Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party says Canada’s justice system is broken, and that overly lax bail laws are leading to preventable violent crime. Prime Minister Mark Carney seems to agree. But are they misdiagnosing the problem?

In this episode, we take a look at the state of our corrections system, what's not working, and what can be done about it. Althia is joined by Tom Stamatakis, president of the Canadian Police Association, and Melanie Webb, chair of criminal justice section of The Canadian Bar Association to discuss.

Then we compare public sentiment around crime to the actual statistics with Statistics Canada’s Warren Silver and Abacus Data CEO David Coletto.

Finally, Jinny Sims, a former NDP MP and MLA, and the current morning host at Radio Swift, talks about a growing extortion problem in the South Asian community, and how her radio station was shot at after she spoke out.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Althia Raj and Kevin Sexton, and mixed by Sean Pattendon. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

Some of the audio clips this week were sourced from Parl Vu, CPAC, Global, CTV and the Winnipeg mayor’s weekly bulletin.

Things might look dire for the NDP, with the loss of official party status and its seven members not always seeing eye to eye. But at least three individuals — Edmonton MP Heather McPherson, former broadcaster Avi Lewis, and union leader Rob Ashton — have stepped up offering to lead New Democrats to greener pastures.

In this episode of “It’s Political,” the Althia Raj sits down with Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau reporter Mark Ramzy for an update on what’s happened to the NDP since election night, the state of the leadership race and the candidates’ offerings so far. Then, Althia sits down with Rob Ashton to explore his leadership vision and where he wants to refocus the NDP.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Kevin Sexton and Althia Raj. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

Some of the audio clips this week were sourced from Heather McPherson’s website, Avi Lewis’ website, Rob Ashton’s X feed, CTV, CBC, CPAC, Mark Ramzy’s interview tape, and the IATSE 891: Apple Box Talks podcast.

Newly minted Liberal Leader Mark Carney ran on an ambitious platform. He promised quick and bold action. But six months into his tenure as prime minister, what have Canadians witnessed? This week on “It’s Political” we’ll get a variety of viewpoints on how Carney is dealing with Trump, the economy, the environment, among other issues.

Then, the Toronto Star’s Ottawa bureau will discuss the challenges this government faces in passing its agenda. Who will be Carney’s dance partner? And how does the NDP’s search for a new leader, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s review play into those considerations? Host Althia Raj is joined by politics reporters Ryan Tumilty and Raisa Patel, and the Star’s deputy Ottawa Bureau Chief Alex Ballingall.

Also featured on this episode: Mark Warner, Principal at MAAW Law; economist Don Drummond, the Stauffer-Dunning fellow at Queen’s University and a fellow-in-residence at C.D. Howe; and Anna Johnston, a staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law.

This episode of “It’s Political” was produced by Kevin Sexton and Althia Raj. Matt Hearn is our sound engineer. Our theme music is by Isaac Joel.

Some of the audio clips this week were sourced from CPAC, CBC, CTV and BBC.