Balance of Power

What happens when conservatives pick a fight with someone who knows exactly how to fight back?This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil and Shannon Phillips dig into Calgary’s Stampede noise war, Jeromy Farkas’s escalating feud with Danielle Smith and Pierre Poilievre, and what happens when conservative messaging gets turned back on the people who invented it.First: the fun police. Why did federal and provincial Conservatives decide to go to war over Cowboys, noise bylaws, and late-night Stampede parties? And did they badly misread both Calgary and the mayor they were attacking?Then: the punch back. Farkas names the antagonist, speaks plainly, moves quickly, and refuses to retreat into process language. Annalise and Shannon break down why his response worked, what the left could learn from it, and why there may be more room to oppose Danielle Smith than many politicians seem to think.Plus, for Patreon subscribers: Annalise and Shannon debate the Governor General’s clothing allowance, the gendered expectations placed on women in public life, and whether politicians should get help paying for the uniforms their jobs demand. Producer Haxim joins the conversation to provide the underrepresented white male perspective, and mansplain what female politicians should be wearing.Stampede politics, culture wars, conservative infighting, noise complaints, political uniforms, and the strategic value of punching back.Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caJoin the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspodMentioned in this Episode:Playboy meets country at the Calgary Stampedehttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/playboy-meets-country-at-the-calgary-stampede/article18268605/Bell: Farkas on fire, Danielle Smith pushes back — the Stampede tent brawlhttps://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/bell-jeromy-farkas-danielle-smith-stampede-tent-noise-brawlFarkas: No, Calgary is not cancelling Stampede. We are standing up for neighbourshttps://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/comments/1ud8j5h/no_calgary_is_not_cancelling_stampede_we_are/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many ballots is too many ballots?This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil and Leah Ward unpack the staggering logistics behind Alberta’s October referendum vote. With Elections Alberta preparing to print 45 million ballots and recruit 60,000 workers, they explore what happens when direct democracy collides with administrative reality.First: the ballot problem. The hosts break down Elections Alberta’s largest recruitment drive ever, the challenge of hand-counting tens of millions of ballots, and why a referendum featuring ten questions — and potentially eleven — could test the limits of the province’s electoral machinery.Then: the federal government’s new Online Harms Act. Can governments protect young people online without cutting them off from community and connection? And are policymakers focusing on the platforms, the algorithms, or the wrong problem entirely?Plus, for Patreon subscribers: environmental politics and persuasion. From Water Not Coal to Don’t Go Breaking My Parks, Annalise and Leah dig into why some campaigns break through with audiences who don’t see themselves as environmentalists, and why “this, not that” can be more powerful than another campaign built around “no.”Referendums, ballot chaos, water politics, online harms, political organizing, and the challenge of governing in an age of overload.Welcome to Balance of Power.Mentioned in this episode:Shannon's thread on Social Mediahttps://bsky.app/profile/sphillipsab.bsky.social/post/3mnwfgkbm4k2fHave a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caJoin the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a moment when Prairie politics feels increasingly untethered from reality, what happens when governments start making generational decisions while chasing internal political pressure?This week on Balance of Power, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips are joined by Saskatchewan NDP MLA Aleana Young to unpack Saskatchewan’s stunning $26 billion coal gamble, the politics driving it, and why the fight over energy policy is becoming a proxy for something much bigger across Western Canada.First: the coal bombshell. Aleana Young walks through the leaked SaskPower documents showing the true cost of rebuilding and operating Saskatchewan’s coal plants, why the government’s numbers kept changing, and how a plan sold as affordability could end up doubling power bills.Then: governing for the base. From separatism to immigration rhetoric to attacks on institutions, the panel digs into what happens when premiers stop trying to persuade the broader public and start managing internal party pressure instead.Plus, for Patreon Subscribers: Danielle Smith’s looming referendum speech. What arguments will she make, who will she blame, and how do governments chip away at trust in courts, institutions, and democratic norms while claiming to defend democracy itself?Coal, courts, separatism, healthcare collapse, Prairie politics, and the risks of governments that seem increasingly adrift.Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caJoin the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:https://patreon.com/strategistspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a week where Alberta politics somehow got even messier, what happens when the process itself becomes the problem?This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil and Shannon Phillips dig into the escalating fallout from the alleged misuse of Alberta’s voters list, the separatist petition, and why a data leak involving nearly three million Albertans is about much more than privacy.First: the list. Elections Alberta has sent hundreds of cease and desist letters, political names are being searched, and people with real safety concerns are left wondering who has their information and what they might do with it.Then: the referendum question. If the petition process was built on allegedly unlawful access to voter data, can any referendum that follows be trusted? And who needs to step up to restore confidence before Albertans are asked to vote?Plus: blame, agency, and the politics of “not my fault.” From Danielle Smith’s response to Arlene Dickinson’s viral post, Annalise and Shannon look at how responsibility gets shifted, how stories break through, and what ordinary Albertans can actually do next.Voters lists, cease and desist letters, separatists, public trust, and what it means when the democratic process gets polluted.Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caJoin the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspodMentioned in this episode:Arlene Dickinson's Instagram Carouselhttps://www.instagram.com/p/DYAgKmqEpo0/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If the problems keep getting worse, are we even solving the right one?This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil and Leah Ward take on a set of decisions that feel increasingly out of step with how people actually live. From time changes to family planning to public consultation, they walk through what happens when policy targets miss the mark.First: daylight saving time. Alberta is moving toward making it permanent—but what does that actually mean for winter mornings, daily routines, and how people function? Is this about convenience, or are we ignoring what the research says?Then: fertility in Alberta. A new report lays out the cost, access, and emotional toll of treatment, raising bigger questions about population growth, affordability, and what actually drives people’s decisions to have kids.And finally: the Alberta Next survey. After a long fight to release the data, what do the responses actually show? And what’s the point of consultation if the outcome is already decided?Policy, incentives, and what happens when we keep solving the wrong problem.Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caJoin the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Balance of Power: Does Anything Matter?In a political moment where lines are blurring and power is shifting, what actually matters anymore?This week on Balance of Power, Shannon Phillips, Leah Ward, and Annalise Klingbeil dig into the growing trend of floor crossing. They talk about what it says about political values and whether consistency still counts in modern politics. From party loyalty to power plays, they unpack how decisions are really being made and who they’re serving.Then: a rapid-fire round on housing, space exploration, and the moments shaping the conversation right now.Plus: our new segment, Quarterly Report, where the hosts share the small things keeping them grounded in chaotic times.Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caJoin the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this about rights or strategy?This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips talk kettlebells (kettleballs?) before digging into the politics behind the latest waves of anti-trans policy in Canada and what it reveals about how governments choose to fight.First: the framing. How “parental rights” moved from the margins to the centre of the debate and who it is actually for. Is this persuasion? Base mobilization? Or something else entirely?Then: the shift from clinical care to political conflict. What happens when decisions that used to sit with doctors, patients, and families get pulled into legislatures, and why that shift matters.Plus: the limits of the Charter. If governments are willing to test or override legal protections, what does that mean for how these fights play out going forward?And finally: if the courts are not enough, what options are left and what does an effective political response actually look like?Strategy, framing, legal limits, and what happens when politics moves faster than institutions.Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? email us: suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caCorrection: Around 51:55 where Leah mentions the Alberta case before the courts, it is actualy the Saskatchewan challenge before the Supreme Court. Alberta had applied as an intervenor. As of recording Alberta's challenge is currently at the appeal stage. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do political campaigns actually win once the voting starts?This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips unpack the strategy behind the federal NDP leadership race as voting begins, check in on the budget fight unfolding in Nova Scotia, and talk about the rarely discussed cost of maintaining a political image in the age of constant cameras.First: the mechanics of a ranked-ballot leadership race. What do campaigns actually do once voting begins? How do second-choice alliances form behind the scenes, and why do turnout and member mobilization matter more than anything else in the final weeks?Then: Nova Scotia politics. Nova Scotia NDP leader Claudia Chender joins the show to explain how public protests forced Premier Tim Houston’s government to partially reverse controversial budget cuts, and why telling human stories can still change political outcomes.Plus: the cost of a political face. From wardrobe budgets to cosmetic procedures to the constant scrutiny of cameras and social media, the panel discusses the financial and personal pressures women and gender-diverse politicians face that most voters never see.Leadership race strategy, opposition politics, and the realities of modern political image.Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? email us: suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caGuestMLA Claudia Chenderhttps://www.claudiachender.ca/Mentioned in this episodeLeft East to West Podcasthttps://open.spotify.com/show/5GLYrK3yElLMVYAML7W1gtShannon's Substackhttps://shannonphillips.substack.com/p/a-middle-power-but-actually Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we governing for the moment? Or reacting to it?This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips break down three political pressure points, and what they reveal about leadership in high-stakes moments.First: The fallout from the Tumbler Ridge tragedy in B.C. After reporting revealed OpenAI had flagged violent content from the alleged shooter but did not alert authorities, the panel digs into AI regulation, public safety, and the politics of crisis response. How fast can governments realistically move? And when international media drives the story, does that change the pressure on Ottawa?Then: Alberta’s referendum fight. With multiple groups organizing against separatism, and others pushing citizen initiatives of their own, is decentralized activism a strength or a liability? What does effective organizing actually look like before the writ drops?Plus: a new segment, The Opinionati. When progressive columnists publicly question Naheed Nenshi’s leadership, what happens inside caucus? Is this a real warning sign — or just the hyper-engaged political class talking to itself? And if there is a pivot coming, what would it look like?Have a comment or idea? email us: suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.caAI, organizing, narrative control, and a reminder that sometimes the most strategic move is to touch grass and calm down.Welcome to Balance of Power. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Alberta separation gaining ground, and can it be stopped?In the debut episode of Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips unpack new polling showing 29% of Albertans would vote to leave Canada, and why that number could shift quickly in a referendum. They debate the messaging war behind separatism, the silence from business leaders, and what a Brexit-style shock could mean for the province.Plus: what an Edmonton community league on the brink of closure reveals about volunteer burnout, third spaces, and the state of democratic participation.And finally, Mark Carney’s new national auto strategy — billions in public money, shifting EV rules, and a fundamental question: if companies want to sell cars in Canada, should they be required to build them here?Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? email us: suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.