Each week, the Maclean’s Ottawa bureau sits down with Cormac Mac Sweeney to discuss the headlines of the week. This week, a broken Promise. The Trudeau government has abandoned its commitment to change Canada’s voting system before the next election. The decision has outraged the opposition, but here to defend the move is the new Democratic Institutions Minister, Karina Gould.

In the wake of the massacre at a Quebec mosque, which left six people dead, there is now a spotlight on a growing problem in Canada: far-right extremism. We speak with expert Stephanie Carvin about the difficulties security agencies face in dealing with the far right, and the likelihood of further attacks.

We may be getting closer and closer to that first meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump. Former Canadian diplomat Colin Robertson joins us to discuss what Trump wants from NAFTA renegotiations, and how Trudeau has to walk a fine line with any criticism of an unpredictable president.

Finally, Cormac is joined by Maclean’s associate editor Shannon Proudfoot, who discusses controversy in the Conservative leadership race around gun ranges and resignations—and presents her weekly Ottawa Power Rankings.

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The full episode

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Part 1. Trudeau abandons electoral reform

The Trudeau government has abandoned its commitment to change Canada’s voting system before the next election. The decision has outraged the opposition, but here to defend the move is the new Democratic Institutions Minister, Karina Gould.

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Part 2. Canada’s problem with far-right extremism

In the wake of the massacre at a Quebec mosque, which left six people dead, there is now a spotlight on a growing problem in Canada: far-right extremism. We speak with expert Stephanie Carvin about the difficulties security agencies face in dealing with the far right, and the likelihood of further attacks.

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Part 3. On Canada-U.S. relations, a delicate balance

We may be getting closer and closer to that first meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump. Former Canadian diplomat Colin Robertson joins us to discuss what Trump wants from NAFTA renegotiations, and how Trudeau has to walk a fine line with any criticism of an unpredictable president.

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Part 4. Shannon Proudfoot’s Ottawa Power Rankings

Cormac is joined by Maclean’s associate editor Shannon Proudfoot, who discusses controversy in the Conservative leadership race around gun ranges and resignations—and presents her weekly Ottawa Power Rankings.

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