PolitiCoast

The Supreme Court of Canada has returned its ruling in the Comeau beer case, so we invited Micah back on the show to help us break it down. That leads us into the constitutional questions that surround the Kinder Morgan TransMountain pipeline. Finally we get into the latest pipeline politics.

The Kinder Morgan TransMountain pipeline debate finally exploded. Kinder Morgan announced a pause on all non-essential construction and will cancel the project by May 31st if it doesn't extract guarantees from the federal and provincial governments. Naturally, everyone responded calmly and rationally - just kidding! Then, we take a diversion from pipelines to talk with criminal defence attorney Kyla Lee about issues with alcohol and drug impaired driving laws in BC.

Rob Shaw and Richard Zussman are authors of the new bestseller A Matter of Confidence, which tells the stories behind the headlines from the end of the Gordon Campbell era through to the inauguration of John Horgan.

Carole James announces updates to the speculation tax that will see fewer people charged less tax but it will raise the same amount of money. Then we dive into Nanaimo politics with Jesse Woodward to find out why a city councillor was charged with assault and a city manager was charged with uttering threats. Finally, Michael Spratt joins us to break down the federal Liberal's new justice reform bill.

The BC NDP announced a wave of new LNG subsidies to try to do what the Clark Liberals couldn't: Make LNG work in BC. Then BC has a connection to the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica data breach. Plus quick takes on polls and new gun laws (and more).

John Horgan's NDP effectively killed Vancouver's chance to be a part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Was it an epic save or an own goal? Then we follow up last week's conversation with a look at the results of the Ontario PC leadership contest. It was a mess and Doug Ford won. And check out Ian's new podcast: Cambie Report, coming soon to cover Vancouver municipal politics

John Michael McGrath of TVO's The Agenda on Politics joins us to break down what the heck has been going on in Ontario politics for the past couple weeks as we careen toward the Ontario PC Leadership race this weekend. Then BC Today's Shannon Waters talks about what it's like covering the BC Legislature and she sticks around to run through our gamut of quick takes.

We heard you liked our last episode on the BC budget so we followed it up with even more budget takes! We start with more followup reactions to the BC Budget before diving into the federal government's Equality + Growth 2018 Budget.

Special Announcement by PolitiCoast

The BC NDP have released their first full budget, so we're dedicated the entire show to it! First, Ian & Scott break down the major highlights and reactions from the opposition. Then they speak with UBC economist Tom Davidoff about the 30 point housing plan and finally with tax economist Lindsay Tedds about the MSP Task Force and the announced phase out of MSP premiums.

A BC politics heavy podcast this week: The BC Liberals have a new leader but how much is he just like the old leaders? Alberta stops importing BC wines after BC puts a moratorium on diluted bitumen shipments, prompting Scott to have an aneurysm. We check in on how these two stories will play in the Kelowna West byelection. In quick takes we look at a slew of BC Government announcements, Trudeau's town hall woes, a new national environmental review process and which dictatorial regime we're selling arms to this week. And we finish off with a few of the many great tweets from this past week in our #bestofbcpoli segment.

Ian flies solo for this week's short edition. First he talks with Ranil Prasad about the Vancouver Youth Parliament, then some follow up on more political fallout from allegations harassment across Canada. Finally, some quick takes and a look at the #bestofbcpoli

Pod Keep Our Land's Erin Rennie joins us to talk about the spate of political resignations this week following different sexual misconduct allegations. Leaders of the Progressive Conservative parties in Ontario and Nova Scotia stepped down, as did Liberal federal cabinet minister Kent Hehr. But first, we check in on the state of the BC Liberal leadership race as the last debate was held earlier this week and voting happens next weekend. Plus our usual quick takes and this week's #bestofbcpoli

UBC economics prof Kevin Milligan takes our questions on the minimum wage debates. Plus a potpourri of topics from spending in the Vancouver byelection to the latest survey of British Columbians thoughts on Site C and proportional representation to the ongoing War of Plates between Alberta and Saskatchewan. And we close off with our picks from the best of #bcpoli this week.

Mayor Gregor Robertson announces he will not be seeking reelection this year, so this means more municipal coverage in 2018. Meanwhile, Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer is probably hoping Senator Lynn Beyak would take an early retirement from the Senate as she continues to cause problems for him, even after being ejected from caucus for posting racist emails on her website. In our quick takes, we look at the BCNDP's decision to increase the homeowner grant threshold, what it means the Michael Lee allegedly signed up the most members in the BC Liberal Leadership race, the new No BC Proportional Representation Society, Bill Morneau's good news from the ethics commissioner and the first signs we may lose NAFTA this year. Finally, we end with a brand new segment: The best of #bcpoli where we highlight some of the best Tweets on our radar from the past week. Nominate future tweets with #bestofbcpoli Become a patron at www.patreon.com/politicoast

Star Wars is known for its giant space battles and galactic storylines. In this holiday special, Ian & Scott are joined by Joe Fulgham to break down the politics and the military strategy & tactics of the Star Wars Universe. From the Galactic Republic and Clone Wars of the prequels to the Empire and Rebellion of the original trilogy to the New Republic, First Order and Resistance of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. Spoilers for The Last Jedi abound! Joe's podcasts are The Dreaming and Onlightened and is on Twitter @joefulgham Wookiepedia is your friend, particularly on the Galactic Senate, Resistance and First Order Google links: Seth Masket on why the Galactic Senate needed political parties on Vox Angry Staff Officer blog on Star Wars tactics War Stories Podcast on armour Rogue One military tactics Last Jedi military tactics Title theme is from Star Wars and copyright of Lucasfilms/Disney (used under fair dealing) and the outro is Princess Leia's Life Day Song from the Star Wars Holiday Special.

PolitiCoast celebrates the end of 2017 with a look back at the year that was and some predictions for 2018. Along with some comments on the recent CMHC/Statistics Canada housing data, Conservatives facing nomination battles and Trudeau's hot water over his last Christmas trip. Special intro music: Deck the Halls by The HoHoHos! CC-BY-NC-ND http://freemusicarchive.org/music/The_HoHoHos/En_attendant_Noel/24_-_The_Juliettes_-_Deck_the_Halls_CC-BY-NC-ND

A mega episode for a megaproject! First we talk about the approval of the Site C dam with Dan Woynillowicz, the policy director for Clean Energy Canada. Then we're joined by PolitiCoast legal commentator Micah to talk about the Comeau "free the beer" case at the Supreme Court of Canada. Plus our usual roundup of quick takes.

Byelection fever strikes BC as we preview Monday's federal byelection in South Surrey-White Rock and the newly announced provincial byelection in Kelowna West. Then we look back at John Horgan and the BC NDP's first term in office with friend of the pod David Moscrop. Plus our usual round of quick takes on fighter jets, housing and silly trade wars.

Ian's back in Ottawa this week so we have a double-crossover episode! First up, apologies to the LGBTQ community and the new Supreme Court of Canada pick with Michael Spratt & Emilie Taman of The Docket. Then Bill Morneau death watch and secret votes on derelict vessels with The Boys in Short pants. Find The Docket at http://www.michaelspratt.com/poadcast-legal-matters/ Find The Boys in Short Pants at https://soundcloud.com/boys-in-short-pants/

From the federal and municipal governments we get housing plans upon housing plans, but how do they stack up? Then, we chat with Justin McElroy about how he decided to pit all Canadian TV against one another and whether Kids in the Hall or Mr Dressup will be crowned the best we can provide as a country.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released his report card on how he thinks he's doing. Prof Lindsay Tedds joins us again to dive into the MSP Task Force and we come back to the TPP and Peacekeeping.

Unparliamentary language is threatening our democracy in BC but thankfully Darryl Plecas is there to save us from such profanity. Plus, what does peacekeeping even mean anymore, particularly in light of Ukraine's request that the UN intervene on their behalf against Russia. And the conversation about supply management we know you've been dying to hear. Finally, some quick takes which, as always, includes a not-so-quick look at the TPP and housing controversies in Vancouver. Make sure to tell a friend about us.

Stephen Carter, former co-host of The Strategists podcast and president of QED Marketing Inc, joins us in Vancouver to rant about Alberta politics.

The BC Utilities Commission has delivered its verdict on the state of the Site C Dam. Why Vancouver needs electoral reform with Keith Poore of 123Vancouver and our interview with newly minted councillor Hector Bremner. Find the full interviews on our Patreon at www.patreon.com/politicoast

Bill Morneau has a bit of good news this week as he announces smaller than projected deficits, which means the Liberals can continue spending on new and expanded programs. Then we speak to former Alberta Education Minister David King about his new petition for a referendum to end the separate Catholic school system in that province. Plus an extra dose of quick takes from Vancouver, BC and Canadian political news.

The results of the Vancouver byelection are in and not even 11% of Vancouverites bothered to vote. Nevertheless, Ian and Scott can surely overanalyze these results to tell you who wins in 2018. Then we get into the BC NDP and Greens battle over ridesharing and whether it will ever happen in this province. And as a bonus third segment, we look at the bad week that federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau has been having. Then we have a bunch of follow ups and quick takes. As always, thanks to Lindsay Tedds and all our Patrons for helping make the show possible!

We finally get around to talking about the Liberal's small business tax changes and then we look at how BC casinos are being used for money laundering by organized crime.

Our extended take on Thursday night's Housing & Homelessness Forum as part of the Vancouver council byelection. Then we look at Jagmeet Singh's win in the NDP leadership race and the BC NDP's first steps to an electoral reform referendum. Plus a roundup of quicktakes from provincial and federal politics.

We recorded the October 5, 2017 West End Housing & Homelessness Forum as part of the coverage of the 2017 Vancouver Byelection. The debate was moderated by UBC Economist (and past guest of the show) Tom Davidoff and Law Professor Margot Young. It was hosted by West End Seniors’ Network, Watson Goepel LLP, Metro Vancouver Alliance and Gordon Neighbourhood House. Find links at www.politicoast.ca

We have candidates but we don't have an agreed hashtag yet, so can we really call it a leadership race? In any case, Scott phones this one in (literally from Kingston) in a shorter episode looking at the initial state of the BC Liberal leadership race and a roundup of usual quicktakes.

Big corporate money is out and big government money is in for BC politics. But is John Horgan's allowance for political parties a good or bad thing? Ian & Scott debate it out. Then Ian speaks with BC Civil Liberties Association Executive Director Josh Paterson about efforts to reform BC's justice system. And our usual quick takes.

Our look at the NDP leadership race. Make sure to go back to Episode 45 for our interview with Niki Ashton and the clip on Patreon from the Burnaby JagMeet & Greet.

The BC NDP has released its budget update, so we brought back Prof Lindsay Tedds to bring a tax-economics eye to the discussion. Plus our usual quicktakes.

The Legislature is back in session and we've already seen sparks fly - within the BC Liberal party! Plus we check in on the state of the Vancouver byelections with a who's who of the candidates in the race. Thanks to University of Victoria's School of Public Administration for coming on board as our first Premier sponsor! And thanks to everyone who helped us reach our next Patreon goal!

Our live show turned into an extended edition! In the first forty minutes, we talk to political scientist David Moscrop about the ongoing John A MacDonald naming controversies and the NDP leadership race. In the remainder of the show, we welcome the crew of Pod Keep Our Land to talk about the BC Liberals leadership race and the federal cabinet shuffle and shadow cabinet. Thanks for helping make 50 episodes possible, we can't wait to do more!

Evan Balgord, freelance journalist for CANADALAND and Torontoist, joins us to talk right wing extremism and anti-Muslim bigotry in BC and across Canada. Then we catch up on a smorgasbord of stories from BC and federal politics. Don't forget to join us next week for our Ep 50 Live Show! Yagger's Downtown Vancouver at 7pm on August 31.

Ian and Scott are back together to catch up on all things BC and Canadian politics. Then they discuss the upcoming anti-racist march in Vancouver with two of the organizers of the rally. Find details for the rally at https://www.facebook.com/events/1234145256731732/ Also: we have a special live episode coming up for our 50th episode! Join us at Yagger's Downtown on August 31st at 7PM. More details to come and you can RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/505425896467133/

Ian's in Ottawa this week so we have a special episode with two interviews. First, Ian spoke with Evidence for Democracy Executive Director Katie Gibbs about the politics of science in Canada. Then, we have a clip from the latest episode of The Docket, where Ian discusses the Trinity Western University case before the Supreme Court of Canada with lawyers Michael Spratt and Emilie Taman. Find Evidence for Democracy at evidencefordemocracy.ca Find The Docket at michaelspratt.com

We spoke with University of Victoria professor Lindsay Tedds about all things taxes and economics and then a quick listen to some of the highlight policies from Jean Swanson's candidacy announcement for Vancouver City Council. https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds https://twitter.com/teamjean2017

Christy Clark has announced she's resigning as leader of the BC Liberals - and she did it while we were editing our most recent podcast! So Ian & Scott are back to look forward to what this means for the future of the BC Liberal Party and the state of politics in the province.

BC's new government is ten days old, how are they doing? Then we sat down for an interview with NDP leadership candidate Niki Ashton to discuss her bid. Finally, we give quick takes on Vancouver & Burnaby housing stories, the ongoing Alberta United Conservative Party going ons and Trump's decision to ban trans people from the military. Note that as we recorded this, the US Senate was voting on the healthcare bill, so we cut our discussion of that and as we were editing it, Christy Clark announced her resignation, so we don't discuss that. You can also find the full interview with Niki Ashton on our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/politicoast

BC has a new government and another new cabinet. How did our predictions stack up and how has John Horgan handled his first few days as the first NDP premier in BC in 16 years? Then, we sat down with UBC economics Professor Tom Davidoff to talk all things housing, including how he got 50 economists to agree on something! Make sure to subscribe to our Patreon to hear the full interview with Prof Davidoff at www.patreon.com/politicoast

Ryan joins us again on this episode to take a look at Canada's new governor general, the role itself and some of the history behind it. Then we look at who might make the cut in the first BC NDP cabinet in 16 years and our usual quick takes.

The dust is finally settling after the 2017 BC election and the next NDP government is starting to take shape. Trudeau is in hot water over a $10.5 million apology to Omar Khadr, but did he have any other choice? And what's going on in the NDP leadership race?

Christy Clark lost the confidence of the legislature and the Lieutenant Governor has asked John Horgan to be the next premier of BC. We recorded this episode literally as it was happening and are getting it out as quick as possible. We also spoke with Stephen Carter from (what was) The Strategists' podcast about what's happening with the possible merger between the Wildrose and Progressive Conservative parties. And no show notes this week as we're trying to get this up as fast as possible.

BC has a speaker and a Throne Speech but those ideas sound awfully familiar... Brendan Dawe joins us to talk about Abundant Housing Vancouver. And Micah Goldberg joins us to talk through the Vancouver Aquarium's lawsuit against the Vancouver Park's Board. Find full, uncut interviews at patreon.com/politicoast

Yes, we have to talk about the BC election again. Christy Clark announced her cabinet and rumours are flying whether there's trouble in the GreeNDP paradise. Then we invite Micah back for thoughts on the retirement of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada Beverley McLachlin and we look at Vancouver City Council's decision to reject the development application for 105 Keefer Street. Plus we have lots in our quick takes. Remember to subscribe, leave a review and join our Patreon at www.patreon.com/politicoast

We sat down with political scientist David Moscrop for this episode to talk about the ongoing BC stalemate, his work an experiences as a pundit and Canada's new foreign policy. Follow Dave on Twitter at @David_Moscrop

With the growth we've had since launching in October, and particularly following the historic 2017 BC election, we think it's time to see what we can really do with this podcast. That's why we're launching a Patreon page to ask you to help us build this show into all that it can be. Don't worry, we'll still do our regular episode each week, but we'd love the flexibility to do more - interviews, emergency episodes, deep dives - and make some of that available early or exclusively to our biggest fans. Join the PolitiCoast Community on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/politicoast In this week's episode: The NDP & Greens came to a historic alliance to bring down the BC Liberals. Andrew Scheer in the surprise new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. And Quebec wants to open the constitution. Plus our usual quick takes.