Juno News - Alberta sovereigntists draw big Edmonton crowd

00:00:00.000 The Alberta Prosperity Project approaches 40th Town Hall this week, finally hitting Edmonton,

00:00:15.880 and True North was on the ground for it live. Two days later, the project had a hearing on

00:00:20.720 its referendum question with the judge pushing pause temporarily. Calgary has not learned from

00:00:26.720 the province's past failures with electric buses and is pushing forward in purchasing 120 of them.

00:00:33.020 Alberta was one of many Western provinces urging Kearney to combat China's 75.8% tariff on Canada's

00:00:40.040 canola. And the province has defied anti-Christian censors by permitting a Sean Feucht concert to

00:00:46.420 proceed. My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup. Let's hop into that first story

00:00:51.580 about town halls right away. The Alberta Prosperity Project brought its campaign for provincial

00:00:56.160 independence to Edmonton on Tuesday, drawing about 300 attendees to its town hall, while another 600

00:01:02.780 tuned into the live stream to listen to the group's pitch for independence. This was one of almost 40

00:01:08.120 events that the group has held in Alberta over the past two months, with a similar number forthcoming

00:01:13.420 in subsequent months as the group continues its province-wide educational tour. The event's first

00:01:19.360 speaker was Dr. Dennis Modry, who implemented Western Canada's first heart and lung transplantation

00:01:25.460 program, and performed the first heart and lung transplants in the 80s and 90s. He said,

00:01:31.540 Sovereignty is self-governance. Freedom from external interference. It's not a left or right

00:01:36.400 issue. It's a pragmatic issue. If we save Alberta, we may save the rest of Canada.

00:01:42.560 And the second speaker of the night was Alberta Prosperity Project General Counsel Jeffrey Rath,

00:01:48.080 similarly taking aim at Kearney, but also taking issue with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. In fact,

00:01:53.840 he said Ford doesn't even understand where his gas comes from, citing that he did not know gas has

00:01:59.120 to go through Line 5 in the U.S. to get to Ontario. Rath further alleged that Kearney was former Prime

00:02:05.020 Minister Justin Trudeau's puppet master. He also warned of the potential upcoming home equity tax and

00:02:11.620 said that Nova Scotia's forest ban was only the beginning of climate lockdowns. The third and final

00:02:17.780 presenter of the night was Alberta Prosperity Project's CEO, Mitch Sylvester, and he focused

00:02:23.200 primarily on how the nation was built to work against Alberta, citing equalization payments,

00:02:28.460 pension contributions, Senate representation, Supreme Court justice representation, and more.

00:02:33.940 He said that things will only get worse, not better, suggesting that Kearney and liberal

00:02:38.360 politicians think they're, quote, above the law, citing billions of dollars that have been wasted and

00:02:43.680 banished despite the fact that elected officials are not held criminally responsible for unethical

00:02:49.680 behavior. And I also spoke with many attendees on the ground at the event. For example, Edmonton

00:02:55.000 resident Catherine Speck, a volunteer helping organize the event, said she had lived in numerous

00:02:59.840 other provinces and loves Canada. In fact, her and I spoke French to one another for a bit. She said,

00:03:05.900 quote, in English, by the way, but it doesn't seem like the Canada of today is the same

00:03:10.400 as the Canada of my past. I feel we can have a better relationship with Canada once we're

00:03:16.100 independent. That's what I'm hoping for and praying for. Don Bonner, an oil industry veteran

00:03:21.180 of 45 years, said he likes that within five years of Alberta's independence, income tax could

00:03:26.740 evaporate, the province could generate 45 to 65 billion dollars annually to help fix its social

00:03:33.120 programs like healthcare, and that the province could have a better deal with Indigenous people.

00:03:37.400 He said, quote, I kind of feel like a pioneer when they hook their horses to the wagons and

00:03:41.940 they're coming out west. I'm really excited. And another volunteer at the event, Harad,

00:03:46.340 told me that he supported Alberta sovereignty because of the direction he felt Canada was heading

00:03:50.560 regarding authoritarianism, the suspension of civil liberties, and the federal government

00:03:56.060 continuing to see how far it can exert its power. And Sylvester said this could be Alberta's

00:04:01.400 only chance. He said, quote, it's going to be the most important political decision anybody in

00:04:07.380 Alberta will ever make. I really believe that we're going to get one shot at this because I

00:04:12.260 really think that's what's at stake. I don't believe that the federal government will allow

00:04:15.980 this to ever happen again. And sticking with the APP for our next story, but moving forward two days,

00:04:21.320 True North met them in court. Not against them, though. Fast forwarding to Thursday, Court of King's

00:04:27.060 Bench Justice Colin Feesby ruled that the Alberta Prosperity Project's application to strike a

00:04:32.560 judicial review on its referendum question was premature, noting that the court must still

00:04:37.060 determine whether the proposed independence question complies with the Constitution.

00:04:41.640 He wrote in his decision's conclusion, quote, there are legitimate arguments to be made on both sides

00:04:47.320 of the issue before the court. The citizens of Alberta deserve to have these arguments made

00:04:52.080 properly and heard in full. Democracy demands nothing less. Alberta's chief electoral officer,

00:04:58.320 Gordon McClure, referred the question to the court in July to examine potential constitutional

00:05:03.300 issues, including treaty rights. The Alberta Prosperity Project called the referral a, quote,

00:05:08.360 delay tactic, arguing that its question meets the clarity requirements under federal law. The

00:05:14.360 project said, quote, the concern is how can a question that strictly complied with Section 1-3 of

00:05:19.940 the Clarity Act be unconstitutional? Alberta Prosperity Project CEO Mitch Sylvester said Thursday's

00:05:25.060 decision was not a setback. He said, quote, this is not a loss. Today's decision now brings the issue

00:05:31.920 led by the Alberta Prosperity Project and many more pertinent topics to international conversation,

00:05:37.280 and that's a great step forward for democracy as well as citizen engagement in politics. And speaking

00:05:42.780 with True North at the courthouse, Sylvester said that this question deserved to be heard on the stage

00:05:47.680 countrywide, comparing the upcoming debate to the public square of Athenian democracy. He added that there

00:05:54.420 were similar topics of equal importance that deserved such a stage, such as the pandemic lockdowns that

00:05:59.860 occurred. Sitting alongside APP legal counsel Jeffrey Rath at the bench was lawyer Eva Cipiak, who told True North that

00:06:06.040 she was happy with the judge's decision and that this was a good process to follow. The court has now set a schedule

00:06:11.920 for written submissions and a final decision is expected by the end of the year. During his ruling, Feesby confirmed that

00:06:18.880 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith could call a referendum at any time she pleases. However, of course, as you know, she has

00:06:25.420 repeatedly stated that she prefers to leave the decision to the citizens. If approved, the APP and Sylvester would have

00:06:32.540 120 days to collect about 177,000 signatures to trigger a vote, following Bill 54's reduction of signature thresholds. A competing

00:06:41.900 petition from former Progressive Conservative Cabinet Minister Thomas Lukaszak asking Albertans to reject

00:06:47.600 separation was approved in June under the old rules, forcing him to gather 293,976 signatures in 90 days.

00:06:56.360 NAPP has, of course, dismissed Lukaszak's question as a, quote, mischief application and not a referendum

00:07:02.860 question to be used on a constitutional issue. Smith has pledged to hold a referendum in 2026 if enough

00:07:08.940 signatures are collected. So we'll have to see if a referendum can be held by then. But taking things

00:07:14.700 more locally for our next story, Calgary is continuing down the line of electric buses. The

00:07:20.100 city announced that the Nova LFSE Plus buses from Quebec-based Nova Bus will replace aging diesel

00:07:25.600 models and expand service. Calgary Transit Director Sharon Fleming said, quote, this investment means more

00:07:31.520 reliable service, lower operating costs over time, and cleaner air in our communities. It also allows us to

00:07:37.480 grow our fleet in a cost-effective way and prepare for future service demand. However, a taxpayers' group

00:07:43.480 is warning that Calgary risks repeating the same expensive failures of other Alberta cities after

00:07:48.560 it announced it will purchase these buses starting in 2027. The city of Calgary outlined four key

00:07:54.820 benefits for this bus purchase. Firstly, the city said it can purchase more buses due to federal support

00:08:00.220 for electric purchases. The city added that it would diversify its fleet, mitigating long-term fuel cost

00:08:06.100 risks, and create construction jobs. But without federal funding, in general, electrical vehicle sales across

00:08:12.100 Canada have collapsed. After federal rebates ended in January 2025, EV sales in Canada plunged over 41% in a month,

00:08:20.100 while gas vehicle sales surged. And Calgary hasn't learned from other municipalities in the province. For example,

00:08:26.400 Edmonton spent $60 million on buses from now-bankrupt Proterra, with the majority of buses inoperable,

00:08:32.100 inoperable, and a maximum range of just 117 kilometers, less than a quarter of the 482 kilometers

00:08:38.720 initially advertised. St. Albert's fleet also underperformed, with the lifespan of its BYD buses

00:08:44.900 dropping from 18 years to 12, alongside battery and charging failures. Canadian Taxpayers Federation's

00:08:51.060 Alberta director Chris Sims warned the move could lead to another costly boondoggle. She said,

00:08:56.380 quote, a chill went down my spine, because of course, we saw the fiasco that happened up in Edmonton,

00:09:01.660 where they spent millions of dollars on electric buses that didn't work. The bureaucrats up at 0.54

00:09:06.020 Edmonton City Hall even tried purchasing for thousands and thousands of dollars little battery

00:09:11.000 blankets so they could snuggle up the batteries in winter that still didn't work. The city of Calgary,

00:09:16.320 of course, cited federal funding as a reasoning. However, Sims reminded Calgarians that there was only

00:09:20.960 one taxpayer. Residents of Calgary previously came up with five cost-cutting ideas for Mayor G.O.T.

00:09:27.720 Gondek, and one of those ideas, unsurprisingly, was to stop pursuing the economic pitfall of electric

00:09:33.620 buses. Calgary had previously spent $325.2 million in federal dollars to purchase 259 electric buses.

00:09:41.640 They ordered them from Vicinity Motor Corporation, which dropped below two cents by November 2024

00:09:46.860 for their share price, which had a peak of almost $13, and in fact was expected to be pulled from the

00:09:53.260 stock market altogether. The stock price now fluctuates between zero dollars and one one

00:09:58.180 hundredth of a cent, and the buses were never delivered. With Calgary's municipal elections

00:10:02.440 coming up on October 20th, Sims said this announcement could work against Gondek, but I guess

00:10:07.440 we'll have to wait and see. Stepping back outside of Calgary for our next story, Alberta was one of the

00:10:12.080 Western provinces to call on Ottawa to immediately resolve the canola tariffs from China. Alberta

00:10:17.360 Premier Danielle Smith said the 75.8% tariffs were on top of the already 100% tariffs in place on

00:10:23.180 canola products. She said, quote, this threatens to shut Alberta producers out of one of our most

00:10:29.000 valuable markets almost entirely. Smith explained that China was Alberta's second largest agricultural

00:10:34.680 export market, accounting for $2.4 billion last year and almost 70% of the province's exports.

00:10:41.040 She explained that the tariffs came in response to the Liberals' 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs and 25%

00:10:47.840 tariffs on steel and aluminum. Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, R.J. Sigurdsson,

00:10:52.860 issued a press release on the tariffs. He said, quote, while we acknowledge Canada's request for

00:10:57.700 World Trade Organization dispute consultations over the March 20 tariffs, more urgent and active

00:11:02.820 federal intervention is needed to resolve this dispute, an issue they created. Alberta is once again

00:11:08.560 calling on Ottawa to act swiftly to support Western Canadian producers, engage in constructive dialogue

00:11:13.780 with China, and restore access to one of our most critical markets before more livelihoods are lost.

00:11:19.260 And other Western premiers spoke out too. For example, Manitoba Premier Wob Canoo estimated Western

00:11:24.560 producers lost $1 billion in a single day as a result of this tariff, warning more losses are expected.

00:11:31.240 And in Saskatchewan, Premier Scott Moe said the timing during harvest will have a devastating impact on

00:11:36.260 prices and trade. With 12 million acres of canola seeded in Saskatchewan this year, Moe said the

00:11:41.480 industry is significantly larger than the steel, aluminum, and EV industries combined and deserves

00:11:47.180 the same federal attention. He urged Carney to seek a direct meeting with China's President Xi Jinping.

00:11:53.880 But Carney has yet to comment on these tariffs. The new duty took effect on Thursday and adds to the

00:11:59.580 existing Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola meal and oil, peas, pork, and seafood products.

00:12:04.640 The Canola Council of Canada estimates the industry is worth $43 to $45 billion annually and supports

00:12:10.820 more than 200,000 jobs nationwide. But moving to a different political story for our next,

00:12:16.280 the Alberta government has greenlit a major worship event featuring Christian musician Sean Feucht on

00:12:21.760 the Legislative Assembly grounds in Edmonton, approving his Revive in 25 lettuce worship gathering for

00:12:26.900 August 22nd. And True North will of course be live on the ground for that concert. A spokesperson for

00:12:31.800 the Alberta Ministry of Infrastructure said, quote, committed to supporting and respecting everyone's

00:12:37.500 right to free speech. We have a duty to uphold these rights and freedoms regardless of an individual's

00:12:42.240 religious or political beliefs. The government of Alberta does not engage in shutting down or censoring

00:12:47.860 law-abiding events. Detailing the standard booking procedure for the legislature grounds, the spokesperson

00:12:53.620 said, quote, events held on the Alberta legislature grounds range from performances, celebrations,

00:12:59.320 and festivals to rallies, flag raisings, and commemorative ceremonies. As a standard practice,

00:13:06.040 organizations may book indoor or outdoor event space at the Alberta legislature by completing a

00:13:11.500 standard application form. All applicants must comply with established security protocols,

00:13:17.260 public safety requirements, and venue guidelines. This decision contrasts with recent cancellations

00:13:22.860 restrictions and restrictions elsewhere in Canada. Permits for Feucht's events were pulled in

00:13:27.880 Abbotsford, BC, and Moncton, New Brunswick, with Parks Canada also revoking permissions for planned

00:13:33.560 gatherings at historic sites in Halifax and Charlottetown. In Montreal, a local church that hosted Feucht

00:13:39.260 received a $2,500 fine. But that wraps up this week's Alberta Roundup. My name's Isaac Lamoureux.

00:13:45.480 Have a great weekend, thank you, and God bless.

00:13:52.860 Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless you, and God bless you.

Juno News - August 16, 2025

Alberta sovereigntists draw big Edmonton crowd

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