Trump quits the Paris accord: 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, President Donald Trump is pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, dismissing it as draconian. The move has received worldwide condemnation, including from the Trudeau government. To offer her reaction, and tell us what Canada should do to offset a U.S. pull-out, is Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. Will the U.S. back-out make Canada competitively disadvantaged? We find out from McGill University economist Christopher Ragan. Another major week in B.C. politics went down; the Green Party agreed to a deal to support a minority NDP government. The agreement should effectively oust Premier Christy Clark following a squeaker of an election, and puts the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion at risk. Green leader Andrew Weaver explains his decision—and how he hopes to block the contentious project. Week one on the job for newly minted Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is complete. Scheer campaign chair and former MP Chuck Strahl talks about the new leader’s surprising win, his first days on the job, and the challenges ahead. Did the Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band help some Indigenous people in Canada reconnect with their culture? We have that interview to end our show on the 50th anniversary of the release of that classic album. Subscribe on iTunes today or play below.

The full episode

Part 1. Donald Trump pulls out of the Paris accord

President Donald Trump is pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord, dismissing it as draconian. The move has received worldwide condemnation, including from the Trudeau government. To offer her reaction, and tell us what Canada should do to offset a U.S. pull-out, is Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. Will the U.S. back-out make Canada competitively disadvantaged? We find out from McGill University economist Christopher Ragan.

Part 2. What does Trump’s Paris policy mean for Canada?

Another major week in B.C. politics went down; the Green Party agreed to a deal to support a minority NDP government. The agreement should effectively oust Premier Christy Clark following a squeaker of an election, and puts the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion at risk. Green leader Andrew Weaver explains his decision—and how he hopes to block the contentious project.

Part 3. Andrew Scheer’s first days as Tory leader

Week one on the job for newly minted Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is complete. Scheer campaign chair and former MP Chuck Strahl talks about the new leader’s surprising win, his first days on the job, and the challenges ahead.

Part 4. How The Beatles shaped Indigenous culture in Canada

Did the Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band help some Indigenous people in Canada reconnect with their culture? We have that interview to end our show on the 50th anniversary of the release of that classic album.

Download this podcast.