We’re back! Political Traction’s sixth season is returning next Friday, October 11, just in time to unpack the final stretch of the federal election. Be sure to join us for an exciting season full of insights and analysis from leading political voices.
This week on the “OLP MVP Part 3” edition of Political Traction, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with Alvin Tedjo, a former provincial candidate, Queen’s Park staffer and a contendor for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership. Although he’s never served as an elected official, he has some impressive policy ideas which we will unpack together. This is the final episode in a series of one-on-one interviews with candidates vying for party leadership.
This week on the “OLP MVP Part 2” edition of Political Traction, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with Steven Del Duca, former provincial cabinet minister and MPP for Vaughan, to talk about his brief taste of civilian life and why he’s willing to give it up for a shot at the Ontario Liberal Party leadership. This is the second in a special series of one-on-one interviews with candidates vying for party leadership.
This week, on the “OLP MVP” edition of Political Traction, former provincial cabinet minister and MPP for Don Valley East, Michael Coteau, tells our host Amanda Galbraith about his working-class roots, how his upbringing helped shape his values-driven campaign for leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party — plus his strong opinions about the Lion King. This is a first in a special series of one-on-one interviews with candidates for party leadership.
This week on the “From Politics to Property” edition of Political Traction, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with Tim Hudak, former leader of the Ontario PC Party and long-time MPP, and current CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association. The two will discuss the highs and lows of political life, his seamless transition into the private sector and his success at building the association’s profile in time for a federal election that will see housing affordability at the forefront of public discours...
On this week’s “Everyday I’m Shufflin’” edition of Political Traction, we unpack this week’s surprising Cabinet shuffle at Queen’s Park which follows a series of polls that have demonstrated low public support for the Ford government and its handling of key files. It’s a very special week for the podcast because in the spirit of the Cabinet shuffle, Political Traction is undertaking a shuffle of its own.
On this week’s “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” edition of Political Traction, Amanda sits down with Rod Phillips, Ontario’s Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks and the Member of Provincial Parliament for Ajax, to discuss the politics of the environment, including Ontario’s environment plan and this week’s federal announcement on single-use plastic. Then, the two will go head to head in this week’s rapid fire round with off the cuff thoughts on topics gaining traction.
This week on the “Ford More Years?” edition of Political Traction, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with the political power panel, including Navigator’s Shakir Chambers and Brayden Akers, and iPolitics’ Queen’s Park reporter Marieke Walsh, to discuss the Ontario PC Party’s first year in power. The group will unpack the highs and lows of the last 365 days, and make their predictions for what’s to come in the months and years ahead. Then, the panel will go head-to-head in our Queen’s Park-themed r...
On this week’s “Mad Men” edition of Political Traction, Amanda sits down with Dennis Matthews, an advertising and communications expert, who served as the former national marketing lead for the Conservative Party of Canada and most recently worked in the Ontario PC war room as a senior advertising adviser. The two will discuss the use of digital and social media advertising, Bill C-76 and the implications the new legislation will have ahead of the federal election. Then, the two will go head to ...
On this week’s “Loose Lips Sink Ships” edition of Political Traction, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with Queen’s Park Bureau Chief for the Toronto Star Robert Benzie to talk about the anatomy of a news leak, the role journalists play as “watchdogs” on the government and what defines journalism in today’s changing media landscape. Then, the two will go head to head in this week’s rapid fire round, with off the cuff thoughts on topics gaining traction.
On this week’s “Offside” edition of Political Traction, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with Bob Richardson, public affairs advisor and king of sports to talk about the intersection of politics and sports, and the role Bob played in the 2015 Pan Am Games and Toronto’s third Olympic bid. Then, the two will go head to head in this week’s sports-themed rapid fire round, with off the cuff thoughts on topics gaining traction.
On this week’s “Baby Oh Baby” edition of Political Traction, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with the Canada’s British High Commissioner Susan le Jeune d’Allegeershecque to talk about a day in the life, baby Archie, Brexit and the what it’s like to be a woman in the diplomatic war. Then, the two will go head to head in this week’s British-themed rapid fire round, with off the cuff thoughts on topics gaining traction.
On this week’s “Blue Tsunami” edition of Political Traction, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with Navigator’s Executive Chairman Jaime Watt to discuss a trend they’ve noticed here in Canada- five consecutive victories for provincial Conservative parties- and what this string of wins means for the Canadian political landscape. Then, we will feature a special segment in which Navigator’s Managing Principal Jason Hatcher and former Quebec Premier Jean Charest talk Alberta, pipelines, the blue wave,...
This week on the “What’s Up with the Green Party?” edition of Political Traction, Amanda sits down with Ontario Green Party leader, and MPP for Guelph, Mike Schreiner to unpack the Green Party’s surge in Prince Edward Island, his own success here in Ontario, and a growing green movement ahead of the federal election. Then, the two will go head into our revamped rapid fire round, with off the cuff thoughts on topics gaining traction
This week on “The Big Blue Wave” edition of Political Traction, Amanda sits down with Jason Hatcher, Managing Principal in Navigator’s Calgary office, to debrief on one of the most divisive provincial election’s in recent memory, which resulted in the United Conservative Party winning a resounding majority, unseating Rachel Notley’s New Democratic government after only one mandate. Then, the two will unpack Premier-elect Jason Kenney’s commitment on the campaign trail to enact “turn off the taps...
This week on “The Goldilocks Approach” edition of Political Traction, Amanda sits down political journalist Cynthia Mulligan from CityNews to discuss their day at the Budget lockup and share their insights on what Budget 2019 signals for Ontarians. Then, we will hear Cynthia’s take on the politics surrounding the provincial carbon tax, and talk about the PC’s decision to scrap the City of Toronto’s gas tax revenue hike.
This week, on the “Gone Girl” edition of Political Traction: the tale of #LavScam, told from two different perspectives. Our host Amanda Galbraith is joined by John Delacourt, Vice-President of Ensight, Navigator’s sister firm, and an accomplished author and political suspense novelist. Then, we will hear John’s take on the reintroduction of religious symbols legislation in Quebec, and the scoop on Butterfly, his new political thriller novel.
This week on Political Traction, our host Amanda Galbraith hands it over to Randy Dawson in Navigator’s Calgary office, where he’s joined by a panel of politicos including Jen Gerson, Chimai Nkemdirim and David Taras. Together they set the stage for Alberta’s upcoming election on April 16. Then, Navigator’s executive chairman Jaime Watt joins us for our Rapid Fire segment to discuss his take on Alberta, the SNC tug-of-war and a look ahead to the fall’s federal election.
Budget season has sprung— or is it still the long winter of #LavScam discontent? The Liberals present a final goodie-basket budget that sets up the next election, and try to turn the page on SNC-Lavalin. This week on Political Traction, Marieke Walsh, friend of the podcast and iPolitics reporter, joins us to look at the bottom line after a busy week in Ottawa.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’ve put together a very special episode of Political Traction to celebrate the women who are at the top of their game, both at Navigator, and in provincial politics. In this three part episode, you’ll get to hear from host and PC insider Amanda Galbraith, Liberal politico Andrea Ernesaks and NDP strategist Sally Housser. This week’s guests include Ontario’s current Attorney General Caroline Mulroney, former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Deputy Leade...
This week on Political Traction, Amanda sits down with Sally Housser, an active NDP member and Associate Principal at Navigator, to discuss Jagmeet Singh’s victory in the Burnaby South by-election and what this means for the federal NDP ahead is the federal election. Then, Sally will give her insights into the People’s Party of Canada’s results in this week’s three by-elections and share her predictions ahead of the Alberta election.
This week on Political Traction, Amanda sits down with Vic Gupta, former Principal Secretary to Mayor Tory, to discuss what the role entails and what it’s really like being in the hot seat. Then, they will discuss the updates in the SNC case and the newly announced Netflix production hub in Toronto.
On this week’s episode, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with Scott Reid, former Director of Communications for PM Paul Martin, to discuss the SNC-Lavalin political scandal, the future of Ontario Place, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister’s ongoing holiday and BC’s Speech from the Throne.
On the first episode of the new season, host Amanda Galbraith sits down with John Baird, her old boss and Canada’s former Foreign Affairs Minister, to discuss the rocky relationship between Canada and China, leaks at Queen’s Park and the balance of power south of the border in Venezuela
This week on the season finale of Political Traction, Amanda is joined by Steven Del Duca, a former Cabinet Minister and the MPP for Vaughan. He will speak to us about the Liberal Party’s loss in the last election, and its plans moving forward as the party begins rebuilding from the ground up. Then, in our final episode, we will highlight some of the biggest stories of the year that shaped the news and will continue to gain traction in 2019, by looking back at the legalization of cannabis, the d...
This week on the “Remembering 41” edition of Political Traction, Amanda is joined by Philippe Gervais, one of Navigator’s Principals in Montreal. He will speak to us about his professional experience with both Bush campaigns as a former advance staffer, right before he heads to D.C. for the state funeral for Bush 41. Then, we will look at the topics gaining traction this week, including Alberta Premier Notley’s announcement to cut oil production, and the First Ministers meeting taking place this...
This week, on the “No Quiet on the Western Front” edition of Political Traction, Amanda is joined by Alex Shiff , a senior consultant with Navigator’s Vancouver office . He explains the scandal that threatens to topple the delicate balance of power struck by the NDP and the Greens, and the referendum that could finally usher in proportional representation in British Columbia. Then, we look at the topics gaining traction this week, including the unlikely alliance between Premier Doug Ford and Pri...
Welcome to Political Traction. This week, we are joined by our insider Jeff Ballingall, the founder of Ontario Proud. He will unpack how he has used digital platforms to his advantage, and discuss what he has planned for the upcoming 2019 federal election. Then, we will take a spin through the news and unpack the outcome of the Calgary plebiscite and highlight our anticipations for the Fall Economic Statement.
On this week’s episode, we are joined by Navigator’s Executive Chairman Jaime Watt to discuss what works and what doesn’t in U.S. political campaign ads ahead of the national midterm elections on November 6. We will then dive into the news and unpack the public sentiments surrounding this week’s debate between Steve Bannon and David Frum, as well as former Canadian Governor General Adrienne Clarkson’s unexplainable expenses. “Paul Gosar Is Not Working For You” – www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZuayQFD5...
On this week’s episode, we will be speaking to Hamish Marshall, campaign manager for the federal Conservatives, and the former manager of strategic planning to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Then, we will take a spin through the news and unpack Ontario’s newly announced labour bill, the Making Ontario Open for Business Act, and the new federal carbon tax plan.
