The pundits are back on the Knowhere Pub patio and not even a late summer storm can stop them from taking on poll aggregators and seat projections. Jeff is a fan. Richard is not. Danielle is helping the rest of us make sense of it all. Don't miss this electrifying episode on week three of the 44th General Election.

Its week two of the campaign and the pundits are back on the patio, this time at Bill Crumplin's Knowhere Public House, to break down the shifts and the turns locally and nationally.  Despite an increase in the pace of the campaign, we have not yet seen the Sudbury or Nickel Belt candidates face off - that will come in Week 3. 

We are back together in person for the first time since the pandemic lockdown in March 2019 and enjoying the best a summer federal election can offer - a reason to grab drinks with political friends on a local patio!Week 1 of the Federal election in Sudbury and Nickel Belt was a bit of sleepy thing - we look at what the parties need to do to step up the game. Join us each week for Pundits on a Patio, our special series.

We're back for our third season! With federal politics in the air, Danielle Derochie takes the host chair alongside Jeff and Richard to give a comprehensive preview of the upcoming general election. Who is running? How do the national trends impact them? What do they have to do win? We explore these and more. 

Mike Morrice exploded into the Green Party's consciousness in the 2019 election, delivering a fully funded campaign with a determined and dedicated team and increasing the vote share in Kitchener Centre from about 1500 to 15000 votes. He placed the strongest second of any Green in Ontario (leader Annamie Paul received only 4000 votes in 2019). In the midst of a tough transition for the Greens, Mike is running maybe the most effective pre-election non-incumbent campaign across all parties in the entire country. Jeff and Richard explore new leadership, internal squabbles and doing politics differently with Green Candidate Mike Morrice (www.mikemorrice.ca)

Paul Lefebvre, Sudbury's MP is dealing with some major issues in his last few months as a federal politician. Caught in the crossfire over Laurentian University, while repping his government's covid response and a massive federal budget, Paul found time to sit down with hosts Jeff MacIntrye and Richard Eberhardt to explore those issues, and pass on some advice to his successor.

When the crisis at Laurentian began, Nadia Verrelli was on sabbatical from her position as a professor of Political Science. She's been watching as the University declared itself insolvent, then along with over a hundred colleagues, blindsided by the elimination of her job and the entire political science program. With the situation still growing in scope and impact, Nadia joins Richard and Jeff to look at the political response and political implications of the gutting of Sudbury's 3rd largest employer. 

LAURENTIAN UNIVERSITY: Surprising everyone including the deans, Laurentian University declared itself insolvent on Feb 1 2021. Since then the communications from the administration have been scant, the community has scrambled to organize, and some 132 lawyers have been involved in proceedings in federal court. This crash course in Insolvency Studies digs through everything we know and don't know about this situation. IS100: We talk to Alex Usher of Higher Education Strategy Associates about the financial crisis and how it came to be. IS200: Professor Reuben Roth and student Darius Garneau, who are helping to organize Save Our Sudbury, tell us about the ongoing community response. IS300: Guest host Josh interviews the team and brings us your questions, which we answer for extra credit. 

US POLITICS: We welcome back our special US correspondent Danielle! On the eve of the second impeachment trial of the 45th President of the United States, we talk about how it will work, what's the current state of play, and how Republicans are dealing with a cancer of crazy in their ranks. 

In this episode:SUDBURY COUNCIL: Coming from a bombshell that blew over KED supporters on Council, the hosts talk about an upcoming report which will lay out all the "options" for an event centre including ones on sites other than the Kingsway. What's happening and our analysis here.FEDERAL POLITICS: While Donald Trump was busy cleaning out the Resolute desk, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole issued a statement asserting there is "no place for the far right" in his party. Later that week, the Conservative Party caucus voted to expel MP Derek Sloan. Was that all in a good day's work, or does the O'Toole have more to do to prove to Canadians that the Conservative party is, as he says, a "moderate, pragmatic, mainstream party". We discuss.COVID RESPONSE: Northern Ontario Covid-19 numbers have remained low compared to the south, leading more than a few Northerners and several regional politicians to call for a travel ban. Can we build a Covid wall around the north? Should we?

Election Night, the finale.....maybe...

It’s been nearly two months since our US Election Night coverage began, and with the Georgia run-off now complete and two new Democratic Senators preparing to take their seats, the team is breathing a collective sigh of relief that there won’t be another US election for at least two years.Richard and Jeff are joined by Josh and special guest Danielle - our International Affairs correspondent - to unpack this from a Sudbury perspective. 

The story of the 2020 Presidential Election is quite possibly over after the confirmation of the Electoral College votes, however it’s the next chapter that has everyone on the edge of their seats wondering what happens next.

What happens between now and inauguration, will it be the 25th or an impeachment for Trump and where does his final defeat leave the country, and perhaps most importantly how and where does President #46 (or #47) Joe Biden begin to rebuild.

Our second season underway, Rachel, Richard, and Jeff mix it up on the hot topics in national, provincial and local politics. In this episode the hosts talk about what to do with the MAGA-level extremists in political movements, about Erin O'Toole's interest in finding union votes, and what's happening to the Sudbury economy during Covid. 

Waabindaazijig – For Those Who Are Not Yet BornGo Leafs Go!!! This week features an eye-opening interview with Quinn Meawasige; Ojibwe from Serpent River First Nation, Indigenous Studies Professor, and #1 Toronto Maple Leafs fan. Rachel, Richard, and Jeff raise questions about Indigenous reconciliation, treaty rights, hunting and fishing rights, and land-based education and language, with Quinn responding to each with a mind-blowing history lesson that leads into an understanding of the issue today.First, we tackle the government’s priority of reconciling its relationship with Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Quinn explains his vision for the path forward, one that is centred on honouring the intention of treaties and creating space for Indigenous peoples so that they can be authors of their own narrative. He elaborates on the factors that perpetuate racism, including actions and words that non-Indigenous Canadians can use to break the cycle.Quinn then teaches us about hunting and fishing rights and how they contribute to both food security and food sovereignty in Indigenous communities through activities such as wild food banks and community hunts. As a way of learning from the current conflict in Nova Scotia, he highlights the importance of Northeastern Ontarians consulting with community members and understanding Indigenous peoples’ inherent rights, as opposed to treaty rights.Quinn describes the responsibilities stemming from these inherent rights, which includes those to the Waabindaazijig or those who are not yet born. He explains Indigenous peoples’ relationship to the land to demonstrate how land-based education creates a process for inter-generational healing, as well as the importance of Indigenous languages. Quinn leaves us with the notion that true reconciliation requires integration and nurturing over time.

Anyone who has watched our show knows that Jeff, Richard and Rachel love to talk. However, this week, things are different.

In a special episode, the team is joined by Laurentian University student and BLM Sudbury activist Darius Garneau, who talks to us about his own experiences growing up in Sudbury, the BLM movement and how to address systemic racism in our community and across the country.

This week we are listening, and we are learning.

As you may have noticed over the past few weeks, our team has been playing a game of musical hosts (and we’re not just referring to Jeff’s vocalizing), this week two familiar faces are back to make up for lost time and lost opinions.

Many things have been happening at the local level over the past few weeks and Rachel and Richard are ready to break down and discuss everything that has been going o

The KED is back in the news and back on hold, and ironically enough, the most pressing question surrounding the KED (and the funding of other large projects) is the question that resulted in a Councillor storming from a meeting in what has become an all to familiar sight, through the nearest available open door. 

And in speaking of doors, as some of them begin to reopen across the province and in our City, Richard and Rachel dig into how this is going to happen here and what it means for the City’s bottom

No, we didn't start the fire....

But we didn’t stop it either....

With Biden officially clenching the Democratic nomination and the fires that have erupted in the US moving from an out of control blaze to a movement for change, people are thinking more and more about the upcoming Presidential election. As a follow up to last week’s blog post Fire,  Danielle and Josh join Jeff on a special episode of the show to talk about their experience working on the 2016 Clinton campaign in Mentor, Ohio.

Jeff asks Danielle and Josh to bring life to the words and share their story about what made them decide to go to try and stop Trump, what happened while they were there, the lessons they learned and asks them the million dollar question, would they ever go back? (edited) 

On this week’s episode, after a week spent social distancing from the show and one another, Richard and Jeff are joined by Danielle who steps in for Rachel - to talk about the continued debate over what a re-opening in Ontario will look like and the fires that have ignited in the US and whether or not those sparks will begin to catch here at home.

After putting a hardline in the sand on regional re-openings as the curve began to flatten, Premier Ford has apparently had a change of heart and is beginning to consider regional re-openings in light of new testing and case data, but what would that regional re-opening look like and what are the logistics of making it happen?

And what about our neighbours to the south, amid a global pandemic a powder keg has been ignited with none other than the President of the United States fanning the flames.

As we enter month two or maybe it’s three (?) of the COVID-19 pandemic Canadians are beginning to sound like whiny kids in the backseat of a car on a VERY long road trip asking the question that is like nails on a chalkboard to any parent. ARE WE THERE YET?

In Canada it seems that there has been a steady stream of emergency funding and constant reminders to stay apart since the month of March, but as the curve appears to be levelling off, provinces begin to re-open and social distancing fatigue sets in everyone is beginning to ask the same question, what are the actual rules? Are we still not supposed to be seeing our friends and families even though we’re now able to go shopping? As people begin to move around more freely and we enter the phase of the “new normal” is  social distancing so last week?

Speaking of last week, and the week before that and the week before that, there has been a near constant stream of emergency funding benefits to various segments of the population, both for individuals and businesses. You could be forgiven for thinking that every person in Canada has received some sort of support and that these last funding announcements for seniors and students are the last of the emergency funding flows. But are they? Were the most recent announcements the last of the COVID cash or will we continue to wake up to Groundhog Day-esq funding announcements as groups of Canadians continue to fall through the cracks?

Amid some slips of the tongue, on this week’s episode, Richard, Rachel and Jeff ponder these very things and talk about how having a basic income in place may have saved the government and taxpayers money and may have provided a wider financial safety net for Canadians instead of the current piecemeal approach and they try to define what social distancing actually means.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither is a good story...but what happens if there is no one left to even lay the foundation let alone build it?

On this episode of our media series, the Fourth Estate we bring back our first guest to achieve “friend of the show status” and proud new recipient of the show’s first piece of swag, Mike Whitehouse.

Media and politics are intrinsically tied together, it could be argued that one cannot exist without the other. Politicians and governments count on public support and reaction to the moves they make as a barometer of how successful they are. There is no question that public trust in the media and governments have begun to dissolve as legacy media outlets begin to disappear and are replaced with other alternative sources. So where does that leave us the citizen consumer? What and who do we believe and is there anything that can be done to stop the foundation of our traditional media outlets from crumbling beneath the ground they stand on.

Mike brings a unique perspective to this series having worked for local media outlets and witnessing both it’s heyday and slow destruction before his move to politics.

Mike joins Richard, Rachel and Jeff to talk about the erosion of investigative journalism and the void left behind. A void that is quickly being filled by the rise of the low hanging fruit, “citizen journalism” and unregulated sources to the top of the barrel.

Re-opening plans, gun control measures and choosing someone to lead a political party...these things may look like very different decisions, but they all have one thing in common. A cost, and a consequence.

It’s week who knows what and god knows which month since social distancing measures were put into place by provincial governments and there may finally be a light at the end of the COVID tunnel. Many of the provincial governments are beginning the process of easing some of the restrictions and taking measures to re-open and re-start the economy. Premier Doug Ford has announced that Ontario will open as a whole in phases, while Quebec Premier Francois Legault has announced that his government will take a regional approach. COVID has affected every province differently each province has a different plan for how they intend to get back to the new normal but is one plan or approach better than another and at what cost to people’s health and the health of the economy.

The right to bear arms is not a right that is entrenched in Canada, however the right to life, liberty and security of person is. Two weeks ago, tragically saw Canada’s worst mass shooting to date in Nova Scotia, where 22 people lost their lives. During the election the Liberals campaigned on a platform that included stronger measures for gun control including the banning of certain types of assault style weapons. Last week the Trudeau government made good on that promise and passed an Order in Council banning 1,500 types of military-style assault firearms in Canada, which has now re-ignited the debate over gun ownership and control in our country. The majority of Canadians want to see stricter gun control measures put into place, however there is a segment of our population that believes that these measures are uncalled for an are a punishment against responsible gun owners. Will this Order cost the Liberals some of their support and what are the consequences for not tackling the underlying issues of how illegal firearms get into our country in the first place?

Two out of four opposition parties are technically leaderless and currently involved in a leadership race which to be honest, you may not have known about until this past week. Glen Murray has entered the race for the Greens, brining with him both government experience and name recognition, which could potentially save the Greens from fading into obscurity with the vacuum left by Elizabeth May. However, his past as a Liberal Minster responsible for the introduction of cap and trade in Ontario may come back to haunt him amongst the party faithful. So the question has to be asked, does his entering the race spell trouble for the other parties and offer a home to the disaffected?

Speaking of disaffected, the Conservative Party of Canada’s leadership race is back up and running after a brief suspension and Peter McKay, who was once thought to be a shoe-in for leader has become a one man wrecking ball. Unfortunately, he’s been doing the most damage to his own campaign, and Erin O’Toole has been more than happy to break through the wreckage. With the backing of Jason Kenney and some media outlets, the race now has two horses  and a distinct right leaning presence. What is the cost of McKay’s blunders and could the party lose members as a consequence.

Over the next few weeks, there will be many decisions made about how to get back to the new normal, who our leaders will be and how to keep Canadians safe, and many of us will read these headlines and articles in the media. But what if there was no media, or the media’s capacity to actually investigate and report was crippled to the point of non-existence. Unfortunately, this “what if” is becoming a “when”. On our next episode of the Fourth Estate we’ll look at the costs and consequences of our local media outlets crumbling around us.

It’s week six our of social isolation saga and take downs seem to have become the theme of the week.

Whether it’s Richard falling at the hands of the COVID cut, the latest hit on the KED, Derek Sloan’s comments about Canada’s Chief Medical Officer or the hits to businesses during the COVID crisis, battle lines are being drawn.

In the quite possibly the longest lasting game of battleship ever played in our City the KED is back in the spotlight after a backpedaling from the City on the costs of the project. In light of this gaffe, the project has taken another hit and more speculation has been cast about much this project is actually costing Sudburians, how could a mistake like this have happened and how badly has this damaged support for the project, even amongst those who support it. At this point, this project has dragged on for years and caused significant division in our community and the reality is,  the question has to be asked...how many hits will it take to sink this battleship once and for all?

Conservative MP Derek Sloan recently unleashed a public slagging on Canada’s Chief Medical Officer Theresa Tam. Not only did he question her motives and loyalty to Canada he essentially went on to suggest that she is a Communist plant working for China, which leaves the team wondering what it actually takes to get kicked out of the Conservative Party and who bears the responsibility for cutting the cord? Is it the Party or the People? Have political norms changed so much over the years that what was once looked upon as abhorrent behaviour and would have resulted in the resignation (forcible or voluntary) of the Member now become the equivalent of a slight shrug of the shoulders?

The roll out of the Ontario-Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program has begun and Richard and Jeff bring back their slack-down for another round to talk about what the program is actually doing to help businesses, who, if anyone it is actually helping and if it is enough to keep small businesses afloat and able to survive this crisis?

Up next for Sudbury Politics - The Show is the next episode in our Fourth Estate media series and a look into stimulus spending, and how it may change that way budgets look for future governments.

Episode 11: I think we’re alone now...

There doesn’t seem to be anyone around...

Whether it’s in the halls of Parliament or in Council Chamber, things are definitely looking different for our democratic institutions, which is where Rachel, Richard and Jeff pick up this week’s episode.

Parliament is down to a skeleton crew, City Council meetings have gone digital, and crisis governance measures are becoming more firmly entrenched. Many of these measures had to be implemented quickly as a response to this current crisis, which has brought up debates around whether or not our current governance legislation and mechanisms are perhaps slightly archaic, and why were there no mechanisms in place until now. Although sometimes it feels like this period of time we’re currently living in is never going to end, it will eventually, and then the question becomes will any of these new measures stick around such as e-voting and remote participation or will everything go back to “normal”?

What about the major political players at all levels of government? What impact has the crisis played on their leadership styles and is there something to be said for a more hands on versus a high level decision maker/retail politician

In speaking of personalities, this past week Jeff and Richard engaged in a slack chat cage match about the federal government’s plan for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program and to close out this week’s episode Rachel stirs the pot and encourages Richard and Jeff go for round two on the subject. Listen carefully folks, Richard “almost” admits he was wrong!

From the entire team, thanks for for tuning in and be sure to check out next week’s show, launching next Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

In the final episode of our “getting to know you”  series we bring Josh and Danielle out from behind the scenes to learn a bit more about them.

Up first in the hot seat is Danielle (aka Director Danielle/ DaniLee). Out from behind the safety of the director’s chair and free to eye roll Jeff at close range, she let’s us in on how big of a nerd she really is and how she fell into and in love with the world of politics.

Josh closes out the getting to know the team portion of the series by sharing his passions; Formula D racing, and performing flagrant acts of truancy to work on election campaigns. Josh tells the team how the skills he acquired through those intense endeavours landed him on this show as the man who tries to keep everyone in line. 

Six months ago, five people who kind of knew each other decided to jump head first into a podcast during the Federal Election, with no real clue how it would work or what we were in for.

Since that time we’ve covered everything from cabinet appointments, to Wexit, party leadership races, the changing landscape of the local media and COVID-19.

To say this podcast is important to us would be an understatement. In the spirit of our getting to know you series, and to close out this last episode the entire team comes together to reflect on and candidly discusses the reasons why we felt it was important to start the show as an alternative to the idiot soap box, and how we hope that our show will change the level of political dialogue and engagement in our community for the better.

Thanks for sticking with us and stay tuned.

On this episode of the team is joined by our first guest to return to the show former Ontario Liberal Party leadership candidate Alvin Tedjo.

Alvin, who became the face of the push for a basic income during the OLP leadership race, connects with the team to discuss the ins and outs of a basic income program, what it is, how it would work and who would benefit most from its implementation

In this great UBI debate, the team and Alvin get into the nitty gritty of how a program like UBI could change the way that social programming is delivered and what changes it could bring to existing income and social support programs.

And then of course, there are the million dollar questions: if UBI is such a great idea why haven’t the many pilots materialized into an actual basic income program? And what does the future hold for UBI following the COVID pandemic?

Part One: "Don’t let the sun go down on the local media" ft. David Kilgour

The fourth estate refers to the the press and news media’s role in politics and government and their ability to both advocate for and frame political issues; acting as a scale of checks and balances for politicians and government.

In our first episode of this new series, we sit down with David Kilgour to discuss the local media landscape and how it has and continues to change.

David has run the table in terms of his involvement in local media and marketing. Working as a reporter, marketing manager, publisher and professor.

The team draws on David’s many years of experience to help us understand what is happening to local media outlets and markets. How a once vibrant and well read paper went from 18 in the newsroom to 6 and the impact that it has had on the way that stories and events are able to be covered locally.

Is there anyone left to investigate and report on stories the way they used to be, or to hold politicians and would be editorial writers to account in the tales they tell?

And what about the rise of “fake news”? Without the media’s once revered horsepower and anyone to dig down and counter the “source” where does that leave the average citizen and where does it place their faith in what is being communicated to them.

Stay with us as we dig deeper into these issues in the Fourth Estate

In the happy times before social distancing, the crew of Sudbury Politics gathered to get know one another better. In this episode, we meet the three hosts of the show: Jeff McIntyre, Rachel Adriaans, and Richard Eberhardt.

When we last left our team, Richard and Jeff were locked down in self-isolation and COVID-19 was just beginning to impact Canada. A lot has happened in the past two weeks since the boys were enjoying their Coronas and Jeff was extolling the virtues of the Tushy vs. Toilet paper. On this episode after checking in with the team to see how they are holding up in self-isolation we bid farewell to the printed edition of Northern Life and discuss what that means for our already shallow pool of political reporters and local media outlets. With the increasing spread of COVID in our community and across Canada and the calls to restrict movement growing, Richard, Rachel and Jeff talk about what this means for the rights of citizens and how things could continue to unfold. And what about the government’s response to the crisis? Was 2021 a massive over reach on the part of the minority government? And will they feel the sting of that shot when the crisis has passed? The one thing that is certain is that what was once normal no longer applies, and it begs the question, does that also apply to the role of the opposition? On the next episode the team will dive into the debate around universal basic income (UBI) and how it’s implementation could have changed the shape of the financial impacts the crisis is having on Canadian workers and businesses. 

From Sudbury Politics thank you to all of the workers who are on the frontlines during this crisis. And to the ass hats who are hoarding toilet paper and completely disregarding the call to self-isolate...be better a better Sudburian and a better Canadian.

With the crew and cast of Sudbury Politics locked down in self-isolation, Jeff and Richard talk Covid-19 - its impact on local, provincial and federal politics. Reminiscing about SARS-stock and drinking Corona's over video chat, the show explores how deep the pandemic will affect Sudbury.Jeff is newly returned from the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference where one Sudburian contracted the novel coronavirus. Richard is a dad of two elementary school-age kids who don't have school until the 5th of April. From hoarding toilet paper to a spike in bidet-related stocks, two out of three hosts explore the impact of the outbreak on politics and the economy.

Steven Del Duca will become the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. But at this weekend's convention, the unassigned delegates shouldn't go too easy on him. Less a surprise and more a yawning "oh really?", Ontario Liberals are choosing their new leader this weekend, Saturday March 7th, in one of the last delegated convention leadership races in Canadian politics. Over 2000 delegates, mostly selected a month prior by Liberals in meetings held by each riding association, will gather at the International Centre in Mississauga. According to the party, 1171 of 2084 elected delegates or about 56% are pledged to Del Duca. Another 350 or so "Super Delegates" - current and former Liberal MPPs, MPs and such - are free to vote however they want. So, why not deny Del Duca the easy first ballot win?First off, if this convention were any more predictable it would have happened already. Any hope of newsworthiness is basically lost, UNLESS there was a surprise on the first ballot. Secondly, look at the alternate candidates, and what they've brought to the table. People like Kate Graham and Brenda Hollingsworth have shown themselves to be smart, engaged and interesting potential leaders. Graham particularly has mounted a last minute rally to gather in any stray votes out there, showing a real spark and attracting the one card-carrying Sudbury Politics host. Broadly, the whole concept of the delegated convention and how leaders should be chosen is under scrutiny (that's a discussion for another day) and stifling the voices of newer Liberal activists seems counter-productive. In the end, the Ontario Liberals will make the safe choice. But the party's establishment doesn't have to serve the leadership to Steven Del Duca on a silver platter. Send it to a second ballot. Watch the freed delegates congregate, perhaps around the front runner, or perhaps to send a message to Liberals they can take to the bank in 2022. - Jeff MacIntyre- Rachel Adriaans- Richard Eberhardt

Our interview with Mitzie Hunter, OLP Leader Candidate, from the Sudbury regional OLP debate on Jan 30th. Jeff and Rachel explore her policies and why she thinks a one-member, one-vote system would be preferable to a delegated convention.

Leading OLP Leader Candidate Steven Del Duca talks to Rachel, Richard and Jeff following the wrap of the Ontario Liberal's regional debate in Sudbury. Del Duca went on to win the largest share of pre-selected delegates a month from the delegated convention on March 7th. 

Minutes after the Sudbury regional leadership debate wrapped, Richard and Rachel chatted with OLP Leader Candidate Michael Coteau about his approach to leading the Ontario Liberals. 

Kate Graham, Ontario Liberal Party leadership candidate, in conversation with Rachel and Richard in advance of the party's 3rd regional leadership debate in Sudbury.

Sudbury Politics hosts Jeff and Rachel sit down with OLP Leadership candidate Alvin Tedjo before the party's regional debate in Sudbury

Sudbury Politics hosts Jeff and Rachel sit down with Ottawa lawyer Brenda Hollingsworth, candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party leadership. 

Episode 4: The Blue Adios aka the “Scheering”

A Tale of Two Leadership Races, Part 1, “The Lynnterview”

It was the best of times it was the worst of times and whether you’re looking at the Federal Conservative or Provincial Liberal race this statement could go either way.....or depending on your opinion of us it could apply to our return to the podcast after an extended holiday hiatus....

In the first episode of our leadership race series we’re back in the Alibi Room, where the drink is blue, and so is the former leader of the Conservative Part of Canada, Andrew Scheer.

Before getting into the race itself, our team plays a little game of political headline battleship and discusses some of the top stories that have stacked the headlines over the past few weeks, with the winner having the honour of welcoming our favourite Conservative, Lynn Harper-Kutchske, back to the podcast.

But before we get to that and although following the rules goes against everything Jeff believes in, he does love showing off how smart he thinks he is, so he and the team dig a little deeper into what is actually takes to get into the race and how the new rules affect the voices of the activists within the party and the ability of candidates to actually enter the race. 

During the “Lynnterview” the team asks Lynn to shed a little blue light on how she thinks Trudeau’s Liberal minority is playing out thus far. As the campaign manager for Pierre St. Amant, Lynn shares her insights on how the campaign went from a local perspective and her opinions on John Baird’s post-election report, and where (if anywhere) does the blame lie for letting this one slip through the cracks. The team also talks to Lynn about the current state of the Conservative Party of Canada’s leadership race, and what and who the party and the riding need to take them into the next election.

As always, we end with the team’s favourite segment, “Letters from a Podcast”.

So sit back and enjoy because in the words of our social media guru Josh, “get in loser, we’re going podcasting!”

T’was the fifth of December, and in a city far away a Throne Speech was given on a cold crisp Thursday. Jeff had disappeared to no one’s surprise and a replacement was needed so the curtain could still rise.

From out behind the camera Director Danielle did come to take Jeff’s chair so things could still get done. At last the show was underway, and thank goodness for that because as usual Richard had lots to say. Then all of a sudden there arose such a clatter and Rachel sprang from her chair to see what was the matter.  Then what from the corner of the room should appear, why Santa himself with a bag full of beer. To the team’s delight and Danielle’s relief, Santa made himself comfortable and took Jeff’s seat.

With his sleigh safely parked down the street, which believe me was no small feat, the team settled in to deliver a Christmas treat. Reindeer games were played and predictions were made, like where is the KED and should we consider it to be dead? Is the Ontario Liberal Party really in a race to elect a new leader to take Wynne’s place? What about Scheer, the conservative leader with many to fear, will he be able to hang on for a year? And what about the government, are they willing to pounce on parties so weak they can’t fundraise an ounce.

As for the answers that everyone wants to know, what is on Santa’s naughty and nice list and who will receive a Stack beer or a lump of coal?

As the year draws to a close, what 2020 will bring no one knows! But The team will be back, a Christmas miracle to say the least, so in the meantime spend time with your loved ones and enjoy your Christmas feast!

Its a sticky situation! Now that the election dust has settled and the cabinet has been selected in our second regular episode Rachel, Richard and Jeff bid adios to the bright green 'adios' and move on to syrupy drink more suited to some of the sticky situations our governments find themselves in. After a speed round of political headlines from across the spectrum, we move into a segment that we are referring to this week as the “hall brawl”, where the question is how far is too far and with whom does the power actually lie? The team shares their thoughts, opinions and predictions on three key events that could have an impact on our community: Was Trudeau’s decision to leave Paul Lefebvre out of cabinet the right one? Were there any mitigating sticky or not so sticky circumstances that could have affected that decision and where does that leave Paul now in the Trudeau government?  Where does the division of power actually lie when it comes to municipal and provincial governments? Should municipal voters and candidates have the same rights as their federal or provincial counterparts even if the right to effective representation only extends to federal and provincial elections in the Charter? What impact could this case have on other spheres of municipal government and municipalities themselves? And finally, does Trudeau go left or right in terms of the CN strike? Does he implement back to work legislation and what are the implications of a prolonged strike?

In letters from a podcast, our team shares their closing thoughts and opinions, which for the record are mostly Jeff’s...who is always right.

In the first regular episode of Sudbury Politics – The Show, and with the election behind us, the big question is what happens now? In the wake of the October 21st election Rachel, Richard and Jeff discuss all that was predicted, what the heck actually happened and what the road ahead looks like for the leaders of the major parties asthey navigate through the Liberal minority government and the balance of power in the House of Commons. To help unpack some of these issues and in between Jeff getting his steps in for the day, our team is joined by special guest Bill Crumplin, who over the last 18 months has been a Green Party candidate in the provincial and federal elections and a mayoral candidate in the last municipal election. We ask Bill about his experiences as a candidate under an official party platform vs. a platform of his choosing and he touches upon some of the challenges and barriers that potential candidates face when running for office in a world where face-to-face interactions have been replaced by screen-to-screen. In the wake of the resignation of Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party, after an election result that left a lot to be desired, Bill weighs in on how the Green Party can and should move forward and what the change in leadership could mean for Canada’s other political parties and their leaders. And to cap off the episode, in true politico fashion, Rachel, Richard and Jeff offer their own unsolicited advice in a segment we like to call “Letters from a Podcast”

Recorded live on the eve of the Federal Election, Sudbury Politics - The Show takes an indepth look into the Sudbury federal riding. With Liberal support stabilizing, the Orange surge subsiding, and the Conservatives and Greens trending down in the final hours of the campaign, what will the outcome be? How will the results set the parties up in a minority situation? Can Paul Lefebvre hold a wide spread against the New Democrats' Beth Mairs or will the NDP cut deeply into the Liberals 2015 vote? Music: 'Hotshot' By https://scottholmesmusic.com

Recorded live on the eve of the Federal Election, Sudbury Politics - The Show takes an indepth look into the Nickel Belt riding. What will the impact when the wild swings of the national polling settles down to ballots cast? If the Conservative Party's Aino Laamanen and Green Party's Casey Lalonde aren't positioned to win, what could they consider success. What factors will play into either the Liberal's Marc Serre or NDP's Stef Paquette winning on Oct 21?Music: 'Hotshot' By https://scottholmesmusic.com

On this episode of Sudbury Politics – The Show’s special Federal Election coverage we sit down with Mike Whitehouse, a former local journalist who after years of covering local politicians made the jump from writing about them to working with them. We talk to Mike about what’s it’s like to run Paul Lefebvre’s campaign the second time around and we’ve asked him to talk about the impact of the national campaign this election compared to the2015 “Trudeau bump”.Music credit: "Hotshot" by https://scottholmesmusic.com/ 

In this episode of Sudbury Politics – The Show’s special Federal Election coverage we hear from Daniel Cluff campaign manager for Green Party of Canada candidate Bill Crumplin. Daniel speaks to us about why he feels that this election is the moment for the Green Party to make a breakthrough in parliament, why the party is more relevant than ever on today’s society with the existential threat of a climate crisis looming and touches upon some of the advantages he feels that Bill has over some of the other candidates given that Bill has been living the life of a perennial candidate for the past 18 months.Music credit: "Hotshot" by https://scottholmesmusic.com/ 

On this episode of Sudbury Politics – The Show’s special Federal Election coverage we talk with with Christopher Duncanson-Hales, Senior Campaign Organizer for Beth Mairs  NDP campaign. We ask him what it’s like to run a candidate in a riding that has a history of electing Liberal candidates, how Beth’s passion for social justice and grassroots activism has shaped her campaign and what impact the national campaign has had locally.Music Credit: "Hotshot" by https://scottholmesmusic.com

On this episode of Sudbury Politics – The Show’s special Federal Election coverage we stop by Pierre St. Amant’s campaign office to speak to his campaign manager Lynn Harper-Kutschke who speaks to us about what it has been like to run a candidate in a riding that has never elected a Conservative, how the tight federal race has played a role in shaping and impacting and the local campaign and how her past campaign experiences and involvement with the Party have helped shape Pierre’s campaign.Music credit: "Hotshot" by https://scottholmesmusic.com/