In this episode of The Discourse, Erika Barootes is joined by guest co-host Sabrina Grover for a candid, wine-in-hand conversation about what is really shaping Alberta politics right now. With the legislature back in session but little headline legislation on the table, the focus shifts to the bigger conversations happening outside the chamber.

Erika and Sabrina unpack Alberta’s referendum debate, rising separation rhetoric, immigration pressures, pipeline politics, and the growing tension between provincial priorities and national unity. Drawing on their very different political journeys, they also debate the future of conservatism in Alberta, Mark Carney’s appeal to red Tories, and whether Naheed Nenshi has capitalized on his early momentum.

It’s equal parts political analysis and spirited debate between friends who don’t always agree—but aren’t afraid to dig into the issues shaping Alberta’s next chapter.

In this episode, Erika Barootes and Keith McLaughlin break down Alberta’s latest budget, tackling the growing deficit, tax strategy, and what it all means for healthcare, education, and frontline services. They dig into the pressure immigration places on public systems, debate the future of the Heritage Savings Trust Fund, weigh in on minimum wage, and unpack the shifting political dynamics shaping Alberta’s next moves.

In this episode of The Discourse, Erika Barootes is joined by guest co-host Supriya Dwivedi for a sharp, no-nonsense conversation on Canada’s growing immigration and separation tensions. Together, they unpack rising separatist sentiment in Alberta, strained federal-provincial relations, and the hard questions around immigration levels, integration, and economic capacity. From Alberta to Quebec, this episode confronts the leadership vacuum, policy contradictions, and public frustration shaping Canada’s next chapter — and asks what it will take to hold the country together.

In this episode of The Discourse, Erika Barootes is joined by guest co-host Supriya Dwivedi for a sharp, no-nonsense conversation on Canada’s growing immigration and separation tensions. Together, they unpack rising separatist sentiment in Alberta, strained federal-provincial relations, and the hard questions around immigration levels, integration, and economic capacity. From Alberta to Quebec, this episode confronts the leadership vacuum, policy contradictions, and public frustration shaping Canada’s next chapter — and asks what it will take to hold the country together.

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.