Rob Breakenridge Show

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show: a closer look at Thursday’s big pipeline announcement and whether a new west coast pipeline has truly taken a major step toward becoming reality.

Following announcements and agreements with the premiers of both B.C. and Alberta, Prime Minister Mark Carney looks to have laid the groundwork for a west coast pipeline to be approved and fast-tracked under the Major Projects Office.

B.C. will get billions in support for new energy projects and infrastructure and Ottawa has agreed to keep the tanker ban in place for B.C.’s northern coast. In return, B.C. will not challenge the new pipeline project

The Alberta pipeline proposal will instead take a southern route to the coast, similar to the route of the Trans Mountain expansion. That’s likely the quickest path to building a new pipeline, and the route that would face the least amount of opposition.

There’s much more to be sorted out, however, including how this pipeline will be paid for, and how the other pieces will fit in. Premier Danielle Smith says more details are forthcoming about an agreement with the Oilsands Alliance to both increase production to fill this pipe and to move forward with the Pathways carbon capture and storage project.

We’ll dive into all of it, as we’re joined this week by Heather Exner-Pirot, Senior Fellow and Director of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and special advisor at the Business Council of Canada.

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a conversation with Alberta country musician and Water Not Coal petition organizer Corb Lund.

The goal of the petition campaign was to force a referendum on banning coal mining projects in the eastern slopes of the Rockies. After months of hard work, the petitions have been submitted to Elections Alberta. Based on their count, Lund says they cleared more than 200,000 signatures - well above the legislated petition threshold. Yet, after previous reassurances that the question would appear alongside the ten others on the October ballot, Premier Danielle Smith is now saying that’s too late to include the Water Not Coal question.

Lund shares his thoughts on the journey to this point, his frustration over the lack of transparency around the process and the disappointment stemming from previous assurances he received directly from the premier.

Plus, where does this all go from here?

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, veteran political columnist Lorne Gunter joins Rob to break down another fascinating political week in Alberta.

We start with the announcement this week from Premier Danielle Smith that the province is forsaking a mandate gas tax cut and instead opting to send $100 rebates to over three million Albertans. While affordability remains a top concern in the province, the announcement has not gone over well.

We’ll also take a look at the latest on the separation debate and whether the premier’s referendum strategy - and the case she’s making against separation - is landing with Albertans. A couple of recent polls show that support for separation appears to be softening.

But we also had a new report out this week detailing the significant contribution Alberta makes to Confederation. Gunter says this remains a key frustration for many Albertans and it’s important for federalists to understand where that frustration comes from. The case against separation cannot simply be an endorsement of the status quo.

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a closer look at Ottawa’s new Bill C-34, also known as the Safe Social Media Act. The bill including a new ban on social media for children under 16 (with some exceptions), and also creates the new Digital Safety Commission to over see the newly created ‘duty to act responsibly” “duty to protect children” that the bill imposes on social media companies.

To better understand what this might all mean in practice, we’re joined by one of Canada’s leading experts on digital law and policy: Dr. Michael Geist, law professor at the University of Ottawa and Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law. Prof. Geist outlines his concerns with the bill, especially when it comes to the privacy implications of the age verification requirement that the social media ban will require. Overall, though, Prof. Geist says there are many unanswered questions with this bill, especially given that many of the details will be sorted out in regulations only after the bill is passed.

We’ll also look at why so much seems to be happening all at once on this front, with Bill C-34, Bill C-22 (lawful access bill), the new A.I. strategy, and the new CRTC rules and culture requirements on foreign streaming companies.

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, the latest on the state of the Canadian economy and the debate sparked this week over whether Canada has fallen into recession.

We’ll hear from Charles St-Arnaud, Chief Economist with Servus Credit Union, who notes that while the last two quarters show a small contraction, the overall trend has been stagnant, dragged down by reduced population growth, lagging productivity, and stalled household purchasing power. We’ll find out whether there’s reason for optimism as to whether things can turn in the right direction.

We’ll also have a closer look at the potential impacts of two key pieces of federal legislation. Bill C-22 (The Lawful Access Act) and Bill C-9 (The Combating Hate Act) are both on the verge of becoming law, but both could have major implications for privacy and free speech in Canada. We’ll hear from Josh Dehaas, Interim Litigation Director with the Canadian Constitution Foundation, about what the government is trying to accomplish through these bills, and what the concerns are.

Plus, the latest on the debate in Alberta over separation and the province’s future in Confederation. Two new polls provide an interesting snapshot of where public opinion is at, and the premier ruffled some separatist feathers this week by laying out the significant costs that Alberta would bear if it chose to leave Canada.

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, the debate around Alberta’s future is heating up amid the official announcement of the October 19th referendum.

We’ll be joined by Ken Boessenkool, who’s one of the founders of a new group called Lead Not Leave, which also includes former Alberta finance ministers Jim Dinning and Travis Toews. Their goal is to make the case for keeping the province in Confederation, while at the same time advancing ideas to strengthen both Alberta and Canada. They argue that separation is not a solution.

Plus, a new study from the Montreal Economic Institute examines the evidence for government-run grocery stores - an idea that seems to be catching on in both Canada and the United States. The study concludes, though, that such an approach won’t address the problem of high food prices, and will create other problems along the way. We’ll hear from study author and MEI senior fellow Charles Lammam.

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, we’ll focus on the major development that occurred this week in Alberta: the announcemengt from Premier Danielle Smith of an October referendum on Alberta’s future.

The question itself is controversial though: it's not one where the outcome means Alberta separates from Canada, but it’s not a meaningless question, either. It’s muddled enough that neither sides seems to happy.

We’ll hear from Thomas Lukaszuk, founder of the group Forever Canadian. The first part of the premier’s question does mirror the Forever Canadian petition question, although Lukaszuk maintains their efforts were to head off a separatist referendum. We’ll get his thoughts on how we got to this point, the remarkable scenes this week at the committee tasked with reviewing his petition, and the campaign pivot for Forever Canadian now that this referendum campaign is underway.

We’ll also find out how this is being received on the independence side of this debate and what now for the separation movement, as we’re joined by Derek Fildebrandt, president, publisher, and CEO of the Western Standard. We’ll get his reaction to Smith’s announcement and framing of the question and how this ensuing campaign is shaping up. Plus, we’ll look at the influence of the separatist movement within the UCP and how much of a threat now exists to Smith’s leadership.

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a closer look at two major stories from this week: the new pipeline agreement between Alberta and Ottawa as the court decision that, for now, has quashed the separatist campaign to force a referendum.

We’re joined in this episode by Andrew Leach, who’s an energy and environmental economist at the University of Alberta, and holds join appointments in both the Faculties of Arts and Law.

We delve into the agreement reaches between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney on carbon pricing and emissions reduction that sets the stage for a pipeline proposal to be fast tracked through the Major Projects Office. Progress on this front could go a long way in calming the political mood in Alberta.

The duty to consult with First Nations, though, looms large over this project as well as the debate in Alberta around separation. We’ll also focus on the court decision that blocked the separatist petition on the basis that it potentially interferes with treaty rights. Alberta intends on appealing that decision, but what impact could that court fight have on the effort to advance the pipeline project?

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, we hear from Martha Hall Findlay, director of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary

Amid shifting global circumstances and economic pressures here at home, Hall Findlay is calling for a strategic rethink of Canada’s energy priorities - specifically as it applies to the Alberta-Ottawa memorandum of understanding (MOU).

One of the pillars of that agreement is the multi-billion-dollar Pathways carbon capture project - a project that Hall Findlay has long championed. But now, in her words, it’s time for a “better pathway,” which means postponing the carbon capture project and prioritizing major projects such as a pipeline to the west coast.

While carbon capture is an expensive endeavour with negligible impacts on global climate, Hall Findlay argues that energy infrastructure and resource development can have a hugely beneficial impact when it comes to both the Canadian economy and the global supply.

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a closer look at the movement and debate that is dominating Alberta politics at the moment: Alberta separatism.

Our guest this week is Tyler Dawson, he’s a journalist at the Globe & Mail and author of the new book “The Republic of Alberta: An Idea That Won’t Go Away.” The book dives into the historical roots of the Alberta’s separatist movement and seeks to understand why so many Albertans feel so alienated and frustrated.

As the province barrels toward what is almost certainty a vote on separation, it’s crucial to understand the deep-rooted grievances that have motivated this independence movement and why the idea holds such appeal for - at least according to polls - close to one-third of Albertans. And even assuming Alberta votes to remain in Canada, Dawson argues that it’s unlikely we’ll see this movement and this debate simply fade away.

Plus, we’ll have an update on the story that’s broken over the last couple of days: an investigation into what Elections Alberta believes was the unauthorized use by a separatist group of the province’s official list of electors.