In this episode of On The Line, host Matt Gurney is joined by Stephanie Levitz of The Globe and Mail’s parliamentary bureau to tackle four big questions about life in Ottawa under prime minister Mark Carney.
This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx. We’ve been partnering with federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit BioCanRx to learn how made-in-Canada immunotherapies offer new ways to beat cancer. This September we’re focusing on the “made-in-Canada” part.
Unlike other G7 nations, Canada lacks an anchor company and patient capital with pockets deep enough to pay for the lengthy process of bringing drugs to the Canadian market. Not for profits like BioCanRx are stepping in, but if the government decides to inject funding into the pipeline, how can we be sure money is going to projects with a real chance to succeed? Performance monitoring is essential, because if you’re going to fail it’s better to do it quickly. BioCanRx checks on all its funded projects every six months. Advised by a group of international experts, project milestones are tracked and, if necessary, funds can be cut.
Government departments won’t have the technical expertise to scrutinize researchers that closely, but by leveraging partners with the necessary expertise they could make sure taxpayer dollars are being invested wisely. Thanks to BioCanRx for continuing to help us tell this story. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.
First: what is Carney actually doing? Matt and Stephanie look at both his day-to-day activities and the larger mission taking shape around his government. They also dig into the legislative agenda now before the House of Commons, including major economic legislation the government has made a centrepiece of the fall sitting. Can Carney get it done? The opposition may not be able to stop him — but what about divisions within the Liberal caucus?
This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Every budget season brings endless ideas for how Ottawa should spend. But some of the best ways to strengthen Canada’s economy don’t require a massive price tag.
For Canada’s forest products sector, real growth starts with dismantling made-in-Canada barriers: cutting regulatory duplication, fixing supply chain bottlenecks, securing predictable, cost-competitive access to fibre, and creating more certainty for investment.
We can’t control every global challenge facing our industry, but we can remove the barriers created right here at home.
Discover how smarter policy drives economic growth at FPAC.ca.
Next: what has happened to Parliament itself? After the strange final stretch of the Trudeau era, there’s a new boss in town. Dress codes have changed. The workers are back in their cubicles and there are traffic jams again. And the opposition is still figuring out how to respond (we assume). Who is going to hold Carney accountable when the inevitable screw-ups happen? And why might the answer be … Quebec?
This episode is also brought to you by Cardus. For years, Ayaan Hirsi Ali was one of the most famous atheists in the world. Then she converted to Christianity. Now she argues that faith is the key to renewing Western civilization. Hear her make the case live in Calgary, October 8th, at the 2026 Ian Shugart Lecture, hosted by the think tank Cardus. Get your tickets at Cardus.ca/ayaan.
Finally, a vibe check. What does Parliament Hill actually feel like these days compared with recent years? Stephanie jokes that she and her colleagues are all having to learn an entirely new line of reporting.
They’re all business journalists now.
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