The Strategists is a Canadian politics podcast focused on Alberta politics, federal campaigns, elections, and political strategy. This archive contains full episode transcripts covering Canadian public affairs and political analysis.
Stephen Carter, Corey Hogan talk about the start of Trump's 25% tariffs against Canada and the end of Trump's support for Ukraine's defensive war against Russia. Washington D.C. guest stars as a place Stephen and Corey went on a Segway tour in 2015. Hosted on Acast. See acast.
Step right up to The World Famous Annalise and Carter Show, the three-ring political circus you didn’t know you needed. In the municipal ring, Stephen Carter spins three slates in the air, keeping each campaign teetering but never tumbling.
Get ready for the greatest live show on earth! The Strategists Live! comes to Knox United Church, Calgary on November 12th. Tickets at http://strategistslive.show/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Be it resolved that the Minister of Podcasts, Stephen Carter, together with the Chair of Oral Questions, Zain Velji, do convene this sitting of The Ministry of Podcasts.
Stephen Carter, as Minister of Podcasts gathers Zain Velji and Corey Hogan to convene the Ministry of Podcasts for the first time. Zain grills the Member from Calgary Confederation on everything from what really goes on in the House, to what the inflight entertainment options are on "the people's pl…
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the Dairy Queen on Centre Street. Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the French language Liberal Party of Canada leadership debate before turning their attention to Trump's new tariff threats, Poilievre's pivot (?) and Ruby Dhalla's disqualification.
The Strategists are LIVE to hold a funeral for The Calgary Party, and to hold Stephen Carter accountable. Annalise Klingbeil and Shannon Phillips are joined by returning host Corey Hogan to dissect the 2025 Calgary municipal election.
Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips sort another chaotic week of Canadian politics into Take, Tweak or Trash. Are backbench politicians now influencers? What's the difference between economic and electoral politics? And how well can Zain host the show with half of his mouth frozen from the dentist?…
Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips brace themselves for an old-school strategy session. What should Pierre Poilievre be doing over the next two months? Two years? And how does Zain expect anyone to know when the liveshow is if he won't promote it?! Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and kee…
Shannon and Stephen start discussing the budget when they are interrupted by BREAKING NEWS. What does this mean for the various parties in the house? What's the best strategy if you're crossing the floor, or receiving a crosser? And at this rate will Shannon have any burns left for Carter at the liv…
Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips examine the fallout a week after Alberta teachers were forced back to work using the notwithstanding clause.
Shannon Phillips and Stephen Carter dig into breaking news and unpack the Alberta Government’s plan to force teachers back to work. What should the strategic response look like from the opposition, educators, and the broader public service? How do you mobilize one of the province’s last truly connec…
Zain Velji and Annalise Klingbeil dive deep into Calgary's 2025 municipal election just days before voters head to the polls. Why does this race feels so boring despite tight polling? What happens when engaged insiders can't even figure out who to vote for? And is this really a "Seinfeld election" a…
Chris Henderson finally unmutes his mic to do a deep dive on the surprisingly competitive Edmonton mayoral election. Why could this race be the closest one in 30 years? What happens when there's no clear ballot question and voters tune in at the last minute? And how did a dentist's cringe rap v…
Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips carve into the political topics that should have dominated Thanksgiving dinner - if they were brought up at all.
Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips discuss labour unrest across the country. Will the Alberta teachers' strike strategy win public sympathy? Is the government applying the right strategy for dealing with CUPW and the postal workers? And did Stephen Carter REALLY hurt his back if he's not hopped up…
Enjoy this teaser of patreon episode 1883. Carter and Shannon sort a week’s worth of Canadian politics into fine, fabulous, or f--ked. Was Mark Carney’s invite to a Project 2025 architect 4D chess or pure arrogance? Did Doug Ford save jobs or just waste good whiskey? Is Edmonton’s hottest new party…
Shannon Phillips and Stephen Carter dive into Alberta's "Forever Canada" petition campaign. Can Thomas Lukaszuk actually collect 294,000 signatures to keep Alberta in Canada? Should opposition parties work within grassroots campaigns or build their own parallel structures? And how many signatures ca…
Shannon Philips and Stephen Carter unpack the recent Air Canada labour issues. What can the labour movement learn from CUPE's apparent success? Was the government justified in getting involved? And who is going to scrape Carter off the mat after Shannon's done beating him into a pulp? Zain Velji, as…
Stephen Carter and Zain Velji discuss just how hard it is to get attention in the summer months before discussing daddy Carney's deal deadline.
Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips dive into a dumpster fire of dumpster fires and try to extinguish what they can. How bad are competing leadership reviews.
Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips tackle the issues that just won't die. What's next for the Alberta Next panel? Can the PC party rise from the dead? And who wears sneakers to a Stampede event? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line.
Zain Velji and Stephen Carter do something they swore they would never do: dive into the listener mailbag. They answer your questions about politics, political strategy, and most importantly, Zain's love of Swiss Chalet. This time you pick the questions, and nobody is keeping anybody in line.
Shannon Philips and Stephen Carter dive into the biggest story happening right now, the Drake/Kendrick/Jagmeet feud. Then they fill time with a few with some minor issues like the G7 and Pierre Poilievre's upcoming leadership review.
Shannon Philips and Stephen Carter talk relationships and public falling-outs. How do you 'win' a political break-up? What's the best way forward after it's all over? And has there ever been an episode more suited to Carter's experiences? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybod…
Shannon Philips and Stephen Carter talk about the results of the highly anticipated First Ministers' Meeting. Is the lack of a project list a problem or an asset for Carney? Are there any regions at risk of just being swept along in all the nation-building fever? And should the Government of Canada…
Shannon Phillips joins Stephen Carter to discuss the logistics and strategy behind mounting an effective opposition to the Alberta separation question.
Annalise Klingbeil and Stephen Carter kick off their world famous podcast series (hosted by The Strategists Podcast Network). They begin by exploring the wonders of the outdoors before trying to explain what exactly IS going on in Alberta.
Stephen Carter and Zain Velji flush out the latest on Mark Carney’s cabinet unveiling. Get ready for a stream of insights on Alberta’s political expectations.
Stephen Carter and Zain Velji discuss Mark Carney's transformative visit to the White House. Then it's off to tackle issues closer to home in Alberta. What's the final grade on Carney's performance? What's the strategy behind stoking the separatist sentiment in Alberta.
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter face their toughest accountability session ever as they dissect the strategy behind the campaign for one Corey Hogan. They go over what worked (everything) and what didn't (nothing) and get into lessons learned along the way.
Stephen Carter and Zain Velji finally expose the truth behind the Corey Hogan campaign. The gang discusses how "star" candidates affect volunteer turnout, before diving into a retrospective on the national campaigns.
Zain Velji and Stephen Carter talk political ads, platforms, and predictions. With more unsolicited advice for the campaigns than you can shake a Kory Teneycke at.
Zain Velji and Stephen Carter discuss "Buttongate" and how the parties should handle it. Then it's on to talking about recent polling developments before ending off on debate prep for the leaders.
Zain Velji and Stephen Carter discuss Stephen's recent campaign loss in the Vancouver by-election before turning attention to the federal election campaign. Oh, wait - Corey is here too? For the start? Well, he probably wants something. Let's see what it is.
Corey Hogan is allegedly the new Liberal candidate in Calgary Confederation. Up is down, down is up. Zain and Stephen assemble to ask if this happened, how this happened, and to create as much chaos as possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter discuss whether the ballot question is set, if public criticisms of the Conservative campaign are sincerely well intentioned, and how Jagmeet Singh can get back into the game.
No time to wait for Stephen Carter. Zain and Corey assemble to talk about Pierre Poilievre's big swing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the launch of the federal election, asking whether campaigns matter at all before settling into the Conservative and Liberal messages, star candidates and Danielle Smith's March surprise.
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about Prime Minister Mark Carney's swearing in and the inevitable federal election. What does the Cabinet tell us about where the Liberals are going? Can Canadians be sold on the virtues of non-partisanship? With a week to go until a federal election - are Canadia…
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the conclusion of the Liberal leadership race and what's next for Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre. What lessons can be learned from the leadership announcement event? Should Carney immediately call an election? Has Pierre Poilievre found his line of attack?…
It’s Zain Velji and Stephen Carter diving into all things strategy—without Corey to weigh them down, they’re free to live out the true spirit of the podcast.
Stephen Carter and Corey Hogan talk about the allegations of major scandal at Alberta Health Services. What's to be made of Smith's statement on the matter? What's to be made of the NDP response? Can Carter avoid "false, baseless and defamatory" commentary? Zain Velji isn't here and neither is Annal…
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about America announcing tariffs and Canada announcing retaliation. How did the Prime Minister do? What do Poilievre, Smith and the Liberal leadership candidates need to do now? What kind of consensus needs to be built? And do you think Carter is going to try to u…
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about recent developments in liberal leadership politics before diving deep into the brands of the six candidates.
PATREON EXCLUSIVE. Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the strategy of responding to continued Trump threats, how (or if) the Liberal candidates should navigate the same, how (or if) the Liberal candidates should separate from Trudeau and much more.
PATREON EXCLUSIVE. Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the First Minister's Conference and the consensus that wasn't. Will Danielle Smith's position be a winner in Alberta? If you're Smith, Nenshi, Ford or Trudeau - what do you do now? And do we think with 10 more minutes we could have gotten…
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about Danielle Smith meeting Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago and the first days of the Liberal Party of Canada leadership campaign.
Get your novelty New Year's Tie out of that box in the garage and pretend it's going to all be different this year because it's time again for The Strategists to unpack the year that was in their annual Holiday Spectacular.