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Power & Politics
CBC
On Power & Politics, host David Cochrane asks decision-makers the questions that matter – and gets answers. Every weekday, we feature hard-hitting interviews with politicians and leaders, check in with CBC’s top political journalists for updates on breaking stories, and take the time to analyze the latest developments with a cast of regular panelists and critical thinkers. Whether you’re getting caught up on Canadian politics daily or weekly, we’ve got an insider’s view of the continuously-unfolding drama.'
38 claims · Clear filters
True95% confidence6 sourcesOct 21, 2026Midterm elections in the United States are scheduled for November 2026.Said by 4EMultiple reliable sources, including Reuters (2026-10-19) and USAGov (2026-10-07), confirm the 2026 U.S. midterm elections are set for November 3, 2026, which matches the claim's 'November 2026' as of the 2026-10-21 post date. The post's 'next month' phrasing is consistent with this date, so the extraction is faithful.True97% confidence8 sourcesOct 21, 2026Ryan Wedding was an Olympic snowboarder in 2002.Said by AMultiple tier1 and primary sources confirm Ryan Wedding competed for Canada in snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, finishing 24th in parallel giant slalom. The passage's misspelling 'Ryan Wetting' is resolved by the same post's reference to 'Ryan James Wedding', so the extraction correctly names Wedding.True90% confidence6 sourcesOct 21, 2026The Trump administration is accusing Canada of election interference.Said by BMultiple tier1 sources (BBC, Reuters, AP) report that the US Embassy in Ottawa, representing the Trump administration, issued a fact sheet on October 21, 2026 accusing Canadian ministers and premiers of election interference ahead of the US midterms. The claim matches the post's wording and the posted day; the accusation was made as of 2026-10-21 and Canadian leaders dismissed it, which does not change that the accusation was made.Reported in the post, not stated as its own.True80% confidence4 sourcesOct 21, 2026The United Conservative Party convention is scheduled for November 28th.Said by BThe UCP convention (AGM) is scheduled for Nov. 27–29, 2026 in Calgary per the party's official events page and CTV, and CBC describes it as held Nov. 27 and 28, so November 28 is a scheduled convention date. The sources differ only on whether it ends on the 28th or the 29th, which does not affect the claim. The posting date of Oct. 21 precedes the sources, but nothing suggests the schedule had changed by then.Raised in the post as a question.True90% confidence4 sourcesOct 21, 2026Nearly 75% of voters in the Alberta referendum chose to remain in Canada.Said by AElections Alberta's official results show 74.95% of valid Question 10 votes backed remaining in Canada, and AP and other outlets reported about 75% on unofficial counts, so 'nearly 75%' is accurate. The figure is a share of valid votes on the separation question, not of all eligible voters, and the extraction faithfully matches the speaker's 'almost 75%' remark.True92% confidence6 sourcesOct 21, 2026Ryan Wedding controls a drug trafficking organization.Multiple primary and tier1 sources (DOJ, FBI, Treasury, State Department, DEA, AP, Reuters) describe Ryan Wedding as the leader of a transnational cocaine trafficking organization, which the claim's core assertion matches. The claim departs only slightly from the passage's 'one of the most violent' wording by dropping the qualifier, which is a faithful paraphrase; as of 2026-10-21 the sources show Wedding was arrested in January 2026 and held pending trial, but the claim is judged on the organization's existence and his leadership of it at that time.True95% confidence5 sourcesOct 21, 2026The United Conservative Party lost the by-election in Calgary Shaw.Said by BThe UCP lost the Calgary-Shaw by-election held September 14, 2026: the NDP's Kyle Campbell won, and official results from Elections Alberta confirmed UCP candidate Mike Derry finished second. The extraction faithfully reflects the passage, where the interviewer's "you" refers to Premier Smith's party and government.True80% confidence5 sourcesOct 21, 2026Avi Lewis does not have a seat in the federal government.Said by BOn 2026-10-21, Avi Lewis held no seat in the federal House of Commons. Multiple sources from March through late October 2026 describe him as seatless, and he declined to run in the summer byelections. The claim says 'federal government' where the post meant a parliamentary seat, a minor imprecision that does not change the verdict.True85% confidence7 sourcesOct 21, 2026The NDP caucus does not have official party status in the federal government.Said by BThe sources consistently show the federal NDP lost official party status after the 2025 election, when it won only seven seats, and it has since fallen to five seats against the 12 needed, so its caucus lacked official status on 2026-10-21. The post's 'his caucus' refers to Avi Lewis's NDP caucus in the House of Commons, which matches the claim's scope. Sources are mostly secondary (Angus Reid, CBC/Canadian Press, The Walrus, Political Record), and the tier1 fact-checker results in the set do not address this point.True80% confidence4 sourcesOct 21, 2026The Citizens Initiative Law allows groups to collect signatures to force the government to confront an issue.Said by BOfficial Alberta sources describe the Citizen Initiative Act as letting eligible electors, through a petition with a set signature threshold, put a measure to a province-wide vote, which matches the claim's core. The post's conditional about the court appeal concerns the law's status in litigation, not its mechanism, and the sources do not address the appeal outcome, so it does not change the grade.True95% confidence4 sourcesOct 21, 2026California requires a 5% signature threshold for policy initiatives and an 8% threshold for constitutional amendments.Said by ACalifornia's signature requirements match the claim: initiative statutes need signatures equal to 5% of the votes cast for Governor in the last gubernatorial election, and initiative constitutional amendments need 8%. The rule is stated in the Department of Finance, Secretary of State and Legislative Analyst's Office sources, and the extraction faithfully reflects the post's wording.True85% confidence7 sourcesOct 21, 2026The recent referendum on Alberta independence resulted in a 75% vote against independence and a 25% vote for independence.Said by AMultiple sources report the referendum result as roughly 75% for remaining in Canada and 25% for beginning a separation process, and Wikipedia's table of Elections Alberta results shows 74.95% and 25.05%. The claim's wording calls the 25% a vote 'for independence,' but the ballot asked about starting a process toward a binding separation vote, and AP notes it was not a direct independence vote; this is a label difference, not a change in the figures.