Balance of Power

What happens when Alberta separatists take their campaign south of the border and start fighting with each other along the way?This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil and Shannon Phillips look at the Globe and Mail’s reporting on Alberta separatists, Republican operatives, and efforts to win support in Washington.First: the separatist movement. What does the infighting tell us about the people behind the campaign, how much does foreign attention matter, and why is the bigger problem less about campaign technology than who has access to Alberta’s voter data?Then: the referendum. With less than two weeks to go, Annalise and Shannon look at whether “No to the Nine” has broken through, how advance voting changes the final stretch, and what the campaigns still need to do before Albertans cast their ballots.Plus, for Patreon subscribers: British Columbia’s election campaign. Shannon breaks down the NDP’s decision to raise taxes on high-income earners, the political risk of confirming voters’ fears about New Democrats, and whether a populist economic pitch can actually work.And Finally: Quebec. A new sovereigntist government puts national unity back at the centre of the conversation, with big implications for immigration, healthcare, and Alberta.Separatists, foreign influence, referendum strategy, BC taxes, Quebec sovereignty, and what happens when the girls start fighting.Welcome to Balance of Power.Mentioned in this episode:2025 National Security Strategy — White Househttps://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdfGet tickets to The Strategists Live:Edmonton - October 13 at the Horowitz TheatreCalgary - October 27 at the Bella Concert Hallhttps://strategistsliveshow.caHave a comment or idea? Email us at [email protected] the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended episodes and ad-free listening:https://www.patreon.com/strategistspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when a government calls a snap election two years early — and the opposition is still trying to figure out who it is?This week on Balance of Power, Shannon Phillips and Leah Ward are joined by Nikki Hill, co-host of the Left East to West podcast, to break down David Eby’s surprise election call, the collapse and reconstruction of the B.C. Conservatives, and why British Columbians are heading back to the polls on October 24.First: how did we get here? From the razor-thin 2024 result and the folding of B.C. United, to repeated Conservative leadership turmoil and a caucus that has struggled to hold itself together, Nikki walks through the political chain reaction that brought B.C. to another election.Then: why now? The panel looks at Eby’s argument for a fresh mandate amid a one-seat majority, the trade war, forestry, major projects, housing, healthcare and affordability — and whether voters will see the election as necessary or simply opportunistic.Plus, for Patreon subscribers: what does a truly snap election look like on the ground? Candidate recruitment, campaign managers, swing seats, resource triage, municipal-election overlap, and what organizers actually do when they suddenly have just over a month to build a campaign.A snap election, a fractured right, a one-seat majority, and 32 days to figure out what comes next.Welcome to Balance of Power.Have a comment or idea? Email us at [email protected] the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended episodes and ad-free listening:https://www.patreon.com/strategistspodGuest:Nikki Hill — co-host of Left East to Westhttps://www.youtube.com/@LeftEasttoWesthttps://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/left-east-to-west/id1870368396Get your tickets for The Strategists Live!:Edmonton - October 13: https://strategistliveshow.ca/calgaryCalgary - October 27: https://strategistliveshow.ca/edmonton(yes you read those links correctly) 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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: [email protected]: 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.