Juno News - April 07, 2025


Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stands by Aaron Gunn

Topics
taxpayer grocery spending Aaron Gunn smear campaign
Hosted by
Isaac Lamoureux Noah Jarvis
Mentioned
Aaron Gunn Mark Carney Justin Trudeau Pierre Poilievre Amarjeet Sogi Sohi Randy Boissoneau Rod Loyoya Jagsharan Singh Mahal MLA Rod Laioia Christopher Dummitt Edmonton Southwest Edmonton Centre Amranji Sogi John Rustad Rod Loyola Ellis Ross Polievre
Smith and Quebec team up to fight feds HUGE crowds for Poilievre ⧸ Media cover for Carney ⧸ the TRUTH about foreign interference

Episode Stats


Length

14 minutes

Words per minute

154.46

Word count

2,302

Sentence count

117

Harmful content

Hate speech

2

sentences flagged


Summary

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

In a French-language interview, Prime Minister Mark Carney was stumped when asked if he still buys U.S. products, admitting that he doesn't know because others do his grocery shopping for him. After being ditched by the Liberals, former Alberta NDP MLA Rod Laioia said he would run as an independent in Edmonton Southeast. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is standing by Vancouver Island Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn after the legacy media and activist groups called for his removal.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
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 In a French-language interview, Liberal leader Marc Carney was stumped when asked if he still
00:00:09.100 buys U.S. products, admitting that he doesn't know because others do his grocery shopping for him.
00:00:15.220 After being ditched by the Liberals, former Alberta NDP MLA Rod Laioia said he would run
00:00:20.460 as an independent in Edmonton Southeast.
00:00:23.020 Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is standing by Vancouver Island Conservative candidate Aaron
00:00:27.820 Gunn after the legacy media and activist groups called for his removal.
00:00:32.640 Hello Canada, it's Monday, April 7th, and this is the True North Daily Brief.
00:00:36.680 I'm Isaac Lamoureux.
00:00:38.080 And I'm Noah Jarvis.
00:00:39.540 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.
00:00:42.580 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.
00:00:50.020 After previously admitting that he had no idea what Canadian families pay for groceries,
00:00:54.440 Liberal leader Marc Carney wasn't able to answer a question on whether he still purchases U.S.
00:00:59.320 products because as Prime Minister, somebody else does his groceries for him.
00:01:03.780 The comments came during a lengthy French-language interview with CBC's Radio Canada,
00:01:08.420 where the party leaders spoke in depth about their platforms.
00:01:12.280 One of the panelists asked Carney whether he agreed with the response from many Canadian residents
00:01:16.480 who boycotted the United States by no longer buying American products,
00:01:20.720 booing the national anthem and cancelling trips down south.
00:01:23.700 Carney said he agreed with the steps, but when asked whether he had boycotted U.S. goods personally,
00:01:29.120 he said he had an unusual answer to give.
00:01:31.860 Carney said, quote,
00:01:33.140 Being Prime Minister, I don't buy strawberries and all that anymore.
00:01:36.400 Someone else does.
00:01:38.020 Carney said he was still, quote, proud of the reactions of Canadians.
00:01:41.860 He previously blamed the inability of Canadians to afford groceries on a lack of, quote, productivity.
00:01:47.280 The previous comments from Carney came shortly after he was unable to say how much families of four spent on their weekly grocery bills.
00:01:54.740 So, Noah, how much has the Prime Minister's residents billed taxpayers for groceries in the past?
00:02:00.180 What did former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's publicly funded grocery bill look like?
00:02:05.220 So, Isaac, the Prime Minister definitely has been billing Canadians an ever-increasing amount of groceries.
00:02:12.440 For example, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously billed Canadians over $150,000 for two years' worth of groceries.
00:02:22.260 In 2022 and 2023, the average Canadian spent $29,989,000 on groceries.
00:02:30.500 So, the Prime Minister, at least Justin Trudeau, has been spending an inordinate amount of money on groceries far beyond what the average Canadian spends on groceries.
00:02:41.280 You know, I don't know if they're buying caviar and, you know, only the finest, most expensive organic groceries that they could possibly find.
00:02:50.520 But it is definitely far more than any Canadian spends on food.
00:02:56.220 Beyond just the groceries, Trudeau also spent $188,864 on, quote-unquote, food and food preparation.
00:03:06.220 And that has meant that taxpayers have subsidized $157,642 of it over his entire reign as Prime Minister.
00:03:16.900 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has spent over $500,000 on groceries.
00:03:21.740 So, it is not as if the Prime Minister doesn't get paid a good wage.
00:03:26.580 The Prime Minister gets paid over $400,000 a year.
00:03:30.900 So, it's a little unclear for taxpayers who, you know, see that they have to feed their family of three or family of four on a wage of, you know, perhaps $100,000 a year.
00:03:42.800 A lot of these taxpayers look at the Prime Minister and say, why can't you pay for your groceries?
00:03:47.940 And why do they have to come out of the pockets of taxpayers?
00:03:51.120 Taxpayers are already having a hard enough time, as it is, paying for groceries after years of inflation and, you know, the carbon tax being imposed on farmers and driving up the cost of food.
00:04:03.880 It is really concerning for a lot of taxpayers that the Prime Minister is disconnected from the concerns of everyday Canadians, that they don't even know how much that they're spending on groceries.
00:04:16.800 They don't know where they're getting their groceries from.
00:04:19.560 And I'm pretty sure Prime Minister Mark Carney has not had to pay for his groceries for many years.
00:04:26.400 He was the Governor of the Bank of England for several years, and, you know, he was the UN Climate Envoy for COP26.
00:04:33.920 He's a multi-millionaire.
00:04:36.540 This is not like someone who understands the plight of the average Canadian, understands the impact that inflation has on the average Canadian,
00:04:45.860 understands what a bushel of strawberries costs or how much cilantro or lettuce at the grocery store costs.
00:04:54.260 But the average Canadian does understand.
00:04:56.580 And I think that when Mark Carney makes comments like this, it is hurtful to his campaign.
00:05:02.320 It's hurtful in his ability to relate to the average Canadian.
00:05:06.060 And perhaps you might see some effect on the polls after Mark Carney's comments.
00:05:13.280 It's not guaranteed, but there has been a lot of concern over whether or not this unelected Prime Minister ought to be the Prime Minister,
00:05:24.840 and if he really understands Canada after being overseas for many years.
00:05:28.840 Former Alberta NDP MLA Rod Loyoya has announced his intention to run as an independent candidate for Parliament in Edmonton Southeast
00:05:39.900 against Edmonton Mayor and former Liberal Cabinet Minister Amarjeet Sogi.
00:05:44.400 The decision comes after the federal Liberals dropped him from the Edmonton gateway race due to a controversial resurfaced 2009 video.
00:05:52.480 In the video, Loyoya, while at an anti-NATO rally, is seen praising Hamas and Hezbollah,
00:05:59.020 both of which are designated as terrorist organizations in Canada.
00:06:02.440 Despite the controversy, he declared his intention to run as an independent candidate in Edmonton Southeast
00:06:07.480 against former Liberal Cabinet Minister and Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sogi.
00:06:13.120 Conservative candidate Janksharan Singh Mahal is also contesting the rioting.
00:06:18.000 The poll aggregator, 338 Canada, projects the Liberals ahead of the Conservatives by 4% in Edmonton Southeast.
00:06:25.060 The Liberals have not issued a public statement explaining the decision.
00:06:28.520 In response, Loyoya has took to social media, expressing surprise at the backlash
00:06:32.840 and defending his past comments and claiming he was quote-unquote cancelled.
00:06:37.740 Loyoya has also said he condemns terrorism in his statement.
00:06:41.680 Loyoya wrote in a statement, quote,
00:06:43.500 A video from 16 years ago surfaced in which I made comments about Hamas and Hezbollah
00:06:49.120 during a hip-hop segment introduction at an anti-war rally.
00:06:53.820 I am announcing that this is not the end of our campaign.
00:06:57.120 I will continue as an independent in the original rioting I intended to run, Edmonton Southeast, unquote.
00:07:04.060 If Sogi wins his bid for federal office, it would also trigger a by-election for the mayoral seat,
00:07:09.260 potentially making it the most expensive by-election in Edmonton's history.
00:07:13.960 So his tenure as mayor has been marked by several controversies, including property tax hikes, 6.1% in 2005,
00:07:21.740 and a projected 6.8% increase in 2026, along with a $100 million bike lane project that had drawn criticism.
00:07:29.940 A 2023 Amaru public opinion poll revealed that only 25% of Edmontonians felt Sogi deserved re-election,
00:07:38.160 while 60% indicated they wanted a new mayor.
00:07:40.840 So Isaac, as an Albertan yourself, I'm pretty sure that you're at least somewhat familiar with Amranji Sogi's tenure as mayor.
00:07:49.420 He probably has the rioting locked up if the Liberals continue to rise in the poll,
00:07:56.380 but 338 Canada is showing that the rioting is close.
00:08:01.560 And there are several other riotings in this election that are projected to be close,
00:08:06.780 especially as the Conservatives seek to flip some seats from the Liberals and NDP,
00:08:12.360 as are the Liberals trying to do in their own campaigns.
00:08:15.940 So are there any other riotings that Canadians should be looking at in this federal election?
00:08:21.420 Yeah, Noah, there are, especially considering Edmonton has nine electoral districts,
00:08:26.400 some of them are very interesting.
00:08:27.980 For example, Edmonton Centre currently has 10 listed candidates on Elections Canada,
00:08:33.280 and this is, of course, former Liberal Party MP Randy Boissoneau's rioting.
00:08:38.720 So there's a lot of controversy clouding that rioting,
00:08:41.560 as the numerous, numerous stories of controversy that came out about Boissoneau during his tenure.
00:08:47.420 But in my opinion, as an Edmonton resident, there are none more interesting than the Edmonton
00:08:52.260 Southeast rioting, which you mentioned, because, of course, Edmonton Mayor Amarjit Sohi is running
00:08:57.400 in that rioting under the Liberal Party banner.
00:09:00.860 And just quickly to do so, he is taking an unpaid leave of absence to run for federal politics.
00:09:05.640 If he loses, he said he'll return to finish his term, but will not run for re-election.
00:09:10.580 And if he wins, he, of course, will resign as mayor,
00:09:13.420 and an interim mayor will be appointed, the province's municipal elections are slated for
00:09:18.480 October. And just to remind listeners quickly about Rod Loyola, this is a former Alberta NDP
00:09:23.960 MLA who resigned from that party to run with the Liberals, despite True North revealing that he
00:09:29.320 bashed the Liberals and said he would never run with them a decade prior.
00:09:33.640 And when he was a Liberal candidate, he was actually set to run in Edmonton Gateway.
00:09:37.060 However, as you said, now he plans to run as an independent in Edmonton Southeast against Sohi.
00:09:40.980 As for Sohi, a 2023 Maru public opinion showed that only 25% of Edmontonians felt he deserved
00:09:48.500 re-election, while 60% said they wanted a new mayor.
00:09:52.060 And despite his poor approval ratings, he seemingly thinks he can win federally.
00:09:56.480 Sohi also has other controversies.
00:09:58.760 For example, he was previously photographed with Jaspal Atwal, a convicted attempted assassin
00:10:03.620 during a trip to India with former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
00:10:07.180 The battlegrounds in Edmonton are set to be exciting in the federal election that will
00:10:11.600 take place on April 28.
00:10:16.880 Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre stood firmly by conservative North Island Powell River
00:10:21.420 candidate Aaron Gunn, pushing back hard against what he called a false and misleading smear
00:10:26.900 campaign against the B.C. documentary filmmaker.
00:10:29.980 During a press conference on Saturday, Poilievre was pressed on a letter put out by former members
00:10:36.080 of the Union of British Columbian Indian chiefs and local politicians, alleging that Gunn had
00:10:41.740 denied the generational trauma caused by residential schools.
00:10:45.280 Poilievre rejected the accusation outright when asked if he stood by his candidate.
00:10:50.120 He responded, quote,
00:10:51.260 Polievre pointed to Gunn's public record, where the popular filmmaker and commentator
00:11:02.860 explicitly condemned the, quote,
00:11:04.500 truly horrific events that occurred in residential schools.
00:11:07.840 Gunn himself has stated that, quote,
00:11:09.600 any attempt to suggest otherwise is simply false, adding that he supports reconciliation
00:11:14.480 rooted in opportunity and prosperity for Indigenous Canadians.
00:11:18.100 Beyond addressing the controversy, Poilievre doubled down on the party's broader message,
00:11:23.740 highlighting Gunn's commitment to unlocking natural resource development in partnership
00:11:27.640 with First Nations communities.
00:11:29.660 Poilievre said Gunn supports a First Nations resource charge that would allow companies to
00:11:33.960 pay taxes directly to Indigenous governments, putting prosperity directly into the hands of 0.99
00:11:38.560 local communities.
00:11:39.780 Poilievre said, quote,
00:11:40.940 The choice in this election is clear.
00:11:43.240 After a lost liberal decade marked by rising costs, increased crime and a weakening economy,
00:11:47.740 do we want to keep a government that holds our First Nations people back?
00:11:51.340 In particular, activists and former Union of British Columbia Indian chiefs accused Gunn
00:11:55.580 of denying residential schools impacts, a charge Gunn has called since, quote,
00:12:01.100 simply false.
00:12:02.500 Legacy media reports have honed in on a post responding to the claims of residential schools
00:12:07.280 being analogous to genocide.
00:12:09.740 The post said, quote,
00:12:10.900 There was no genocide.
00:12:12.200 Stop lying to people and read a book.
00:12:13.940 The Holocaust was a genocide. 0.83
00:12:15.460 Get off Twitter and learn more about the world.
00:12:17.380 In 2021, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly acknowledged an inquiry's findings
00:12:22.080 that Canada had committed a genocide against Indigenous peoples.
00:12:25.920 The declaration has been disputed by historians, including Trent University professor of Canadian
00:12:30.940 history Christopher Dummitt and others.
00:12:33.400 So, Noah, have others come out in defense of Aaron Gunn since the media smears began?
00:12:37.860 Yes, Isaac.
00:12:38.440 It seems as if Aaron Gunn is receiving quite a bit of support after some of the attacks he
00:12:44.020 has sustained in the past couple weeks.
00:12:46.760 One of the people that have come out into his defense is Conservative Party of British
00:12:53.040 Columbia leader John Rustad.
00:12:55.080 He came out with a strong statement on X saying that he defends Aaron Gunn.
00:13:01.600 He said that while he was the co-chair of Ellis Ross's leadership campaign, he said that
00:13:08.340 Aaron had also tried to run in the leadership race and that he had wanted him to run in
00:13:13.360 the campaign despite the fact that the party itself had disqualified him.
00:13:18.640 He said that Aaron is, quote, an outstanding young man.
00:13:23.320 And he said that the media smears against him were just inappropriate.
00:13:30.100 Also, a letter was signed by several local politicians, the mayor of Campbell River,
00:13:37.340 Kermit Dahl, and several councillors.
00:13:40.040 They all signed the letter saying that Aaron Gunn is a tireless advocate for the people of
00:13:46.400 his riding and of Powell River and that they would like to see him run in the federal election
00:13:53.520 and that he does not deserve to be turfed.
00:13:55.980 This is someone who has made several documentaries about the state of Vancouver and the state of
00:14:02.700 Canada, talking about the various problems that Vancouver is dealing with, such as housing,
00:14:09.960 crime, especially the opioid crisis.
00:14:13.040 And these documentaries had gained a lot of traction and had become quite popular,
00:14:19.040 exemplifying what exactly is wrong with Vancouver and Canada more broadly.
00:14:25.900 I think that a lot of the candidates who have been turfed by the Conservative Party definitely
00:14:31.540 weren't nearly as popular or didn't nearly have as much institutional support as Aaron Gunn.
00:14:41.220 That's it for today, folks.
00:14:42.620 Thanks for tuning in.
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