Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

"Canada didn't need saving until your Premier legitimized and facilitated a fringe movement that demanded Alberta separate!" Real Talkers Trish, Marcello, Ron, Alberta Maverick, Justin, Amanda, Cyril, and Gary are all fired up for a "Referendum in Flames" edition of The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!

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Are you an Alberta conservative who's concerned with the direction of the UCP? Pete Guthrie wants your support. As Premier Danielle Smith grapples with a separatist takeover within the UCP, the Alberta Tory leader (and former UCP cabinet minister) joins Ryan in studio (5:20) to lay out the vision for the province's *other* Conservative party in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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Danielle Smith has a choice to make. Either (continue to) placate separatists within her party under threat of a hostile takeover, or take the UCP back. That could involve the nuclear option of revoking a number of party memberships. What's the smartest play, and what does it mean for UCP members and Albertans in general? We break it down with Erika Barootes and Melissa Caouette (7:00) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes...

Albertans have spoken, and the message is clear: separation is not the future they want for this province. With roughly 76 per cent voting against moving toward separation, the October 19 referendum has delivered a decisive rejection of the separatist project. That said, the questions, frustrations, and political divisions won't simply disappear. What happens next matters enormously, not just for Alberta's relationship with Ottawa,...

It's a difficult and consequential day for Alberta. As we acknowledge the tragedy at CFB Wainwright and the lives impacted, we also recognize a referendum day will could shape the province’s future for years to come, no matter the results. We connect with Wainwright Mayor Bruce Pugh (6:30), Brigadier-General (Ret'd) Andre Corbould (20:30), and Forever Canadian founder Thomas Lukaszuk (32:45) in feature interviews presented by...

"A more apt show title would be Real Propaganda!" Real Talkers sound off on the referendum, the separation movement, Jespo's bias, a new Real Talk drinking game, driving without headlights, and the beautiful town of Balzac. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmoton and Sherwood Park, featuring Ivan C, Chris, Michael, T.S., Kyle, Mr. T, Bev, Vicki from St. Albert, Michael, Alex, and Jason!

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Prime Minister Mark Carney talks to Ryan Jespersen about the looming Alberta referendum, Western alienation, foreign interference, the Pacific Link pipeline, trade talks with the U.S., and Canada's future with the EU. 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: leave a comment here or email talk@ryanjespersen.com

THIS SPECIAL EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY. GIVE YOUR CLIENTS SOMETHING THEY'LL ACTUALLY USE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. ORDER YO...

Keith Wilson and Tanya Clemens want Alberta to separate from Canada. The co-chairs of Let Alberta Decide join Ryan and political scientist Dr. Feo Snagovsky (28:00) for a deep dive into what an independent Alberta could look like, and what stands in the way, in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. Feo kicks off the show solo (7:00) with insights into how the referendum has divided Albertans. 

THIS EP...

Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi (5:30) says the first nine questions on Alberta's referendum ballot are more dangerous than the tenth question on national unity. Calgary Chamber of Commerce CEO Deborah Yedlin (59:00) says Alberta's economic voice is being heard, and the referendum risks silencing it. Both lay out their arguments in feature interviews presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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What happens if Alberta's referendum results are closer than expected? What happens if there's a blowout? Does the UCP go full separatist regardless of what hapens? Does Danielle Smith survive as premier into 2027? Zain Velji and Stephen Carter, co-hosts of The Strategists podcast, join us (3:00) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West just hours after their Strategists Live event.

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Less than a week out from the referendum, Premier Danielle Smith is urging Albertans to vote to stay in Canada...but does anybody believe her? Prime Minister Mark Carney releases a Thanksgiving video arguing the case for Alberta in Canada. Will it sway undecided voters? Amid threats including foreign interference and the leak of Alberta's voter list, Elon Musk inserts himself in the story. And Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre i...

In episode 5 of The Worker Agenda, host Omar Mouallem joins AFL President Gil McGowan and Secretary-Treasurer Cori Longo for a look back at the May 29th Day of Protest and to examine the upcoming Alberta Referendum, explaining what’s at stake for working people. They discuss the risks separation could pose to jobs, wages, pensions and public services, challenge the referendum’s questions and process, and explain why the...

"Thanks Boomers!" Real Talkers Tyler, David, Rob, Wayne, Robert, Chris, Scott, and Lorne give us their hottest takes on infill, Albertan "traitors" in D.C., the Oct. 19 referendum, and downtown crime. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park! WHEN YOU VISIT A DQ IN PALISADES, NAMAO, NEWCASTLE, WESTMOUNT, AND BASELINE ROAD, BE SURE TO TELL 'EM REAL TALK SENT YOU! FOLLOW US ON TIKTOK, X, IN...

Buckle up, Real Talkers. Premier Danielle Smith (3:30), Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack (34:30), and Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas (52:00) talk infill, inter-governmental interference, crumbling infrastructure, Alberta's looming referendum, and more in this Mega Episode heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend. Feature interviews on Real Talk are presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: leave a comment he...

Who gets to decide how Edmonton grows? Danielle Smith's UCP is stepping into the city’s zoning fight, overriding municipal authority over how neighbourhoods are developed and reigniting a bigger question about where provincial power ends and local control begins. Jespo kicks off the show with his own thoughts ahead of our October 9 interview with Premier Smith presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

TELL US WHAT YOU T...

What does it mean to be Canadian when Quebec is debating sovereignty, Alberta is heading toward a referendum, and a trade war with the United States is forcing us to rethink our relationship with our biggest neighbour? Veteran journalist and author Carol Off (7:15) joins us to discuss her new book, True Patriot Love, and what decades of reporting on Canada, conflict, sovereignty, and the U.S. have taught her about the country we ca...

Quebecers elect a separatist minority government - what does this mean for the rest of the country? We talk QC politics, renegade Alberta delegations to D.C., referendum impacts, and the Canada-U.S. trade war with former deputy prime minister Anne McLellan (4:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. Then, on the heels of former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel's scathing indictment of the state of the cit...

An unelected, unappointed delegation of Alberta separatists offered up Alberta's oil royalties and fresh water in exchange for American support, per an explosive investigative report in The Globe and Mail. Jespo gets into it with Supriya Dwivedi (7:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. We look at what's at stake in Quebec's provincial election (32:00), the likelihood of the Pacific Link pipeline get...