We go On Background with Dan Arnold, Chief Strategy Officer at Pollara Strategic Insights and former Director of Research, Advertising, & Correspondence to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to unpack Canadians’ endless obsession with the spectacle of American politics. With the 2024 U.S.election cycle promising to be no different, Dan and Fred discuss Canadians’ views on Donald Trump and consider how the outcomes have the potential to affect the next Canadian federal election ..read more

We go On Background with Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, and most importantly for this episode, the Member of Parliament for Central Nova. After almost a decade removed from opposing campaigns to represent their home riding, Fred and Minister Fraser reminisce on their political journeys and how their paths have been shaped by their humble beginnings in rural Nova Scotia. Not to be forgotten, they also discuss Fraser's first year as the Minister responsible for housing policy, a major focus of the recent Federal Budget.    ..read more

We go On Background with Greg MacEachern, Principal and Founder of KAN Strategies. Greg and Fred, both proud St. Francis Xavier University alumni, reminisce on the late Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, sharing stories of his impact on their lives and others to his transformative policies that shaped the Canada we know today. From his time at StFX to his tenure as Prime Minister, Mulroney left an indelible mark on Canadian politics, leaving behind a legacy that continues to reverberate today across partisan lines ..read more

We go On Background with Daniel Lauzon, former Chief of Staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of Communications to the Liberal Party of Canada, and now Senior Director for Public Affairs and Policy (International) at CAE. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago, the geopolitical climate around the world has continued to rapidly evolve with Canada facing an imperative moment to define our position in the world. How do governments balance the politics of establishing our international position as well as prolonged military spending at times when Canadians aren’t pushing ..read more

We go On Background with Kady O'Malley, journalist at iPolitics, and parliamentary procedure expert to dissect opposition obstruction tactics and how they are being used to derail the Liberal government's legislative agenda. Fred and Kady explore tactics being used by the Conservative opposition and muse on what a potentially doomed future for the Liberal-NDP agreement could mean ..read more

We go On Background with Dan Arnold, Chief Strategy Officer at Pollara Strategic Insights and former Director of Research, Advertising, & Correspondence to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Bringing decades of experience as Trudeau’s top pollster and a key Liberal strategist, Dan and Fred unpack the topic of Trudeau’s infamous broken promise of electoral reform. They discuss the politics of making changes to our electoral system and how examples around the world and within our own political parties might not offer much wisdom ..read more

We go On Background with Stevie O'Brien, Counsel at McMillan LLP, Senior Advisor at McMillan Vantage, and former Chief of Staff to multiple Ministers in the Liberal government. Maintaining caucus discipline is an ongoing battle for any government or leaders’ office, and the combination of social media and the modern political climate have made it more challenging than ever before. Stevie and Fred discuss the delicate dance of caucus discipline including how the Trudeau government can keep the team together despite their recent woes, and how Poilievre's government-in-waiting can avoid any costl ..read more

We go On Background with Dimitri Soudas, former Director of Communications for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, to demystify the current political landscape of Quebec. The latest polls have Pierre Poilievre leading Justin Trudeau in every province, with one exception. Fred and Dimitri discuss what it will take for Conservatives to win the hearts of Québécois voters, and how volatile provincial politics could bring back the National Question ..read more

In an ode to the countless hard working political staffers, we go On Background with former Liberal, Conservative and NDP staffers to discuss the highs and lows of working on Parliament Hill: Steve Outhouse is a former federal Conservative Staffer, and Founder of  Intercede Communication and Just Campaigns. Melissa Cotton is a former Liberal staffer for the federal and Ontario governments, and currently Director for Government Affairs (Canada) at CN Rail. Mélanie Richer is a former federal NDP staffer, and currently a Senior Consultant at Earnscliffe Strategies. Matthew Conway is a former ..read more

We go On Background with Dave Sommer, Associate Creative Director at Creative Currency and VP at Enterprise Canada, former Deputy Director of Communications, Digital, for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and former Head of Politics and Government at Instagram. Dave played a major role in Liberals’ 2015 majority winning campaign, where the party’s digital strategy was well ahead of their opponents. He and Fred discuss why Trudeau should return to the authenticity of his earlier campaigns to counter Poilievre's populist appeal ..read more