Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced billions of dollars in funding and a new Buy Canadian policy to help Canadians fight back against the U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Does that mean we’re in it for the long haul with this trade war? Industry Minister Mélanie Joly joins The House to answer that question and more about whether Canada is straying away from international free trade.

Then, as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre demands the federal government axe the temporary foreign worker program, Catherine Cullen speaks to industry leaders and an immigration lawyer about the impact this proposal could have.

Plus, the Public Health Agency of Canada is shaving roughly 10 per cent of its employees as it continues to shrink in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Globe and Mail health columnist André Picard explains what those cuts will mean for Canada’s ability to counter vaccine misinformation as skepticism rises in Canada and the United States.

Finally, some of Canada’s NATO allies have been preparing their citizens for war or natural disasters for decades. Alex Wilner, director of Carleton University’s Infrastructure Protection and International Security program and Eva Cohen of Civil Protection Youth Canada join the show to discuss whether Canada too should ask ordinary citizens to be ready to help in the event of everything from weather-related emergencies to terror attacks.

This episode features the voices of:

• Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry
• Kelly Higginson, CEO of Restaurants Canada
• Gabriel Miller, CEO of Universities Canada
• Mark Holthe, immigration lawyer
• André Picard, health columnist for the Globe and Mail
• Alex Wilner, director of Carleton University’s Infrastructure Protection and National Security program
• Eva Cohen, Founder of Civil Protection Youth Canada

NATO’s secretary general has warned Russia could launch an attack on the alliance within the next five years. Talk to NATO’s two newest members, Finland and Sweden, and they’ll tell you preparation involves a lot more than just boosting military spending. As Canada seeks to strengthen ties with both countries, what can we learn from our newest NATO allies about preparing for the worst?

Supported by the R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship, CBC's Emma Godmere travelled to the two Nordic countries to visit bomb shelters, the Russian border and military training grounds north of the Arctic Circle to see and hear how Finns and Swedes are steeling themselves for whatever the future may bring.

This episode features the voices of:

• Elina Valtonen, Finland’s minister of foreign affairs
• Viktoria Hjort Malmer, defence policy director at Sweden’s Ministry of Defence
• Janne Kuusela, director general, defence policy department at Finland’s Ministry of Defence
• Antti Virta, deputy commander, Southeast Finland Border Guard District
• Samuel Siljanen, head of operations, Southeast Finland Border Guard District
• Lt.-Col. Mikael Dalin, Swedish Army
• Lt.-Col. Jukka Vuorisalmi, Finnish Army
• Nina Järvenkylä, Helsinki City Rescue Department
• Harri Mikkola, programme director for Finnish foreign policy, northern European security and NATO at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
• Niklas Granholm, deputy director of studies, Swedish Defence Research Agency
• Sara Myrdal, director of international affairs, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency
• and residents of Lappeenranta, Rovaniemi, and Helsinki, Finland; and Stockholm, Sweden

Pierre Poilievre is returning to the House of Commons after winning an Alberta byelection this week — and he’s already laid out his priorities for the fall, including tackling crime, increasing affordability and making Canada self-reliant. But despite these goals, the Conservative Party of Canada has lost the last four federal elections — and some party insiders worry it may be difficult to ever win again. Political reporter Kate McKenna covers the Conservative Party for CBC News, and in this special episode of The House, she hears from party insiders who offer their frank analysis of how to move forward if they want to return to government.

This episode features the voices of:

• Melissa Lantsman, deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
• Jason Kenney, former Alberta premier and former Conservative cabinet minister
• Sean Speer, editor-at-large for The Hub and former adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper
• Ben Woodfinden, former director of communications for Pierre Poilievre
• Rob Batherson, former president of the Conservative Party of Canada
• Dimitri Soudas, former director of communications to Prime Minister Stephen Harper
• Daniel Allain, former New Brunswick Progressive Conservative MLA
• Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute
• Rob Russo, Canada correspondent for The Economist
• Shannon Proudfoot, feature writer for the Globe and Mail