The Herle Burly

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Anthropic.
Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! There was a resignation in Ottawa last week that struck a louder chord than most. High profile Liberal caucus member, and former Cabinet Minister, Steven Guilbeault announced will be leaving politics over the summer.
Best known for his time as Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Mr. Guilbeault has been nothing if not candid about his beliefs about climate change and the policy actions he undertook as a member of the Trudeau Liberals to address it.
The Carney government’s approach has differed greatly, of course, with most of those policies having now been eliminated, reversed, or weakened considerably.
Today we approach the podcast as an exit interview, and we hope you’ll join us for this frank discussion. 
Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.
The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and Anthropic.
Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! Here’s a question for you: Can anything pierce the political armour of Ontario Premier Doug Ford?
Recently, pollsters have showed tightening numbers in the wake of Ford controversies like buying and then selling a private jet over the course of 72 hours. Selling off Ontario Place so it could be clear cut and turned it into a spa. And just this week, Ford’s government unilaterally took over the Toronto Island lands and designated Billy Bishop Airport as a “special economic zone”.
All of this as the Ontario NDP try to find their footing and the Ontario Liberal Party is gearing up for a leadership race.
So ... just how vulnerable is Doug Ford? Or isn’t he?
That’s the question I put to my guest today, pollster David Coletto. He’s the Founder, Chair and CEO of Abacus Data. And the prolific writer of the excellent “InFocus” newsletter on Substack.
His latest wave of tracking suggests the PCs have regained their lost ground. And Ford’s personal image has rebounded. How is this man a political rubber ball, rolling on largely unimpeded as things just seem to bounce off him?
We’ll dig into it. And the state of play in Ontario politics. 
Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.
The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
Greetings, you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! We’re over a year into a new government and nobody could possibly argue there hasn’t been a significant recalibration in the way Canada thinks about climate policy and environmental regulation.
The public policy balance between the environment, pipelines, and project-building has shifted from what it was, say, back in 2018. So has the public’s perception, by the way. Recent polling shows that Canadians now prioritize economic growth over environmental protection. 
All of this is what we’ll explore today. From multiple angles. In 3 different individual conversations.
First up ... Aaron Wherry, senior writer at the CBC ... to set the table on the issues between Ottawa and Alberta.
Then … Rick Smith, President of the Canadian Climate Institute, for his perspective. We talk about emissions reduction, what’s happening to the industrial carbon price, the clean energy economy and more.
Finally … Andrew Leach, energy and environmental economist and professor at the University of Alberta, to explore the energy sector, particularly oil. The economic impact vs. opportunity cost of pipelines, and the tension between market forces and climate policy. 
Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.
The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, Saab Canada, and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
Greetings you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! If you’re any kind of regular listener to the Air Quotes Media Pod universe, you know a powerful political eruption is happening in B.C., as a result of a ruling of the B.C. Supreme Court.
The Cowichan Decision, in combination with the existing DRIPA legislation, has been covered in depth by our sister pod, Hotel Pacifico.
Why should a politico in the rest of Canada care? Because I think this is the biggest legal question, not just in British Columbia, but all of Canada right now: Can a court declare Indigenous title over privately held land?
If so, do you own your house after 30 years of mortgage payments? Does industry invest in new nation building projects on land they don’t even know is theirs? 
The politics of this thing are sinking Premier Eby in British Columbia. Poilievre raised it as a cudgel in Q.P.  Prime Minister Carney responded that private property rights are fundamental in Canada and that his government will always defend them.  They are appealing the decision of the B.C. Supreme Court.
Meanwhile, the issue goes to the heart of reconciliation agenda in this country. Harming perceptions and long fought for advances.
With us to discuss ALL OF IT are the hosts of Hotel Pacifico and 2 of the best political strategists I know ... Mike McDonald & Geoff Meggs. 
Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.
The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.

Recorded live at the Empire Club on May 6, 2026.
The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail, Saab Canada, and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
Greetings you curiouser and curiouser Herle Burly-ites! It’s been about a week and a half since the federal government tabled their Spring Economic Statement, “Canada Strong for All: United in a Time of Uncertainty.” 
Today we sit in discussion with Canada's Minister of Finance, François-Philippe Champagne to reflect on our serious economic challenges, and yet, why he thinks Canada is a lighthouse in an uncertain world.
Thank you for joining us on #TheHerleBurly podcast. Please take a moment to give us a rating and review on iTunes, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Watch episodes of The Herle Burly via Air Quotes Media on YouTube.
The sponsored ads contained in the podcast are the expressed views of the sponsor and not those of the publisher.