For the second time this year, Alberta’s UCP government is lowering the barriers for citizen-led referendum questions while also stripping the Chief Electoral Officer of many powers.

This week on West of Centre, host Kathleen Petty is joined by CBC writer and producer Jason Markusoff; Globe and Mail reporter Matthew Scace; and pollster and political analyst Janet Brown.

As the UCP tinkers with its legislation yet again, Brown wonders, did the provincial government not think this legislation all the way through? As Scace points out, the new legislation would allow a proposed referendum question to contravene the Canadian Constitution. The province says it is ‘restoring confidence in democratic processes’. To Markusoff, it’s the ‘La-La-La We Can’t Hear You’ Act of 2025.

And again, the panel is divided on the possibility of an early election next year in Alberta. But Brown, who for the past year has staunchly argued Premier Danielle Smith won’t pull the trigger before fall of 2027, has come around to the possibility that Smith is oiling the mechanism. 

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer and editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Janet Brown, Jason Markusoff, Matthew Scace

Alberta and Ottawa have sealed a new “grand bargain” – a long-awaited memorandum of understanding that could pave the way for a major new bitumen pipeline to B.C.’s remote northwest coast.

Joining West of Centre host Kathleen Petty to dissect this week’s deal are Gitane De Silva, former CEO of the Canada Energy Regulator; Emma Graney, Globe and Mail energy reporter; and Mike McDonald, former chief of staff to B.C. premier Christy Clark and co-host of Hotel Pacifico, a podcast focusing on politics on the West Coast.

They discuss the dramatic shift in the relationship between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ottawa; the MOU’s "impossible-is-now-possible" dynamic; a fascinating subplot that’s forming for the federal Conservatives, who represent the riding where a bitumen pipeline may end its long-distance run from Alberta; and why achieving this agreement was likely the easiest step in a marathon process.

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer and editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Gitane De Silva, Emma Graney, Mike McDonald

Health care in Alberta is getting a massive makeover, as the UCP government introduces what it calls a dual-practice surgery model. Critics fear that by allowing some surgeons to simultaneously practice in both the public and private system, a patient’s wait time will be determined by their wallet. The province says it wants to try something new to solve wait times, and at least one panelist contends it’s time Canadians destigmatize the word "privatize."

The plan comes as Alberta’s auditor general drops the receipts on the failed bid to privatize lab services in the DynaLife deal, and it is taxpayers who are on the hook for a tab worth over $100 million.

There are questions about the risk to Premier Danielle Smith and her government as they invoke the notwithstanding clause for a second time in less than a month to shield three pieces of legislation affecting transgender youth from legal challenges.

And as the federal and Alberta governments inch closer to reaching a memorandum of understanding on a new pipeline to the west coast, B.C.’s premier is shocked to find out he wasn’t invited to the party – but Saskatchewan’s premier was.

West of Centre host Kathleen Petty is joined at the table this week by Evan Menzies, a vice-president at Crestview Strategy and former head of communications for the United Conservative Party; Shannon Greer, a senior consultant at New West Public Affairs, who worked in Rachel Notley’s NDP government; and Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary.

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer and editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Shannon Greer, Evan Menzies, Lisa Young

The Grey Cup deadline on a memorandum of understanding between the prime minister and the premier is about to come and go, but it’s not necessarily a disaster, as Danielle Smith works to secure a "new, grand bargain" for Alberta.

This week on West of Centre, host Kathleen Petty is joined by Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt; Alberta-based politics reporter for the Toronto Star, Alex Boyd; and the CBC's own writer and producer Jason Markusoff.

Are there finally signs of life from the Alberta NDP? After months of virtual silence, the panel breaks down a new ad from the Opposition many felt was missing in action.

The premier will be held to account for the United Conservatives’ member policy declarations at the party’s upcoming AGM, but in her bid to keep her base happy, one panellist asserts she may have created a poison pill for herself.

And a little bit of trivia about why you keep hearing the word “tranche” when it comes to the running list of nation-building major projects announced by the federal government. (Hint: it has to do with the background of a certain former central banker.) 

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer and editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Alex Boyd, Duane Bratt, Jason Markusoff

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget dropped this week, but it has been buried in the news by MP exits and mounting pressure from Albertans using the UCP’s own legislation to seek accountability.

This week on West of Centre, host Kathleen Petty is joined by longtime policy advisor Ken Boessenkool, who worked with former Prime Minister Stephen Harper; Zain Velji, one third of The Strategists podcast who has worked on campaigns for the Alberta NDP; and Globe and Mail energy reporter Emma Graney.

Listen as the panel explores how the biggest economic announcement of the year has been overshadowed by an internal crisis for the federal Conservative party and why “democratic reform is for losers." You'll also hear more sports analogies to describe current events than you thought possible, and learn about... Mr. Muffins?!

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer & editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Emma Graney, Ken Boessenkool, Zain Velji

Alberta’s UCP government used the biggest hammer in its toolbox this week to force teachers back to work.

The provincial government invoked the notwithstanding clause, arguing families needed certainty. The move has certainly raised the ire of many Albertans, along with the wider labour movement, which has promised consequences. Already, the education minister is the target of the first recall petition approved under Alberta’s Recall Act.

This week on West of Centre, host Kathleen Petty is joined by Colin Aitchison, press secretary to the education minister in Jason Kenney’s UCP government; former Alberta NDP cabinet minister Shannon Phillips; and University of Alberta political scientist Jared Wesley.

Together, they scratch their heads at how a grassroots effort to affirm Alberta’s place in Canada with the "Forever Canadian" petition outgrew every expectation. When combined with the teachers’ movement, the panel sees it as a shock to the political system in Alberta.

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer & editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Colin Aitchison, Shannon Phillips, Jared Wesley

With the ballots finally counted and the results official, Alberta’s 2025 municipal election cycle is one for the books. New regulations brought in by the provincial government for voters casting ballots for mayor, councillor and school trustee saw a requirement for a new attestation form, a ban on electronic tabulators in favour of hand counting, and the addition of political parties to Calgary and Edmonton. This week on West of Centre, host Kathleen Petty is joined by journalist and editor of The Sprawl, Jeremy Klaszus; Edmonton Journal civic affairs columnist Keith Gerein; and Mount Royal University political science professor Lori Williams. With the elections in many cities and towns hampered by long lines and slow processing times, the panel suggests some of the changes amount to a real problem for democracy.

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer & editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Jeremy Klaszus, Keith Gerein, Lori Williams

No gold stars this week for either the Government of Alberta or the Alberta Teachers' Association, as both sides have failed to strike a potential deal on a labour dispute that has kept around 750,000 students out of class for the foreseeable future. This week on West of Centre, host Rob Brown, along with University of Calgary political science professor Lisa Young, Evan Menzies of Crestview Strategy and Cheryl Oates of The Discourse podcast delve into why this is not a normal strike, but is ultimately about the future of public education in Alberta. Also, a newly-released third-party investigation into procurement at Alberta Health Services has found no evidence of wrongdoing by anyone in government. But the judge who wrote the report acknowledged he couldn’t make any definitive statements based on the restrictions limiting the scope of his probe, and the panel believes there are still some outstanding questions. Finally, the panel weighs in on Alberta’s plans to leave Wild Rose Country in the dust in favour of the motto "Strong and Free" as it redesigns its licence plates, and whether this move is a matter of provincial pride or is steering attention away from bigger issues.

Host: Rob Brown | Producer & editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Cheryl Oates, Evan Menzies, Lisa Young

There are now two proposed pipelines without private proponents on the table. The first: Alberta's idea for a bitumen pipeline to northern British Columbia has become a political hot potato. The second, Keystone XL, may potentially be back from the dead (just in time for Halloween!) as possible leverage with U.S. President Donald Trump, to lubricate relief from steel and aluminum tariffs. On West of Centre this week, host Kathleen Petty is joined by Erika Barootes, who once served as the premier's principal secretary; Keith McLaughlin, who was chief of staff to several ministers in Rachel Notley's NDP government; and CBC producer and writer, Jason Markusoff. They dive into the possibility that the federal energy minister is dodging Ottawa's role in the Alberta-B.C. pipeline dispute, why pipeline politics are so intertwined with a new U.S. trade deal, and whether Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was right all along when it came to her honey versus vinegar approach to dealing with Trump. 

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer & editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Erika Barootes, Keith McLaughlin, Jason Markusoff

Alberta is laying the groundwork for a new bitumen pipeline to B.C.'s northwest coast. But Danielle Smith's government's plan isn't just about a pipeline -- it's a test of political will. 

In this week's episode of West of Centre, our panel digs into how this proposed project is a bold political play by the premier that's straight out of a "choose your own adventure" gamebook, with two very different endings. The push for a new West Coast pipeline and a new, grand bargain with Ottawa is Smith's preferred path. The premier expects that pipeline to be on the list of the next round of major projects that the federal government unveils by Grey Cup. But what happens if this plan fails? The push toward Alberta's sovereignty, an idea that's been getting new oxygen at the Alberta Next panel consultations, could be the next path. 

Host Kathleen Petty is joined this week by Rick Bell, a columnist with Postmedia; Rob Breakenridge, a columnist and podcast host at The Line; and pollster and political analyst Janet Brown. They break down how this isn't just a political story; it's about the very identity of Alberta. 

Host: Kathleen Petty | Producer & editor: Diane Yanko | Guests: Rick Bell, Rob Breakenridge, Janet Brown