Juno News - Poilievre's campaign turned down Joe Rogan podcast appearance

00:00:00.000 Podcast host Joe Rogan expressed frustration with Pierre Polyev's campaign in a recent episode,

00:00:10.580 revealing that they declined his request to have the Conservative leader on his show.

00:00:15.080 Elections Canada told True North that it had warned the Liberals about ballot padding concerns

00:00:19.580 in 2024, as Conservative leader Pierre Polyev may face off 200 protest candidates in his race

00:00:25.480 to be re-elected. The plan to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs by increasing exports to Europe

00:00:31.080 seems to be ineffective, as the latest data for March shows a net decline in global exports.

00:00:37.060 Hello Canada, it's Thursday, May 8th, and this is the True North Daily Brief. I'm Isaac Lamoureux.

00:00:42.680 And I'm Jeff Knight. We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.

00:00:46.380 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.

00:00:55.480 Popular podcast host Joe Rogan revealed in a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience

00:01:01.120 that he invited Conservative leader Pierre Polyev onto the show but was turned down by the campaign.

00:01:06.700 Podcasters and Conservative commentators are sharing a clip from Rogan's most recent episode

00:01:11.540 with outdoorsman and athlete Cameron Haynes. In it, Rogan expressed frustration with what he

00:01:16.740 considered a political misstep by Polyev's campaign team. Rogan began the exchange by highlighting

00:01:21.960 debanking, a practice where banks restrict access to financial services for individuals

00:01:27.080 based on their political views. Haynes immediately drew a parallel to Canada's 2022 Freedom Convoy.

00:01:33.860 Notably, Carney wrote an op-ed during the protest advocating for the government to freeze the

00:01:38.860 accounts of Convoy supporters. In the article, Carney wrote that anyone donating to the Freedom

00:01:43.740 Convoy to help truckers stay in auto was no doubt funding sedition and should be thoroughly

00:01:48.500 punished for donating. Rogan continued to criticize Polyev and his team for declining to go on his

00:01:54.320 show. Rogan's podcast with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump received 58 million views.

00:02:01.400 I do have to say, I offered to have that Pierre guy come on the podcast.

00:02:05.420 Really?

00:02:05.620 He didn't do it. He wouldn't do it. I thought it was too problematic or whatever. Jordan told me,

00:02:10.500 I forget what he said, but they were telling him not to do it. Like his advisors were telling him not

00:02:14.820 to do it. You're not grilling. You're not attacking people. Of course not. This is like a safe, you

00:02:19.820 know, the friend zone type thing. It's like, no. And I heard you talk about Kamala saying, just want

00:02:24.940 to get to know her. Just want to talk to her. 100%. I said, if there's certain things they didn't

00:02:29.360 want to talk about, I don't need to talk about them. I don't care. I'm like, I could talk to you

00:02:33.120 about fucking AI. You've never been the gotcha guy. Polyevre's office did not respond to True 1.00

00:02:38.480 North's request for comment. The conservative leader did not appear on any American podcast during the

00:02:43.840 campaign, but instead opted to go on long form Canadian podcasts. Carney, on the other hand,

00:02:49.700 soft launched his campaign on the US The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The campaign occurred just

00:02:55.300 months after President Trump referred to Canada as the 51st state and levied tariffs on Canadian goods.

00:03:01.260 Trump also said he would use economic force in order to pressure Canada into becoming a US state.

00:03:07.140 So Jeff, what Canadian podcasts did Polyevre go on during his campaign? And did they reach a big

00:03:12.180 audience? Are some of the criticisms Joe Rogan raised valid?

00:03:16.140 Yeah, Isaac, during his campaign, Pierre Polyevre opted for long form Canadian podcasts to connect

00:03:22.560 with his voters. It was a strategy that contrasted with Mark Carney's appearance on The Daily Show with

00:03:27.680 Jon Stewart in the US. According to a CBC News article from April 10th, Polyevre's team focused on

00:03:33.080 platforms like the Hub Dialogues, where he discussed economic policy and housing with host Sean Spear,

00:03:38.560 and the Jordan Peterson podcast, where he had appeared back in January 2022 to discuss traditional

00:03:44.240 values and masculinity. He also joined the Nelk Boys Full Send podcast, a Canadian-based show popular

00:03:51.480 with younger conservative-leaning audiences, to talk about affordability and government overreach.

00:03:56.400 These choices aligned with his campaign's focus on controlling media access, limiting risk by sticking

00:04:01.740 to sympathetic or neutral Canadian platforms rather than US-based shows like Joe Rogan's.

00:04:06.580 As for audience reach, these podcasts varied widely. The Hub Dialogues, a policy-focused show,

00:04:12.740 typically garners a niche but engaged audience, with episodes averaging around 50,000 listens based

00:04:18.100 on industry estimates. The Jordan Peterson podcast, however, has a much larger reach. Peterson's

00:04:23.320 episodes often hit 500,000 or more, up to a million listeners globally, though Polyevre's episode

00:04:29.100 likely drew a strong Canadian segment, given the domestic focus. The Nelk Boys Full Send podcast,

00:04:34.140 popular with the 18 to 34,000 listens an episode, clearly pulls in 300,000 to 500,000 listens an

00:04:40.120 episode. While these numbers are pretty respectable, they pale in comparison to Joe Rogan's 58 million

00:04:45.320 views for his Trump episode, suggesting Polyev missed a chance at massive exposure.

00:04:50.300 Rogan's frustration with Polyev seems justified. His absence likely limited his ability to counter

00:04:54.740 Carney's narrative on a global stage during a critical campaign moment.

00:04:57.980 Yeah, one thing I'll just add quickly, Jeff, is in relation to President Donald Trump's victory.

00:05:03.960 Some people who are watching the celebrations and whatnot, from the lens of not of a journalist,

00:05:09.800 might not have noticed this. But just in the way the cameras were panning and things that were

00:05:13.280 discussed shortly thereafter, Trump's son, Baron Trump, was in a way highlighted as the mastermind

00:05:19.280 behind the campaign, because of course, he was Donald Trump's podcast advisor, and I think also

00:05:24.420 involved in some social media. And something where Trump succeeded that Polyev might see as a failure

00:05:30.840 is definitely reaching such vast audiences through these podcasts.

00:05:38.600 Elections Canada warned the Liberals to stop ballot exploitation. Now, Conservative leader Pierre Polyev's

00:05:44.540 comeback race risks being hijacked by 200 protest candidates. The chief electoral officer warned the

00:05:50.380 Liberals last year to amend the law and prevent ballot exploitation. However, the call went unanswered.

00:05:55.840 Now, Elections Canada tells True North the concerns remain, and Polyev's upcoming by-election may see him fall victim again to ballot padding.

00:06:02.980 A protest group behind Canada's longest-ever election ballots is now targeting the Alberta riding of Battle River Crowfoot,

00:06:09.800 aiming to run up to 200 candidates in the by-election Polyev hopes will see him return to Parliament.

00:06:14.720 Polyev lost his long-held Carleton seat to Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy,

00:06:18.760 after the longest ballot committee contributed to a one-meter-long ballot with 91 candidates.

00:06:24.500 The same group has begun recruiting candidates to appear on the Battle River Crowfoot ballot,

00:06:28.780 the 91-named ballot in the recent federal election tied to a Canadian record,

00:06:32.960 matching a ballot influenced by the same group in a 2024 Quebec by-election.

00:06:37.380 The group said in an email, quote,

00:06:39.040 In the past few days, we've received dozens and dozens of emails from people asking to join the ballot for the upcoming by-election in Battle River Crowfoot.

00:06:46.820 We will do our best to make a long ballot happen if we get at least 200 people signing up to be candidates.

00:06:52.120 The committee confirmed that each candidate needs 100 local voters to nominate them,

00:06:56.940 but that candidates do not need to live in the riding, and that it's free to enter the election as a candidate.

00:07:01.340 The Electoral District had an estimated population of 107,979 in 2021.

00:07:08.000 Elections Canada states that the 100 people who consent to a person's candidacy

00:07:12.160 have to be qualified electors and live in the Electoral District where the candidate intends to run.

00:07:17.660 A spokesperson for Elections Canada told True North the Elections Act does not prohibit someone from being an official agent for more than one candidate,

00:07:25.660 and that any change to that law would require an act of Parliament.

00:07:28.660 The spokesperson added that without new legislation, any candidate who fulfills all the conditions for candidacy

00:07:34.240 will have their name included on a ballot, assuming they're a Canadian citizen over the age of 18 years old.

00:07:40.340 So Isaac, are there simple legislative changes that could fix this issue?

00:07:44.500 What exactly is this issue protesting?

00:07:46.900 Yeah, Jeff, there are.

00:07:47.920 More interestingly, Elections Canada has asked the Liberals to make the changes, but obviously that hasn't happened.

00:07:53.480 For example, the 2024 by-election in Quebec that saw the group protest it and a subsequent ballot with 91 candidates,

00:08:00.440 which was the record that Polervo's ballot recently tied in the federal election.

00:08:04.740 Just a few months after that, the Chief Electoral Officer highlighted his concerns at a committee hearing.

00:08:10.740 He said, quote,

00:08:11.740 In the case of the Longest Ballot Initiative, we have seen nomination papers for the various participating candidates signed by the same electors.

00:08:20.680 This indicates that voters who sign the nomination papers are not supporting the nomination of a particular candidate,

00:08:26.740 but rather the idea of having as many candidates as possible, whomever they may be,

00:08:32.460 consistent with the goals of the Longest Ballot Initiative.

00:08:34.920 The Chief Electoral Officer added that he wrote to the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Dominic LeBlanc,

00:08:42.580 to request that voters can only support the nomination papers of one candidate, among other concerns.

00:08:48.120 However, of course, that request went unanswered.

00:08:51.140 Then, Elections Canada told True North, quote,

00:08:54.920 These same concerns and recommendations would apply to the upcoming by-election if it were another long ballot situation.

00:09:01.740 And as you mentioned, Jeff, the change would require an act of parliament to overhaul.

00:09:07.540 The Longest Ballot Committee is protesting what they see as flaws in our current voting system,

00:09:12.440 specifically the first-past-the-post system.

00:09:15.520 They want to replace it with a proportional representation,

00:09:18.860 which is a system where the share of seats a party gets in parliament matches the share of votes they receive.

00:09:24.440 So if a party gets 30% of the vote, they get 30% of the seats,

00:09:28.840 which, of course, the goal with that is to make every vote count equally

00:09:32.420 and ensure that representation in government reflects how people actually voted.

00:09:36.800 Also, there used to be a requirement to pay $1,000 to be a candidate,

00:09:41.720 but obviously that was removed and no longer exists.

00:09:44.140 So there's a long list of options that could be implemented to combat this ballot padding,

00:09:50.160 but we'll have to see if anything is done under this Liberal government.

00:09:53.760 Canadian global exports declined in March,

00:10:00.240 despite a double-digit surge in trade with the UK, Germany, and other European nations

00:10:05.480 as part of a continued plan to offset reliance on the US.

00:10:09.560 Canada's global merchandise trade deficit was reduced from $1.4 billion in February

00:10:14.820 to $506 million in March, driven by a decline in exports to the US due to tariffs.

00:10:21.280 While exports to countries elsewhere jumped by nearly 100% since February,

00:10:26.620 Canada's reliance on the American market was still dramatically felt

00:10:29.840 as total exports declined by 0.2%.

00:10:33.020 Prime Minister Mark Carney said in March that Canada's old relationship with the United States

00:10:38.900 was, quote, over, and that he traveled to Europe aiming to expand trade.

00:10:44.420 Carney told reporters at the time, quote,

00:10:46.320 U.S. tariffs on various Canadian imports took effect in early March,

00:11:01.480 including a 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum.

00:11:05.040 This led to a 9% decrease in exports of basic and semi-finished iron and steel products,

00:11:11.540 while exports of un-routed aluminum and aluminum alloys were up 4.4%,

00:11:16.160 a fourth consecutive monthly increase.

00:11:19.680 Canada followed by implementing 25% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum on March 13th,

00:11:25.880 decreasing the import of non-metallic mineral products by 15.8%.

00:11:30.280 Overall exports to the U.S. dropped by 6.6% following the strong ramp-up in exports to the

00:11:36.900 United States that led to a record in January.

00:11:40.500 However, the decline was offset by an increase in exports to other countries outside the U.S.,

00:11:45.180 which jumped by 24.8%.

00:11:47.300 Statistics Canada wrote, quote,

00:11:49.280 Exports to the United Kingdom, en route gold, the Netherlands, crude oil, Hong Kong, crude oil,

00:11:55.280 and Germany, various products, increased the most for the month.

00:11:58.880 So, Jeff, how did Trump respond to Carney's request to drop tariffs during the latest

00:12:03.520 White House meeting between the two?

00:12:05.660 Has there been any progress on the trade front since Carney was elected?

00:12:10.060 Yeah, during the White House meeting, Trump responded pretty dismissively to Mark Carney's

00:12:13.780 request to drop tariffs on Canadian goods.

00:12:16.440 Trump stated that Carney couldn't say anything to persuade him to lift the U.S. tariffs,

00:12:19.960 which included a 25% levy on Canadian steel and aluminum.

00:12:23.640 Trump doubled down on his stance, musing at length about the benefits of his earlier proposal

00:12:27.900 that Canada become the 51st U.S. state, a suggestion Carney firmly rejected, saying

00:12:32.660 Canada would never be for sale.

00:12:34.800 This exchange highlighted the ongoing trade tensions, with Trump showing no willingness

00:12:38.540 to budge, instead using the meeting to push his narrative of economic dominance over Canada.

00:12:43.520 Since Carney's election as Prime Minister with the minority government, progress on the

00:12:47.240 trade front has been limited and largely one-sided.

00:12:51.060 Canada implemented retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum, which led to a 15.8%

00:12:56.600 drop in imports of non-metallic mineral products.

00:12:59.520 However, there's been no sign of de-escalation from the U.S. side.

00:13:03.320 Trump even told reporters that Carney was looking to make a deal, but no updates on trade talks

00:13:07.860 were provided.

00:13:08.940 Meanwhile, Carney's pivot to Europe, highlighted by his March trip to France and the U.K., has

00:13:13.440 yielded some results, with exports to non-U.S. countries jumping 24.8% in March.

00:13:19.020 But with U.S. exports still dropping 6.6% due to tariffs and total exports down 0.2%, the

00:13:25.380 trade front remains strained, with no immediate breakthroughs since Carney took office.

00:13:32.220 That's it for today, folks.

00:13:33.680 Thanks for tuning in.

00:13:34.760 You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on

00:13:38.980 iTunes and Spotify.

00:13:40.520 Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a 5-star rating and please leave a review.

Juno News - May 08, 2025

Poilievre's campaign turned down Joe Rogan podcast appearance

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript