In this series of short profiles, Capital Current introduces key persons of influence in the city to the community.
Who is she?
Althia Raj is a political columnist and podcast host with the Toronto Star, focusing on Canadian politics. Raj also appears weekly on CBC’s At Issue panel.
What’s her background?
Raj studied at McGill University and got her start in journalism through an internship with CBC News. She eventually joined HuffPost Canada, serving as Ottawa bureau chief. In that role, Raj reported on Canadian political news and hosted the podcast “Follow Up.” HuffPost Canada shut down abruptly in 2021.
What is she known for in Ottawa?
Raj is best known for her analysis of federal politics in columns, a podcast and as a pundit on television programs.
Raj is also active in Ottawa’s arts and culture scene. She was a co-founder and board chair of Apt613, a popular not-for-profit arts and culture blog. She also is on the Ottawa Art Gallery’s board of directors.
What do people say about her?
Toronto Star political reporter Mark Ramzy has worked with Raj for the last two years and has made numerous appearances on her podcast. Ramzy said he was nervous when he started reporting on Parliament Hill but watching Raj gave him more confidence.
“I remember watching Althia [Raj] do her thing and she’s someone who is very confident and not afraid to ask the right questions, regardless of pushback,” Ramzy said. “I admire how she always tells it as she sees it.”
What’s something people don’t know about her?
After starting her journalism career, Raj briefly left the field to get a sense of Canada’s international diplomacy efforts in an internship at Canada’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
