John Bolton - March 22, 2025


Canada's demise is closer than you think - Danielle Smith hints referendum


Episode Stats

Length

5 minutes

Words per Minute

194.07281

Word Count

1,146

Sentence Count

97

Misogynist Sentences

7


Summary

In this episode of The Big Blue Mug of Coffee, John talks about the Alberta premier's nine demands to the federal government, and why she may be threatening a national unity crisis if they don t get what she wants.


Transcript

00:00:00.200 Hi, it's John, and welcome to the channel, 9.33 a.m. on Saturday, March the 22nd, with the big blue mug of coffee.
00:00:07.820 Hope you're having a great day today, lovely day here in Calgary today.
00:00:10.840 I put a video up earlier this morning, I hope you'll watch that, and thanks for subscribing to the channel.
00:00:15.020 I hit over 15,000 yesterday, it'd be nice to get to 16,000.
00:00:19.680 So I wanted to do a quick video today, I think it's, well, it's timely, actually.
00:00:24.180 Tomorrow night, I will be doing an interview with the interim leader of a major independence party here in Alberta.
00:00:30.820 And I'm talking independence, Alberta leaves the country.
00:00:34.400 They got in touch with me earlier this week, wanted to send me some correspondence,
00:00:38.320 and they say that the independence parties here in Alberta are unifying.
00:00:42.300 And this has been a problem here over the years, too many different groups doing too many different things, and infighting as well.
00:00:47.960 So I'm hoping to have that video up online on Monday morning.
00:00:51.220 Again, I've got that scheduled for 5 o'clock on Sunday night.
00:00:54.380 Now, why am I doing this video today?
00:00:56.420 Because a couple of stories dropped in Calgary.
00:00:58.940 I'm not sure if they've made it on the national news, but I certainly saw it on the Calgary Sun website.
00:01:03.080 I'm going to look at the Calgary Herald here, but wow, this is quite amazing.
00:01:07.200 Here's the article right here, Bell.
00:01:09.300 And this is a Rick Bell story, by the way, for those of you who don't follow Rick Bell.
00:01:12.700 I like his writing, but he writes paragraphs in sentences, so it's a very interesting read.
00:01:17.500 But here it is.
00:01:18.400 Smith firm, if demands tossed, Alberta could hold a referendum.
00:01:22.700 This is the first time I've heard Premier Smith say the words referendum,
00:01:26.880 although at times I believe that Danielle Smith is a bit of a closet separatist in this country.
00:01:32.360 So I'm going to go through a bit of this.
00:01:33.840 I'll put a link in the description, but I don't want to take too much time on it.
00:01:37.920 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has nine demands, nine U-turns that she wants the federal government to take.
00:01:45.920 That would be things like getting rid of the tanker ban on the West Coast, the pipeline ban, getting rid of...
00:01:51.980 She doesn't want to pay Quebec all of Alberta's money anymore.
00:01:55.160 She put that into these demands as well.
00:01:57.100 Pipelines North, East and West as well.
00:01:59.100 She gives the new federal government, when it is elected, six months to move on these issues or else.
00:02:05.400 Smith says if Alberta is brushed off on these demands, she will ask Albertans what they want to do.
00:02:11.480 It will be a next steps panel and she will likely be on it.
00:02:16.680 So let me just scroll down a little bit here.
00:02:18.120 I believe in direct democracy, Smith says.
00:02:21.840 I always feel like big, important decisions need to be put to a referendum of all Albertans.
00:02:30.660 Is there some referendum question the public wants us to ask, says Smith.
00:02:35.660 This is something Albertans are going to have to be very engaged in over the next number of months and weeks.
00:02:41.660 On Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with the premiers.
00:02:45.940 When he emerges, he is asked about a made-in-Ottawa emissions cap on the oil patch more than once.
00:02:51.840 Carney dances around it, but finally says there will be an emissions cap on oil and gas.
00:02:56.040 After telling Smith on Thursday, there would be no emissions cap on oil and gas.
00:03:00.720 Let me just put this clear.
00:03:02.240 Pierre Polyev has now said there will be no carbon taxes on anything in this country if he is elected Prime Minister.
00:03:08.900 Anything.
00:03:09.780 No industry, no people, no nothing.
00:03:11.700 There will be no carbon taxes in this country if he is elected.
00:03:15.160 One of Smith's demands is to get an oil and gas corridor going east, west, and north.
00:03:20.100 It seems there was agreement around the table from Carney and the premiers.
00:03:24.480 Let me just go back up here.
00:03:26.560 A national corridor from sea to sea to transport, export oil and gas to other goods is a priority requiring further discussion.
00:03:34.660 Permit Albertans to be skeptical until they see something concrete.
00:03:38.320 After all, fool me once, shame on you.
00:03:40.340 Fool me twice, shame on me.
00:03:42.640 Indeed.
00:03:43.080 The Alberta government has a photo album of liberal politicians who talked a good game and stabbed the province in the back.
00:03:50.280 And let me just scroll down here towards the bottom.
00:03:57.000 Some ask if Smith is threatening a national unity crisis.
00:04:00.480 If the Carney liberals are elected and screw around Alberta like the Trudeau liberals did, there will be a national unity crisis.
00:04:07.140 That is a fact.
00:04:08.000 Where does conservative leader Pierre Polyev fit into the story?
00:04:11.160 Polyev says Smith's demands are very reasonable.
00:04:13.560 He agrees to everything that she has asked for of the government, of the new government, when it is elected.
00:04:19.760 I want to go over to Rachel Parker here.
00:04:21.600 Rachel did a poll on independence here in Alberta.
00:04:24.420 Let me just scroll down here and just show you an online poll she did on X.
00:04:30.500 Should Danielle Smith hold a referendum on separation?
00:04:32.880 47.8%.
00:04:34.300 Now, this isn't scientific or anything saying do it now.
00:04:37.240 I actually was in this poll.
00:04:39.080 I said yes in a few months.
00:04:40.120 I think a separation movement, an independence movement, needs a bit of time at least, which we'll talk about in the interview I do tomorrow night.
00:04:47.660 And the head, Nenshi, he used to be the mayor here in Calgary.
00:04:50.380 He's the head of the NDP.
00:04:51.920 He's asking Smith to call an independence referendum right away because she's threatened a national unity crisis.
00:04:57.260 I don't see that at all.
00:04:58.160 I see Danielle Smith being strong and standing up for Alberta.
00:05:01.440 Thank God that is happening.
00:05:03.280 Rachel Parker says the premier isn't threatening a national unity crisis.
00:05:07.260 It's already on her doorstep.
00:05:08.800 She did an independent poll.
00:05:11.100 Nearly 40% of Albertans are interested in leaving Canada.
00:05:15.280 And finally, a poll commissioned by independent journalist Rachel Parker shows 36% of Albertans would support Alberta independence.
00:05:21.200 And 20% would support Alberta becoming a U.S. state or territory.
00:05:25.000 So this is closer than you think.
00:05:27.040 And this is the first time I've heard Danielle Smith use the word referendum.
00:05:30.800 And I'm glad she's doing it.
00:05:32.260 I am an Alberta separatist.
00:05:34.020 I believe that we have to have pure poly of elected.
00:05:36.460 So again, check out that video.
00:05:38.720 I'm expecting to put that interview up on Monday morning.
00:05:41.900 But referendum is being talked about by the premier of Alberta right now.
00:05:46.580 Thanks a lot for watching.
00:05:47.680 I do appreciate it.
00:05:48.640 Please give me a thumbs up.
00:05:49.840 Subscribe to the channel, ring the bell for notifications, and I'll see you in the next one.