Look, what can I say? We’ve been listening to the podcast and we just felt it was time to make some changes. So I’ve ejected myself from the host’s chair this week. You had to know this day was coming.
But I haven’t gone far, because the guest this week is Paul Wells, here to talk about his new book Justin Trudeau on the Ropes. Which meant we needed a new host. Somebody who knows Ottawa, Justin Trudeau, and me.
I’m grateful that Vassy Kapelos agreed to guest-host. She’s so busy these days she makes me look lazy: She’s the host of CTV’s Question Period, the same network’s weekday Power Play, and the Vassy Kapelos Show on a bunch of iHeart Radio stations coast-to-coast.
If you’re like me, you look at all that and you think, Here’s a woman with lots of spare time. Let’s get her to pro-bono my podcast! We had a blast. Kapelos is soft-spoken, charming, but she prepares for interviews and I’ve heard her gently fillet and gut politicians who thought they were headed for an easy interview. Fortunately I managed not to get on her bad side. We had a blast, her questions got me talking about all the facets of my new essay on Justin Trudeau, and I hope we get to work together again soon.
Here’s my post from Tuesday on the new book for anyone who hasn’t heard, and who’s wondering where they can get a copy. The Paul Wells Show will be back next week, though I greatly fear that quality-control slip-ups will result in that episode being hosted by the regular guy.
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I am grateful to be the journalist fellow-in-residence at the Munk School at the University of Toronto, the principal patron of this podcast. Antica Productions turns these interviews into a podcast every week. 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.
Wells on Trudeau with guest host Vassy Kapelos