Justin Trudeau came, he rolled up his sleeves, and he sat at a table with some of our city's most powerful economic leaders.

The prime minister came to Calgary to listen, but he also did some talking.

"One of the challenges we're in right now is that my predecessors have politicized that process. I'm not going to prejudge or shortcut the [National Energy Board] process as it goes forward," he said.

There are always politics in economics. Decisions on energy issues — issues like pipelines — come with that extra complexity. Agendas and opportunities have to be discussed, negotiated, debated.

It's often a tangled web, with strategy on all sides.

The CBC's Rob Brown spoke with The Strategists to dissect what was said today, what wasn't said, and what it all means for the economic future of our city and our nation.

Here's his conversation with Zain Velji, Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter.

Calgary at a Crossroads is CBC Calgary's special focus on life in our city during the downturn. A look at Calgary's culture, identity and what it means to be Calgarian. Read more stories from the series at Calgary at a Crossroads.