Balance of Power: The Most Expensive Option

In a moment when Prairie politics feels increasingly untethered from reality, what happens when governments start making generational decisions while chasing internal political pressure? This week on Balance of Power , Leah Ward and Shannon Phillips are joined by Saskatchewan NDP MLA Aleana Young to unpack Saskatchewan’s stunning $26 billion coal gamble, the politics driving it, and why the fight over energy policy is becoming a proxy for something much bigger across Western Canada. First: the coal bombshell. Aleana Young walks through the leaked SaskPower documents showing the true cost of rebuilding and operating Saskatchewan’s coal plants, why the government’s numbers kept changing, and how a plan sold as affordability could end up doubling power bills. Then: governing for the base. From separatism to immigration rhetoric to attacks on institutions, the panel digs into what happens when premiers stop trying to persuade the broader public and start managing internal party pressure instead. Plus, for Patreon Subscribers: Danielle Smith’s looming referendum speech. What arguments will she make, who will she blame, and how do governments chip away at trust in courts, institutions, and democratic norms while claiming to defend democracy itself? Coal, courts, separatism, healthcare collapse, Prairie politics, and the risks of governments that seem increasingly adrift. Welcome to Balance of Power . Have a comment or idea? Email us at suggestionbox@balanceofpowerpod.ca Join the Strategists Podcast Network Patreon for extended ad-free episodes and access to our exclusive Discord: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Balance of Power: The Most Expensive Option is an episode from The Strategists by The Strategists Media Corporation.

This episode is 43:38 long.

This episode was published on May 20, 2026.

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