00:00:00.000a lot of what Alberta deemed common-sense legislation is soon to be introduced in
00:00:15.600this instance of the province's legislative session when the province was introducing the
00:00:19.940session they spent half the time talking about the legislation and the other half
00:00:23.620smack-talking the liberals and the void they've left by suspending parliament of course they
00:00:28.580also talked about the budget which was released on thursday an albertan minister has resigned due
00:00:34.440to the ongoing controversy between alberta premier danielle smith and the alberta health services
00:00:39.040regarding their procurement practices a different minister warned that the liberals risked having a
00:00:44.040similar failure with a much greater magnitude to the green line lrt with their planned high-speed
00:00:49.260rail between toronto and quebec city you may have seen the billboard urging albertans to tell the
00:00:54.060premier to join the usa all that and more on today's episode my name is isaac lamoureux your
00:00:59.360host of the show and let's hop into that first story now alberta's legislature reconvened on
00:01:04.060tuesday focusing on introducing what the province is calling common sense legislation while working
00:01:09.380to fill the void left by the federal government grinding to a halt due to prorogation while the
00:01:14.320legislation has been trickling in slowly beginning with the budget of course introduced on thursday
00:01:19.220and will continue to be introduced throughout the session we'll discuss the press conference of
00:01:23.420government house leader joseph scow introducing the session where he took aim at the feds
00:01:27.440while scow avoided discussing details of specific bills deferring to upcoming announcements from
00:01:32.620respective ministers he did hint that the budget would feature amendments to the alberta personal
00:01:37.280income tax and it did considering one of the ucp government's key campaign promises a tax cut
00:01:42.840will be implemented in 2025 two years ahead of schedule the provincial government is implementing a new
00:01:48.660eight percent personal tax bracket for income up to sixty thousand dollars the tax cut is expected to
00:01:54.740save individual albertans up to 750 in 2025 albertans earning less than sixty thousand dollars per year
00:02:02.280will see their personal income taxes fall by 20 percent albertans are expected to collectively save
00:02:08.0201.2 billion dollars in 2025 due to this measure yeah let me know your thoughts about the budget uh in the
00:02:14.320comments especially considering the baseline values provided in the budget assume a 15 tariff on all
00:02:20.740goods with 10 tariff on energy and forecast the deficit of 5.2 billion dollars in 2025 26 falling in
00:02:28.240subsequent years in the low scenario in the budget signaling a decline in revenue 25 tariff would be
00:02:34.640put on all canadian goods except for energy products which would see 10 tariffs if this were to occur
00:02:40.180the alberta government projects a deficit of 8.7 billion dollars in 2025 26 which would still fall
00:02:46.140in the next two years the high scenario assumes no tariffs but the looming uncertainty would come with
00:02:51.380a higher exchange rate volatility a swing in energy proxies and disruption to the supply chain the high
00:02:57.720scenario also assumes no retaliatory tariffs from canada resulting in lower inflation growth in spending
00:03:03.360and more in this scenario the province still predicts a deficit of 2.9 billion dollars in 2025 2026
00:03:10.720but would almost balance the budget by 2027 28 which would see a deficit of 200 million dollars
00:03:17.200but now getting back into our other story scow said the legislation will help albertans cope with the
00:03:21.840rising cost of living he emphasized that this upcoming session is extra significant amid global
00:03:27.760economic uncertainty he said quote we are in the midst of global uncertainty with geopolitical
00:03:33.280change and shifting markets and we are saddled with a federal government that's so focused on
00:03:38.120internal party politics that they seem to have forgotten their duty to canadians forcing provinces
00:03:43.620to fill the gaps where they have failed while much of the legislation is focused on directly
00:03:48.440improving albertans living standards scow said that alberta's government will continue to try to ease
00:03:54.140border and trade tensions with the united states the province will also work to break down
00:03:58.860inter-provincial trade barriers he said quote we will continue to enact business-friendly policies
00:04:04.660that attract investment continue our work to refocus the health care system and as wildfire season
00:04:09.300inches closer we will continue our preparations to protect albertans and communities from the
00:04:14.000impacts of wildfires scow added that some liberal cabinet members are finally realizing the importance
00:04:19.200of an east-west pipeline after denying it for years the house leader said quote we have a federal government
00:04:25.160that has been missing in action for quite some time who has failed to understand or at least fail to
00:04:29.500respond to the needs of our province as we see the turmoil and the self-interest happening within
00:04:34.420the liberal party we're not going to let that distract us from defending alberta's best interests
00:04:39.380alberta's government unveiled nine of the approximately 20 pieces of legislation expected in the spring
00:04:44.840session the upcoming legislation includes the automobile insurance act the financial statutes amendment act
00:04:50.120and the red tape reduction statutes amendment act alberta minister of mental health and addiction
00:04:54.900dan williams said that legislation for involuntary treatment for drug addicts is forthcoming let's
00:05:00.300watch that clip here as the premier laid out our government has done significant work to build a
00:05:04.320recovery model now leading the decrease in opioid fatalities across the country with year over
00:05:09.720year of 39 percent decrease a 300 percent higher decrease than any other jurisdiction in canada but
00:05:16.080this is not enough for those who are not able or willing to voluntarily find their way into treatment we had
00:05:22.180one individual last year who overdosed 186 times as was reported by the provincial health care numbers
00:05:27.580we believe it's likely more often than that because not every single overdose is reported and tracked for
00:05:33.460an individual the last thing that I want to see or anybody wants to see is that be one of our family members
00:05:39.580or friends and it be 187th time that takes that individual's life we will not sit back while we watch this happen to Albertans to our loved ones in our communities and to loved ones in our family who are suffering from this deadly disease of addiction
00:05:53.860our government has made a commitment to bring forward compassionate intervention and that legislation is coming soon it would create a process and a path for a family member guardian for health care professionals and for law enforcement or peace officers to intervene
00:06:02.980and request treatment for somebody who's an addiction of their or because of their substance use has become a danger to themselves or others with the highest civil standards we will move forward with legislation that allows society to care for and intervene for those who are most affected the previous legislative session saw lawmakers focus on protecting personal autonomy property rights and legal firearm ownership for Albertans the province of
00:06:32.960also introduced sweeping changes to local election laws last spring one of the changes will be piloted in the upcoming municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary which will introduce political parties at the municipal level so hopping into our next story here Alberta's Minister of Infrastructure Peter Guthrie resigned from cabinet Tuesday morning citing concerns over the provincial government's procurement practices and a lack of accountability within Premier Daniel Smith's government Guthrie announced his resignation in a letter addressed to constituents stating he had taken steps to address procurement
00:07:02.840inconsistencies across government departments but found little support from cabinet
00:07:07.280he wrote quote in recent months I have voiced concerns regarding the government of Alberta's procurement practices across all departments as infrastructure minister Guthrie said he had insight into procurement processes and had recommended creating a financial oversight committee to review and advise on all major government contracts he said quote if implemented such a committee could have been instrumental in preventing some of the issues we are now seeing in Alberta Health
00:07:32.780adding adding unfortunately the majority of cabinet does not appear to share my concern Guthrie said his resignation would allow him to continue holding the government accountable as a private member emphasizing that Albertans expect fiscal responsibility and transparency
00:07:39.780another thing he wrote was quote it is essential that the public has confidence in its government and its processes we were elected to be open transparent fiscally responsible and above all honest with Albertans Alberta Premier Daniel Smith told True North that she had accepted Guthrie's resignation despite resigning as the province's infrastructure minister Guthrie will remain a UCP MLL
00:08:09.760for Airdrie Cochran he said he looks forward to continuing serving Albertans his resignation comes amid heightened scrutiny over Alberta Health Services procurement which has led to an investigation by Auditor General Doug Wiley former AHS CEO Athana Mensa Paulus who was dismissed in January has launched a $1.7 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit alleging political interference in health contracts Mensa Paulus claims that government officials pressured her to approve contracts for private surgical facilities and that
00:08:39.520Smith's former chief of staff Marshal Smith was involved in the process the lawsuit also raises concerns over the province's $70 million contract with MH Care Medical a company that secured a deal to import pain medication from Turkey
00:08:46.520Danielle Smith denied any wrongdoing stating earlier this month that the allegations should be reviewed transparently and expeditiously she confirmed that her government had requested both an internal AHS review and an independent audit by the Auditor General while pausing all new surgical facility contracts until the findings are released and
00:09:09.520She previously said quote as premier I was not involved in any wrongdoing any insinuation to the contrary is false baseless and defamatory
00:09:18.520Smith told True North this week that she has also directed her senior civil service to find a third party to investigate what happened with the AHS procurement process independently from the provincial government
00:09:28.520She said that she also hopes to determine why AHS never brought any substantive evidence or documentation to the provincial government despite months of requests
00:09:35.520She said quote I want to reiterate that I was not involved in these procurement decisions nor am I aware of any wrongdoing with regards to the issues raised by the former CEO my actions were straightforward the government made a policy decision to expand surgical facilities to tackle the critical issue of wait times and we all trusted that direction would be acted upon and implemented by AHS
00:09:47.520Auditor General Doug Wiley previously confirmed that he had begun reviewing the procurement and contracting process at the AHS his reports will be publicly available after they are tabled in the legislative assembly
00:10:06.520Let me know in the comments how you think that might unfold also on Thursday Daniel Smith named a new infrastructure minister that being Martin Long now hopping into a story that came out at the end of last week Alberta's Minister of Transportation Devin Dreschen warned that the federal government could be running headfirst into a failure akin to Calgary's green line LRT with the new high-speed rail plan between Toronto and Quebec City Dreschen had previously called the Calgary project a quote multi-billion dollar
00:10:36.520He blamed that project on former Calgary mayor and current provincial NDP leader Naheed Nenshi
00:10:42.520Dreschen wrote in a letter on September 3rd quote
00:10:44.520To be clear we recognize your and the current council's efforts to try and salvage the untenable position you've been placed in by the former mayor and his utter failure to competently oversee the planning design and implementation of a cost-effective transit plan that could have served hundreds of thousands of Calgarians in the city's southern and northern communities
00:11:04.520He said it was encouraging to see the Liberals supporting mega infrastructure projects between provinces but warned that not enough preparatory work had been done in advance of the announcements
00:11:13.520Dreschen told True North quote the federal government doesn't seem to have done the proper homework for this 80 billion dollar high-speed rail project
00:11:21.520When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the project he said Canada would only invest 3.9 billion dollars over six years on top of the 371.8 million provided in budget 2024
00:11:31.520However according to CBC Transport Canada said that a high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City could actually cost up to 80 billion dollars
00:11:38.520Franco Terrizano federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation said quote
00:11:43.520Trudeau just put taxpayers on the hook for 4 billion dollars for the planning of this boondoggle
00:11:48.520How much will this actually cost taxpayers?
00:11:50.520Transport Minister Anita Anad couldn't even say how much it would cost she said the following
00:11:55.520But do you have a rough estimate as to the price tag? I mean are we talking 15 billion, 100 billion, 200 billion?
00:12:02.520Like I think if you want to get buy-in from people they need to understand just how much this is going to cost
00:14:35.520Properly planning first and building quickly after is the key for these type of projects
00:14:40.520Despite the problems with Calgary's LRT project, the province has big plans province-wide for passenger rail
00:14:46.520The province proposed a commuter rail at the end of April 2024 to connect the province
00:14:51.520The rail plan aims to be completed by summer 2025
00:14:54.520A 15-year delivery plan will be presented and the project aims to be completed by 2040
00:14:59.520Hopping into our last story today with a quickie
00:15:01.520A provocative sign reignited the debate over Alberta's future and fueled backlash from local officials
00:15:07.520A bold new billboard in Bowdoin, Alberta is turning heads and stirring controversy
00:15:11.520The sign reads, Tell Danielle, let join the USA
00:15:14.520And features a photo of Premier Daniel Smith with US President Donald Trump
00:15:18.520The photo was taken during a recent visit to President Trump's Florida residence in Mar-a-Lago earlier this year
00:15:24.520Funded by the America Fund, a group linked to former WEG-SIT Alberta members, the billboard pushes the idea of Alberta breaking away from Canada
00:15:31.520Yeah, I thought I saw the billboard in person, but I must have confused it for when I saw it on X because I wasn't around Bowdoin recently
00:15:38.520Let me know if you saw the sign though
00:16:06.520I have seen so many Canadians and Albertans in particular reaching out and saying, we've got to put Canada first
00:16:15.520We've got to tear down inter-provincial trade barriers, we've got to find new markets, we've got to support each other in building new pipeline infrastructure
00:16:21.520I've seen a sea change in attitudes across the entire country
00:17:38.520And I hope we can get onto that part of the conversation very soon, because that's a lot more constructive
00:17:42.520Tell me if you agree with Smith, or whether she's burying her head in the sand here
00:17:46.520The sign has reignited long-standing frustrations over federal control, energy regulations, and equalization payments
00:17:52.520Separateist political movements have existed in Alberta since the 1930s
00:17:56.520And spiked during the 70s when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau imposed his devastating national energy plan
00:18:02.520The movement picked up steam again when Pierre's son Justin Trudeau was elected in 2015
00:18:07.520In 2017, he stated that he wanted to phase out the use of Alberta oil sands
00:18:13.520And since then has introduced anti-energy legislation, including Bill C-69
00:18:19.520Professor Jordan B. Peterson recently wrote in the National Post that Canada has to offer Alberta a better deal than what President Trump is offering