The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, Fidelity Investments Canada, and Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Alright, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! Back in July, when we had our immensely popular “The Chiefs” panel on the pod for the 8th time, I very casually mentioned: “maybe we should give you your own show.” 

Well, I’m chuffed to announce that while The Chiefs are far too busy and successful with their productive, real careers to slum it in podcast-land every week like me, they have agreed to appear regularly, every quarter here on The Herle Burly, to give us their governance wisdom! 

Today on show: We’ll assess what each party tried to achieve post the election to the start of parliament. Were they successful? Prime Minister Carney’s major projects, the upcoming budget, and thoughts on the big speech the PM needs to make.

So, a big huzzah to The Chiefs – 3 former Chiefs of Staff to some of Canada’s most accomplished heads of government:

Ian Brodie – first Chief of Staff to Stephen Harper and central to the founding of the CPC. Now Professor of Political Science at the University of Calgary, and Senior Advisor at New West Public Affairs.

Brian Topp – former Chief of Staff to Rachel Notley in Alberta, Deputy Chief to Roy Romanow in Saskatchewan, a co-architect of Jack Layton’s Orange Wave. Today he’s a founding partner at GT&co.

And, Tim Murphy – former Chief of Staff to Paul Martin. Now EVP and Chief Strategic Affairs Officer at AECON.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Fidelity Investments Canada.

Alright, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites, today on the show, the unofficial Herle Burly in-house economist ... Frances Donald is here! 

As I referred to her last time out, she’s the Economist Explainer in Chief. The person who puts the FUN in economic fundamentals. The Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist at The Royal Bank of Canada. 

I’m super happy Frances is here because it feels like everything is changing with regard to our economic relationship with the United States. So today, I’d like her to explain this to me: What is the state of the Canadian economy in the context that new reality. 

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Fidelity Investments Canada.

Alright you curiouser and curiouser, Herle Burly-ites. I love it when we have a guest who comes back to the podcast. Especially one who gave us such a fascinating hour the first time around.

Just about 4 years ago, deep into COVID, the noted historian and author Margaret MacMillan joined me here. We talked about the pandemic, Trump in his first term, and the relevant historical lessons we could use to understand the context we were in at the time. Well now, here we are again.

Trump 2.0. 

Emboldened in every way that could matter. And I use the term “emboldened” almost euphemistically. Everything we thought about the world order in the latter half of the 20th century and first 2 decades of the 21st ... seems to be dissolving in front of our eyes.

THAT is the rather large discussion I want to have with Ms. MacMillan today. And who better?

She is emeritus Professor of History at University of Toronto and emeritus Professor of International History at Oxford University.  Her publications have been translated into 26 languages, and she gave the CBC’s Massey Lectures in 2015 and the BBC’s Reith Lectures in 2018.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

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The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Fidelity Investments Canada.

Greetings you curious, you courageous, Herle Burly-ites. The guy driving the online initiative, Build Canada, is here... Daniel Debow.

Build Canada bills itself as a community of entrepreneurs, leaders, and motivated citizens who are committed to driving Canada’s growth. The hub of it all is a website that allows Canadian “builders” to take their ideas – bold, courageous, policy ideas, and publish them as specific, actionable memos that people can read and react to. That would include government and public policy people.

I’ve talked about them on the pod before. About 5 months ago when I had on the pod journalist David Skok from The Logic.

But now, the volunteer Chair, co-creator, and “chief cheerleader” (as he calls himself) of the whole thing. Daniel Debow has quite a CV: ridiculously successful entrepreneur, early investor in over 50 tech companies, board director, educator and mentor. 

We’re going to find out more about his backstory, because I want to start the interview there. What he’s learned in business and what lessons are applicable to making Canada better. What he’s trying to achieve with Build Canada. How much, and in what ways, does he think Canada needs to change. And does he see a new government that can help us grow (and I’m quoting from the website now) ... “fast and fearlessly ... to become the most prosperous country in the world”?

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! That guest is Mark Podlasly. Mark is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation in British Columbia and he’s the CEO of First Nations Major Projects Coalition.

The F-N-M-P-C is an Indigenous-led organization involved in major energy, infrastructure, and resource developments across Canada. Specifically, Mark drives engagement and advocacy for greater economic participation for member nations. And, he has over 25 years’ experience leading the planning and execution of complex capital projects around the world.

So, “Major Projects” ... “National Projects” ... “Nation Building” ... we hear all these terms coming from the Carney government.  But if it’s truly a National Project, it has to be with Indigenous support and participation. Easy to say. Maybe a little more difficult to make a reality. That’s what Mark and I are talking about today.

How do those negotiations happen? What’s the right amount of equity? What are the other factors that matter, besides equity? Are there past examples we can look to for guidance? And is the governance in place to get it all accomplished?

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.

Well greetings, you politically curious Herle Burly-ites! Fred DeLorey is here, making his 2nd appearance on the show, which means he’s dangerously close to becoming an official “friend of the pod.” 

Fred is a long-time Conservative strategist and campaign director. He was the National Campaign Manager for Erin O’Toole in 2021. Before that he was Director of Field Operations for Ontario Premier Doug Ford. And he’s a former Director of Political Operations for Stephen Harper. As well as Director of Comms and National Spokesperson. Today, he’s Chair and Chief Strategy Officer at NorthStar Public Affairs. So, with that kind of CV, you’d expect we’d talk about the current state and prospects for the Conservative Party, which we will.

But first, I want to take this conversation in another direction.  Fred’s a longtime Party and campaign operative, as you’ve just heard. And we talk a lot on the pod about what makes a party succeed.  I want to dive into: What breaks a Party ... with specific reference to Canada’s NDP.

Given the dismal results of the last election is the NDP facing bankruptcy to the point their existence is threatened? What kind of resources does a party need these days for a fully funded modern campaign? How does the NDP come back from their debt, without having official Party status? Should they even try or just fold and let a new party emerge? And what does this mean for the CPC, who need a strong party on the Left?

Full disclosure here: I’m banking on Fred being able to talk about the reality of the NDP’s predicament in a way that most NDP folks can’t, or won’t, right now.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! Last week on the pod, we had Scott Aitchison on – Conservative Housing Critic. This week we’re sticking with that theme – housing – so central to the last federal election and something I want to keep exploring with you.

So on the pod today I want to look it at from a couple of perspectives. Experience on the ground and policy making. What’s the current state of play in the market?  What’s been the impact of measures to date? Has the situation improved?  How does the condo glut affect things?  And broadly, is the government plan a good one?

We’ve assembled a housing panel to help answer those questions: Ron Butler + Mike Moffatt + Tyler Meredith!

Ron Butler describes himself as a “big, old, overly opinionated mortgage broker, worried about the future of housing for average Canadians.” He’s the founder of Butler Mortgage Inc, with over 30 years in the business.  And hosts of his own weekly pod, “The Angry Mortgage Podcast”, where he swears a f**k of a lot and shares his insights about the industry.

Mike Moffatt is co-host of the “Missing Middle Podcast.”  His twitter bio says he’s a Husband, Father, Brother, Son, Economist and Housing Guy. Among other things, he’s an Assistant Professor in the Business, Economics, and Public Policy Group at Ivey Business School, Western University. He served as Director of Policy and Research at Canada 2020. And he’s done extensive research on Canada's housing supply and the affordability crisis.

Tyler Meredith is the former Head of Fiscal and Economic Policy for Prime Minister Trudeau and Ministers of Finance, Chrystia Freeland and Bill Morneau. Today, he’s a Founding Partner at Meredith/Boessenkool Policy Advisors. And he was a co-host of the limited run podcast “Race to Replace”, right here at Air Quotes Media!

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! We’ll get right to it, because we’ve a Member of Parliament today on the pod, and an issue that’s not only central in the public consciousness, but urgent in terms of policy making, playing an outsized role in our last election: Scott Aitchison, Conservative critic for Housing. 

Scott is from Huntsville, Ontario, and opened up on the pod about leaving home at 15 and his journey into public life at the age of 21.

And then, a deep conversation on what matters to so many Canadians. The housing crisis. A place to call home. Affordability. Policy to help them get there. But we’ll also broaden the aperture and talk party politics, the election just past and get Scott’s take on the early moves of the Carney government.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Fidelity Investments Canada.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! Today on the show ... the most popular, highest-rated panel conversation, of all the panel conversations. Making their world-record 8th appearance on The Herle Burly, I give you The Chiefs!

3 former Chiefs of Staff to some of Canada’s most accomplished heads of government.  Here to discuss the issues NOT as campaigners do —  i.e. what might be ideal in a political sense — but rather, what’s possible to deliver in a governing sense.

The Chiefs are:

Tim Murphy – former Chief of Staff to Paul Martin. Now the EVP and Chief Strategic Affairs Officer at AECON.

Ian Brodie – first Chief of Staff to Stephen Harper, and central to the founding of the CPC. Now Professor of Political Science at the University of Calgary and Senior Advisor at New West Public Affairs.

And, Brian Topp – former Chief of Staff to Rachel Notley in Alberta, Deputy Chief to Roy Romanow in Saskatchewan, and one of the architects of Jack Layton’s Orange Wave. Today, he’s a founding partner at GT&co.

For a brand-new federal government, hell-bent on breaking down barriers and red tape at record speed, this is a timely conversation. I want to talk about what’s changed in Prime Minister Carney’s government. How is it operating differently? How is it structured differently? And take an early progress report on how it’s managing a very ambitious agenda.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Fidelity Investments Canada.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! These days, the security and stability of the world order seems, well, neither secure nor stable. With old and new conflicts abound, we have a really special guest today: Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy.

We're going to discuss the role of the Canadian military, what new investments to modernize look like in the context of emerging threats, and how they might be used to defend our interests at home and around the world.

The Vice-Admiral has had a meteoric rise in service to our country. He joined the Armed Forces in 1990 and graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1994. He was given the command of a destroyer in 2009. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 as the director of Afghan National Police Training within the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan. And so much more before taking command of the Royal Canadian Navy in 2022.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Fidelity Investments Canada.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! We’re going to have fun with two incisive observers of Canadian politics in Ottawa: Paul Wells and Shannon Proudfoot!

Together we're going to examine "not just what is happening in Ottawa" with the new Carney government, "but what it looked and felt like, who made it happen and why."

Paul Wells has, for years, been one of one of Canada’s great political journalists. Formerly at Maclean’s, the National Post and The Gazette, he now publishes his own widely read subscription newsletter, paulwells.substack.com. His book is: “Justin Trudeau on the Ropes: Governing in Troubled Times.”

Shannon Proudfoot is a feature writer in The Globe and Mail's Ottawa Bureau. Before joining The Globe, she was the Ottawa bureau chief for Maclean's and wrote for Sportsnet magazine, Postmedia News and the Ottawa Citizen. You can often hear her work featured as "Clippings" on the Curse of Politics podcast.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Fidelity Investments Canada.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! We’re recording this one on Friday June 20th and tomorrow is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. So, a conversation relevant to that and essential in this political moment. Our guest is National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, of the Assembly of First Nations.

Born and raised in the Pinaymootang First Nation, Manitoba, National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak began her term as National Chief in December 2023, becoming the youngest woman and mother to hold the position.
Amongst a very long list of accomplishments, she was the lead negotiator for the First Nations Child and Family Services and Jordan’s Principle class action lawsuit, resulting in over $40 billion compensation for First Nations children and families.

National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak has lobbied Senate, the House, Cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister’s Office to fulfill mandates from Chiefs. And she continues to advocate to protect collective rights–Treaty, inherent rights, title and jurisdiction, the right to self-determination and all human rights.

So today, in the context of Prime Minister Carney’s ambitious “Build Agenda”. I want to talk about how we get these projects done in a way that First Nations communities feel part of and positive about.  What are the environmental and land issues that require pushback? What’s fair compensation? What are the pressures and internal politics she faces? And where does the reconciliation agenda go, post-Trudeau?

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Fidelity Investments Canada.

Greetings, you curious, you courageous Herle Burly-ites! We’re recording this one on Sunday June 15th mid-afternoon – parallel timing with start of the highly-freighted G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta. Here to talk with me about what we might expect from the meeting is Jason Kenney, making his 2nd appearance here on the pod.

I mean, who among you Herle Burly-ites doesn’t know Mr. Kenney? The 18th Premier of Alberta. Former Leader of the United Conservative Party and the last leader of the Alberta PC Party. MP for the Reform Party and Canadian Alliance … and a multi-portfolio Cabinet Minister for Prime Minister Harper’s Conservatives from 2006 to 2015. Today, he’s a Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones.

So, we’re going to talk about Canada on the world stage. What success looks like for Prime Minister Carney at the G7. His continuing relationship with President Trump and the future of Canada-U.S. trade. Global politics and national defence.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! A pod today that starts with a bit of time travel. We’re going back to the Ontario of 1985, but not for the sake of a melancholy stroll down memory lane. I want to explore how a new (at the time) Liberal government came to power and immediately enacted a series of major reforms and initiatives that still reverberate in the province today. And that’s the lens I want to use to focus this conversation. The lessons in this story of innovation and political will, we can use to meet the challenges of today.

With me, is the principal of the remarkable transformation, and 2 of his principal secretaries: The Honourable David Peterson, 20th Premier of Ontario, Vince Borg and Hershell Ezrin.

40 years ago this month, David Peterson became the first Liberal to lead the province since Harry Nixon, ending a 42-year PC dynasty. He served as Premier from 1985 to 1990. Today, he’s Chairman Emeritus of the law firm of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. and Chancellor Emeritus of the University of Toronto. 

Vince Borg was Principal Secretary to Premier Peterson and is a past President of the Ontario Liberal Party. His long career took him from the backrooms of Queen’s Park to the boardrooms of corporate Canada.

Hershell Ezrin also served as Principal Secretary and deputy minister to Premier Peterson. He had a long and distinguished career in public service and is now a Senior Fellow at Global Public Affairs.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, TikTok Canada. 

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser, and anticipatory, Herle Burly-ites! Our guest is Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Premier Smith may be Canada’s premier newsmaker right now.

You engaged Herle Burly-ites know, or think you know, quite a bit about her. She’s clearly a proud Albertan. Leader of the United Conservative Party. She was sworn in as the 19th Premier of the province on October 11, 2022.

Today, we’ll dive a little deeper into her biography and early political motivations. I want to talk about the Premier’s ideological perspective and her thoughts on the role of government. The ideas and issues driving her stewardship of the province. Her approach to the new Carney government. Then, of course, we’ll discuss Alberta and the federation.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, TikTok Canada.

Greetings you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! I’ve been hunkering down this last week here in London, England and that’s spurred me to want to dive a little deeper into the U.K., it’s relationships with Canada and the U.S., and trade. How those relationships have changed – in a Carney and Trump context – and what new dynamics are driving it all.

I’ve got just the chap to do that with.  Now 4-time Herle Burly guest, Andrew MacDougall!

Andrew is the former Director of Communications for Prime Minister Harper. Now, he lives in London, where he’s a Partner at Trafalgar Strategy, and writes about politics and current affairs, and appears frequently on TV, in all the best journalistic places. That includes his most recent piece in The Ottawa Citizen, a poignant tribute to his late father, one-time Ottawa city councillor and dedicated family doctor, Greg MacDougall, who passed just a couple of weeks ago on Easter Sunday. Give that lovely piece a read, if you haven’t yet.

Time permitting here after all the U.K. talk, I also want to get Andrew’s take on Carney and Poilievre and the performance of the Conservatives vs. Liberals, in the election just passed.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, TikTok Canada and Historica Canada. 

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! I’m genuinely excited to have this man on the show for a conversation that’s both of the moment, and critical. Naheed Nenshi, Leader of the Alberta NDP, is here.

(Note: Since recording this episode, we've since been in contact with Premier Smith's Office and are hopeful to schedule that conversation soon).

You know all about Mr. Nenshi and his powerful political brand. Former 3-term Mayor of Calgary. Named best Mayor in the World in 2014! Winner of the Alberta NDP Leadership on the first ballot about a year ago, with over 86% of the vote.

He upped that to almost 90% in a leadership review just last weekend at the party’s annual convention. Today, we’ll talk more about his bio, background, and his decision to join the NDP. And then, the issues du jour ... Western alienation, Alberta separatism, and legitimate grievances about oil and gas. And also, what exactly is his argument to replace Premier Smith?

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and TikTok Canada.

Greetings, you curious, you courageous Herle Burly-ites! Election 45 is in the books. And after 5 and ½ weeks on the trail, Mark Carney is in office. This time, as an elected Prime Minister.

I have a conversation today with one of the key players that helped him navigate that path. For both the Liberal Leadership race and the ensuing election. My aim, for the next 60 minutes or so, will be to get an insider’s view of the whole story ... with Braeden Caley!

When Prime Minister Carney was first sworn in back in March, Braeden was named Deputy Chief of staff in the PMO. On the campaign, he served as National Campaign co-director and senior advisor. He’s a long-time Liberal operative, the Senior Director of Comms for the Liberal Party, playing key roles in the 2015, 2019 and 2021 elections. And if all of that weren’t enough, Braeden was also President and CEO of Canada 2020, a leading progressive think tank in Canada.

So today: Who is Mark Carney? What motivates him? What does he care about? And then the shape of the campaign itself ... we’ll talk about what Team Carney expected to happen. And what surprised them. The 51 st State factor. Was it a welcome intrusion, from a purely political point of view? And then, the upcoming minority parliament. How is the Prime Minister going to approach achieving his agenda?

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Netflix Canada.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! We’re recording this show 3 days before E-day. And it’s a bookend of sorts: We started off the election cycle here on The Herle Burly with a pollster pod to set the scene data-wise ... discuss the core issues as they were emerging, i.e. Trump and Tariffs ... look at the opening state of play ... and anticipate how each the Parties might respond.

Today, we end with another pollster panel to discuss how all of that played out over the course of the last 5 weeks. What’s been the biggest surprise of the campaign in the data? What, if anything, has been predictable? Are Carney, Poilievre and Singh campaigning differently today than they were at the opening bell, and if so, why?

With me for this are 2 of the best: Greg Lyle and Dan Arnold.

Greg is the Founder and President of the Innovative Research Group. He’s built a long and lauded career at the intersection of public policy, communications and public opinion, and he regularly appears on the country’s biggest media platforms to discuss his findings.

Dan is currently Chief Strategy Officer at Pollara, who, if you’re a regular listener, you know has been supplying daily numbers to our sister pod, the Curse of Politics. He also led research strategy for the Liberal Party for their victories in 2015, 2019 and 2021. Fans of our Air Quotes Media universe will also know Dan from his hosting gig on Race to Replace.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Netflix Canada.

Alright, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! We’re recording this one early on Good Friday and I don’t want to keep our gracious guest here for too long. David MacNaughton, former Ambassador to the United States joins us, for a timely conversation on Canada-U.S. relations. 

A brief bio to start: Mr. MacNaughton is currently the President of Palantir Technologies Canada and was formerly the Chair of StrategyCorp and Principal Secretary to the Premier of Ontario. He served as Canada’s Ambassador to the United States from March 2016 to August 2019 ... getting a close-up view of President Trump in his first term.

It’s a rare and expert perspective, and that’s precisely where I want to go with this over the next hour. Mr. MacNaughton has been in the room with President Trump during trade negotiations. I want to get into some detail about what these negotiations are actually all about.  What industries are affected? Canada talks about being strong but how does that manifest itself? In Mr. MacNaughton’s experience, what tactics are likely to work with President Trump and what do not? And lots more.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Netflix Canada.

Alright, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! Today’s show has typically been a helluva lot of fun in the past. It’s our election ad panel. And we’re going to watch, and pull apart, a suite of the ads from #Election45. Joining us are David Rosenberg, Dennis Matthews and Éric Blais.

Éric is a strategy guru and President of Headspace Marketing, which helps clients build great brands in Quebec. He describes himself as an “ad guy with opinions about branding, Quebec and politics” which is precisely why we wanted him for our show. He regularly shares his opinions in national publications and on CBC’s Power & Politics.

Dennis Matthews, our regular viewers will know, is a Partner at Enterprise Canada and the President of its ad agency, Creative Currency. Creative strategist and architect of Conservative Party Advertising for Stephen Harper, Tim Houston and Doug Ford, among many others.

Until he retired from his almost 40-year advertising career last summer, David was a Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Bensimon Byrne Advertising. Writer of Liberal ads provincially and federally since 2004, for Paul Martin, Kathleen Wynne and Justin Trudeau’s 2015 majority winning effort.  David is also a member of our AirQuotes Media Team.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Netflix Canada.

Alright you courageous, you resilient Herle Burly-ites! Today we've got a fantastic journo and media panel today, in the context of Election 45 in Canada ... so far, framed as the “Trump, Tariffs and Trade” election.

Campbell Clark, Justin Ling and Richard Zussman join us for the next 60 minutes.

Broadly, I want to talk with these folks about the campaign, and get their assessments of how it’s going out there for each of the leaders.  What are the key messages and strategies? What’s working and what’s not?

And then, a deeper dive into "the news" and how the parties are using media and campaign communication tools to get their messages across. What’s different this time around, if anything?

Campbell Clark is Chief Political Writer for the Globe and Mail with their Ottawa bureau since 2000. Before that, he wrote for the Montreal Gazette and the National Post.

Justin Ling is “Bug-Eyed and Shameless” on Substack. He’s a freelance investigative journalist covering politics, national security, technology and information warfare, and where these things all crash together.

And Richard Zussman is making his FIRST APPEARANCE here on The Herle Burly! He’s been with Global B.C. as a reporter since 2018, based at the B.C. Legislature. He’s also a host of their show, Focus B.C.. You can also find Richard on Air Quotes Media's Hotel Pacifico podcast every Sunday throughout the federal election.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.

Alright, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! We assembled The Chiefs for a timely pod to discuss campaigning while governing! 

Typically with The Chiefs, we discuss issues from the perspective of people who think about them NOT as campaigners do, i.e. what might be ideal in a political sense, but rather, what’s possible to deliver in a governing sense.

But because these guys are 3 of the best political minds in the country, and we’re right in the middle of Campaign 45, I want to change it up a bit. We’ll spend about half our time today talking about how each of them would be advising the various campaigns given the current state of play. And then, for Part 2, I want to cover how they’d deal with managing a PMO or leader’s office in a campaign like this one with actual news in it, i.e. Trump. How do you function juggling campaigning and daily governing in challenging times? What’s the relationship with the bureaucracy?

You know them, three former Chiefs of Staff to some of Canada’s most accomplished heads of government:

Ian Brodie – first Chief of Staff to Stephen Harper, and central to the founding of the CPC. Now … Professor of Political Science at the University of Calgary.

Tim Murphy – former Chief of Staff to Paul Martin. Now ...  the newly installed EVP and Chief Strategic Affairs Officer at AECON.

Brian Topp – former Chief of Staff to Rachel Notley in Alberta, Deputy Chief to Roy Romanow in Saskatchewan, one of the architects of Jack Layton’s Orange Wave. Now ... he’s a founding partner at GT&co.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail. 

Alright, greetings you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! As we record this podcast, we are either on the eve of a federal election, or, on the eve of the eve of a federal election as just about everybody expects Prime Minister Carney to call it in a matter of days.

Poll watchers know that Mr. Carney seems to have resurrected this dangerous and ephemeral thing called HOPE, for the Liberal Party. 

The numbers over the last 10 days seem to indicate that Canadians lean to Carney in an election seen as “Who can best protect Canada and our economy in a Triple-T world ... Trump, Trade and Tariffs.”

But I want to do a deeper probe of the data and situation today. What exactly is the current state of play? How solid is this new Liberal support? How are Carney and Poilievre both currently positioned? And what room is there for other issues to creep into the narrative?

I’ve assembled a crack Pollster Panel to have that conversation: David Coletto, Sylvie Paradis, and Frank Graves.

David is Founder, Chair and CEO of Abacus Data and is one of Canada’s best known public opinion analysts and social researchers.

Sylvie is a noted Quebec-based pollster where she’s served as poller, data modeler and forecaster for the QLP for 13 years, and was national co-chair of the 2019 Trudeau campaign for Quebec.

And Frank, the famous (or maybe infamous) “Voice of Franky”, is the Founder and President of EKOS Research Associates, and one of this country’s leading applied social researchers.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail. 

Alright, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! The federal election winds are blowing strong with Mark Carney being sworn in as Prime Minister and an expected election soon.  

So, an election readiness pod for you today. Centred around NOT the Liberals or Conservatives, but rather, the NDP. Jennifer Howard, National Campaign Director for the NDP, joins us.

Proud prairie girl, Manitoba born and raised, Jennifer served as a cabinet minister in successful NDP governments in that province. She has served as Chief of Staff for Jagmeet Singh since 2018 and helmed the last 2 federal elections as Campaign Director. So, there’s nobody better placed to talk about where NDP fortunes currently reside and how they intend to move forward during the writ.

This is going to be a frank conversation. How is the party responding to declining poll numbers? There are leadership questions as Mr. Singh’s own numbers are sagging. We’ll talk about those challenges, and also, the opportunities for the NDP to shape the fight ahead, in an election context unlike any other.

Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.