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Real Sensical Politics

Matthew Bissett and John Vandenbeld
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  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

Tired of misinformation online, and extremely biased opinions? Looking for a real and common sense breakdown of Canadian politics? Get informed as we take you through current political and economic events and what they mean to you. With over 40 years of combined political and communications experience in both volunteer and professional capacities, we provide valuable perspective on the why, who, and how's of the events around us. With perspectives from both the right and the left side of the political spectrum, we discuss and debate real issues in a balanced and fair approach.

  1. May 17

    Updates on Alberta Separation and Pipeline Prospects

    In the past couple of weeks, and particularly the past couple of days, there have been some major updates on the separation movement/petition in Alberta. John and I look at what these are and where it could potentially take us moving forward. Ending out the episode we discuss the MOU signed between Alberta and Ottawa that signals the potential for a new oil pipeline to the west coast and tie that together with the discussion on separation and Danielle Smith's potential fortunes as the leader of the UCP.

    56 min

  2. Apr 21

    Lewis-Gladu-ByElections and A Carney Majority

    It's never truly boring watching federal politics (if you have the stomach for it). In this episode we first look at the recent election of Avi Lewis as the NDP leader and how that could shake out down the road. Afterwards we discuss yet another floor crossing with Marilyn Gladu now sitting as a liberal. We then discuss the recent by-elections that have now given Carney a decent majority government.

    44 min

  3. Mar 28

    Will the NDP Take a Leap With High Oil and 3 By-Elections?

    With the federal NDP leadership race set to conclude thisweekend, John and I take a look at the candidates and make predictions. We also take about what and why of the price ofoil before concluding with a discussion about the 3 federal by-elections coming up on April 13th.

    58 min

  4. Mar 6

    Alberta Standing Orders, Referenda and Budget Ink

    Usually we wouldn't release two shows so close together, but our last episode on federal issues and this one regarding Alberta topics are too timely to wait. A listener asked for some analysis on the recent changes to the Alberta Legislature Standing Orders as of February 24th. We take a look into what we see as the main changes and what those potentially mean. This could be a more dry section for some listeners. If you are looking to skip to referenda and budget talk, skip ahead to about 20:26 in the episode. Premier Smith announced her intention hold a provincial referendum on two main topics later this year in October - public services for immigrants and provincial input on judicial appointments to the Court of King's Bench. John and I discuss the merits (or lack of) these topic, including if public services for immigrants even costs the province significant amounts. Do you know what the difference in operational spending is in Alberta between 2019 and the proposed budget? The number is shocking. We also take a look at the recently revealed provincial budget for 2026-27 and go through some high level analysis of its operational spending, particularly in health care and education. Are you seeing that much of a benefit for the massive increase in expenditure? Take a listen and find out how much our budget has increased. Hope your sitting down!

    1h 10m

  5. Mar 2

    Spectrums, Parties, Floor Crossings, and Defence Procurement

    John and I discuss an overview of the political spectrum and what you find on each side as well as how parties in Canada fall onto that. John also describes a better way other than spectrums to describe political ideology! We also talk about Matt Jeneroux's floor crossing and a but about how that fits into the recent conservative leadership review. Wrapping up the show we look at how Prime Minister Carney has moved the federal Liberal Party further to the center ending with a look at the recent announcement of the new procurement strategy for defence in Canada.

    57 min

  6. Jan 23

    Poilievre Leadership Review and International Happenings

    As conservative leader Pierre Poilievre prepares to face a leadership review the last week of January, we John and I talk a bit about what percentage of confidence is required to maintain effective leadership within a political party and how the conventions work. We also digest the recent announcement by Carney to allow former levels of Chinese EVs back into Canada, and the potential impact on Alberta's oil industry as the US gains control of Venezuela.

    56 min

  7. Jan 6

    Do You Recall Alberta's 2025?

    It’s been a few weeks since we were able to launch an episode. With all of the Christmas celebrations and some illness thrown in, we just couldn’t get together and putone together. But we are back and ready to go! So much happened politically in Alberta during the month of December that we just had to use our first episode of 2026 to cover some ofthe highlights. As many might be aware, there are as of now (updated from the time the episode was recorded) 26 Alberta MLAs under threat of recall here in the province. 24 of those are government MLAs, and one of those is the Premier herself. What is recall legislation and how was it supposed to work? That is topic 1! The evolving news in allegations surrounding the government and MHCare has been going for some time now. This is a multi-facetted issue and we discuss it not only because it needs to be said, but to frame our final topic. Third, we look at the renaming of the Alberta Party to the now Progressive Torie Party of Alberta. Why that name? Stay tuned and find out. Fourth, former Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Shulz resigned her cabinet post shortly before the new year and announced she will be resigning as an MLA by May 2026. Where does all of this potentially take us? Stick with us all the way through the episode as we wrap up with our fifth and final topic for the episode. It’s a jammed packed show and thank you for listening with us!!

    1h 7m

  8. Jan 5 • Subscribers Only

    Do You Recall Alberta's 2025?

    It’s been a few weeks since we were able to launch an episode. With all of the Christmas celebrations and some illness thrown in, we just couldn’t get together and put one together. But we are back and ready to go! So much happened politically in Alberta during the month of December that we just had to use our first episode of 2026 to cover some of the highlights. As many might be aware, there are as of now (updated from the time the episode was recorded) 26 Alberta MLAs under threat of recall here in the province. 24 of those are government MLAs, and one of those is the Premier herself. What is recall legislation and how was it supposed to work? That is topic 1! The evolving news in allegations surrounding the government and MHCare has been going for some time now. This is a multi-facetted issue and we discuss it not only because it needs to be said, but to frame our final topic. Third, we look at the renaming of the Alberta Party to the now Progressive Torie Party of Alberta. Why that name? Stay tuned and find out. Fourth, former Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Shulz resigned her cabinet post shortly before the new year and announced she will be resigning as an MLA by May 2026. Where does all of this potentially take us? Stick with us all the way through the episode as we wrap up with our fifth and final topic for the episode. It’s a jammed packed show and thank you for listening with us!!

    1h 7m
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About

Tired of misinformation online, and extremely biased opinions? Looking for a real and common sense breakdown of Canadian politics? Get informed as we take you through current political and economic events and what they mean to you. With over 40 years of combined political and communications experience in both volunteer and professional capacities, we provide valuable perspective on the why, who, and how's of the events around us. With perspectives from both the right and the left side of the political spectrum, we discuss and debate real issues in a balanced and fair approach.

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Bissett and John Vandenbeld
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Matthew Bissett and John Vandenbeld
  • Show Website
    Real Sensical Politics
  • Provider
    Matthew Bissett