Podcast
West of Centre
Hosted by CBC · EN
We bring you into the Alberta state of mind, to explore how this province’s power is shifting and connect with the western voices driving national debate. Join Calgary’s Kathleen Petty every week as she helps decipher what's happening in Alberta politics for the rest of Canada. Whether you live in the province or just can’t look away, join us every Friday as we go West of Centre.
20episodes
Episodes
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'Primordial politics'
5d ago00:34:07Tap to summarizeAs Albertans contemplate an October referendum that will see them choose between the province remaining in Canada or starting the process toward a future binding independence vote, the governing United Conservative Party is starting to show signs of internal strain and vulnerability of its leader, Premier Danielle Smith.The political game in Alberta has changed. The debate around the future of the province has ignited emotion on all sides, and has morphed into "primordial politics," a deeply-entrenched, identity-based attachment to your side.This week on West of Centre, host Kathleen Petty is joined by two long-time observers of politics in Alberta, with deep knowledge of how the political landscape has evolved. Anthony Sayers is a political science professor and director of Canadian governance policy in the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy; and David Stewart is a professor emeritus in the University of Calgary's political science department. Both are frequent collaborators who have co-authored a number of papers and academic book chapters, and they have a new book that will be published this summer, The Dawn of Competitive Party Politics in Alberta: An End to Solitude.In this rare conversation, Sayers and Stewart tap into the past, where the governing Progressive Conservatives enjoyed little opposition until the Wild Rose Party came along and posed a credible threat. But the merging of the parties has pushed the UCP further to the right, forcing the party to keep its base motivated and ready to turn out in an election. They say the UCP is a different party from when Jason Kenney was leader, and even more difficult for Smith to manage. Host: Kathleen PettyGuests: Anthony Sayers, David StewartProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →Door No. 1 or Door No. 2
2w ago00:40:02Tap to summarizeLet’s make a deal, Alberta! Will it be door No. 1 or door No. 2? Except there’s no zonk prize, and you’re not allowed to switch. Alberta’s premier has put an end to the speculation about whether voters will get a say on the future of the province. Danielle Smith has announced a tenth referendum question on the ballot in October with two choices: should Alberta remain in Canada or should the provincial government start the process toward a binding referendum on separation? What is the premier’s wager, based on the design of the question? And will anyone be happy with this next move to try to settle an emotional debate happening in the province?It’s one of the topics of discussion this week on West of Centre. Host Kathleen Petty is joined by Matthew Scace, a Calgary-based reporter for the Globe and Mail who covers politics and provincial affairs, and Jason Markusoff, a writer and producer for CBC.Also in this episode, we’re drilling down on the landmark Alberta-Ottawa energy deal, which has now entered the implementation agreement phase. How will industry and investors feel about a referendum on the question of separation pushing uncertainty about the province's future well past October?Amanda Stephenson, Canada energy correspondent for Reuters, and Robert (RJ) Johnston, director of energy and natural resources policy with the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, share their analysis. Host: Kathleen PettyGuests: Jason Markusoff, Matthew Scace; Amanda Stephenson, Robert (RJ) JohnstonProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat
3w ago00:38:00Tap to summarize'The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat'. It's an old chestnut that seems apropos in the blood sport of Alberta politics.The victory is for the Alberta government, as it clears another hurdle in its landmark energy deal with Ottawa. The province has reached an agreement with the federal government on increasing the effective industrial carbon price to $130 per tonne by 2040. While the Pathways Project on carbon capture, utilization and storage, a potential pipeline route, and a private sector proponent are still to come, the agreement could see construction on an oil pipeline to British Columbia start as early as September 2027.The defeat is for Alberta separatists hoping to see a question about independence on October's referendum ballot. A judge threw out a separatist petition, ruling that Elections Alberta should not have approved it and citing a failure to consult with First Nations. Premier Danielle Smith is now facing calls to put the separation question on the ballot herself.Kathleen Petty is joined on West of Centre this week by Trevor Harrison, a political sociologist at the University of Lethbridge; Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University; and Jack Farrell, an Alberta legislative reporter for The Canadian Press. Host: Kathleen PettyGuests: Jack Farrell, Trevor Harrison, Lori WilliamsProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →Separation anxiety
4w ago00:32:24Tap to summarizeSupporters of Alberta independence are celebrating this week after over 300,000 signatures calling for a referendum on separation were submitted to Elections Alberta. But it comes as another separatist group, the Centurion Project, is being investigated by the RCMP, Elections Alberta and Alberta’s privacy commissioner for its use of a voters list with the information of nearly three million Albertans. West of Centre guest host Jason Markusoff is joined this week by Tyler Dawson, an editor for the Globe and Mail’s opinion section and the author of the new book The Republic of Alberta, and Rob Breakenridge, a Calgary-based journalist and podcaster.Host: Jason MarkusoffGuests: Rob Breakenridge, Tyler DawsonProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →'One way or another'
May 100:40:11Tap to summarizeWhat you see is what you'd get if an election were held today in Alberta — except the United Conservative Party would have an even bigger majority government.That's one of the findings from the latest poll by Janet Brown Opinion Research for the CBC.Brown is one of Alberta's most respected pollsters. Her secret sauce when it comes to opinion research is Albertans talking to Albertans.Brown joins West of Centre host Kathleen Petty this week to take a deep dive into the findings, along with data scientist John Santos, and CBC writer and producer Jason Markusoff.Despite the fanfare that accompanied its signing, a majority of those polled are not confident the memorandum of understanding between Ottawa and Alberta will actually result in a new pipeline. But a majority approve of Premier Danielle Smith's efforts to reset the province's relationship with the federal government.Meanwhile, the poll has found the most impressive politician in Alberta isn't Smith or federal Conservative leader and Battle River-Crowfoot MP Pierre Poilievre. The guy Albertans are giving the highest marks is Prime Minister Mark Carney.And while the calls for independence are getting louder, it doesn't necessarily mean Albertans are being persuaded the province is better off going it alone. According to the data, support for separatism remains flat.Host: Kathleen PettyGuests: Janet Brown, John Santos, Jason MarkusoffProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →Where to draw the line?
Apr 2500:42:12Tap to summarizeThe UCP’s decision to reject a bi-partisan commission’s report and order a do-over of riding maps has ignited a firestorm over the usually sleepy issue of electoral boundaries.Is this meddling or giving rural Alberta fair representation?Meanwhile, a separatist group is in court to avoid opening its books, Premier Danielle Smith’s new website is pushing her own referendum questions, and many clicks are going to a series of AI “slopaganda” online videos that stoke worries about foreign interference.And do we have to change the clocks to squeeze in a discussion about Alberta’s move to permanent daylight time?West of Centre guest host Jason Markusoff speaks with three Alberta-based journalists: Alex Boyd from the Toronto Star, Falice Chin from the Hub and Matthew Scace from the Globe and Mail.Host: Jason MarkusoffGuests: Alex Boyd, Falice Chin, Matthew ScaceProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →Pushing boundaries
Apr 1100:37:11Tap to summarizeSeparatism is in court (again), as several First Nations try to thwart a referendum on Alberta independence. The group collecting signatures to trigger a referendum on separation says it already has more than the required number of signatures. It expects the Smith government to put its question on the ballot, even if a judge rules against the petition.Meanwhile, Alberta’s education minister has tabled a bill aimed at getting politics and ideology out of the classroom. It mandates that teachers present all issues in a neutral and unbiased way, and limits the display of flags in schools.And an effort to redraw Alberta’s electoral ridings is drawing criticism. Two commissioners appointed by the UCP have mapped out boundaries of their own that are vastly different from the commission’s majority report. It has both the Alberta NDP and the judge who chaired the commission warning the government not to go there.Jason Markusoff is in the West of Centre host chair this week. Joining him are Erika Barootes, former principal secretary to premier Danielle Smith; Annalise Klingbeil, who worked in Rachel Notley's government; and University of Calgary political scientist Lisa Young.Host: Jason MarkusoffGuests: Erika Barootes, Annalise Klingbeil, Lisa YoungProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →‘The federal NDP is irrelevant’
Apr 200:37:59Tap to summarizeAs members of the NDP celebrate new leader Avi Lewis and his vision to revitalize their party, there’s skepticism in Alberta that Lewis’ federal victory will put the New Democrats back on the road to relevancy.Two NDP insiders, Shannon Phillips, a former Alberta NDP cabinet minister, and Keith McLaughlin, who was chief of staff to several ministers in Rachel Notley’s government, join West of Centre host Kathleen Petty to offer their analysis on the impact that Lewis will have in Alberta — and they’re blunt in their assessment.Neither see a clear path for the federal NDP to become relevant in the near future. And as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith weaponizes the tie between the New Democrats’ federal and provincial wings -- pointing to the party’s constitution as proof that their federal and provincial policies are one and the same -- the panel is brushing off the document as meaningless. They say what the federal NDP is doing doesn’t matter to Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi, as his focus is on the politics in his province, and his opponent is Smith.For his part, Nenshi tells the podcast his priority isn’t on the federal party and convincing them to change their policy on natural resource development and expansion. He shrugs off the division, and says his attention is on the future of Alberta. Host: Kathleen PettyGuests: Keith McLaughlin, Shannon PhillipsProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →The Firewall Letter - 25 years later
Mar 2700:32:07Tap to summarizeBack in January 2001, six influential Alberta conservatives sent then premier Ralph Klein the now famous 'firewall letter.' Under the heading 'Alberta Agenda,' the letter proposed withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan, establishing a provincial police force, bypassing the Canada Revenue Agency in favour of the province collecting its own income tax, and Senate reform. These ideas were seen as fringe. Extremist even. But with the passage of time, some of the key measures in the firewall letter have influenced conservative policy in Alberta, and are now being set in motion 25 years later by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.This week, West of Centre host Kathleen Petty gets the inside story on the firewall letter, straight from two of its signatories. Ted Morton, an executive fellow at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy and a former PC cabinet minister; and Ken Boessenkool, a longtime policy advisor who worked with former prime minister Stephen Harper (credited as the catalyst for the letter, and another one of its six signatories).These insiders describe how the hostile reaction to the letter came as a surprise, as the ideas contained in the letter were things other provinces were already doing. They talk about the visceral reaction 25 years ago to the word 'firewall,' and how it came to be added to the letter. And how the nine questions on a referendum that Albertans will vote on in the fall is seen as 'anti-firewall letter.'Host: Kathleen PettyGuests: Ken Boessenkool, Ted MortonProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →The Prairies senators: ‘We can’t do stupid stuff’
Mar 2000:46:56Tap to summarizeThere’s great concern that people in Ottawa aren’t taking what’s happening in Alberta seriously enough. With national unity at stake, some Senators are looking west from the upper chamber and acknowledging there are indeed structural issues at the federal level that’s fueling frustration.This week on West of Centre, Kathleen Petty welcomes a panel of Prairies senators. Alberta Senator Paula Simons, who was appointed in 2018 and sits in the Independent Senators Group; Saskatchewan Senator Pamela Wallin, appointed in 2008; and Manitoba Senator Charles Adler, who was appointed in 2024. Both sit in the Canadian Senators Group.The panel pulls no punches in questioning whether Canada has done the work it needs to become a true energy superpower. For them, it’s time to turn words into action. As trade tensions with the U.S. simmer, they’re blunt on CUSMA: Canada can’t take its own self-interest out of the equation because negotiations are not about love, but business. And while they disagree on the strategy for a potential fall referendum on separation, they also tackle another referendum question about Senate abolishment. Host: Kathleen PettyGuests: Senator Charles Adler, Senator Paula Simons, Senator Pamela WallinProducer: Diane Yanko
Transcribe →