The Herle Burly

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 th...

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 Gord...

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...

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 t...

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...

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 R...

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...

Dr. Kate Graham is the host of a compelling new podcast, called “No Second Chances,” which explores the experiences of women in politics through the lens of Canada's 12 female first ministers and their rise and fall from power. Kate joins us to share her insights about the gender inequality issues they faced while in office, as well as her own personal experience in running for office herself...

Amanda is the co-founder of the incredibly vital Political Action Committee, “Run for Something” whose mission is to get young, progressive-thinking candidates from non-traditional backgrounds to run for, and win, state and local office. And to create a next generation slate of candidates to seek higher office in the future. When she began “Run for Something”, Amanda hoped to recruit about 100 can...

My guest is sportswriter, blogger, podcaster, and New York Times best-selling author, Jeff Pearlman. THE Jeff Pearlman. Formerly of Sports Illustrated. Formerly of ESPN. Formerly of Newsweek. Currently of The Athletic. And host of the podcast: Two Writers Slinging Yang. Join us as we nerd out on his new book “Football for a Buck” about pre-president Trump and the insanity that was the United State...

Paul Martin’s public life has been marked by a willingness to confront the challenges we face with solutions bold enough to meet them. On this episode we’ll look back on a range of policy files during his tenure as Prime Minister—from the Kelowna Accord and his work with Indigenous Peoples to healthcare and child care, as well as multilateralism and the G20—but we’ll also discuss the sources weake...

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...

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...

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 abou...

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...

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 se...

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...

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.

Dave Bidini—acclaimed journalist, author, and musician—joins The Herle Burly to explore his take on the rise of right-wing populism, local democracy, and the shifts in our culture today. Bidini, better known as a founding member of the Rheostatics, recently created a new, local, print newspaper in Toronto's West End called the West End Phoenix. A new book will also be released from Bidini lat...

In a world where right-wing populism is reborn and classic rock is dying, a Canadian man rises so that Canadian stories might rise with him… an acclaimed journalist, an acclaimed author, a Gemini award winner. Dave Bidini of the Rheostatics and the West End Phoenix, speaks openly about democracy, local communities, and the roots of Canadian music. Coming to The Herle Burly podcast in just a few da...