In our final episode of 2025, we’re joined by Ryan Jespersen of Real Talk for a deeper conversation about what’s really driving political division in Canada. We start with the latest floor crossing from the Conservatives to the Liberals and what it means for parliamentary math, stability, and the way political “inside baseball” often matters a lot more to partisan circles than it does to people outside them.

Then we zoom out to the bigger forces underneath the headlines: the Liberal move toward the centre under Mark Carney, what that opens up for the NDP, and how labels like “conservative” and “progressive” have shifted in meaning. We also get into the real-world stakes behind ideological debates on health care and public services, then close with practical advice for navigating political conversations over the holidays.

Danielle Smith gets booed at her own victory lap. This week on The Discourse, Cheryl and Erika unpack the UCP AGM drama: the pipeline MOU that was supposed to unite the party, the organized but noisy independence faction, and what the board results actually say about Smith’s grip on her base. Erika talks about being in the room and how Mark Carney’s pipeline deal has even her backing away from independence talk.

Then they dive into the resolutions and red meat: abortion and public funding in the third trimester, flag bans dressed up as “neutrality,” fights over fluoride, a revolt against the government’s own no-fault insurance plan, and the UCP’s apparent obsession with stopping the Progressive Conservative Party resurection. Cheryl rants about Smith’s new two-tier healthcare model as the beginning of the end of Canadian medicare, and the two clash over the government’s latest “stand your ground”-style gun motion under the Sovereignty Act. It’s one part governance nerd, one part convention gossip, and one part very real warning about where Alberta politics is headed next.

Alberta finally got its “grand bargain” on energy, but not the way anyone expected. In this episode, Cheryl and Erika break down the new Alberta–Ottawa MOU that scraps the federal oil and gas emissions cap, suspends clean electricity regs, speeds up project approvals to two years, and gives a potential pipeline to Asia a fast-track “national interest” stamp. They unpack how Danielle Smith turned a nine-point ultimatum into seven big-ticket concessions, what Mark Carney gets in return on industrial carbon pricing and net-zero by 2050, and why a Calgary Chamber crowd gave a Liberal prime minister a standing ovation for an energy deal. If you keep hearing “pipeline deal” but don’t really know what’s in it, this is your crib sheet.

But this isn’t just about Alberta’s vibes. Cheryl walks through why coastal First Nations and BC’s NDP government still hold the real veto power, how this changes separatist politics on the Prairies, and what it means for the federal Liberals, Conservatives and NDP heading into the next election. Plus, the back half gets spicy: the UCP’s second use of the notwithstanding clause, the new two-tier health care experiment, and what all of it says about where Alberta politics is headed next.

Winnipeg is getting ready for the Grey Cup, but the real game this week is between Mark Carney and Danielle Smith. We break down Carney’s $116 billion “national interest” project list, why it’s full of LNG, mines, and transmission lines, but still no new pipeline to the West Coast, and what that actually means for Alberta’s leverage. Is this bold economic strategy or risk-free choreography from Ottawa? We unpack the so-called grand bargain on industrial carbon pricing, emissions caps, and CCUS, and ask whether Alberta and Saskatchewan are doing the hard work they say they want from the feds.

Then we shift to the home front: where the NDP is attempting to capitalize on the UCP’s brutal few weeks with a slick new ad. Plus, the UCP faces a recall campaign against its own MLAs. Cheryl explains why the NDP spot is exactly the kind of contrast piece their base has been waiting for, while Erika tears into the government’s recall communications strategy and asks why anyone thought this law was a good idea in the first place. 

Mark Carney drops his first budget and we’re split: Cheryl gives it a 7/10 for a disciplined comms rollout and “build-through-the-downturn” strategy; Erika fires back with a 4/10 over record debt, fuzzy capital/operating splits, and weak relief for real people. We unpack what the naysayers actually mean, why “we’re building houses” lands better than tax tinkering, and how this budget boxes in both the CPC and NDP on cuts, immigration, and social programs.

Then: the Ottawa plot twist—Chris Dontermont crosses the floor as rumours swirl of more MPs ahead of Polievre’s leadership review. Plus a brutal week in Alberta: an education bill dropped while the Premier’s abroad, and the Auditor General won’t be renewed mid-AHS probe. We argue over Bill 6’s literacy testing, the optics of the AG timing, and why the first stab at boundary redistribution has both of us grinding our teeth.

The UCP just used the nuclear option: legislating 51,000 Alberta teachers back to work, imposing a four-year deal, and wrapping it all in the notwithstanding clause. Cheryl calls it a slippery slope for Charter rights; Erika argues the government took a high-risk hit to end a stalemate and promises a “reset” on class size and complexity... if they actually deliver. We break down what’s real, what’s rhetoric, fresh polling that shows UCP support slipping, and whether a general strike is a bluff or a live wire.

Then: recall politics boomerangs on the UCP as Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides faces a petition under their own looser rules. Plus, Thomas Lukaszuk’s “Forever Canadian” petition accidentally hands separatists the referendum oxygen they craved (yikes). We close on what happens next: task forces vs. caps, data vs. delay, and how both sides can win (or torch) the post-strike moment. 

The Alberta Legislature is back, and Premier Danielle Smith is swinging at everyone in sight. This week, Cheryl and Erika debate the government’s plan to legislate teachers back to work, the unprecedented strike that led here, and what a “work-to-rule” classroom could look like for Alberta families. Plus, they dive into the province’s move toward two-tier healthcare and whether paying privately for MRIs and bloodwork will fix the system or quietly bleed it dry.

And: the so-called “Wyant Report” the Premier’s office claims to be cleared of wrongdoing in Alberta’s health procurement scandal — except it wasn't. Cheryl unpacks what the report actually says, why journalists missed the story, and how the government’s spin turned into a masterclass in message control. 

Cheryl and Erika dive into Alberta’s two biggest brawls: Smith’s pipeline push and a teachers’ strike that’s testing parents’ patience (and the UCP’s polling). We unpack the real differences between TMX and the North Coast pipeline idea, what Premier Eby says is at risk in B.C., and why “fighting forever” might be the Alberta Premier’s political sweet spot. Bonus: the Grey Cup “grand bargain,” Keystone as a bargaining chip, and whether Ottawa will blink.

Then we pivot to classrooms: hiring promises vs. classroom reality, what the ATA really wants (hint: more than a wage line), and why public sentiment could decide the outcome faster than any bargaining table can. We wrap with Alberta’s new license-plate pageant (Strong and Free meets shiny distraction) and a few spicy one-liners you’ll want to steal for your next dinner debate. 

Classrooms across Alberta could go quiet on October 6 as 50,000 teachers prepare to strike after rejecting a government offer of 12% over four years. We cut through the spin: pay vs. working conditions, class sizes, and what “more teachers and EAs” actually changes for kids. We also unpack the government’s stopgap—$150 per child under 12, per week—and whether that helps real families scrambling for care or just buys political cover.

Then we zoom out: how big strikes reshape public opinion, what usually ends them, and why tone matters (including a viral town-hall moment where a moderator told a teen his parents should “spank him”). Finally, we check in on a slow-burning healthcare procurement controversy and why promised “interim reports” rarely see the light of day. 

Alberta wants to stamp “CAN” on your driver’s licence. Is this bold reform or a busywork boondoggle? We rip into the talking points, the "election integrity” spin, and the weird real-world places this could follow you (hotel desks, gym sign-ups, you name it), and does a digital wallet actually fix problems, and a three-letter badge doesn’t?

Then we head to Ottawa, where Carney vs. Poilievre returns to center stage: has the tone shifted, is the “austerity + investment” budget a masterstroke or a trap, and is the honeymoon officially dead, or just getting interesting? We finish on Alberta’s municipal elections: parties on the ballot, polls in your feed, and a big shrug from voters. Who wins when nobody’s watching?