The Herle Burly

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.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail. Alright Herle Burly-ites, a pod subject today I’ve wanted to dig into for quite a while now. It both fascinates and troubles the hell out of me. We’re going to explore the current state of the U.S. Republican Party and how Donald Trump – walking straight off celebrity television — could affect such a complete takeover of the Party? With me to do that is a conservative politico who’s not only had a front row seat to it all, after initially supporting Trump, he’s since become a loud and leading voice in opposition to him. A “NeverTrumper” Conservative. Former Congressman and Presidential candidate, author, nationally syndicated conservative talk radio host, and prolific social media commentator, Joe Walsh is here. Mr. Walsh is seen regularly on CNN and MSNBC. He’s the author of “F*CK Silence: Calling Trump Out for the Cultish, Moronic, Authoritarian Con Man He Is”. And he’s the host of the “White Flag Podcast” in which Joe surrenders the urge to fight and has conversations that aim to find common ground with guests who have vastly different viewpoints from his own. 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 have an official “friend of the pod” on the show today. John Stackhouse is here, making his 4th appearance on The Herle Burly. He’s a bestselling author. One of Canada’s leading voices on innovation and economic disruption. A former Editor-in-Chief of the Globe and Mail and Editor of Report on Business. A senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Today, John is a Senior Vice-President, office of the CEO, at the Royal Bank of Canada, leading the bank’s research and thought leadership on economic, technological, and social change. In December, he attended COP 28 – the “Conference of the Parties” UN Climate Conference in Dubai. He and his team at the bank have just published a new report on the state of Canada’s climate progress: “Climate Action 2024 – Double or Trouble.” There are very cool things happening in clean energy here and around the world. But, as the title suggests … too little … and too slowly. 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 Herle Burly-ites, we’ve got a Minister in the House today! It’s the 2nd time he’s been on the pod in just over 6 months: The Honourable Marc Miller is our guest. Near the end of July, he came on here to talk about his work as Minister of Crown and Indigenous Relations. Two days later the Prime Minister shuffled his cabinet and Mr. Miller into one of the most politically sensitive, highly pressurized portfolios … Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Now that he’s sitting squarely in the sights of both the opposition and the media, never more so than right now, I’m thrilled that Minister Miller is back to talk about both the challenges and the opportunities, including our actual and perceived capacity to increase immigration levels, exploitation of temporary foreign workers, and capping international student permits. Finally, we’ll talk about the Liberal Party of Canada’s re-election chances and his take on Pierre Poilievre. 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, a guest who makes me feel like we’re doing something right around here at Air Quotes Media. Or, at least, not altogether wrong. That’s because she keeps coming back to the show, pretty much every time we ask her. 5 times now! And that makes her the all-time record holder for appearances … taking her out of a tie with Peter Weltman. I want all our listeners to know, I’ve offered her the coveted full-time position as Herle Burly In-House Economist, but for some weird reason, she prefers to remain in her current job: Global Chief Economist and Strategist at Manulife Financial. Frances Donald is with us today! So today, a tour of most of the economic hot button issues: 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 Herle Burly-ites, I’m always chuffed when we’re able to put a journalist panel together. And goddammit, I feel just a huge amount of power putting questions to people who do it for a living! But let’s face it … they’re far better at it than me. Vassy Kapelos, Aaron Wherry and Campbell Clark are here today! Just a brief bio for each because you plugged-in Herle Burly-ites know these 3 pretty well: #BREAKING This is going to be a politics show. I want to get our panellists’ thoughts on the 3 major parties and leaders. Where they stand now in the minds of the electorate and how they got there. How current events and polling are shaping their strategies and their messaging. And what the “gallery” makes of the different approaches, and how best to cover it. 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’re coming back strong with our first show of the year because of the history and political perspective we’re going to get over the next 60 minutes. Former multi-portfolio Cabinet Minister and over quarter century Member of Parliament, Carolyn Bennett is our guest. Ms. Bennett is political wonder. Winner of 9 straight elections in Toronto-St. Paul’s. Family Physician by training. The first-ever Minister of State for Public Health where she led the establishment of the Public Health Agency of Canada and appointed our first Public Health Officer. She was appointed Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs in 2015. Then, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. And in 2021, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health. Ms. Bennett announced her retirement from public life just about a month ago. So today on The Herle Burly: The Carolyn Bennett Exit Interview. We’re going to talk about the evolution of the Liberal Party over close to 30 years. Where the country’s at on Indigenous relations and how that’s changed. Similarly, Healthcare and Public Health. 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 holiday Herle Burly-ites, welcome to our last pod of the year. We’ll be back week of January 8th , 2024, as I’m heading to my prairie homeland during the break for a little L-H-R in R time. That’s a Herle acronym for Lemon Hart Rum in Regina time. But getting back to today’s show … This is just a fantastic way to send out our podcasting year: Jason Kenney is our guest! 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. Just a highly distinguished political career. Which is where you might expect me to take the bulk of this conversation. Except that, I won’t. Instead, today I want to talk to Mr. Kenny about the Conservative movement and modes of thinking on a larger scale and on a number of issues. Global Affairs. Russia and Ukraine. China. Israel and Gaza. Climate Change and different ways to grapple with it. The future of the U.S. Republican Party, 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 you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites. An auspicious pod for you today. It marks a first in the long and storied, yet somehow still dubious history of The Herle Burly. We have the United States Ambassador to Canada, David L. Cohen as our guest. 2 years and 2 weeks into the job! I’d need a whole separate pod to cover off Ambassador Cohen’s CV (see official bio below) — it’s that long and accomplished. Suffice to say his career has spanned business, law, politics, academia, non-profit and a host of board work. And I’m going to spend some time with the Ambassador on his backstory, so we’ll find out more. We’re also going to talk his impressions of Canada, U.S. politics and leadership in the world, the future of global trade. Official bio: Before his appointment by President Biden and unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David L. Cohen served as Senior Advisor to the CEO at Comcast Corporation as of January 1, 2020. He was previously Senior Executive Vice President at Comcast, where his portfolio included corporate communications, legal affairs, government and regulatory affairs, public affairs, corporate administration, corporate real estate and security, and community impact. Cohen also served as the company’s first chief diversity officer. Before starting with Comcast in July 2002, Cohen served as a partner in and Chairman of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, one of the 100 largest law firms in the country. From January 1992 to April 1997, Cohen served as Chief of Staff to the Honorable Edward G. Rendell, the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. Cohen served on many nonprofit boards, including as chair of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and its Executive Committee; as a member of the trustee board and the executive committee of Penn Medicine; as a member of the board of directors and the executive committee of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce; as chair of the Philadelphia Theatre Company; as a member of the Board of the National Urban League; and as chair of the corporate board of advisors of UnidosUS. Cohen also previously served as a member of the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission. He also served on the board of directors of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and PNC Bank, National Association. A native of New York, Cohen graduated with a B.A. from Swarthmore College in 1977 and with a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School summa cum laude in 1981. Cohen has received numerous honors and recognitions, including Honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. Prior to his appointment to Ottawa, he lived in Philadelphia with his wife. 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 curious, you courageous Herle Burly-ites! Here we are, in late 2023. With housing prices still out of sight. Availability of affordable housing, negligible. Government measures crawling slowly into place. Poilievre making hay with a 15-minute docu-drama, viewed millions on the subject. I want to talk about all of that today. And I couldn’t have two better, more engaged-with-the-issue people, to do it with: Mike Moffatt is an Assistant Professor in Business, Economics, and Public Policy at Ivey Business School, Western. He’s also the Senior Director of Policy at the University of Ottawa’s Smart Prosperity Institute. His current area of research is on Canada’s housing supply and affordability crisis. He’s authored many research reports, made hundreds of media appearances from TVO’s The Agenda to CBC’s The National. His team’s work has led to several public policy changes at all levels of government. And in 2023, he was named one of the most influential people in Ontario real estate. Ron Butler is a 28-year veteran of the mortgage industry and one of its most prominent names. He’s the founder, and a principal, of discount brokerage Butler Mortgage Inc and he’s a hugely outspoken voice on the Twitter-verse on the subject. A few months ago, he launched his own weekly show — “Angry Mortgage Podcast” — to share his insights, and vitriol, on the subject. So today, we’re going to benefit from Mike’s 30,000-foot view … and Ron’s boots on the ground experience. What’s happening in the market right now? What’s the situation for mortgage holders facing renewal? What can we expect from government action at all levels? What are the prospects for people in their 20s and 30s to ever own a home? And what did they think of Poilievre’s opus? 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 to our semi-regular feature here on The Herle Burly, called “The Chiefs”. This is edition 4 of The Chiefs, Herle Burly-ites. We debuted it back in January to discuss the issues from the unique 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. So once again, we’re doing that with these 3 former Chiefs of Staff to some of Canada’s most accomplished heads of government: Tim Murphy – former Chief of Staff to Paul Martin … now CEO and Managing Partner at McMillan LLP. 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. 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, federally. Today, he’s a founding partner at GT&co. So today, I want to talk about how major policy choices, like what was contained Fall Economic Statement affect the political positioning of each of the parties, as they head into Year 3 of this mandate. Lots of governing grist in that! 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.