Election '21 Briefing - It's too close to call as Election 44 wraps

The COVID-19 pandemic, like all crises, put a bright spotlight on political leadership. Political leaders, at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, were tested in ways few ever imagined when they first ran for office. The past 13 months have forced leaders to communicate and engage the public more frequently and in a different manner than normal. In this episode of inFocus, I’m joined by two people who know a lot about communications, leadership, and political branding. I wanted to get their takes on how our political leaders have done, how leading through a crisis is different, and what it all means for the future of Canadian politics. Jeni Armstrong is an instructor at the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University. For 20 years she has been a leading communication professional most recently serving as Director of Communications for former Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Before that, she served as the lead speechwriter for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Dr. Alex Marland is a professor of Political Science at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. Dr. Marland is an expert on Canadian politics, communications, and political branding. His book, Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in the Age of Message Control published by UBC press in 2016 won the Donner Prize for best public policy book by a Canadian. ...

Foreign affairs and international development issues often take a back seat in federal election campaigns. But this election began as the Taliban took control over Afghanistan and the world is still grappling with a global pandemic. On this episode of inFocus, I’m joined by Julia Anderson, the CEO at the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health or CanWaCH for short. CanWaCH has over 100 members ranging from NGOs, academic institutions, health professional associations and individuals partnering to improve health outcomes for women and children in more than 1,000 communities worldwide. It has also been a client of mine for several years now. We sat down as week two of the federal election campaign comes to an end to talk about international development, the global pandemic, and a fascinating research project CanWaCH commissioned to understand public attitudes surrounding foreign affairs and international development. For more information about the deliberative polling we discussed, visit https://canwach.ca/foreign-policy-by-canadians-findings/   ...

How do we create a business, legal, and policy environment that allows every aspiring entrepreneur to succeed? What barriers do Black entrepreneurs in Canada face? On this episode of inFocus, I’m joined by three guests to talk about a new study my firm Abacus Data helped to conduct on Black Entrepreneurship in Canada. Commissioned by the African Canadian Senate Caucus and Nova Scotia Independent Senator Colin Deacon, and in partnership with a dozen Black-led business organizations, the survey found that most Black Entrepreneurs face real challenges accessing capital, building supportive networks, and developing the skills needed to succeed in business. On the podcast today, I’m delighted to welcome Nadine Spencer, the President of the Black Business and Professional Association, Alfred Burgesson, the founder & CEO of Tribe Network, an entrepreneurship & innovation hub for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, and Nova Scotia Independent Senator Colin Deacon. I had the pleasure of working with all three on the study and we’ve come together on inFocus to talk about the results and what needs to happen next to make entrepreneurship more inclusive in Canada. You can access the full study here: https://abacusdata.ca/black-entrepreneurs-canada-inclusive-entrepreneurship/ ...