West of Centre – Details, episodes & analysis

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West of Centre

CBC

News

Frequency: 1 episode/7d. Total Eps: 158

Canada is complicated. Alberta has opinions. Ride shotgun with host Kathleen Petty on West of Centre for conversations about the state of politics in Canada, as power and influence shifts West. Whether you live here or just can't look away, you’ll get the no-nonsense analysis you need to make sense of it all.

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Data updated on 17/10/2026

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🇨🇦 Canada - trending
17/10/2026
#178
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🇨🇦 Canada - trending
16/10/2026
#153
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🇨🇦 Canada - trending
15/10/2026
#168
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🇨🇦 Canada - trending
14/10/2026
#148
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🇨🇦 Canada - trending
13/10/2026
#163
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🇨🇦 Canada - trending
12/10/2026
#175
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-premier-office-emails-prosecutors-coutts-1.6719743
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Score global : 58%

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Alberta voters on where they stand and what comes next

Season 8 · Episode 304

Friday, October 16, 2026 • Duration 29:56

Premier Danielle Smith says she’s heard plenty from pundits, commentators and political actors ahead of this referendum. Now it's time to hear from Albertans themselves. This week on West of Centre, host Kathleen Petty talks with voters about the process and their feelings as they cast their ballots.

One voter, who works in the energy sector, says she is done with Confederation and ready for an independent Alberta. A social worker says the current government is failing when it comes to cost of living, but wonders if an independent Alberta could do any better. And a former U.K. resident warns about the big Brexit mistake and urges Albertans to vote to remain in Canada.

Host: Kathleen Petty
Guests: Vicky Bayford, Rosie Costen, Matthew Morin
Producers: Emily Senger, Emily Williams, Diane Yanko, Josh Pagé

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Win or lose, is Alberta separatism here to stay?

Season 8 · Episode 303

Friday, October 9, 2026 • Duration 31:33

Premier Danielle Smith wants to “vote and move on” but is that even possible? For separatists like Mitch Sylvestre, this referendum on Alberta’s future might not be the end. With an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots requested, Sylvestre says he has cause to be suspicious if his side doesn’t get at least 40 per cent support. Host Kathleen Petty and CBC senior reporter Julia Wong look at the stakes and what could come after the vote.

Plus, conservative strategist Michael Solberg and political science professor Clark Banack weigh in on the trouble brewing for Smith. Half of United Conservative Party supporters are considering a vote in favour of a second binding referendum on separation. Is Smith’s leadership on the line if they don’t get what they want? And how does a divided governing party move forward after this vote?

Background listening:

For more on the parallels between Alberta and a promised future referendum in Quebec, check out West of Centre’s interview last year with Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. Here’s the link: https://link.mgln.ai/RPeKzE

Host: Kathleen Petty
Guests: Julia Wong, Michael Solberg, Clark Banack
Producers: Emily Senger, Emily Williams, Diane Yanko, Josh Pagé

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Pacific Link: A pipeline in whose interest?

Season 8 · Episode 302

Friday, October 2, 2026 • Duration 32:17

The Carney government says a West Coast pipeline — now called Pacific Link — is a key nation-building project and essential to the country’s economic future. It's a hard-won victory for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. But what’s in it for the rest of Canada? Are they buying what Mark Carney is selling?

West of Centre host Kathleen Petty hears from residents in the heart of oil country — Fort McMurray — who want to avoid boom-time growing pains. Plus, energy industry experts Emma Graney and Gitane De Silva on the tricky negotiations for a permit. There’s a lot to get through before shovels can go into the ground, including Indigenous consultations, route mapping, ecological surveys, cost estimates and workforce planning.

Background listening:

Here’s a link to a previous episode where we talk to a citizen’s panel and industry insiders on the prospect of a West Coast pipeline.

https://link.mgln.ai/energy

Host: Kathleen Petty
Guests: Kyle Bakx, Emma Graney, Gitane De Silva
Producers: Emily Senger, Emily Williams, Diane Yanko, Josh Pagé

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Alberta’s data centre push is trouble for Danielle Smith

Season 8 · Episode 301

Friday, September 25, 2026 • Duration 29:56

New polling shows AI data centres in Alberta are a political problem for the UCP government. We hear from voters in the heart of conservative country who are saying “no” to these mega-projects near their farmland. As Technology Minister Nate Glubish tries to sell Albertans on the strategy to woo tech giants – including Meta – at a series of hostile town halls, many voters aren’t buying into the plan.

Host Kathleen Petty is joined by political watchers Jason Markusoff and Trevor Harrison, who dive into new data from Janet Brown Opinion Research that shows only seven per cent of voters in Alberta strongly support data centre projects. These numbers come as support for the UCP is slipping and Naheed Nenshi’s NDP are riding higher than ever. West of Centre dives into how the UCP can manage this shifting public opinion, just weeks out from the Alberta referendum.

Host: Kathleen Petty
Guests: Jason Markusoff, Trevor Harrison
Producers: Emily Senger, Emily Williams, Diane Yanko, Josh Pagé

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How Alberta’s federalist push is lagging

Season 8 · Episode 300

Friday, September 18, 2026 • Duration 30:07

It’s crunch time to sway conservative voters ahead of Alberta’s referendum. But are federalist leaders doing enough? So far, separatists have reported raising nearly three times as much money as federalists and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has pushed the unity file to another Alberta MP. Host Kathleen Petty and former Conservative MP Damien Kurek look at what needs to happen in the final weeks and what’s at stake if federalist get-out-the vote efforts fall flat.

Plus, journalists Alex Boyd and Matthew Scace on why separatists seem to be more organized when it comes to fundraising, online dialogue and big public events — and, how getting out the vote could matter more than any of that. And will a new ad campaign championed by Premier Danielle Smith do anything to sway voters ahead of the referendum?

Host: Kathleen Petty
Guests: Damien Kurek, Alex Boyd and Matthew Scace
Producers: Emily Senger, Emily Williams, Diane Yanko, Josh Pagé

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Alberta separatists think they’ll win. Polls project a loss

Season 8 · Episode 299

Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 31:13

Separatists think they’ll win a vote they’re poised to lose by a wide margin, according to an exclusive new poll. With a little more than five weeks to go before Alberta’s fall referendum, host Kathleen Petty explains how the heck we got here and where we’re headed next.

David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, does a deep dive into Alberta public opinion. His numbers say if the referendum was held today, Albertans would vote decisively to remain. Motivations for the other side aren’t clearcut. Do they actually want to leave? How many just want to send Ottawa a message? Danielle Smith says she wants to have this vote and move on, but can we?

University of Calgary political scientist Lisa Young has also been tracking the rise of separatist sentiment and western alienation in Alberta since it flared up following the 2019 re-election of Justin Trudeau. She helps analyze the data, and questions whether polls might be systematically under-estimating separatist support.

Background listening:

Here’s a link to the episode we mentioned: “Is a trade war good for separatists?” — we interview one Alberta separatist leader, Keith Wilson, on why not everyone voting Option 2 is looking for full independence.

https://link.mgln.ai/P987Bo

Host: Kathleen Petty
Guests: David Coletto, Lisa Young
Producers: Emily Senger, Emily Williams, Diane Yanko, Josh Pagé

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Too friendly to resist: Danielle Smith’s U.S. diplomacy

Season 7 · Episode 298

Friday, September 4, 2026 • Duration 31:03

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are using very different tactics in the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade war. As Smith travels to Nashville, we ask whether her kill them with kindness approach is working. And Alberta’s senior representative in Washington, Nathan Cooper, weighs in on the delicate dance of diplomacy in Donald Trump’s America.

To put it all in context, two conservative insiders join host Kathleen Petty. Evan Menzies worked with the United Conservative Party, and before that with Smith during the early days of the Wildrose Party. Cole Hogan helped get both Doug Ford and former Alberta premier Jason Kenney elected. Together, they break down the politics behind the premiers' actions and whether these strategies will make headway toward renewed trade talks or at least less punishing tariffs.

Host: Kathleen Petty
Guests: Nathan Cooper, Evan Menzies, Cole Hogan
Producers: Emily Senger, Emily Williams, Diane Yanko, Josh Pagé

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Trailer: Welcome to West of Centre

Thursday, September 3, 2026 • Duration 02:12

New to West of Centre? Start here to hear what we're all about.

West of Centre on CBC Radio

Wednesday, September 2, 2026 • Duration 01:11

An exciting announcement about a new way to listen to West of Centre, starting this fall.

Is a trade war good for separatists?

Season 7 · Episode 297

Friday, August 28, 2026 • Duration 29:14

Putting oil and gas on the bargaining table as the U.S.-Canada trade war heats up would pour gasoline on Alberta’s fall referendum. At least that’s what one separatist leader, Keith Wilson, is arguing. This week we ask Wilson why he thinks the trade war means Albertans should push for a binding referendum on separation in October.

After that, journalists Tyler Dawson from the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star’s Richard Warnica weigh in with host Kathleen Petty on some major questions: how will the trade war influence the referendum campaign? What's the likelihood oil will be used as a cudgel in this dispute? And who comes out ahead when everyone from Doug Ford to Mark Carney to Danielle Smith is talking trade and unity?

Host: Kathleen Petty
Guests: Keith Wilson, Tyler Dawson and Richard Warnica
Producers: Emily Senger, Emily Williams, Diane Yanko

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West of Centre – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

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Apple Podcasts

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West of Centre – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other3

CBC1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other3

CBC1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify