VP-Elect Harris senior advisor, Ace Smith

Back on the podcast is Averell "Ace" Smith. Ace is one of the great American political strategists for Democratic Party candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris.

In 2018 he joined The Herle Burly podcast to discuss the midterm elections and his book, "THE PITCHER AND THE DICTATOR" about baseball legend Satchel Paige. He joins us now for an analysis of the 2020 presidential election and what we learned about American voters.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

The morning after #ELXN2020 with David, Jenni, and Scott

After little or no sleep, David, Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid sit down for a reaction to the US election.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

Stuart Stevens of the Lincoln Project and author of "It Was All A Lie"

It is our immense good fortune to have Stuart Stevens on the pod. Stuart Stevens is the most successful Republican Political Operative of his generation, spending decades electing candidates at every level. From Presidents to Senators ... right on down the ballot. He was Mitt Romney’s Senior Strategist in the 2012 election.

A prominent Never Trump Republican, he the author of 8 books – his latest, “IT WAS ALL A LIE: How The Republican Party Became Donald Trump”, became an instant New York Times Bestseller. And he is also a member of The Lincoln Project.

There are 700,000 eligible US voters living here in Canada who are closely following the race. And millions more of us who just can’t take our eyes off the shit show. So, we’re going to talk about what Stuart’s book tells us about the rise of Trumpism and how to defeat it.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

Mike McDonald + the Political Panel with Jenni and Scott

For Part 1 today, we’re going to dive into the B.C. election story, and John Horgan’s historic, “Orange Wave” 55-seat majority, with Mike McDonald. Mike is a brilliant guy and good friend of mine. He’s the former campaign manager and Chief of Staff to Premier Christy Clark. Currently, he’s Partner and Chief Strategy Officer for Kirk & Co., one of the leading communications and public engagement firms in Canada, and a senior research associate at Pollara Strategic Insights. And you can read about what’s on his political mind at https://rosedeer.blog/

For Part 2, we’ll bring on our Political Panel, Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid.  We’ll pick up a little bit on the B.C. election ... And we’ll devote the rest of our time to topics and stories spurred on by your Twitter suggestions over the course of the last week.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

Keith Boag and Neil Macdonald + the Political Panel with Jenni and Scott

Alright, curious and passionate Herle Burly-ites, time for today’s 2-part pod. It’s a great one, and I’ll tell you why:

For Part 1, we’re welcoming back two guests whose first go ‘round with us happens to be the number 2 most downloaded episode in the long, dubious history of The Herle Burly podcast. Keith Boag and Neil Macdonald are here. Both of these stellar CBC alumni spent years working in the U.S., observing and reporting on the condition of American democracy and political discourse. We are 2 weeks away from election day. Most polls look bad for President “I won’t commit to a peaceful transfer of power”. What the hell is going to happen on November 3rd . And in the weeks following? When will we know who won the damned thing? What is the future of the Republican Party? And where do Trump voters go from here?

For Part 2, we’ll bring on our Political Panel, Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid. We’ll pick up a little bit on the U.S. election stuff. Plus, we’ll chat about the fight in Ottawa over special House Committees.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

Jennifer Welsh + the Political Panel with Jenni and Scott

Today, we have a 2-part pod. Part 1 is Jennifer Welsh. Jennifer’s CV is longer than my COVID-hair. So I’ll abbreviate it just a bit. She hails from Regina! Just like me. Unlike me, she is a Rhodes scholar, earning her Masters and Doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford. She is currently the Canada 150 Research Chair in Global Governance and Security and serves as the Director of the Centre for International Peace and Security Studies at McGill University. And so, today we are going to talk about Canada's place in the world.

Part 2 is our consistently entertaining, always gorgeous Political Panel. We’ve got Jenni Byrne coming to us by way of Jenni Byrne and Associates, by way of Doug Ford’s office, by way of Stephen Harper’s inner circle, by way of the Reform Party of Canada, by way of the Fenelon Falls IGA. Next to Jenni in his hazy yellow ZOOM square is Scott Reid: Principal at Feschuk-Reid communications, former Director of Communications to Paul Martin, senior advisor to many federal and provincial Liberal leaders, noted media commentator here on planet earth, as well as all across the multiverse. We’re gonna talk about a few things today:

  • BC election roasts

  • Doug Ford's authenticity 

  • WE

  • Trump

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

John Stackhouse + the Political Panel with Jenni and Scott

Part 1 of today's pod is John Stackhouse ... making an almost unprecedented RETURN to The Herle Burly. Besides being only the guest other than Ken Dryden to be a repeat guest on our show, our original interview with John is one of the top 10 most-listened-to episodes in our podcast history!

John spent close to a quarter century at the Globe and Mail. As a foreign correspondent, editor of Report on Business and then finally, Editor-in-Chief. Today, he’s a Senior Vice-President, office of the CEO, at the Royal Bank of Canada where he advises leadership on emerging trends in the Canadian economy. He’s also the author of a new book, launching tomorrow called, “Planet Canada: How our Expats are Shaping the Future” in which he argues that our country’s greatest untapped resource may be the 3 million Canadians who don’t live here anymore. We’ll talk about that, plus, we’ll dive deep into the COVID and post-COVID economy.

For Part 2, we’ll bring on our Political Panel ... those creators of memorable strategies, and utterers of vivid expletives ... Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid. Not shockingly, we’re gonna do a lot of Trump talk today. The garden party seems to be over for the Trump campaign. We’ll discuss what Team Trump might do to stem the bleeding (besides jumping in limos and having impromptu hospital parades), plus we'll discuss Annamie Paul and what the exciting new leader might mean for the Green Party of Canada.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

Mike Schreiner + the Political Panel with Jenni and Scott

It’s a Herle Burly 2-parter today.

First up, we’ve got Mike Schreiner on the pod. Mike is the leader of The Green Party of Ontario and became the first Green Party MPP in Ontario history, taking the riding of Guelph in 2018. We’re going to talk about his own initiatives as Leader and the political prospects for the Green Party. We’ll also talk about the Climate Change movement in Canada. And Doug Ford’s handling of COVID.

For Part 2, we’ve got Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid ... our ever-smart, ever-strategic ever-sweary Political Panel. We’ll get right down to the fireworks of last night’s Trump-Biden debate. After that ... it’s COVID’s wave-two. Cases are rising. So what are the political implications? Why can’t we have government transparency? Where’s the data and what the hell is driving decision making? And finally we’ll talk a little about the elections in B.C. and Saskatchewan.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

Alex Marland + the Political Panel with Jenni and Scott

It’s a 2-parter on the pod today.

First up is author and professor, Alex Marland. Alex is a professor of Political Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He’s a co-editor of the UBC Press book series “Communication, Strategy and Politics”. And he’s long been investigating, and writing about, what goes on behind the scenes in our political sphere. Today we’re going to talk about his new book, “Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada,” which examines the hidden ways parties exert control over elected members of Canadian legislatures.

For Part 2 of the pod, we’ll bring on our Political Panel, strategists extraordinaire, Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid. We'll share some heartfelt stories of the Rt. Hon. John Turner, plus, hot takes on the upcoming BC election, and a few predictions on the Speech from the Throne.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

Episode 100: Wade Davis + the Political Panel with Jenni and Scott

On today's 2-parter we’re thrilled to have author, ethnographer, explorer and filmmaker Wade Davis join us. Wade’s bio is rather long and impressive, so I’m going to try to hit the highlights: He holds degrees in anthropology, biology, and received his Ph.D. in ethnobotany ... all from Harvard University. He is the Leadership Chair in “Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk” at UBC. Wade is explorer in residence, for National Geographic. He’s written numerous books – I tried to add them up, but I lost count at about 20. We’re going to talk about his latest, “Magdalena: River of Dreams" and what it says about indigenous wisdom and environmental degradation.

Wade’s also published over 1800 articles. His most recent, for Rolling Stone, “The Unraveling of America. How Covid-19 signals the end of the American Era” published on August 6th, has been a legitimate sensation, racking up more than 10 million social media comments within a week. So we’ll chat about the politics and future of the U.S. ... and the illusion of American exceptionalism.

For Part 2 of the pod, we’ll bring on our Political Panel with Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid. We'll discuss the New Brunswick election outcome, Jason Kenney's challenges in Alberta, and what should be the focus in the upcoming Speech from the Throne.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

The Political Panel's Return of Reid

After a long Scott-less Summer ... Reid returns! We're thrilled to have him back to his rightful place along Jenni and me for the #PoliticalPanel, and we're thrilled to have our loyal Herle Burly-ites join us for an exciting fall season of politics.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

The Political Panel: Jenni Byrne and Chris Ball

For the first time since the onset of the COVID lockdown in mid-March we have a 1-Part Podcast on the The Herle Burly today. And that, is our Political Panel!

I’m actually on vacation this week. But that WILL NOT stop me from recording this podcast ... because, like a vacation, doing the Poli-Panel with my friends is pretty much like sipping a glorious rum-based umbrella drink for me.

Today on the Panel ... it’s the brilliant Conservative political strategist Jenni Byrne ...whose contract rider stipulates that we buy her a thrift-store Willie Nelson t-shirt every 2nd week, as well as make a modest donation to the “Erect-a-Stephen Harper-Statue-in-the-riding-of-Papineau” Fund. And coming back to the panel today, in this last week before the long-awaited return of Scott Reid, our favourite NDP pundit who wears his flat-brimmed cap slightly askew, Chris Ball.

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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.

Kevin Carmichael + the Political Panel with Jenni Byrne and James Moore

For Part 1, we’ve got Kevin Carmichael here on the pod (and in the ZOOM box) to chat with us. Kevin is the National Business Columnist at the Financial Post and senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. One of Canada’s leading business journalists, he’s going to take us deep into the COVID economy, and the post-COVID economy.

For Part 2 of the Pod ... we’ll bring on the Political Panel. This week, we’ve got the ever brilliant, ever resourceful, always able to do a media hit – even when it’s from the front seat of her car, Jenni Byrne. And joining Jenni this week, is former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister, and one of the founders of the Conservative Party of Canada, James Moore. The three of us will pick up on the conversation with Kevin, plus, we’re going to talk about ... what else? The Conservative Leadership Race. How did Erin O’Toole win ... and what do the next few months look like for him? Is there going to be a fall election, hot on the heels of prorogation?

Thank you for joining us on The Herle Burly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes 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 Queen's Park Today.

Chris Arnade + the Political Panel with Jenni Byrne and Peter Donolo

For Part 1, we’ve got Chris Arnade, author and photographer of the incredible book, “Dignity: Seeking Respect in Back Row America.” If you don’t know Chris’ story ... it’s as interesting as what he writes about. And, in fact, it’s intertwined with it.

[About book: "With stark photo essays and unforgettable true stories, Chris Arnade cuts through "expert" pontification on inequality, addiction, and poverty to allow those who have been left behind to define themselves on their own terms."]

For Part 2 of the Pod ... we’ll bring on the Political Panel ... the fearless and indomitable Jenni Byrne. And this week in Scott Reid's chair, Peter Donolo, currently Vice-Chair of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, but best known for his sterling work as Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's director of communications in the 90's. We'll talk about, what else, Bill Morneau and Justin Trudeau as compared to Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien. Plus, talk about the CFL, Joe Biden's pick of Kamala Harris, and where the WE scandal goes from here.

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as Queen's Park Today.

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

John Anzalone, chief pollster to VP Joe Biden + the Political Panel with Jenni Byrne and Allan Gregg

Part 1 of the pod today, coming to us from Alabama ... is John Anzalone. John is the Principal Pollster for Joe Biden 2020. He is one of America’s top pollsters and messaging strategists, with over 25 years experience ... polling for the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton ... as well as helping to elect Senators, Governors, dozens of members of Congress and numerous other office holders up and down the ballot. In the last two decades, John and his firm, ALG Research, have helped beat more incumbent Republicans, taking back more Republican seats, than any other firm in America. So, we’re going to talk about taking back an office currently held by a Republican: “The Battle for the Soul of the Nation” ... as Mr. Biden puts it.

For Part 2 of the Pod ... we’ll bring on the Political Panel ... the always fearless, always on-point, Jenni Byrne. And this week, I’m excited to say, we’ll be joined by The Original Rock n’ Roll Pollster, Political Advisor and media pundit, Allan Gregg. We’ll pick up on my conversation with Anzalone about Biden. And ... of course ... we’ll talk about the latest developments in WE. We’ll also cover the demise of the CERB and the long-term economic impacts of COVID. It’s a full show with no lack of opinion, Herle Burly-ites.

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as Queen's Park Today.

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

Liz Stuart + the Political Panel with Jenni & Chris

Part 1 is about an issue that couldn’t be more relevant or timely for millions of families: the reopening of our schools. To discuss what it will take to get teachers and students back to school safely in this pandemic, we have special guest Liz Stuart.

Liz is President of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association, representing 45,000 educators in elementary and secondary schools. She’s had a more than 20-year teaching career, brings a breadth of teacher and political activism to the job and is known for keeping her membership at the heart of everything she does.

So, we’re going to tackle the issue that’s on so many minds: How do we get children
back to school in September? Should we be getting children back to school in September? Is it safe for them? Safe for teachers and support staff? Safe for parents in the petri-dish of life at home? And what needs to be done to make it so.

On Part 2 ... it’s the #PoliticalPanel with Jenni Byrne and Chris Ball. We’ll pick up on the getting our kids back to school question. Plus, we’ll also talk about ... What else ... WE! The 3-hour Trudeau grilling in front of the House Finance Committee. How did he handle it? Jenni has some venom, I mean “thoughts” ... then I get bumped from my own podcast!

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as Queen's Park Today.

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

Paul Palango + the Political Panel with Jenni and Chris

Part 1 is about a true crime story, a tragedy, and a potential scandal all wrapped up in one, with special guest Paul Palango. Mr. Palango is the author of three books on the RCMP and a frequent commentator over the past 27 years on RCMP issues. He's also a former senior editor at The Globe and Mail who now lives in Chester Basin, Nova Scotia. I’ve been a particular fan of Paul’s reporting these last months on the horrific Nova Scotia Massacre for The Halifax Examiner. We’re going to dive into this story, examining the implications for our justice system, politicians and media.

On Part 2 ... it’s the #PoliticalPanel with Jenni Byrne and Chris Ball. We’ll also talk about the WE scandal. And the WE scandal. And the WE scandal.

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as Queen's Park Today.

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

Kate Bezanson + Herle and Byrne go one-on-one

Our special guest today is Dr. Kate Bezanson. Dr. Bezanson is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, and Associate Dean of Social Sciences at Brock University. An expert and advisor on social policy and political economy ... she says the government MUST appropriately support childcare services if it wants to see a lasting recovery from the pandemic. We'll do a deep-dive on childcare and whether the government has adequately addressed the care crisis for working families.

On Part 2 ... the #PoliticalPanel goes one-on-one with me and Jenni Byrne. Jenni and I are going to pick up on the Kate conversation and we’ll also duke it out over:

  • Canada and China ...

  • The ever-growing, shape-shifting, what will they discover this week, WE scandal ... 

  • We’ll talk about Trump fighting Chris Wallace on Fox News ...

  • And finally ... No way ... Blue Jays!

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as Queen's Park Today.

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

David Mulroney + the Political Panel (with a twist)

Our special guest today is David Mulroney. David is probably our foremost expert on Canada-China relations. He served as Canada’s ambassador to the People’s Republic of China from 2009 to 2012. Prior to that he headed Canada’s office in Taiwan and served as our Senior Official for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. In 2016 his book about this country’s relationship with China, Middle Power, Middle Kingdom, was awarded with J.W, Dafoe Prize.

On Part 2 ... it’s the #PoliticalPanel with a twist! Including the always brilliant, always outspoken Jenni Byrne, and sitting in for Scott Reid is Chris Ball. Chris is not only a long-time campaign and communications strategist, he’s a trusted advisor to business and political leaders in this country… he also happens to be a New Democrat. And the good news, like Scott, Chris also has excellent command of the f-word.

We’ll discuss WE, more WE, and phase three.

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as Queen's Park Today.

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

Phil Fontaine + the Political Panel

Phil Fontaine joins the podcast for a raw discussion about the sadness, anger, and hope felt by Indigenous and First Nations peoples in this country. Phil is a former 3-term National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. Besides being a leading voice for human rights, and a survivor of residential school abuse himself, he negotiated the Residential School Settlement Agreement – $5.6 billion in individual compensation – the largest settlement in Canadian history, for the largest human rights violation in Canadian history. We’re going to talk about systemic racism in this country, and how we work to change that.

On Part 2 ... it’s our #PoliticalPanel with Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid. Scott will join us in progress, while Jenni and I kick off the discussion with WE and the surprising fundraising haul by Leslyn Lewis in the Conservative Party leadership. Then Scott pops in to continue the conversation on the Economic Snapshot coming down from Mount Morneau about 24 hours after we record this. Is an economic snapshot really just a fiscal update in Polaroid form? And how bad is our economy really going to be, 6 months from now?

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The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as Queen's Park Today.

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