As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, let it be said that if you are anti-pipeline and anti-fossil fuels, then you are, by default, pro-Putin. Sheila Gunn-Reed explains all.
00:03:49.260Today, we are announcing our intention to ban all imports of crude oil from Russia.
00:03:59.320An industry that has benefited President Putin and his oligarchs greatly.
00:04:04.780Sheila Gunn-Reed for Rebel News and I'm back here in my home studio.
00:04:09.240But the video you're going to see was filmed over the weekend at the Alberta legislature at the weekly freedom protest.
00:04:15.260Now, while I was there, I saw dozens of Ukrainian flags in amongst the signs of people who come out every single week in the capital city to protest COVID-19 restrictions.
00:04:24.440And that should really come as no surprise if you know something about Western Canada.
00:04:29.880Outside of Ukraine and Russia, Canada has the largest population of people of Ukrainian descent.
00:04:34.960And most of those people live out here on the prairies.
00:04:38.340Which made it so crazy for CBC to have claimed that the freedom convoy to Ottawa, which was led by Westerners, was some kind of Russian-backed operation.
00:04:48.220Given Canada's support of Ukraine in this current crisis with Russia, I don't know if it's far-fetched to ask, but there is concern that Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things as this protest grows, but perhaps even instigating it from the outset.
00:05:07.440Now, that claim was too ridiculous, even for the CBC.
00:05:10.620They ultimately ended up having to walk it back in shame.
00:05:13.040But while I was at the legislature on that other story, I thought I would ask the people with Ukrainian flags what they thought about America and Canada helping fund the Russian war machine by purchasing Russian oil when we just have so darn much oil here in Alberta that we can't get to market because of blocked, stalled, or cancelled pipelines.
00:05:31.400President Joe Biden cancelled Keystone XL pipeline when it was nearly complete.
00:05:35.060It would pump enough oil every single day to offset Russian imports and then some, while creating Canadian and American jobs.
00:05:42.500Now, you can sign our petition to President Joe Biden, calling on him to immediately allow Keystone XL to be completed, and we will hand-deliver that petition to the American Consulate in Calgary.
00:05:53.440Just go to buildkeystonexl.com, sign it, share it, we'll do the rest.
00:05:57.980The Energy East pipeline was euthanized through onerous regulations created by the Liberals here in Canada.
00:06:03.160That pipeline would have taken ethical Canadian oil to the Irving Oil Refinery in St. John, New Brunswick.
00:06:08.160Currently, Canada imports about half a billion and a little bit more dollars worth of Russian oil each year.
00:06:14.740That was at least until yesterday, Monday, when Justin Trudeau made that announcement to cancel Russian oil imports,
00:06:21.100something he should have done a long time ago instead of landlocking Freedom Oil from here in Alberta.
00:06:26.200But credit where it's due, it's a good move, long overdue.
00:06:29.540But hopefully it's a realization for the Liberals that every barrel of oil that they import from a dictatorship instead of using Alberta oil is soaked in blood.
00:06:39.460Freedom Oil. Wow, that has a great ring to it, doesn't it, folks?
00:06:44.020And make no mistake, if you are anti-pipeline and if you are anti-fossil fuels, then guess what?
00:06:50.740This means you are, by default, pro-Putin as he carries out a brutal attack against Ukraine.
00:06:59.500Sorry, greenies, that's just the way it is.
00:07:03.000And joining me now is our chief reporter, Sheila Gunn-Reed.
00:12:51.140And he continues to fund the Russian war machine because every day, I think it's about 600,000 barrels of Russian oil come into the United States.
00:13:02.020The Keystone XL pipeline would offset that and then some, while adding capacity,
00:13:09.220which drives down the cost of living and the price of gas in the United States.
00:13:14.960By reigniting that pipeline, it addresses a whole host of issues.
00:13:23.380But Biden won't do it because he's beholden to the green side of the Democrats.
00:13:28.680And it's gotten so bad in the United States that Joe can't, there's no, I guess, escape hatch from this bad idea of killing Keystone XL.
00:13:40.400That he was taken to pleading with OPEC, the world's other oligarchs and dictators, to increase capacity because the price of oil was going up so fast in the United States and increasing cost of living.
00:13:54.820While he simultaneously pulled permits on American drilling and canceled that one cross-border pipeline.
00:14:05.660Drill, drill, drill, frack, frack, frack, flood the market, starve the Russian oil machine, create American and Canadian jobs, and address inflation.
00:14:15.760But he just won't do it because he wants to kiss butt to the AOC wing of the party.
00:14:23.040That's what I was hoping to hear in his State of the Union address instead of, you know, getting Iranians confused with Ukrainians as the victims of the Russian invasion.
00:14:34.460I'm going to be devil's advocate here.
00:14:36.240Let's say that man-made climate change is a real thing.
00:14:41.120Let's say there is a really good case for carbon taxes and for, you know, stalling the development of fossil fuels in North America.
00:14:52.300Couldn't Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden say, we subscribe to this, we believe this is real, but now is not the time to go down this route.
00:15:03.720Couldn't that give them an escape hatch in terms of reducing the effects of inflation, which are severe right now, and putting an end to the Russian war machine?
00:15:18.360Let's, and I hate to concede it, but let's concede it for the sake of argument that, you know, humans are increasing global warming because of our fossil fuel consumption.
00:15:29.060Let's, let's play devil's advocate here.
00:15:35.820We saw a substantial drop in American greenhouse gas emissions during the fracking renaissance that happened under President Donald Trump.
00:15:44.760Because natural gas is as clean burning as it gets, if you care about those sorts of things.
00:15:50.340I don't necessarily, but I like natural gas.
00:15:52.860I think there should be all options on the table, natural gas, oil and gas, coal, methane, whatever.
00:16:01.640But the flip side of the argument is, the demand is not going down for natural gas and oil.
00:16:11.040We know we do it cleaner and better here in North America.
00:16:16.000And I know right now there are Canadian and American expats working overseas who know exactly what I'm talking about.
00:16:23.780If you worked in a foreign oil and gas field in Kazakhstan, in Russia, in Africa, you know what the environmental standards are like there versus what happens here.
00:16:37.440So if you care about the environment, if even if you care about greenhouse gas emissions, then North America has to be the place where we do these things, where we drill and frack and produce the world's energy.
00:16:53.260I mean, I look at who, you know, the people who are the face of the environmental movement these days.
00:16:59.640It's Greta Thunberg, David Suzuki, Al Gore, and it's John Kerry, yes, who's worried that the Ukraine invasion might be a diversionary tactic away from the real war, the war on climate.
00:17:13.580And yet all of these people that I just mentioned, Sheila, when it comes to the hypocrisy of what they say and how they live, for example, Al Gore, I understand, I came across an article once upon a time.
00:17:25.120His carbon footprint is something like 28 times greater than the average American.
00:17:31.260Totally believable, because when you live in a mansion and you fly everywhere by private jet, oh, you're darn rootin' tootin' you're going to have a Godzilla-sized carbon footprint.
00:17:42.180Why are we taking our moral cues, why are we taking advice on energy policy from the biggest carbon hypocrites on the planet?
00:17:51.680You know, it's interesting, because when they say that we need to reduce or live smaller or live greener, they mean we, not them.
00:18:05.560For example, David Suzuki, he's got five kids, but he thinks there are too many people on the face of the earth.
00:18:11.380So he means that you and I should have fewer kids.
00:18:14.900We should be subject to population control, not them.
00:18:18.260You and I shouldn't be able to travel on an airplane, but John Kerry can take a private jet to fly to the UN Climate Change Conference.
00:18:29.060I'm supposed to ride a bike to get groceries.
00:18:31.800These people can have their drivers run their limo for hours while they wait on them at the Climate Change Conference so that it's a comfortable temperature for them to get in.
00:19:08.580And I got to tell you, I was going to try to do my part for the planet today by riding my bike into work, but I just didn't want to freeze my ball bearings off.
00:19:16.740Anyway, Sheila, thank you so much for your insight.
00:19:20.420And you have a great weekend, my friend.
00:19:24.020And if people want to sign my petition that we will deliver to the American consulate in Calgary, right in the heart of oil country, calling on President Joe Biden to bring Keystone XL back online for the sake of his country and ours and freedom around the world, just go to buildkeystonexl.com.
00:19:54.860More of Rebel Roundup to come right after this.
00:20:02.220By all means, there are certain places where it makes sense to have these types of people.
00:20:07.600Where you're in close contact, we're talking bus operators.
00:20:10.420We're on a mask, we have gloves, and we're behind a, what we call a bio shield.
00:20:17.420So we're not coming into close contact.
00:20:20.120And I guess one of the biggest ironic things for us is we allow our passengers on.
00:20:25.920We're not allowed to ask for them for their vaccination.
00:20:29.960But yet they put that type of bonus on us.
00:20:32.200So what we're asking is we're asking for city council to reconsider their position.
00:20:36.400We had a policy that was effective, that effectively kept everybody safe.
00:20:41.640And we're asking them to maintain the policy of allowing the option of testing.
00:20:46.300Tamara Ugolini with Rebel News bringing you another instance where a union is actually backing its members in respecting their right to bodily autonomy and medical privacy.
00:20:57.320It's a small union out of Hamilton, Ontario called ATU 107.
00:21:03.000That stands for Amalgamated Transit Union.
00:21:05.680Their president, Eric Tuck, represents approximately 800 transit professionals.
00:21:11.280They work primarily for the city-owned Hamilton Street Railway and bus operations.
00:21:16.820Collectively, they carry over 30 million people every year.
00:21:20.700And so far, they have a fantastic safety record.
00:21:23.020On January 12th, 2022, the city of Hamilton came out with a new vaccine policy that gives city workers until May 31st to be fully vaccinated or provide proof of an approved medical exemption.
00:21:38.900Anyone who fails to do so will face termination as of June 1st, 2022.
00:21:44.480This news received attention with mainstream media at the end of January, when veteran transit workers began to speak up and attest this vaxxed or be axed policy.
00:21:59.320Shortly thereafter, on February the 8th, Local 107 issued a press release challenging and condemning this policy.
00:22:07.780In this interview, I'm catching up with President Eric Tuck to discuss why he's backing his members, what he hopes to achieve, of course, by doing so.
00:22:17.880And then I will hear from him about the basis of this press release.
00:22:23.660We set a press release out because our employer, the Hamilton Railway, which is the city of Hamilton, has put out a mandate for a vaccination mandatory policy, which up until now, we had been working with a vaccine verification policy, which you simply had to declare.
00:22:43.240And if you weren't willing to declare, because, as you know, our medical information is private and should have the right to keep that private.
00:22:52.100If our members wanted to keep that private, they would not have to declare.
00:22:55.540They would simply have to participate in a short education video and then participate in the rapid testing.
00:23:04.520This was a policy which we had agreed with.
00:23:07.560We felt it was reasonable, given what we were going through.
00:23:10.900We felt that that was extremely heavy handed.
00:23:37.180It has the potential to violate several of our chartered rights, as well as the Privacy Act of Canada, the area of human rights, and our chartered rights.
00:24:16.780And the majority of the members, 55 percent, voted in favor of proceeding to arbitration because they really felt that it was important that we defend members' rights and defend their jobs.
00:24:27.920Well, knock me down with a feather, for here we have a union that truly believes it should defend its members' rights and defend its members' jobs.
00:24:39.300Now, once upon a time, folks, that's what all unions used to do.
00:24:43.520Going to bat for the rank and file was actually the ostensible policy reason for a union to exist in the first place.
00:24:50.940But then COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccines came along and suddenly the majority of unions, be they private or public sector unions, marched in lockstep with management.
00:25:05.640Which is to say they suddenly supported draconian policies that demanded workers get the jabs or those workers would lose their jobs.
00:25:29.760So, Tamara, it was delightful to see this Hamilton Transit Union actually support its members as opposed to, if you'll pardon the pun, throw them under the bus.
00:25:40.760As Mr. Tuck noted, the majority of the rank and file support this move.
00:25:46.080But before we get into ATC's fight with the city, I want to get your take on why it is that so many unions in Canada are on side with management when it comes to mandatory vaccination policies.
00:26:02.280Gosh, I wish I could make sense of it, David.
00:26:06.060I think that at the very beginning, you know, we've seen all across the COVID response.
00:26:10.880It's these knee-jerk, hysteria-driven, public polling responses that aren't evidence-based.
00:26:17.920And so, I think that these companies feel like their hands are tied and they have to toe the line or they'll face some sort of legal repercussion or reprimand for not doing so.
00:26:28.960As we've seen, you know, everything falls under the wayside in the name of health and safety.
00:26:35.660And so, I guess they're trying, doing their best to uphold this.
00:26:39.980In the meantime, disregarding all of these other worker rights and things like personal choice and bodily autonomy.
00:26:47.580And one thing that I always note, too, under OSHA, the occupational health and safety legalities that are in place,
00:26:55.480is that there has to be explicit consent to medical surveillance.
00:27:00.140So, not only just, you know, consenting to vaccination, but actually to have your records and your medical data surveilled by your employer.
00:27:10.340And so, there's a lot of muddied waters here.
00:27:13.380And I think that unions were just trying to err on this side of caution by going so heavy-handed in this one direction.
00:27:22.260You know, the pendulum on all levels of government, union and workplaces has swung so far on this one side that now, as we see, you know, it's bound to start to come back the other way.
00:27:32.800But, you know, Tamara, if I'm a member of a union and my union is taking the role of management, I'm saying to them, why am I paying union dues?
00:27:44.520You're supposed to be fighting for my rights, not aiding and abetting a company that wants to terminate me.
00:27:54.060Unfortunately, you know, I don't have the answers there.
00:27:57.280My husband was on the receiving end of one of these mandates from his union who didn't back him whatsoever.
00:28:04.080And so, it seems to be few and far between, obviously, which is why I've featured—this is actually the second story that I've featured of a union backing of its members.
00:28:12.960The first one was sometime late 2021, where one particular nurse had her grievance filed and backed by the Ontario Nurses Association.
00:28:25.280And I haven't had an update from her yet.
00:28:28.180But another instance where, you know, we see these tides kind of turning, that maybe these decisions weren't actually based on anything sort of concrete and sound evidence.
00:28:40.000Yeah, and there doesn't seem to be any give and take, any negotiations, any communications.
00:28:45.180I remember, Tamara, going to the North Toronto office of Unifor.
00:28:50.660I think that's the biggest private sector union in the country.
00:28:54.020And there was a demonstration there, primarily by autoworkers who faced an axe if they didn't get jabbed or reveal their vaccination status.
00:29:04.120And the response by the president of Unifor, Jerry Diaz, was to send everybody home, lock the building, and call the police on his own membership, who were peacefully protesting.
00:29:18.300And, again, I don't understand this idea of unions going this direction.
00:29:25.640Because, let's face it, unions tend to be left of centre.
00:29:28.840And if you're left of centre, you're all about, well, let's look at what feminists have said for decades when it comes to abortion.
00:29:53.940It goes back to, also, I have a similar story, which I never ended up reporting on.
00:29:58.380But one of my other previous reports included a gentleman, maybe you remember, Joe McDonald, who was removed from his workplace due to noncompliance with their mandatory testing policy at the time.
00:30:10.800And he was part of the iron workers' union.
00:30:12.860So, I don't remember the number of the union.
00:31:04.220I really think being forced out of your work, fired with cause, not being entitled to employment insurance, losing your benefits, pensions.
00:31:16.560I really think there is incredible fodder there for a wrongful termination lawsuit.
00:31:22.180But, as you know, and I don't know what your husband's experience was, Tamara, when you are part of a union, you surrender so many labor rights.
00:31:32.340There's only so much a labor lawyer can do to you because you're part of a collective bargaining agreement.
00:31:40.320What's your take on that, Tamara, the fact that legalistically there's so little that can be done for these people that are, I think, being wronged?
00:31:53.680And the thing that's exhausting with the union is that you have to exhaust all of your union representation before you can seek outside counsel.
00:32:01.920So a lot of these members who've, you know, for instance, contacted Rebel or the Democracy Fund asking for assistance, they have to actually play this game and go through their union first.
00:32:12.660And the union provided lawyer and exhaust all of that before they can seek outside counsel.
00:32:18.260So by the time it's all said and done and you go through all of these various levels of trying to get representation, I mean, this is months, maybe even years.
00:32:27.280But as we're seeing now, you know, the provincial medical officer of health here and more and all across Canada is now starting to rein back in these policies and these mandates.
00:32:36.780So it begs to reason that, I guess, we terminated people's jobs and destroyed their livelihoods for, what, four months of enforcement of this heavy-handed policy that wasn't based on any data or science on an injection that doesn't prevent transmission or spread.
00:32:53.640I mean, I think at this point we need to really ensure that something like this doesn't happen again.
00:33:01.440And like you said, you know, we uphold the bodily autonomy, our right to my body, my choice.
00:33:07.240If we just hand that decision-making over to the state, then what do we have left as individuals, if not choice in terms of what happens to our own sovereign bodies?
00:33:16.460Oh, 100 percent. Tamara, one last question. When it comes down to this Hamilton local, I'm just wondering, how hopeful are you that they will succeed in their fight against the city as the clock ticks to that deadline in which to get vaccinated?
00:33:33.720And you said the words just now, heavy-handed. When I think of heavy-handed, I do think of Hamilton.
00:33:38.940I don't know if you remember, last year I was covering a protest in Hamilton, and by-law took a telephoto photograph of me shaking hands with somebody.
00:33:49.320Evidently, that's a by-law infraction in Hamilton. I was sent a $360 ticket. It's called an AMPS ticket, which means I can't even get a day in court.
00:34:00.980It was emailed to me. I have to pay it for being in front of City Hall shaking somebody's hand.
00:34:07.300So what I'm getting at, it seems that Hamilton, you know, the city fathers there, are really entrenched in terms of a very hard line towards COVID-19 dissenters, if you want to call them that.
00:34:21.860So again, I guess the question is, what do you think the chances of success will be for this particular Hamilton union?
00:34:30.060Well, you know, in my conversation with Eric Tuck, it really sounded like he wasn't backing down, and they had record turnout of their membership to vote on this.
00:34:39.200So I have high hopes that he's not going to lay down, and he seems to have a really great representation, who has a lot of experience with advocating for workers' rights.
00:34:50.060So, like I've said, as we see that tide turn and that pendulum kind of swing back now, and there not being the same justification for a mandate or a policy such as this,
00:35:01.040and certainly now there's no government overstep into, in terms of these directives and things that they put out for employers to mandate,
00:35:10.160there's none of that that the employers can just fall back on now and say, oh, well, we were just following orders.
00:35:15.100We were just following the provincial guidelines. Well, that's not in place anymore.
00:35:18.640So I do have high hopes that they'll see, hopefully, a backpedal on something like this.
00:35:23.860And again, I just hope that it never happens again. It should have always been choice.
00:35:28.740All of this should have just been left up to individual choice. Make your own risk assessment.
00:35:33.380If you want to stay home for the rest of your life and wear a mask, you know, while you shower, go for it.
00:35:38.580Let the rest of us get out there and live.
00:35:40.540A hundred percent, Tamara. And, you know, like we've said before, it's funny.
00:35:45.520Before there was a COVID vaccine, people like bus drivers going to job every day, dealing with members of the public.
00:35:52.860They were the frontline heroes. And suddenly, if you don't take the vax now that's available, you're a frontline zero.
00:36:00.260There's the exit. Absolutely despicable. Tamara, great job on this.
00:36:04.680Let us know what the resolution is when it comes to fruition, my friend.
00:36:12.160Thank you so much. And that was Tamara Ugolini in Coburg, Ontario.
00:36:17.380Keep it here, folks. More of Rebel Roundup to come right after this.
00:36:25.720Hey, sports fans. We finally have an update to the Patrick Brown Hockey Night in Brampton saga.
00:36:31.380Now, Brown is the man who was this close to becoming Ontario Premier until a palace coup orchestrated by his own party ousted him as leader of the Progressive Conservatives.
00:36:45.480Brown is currently the mayor of Brampton.
00:36:47.240Brampton and like so many other cities during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brampton's playgrounds and sports fields, well, they were close to the kids.
00:36:56.580But Mayor Brown, well, he sneakily used a city-run ice facility so that he and his Barry buddies could play pickup hockey.
00:37:07.840Talk about chutzpah. Now, for those who may have missed this outrageous example of one law for me and one law for thee, please check out the video evidence when we caught Brown red-handed.
00:37:22.320We're getting the bums rush, but holy mackerel, I think I see Patrick Brown himself.