Juno News - Alberta separatists win seats on UCP board of directors

00:00:00.000 Conservatives call for reforms to Canada's asylum and immigration system despite several

00:00:09.320 proposed amendments being rejected as a committee-led study on Bill C-12 came to an end.

00:00:14.820 The Alberta independence movement scored a critical victory during the United Kingdom

00:00:17.860 of the Party's annual general meeting over the weekend, with five pro-separatist candidates

00:00:22.440 winning seats on the party's board of directors.

00:00:24.960 Conservatives urged Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to come clean on the Veterans 1.00

00:00:29.940 Service's Liberals' plan to cut as $4.23 billion in, quote, savings from Veterans Affairs Canada

00:00:36.360 was earmarked in the 2025 federal budget.

00:00:39.360 Hello Canada, it's Monday, December 1st, and this is the True North Daily Brief.

00:00:43.100 I'm Isaac Lamoureux.

00:00:44.380 And I'm Willie Tam-Tam.

00:00:45.780 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.

00:00:48.300 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.

00:00:55.960 Conservative MPs are urging the federal government to adopt what they call, quote,

00:00:59.740 common-sense reforms to Canada's asylum and immigration system after a series of proposed

00:01:04.540 amendments to Bill C-12 were rejected at a committee this week.

00:01:08.220 The House of Commons Public Safety Committee concluded its consideration in the committee

00:01:12.000 phase on Friday.

00:01:13.420 In response, Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel-Garner said the Liberal government

00:01:18.200 has, quote, destroyed the immigration consensus by allowing backlogs to grow, permitting bogus applications,

00:01:24.020 and relying on courts to resolve problems.

00:01:27.600 Rempel-Garner said the number of temporary residents, now more than three million, has

00:01:31.760 placed, quote, overwhelming pressure on health care, housing, and youth employment, while

00:01:36.220 leaving newcomers who followed the rules stuck waiting in the queue.

00:01:39.680 Conservatives proposed amendments, they argued, would deter fraudulent asylum claims, strengthen

00:01:44.120 removal rules for non-citizens who commit crimes, and increase reporting requirements so, quote,

00:01:49.080 Canadians can judge the system for themselves.

00:01:51.560 Liberal and Bloc Québécois members defeated most of the amendments.

00:01:55.780 Among the rejected proposals were automatic removal for non-citizens convicted of certain

00:01:59.920 offences, terminating asylum claims if applicants leave Canada, consequences for post-secondary

00:02:05.500 institutions that facilitate false asylum claims, and measures requiring claimants to

00:02:09.960 prove they filed promptly.

00:02:12.020 So, Walid, a lot of the Conservatives' proposed sweeping amendments were rejected, but which

00:02:16.440 of the Conservatives' amendments to Bill C-12 passed, and what could that mean if passed

00:02:20.380 in Parliament?

00:02:21.380 Well, Isaac, unfortunately, many of the amendments offered by the Conservative Critic for Immigration

00:02:26.040 and the Conservative Party was rejected, of course, and actually, the majority of them

00:02:29.860 was rejected.

00:02:30.860 And among those were some rather common-sense proposals around automatic removal for non-citizens

00:02:36.520 convicted of certain offences, terminating asylum claims if applicants leave Canada, and consequences

00:02:42.220 for post-secondary institutions that would facilitate false asylum claims, and measures requiring

00:02:47.320 claimants to prove that they filed promptly.

00:02:49.160 So, those were all measures that were rejected, of course, and removed.

00:02:53.160 However, there were some, as you mentioned, that were passed, and that includes the automatic

00:02:57.720 termination of a claim when an asylum seeker voluntarily returns to their own home country,

00:03:03.920 mandatory warrants for individuals considered national security risks, and the end of claims

00:03:08.840 where a person is found inadmissible to Canada.

00:03:11.920 So, if this bill continues the process of becoming law, of course, these are some of the conservative

00:03:17.200 amendments that have received cross-party support.

00:03:20.640 Of course, something else that got cross-party support in this bill was a new monthly report

00:03:27.480 to Parliament detailing deportations and expanded annual report listing federal benefits provided

00:03:32.880 to refugee claimants.

00:03:34.340 And, of course, the number of removal orders enforced within 30 days, and the reason for

00:03:38.480 the delays in the cases of delays.

00:03:40.200 So, essentially, Parliament will be producing a lot more fact-finding missions, where we'll

00:03:44.940 have better ideas in the public sphere of how many deportations are being done, and, of

00:03:50.380 course, a bit more details around refugee claimants, and that's going to be something

00:03:54.020 very important for us to be reporting on in the near future.

00:03:56.820 But if this is passed, you will all see some reforms that will make it a little bit harder

00:04:03.000 for certain individuals to claim refuge if they voluntarily return to their own country,

00:04:08.420 and, of course, if they are deemed to be national security risks.

00:04:11.760 Now, of course, that term is rather ambiguous in today's language.

00:04:14.820 However, it seems that the security element of our immigration system on the refugee asylum

00:04:20.980 seekers' proportion will be a little bit more constrained and a bit more strict.

00:04:26.100 And, of course, the ending of claims where a person is found admissible may just be the

00:04:31.280 biggest move in this series of amendments, simply because, as we know, when people have

00:04:36.900 failed to renew student visas, temporary work visas, obviously refugee pathway has always

00:04:42.860 been the one of last-ditch opportunity for many individuals coming to Canada and wanting

00:04:48.880 to stay no matter what the law says.

00:04:50.680 I guess this might be an area of clear improvement to lower the backlog for the future years.

00:04:57.420 But, of course, the system still remains strained as we speak today.

00:05:03.780 The last event for the Alberta UCP AGM on Saturday was perhaps the most vital for the party,

00:05:09.140 as the results for the board election came through and saw the separatists win some positions

00:05:13.680 on the board of directors.

00:05:15.240 However, separatist advocates did not sweep the election, failing to elect their candidates

00:05:19.440 to some key positions, including the board president.

00:05:22.260 The Alberta Prosperity Project promoted a list of board candidates for separatist advocates

00:05:26.660 to vote for.

00:05:27.940 The list went position by position, highlighting candidates deemed, quote, pro-Alberta independence.

00:05:33.560 An alternative list of, quote, pro-establishment candidates who separatists said supported the

00:05:38.600 status quo was also provided.

00:05:40.940 The list read, quote, this voting guide highlights candidates who support Alberta independence, Alberta

00:05:46.100 first values, and grassroots accountability.

00:05:48.460 All voting decisions remain your responsibility.

00:05:53.560 The Alberta separatists endorsed nine candidates for the position of president, secretary, VP of

00:05:59.840 fundraising, VP of communications, and various writing positions.

00:06:04.000 Five candidates advocated for by the Alberta Prosperity Project won, while three won for the

00:06:09.620 establishment.

00:06:10.760 The Edmonton candidate who won was on neither side of the Alberta Prosperity Project's list.

00:06:16.540 So, Isaac, you're there at the ground, at the AGM.

00:06:21.120 What does this mean for the Alberta independence movement, and how will this change the UCP party?

00:06:26.300 Yeah, Waleed, this is super interesting. 1.00

00:06:27.920 I think this could change the party in a pretty notable way.

00:06:30.860 We know that Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's messaging, and therefore as a byproduct of the

00:06:35.160 parties has been continuously anti-separation, instead advocating for a sovereign Alberta

00:06:40.640 within a united Canada.

00:06:42.760 When I first wrote this article, as the results were just announced, the results for the VP

00:06:46.580 of fundraising were so close that they had to do a recount, which wasn't officially told

00:06:50.980 at the AGM, so I had to look today.

00:06:52.780 But as it stood at the time, the separatists had four candidates win, while the establishment

00:06:57.240 had three.

00:06:58.400 One of the candidates, as you said, was on neither side of the list provided by the Alberta

00:07:01.940 Prosperity Project, so we'll call them a neutral candidate.

00:07:04.840 But when I checked the updated list today, it turns out the candidate that was deemed to

00:07:08.220 be pro-separation won the VP of fundraising position, meaning the separatists have five

00:07:12.980 out of the nine candidates, a slim majority, against the three that were pro-establishment.

00:07:18.780 And of course, when I talked to general counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project, Jeffrey

00:07:23.760 Rath at the AGM, he was hopeful that they would establish a majority on the board.

00:07:28.020 This was just before the results came in, and that was accomplished.

00:07:30.660 So I think the separatists are probably pretty happy with the results, despite not having

00:07:34.920 their preferred candidate win at the president role, which may be the most important.

00:07:39.620 As for what this means going forward, I don't entirely know, but I am very, very interested

00:07:44.800 to monitor whether this alters the party's messaging in any way at all, and if they become

00:07:49.160 more pro-separation going forward.

00:07:51.540 The influence of those newly elected board members matters, because the UCP board controls

00:07:55.860 everything from constituency association oversight to candidate approvals, and separatist advocates

00:08:01.680 were explicit that their goal was to shape future nominations, select MLAs, and determine

00:08:06.380 the party's direction leading into the next election cycle.

00:08:09.620 Now that a slim majority of pro-separatists govern the board, it would suggest that those

00:08:14.120 conversations cannot be simply sidelined by party leadership.

00:08:17.220 The broader consequence is that the independence question will now be structurally embedded

00:08:22.160 in every major internal discussion.

00:08:24.440 Even though Danielle Smith used her keynote speech to reaffirm her opposition to leaving

00:08:28.980 Canada and celebrated the new memorandum of understanding with Ottawa as a victory on

00:08:32.920 issues like electricity regulation and emissions caps, the presence of separatists on the board

00:08:37.920 guarantees that these policies will be evaluated potentially through a more critical lens.

00:08:41.740 Every step she takes in implementing the MOU or verifying Ottawa's compliance with it

00:08:46.180 will unfold with a board that includes people who openly believe the agreement is a mistake.

00:08:51.360 So with the board seat secured, separatist organizations now have potential procedural leverage,

00:08:56.920 something they have not held yet inside a governing party.

00:09:03.180 Conservatives are demanding the Kearney government disclose which Veterans Affairs services will be

00:09:07.740 cut to meet the $4.23 billion in savings earmarked in the 2025 federal budget.

00:09:14.800 Conservative MPs, many of whom are veterans themselves, demanded answers from the Liberal government.

00:09:19.960 They said many veterans are concerned that the 15% budget cut to Veterans Affairs Canada

00:09:24.680 in the federal budget will leave them without critical services owed to them for serving Canada.

00:09:30.640 Prime Minister Mark Kearney's first budget explained that the $4.23 billion in cuts to VAC

00:09:36.180 would come from a reduction in the amount Canada pays to reimburse medical cannabis costs for veterans.

00:09:41.980 Instead of reimbursing veterans at a rate of $8.50 per gram,

00:09:46.100 the government would transition to paying $6 per gram to meet market price.

00:09:50.740 The plan says it will cut $1.2 billion from the budget in 2026-27,

00:09:55.740 followed by another $1.2 billion cut the next year and $1.06 billion in the third year.

00:10:01.560 According to Veterans Affairs Canada,

00:10:03.000 the medical marijuana reimbursement program cost nearly $245 million in 2024-25,

00:10:09.300 leaving Canadians in the dark about where the additional almost $1 billion in savings would come

00:10:14.380 from in the following year.

00:10:17.260 Richards questioned the figures during a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday.

00:10:20.940 The math doesn't add up for me on that one.

00:10:24.260 We're talking about a $245 million a year program.

00:10:29.360 We're talking about a $2.50 reduction in the reimbursement rate.

00:10:33.540 The math just doesn't add up on that one.

00:10:36.160 The department itself claims that,

00:10:39.460 and the minister have claimed that 90% of their budget provides benefits and services to veterans.

00:10:45.540 Their budget is less than $7 billion.

00:10:47.440 They're cutting a billion dollars from that.

00:10:48.880 There's no way that there isn't services and benefits that are being affected here.

00:10:53.220 While answering a question from a reporter,

00:10:55.000 Richards noted that Conservatives reject taking funding from veterans' services.

00:10:59.520 Would a Conservative government reinstate these cuts?

00:11:02.680 And to be clear, would it reinstate the $2.50 a gram reimbursement?

00:11:07.600 Well, the first thing is we actually don't know what the cuts are, for starters.

00:11:11.920 That's the first thing in here is we actually need to determine what they actually are.

00:11:16.260 But what we believe and what we would stand firmly on is that this is a government that's got a $78 billion deficit.

00:11:25.200 They've made, actually, very few cuts.

00:11:29.160 But the one place where they decide to cut deep is on the men and women who have served this country,

00:11:35.800 who have sacrificed for this country.

00:11:37.580 That is the last place that you should start when it comes to cuts.

00:11:41.080 Veterans Affairs Canada deferred True North's request for comment to the Department of Finance,

00:11:44.980 which was not immediately available.

00:11:46.520 So, Waleed, Richards mentioned the poor track record liberals have had

00:11:50.660 when dealing with veterans and the CAF altogether.

00:11:53.500 What are some of the grievances Conservatives have with this government on the file?

00:11:58.140 Well, Isaac, in recent years, Conservatives have raised a few issues,

00:12:01.960 such as offering assisted suicide to veterans that are seeking help,

00:12:06.280 something that Veterans Affairs Canada officials were caught doing in multiple cases.

00:12:11.000 They've also mentioned how the government has failed to address veterans' homelessness,

00:12:14.780 leaving major gaps in federal support programs,

00:12:18.060 attempting to stop providing REITs for Remembrance Day ceremonies.

00:12:23.140 Of course, we heard about a cut to REITs provided to MPs and other public officials.

00:12:29.180 Also, the banning of chaplains from praying and Remembrance Day events.

00:12:32.720 This is part of Canada's anti-Christian regime.

00:12:35.960 An element of trying to purge the country's history and heritage

00:12:40.140 from any resemblance of its Christian nature.

00:12:43.660 A decade-long failure to build a national monument to Canada's munition in Afghanistan.

00:12:50.680 So, to this day, that has not happened under the last nearly 10 years of liberal governance.

00:12:56.260 And persistent disability claim backlogs at Veterans of Air Canada,

00:13:00.580 which veteran groups have warned could worsen if staff positions are cut.

00:13:06.280 So, again, all of these concerns were actually explicitly listed by Richards in his press conference.

00:13:11.220 That's it for today, folks.

00:13:16.840 Thanks for tuning in.

00:13:17.840 You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify.

00:13:23.320 Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a 5-star rating and please leave a review.

00:13:27.800 Thank you.

Juno News - December 01, 2025

Alberta separatists win seats on UCP board of directors

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