are the federal government and the province of Saskatchewan heading to a legal battle over carbon pricing? Premier Brad Wall called a recently released discussion paper on the carbon pricing plan a ransom note, and threatened a court challenge. Environment Minister Catherine McKenna joins us to say the announcement is not meant as a pressure tactic, and she’s confident the feds are standing on solid constitutional ground.
Part 3. When will the government apologize to LGBTQ2 Canadians?
The Trudeau government is planning to make a formal apology to the LGBTQ2 community by the end of the year. But critics are wondering why it’s taking so long, and where the details are about pardons and compensation. MP Randy Boissonnault, the Prime Minister’s special adviser on LGBTQ2 issues, joins the show to explain the government’s plan.
Part 4. Shannon Proudfoot’s Ottawa Power Rankings
We end our show with the Ottawa Power Rankings, which let you know the three political stars—and the three duds—over the last week.