West of Centre - podcast cover

West of Centre

Kathleen Petty sits down with politicians, pundits, and other thoughtful westerners for conversations about the priorities, preoccupations and politics of Albertans and others who are West of Centre.

Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

AHS: Altering Health Structures

Alberta Health Services is being dismantled. Instead, four new agencies will take over in a move that changes the structure and decision-making for the entire health system. Guest host Jim Brown explores these changes with James Talbot, Alberta’s former chief medical officer, Paul Parks, president of the Alberta Medical Association, and Kelly Cryderman of the Globe and Mail.

Nov 10, 202348 minEp. 155

Political pen pals

What do retirement incomes and a tax on pollution have in common? They’re both at the heart of the current fight between Alberta and Ottawa. This week, host Kathleen Petty talks about pensions and the carbon tax exemption with Carrie Tait from the Globe and Mail, Max Fawcett from the National Observer and political strategist Erika Barootes.

Nov 02, 202343 minEp. 154

Fixing the federation

Feuding governments, tough policy issues and questions of constitutionality. Just how is the Canadian federation doing these days? And what are the costs of those intergovernmental disagreements? This week, host Kathleen Petty talks with Ian Brodie, former chief of staff to Stephen Harper, Janet Brown of Janet Brown Opinion Research, and political strategist Zain Velji from Northweather.

Oct 26, 202338 minEp. 153

Exit right or stay put

An escalating war of words between governments, politicians and organizations over the possibility of an Alberta Pension Plan. How is this policy playing out in federal politics? And how are Albertans talked to about it? This week, host Kathleen Petty is joined by Jim Dinning, who is leading public consultations for the province. Then, she chats with Federal Seniors Minister Seamus O’Regan.

Oct 20, 202343 minEp. 152

Everything and nothing has changed

The Supreme Court has decided the federal government overstepped with its controversial Bill C-69. It’s known as the Impact Assessment Act, but Alberta has called it unconstitutional. On Friday, the top court largely agreed with that assessment. Host Kathleen Petty is joined by a panel of political and academic experts to break down the court’s decision.

Oct 13, 202348 minEp. 151

A pitch and a catch

Alberta businesses were in Ottawa this week to tell the feds “Alberta is not what you think it is.” How well did that pitch land? And what comes next? Plus, host Kathleen Petty dives into brand new polling on how the country feels about Alberta taking a pension plan solo.

Oct 06, 202337 minEp. 150

Freezing in the dark

Critical failure and criminal consequences. That’s the way Alberta’s electricity operator describes the stakes of net-zero targets from the federal government. What does it all mean for politics, policy, business and affordability in the province? Kathleen Petty hosts a panel discussion to answer those questions.

Sep 29, 202345 min

Pension tensions

The long-awaited report on taking Alberta pensions solo is here. In it, a pitch to take more than half of the national assets. We dive into what an Alberta Pension Plan could look like, plus recap the other big stories of the week with our panel including CBC analysis writer Jason Markusoff, the Globe and Mail’s Kelly Cryderman and Lisa Young from the University of Calgary.

Sep 22, 202348 minSeason 5Ep. 148

A premiere with the premier

Welcome back to a new season of West of Centre. This week, we’re speaking with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about the future of energy and climate targets, plus the current E. coli crisis impacting so many children in the province. And we ask what her vision is for Alberta by the end of her first term.

Sep 14, 202332 min

That's All Folks!

On our last podcast of the season, we tackle the UCP fed bashing strategy, the hiring and unhiring of Dr. Deena Hinshaw and the record number of opioid deaths in Alberta . Host Kathleen Petty is joined by Zain Velji, Jason Markusoff and Elise von Scheel.

Jun 29, 202346 minSeason 3Ep. 150

Finding Zero

Again this week, Alberta pushed back against Ottawa’s emissions targets . And, The Canada Energy Regulator released several scenarios on what a net-zero world could look like for our province in the years to come. On West of Centre, host Kathleen Petty and guests Andrew Leach, Kelly Cryderman and Sara Hastings-Simon make it clear that finding zero is no easy task.

Jun 23, 202355 minSeason 3Ep. 149

Political Pondering

Rachel Notley is pondering her role as leader of the NDP. It’s unclear how long that will take and what her post-mortem means to the party . Host Kathleen Petty and her guests take a closer look at where Alberta’s New Democrats go from here and how they can strengthen their brand for the future.

Jun 16, 202350 minSeason 3Ep. 148

Balancing Act

The team is now in place. Premier Danielle Smith, with a fresh mandate from the voters, has unveiled her new cabinet. Most of Calgary’s MLA’s made the cut as did a few from what’s known as the donut around Edmonton. West of Centre host Kathleen Petty and guests break down the choices, what they mean and whether the balancing act worked.

Jun 09, 202343 minSeason 3Ep. 147

Now what?

The UCP lost seats, but won the prize. The New Democrats will have to settle for forming the largest opposition in the history of the province. So, now what? How does Danielle Smith bridge the gap between the big cities and the rest of Alberta? And how does she choose a cabinet? To sort it all out , West of Centre host Kathleen Petty is joined by three bleary-eyed election commentators.

Jun 02, 202352 minSeason 3Ep. 146

Polling Ahead

New polling for CBC suggests the UCP pulling ahead of the NDP. But it's not over yet. With a few days remaining in the campaign, all eyes are on battleground Calgary. West of Centre host Kathleen Petty breaks down the numbers with pollster Janet Brown and Duane Bratt of Mount Royal University. Then, CBC journalists join the pod in anticipation of Monday’s “Calgarypalooza!”.

May 26, 202345 minSeason 3Ep. 145

Debating the Debate

The leaders of Alberta’s two major parties took an hour out of their campaigns to debate each other this week.. So, who won? The consensus seems to be that Danielle Smith didn’t make any serious gaffs to lose and Rachel Notley didn’t level a knock out punch to win. On the West of Centre podcast, host Kathleen Petty and guests debate the debate. She is joined by a panel of Calgary voters followed by a couple of political journalists who add their though and drill down on the campaign .

May 20, 202348 minSeason 3Ep. 144

Small towns with big city problems

We might be obsessing over battleground Calgary. But it’s not the only place in Alberta where seats are up for grabs. This week, we take you to some of the small towns and cities where the election could be decided. Also on West of Centre, Jason Markusoff fills in for Kathleen Petty and talks to campaign watchers about how Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley are managing the province’s wildfire crisis.

May 12, 202355 minSeason 3Ep. 143

Running on their records

The four week election campaign gets underway with the UCP promising big tax cuts and the NDP offering a leader Albertans can trust. The bottom line is this election is about two women who know what it’s like to be in the top political job, running on their records. This week, West of Centre host Kathleen Petty takes you behind the scenes of the campaigns with senior advisors in both camps. Cheryl Oates is with the NDP and Erika Barootes is with the UCP. And acting as a bit of a buffer between t...

May 05, 202349 minSeason 3Ep. 142

Game On !

Game On! . An election campaign promise from Danielle Smith this week is a 330 million dollar gamble that Albertans support subsidizing the Calgary Flames arena deal. Will that be the defining issue of the campaign or will it be health care or Albertans struggling with the cost of living? As the parties roll out their election machines,West of Centre host Kathleen Petty talks strategy with Karamveer Lalh former political staffer for federal Conservatives and UCP, Leah Ward former director of com...

Apr 28, 202355 min

All the writ moves

The writs are not expected to drop for another week or so , but no one is waiting for the official start of the provincial election. Alberta pitches a new plan for federal equalization payments while Ottawa sticks with the status quo. A former Prime Minister offers support for the UCP and both Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley are embroiled in scuffles with the media. On West of Centre with Kathleen Petty, a closer look at what’s happening on ground in this unofficial campaign and who is making “...

Apr 22, 202347 minSeason 3Ep. 140

The battle for Calgary

All signs point to Calgary as the battleground for the Alberta election in May. So what is the city thinking? What are Calgarians worried about? And who will they vote for? CBC Calgary has commissioned a poll looking exclusively at voters in the province’s biggest city. Guest host Jason Markusoff is joined by Janet Brown of Janet Brown Opinion Research, Mount Royal University’s Duane Bratt and Rishi Nagar of RED FM.

Apr 14, 202347 minSeason 4Ep. 139

Rethinking revenue

It’s the uncomfortable conversation Alberta has every year: How much is too much, when it comes to relying on oil and gas royalties. Both major parties agree it’s time to get off the revenue roller coaster, but how? And when? Guest host Jim Brown is joined by former Alberta Premier Alison Redford and University of Calgary economists Trevor Tombe and Lindsay Tedds.

Apr 07, 202342 minSeason 4Ep. 138

Live special: What do voters want out of Alberta's election?

Alberta is about to go into an election and it's a tight race. At a special live election show, host Kathleen Petty and her panel talk about the issues Calgary - home of many battleground ridings - and province are facing as Alberta votes. What topics will this campaign focus on? And what do those issues say about Alberta’s future? Calgary Chamber of Commerce President Deborah Yedlin, former Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and pollster Janet Brown join.

Mar 30, 20231 hr 16 minSeason 4Ep. 137

“The big F”

We have an oil sands tailings pond leak sparking national questions, the federal government’s controversial environmental assessment legislation before the Supreme Court, details on Alberta’s efforts to procure children’s medication and a new budget coming next week from Ottawa. Host Kathleen Petty is joined by the Globe and Mail’s Kelly Cryderman, Alex Boyd from the Toronto Star and freelance columnist Graham Thomson to break down those topics.

Mar 24, 202350 minSeason 4Ep. 136

Three’s a crowd

Alberta is the only province to never have a minority government and with an election two months away the third parties are struggling to nominate candidates, raise money and get noticed. How did it evolve to this point and what does it say about politics and democracy? Host Kathleen Petty is joined by Dave Cournoyer, a politics and history writer, Lisa Young from the University of Calgary and CBC Calgary’s Jason Markusoff.

Mar 17, 202346 minSeason 4Ep. 135

Polls, polls, polls

The curiosity with what Albertans think and why has been catching national attention for a while, but that focus is increasing as the provincial election gets closer. Host Kathleen Petty talks about why the country is paying attention and what political lessons there are for Canada in Alberta with David Coletto, the CEO of Abacus Data and Eric Grenier, founder of The Writ.

Mar 10, 202338 minSeason 4Ep. 134

Show me the money

‘Spend’ might be the word of the week. Alberta’s budget is doling out $68 billion in spending. Where is all the money going? How precarious is Alberta’s financial position? And how does this budget frame the upcoming election? Host Kathleen Petty is joined by Kieran Leavitt, the Toronto Star’s national reporter in Edmonton, Calgary Sun Columnist Rick Bell and Elise von Scheel, CBC Calgary’s provincial affairs reporter.

Mar 03, 202346 minSeason 4Ep. 133

Building a budget

The budget day boots are polished and on Tuesday Albertans will get a look at where the government plans to spend its large surplus. What can we expect in that document? How are budgets built? And how does that all shift in a pre-election budget? Guest host Jason Markusoff is joined by Trevor Tombe from the University of Calgary, former Alberta PC minister Gary Mar, now with the Canada West Foundation and former NDP minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd from Counsel Public Affairs.

Feb 24, 202347 minSeason 4Ep. 132

When it rains, it pours

They say things come in threes: On Friday, the federal government released its roadmap on a plan to move oil and gas workers into sustainable energy jobs, Alberta’s premier and the federal Conservative leader spoke in Calgary, and the report into the Emergencies Act invocation related to the Freedom Convoy was released. Host Kathleen Petty breaks down those events with Mount Royal University’s Lori Williams, strategist Corey Hogan and the CBC’s Jason Markusoff.

Feb 17, 202347 minSeason 4Ep. 131

Diagnosing health care

The prime minister has made his pitch to the premiers on a health care deal, but will they say yes? And how could those dollars help a struggling system? Host Kathleen Petty is joined by Fredrykka Rinaldi, the president of the Alberta Medical Association and a family doctor, Janet Brown of Janet Brown Opinion Research and the CBC’s provincial affairs reporter in Edmonton, Janet French.

Feb 10, 202344 minSeason 4Ep. 130
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast