Over the pump

In this episode of On The Line, host Jen Gerson is joined by Andrew Leach, noted energy and environmental economist and professor of economics and law at the University of Alberta, for a conversation about Canadian energy policy at a pivotal moment.

This episode is brought to you by BioCanRx, a federally-funded Canadian not-for-profit research network bringing cutting edge cancer immunotherapy research from Canadian labs to patients in clinical trials –– all in Canada.

A drug that can treat your cancer is being tested in a Canadian clinical trial, but can you access it? Depends — where do you live? Clinical trials taking place in Canada usually open sites in major centers with research hospitals. Smaller hospitals face many challenges including having enough know-how to deliver experimental therapies, and administrative, legal, and regulatory responsibilities that come with a trial. There are also data and interoperability issues at hospitals that don't routinely participate in research.

So if you don’t live in a major centre, participating in the trial requires you to relocate there for the duration of treatment –– the cost of the treatment is covered, but the cost of being in the city where it happens is your responsibility. Patient advocacy groups might be able to help with some of those expenses, but this obviously can be a barrier for a lot of Canadians. 

A therapy might only become available to everyone across Canada if a trial is successful and the drug is approved –– but not necessarily, and maybe not anytime soon. More on that next time. Visit BioCanRx.com to learn more.

Recorded on July 2, 2026, just ahead of two major pipeline announcements, the discussion doesn’t cover the specifics of the federal government’s decision to retrace the TMX route or the proposed Canadian Shield pipeline between Alberta and Sarnia. Instead, Gerson and Leach focus on the broader forces shaping Canada’s energy future.

They discuss Prime Minister Mark Carney’s latest Forward Guidance video, the influence of the United States on Canadian energy policy and markets, the promise and limitations of carbon capture and storage, and the political significance of the new Memorandum of Understanding between Alberta and Ottawa. Throughout the conversation, Leach offers his perspective on what has changed — and what hasn’t — in the relationship between governments, industry, and the public.

This episode is also brought to you by the Forest Products Association of Canada. Canada’s forest products sector is not asking Ottawa to start over. The federal government has heard the advice. It has recognized the challenges. And it has put a plan on the table. Now the test is action.

That means clearing made-in-Canada barriers: regulatory duplication, transportation bottlenecks, and uncertainty around predictable access to manage our forests. It means working with provinces to protect communities from wildfire risk and giving companies the confidence to invest here at home. Nearly 200,000 Canadians working in this sector are looking for results.

The playbook is written. Now Ottawa needs to deliver. Learn more at fpac.ca.

The episode also asks a larger question: after decades of political conflict over pipelines, is Canada finally entering a new era? Could this be the beginning of a more grounded conversation about the country’s oil and gas sector, one that focuses less on symbolic battles and more on practical questions of economics, infrastructure, and national interest?

This episode is also brought to you by Cameco. In nuclear energy, timelines and costs matter. Incomplete designs carry real risk of delays and cost overruns. That’s why the AP1000 reactor is the right choice for Canada: it is already operating today and ready now to deliver the power we need, with 100 percent Canadian ownership and strong participation from Canadian suppliers. If we are serious about building Canada and powering it on time and on budget, the choice is clear. The AP1000 reactor is the only option that delivers.

To learn more, visit ap1000.cameco.com.

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