The CBC’s Allison Dempster explores the powerful legacy of the National Energy Program and how Alberta sees itself in Canada 40 years after the program was introduced.

Episode 1: The Original Sin

The N.E.P. was introduced on October 28, 1980 at a time of international oil price shocks and Alberta’s black-gold rush. The program set the stage for a showdown between two political giants, Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed and Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.