The Herle Burly

The Rt. Hon. Paul Martin, Canada’s 21st Prime Minister, joins the podcast for a frank exchange about his time in public office and an in-depth discussion about some of the biggest issues facing our country and the world today. On this episode our conversation will focus on his formative years as a young man, as an entrepreneur, and an honest debate about the critical public policy files during his term as Canada’s Minister of Finance (part 1 of 2). 

Jerry Dias is the national president of one of Canada’s largest unions. I sat down with Jerry to talk about the changing world and what it means for working class Canadians. Jerry opens up about his fight for good jobs in the face of growing inequality—particularly with General Motors—as well as the place for unions in our political arena. 

Few understand conservatism in Canada as much as Hugh Segal. His public service includes serving as Chief of Staff to Ontario Premier Bill Davis and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Mr. Segal is also an author, former senator, and current principal at Massey College.This episode is the flip side to my earlier discussion with Bob Rae. Whereas the conversation with Mr. Rae examined politics from the progressive point of view, this episode with Mr. Segal takes a look at politics from the perspective of a thoughtful conservative.I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did his insightful analysis on some of today’s most pressing issues, like climate change and trade, but also his personal stories about leadership, including a few anecdotes about Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.I’m honoured he shared his time with us on The Herle Burly and invite you to join us for the conversation. 

Bob Rae has been a pillar of Canadian politics for over 40 years. Easily one of the most important Canadians of his generation, Ontario’s 21st Premier and former interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada joins The Herle Burly for a discussion about progressive politics, but also to give his insights in to the forces changing society today. This episode is part one of a two-part discussion about progressive and conservative politics in Canada and around the world. The next episode will feature a conversation with the legendary Hugh Segal for a discussion about conservatism—past and present. 

Nine months after three of us gathered on The Herle Burly, Scott Reid and Jaime Watt join me on the podcast for a raucous discussion about the most significant political events of the year. We’ll look back at the 2018 Ontario election and the first months of the Ford government, as well as how the political parties are positioned federally, and finally a review of Trump’s America. Join us for that conversation plus a new Herle Burly speed round as we wrap up the year. #ScottWatt

The morning after the midterm elections I sat down with veteran political pollster, Ruth Bernstein in Oakland, California. Ruth works out of the San Francisco Bay Area for clients across California, as well as Governors and Senators throughout the United States. Like me, Ruth got her start in polling because of her love for politics, but what’s clear is that Ruth Bernstein a fierce champion for seeing more women on the ballot and more women elected. Among her collection of San Francisco Giants bobble heads, Ruth hosted me in her office to talk about the midterms, Trump in 2020, and our shared profession of public opinion research. 

Anthropocene is a new documentary about the planet and our indelible human signature. The brilliant trio behind it—Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky and Jennifer Baichwal—join me on the podcast to discuss their alarm sounding project.

Chantal Hébert is one of the most trusted voices in Canadian journalism. Her observations on politics give both governments and voters clarity in what seems chaotic. Today, Chantal Hébert joins The Herle Burly podcast to share her insights on the recent Quebec election and the state of politics in Canada. 

Averell "Ace" Smith is one of the great American political strategists for Democratic Party candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris. Ace is best known for his work as an opposition researcher, but today he joins us to discuss his new book on Satchel Paige, The Pitcher and the Dictator, and of course, to reflect on the state of politics and what it will take to beat Trump in 2020.

Christy Clark joined David Herle on the podcast to talk about her time as the 35th Premier of British Columbia, including conversations about pipelines, Prime Minister Trudeau, foreign interference in our democracy, and what it means to be a woman in politics.