Parliament rises for the summer: Maclean’s on the Hill

Each week, the Maclean’s Ottawa bureau sits down with Cormac Mac Sweeney to discuss the headlines of the week. This week, the spring sitting of Parliament is complete after five months of debating bills, arguing among MPs, the Official Opposition picking a new leader, and some clashing between the Senate and the House of Commons. We kick off our show with a special Maclean’s panel that recalls the highlights and lowlights of the spring. Canada’s mission in Latvia is now underway, with NATO troops amassing in Eastern Europe to send a message to Russia. Maclean’s senior writer Paul Wells has arrived back from a trip to Canada’s base in the Baltics. We’ll hear from him as well as some clips from his interviews with Canada’s chief of defence staff, and the secretary-general of NATO. About a year before marijuana becomes legal in Canada, a group of Canadian medical associations have released new guidelines for users and doctors to lower the risk of cannabis use. The lead author of the guidelines, Dr. Benedikt Fischer, tells us which consumption methods people should avoid—and how long users should wait before getting behind the wheel of a car. The Trudeau government marked National Aboriginal Day this year by dedicating a new building to our Indigenous peoples. But not everyone is pleased. We speak with an Indigenous architect who says the old U.S. Embassy building is a bad choice. Subscribe on iTunes today or play below.

The full episode

Part 1. Parliament rises for the summer

The spring sitting of Parliament is complete after five months of debating bills, arguing among MPs, the Official Opposition picking a new leader, and some clashing between the Senate and the House of Commons. We kick off our show with a special Maclean’s panel that recalls the highlights and lowlights of the spring.

Part 2. What’s Canada doing in Latvia?

Canada’s mission in Latvia is now underway, with NATO troops amassing in Eastern Europe to send a message to Russia. Maclean’s senior writer Paul Wells has arrived back from a trip to Canada’s base in the Baltics. We’ll hear from him as well as some clips from his interviews with Canada’s chief of defence staff, and the secretary-general of NATO.

Part 3. Doctors set new pot guidelines

About a year before marijuana becomes legal in Canada, a group of Canadian medical associations have released new guidelines for users and doctors to lower the risk of cannabis use. The lead author of the guidelines, Dr. Benedikt Fischer, tells us which consumption methods people should avoid—and how long users should wait before getting behind the wheel of a car.

Part 4. The problem with a new building for Indigenous people

The Trudeau government marked National Aboriginal Day this year by dedicating a new building to our Indigenous peoples. But not everyone is pleased. We speak with an Indigenous architect who says the old U.S. Embassy building is a bad choice.

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