OTTAWA -- MPs are back to work Monday to kick off another sitting of political maneuvering, promises and conflicts. And with the 2015 election on the horizon, the pressure on Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- and the opposition leaders eying Harper's job -- is high.
As the tension rises, the Scrum will be looking at the issues that will define the upcoming political season and the next federal election.
CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife will host Justin Trudeau to discuss how the federal Liberal leader plans to take on the Conservatives, sustain his position as a front-runner in the polls, and combat critics who say he's more charisma than substance.
Opposition leader Thomas Mulcair will join Bob on new NDP policies like his newly announced national minimum wage plan. They'll also talk campaign strategy and how the NDP plans to prove they have the chops to be the next government.
The man behind the polls will aweigh in on what the latest results suggest about the upcoming election. Nik Nanos will join party insiders as they try to defend their leaders against the numbers and answer the questions on voters' minds: Are Canadians ready for change after three terms of Stephen Harper? Why does Trudeau continuously do well in polls? And can Mulcair budge from the bottom and reignite the popularity the NDP enjoyed in 2011?
Later in the show, we'll dig into another issue dominating politics: Canada's involvement in the fight against the Islamic State.
Lt.-Col. Stephen Day, a man who's experienced special operations first hand as the former head of the elite Joint Task Force 2, will join Fife in Ottawa. Together, they'll examine the role Canadian special ops forces will play in Iraq…and whether or not the job can really be completed in the 30-day framework Harper suggested.
CTV's Question Period airs weekly at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday. (Check your local listings for details.)
