Stephen Harper's '11th hour' Senate conversion

It's not exactly abolition, but it's not reform either.

Call it abolition by attrition.

Stephen Harper announced he's done appointing senators, and he's leaving the ball firmly in the provinces' court when it comes to the future of the Senate. 

But will it work?

It's a stance that sounds awfully familiar to that of Tom Mulcair, who has been a vocal critic of the Senate.

So does that put the Prime Minister and the man polls predict is Harper's biggest threat right now on the same page for once?

As he wraps up his pre-campaign tour of Ontario this week, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair joins us to discuss Stephen Harper, Senate reform and the politics of coalitions. 

Then, Universal Child Care Benefit cheques were sent out to week, but their impact on Canadian families and the economy remains unclear. The Minister of State for Social Development Candice Bergen joins us. 

Speaking of money, assistant parliamentary budget officer Mostafa Askari delivers a reality check on the economy as the federal budget watchdog revised the 2015 forecast to predict a deficit for the overall fiscal year.

In the latest instalment of our Battleground Watch, the CBC's polls analyst Eric Grenier breaks down the numbers and highlights the must-watch races in Ontario. 

And In House Panelists Tasha Kheiriddin and Mark Kennedy muse on mid-summer messaging and what Harper's Senate position means for the future of Canadian politics.