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The Week with Mark Sutcliffe
June 17, 2012
This Sunday, Mark welcomes two political journalists to discuss the week in national politics. Viewers are also welcome to contribute their thoughts about the big stories of the week. On the program: * Stephanie Levitz, National Reporter for The Canadian Press * Andrew Cohen, author, columnist and professor at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication Tune in, call in, and tweet in, this Sunday, to talk about: BUDGET BILL MOVES FORWARD: A marathon session of voting on a massive number of motions kept bleary-eyed MPs in the House of Commons around the clock this week. It was the opposition's attempt to draw attention to the government's budget implementation bill --a bill opponents say will hurt everything from environmental protection to social programs. Did the strategy prove effective? LEADERSHIP BUZZ: Interim Leader Bob Rae says he will not run for the Liberal leadership. Pressure mounts for MP Justin Trudeau to do so. What does Rae's decision mean for the Liberals? Will Trudeau decide to run? And could he boost the party's fortunes? CRISIS IN SYRIA: The Prime Minister called on Russia to join international efforts to impose binding sanctions on Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. The Minister of International Trade recently raised the issue during a trip to Moscow. Is the Canadian government doing enough to help end the bloodshed? BANG FOR THE BUCK? The Auditor General says that Parliament has given large contracts to unqualified bidders. But he found no major weaknesses overall in the administrations of the Senate or House of Commons. Critics call his findings disappointing, as he failed to audit the millions of dollars annually expensed by Senators and MPs. Are taxpayers getting good value for their money from Parliament? And should MPs and senators’ expenses be subject to an audit? MULCAIR AND OIL SANDS: A report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development appears to support the NDP leader's controversial “Dutch Disease” comments. It says a commodity boom has strengthened the dollar and created an uneven Canadian economy. Meanwhile Alberta's premier this week reportedly accused Thomas Mulcair of playing to people's emotions, in the east and west. Is he? And in the midst of it all, the NDP is holding its own in the polls, tied with the Tories. What might that mean? ANYTHING ELSE: What are the national political stories that matter most to you this week?