The Strategists

Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips dive into the rapidly escalating Alberta separatism fight, the growing fractures inside the UCP, and whether Danielle Smith has finally pushed things too far. Are groups actually trying to stop separatism, or just positioning themselves to claim credit afterward? Have Alberta’s mayors become some of the most effective pro-Canada voices in the province? And why is it so hard to just get a normal Canadian flag lawn sign?

Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line.

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In a moment when Prairie politics feels increasingly untethered from reality, what happens when governments start making generational decisions while chasing internal political pressure?

This week on Balance of Power, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips are joined by Saskatchewan NDP MLA Aleana Young to unpack Saskatchewan’s stunning $26 billion coal gamble, the politics driving it, and why the fight over energy policy is becoming a proxy for something much bigger across Western Canada.

First: the coal bombshell. Aleana Young walks through the leaked SaskPower documents showing the true cost of rebuilding and operating Saskatchewan’s coal plants, why the government’s numbers kept changing, and how a plan sold as affordability could end up doubling power bills.

Then: governing for the base. From separatism to immigration rhetoric to attacks on institutions, the panel digs into what happens when premiers stop trying to persuade the broader public and start managing internal party pressure instead.

Plus, for Patreon Subscribers: Danielle Smith’s looming referendum speech. What arguments will she make, who will she blame, and how do governments chip away at trust in courts, institutions, and democratic norms while claiming to defend democracy itself?

Coal, courts, separatism, healthcare collapse, Prairie politics, and the risks of governments that seem increasingly adrift.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at [email protected]

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In a moment when Prairie politics feels increasingly untethered from reality, what happens when governments start making generational decisions while chasing internal political pressure?

This week on Balance of Power, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips are joined by Saskatchewan NDP MLA Aleana Young to unpack Saskatchewan’s stunning $26 billion coal gamble, the politics driving it, and why the fight over energy policy is becoming a proxy for something much bigger across Western Canada.

First: the coal bombshell. Aleana Young walks through the leaked SaskPower documents showing the true cost of rebuilding and operating Saskatchewan’s coal plants, why the government’s numbers kept changing, and how a plan sold as affordability could end up doubling power bills.

Then: governing for the base. From separatism to immigration rhetoric to attacks on institutions, the panel digs into what happens when premiers stop trying to persuade the broader public and start managing internal party pressure instead.

Plus, for Patreon Subscribers: Danielle Smith’s looming referendum speech. What arguments will she make, who will she blame, and how do governments chip away at trust in courts, institutions, and democratic norms while claiming to defend democracy itself?

Coal, courts, separatism, healthcare collapse, Prairie politics, and the risks of governments that seem increasingly adrift.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at [email protected]

Join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:

https://patreon.com/strategistspod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips remain at St. Andrew’s United Church for the second coming of their Edmonton live show, joined by Senator Paula Simons and a crowd that absolutely refuses to go home. They dig into the Alberta voter list leak, foreign interference, AI slopaganda, separatism, constitutional fights, and whether the province is sleepwalking into something much bigger than a referendum campaign.

Zain Velji, as always, lets YOU pick the questions and keeps everybody in line during the audience Q&A.

Originally recorded on May 9th, 2026

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In a province where politics increasingly feels like performance, what happens when the people who understand the stage best start talking openly about persuasion, authenticity, and fear?

This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward, and Shannon Phillips unpack the politics of communication, the growing international fascination with Alberta separatism, and why the fight over Canada’s future may already be underway.

First: the Wab Kinew factor. Leah reports from the Canadian Labour Congress convention in Winnipeg, where both Naheed Nenshi and Wab Kinew delivered very different kinds of speeches, sparking a conversation about charisma, media training, authenticity, and whether great political communication can actually be taught.

Then: Alberta as spectacle. The panel digs into recent coverage from The Guardian, Toronto Star, and other international outlets examining Alberta separatism, voter data controversies, and the rise of grievance politics. Is this necessary scrutiny, dangerous mainstreaming, or another example of Alberta being flattened into caricature for outside audiences?

Plus: Jason Kenney’s return to the federalist fight. After a Calgary event on Canadian unity featuring Kenney and MP Cory Hogan, the hosts debate whether conservatives who helped fuel western alienation can now successfully contain it, what responsibility they carry for this moment, and whether fear itself might be necessary to motivate Albertans to act.

Media training, separatism, grievance politics, posture discourse, and the uncomfortable question of who still has the power to persuade.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at [email protected]

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Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips take the stage live in Edmonton for Carter’s accountability episode on the Edmonton Accelerants, the million-dollar mayoral campaign that wasn’t, and what actually went wrong. Then they dig into Alberta’s coming referendum fights, the scramble to build campaigns against separatism and anti-immigration questions, and whether progressives are overthinking themselves into paralysis. What happens when nobody can reach an audience anymore? Is “just go do things” actually the strategy? And how many times can Carter publicly step on his own dick before it gets pitched as a political strategy?

Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line.

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In a week where Alberta politics somehow got even messier, what happens when the process itself becomes the problem?

This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil and Shannon Phillips dig into the escalating fallout from the alleged misuse of Alberta’s voters list, the separatist petition, and why a data leak involving nearly three million Albertans is about much more than privacy.

First: the list. Elections Alberta has sent hundreds of cease and desist letters, political names are being searched, and people with real safety concerns are left wondering who has their information and what they might do with it.

Then: the referendum question. If the petition process was built on allegedly unlawful access to voter data, can any referendum that follows be trusted? And who needs to step up to restore confidence before Albertans are asked to vote?

Plus: blame, agency, and the politics of “not my fault.” From Danielle Smith’s response to Arlene Dickinson’s viral post, Annalise and Shannon look at how responsibility gets shifted, how stories break through, and what ordinary Albertans can actually do next.

Voters lists, cease and desist letters, separatists, public trust, and what it means when the democratic process gets polluted.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at [email protected]

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Mentioned in this episode:

Arlene Dickinson's Instagram Carousel

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYAgKmqEpo0/

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Stephen Carter and Shannon Phillips talk about the Alberta Liberal Party rejecting Carter’s referendum campaign plan, and what that means for the fight against Alberta’s separatist and immigration questions. They also dig into the alleged leak and misuse of Alberta’s electors list, why voter data is so valuable, and why the story is about much more than a spreadsheet. What happens when a clever political workaround runs into a wall? How serious is it when the machinery of campaigns gets handed to people who were never supposed to have it? And can Zain get enough protein before Christ returns at the Edmonton live show?

Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line.

Get your Live Show tickets at: http://www.strategistslive.com/

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The Strategists are live in Edmonton on Saturday, May 9, and this is your reminder to get tickets before they’re gone.

Stephen Carter, Zain Velji, and Shannon Phillips will be at St. Andrews United Church for a two-act podcasting extravaganza.

Act One: The Strategists Live, with no special guests because apparently we like Calgary better.

Act Two: the accountability episode for Stephen Carter and Better Edmonton.

Doors open at 7:00

Get your tickets at strategistslive.com, strategistslive.ca, or thestrategistslive.com.

And if you need to book a flight, why not use thestrategistslive.ca to book through our non-consensual partner, Flair Airlines.

It’s not like you have playoff hockey to watch.

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In a moment when trust in democracy feels fragile, what happens when the basic machinery of politics becomes the story?

This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward, and Shannon Phillips dig into the Elections Alberta investigation, the alleged misuse of the list of electors, and why a story about voter data is not just procedural, but deeply personal.

First: the list. Who is supposed to have access to voter information, what is it meant to be used for, and why does alleged misuse by separatist organizers raise such serious questions about privacy, safety, and democratic trust?

Then: sport as politics. The federal government is making a major investment in sport, but the conversation quickly turns to something bigger: community, belonging, national identity, and why a playoff crowd might tell us more about unity than another press conference.

Plus, for Patreon subscribers: the Alberta NDP’s difficult moment. New polling shows the UCP still riding high and Naheed Nenshi struggling to break through. Is this a leadership problem, a message problem, a Calgary problem, or just the brutal work of opposition in a fractured media environment?

Privacy, trust, sports, sovereignty, polling, and what it takes to rebuild political attention when everyone is looking somewhere else.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at [email protected]

Join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:

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Mentioned in this episode:

Alberta Referendumb

https://albertareferendumb2026.ca/

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