West of Centre

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and several prominent federal Conservatives, including leader Pierre Poilievre, had a showdown with Calgary's mayor over a local noise bylaw. It was a master class in political communication by Jeromy Farkas, according to one panellist, in a battle with the Conservative political machine over how long and how loudly people are allowed to party in the Stampede city. S...

About 3.4 million Albertans are eligible to receive a $100 energy rebate. The provincial government says the cash will bring meaningful relief from the pain of the cost of living. But for some on this week's episode, the move doesn't cure what's causing affordability issues in the province. This week, host Kathleen Petty is joined by The Hub's Alberta Edge podcast panellists. Falice Chin, Alberta...

Danielle Smith uses the energy MOU has Exhibit A in her argument for remaining in Canada. Pierre Poilievre uses it as Exhibit A in making his case that the federal government is failing Alberta. Our guests worry that divisions over how to battle separatism could fracture the provincial conservatives and even pose problems for federal conservatives. Host Kathleen Petty is joined by two people with...

West of Centre 's citizen panel is back, this time to weigh in on October's referendum, where Albertans will be asked to decide the future of their province within Confederation. Returning to join host Kathleen Petty are Darryl Stanier, who runs a logistics supply chain business; Sunil Shah, an electrical engineer; and Chelsea Matisz, a research scientist.  The panel agrees Alberta has legiti...

As 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 th...

Let’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...

'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 Path...

Supporters 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...

What 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 join...

The 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 clic...

Separatism 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 t...

As 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 Cent...

Back 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 f...

There’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 Simo...

The deadly U.S.- and Israel-led attack on Iran has given way to a cold economic reality. According to the International Energy Agency, the war in the Middle East has created the biggest oil supply disruption in history. With oil markets in turmoil and fears of export restrictions growing as the conflict enters its third week, Canada suddenly has more relevance in the conversation around energy sec...

For decades, Alberta’s federal politics has been a fortress. But the Conservative blue wall protecting the province is showing signs of cracking. And the colour seeping in? Liberal red. To help understand the shift, West of Centre host Kathleen Petty is joined by Éric Grenier, a premier Canadian polls analyst and founder of The Writ; and David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, whose latest online surve...

Buckle up and keep your hands on the bar, Albertans! The province’s ride on the resource revenue roller coaster continues, and the latest $9.4 billion drop is enough to make a staunch fiscal conservative lose their lunch. The latest budget update projects three consecutive years of red ink and increased borrowing to fund critical public services, with no clear track back to balance.  This wee...

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has some questions she wants Albertans to answer. Nine of them, to be exact. That’s how many referendum questions Smith announced in a televised speech that she’s going to put to Albertans on Oct. 19. They range from constitutional reform to abolish the Senate and change who picks judges, to several that would directly affect some immigrants and the services they rec...

What does a kid from Nanton, Alta., write in his private journals after spending his days influencing some of Pierre Elliott Trudeau's most controversial policies? This week on West of Centre , host Kathleen Petty takes a peek into The Coutts Diaries: Power, Politics, and Pierre Trudeau 1973-1981 , with the book's editor, Ron Graham. As the prime minister's principal secretary, Jim Coutts was said...

Grab your snacks and beverages and settle in for a West of Centre twofer, no coupon required. First, host Kathleen Petty reconvenes our citizens’ panel — Chelsea, Darryl, and Sunil — to get their perspectives on the latest happenings in Alberta. Darryl, who identifies as "blue through and through" describes his recent trip to Ontario and how Alberta politics is perceived by some in the east (Hint:...

It’s a wrap for the Conservative Party Convention in Calgary. Leader Pierre Poilievre secured an 87.4 per cent vote of confidence. Now that he’s won over the delegates, the focus for him and the party becomes winning over Canadians.   West of Centre host Kathleen Petty is joined this week by two Conservative insiders who were also at this weekend’s convention. Amber Ruddy, Alberta's nati...

The seeds of separation are being sown. Thousands have been braving January’s cold to put some heat on the effort for the province to become a free and independent country.  This week on West of Centre , host Kathleen Petty speaks with one of the campaign’s key proponents and head of the Alberta Prosperity Project, Mitch Sylvestre. Among many points in their conversation, he tells her there’s...

This week on West of Centre , guest host Jason Markusoff reconvenes the national political panel The House Party for a conversation about Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa.  That historically difficult partnership has changed with a deal to pursue a pipeline to the B.C. coast, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s warmth towards this Liberal prime minister. But our panel wonders if that relat...

The geopolitical rules were rewritten this week as the U.S. moves beyond simply buying oil. It effectively took over the world's largest oil reserves in Venezuela — the same kind of heavy oil produced by Alberta. It's a threat that can't be dismissed. This week, West of Centre host Kathleen Petty is joined by Gitane De Silva, former CEO of the Canada Energy Regulator and Alberta's former senior re...

From a Trump trade war and a historic teachers' strike, to the UCP government’s use of the notwithstanding clause, 2025 has been a high-stakes whirlwind for Alberta. This week on West of Centre, the CBC’s own Jason Markusoff swaps his producer and writer hat for a clipboard as quizmaster for our "not-quite-annual" quiz show. Testing their knowledge of the year's headlines: Falice Chin, Alberta bur...