Real Talk Ryan Jespersen

Did PM Mark Carney's "Canola for EVs" deal with China really split Canadians? Auto workers in Ontario may not love lifting tariffs on Chinese EVs, but that doesn't make it the wrong move, argues Supriya Dwivedi (3:00). We talk Trump's Board of Peace proposal (43:00), Steve Bannon's inflammatory comments about Canada (51:20), Iran (1:00:30), and the Federal Court of Appeal's ruling on the Emergencies Act ending the Freedom Convoy Ot...

Real Talkers Erin and AJ have thoughts on the Canada-China trade deal; Laura, Lisa, Natasha, and Gerald are fired up over the "defund private schools" debate; Josef is "terrified" of civil war in the USA, Travis has heard enough excuses about Edmonton's snow clearing debacle, the "thesco" has a direct question for Jespo. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!

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Audio leaked from an Alberta classroom is causing a stir, as a high school teacher parodies Conservative stereotypes including references to the oil and gas industry. Premier Danielle Smith uses her X account to amplify the 90-second clip originally shared by a right wing content creator, stating she's "deeply disappointed" by "profanity, partisan attacks, or insults toward Alberta’s ethical energy workers and their families." What...

Alberta funds private and independent schools at a higher level than any other province, but spends less per public school student than anywhere else in the country. Alicia Taylor, a Calgary high school teacher, is trying to change that. She tells us about her citizen initiative petition Alberta Funds Public Schools (3:00) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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RCMP arrested award-winning photojournalist Amber Bracken in 2021 while she was covering the Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff in Northern B.C. for The Narwhal. Now, both Bracken and The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for what they say was a concerted campaign to limit press freedom. We connect with Amber Bracken and Narwhal co-founder Carol Linnitt (35:00) just moments before they head to court in our feature interview presented by Merce...

Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Coastal First Nations leaders before heading to China for Canada's first formal PM visit since 2017. This, amid uncertainty in Venezuela. Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot and Max Fawcett talk implications (3:15) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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Venezuela. Greenland. Iran. A Minnesota mom is dead, and ICE protests continue across the country. POTUS is threatening to indict the Federal Reserve Chair. You could argue all hell has *already* broken loose in the United States, but is the nation headed toward a legit breaking point? Supriya Dwivedi gets into it (3:45) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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Denise is appalled by the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, KP's thrilled to see the US in Venezuela, Don's bracing for WWIII, and Joe from Airdrie figures we should cap independence referendums, and Mr. Dad has a warning for Calgarians. It's The Flamethrower presented by the DQs of Northwest Edmonton and Sherwood Park!

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Former Poilievre comms director Ben Woodfinden and former Notley cabinet minister Shannon Phillips respond to our exclusive with former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos (4:30), share their thoughts on the fatal ICE shooting in Minnesota (22:15), give a Canadian perspective on the Venezuela "situation" (37:15), debate the merits of dropping tariffs on Chinese EVs (45:30), and predict whether or not we'll see another federal election in...

Athana Mentzelopoulos is the former President and CEO of Alberta Health Services. She was fired by the Alberta government exactly one year ago for what the province calls "alarming incompetence" and an inability to carry out the mandates she was given. She says that's not true. In a $1.7M wrongful-dismissal lawsuit, Mentzelopoulos alleges she was fired because she refused to shut down an internal investigation into procurement prac...

Did Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre put Canada in a tough spot by praising President Donald Trump's action in Venezuela? Sharan Kaur argues yes (3:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

A NOTE FROM RYAN: Thirty seconds after we wrapped this episode, I learned of Anna Murphy's passing. Just weeks ago - on November 19 - Anna joined us (with her heart on her sleeve), speaking passionately about me...

Donald Trump wants Greenland. European leaders are pushing back. What's Canada's best play, all things considered? National Post columnist Rahim Mohamed leads us off (7:00) with a look at comments from Stephen Miller and Bob Rae, and the biggest issue facing Mark Carney. 

Plus, could Alberta separatists actually face charges for meeting with US State Department officials (20:00)? Did Chrystia Freeland step in one (32:00) with her U...

As dictator Nicolás Maduro appears before a New York judge, the international community is debating American military intervention in Venezuela, and what it could mean for other countries including Canada. Former PMO senior advisor Supriya Dwivedi gives us her take (6:00) in our first feature interview of 2026, presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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Randy Boissonnault just endured "the worst year of (his) life". The embattled former Trudeau cabinet minister and Edmonton-Centre MP makes Real Talk his first stop on a redemption tour (3:15) following a court ruling in his favour in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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Real Talkers Todd and Jenny are fired up over our December 9 interview with Premier Danielle Smith, Laura takes issue with Jespo's comments on private laundry services at hospitals, Michael's frustrated with "culture wars of the week," Marion supports Skate Canada's decision to boycott Alberta, Dwight sounds the alarm on orphan well clean-up, and Brian has thoughts on being forced to pay for the COVID vaccine. It's an "airing of gr...

Before he was a Senator, Charles Adler held court as one of Canada's most prominent talk radio hosts. In this episode, the longtime purveyor of "Canadian Common Sense" gives us his take on recent federal floor crossings (3:45), Pierre Poilievre's upcoming leadership review (10:00), rumblings around a Jason Kenney Conservative leadership run (18:20), and the differences between Liberal and Conservative platforms (aided by emails fro...

Whatever Donald Trump's doing in Venezuela, it'll have a major effect on Alberta's bottom line. We break it down in a special year-end edition of the Real Talk Round Table (6:00) with Nathan Mison (Diplomat Consulting), Michaela Frey (Alberta Counsel), Jason Hatcher (Navigator), and Shauna Feth (President and CEO, Alberta Chambers of Commerce). 

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Minister of Justice Sean Fraser has "real concerns" about provinces using the Charter's Notwithstanding Clause to circumvent Canada's courts. He talks to us about that, gun regulation (and reflections on the Bondi Beach attack), and plans for an Alberta provincial police service (2:30) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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Dr. Raj Sherman's been working in Emergency Rooms for more than 30 years. He's served as an MLA for two different parties, and he recently wrapped his term as chair of Health Quality Alberta. He explains why Alberta's making a big move in the wrong direction on healthcare reform in our feature interview (4:00) presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West. 

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