Episode description

“When you can’t afford to lose” is not just Navigator’s trademarked slogan; it’s also its core business proposition. Although it offers a range of services, from market research to communications, Navigator is best known as the firm to which Canada’s rich and powerful turn when facing a crisis that could cost them that wealth and power.

Its highest-profile clients have included Michael Bryant and Jian Ghomeshi. More recently, it’s been a player in the controversies around Hockey Canada, the Special Rapporteur on Foreign Interference, and the Ottawa Police response to the convoy occupation. Bit by bit, we’ve gotten more insight into the work they do behind the scenes to — as one observer once put it to the Toronto Star — change your perceptions without you even knowing it.

On today’s episode, host Jesse Brown and news editor Jonathan Goldsbie offer a primer on the company that’s been a common thread running through many of the biggest Canadian news stories of the past 15 years.

Host: Jesse Brown

Credits: Jonathan Goldsbie (News Editor), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Further information:

• Why Should I Choose You? Answering the Most Important Business Questions in Seven Words or Less – HarperCollins Canada (2015)
• Spinning the first week of Michael Bryant's new life – Toronto Star (2009)
• Jian Ghomeshi dumped by PR firm over ‘lies,’ sources say – Toronto Star (2014)
• Secret Life: The Jian Ghomeshi Investigation – Goose Lane Editions (2016)
• Report of the Public Inquiry into the 2022 Public Order Emergency (Volumes 2 and 3) – Public Order Emergency Commission (2023)
• What we believe – Navigator Ltd.
• More links on our website post

Sponsors: Squarespace, Peloton, Douglas, Athletic Greens

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