This week on The House, Evan Solomon sits down with retired Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie who shares his thoughts about where the Department of National Defence is spending money, where it's cutting, and the negative impact he thinks all those decisions are having on the military's level of readiness. We also get a response from the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Vice-Admiral Bruce Donaldson.


Then, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and his P.E.I. counterpart Robert Ghiz talk about saving 100 million dollars on the purchase of generic drugs. The co-chairs of the provinces' Health Care Innovation Working Group discuss this week's groundbreaking agreement. We also ask Brad Wall about why he decided to write a letter to the U.S. President about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project.

Speaking of the U.S. President, Barack Obama's second inauguration will take place on Monday. We look forward to the challenges he will face during his second term with Canada's ambassador to the United States, Gary Doer.

Finally, CBC political blogger and House contributor Kady O'Malley is back! This week, she looks at the case of two different federal cabinet ministers who are both in trouble over letters they wrote.

Web exclusive:

Is the federal government about to fundamentally change the way it funds social programs? That's the question many people started asking late last year when the government announced it wanted to team up with partners from the private sector to venture into the world of what's called "social finance". That's a concept where an investment goes towards tackling a social issue and, like any other investment, is also expected to be profitable. But does the solution to social issues, such homelessness, lie in the business world? The CBC's Neil Sandell has a special report. That's followed by a conversation with the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, Diane Finley.