Playbook Canada

Latest Episodes:

Election vibe check | Steven MacKinnon Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

Election vibes are back on Parliament Hill as Prime Minister Mark Carney rides a post-Davos bump and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre prepares for a critical leadership review. Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon joins Playbook Canada to discuss playing nice in the House, election speculation and floor crossers.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Carney’s global test | Philippe J. Fournier Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

At Davos, Mark Carney laid out Canada’s place in a volatile world. Playbook Canada examines the political moment at home and what comes next as MPs head back to the Hill. Then, forecaster Philippe J. Fournier, founder of 338Canada, joins the show to give his predictions, including whether there will be an election in 2026.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Carney looks east, Trump looks north | Paul Wells Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

As Mark Carney heads to China and Donald Trump talks tough about Greenland, Canada’s place in a shifting world order feels constantly fragile. Veteran columnist Paul Wells and POLITICO’s China and Indo-Pacific affairs correspondent Phelim Kine join Playbook Canada to unpack what’s at stake — and how closely Washington and Beijing are watching.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

Phelim Kine is POLITICO’s China and Indo-Pacific affairs correspondent

⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Pipelines 'north, south, east and west' | Danielle Smith Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

Another floor-crosser brings Mark Carney within one vote of a majority, leaving Pierre Poilievre scrambling for a defense as questions mount about his grip on the Conservative caucus. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith joins the Playbook Canada podcast to talk pipelines “north, south, east and west” and her relationship with Carney and the broader Conservative moment. Plus, Mickey shares details from a rare interview with Kevin Brosseau, Carney’s fentanyl czar, on what Trump gets right about fentanyl and how Ottawa is responding.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Trump’s man in Ottawa takes questions | Pete Hoekstra Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

Parliament may be heading into winter break, but a wave of ambassadorial openings in Washington, London and Brussels could upend the fragile political math for Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority government. Nick and Mickey also track Steven Guilbeault’s decision to break with Liberal policy — while sticking around as a Liberal MP; the Conservatives’ recent momentum; and interview U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Marc Miller tests Carney’s rules | R.J. Simpson Dec 04, 2025

Show notes

Mark Carney battles pipeline fallout and adds a new and potentially disruptive face to his Cabinet: Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller. Then, Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson joins the Playbook Canada podcast.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Will Ottawa and Alberta call a truce? | Ryan Jespersen Nov 27, 2025

Show notes

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have come up with an energy deal that could reshape the relationship between Alberta and Ottawa. Playbook’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric break down what’s really driving their tentative alliance — and whether it marks the dawn of a new era in Canadian politics.

Meanwhile, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has brought in Steve Outhouse to replace longtime campaign chief Jenni Byrne, raising fresh questions about the direction Poilievre is headed next. And political analyst and podcast virtuoso Ryan Jespersen joins for a 200-second interview.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Carney abroad, Trump on the back foot | Jamil Jivani Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

As Mark Carney takes his tenth trip to enlist “reliable partners” in the trade war and to ease Canada’s reliance on the United States, Donald Trump is feeling the burn from political setbacks across the border. POLITICO’s Mickey Djuric and guest co-host Jack Blanchard, from Playbook Washington, D.C., break down how Carney’s personal rapport with Trump may be a big advantage when tariffs are back on the table — and why a bipartisan revolt in Congress could be evidence that Trump's power is slipping.

Back in Ottawa, the show dissects Carney’s razor-thin budget win, the NDP’s visible caucus tensions, Conservative unrest around would-be floor-crosser Matt Jeneroux, and what the vote revealed about all parties’ election readiness. And in this week’s 200-second interview, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani discusses DEI, surviving cancer, and Bud Light.

⁠⁠Mickey Djuric⁠⁠ is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Jack Blanchard⁠is Playbook's managing editor in Washington, D.C.

⁠⁠⁠Alex Keeney⁠⁠⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠⁠⁠Steve Bone⁠⁠⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Carney’s hinge moment | Elizabeth May Nov 13, 2025

Show notes

Prime Minister Mark Carney enters a make-or-break confidence vote on Monday still short of support, all while projecting confidence and bypassing the U.N. COP climate summit. On this episode of the Playbook Canada podcast, co-hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric dive into the budget math in the House, Carney’s climate calculations and Privy Council Clerk Michael Sabia’s pending shake-up of deputy ministers. Elizabeth May drops in for a 200-second interview about the Green Party’s leverage — and what Canada loses when its prime minister skips global climate talks.

⁠Nick Taylor-Vaisey⁠ is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Mickey Djuric⁠ is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠⁠Alex Keeney⁠⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠⁠Steve Bone⁠⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

Budget, betrayal and bird flu | François-Philippe Champagne Nov 06, 2025

Show notes

Ottawa is abuzz after Conservative MP Chris d'Entremont crossed the floor Tuesday — and suddenly an outright majority for Prime Minister Mark Carney looks within reach. On this week's show, hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric break down the latest from Ottawa and beyond, including Carney’s efforts to recruit more floor-crossers; the next chapter in British Columbia’s ostrich saga; and a very special 200-second interview with Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne.

Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter

⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer

⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

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