Juno News - Conservative Leadership Series： Scott Aitchison

00:00:00.000 Welcome to Canada's Most Irreverent Talk Show.

00:00:05.780 This is the Andrew Lawton Show, brought to you by True North.

00:00:10.760 Coming up, my conversation with Conservative Leadership Candidate

00:00:14.220 and Perry Sound Muskoka Member of Parliament Scott Aitchison

00:00:17.120 in the Conservative Leadership Series.

00:00:19.560 The Andrew Lawton Show starts right now.

00:00:23.160 Greetings one and all.

00:00:24.600 Welcome to Canada's Most Irreverent Talk Show here on True North,

00:00:28.260 the Andrew Lawton Show, and another special edition of the program

00:00:31.920 as we continue the Conservative Leadership Series,

00:00:35.220 which I've said now a couple of times,

00:00:36.820 uncreatively describes our series of conversations

00:00:40.280 with Conservative Leadership Candidates.

00:00:42.540 I should have called it the Conservative Leadership Conversation Series,

00:00:45.540 just to really drive home exactly what this is.

00:00:48.840 But we did it in 2020.

00:00:50.640 We weren't really around in 2017,

00:00:52.460 but we would have done it then if we were around,

00:00:54.840 and it would have taken a lot longer

00:00:56.320 because there were like 87 candidates

00:00:58.260 seeking the Conservative leadership that time around.

00:01:02.280 But we're going around talking to the candidates

00:01:04.400 about what it is they want to do as leader of the Conservatives,

00:01:07.220 how they plan to get there,

00:01:08.740 how they'll win an election after that,

00:01:10.700 and if they become Prime Minister,

00:01:12.480 what they would do in this country.

00:01:14.860 But the whole point of this series

00:01:16.460 is that we're trying to talk to the candidates

00:01:18.300 about things that Conservative Canadians actually care about.

00:01:22.360 So much of the mainstream media filter

00:01:24.820 on covering Conservative politics

00:01:26.780 is about what the media cares about.

00:01:29.740 So you get a billion questions on abortion and systemic racism

00:01:33.440 and none on things like taxes and budgets

00:01:36.840 and social conservatism and electability

00:01:39.900 and all of these other things

00:01:41.120 that really are weighing on people in some form or another

00:01:44.560 as they decide who they want to support in the leadership race.

00:01:48.500 We've had a bunch of these interviews so far,

00:01:51.020 and today I want to introduce the next one here,

00:01:53.660 which is my interview with Perry Sound Muskoka

00:01:55.900 Member of Parliament, Scott Aitchison,

00:01:58.040 who came into this with less name recognition

00:02:00.520 than some of the other candidates,

00:02:01.760 but he was still able to get the signatures,

00:02:04.480 raise the money,

00:02:05.320 and he's been running a very policy-driven campaign.

00:02:08.980 He's had a lot of announcements that have come out.

00:02:11.240 Some have been on fairly conventional Conservative issues,

00:02:14.420 but others have been on bolder things,

00:02:16.900 such as wanting to end supply management

00:02:18.940 and wanting to recognize Taiwan

00:02:21.640 as an independent, sovereign nation.

00:02:23.960 So putting an end to Canada's one-China foreign policy

00:02:27.320 when it comes to China and Taiwan.

00:02:29.560 These are certainly things that have resonated with our members,

00:02:32.880 and we wanted to go into a bit more depth

00:02:34.900 about them with Scott Aitchison.

00:02:36.880 So this is my Conservative Leadership Series interview

00:02:39.740 with Member of Parliament, Scott Aitchison.

00:02:42.460 Perry Sound Muskoka MP, Scott Aitchison.

00:02:44.760 Mr. Aitchison, good to talk to you again.

00:02:46.300 It's wonderful to be here.

00:02:47.140 Thank you for having me again, Andrew.

00:02:48.420 I don't think I'm speaking out of turn here

00:02:50.100 to say that when you entered this race,

00:02:51.800 you were not coming in with as much name recognition

00:02:54.280 as some of your competitors in it.

00:02:56.280 At the same time, you have experience

00:02:57.900 in federal and municipal politics, two-term MP.

00:03:00.920 Start with an easy one.

00:03:02.000 How do you think the race is going so far?

00:03:04.480 I think it's going really well.

00:03:06.460 I'm really very, very proud

00:03:08.180 of what the campaign is doing,

00:03:10.160 what my team is doing.

00:03:11.680 We're very focused on policy.

00:03:13.440 We're spreading that word around the country

00:03:16.280 and it's resonating.

00:03:17.620 More and more Conservatives are hearing that message

00:03:20.260 and they're pleased with what they hear.

00:03:22.900 It's very focused on policy.

00:03:24.520 What would you say if you could distill it down

00:03:26.860 into a simple message your campaign is about?

00:03:29.540 It's about making life more affordable for Canadians.

00:03:31.780 That's the biggest challenge

00:03:32.960 that I'm hearing about every single day.

00:03:35.060 Whether it's putting food on the table,

00:03:36.440 whether it's putting fuel in your car to get to work,

00:03:38.500 particularly the Canadians that live

00:03:39.680 in rural parts of the country,

00:03:41.480 whether it's trying to find a place to rent

00:03:43.400 or buy your first home,

00:03:45.520 it's a crisis in this country.

00:03:47.300 Affordability is a huge problem

00:03:48.680 and that's why I've been focused very much

00:03:50.780 on presenting solutions to the problems

00:03:53.080 that Canadians face every single day.

00:03:54.800 Not calling other candidates names,

00:03:56.680 but it's why I think it's important for us

00:03:58.260 to actually deliver a real plan

00:04:00.380 to solve the housing crisis

00:04:01.660 as opposed to just promising billions of dollars

00:04:03.780 like the Liberals do,

00:04:04.980 as opposed to sticking up for a failed policy

00:04:07.620 like supply management

00:04:08.580 that makes groceries more expensive

00:04:10.420 and ultimately limits our farmers' ability

00:04:14.140 to sell their products around the world.

00:04:15.760 I'm talking about conservative principles

00:04:17.580 that actually will help Canadians

00:04:19.080 and make life more affordable for them.

00:04:22.120 And I think that Canadians are ready to hear that.

00:04:24.360 Certainly conservatives are ready to hear that.

00:04:25.740 And that's why I keep talking about it.

00:04:27.240 The conservative talking point on affordability

00:04:30.040 has often just been about taxes, lower taxes.

00:04:32.640 Now you've touched on there a number of things

00:04:34.500 that aren't taxes per se

00:04:36.000 that are still driving up the cost of living.

00:04:38.620 And I find it interesting how much a lot of the media,

00:04:40.900 and I'd say a lot of politicians as well,

00:04:43.060 focus on the numbers like the inflation rate

00:04:45.740 and all that,

00:04:46.500 where Canadians have been seeing this problem

00:04:48.820 long before the experts did.

00:04:50.580 When the Bank of Canada governor was saying

00:04:52.540 this was all just transitory,

00:04:54.100 Canadians were looking at their grocery store bill

00:04:56.300 and their gas bill and saying

00:04:57.240 that this isn't transitory to me.

00:04:58.780 What is the solution that is within the purview

00:05:02.720 of the federal government to deal with inflation?

00:05:06.060 Well, and this is the crux of the issue here, right?

00:05:08.800 We're supposed to, as politicians,

00:05:10.340 talk in speaking points and little taglines and stuff,

00:05:12.900 and that's not solutions.

00:05:14.200 There is no magic bullet.

00:05:15.440 There is no waving of a magic wand

00:05:17.480 that can solve this problem.

00:05:18.780 It's not transitory.

00:05:20.000 It's not unique to Canada.

00:05:21.260 It's a global issue.

00:05:22.800 And so there are lots of little things.

00:05:24.520 This is one of those areas where,

00:05:26.480 you know, just standing up and saying,

00:05:28.300 you know, some kind of a slogan

00:05:29.500 doesn't actually solve the problem.

00:05:31.280 So there's no question that a big part of this

00:05:33.240 is looking at all kinds of government policies,

00:05:35.240 whether it's supply management,

00:05:36.500 whether it's the carbon tax,

00:05:38.040 whether it's some relief on fuel

00:05:40.840 with the HSD being removed

00:05:42.420 for a certain amount of time.

00:05:43.900 These are some of the things

00:05:44.740 that our team has proposed in Ottawa,

00:05:47.080 and of course the Liberals have ignored it.

00:05:48.780 But we need to be focused on

00:05:50.100 all kinds of different things

00:05:51.440 that we can be doing that produce results.

00:05:54.040 We can't be worried about the sacred cows

00:05:55.740 of, you know, the political things,

00:05:58.080 minefields that we avoid.

00:05:59.680 Canadians need results.

00:06:01.240 It also includes making sure

00:06:02.660 that the federal government

00:06:03.820 stops spending money

00:06:04.940 that they don't need to spend.

00:06:06.660 Christian Freeland told us

00:06:07.760 that they need to stimulate the economy.

00:06:09.400 We all know that the economy

00:06:11.180 is firing on all cylinders.

00:06:12.620 Inflation's out of control.

00:06:13.820 We can't get enough people

00:06:14.780 to fill jobs right now.

00:06:17.100 We don't need to be stimulating the economy.

00:06:19.720 And so now we're borrowing even more money

00:06:21.400 after two years,

00:06:23.020 two and a half years,

00:06:24.060 of excessive borrowing

00:06:25.560 that's only exacerbated the problem.

00:06:28.380 It's not the only part of the problem,

00:06:29.780 but it's exacerbating it.

00:06:31.300 And so we need reasonable leadership in Ottawa

00:06:34.740 that is looking at all the different policy items

00:06:38.160 that we can look at

00:06:39.060 because it's going to take, you know,

00:06:41.280 pushing all the levers

00:06:42.720 and pulling, you know,

00:06:43.620 pushing all the buttons

00:06:44.240 and pulling all the levers.

00:06:45.220 There's not one single solution.

00:06:47.340 Let's talk about supply management

00:06:48.960 for a moment

00:06:49.560 because this is an issue

00:06:50.640 where demonstrably Canadians

00:06:52.580 are paying more for dairy products

00:06:54.040 and conservatives

00:06:55.000 who oftentimes speak

00:06:56.080 about the importance of the free market

00:06:57.420 have also traditionally

00:06:58.980 had this as a very significant blind spot

00:07:01.380 for them.

00:07:02.320 And you and I spoke about it

00:07:03.280 a little bit before.

00:07:04.080 So I'll just encourage people

00:07:05.280 to watch that conversation

00:07:06.560 before rehashing all of it.

00:07:08.040 But the one thing I will bring up

00:07:09.720 is that a transition away

00:07:10.900 from supply management,

00:07:12.460 there have been estimates to say

00:07:13.580 this could be tens of billions of dollars.

00:07:15.680 So how do you transition away

00:07:17.460 without causing more pain

00:07:19.100 when, as you've noted,

00:07:20.280 government coffers

00:07:21.060 are already pretty bare

00:07:22.860 without relying on heavy debt?

00:07:24.460 Right.

00:07:25.060 Well, I mean,

00:07:26.600 we call it a transition

00:07:27.440 because it will take some time.

00:07:29.040 But for me,

00:07:29.540 it will start with a consultation

00:07:30.840 and discussion with farmers

00:07:33.060 about how we transition away

00:07:35.540 from this closed system

00:07:36.860 to a system where they can compete

00:07:38.920 and market their products

00:07:39.940 around the world.

00:07:40.740 We need to build new markets.

00:07:42.400 Let's not kid ourselves.

00:07:43.140 This is one of the reasons

00:07:44.100 the provinces came together

00:07:45.480 in the late 1870s

00:07:47.340 and created a federal government.

00:07:49.020 One of the primary roles

00:07:50.180 was to create new markets

00:07:51.700 around the world

00:07:52.260 for Canadian products.

00:07:53.780 And of course,

00:07:54.240 back then,

00:07:54.660 that was mostly agriculture.

00:07:56.700 And so to me,

00:07:57.560 this is fundamentally

00:07:58.160 what we should be doing.

00:07:59.540 And so it's about empowering

00:08:01.560 and enriching farmers

00:08:03.280 because we have some

00:08:04.120 of the best farmers

00:08:04.800 in the world.

00:08:06.180 But by doing that

00:08:07.480 and by creating competition

00:08:08.660 and creating new markets

00:08:09.580 for them,

00:08:10.000 we will also make food cheaper

00:08:11.820 for Canadian families

00:08:12.980 that are struggling.

00:08:13.620 And so I don't demonize farmers.

00:08:16.240 I think that farmers

00:08:16.960 have done a great job

00:08:17.980 within a system

00:08:18.740 that is really just

00:08:20.600 this closed quota system.

00:08:22.960 But I think that

00:08:24.000 if you're investing

00:08:24.780 in helping build

00:08:25.820 those new markets,

00:08:27.220 it doesn't have to cost

00:08:28.900 as much as it would cost

00:08:30.060 to just simply buy out

00:08:30.960 the quota.

00:08:32.040 But do you think

00:08:32.700 the dairy lobby

00:08:33.640 is too powerful

00:08:35.140 in Canadian politics

00:08:36.520 or in conservative politics?

00:08:37.860 Because that's often

00:08:38.640 been the factor

00:08:39.300 that's been blamed

00:08:40.600 for not having any movement

00:08:41.940 on this issue.

00:08:42.620 Yeah, I think

00:08:43.720 the lobbyists in Ottawa

00:08:45.100 in general are too powerful.

00:08:47.220 We pay too much attention

00:08:49.000 listening to these folks.

00:08:50.000 I mean, I think about

00:08:51.240 the fact that,

00:08:53.140 you know,

00:08:53.560 we've been trying

00:08:54.360 to make progress

00:08:54.960 on getting rural broadband

00:08:56.040 solved in this country.

00:08:58.280 And what you see

00:08:59.120 is the lobbyists

00:08:59.800 for the big corporations,

00:09:01.060 you know,

00:09:01.600 swooping in

00:09:02.180 and scooping up

00:09:02.820 whatever dollars

00:09:03.340 they can get

00:09:03.760 to pick off

00:09:04.300 the lowest hanging fruit

00:09:05.200 and not really solve

00:09:06.220 any problems,

00:09:06.940 not really expand

00:09:08.020 the network

00:09:08.500 for people that live

00:09:09.680 in rural areas

00:09:10.220 that desperately need

00:09:11.480 rural broadband.

00:09:12.120 This isn't part

00:09:12.580 of our infrastructure

00:09:13.220 as much as subways

00:09:14.460 in Toronto

00:09:15.000 or bridges

00:09:15.660 on our highways.

00:09:17.080 This is crucial.

00:09:18.080 But the lobbyists,

00:09:19.320 they're always there.

00:09:20.260 They're always there.

00:09:21.780 It's time for Ottawa

00:09:22.860 politicians

00:09:23.360 to ignore the lobbyists

00:09:25.060 and start focusing

00:09:25.740 on why they're there

00:09:26.680 to solve problems

00:09:27.700 for the people

00:09:28.140 they represent.

00:09:29.360 Looking at

00:09:30.240 where your party

00:09:31.440 is right now,

00:09:32.260 the big frustration

00:09:33.120 I've always had

00:09:33.880 just personally

00:09:34.500 with conservative platforms

00:09:35.860 is that I think

00:09:36.380 they focus too much

00:09:37.760 on cost of living

00:09:38.860 when that message

00:09:39.940 hasn't always resonated.

00:09:41.120 And I don't know

00:09:41.560 if it's been because

00:09:42.260 Canadians don't believe it.

00:09:43.800 I don't know

00:09:44.180 if it's been because

00:09:44.980 the media is bogging down

00:09:46.980 the debates and elections

00:09:47.880 about other things.

00:09:48.740 But do you think

00:09:49.600 that affordability alone

00:09:51.020 is enough to win an election?

00:09:52.880 Because that seems like

00:09:53.920 from my point of view

00:09:54.640 the exact message

00:09:55.580 that Andrew Scheer

00:09:56.300 and Aaron O'Toole ran on.

00:09:57.820 Well, I think affordability

00:09:59.120 is certainly more acute

00:10:01.200 an issue today

00:10:01.980 than it was

00:10:02.660 during those last two elections

00:10:04.120 that you referred to.

00:10:05.460 But I think the other challenge

00:10:06.680 that we have as conservatives

00:10:07.660 is we need to come together

00:10:09.520 as a movement

00:10:10.060 and as a caucus.

00:10:11.580 And until we can get along

00:10:13.560 amongst ourselves,

00:10:14.780 until we can build

00:10:15.880 that unity amongst ourselves,

00:10:18.060 then Canadians 0.55

00:10:18.720 are not going to trust us.

00:10:19.620 And the liberals,

00:10:20.200 I guarantee you,

00:10:20.900 will play upon

00:10:21.720 the divisions that exist

00:10:23.160 within our movement

00:10:24.720 to tell people

00:10:26.080 in places like the GTA

00:10:27.500 where we need to win seats

00:10:28.820 if we're going

00:10:29.240 to foreign government.

00:10:30.280 They'll tell people

00:10:31.140 in the lower mainland of B.C.

00:10:32.780 where we need to win seats

00:10:33.960 if we're going to win government.

00:10:35.180 They'll say,

00:10:35.620 you can't trust them.

00:10:36.840 And so we need to have

00:10:37.560 a principled,

00:10:38.800 consistent message

00:10:39.840 and deliver it in a tone

00:10:41.300 that doesn't scare people.

00:10:43.220 I think too many people

00:10:44.740 in those areas

00:10:45.360 where we need to win seats

00:10:46.340 see us as angry old white guys.

00:10:48.620 We play that role all too well.

00:10:50.620 The only way we can get past this

00:10:52.500 is by speaking to the issues

00:10:53.840 that matter to Canadians.

00:10:54.920 And I guarantee you,

00:10:55.720 affordability is absolutely

00:10:57.040 top of the list right now,

00:10:58.460 especially now.

00:10:59.800 But it's also about

00:11:00.820 speaking to the other issues

00:11:01.980 that matter to people

00:11:02.720 and speaking about those issues

00:11:03.800 in a way that doesn't scare them.

00:11:04.920 I think it's important

00:11:07.160 to defend the rights

00:11:07.980 of firearms owners.

00:11:09.040 I represent a lot of them.

00:11:10.640 But at the same time,

00:11:11.540 I don't think people

00:11:12.240 that live in cities

00:11:12.960 who are afraid of gun violence 1.00

00:11:14.220 are stupid. 1.00

00:11:15.420 They have every right 1.00

00:11:16.380 to be afraid.

00:11:17.040 And they deserve results

00:11:18.480 from their federal government.

00:11:20.120 And so just banning

00:11:21.120 another series of legal firearms

00:11:23.700 in this country

00:11:24.260 isn't going to solve that problem.

00:11:25.580 So we've got to stop

00:11:26.720 letting the liberals

00:11:27.500 pander to people,

00:11:29.040 not solve problems,

00:11:30.180 and then try to make us

00:11:31.420 look bad for defending

00:11:32.820 the rights of law-abiding

00:11:33.820 firearms owners.

00:11:34.680 We need to present

00:11:35.400 real solutions

00:11:36.300 to the problems

00:11:37.300 that we face,

00:11:37.980 not just in the rural parts

00:11:39.240 of this country,

00:11:39.860 but in the urban parts

00:11:40.620 of this country.

00:11:41.100 We need to stop

00:11:41.640 dividing Canadians.

00:11:42.760 We need to bring them together.

00:11:43.740 That's a message

00:11:44.240 that I'm delivering.

00:11:45.040 Does the May 2020

00:11:46.520 Order in Council

00:11:47.520 go away if you're 1.00

00:11:48.600 Prime Minister?

00:11:49.120 Absolutely it will.

00:11:50.420 And we need to take

00:11:52.460 the politics out

00:11:53.440 of firearms classification.

00:11:55.380 There are experts out there.

00:11:56.920 This is oftentimes

00:11:58.120 what you see happening,

00:11:59.060 where you get politicians involved

00:12:00.560 who are interested

00:12:01.060 in buying votes,

00:12:02.320 not actually interested

00:12:03.340 in solving problems.

00:12:04.600 We want to solve a problem.

00:12:05.600 We want to actually

00:12:06.160 have a credible plan

00:12:07.680 and a credible system

00:12:09.040 for classifying firearms

00:12:10.340 that doesn't include politics.

00:12:11.780 You need to have

00:12:12.460 a panel of experts.

00:12:13.260 I think that's the way

00:12:13.840 we do it,

00:12:14.560 and I think we take

00:12:15.200 the politicians

00:12:16.400 completely out of this,

00:12:17.620 and the politicians

00:12:18.240 can focus on actually

00:12:19.240 solving the problem,

00:12:20.000 which is stopping the flow

00:12:20.980 of illegal firearms

00:12:21.840 being smuggled

00:12:22.840 across the U.S. border.

00:12:24.980 And then the much

00:12:26.180 deeper, broader problem

00:12:27.400 is solving the issue

00:12:28.640 that we see

00:12:29.980 in inner cities

00:12:30.600 and communities

00:12:32.840 that are impoverished

00:12:33.760 where young people

00:12:34.460 see their only hope

00:12:35.900 for their future

00:12:37.080 to join a gang.

00:12:38.660 Our society has failed

00:12:39.620 those kids,

00:12:40.780 and our cities are afraid

00:12:41.960 as a result of it.

00:12:43.040 It's going to take

00:12:43.480 a lot more work,

00:12:44.460 but that's where

00:12:45.100 the work has to happen.

00:12:46.320 I know the Stephen Harper

00:12:47.420 government did something

00:12:48.760 very bold in reducing

00:12:50.020 the GST by two percentage points,

00:12:52.040 which was quite significant,

00:12:53.060 although quite long ago.

00:12:54.000 I don't think I can recall

00:12:56.180 any particular bold policy

00:12:58.360 on taxes,

00:13:00.040 just as one example,

00:13:01.620 in the last two elections

00:13:02.860 from the Conservatives.

00:13:03.740 I mean, certainly,

00:13:04.220 we've heard the general discussion

00:13:05.760 about wanting lower taxes.

00:13:07.500 What would you bring

00:13:08.620 to the table

00:13:09.160 that would be bold,

00:13:10.420 that would dramatically

00:13:11.660 alter the tax situation

00:13:13.200 either for Canadians

00:13:13.960 or Canadian small business?

00:13:15.920 Well, I've talked a lot

00:13:16.640 about eliminating

00:13:17.340 the carbon tax

00:13:18.180 as one important step forward,

00:13:20.800 but I've also talked a lot

00:13:22.380 about simplifying our tax code.

00:13:24.920 I think I did a video

00:13:25.700 and I held up

00:13:26.400 these 3,000 pages of tax code. 0.93

00:13:29.000 It's ridiculous.

00:13:30.360 Canadians should pay tax 1.00

00:13:31.380 based on what they earn,

00:13:32.380 not how good

00:13:32.780 their accountants are,

00:13:33.820 and we need to simplify

00:13:35.100 that system.

00:13:35.940 We need to clean it up,

00:13:37.640 and honestly,

00:13:38.380 by doing that,

00:13:39.260 we can save Canadians

00:13:40.140 something like $6 billion

00:13:41.280 a year that they spend

00:13:42.480 on preparing their tax returns.

00:13:44.640 That's an insane expense.

00:13:47.380 It shouldn't exist.

00:13:48.220 So I've talked a lot

00:13:48.800 about simplifying the tax code,

00:13:50.200 reducing taxes

00:13:51.460 in a responsible way.

00:13:53.340 Once we get the books balanced,

00:13:54.900 then every dollar of revenue,

00:13:57.800 we can divide between

00:13:59.080 lowering taxes

00:13:59.860 and reducing the debt.

00:14:01.540 We need to clean up

00:14:02.640 the fiscal mess

00:14:03.320 that the Liberal government

00:14:04.860 has left us.

00:14:05.760 We're over $1.2 trillion

00:14:07.080 in debt now.

00:14:08.680 There's still deficit spending

00:14:09.820 when there's no need for it.

00:14:11.260 We have a lot of work to do,

00:14:12.840 but tax relief

00:14:14.040 is going to be a big part

00:14:14.780 of actually stimulating

00:14:15.640 more revenue

00:14:16.220 for the government too.

00:14:17.140 So we need to clean it up,

00:14:19.300 and simplifying our tax code,

00:14:21.340 reducing taxes

00:14:22.180 in various different areas,

00:14:24.720 chief among them

00:14:25.360 the carbon tax.

00:14:26.360 We need to make life

00:14:27.040 more affordable for Canadians

00:14:27.980 and that'll be good

00:14:28.940 for our federal balance sheet

00:14:30.520 as well.

00:14:31.220 You're coming out

00:14:32.140 in our conversation now

00:14:33.720 and in your campaign

00:14:34.520 with some policy ideas

00:14:36.180 that I think

00:14:36.600 a conservative government

00:14:37.760 could definitely build

00:14:39.440 a strong coalition on,

00:14:40.560 a conservative party

00:14:41.280 could definitely run on.

00:14:42.160 Things like your Taiwan policy,

00:14:44.300 which we've talked about previously,

00:14:45.600 ending supply management,

00:14:46.640 lowering taxes,

00:14:48.440 repealing some

00:14:49.080 of the liberal gun measures

00:14:50.140 and so on.

00:14:51.580 Why do you think,

00:14:53.080 if I can be perfectly blunt here,

00:14:54.640 that in polls

00:14:55.540 that have been done

00:14:56.200 of leadership candidates,

00:14:57.520 you're not ranking higher

00:14:58.840 in this race?

00:14:59.480 If those aren't enough

00:15:00.740 to command a large chunk

00:15:02.660 of conservative members,

00:15:04.060 at least at this stage,

00:15:05.640 what is?

00:15:06.260 Well, I'll say this.

00:15:07.600 I think that the polling

00:15:08.880 in this kind of a race

00:15:09.900 is a difficult thing to do.

00:15:10.980 I don't think they're very accurate

00:15:12.040 to begin with.

00:15:14.040 There's no question.

00:15:14.940 You mentioned at the very outset

00:15:15.940 that I'm not as well-known

00:15:17.460 a candidate,

00:15:17.900 wasn't as well-known

00:15:18.540 a candidate,

00:15:19.140 but it's building.

00:15:20.060 It's growing.

00:15:21.020 More and more people

00:15:21.700 are coming out to our events.

00:15:23.200 We're getting, you know,

00:15:24.000 certainly a bigger following

00:15:24.940 all the time on social media.

00:15:26.840 The message is resonating

00:15:28.140 and it is building.

00:15:30.020 You know,

00:15:30.360 a couple of other candidates

00:15:31.200 have been doing this

00:15:31.720 a lot longer than I have.

00:15:33.680 When people hear positive,

00:15:35.860 respectful presentation

00:15:37.320 of real plans,

00:15:39.820 real solutions to problems

00:15:41.940 that Canadians face 0.93

00:15:42.780 every single day,

00:15:43.780 that resonates.

00:15:44.860 It's building

00:15:45.300 and it continues to build

00:15:46.300 and I'm confident

00:15:46.980 that as we continue

00:15:48.560 this race,

00:15:49.120 we're going to go

00:15:49.460 all the way to the end

00:15:50.180 talking about issues,

00:15:51.800 talking about solutions

00:15:52.780 and it's going to build.

00:15:54.540 But do you feel

00:15:55.080 your party gets too bogged down

00:15:57.080 in culture war issues

00:15:58.540 and factionalism

00:15:59.960 so much so that they aren't

00:16:01.120 paying attention to policy?

00:16:02.640 I think that Canadians

00:16:04.300 get bogged down in that,

00:16:05.300 not just our party,

00:16:06.020 but Canadians get bogged down

00:16:06.900 in it because that's all

00:16:07.660 that politicians have put on.

00:16:09.140 But your party's not immune

00:16:10.660 from that?

00:16:10.880 No, it's not immune to it.

00:16:11.940 And none of us are.

00:16:13.640 But this is part of the challenge

00:16:15.480 of our politics in general today.

00:16:18.040 And I've said this many times too.

00:16:19.880 I think the first time

00:16:20.840 I said something really publicly

00:16:22.100 about it was during my speech

00:16:24.020 in response to the Emergency Measures Act,

00:16:25.640 that our politics are about,

00:16:27.200 are this zero-sum game

00:16:28.320 about winning at all costs,

00:16:30.040 at any cost.

00:16:31.620 And we demonize each other,

00:16:34.160 we demonize different parts

00:16:35.480 of the country

00:16:35.940 to win votes in different areas.

00:16:37.860 And it is a culture war.

00:16:39.540 We only have to look south

00:16:40.460 of the border

00:16:40.840 to see the results of that.

00:16:43.360 We don't want to go that direction.

00:16:45.480 And that's why it's important

00:16:46.820 for us to focus on policies.

00:16:48.240 Why I keep doing what I'm doing,

00:16:49.780 I know that we can demonstrate

00:16:51.220 real leadership

00:16:52.000 by demonstrating real leadership

00:16:53.580 and presenting solutions.

00:16:54.660 Obviously, the convoy has sucked up

00:16:57.240 a lot of oxygen

00:16:57.960 in this leadership race

00:16:59.080 and vaccine mandates in general.

00:17:00.860 And again, I know that you've

00:17:01.980 voted for the Conservative motion

00:17:04.140 to call on the government

00:17:05.260 to end mandates.

00:17:06.580 Now this has been revived, though,

00:17:08.240 because coming up on Canada Day,

00:17:09.660 you've got a lot of people

00:17:10.440 that were involved

00:17:11.080 in the original convoy

00:17:12.340 that are wanting to stage

00:17:13.760 another demonstration.

00:17:15.520 What's your view

00:17:16.640 on how a Conservative party,

00:17:19.080 either in opposition

00:17:19.880 or in government,

00:17:21.020 could re-engage people

00:17:22.120 that feel,

00:17:23.240 on this issue specifically,

00:17:24.500 like the government

00:17:25.220 just is not for them?

00:17:28.200 Well, I mean,

00:17:28.960 there's no question

00:17:29.560 that this current Liberal government 0.98

00:17:31.020 is arrogant and aloof 0.86

00:17:32.600 and ignores big swaths 0.99

00:17:34.860 of our country

00:17:35.400 that don't agree with them.

00:17:36.880 And I think it's important

00:17:37.740 for consumers.

00:17:38.060 Do you mean in general

00:17:38.560 or just on the vaccination?

00:17:39.660 In general,

00:17:40.200 but vaccinations

00:17:40.880 is probably the most recent example

00:17:42.300 and the one you've given now.

00:17:43.800 There's no question about that.

00:17:45.920 We need to be an engaged party.

00:17:48.240 We need to be listening.

00:17:49.380 We need to be presenting solutions.

00:17:51.300 Just standing in the flames

00:17:52.160 of the anger

00:17:52.580 doesn't actually solve anything.

00:17:54.220 It doesn't.

00:17:55.600 It just doesn't.

00:17:56.940 We need to be presenting solutions.

00:17:58.620 And that's why I take the approach

00:18:00.120 of presenting solutions.

00:18:01.940 That's why I'm proud

00:18:02.660 of what our team

00:18:03.400 has been doing in Ottawa.

00:18:04.500 Well, the leadership candidates

00:18:05.820 have been crisscrossing the country.

00:18:07.420 Our team has been very focused

00:18:08.660 and very focused on the message

00:18:11.300 of eliminating these mandates

00:18:12.400 because they are political now.

00:18:14.000 There's no question about that.

00:18:15.800 Canada is far behind other nations

00:18:17.960 in terms of removing things

00:18:19.480 like mask mandates

00:18:20.380 and vaccine mandates

00:18:21.280 all over the place.

00:18:22.300 It's time to move on.

00:18:24.440 But this Liberal government

00:18:25.820 sees it as a political tool

00:18:27.380 and it's dividing Canadians

00:18:29.060 even further.

00:18:29.680 That's their trick.

00:18:30.400 They try to divide Canadians. 0.97

00:18:31.980 And so, I guarantee you,

00:18:33.760 no one would be more happy

00:18:34.920 than the Liberals

00:18:36.140 to see a convoy-like thing

00:18:37.980 happen again

00:18:38.740 because they see it

00:18:39.900 as an opportunity

00:18:40.460 to paint one group of Canadians

00:18:41.660 as bad

00:18:42.220 to win over another group

00:18:43.580 of Canadians. 1.00

00:18:44.300 It's disgusting. 0.99

00:18:45.220 It's wrong.

00:18:45.920 And we need to be careful

00:18:47.120 as Conservatives

00:18:47.840 not to play into that

00:18:49.200 and play into that fear.

00:18:50.520 We need to bring Canadians together.

00:18:52.460 But when you say,

00:18:53.500 you know,

00:18:53.800 you want to fight

00:18:54.340 against the mandates,

00:18:55.340 this was a sentiment

00:18:56.200 that was growing

00:18:56.960 in Canadians

00:18:57.700 in the last election.

00:18:59.200 I mean,

00:18:59.300 we saw the People's Party

00:19:00.200 of Canada

00:19:00.700 and some strong

00:19:02.080 Conservative writings

00:19:02.880 get 14-15% of the vote

00:19:04.600 and the Conservatives

00:19:05.860 were basically silent

00:19:07.900 on this at that time,

00:19:08.880 certainly from the leadership.

00:19:09.940 So, where were you on that

00:19:11.460 around the time

00:19:12.440 in the fall

00:19:13.080 and when did your position

00:19:14.380 really come to where it is now

00:19:15.860 that you think

00:19:16.860 the mandates need to end?

00:19:18.240 Yeah, well,

00:19:18.740 my position on this

00:19:19.620 has always been

00:19:20.140 that I trust my doctor.

00:19:22.380 I trusted my doctor

00:19:23.500 when he told me

00:19:23.880 I needed heart surgery.

00:19:25.140 I trusted my doctor

00:19:26.140 when he said,

00:19:26.940 you know,

00:19:27.320 this COVID thing is real

00:19:28.800 and these vaccinations

00:19:29.960 will help.

00:19:30.440 There are people out there

00:19:31.200 that don't agree with that.

00:19:31.960 But do you trust

00:19:32.300 the government's doctor?

00:19:33.560 I trust,

00:19:35.360 I certainly did trust

00:19:36.260 the advice

00:19:36.700 that we were getting.

00:19:38.340 Here's the other thing too.

00:19:39.760 But until when?

00:19:40.340 This much I do know.

00:19:41.920 This much I do know.

00:19:43.400 With freedom

00:19:44.060 comes responsibilities.

00:19:46.280 And I think our freedom

00:19:47.440 is absolutely sacrosanct

00:19:48.640 to our way of life here.

00:19:49.720 But we also have

00:19:50.400 responsibility to our neighbor.

00:19:51.680 And at the beginning

00:19:52.080 of this pandemic,

00:19:52.640 we didn't really understand it.

00:19:54.000 We didn't really know

00:19:54.780 the impacts.

00:19:55.340 We didn't know

00:19:55.820 how big it could get.

00:19:56.940 There was a lot of fear.

00:19:58.460 And frankly,

00:19:59.540 one of the biggest fears

00:20:00.260 we had was the provinces

00:20:01.460 were worried about

00:20:02.140 our health care system

00:20:03.020 literally collapsing

00:20:04.360 under the weight of this thing.

00:20:06.180 And so, yeah,

00:20:07.000 there were lockdowns.

00:20:07.740 Let's not kid ourselves.

00:20:08.580 The lockdowns were implemented

00:20:10.240 by provinces,

00:20:11.720 not the federal government.

00:20:13.160 But part of the reason

00:20:13.960 for that was because

00:20:14.840 we basically have created

00:20:16.100 a health care system

00:20:16.980 in part with a promise

00:20:18.400 from a federal government

00:20:19.200 back in the 60s

00:20:20.120 to pay 50% of the cost

00:20:21.720 that they've never lived up to.

00:20:23.560 It's no wonder

00:20:24.260 our health care system

00:20:25.140 is failing

00:20:25.560 because the federal government

00:20:26.780 just keeps trying

00:20:27.460 to buy votes

00:20:28.360 by meddling in provincial affairs

00:20:30.220 everywhere

00:20:30.700 and never living up

00:20:32.000 to the original promise.

00:20:33.060 If we had done that

00:20:34.440 all along,

00:20:35.340 our health care system

00:20:36.320 would be robust.

00:20:37.380 It would have been stronger.

00:20:38.320 We wouldn't have had

00:20:38.900 to have as many lockdowns.

00:20:40.300 We need to make sure

00:20:40.980 we learn the lessons

00:20:42.100 of what happened over COVID.

00:20:44.560 But also remember,

00:20:47.600 I hated wearing a mask.

00:20:50.100 But if I felt like

00:20:51.180 that was the responsible thing

00:20:52.480 to do to make my neighbor

00:20:54.040 feel safe,

00:20:54.980 then I was prepared

00:20:55.680 to do that a little bit longer.

00:20:57.160 And so we need to care

00:20:58.600 for each other as well.

00:20:59.960 So freedoms are important.

00:21:01.220 We are free.

00:21:01.920 We need to make sure

00:21:03.140 that we care for each other

00:21:04.300 and our responsibilities matter

00:21:05.520 as much as our freedom.

00:21:06.600 So I absolutely supported

00:21:08.760 what my doctor,

00:21:10.360 what Teresa Tam

00:21:11.120 was telling us

00:21:11.680 we should be doing,

00:21:12.200 what the provincial

00:21:12.920 medical officers of health

00:21:14.240 were telling us as well.

00:21:15.680 But we're now past it.

00:21:17.540 The pandemic is over.

00:21:19.280 And so any existing mandates,

00:21:22.100 any continuing rules

00:21:23.840 about masks 0.77

00:21:24.520 are ridiculous and political 0.98

00:21:26.440 and they need to end. 0.97

00:21:27.780 So when did it change then?

00:21:29.460 And I guess I'm not asking you

00:21:31.260 to...

00:21:31.500 Tell me the time and date.

00:21:32.720 But the government's doctors

00:21:34.260 are still saying

00:21:35.180 that some of these mandates

00:21:36.020 should be in place.

00:21:36.680 So when did you start feeling

00:21:38.180 like they were no longer justified

00:21:39.500 and that advice was not accurate?

00:21:42.220 I think what I look at

00:21:43.380 is I look at the full spectrum,

00:21:45.080 what the provinces have done,

00:21:46.220 what other countries are doing

00:21:47.300 and have done.

00:21:48.880 You know,

00:21:49.380 we're way behind

00:21:50.200 all these other countries.

00:21:51.860 We don't exist on an island

00:21:53.420 here in this country.

00:21:54.600 We are partners

00:21:55.640 all around the world.

00:21:56.380 And why are we so far behind?

00:21:59.520 It didn't happen

00:22:00.600 in a specific instant,

00:22:01.980 but it evolves

00:22:02.680 like so many things.

00:22:04.520 Everybody else

00:22:05.220 is way ahead of us.

00:22:06.140 Why are we still

00:22:06.800 playing these games?

00:22:08.860 It's because it's political.

00:22:10.600 And so for me,

00:22:11.980 we knew it was going

00:22:12.700 to take some time

00:22:13.520 and it has gradually happened.

00:22:15.180 It's become endemic,

00:22:16.340 I guess.

00:22:17.180 And so now that that's the case,

00:22:19.260 then it's time

00:22:19.880 for us to move on.

00:22:21.080 We've heard from

00:22:21.760 some of your competitors

00:22:22.640 in this race.

00:22:23.800 You know,

00:22:23.980 Pierre Polyev says

00:22:24.860 fire Tiff Macklem,

00:22:25.920 the Bank of Canada governor.

00:22:27.540 Roman Babber

00:22:28.180 has said fire Teresa Tam.

00:22:29.980 I mean,

00:22:30.400 these things are slogans

00:22:31.580 by definition,

00:22:32.300 but I think they're speaking

00:22:33.180 to the fact that

00:22:33.940 there is this contingent,

00:22:36.000 certainly in this leadership race

00:22:37.160 and probably in the

00:22:38.160 Conservative membership

00:22:39.000 that thinks some of these people

00:22:40.340 bear responsibility

00:22:41.740 for decisions

00:22:42.880 that have been taking place.

00:22:44.360 Is that an approach

00:22:44.980 that you take?

00:22:45.660 There needs to be a change

00:22:46.940 in some of these

00:22:47.400 senior bureaucratic positions?

00:22:49.140 My approach is always

00:22:50.280 to lead with ideas

00:22:53.240 and by example, frankly.

00:22:55.880 As I've said many times,

00:22:57.480 you know,

00:22:57.720 demonizing one group

00:22:58.700 of Canadians over another,

00:22:59.640 demonizing each other politically

00:23:00.900 or demonizing bureaucrats

00:23:02.880 to try to win votes

00:23:04.360 is not the right approach.

00:23:06.100 My approach is to lead by example

00:23:09.220 and lead with ideas.

00:23:11.900 I think that saying things

00:23:13.840 like, you know,

00:23:14.480 firing Tiff Macklem,

00:23:15.920 you know,

00:23:16.580 certainly, you know,

00:23:18.180 elicited a lot of excitement.

00:23:19.420 Maybe it was great

00:23:19.940 for fundraising numbers

00:23:21.000 but the markets don't like

00:23:23.760 that kind of instability

00:23:24.660 and to suggest

00:23:26.840 that the Bank of Canada

00:23:28.260 has dramatically failed us

00:23:30.600 because they missed

00:23:31.540 the last two targets

00:23:32.420 in the wake of a global pandemic

00:23:34.420 and an inflationary cycle

00:23:35.660 that's affecting the entire world

00:23:37.240 is very responsible.

00:23:39.000 There's a system in place

00:23:41.740 to review the mandate

00:23:43.120 of the Bank of Canada

00:23:44.160 and it maybe needs

00:23:45.960 to be more public,

00:23:46.880 more transparent

00:23:47.600 but we need to use

00:23:48.980 those systems

00:23:49.720 to make sure

00:23:50.460 that the institutions

00:23:52.440 that Conservatives

00:23:53.360 have traditionally stood for

00:23:54.980 to make better

00:23:55.800 peace,

00:23:57.060 order,

00:23:57.680 and good government.

00:23:58.760 This is what Conservatives

00:23:59.700 need to be about.

00:24:00.840 We need to work

00:24:01.600 to make sure

00:24:02.240 that these institutions

00:24:03.840 are always working

00:24:05.140 to the benefit of Canadians

00:24:06.560 but there's a way

00:24:07.340 to do that

00:24:07.760 without calling

00:24:08.380 for the firing

00:24:08.920 of this person

00:24:09.460 or demonizing

00:24:10.020 that person

00:24:10.560 or anything else.

00:24:11.880 That's what Conservatives do. 0.90

00:24:13.860 Let's talk about

00:24:14.780 the Bank of Canada

00:24:15.540 for a moment

00:24:16.220 specifically to bring it around

00:24:17.960 to something you mentioned earlier

00:24:19.020 and was one of your earliest

00:24:20.020 policies in the race

00:24:20.900 I think,

00:24:21.220 housing.

00:24:22.100 The housing situation

00:24:23.560 for a lot of young families

00:24:24.720 you know,

00:24:25.280 everyone knows

00:24:25.860 is absolutely untenable

00:24:27.240 certainly in places

00:24:28.060 like Toronto

00:24:28.700 and Vancouver.

00:24:29.640 we now have

00:24:31.360 projections

00:24:32.300 of significant rate hikes

00:24:34.700 within the next five years

00:24:35.880 to rein in inflation

00:24:37.120 to raise the cost

00:24:38.480 of borrowing

00:24:38.920 which further challenges

00:24:40.680 the ability for people

00:24:42.140 to afford a home.

00:24:44.220 Even if they get

00:24:44.920 the down payment

00:24:45.480 they can't afford

00:24:46.180 the mortgage interest rate

00:24:47.360 at this point.

00:24:47.940 So,

00:24:48.580 how does your vision

00:24:49.840 of wanting more supply

00:24:51.360 more houses

00:24:52.060 which will certainly

00:24:52.960 bring down the price a bit

00:24:54.020 how does that help people

00:24:55.620 if all of a sudden

00:24:56.380 the cost of a mortgage

00:24:57.640 is just going to be

00:24:58.480 skyrocketing

00:24:59.360 over the next five years?

00:25:01.120 Well,

00:25:01.460 there's no question

00:25:02.560 that that's going

00:25:03.040 to have an impact

00:25:03.640 but my plan on housing

00:25:05.400 actually comes from

00:25:06.700 a lot of years

00:25:07.340 of experience

00:25:07.980 on the ground

00:25:08.940 in the municipal level

00:25:09.800 in the real estate world

00:25:10.900 and understanding the process.

00:25:13.500 My YIMBY plan

00:25:14.760 which is yes

00:25:15.520 in my backyard

00:25:16.220 actually will deliver results

00:25:17.720 and actually get

00:25:19.000 more units built

00:25:19.980 by working with

00:25:21.200 the municipalities

00:25:21.720 and the provincial governments

00:25:22.880 to tie federal funding

00:25:24.780 to results.

00:25:25.880 Right now it takes

00:25:26.520 way too long

00:25:27.280 to get a rezoning done

00:25:28.700 for something fairly simple

00:25:30.500 in any of the larger centers.

00:25:32.520 It can take up

00:25:33.380 to two or three years

00:25:34.280 to rezone

00:25:35.060 you know

00:25:35.740 a single family dwelling

00:25:36.860 to a twoplex.

00:25:38.680 That's crazy.

00:25:39.680 I mean you're not affecting

00:25:40.520 you're certainly not affecting

00:25:41.640 the character.

00:25:42.580 So we need to speed up

00:25:43.480 those processes

00:25:44.060 we need to make it

00:25:45.460 faster frankly

00:25:46.560 and I have the ability

00:25:48.780 to get that done

00:25:49.440 I know how to do it

00:25:50.160 I know how to build

00:25:50.600 those relationships

00:25:51.260 and so it's a real plan.

00:25:53.620 You know mortgages

00:25:54.280 yes

00:25:55.020 will probably become

00:25:55.920 a little bit more expensive

00:25:56.760 but it's also slowing down

00:25:58.120 the housing market

00:25:58.840 just a little bit as well.

00:26:00.400 So what you'll see

00:26:01.160 is maybe prices

00:26:02.380 start to come down.

00:26:03.180 If we actually get supply

00:26:04.420 into the market

00:26:05.020 plus rates creeping up

00:26:07.200 a little bit more

00:26:07.920 it will actually slow down

00:26:09.500 that market

00:26:09.880 and actually make it

00:26:11.040 more accessible overall.

00:26:12.840 Mortgages might be

00:26:13.300 a little bit more

00:26:13.840 but prices might come down

00:26:16.020 just a little bit

00:26:16.700 and so we'll find that balance.

00:26:18.800 And again

00:26:19.400 you know

00:26:19.800 the federal government

00:26:20.660 is responsible

00:26:21.240 to work with all levels

00:26:22.200 of government

00:26:22.560 work with the Bank of Canada

00:26:23.600 to make sure

00:26:24.160 that we're focused

00:26:25.320 on making life

00:26:26.380 more affordable.

00:26:27.100 There is absolutely

00:26:28.240 no reason

00:26:28.920 why in this country

00:26:30.180 one of the richest countries

00:26:31.140 in the history of the world

00:26:32.020 why everybody doesn't

00:26:33.380 have access to a home.

00:26:35.060 If we commit

00:26:35.880 to solving that problem

00:26:36.860 we can do it.

00:26:38.080 We just got to focus on it.

00:26:39.540 What's your message

00:26:40.200 to the baby boomer

00:26:41.500 that plans to retire

00:26:42.740 in 5, 10, 15 years

00:26:44.500 maybe downsize

00:26:45.480 they're sitting on

00:26:46.240 their house

00:26:47.020 as being their most

00:26:47.660 valuable asset

00:26:48.360 and they're hearing you say

00:26:49.340 home prices should go down.

00:26:51.460 I think home prices

00:26:52.460 will come down a little bit.

00:26:53.600 I didn't say

00:26:54.040 they're going to drop

00:26:54.580 now keep in mind

00:26:55.320 keep in mind

00:26:55.860 you can give all kinds

00:26:57.320 of examples

00:26:57.820 where people's homes

00:26:59.160 have dripled in price.

00:27:01.560 If it comes down

00:27:02.260 just a little bit

00:27:02.900 you're still doing very well

00:27:04.020 you've still got your

00:27:05.040 nest egg there

00:27:05.660 for your retirement.

00:27:06.720 I don't see the market

00:27:07.600 doing that

00:27:08.220 and I don't think

00:27:09.320 that the federal government

00:27:10.080 should be engaged

00:27:10.700 in any policy

00:27:11.380 that actually drops

00:27:12.900 the market

00:27:14.760 the bottom out of the market

00:27:16.620 in the housing market.

00:27:18.560 That's not what I'm saying

00:27:19.400 at all.

00:27:20.060 You're going to see

00:27:20.620 some corrections.

00:27:21.860 It'll balance things out

00:27:23.020 and the federal government

00:27:24.560 needs to focus

00:27:25.100 on supply

00:27:26.020 which will help

00:27:26.700 that balance

00:27:27.180 a little bit further.

00:27:28.120 So Trudeau has

00:27:28.740 the two billion trees

00:27:29.600 you've got the two billion houses

00:27:30.860 or whatever the

00:27:31.480 whatever the number is

00:27:32.740 he hasn't even planted

00:27:33.580 the trees

00:27:34.040 he hasn't even done that.

00:27:35.120 If you build one house

00:27:36.060 I think you've built

00:27:36.920 more houses

00:27:37.500 than Trudeau has

00:27:38.680 exactly

00:27:39.080 and plant two trees

00:27:40.120 I've already done

00:27:40.620 more than him too.

00:27:41.520 I wanted to turn

00:27:42.160 to another issue

00:27:42.860 since we are talking

00:27:43.640 about a lot of issues

00:27:44.820 connected to young people

00:27:46.140 and their future

00:27:47.000 the labour shortage

00:27:48.460 is transcending sectors.

00:27:50.380 I mean I had a story

00:27:51.640 I could share

00:27:52.200 a couple of months back

00:27:53.640 where I was at a hotel

00:27:54.760 and the executive chef

00:27:56.220 of the hotel

00:27:56.680 was working the Starbucks counter

00:27:58.020 because they didn't have

00:27:58.740 a barista that morning

00:28:00.180 at the Starbucks

00:28:00.980 and everywhere

00:28:02.260 whether it's airlines

00:28:03.480 rail services

00:28:04.500 restaurants

00:28:05.120 stores

00:28:05.820 they're all dealing

00:28:06.980 with a shortage in labour.

00:28:08.860 First off

00:28:09.380 where are all these people

00:28:10.600 in your view

00:28:11.360 and more importantly

00:28:12.320 how do you bring them back?

00:28:13.320 It's a crucial issue

00:28:15.760 and it's not just

00:28:16.380 in any particular industry

00:28:18.000 or part of the country

00:28:18.860 it's everywhere

00:28:19.400 and it's been caused

00:28:22.620 by a number of factors

00:28:23.740 obviously not the least

00:28:25.080 of which is

00:28:25.580 there's an awful lot

00:28:26.840 of people

00:28:27.120 that were probably

00:28:27.880 planning on leaving

00:28:28.740 the employment market

00:28:30.280 over the next

00:28:31.340 five to ten years

00:28:32.180 that said

00:28:32.640 alright I'm out

00:28:33.960 COVID accelerated

00:28:35.120 I'm leaving early

00:28:35.680 so there's a demographic

00:28:37.060 thing that's certainly

00:28:37.720 happening there

00:28:38.400 I'm leaving early

00:28:39.760 and they've done that.

00:28:41.560 There's also the issue

00:28:42.620 of course

00:28:42.920 at the beginning

00:28:43.480 of the pandemic

00:28:44.140 where our immigration

00:28:44.860 numbers dropped dramatically

00:28:46.200 we need more Canadians

00:28:47.860 we need more people

00:28:49.100 in this country

00:28:49.640 and we need an immigration

00:28:50.740 system that actually

00:28:51.660 serves the needs

00:28:52.780 of not just immigrants

00:28:54.600 but all Canadians

00:28:55.960 we need to be focused

00:28:56.900 on the skills

00:28:57.720 that we need

00:28:58.300 in this country

00:28:58.840 there's a short

00:28:59.300 200,000 skilled

00:29:00.260 trades people

00:29:00.800 right now

00:29:01.640 and so we need

00:29:02.780 to be focusing on that

00:29:03.600 we need to beef up

00:29:04.240 those numbers

00:29:04.760 and then I think

00:29:06.360 as well

00:29:06.740 we need to make sure

00:29:08.600 that work

00:29:09.500 is always rewarding

00:29:10.600 I've talked also

00:29:13.140 about raising

00:29:13.760 the basic personal

00:29:14.640 exemption

00:29:15.020 so that it actually

00:29:16.580 makes more sense

00:29:17.560 to work

00:29:18.040 than to stay at home

00:29:19.240 and collect support

00:29:21.020 payments

00:29:21.420 we need to make it

00:29:22.900 more rewarding

00:29:23.480 as well

00:29:23.960 to make sure

00:29:24.960 that entry level

00:29:26.760 jobs for example

00:29:27.520 get filled

00:29:28.120 and that service

00:29:29.180 related jobs

00:29:29.980 are not just a dead end

00:29:31.680 you're not sort of

00:29:32.360 falling behind

00:29:32.940 every month

00:29:33.440 so there's a lot

00:29:34.700 of things

00:29:34.960 that we need

00:29:35.340 to be doing

00:29:35.760 it's not

00:29:36.640 again

00:29:37.160 one of these issues

00:29:38.260 where it's not

00:29:38.840 just a magic bullet

00:29:39.720 there's no simple

00:29:41.000 solution to it

00:29:41.800 there's a lot

00:29:42.180 of different things

00:29:42.720 we need to be doing

00:29:43.340 but we need to be

00:29:44.280 focused on that

00:29:44.960 making sure

00:29:46.100 that Canadians

00:29:47.720 have the skills

00:29:48.480 they need

00:29:48.920 to have meaningful work

00:29:50.620 I know CERB

00:29:51.480 was ostensibly

00:29:52.280 a response

00:29:52.980 to provincial governments

00:29:54.360 telling people

00:29:54.980 that they couldn't work

00:29:55.760 so there had to be

00:29:56.300 some benefit there

00:29:57.040 but do you think

00:29:57.920 that the federal benefits

00:29:59.280 exacerbated this problem

00:30:00.900 and do you think

00:30:01.420 that anything

00:30:01.720 could have been done

00:30:02.400 differently

00:30:02.800 and would have been

00:30:03.660 if you were prime minister

00:30:04.500 yeah I think

00:30:05.360 and again

00:30:05.880 this is one of those areas

00:30:06.760 where you know

00:30:07.660 certainly at the very beginning

00:30:09.240 of the pandemic

00:30:09.880 we were as conservative

00:30:11.740 proposing a lot

00:30:13.040 of really like practical

00:30:14.360 alterations

00:30:15.900 to some of the programs

00:30:16.840 that the federal government

00:30:17.520 was offering

00:30:18.000 I would say that

00:30:19.240 if they'd listened to us

00:30:21.220 in some of those areas

00:30:21.920 that wouldn't have been as bad

00:30:22.900 I think that it was

00:30:23.920 a little too much

00:30:24.980 it was too sloppy

00:30:25.760 again I acknowledge

00:30:28.260 that there was some fear there

00:30:29.360 but it was

00:30:30.660 in many ways

00:30:32.200 too much

00:30:32.960 and in many ways

00:30:34.180 not enough

00:30:34.820 depending on the sector

00:30:35.820 it went on

00:30:37.620 probably a little longer

00:30:38.480 than it should as well

00:30:39.380 now you see

00:30:40.940 all kinds of people

00:30:41.860 getting notices

00:30:42.840 that they've got to pay it back

00:30:43.900 now they're frustrated by that

00:30:45.520 so you know

00:30:47.160 I would have made sure

00:30:48.660 that it was a more

00:30:49.220 collaborative approach

00:30:50.200 with all parties

00:30:51.600 at the table

00:30:52.100 as opposed to just

00:30:53.580 you know

00:30:54.320 the liberal plan

00:30:55.040 which was to

00:30:55.620 you know

00:30:55.880 print as much money

00:30:56.740 and just sprinkle it

00:30:58.080 across the country

00:30:59.480 of course

00:31:00.280 it exacerbated the problem

00:31:01.680 in terms of

00:31:02.240 supply chains as well

00:31:03.600 all of a sudden

00:31:04.240 people are home

00:31:04.820 and they have extra money

00:31:05.540 in their jeans

00:31:06.140 but there's nobody

00:31:07.300 making the products

00:31:08.000 that they want to buy

00:31:08.680 and so now you've got

00:31:09.540 this hiccup

00:31:10.980 in our supply chains

00:31:12.000 that's just also

00:31:12.920 driving inflation

00:31:13.600 and making things

00:31:14.240 more difficult

00:31:14.760 and so

00:31:15.140 you know

00:31:16.240 it's a lingering problem

00:31:17.300 that's going to continue

00:31:18.000 for a while yet

00:31:18.780 could you see yourself

00:31:20.220 if you're not successful

00:31:21.160 in this leadership race

00:31:22.260 working with anyone else

00:31:24.440 in your race

00:31:25.420 or with everyone else

00:31:26.160 in your race

00:31:27.040 well let me say this

00:31:28.640 success is measured

00:31:30.040 in a lot of different ways

00:31:30.840 there is

00:31:31.460 you know

00:31:32.200 I'm as I say

00:31:33.200 very focused on

00:31:34.420 on being very vocal

00:31:36.180 and positive

00:31:37.040 through the very final moments

00:31:39.180 of this campaign

00:31:40.100 and I believe

00:31:41.960 that the campaign

00:31:42.560 is already a success

00:31:43.620 it's already a success

00:31:45.120 because of the things

00:31:45.920 we're talking about

00:31:46.420 the ideas we're talking about

00:31:47.240 every time I go back to Ottawa

00:31:48.400 and talk to my caucus colleagues

00:31:50.200 who maybe even

00:31:50.860 have endorsed somebody else

00:31:51.980 they all tell me

00:31:53.100 that they're proud of me

00:31:53.980 and thank me

00:31:54.620 for what I'm doing

00:31:55.380 and how I'm doing this

00:31:56.280 and the respectful way

00:31:57.080 we're doing it

00:31:57.620 so I believe it is

00:31:59.020 a success already

00:31:59.820 and I'm a team player

00:32:01.420 you can't

00:32:02.380 you can't sort of sit here

00:32:03.580 and preach the importance

00:32:04.560 of the team

00:32:05.240 and then not work

00:32:06.380 with the team

00:32:07.040 when it's all over

00:32:08.540 I will always

00:32:09.440 be a team player

00:32:10.260 and I will always

00:32:11.120 do my level best

00:32:12.960 to bring the team together

00:32:14.420 because that's what leaders do

00:32:15.640 whether they hold

00:32:16.440 the title or not

00:32:17.220 I'm a leader

00:32:17.900 Scott Aitchison

00:32:18.960 thank you

00:32:19.440 thank you

00:32:20.120 that was Perry Sound

00:32:22.140 Muskoka Member of Parliament

00:32:23.420 Scott Aitchison

00:32:24.240 sitting down

00:32:24.980 one-on-one

00:32:25.880 with yours truly

00:32:27.040 as part of our

00:32:28.080 Conservative Leadership Series

00:32:29.680 and as I've said

00:32:31.020 in the previous installments

00:32:32.520 of this series here

00:32:33.480 we're going around

00:32:34.440 doing these interviews

00:32:35.940 wherever we can

00:32:36.800 because often times

00:32:37.760 these candidates

00:32:38.400 have very busy schedules

00:32:40.220 and we're very grateful

00:32:41.120 they've carved out

00:32:42.400 some time

00:32:42.840 to sit down with us

00:32:43.880 and address some

00:32:44.660 of these questions

00:32:45.380 especially in person

00:32:46.720 it was a bit easier

00:32:47.800 in 2020

00:32:48.720 because at a certain point

00:32:49.980 in the race

00:32:50.480 everyone had just switched

00:32:51.260 to Zoom

00:32:51.720 so they couldn't say

00:32:52.940 oh I can't do your interview

00:32:54.040 I'm in Yellowknife that day

00:32:55.440 it's like well

00:32:55.980 they have an internet

00:32:56.840 well actually

00:32:57.480 I don't even know

00:32:58.200 how good the internet

00:32:58.820 is in Yellowknife

00:33:00.180 some days

00:33:00.700 but I digress

00:33:01.900 I'm going to get some

00:33:02.620 like high band

00:33:03.260 with Yellowknife people

00:33:04.220 that are very upset

00:33:04.940 that I just made a crack

00:33:05.980 about your internet

00:33:07.060 in any case

00:33:07.800 if you are able

00:33:08.900 to support this project

00:33:10.060 and you find there's value

00:33:11.080 in these conversations

00:33:12.140 please do head on over

00:33:13.800 to donate.tnc.news

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00:33:18.080 and you can chip

00:33:18.780 a few dollars in

00:33:19.580 to make sure

00:33:20.360 we can see this

00:33:21.240 through to the finish line

00:33:22.320 and with that

00:33:23.320 I will bid you

00:33:24.060 a jeer for today

00:33:24.920 but Canada's

00:33:26.280 most irreverent talk show

00:33:27.580 continues in a couple

00:33:28.440 days time

00:33:29.020 here on True North

00:33:30.060 thank you

00:33:30.700 God bless

00:33:31.340 and good day to you all

00:33:32.280 thanks for listening

00:33:32.960 to the Andrew Lawton Show

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Juno News - July 13, 2022

Conservative Leadership Series： Scott Aitchison

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