Big news in the Liberal Party of Canada this week. Not sure you’ve heard, but the leader’s stepping down. What ever shall we talk about on the podcast?
Maybe it’s not too soon to think about the party’s recent history — say, its decade in opposition followed by its decade in power. I knew immediately who I wanted to hear from: Marci Surkes. These days she’s Chief Strategy Officer at Compass Rose. Until 2022 she was Executive Director, Policy and Cabinet in Justin Trudeau’s Prime Minister’s Office. Before that she held a succession of roles in the party, going back to 2007 — the first full year of Stéphane Dion’s leadership. And of course you know Marci from The Panel, where she discusses party politics on this podcast with our friends Garry Keller and Allison Gifford.
I’ll definitely have the whole panel back often as the year gets weirder and weirder. But I wanted to hear Marci at length because I knew she’d have a lot to say about the party’s history since the end of the Chrétien-Martin era. She didn’t disappoint. She’s especially eloquent on the aftermath of the 2011 election, when the party hit rock bottom, and on the role of Bob Rae in picking up the pieces as interim leader.
She also drops a few surprises, including this, off the top: until as recently as last week, she thought Trudeau might call a snap election instead of resigning.
It’s a great look at a turbulent decade for a party that’s entering one of its greatest crises. It’s a chance to hear from one of the most respected members of a party that’s not getting much respect these days. I think you’ll like the conversation. Great thanks to Marci for sharing her insights.
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I am grateful to be the Max Bell Foundation Senior Fellow at McGill University, the principal patron of this podcast. Antica Productions turns these interviews into a podcast every week. Kevin Breit wrote and performed the theme music. Andy Milne plays it on piano at the end of each episode. Thanks to all of them and to you. Please tell your friends to subscribe to The Paul Wells Show on their favourite podcast app, or here on the newsletter.
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