Each week, the Maclean’s Ottawa bureau sits down with Cormac Mac Sweeney to discuss the headlines of the week. This week, it’s official. The government’s assisted dying legislation will not become law before the Supreme Court deadline of June 6. The bill will head to a Senate committee, but the upper chamber has adjourned until June 7, a day after the deadline. Health Minister Jane Philpott joins the podcast to talk over the political fallout, and Cormac runs down the implications for doctors and patients with the president of the Canadian Medical Association.

It has been a big week for one MP. New Democrat Nathan Cullen first celebrated a parliamentary victory when the government gave in to his demands on the makeup of a committee set to study electoral reform. On June 3, Cullen announced he would not seek the NDP leadership—even though he was seen as a front-runner. Cullen joins the podcast to talk through a hectic week in his political life.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn’t the only member of his family in the spotlight. This week’s Maclean’s cover story profiles his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. We speak with Maclean’s senior writer Anne Kingston about the role of the Prime Minister’s spouse—and what Grégoire Trudeau means for politics and feminism.

For the first time ever, the pride flag was raised on Parliament Hill, recognizing Canada’s LGBTQ communities. Cormac chats about that milestone with Treasury Board President Scott Brison, Canada’s first openly gay cabinet minister.

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The full episode

Part 1. Parliament misses a court-imposed deadline

It’s official. The government’s assisted dying legislation will not become law before the Supreme Court deadline of June 6. The bill will head to a Senate committee, but the upper chamber has adjourned until June 7, a day after the deadline. Health Minister Jane Philpott joins the podcast to talk over the political fallout, and Cormac Mac Sweeney runs down the implications for doctors and patients with the president of the Canadian Medical Association.

Part 2. Nathan Cullen declines to run for NDP leader

It has been a big week for one MP. New Democrat Nathan Cullen first celebrated a parliamentary victory when the government gave in to his demands on the makeup of a committee set to study electoral reform. On June 3, Cullen announced he would not seek the NDP leadership—even though he was seen as a front-runner. Cullen joins the podcast to talk through a hectic week in his political life.

Part 3. What Sophie Grégoire Trudeau means for politics and feminism

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau isn’t the only member of his family in the spotlight. This week’s Maclean’s cover story profiles his wife, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. We speak with Maclean’s senior writer Anne Kingston about the role of the Prime Minister’s spouse—and what Grégoire Trudeau means for politics and feminism.

Part 4. A rainbow soars over Parliament Hill

For the first time ever, the pride flag was raised on Parliament Hill, recognizing Canada’s LGBTQ communities. Cormac chats about that milestone with Treasury Board President Scott Brison, Canada’s first openly gay cabinet minister.

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