00:00:46.320And I look back to a date not too long ago, downtown Calgary, I was there introducing
00:00:50.840you and Keith and Let Alberta Decide, and I have a vision in my head, and the vision
00:00:55.760is you standing with all of these people asking you questions. I've got a picture. I'll put it up
00:01:00.860on the screen in post-production here. Yeah, I was wondering, you were asked by Keith to be part of
00:01:06.200this, to sort of be his co here, to be the person out there, the face of Let Alberta Decide. It had
00:01:11.680to be a little bit daunting at that point, but how are things going for you? How has it been so far?
00:01:16.660It was daunting, definitely, because I've admired Keith for a long time, like back from the Freedom
00:01:21.500convoy and I know his history and how much he's advocated for farmers rights and land ownership
00:01:27.080and all of those things so he's like a big name in our household anyways but definitely honored
00:01:31.700to be asked to do this with him and then I think that it's like been a really great balance between
00:01:36.240him and I and how we can I don't know help guide Alberta or speak to Albertans because he's got
00:01:43.140that high level of intellect and educational background being a constitutional lawyer and
00:01:47.840I think maybe I'm more in charge of like the heart of Alberta. Well, I, you know, I think that's
00:01:52.060wonderful. I was talking to you as you came into my house today, you came in from Blackie today.0.70
00:01:55.840You said, John, it's nice you live in the South part of Calgary. You know, you live as close to
00:01:59.720my house as you can get, but you do have a background in farming. You have a background
00:02:03.920in teaching as well. And don't sell yourself short. Your communication skills are outstanding.
00:02:09.460I remember just a few weeks ago at the telethon, I was in the studio when you were on with Nat
00:02:14.780in the guy with Keith at the same time. And I looked at you and I said, one, you're incredibly
00:02:18.840photogenic. You look great on camera, but you come across with conviction and people will believe
00:02:26.180you because you've got that heart there. So I want to just compliment you. It's just outstanding
00:02:30.320what you're doing. What's been the big challenge? What's the thing that's been the hardest thing for
00:02:34.460you that you may have overcome over the last several weeks? Or is that an easy or a difficult
00:02:38.120thing to answer? I think it's probably just like the balance of time. Like I want to devote as
00:02:43.160much time as I possibly can to Alberta because I know that this point in history over the last
00:02:47.680120 years, it's all been leading up to this point and it's so critical and I have to give all of my
00:02:53.420time that I can to it. But then I also have a family and a farm and friends and a life too
00:02:58.140that I want to balance. And they've been very accommodating and very gracious in allowing me
00:03:03.240to spend so much time doing this. But that's been the toughest part for me, I think, is just the
00:03:06.980balance. Yeah. And you know, this is, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, isn't it? It really is.
00:03:12.860You got to think about this. We're, what's the date today? The 7th of August. And a little over two months from now, we're going to have a vote on this. It's remarkable. As a matter of fact, I was thinking back, I know that there's a rally coming up that I want to mention. So make sure I get to that. There'll be a rally just prior to the 19th of October when we vote on this thing. But I remember, it'll be almost a year to the day that you were at the legislature last year talking. That was October 25th last year.
00:03:38.200Yeah, and that was quite the honor. That was amazing.
00:03:40.620Yeah, and I'd spoken to you before, but I think it was the first time I actually shook your hand that day.
00:03:45.200But you've been really kind of inundated with people.
00:03:47.660You know, it's kind of, you've had an amazing variety of different news organizations and whatnot getting in touch with you.
00:05:31.920And our conversation just has to continue that we're speaking the authentic truth.
00:05:37.200We're trying to reach people that, you know, like all Albertans share that the grievances that Ottawa has been punitive to Alberta, that we all have the same frustrations and where we're just disagreeing right now is on the path forward.
00:05:49.320So we just need to keep having that conversation, I think, in those weeks leading up to the referendum vote, that this is a referendum vote on empowering our government to be able to negotiate from a position of strength and give them the leverage that they've never had before.
00:06:03.640So whether you're opposed to independence or for independence, that's not actually what this first vote is for.
00:06:09.380So I think that's kind of interesting to bring up to people that we didn't choose to have a referendum on a referendum, but that's where we're at.
00:06:16.700And this first vote is specifically for that. And I find it strange that Danielle would be campaigning against that because the option to vote gives her the strength to negotiate with Ottawa.
00:06:28.620Yeah. You know, if we lose this thing on the 19th, God forbid we lose this thing on the 19th.
00:06:33.340But I mean, the rest of Canada will see us as weak. I think this will show strength.
00:06:37.260Do you think people on the other side truly understand that that's what the question is about?
00:06:41.060Do you think, because I look at video footage of these people, generally older people, and I'll tell you this, when I go just across from where I live here, I go out to Mackenzie Lake, which is over by the park here in South Calgary.
00:06:57.460The big houses overlook the lake, and they're the ones with the Forever Canadian signs out front.
00:07:04.080No doubt these people have probably got the mortgage paid off, probably have a nice pension.
00:07:07.880I'm assuming they're a little bit older.
00:07:09.080Do you think they truly get what this question is about?
00:07:12.880Or do you think, and I'm starting to think this, that they're actually thinking this is a vote for or against independence?
00:07:19.400Yeah, and I think that's the communication that we're trying to get out there and the messaging that we're trying to convey to them.
00:07:23.960The way that the questions are phrased, this first vote is about empowering our government.
00:07:28.740And there is definitely a lot of people that have made their wealth and have created a path forward for themselves within the current system that don't want it to be rocked and don't want it to change.
00:07:39.900But if we can get them to think outside of just their own personal life and what this means for their children and their grandchildren, we absolutely don't want to continue on the path that Canada is on right now.
00:07:49.340We want to empower Alberta to be able to negotiate with Canada to do better for Alberta so we can have more self-determination, more prosperity.
00:07:56.520And the way to do that is to vote option two.
00:07:58.320If you vote option one, you're voting for the status quo.
00:08:01.720You're voting that this should just stay exactly as it is.
00:08:04.180Yeah, well, you know, I think of Corey Morgan's sign.
00:08:07.060It says, send Ottawa a message, right?
00:08:09.180The big one down in Tabor they tried to take down.
00:08:12.580It gives us a chance to do that for sure.
00:08:14.220You know, I was out at an event the other night with Jason Levine and Maxime Bernier was there.
00:08:19.800And he wasn't there so much as the leader of the People's Party of Canada, but he was in Quebec during the last referendum.
00:08:25.460And he made a he made a very interesting point from a different perspective.
00:08:29.460But talking about the same thing, here's your chance to have some leverage.
00:08:33.880Here's your chance to gain some respect. And that's the message we have to get across.
00:08:38.500We talked early on in this campaign and we've been talking for quite some time.
00:08:42.680We have to get that mushy middle. Do you think they're still out there?
00:08:45.540Do you think that do you think that mushy middle is moving over to our side?
00:08:48.700Do you think they're getting the message? Because the other side, they're trying to get the mushy middle as well.
00:08:52.880I think the mushroom middle is moving to our side. And I think it's just a little bit of fear maybe. But I think that when they get to that referendum day and they're holding that ballot sheet in their anonymous voting booth, I think that they'll start to weigh what's going on there and they'll be able to actually make a vote with conviction.
00:09:12.320because I hope that they'll spend that time
00:09:59.060I mean, Angela lives about as far south as she can get,
00:10:01.640and Kathy's way up in Edmonton, and they're working together and doing great stuff.
00:10:05.620But we were out there last week, and it was interesting because, you know,
00:10:09.860I was talking to people and they seemed just bound and determined to win this thing. And
00:10:15.180a lot of older people were out there as well that were excited about what's coming forward. And
00:10:20.680they've been waiting for this all their life. The third party advertisers are doing a great thing.
00:10:25.180Let Alberta decide you're out there with signs as well. But there's things happening in the
00:10:29.180background, some of which we really don't want to reveal here. But this is quite a challenge.
00:10:35.660This is one of the most, and I've said this a few times over the last couple of weeks,
00:10:38.420probably one of the most, what's the word I'm looking for here? I've said it a couple of times,
00:10:43.840I can't come up with it right now, but this is one of the most consequential things that has
00:10:47.140happened in our lifetime, probably more than a federal election. Oh, it is. It's the most
00:10:51.420important question that Albertans have ever been asked in their lifetimes. And we need to treat
00:10:56.040that with that reverence that it deserves, right? There's been lifetimes getting us to this point.
00:11:01.140It's not just a simple referendum. It's not just a simple X on a ballot. It's very, very important.
00:11:05.620Yeah. You know, when I was out last week, we were talking about the ballot itself. Are you concerned that there's so many questions? Because Angela, yeah, I think you are as well. Angela and Kathy are trying to educate people on those questions.
00:11:18.800Well, yeah, if you go through the first nine questions, you could spend 20 minutes standing there before you get to the one, you know, that's the most important to us right now. Some of those questions that are on there will never get changed because they require constitutional change. You're concerned with all the questions that we've got here, aren't you?
00:11:33.620Well, I'm concerned for the whole process.
00:11:35.860The whole process is not exactly what we intended,
00:11:37.920but it is what it is and that's where we're at.
00:11:39.820And we've been assured that our ballot is gonna be on top.
00:11:43.200So the first question you're gonna ask
00:12:01.480And this is what's gonna empower Alberta
00:12:02.980I think Albertans get worried that, well, it's going to be independence, it's going to be changes overnight, we're going to be floundering, we don't know what we're going to do.
00:12:11.080But there is a lot of the process that's actually going to be very continuous.
00:16:14.220She is an elected leader by the people
00:16:16.100and the people are going to get this done.
00:16:17.860I think you made a really good point earlier. I haven't heard it said very much, but she should have taken the side of, well, let's vote for option two because it gives us a little more leverage. It gives us a way to negotiate and it sends a message to Ottawa. I mean, it's surprising that she didn't go that way. I did think she would be neutral. I didn't think she'd take the other side. I really didn't.
00:16:39.580Yeah, I would have loved for her, obviously, to support the side that gives her the power,0.60
00:16:43.100but I would expect that she would take the neutral side.
00:16:45.720And it was completely unexpected that she would go in opposition to both of those.
00:16:50.020It is a lot of, it's pretty daunting when you think of all of the power that's coming after us.
00:21:23.720It's actually killer sometimes, and we still did that regardless.
00:21:29.360We've carved out the land to be able to feed a growing global population, and we've created businesses.
00:21:35.420We've tapped into our resource richness here and been able to provide energy for a global population that's elevating them out of third world poverty.
00:21:46.380We definitely have a culture here, and we're strong.
00:21:49.140I think we want to do things on our own. And I think that's the reason why we get tired of having to ask for permission.
00:21:54.620Yeah. And that's the thing that really bugs me. People say, you know, I remember I was at the legislature.
00:21:59.960There was an event on May 3rd, 2025. We had an independence rally there. I was there that day.
00:22:04.680About three or four thousand people showed up. And I remember going up to people and a lot of people said, you know, I said, why do you want independence?
00:22:11.340And they talked about money. Right. And I understand that. I mean, money is a big part of it.
00:22:16.160Uh, we've given so much to the rest of the country and we continue to do that.
00:22:20.540And, but the people ask me why I want independence.
00:22:23.340And I say, because I call Canada, the country of no, meaning N O, because when we've asked
00:22:29.940for things and we need things, we're basically told, no, we would like a pipeline.
00:22:34.560We're told, no, we have to ask for permission for our prosperity.
00:22:47.620We don't want to wait for memorandums of understanding and having to put in carbon capture utilization and storage at the cost of $30 billion and a $43 billion pipeline along the same route as the other one.
00:22:59.560That just doesn't make sense, particularly when you have a premier who said that would be a failure.
00:28:05.080I see Corey, he's traveling around with his signs
00:28:07.100all over the place, waves up and down.
00:28:09.000I've got a friend, Lyle DeParon, who lives up in Fort Vermilion, who came down here to get signs to take him up there.
00:28:17.800So it's a long haul. People are doing this everywhere.
00:28:20.460So, you know, God love you if you're a volunteer helping out all the third party advertisers.
00:28:24.220Big event coming up on the 17th of October. I'm excited about it.
00:28:27.700Two days, two days before the vote at the legislature. Tell us a little bit about that.
00:28:33.580Yeah, we're going to have a big rally, independence rally on the legislature steps, October 17th with Keith Wilson and myself and a lot of other really great Albertans.
00:28:42.540There'll be, well, you're going to emcee it for us.
00:28:49.420And I think it's just really important to make sure that that's in the forefront of people's minds and that our messages that we're conveying is making sure that people know that it's okay to talk about Alberta independence and how to make a strong Alberta.
00:29:02.120This is an okay discussion. It's normal to have this. And then discussing the importance of this referendum and reminding them that this is about empowering our provincial government to negotiate on our behalf from a position of strength.
00:29:14.140It's going to be fun. You know, the other night when I was at the event with Jason and Maxime Bernier, I was in Eastern Ontario during the referendum in 95, but I wanted to refresh my memory, which isn't as good.
00:29:26.620I mean, I was in my early 30s at that point.
00:29:35.020The side to leave was behind 60-40 at that point early in the summertime.
00:29:40.300They were behind by 20 points, which isn't unlike what we've been hearing all along here.
00:29:44.640And they gradually rose up and eventually got to the point where they were leading.
00:29:50.080And they were very close to winning that thing.
00:29:51.740And it was really the last week where the other side won.
00:29:55.180So I think it's important that we keep in mind, although it's a ways off now, it's going to come up quickly.
00:30:00.360We've got to fight right to the last moment.
00:30:02.240So it's good that we're having a big rally there a couple of days before the vote on the 19th of October.
00:30:06.820And maybe the difference with Quebec, too, is that they realized they didn't actually have a legal pathway to independence.
00:30:12.140They were fighting against the entire system.
00:30:14.080Since Quebec had their two referendums, now we have a Supreme Court ruling that we have a legal pathway for a province to secede from Canada.