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It’s another announcement from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. And it’s about the same West Coast pipeline they’ve announced before. This time it’s been designated a project of “national interest.” Still undetermined is whether it’s of interest to investors and shippers. Joining Brian are Chris Varcoe, Postmedia’s western business columnist, and Lorne Gunter, political columnist. They discuss the likelihood of this pipeline ever happening, the battles yet to fight, the eye-watering costs, and the dismaying timeline before it gets done. They discuss Smith’s feats in pushing the Liberals to overturn the last prime minister’s anti-oil dogmas. But given Carney’s costly carbon-capture conditions and other roadblocks, simply declaring “national interest” won’t be enough to make Alberta’s oilpatch great again. (Recorded October 2, 2026)
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If you’ve got a majority government with two years left and an unpopular record to defend, calling a snap election might not seem like a great idea. But it did to B.C. Premier David Eby. Brian is joined by B.C. politics columnists Vaughn Palmer (Vancouver Sun) and Les Leyne (Victoria Times-Colonist) to try to find method in Eby’s seeming madness. They consider his scheme to pounce on his rivals’ disarray, with the Conservatives at war over a divisive leader. But they seem to be quickly reconstituting themselves under a new, more popular captain, even as some star NDP candidates step aside. It’s all unfolding amid municipal elections already underway, creating confusion for voters, and leaving British Columbians baffled as to why it’s happening at all. (Recorded September 25, 2026)
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There’s no such thing as “associate membership” in the European Union and nobody knows what it means, but Prime Minister Mark Carney’s proposal for it has proven to be a dazzling distraction as he flounders in a trade war with the U.S. Brian talks this week with Anand Menon, an EU studies specialist based in England, and Carlo Dade, international policy director at the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. Menon details the formidable challenges and hazards of Canada trying to displace North American trade with Europe, and why it probably won’t happen, although he says there is room for improved co-operation. And while Carney’s idea is dubious and of questionable benefit, Dade explains why he thinks we might not have much choice but to try it. (Recorded September 17, 2026)

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It’s a tough time to be a federal Tory. The polls are demoralizing. Some MPs are quitting and some are going rogue. And the worse things get for Canada, the more voters seem to support the Liberals. As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre prepares for a caucus retreat this week, Brian spoke with Ian Brodie, former chief of staff to Stephen Harper, and Ginny Roth, who helped run Poilievre’s leadership campaign. They offer their ideas on how Poilievre can reposition himself in this weird, new era of jingoistic anti-American nationalism that Prime Minister Mark Carney has boosted into a winning brand. And, just as importantly, how he can reinvigorate his party and reassert the control he once commanded over his caucus — before his problems get bigger. (Recorded September 10, 2026)
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Postmedia’s Political Hack team Tasha Kheiriddin and Stuart Thomson join Brian to assess the political spin contest over the collapse of U.S.-Canada trade talks. Despite economic damage, they discuss why neither side has an incentive to make a deal. Prime Minister Mark Carney just crushed three byelections, securing his majority and grinding down the Conservatives — and there are several more coming up. And they explain how President Donald Trump’s strategy is to use the trade war as an excuse to deflect voter discontent in the upcoming congressional midterms, while continuing to divide Canadians. The only question for both is how long they can politically gain from the pain of closed businesses and job losses until voters won’t stand for it anymore. (Recorded September 4, 2026)
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