The Herle Burly

We’re back on the eve of 338 writs, with Jenni Byrne, Scott Reid, and special guest Éric Grenier. Eric will take us on a deep dive of the polls and what’s at stake on day 1 of the 2019 federal election campaign. But perhaps most importantly, you won’t want to miss what Jenni thinks about politicians and their #$%! Twitter accounts. * Please be sure to check out Éric Grenier's podcast "The CBC Election Pollcast from CBC Radio" at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-cbc-election-pollcast-from-cbc-radio/id1028641828

Ready, set, go! On October 21 Canadians will head to the polls. I’m joined by campaign veterans Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid to dissect the starting positions of the major parties. From early stumbles and gaffes to jingles and slogans, join Jenni, Scott, and me on The Herle Burly.

In just 60 days Canadians will go to the polls to elect our next federal government.Canada’s Green Party leader Elizabeth May is travelling the country to make the case why her party is needed in parliament, now more than ever.She joins us to tell her story of the child of an activist mother and the now party leader fighting to meet this climate crisis moment. Are Canadians ready to lend her their vote? Will the success of the Green’s result in electing a right-wing government? Are the needs of all working people—from coast to coast to coast—met in her transformational plan? We’ll discuss all of those things and more with Elizabeth May on this episode of The Herle Burly podcast.

Few campaign consultants have had the kind of impact on American politics as Bob Shrum. Now retired from political campaigns, Mr. Shrum was for decades the most sought-after strategist in the Democratic Party, serving, among others, John Kerry, Al Gore, Joe Biden, and most notably, the late Ted Kennedy. Overseas his clients included Ehud Barak in his campaign for Prime Minister of Israel, and Gordon Brown for Prime Minister of the UK. Mr. Shrum is currently serving as Director of the Center for the Political Future and Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics at USC Dornsife.As the next presidential campaign takes shape, we’ll discuss how Trump got here and what it will take from the Democratic field to defeat him in 2020, and whether the Kennedyesque call-to-service can be rekindled in modern democracy.

Michael McCain heads up one of Canada’s flagship companies which employs over 11,000 people in Canada and the US, with global sales of over $3B. As President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, Michael has been navigating the relationship between business and politics for nearly 40 years. We’ll discuss his journey, along with growing issues of inequality and food security. When seemingly too few business leaders enter the political fray, Michael’s voice is a refreshing reminder of how the two can work together.

Jim Stanford, one of Canada’s leading economists, joins us to help analyze the changes we’re seeing in the economy—from inequality to automation—and the policy solutions for government. Join us as Jim helps us answer the question: is the economy working for working people?

Today on the pod … political commentator, Pulitzer Prize winner, and the man whom the Wall Street Journal called “perhaps the most powerful journalist in America” … George Will.Mr. Will has been the authority on American conservatism for nearly 50 years. Now he’s out with a new book, called “The Conservative Sensibility”. We’re going to talk about the book and the state of conservatism today in the United States, as well as The Republican Party, President Trump and issues from income inequality to climate change. Be sure to purchase a copy of his new book at your nearest Indigo Books: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-conservative-sensibility/9781549148682-item.html?ikwid=george+will&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0 

Nate Erskin-Smith is the young, bright Member of Parliament for Beaches-East York. In an age of AOC’s and Mayor Pete’s, I’m very pleased to have someone like Nate on the podcast to dive deep on the priorities for next generation leadership. We’ll discuss what drew Nate to the Liberal Party and how a rookie MP found his independence within it. You’ll very quickly learn why everyone tells me Nate is the kind of thoughtful leader we’ll see a lot more of in the years ahead.

Is the national fabric that holds Canada together fraying? Is Western alienation in our prairie provinces real? What do the pipeline and equalization debates reveal about the rise of right-wing populism? To address some of these questions we’re joined by the Honourable Monte Solberg. Mr. Solberg was a long-time Alberta MP, an influential cabinet minister in Ottawa, and one of the founders of the Reform Party of Canada. I’m pleased this unabashed, prairie-populist Conservative joined me on The Herle Burly to talk about Trump, climate change, immigration, and the election of Jason Kenney in Alberta. 

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a 2-million-member union representing some of the most overlooked workers in our economy. You need only look south of the border to see the strength of their political activity as the driving force behind the now global Fight for $15 movement. Sharleen Stewart joins us in her capacity as the SEIU Healthcare President in Canada to share the deeply emotional stories of women who make up the backbone of our health care system who are fighting for dignity, not just for themselves, but for the seniors who rely on them for care.