Can you lose five referendum questions and still declare victory?

In this special live Balance of Power crossover with The Strategists, recorded in Calgary, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips join Stephen Carter and Zain Velji to unpack the aftermath of Alberta's referendum, the successes and failures of the No to the Nine campaign, and what the results mean for Danielle Smith's political future.

First: the referendum results. Who emerged as the real winners and losers, did the No to the Nine campaign accomplish what it set out to do, and how much political damage did the vote actually inflict on the government?

Then: Danielle Smith's next move. With the referendum behind her, can the premier successfully change the channel, and what do the results mean for her government's political agenda?

And finally: the political lessons. What did the campaigns get right and wrong, what should Alberta's political parties take away from the results, and can Stephen Carter make a convincing case that losing five questions still counts as a win?

Referendum results, campaign strategy, political winners and losers, Danielle Smith's next move, and the art of winning by losing.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

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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 House

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-National-Security-Strategy.pdf

Get tickets to The Strategists Live:

Edmonton - October 13 at the Horowitz Theatre

Calgary - October 27 at the Bella Concert Hall

https://strategistsliveshow.ca

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Canada has some of the strongest legal protections for abortion in the world. So why do reproductive-rights advocates say the fight is changing rather than ending?

This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil sits down with Frédérique Chabot, executive director of Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, to talk about where the abortion fight is happening now.

First: abortion may be legal in Canada, but access is shaped by geography, the health-care system and provincial policy. Fred explains why her organization is also watching the politics of trans rights and gender-affirming care — and the political strategies that can move from one issue to another.

Then: the fight moves online. Fred breaks down what she calls the “betrayed woman” narrative: messaging that draws on real frustrations with women’s health care to encourage women to reject hormonal contraception. They talk about influencers, algorithms, misinformation and why the digital information environment has become a new front in reproductive health.

Finally: where does a national reproductive-rights organization focus when health care is largely delivered by the provinces? Fred talks about connecting the dots between local fights and national trends, the future of public health care, and what Action Canada is watching across the country.

Abortion access, gender-affirming care, contraception, misinformation and the changing politics of reproductive rights.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

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Guest:

Frédérique Chabot — Executive Director, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights

Get your tickets for The Strategists Live!:

strategistliveshow.ca

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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 suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca

Join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended episodes and ad-free listening:

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Guest:

Nikki Hill — co-host of Left East to West

https://www.youtube.com/@LeftEasttoWest

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/left-east-to-west/id1870368396

Get your tickets for The Strategists Live!:

Edmonton - October 13: https://strategistliveshow.ca/calgary

Calgary - October 27: https://strategistliveshow.ca/edmonton

(yes you read those links correctly)

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What happens when a seat everyone assumed was safely Conservative suddenly flips?

This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips break down the Calgary-Shaw by-election upset, what actually drove the result, and why everyone seems to be taking a different lesson from the same vote.

First: the shock. The NDP wins a seat it had no business winning based on recent history, without an obvious right-wing vote split. Was it candidate quality, ground game, referendum anger, dissatisfaction with the UCP, or some combination of all of it?

Then: what the result means for Calgary politics. The panel looks at Kyle Campbell’s appeal, the role of healthcare, schools and affordability, whether the referendum actually moved votes, and why “no safe Conservative seats in Calgary” is suddenly a much more credible political message.

Plus, for Patreon subscribers: the campaign mechanics behind the result. Why advance voting is changing how campaigns organize, how parties pull identified supporters to the polls early, and whether the UCP simply got out-organized on the ground.

Calgary-Shaw, candidate recruitment, referendum politics, Nenshi momentum, ground game, and what happens when a supposedly safe seat stops looking safe.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca

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What happens when the agency responsible for running Alberta’s referendum is already warning that it is stretched too thin?

This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips look at growing concerns around Elections Alberta, the referendum process, and what happens when public confidence starts to erode before voting day even arrives.

First: referendum watch. With hundreds of thousands of special ballots already requested, confusing paperwork in the mail, and Elections Alberta itself warning about chronic understaffing, does the agency have the resources it needs to administer one of the biggest votes in Canadian history?

Then: the trade war enters a new phase as Canadian counter-tariffs take effect. Mark Carney is leaning into a new style of direct-to-camera political communication, while Leah and Shannon argue that Ottawa still has much more work to do to protect workers if the economic pain deepens.

Plus, for Patreon subscribers: Calgary city hall erupts over a confidential budget leak, Jeremy Farkas calls bullshit, and the panel asks what happens when politicians decide the rules no longer apply to them.

Elections Alberta, special ballots, public trust, tariffs, EI reform, and whether it’s time to pull the fire alarm.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca

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What does it mean to win a referendum if the result still leaves the separatist movement alive and kicking?

This week on Balance of Power, Annalise Klingbeil, Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips look ahead to Alberta’s referendum and ask what a decisive federalist victory would actually have to look like.

First: turnout. More than 200,000 Albertans have already requested special ballots, but does that tell us anything about who is motivated, which side has the advantage, or how ugly election day could get with ten separate questions on the ballot?

Then: Shannon argues that simply winning is not enough: if separatists come out of the referendum with 30 or 35 per cent support, does Alberta really get to move on, or does the issue dominate provincial politics for years to come? Plus, what AOC’s social media series says about reproductive health, political communication and reaching audiences far beyond the usual political conversation.

Plus, for everyone: the long-awaited return of the Balance of Power Quarterly Report, with what Annalise, Leah and Shannon have been reading, watching and obsessing over lately. And a reminder that Patreon subscribers get extended episodes and no ads.

Turnout, separatism, healthcare, affordability, AOC, books, and why sometimes winning isn’t enough.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca

And if you like the show, join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended episodes and no ads:

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What happens when a crisis becomes an opportunity to make changes governments and business have wanted for years?

This week on Balance of Power, Shannon Phillips and Leah Ward dig into the politics of “crisitunity,” the Team Canada response to the trade war, and what Canada risks giving up in the name of competing with the United States.

First: the race to the bottom. Environmental protections are being weakened, labour rules are under pressure, and governments are promising to move major projects faster. But if defending Canadian sovereignty means stripping away the things Canadians say make this country different, what exactly are we defending?

Then: Saskatchewan NDP MLA Sally Housser joins the show to talk about the Prairie response to the trade war, the politics of AI data centres, the pressure to actually build the workforce needed for major projects, and what opposition parties need to do to look like governments-in-waiting. Plus, what changes when you go from political staffer and pundit to the person whose name is actually on the ballot?

Plus, for Patreon subscribers: new Ipsos polling suggests Albertans are far more willing to fight back against the United States than their provincial government is. Shannon and Leah dig into Danielle Smith’s opposition to retaliatory measures, why the UCP may be badly offside with its own voters, and how the Alberta NDP could turn that gap into a political message that actually breaks through.

Trade wars, data centres, labour, environmental protections, Prairie politics, polling, and just how much “crisitunity” Canadians are willing to tolerate.

Welcome to Balance of Power.

Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca

Join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord:

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Guest:

Sally Housser

MLA for Regina University

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