On Background iPolitics

We go On Background with Stephen Maher, award winning writer who has covered Parliament Hill for decades, now contributor to iPolitics, and author of upcoming book The Prince, The Turbulent Reign of Justin Trudeau. Stephen and Fred discuss his upcoming book about Justin Trudeau’s rise to power and offer a behind-the-scenes look into the book writing process. 

Pick up a copy of The Prince at your favourite bookstore, coming out May 28th. 

We go On Background with Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton, Canada’s fastest growing big city. As one of Canada’s most politically experienced mayors, Mayor Brown has leveraged his experience in both federal and provincial politics to become one of the most vocal and influential mayors in Canada. Patrick shares with Fred some of the realities on the ground for Canada’s big cities, not always fully understood by Ottawa’s bubble. They discuss how Brampton is working with all levels of government to address some of the most pressing public policy challenges affecting Canada’s largest cities from auto-thefts to immigration and also importantly, the rise in popularity of cricket. 

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.



This episode is brought to you by the Federally Regulated Employers – Transportation and Communications (FETCO).

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.   

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.

We go on On Background with Tyler Meredith, former Economic Advisor to PM Trudeau and the Deputy PM and Minister of Finance, now a Founding Partner at Meredith Boessenkool Policy Advisors, and Laura Kurkimaki, former Principal Secretary to the Leader of the Official Opposition, and now a Principal at Earnscliffe Strategies. How are budgets made? There are surely stakeholder consultations and input from experts in policy and economics, but eventually they will need to align with a political agenda. Fred, Tyler, and Laura dive deep into the dynamics of making and selling a budget, unpacking the internal politics and process within government, and how lobbyists can navigate these waters to make their case for funding.