‘Don’t waste patriotism’: former top public servant Alex Himelfarb
September 11, 2026
Political insiders and policy experts weigh in on the biggest stories in Canadian politics every week. The Hill Times' reporters take you behind the curtain, and reveal details that didn't make it into the final version of their latest stories.
The Hill Times Hotroom is hosted and edited by deputy editor Peter Mazereeuw. The show is a Hill Times production. Art was created by senior online and graphic designer Joey Sabourin. Music attribution: Gavin Gardiner.
Host Peter Mazereeuw walks you through the flurry of legal changes passed by Parliament in June and the political maneuvering that made it happen in this six-minute mini-pod.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with David Fraser, an expert in internet and privacy law at McInnes Cooper, about Minister Marc Miller’s new bill to restrict social media access and content, the Safe Social Media Act.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Senator Marilou McPhedran, who was at the centre of a controversy over documents she used to try and help Afghan women flee the Taliban in 2021—documents the government later said were false. Senate Ethics Officer James O’Reilly cleared McPhedran of wrongdoing in a report issued June 1.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Monte Solberg, a former Alberta MP and federal minister, about the Alberta independence movement, why he thinks Albertans should vote to reject a referendum on separation, and what role Prime Minister Mark Carney should play in the campaign to remain.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Auditor General Karen Hogan about the costs, risks and rewards of the government’s move to scrap the disastrous Phoenix pay system for public servants and adopt an even more ambitious new system in its place.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with World Wildlife Fund Canada president and former NDP MP Megan Leslie about the government’s new plan to conserve land and water, and the sluggish progress towards Canada’s target of protecting 30 per cent of both by the year 2030.
Sheila Copps joins The Hot Room to talk about the new Liberal majority government, questions about its legitimacy, and how it could change the dynamic on the Hill for Prime Minister Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
Peter Mazereeuw talks with political science professor Alex Marland about MPs crossing the floor to join the Liberal Party, the fate of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and Liberal Party indifference to Mark Carney’s small-c conservative policies.
Marland holds the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Acadia University, and has written books about party discipline and loyalty in Canadian politics.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with David Fraser, a technology and privacy lawyer with McInnes Cooper, about government bill C-22, which proposes new powers for police and intelligence officers to access Canadians’ electronic data and tap into their devices.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with senator and former judge Pierre Dalphond about the government’s bill to toughen up criminal bail and sentencing rules.
Peter Mazereeuw tackles the hot topic of immigration fraud, a problem that has spurred the government to introduce controversial changes in law, and the opposition to demand more. He speaks to Ravi Jain, an immigration lawyer who makes the case that immigration consultants are the root of the problem, and Dory Jade, a spokesperson for professional immigration consultants who defends his peers, and highlights the trouble caused by unlicensed practioners.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Jocelyne Bourgon, a former clerk of the Privy Council who served as Jean Chrétien’s right hand. They discuss Canada’s move away from the United States, national unity, public service cuts, and Bourgon’s new book, A Public Servant’s Voice: Through the Words of the First Woman Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada.
Peter Mazereeuw interviews Valeriy Kostyuk, the executive director of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, about his work raising donations and sending everything from power generators to surgical teams into Ukraine as it tries to fight off the Russian invasion.
Mark Norman, formerly Canada’s second-highest ranking military officer, weighs in on the government’s new plan to build up Canada’s defence industry.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Mireille Lalancette (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières) and Éric Bélanger (McGill University), the co-holders of the Quebec Research Chair on Democracy, Living Together and Common Values, about the rise in support for the provincial Parti Québécois, which has promised another referendum on leaving Canada.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps about Mark Carney’s big speech at Davos, China, Trump and Greenland, a 2026 election, floor crossing, and more.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with comedian Mark Critch about Donald Trump, comedy in dark times, Canadian culture, and his new book, Sorry, not sorry: An unapologetic look at what makes Canada worth fighting for.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Marlo Glass, The Hill Times’ public service reporter, about the Carney government’s plan to downsize the public service.
Abacus Data CEO David Coletto joins The Hot Room to share what his latest polls say about public support for each party, why Pierre Poilievre is the “definition of polarizing”, which party stands to gain or lose from an election, and more.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Northwest Territories Deputy Premier Caroline Wawzonek about her quest to get federal support to build the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which would connect southern roadways to the far North.
Peter Mazereeuw speaks with Liberal strategist and Pollara CSO Dan Arnold about the spate of upcoming byelections, why they matter, and how the parties will try to win.
