Each week, the Maclean’s Ottawa bureau sits down to discuss the stories behind the week’s stories in our politics podcast, On The Hill.

They also gather in the City TV studios to talk about the stories that matter. This week, the bureau talks about balanced budgets—can a deficit become politically popular?—and the state of the nation’s finances. They also take stock of the election campaign’s first month and what might come next.

THE HEADLINES

• ON BALANCEMulcair promises black ink

• ON DEFICITSTrudeau pitches red ink

• ON CHOICESTry our Policy Face-off Machine

• ON EMAILSHow to ignore your inbox

• ON BOYS CLUBSThe speech Joe Oliver never made

• ON BATTLEGROUNDSTwo boy wonders want Ajax