The Discourse takes a look at the ”who, what, when, why, and how” of Alberta politics, hosted by longtime senior staffers Cheryl Oates and Erika Barootes.
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The Discourse takes a look at the ”who, what, when, why, and how” of Alberta politics, hosted by longtime senior staffers Cheryl Oates and Erika Barootes.
In our final episode of 2025, we’re joined by Ryan Jespersen of Real Talk for a deeper conversation about what’s really driving political division in Canada. We start with the latest floor crossing from the Conservatives to the Liberals and what it means for parliamentary math, stability, and the way political “inside baseball” often matters a lot more to partisan circles than it does to people outside them.
Then we zoom out to the bigger forces underneath the headlines: the Liberal move toward the centre under Mark Carney, what that opens up for the NDP, and how labels like “conservative” and “progressive” have shifted in meaning. We also get into the real-world stakes behind ideological debates on health care and public services, then close with practical advice for navigating political conversations over the holidays.
The Discourse
The Discourse takes a look at the ”who, what, when, why, and how” of Alberta politics, hosted by longtime senior staffers Cheryl Oates and Erika Barootes.