The Discourse

It's been a jam-packed political week in Alberta and Ottawa. On this episode of The Discourse:

Two former UCP MLAs spill the tea in an explosive conversation about why they ditched Danielle Smith’s party, and why they’re resurrecting the once-mighty Progressive Conservative brand as Alberta’s next political force.

From backroom betrayals to policy blunders, they dish on everything the Premier is doing wrong, the skeletons she’d rather keep hidden, and how the Alberta Party is getting a very familiar rebrand.

⚠️ Warning: Pete Guthrie’s Wi-Fi didn’t quite survive the UCP exodus. His choppy video looks like it’s buffering straight out of 2006. (Don’t worry, the tea still pours scalding hot.)

The votes are in!- and while the UCP held ground, are there cracks showing?

In this episode, we dig into Alberta’s latest by-elections and what they actually reveal about the political landscape. Nenshi’s landslide may have stolen headlines, but the real story is buried in Edmonton-Ellerslie and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. Is the UCP leaking support in key bases? Is the NDP losing its grip on Edmonton? And what should we make of the Republicans pulling 18% in rural Alberta?

Cheryl and Erika break it down — the good, the bad, and the quietly alarming for all three major parties.

🗣️ Danielle Smith’s New Panel: Listening Tour or Soft Separatism?

🧬 Inside Alberta’s Biomanufacturing Playbook

This week on The Discourse, Cheryl Oates and Erika Barootes tackle three of the biggest political stories in Alberta, Canada — and beyond.

🎓 Segment 1: Teachers on the Edge

🌍 Segment 2: G7 Summit Breakdown

📊 Segment 3: By-Election Predictions

Four major pipelines. Billions in lost investment. A decade of political fights. And still, Canada can’t seem to build energy infrastructure.

On this episode of The Discourse, Cheryl and Erika unpack why Canada keeps losing the pipeline wars and whether the political landscape may finally be shifting. With premiers suddenly talking about "economic corridors" and Mark Carney promising to fast-track projects, is there a narrow window for national energy projects to succeed?

Joining the show is Gitane De Silva — former Deputy Minister in the Alberta government, former CEO of the Canada Energy Regulator, and someone who’s been inside the rooms where these make-or-break decisions happen. She pulls back the curtain on:

Why so many projects (like Northern Gateway and Energy East) failed

How First Nations consultation has (and hasn't) evolved

What it would take to truly approve a major project in just two years

The "chicken-and-egg" problem stopping private sector proponents from stepping up

Plus:

The political evolution of Wab Kinew, David Eby, and Danielle Smith on energy

Cheryl and Erika debate who really "got a pipeline built"

Why Alberta keeps demanding pipelines — and why the rest of Canada often tunes them out

The famous bitumen bubble that still lives rent-free in Erika's head

Advice to premiers ahead of the G7 summit — and how Trump’s temper still looms large

This week, we delve into the scandal that has rocked Alberta politics for more than a year — and we bring in the reporter who broke the story. The Globe and Mail's Carrie Tait joins us to break down: How the AHS scandal first came to light Why new delays in the government's investigation are raising eyebrows What journalists actually do behind the scenes to get these stories published Why this story still matters, and how far it could still go PLUS: We break down this week's First Ministers meeting in Saskatoon, where Mark Carney continues to rewrite the script on federal-provincial relations. Danielle Smith has pivoted — and looks surprisingly comfortable playing national stateswoman. Can she keep it up? AND: A rare stumble for the Carney Liberals: the government loses a House vote — but does it matter? If you want to understand where Alberta politics is heading — and how Ottawa and Edmonton are suddenly getting along — you won’t want to miss this one.

This week on The Discourse, Cheryl and Erika take you inside one of the most politically packed weeks in Canada—from royal pageantry to banned books to the high-stakes First Ministers' Meeting.

🫅 The King Reads the Script. Carney Steals the Show.

📚 Book Bans or Political Spin?

🗳️ By-Elections Are On: Nenshi, Republicans, and Riding Realities

🤝 First Ministers Meeting: Can Unity Survive the Photo Op?

💸 Travel Budget Blowback

This week on The Discourse, Erika Barootes and Cheryl unpack the two dominant themes in Alberta politics: scandal and separation—with a healthy side of political theater.

We start with a deep dive into the UCP health procurement scandal. Alberta Health Services’ former CEO, Athena Mentzelopoulos, dropped a $1.7M lawsuit accusing the government of shady dealings with private surgical contracts. Now, former Chief of Staff Marshall Smith is punching back with a $12M defamation suit against Mentzelopoulos and the Globe and Mail. Is it a desperate move or a dangerous miscalculation?

Then it’s on to Alberta’s separatist movement. Between the Republican Party of Alberta, the Alberta Prosperity Project, and Thomas Lukaszuk’s pro-Canada counter-petition, the province’s political fringes are making noise. But are they making sense? Erika and Cheryl discuss public sentiment, the real economic risks, and whether this movement has any legs beyond Facebook pages and town halls.

We wrap with some spicy commentary on upcoming by-elections—especially the one in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills, where Republican leader Cam Davies is running—and a questionable “MLA Dashboard” that outs politicians as separatists… according to who, exactly?

🔑 Topics Covered:

UCP health procurement scandal: who’s suing whom and why

Why Marshall Smith’s lawsuit might have backfired

Separation anxiety: the rise of Alberta's independence movement

Thomas Lukaszuk's surprising re-entry into the chat

Political strategy vs. personal brand-building

The most awkward "scorecard" in Alberta politics

By-election battles that could change the game

This week on The Discourse, Cheryl and Erika go deeper into the wildfire of Western alienation that's setting inboxes, headlines, and political panels ablaze. With new separatist parties gaining steam and Danielle Smith refusing to pick a side, the Premier may be running out of room to maneuver—and that could be big trouble for the UCP come election time.

The hosts break down:

Why Alberta’s political culture is uniquely flammable—and why Danielle Smith keeps adding fuel.

How a new federal cabinet and a looming by-election are turning up the heat on Premier Smith to finally pick a side.

What the Saskatchewan NDP is doing right by reframing the separation debate—and why Alberta’s NDP should take notes.

How government chaos inside the Alberta legislature is being buried by chaos outside it, and what consequential bills are slipping through the cracks.

Plus: deputy minister shuffles, federal cabinet reactions, and a very honest trip down memory lane on the 10-year anniversary of Alberta’s NDP win.

If you’re trying to keep up with the current pace of Alberta politics… good luck. But start here.

This week on The Discourse, Cheryl and Erika wade into the political firestorm Premier Danielle Smith kicked off with her live address on Alberta’s sovereignty. Cheryl opens with a scathing monologue on why Smith’s refusal to outright reject separation has real consequences — politically, economically, and reputationally. Erika counters that Smith’s move is about getting ahead of grassroots frustration, not fuelling separatism. Sparks fly as they unpack what it means to lower the referendum threshold, who’s really behind the push for independence, and whether Smith is preserving democracy or playing footsie with Take Back Alberta.

From there, your hosts tackle:

Whether Alberta’s “Fair Deal 2.0” will be an actual educational tool — or just more grievance theatre.

Naheed Nenshi’s fiery “just do it” dare to Smith, and why Cheryl thinks it’s playing with fire.

The Carney-Trump Oval Office meeting: why both hosts were (cautiously) impressed.

Smith vs. Ford: two premiers, two very different tones on working with Prime Minister Carney.

What the Alberta NDP’s new federal opt-out means — and whether 89% is really a strong number for Nenshi.

And a preview of three coming by-elections in Alberta: what each party’s strategy might be, and whether the UCP will continue to drag out the timeline for Nenshi’s seat.

Listen now for a fiery debate on democracy, discontent, and the future of Alberta.