The LeDrew Three Minute Interview

Op-ed writer and policy researcher Adam Zivo joins Stephen LeDrew for a sharp look at the failure of Canada’s “safer supply” experiment. He explains how government-distributed hydromorphone flooded communities, empowered drug dealers, and did nothing to curb fentanyl addiction. Zivo breaks down why this policy was never evidence-based, how it harmed youth, and what real addiction treatment should look like.

This episode also includes a reminder to support this show. We don’t take government money. We rely on viewers to keep independent commentary alive and to push back against the policy and media failures hurting Canadians. If you value straight talk and honest debate, please subscribe or become a member.

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Author J.D.M. Stewart joins Stephen LeDrew to discuss his new book,The Prime Ministers, and explain why understanding Canada’s leaders matters more than ever. Stewart explains how Prime Ministers shape history, why the office has grown so powerful, and how cabinet dynamics influence the choices that define the country. From Sir John A. Macdonald to modern leadership, Stewart offers a sharp and accessible look at how Canada is knit together through political decision- making.

If you want to understand how Canada works, who really holds power, and why Prime Ministers remain central to our national story, this conversation is essential.

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Stephen LeDrew sits down with commentator Robin Bredin for a sharp conversation about leadership, arrogance and the state of Canada’s political culture. When the Prime Minister was asked when he last spoke to Donald Trump, he replied with a flippant “Who cares?” - a remark that stunned observers around the world and raised serious questions about Canada’s credibility at a moment when our auto industry is fleeing south and tariffs remain in place.

Bredin argues that a “Mandarin mouth” attitude has taken hold in Ottawa - leaders speaking as though they are above scrutiny, above voters and above the economic realities facing Canadians. He warns that woke ideology has won superficial victories, but the silent majority has not yet had its say. Canadians are looking for leadership - not snark, not dismissal, and not condescension toward journalists or the public.

LeDrew and Bredin explore how political elites have become detached from everyday struggles, why Canada is slipping on global relevance, and why citizens who care about this country need to demand honesty, competence and accountability.

If you value independent commentary and perspectives ignored by legacy media, please consider supporting the show to help keep these conversations alive.

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A billion-dollar Canadian success story just left the country - and Ottawa didn’t even notice.

Stephen LeDrew is joined by Dan McTeague, former Liberal MP and one of Canada’s most respected energy and economic analysts, to break down the stunning Nutrien story: the world’s largest potash company has chosen to build its new tidewater port in Washington State, not Canada.

Why?

Because taxes are lower.

Permits are faster.

Regulation is reasonable.

And Canada’s bureaucracy has become a brick wall.

The two dig into:

• How Nutrien warned Ottawa months before making the decision

• Why Canada’s regulatory system is now the slowest in the OECD

• How a 44% explosion in federal bureaucracy has crippled growth

• Whether foreign environmental groups are influencing Canadian policy

• The larger danger: Canada’s investment, productivity, and competitiveness spiraling downward

This is the story the legacy media - funded by the Prime Minister’s Office - won’t touch. But it’s the reality Canadians need to hear if we ever hope to rebuild a functioning economy.

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As Canadians gather over Christmas dinners and parties, Stephen LeDrew argues this is the time to talk openly about what it means to be Canadian. While academics and political elites attack our history as “settler” or “colonial,” LeDrew makes the case that Canada’s strength comes from the people who built it - French, English, and generations of newcomers who created a vibrant, successful nation. He warns against the post-national vision pushed during the Trudeau years and calls for Canadians to reclaim pride in their country.

From immigration pressures to lost jobs, national identity and a struggling economy, LeDrew urges Canadians to stand up for the country they know is worth defending. Celebrate the season, talk honestly and be proud of Canada. Merry Christmas.

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Stephen LeDrew sits down with Andrew Perez, Principal at Perez Strategies, for a serious discussion about the decline of Canada’s urban centers and how to restore public safety, dignity, and accountability. From tent cities and rising crime to addiction and failed drug policies, Stephen presses on whether a decade of Liberal governance under Trudeau helped create today’s crisis. Andrew pushes back, arguing the collapse of social housing, broken systems, and political avoidance span governments of every stripe. Together, they explore what it will take to rebuild trust - from pragmatic progressive policy to honest debate about hard truths. Today’s Three Minutes on crime, compassion, and confronting Canada’s urban reality.

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Stephen LeDrew sits down with Jay Goldberg, Canadian Affairs Manager with the Consumer Choice Center and frequent Three Minute Interview guest, for a hard look at the fallout from Mark Carney’s first federal budget — and whether Canada is any closer to getting back on track.

Goldberg says the rhetoric of renewal doesn’t match the reality: there’s no movement on the Ring of Fire, no progress on pipelines, and no sign that Canada’s major projects are advancing beyond the study stage. Despite talk of rebuilding, the deficit has doubled, industries are still leaving, and confidence in Ottawa’s economic leadership continues to erode.

LeDrew presses Goldberg on whether Canada needs an election to force real change, or if Carney has already lost his chance to prove himself. The two debate what’s holding the government back — from old Trudeau-era ministers to entrenched Liberal habits — and what real leadership would look like.

A focused, fast-paced Three Minutes on politics, budgets, and the cost of going nowhere.

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Stephen LeDrew sits down with Michael Diamond, principal at Upstream Strategy Group, for a candid look at what’s happened to leadership - in Canada and beyond.

LeDrew asks the tough question: has politics gone down the drain? Diamond argues that despite a few headline embarrassments, Canada actually has some of the most capable leaders it’s ever seen - from premiers with business backgrounds to non-traditional policymakers like Mark Carney.

They dissect how the media, especially Trudeau-friendly outlets, created the illusion of “sunny ways” and ignored the hard truths that followed. From legacy bias in the press to the public’s obsession with personality over policy, this Three Minutes exposes how voters, media, and politicians all share the blame - and how Canada might finally be turning the corner.

A fast, funny, and pointed discussion on leadership, accountability, and the future of Canadian politics.

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Stephen LeDrew sits down with Mark Milke, president of the Aristotle Foundation, for a candid Three Minutes on the state of DEI in Canada. Mark explains why diversity, equity, and inclusion - once a tool to correct historical injustices - has become misapplied in workplaces, universities, and corporations. Using real examples, he shows how DEI policies can ignore merit, create new inequities, and shift focus from individual capability to characteristics like skin color. A sharp, insightful critique of modern DEI practices and the consequences of using the past to justify present discrimination.

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Stephen LeDrew opens today’s Three Minutes with a story every Canadian should hear - a billion-dollar vote of non-confidence in Canada’s economy.

Nutrien, the Saskatchewan-based potash giant and one of the world’s largest fertilizer suppliers, warned Ottawa last year that it desperately needed expanded port access to ship product to Asia. With Vancouver clogged, over-regulated, and stagnant, the company signalled it might need to look south unless the Federal Government changed things.

Ottawa did nothing.

Now the verdict is in: Nutrien is spending $1 billion to build its export terminal in Washington State - not Canada. Why? Lower taxes. Faster approvals. Less bureaucracy. And a government that actually says “yes.”

LeDrew breaks down the failure:

• How a Canadian company was pushed out of its own country

• Why officials claimed they “had no idea”

• How endless bureaucracy and regulatory overlap are strangling investment

• And why Canada’s productivity collapse is no longer theoretical - it’s happening in real time

A sharp, urgent commentary on how political inertia is destroying Canadian opportunity - and how we must stop it before more industries flee south.

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