The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, PSAC, the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council, and the Ontario Real Estate Association.

We have a particularly notable guest on the pod today, for all you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites. A man with one of those CVs that make you question why you even have a CV. 

Rahm Emanuel is here!

• Adviser to President Bill Clinton
• Elected and then re-elected 3 more times to the U.S. House of Representatives
• House Democratic Caucus Chair
• Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
• White House Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama
• 55th mayor of Chicago
• Former United States Ambassador to Japan
• It’s a CV that’s still in progress!

So, today I want to talk a little bit more about… Mr. Emanuel’s backstory and what continues to motivate his political life. The changing role the U.S. is playing on the world stage. How Democrats can reconnect with working people to form a new, winning voter coalition. And I want to explore the how Trump is changing the Canada/U.S. relationship and what our relationship into the future.

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, PSAC, CPA Ontario, and the Ontario Real Estate Association.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! A helluva lot of political gravitas with our guests on the pod today. 

We’ve convened our #PremiersPanel with 3 former 🇨🇦 premiers to help us sort through how we’re doing across the country to prepare for hard times ahead, and of course, how we’re dealing with Trump 2.0. 

So I'm pleased to welcome back to the pod:
Christy Clark, the 35th Premier of B.C.
Stephen McNeil, the 28th Premier of Nova Scotia.
And Kathleen Wynne, the 25th Premier of Ontario.

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, PSAC, and the Ontario Real Estate Association.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! A topic today we’ve been exploring from a few different angles these last few months: can Canada build (baby build) housing anymore?

We convened a panel on it back in the early summer to talk policy and what’s happening in the real world – Meredith, Moffat and Butler. We had the Conservative housing critic on the pod, Scott Aitchison, who gave us his take on what needs to be done.

Today, we get the government’s view of things with the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Canada’s Minister of Housing and Infrastructure.

Mr. Robertson has a long and impressive CV, so please pardon my drastic précis here: He served as the Mayor of Vancouver for a decade, 2008 to 2018, where his focus was on transit and cycling infrastructure ... introducing modular housing to support unhoused residents ... leading on co-ops and supportive housing ... and starting the country's first successful empty homes tax. Prior to that, he was a Member of the B.C. Legislature for 3 years, 2005-2008. As well as the Co-Founder and CEO of “Happy Planet” Organic Foods.

So, we’re going to talk about this new government agency “Build Canada Homes” and how it plans to “supercharge housing construction across Canada”. How will the programs work? What’s the timeline for success in a crisis?  And we’ll get Mr. Robertson’s view on why he thinks government is the solution to this problem when most people think government IS the problem.

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.

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This special live episode was hosted by the Canadian Club of Ottawa and originally recorded on September 18, 2025. 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 PSAC.

Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! Today’s episode is a special LIVE podcast, recorded at the Canadian Club of Ottawa. Our guest: the Honourable David Eby, Premier of British Columbia!

Premier Eby became leader of the BC NDP and the province’s 37th Premier in 2022.  Before entering politics, he was a human rights lawyer and Executive Director of the BC Civil Liberties Association. First elected as MLA for Vancouver–Point Grey in 2013, he previously held key cabinet roles including Attorney General and Minister responsible for Housing.

Premier Eby joined me to talk about his pitch to “Look West” for major resource projects; the experience of working with Prime Minister Carney's government and the previous one as well. And a bit of BC politics too!

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, 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.

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. 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.