Audience participates in special live CBC podcast on the upcoming Alberta election

Nearly 400 people filled the Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall at the Calgary Public Library's Central Library on Wednesday evening to talk about politics and the upcoming Alberta election.

CBC's West of Centre podcast was live on location with executive producer and host Kathleen Petty, Calgary Chamber of Commerce president Deborah Yedlin, former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi and pollster Janet Brown.

"It's the first time our podcast has done an event like this," said Elise von Scheel, producer of West of Centre. "And it is not like there's anything to talk about in Alberta politics these days!"

LISTEN | West of Centre's live election special:

West of Centre1:15:54Live special: What do voters want out of Alberta's election?

Alberta is about to go into an election and it's a tight race. At a special live election show, host Kathleen Petty and her panel talk about the issues Calgary - home of many battleground ridings - and province are facing as Alberta votes. What topics will this campaign focus on? And what do those issues say about Alberta’s future? Calgary Chamber of Commerce President Deborah Yedlin, former Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and pollster Janet Brown join.

The conversation was centred around several questions: What do voters want out of Alberta's election? What topics will this campaign focus on? And what do those issues say about Alberta's future?

The evening began with people mingling and submitting their questions for panellists to answer live during the episode. Then the panel gave their analysis of the upcoming provincial election — set for May 29. 

"If people had any question about whether voters in this province or, indeed, in this city specifically, are engaged, they need not wonder any longer," said Kathleen Petty, host of West of Centre.

'This is, we all know, battleground Calgary'

The panel kicked off with discussing Calgary's top issues and the two front-runners: Premier Danielle Smith of the United Conservative Party and Opposition Leader Rachel Notley of the NDP.

Deborah Yedlin, CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said there's a lot at stake with this election.

"There's still a lot of uncertainty. We've weathered an energy crisis, an oil price crash, and we've also embarked on a very deliberate strategy of economic diversification."

While the race will be tight in Calgary, the panel agreed that Alberta's two major cities have different priorities.

Edmonton will likely be a "virtual orange sweep," said pollster Janet Brown, referring to the NDP's dominance there.

"This is, we all know, battleground Calgary," said Petty.

"This is where the fight is going to be fought hardest for both the UCP and the NDP."

The Calgary of today is different than the Calgary of five years ago.- 

Former mayor Naheed Nenshi chimed in about what he thinks Calgarians value.

"They're not interested in provincial funding for a new arena … they're not interested in the Commonwealth Games."

Yedlin noted the city has changed.

"The Calgary of today is different than the Calgary of five years ago," she said.

"We have had 30,000 people come to the city from different parts of the country. We've had this transformation of our economic fabric.… And we are the third most diverse city in the country."

Audience reacts

For the second part of the evening, Petty gave the audience a chance to direct questions to the panellists.

Attendees were interested in hearing more about alternative parties, like the Wildrose Independence Party or the Alberta Party.

They also asked about the significance of having two women lead Alberta's major political parties.

WATCH | Audience shares what's important to them heading into the election:

The evening finished off with a big round of applause and some attendees reflecting on the discussion as they anticipate heading to the polls in May.

"I'm going to stay engaged, I'm going to keep listening, stay informed," said Nadine Ryan-Bannerman.

"I'm looking forward to listening to the broadcast of this podcast because it did give me a lot to think about and will help me reflect on where I want to go as a voter."

The evening event was done in partnership with the Calgary Public Library.

"The library is super proud to partner with CBC on events, programs, exhibits and activations that help us connect our community to new ideas and insights," said Steven Dohlman, events and program partnership lead at Calgary Public Library.

To stay up-to-date with upcoming CBC events at the library, visit cbc.ca/mycalgary.

West of Centre is a CBC podcast hosted by Kathleen Petty with a focus on Alberta politics. Catch up to the latest episodes or any you missed here.