Eight people are in the running for leadership of the Conservative Party, but only one will emerge victorious and get a chance to become the next Prime Minister of Canada. We're joined by Politico’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Backbench regular Jason Markusoff to introduce our candidates. What's their vision? What have they done? And who’s most likely to flame out publicly?

How Pierre Poilievre cultivated his attack-dog charm. And should we care about what the new CEO of the Toronto Star tweets? Jen Gerson co-hosts.

We dig into the first two chapters of the government’s new budget: housing and economic growth. 

With deals for affordable childcare now in place across the country, we compare what each province got and discuss what this process might reveal for future programs, like pharmacare. And we dive into the good, the bad and the ugly of the government’s Emissions Reductions Plan.

Jagmeet Singh’s Chief of Staff Jennifer Howard was in the room during negotiations for the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence  agreement. She breaks down how politicians can work together, even if looks like they hate each other on TV. 

Short Cuts is off this week, so instead we bring you our latest episode of the best politics show in Canada, The Backbench.

As nations around the world cut off business with Russia, can Canada help fill the international demand for oil and gas? More importantly, should we? And the pandemic caused unprecedented government spending, as well as shifting priorities on everything from work to healthcare. How will that all play out in the upcoming budget?

As escalation between Russia and Ukraine continues, what is Canada’s role in this ever-changing world? And how do conversations we have on the international stage impact our decisions here at home - and vice versa? Canada's UN Ambassador Bob Rae weighs in.

Patrick Brown has had his name cleared - according to an anonymous source. And the media loves a good war story. Karen Geier co-hosts. 

As the war in Ukraine escalates and Canadian leaders head to Europe, we assess the economic and military responses so far. And despite fully grasping the severity of Russian aggression, we want to know: Why does Canada's response to conflict vary so much depending on the country? This week's contributors: Drew Brown, Caroline Elliott, Jaskaran Sandhu