Power Lines

Max and economist Trevor Tombe dig into the financial realities of Alberta separation. They dig into what an independent Alberta could mean for the province’s debt, taxes, pensions, public services, and borrowing costs—and why the fiscal benefits separatists promise may not be as straightforward as they seem.

Music credit: Energy Rock Bundle by Basspartout, via Envato

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

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Max talks to Anthony Koch, managing principal of AK Strategies and a longtime Conservative strategist, about what’s happening inside Canadian conservatism. They cover why Conservatives are struggling to adjust to PM Mark Carney while digging into Donald Trump and MAGA’s influence on Canadian conservative politics.

Music credit: Energy Rock Bundle by Basspartout, via Envato

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

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Max sits down with the University of Calgary's Sara Hastings-Simon to take stock of the global energy transition and what it means for Canada. They talk about the rapid growth of renewables and the future of oil demand, whether the oil sands’ Pathways carbon capture project still makes economic sense and how Prime Minister Mark Carney is handling the climate file. And of course, they dig into Alberta’s data centre boom.

Do you agree with Max and Sara? Where do you think they’re wrong? Let us know.

Music credit: Energy Rock Bundle by Basspartout, via Envato

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this latest episode of Powerlines, Max speaks with former national security investigator Patrick Lennox about foreign interference, disinformation and why he believes Canadians are "sleepwalking" into a dangerous moment.

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

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Max and Heather Exner-Pirot of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute talk Canada's energy strategy. They get into whether global demand for fossil fuels will continue to grow, if renewables are advancing faster than the industry expects and whether new pipelines still make economic sense. Buckle in.

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

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Max Fawcett sits down with Margareta Dovgal, managing director of Resource Works, for a debate on Canada's energy future. They discuss whether federal climate policies are driving away investment, the future of pipelines and Canada's regulatory system, and much more.

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

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Are younger Canadians paying the price for decades of political short-term thinking?

Max Fawcett talks with Dr. Paul Kershaw of Generation Squeeze about housing, healthcare, retirement spending, climate policy and the growing generational divide in Canada. They ask a difficult question: can Canada become fair again for young people?

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

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Max Fawcett is joined by Dr. Kathryn Harrison, a political science professor at UBC and expert on climate and energy policy, to unpack how Canadian climate politics have shifted from the Trudeau era to the current rollback of key policies. They talk about why public concern about climate is so cyclical, how federal-provincial tensions and global energy trends are reshaping Canada’s fossil fuel future and what it would actually take for climate to matter to voters again.

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

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Following the election of Avi Lewis as leader of the federal NDP, cracks are forming between the federal party and its provincial counterparts. Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi came out swinging following Lewis' election, as did Saskatchewan NDP leader Carla Beck — both raising concerns with Lewis' hopes for a fossil fuel-free future.

David Moscrop joins Max Fawcett to talk about how the NDP can mend fences, and what a reinvigorated party will mean for the political landscape currently dominated by two parties.

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

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Max Fawcett is joined by pollster Dan Arnold to talk through the Alberta independence referendum and why Canadians shouldn’t be complacent about its potential to tear Canada apart. Also: Dan bets the over/under on the “yes” vote.

Prefer watching? Full video episodes are available on Canada's National Observer YouTube channel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.