Ellected by Madame Premier

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.

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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.

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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.

Episode 69 is the last episode in the series of conversations with all of the candidates running to be the next leader of the Alberta NDP and this conversation with Gil McGowan is full of surprises.McGowan is wearing multiple hats during the podcast and campaign as the president of the Alberta Federation of Labour and workers are front and centre during the podcast but it's how he positions them that gets some push back from Ellected's host Sarah Elder. Aren't all Albertans workers? She thinks so but McGowan has a different take on it.McGowan also makes a bold statement on the Alberta NDP and oil and gas. What is it? You'll have to listen to find out!Learn more about Gil McGowan:Gil’s prairie pragmatism and progressive values are rooted in his rural Alberta upbringing. He grew up on a farm north of Edmonton. He attended elementary and junior high school in Clyde (population 430) and high school in Westlock (population 5,100).Gil is a long-time New Democrat, having joined the party as a teenager to help in the breakthrough election of 1986 that saw the NDP form the Official Opposition for the first time, with 16 seats. Gil also served on the executive boards of the NDYA and the U of A campus NDP and interned at the Legislature. He worked as a voter contact organizer in the 1993 election and as the central campaign’s Director of Communications in the 1997 election.Before being hired as a campaign organizer and communication officer by the labour movement in the ’90s, Gil was a journalist.He holds a Master of Journalism from Carleton University in Ottawa and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alberta. Throughout his working life, Gil has been a proud and active member of several unions.He has also done extensive work with the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 and the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union (ATU).Gil is the proud father of three amazing young adults – who continue to bring him joy as they make their way in the world.To learn more about Gil McGowan's campaign, click here.

It's live episode #5 with each of the candidates running to be the next leader of the Alberta NDP and this week MLA Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse joined Sarah Elder in-store at Madame Premier to talk about her campaign.Jodi shares why her campaign is focused on water and climate change and contextualizes it in how it relates to Alberta's economy. Hear her thoughts on what the rural strategy should be for the party going into the next election, oil and gas and renewables, attracting investment to Alberta and how she thinks Danielle Smith and the UCP can be beaten in 2027.More about Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse:Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton-Rutherford and a proud member of Michel First Nation – Treaty 6, seeks to lead the Alberta NDP and become the next Premier, emphasizing unity in facing challenges like climate change and economic security.Her leadership approach is grounded in hard work, collaboration, and community connection, demonstrating a commitment to listen and provide decisive leadership. Jodi’s journey involves learning from elders, earning an undergraduate degree in Native Studies, and pursuing a Master’s Degree with a focus on water security.To find out more about Jodi's campaign, click here.

The latest and most in-demand podcast yet in Ellected's series of sitting down with all of the candidates in the leadership race to replace Rachel Notley as leader of Alberta's NDP, this conversation with Naheed Nenshi goes in a lot of directions.From joining the race, his "outsider" status, why he isn't making policy announcements, having a seat in the legislature if he wins and so much, much more.More about Naheed Nenshi:Naheed served as Calgary’s mayor for three terms between 2010 and 2021. During his time as mayor, Calgary was named the third best city to live in globally.Naheed was recognized as “the best mayor in the world” in 2014 by The City Mayors Foundation. He also received the President’s Award from the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Psychological Association for his contribution to community mental health.Prior to his election, Naheed served as Canada’s first tenured professor of nonprofit management at the Bissett School of Business at Mount Royal University. He was also a management consultant for McKinsey & Company. Headquartered in Alberta, Naheed ran his own firm: Ascend Group. His clients included the United Nations and he advised on how corporations can help the world’s poorest people.Naheed is a graduate of the University of Calgary where he served as President of the Students’ Union. He also earned a Master of Public Policy Degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he studied as a Kennedy Fellow.

The third in Ellected's series of live podcasts with the candidates running to replace Rachel Notley as the leader of the Alberta NDP. This episode features MLA Sarah Hoffman in her unabashed quest to win the race to take on Danielle Smith and the UCP in the 2027 provincial election.Listen to Sarah Hoffman share her very transparent to run on a campaign of being authentically herself to get a mandate to lead the Alberta NDP. Sarah shares her three campaign policy priorities of healthcare, climate and housing and why each is important.We talk about who will have her phone number (it won't be David Parker of Take Back Alberta), her record of winning elections against incumbents, where she is on the political spectrum and more in this episode.More about MLA Sarah Hoffman:Sarah Hoffman grew up in Kinuso, a small rural community, where her dad was the school principal and her mom was a teacher.Sarah earned bachelor degrees in Mathematics, Religion and Education, and a master’s degree in Education Policy. While studying, Sarah got involved in the NDP. In 2010, Rachel Notley encouraged her to run for the Edmonton Public School Board. Sarah earned 70 per cent of the vote, defeating a well-known incumbent trustee. This was the first of Sarah’s five consecutive election victories.In 2015, Sarah defeated a Conservative cabinet minister, and won Edmonton-Glenora for the Alberta NDP for the first time. Premier Rachel Notley named her Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.Sarah was re-elected in 2019 and 2023, and served as Deputy Leader of the Alberta NDP throughout that time.To learn more about Sarah Hoffman and her campaign, click here.

In the second live episode of Ellected in this special series of conversations with the Alberta NDP leadership candidates, host Sarah Elder-Chamanara sits down with MLA Kathleen Ganley. *Please note that due to a very unfortunate internet issue when recording, the recording cuts off abruptly.*Hear Kathleen discuss the entry of Nenshi into the race, her focus on the economy and how that the economy is what will win the Alberta NDP the next election in 2027, what the membership tent would like under her leadership, caucus management and much, much more.More about Kathleen Ganley:Kathleen Ganley is the MLA for Calgary-Mountain View. She served as Alberta's Minister of Justice and Solicitor General from 2015 to 2019, where she focused on progressive reforms. Before her political career, she worked in law, specializing in labour, employment and human rights.Kathleen holds a doctor of law (JD) from the University of Calgary and degrees in Philosophy and Psychology. Kathleen lives in Calgary with her daughter.To learn more about Kathleen's campaign, click here.More about Sarah Elder-Chamanara:Sarah Elder-Chamanara is the founder, creative director, designer and owner of Madame Premier, a feminist, political and activist clothing company and community based in Calgary, Alberta. With the underlying principle of seeing more women and diversity in politics, elected and in backrooms, at every level, Sarah and Madame Premier create opportunities for conversations about how politics works, why it needs to change, who it needs to change for and how the time for that is now.