About Inside Politics: Fake Pipeline Progress in Ottawa, Schoolyard Politics in Manitoba
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s much-hyped pipeline breakthrough and the embarrassing behaviour of Manitoba MLAs shared the spotlight on the latest episode of Inside Politics with Kevin Klein—and neither came out looking good.
Klein, joined by Winnipeg Sun columnists Lawrence Pinsky, KC and Royce Koop, opened by giving Carney rare credit for his recent moves on the steel sector and a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on a proposed pipeline to the West Coast. But the panel quickly stripped away the spin.
Koop called the deal a clear political shift from the Trudeau era and acknowledged that regulatory carve-outs for Alberta could help spur development. Still, he warned viewers not to confuse an MOU with an actual project: no binding commitments, no shovels, no tankers—just a political framework that still faces resistance from First Nations, British Columbia Premier David Eby, Quebec politicians and investors who’ve been burned before.
Pinsky went further, branding the MOU “political, not economic,” and likening it to Schrödinger’s cat without the possibility it exists at all. The only firm change, he noted, is a higher industrial carbon price in Alberta by 2026, while the supposed path to a pipeline remains vague and revocable. “Don’t mistake this for economic development,” he warned. “It’s a talking point, not a turning point.”
The panel then turned their fire closer to home: the Manitoba Legislature, where Klein said he’d “never been more disappointed” in elected officials. They condemned a recent question period meltdown in which:
NDP minister Nahanni Fontaine allegedly shared a post celebrating the death of U.S. commentator Charlie Kirk and branded all male PC MLAs “misogynists”;
Progressive Conservatives responded by dredging up Premier Wab Kinew’s decades-old criminal record, for which he has a pardon;
The Speaker himself got drawn into the mud, reportedly telling a Tory MLA he was “not clever” before later apologizing.
Koop defended the idea of question period but said Manitoba now has “probably the worst atmosphere in Canada,” arguing that the Premier sets the tone and that Kinew has chosen confrontation over seriousness. Pinsky called the exchanges “schoolyard stupidity” at a time when Manitobans are dying in ER waiting rooms and the economy is faltering.
Klein’s closing verdict on Canada’s political class—federal and provincial—was blunt: too much performance, not enough governing.
Brace for Impact! Canada's Trade War Just Got Real
The negotiating table collapsed after three chaotic days, and Canada is now facing 50% tariffs from its largest trading partner. On this episode of Inside Politics, Winnipeg Sun columnist and former Manitoba cabinet minister Kevin Klein sits down with fellow columnist Royce Koop, a University of Manitoba political science professor and Conservative Party candidate, to sort fact from spin.
In this episode:
Why Klein supports Mark Carney walking away from the table, but strongly opposes retaliatory tariffsThe 90,000 jobs already projected to disappear, and why that's just the startWhat really happened in the 72 hours before the deal fell apartPremier Wab Kinew's comments, Doug Ford's silence, and Howard Lutnick's surprise entrance into the talksConflicting accounts from Ottawa and Washington, and why Klein is calling for Parliament to be recalledThe Gordie Howe Bridge comparison, and questions about the federal government's transparencyWhat Canada can control right now: pipelines, mineral development, the carbon tax, and tax reform
Two Winnipeg political voices, one honest conversation about what this trade war really means for Canadians.
Read Kevin Klein's column on the trade war at winnipegsun.com.
Like, comment, and subscribe for new episodes of Inside Politics with Koop and Klein.
#InsidePolitics #CanadaTradeWar #MarkCarney #Tariffs #WinnipegSun #CanadianPolitics
17 Aug 2026
Canada Has a Bigger Problem Than Donald Trump
Is Canada prepared for a fundamentally different relationship with the United States — or are we simply waiting for Donald Trump to leave office?
On this episode of Inside Politics with Koop and Klein, Kevin Klein and political science professor Royce Koop dig into some uncomfortable questions facing Canadians.
Why does political turmoil appear to receive different treatment depending on which party is involved? Was this really the right time for Prime Minister Mark Carney to vacation in Tuscany while critical U.S. trade negotiations continue? And after months of concessions and promises, what exactly is Canada getting in return?
The conversation goes well beyond Carney and Trump.
Koop argues Canadians should prepare for the possibility that American protectionism will survive Trump, particularly with figures such as J.D. Vance playing an increasingly important role in Republican politics.
Klein asks whether Canada needs a dramatically different strategy at home: lower taxes, more private investment, faster resource development, stronger manufacturing and policies that leave Canadians with more money to spend in their own economy.
They also tackle government spending, rising property and school taxes, declining purchasing power and why a personal email to your elected representative may carry considerably more influence than most Canadians realize.
No slogans. No party talking points. A serious conversation about the decisions affecting Canadians in the real world.
Inside Politics with Koop and Klein — Canadian politics for real people.
WATCH, COMMENT & JOIN THE DISCUSSION:Should Carney have remained in Canada during the trade negotiations?Do you trust the political coverage you are getting from Canadian media?And should Canada stop waiting for Washington and fundamentally change its economic strategy?
#CanadianPolitics #MarkCarney #PierrePoilievre #DonaldTrump #CanadaUS #CanadaPolitics #Tariffs #CanadianEconomy #WinnipegSun
8 Aug 2026
Mark Carney Just Rigged the By-Elections (And Here’s Exactly How)
Liberals Playing Dirty in By-Elections? Carney’s Power Moves Under Fire in Explosive New Episode
Prime Minister Mark Carney is under the microscope, and the gloves are off.
In a hard-hitting new episode of Inside Politics with Koop and Klein, Winnipeg Sun columnist Kevin Klein and University of Manitoba political science professor Royce Koop dig into a series of decisions that critics say reveal a prime minister willing to tilt the democratic playing field in the Liberal Party’s favour.
At the centre of the discussion: four vacant seats, but only three by-elections called. Why skip the fourth? According to reporting highlighted on the show, the answer may lie in campaign finance rules that let parties combine spending limits across multiple ridings. By leaving a safe Bloc Québécois seat vacant, the Liberals can shift resources into a competitive Quebec contest while the Bloc cannot do the same. The result, Koop notes, is a potential spending edge of hundreds of thousands of dollars in a tight three-way race.
The conversation does not stop there. Klein and Koop examine the parachuting of candidates with little local connection, the use of government announcements timed around by-elections, and the broader pattern of floor-crossing that helped transform a minority into a majority Canadians never voted for. They question whether voters truly get the final say when state power is leveraged to change the composition of Parliament between elections, and they contrast federal rules with stricter approaches in places like Manitoba.
Media coverage, CBC funding, and the perception of uneven scrutiny also come under sharp examination. The hosts argue that declining trust in mainstream outlets is not happening in a vacuum, and that the combination of government spending and selective accountability is fuelling public cynicism.
This is not abstract theory. It is a direct look at how power is being used right now — and what it means for Canadian democracy. Klein and Koop do not pull punches, and the discussion raises uncomfortable questions about conventions, unwritten rules, and the incentives politicians face when they control the timing of elections and the flow of public money.
The full conversation is available now. Watch Inside Politics with Koop and Klein to hear the complete exchange, the specific examples, and the arguments on both sides of one of the most consequential political stories of the moment.
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