Playing chicken on Parliament Hill

In the world premiere of the Playbook Canada podcast, hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric take you through budget brinkmanship, leadership nervousness and the diplomatic tangle in Canada this week – plus 200 seconds with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand.

With the presentation of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget on Tuesday, the Hill is playing chicken, wondering if Canada is about to head into a Christmas election. Nick and Mickey exchange new reports from Ottawa on who wants to make a deal to pass the budget and who would rather see the government fall.

Then, after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s “despicable” RCMP comments and their fallout, they discuss the Conservative Party’s other leadership options for a race that absolutely will not happen (unless it happens) in the future.

Also in this week’s podcast: Minister Anita Anand shares her next big project after China and India – and why she’s such a dedicated runner.

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