Rob Breakenridge Show

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a conversation with Kaveh Shahrooz about the protests in Iran and whether this constitutes a new revolution that could finally spell an end to the Khomeinist Islamic Republic. Kaveh is a lawyer and human rights activist, as well as a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and has been closely following events in Iran. After more than two wee...

Welcome to this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, as we delve into the biggest story of the new year: the American intervention in Venezuela and the US president’s desire to dramatically ramp up Venezuelan oil production and exports. Given that Venezuela’s heavy crude is very similar to the product Canada exports, could this represent a threat to Canada’s market share in the US? We’ll get some...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show: * A closer look at the challenges facing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as 2025 draws to a close. Two MPs have defected to the Liberals and rumours continue to swirl about further floor-crossings. Poilievre, of course, is set to face a leadership review next month in Calgary. We’ll hear from conservative political strategist Cole Hogan. * We’ll d...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show: * An eventful and contentious fall session of the Alberta Legislature comes to a conclusion with no shortage of lingering controversies. We’ll have the latest on the debate over Bill 14 and the latest changes to referendum petition rules. Plus, the list of recall campaigns expands - including a recall attempt in the premier’s own riding. * The energy a...

In this episode of The Rob Breakenridge Show, a look at the ongoing debate over direct democracy and elections rules in Alberta - and the changes now being made through the government’s new Bill 14 . Introduced on Thursday, the bill - among other things - gives the Alberta government more control over referendum petitions and clears a path now for the separatist side to start gathering signatures....

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, we delve into an important and timely new book. Globe & Mail writer-at-large John Ibbitson and Ipsos Public Affairs Global CEO Darrell Bricker join us to discuss their new book “Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada at Risk” We’ll explore some of the significant shifts in Canada over the last decade, and the growing divides we’ve seen withi...

It was a day of great significance Thursday in Calgary as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney signed off on a new memorandum of understanding (MOU). In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, we’ll take a closer look at this energy agreement and what it all means. The MOU identifies a proposed new pipeline to the west coast as being a project that’s in the national int...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a closer look at the debate around Alberta’s coal policy and why this could be one of the ballot issues Albertans vote on next near. Alberta county music artist Corb Lund has deep roots in this province and a deep connection to the ranching industry. He’s found himself at the forefront at the debate around coal development along the Eastern Slopes of t...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a closer look at an eventful week in Alberta - starting with the latest on pipeline talks between Alberta and Ottawa and the latest on the expanding recall campaign now targeting several UCP MLAs. Is the Alberta government now looking to neuter their own direct democracy laws? We’ll also dive into one of the biggest stories of the week: confirmation th...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, we take a closer look at the latest batch of Major Projects announced by the prime minister. On the energy front, there’s support for the Ksi Lisims LNG project on the west coast, but there was nothing announced about a new pipeline. We’ll discuss all of this with Heather Exner-Pirot, who’s a senior fellow and Director of Energy, Natural Resources, and...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show - a closer look at Budget 2025, both in terms of whether it will pass the House of Commons (failure to do so meaning another election, of course) and whether it’s the right budget for the economic challenges facing Canada at the moment. We’ll get some economic analysis from Trevor Tombe, professor of economics at the University of Calgary and director o...

Welcome to this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show - a very busy week this week in Alberta: We’ll hear from Thomas Lukaszuk, former MLA and cabinet minister, and founder of the Forever Canadian campaign . Their petition campaign - posing the question: “‘Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?” - appears to have far exceeded the minimum necessary for success. We’ll discuss the camp...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a closer look at what to expect as the Alberta Legislature kicks off what is sure to be a dramatic and consequential fall sitting. Thousands of teachers rallied at the Legislature on Thursday as the premier made it clear that back-to-work legislation will be tabled on Monday to end this strike and get kids back into the classroom. Further discussion an...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, a closer look at Alberta’s pipeline ambitions and the obstacles that still need to be overcome. We are one month away from Grey Cup, which is to serve as the platform for the prime minister to announce the next phase of projects under the Major Projects Office. Is it realistic for Alberta’s pipeline proposal to be in the mix? And what about the possibl...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, Rob is joined by former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, now president at ADIT North America and distinguished fellow at the Hudson Institute. We’ll get his thoughts on Prime Minister Carney’s latest visit to Washington and the prospect of Canada reaching a new trade agreement with Donald Trump. We’ll discuss the importance of maintaining the Canada-U...

Welcome to this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, as we bring you the latest on the Alberta teachers’ strike As of Monday morning, Alberta’s 51,000 public school teachers are on strike, after last week they voted overwhelmingly to reject the offer that was on the table from the province. Premier Danielle Smith has called on teachers to return to the bargaining table and suggested that the two...

In this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, we re-cap the dramatic week that was on the energy front. We had Alberta’s premier touting a new plan to get the ball rolling on a major new pipeline to the west coast. Just days earlier, though, word of massive layoffs at Imperial Oil, including the loss of almost 900 jobs in Calgary. We delve into all of that in a conversation with energy journalist...

Welcome to Episode 35 of the Rob Breakenridge Show We start with the breaking news from Monday evening, as the Alberta Teachers Association has voted overwhelmingly rejected the province’s offer. That sets the stage for a teachers’ strike to begin next week. We’ll hear what the ATA president had to say in response to the vote and how the Alberta government is reacting. Also, we’ll delve into the d...

Welcome to this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show - it’s been a busy and eventful week. We begin with the case of the ostrich farm in southeastern B.C. and the nearly 400 birds that the CFIA is determined to cull. The case has attracted national - and even international - attention, and now the Supreme Court has issued a stay of the cull order. We’ll speak with Camille Labchuk, lawyer and execu...

Welcome to Episode 33 of the Rob Breakenridge Show - here’s what we have for you in this epsiode: The federal government is in damage control after the public safety minister was caught making some very revealing comments about the gun buyback program, which is part of the government’s ban on so-called “assault-style” firearms. Does the federal government really believe this expensive program will...

Coming up in this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is finally back in Ottawa after a most trying six months. What are the challenges and opportunities for the Conservatives as they hold the government to account on the economy, crime, immigration, and other issues? With a new prime minister on the other side of the aisle, not to mention his own learned les...

Plenty of ground to cover in this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show: We start with a re-cap of Parliament’s return and the first showdown since the election between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre. Also, comments Monday from Premier Danielle Smith about how she’s trying to counter the separatist threat and why she believes Alberta needs to add citizenship statu...

Lots to cover on Episode 30 of the Rob Breakenridge Show We start with the Prime Minister’s announcement in Edmonton Thursday of the first batch of projects in the national interest that will be advanced under the new Major Projects Office. We’ll hear what Mark Carney said about this first step, and what might come next - including, potentially, a new pipeline. We’ll also hear what a surprisingly...

We kick off this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show with breaking news Monday on the story that has dominated headlines in Alberta for the last week: the province’s school book ban. After a huge outcry, the Alberta government has overhauled it’s policy on explicit content to try and keep graphic images out of schools while allowing classic books to remain. We’ll have the details on the new polic...

Welcome to Episode 28 of the Rob Breakenridge Show - Quite a week it’s been in Alberta We begin by diving into the story that dominated the headlines in Alberta this week - and made plenty of headlines across Canada and beyond: the book ban that blew up in the Alberta government’s face. We’ll hear what the premier had to say about their plans to now revise the policy after the original version led...