The Herle Burly

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.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.Greetings you ever-curious Herle Burly-ites. We’re recording the show on FES+1 ... one day after Minister Freeland dropped the Fall Economic Statement. So that’s precisely what we’re going to focus on for most of the pod, today.With me to do that is a guest I’m really excited about. Not only because it’s his first time here on The Herle Burly. But because he’s an economist who hasn’t been afraid to do some fiscal truth-telling, both federally and provincially, for quite a while now.Trevor Tombe joins us. Trevor is based out west. He’s a Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary, and a Research Fellow at The School of Public Policy. His research focuses mainly on fiscal federalism, macroeconomics, and international trade. He’s also a Co-director at Finances of the Nation, which assembles public finance data and builds tools to make it more accessible and useful for analysis and research. So, here’s where we’re going with this today: I want to get Trevor’s take on the specifics of the fall update. What did we learn and what did it reveal about where we’re headed fiscally? Then we’ll do a general overview of our economy, with a special focus on the Western economy. Including Trevor’s own research into Alberta’s position in the CPP.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 setting the policy table ahead of the 2023 Fall Economic Statement with our pod's favourite public policy thinkers. We had them on here last December as a policy troika, then after last spring's federal budget, and with us again today are: Dr. Jennifer Robson, Sean Speer and Tyler Meredith.Jennifer is Program Director and Associate Professor of Political Management at Carleton University where she teaches in Public Policy and Research Methods. Her primary areas of research are at the intersection of household finances and the design and implementation of public programs.Sean is Assistant Professor of Public Policy at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Before that, he was senior economic adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He’s also a Founder and Editor-at-Large at the very excellent, The Hub dot ca.And, as of January, Tyler is a Founding Partner at Meredith/Boessenkool Policy Advisors. He’s the former Head of Fiscal and Economic Policy for Prime Minister Trudeau and Ministers of Finance, Chrystia Freeland and Bill Morneau.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. Well greetings, you ever-curious Herle Burly-ites!We’re going to spend the next hour examining a topic that, if you listen to Curse of Politics, we’ve also spent a little time on there — but today we’ll dive deeper into it: the future of the federal Liberal government and its leader, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.What needs to happen in the short and longer term to turn around deeply sagging poll numbers and perceptions? And not just the electoral strategy behind it, but how should it governs and what needs to change with policy and leadership?I couldn’t have a better guest to have this conversation with. Don Guy.Don Guy is, was, and will always be a force in Canadian politics. He’s been described by Maclean’s Magazine as a legendary political strategist, by the Globe & Mail as the most successful political strategist of the past decade, and by the Toronto Star as a policy wizard.Don has a long list of professional accomplishments. Campaign Director for the Ontario Liberal Party for over 13 winning years, Chief of Staff to Premier Dalton McGuinty from 2003 - 2006, Senior Advisory to the 2013 BC Liberal election campaign. Today he’s a founding partner at GT&co and owner and chief strategist at Pollara Strategic Insights.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.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail. Well greetings, you ever-curious Herle Burly-ites! I’m excited about this pod and the conversation we’re about to have, for a couple of reasons. First is, our guest today is the ONLY GUEST we’ve ever had on the show, or likely WILL EVER have, who has stepped foot in my hometown of Prelate, Saskatchewan — rural municipality of Happyland, current population, about 154. I’ve talked about this here before … my Dad was the Reeve of Happyland!The great John Ibbitson joins us.We’re going to look back on the DiefenPearson years. John’s new book is “The Duel: Diefenbaker, Pearson, and the Making of Modern Canada.” About how these 2 leaders, fierce rivals who came from very different places and backgrounds, worked to establish policy and political norms that built the country we all recognize today. We’ll talk about all of that and we’ll also talk about how, in this current climate of political polarization, those norms may be under threat.You all know John. One of this country’s foremost authors and journalists. He’s currently a Writer-at-Large for the Globe and Mail. He also served as Chief Political Writer, Political Affairs columnist and Bureau Chief in both Washington and Ottawa. John’s previous books include the number 1 bestselling “The Big Shift” (with Darrell Bricker), and “The Polite Revolution: Perfecting the Canadian Dream”. And among a ton of other accolades, he’s a winner of the Governor General’s Award, and he’s been shortlisted for the Donner Prize and National Newspaper Award.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.

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!  I’m so chuffed to introduce our guest today on The Herle Burly: The 24th Premier of Ontario. Dalton. I mean, that’s pretty much all I have to say, eh? You all know who I’m taking about. But if you’re looking for the full deal … Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr.The first Liberal leader to win 2 successive majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn, 70 years earlier. And then a 3rd consecutive term after that. His government established education, health care, the environment, and the economy as areas of priority. Test scores rose by 17%. Wait times went from Canada’s longest to shortest. Ontario closed its coal plants in the single largest greenhouse gas reduction initiative in North America. And the McGuinty government cut the marginal tax rate on new business investment in half.Today, he’s involved in the study and teaching of leadership. He’s a Fellow at Carleton University, served as a fellow at Harvard, and is a Senior Fellow at U of T’s School of Public Policy and Governance. On the 20th anniversary of forming government in 2003, we're going to talk to Mr. McGuinty about lessons learned and his life in politics.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.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail. Greetings you ever-curious, Herle Burly-ites! We’ve got a pretty cool show on tap for you today. It’s one podcast sitting inside another podcast. Kind of like a 2-fer. Or a really lazy Russian Nesting Doll. Here’s what I mean: Air Quotes Media, the super smart and moderately attractive people who bring you The Herle Burly and Curse of Politics, is launching a brand-new pod, in partnership with Mike McDonald, Kate Hammer, and Geoff Meggs.“Hotel Pacifico” is the name. And you guessed it, it’s your weekly dose of what’s going down in West Coast Politics.” You can find #HotelPacifico on all your favourite podcast apps right now, so give it a follow or subscribe today. Episode one starts next week.And today, I’m talking to Kate, Mike and Geoff. Sort of like a Hotel Pacifico primer. More specifically we'll talk about what's happening in BC provincially, what's happening federally out there, and what is the special situation out there with opioids, drugs and street crime that is making that such a big issue in Vancouver.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.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), and the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA).Welcome to a very special edition of the pod, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites. If you’re a long-time listener, you might remember way back in 2020, just about a month before the world shut down we held our own, Herle Burly version of an Ontario Liberal Leadership debate. Which basically means we took most of the overwrought rules of national network debate and chucked ‘em out. Well, we’re doing it again, 43 months later. Last time, we had 5 of the 6 leadership candidates in the studio. Del Duca declined our invitation.This time around, I’m chuffed to say we have the whole goddamn enchilada! All 4 candidates are here in the studio. Yasir Naqvi, Ted Hsu, Bonnie Crombie, and Nate Erskine-Smith.There are no podiums. No prepared statements and no official clock. This is going to be an equitable and fair debate, but NOT necessarily an equal time debate.These 4 good people are applying for a very serious job and we want to hear what their vision for Ontario is. Part of my role is to play Debate-Cop. Here to arrest over-canned talking points immediately. But when they say something interesting, or oppose another’s POV in a persuasive way, I’ll give them as much time as they need to finish their thought. And I will give each candidate substantial time to make a closing argument. 3 minutes or so. An unfiltered chance to state their case to whatever audience they want to make it to. I want to stress one final thing. This is not a roast or an accountability session. We’re not here to bust you but help reveal you. Our goal is simply this: To help Liberals make an excellent choice. 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.