

The Strategists
Stephen Carter, Corey Hogan, Zain Velji
Professional unprofessional strategists Stephen Carter, Corey Hogan and Zain Velji dissect the news of the day, pass judgment on strategy choices and lift back the curtain on how decisions are made. Described as "the least deliberate podcast of all time", "shockingly insightful" and "sports talk radio for politics". Not sponsored by Flair Airlines. Get Thursday episodes and bonus content on Patreon at strategistspatreon.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 25, 2025 • 17min
Episode 1854: Game changer
No time to wait for Stephen Carter. Zain and Corey assemble to talk about Pierre Poilievre's big swing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 25, 2025 • 1h 8min
Episode 1853: An Election For A Change
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the launch of the federal election, asking whether campaigns matter at all before settling into the Conservative and Liberal messages, star candidates and Danielle Smith's March surprise. Are the Conservatives leading with their chin? What kind of amnesia do Canadians need to feel like the Liberals represent change? And when did Mike Myers and Stephen Carter get so old? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 17, 2025 • 57min
Episode 1852: Everywhere a sign
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about Prime Minister Mark Carney's swearing in and the inevitable federal election. What does the Cabinet tell us about where the Liberals are going? Can Canadians be sold on the virtues of non-partisanship? With a week to go until a federal election - are Canadians ready? And what sub-basement apartment will Stephen Carter call in from next? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 11, 2025 • 1h 5min
Episode 1850: Ruby Dhalla's Money
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the conclusion of the Liberal leadership race and what's next for Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre. What lessons can be learned from the leadership announcement event? Should Carney immediately call an election? Has Pierre Poilievre found his line of attack? And should Zain be concerned about how many people want to host The Strategists? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mar 4, 2025 • 37min
You The People Article 11: High Tariffs and Misdemeanors
Stephen Carter, Corey Hogan talk about the start of Trump's 25% tariffs against Canada and the end of Trump's support for Ukraine's defensive war against Russia. Washington D.C. guest stars as a place Stephen and Corey went on a Segway tour in 2015. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 25, 2025 • 1h 3min
Episode 4011: Bananas
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the French language Liberal Party of Canada leadership debate before turning their attention to Trump's new tariff threats, Poilievre's pivot (?) and Ruby Dhalla's disqualification. What should the candidates do differently in Tuesday's English language debate? Is Donald Trump the President who cried "tariff"? And why didn't Carney reply to the moderator by saying "I don't know, Pierre, how much does a hack question cost at the hack question store?" Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 18, 2025 • 56min
Episode 1848H: Mostly just us - the proroguement of Corey Hogan
It’s Zain Velji and Stephen Carter diving into all things strategy—without Corey to weigh them down, they’re free to live out the true spirit of the podcast. We cover Trump, the Liberals, Axe the Tax, Canada First, Carney, Gould, Crombie, and more—plus an insensitive sponsor ad and doxxing of family members. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 11, 2025 • 47min
Episode 1848G: Stephen and Corey present Carter and Hogan in “S--t on a stick”
Stephen Carter and Corey Hogan talk about the allegations of major scandal at Alberta Health Services. What's to be made of Smith's statement on the matter? What's to be made of the NDP response? Can Carter avoid "false, baseless and defamatory" commentary? Zain Velji isn't here and neither is Annalise Klingbeil. Giddy up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 3, 2025 • 1h 9min
Episode 1848F: Four Flags
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about America announcing tariffs and Canada announcing retaliation. How did the Prime Minister do? What do Poilievre, Smith and the Liberal leadership candidates need to do now? What kind of consensus needs to be built? And do you think Carter is going to try to undercut Hogan by offering to run the campaign for $39 million a month? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 27, 2025 • 1h 42min
Episode 1848E: A tight 102 minutes on the Liberal leadership brands
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about recent developments in liberal leadership politics before diving deep into the brands of the six candidates. Who's got the best handle on their brand? What even makes a good political brand? And did you take the under on last week's over/under question? We hope so. Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


