Governor General Julie Payette delivered the Throne Speech and to Canada's collective relief it didn't mention spaceships. It did, however, promise quite the ambitious agenda. Director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and political science professor Daniél Beland joins The Hot Room to parse through the rhetoric and tell us what to expect in Canadian politics going forward. 

Testing centres across the country, and especially in Ottawa, are filling up, with some wait times over six hours. Professor David Juncker, chair of the Biomedical Engineering Department at McGill University, joins The Hot Room to talk rapid saliva tests for COVID-19 and how they could help ahead of a vaccine. 

Christopher Ragan, director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University, joins The Hot Room to take us through Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem's speech on the Bank's role in the economic recovery. 

Rose LeMay is the CEO of the Indigenous Reconciliation Group, a twice-monthly Hill Times columnist, and member of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation in northern British Columbia. She joins The Hot Room to discuss protestors toppling a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Montreal, two residential schools being designated as national historic sites, and the Liberal track record on reconciliation. 

Erin O'Toole takes over as leader of the Conservative Party during a worldwide pandemic with a prorogued parliament and a general election lurking in the shadows of West Block. 

How did we get here, and where do we go next? Tim Powers is vice-president of Summa Strategies, managing director of Abacus Data, a Hill Times columnist, joins The Hot Room to discuss all things Conservative leadership. 

Tariffs are back! U.S. President Donald Trump slapped aluminum tariffs on Canada again. Trade lawyer Matthew Kronby joins The Hot Room to talk about the economic impact, Canada's ability to respond, and how the looming U.S. election could affect it all. 

Carleton University Professor Jonathan Malloy joins the Hot Room to talk Bill Morneau's departure, Chrystia Freeland as the new Finance Minister, and internal power dynamics within Cabinet. Sorry to all Dominic LeBlanc fans.

York University professor Steven Hoffman, one of Canada's leading experts on public health, joins The Hot Room to evaluate Canada's COVID response to date - and where we go from here. 

Music by Kevin MacLeod 

"Acid Trumpet" and "Faster Does It"

Former lieutenant general and Liberal MP Andrew Leslie joins to talk about Canadian foreign policy ahead of the U.S. election. Hill Times reporter Neil Moss takes us through a story he wrote on a new parliamentary process for trade deals. 

Music by Kevin MacLeod 

"Acid Trumpet" and "Faster Does it" 

Nik Nanos joins the pod to talk about how the WE scandal could affect Canadians' attitudes toward the Liberal Party and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as more details continue to emerge. In the second half, Hill Times deputy editor Laura Ryckewaert talks about a survey she conducted on political staff diversity. 

Music by Kevin MacLeod

"Faster Does It" and "Acid Trumpet"

Senator Gwen Bonfiace, former head of the OPP, talks police reform in Canada, her experience with the Ipperwash Inquiry, and more. 

Host Peter Mazereeuw returns from vacation to talk with reporter Aidan Chamandy about the new contact-tracing app. Chris Sands, head of the Wilson Center's Canada Institute, also joins The Hot Room to talk about Canada-U.S. trade tensions and the USMCA. 

Paul Heinbecker, former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, joins The Hot Room to talk about Canada's unsuccessful campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council. Hill Times managing editor Charelle Evelyn also joins to talk about her recent story on Black public servants pushing back against racism in the federal public service.

Former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page joins the podcast to talk about the government's unprecedented spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Hill Times reporter Mike Lapointe digs into his latest story on a lack of diversity in the Parliament Press Gallery.