The Liberal leadership race is heating up, and former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland has now thrown her hat in the ring. Freeland is a powerful figure in Canadian politics, a former journalist who went on to become one of the Prime Minister’s most loyal cabinet members — until her surprise resignation in December. Today on the program, as Freeland campaigns to win the Liberal leadership, and thus the top job in the country, we take a closer look at her life and its controversies with the author of a recent biography.

Catherine Tsalikis is a Toronto journalist who covers foreign policy, politics, and gender. She’s the author of Chrystia: From Peace River to Parliament Hill.

You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

This week on the Lean Out podcast, we continue our coverage of a chaotic time in Canadian politics. As many of you know, in the wake of Justin Trudeau’s resignation, the Prime Minister asked our Governor General to prorogue Parliament until March 24, as the Liberal Party conducts its leadership race. This move has sparked a legal challenge, and over the weekend a judge agreed to expediate the court’s hearing. Our guest on the program today is a Canadian lawyer and bestselling author who has insights to share on this issue.

Christine Van Geyn is litigation director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, and the host of the TV show, Canadian Justice.

This episode mentions the WE Charity scandal. You can read background on that her

You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com

If you follow Canadian politics — and even if you don’t — you probably know that we are in a historic moment in this country. Just over a week ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that he would be resigning as leader of the Liberal Party and intended to step down as prime minister as soon as a new leader was in place. Parliament is now prorogued until March 24, at a time of heightened tensions with the United States. Our guest on the podcast today is a veteran Canadian journalist. She returns to the show to unpack all of the mind-boggling developments.

Jen Gerson is co-founder and co-editor of The Line, a popular Canadian commentary platform.

You can find Tara Henley on Twitter at @TaraRHenley, and on Substack at tarahenley.substack.com