The Herle Burly was created by Air Quotes Media with support from our presenting sponsor TELUS, as well as CN Rail.

Well greetings, you ever-curious Herle Burly-ites! I’m excited about this pod and the conversation we’re about to have, for a couple of reasons. First is, our guest today is the ONLY GUEST we’ve ever had on the show, or likely WILL EVER have, who has stepped foot in my hometown of Prelate, Saskatchewan — rural municipality of Happyland, current population, about 154. I’ve talked about this here before … my Dad was the Reeve of Happyland!

The great John Ibbitson joins us.

We’re going to look back on the DiefenPearson years. John’s new book is “The Duel: Diefenbaker, Pearson, and the Making of Modern Canada.” About how these 2 leaders, fierce rivals who came from very different places and backgrounds, worked to establish policy and political norms that built the country we all recognize today. We’ll talk about all of that and we’ll also talk about how, in this current climate of political polarization, those norms may be under threat.

You all know John. One of this country’s foremost authors and journalists. He’s currently a Writer-at-Large for the Globe and Mail. He also served as Chief Political Writer, Political Affairs columnist and Bureau Chief in both Washington and Ottawa. John’s previous books include the number 1 bestselling “The Big Shift” (with Darrell Bricker), and “The Polite Revolution: Perfecting the Canadian Dream”. And among a ton of other accolades, he’s a winner of the Governor General’s Award, and he’s been shortlisted for the Donner Prize and National Newspaper Award.

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