Two years ago bombshell allegations emerged suggesting foreign actors were succeeding in influencing Canadian electoral contests and Canadian parliamentarians.

Media reports suggested the Liberal government hadn’t done enough to warn the public or even MPs about the matter, and a political debate emerged about how best to get to the bottom of it.

After a series of false starts, it was Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josée Hogue who was appointed to investigate and weigh in with findings and recommendations.

Tuesday, Hogue issued her final report.

While Hogue left some questions answered, she came to a very different finding on a key matter involving foreign interference and parliamentarians.

This week on “It’s Political,” we unpack what we learned from Hogue’s report and what it says about where foreign interference threats now lie.

Then NDP MP Charlie Angus joins us to discuss what he see as the next and most concerning phase of foreign interference. Hint: it’s at your fingertips.

In this episode: The Center for International Governance Innovation’s senior fellow Wesley Wark, Timmins—James Bay NDP MP Charlie Angus, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Public Safety Minister David McGuinty. Hosted by Althia Raj.

Some of the clips this week were sourced from CPAC, CBC, Global, ABC and CTV.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

The 2025 political landscape is looking very different than it did just a few weeks ago.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pending resignation, the prorogation of Parliament, and the sudden Liberal leadership race has offered the Grits a new lifeline.

U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to hit Canada with 25 per cent tariffs on Feb. 1 also offers the political parties another chance at reframing themselves and what they want the ballot question to be at the next election, whether that’s in eight weeks or eight months.

This week on “It’s Political,” former Conservative party campaign director Fred DeLorey, former Prime Minister's Office head of policy and cabinet affairs Marci Surkes and former NDP press secretary Allison Gifford join Althia to talk about the shifting landscape and what it means for the major players.

But first, Future Borders Coalition’s Laura Dawson explains what Trump’s latest threats could mean for Canada, and how best to brace for the impact.

In this episode: Compass Rose Group chief strategy officer and former senior advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Marci Surkes; NorthStar Public Affairs chair Fred DeLorey; Clear Strategy vice-president of public policy Allison Gifford; and Future Borders Coalition executive director Laura Dawson. Hosted by Althia Raj.

Some of the clips this week were sourced from CPAC, CP24 and the White House.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

It’s been an eventful year in Canadian politics — from Chrystia Freeland’s bombshell resignation, to allegations of foreign interference involving Parliamentarians, to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s upcoming return to the White House.

As 2024 draws to a close, the Star’s Ottawa bureau takes your questions and looks back on the year that was and what we can expect in 2025.

In this episode: Ottawa bureau reporters Raisa Patel, Ryan Tumilty, and Mark Ramzy. Hosted by Althia Raj.

Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, CP24, the Canadian Press, and CBC.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

United States President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House is renewing pressure on Canada to focus more on defense spending and border security.

In February, Trump warned NATO members that if they didn’t pay their fair share — spending 2 per cent of their country’s GDP on their military — they should not assume the U.S. would leap to their defence.

In July, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada would meet the 2 per cent target, but only in 2032.

The Liberals have invested billions to update the Canadian Armed Forces, but decades of underinvestment have led to serious capability gaps.

This week, on “It’s Political,” we take a look at the state of the Canadian Armed Forces and ask how prepared Canada is for the threats we face.

First, we’ll hear from experts: Canadian Army Commander Lieutenant-General Michael Wright, Carleton University Associate Professor Philippe Lagassé, University of Calgary Associate Professor Rob Huebert, Observatory on Politics and Security in the Arctic Director Mathieu Landriault, Canadian Global Affairs Institute President David Perry, Royal Military College of Canada Professor Jane Boulden, and retired Royal Canadian Air Force brigadier general Kevin Whale.

Then, Althia will sit down with National Defence Minister Bill Blair.

Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, the Halifax International Security Forum, the CBC, CTV, Global, NBC and ABC.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

The House of Commons is in gridlock. Government bills and private members’ legislation have stalled. The Senate is running out of government matters to study.

Parliament is paralyzed by a Conservative filibuster that started in late September.

The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Green Party accuse the Tories of hijacking the Commons for their own parliamentary games.

The Conservatives say they are filibustering their own motion — tabling one sub-amendment after another — to pressure the Liberals to turn over documents to the RCMP.

The documents were requested by parliamentarians months ago — but the Liberals have ignored the demand, refusing to hand all the records over in unredacted form.

The Conservatives accuse the government of trying to hide evidence of Liberal corruption involving millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money.

Who’s telling the truth?

This week on “It’s Political,” we turn our attention to the Conservative filibuster and the allegations at the heart of the standoff in Parliament.

First, we’ll dig into the substance of the request for documents with Toronto Star Ottawa bureau reporter Mark Ramzy.

Then our panel of experts – former PMO senior director Marci Surkes, former senior Conservative communication adviser Yaroslav Baran and former NDP MP Matthew Dubé – will join Althia to discuss the political strategies at play, and what it will take to finally end the standoff.

• 6:08 — Mark Ramzy outlines the substance behind the filibuster
• 18:18 — Political panel discusses the parties’ political strategies around the filibuster.

In this episode: Toronto Star reporter Mark Ramzy, Compass Rose Group chief strategy officer and former senior advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Marci Surkes; Pendulum Group Co-founder and former senior Conservative advisor Yaroslav Baran; and Proof Strategies vice-president and former NDP MP Matthew Dubé. Hosted by Althia Raj.

Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, CPAC, the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery, and the National Post.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

Donald Trump will be president of the United States for a second time. Trump’s decisive victory Tuesday plunges the U.S., the world and Canada into uncharted territory. The president-elect pledged to deport American residents, slap tariffs on imported goods, and renegotiate a crucial trade deal with Canada and Mexico.

Not only are Canada and the U.S. each other’s largest trading partner with $3.6 billion worth of goods and services crossing the border each day, but millions of jobs also rely on that two-way trade and investment.

This week on “It’s Political” we’ll take a look at the Canada-United States-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA) or as it is called in the United States, the U.S.M.C.A., and the trade irritants that have popped up since the deal came into effect four years ago.

Automotive Parts Manufacturers'​ Association President Flavio Volpe, Ontario Independent Senator and former president of the Canadian Labour Congress Hassan Yussuff, Canadian Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Strategic Policy and Global Partnerships Catherine Fortin LeFaivre, International Trade Lawyer and McMillan Partner William Pellerin, and Future Borders Coalition Executive Director Laura Dawson will join us.

But we’ll begin with the first of a two-part discussion about the impact of Trump’s election on geopolitics, lessons learned from the last round of trade negotiations, and how Canadians political parties can prepare with Canada’s former ambassador to the U.S. David MacNaughton and prime minister Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary and Eurasia Group Vice Chairman Gerald Butts.

• 5:24 -- MacNaughton and Butts part 1
• 25:00 -- Mini-documentary on CUSMA and trade irritants
• 48:40 -- MacNaughton and Butts part 2

Some of the clips this week were sourced from the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery, CPAC, Global, Fox, Bloomberg, CTV, CBC, C-SPAN, and CP24.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Kevin Sexton and host Althia Raj. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faced down more than two dozen MPs this week who suggested he should take time to contemplate his leadership and many who told him to his face that for the good of the Liberal party, and its upcoming electoral chances, he should resign.

Trudeau was adamant, however, that he feels he is the best person to lead the Grits and Thursday he suggested he wasn’t going anywhere.

In this episode of “It’s Political,” we’ll unpack what happened at the Liberals’ three-hour caucus meeting and what it means for Trudeau’s future and his vocal dissenters.

Then, we’ll take a look at interference of another kind: foreign interference. The Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions wrapped its public hearings this week. We’ll look at what the Commission heard, and how it’s been politicized and what to make of last week’s bombshell announcement by the RCMP involving India’s top diplomats in Canada.

In this episode: Toronto Star Bureau Chief Tonda MacCharles, Toronto Star National Columnist Susan Delacourt, Centre for International Governance Innovation Senior Fellow Wesley Wark, Carleton University Associate Professor Stephanie Carvin, Conservative MP Michael Chong’s Commission Counsel Fraser Harland. Hosted by Althia Raj.

Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery, CPAC, as well as the CBC, CTV, and CP24.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Kevin Sexton and Althia Raj. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

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Immigration has become a hot political issue with politicians — federally and provincially — and Canadians are telling pollsters what they’re feeling: there are just too many people coming into the country, and resources are being squeezed.

In this episode of “It’s Political,” we’ll take a look at what’s happened on the immigration front, how the federal government is trying to reduce the number of temporary residents — now sitting at three million — and the challenges that lie ahead with Toronto Star immigration reporter Nicholas Keung.

Then, we’ll sit down with Scotiabank vice president Rebekah Young, Waterloo University’s Mikal Skuterud, and UBC emeritus professor Dan Hiebert to get their thoughts on what policy makers need to consider, what the number of new immigrants should be, and what to watch for next month when Immigration Minister Marc Miller lays out the government’s three-year plan for permanent and temporary migration numbers.

Some of the clips this week were sourced from the House of Commons, the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery, CPAC, as well as the CBC, CTV, Global, PBS, CityTV, the Western Standard, True North, the Tyee, the Globe and Mail, The Montreal Gazette, the podcast Uncommons with Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, and the Alberta Government.

In this episode: Scotia Bank Vice President and head of Inclusion and Resilience Economics Rebekah Young, University of Waterloo Economics Professor Mikal Skuterud, University of British Columbia Geography professor emeritus Daniel Hiebert, Toronto Star Immigration reporter Nicholas Keung, as well as the voices of political leaders such as Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, Conservative MP Ryan Williams, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, Quebec Premier François Legault, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller, federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Hosted by Althia Raj.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Kevin Sexton. And Althia Raj. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.