The Line: Alberta Podcast

The Line

The Line: Alberta Podcast, hosted by veteran broadcaster and columnist Rob Breakenridge, is a weekly show that takes a closer look at stories that matter to Albertans and all Canadians. For more, go to Alberta.ReadTheLine.ca.

  1. DEC 10

    The Indigenous case for pipelines and energy partnerships

    In this week’s episode of The Line: Alberta Podcast, Rob Breakenridge speaks with Stephen Buffalo, who is president and CEO of the Indian Resource Council, board chair of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, and a member of the Samson Cree Nation. The Assembly of First Nations has voted to call on the federal government to withdrawal the Alberta-Ottawa memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a new pipeline deal and to express support for the First Nations on the BC coast who have spoken out against the proposal. Stephen Buffalo, though, maintains that the AFN resolution was pushed through without meaningful debate and that the process excluded the Indigenous voices that support energy development and see the benefit in partnerships and ownership stakes in such projects. The Indian Resource Council, for example, represents more than 150 First Nations. We'll get Buffalo's perspective on how the conversation about First Nations and energy developments needs more balance and how much progress has been made with government and industry on moving projects forward with Indigenous involvement and partnership. He believes that there is tremendous opportunity for communities to generate wealth and employment opportunities and that these First Nations can also help be guardians when it comes to ensuring environmental protections. Certainly the issue of Indigenous consultation and participation will be front and centre as this MOU and the pipeline project move forward. We'll find out what a successful path forward might look like.

    36 min
  2. NOV 19

    Hoisted with their own petard - why the UCP now faces a threat from their own voter recall law

    In this week’s episode of The Line: Alberta Podcast, Rob Breakenridge takes a closer look at the debate over direct democracy and how opponents of the government have taken advantage of the UCP’s own voter recall and citizen initiative laws. In the aftermath of the teachers’ strike and the government’s use of the notwithstanding clause, a number of UCP MLAs are now being targeted with voter recall campaigns. The Alberta Federation of Labour has also announced its intention to try and force referendums on a number of issues, including the use of the notwithstanding clause. All of that is in addition to the two previously approved referendum petitions: the Forever Canadian anti-separatist campaign (now going through the verification process) and a campaign to force a vote on private school funding (currently in the signature-collecting phase). The government recently denied a request from the chief electoral officer for an additional $13-million to ensure that Elections Alberta has the resources to manage and administer all of these petitions and potential referendums and recall votes. Our guest this week is Dr. Jared Wesley, professor of political science at the University of Alberta and co-author of the new book “No I in Team: Party Loyalty in Canadian Politics.” We’ll get his take on whether this tumult was predictable when the UCP brought these laws in, and what this all might be leading to in 2026.

    37 min

About

The Line: Alberta Podcast, hosted by veteran broadcaster and columnist Rob Breakenridge, is a weekly show that takes a closer look at stories that matter to Albertans and all Canadians. For more, go to Alberta.ReadTheLine.ca.

You Might Also Like