Juno News - July 13, 2022


Conservative Leadership Series： Scott Aitchison


Episode Stats

Length

33 minutes

Words per Minute

199.61983

Word Count

6,721

Sentence Count

315

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

6


Summary


Transcript

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
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
00:11:14.220 are stupid.
00:11:15.420 They have every right
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
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.
00:13:29.000 It's ridiculous.
00:13:30.360 Canadians should pay tax
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
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
00:17:31.020 is arrogant and aloof
00:17:32.600 and ignores big swaths
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.
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.
00:18:44.300 It's disgusting.
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
00:21:24.520 are ridiculous and political
00:21:26.440 and they need to end.
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.
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
00:33:16.080 donate.tnc.news
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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00:33:36.720 at www.tnc.news