Juno News - February 11, 2023


Handshake from hell


Episode Stats

Length

9 minutes

Words per Minute

170.51106

Word Count

1,577

Sentence Count

82

Misogynist Sentences

3


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Hey everyone, welcome back to the Alberta Roundup. I'm your host Rachel Emanuel. I hope that you
00:00:14.280 guys are having a great week so far. Let's take a look at what happened this week in Alberta
00:00:18.340 politics. Unless you're living under a rock, you probably know that Alberta Premier Danielle
00:00:22.600 Smith was in Ottawa this week, and she had some new announcements to make about healthcare funding.
00:00:27.380 The topic of amnesty for those charged for breaching COVID-19 restrictions came up again
00:00:32.280 this week, and we have some new polling numbers as the United Conservative Party prepares to face
00:00:37.140 the Alberta NDP in a spring general election. All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
00:00:42.760 Okay guys, let's start with the story that everybody is talking about this week,
00:00:46.240 the infamous handshake. This week, while she was in Ottawa, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
00:00:50.160 was captured on video having a rather awkward handshake with the Prime Minister.
00:00:57.380 If you're like me, you're probably wondering what on earth happened that was a very uncomfortable
00:01:08.180 looking exchange. While the Premier clarified afterwards that she wasn't expecting the Prime
00:01:12.820 Minister to go in for a handshake, because they had just grasped hands backstage. I had already shaken
00:01:18.780 his hand, so we already said our hellos. I was taken a bit by surprise that he wanted me to shake hands
00:01:24.520 again, so we kind of missed the landing. It was a little bit awkward, but we ended up having a
00:01:29.580 really good discussion after that. Smith also started her Thursday afternoon press conference
00:01:33.920 in Calgary by going around the room and shaking everyone's hands, probably just to prove that she
00:01:38.700 could do it. She also met with federal Conservative leader Pierre Polyev and of course with the Prime
00:01:54.200 Minister. She spoke at length about their discussion, which she said was overall positive.
00:01:58.940 Smith also said she told Trudeau his government must end work on its proposed just transition
00:02:03.620 legislation, which the Premier has been a staunch opponent of, as well as its emissions reduction
00:02:08.280 cap and its ban on electricity for natural gas. Take a listen to some of her remarks now.
00:02:13.180 Let me be brutally honest. The Prime Minister has not yet shown himself to be a friend of Alberta.
00:02:20.100 There are a litany of federal policies that he has imposed that have been exceptionally harmful to our
00:02:25.440 economy and to our investment climate, and that have cost Albertans tens of thousands of jobs
00:02:30.580 and tens of billions of investment and projects. But this issue is far bigger than me or this Prime
00:02:37.240 Minister. I know that, and I hope that he knows that too. There are trillions of dollars in revenues,
00:02:43.240 hundreds of billions of dollars in investment, and millions of jobs riding on Alberta and Ottawa
00:02:47.820 working together instead of in conflict, and creating an attractive and certain investment climate
00:02:53.780 that millions around the world want to invest in and move to. The Prime Minister
00:02:58.900 is being criticized across the country and from within his own party as being unnecessarily divisive
00:03:05.940 and unable to improve national unity or economic growth. Well, here's a golden opportunity. Come to
00:03:12.900 the table and work collaboratively with Alberta on probably the most important economic issue facing
00:03:18.380 this country in a generation. I'm opening the door, but I also have to be pretty clear. If the
00:03:25.060 Prime Minister chooses to slam this door in our face and moves unilaterally forward with just transition
00:03:31.460 or other impossible and arbitrary emissions targets or policies without Alberta's involvement
00:03:37.520 and agreement, Alberta will be relentless in our opposition, and we will use every tool at our disposal
00:03:43.280 to protect Albertans, their jobs and their future. The ball is now in the Prime Minister's court,
00:03:47.920 and I hope his response to my offer is the right one. The Premier also said she expects to ink a 10-year
00:03:53.920 funding healthcare agreement with Ottawa in the coming days or weeks. The province is estimating its shares
00:03:59.920 will be about $518 million new dollars. The Alberta government plans to use the new cash, which Smith called
00:04:06.880 significant, to double down on its initiatives to improve the healthcare sector. She also pointed to Alberta's
00:04:11.920 ongoing efforts to reduce emergency room wait times, ambulance wait times, and the surgical backlog.
00:04:17.920 The Premier also said she's pleased that most of the funding will come with no strings attached.
00:04:21.920 Moving into our next story here, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith also said she's spoken to people who have been charged
00:04:27.920 for breaching COVID-19 restrictions. That includes Arthur Pawlowski, but Smith said she explained to the street preacher
00:04:33.920 that she was unable to grant him amnesty. Pawlowski faces two charges of criminal mischief and a charge under
00:04:39.920 Alberta's Critical Infrastructure Defence Act related to the Coutts border blockade, which took place one year ago.
00:04:45.920 His trial took place last week, and the judge's decision has not yet been set. Here's what the Premier had to say about it.
00:04:51.920 You know, I've talked to everyone who has concerns about some of the enforcement orders that are against them,
00:04:59.920 and I have told them the same thing that I have told all of you, that I'm awaiting to see the result of a couple of different cases.
00:05:07.920 I'm taking the advice of my Attorney General, and that we'll have to wait for the process to play out.
00:05:11.920 Just specifically, have you spoken to him directly?
00:05:14.920 Yes.
00:05:15.920 Okay, and could you let me know, in the course of that conversation, did you tell him or indicate to him that you would have people looking in to see what could be done with his specific charges?
00:05:28.920 I have always said that I campaigned on it for seven months, that I would look into what the options were for amnesty,
00:05:35.920 and that I would look into what the options were on that. And my Justice Minister came back and said that amnesty is not possible for a Premier.
00:05:43.920 The only role of amnesty is the Governor General in our country, the way our system works.
00:05:47.920 And his advice to me was having lost one case, the CM versus Alberta case, that we were going to wait on the Ingram case to see if there's some clarity in law.
00:05:55.920 So that was the advice of my Justice Minister, and that's what I'm waiting for.
00:05:58.920 The reporter who was asking those questions was a CBC reporter.
00:06:02.920 You might remember that a couple of weeks ago, the CBC reported that Premier Smith has been inappropriately pressuring her Justice Minister to drop COVID cases.
00:06:10.920 In my opinion, the Premier looks less than impressed with the exchange.
00:06:14.920 And finally, what we're watching in the weeks to come, a new poll from Abacus Data suggests that the United Conservative Party is ramping up steam as it prepares for a spring election against the Alberta NDP.
00:06:26.920 The poll shows that it will once again be a two-horse race between the NDP and the UCP, with the Alberta Party sitting in a distant third.
00:06:33.920 David Coletto, Abacus Data chairman and CEO, said, quote,
00:06:37.920 There is still a sizable group of people who did vote for the UCP back in 2019 who remain undecided.
00:06:44.920 They still are not entirely comfortable with Danielle Smith.
00:06:47.920 They're still, I think, disappointed with some of the decisions that the Jason Kenney administration made.
00:06:52.920 And so they're still sitting on the sidelines.
00:06:55.920 The other side of that, though, is that they aren't completely comfortable with the New Democrats and Rachel Notley either.
00:07:01.920 The survey also found that Calgary will be a key battleground in the election, which you likely know if you're living in Alberta.
00:07:07.920 In Calgary, the NDP currently hold a slight edge over the UCP.
00:07:11.920 Voters in Edmonton seem more likely to vote for the NDP, while outside of Alberta's two major cities, the UCP is leading.
00:07:18.920 Okay, guys, and now it's time for my daily comment roundup.
00:07:21.920 I wanted to go over some of your comments from last week when I asked you what you thought about Dina Hinshaw being hired in BC.
00:07:27.920 You guys had some pretty funny responses, so I'm going to read some of them now.
00:07:31.920 User Aaron M says,
00:07:32.920 As a resident of BC, I am ashamed and appalled about this decision.
00:07:36.920 User Shelley Chappelle said,
00:07:38.920 I cannot believe Hinshaw made so much money because of 2020.
00:07:42.920 While the rest of us suffered enormous mental and social conditions,
00:07:46.920 while high government officials get bonuses from our hard work.
00:07:49.920 It's criminal, really.
00:07:51.920 User Lawrence Lawrence wrote,
00:07:53.920 I applauded that Hinshaw and her overpriced accomplices got fired in Alberta.
00:07:58.920 Good move, Alberta.
00:07:59.920 But for her to be hired in BC is shocking.
00:08:02.920 Bonnie Henry, an unelected official and her tyranny needed to be fired a long time ago.
00:08:07.920 But now we have the Henry Hinshaw clown show to set this province back when others are moving forward.
00:08:14.920 BC needs a better political party besides the NDP.
00:08:18.920 And user New Sabinium says,
00:08:20.920 I wish I could fail up as much as these bureaucrats.
00:08:23.920 Honestly, I think that's how most of us feel.
00:08:25.920 It seems like there's really no repercussions for them,
00:08:28.920 no matter what their actions are.
00:08:30.920 Okay, everyone, that's all I have for you today.
00:08:32.920 Thank you so much for tuning in to the Alberta Roundup.
00:08:34.920 I hope that you guys have a great rest of your weekend and God bless.
00:08:48.920 All by boys and girls,
00:08:51.920 and ..
00:08:59.920 .
00:09:04.920 .