Playbook Canada

Another floor-crosser brings Mark Carney within one vote of a majority, leaving Pierre Poilievre scrambling for a defense as questions mount about his grip on the Conservative caucus. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith joins the Playbook Canada podcast to talk pipelines “north, south, east and west” and her relationship with Carney and the broader Conservative moment. Plus, Mickey shares details from a rare interview with Kevin Brosseau, Carney’s fentanyl czar, on what Trump gets right about fentanyl and how Ottawa is responding.    Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  ⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer  ⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Parliament may be heading into winter break, but a wave of ambassadorial openings in Washington, London and Brussels could upend the fragile political math for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority government. Nick and Mickey also track Steven Guilbeault’s decision to break with Liberal policy — while sticking around as a Liberal MP; the Conservatives’ recent momentum; and interview U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra.  Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  ⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer  ⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Mark Carney battles pipeline fallout and adds a new and potentially disruptive face to his Cabinet: Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller. Then, Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson joins the Playbook Canada podcast. Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  ⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer  ⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have come up with an energy deal that could reshape the relationship between Alberta and Ottawa. Playbook’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric break down what’s really driving their tentative alliance — and whether it marks the dawn of a new era in Canadian politics.  Meanwhile, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has brought in Steve Outhouse to replace longtime campaign chief Jenni Byrne, raising fresh questions about the direction Poilievre is headed next. And political analyst and podcast virtuoso Ryan Jespersen joins for a 200-second interview. Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  ⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer  ⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

As Mark Carney takes his tenth trip to enlist “reliable partners” in the trade war and to ease Canada’s reliance on the United States, Donald Trump is feeling the burn from political setbacks across the border. POLITICO’s Mickey Djuric and guest co-host Jack Blanchard, from Playbook Washington, D.C., break down how Carney’s personal rapport with Trump may be a big advantage when tariffs are back on the table — and why a bipartisan revolt in Congress could be evidence that Trump's power is slipping.   Back in Ottawa, the show dissects Carney’s razor-thin budget win, the NDP’s visible caucus tensions, Conservative unrest around would-be floor-crosser Matt Jeneroux, and what the vote revealed about all parties’ election readiness. And in this week’s 200-second interview, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani discusses DEI, surviving cancer, and Bud Light.  ⁠⁠Mickey Djuric⁠⁠ is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter  ⁠Jack Blanchard⁠ is Playbook's managing editor in Washington, D.C. ⁠⁠⁠Alex Keeney⁠⁠⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer  ⁠⁠⁠Steve Bone⁠⁠⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.