John Bolton - Alberta Women Step Up For Independence - With Angela Tabak & Kathy Flett

00:00:00.000 Hi, it's John and welcome to the channel. Great to have you along today. And today we're going to

00:00:08.300 talk about the independence movement and how you can help one of the third party advertisers get

00:00:13.800 the message out for Alberta independence, which is especially important right now, moving forward

00:00:20.220 up to the big vote on October the 19th. Great to have you along today and great to have my two

00:00:25.100 guest with me today. We've got Kathy Flett and Angela Tabak. Alberta Women for Independence

00:00:31.580 is the third-party advertiser. I want to congratulate both of you for doing this.

00:00:35.900 Well done to you. Thank you. So we'll start off with Angela and we'll get to Kathy in just a

00:00:41.740 moment. I know that I've had dealings with you and worked with you a little bit in the past with

00:00:48.240 another group, but you've decided to put your toe into the water as a third-party advertiser

00:00:54.200 moving forward just quickly why is this important to you well you know over the last year almost

00:01:01.480 year and a half we've kind of already been doing this we've been traveling around the province

00:01:06.600 we've been speaking to women and men in their homes at local restaurants also doing town halls

00:01:14.840 that type of thing and really if we wanted to continue to be able to promote alberta independence

00:01:23.320 and specifically promote the idea of voting for option b uh in the referendum on question number

00:01:33.080 10 very specifically that we had to sign up as a register as a third-party advertiser and so that

00:01:40.040 was kind of the thing that gave us that boost to do that because we want to continue doing what

00:01:44.520 we've been doing for the last year and a bit anyways you know i will go to you kathy i i

00:01:49.880 maybe it was one of you i can't remember i was talking to somebody not too long ago and i said

00:01:53.640 is it is it really important that women get involved in this and the answer i got was

00:01:57.880 well we are 51 of the population john so yes of course it's important that women get their

00:02:03.720 message out there but being the alberta women for independence um is there a different message

00:02:09.880 you're passing along when it comes to the moniker you've got for your group yeah i think so it's

00:02:16.120 it's perhaps a little bit of a softer message than the guys and that's how we like to describe

00:02:20.680 it you know you guys you see something that's not working it doesn't bother you to tear it down and

00:02:24.200 build it up again women we like to fix things right we so we we have to we have to come at

00:02:30.280 it a little bit different and first show ladies kind of a take them on a journey if you will 0.62

00:02:36.840 as to why we can't fix this we'd love to but we can't and so then once we reach that it's okay

00:02:42.840 well now we've got these 10 referendum questions coming at us let's work our way through each one

00:02:48.600 of them and see how are we going to vote what is going to make sense and then specifically on that

00:02:54.040 very last one as angela was saying it's not an up and down question it's a multiple choice pick this

00:02:58.760 one or this one and so we just are wanting to make sure that that yeah everybody understands

00:03:05.000 but specifically we we do target women with a bit of a different message a bit of a softer message 0.59

00:03:10.200 How is this going to affect your family, your home, your neighborhood, your community, your job, all of that? 0.81

00:03:16.920 And it doesn't usually take very long before they see that it definitely will be much brighter on the other side.

00:03:23.020 I just made a donation to you guys, and certainly money is going to be important moving forward so that you can continue to do these events.

00:03:29.380 And I'll put on the screen right now, but it's abwomensindependencenetwork.com.

00:03:35.340 abwomensindependencenetwork.com. If you can click on donate and make a donation, we'll explain a

00:03:41.820 little bit more about that in a moment because there are rules, lots of rules involved here,

00:03:45.300 Angela. I know with the group you were doing before, there weren't these rules involved, but

00:03:48.860 people do have to abide by the rules. A lot of the message I suppose you're passing along is

00:03:54.620 similar to what other people are talking. You're getting, you know, the same people coming out and

00:03:58.740 saying, listen, I'm concerned about my CPP, my OAS, what happens with this and that if Alberta leaves.

00:04:04.340 and you're trying to strike up a conversation and help people understand more as we move forward

00:04:10.120 yeah absolutely and you know we're kind of looking at the other registered tpas and kind of

00:04:16.620 watching what they're doing like the approach that they are taking you know we look at cory

00:04:21.420 morgan and he is really about visibility so we're looking looking at you know thousands of lawn

00:04:27.200 signs and billboards and taber and other areas and that type of thing um jason levine same thing

00:04:33.980 he's got billboards in Edmonton we've decided that we're going our approach is really going

00:04:38.020 to be honing in on the education factor I mean of course we want to contribute to the visibility we

00:04:44.940 just went and did our first order for lawn signs we've got a bunch of lawn signs coming next week

00:04:50.020 just ordered a bunch of postcards that people can hand out to their friends to invite them to come

00:04:56.120 to events and meetings but really we we think our niche is the educational portion of it and

00:05:03.760 making sure that when folks step into that voting booth that they're already familiar with the

00:05:09.500 questions because it's not just a question it's a little paragraph that each that they have to look

00:05:15.700 at and decide is this yes or no our biggest fear is that people will get into that voting booth

00:05:20.940 it'll be the first time they see that paragraph and not wanting to stand there and like read

00:05:26.620 through it and figure it out they're just going to vote for the status quo it's just going to be a no

00:05:30.820 and so we've kind of taken it on ourselves that that's our mission is to make sure that

00:05:35.860 that folks are already familiar with those questions that they have had time to examine

00:05:40.580 them and think about it and then go and vote with confidence you know i'm i hope i can get

00:05:46.540 one of your lawn signs i put a lawn sign out um the other night mr and mrs alberton were here at

00:05:51.800 1 30 in the morning when i got my sign i'd like to get a bunch of them i think cory's getting

00:05:55.520 some four by eights that would block off the street so i think i'll stay away from that

00:05:59.000 But I want to get one of your lawn signs.

00:06:02.420 So be sure to let us know when you're giving them out or if you have an event.

00:06:06.360 And if you really need some help, there's a lot of people who want to volunteer passing those signs around the province.

00:06:12.360 As you've known, you've seen Corey's, you know, his lawn signs are getting all over the place.

00:06:17.220 So be sure to reach out and we can get those people working for you as well.

00:06:20.880 So you're going to be talking to people.

00:06:23.860 Do you find it's difficult to get people talking right now?

00:06:26.720 Do you think maybe as we get closer to the event, Kathy, we'll start to see people taking more of an interest of what's going on right now?

00:06:35.000 I think so. September for sure. It's going to pick right up.

00:06:37.960 I mean, it's summertime. People are starting to shut down.

00:06:40.500 They don't want to think about anything other than sticking their toes in the sand and relaxing for a little bit.

00:06:47.200 Right. So there's that. But at the same time, there is still a curiosity.

00:06:52.160 and so we want to make sure we capture that as well and we don't lose that momentum either so

00:06:57.240 as as the needs go and as we'll continue to do our little community events like we've been doing

00:07:02.880 um we'll just keep going through the summer we kept last summer we didn't slow down one bit so

00:07:07.480 i don't expect this will be any different and then september will be crazy and in fact angela

00:07:13.380 and i have already we're putting together a tour an alberta tour that we'll be doing two weeks

00:07:18.880 leading up to the referendum so that we can hit all the communities that we possibly can in two

00:07:24.220 weeks with our with our little piece of paper saying here's all these long questions this is

00:07:30.280 what they say this is why we suggest you vote in this particular way and make sure you do vote

00:07:37.080 one of the challenges that I'm running into already is people say I'm just going to vote

00:07:41.580 for the one question and I don't care about the rest it's like no no no no no no don't do that

00:07:46.320 we need you voting for every single question and right and and helping people process that out

00:07:53.200 and kind of game that out in their heads we know that these constitutional questions aren't going

00:07:57.120 to amount to a hill of beans that's not the point right that's not the point the point is you want

00:08:04.240 to prove that they're not going to amount to a hill of beans so that when we pick option two

00:08:10.320 we want that referendum to get out of here we've got even more proof as to why we got to go i'm

00:08:15.360 I'm wondering, Angela, why did you get involved in the independence movement?

00:08:19.700 What was it that really pushed you over the edge?

00:08:23.060 Well, I was doing the single mom thing when COVID hit and lost all three of my jobs that I was using to support myself and my daughter.

00:08:32.180 And I had a lot of time on my hands.

00:08:33.780 And one night I was scrolling through and I came across the Wild Rose Independence Party of Alberta and was reading kind of the things that they were standing for, you know, like our personal rights and freedoms and bodily autonomy and property rights.

00:08:45.100 and all that and that just really got the wheels turning for me um and gave i had a lot of time on

00:08:52.620 my hands so i started researching and reading michael wagner and all those different things

00:08:57.320 and and it it wasn't a conclusion that i came to very quickly but it was um over the years my

00:09:05.000 resolve for this has been strengthened the more i learn about it um the more convinced i am is that

00:09:12.300 we have to do this that there's no other way and i love your cat you know my cats have become

00:09:18.140 getting rather um famous my cat blue this is red so he's getting in on this i hope you don't mind

00:09:24.380 more of a fuss try to get rid of them so i apologize

00:09:31.180 our dogs are in the background so don't worry about it just i hope you just don't get the

00:09:35.820 single eye shot from the back end if you know what i'm talking about

00:09:38.140 So, Kathy, I'm wondering, what was it that put you over the edge with this?

00:09:44.340 I have been on this side of politics for decades, actually.

00:09:50.600 I was introduced to this concept back in high school, the little bit that I attended, but it wasn't in school.

00:09:56.180 It was outside of school reading the Alberta Report.

00:09:58.660 I lived with an aunt and uncle at the time, and they had it there.

00:10:01.500 And I was reading it, and I'm like, this isn't what they're teaching us.

00:10:04.600 Something's not right.

00:10:06.700 and and then you know got a little bit older and had kids and kind of got caught up in all of that

00:10:12.720 um and and then in 2015 when the NDP won and we had a Trudeau government they woke up that morning

00:10:21.620 and that was the very first time that I was legitimately scared for Alberta that I knew

00:10:27.300 that this was it this was it and really really began to pay attention trying to figure out well

00:10:32.920 what can I do is there anything and because now my kids are grown up so I have a lot of time on my

00:10:38.660 hands and 2019 the whole Wexit movement started and I just jumped in I literally jumped in with

00:10:46.440 both feet I knew nothing about anything I mean I always like to think I was a fairly educated

00:10:51.680 voter but I didn't understand anything about behind the scenes and so I wasn't you know

00:10:56.560 baptized in fire basically and have some scars to prove it but there was no way that I was going to

00:11:01.760 stop because we've got future generations now that we need to do this for yeah it's been an

00:11:07.760 exceptionally bad last 10 years funny if you look back here it's hard to see it's kind of blurry but

00:11:12.040 i've got five hats there the one in the far right there the light blue one says wexit on it it was

00:11:16.540 2019 when i went to my first meeting back then as well angela you said that you you basically did

00:11:23.220 research do you think it changed your mind regarding independence do you think if people

00:11:28.520 get the information that they're going to get the message that independence is the only way to go

00:11:35.240 we see it we see it all the time you know folks come in where they're either kind of

00:11:41.160 they're in that mushy middle or they really you know they're they're very very skeptical

00:11:46.600 once you see it you can't unsee it and that's what we have witnessed over and over and over

00:11:53.720 again over the last year and a half is that if people can only get the information and it's as

00:12:02.440 basic as the house of common seats and the senate seat allocations you just go over that one simple

00:12:10.920 thing and that in itself is often enough to convince folks they might have other concerns

00:12:17.680 about you know the cpp and alberta pension plan and and you know all these different things but

00:12:23.120 oftentimes just that one simple awakening, like, oh my goodness, this is a system I've been living

00:12:30.580 under my whole life. Well, no wonder, like it makes so much sense now. Well, I mean, let me

00:12:37.200 just say this, your previous group, the Alberta Women's Independence Network, you did a video

00:12:41.440 called Independence for Dummies. That's the first thing you guys talked about. So if you want to go

00:12:46.100 over to your YouTube channel, go over and subscribe as well. Check out that video. And I said prior to

00:12:51.440 going on this interview with you guys, and I'm going to post that for Jason Kenney,

00:12:56.040 Independence for Dummies. We'll send it out to him and Thomas LeCasic when we're done here

00:13:00.060 with this interview. Yeah, just getting back to the basics. So Kathy, what do you guys need?

00:13:05.760 What do you need? How can people help you right now? I think I maybe got to it earlier in this

00:13:11.600 interview, but what do you need right now? Well, money is the obvious answer, but it's definitely

00:13:17.080 not the only answer we want to we want to keep traveling we want to keep being invited into

00:13:23.120 people's homes into their backyards into their communities bring us in let us let us let us show

00:13:29.120 you what kind of a mess we're in so that you can decide for yourself if you agree and then walk

00:13:34.940 you through all 10 of these questions and why it's important to get out there and vote so invite us

00:13:40.660 in and and it's fine people are going oh i don't know you know are you going to be comfortable

00:13:44.920 staying at my place or coming here to eat I'm like I don't care are you a good cook we're good

00:13:49.740 like let's go um like that's it right we're just we are we are just so so happy to make friends

00:13:58.120 across the province and we're so happy to be able to have those people that are on the fence or

00:14:03.900 they're just not sure and just take that time with them um the ones that aren't comfortable going to

00:14:09.720 the rallies they're maybe not comfortable going to these other meetings they just they don't they

00:14:13.740 Maybe they can't. Maybe maybe because if their employer ever saw a picture of them in the

00:14:19.820 newspaper at something, that's going to be it because that's happening. That's happening now.

00:14:26.180 And so let's continue to build that network. Help us do it. That's how we need help. Get in touch

00:14:33.080 with us. I want to have a meeting here. This is where I live. All right, let's let's go.

00:14:37.160 AB Women's Independence Network dot com is the website. And if you just scroll down a little

00:14:41.680 bit there was a contact us page there go there fill out the information would you like a sign

00:14:46.480 want to know more about uh more about hosting a get together looking for the address to an

00:14:50.820 upcoming meeting uh just go there and contact and maybe volunteer if you get signs you might

00:14:55.780 need people to spread those around as well do you have any events coming up we can tell people about

00:15:00.120 right now we have a lot okay all right give us the next few anyway well the most the most the

00:15:08.920 one's coming up right now. Kathy, what do you got going on? I've got Tabor on the 19th. Yeah. Isn't

00:15:15.400 that where Corey had trouble with the billboard? We need to, we need to have a big meeting. Yeah.

00:15:20.580 I'll bet you are. Yeah. Yeah. That one's actually, that one's going to be fun. It's an outdoor stage.

00:15:24.880 So hoping that the weather, um, is, you know, cooperating. That's it's get this. It's being

00:15:31.000 held in confederation park so anyways and then the night after that on the 20th i have a meeting

00:15:40.060 um in mountain view so that's my my hometown um last time we had a meeting there we packed

00:15:46.300 like literally it was standing room only in there so looking forward to that so those are the two

00:15:51.980 coming up closest for me what about you kathy have you got anything i just did a four meetings

00:15:58.160 in about seven days and um those were really good and so now we're regrouping and trying to get some

00:16:04.720 events going here in in edmonton because we know we've got to get the cities so we've got a lot of

00:16:09.520 really amazing volunteers that are that are trying to get some community halls for us so if you live

00:16:15.280 in edmonton and you've got access to a community hall that will not cancel us five minutes prior

00:16:21.360 to the event because that happens as well um get in touch with me because that's that's my focus

00:16:28.260 right now is sherwood park um st albert edmonton the kind of the donut they call it around here

00:16:34.660 around edmonton to get in i just think it would it's it would be so good to go to the people

00:16:40.860 rather than asking the people to come to us that's why i kind of have this vision for the

00:16:44.900 community halls the community leagues yeah i'll come to you um just come hear what i have to say

00:16:50.140 If you don't agree with me, that's okay, but at least you've heard it.

00:16:53.640 And now you can go on the 19th educated about it.

00:16:56.800 You know, I like that.

00:16:57.620 The other side doesn't want to have a discussion.

00:17:00.320 They want to, well, they want to just basically tell you, we're not interested.

00:17:05.660 We do want to talk to these people and change some minds.

00:17:07.760 And we've got to get those fence sitters over to our side.

00:17:09.740 By the way, if we do vote for independence, we'll rename the park and Tabor Independence

00:17:14.800 Park.

00:17:15.280 Okay.

00:17:15.560 We'll do that.

00:17:16.240 I like it.

00:17:16.780 Listen, so again, the website, abwomensindependencenetwork.com.

00:17:21.520 Go over there and make a donation. 0.97

00:17:22.900 You can fill out that form, have these ladies come to your place, talk to you, set up a

00:17:27.240 meeting if you're looking for a sign or you'd like to volunteer some time with them. 0.82

00:17:31.120 Can men help you?

00:17:32.280 I mean, are we okay?

00:17:33.500 Yes.

00:17:33.880 Okay, good stuff.

00:17:36.040 We love our men.

00:17:37.540 They're awesome.

00:17:38.740 You know what?

00:17:39.360 Chivalry is alive and well.

00:17:41.000 We welcome, open our doors, carry our stuff.

00:17:44.100 We are good.

00:17:44.780 Don't even worry about that.

00:17:45.860 And you were talking about the, you like meeting people. And I just want to say this,

00:17:49.920 as we finish up this interview, you know, it's been fascinating. First off, there's a couple

00:17:53.460 of things that the independence movement has been good for. We get great gear. I got all these great

00:17:58.120 hats. I got flags. I got shirts. It's wonderful. But it's the people I've had a chance to meet like

00:18:03.480 you two. It's been just fantastic. I had people over to my house, Mr. and Mrs. Albert and Jason

00:18:09.640 Levine and his wife Paula were here last night for dinner. I never would have met these people

00:18:14.120 if it wasn't for the independence movement and damn, a lot of real nice people that we're 0.96

00:18:19.520 working with. So thank you so much for doing this. Good luck to you. If you need anything, 0.89

00:18:23.820 let us know, send the events to me, email me what you've got coming up. I can mention them

00:18:28.260 on my independence calendar on the weekends as well. So people know what you guys are doing.

00:18:32.040 Okay. Fantastic. Thank you. So Kathy Flett, Angela Tabak, Alberta, Women for Independence.

00:18:38.860 Again, we'll give that website once again, abwomensindependencenetwork.com. Go over there

00:18:43.780 and make a donation and talk to them.

00:18:46.820 They'd love to talk to you.

00:18:48.200 Thanks a lot for watching.

00:18:49.180 If you liked this video, give it a thumbs up,

00:18:50.920 subscribe to the channel, ring the bell for notifications.

00:18:53.340 I will see you in the next one.

John Bolton - June 13, 2026

Alberta Women Step Up For Independence - With Angela Tabak & Kathy Flett

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript