The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge Raj-Russo: Is Compromise In the Air?
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Feb 24, 2026 
Rob Russo, political commentator at The Economist known for sharp party strategy analysis, and Althia Raj, Toronto Star parliamentary reporter with deep knowledge of Senate and privacy issues, talk cooperation in Parliament. They discuss motives behind Conservative cooperation, Senate pushback on privacy rules, balancing anti‑Trump voters with party unity, and whether cross‑party deals are real.
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Cooperation Hidden Behind Political Posturing
- The Conservatives and Liberals are cooperating in committee stages while preserving public adversarial postures.
- Althia Raj points to abstentions and passing on division as tactics that let Conservatives claim opposition while quietly advancing government bills like C-15.
Poll Driven Opposition That Stops Short
- Andrew Scheer's Conservative strategy is poll-driven and seeks to signal opposition without triggering confidence votes.
- Rob Russo says the Conservatives push up to but stop short of actions that could dissolve Parliament while claiming wins in negotiations like on C-15.
Independent Senate As A New Legislative Check
- The Senate's growing independence is forcing more scrutiny on omnibus bills and backdoor changes.
- Althia Raj describes the Senate legal committee pushing back on privacy exemptions in Bill C-4 as a check after the House fast-tracked provisions without study.