Description

In late 2025, the political landscape of Canadian energy shifted overnight. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that promises to trade federal climate policy concessions for Alberta’s cooperation on a massive scale. It’s being called a "Grand Bargain" that slices through the Gordian knot of energy and climate policy. But is it a breakthrough or a house of cards?

Join energy and climate experts Jason Switzer, Leor Rotchild, and Janet Annesley as they launch a special multi-part series dedicated to dissecting this seismic agreement. Moving past the "hot takes," Jason, Leor and Janet provide their "cold takes"—sober, evidence-based analysis on what this deal actually means for investors, industry, and Canada’s net-zero targets.

In this series premiere, the team explores:

• Who did the "giving" and who did the "getting:" The Feds got movement on carbon capture and data sovereignty, while Alberta got concessions on environmental regulations like the tanker ban and the oil and gas emissions cap.
• Electricity & grid integration: What shelving the Clean Electricity Regulations (CER) and the Oil and Gas Emissions Cap could mean for carbon markets, and the hard choices behind grid interties.
• The AI data centre bonanza: Can Alberta actually power the AI demand surge without upending affordability and Canada's climate goals? 
• Carbon pricing & regulation: A look at the aggressive April 1, 2026, deadline for equivalency agreements on methane and carbon pricing.
• Nation and First Nations building: Despite the "nation-building" rhetoric, Indigenous nations and BC government were left out of the MOU formulation. How can future discussions bring them in and is Indigenous co-ownership of major projects a true path toward reconciliation.

Whether you're an industry stakeholder, a policy wonk, or an engaged citizen, this series offers the deep-dive expertise needed to navigate the evolving "art of the deal" in Canadian climate policy.