The Briefing Note Podcast

The Briefing Note with Sarah Elder from Madame Premier on politics, culture in Canada and beyond. Thanks for listening! I'd be so appreciative if you could leave a rating and review here or wherever you get your podcasts. And join the community and conversation on Madame Premier's Instagram.

The Briefing Note with Sarah Elder from Madame Premier on politics, culture in Canada and beyond. Thanks for listening! I'd be so appreciative if you could leave a rating and review here or wherever you get your podcasts. And join the community and conversation on Madame Premier's Instagram.

The Briefing Note with Sarah Elder from Madame Premier on politics, culture in Canada and beyond. Thanks for listening! I'd be so appreciative if you could leave a rating and review here or wherever you get your podcasts. And join the community and conversation on Madame Premier's Instagram.

The Briefing Note with Sarah Elder from Madame Premier on politics, culture in Canada and beyond. Thanks for listening! I'd be so appreciative if you could leave a rating and review here or wherever you get your podcasts. And join the community and conversation on Madame Premier's Instagram.

The Briefing Note is the new name of what used to be known as Ellected. What to expect? Lots more shorter podcasts on politics and culture and the intersection of politics on culture and vice versa. But don't worry, the longer conversations that you know and love aren't going anywhere. They are going to be interspersed with the shorter podcasts.You can now find The Briefing Note in the same places as before under its new name and on Instagram, Facebook and X as @TheBriefingNotePodcast.

We've heard so much about Tim and Gwen Walz but do the stories match the reality? Incredibly, they are even more amazing than what we hear. Amanda Hinkle was taught by both Tim Walz and Gwen Walz at Mankato West High School in Minnesota and shares what it was like being in the classroom with each of them in the newest episode of Ellected.

Episode description not available.

In a very special episode, Ellected's host Sarah Elder sits down with Her Excellency Mary Simon, Canada's Governor General, on the 95th anniversary of Persons Day in Canada.On October 18, 1929, Canada's highest court of appeal recognized women as 'persons' and granted them the right to be appointed to the Senate. The Governor General and Sarah discuss the day, the awards presented today in honour of Persons Day, what the day means to the Governor General, a discussion about where and what Canadian women must still accomplish as well as a frank conversation about the online abuse Her Excellency has received and how both she and Sarah deal with it. The episode ends with some advice from the Governor General for any woman considering public service.To learn more about Governor General Mary Simon, please click here.

Episode description not available.

Episode description not available.

Minister of Treasury Board Anita Anand and Ellected’s host Sarah Elder sat down for a chat during the Calgary Stampede that took a right turn from the overtly political to just chat.So much of what gets politicians in politics and why they care about what they do is informed by who they are, where they come from, what their lives have been shaped by and this is a refreshing departure from the bullet points of key messages of the announcement du jour to the key messages of who Anita Anand is.And we end with the most unscripted interruption - a phone call from Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Her 19 year old sister Karina was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th and Sasha and her family are desperate for her safe return along with every other hostage taken that day.This episode isn’t about the explicit politics of Hamas and Israel. It’s about Karina texting her sister the morning of October 7th asking her sister to look after her parents because she knew she might die.Hear from Sasha on what individual Canadians can do to ask our government to help get Karina released safely so she can be with her family once again after almost 10 months in captivity.

In episode 77 Sarah chats with Jenna Sudds, Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and MP for Kanata—Carleton. Hear Minister Sudds on dental care nationally, how it’s not rolling out in Alberta, her take on not winning the by-election in Toronto-St.Pauls, the dilemmas all parents face of teenagers on social media and misinformation from a mom herself who also sits at the cabinet table and more.More about Jenna Sudds:The Honourable Jenna Sudds was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Kanata—Carleton in 2021. She has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth.Minister Sudds has worked as an economist, a municipal councillor, and a community advocate.From 2018 to 2021, Minister Sudds served on the Ottawa City Council. During this time, she chaired the City’s Community and Protective Services Committee and held the role of Deputy Mayor starting in 2020. She also sat on the boards of Hydro Ottawa and Invest Ottawa. As city councillor, she worked to protect green spaces, improve local infrastructure and transit, and support the community’s economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.Before entering politics, Minister Sudds was the Executive Director of the CIO Strategy Council, a national technology forum, and the President and Executive Director of the Kanata North Business Association. She also worked as a senior economist for the Government of Canada for over 10 years, focusing her expertise on the taxation of multi-national corporations and tax avoidance.Minister Sudds has been an active member of her community for many years, volunteering with the Kanata Food Cupboard and Ottawa Network for Education. She has received a Special Recognition Award from the Kanata Food Cupboard for her leadership and service to those in need in the community. She received a 40 under 40 Award from the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce in 2015, and was named one of Development Counsellors International’s Top 40 under 40 working in economic development in 2017.Minister Sudds holds a Bachelor in Economics from Brock University and a Master of Arts in Economics from Carleton University. She is a long-time resident of Ottawa, where she lives with her husband and their three daughters.

This week I’m chatting with Wraychel Gilmore, a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto and advocate for children and youth about her research in engaging youth in political consultation. We chat about how youth come to be consulted, a real-world example with Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae and the level of global interest in Wraychel’s work.Learn more about Wraychel Gilmore:Wraychel Gilmore has twenty-five years of experience in community development and strategic change. Her career spans across executive, non-profit, government, and consulting roles. Wraychel's ability to employ critical thinking and analytic skills, specifically in identifying legislative barriers and solutions in the political and systemic spheres, has been instrumental in enabling her clients and organizations to generate the social impact they aim for.  Throughout her impressive career, Wraychel has worked alongside colleagues across the globe, from Jamaica to Austria, advocating politically and building strengths in community programming. Her notable contributions include piloting programs for both the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities in Ontario. Wraychel has also served in a sworn oversight capacity for the independent Office of the Child and Youth Advocate for the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island. Wraychel's impact resonates profoundly in the realm of community development. She has overseen services and high-risk management for over 6000 youth in grass-roots programming and founded a private Montessori pre-K through secondary school. Within the public education system, Wraychel pioneered the first paid co-op program outside of the Armed Services in Canada. CBC’s Peter Mansbridge has recognized her innovative youth political engagement strategies, featuring them on his podcast, The Bridge. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Wraychel is currently finishing her PhD dissertation with the University of Toronto in Adult Education and Community Development. Her original research on youth political consultations is being featured in 2024 at international conferences in Miami, Sweden, Greece, and in the USA at Cornell University. She holds a Master of Arts in Religion and Culture, and multiple post-secondary certifications in social work, board governance and organizational capacity building, having trained 60+ boards. Her academic pursuits underline her commitment to continuous learning and professional development, making her an invaluable social justice advocate, strategic planner and community builder.

Did you know that approximately half of all infertility is male infertility? I had no idea until this conversation with Ovry co-founder Jackie Rhind of Revelstoke, British Columbia.Rhind is disrupting the sedate baby-on-the-box pregnancy test market in drug and grocery stores across Canada with the most sustainable pregnancy tests on the market not just for women who want to get a positive result but also for women who want a negative result.Rhind is frank, passionate and committed to her vision and you will likely be just as enthralled with her as me.More about Jackie Rhind:Jackie Rhind is an ambitious entrepreneur looking to redefine reproductive health products in Canada. In 2020, Rhind launched Ovry with hopes of offering Canadians a better alternative to traditional pregnancy tests. Ovry is a brand of pregnancy and ovulation test strips that are just as accurate as leading brands, are tiny, discreet, much more affordable and use 90% less single-use plastic. In addition to winning Small Business BC’s Best Youth Entrepreneur award in 2023, Jackie was also recently featured on CBC’s popular TV show Dragons’ Den. Jackie is passionate about building a business that simplifies the lived experience of women and people with ovaries.Watch Ovry on Dragons Den.

This episode of Ellected features Alex Mitchell, CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce.Sarah and Alex discuss Abbotsford’s economic position as the agricultural capital of Canada and an emerging ag-tech leader. Alex also shares the recent formation and priorities of the Fraser Valley Business Coalition, the culmination of the Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and Langley chambers joining forces to advocate for their region and businesses in advance of BC’s provincial election this fall.

Have you tried to share a news story on Facebook or Instagram and got the message that your ability to do that is blocked in Canada? There's a reason for that and this episode of Ellected, Sarah sits down with the person responsible, Canada's Minister of Heritage Pascale St-Onge to discuss the status of the Bill C-18, the Online News Act, and negotiations with Meta over compensation to Canadian news organizations and more.

In exactly one month Rachel Notley will hand over the reins to Alberta's New Democratic Party to the next leader vying to defeat Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party in 2027 so it was the last opportunity to get her on the record in a sit down chat to get her thoughts on the way out to a life outside of the heated Alberta political arena. Hear Sarah get answers to questions submitted by you on the threat of misinformation, Trump, her blunt take on Smith as a "sociopath", if she'll run for the federal NDP, her proudest moments in politics and more.

Edmonton City Councillor Andrew Knack and Ellected’s Sarah Elder chat about the very controversial Bill 20 which among many things introduces political parties into municipal politics, removes electronic voting in favour of paper, gives cabinet the power to remove councillors and overturn bylaws, changes what you need to vote and more. It’s a lot and it’s been done with no consultation and is being introduced by a minister who by his own admission, knows that an overwhelming majority of Albertans don’t want these changes.

In episode 70 of Ellected Sarah sits down for an in-person chat with Alberta MLA Rhiannon Hoyle for a frank conversation about her entry into politics, making the decision to jump into provincial politics, how women need to be prepared for political life to succeed and much more. Listen until the end for a very moving story about Rhiannon's encounter with a group of school kids as she walked in the legislature for the first time as an MLA.More about Rhiannon Hoyle:Rhiannon Hoyle is a dedicated community advocate and entrepreneur, spending the last 20 years working with nonprofits, community leagues, and in leadership roles for the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues enhancing recreational facilities for the neighbourhoods.Before being elected as the MLA for Edmonton-South, Rhiannon spent her time partnering with local businesses and residents to understand what they need from their representative.Rhiannon is dedicated to continue listening to her community to serve them as their MLA, and Official Opposition Critic for Advanced Education.Rhiannon sat as a publicly elected U of A Senator, and focused on making sure schools from kindergarten to post-secondary have better resources to provide the best education possible to our young people.Rhiannon lives with her family in one of the fastest-growing communities in Edmonton.