# Liberals flex, Conservatives reflect | Rachel Curran

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/playbook-canada-7556041/liberals-flex-conservatives-reflect-rachel-curran
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/playbook-canada-7556041/liberals-flex-conservatives-reflect-rachel-curran.md
Podcast: [Playbook Canada](https://stenobird.com/podcast/playbook-canada-7556041)
Published: 2026-02-05T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL6719208482.mp3?updated=1770254936
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL6719208482.mp3?updated=1770254936
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/playbook-canada-7556041/episodes/liberals-flex-conservatives-reflect-rachel-curran
Duration seconds: 1363

## Resource

It’s been referred to as “Harperpalooza” in Ottawa this week: a prolonged celebration of the 20th anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s first election victory. Conservatives celebrated past glories at reunions and a swanky gala, but present-day obstacles loom. On this episode of the Playbook Canada podcast, co-hosts Nick Taylor-Vaisey and Mickey Djuric examine how Pierre Poilievre’s Conservative Party is still searching for a winning message, while Mark Carney’s Liberals project confidence — perhaps even hubris — by tapping MPs for diplomatic posts, brushing off House vacancies, and moving quickly to lock in candidates ahead of looming by-elections. Also on the show: what that confidence could mean in the weeks ahead, from cross-party cooperation on affordability to Canada’s renewed focus on the Arctic. Plus, Rachel Curran, a former top policy adviser to Harper and now a senior executive at Meta, joins the podcast to reflect on working for Harper, the evolving tech-policy landscape, and whether news could soon return to Facebook and Instagram in Canada. Nick Taylor-Vaisey is POLITICO’s Ottawa bureau chief and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter Mickey Djuric is a reporter and co-author of POLITICO’s Canada Playbook newsletter ⁠Alex Keeney⁠ is Playbook Canada's executive producer ⁠Steve Bone⁠ composed the music used in Playbook Canada.

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## Transcript

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