Gerald Butts
The Strategist
The long view, patient, analytical, playing several moves ahead.
Gerald Butts is a seasoned political strategist known for his role in shaping Canadian politics, particularly during the 2015 election. This interview reveals his ability to navigate complex political landscapes while maintaining a focus on long-term goals and the importance of clear messaging.
“Oh, it's an essential ingredient without which the rest of the recipe doesn't work. And I think that for a very long time here and in Canada, the centrist liberal Philosophy put that on the back burner, right? Torture the metaphor a little bit.”
“Like everything to do with the Canada US relationship All Canadian prime ministers are judged by how on a few core things, and one of them, they're sort of like the never-ending files that are on any Canadian Prime Minister's desk.”
“No, the Prime Minister felt that I think the office, everyone around the Prime Minister felt that we had to be able to look, it was 5,000 people who were going to lose their jobs if the company went down the toilet. And we wanted to be able to look those people in the eye and say we did everything possible to save their jobs.”
“In the first place, in contrast, I've only ever worked for two people in terms of campaigns. I've only ever worked for Dalton McGinty and Justin Trudeau. And I worked in politics both of those times because I think that those people had a unique ability to move the dial and a commitment to move the dial on the issues that I cared about.”
The Axe Files with David Axelrod — Ep. 377 — Gerald Butts
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