The LeDrew Three Minute Interview

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Catherine Swift of the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada about the growing disconnect between official economic narratives and what Canadians are actually experiencing. Despite claims from that global institution called the IMF, that Canada will be leading the G7, many Canadians are facing rising cost of living, high taxes,and weak job growth,...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Dean Baxendale, CEO of Optimum Publishing and a participant in global security conferences, about alarming reports of Chinese and Russian activity in Canada’s Arctic. As concerns grow about China’s expanding global influence, new questions are emerging about Canada’s ability to defend its own territory — particularly in the North. Baxendale explains how foreign actors ha...

Is Mark Carney’s proposed “Sovereign Wealth Fund” actually a sovereign DEBT fund? In this preview of a longer members-only conversation, Stephen LeDrew speaks with Brian Lilley about the federal government’s latest economic proposal — and why many believe it is just another expensive Ottawa bureaucracy. Lilley argues the plan is fundamentally different from successful sovereign wealth funds l...

Is Canada heading in the wrong economic direction — again? In this rant, Stephen LeDrew questions whether Prime Minister Mark Carney is truly changing course from the Trudeau era, or simply continuing the same policies under a new brand. The focus this week is Carney’s proposed Sovereign Wealth Fund, funded by debt, and the growing concern that Ottawa is still trying to “pick winners and losers” i...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Dean Baxendale, CEO of Optimum Publishing and a man in the know when it comes to foreign affairs, about growing concerns over forced labour in China and its impact on Canada’s economy. While the United States has moved aggressively to block imports linked to forced labour through the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Canada has taken a far more limited approach. Baxend...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Jeffrey Kroeker, Chair and Founder of A Better City Toronto, about the growing concern that municipal governments across Canada are failing to deliver basic services. From Toronto to Vancouver to Calgary, failures in infrastructure, housing, and public services have raised serious questions about the quality of leadership at the city level. Kroeker argues that while fede...

In today’s Rant, Stephen LeDrew takes aim at what he calls the growing gap between political messaging and reality in Canada. From Chrystia Freeland receiving international praise for democracy, to the courts ruling that the government’s use of the Emergencies Act was illegal, LeDrew questions how accountability seems to be missing in Ottawa. He argues that while political leaders are being reward...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Dan McTeague, former Liberal MP, about the growing indications that Canada’s economy is in serious trouble. From rising costs at the gas pump and grocery store to mounting pressure on businesses, many Canadians are feeling the strain — even as political leaders continue to downplay the situation. McTeague argues that years of net zero policies, carbon taxes, and regulato...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with John Turley-Ewart, contributing columnist with The Globe and Mail, about a troubling question: What Happened to the Canadian Dream? For decades, Canada was built on the promise of peace, order,and good government — but today, many Canadians feel that promise is slipping away. Turley-Ewart points to rising cost of living, housing unaffordability, capital flight, and weak...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Dean Baxendale, CEO of Optimum Publishing and an expert in foreign affairs, about China’s growing influence over Canada’s critical minerals and economic sovereignty. As the world shifts toward green energy and advanced technology, control of certain minerals has become a strategic priority. But China already dominates the sector — controlling roughly 70% of global supply...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Dan McTeague, former Liberal MP, about growing concerns over Canada’s relationship with China and what it means for national security and our economy. Reports of a secretive agreement with China, combined with increasing Chinese interest in the Canadian Arctic, are raising serious questions about transparency, sovereignty, and Canada’s global alliances. McTeague warns th...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Andrew Perez, Liberal strategist and political insider, about the rapidly shifting landscape of Canadian politics following the emergence of a Liberal majority under Mark Carney. With floor crossings increasing and new polling showing strong support for the Liberals, questions are growing about the future of Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party. Perez argues that...

Is Canada’s government growing beyond control? In this explosive preview of a longer conversation, Stephen LeDrew sits down with Robin Bredin — described as a “public provocateur” — to tackle a blunt and controversial idea: that government in Canada is no longer serving its citizens, but expanding at their expense. From failed policy experiments to ballooning bureaucracy, Bredin argues that govern...

After years of political gridlock, minority governments, and constant vote-counting in Parliament, a majority could mean something Canada hasn’t seen in a while: the ability to actually govern and deliver results. LeDrew argues that with full control, the Carney government now has no excuses. Big projects — from pipelines and energy development to infrastructure and economic growth — can finally m...

In this episode of The LeDrew Three Minute Interview, Stephen LeDrew hears Michael Diamond of Upstream Strategy muse about Canada’s shifting political mood. For years, Canadian politics has been dominated by what some critics described as a period of national self-criticism and historical guilt, with debates over colonialism, national identity, genocide, and Canada’s past dominating the conversati...

Why haven’t the Iranian people overthrown the murderous regime — taking advantage of its weakened state due to the success of American and Israeli attacks? In this episode of The LeDrew Three Minute Interview, Stephen LeDrew speaks with Vahid Zourmand Baghban, an entrepreneur who has lived in Canada for many years after leaving Iran. Drawing on personal insight and lived experience, he explains th...

In this episode of The LeDrew Three Minute Interview, Stephen LeDrew speaks with author Jerry Amernic about his book Sleepwoking. Amernic examines the recent wave of historical re-interpretations in Canada, including controversies surrounding figures like Sir John A. Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson, and Henry Dundas. Across the country, statues have been vandalized, institutions renamed, and historical...

Is Canada honestly doing as well as the Prime Minister says? In this Friday Rant, Stephen LeDrew takes a hard look at the growing gap between political messaging and everyday reality. While Ottawa insists the country is on the right track, many Canadians are feeling the opposite — especially at the grocery store, at the gas pump, and in their monthly bills. Canada has the resources, talent, and en...

Why are politicians saying one thing — and doing the exact opposite? In this episode of The LeDrew Three Minute Interview, Stephen LeDrew is joined by Dan McTeague, former Liberal MP and one of Canada’s most trusted voices on energy and affordability, for a blunt discussion about political integrity, rising costs, and a growing disconnect between Parliament and the public. The conversation begins...

This is a preview of a 10-minute conversation with former Toronto mayor John Tory. In this discussion, Stephen LeDrew challenges John Tory on the biggest questions facing Canada’s economy. Why haven’t we started new pipelines? Why do projects take years — even decades — to build? And why does Canada struggle to remove interprovincial trade barriers that hold back economic growth? Tory argues that...

Stephen LeDrew speaks with Catherine Swift, President of the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada, about whether Canada’s government bureaucracy has grown beyond control. Swift argues that overregulation, public sector union power, and the steady expansion of government agencies and third-party activist funding are choking economic growth. She explains how past governments...

In this episode, Stephen LeDrew speaks with Dr. Michael Bonner about the growing size of government in Canada — and why public trust in institutions appears to be declining. As federal and provincial bureaucracies expand, Canadians are seeing rising concerns around crime, drug policy, judicial rulings, deportation stays, and the limits of the Charter. Bonner argues that a philosophical shift has t...

Is Canada finally turning the page on the Disastrous Trudeau Decade? As spring signals renewal, there are growing signs that the country itself may be entering a new phase — politically, culturally, and economically. From shifting energy policy (including renewed conversations around LNG) to changing public attitudes and visible cracks within the NDP, something is clearly moving beneath the surfac...

In this episode of The LeDrew Three Minute Interview, Michael Diamond of Upstream Strategy debunks lefty politicians in the growing debate over Doug Ford’s proposal to expand Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport. The Ontario Premier has championed the idea of allowing jet aircraft at Toronto’s downtown island airport, a move that could dramatically change how Canadians travel into the country’s financia...

In this episode, Stephen LeDrew speaks with Iranian-Canadian activist Mahta Gharaei about the growing unrest inside Iran and the human rights abuses most citizens say are being ignored internationally. Gharaei discusses how the Iranian regime uses propaganda, internet blackouts, and information control to hide violent crackdowns on protesters. She argues that millions of Iranians want political ch...