What's on Rosemary Barton's Now or Never list?

Rosemary Barton has a reputation as a driven, tenacious journalist who holds politicians to account. But on Now or Never, hosts Trevor Dineen and Ify Chiwetelu turned the tables — and put one of the newly minted hosts of The National on the hot seat.

We asked Rosemary to fill out the Now or Never list, our way to help listeners make the most of the year ahead. Before their debut in November, we'll give the list to all four co-hosts of The National. Rosemary's reaction? 

"I feel like I'm in a weird therapy session!"

Here are some of her most surprising answers: 

IFY: What is one thing you did as a kid that you would love to do now?

ROSEMARY: I used to make my closet in my bedroom into a reading cubby, with pillows and one of those little lights that you could attach to your book. I would like to do that again. It was very comfortable and quiet — no one ever bothered me. I don't know if I could get away with it, but I would do it. 

TREVOR: Who is one person you need to thank right now?

ROSEMARY: My Mom. I should probably thank her more. I would say thanks for always believing in me. She says "keep your chin up" a lot, which drives me nuts but at the same time is the right thing to say usually. 

IFY: What is one place in Canada that you have always wanted to visit?

ROSEMARY: It's called Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!. I have no idea why it's called Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!, but I've driven past it many times and I would love to just go and find out what that story is. They have exclamation points in the actual city name. That's amazing! 

TREVOR: What is one thing in your life you can't bring yourself to throw out, but should?

ROSEMARY: I had a dog named Buddy when I was a kid. He was a grey poodle, he was my best friend and he slept in my bed and was lovely. He died, obviously, but I did make my Mom — I think I was like 19 when this happened — go back to the vet and get me a little bit of his wool. I have it in a little container at home. I sort of feel like maybe that's creepy... but I'm also not going to get rid of it. 

TREVOR: What's the one big thing you want to get done in 2017-2018? 

ROSEMARY: There's a work answer and a personal answer. 

I want this show to work. I want people to feel like it's something good, that it is telling them things they didn't know. 

But for me, I want to keep challenging myself and keep pushing myself and be better and keep trying to hear people who don't always feel they're being heard. That's really important to me.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. To hear Rosemary's full Now or Never list, click the 'listen' button above.