Why Big Oil Wants to Splinter Canada
Nora Loreto on the politics of Alberta separatism.
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Why Big Oil Wants to Splinter Canada w/ Nora Loreto / The Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer
The issue of Canada’s national unity is heading towards the ballot box as Alberta is having a referendum on the issue of separatism. I spoke with Canadian journalist Nora Loreto about the background to this dispute, the backing the referendum is receiving from right-wing US political actors such as Steve Bannon and lobbyists connected to the oil industry. The discussion also takes up the role of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is using the crisis to push a neoliberal agenda. For more commentary by Nora, you can go to the podcast Sandy and Nora Talk Politics, which is found here.
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An oil tanker is loaded at the Westridge Marine Terminal at the end point of the Trans Mountain Pipeline System in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
(James MacDonald / Bloomberg via Getty Images)The issue of Canada’s national unity is heading toward the ballot box as Alberta is having a referendum on the issue of separatism. I spoke with Canadian journalist Nora Loreta about the background to this dispute, the backing the referendum is receiving from right-wing US political actors such as Steve Bannon and lobbyists connected to the oil industry. The discussion also takes up the role of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is using the crisis to push a neoliberal agenda. For more commentary by Nora, you can go to the podcast Nora and Sandy Talk Politics, which is found here.
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