Politics Is Broken

America has voted, and the results were bigger than anyone expected. Democrats took back both the House and the Senate, flipping seats in states that hadn't gone blue in decades. From Texas to Kansas, the political map has been redrawn — and so has Alberta's, though for very different reasons.This week on Politics is Broken, Brittlestar, Lisa B, and political scientist David Moscrop break down the US midterm results, the historic firsts in American representation, what it all means for Canada, and why Alberta's electoral boundary proposals are sparking controversy ahead of 2027.

Ontario held municipal elections and most eligible voters didn't show up. Meanwhile, the US midterms are approaching, and according to new reporting, Ambassador Pete Hoekstra allegedly warned that Canada could get blamed if Republicans lose.So... we don't vote in our own elections, we can't vote in theirs, and somehow we're still in trouble.This week on Politics Is Broken, Brittlestar, Lisa B and David Moscrop discuss voter apathy, American midterms, and why Canada might be America's favourite scapegoat.

Alberta voted on 10 referendum questions — from separation to Senate abolition to immigration control — and decided to stay in Canada (for now). Meanwhile, Donald Trump has developed a unique endorsement strategy for Republican candidates that involves complimenting their backsides. Brittlestar, Lisa B, and David Moscrop break it all down.

Is Canada trying to protect kids online... or just trying to regulate the internet after it has already escaped the barn, stolen the tractor, and opened a TikTok account?This week, Stewart and Lisa talk Bill C-34, the proposed under-16 social media ban, age verification, Ai safeguards, deepfakes, online harms, and why protecting kids online will take more than just telling Big Tech to behave.They also get into Canadian content rules, streaming giants, the CRTC, Netflix, TikTok, Canadian creators, and whether Canada should be investing in its own culture instead of hoping American platforms fund it for us. Plus: butter tarts, migraines, Yik Yak, and the eternal truth that humans are garbage.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Peter Hoekstra is back in the headlines after reposting Donald Trump’s “51st state” comments... because apparently diplomacy now comes with a retweet button and no adult supervision.This week on Politics Is Broken, Brittlestar and Lisa B talk about Hoekstra’s latest Canada-sized diplomatic faceplant, Trump’s ongoing 51st state nonsense, and why Canadians are getting tired of being treated like a Costco sample the U.S. can just grab on the way by.They also dig into Alberta separatism, Danielle Smith’s referendum drama, Wab Kinew’s blunt response at the Western Premiers Conference, tariffs, Canadian sovereignty, and whether Hoekstra is a real problem... or simply an ambassadorial buffoon with excellent job security.It’s Canada-U.S. relations, Alberta politics, Trump chaos, and one very simple message: Hoekstra go home.

Is politics getting nastier... or just more honest?This week on Politics Is Broken, Brittlestar and Lisa talk about the collapse of political decorum, the rise of insult politics, and whether it’s sometimes okay to meet bad-faith nonsense with a little verbal fire.From Alberta separatism and anti-separation rallies to Pierre Poilievre’s media scrums, Mark Carney, Stephen Miller, Gavin Newsom’s online trolling, and the occasional political F-bomb, they ask whether political discourse can get messy without completely losing the plot.A funny, sharp, very Canadian conversation about anger, authenticity, media, rallies, and how to keep one hand on decorum while the other one reaches for the emergency swear jar.

This week on Politics Is Broken, Brittlestar and Lisa take on Alberta separatism... the political idea that sounds simple until someone asks, “Okay, but who’s paying for the borders?”With a referendum question now in play, Stewart and Lisa break down the facts, myths, and very expensive realities behind the idea of Alberta leaving Canada. They look at the big claims around Ottawa, oil, transfer payments, pipelines, federal taxes, and Alberta’s place in Confederation... then compare those claims to the actual costs of becoming a new country.They also dig into what Alberta currently receives from Canada, including healthcare transfers, federal benefits, disaster relief, national parks, trade agreements, military protection, pensions, and the many invisible pieces of federal infrastructure people tend to forget about when shouting “freedom” into the internet.It’s a conversation about frustration, misinformation, political theatre, and the danger of making massive constitutional decisions based on vibes, slogans, and Facebook comment-section economics.Because Alberta separation may sound like a breakup... but it’s more like trying to leave the house while still expecting to use the family car, fridge, Wi-Fi, and microwave.

Should we take Alberta separation seriously?On one hand, most Albertans still don’t appear to want it. On the other hand, separatists reportedly submitted nearly 302,000 signatures, there’s a voter data scandal, U.S. meetings, First Nations treaty challenges, foreign disinformation concerns, and a premier trying to balance “Sovereign Alberta” with “please don’t actually break the country.”This week on Politics Is Broken, Brittlestar and Lisa talk about why Alberta probably isn’t leaving Canada tomorrow... but why the anger, misinformation, political enabling, and machinery around the movement still matter.It’s a conversation about separatism, grievance politics, Danielle Smith’s balancing act, and the very Canadian question: “Can we please not set the country on fire just to make a point?” The episode transcript frames the central concern as not Alberta immediately leaving Canada, but the “machinery around the idea”... anger, money, data, foreign interest, and political enabling.

Is Mark Carney opening the door for the NDP?This week, Brittlestar and Lisa B talk about Carney’s economic update, the concerns raised in Althia Raj’s Toronto Star opinion piece, and whether cuts or stalled funding to pharmacare, child care, and health transfers could push progressive voters away from the Liberals.They also get into Stewart’s trip to Politics and the Pen, a surprisingly funny Melissa Lantsman, Alberta’s electoral-list breach, and why this may be the NDP’s best chance in years to become the “not Liberal” option... assuming they don’t find a way to fumble it directly into a shrub.Carney may be steadying Canada through a chaotic global moment, but the question is whether progressive voters will accept fiscal restraint when it starts touching the programs they thought they were voting to protect.

There’s a lot of “slop” online right now… and some of it is starting to shape real-world conversations.In this episode, Brittlestar and Lisa unpack the rise of AI-generated content pushing Alberta separation and 51st state narratives — much of it coming from inauthentic sources designed to generate clicks, not clarity.They explore how these videos work, why they spread so quickly, and how algorithms can blur the line between curiosity and influence. Along the way, they look at the broader context… including recent comments about Canada from high-profile figures, and what the data actually says about the country’s stability and quality of life.It’s a conversation about misinformation, motivation, and the very real consequences when people are sold simple answers to complex problems.Or, put another way… Who’s really benefiting from all this?