CBC Radio's The House: Weathering more storms

CBC News: The House48:43Weathering more storms

On this week’s show: Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair talks about how Canada can be ready for the next big storm. Three strategists discuss the final days of the Ontario election. Plus — teenagers weigh in on a proposal to lower the voting age to 16, a law professor discusses Trudeau’s next Supreme Court pick and communications expert Andrew MacDougall talks about Boris Johnson’s partygate scandal.

The crisis of unending crises

Parts of Ontario and Quebec are still cleaning up after a violent storm that killed an estimated 11 people and left thousands of others homeless or without power for days. The storm took down power lines, splintered trees and caused such extensive damage that many municipalities declared local states of emergency.

It's the latest in a string of natural disasters in various parts of Canada. A United Nations conference is taking place this week in Indonesia to discuss progress made on reducing and managing the threat of such severe weather-related events. 

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, who represented Canada at the conference, joins The House to discuss.

CBC News: The House9:39The crisis of unending crises

Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair joins The House to discuss what Canada — and the world — can do to prepare for disasters like the storm that rocked Ontario this week.

Is Ford on the road to another majority in Ontario? 

The Ontario election campaign is in its final stretch ahead of voting day on June 2. Polls suggest  Doug Ford is heading toward majority territory — but could that change in the last days of the campaign?

Host Chris Hall speaks to strategists Shakir Chambers, Laura D'Angelo and Jennifer Hassum about how the parties have run their campaigns and what — if anything — could challenge Ford's lead now.

CBC News: The House12:33Is Ford on the road to another majority in Ontario?

Host Chris Hall speaks to strategists Shakir Chambers, Laura D’Angelo and Jennifer Hassum about how parties have run their campaigns in the Ontario provincial election, now in its final week.

Should 16-year-olds get the right to vote?

An NDP private member's bill is just the latest attempt to lower the voting age to 16 in Canada. Some MPs taking part in a recent House of Commons debate said they were skeptical of the idea, and noted that young people themselves haven't always been in favour of these efforts.

The House stopped by a Grade 10 civics class to find out what some teenagers in Ottawa think about the push to expand the right to vote.

CBC News: The House7:26Should 16-year-olds get the right to vote?

The House stopped by a Grade 10 civics class to find out what some teenagers in Ottawa think about an NDP private member’s bill that would lower the voting age to 16.

Trudeau and the Supremes

In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will make his fifth appointment to the Supreme Court of Canada, this time to replace retiring Justice Michael Moldaver. The deadline to apply closed on May 13 and now a vetting committee will start combing through applications.

What factors will the PM consider before selecting a new SCC justice whose decisions could affect the country for decades to come? The House speaks with Acadia University professor Erin Crandall about the politics involved in appointing a judge to Canada's top court.

CBC News: The House7:39Trudeau and the Supremes

Acadia University professor Erin Crandall joins The House to talk about the politics involved in appointing a judge to Canada’s top court, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepares to name his fifth pick.

Last call for Boris Johnson?

In the face of a damning report on 16 different instances of booze-filled gatherings at 10 Downing Street, will British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffer a crushing political hangover?

Andrew MacDougall, who served as communications director for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and now lives in London, joins The House to discuss the after-party.

CBC News: The House8:17Last call for Boris Johnson?

Andrew MacDougall, who served as communications director for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and now lives in London, joins The House to discuss the most recent developments in U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “partygate” scandal.