This week, we crack open a UK import—Hawkstone Lager from Jeremy Clarkson’s farm—and break down Canada’s biggest defence spending announcement in decades.

PM Mark Carney has committed to meeting NATO’s 2% target this year, nearly a decade ahead of Trudeau’s original pledge. That’s over $9 billion in new spending—including raises for CAF members, $2B in military aid to Ukraine, and major procurement commitments. But can it all be spent wisely?

In this episode:

• 🇨🇦 Why this announcement matters—and why it hits close to home for Joseph

• 💸 The risks of rushing defence procurement (and why it’s rarely done well)

• 🇬🇧 What the UK’s new Strategic Defence Review signals for joint defence priorities

• 🤝 Why now might be the right time for a Canada–UK security compact

Plus:

• 🧨 Labour’s massive U-turn on winter fuel benefits: smart politics or panic move?

• 🎯 Is there still room in politics for a sensible, fiscally responsible conservative party?

• 🇺🇸 Trump sends the Marines to California—why it may be a turning point. Or not.

• 📉 Canada’s jobless rate rises—are we seeing the limits of the Carney honeymoon?

And don’t miss:

• 🍺 Beer of the week: Hawkstone Lager

   • Andrew tastes a biscuit-forward Italian Pilsner with a crisp finish

   • Joseph declares it “a Helles lager met an Italian Pilsner and the two had a baby”

With Chris Spoke, developer and host of the Hogtown podcast

Every party says they want to fix the housing crisis. But on the ground, very little changes. Why?

This week on Craft Politics, we go deep with Chris Spoke—Toronto-based developer, housing policy advocate, and host of the ⁠Hogtown ⁠podcast. Chris isn’t just talking about the housing crisis. He’s trying to build through it.

In this episode:

• 🏘 Why zoning—not greed or foreign buyers—is the real problem

• 📉 Why the incentives in municipal politics make it nearly impossible to build

• 🗳 Why “local democracy” might be the biggest obstacle to affordability

• 📊 What a well-designed federal housing policy should look like—and why Trudeau’s version was better (in theory) than Poilievre’s

• 🧠 How to bring communities onside (hint: it’s not by yelling “YIMBY”)

Plus:

• 🌇 Why Canada’s post-WWII housing model doesn’t apply in 2025

• 🏗 The case for radical deregulation—and how Japan and New Zealand did it

• 📉 The wild stat about how few people it actually takes to block development

• 💥 The rise of “BANANAs” (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything)

And don’t miss:

• 🚫 Chris’s worst NIMBY moment

• 🧠 Rapid fire round: worst myth, best policy idea, and his favourite urbanist thinker

• 🧱 Why landlords aren’t to blame for high rents (but policy might be)

We wrap with:

• 🍺 This week’s tasting notes: Percy drinks a Christmas tree in a can, and Joseph finds his go-to BBQ lager.

🔊 Listen now if you want to understand why the system isn’t working—and what a serious housing fix actually looks like.

With Karen Stintz, former Toronto city councillor and 2025 federal candidate

What happens when Conservatives run a strong urban campaign, knock on thousands of doors, and still fall short by 1.4%?

This week on Craft Politics, we sit down with Karen Stintz, a political veteran who nearly flipped Eglinton–Lawrence, one of the toughest ridings in the country for Conservatives to crack. She brings the hard-earned lessons from the 2025 campaign trail—and they’re ones the entire movement needs to hear.

In this episode:

• 🗳 What Karen’s close race reveals about urban voters’ shifting priorities

• 📉 Why the collapse of the NDP didn’t lead to a Conservative win

• 🏙 The myth that urban voters “just don’t get” conservatism—and how to break it

• 📺 The power of legacy media in big cities (and why it still shapes the ballot question)

• 🤝 Why it’s time for Conservatives to stop fighting and start making friends and allies

Plus:

• 🚨 We debate the missed opportunity for compassionate conservatism on homelessness and addiction

• 🇨🇦 Karen delivers a stinging critique: “How did we let patriotism slip away from us?”

• 🧱 Should the rebuilding of urban conservatism start at the municipal level?

And don’t miss:

• 🎤 A surprise drop-in from Andrew Percy, live from being eaten alive by Ottawa’s mosquitoes after attending the King’s Speech

• 🦝 Joseph’s failed political dreams of running a raccoon-free campaign for Mayor of Toronto

• 📰 An issue scan covering:

   • Charles III’s parliamentary visit

   • Carney’s single mandate letter

   • Reform UK’s lurch leftward to challenge Labour

   • And why CEO turnover is the sleeper political story of the year

🔊 Listen now if you want to understand why urban ridings are still so hard to win—and what it’s going to take to change that.

With Christine Quigley

This week on Craft Politics, we untangle the landmark UK–EU trade and defense deal that’s being hyped as the biggest reset since Brexit. But is it a meaningful shift—or just another half-step wrapped in headlines?

To sort it all out, we’re joined by our colleague Christine Quigley, a seasoned political strategist and proud Remainer, who brings sharp insight and sharper opinions. Together with Andrew Percy (our resident Brexiteer) and Joseph Lavoie (your foreigner), we dive into:

🇬🇧 What this new agreement actually includes (yes, British sausages are back on the EU menu)

⚖️ The political balancing act Keir Starmer must pull off between urban Europhiles and working-class Brexit voters

🌍 Why this deal matters for Canada—and how it might complicate future trade with the UK

🎯 The growing Reform Party threat and what it says about voter trust in mainstream politics

🧠 And a spicy take: Has Brexit ironically made Britain more European?

Plus:

🥊 Christine and Andrew trade polite jabs across the Brexit divide

🇨🇦 Joseph explains why Canadians love the idea of being European—but not the trade-offs

🧀 And we ask: What is Canada willing to give up to strike new trade deals? Spoiler: probably not dairy.

🔊 Listen now if you’re curious about where Britain fits into the world post-Brexit, what lessons it holds for Canada, and why every serious trade deal comes down to the same question: What are you willing to give up to get what you want?

I share a recent talk I gave to the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Vancouver—just weeks after one of the most consequential federal elections in Canadian history.

From a political landscape that’s been redrawn, to a new Prime Minister with global ambitions, I explore what this shift means for the business community—especially those operating between Canada and Europe.

You’ll hear insights on:

• How Mark Carney’s government differs from Trudeau’s
• What’s next for Canada–US trade relations
• Why CETA matters more than ever
• How regional politics are reshaping national priorities
• And yes, why we’re still stuck with disappointing cheese

Whether you’re navigating cross-border investments, tracking Canadian political risk, or just want to understand how this new era will unfold, this episode offers a strategic lens on what’s ahead.

Mentioned in this episode:

• CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
• Recent Canadian jobs report
• Canada–US trade tensions
• The new Carney cabinet– Spain–Canada business ties

📬 Subscribe to the Power Shifts newsletter for more: https://www.powershifts.pro

With Ben Houchen, Mayor of Tees Valley and Member of the House of Lords

British politics just had its vibe checked—and the result? Reform UK is on the rise, the Tories are reeling, and Labour can’t seem to land a punch. So we called in one of the few Conservatives still winning elections to help us make sense of it all: Ben Houchen, the three-time elected Mayor of Tees Valley and a straight-talker from the Red Wall.

Joined by co-hosts Andrew Percy and Joseph Lavoie, this episode breaks down:

• Why Reform’s surge feels like Brexit 2.0

• How Labour can win the headlines but still lose the vote

• Whether we’re heading for a three-party system—or a Tory wipeout

• The realignment that’s reshaping British (and Canadian) conservatism

• What it’ll take to rebuild a competitive Conservative Party—from the vibes up

Plus:

🏗 Ben argues the future of the Conservative Party lies in blue-collar realignment, not home counties nostalgia.

🚨 Why a non-aggression pact with Reform is a non-starter—and what that means for the Tory path back.

📣 And Andrew tells the infamous story of (almost) endorsing Ben’s Labour opponent on live TV.

If you’re trying to decode the future of right-of-centre politics on both sides of the Atlantic, this is your must-listen episode.

After losing a chunk of our life to technical issues trying to interview our Australian colleagues, we gave up and came at you with a cheeky half from a suspicious hotel room. We cover:1. Carney White House Visit2. UK/India Trade Deal3. UK Local ElectionsAnd on tap, we enjoy a Boréale IPA du Nord-Est with Krush Hops

In this deep-dive episode, we welcome The Hub’s Sean Speer for a sweeping post-election conversation that looks well beyond the seat count. Together, we unpack what the results signal about Canada’s shifting political map—and the governing challenges that come next.

We cover:

• Why Canada may be settling into a two-party system—and what that means for the NDP and voter coalitions

• The trap of 42%: Why Conservatives need to stop relying on vote splits and start expanding their base

• Is tone the final frontier? Why Pierre Poilievre’s ceiling may be more cultural than ideological

• The Conservative Party’s urban problem—and why cracking cities like Toronto and Vancouver may be the next big project

• Whether Carney’s coalition—ranging from Bay Street to campus leftists—is governable, not just winnable

• What a Trump second term could mean for Canadian sovereignty on trade, tariffs, and foreign policy

• And how regional tensions, from Western alienation to a resurgent Parti Québécois, could define the next chapter

Guest: Sean Speer – Editor-at-Large, ⁠The Hub