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

One of my favourite things about this gig, is the panel conversations we put together here on the pod. I think they’re unique conversations, with a level of experience and depth of thinking all-too rare these days in media.

This series is one of my favourites… The Chiefs are back! Making their 5th appearance here on The Herle Burly, 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.

Tim Murphy – former Chief of Staff to Paul Martin … now CEO and Managing
Partner at McMillan LLP.

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.

We struck this panel to discuss the 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, from the POV of what’s possible to deliver in a governing sense. And so today, 7 days after the federal budget and its suite of measures, we’ll do a situation assessment of the government and all the parties. So, all the governing grist you could ever want, packed into the next hour.

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.

Joining me on the pod, are all the policy chops you could ever want. Our own Herle Burly Budget Lock-up! THE policy panel is here making their 4th appearance on the show: Dr. Jennifer Robson, Sean Speer and Tyler Meredith.

I’ll just remind you of their bona fides…

Jennifer has held senior roles in policy development and research with the Federal Government. She’s now Program Director and Associate Professor of Political Management at Carleton University. Her primary areas of research are at the intersection of household finances and the design and implementation of social policy.

Sean is a former senior economic advisor to Prime Minister Harper. Today, he’s Senior Fellow at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He’s also a Founder and Editor-at-Large at the very excellent, TheHub dot ca.

Tyler 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.

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.

You know what makes me happy, you curious, you courageous, Herle Burly-ites? Ist “R” is Rum. 2nd “R” is Riders. The 3rd “R” is newer, but just as meaningful to me. It’s having a Returning Guest here on The Herle Burly.

Armine Yalnizyan is here on the pod for a second time! Armine is a leading voice on Canada’s economy. According to Maclean’s Magazine, she’s the Caring Person’s economist. A big picture thinker who looks out for the little guy. The coiner of the term “She-cession”, way back in March 2020, to describe the economic fallout of the pandemic. Armine is currently the Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers. Her mission is to bring a workers’ perspective to the public policy development process — and to help all of us make sense of what’s happening in the economy.

Today, we’ll continue our conversation on Canada’s Care Economy. Last week, she published a piece in The Star on Private Equity Firms expanding their interests in Long Term Care. We’ll dive into that. As well as the need for $10/day childcare. Economic insecurity and food security in Canada.

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! We’ve got a Finance Minister in the house. The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance for Ontario, is our guest today.

He earned his Masters of Business Administration from McGill University, and Masters of Political Science from U of T. Prior to politics, he had a long and successful career in business and finance, holding senior roles at CST Consultants, Manulife Financial and TD Securities.

Minister Bethlenfalvy was first elected to the legislature in 2018. In Premier Ford’s first cabinet, he was appointed President of the Treasury Board, and succeeded Rod Phillips in the finance portfolio on the last day of 2020.

And, you may have heard, he’s been in the news lately, releasing the province’s 2024 budget just 8 days ago, “Building a better Ontario”. That’s what we’re talking about today. Broadly, how does Minister Bethlenfalvy and the Ford government plan to deliver on that promise? We’ll talk investments in housing and infrastructure. Economic growth. Clean energy and public services. And 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.

Greetings, all you intrepid Herle Burly-ites! Great day on the pod because we’ve got a Premier in the house! And not just a run of the mill, pick-any-one-of-10 Provincial Premiers … but one whose voice represents a part of the country I’ve long wanted to learn more about myself.

Premier R.J. Simpson of the Northwest Territories is our guest today!

Premier Simpson is a lawyer by training. He was first elected in 2015, representing Hay River North, to the 18th Legislative Assembly. Acclaimed for a 2nd term in 2019, Mr. Simpson served in Cabinet as Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Minister of Justice, and Government House Leader. Just last December, after winning re-election a 3rd time, he was chosen by his MLA colleagues to serve as the 14th Premier of the Government of Northwest Territories.

So today, a primer of sorts on the Northwest Territories. What are its key issues? Provincial and Territorial distinctions? What are the key components of, and health of, the economy? And then, the Territories' relationship with the Feds. What does the Federal government do, or not do, for the Northwest Territories. How relevant is the national debate to the region? Finally, we’ll get the Premier’s take on most of the major contemporary issues: Climate Action and the Carbon Tax. Healthcare. Affordability and Housing. Education and Reconciliation.

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.

Welcome back, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites.

André Pratte is here! What a career Monsieur Pratte has had. A journalist for almost 40 years, rising to Editor-in-Chief of La Presse in Montreal. Author of several books on history, media and politics. He was appointed to The Senate by Prime Minister Trudeau in 2016, as part of the first wave of independent nominations, but resigned his position three years later disappointed by the continuing partisanship he saw in the upper house.

Today, André has taken up the mantle for the Parti Libéral du Quebec as President de la Commission Politique.

We’re going to talk about exactly what that role is. Why Quebec needs a Liberal Party. And why he’s taken on the task of rebuilding it. As well as the swirl of Quebec politics, writ large.

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 curious, you courageous, Herle Burly-ites … it’s going to be a helluva conversation with a man who was one of the preeminent politicians of his time.

Gary Doer, the 20th Premier of Manitoba, joins us today!

Mr. Doer spent exactly a decade holding that office, leading his NDP Party to 3 consecutive majority governments. His list of accomplishments is long and broad, but notable were investments in public healthcare, education and infrastructure, and balanced budgets during each of those 10 years.

In 2005, Business Week named him as one of the top 20 international leaders on climate change. In 2009, Mr. Doer succeeded Michael Wilson as Canadian Ambassador to the United States, serving until 2016. Today, he’s a Senior Business Advisor at Denton’s, working at the intersection of business, public policy and cross-border trade relations.

But perhaps even more compelling that all of that, if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of Mr. Doer’s Wikipedia page, you’ll find a small photo of him holding court at the 2023 US-Canada Summit … hanging just off his right shoulder, a shaggy-haired admirer and podcast host, probably trying to secure this very interview.

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.

We’ve struck a brand-new panel for today’s pod that is going to be a rich conversation. 3 Presidents from 3 Canadian Universities are joining me to have a high-level conversation about: the purpose of a University.

From there, we’ll flow into issues of: Funding and accessibility … How the curriculum has changed in the last 35 years … How students learn about Western Civilization in a very different way than I did … The research function of Universities and how that fits into Canada’s efforts to spur innovation and productivity growth.

Each of our Presidents’ CVs is long and accomplished, so I’ll just apologize in advance for my brevity here.

Let’s welcome Meric Gertler, from The University of Toronto. Meric is the 16th President of the University. Prior to that, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, where he championed important innovations in undergraduate teaching and learning.   He’s authored or edited 9 book and advised governments in Canada, the U.S., Singapore and Europe as well as the OECD and European Union.

Peter Stoicheff is here, President and Vice-Chancellor of my alma mater, The University of Saskatchewan. After serving as Dean of Arts and Science, Peter was appointed the 11th President of the University in 2015. He’s led it to become one of Canada’s top research intensive medical-doctoral universities, with global impact in water and food security, synchrotron science, medical imaging and agricultural technology.

And Graham Carr, President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University joins us. Graham’s previous leadership positions at Concordia include Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs; Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies; and Dean of Graduate Studies. He’s a member of the Research Committee of Universities Canada and sits on the Steering Committee of Montreal Climate Partnership.

Join us. Class is in session.

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. After a 3 year interregnum, my friend, former colleague, and noted Canadian economist Don Drummond joins us for a second time on The Herle Burly.

The Right Honourable Paul Martin called Don “One of the most principled and imaginative public servants with whom I have ever worked.” Mr. Drummond spent almost 23 years in senior positions in the federal Department of Finance, culminating in Associate Deputy Minister. Subsequent to his time in government, he was Chief Economist for the TD Bank. He’s still a busy, in-demand thinker, writer and commentator: Adjunct Professor at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University, Chair at the Canadian Centre for the Study of Living Standards, Fellow-in-Residence, at C.D. Howe Institute, and member of the Expert Advisory Group to the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices.

Today, we’re going to tackle a single subject matter – one that Don has plenty of experience with and offers a ton of insight on: Federal Spending and the kind of actions it would take to get back to balance.

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.

Today on the pod, the return of a Herle Burly O.G. When we first had an inkling about what this podcast was going to be in 2017, we launched with our first guest ever, David Axelrod. 

Our second guest ever? Well, it was this man who was kind enough to take our call and say, “Yeah, what the fuck. Let’s do it.” Nick Kouvalis said some shit that day on the pod. He was damned honest. And damned refreshing. And his episode was a large part of what told us this thing could be successful. For those who didn’t hear that show in those nascent days, Nick is a super successful political consultant and strategist. Nick knows how to win elections.

He’s a Principal at Campaign Research, a firm he co-founded in 2008. He managed Rob Ford’s winning campaign in 2010, later becoming his Chief of Staff. And then he became Chief Strategist for John Tory’s campaign to replace Ford in 2014, emerging with a victory over Rob’s brother Doug, who went on to become premier with, guess what, Nick’s help. Nick was also a key advisor to Liberal Premier Christy Clark in the 2013 B.C. election.

Today we’re going to talk about what the hell is going on in Canadian politics. Vote shifts. And the reason for those vote shifts.

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.