After back-to-back-to-back successes in attracting Conservatives to join his team, Prime Minister Mark Carney has secured a fourth floor-crosser. And this time, it's from the NDP. Are more still to come? The House Party podcast team — Catherine Cullen, Daniel Thibeault and Jason Markusoff — reunite to talk about Carney's ability to lure MPs from all sides of the political spectrum. Then Liberal House Leader Steven MacKinnon defends the floor crossers and hints that more Conservatives may make the leap.

Plus, as the war in the Middle East enters its third week, millions of people are displaced and an energy crisis is brewing. Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg , now Norway's finance minister, joins The House to discuss Prime Minister Carney’s visit to Norway, whether the war in Iran will end up helping Russia, and what middle powers like Canada and Norway can do.

And, after a series of shootings outside Toronto synagogues this week, the Liberal government's controversial hate-crimes bill is back in the spotlight. But there are still deep concerns from civil liberties groups and some religious organizations. Why is that? Host Catherine Cullen breaks down the Combatting Hate Act with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs’ Noah Shack, Anaïs Bussières McNicoll of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and Mustafa Farooq, former CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

This episode features the voices of:

• Daniel Thibeault, parliamentary bureau chief for Radio-Canada and host of Les Coulisses du Pouvoir
• Jason Markusoff, CBC Calgary
• Steven MacKinnon, Liberal House leader
• Jens Stoltenberg, former secretary general of NATO and Norway's finance minister
• Noah Shack, CEO of Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs
• Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
• Mustafa Farooq, former CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims

More than a week has passed since Israel and the United States launched a massive attack on Iran — a move the prime minister says Canada supports "with regret." How does that stance square with the vision Carney laid out in Davos? Former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae weighs in on the Canadian view and shares concerns around how the conflict may end.

Plus, tanker traffic in one of the world's key oil passageways in the Middle East has ground to a halt, leaving some countries calling on Canada to ramp up its energy exports. Liberal MP Corey Hogan, parliamentary secretary to the energy minister, explains what Ottawa is telling these eager nations; then Adam Chambers, the Conservatives' international trade critic, explains his party's vision to meet rising energy demands.

Next, Mark Carney addressed Australia’s parliament this week, reiterating his theory that middle powers must work together as the international rules-based order crumbles around them. Former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull joins The House to discuss how Carney's pitch is being received Down Under and how the two countries can work together in an increasingly uncertain world.

Then, new data shows that almost half of Canadians polled are in favour of their country becoming a member state of the European Union — despite its physical distance from the continent. CBC’s Jennifer Chevalier hears the arguments for and against membership from the Global Governance Forum’s Augusto Lopez Claros, former deputy prime minister John Manley, trade expert Meredith Lilly, Canada-U.S. expert Fen Hampson and pollster David Coletto.

This episode features the voices of:

• Bob Rae, former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations
• Corey Hogan, Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary to the energy minister
• Adam Chambers, Conservative international trade critic
• Malcolm Turnbull, former prime minister of Australia
• Augusto Lopez Claros, executive director of the Global Governance Forum
• John Manley, former deputy prime minister under Jean Chrétien
• Meredith Lilley, international economic policy professor at Carleton University
• Fen Osler Hampson, co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations
• David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data

Two leaders, two visions, two itineraries. Prime Minister Mark Carney is once again travelling abroad to strengthen Canada's trading relationships with fellow middle powers like India, Japan and Australia. How much sway does Canada hold in this new geopolitical era? Anne-Marie Slaughter, former Obama-era senior U.S. State Department director, joins The House to weigh in on this middle-power moment.

And Pierre Poilievre is headed to Europe in his first official overseas trip as Leader of the Opposition, following a speech that laid out the Conservative vision for tackling a protectionist United States. Political insiders Marci Surkes and Kate Harrison take a look at both big trips, and the stakes for both parties.

Next: OpenAI was the focus of intense scrutiny this week after it was revealed the ChatGPT developer did not inform police about troubling content from an online account belonging to the Tumbler Ridge shooter. The House checks in with The Logic’s Murad Hemmadi about whether big tech companies can be trusted to regulate themselves.

Then, as the world's youngest generations are set to bear the brunt of today's decisions, some governments around the world are taking steps to ensure they have a champion — and Canadian advocates want Ottawa to do the same. House producer Benjamin Lopez Steven speaks with Wales' Future Generations Commissioner Derek Walker, as well as Paul Kershaw of Generation Squeeze, Ontario Senator Rosemary Moodie and a classroom of Grade 8 students about whether the Welsh model could work in Canada.

And as Russia’s war on Ukraine grinds on, and peace talks remain deadlocked, Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine Natalka Cmoc speaks with guest host Tom Parry about a difficult winter in Kyiv and the horrors she’s heard on the ground from Ukrainians.

This episode features the voices of:

• Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of think tank New America and former senior official at the U.S. State Department
• Marci Surkes, former senior advisor to Justin Trudeau and chief strategy officer at Compass Rose
• Kate Harrison, Conservative strategist and vice chair at Summa Strategies
• Murad Hemmadi, AI reporter for The Logic
• Derek Walker, Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
• Katie Richmyre, Grade 8 teacher at St. Mother Teresa High School
• Paul Kershaw, founder of Generation Squeeze
• Senator Rosemary Moodie
• Natalka Cmoc, Canada's ambassador to Ukraine