Juno News - November 10, 2025


Alberta slams Ottawa’s new carbon tax hikes

Topics
no fault system in Alberta early literacy screenings in Alberta
Mentioned
Rebecca Schultz Danielle Smith Tyler Van Vliet Nate Horner Mark Carney Julie DeBruson Alberta Roundup Isaac Lamoureux Demetrius Nicolaitis Stephen Guibault Nahid Nenshi Alice Smith Joseph Scow David Eby
Carney’s $78B deficit pushes debt to record highs Andrew Lawton： Carney’s budget makes Trudeau look responsible

Episode Stats


Length

17 minutes

Words per minute

168.42

Word count

2,967

Sentence count

139

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

A Calgary injury lawyer is calling on the province to scrap Alberta s incoming no-fault, care-first auto insurance model before it strictens victims of their rights. Alberta is introducing mandatory reading and math screenings across all K-3 classrooms, as Education Minister Demetrius Nicolaides says classrooms are becoming increasingly complex. Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz is defending Alberta s West Coast Pipeline plan against BC and coastal First Nations, while urging Ottawa to drop its impractical electric vehicle mandate. New polling shows Albertans deeply divided over immigration as major cities feel the strain on housing and jobs. All that and more on this week s Alberta Roundup.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 Alberta's Finance Minister warns that Ottawa's new carbon tax hikes will devastate competitiveness and hand the U.S. a major advantage.
00:00:19.000 A Calgary injury lawyer is calling on the province to scrap Alberta's incoming no-fault, care-first auto insurance model before it stricts victims of their rights.
00:00:28.000 Alberta is introducing mandatory reading and math screenings across all K-3 classrooms as Education Minister Demetrius Nicolaides says classrooms are becoming increasingly complex.
00:00:40.000 Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz is defending Alberta's West Coast Pipeline Plan against BC and coastal First Nations while urging Ottawa to drop its impractical electric vehicle mandate.
00:00:51.000 And new polling shows Albertans deeply divided over-immigration as major cities feel the strain on housing and jobs.
00:00:58.000 All that and more on this week's Alberta Roundup. I'm your host, Isaac Lamoureux, and let's jump right into our first story.
00:01:04.000 Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner says Mark Carney's latest budget plan will undermine the province's competitiveness and punish its energy sector.
00:01:12.000 Budget 2025 raises industrial carbon prices from $80 per ton this year to $170 per ton by 2030 and lays out a long-term framework for annual increases until 2050.
00:01:25.000 The budget also grants Ottawa new powers to impose its federal backstop on provinces that don't meet its standards, allowing the federal government to reimpose its own carbon pricing system when it deems a provincial plan insufficient.
00:01:37.000 I asked Horner about his reaction to the industrial carbon tax just hours after the budget was released and just take a quick listen of what he had to say.
00:01:44.000 With the industrial carbon tax set to increase until 2015, will Alberta's energy sector suffer specifically compared to other jurisdictions, countries without such a tax?
00:01:53.000 Yes. Flat out, like our biggest competitor just south of the border doesn't have this.
00:02:01.000 It depends a lot on how high we're going, but also some of the other pieces around stringency and how this backstop they're trying to create looks in detail.
00:02:17.000 Horner also said the province is still waiting to understand how the budget's new carbon framework interacts with Ottawa's planned emissions cap,
00:02:24.000 which may be scrapped if large-scale carbon capture projects expand as expected.
00:02:29.000 He said, quote,
00:02:31.000 They reference things like not needing an emissions cap, but we're going to need to understand how they'll tangibly get there.
00:02:36.000 Premier Danielle Smith has previously referred to a grand bargain she was working on with Ottawa.
00:02:41.000 It includes working towards revising or repealing nine laws that her government says are standing in the way of prosperity,
00:02:47.000 as well as moving forward on the Pathways project and the West Coast pipeline.
00:02:51.000 Smith commented on the emissions cap developments shortly after the budget, stating that
00:02:55.000 judgment was reserved until negotiations with the Liberals on a Memorandum of Understanding, which she hopes will be finished by mid-November.
00:03:02.000 She said, quote,
00:03:03.000 We will then have a much better idea regarding whether or not the current federal government is serious about repealing or overhauling the various policies and laws that have devastated Alberta's economy over the past decade,
00:03:15.000 and put the very stability of Alberta's electricity grid at existential risk.
00:03:20.000 Smith concluded by adding that she is hopeful for a positive outcome.
00:03:24.000 Saskatchewan and Alberta have both previously announced plans to pause or delay future industrial carbon tax increases, moves that could now trigger federal intervention.
00:03:33.000 Horner said higher costs will make it harder for Alberta to attract investment and compete internationally.
00:03:39.000 He also pointed to uncertainty around a possible carbon pipeline, the absence of a new West Coast bitumen pipeline, and Ottawa's review of greenwashing rules.
00:03:48.000 Horner added that Ottawa's growing spending and debt levels raise broader concerns about economic competitiveness.
00:03:54.000 He said, quote,
00:03:55.000 They're big numbers.
00:03:57.000 The federal budget projects a $78.3 billion deficit this year, marking the largest in Canadian history, excluding pandemic years.
00:04:06.000 Total debt is projected to reach $1.35 trillion by the end of this year, increasing to $1.59 trillion in 2029-30.
00:04:17.000 Under the Liberal plan, Canadian taxpayers will pay $55.6 billion in debt interest charges next year, rising to $76.1 billion by 2029-30.
00:04:28.000 But for our next story, we'll look at car insurance in Alberta.
00:04:31.000 A Calgary injury lawyer is demanding that the United Conservative Party adopt a popular policy resolution to scrap the incoming no-fault system,
00:04:38.000 which he argues strips accident victims of their rights and empowers insurance companies.
00:04:43.000 The resolution calls on the provincial government to repeal the no-fault insurance and revert back to a tort-based system.
00:04:49.000 The resolution's rationale reads, quote,
00:04:51.000 Repealing the no-fault insurance legislation in Alberta and returning to a tort-based system aligns with conservative values by promoting personal responsibility and accountability,
00:05:00.000 ensuring fair compensation based on fault, and reducing fraudulent claims.
00:05:04.000 This approach encourages safer driving behaviours and ensures that only legitimate claims are compensated.
00:05:10.000 So I interviewed Tyler Van Vliet, an associate with crash lawyers in Calgary, who said that reverting to the previous system would
00:05:17.000 preserve the basic right of an injured person to bring a claim against the driver who hurt them and to have an independent judge assess their losses.
00:05:24.000 He added it would preserve accountability, explaining that a tort system means a negligent driver and their insurer bear the cost.
00:05:31.000 In a care-first system, the at-fault driver's main consequence is a premium hike which already exists under a tort system.
00:05:37.000 He said, quote,
00:05:38.000 That's a very different moral universe.
00:05:40.000 Repeal would keep Alberta in a world where fault still matters, and where the person who broke it pays to fix it.
00:05:45.000 He outlined three main concerns.
00:05:47.000 Losing the right to sue, shifting power from courts to insurers, and disproportionately harming the most vulnerable.
00:05:53.000 Mirroring problems seen under BC's enhanced care model, which he said Alberta was copying almost line for line.
00:05:59.000 Alberta recently unveiled draft injury compensation rules slated for 2027, and these rules propose payments ranging from $945 for the loss of colour vision to $56,717 for the loss of an eye, and up to $66,169 for a moderate traumatic brain injury.
00:06:17.000 Van Vliet explained this approach depersonalizes injury, as a 19-year-old trades worker and a senior suffering from the same knee injury would face vastly different real-world consequences.
00:06:29.000 He said a judge could do justice to these differences, unlike a chart.
00:06:33.000 He said, quote,
00:06:34.000 If you drive negligently and injure someone, you, through your insurer, are required to make them whole.
00:06:39.000 That's the civil law equivalent of do the crime, do the time.
00:06:42.000 No fault, by design, removes that link. Everyone's claims are socialized through their own insurer, and the at-fault driver mostly faces a rating change.
00:06:50.000 The tort system aligns with conservative values by emphasizing accountability and the rule of law.
00:06:55.000 Removing most legal scrutiny through CareFirst primarily benefits large insurance companies.
00:06:59.000 Van Vliet said, quote,
00:07:01.000 It's no surprise that every other jurisdiction in Canada that has brought in no fault has done so under socialist provincial governments.
00:07:08.000 Once you abolish the right to sue for auto injuries, it's very hard to get it back.
00:07:12.000 BC is now locked into years of litigation and political fights over enhanced care's constitutionality and fairness.
00:07:19.000 Alberta doesn't need to repeat that experiment just to discover the same problems. 1.00
00:07:23.000 Alberta Premier Daniel Smith previously defended the change, arguing that people are going to be unhappy either way.
00:07:28.000 The Alberta UCP initially promised the change would save Albertans $400 a year, but later omitted that promise.
00:07:34.000 Van Vliet said that the Insurance Bureau is now claiming Albertans will not only see no savings, but premiums will actually increase under a CareFirst model.
00:07:42.000 Van Vliet argued there is a better way.
00:07:44.000 He said keeping the tort system while tightening minor injury caps, strengthening fraud controls, and improving rate transparency was the way forward.
00:07:52.000 He said, quote,
00:07:53.000 So while no model is perfect, there is a clear line between systems that preserve fundamental rights and accountability and those that don't.
00:08:00.000 We should be honest about that choice instead of shrugging and saying everyone will be unhappy anyway.
00:08:05.000 The Ministry of Finance previously told True North that it is open to stakeholder feedback before finalizing regulations.
00:08:11.000 But our next story will switch over to education because Alberta is legislating early literacy and numeracy screenings across all K-3 classrooms to identify learning difficulties sooner and improve foundational skills.
00:08:24.000 The Education Amendment Act 2025, also known as Bill 6, mandates public, separate, francophone, charter, and accredited independent schools, along with early childhood operators, to administer the screenings three times a year.
00:08:37.000 Results will be shared with parents and the Ministry of Education and Child Care with annual public reporting required by law.
00:08:43.000 Education Minister Dimitrios Nikolaides said, quote,
00:08:45.000 Alberta's classrooms are more complex than ever, and our teachers need the right tools to support every student. By identifying learning needs early, these screeners will help us address complexity head-on and ensure that children with diverse and complex needs get the help they need to thrive.
00:09:01.000 He told reporters that research shows these screeners can predict with 95% accuracy whether a child will face future learning difficulties, allowing teachers to intervene before small issues become larger barriers.
00:09:13.000 He said legislating the process instead of leaving it as policy ensures it remains consistent across school divisions and protects it from being abandoned by future governments.
00:09:22.000 The province will require schools to screen students with specific three-week windows during the fall, winter, and spring.
00:09:28.000 Kindergarten children will continue to undergo winter screenings with follow-up assessments in spring for students requiring extra support.
00:09:35.000 Nikolaides noted that principals or school divisions can exempt students whose first language is not English from the assessments.
00:09:42.000 Literacy and numeracy screenings were first introduced as mandatory policy in 2022 for grades 1 to 3 and expanded in 2024 to include kindergarten children and multiple assessment periods.
00:09:53.000 Bill 6 now enshrines these requirements in law.
00:09:56.000 Under the new framework, the Education Minister will have authority to establish regulations governing the frequency, timing, exemptions, and reporting methods for screenings.
00:10:04.000 Dyslexia Canada welcomed the move, calling it a crucial step toward equity in education.
00:10:10.000 Alicia Smith, the organization's executive director, said,
00:10:13.000 Early screening is an essential part of an equitable approach to literacy instruction.
00:10:17.000 Legislating this practice is an important step toward making sure that early screening becomes a lasting part of how we support every child's right to learn to read.
00:10:25.000 If passed, Bill 6 would take effect in the fall of 2026 for the 2026-27 school year.
00:10:30.000 Nikolaides also highlighted a 34% increase in refugee students and a surge in English language learners.
00:10:35.000 He told True North that while he doesn't want Ottawa to be more involved in provincial jurisdiction, the Liberals should take responsibility for the consequences and implications of its immigration decisions that have increased pressure on Alberta's classrooms.
00:10:47.000 If passed, Bill 6 will mark the province's latest effort to tackle classroom complexity by legislating early intervention and ensuring every child struggling with reading or math is identified before small challenges become lifelong barriers.
00:10:59.000 Our next section will cover two separate stories involving Alberta's Environment Minister, Rebecca Schultz.
00:11:04.000 She said British Columbia and Coastal First Nations cannot decide Alberta's economic future.
00:11:09.000 defending the province's proposed West Coast pipeline after renewed calls to uphold the federal tanker moratorium were made by BC Premier David Eby and Coastal First Nations leaders.
00:11:19.000 Schultz said, quote,
00:11:20.000 We have heard the concerns of Premier Eby and a number of First Nations in British Columbia.
00:11:24.000 That said, we have also seen a lot of support from First Nations communities who want to continue to see our energy industry grow and prosper.
00:11:31.000 She added that Alberta's position is rooted in Canada's constitution, not politics.
00:11:36.000 Schultz said, quote,
00:11:37.000 It is the constitutional responsibility of the Prime Minister of Canada to ensure that there is free and fair trade across interprovincial boundaries and that one province or one premier cannot block the assets of 5 million Albertans in our most important industry.
00:11:52.000 The comments came hours after Eby and Coastal First Nations leaders signed a declaration urging Ottawa to uphold the federal oil tanker moratorium act, which prohibits crude oil tankers along the northern BC coast.
00:12:03.000 Eby said the ban, which he said had been in practice for decades, remains essential to protecting both the environment and the province's coastal economy.
00:12:10.000 The BC Premier said he highlighted in various meetings with Prime Minister Mark Carney and other ministers that he believes the oil tanker ban is a foundational and critical catalyst for economic activity in British Columbia and the nation.
00:12:22.000 That it is the key that will unlock tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity.
00:12:28.000 He described the ban as a consensus that has existed for half a century and said there is no pipeline project, no route, no proponent, no financing, echoing nearly identical language used by Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi in a recent interview with True North.
00:12:42.000 The Alberta government maintains the ban blocks vital access to global markets.
00:12:46.000 Premier Daniel Smith has urged Ottawa to list a West Coast bitumen pipeline among its next wave of major projects, which is set to be announced by the Grey Cup, and previously warned that if the federal government and BC do not cooperate, she will turn south to willing partners in the United States.
00:13:01.000 Smith said, quote, there is no universe where Alberta will tolerate being landlocked in our own country by our neighboring province, especially when the same industry he continues to demonize has generated so much wealth for his province and the country.
00:13:15.000 The Supreme Court has determined that the reason we have a country and have given trade and commerce power and control over ports and interprovincial infrastructure to the federal government is for exactly this reason, so that a pariahal premier isn't able to block nation-building projects.
00:13:30.000 Schultz also took aim at the federal electric vehicle sales mandate, calling it impractical, and warning, it will raise costs and destroy jobs.
00:13:37.000 In a letter to Federal Environment Minister Julie DeBruson, she said the Liberal government's 60-day review of the mandate confirmed clear and unanimous feedback from provinces, industry, and consumers that the policy must be abandoned.
00:13:50.000 She wrote, quote, over those 60 days, and for many years before that, your government has heard the same clear message from provinces, territories, municipalities, industry,
00:13:59.000 and consumers alike.
00:14:00.000 This mandate is impractical, expensive, and must be abandoned.
00:14:05.000 Rarely has the government received such clear and unanimous feedback from such a broad range of Canadians.
00:14:10.000 She added that if the Liberals ignore the overwhelmingly negative feedback, they would be responsible for lost investment and manufacturing jobs, more expensive vehicles, and stranding Canadians in rural and northern Canada.
00:14:22.000 Schultz said the mandate would strain electricity grids, limit consumer choice, and leave rural Canadians stranded.
00:14:28.000 She said, quote,
00:14:29.000 Canadians want practical, balanced, affordable solutions, not costly experiments driven by ideology.
00:14:35.000 Schultz urged DeBruson to move past the divisive approach previously championed by former Environment Minister Stephen Guibault.
00:14:41.000 Prime Minister Mark Carney paused the mandate in September, announcing a 60-day review to identify future flexibilities and ways to reduce costs.
00:14:49.000 The policy would have required 20% of new vehicle sales in 2026 to be electric, rising to 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
00:14:58.000 Alberta's Environment Ministry previously told True North it would use every legal tool to stop the policy, calling the regulations unconstitutional.
00:15:05.000 The ministry also highlighted that the Liberals previously imposed a 100% tariff on Chinese-made EVs.
00:15:11.000 As a consequence, China slapped a 75.8% tariff on Canadian canola, a $43.7 billion annual industry.
00:15:18.000 China has instead turned to Australia for its canola, abandoning the import of 7.9 million metric tons in 2024 that supports 206,000 Canadian jobs.
00:15:28.000 Schultz said, quote,
00:15:29.000 A previous Leger poll also highlighted that 71% of Canadians want the mandate rolled back.
00:15:43.000 In her latest letter, Schultz told DeBruson she had a real opportunity to show the government can listen, learn, and change course.
00:15:50.000 She wrote, quote,
00:15:51.000 I urge you to seize this moment and put Canadians first.
00:15:54.000 But for our next story and our last one here, we'll swap over to immigration because new polling suggests residents of Alberta's two largest cities are divided over immigration and its effects on affordability.
00:16:04.000 Surveys by Canada Pulse Insights for City News found that roughly half of Calgarians and Edmontonians believe Ottawa's immigration management has worsened over the past year,
00:16:13.000 despite Mark Carney's pledge to bring and take down to sustainable levels.
00:16:17.000 In Edmonton, 51% said the federal government's handling of immigration has not improved, while 24% said it actually has worsened.
00:16:25.000 In Calgary, nearly half agreed. Ottawa's performance is stagnant.
00:16:29.000 A majority of respondents in both cities said immigration is straining housing, healthcare, and employment.
00:16:34.000 64% of Calgarians and the same share of Edmontonians blamed immigration for worsening housing affordability.
00:16:40.000 In Calgary, 59% said job competition is caused by high levels of foreign worker permits.
00:16:46.000 In Edmonton, that number rose to 69%.
00:16:48.000 Despite frustration, most residents still support immigration in principle,
00:16:52.000 although 35% of Calgarians and 37% of Edmontonians said they would halt it entirely for the foreseeable future.
00:16:59.000 And Premier Danielle Smith has linked Ottawa's immigration policies to rising costs.
00:17:03.000 She said, quote,
00:17:04.000 The reason why housing prices have spiked, why food affordability has spiked, and why affordability on every front has spiked is because you have too many people chasing too few jobs and homes.
00:17:12.000 Alberta Immigration Minister Joseph Scow similarly added that Canada is on pace to accept more than a million new immigrants this year, with over 3 million temporary residents already here.
00:17:23.000 He said, quote,
00:17:24.000 Employment, housing, healthcare, and other public services are under pressure due to Canada's open border policy.
00:17:30.000 But that wraps up this week's Alberta Roundup.
00:17:32.000 My name's Isaac Lamoureux.
00:17:33.000 Have a great weekend.
00:17:34.000 Thank you and God bless.
00:17:35.000 Thank you.
00:17:36.000 Thank you.