Hour 1 of Ottawa Now for Mon. June 29th, 2026

We’ve only got a few more days until the July 1st deadline to either renew or review the Canada-USA- Mexico Agreement. And in an exclusive interview with CTV’s Vassy Kapelos, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says we’re not anywhere close to a trade deal. Guest host Chris Holski reads the tea leaves in Hour 1. Meantime, we are also just a few days away from celebrating Canada’s birthday, so it’s a good time for a friendly debate about Canada’s famous songwriters. There can only be one greatest songwriter in Canadian history. Who gets your vote? Music expert and publicist Eric Alper gets things rocking and rolling. But first, we bring you up to speed on today’s top headlines.