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Hosted by longtime senior staffers Cheryl · news · EN
The Discourse takes a look at the ”who, what, when, why, and how” of Alberta politics, hosted by longtime senior staffers Cheryl Oates and Erika Barootes.
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Contact path
Public web form
Booking probability
32%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchThe Discourse takes a look at the ”who, what, when, why, and how” of Alberta politics, hosted by longtime senior staffers Cheryl Oates and Erika Barootes.
Recent episodes include "Boots, Boundaries, and Ballots" (29 May 2026, 54 minutes), "My Data, My Choice" (14 May 2026, 49 minutes), and "Rebuilding Alberta Healthcare, Or Breaking It?" (23 April 2026, 78 minutes).
The Discourse publishes roughly every two weeks, with episodes averaging 52 minutes across 77 episodes.
Booking probability for The Discourse is 32%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Discourse requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Discourse's contact route on record: public web form.
The strongest fits for The Discourse are Government & Politics. The Discourse has a news audience.
The Discourse is a news podcast with 77 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
Episode #71
Erika Barootes and Shannon Greer break down a wild week in Western Canadian politics — the Western Premiers' Conference in Kananaskis, Alberta's "referendum on having a referendum," and Prime Minister Carney pulling the...
Episode #70
Nearly three million Albertans had their personal information sitting in a publicly searchable database, built by a separatist group on a voter list that was never theirs to have. The biggest voter data breach in...
Alberta’s healthcare system has gone through a major overhaul since 2023 — new agencies, new legislation, and a new way of thinking about care delivery. But is it actually working? In this episode of The Discourse...
The April 1st deadline on the Alberta-Ottawa MOU came and went and Ottawa delivered nothing. No announcement, no framework, no signal that the federal government is taking Alberta's concerns seriously. This week Erika...
Episode #67
In this episode of The Discourse, Erika Barootes and Shannon Greer break down a busy week in Alberta politics, where the most talked-about moment didn’t come from the budget itself, but from a private plane. They dig...
Episode #66
In this episode of The Discourse, Erika Barootes is joined by guest co-host Sabrina Grover for a candid, wine-in-hand conversation about what is really shaping Alberta politics right now. With the legislature back in...
Episode #65
In this episode, Erika Barootes and Keith McLaughlin break down Alberta’s latest budget, tackling the growing deficit, tax strategy, and what it all means for healthcare, education, and frontline services. They dig into...
In this episode of The Discourse, Erika Barootes is joined by guest co-host Supriya Dwivedi for a sharp, no-nonsense conversation on Canada’s growing immigration and separation tensions. Together, they unpack rising...
In this episode of The Discourse, Erika Barootes is joined by guest co-host Supriya Dwivedi for a sharp, no-nonsense conversation on Canada’s growing immigration and separation tensions. Together, they unpack rising...
Episode #62
In our final episode of 2025, we’re joined by Ryan Jespersen of Real Talk for a deeper conversation about what’s really driving political division in Canada. We start with the latest floor crossing from the...
Danielle Smith gets booed at her own victory lap. This week on The Discourse, Cheryl and Erika unpack the UCP AGM drama: the pipeline MOU that was supposed to unite the party, the organized but noisy independence...
Alberta finally got its “grand bargain” on energy, but not the way anyone expected. In this episode, Cheryl and Erika break down the new Alberta–Ottawa MOU that scraps the federal oil and gas emissions cap, suspends...
Winnipeg is getting ready for the Grey Cup, but the real game this week is between Mark Carney and Danielle Smith. We break down Carney’s $116 billion “national interest” project list, why it’s full of LNG, mines, and...
Mark Carney drops his first budget and we’re split: Cheryl gives it a 7/10 for a disciplined comms rollout and “build-through-the-downturn” strategy; Erika fires back with a 4/10 over record debt, fuzzy...
Episode #57
The UCP just used the nuclear option: legislating 51,000 Alberta teachers back to work, imposing a four-year deal, and wrapping it all in the notwithstanding clause. Cheryl calls it a slippery slope for Charter rights...
The Alberta Legislature is back, and Premier Danielle Smith is swinging at everyone in sight. This week, Cheryl and Erika debate the government’s plan to legislate teachers back to work, the unprecedented strike that...
Cheryl and Erika dive into Alberta’s two biggest brawls: Smith’s pipeline push and a teachers’ strike that’s testing parents’ patience (and the UCP’s polling). We unpack the real differences between TMX and the North...
Classrooms across Alberta could go quiet on October 6 as 50,000 teachers prepare to strike after rejecting a government offer of 12% over four years. We cut through the spin: pay vs. working conditions, class sizes, and...
Alberta wants to stamp “CAN” on your driver’s licence. Is this bold reform or a busywork boondoggle? We rip into the talking points, the "election integrity” spin, and the weird real-world places this could follow you...
Episode #52
Danielle Smith dropped her “Three Bad Laws” video before even sitting down with PM Mark Carney, then walked out sounding… optimistic. No heavy-oil pipeline on the major projects list, yet the tone flipped. Did she hear...
Recent guests on The Discourse. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
emergency physician, Alberta Medical Association
Director of External Relations and Department Head for Applied Politics and Public Affairs, The Front Bench
former Calgary Mayor and current leadership seeker of the Alberta NDP, Alberta’s NDP
GDStrategic
PitchCentric classifies The Discourse under these industries. Guests from them are the closest fit, and each links to the best podcasts in that industry.
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