On The Ledge

On The Ledge

The Ledge, n: slang for the legislature. Mostly used by members of the legislative press gallery. On the Ledge posts weekly when the Ontario Legislature is sitting. But there have been times when we've had to "recall" the Ledge for an emergency session to address pressing matters of Ontario politics when Queen's Park isn't sitting! Our OTL team includes former Ontario Premier, Kathleen Wynne, former Progressive Conservative Leader, (and Wynne's erstwhile parliamentary sparring partner), Tim Hudak, Queen's Park broadcast commentator Keith Leslie, John Wright, our veteran pollster and co-founding host, and Dave Trafford, Chief Executive Producer at Story Studio Network.

Episodes

June 20, 2025 55 mins
On the Ledge - Your Ontario politics podcast - June 19, 2025

Host: Dave Trafford
Guests: Tim Hudak, Keith Leslie, John Wright, Kathleen Wynne

This season finale of On the Ledge dives deep into Premier Doug Ford’s tumultuous week of unscripted rants and calculated risk. The panel unpacks Ford’s inflammatory comments on bail reform and “weak-kneed judges,” his car theft anecdote, and the problematic framing of First Nations relations ah...
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On the Ledge – Your Ontario Politics Podcast - June 12, 2025
Host: Dave Trafford
Guests: Kathleen Wynne, Tim Hudak, John Wright, Keith Leslie

This episode of On the Ledge confronts a deeply troubling issue: the lack of accountability and transparency following a violent assault involving Anwar Knight’s son at school. The discussion focuses on Knight’s public appeal for justice, after an 18-month struggle with school board officials, t...
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On the Ledge - June 5, 2025

Host: Dave Trafford
Guests: Tim Hudak, Kathleen Wynne, John Wright, Keith Leslie

This week on On the Ledge, Dave Trafford and the panel dive deep into the fallout and implications of Ontario’s controversial Bill 5. With the legislature on summer break, the political temperature rises over Indigenous consultation, environmental oversight, and the Ford government’s legislative tactics.

The conversation also ra...
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Show Notes for On the Ledge – May 29, 2025
Host: Dave Trafford
Guests: Tim Hudak, Kathleen Wynne, Keith Leslie, John Wright

Episode Summary:
This week on On the Ledge, host Dave Trafford and the panel dive deep into Ontario’s Bill 5 and the mounting controversy surrounding its scope, timing, and lack of consultation—particularly with Indigenous communities. Kathleen Wynne calls it “a mess of this government’s own making,” while Tim Hud...
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On the Ledge | May 23, 2025

Host: Dave Trafford
Guests: Tim Hudak (Partner, Counsel Public Affairs; former PC leader), Keith Leslie (CHCH political commentator), John Wright (Pollster and political analyst)


In this episode of On the Ledge, Dave Trafford and guests dig into the political stories and policy debates dominating Ontario politics this week. From personal anecdotes about Catholic schools and long jump memories to a sharp ana...
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On the Ledge – May 15, 2025

Host: Dave Trafford
Guests: Keith Leslie, John Wright, Tim Hudak (Kathleen Wynne sent regrets)

In this episode of On the Ledge, Dave Trafford, Keith Leslie, John Wright, and Tim Hudak kick things off talking about the OTR Spring Fling at Queen's Park! 

Then they unpack Ontario’s budget day, dive into the affordability crisis, and explore how interprovincial cooperation and infrastructure expansion are key to...
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On the Ledge -- May 8, 2025

Host: Dave Trafford

Guests: Kathleen Wynne (former Premier of Ontario), John Wright (founding pollster at On the Ledge), Keith Leslie (journalist, joining from Nova Scotia)
Absent: Tim Hudak (former PC leader, expected back next week)

This episode of On the Ledge revisits last week's fiery discussion on judicial independence and fairness in Canada's legal system, sparked by contrasting views on elected judge...
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    On the Ledge – May 1, 2025

    Host: Dave Trafford Guests: Kathleen Wynne, Tim Hudak, John Wright

    Episode Summary:
    In this week's fiery edition of On the Ledge, host Dave Trafford is joined by Kathleen Wynne, Tim Hudak, and John Wright to unpack a turbulent week in Canadian conservative politics.

    The panel dissects the fallout from the recent federal election, including Jamil Jivani’s scathing remarks about Doug Ford, rising tensions betwe...
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    On the Ledge – Special Election Edition

    Host: Dave Trafford
    Guests: Keith Leslie, Kathleen Wynne, Tim Hudak, John Wright

    Summary:
    In this special post-election edition of On the Ledge, Dave Trafford convenes the panel to break down the federal election results.

    Keith Leslie, Kathleen Wynne, Tim Hudak, and John Wright dive into what the Liberal minority outcome means for the country, why polling predictions missed key shifts, and how the...
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    Boomer Turnout, Betting Markets, and a Liberal Path to Victory

    On the Ledge –  April 24, 2025

    Host: Dave Trafford
    Guests: Kathleen Wynne, John Wright, Keith Leslie, Amanda Galbraith (filling in for Tim Hudak) 

    In this edition of On the Ledge, Dave Trafford and the panel dig into the final days of the federal campaign. With polling margins narrowing, the conversation pivots to the strategic implications of the NDP collapse, the Conserva...
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    On the Ledge – April 17, 2025
    Host: Dave Trafford
    Guests: Kathleen Wynne, Tim Hudak, Keith Leslie, John Wright

    As Canadians look ahead to a long Easter weekend, the On the Ledge panel tackles the aftermath of the French-language leaders’ debate and the political blowback from the Ontario Place Therme spa deal.

    They analyze the debate performances of Carney, Poilievre, Singh, and Blanchet, with particular focus on tone, leadership postu...
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    It must be Thursday! We're dealing with another round of tariff chaos courtesy of the Useful Idiot.

    On the Ledge : April 10, 2025
    Host: Dave Trafford
    Guests: Kathleen Wynne, Keith Leslie, John Wright, Tim Hudak

    In this wide-ranging episode of On the Ledge, Dave Trafford and the panel dig into the volatile tariff landscape shaped by U.S. trade moves, its ripple effects on Canada, and how political leaders are responding.

    Broadcasting fro...
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    In this episode of On the Ledge - your Ontario Politics Podcast:

    Dave Trafford leads a dynamic roundtable with political veterans Tim Hudak, Keith Leslie, and John Wright, unpacking the seismic shifts in North American trade following Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement. From the economic aftershocks of “Liberation Day” to the potential realignment of Canadian politics, the panel delivers sharp, insightful analysis. The discussion ...
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    A Special Edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario Politics Podcast.

    Host: Dave Trafford

    Guests:
    • Lauren Bates – Chair, Ontario Caregiver Coalition
    • Daniel Nowoselski – Advocacy Manager, Hospice Palliative Care (Canadian Cancer Society); Board Member, Ontario Caregiver Coalition
    • Malene Stewart – Social Worker, Educator & Co-Chair, Caregiver Collective
    In this episode, Dave Trafford sits down with three passionate advocates who b...
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    March 28, 2025 49 mins
    The Useful Idiot is at it again.

    Whether he was simply trying to distract from the Signal App scandal in Washington or is Trump deliberately asserting himself into the federal election campaign in Canada, the 25% tariffs on the auto sector caught Doug Ford off guard. And it appears to be the final nail in the Can-Am relationship.

    In this edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast former Premier Kathleen Wynne, former PC ...
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    This is an OTL BONUS! Welcome to POLITICALLY SPEAKING.

    Three days into the federal election campaign in Canada and the latest polling aggregators have seat modelling suggesting Mark Carney's Liberals are in a position to win a strong majority.

    But hey! It's early yet.

    One thing we do know is it's shaping up to be a very close race between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

    Veteran pollster John Wright joins Dave Trafford to take the p...
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    We'll be adding episodes of POLITICALLY SPEAKING for you here in the On the Ledge feed throughout the federal campaign!

    Hope you enjoy it.

    John Wrigth and Dave Trafford break down the details of the election call.

    Prime Minister Mark Carney has set April 28, 2025 as Election Day in Canada.

    AND...Donald Trump and his trade tariffs are THE BALLOT QUESTION.

    Who can handle Trump? Who can manage the cultural and economic angst of Canadians?
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    We're back with On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast!

    Former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, former Ontario PC leader Tim Hudak, Queen's Park Commentator and broadcaster Keith Leslie, and our founding pollster John Wright are around the table with Story Studio Network's Chief Executive Producer Dave Trafford.

    Doug Ford and his "new" cabinet have been sworn in with a couple of new seating assignments but, for the most part, th...
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    Hello On the Ledge listener!

    Welcome to POLITICALLY SPEAKING on Now and Next. Former Bank of Canada Governor and self proclaimed political outsider, Mark Carney won't nearly 86% of the vote in his bid to be leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

    He set a new tone for the party while setting his sights on CPC Leader Pierre Polievre in anticipation of a soon-to-be-called federal election and he set the stage for the coming trade war wi...
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    March 2, 2025 60 mins
    We've arrived! It's the FINAL edition of the DAILY election edition of On the Ledge - your Ontario politics podcast.

    Ontario has voted and given Doug Ford another strong majority mandate at Queen's Park.

    But the discussion got side-tracked by the latest GONG SHOW performance from the Oval Office. The screaming match among Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has the crew wondering how the sheer chaos s...
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