The Honourable and The Hack

You asked. We answered — and we didn't hold back. In Episode 26, Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill open the H&H mailbag for the first time — fielding questions submitted by listeners over the past several months. No prep calls. No talking points. Just two insiders trading honest opinions on the province's biggest political questions. In this episode, we cover: ✅ The Mount Rushmore of Newfoundland...

He spent 21 years in Ontario politics. He knows what winning looks like — and what losing teaches you. In Episode 29, Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill sit down with Tim Hudak — former Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader, cabinet minister, and now Partner at Counsel Public Affairs — for a wide-ranging conversation that cuts across political experience, housing policy, the art of surviving in opposi...

He ran three of the toughest portfolios in federal politics. Now he's stepping into a role no sitting MP has ever taken — Canada's Ambassador to the European Union. In Episode 28, Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill sit down with Jonathan Wilkinson — former Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, and Fisheries and Oceans — for a candid exit interview on his decade in electe...

Every session of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly produces winners, losers, and a few who make you wonder why they showed up at all. So we brought in someone who watches it all — and we handed out the hardware. James Reid is a journalist covering politics across Newfoundland and Labrador. He joins Andrew and Alex at the desk to hand out the H&H HOA Session Awards: the best parli...

Years after legalization, Canada's legal cannabis industry is still fighting an uphill battle. Excise taxes and product labelling designed for Big Tobacco are squeezing licensed producers. The illicit market continues to thrive. And Ottawa's response? Slow — at best. Paul McCarthy is the President & CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada, the national voice of Canada's licensed cann...

He gave up his seat for Clyde Wells. He survived allegations that forced him out of caucus. And he served as an MHA for 25 years — three of them as an independent. Eddie Joyce has seen the Newfoundland House of Assembly at its best and its worst, and he's not afraid to tell you the real story. In this episode of The Honourable & The Hack, Andrew Parsons sits down with one of Newfoundland a...

For the first time on The Honourable & The Hack, the left gets a seat at the table. Kyle Rees — lawyer, union advocate, and former President of the Newfoundland and Labrador NDP — walks us through what the political left actually believes about power in Canada. Not the version from a press release. The real version. Kyle Rees is a partner at O'Dea Earle in St. John's, NL, where he spec...

Senator David Wells joins The Honourable & The Hack for a wide-ranging conversation about politics, public service, Newfoundland and Labrador, and one very unexpected passion: mountain climbing. In this episode, Senator Wells talks about what senators actually do, how the Senate appointment process worked in his case, and what it was like being in Ottawa during the Mike Duffy scandal. He also...

Every generation has one politician who was born for exactly the moment the country needed them. Brian Tobin — "Captain Canada" himself — is one of those politicians. And in Episode 22 of The Honourable and The Hack, he's not holding back. Former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Former federal cabinet minister. Federal leadership candidate. A man who has been in the rooms where...

Every spring, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador tables a budget. The public sees the highlights. What they don't see is everything that happens behind the lock-up door — and what the numbers actually mean once you know how to read them. Andrew Parsons has been on the inside — as a cabinet minister who helped build budgets. Alex Bill has been on the outside — as a journalist locked in...

He went from a gas station in rural Newfoundland to 300+ restaurants, a Blue Jays concession at Rogers Centre, and a 289-page report on one of the most consequential financial deals in NL history. Greg Roberts — the man behind Mary Brown's and Fat Bastard Burrito — joins Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill for a conversation you won't find anywhere else. Greg Roberts is arguably one of the most s...

What does it take to help build one of the biggest comedy success stories Canada has ever produced? In this episode of The Honourable & The Hack, Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill sit down with Andrew Barnsley — Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer, CEO of Project 10 Productions, and one of the producers behind Schitt’s Creek and Son of a Critch. Barnsley takes us inside the real business of tele...

Social media was supposed to make politics more accessible. In many ways, it did. But it also opened the door to something much uglier. In this episode of The Honourable & The Hack, Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill pull back the curtain on the darkest side of political life online — the trolls, the pile-ons, the private messages turned public, and the kind of personal attacks that go far beyond di...

What does it take to build a business empire in Newfoundland — and what does it actually cost? In this episode of The Honourable and The Hack, we sit down with John Steele — CEO of Long Play Capital, owner of Steele Hotels, President of Brigus Production Company, and one of the most recognizable names in Newfoundland and Labrador's business and cultural landscape. John is the son of the late m...

Veteran journalist Ashley Fitzpatrick joins Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill for a wide-ranging conversation on Newfoundland and Labrador politics, polling, federal political messaging, and the province’s place in Atlantic Canada’s energy future. The discussion begins with the latest premier approval polling and whether public polling in Newfoundland and Labrador really tells us much at all. From ther...

What can we learn from a life in the law? In Episode 15 of The Honourable & The Hack, Andrew and Alex sit down with Supreme Court of Canada Justice Malcolm Rowe for a thoughtful conversation about his career, the cases that have shaped it, and the path that led him from Newfoundland and Labrador to the highest court in the country. They discuss Justice Rowe’s early roots, his legal journey, an...

In this episode of The Honourable & The Hack, Andrew and Alex sit down to catch up on the latest developments in Newfoundland and Labrador politics. The House of Assembly has opened with plenty of energy — and a fair bit of turbulence. The hosts break down what has been happening in the chamber, including heated exchanges during Question Period and the Speaker stepping in to address decorum in...

Episode 13 of The Honourable & The Hack features John Samms — a well-known lawyer in St. John's, Newfoundland who never expected to find himself in the middle of provincial politics. John’s time in government began when Andrew Parsons persuaded him to join the Department of Justice as Executive Assistant to the Minister. That role eventually led him into the Premier’s Office, giving him a...

How do politicians survive a bad news cycle? What are the unwritten rules between journalists and elected officials? And what’s the story that every politician truly fears? In Episode 12 of The Honourable & The Hack, Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill take listeners inside the intersection of politics and journalism — and pull back the curtain on how stories really unfold. The episode begins with a...

In Episode 11 of The Honourable & the Hack, Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill sit down with Paul Lane, Speaker of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly and long-time MHA.From his early days on Mount Pearl City Council to serving in both PC and Liberal caucuses — and now presiding over the House as an Independent Speaker — Paul reflects on:• What first drew him into politics• The realities...

Season 1, Episode 10 of The Honourable & The Hack features one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most recognizable voices — Alan Doyle. Alan joins Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill for a wide-ranging conversation about his new song, his 2026 tour kicking off at the end of February, and his latest book — inspired by a family road trip around Newfoundland in a Honda Odyssey. They discuss: • Exploring th...

What does junior hockey really look like behind the scenes — and how is it different from professional leagues like the AHL and ECHL? In Episode 9 of The Honourable & the Hack , hosts Andrew Parsons and Alex Bill sit down with Glenn Stanford , President of the Newfoundland Regiment , for a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation on hockey, leadership, and athlete development in Newfoundland and...

Politics in Newfoundland and Labrador — and across Canada — has picked up the pace dramatically, with a rapid series of developments unfolding over the past week. In this episode of The Honourable & the Hack , Andrew and Alex step back and break down what’s changed, why it happened so quickly, and how these decisions are being communicated to the public. The hosts focus on provincial, municipa...

Trailblazer, Cabinet Minister, & Energy Advocate | Charlene Johnson on Politics, Energy, and LeadershipIn this episode of The Honourable & the Hack, Andrew and Alex sit down with Charlene Johnson, former Newfoundland and Labrador Cabinet Minister and current CEO of Energy NL, for a wide-ranging and candid conversation about leadership, energy, and the realities of governing. Charlene refle...

In this episode of The Honourable & the Hack, the hosts sit down with Kate Cadigan, the youngest person ever elected to St. John’s City Council. Kate shares what motivated her to enter municipal politics, why she began organizing her campaign more than a year before election day, and how preparation, structure, and the right people helped turn a first-time run into a win. The conversation expl...