Juno News - Liberals think Erin O'Toole is a fake pro-choicer

00:00:00.000 Welcome to Canada's most irreverent talk show. This is the Andrew Lawton Show, brought to you by True North.

00:00:12.760 Coming up, vaccine mandates, liberal doublespeak on individual choice, and Canadian inaction on the Afghanistan crisis.

00:00:22.340 The Andrew Lawton Show starts right now.

00:00:26.020 Hello and welcome to Canada's most irreverent talk show, the Andrew Lawton Show, here on True North.

00:00:34.040 Friday, August 20th, 2021. We are on day 6 of election 44, and things are not looking too much better for Justin Trudeau than they were a couple of days ago.

00:00:47.240 And as I said, I think on Wednesday, he called the election. He could have chosen the perfect moment.

00:00:52.100 And I think he thought he was doing that, but it hasn't really been working out all that well.

00:00:57.760 He's been dogged by questions about Afghanistan, by the state of the pandemic, starting to get some tricky questions about some of his candidates,

00:01:05.520 like the one that True North wrote about in Calgary Knows Hill.

00:01:10.220 And it got so desperate for the liberals that they decided to reach right down into the bottom of their bag of tricks

00:01:15.860 and pull out the one that they always think is going to be the Trump card.

00:01:19.880 They decided to make, on day 5 of the campaign, abortion day happen. 0.96

00:01:25.400 The problem with making abortion day happen, which is the day where you decide we're just going to throw at the conservatives

00:01:30.880 the big, mean, evil, scary, social conservative allegations,

00:01:34.760 they don't really work against a pro-choice leader, which Aaron O'Toole has said time and time again he is.

00:01:43.260 But that didn't stop them from trying.

00:01:45.420 This tweet from Liberal Carolyn Bennett, who said that O'Toole buried a promise on conscience rights

00:01:51.220 of healthcare professionals in his platform to let doctors deny and prevent referral

00:01:56.160 for abortion, medical assistance in dying, and care for LGBTQ Canadians.

00:02:01.260 O'Toole and his team, like Leslyn Lewis, are pushing extreme right policies.

00:02:06.840 Now what she's talking about there, and by the way, it's kind of amusing that she's saying it's buried in the platform,

00:02:13.960 because it's 160 pages, anything conceivably is buried, but I don't think they're burying it,

00:02:19.640 because they're putting it in the platform.

00:02:21.460 They're actually telling Canadians they want to run on these very things.

00:02:26.080 But the section she's referring to is very much in the platform, whether or not it's buried, I don't know.

00:02:31.580 And it, yes, enshrines conscience rights for healthcare practitioners.

00:02:35.220 Conscience protection, the platform says,

00:02:37.680 We will protect the conscience rights of healthcare professionals.

00:02:40.720 The challenges of dealing with COVID-19 have reminded us of the vital importance of healthcare professionals.

00:02:46.680 The last thing Canada can afford to do is drive any of these professionals out of their profession.

00:02:51.840 That's a badly worded sentence, but I think a good policy.

00:02:54.740 We will also encourage faith-based and other community organizations to expand their provision of palliative and long-term care.

00:03:02.280 So what the Conservatives are saying is actually fairly consistent with the law in Canada

00:03:07.080 and the guidelines for healthcare practitioners in provinces across the country,

00:03:11.140 which is to say, we are not going to force a doctor to pull the plug on grandma. 0.85

00:03:16.540 We're not going to force a doctor to perform an abortion. 0.98

00:03:19.580 And when governments have talked about putting legislation to protect that in,

00:03:23.620 like was the case in Alberta,

00:03:25.500 the pushback has come by and large from regulators that say,

00:03:28.940 well, you kind of already have that right.

00:03:31.220 But I think it's important to put it on paper and say,

00:03:34.060 this is what we believe,

00:03:35.160 that you do not have to surrender your conscience rights or your moral beliefs

00:03:39.220 just because you decide to work in healthcare.

00:03:42.100 An industry that I'd say people with consciences and people with beliefs that are deeply held

00:03:47.340 are probably well suited for,

00:03:50.280 but not for the Liberals,

00:03:51.680 because they don't actually support conscience rights.

00:03:53.660 They don't support your right as an individual to decide what you believe

00:03:57.580 and be able to fulfill those beliefs in your day-to-day life.

00:04:01.640 So hence what I called abortion day, 0.84

00:04:03.280 trying to make the day of the election campaign all about social issues.

00:04:07.060 They threw out all the stops,

00:04:08.400 that tweet from Carolyn Bennett,

00:04:09.960 also this Twitter video from Liberal candidate Melanie Jolie.

00:04:13.940 Conservatives are saying that they're pro-choice,

00:04:16.580 but they're pro-choice for doctors

00:04:18.140 to limit your birth control options or a woman's right to choose. 0.96

00:04:21.900 We're in 2021.

00:04:23.860 I can't believe we're still having these conversations.

00:04:27.220 We need to protect our rights as women. 1.00

00:04:30.420 Let's mobilize ourselves.

00:04:32.220 Let's make sure that we say no to conservatives.

00:04:34.660 And just in case that didn't work,

00:04:36.400 Justin Trudeau also extrapolated on some of the accusations he made

00:04:39.820 in a previous press conference by delivering this statement.

00:04:43.320 I think it's clear that there's something fundamental

00:04:45.980 that Erin O'Toole doesn't understand.

00:04:47.620 Pro-choice doesn't mean the freedom of doctors to choose.

00:04:53.940 It means the freedom of women to choose. 0.98

00:04:59.500 Leaders have to be unequivocal on that.

00:05:02.520 And once again, Erin O'Toole is not.

00:05:04.820 And he's saying certain things to some people

00:05:06.840 and it's opposite to others.

00:05:08.940 That's not good enough.

00:05:10.080 Rachel Aiello, CTV News.

00:05:11.700 You're attacking the conservatives today

00:05:13.140 over their position on conscience rights.

00:05:14.980 However, in your legislation on assisted dying,

00:05:17.700 you protected doctors' freedom of choice of conscience.

00:05:20.860 If the concern now is doctor referrals,

00:05:23.460 why haven't you and would a liberal government

00:05:25.320 move legislation to further enshrine abortion rights?

00:05:28.900 I think it's very clear that the conservatives,

00:05:33.680 conservative party once again,

00:05:35.360 doesn't understand what pro-choice actually means.

00:05:39.320 Pro-choice isn't the power for doctors to choose.

00:05:42.860 It's the power for women to choose. 1.00

00:05:46.440 And that is what we are going to continue to defend unequivocally.

00:05:50.300 And quite frankly,

00:05:51.060 the conservatives have demonstrated time and time again

00:05:53.640 that they will not.

00:05:55.140 Now, I should say here,

00:05:56.380 I am pro-life and I am pro-conscience rights.

00:05:59.460 But even with those beliefs,

00:06:01.460 I can understand that the conservative party

00:06:03.600 in its current form is led by someone

00:06:05.640 who does not want to take up social issues.

00:06:08.120 His only commitment to social conservatives

00:06:10.300 has been that if you are a conservative MP

00:06:13.260 who believes in these things,

00:06:14.740 you can vote your conscience.

00:06:16.040 He's been clearly and unequivocally pro-choice.

00:06:19.160 And he was, in keeping with that tradition,

00:06:21.860 able to share his position without ambiguity

00:06:24.160 when the liberals started making their attacks.

00:06:27.060 Their access to service,

00:06:28.480 if that is true for doctors to have a right to choose

00:06:31.320 to consciously object from abortion services.

00:06:34.620 Tell me what you think.

00:06:35.420 Well, let me repeat again.

00:06:37.980 I'm pro-choice and we will make sure

00:06:40.440 that women have the ability to make decisions 0.93

00:06:43.160 with respect to their health care themselves

00:06:45.220 and make sure that abortion services are available

00:06:47.520 from one coast, from one ocean to the other.

00:06:50.700 And what's interesting about this election

00:06:52.500 is all federal leaders are pro-choice.

00:06:56.760 I've been crystal clear throughout my political career.

00:07:00.200 I will be crystal clear as prime minister.

00:07:02.940 I'm here to defend the rights of all Canadians.

00:07:06.460 I'm here to make sure they have a more prosperous future.

00:07:09.660 And I'm here to make sure we tackle

00:07:11.680 the challenges facing our country post-COVID

00:07:14.380 and specific issues with the inflation crisis

00:07:18.240 and the housing crisis.

00:07:19.820 Canada's recovery plan is the solution

00:07:22.040 led by a leader who's going to bring Canadians together.

00:07:25.940 This is not at all a contradiction.

00:07:28.920 I think it's very, very important

00:07:31.680 to defend the rights of all Canadians.

00:07:34.420 That's what I will do,

00:07:36.800 making sure that women have the right 0.80

00:07:38.760 to access abortion services across this country.

00:07:41.760 I am pro-choice.

00:07:42.920 I have a pro-choice record

00:07:45.260 and that's how I will be.

00:07:47.220 I think it's also possible

00:07:48.820 to show respect for our nurses,

00:07:51.800 our healthcare professionals

00:07:52.940 with respect particularly

00:07:54.720 to the expansion of medical assistance in dying

00:07:58.480 as we're, even as a federal government,

00:08:00.840 studying the expansion into mental health.

00:08:04.560 Let's find an appropriate and a fair balance

00:08:07.820 to make sure those rights are accessed

00:08:09.640 but we can respect conscience provisions as well.

00:08:13.040 Now, conservatives can debate

00:08:14.280 whether they agree or disagree with this position.

00:08:16.700 Canadians can debate it

00:08:17.840 but there's no denying that he is not, in fact, 0.98

00:08:21.900 this evil, scary, social conservative pro-lifer 0.82

00:08:24.700 that the liberals are trying to accuse him of being.

00:08:26.860 So because O'Toole has taken that off the table,

00:08:29.680 all the liberals are able to do is say,

00:08:32.280 well, no, you're actually not pro-choice.

00:08:34.340 Like he says, I'm pro-choice

00:08:35.540 and they'll be like, no, you're not.

00:08:36.780 And it's literally a kindergarten criticism

00:08:39.960 of O'Toole's policies on social issues.

00:08:43.320 Mariam Monsef as well has been beating the drum on this

00:08:46.240 and it just isn't working.

00:08:47.540 It isn't going anywhere.

00:08:48.920 And it absolutely reeks of desperation.

00:08:52.160 And if you want to see just how bad it is

00:08:53.660 for the liberals, take a look at this.

00:08:55.160 So Jagmeet Singh was doing an interview on CBC

00:08:57.620 in which he committed the unforgivable sin

00:09:00.900 in left-wing politics in Canada, evidently,

00:09:03.900 in which he said something not mean about Aaron O'Toole.

00:09:08.520 Take a look at this.

00:09:09.840 And I've been clear on my voting record.

00:09:12.560 My question for you is whether or not,

00:09:14.820 like, do you feel differently about Mr. O'Toole

00:09:17.380 than you do about Mr. Scheer?

00:09:18.660 Because you went pretty far with Mr. Scheer.

00:09:20.060 You said you'd never prop up a minority government

00:09:22.320 led by the Conservatives.

00:09:24.620 Well, on those issues, in terms of a woman's right to choose 1.00

00:09:27.840 and the support for the SOGI community,

00:09:31.320 the LGBT community, it seems like Mr. O'Toole 1.00

00:09:34.780 is in line with where Canadians are 0.98

00:09:37.440 in terms of supporting people, who they are,

00:09:39.900 supporting women's right to choice.

00:09:41.700 Those are a positive sign.

00:09:43.160 So those are starting points for New Democrats

00:09:45.020 who wouldn't even be able to enter into a discussion

00:09:47.700 with a group or a party that didn't believe

00:09:49.840 in those fundamental rights of women,

00:09:51.960 of people to be who they are, the LGBT community.

00:09:54.660 So Jagmeet Singh kind of gives just a statement of fact,

00:09:57.580 which is that, okay, well, Aaron O'Toole is pro-gay rights

00:10:00.340 and he's pro-choice and he's not the same

00:10:02.660 as some former Conservative leaders have been,

00:10:04.680 which means he's taken the position

00:10:06.100 that is shared by those on the left.

00:10:08.140 And that was O'Toole's position in that clip

00:10:10.280 I shared a couple of moments ago,

00:10:11.720 that all the party leaders agree with each other on this.

00:10:14.900 And then the Liberals decided to turn on Jagmeet Singh

00:10:18.440 for being nice to Aaron O'Toole.

00:10:21.180 I mean, it's actually quite hilarious.

00:10:23.320 The Liberal War Room had tweeted out

00:10:25.720 the LPC Press Box account,

00:10:27.760 which is run by the Liberal campaign.

00:10:29.940 Really, does Jagmeet Singh think Aaron O'Toole

00:10:32.160 is in line with Canadians on women's and LGBTQ rights?

00:10:36.940 O'Toole's platform commits to letting doctors

00:10:39.280 deny a woman's right to choose. 0.99

00:10:41.980 So now it's like they're going after the NDP

00:10:44.080 because the NDP says, yeah, O'Toole's pro-choice.

00:10:46.660 And that's the only thing the Liberals have right now

00:10:49.840 is that Aaron O'Toole is a closet pro-lifer.

00:10:52.520 This guy who's never said a pro-life thing

00:10:54.780 in his political career that I can find

00:10:56.580 is now this like secret closet pro-lifer.

00:10:59.540 So this is why I've long said,

00:11:01.980 you're never going to take this issue

00:11:03.800 off the table entirely.

00:11:05.300 They're going to keep trying.

00:11:06.720 And yes, there are no doubt pro-life MPs.

00:11:09.000 In fact, I'd say the majority of the Conservative caucus.

00:11:11.660 I don't know about the majority of Conservative candidates,

00:11:14.200 but certainly a large number of them.

00:11:16.780 But the Liberal position,

00:11:17.920 when their back is up against the wall,

00:11:19.440 is to just make it about social issues.

00:11:21.540 They tried the evil, scary Stephen Harper's lurking line.

00:11:24.860 That didn't work.

00:11:25.820 Now it's the social Conservatives are lurking line.

00:11:28.400 And now it's migrating beyond that into,

00:11:31.200 I don't believe Aaron O'Toole when he says he's pro-choice.

00:11:33.980 He's not actually.

00:11:34.880 We know what he believes better than he does.

00:11:37.340 And it's interesting here that the Trudeau position

00:11:40.200 is not even consistent with what Trudeau has in the past claimed

00:11:44.860 about conscientious beliefs.

00:11:47.020 This is something that came from his memoir.

00:11:49.260 And I didn't read the memoir,

00:11:51.140 but the Conservatives had tweeted out this excerpt,

00:11:53.700 which was taken up in a CBC piece some years ago.

00:11:56.900 And in it, Justin Trudeau says this,

00:11:58.540 my idea of freedom is that we should protect the rights of people

00:12:02.540 to believe what their conscience dictates,

00:12:05.720 but fight equally hard to protect people

00:12:07.780 from having the beliefs of others imposed upon them.

00:12:11.280 Now, how Trudeau defends that is that

00:12:13.020 being pro-choice means women have the right to choose, 1.00

00:12:16.680 but doctors do not have the right to choose.

00:12:18.940 So this guy who proclaims to be a Catholic 0.95

00:12:21.240 says that you should be forced,

00:12:23.640 if you're a medical practitioner,

00:12:25.280 to perform a surgery that you find to be a grave sin.

00:12:29.840 Now, again, I don't want to be in a society

00:12:32.480 in which theological beliefs form the backbone of public policy.

00:12:38.200 But we're not talking about a policy here that imposes beliefs.

00:12:41.560 We're talking about a policy that allows individuals to hold beliefs.

00:12:46.900 And incidentally, do you really want a healthcare practitioner

00:12:49.820 performing a service that they are not comfortable with

00:12:53.580 or not happy with on you?

00:12:54.880 Like, I wouldn't want to, you know, 0.60

00:12:56.180 send a child to be circumcised by a doctor 0.83

00:12:58.160 that doesn't believe in circumcision.

00:12:59.480 It just seems like maybe his priorities

00:13:01.420 might not be where you need them to be

00:13:03.340 on something like that,

00:13:04.760 where these procedures are,

00:13:05.940 and in some cases, matters of life and death.

00:13:08.440 So the reality is doctors should not be,

00:13:12.500 and by and large, are not forced

00:13:14.560 to perform services that they object to.

00:13:18.180 The challenge is that these rights are,

00:13:21.040 in the liberal's view, not relevant.

00:13:24.900 The liberals have actually not done anything

00:13:27.500 to move things to where they want them to be,

00:13:30.240 which is forcing any doctor anywhere

00:13:32.680 to do whatever the government says they have to do.

00:13:35.380 So if the Trudeau government actually cared about this issue

00:13:38.500 as much as it says it does,

00:13:39.940 they would have more of a record to show for it.

00:13:42.240 But again, I'm not encouraging them, trust me.

00:13:45.860 But here's the thing,

00:13:47.040 and this is what people don't realize.

00:13:49.040 You look at New Brunswick,

00:13:49.980 where there have been a slew of stories

00:13:51.820 in several years,

00:13:53.380 the last several years,

00:13:54.260 about abortion access being virtually nil

00:13:56.620 because so few doctors are performing it.

00:13:59.060 And there have been questions raised

00:14:00.240 about whether women have a right to an abortion

00:14:02.680 in New Brunswick,

00:14:03.440 and whether the province has an obligation to provide it.

00:14:06.060 If the liberal government thinks this issue is that important,

00:14:09.080 they have done nothing to fix that.

00:14:12.000 They have done nothing to fix that.

00:14:13.680 But every time there's an election,

00:14:15.260 all of a sudden it's the conservatives,

00:14:17.280 which have not run on a pro-life platform in years.

00:14:21.920 I cannot tell you the last time

00:14:23.420 the Conservative Party of Canada

00:14:24.980 ran on anything pro-life in its official platform.

00:14:27.780 But the liberals are the ones to bring the issue up.

00:14:29.940 The liberals are the ones to bring that

00:14:31.800 to the forefront of the discussion.

00:14:35.220 And here's the thing,

00:14:36.540 we're talking about an issue,

00:14:37.700 the whole premise of it is that

00:14:38.840 the right to choose,

00:14:39.960 the right to choose,

00:14:40.700 the right to choose.

00:14:42.880 Where is that independence and individuality

00:14:45.740 and right to choose?

00:14:46.820 Where is the my body,

00:14:47.900 my choice mentality from Justin Trudeau

00:14:50.100 when it comes to vaccines?

00:14:51.280 For the last week,

00:14:52.220 he's been pushing further and further

00:14:54.100 towards mandating vaccines

00:14:55.820 in more and more areas of Canadian society.

00:14:58.400 If you work for the federal government,

00:15:00.520 if you work in an industry

00:15:01.580 the federal government regulates,

00:15:03.500 if you want to take a plane,

00:15:05.380 a train,

00:15:05.820 not an automobile just yet,

00:15:07.180 but give it time.

00:15:09.340 And Trudeau said,

00:15:10.280 well, you have a choice to not get vaccinated,

00:15:12.040 but you don't have a choice to do what you want

00:15:14.080 if you're unvaccinated.

00:15:15.500 Take a look at this clip.

00:15:17.680 You deserve better.

00:15:19.900 You deserve a government

00:15:20.960 that's going to continue to say,

00:15:22.440 get vaccinated.

00:15:23.800 And you know what?

00:15:24.520 If you don't want to get vaccinated,

00:15:27.360 that's your choice.

00:15:28.720 But don't think you can get on a plane

00:15:30.620 or a train besides vaccinated people

00:15:33.200 and put them at risk.

00:15:35.860 We need to be strong

00:15:37.640 in the decisions we're taking going forward.

00:15:40.060 And we need to put people first,

00:15:42.820 which we have always done.

00:15:44.840 And I'll be honest,

00:15:46.540 you know, like I do,

00:15:48.140 there's lots of people out there

00:15:49.480 who don't agree with that.

00:15:50.840 And the reality is

00:15:53.580 that's okay.

00:15:55.300 We're in a democracy.

00:15:56.640 People can make themselves heard.

00:15:58.580 And that's part of why

00:15:59.680 we need to have this moment

00:16:01.540 for people to make that choice

00:16:03.680 for the future.

00:16:04.420 The counter to tyranny

00:16:09.440 is democracy,

00:16:10.960 is elections.

00:16:12.260 And that's exactly

00:16:13.160 what we're putting forward

00:16:14.340 because we have put Canadians 1.00

00:16:16.320 at the forefront

00:16:17.560 of everything we've done.

00:16:19.320 And we know

00:16:20.140 that's what we're going to continue to do.

00:16:22.120 So I need you,

00:16:23.880 all of you,

00:16:25.180 to keep stepping up.

00:16:26.520 We need to keep working

00:16:27.720 to protect

00:16:28.680 and build a better future together.

00:16:30.320 And that's why I need you

00:16:31.980 to continue to step up.

00:16:34.480 I need you to talk

00:16:35.460 to your neighbors

00:16:36.020 and talk to your friends.

00:16:37.500 Talk to those folks

00:16:38.340 who are still wondering

00:16:39.620 whether they should get vaccinated

00:16:40.960 and tell them,

00:16:42.080 yes,

00:16:42.520 they need to get vaccinated

00:16:44.180 so we protect ourselves,

00:16:46.080 protect our communities,

00:16:47.080 and protect our kids

00:16:48.280 who can't yet get vaccinated.

00:16:50.640 That's what we need to do.

00:16:51.940 That was from a Trudeau rally

00:16:53.880 in Calgary.

00:16:55.080 I use rally very loosely.

00:16:56.660 There were 80 people there

00:16:58.000 in their social distancing bubbles.

00:17:00.180 More on that

00:17:01.040 in just a moment's time.

00:17:02.700 But he's saying,

00:17:03.300 yeah, no,

00:17:03.660 you have a choice.

00:17:04.600 No one has to get vaccinated.

00:17:06.120 But if you don't,

00:17:07.440 you aren't going to be able

00:17:08.360 to do certain things.

00:17:10.540 This distinction is irrelevant.

00:17:12.340 The idea of taking mandatory vaccine

00:17:14.920 and saying that,

00:17:16.660 well,

00:17:17.220 we're not mandating it

00:17:18.960 unless you want to do

00:17:20.120 all of these things.

00:17:21.000 It's a mandatory vaccine.

00:17:22.920 Don't pretend

00:17:23.560 you're giving Canadians a choice

00:17:25.080 when you are closing off

00:17:26.740 and walling off

00:17:27.740 aspects of society to them

00:17:29.400 because they don't go

00:17:30.820 and get vaccinated.

00:17:32.680 Especially when you have said this.

00:17:35.340 But like I said,

00:17:36.240 what do you do

00:17:36.780 with someone with an allergy?

00:17:37.920 What do you do

00:17:38.360 with someone

00:17:38.860 who's immunocompromised

00:17:40.440 or someone who for

00:17:41.440 religious or,

00:17:43.240 you know,

00:17:43.980 deep convictions

00:17:44.780 decides that,

00:17:46.620 no,

00:17:46.780 they're not going to get a vaccine?

00:17:49.040 We're not a country.

00:17:50.000 What do you do?

00:17:51.140 Well,

00:17:51.500 we're not a country

00:17:52.260 that makes vaccination

00:17:53.300 mandatory,

00:17:54.280 for example,

00:17:55.540 but we want to encourage

00:17:57.780 everyone to get it.

00:17:59.320 How do we go from

00:18:00.260 we're not a country

00:18:01.160 that makes vaccination mandatory

00:18:03.040 to if you want to do anything,

00:18:05.560 you've got to get vaccinated?

00:18:07.520 The same thing has happened

00:18:08.940 in Ontario.

00:18:09.880 Doug Ford,

00:18:10.540 who proclaimed

00:18:11.420 on a number of occasions

00:18:12.720 that he doesn't want

00:18:13.560 a split society

00:18:14.640 with vaccine mandates.

00:18:16.420 And now,

00:18:16.940 all of a sudden,

00:18:17.540 Rick Nichols,

00:18:18.260 a longtime member

00:18:19.520 of Provincial Parliament

00:18:20.460 is out of the PC caucus

00:18:22.940 because he would not

00:18:24.260 get vaccinated.

00:18:25.980 This is what Doug Ford

00:18:27.120 said then.

00:18:27.940 Right now,

00:18:28.340 it's optional.

00:18:30.340 Constitutionally,

00:18:30.880 I don't think we can force

00:18:32.040 every single person

00:18:33.220 to take it.

00:18:34.340 And I just don't believe

00:18:35.860 in forcing people

00:18:37.120 to take this.

00:18:38.540 What I do believe,

00:18:39.980 encouraging everyone,

00:18:41.860 everyone possible out there

00:18:43.260 to get a vaccination shot.

00:18:45.780 It's going to protect

00:18:46.700 all of us,

00:18:48.920 but it's also going

00:18:50.060 to get the economy

00:18:50.940 moving forward.

00:18:52.300 It's going to protect

00:18:52.900 their health care system.

00:18:53.900 It's going to protect

00:18:54.360 their education system.

00:18:56.140 So I highly,

00:18:57.280 highly recommend

00:18:58.120 that people take the vaccine.

00:19:01.100 I'll pass it to the

00:19:02.000 Minister of Health.

00:19:02.700 And here's what he says now.

00:19:04.520 It is my expectation

00:19:05.780 that every PC caucus

00:19:07.120 member and candidate

00:19:07.980 not only support the role

00:19:09.480 vaccines play

00:19:10.520 in the fight against COVID-19,

00:19:12.140 but also be vaccinated

00:19:13.440 to protect themselves

00:19:14.720 and the people

00:19:15.760 in their community.

00:19:16.760 And I know the Liberty

00:19:18.440 purists out there,

00:19:19.500 of which I count myself

00:19:20.640 a member, by the way,

00:19:21.500 would say,

00:19:22.140 well, he's not saying

00:19:23.000 Rick has to be vaccinated.

00:19:24.700 He's saying Rick has to be

00:19:25.800 vaccinated to stay

00:19:27.140 in the PC caucus.

00:19:28.720 And my comment to that

00:19:29.880 is the same as it is

00:19:31.060 to Justin Trudeau.

00:19:32.100 Sure, technically,

00:19:33.480 no one is holding

00:19:34.520 Rick down,

00:19:35.760 handcuffing him,

00:19:36.700 tying him up to a chair

00:19:37.700 and forcing the needle 0.88

00:19:38.700 in his arm.

00:19:39.940 But again,

00:19:40.740 when you start walling

00:19:42.020 off aspects of society,

00:19:43.800 closing off opportunities,

00:19:45.480 hinging a political career

00:19:47.000 to vaccination status,

00:19:48.800 instead of allowing

00:19:49.560 the voters to decide

00:19:50.500 if that's something

00:19:51.020 that matters to them,

00:19:52.260 you are making

00:19:53.100 vaccines mandatory.

00:19:54.180 You are saying

00:19:54.960 that people who are

00:19:55.680 unvaccinated

00:19:56.440 do not have a place

00:19:57.880 in civil society.

00:19:59.880 And that is shameful.

00:20:01.760 It's shameful

00:20:02.460 and it's wrong 0.98

00:20:03.260 and it's hypocritical 0.84

00:20:04.420 from all of these leaders 0.79

00:20:05.400 who for months

00:20:06.060 and months and months

00:20:06.860 have been decrying

00:20:07.940 that very idea,

00:20:09.080 saying,

00:20:09.360 no, we're never going

00:20:10.680 to mandate vaccines.

00:20:11.640 We're just going

00:20:12.720 to tell people

00:20:13.480 to get vaccinated.

00:20:14.420 We're going

00:20:14.640 to encourage it.

00:20:16.800 Well,

00:20:17.540 it was all a sham.

00:20:19.380 The encouragement

00:20:20.060 only lasted up

00:20:21.360 until the point

00:20:22.040 that there were

00:20:22.920 a few holdouts

00:20:23.680 that were proving

00:20:24.280 inconvenient

00:20:24.800 and then all of a sudden

00:20:25.760 it is,

00:20:26.520 well, you're out of caucus,

00:20:27.740 you're out of this,

00:20:28.280 you can't go on a plane,

00:20:29.340 you can't go on a train,

00:20:30.460 you can't go to a concert.

00:20:32.620 And it's all theater.

00:20:35.040 It is all theater.

00:20:35.960 Just take a look

00:20:36.480 at this mandate

00:20:37.040 coming down the pipe

00:20:38.000 in October

00:20:38.700 if the Liberals

00:20:39.740 get re-elected

00:20:40.520 to mandate

00:20:41.200 vaccination

00:20:41.920 for air

00:20:42.760 and rail travel.

00:20:44.960 Justin Trudeau says,

00:20:45.940 yeah, you don't have

00:20:46.480 to get vaccinated,

00:20:47.220 but if you want

00:20:47.660 to travel

00:20:48.200 and sit beside

00:20:48.880 someone who is vaccinated,

00:20:50.400 you have to be.

00:20:51.340 Well, what's the point?

00:20:52.380 And by the way,

00:20:53.120 let me just follow

00:20:53.940 this through.

00:20:54.480 I'm not a fan

00:20:55.020 of the mandate,

00:20:55.840 clearly.

00:20:56.980 But let's say

00:20:57.860 that it is

00:20:58.720 as perfect

00:20:59.640 as the government

00:21:00.540 says it is.

00:21:01.220 It's necessary

00:21:02.000 and it is the key

00:21:03.220 to normalcy

00:21:03.880 to make sure

00:21:04.420 that 100%

00:21:05.600 of transit

00:21:06.980 passengers

00:21:07.520 are vaccinated.

00:21:09.620 Well, why not

00:21:10.460 lift the mask

00:21:11.140 mandate on planes?

00:21:12.760 Why not allow

00:21:13.560 those traveling

00:21:14.220 by air

00:21:14.720 to travel

00:21:15.300 as though

00:21:15.780 it is

00:21:16.380 January of 2020

00:21:18.020 to go back

00:21:19.440 in time

00:21:19.820 a couple of years,

00:21:20.660 sit down,

00:21:21.360 unmask,

00:21:22.000 do what they want,

00:21:22.880 have full cabin service?

00:21:24.240 Why is that

00:21:24.840 not coming back?

00:21:26.940 Because they're

00:21:27.640 not actually

00:21:28.500 doing something

00:21:29.420 that is science-based.

00:21:31.240 They are throwing

00:21:32.440 things at the wall,

00:21:33.360 seeing whatever's

00:21:34.080 going to stick

00:21:34.560 and finding,

00:21:35.660 and this is the

00:21:36.220 most terrifying part,

00:21:37.480 finding that this

00:21:38.340 is a winnable position.

00:21:40.660 It is no surprise

00:21:42.360 that the liberals

00:21:43.100 launched this

00:21:44.220 in the lead-in

00:21:45.260 to this election

00:21:46.140 because they think

00:21:47.960 that if you start

00:21:48.600 polling Canadians,

00:21:49.500 you're going to find

00:21:50.220 more people,

00:21:51.140 not just liberal partisans,

00:21:52.560 but independent voters,

00:21:54.340 undecided voters,

00:21:55.560 average citizens

00:21:56.260 who clearly,

00:21:57.320 they believe,

00:21:58.160 support mandatory vaccination.

00:22:00.820 And if you are

00:22:02.140 one of those people,

00:22:03.480 I want you to take

00:22:04.800 a look in the mirror

00:22:05.580 and ask yourself

00:22:06.620 how you rationalize this.

00:22:08.620 Don't talk about it

00:22:09.780 in a case-specific way.

00:22:12.060 Yes, COVID's real,

00:22:13.160 COVID's a threat,

00:22:13.920 I get it.

00:22:15.120 But in general terms,

00:22:17.720 what happens

00:22:18.460 when a flu shot

00:22:19.360 comes along

00:22:20.080 that you're not a fan of?

00:22:21.960 What happens

00:22:22.820 when some other

00:22:23.500 medical treatment

00:22:24.200 comes along?

00:22:25.460 What happens

00:22:26.160 if we start telling

00:22:26.960 people who are

00:22:27.740 HIV positive,

00:22:28.900 people who have

00:22:29.340 other diseases,

00:22:30.120 oh, wait, no,

00:22:30.720 you can't come here.

00:22:32.560 You can't go here.

00:22:34.020 You need to be

00:22:34.540 on this drug.

00:22:35.220 You need to be

00:22:35.640 on this treatment.

00:22:36.480 And all of a sudden,

00:22:37.340 not just mandating it,

00:22:39.400 but opening up

00:22:40.540 the discussion

00:22:41.320 of making

00:22:42.500 all of this information

00:22:43.800 everyone's business.

00:22:46.520 Remember,

00:22:47.040 the vaccine passport idea

00:22:48.360 isn't just wrong

00:22:49.200 because you're requiring

00:22:50.120 people to be vaccinated.

00:22:51.420 It's wrong

00:22:52.040 because now,

00:22:52.760 all of a sudden,

00:22:53.240 you have to tell

00:22:54.120 your neighborhood barista,

00:22:56.140 the gym check-in guy,

00:22:58.000 the guy who's taking

00:22:59.340 your ticket

00:22:59.820 at the concert,

00:23:00.840 the lady who's

00:23:01.780 serving you

00:23:02.540 or seating you

00:23:03.080 at a restaurant,

00:23:03.620 you have to tell

00:23:04.200 all of them

00:23:04.820 this decision

00:23:05.440 that you have made.

00:23:08.080 Why on earth

00:23:09.080 is that something

00:23:09.840 we would celebrate?

00:23:12.380 And it's dangerous

00:23:13.660 if the liberal

00:23:14.520 calculation is correct.

00:23:16.940 It's dangerous

00:23:17.860 if this is actually

00:23:18.920 a winning position

00:23:19.660 in Canada.

00:23:21.380 If you or people

00:23:22.440 you know

00:23:22.880 are on that team,

00:23:24.060 and let me say

00:23:25.880 for the millionth time,

00:23:27.440 I am pro-vaccine.

00:23:29.300 I am vaccinated

00:23:30.440 and I know

00:23:31.340 some of you

00:23:31.700 don't like that.

00:23:32.320 I don't care.

00:23:32.980 I made a decision

00:23:33.760 and I am defending

00:23:35.000 tooth and nail

00:23:35.640 your right

00:23:36.200 to make a decision

00:23:36.940 that is right for you.

00:23:39.460 But we now have

00:23:40.400 a political class

00:23:41.400 left and right

00:23:42.880 that does not

00:23:44.280 want to stand up

00:23:45.440 for that freedom.

00:23:46.800 That does not want

00:23:47.720 to stand up

00:23:48.180 for that right.

00:23:50.180 Even look at,

00:23:51.280 by the way,

00:23:51.740 Aaron O'Toole's

00:23:52.440 response to the

00:23:53.980 vaccine mandate

00:23:54.800 in the public service.

00:23:56.000 His response to this

00:23:57.100 isn't,

00:23:57.900 no, vaccine mandates

00:23:58.840 are wrong.

00:23:59.440 We're not going to do it.

00:24:00.200 It's, okay, hang on.

00:24:02.080 We're going to say

00:24:03.280 if you're vaccinated,

00:24:05.220 that's fine.

00:24:06.560 If you're not,

00:24:07.540 you have to do

00:24:08.140 daily rapid tests

00:24:09.280 and we need to guarantee

00:24:10.800 that you're safe that way.

00:24:11.880 So the Overton window

00:24:14.180 has moved so far

00:24:15.980 to this point

00:24:16.480 that we're actually

00:24:17.200 just debating

00:24:17.960 between which vaccine mandate

00:24:20.100 is better than the other.

00:24:21.640 which vaccine mandate

00:24:22.720 gives just a little bit

00:24:23.780 more latitude

00:24:24.420 than all the other ones do.

00:24:26.200 That's basically

00:24:26.960 what we're debating here.

00:24:28.080 It's not

00:24:28.400 our vaccine mandate

00:24:29.480 is right or wrong.

00:24:30.300 It's, okay,

00:24:30.740 how far do we want to go

00:24:32.360 with what is effectively

00:24:33.780 a mandatory

00:24:34.780 vaccination policy?

00:24:36.360 And mark my words,

00:24:37.320 when a society

00:24:38.280 hands over

00:24:39.740 surrenders

00:24:41.040 any right to independence,

00:24:42.540 any right to individual choice,

00:24:43.960 any right to personal freedom,

00:24:45.420 it is never coming back.

00:24:47.620 You're tuned in

00:24:50.160 to the Andrew Lawton Show.

00:24:53.360 Welcome back

00:24:54.160 to the Andrew Lawton Show.

00:24:55.480 I mentioned in the previous segment,

00:24:57.820 Justin Trudeau

00:24:58.400 had that rally

00:24:59.300 of 80 people

00:25:00.540 in Calgary,

00:25:02.120 which to be honest,

00:25:03.040 I've got to give credit

00:25:04.020 where it's due here.

00:25:05.200 Justin Trudeau

00:25:05.900 finding 80 people

00:25:07.100 in the province of Alberta

00:25:08.140 that wanted to hear him

00:25:09.140 and not heckle him,

00:25:10.100 I think is a big victory.

00:25:11.580 So, you know,

00:25:12.460 he could quadruple

00:25:13.260 his vote in no time

00:25:14.320 if that's the trend

00:25:15.700 that he keeps up on.

00:25:16.800 He was very excited about it.

00:25:18.340 He had tweeted out,

00:25:19.400 what a night, Calgary.

00:25:20.380 Your energy was incredible.

00:25:22.120 Let's carry it forward.

00:25:23.580 And on September 20th,

00:25:24.680 let's move hashtag

00:25:25.680 forward for everyone.

00:25:26.880 So he's going on.

00:25:27.960 He might even have 90 people

00:25:29.200 at his next rally.

00:25:30.680 Now, I will be

00:25:31.700 a little bit kind to him

00:25:33.040 on this

00:25:33.420 because they capped it at 80.

00:25:35.000 Now, maybe they capped it at 80

00:25:36.120 because they knew

00:25:36.720 there weren't going to be

00:25:37.800 more than 80 people,

00:25:39.460 but they had those 0.96

00:25:40.240 like ridiculous 0.79

00:25:40.920 social distancing bubbles 0.74

00:25:42.340 at this outdoor event.

00:25:44.220 They had a capacity limit.

00:25:46.340 But here's the thing.

00:25:47.260 It's very interesting

00:25:48.480 that as I reported

00:25:50.100 a couple of days ago,

00:25:51.120 Justin Trudeau's

00:25:51.760 very first campaign event

00:25:53.220 was a rally

00:25:54.520 in Cobourg, Ontario.

00:25:56.020 Now, Ontario has

00:25:57.680 still on the books

00:25:59.020 a number of public

00:26:00.220 health restrictions,

00:26:01.100 including the capacity

00:26:02.660 for outdoor events

00:26:04.020 being set at 100.

00:26:05.700 You cannot have a rally

00:26:06.840 in Ontario,

00:26:08.200 even outdoors,

00:26:09.180 with more than 100 people.

00:26:11.020 Justin Trudeau

00:26:13.020 was speaking

00:26:13.480 on a restaurant patio

00:26:15.400 surrounded by

00:26:16.600 what media have reported

00:26:17.800 as several hundred people.

00:26:19.800 Some of those

00:26:20.300 were there to heckle him,

00:26:21.120 but still,

00:26:21.580 hundreds and hundreds

00:26:22.260 of people

00:26:22.780 well over the 100 cap

00:26:24.400 in Ontario.

00:26:25.280 No social distancing,

00:26:26.640 no little bubbles

00:26:27.380 on the ground,

00:26:28.260 no respect

00:26:28.960 for the capacity limits.

00:26:30.500 He's in Alberta,

00:26:32.120 a province

00:26:32.680 that has no restrictions,

00:26:34.640 and he's doing

00:26:35.680 this contrived theatrical

00:26:37.380 social distancing bubble thing

00:26:39.500 where he's,

00:26:40.280 oh, we're only 80 people.

00:26:41.320 And I can only think

00:26:42.460 of two possible theories

00:26:44.500 for this,

00:26:45.020 two possible explanations.

00:26:46.380 One is that he's trying

00:26:47.200 to thumb his nose

00:26:47.920 at Jason Kenney,

00:26:49.340 trying to say,

00:26:49.860 oh yeah,

00:26:50.220 Jason Kenney may have reopened,

00:26:51.600 but the Liberals

00:26:52.160 go above and beyond.

00:26:53.580 The Liberals go above

00:26:54.420 and beyond

00:26:54.900 in taking all of these

00:26:55.960 extra precautions,

00:26:57.460 in which case,

00:26:58.300 why were you not doing it

00:26:59.240 in Cobourg?

00:27:00.120 Why were you not doing it

00:27:01.000 in Ontario,

00:27:02.040 which actually has

00:27:03.320 restrictions in place?

00:27:05.500 And the other part of this

00:27:07.080 is just that they couldn't

00:27:08.060 get more than 80 people.

00:27:09.040 So they figured,

00:27:10.180 all right,

00:27:10.400 what's a good way

00:27:11.240 of masking a really

00:27:12.480 small crowd in Calgary?

00:27:14.520 And Trudeau did this

00:27:15.420 in 2019 as well.

00:27:16.720 He landed in Calgary

00:27:18.040 for like an hour

00:27:19.240 just so that he could say,

00:27:20.740 oh, I've come to Alberta.

00:27:21.740 But then he like,

00:27:22.580 you know,

00:27:22.780 hightails it back

00:27:23.860 on the plane

00:27:24.340 and gets out of Dodge,

00:27:25.960 I think to Manitoba

00:27:27.080 this morning.

00:27:27.740 Although don't,

00:27:28.420 don't actually do quote me

00:27:29.440 on that because I'm

00:27:30.260 99% sure it is Manitoba.

00:27:32.900 So he was doing

00:27:34.060 this little rally

00:27:35.160 in Alberta

00:27:36.060 just to say

00:27:36.700 he was there

00:27:37.580 and then touting

00:27:38.260 the great momentum

00:27:39.160 and great energy

00:27:39.980 of the ADP.

00:27:41.380 Maybe they were 80

00:27:42.060 really energetic people.

00:27:43.560 So in any case,

00:27:44.720 but I will say

00:27:45.720 when you see

00:27:46.520 these types of events,

00:27:47.860 it's rallies do work.

00:27:50.660 And this is why

00:27:51.680 my cautionary tale

00:27:52.900 to the Conservatives,

00:27:53.880 don't spend

00:27:54.640 the entire campaign

00:27:55.560 locked up

00:27:56.160 in that studio

00:27:57.160 in Ottawa.

00:27:57.940 I know O'Toole's

00:27:58.720 been doing a bit of touring.

00:27:59.920 He was in,

00:28:00.500 he's in Saskatchewan today.

00:28:02.240 He's also in Manitoba.

00:28:03.700 So Manitoba's getting

00:28:04.660 a lot more action

00:28:05.380 than it's normally used to.

00:28:06.840 But you can't

00:28:08.060 get through to people

00:28:09.460 in the way you can

00:28:10.280 when they all want

00:28:10.820 to take pictures

00:28:11.440 and you get some

00:28:12.660 local energy

00:28:13.360 and local buzz going

00:28:14.460 and all of that.

00:28:15.180 And same as Maxine Bernier.

00:28:16.340 He's doing a road trip.

00:28:17.700 I know he's back

00:28:18.320 doing some campaigning

00:28:19.140 in his Bose riding.

00:28:21.000 Annamie Paul,

00:28:21.760 she's like so desperate

00:28:22.700 to win a seat in Toronto.

00:28:23.980 I don't even think

00:28:24.440 she's planning

00:28:24.980 any campaigning

00:28:26.300 except for maybe

00:28:27.080 heading to Ottawa

00:28:28.160 for the debates.

00:28:29.580 But campaigns do matter

00:28:30.900 and that's why

00:28:31.640 I've made a commitment

00:28:32.360 that I'm not going to like

00:28:33.260 put a pin in

00:28:34.240 a polling result

00:28:35.720 that comes out now

00:28:36.700 and say alright

00:28:37.940 this is what's going to happen

00:28:39.060 because how their campaigns

00:28:40.520 are going matters

00:28:41.260 and the Liberals

00:28:42.220 so far

00:28:43.380 I don't think

00:28:44.460 are performing

00:28:45.680 particularly well.

00:28:47.020 The Conservatives

00:28:47.640 seem to be gaining.

00:28:49.180 They haven't really

00:28:50.180 put their foot

00:28:51.100 in their mouth 0.76

00:28:51.760 which is something

00:28:52.900 that is good for them.

00:28:54.060 But at the same time

00:28:55.160 it's very early days.

00:28:57.300 We've got to

00:28:58.060 move on from this

00:28:58.920 because I do want to

00:28:59.520 spend some time

00:29:00.100 talking about

00:29:00.840 Afghanistan here

00:29:02.220 which has been

00:29:02.940 one of the bigger

00:29:04.140 election issues

00:29:04.980 just because the election

00:29:06.080 was called

00:29:06.540 in the midst

00:29:06.980 of this crisis

00:29:07.720 which is both

00:29:08.400 a military

00:29:09.400 and a humanitarian

00:29:10.860 crisis.

00:29:12.420 The Conservatives

00:29:13.520 a bunch of MPs

00:29:14.580 or not MPs

00:29:15.320 rather candidates

00:29:16.040 did a press conference

00:29:17.560 the other day

00:29:18.020 in which they talked

00:29:18.680 about their plan

00:29:19.540 and the Conservatives

00:29:20.420 have pushed for

00:29:21.100 the Liberals

00:29:22.200 to suspend their campaign

00:29:23.440 at least the Liberals

00:29:24.720 who have cabinet portfolios

00:29:26.580 tied to what's happening

00:29:27.880 in Afghanistan.

00:29:28.600 and I wanted to

00:29:30.640 expand on that a bit

00:29:31.580 because Alex Ruff

00:29:32.500 who is a Canadian

00:29:33.420 Armed Forces veteran

00:29:34.440 himself who served

00:29:35.920 in Afghanistan

00:29:36.620 had some very

00:29:38.300 interesting thoughts

00:29:39.740 about the mission itself

00:29:42.280 and about where we are

00:29:43.900 as a country

00:29:44.520 and I wanted to

00:29:45.060 extrapolate on some

00:29:46.100 of those with Alex Ruff

00:29:47.500 the Conservative candidate

00:29:48.940 seeking re-election

00:29:49.920 in Bruce Gray

00:29:51.360 Owen Sound.

00:29:51.980 I was going to say

00:29:52.400 the MP

00:29:52.780 you're not the MP anymore

00:29:53.880 with Parliament

00:29:54.560 having been dissolved.

00:29:55.760 Alex good to have you

00:29:56.500 on the show

00:29:56.800 thanks for joining me.

00:29:58.260 Thanks for having me Andrew.

00:29:59.820 Now before serving

00:30:01.340 as a member of Parliament

00:30:02.540 you served in Afghanistan

00:30:04.040 in the Canadian Armed Forces

00:30:05.760 just before we get into

00:30:07.480 what's happening now

00:30:08.780 and how the government

00:30:09.720 could or should be responding

00:30:11.340 how has it been for you

00:30:13.040 as someone who spent time

00:30:14.460 there as part of the coalition

00:30:16.040 seeing all of this work

00:30:18.060 over the last 20 years

00:30:19.240 just being unraveled

00:30:20.440 in the span of a few weeks?

00:30:23.020 Well that's a tough question Andrew

00:30:24.460 and I've been getting

00:30:25.880 lots of feedback

00:30:26.600 from colleagues of mine

00:30:27.940 and even people still

00:30:29.660 in uniform

00:30:30.160 and it's tough

00:30:31.660 it's disappointing

00:30:32.520 it makes you kind of

00:30:34.700 question sometimes

00:30:35.520 hey could I've done

00:30:36.320 something differently

00:30:37.080 could the whole coalition

00:30:39.380 have done something differently

00:30:40.480 to address the challenges

00:30:42.020 that Afghanistan 0.79

00:30:42.840 has faced

00:30:44.680 and now will face

00:30:45.600 going into the future

00:30:46.600 I'm still a bit of a

00:30:48.320 glass half full

00:30:49.320 not right now

00:30:50.360 with the you know

00:30:51.280 sort of the lack of action

00:30:53.160 on getting those Afghans 1.00

00:30:55.280 out that need to be

00:30:56.760 brought out

00:30:57.660 and that are fleeing

00:30:58.640 for their lives

00:30:59.520 but just from the fact

00:31:01.820 that we did

00:31:02.520 the coalition

00:31:03.480 Canada in particular

00:31:04.720 we spent

00:31:05.420 you know the better part

00:31:06.340 of a decade

00:31:06.880 15 years there

00:31:08.080 the coalition

00:31:09.360 writ large

00:31:09.940 almost 20 years

00:31:10.980 and

00:31:11.760 we've educated

00:31:14.260 and helped educate

00:31:15.140 a generation

00:31:15.840 and this is a generational

00:31:17.380 sort of change

00:31:18.560 that's the challenge

00:31:19.700 with any counterinsurgency

00:31:21.040 and the sort of

00:31:22.620 full spectrum operations

00:31:24.580 that occur today

00:31:25.480 in today's contemporary

00:31:26.400 operating environment

00:31:27.420 and if you don't

00:31:28.860 understand that

00:31:31.060 and understand that

00:31:31.780 really ultimately

00:31:32.520 the solution for Afghanistan 0.99

00:31:34.220 has to come from

00:31:35.500 the Afghans themselves

00:31:36.520 and that is through

00:31:37.900 a long process

00:31:39.060 I'm still optimistic

00:31:40.520 there's a whole generation

00:31:41.520 that now realize

00:31:42.860 that they can have more

00:31:43.980 and ultimately

00:31:44.740 you never know

00:31:45.660 one of those young

00:31:46.680 girls that was educated 0.59

00:31:48.620 and got educated

00:31:49.540 due to the impact

00:31:50.940 and influence

00:31:52.020 that we had historically

00:31:53.460 us as Canadians

00:31:55.840 and as the coalition

00:31:58.180 I think that there is

00:31:59.320 a potential there

00:32:00.060 that maybe one of them

00:32:00.760 will be you know

00:32:01.520 back down the road

00:32:02.780 to future prime minister

00:32:03.800 of Afghanistan

00:32:04.440 and that the country

00:32:05.380 eventually will

00:32:06.240 come out of this

00:32:07.420 but unfortunately

00:32:08.220 right now

00:32:08.920 they are going through

00:32:09.740 some very tough days

00:32:11.160 and I think

00:32:13.000 you know

00:32:13.600 we now have to do

00:32:14.380 our part in particular

00:32:15.400 to help those

00:32:16.640 that helped us

00:32:17.420 when we needed help

00:32:18.400 to you know

00:32:19.460 help them

00:32:19.960 and you are right

00:32:21.840 to point out

00:32:22.500 there are two aspects

00:32:23.620 of this

00:32:23.900 there's the

00:32:24.400 what do we do

00:32:24.940 long term

00:32:25.560 about the Taliban

00:32:26.400 we know that

00:32:27.140 we've been down

00:32:28.220 this road

00:32:28.780 in part before

00:32:29.660 with the Taliban

00:32:30.360 running the show

00:32:31.260 and then being ousted

00:32:33.060 and having a democratic

00:32:34.340 government replace it

00:32:35.440 and then there's also

00:32:36.260 the here and now

00:32:37.040 and those images

00:32:38.220 of people just

00:32:39.540 you know

00:32:39.820 clinging on

00:32:40.640 to the wheel

00:32:42.060 of an airplane

00:32:42.660 taking off

00:32:43.460 and falling

00:32:44.020 I think will be burned

00:32:44.940 into all of our memories

00:32:45.920 for generations to come

00:32:47.460 you mentioned

00:32:48.580 the Afghans

00:32:49.640 that helped Canada

00:32:50.540 and I'm having trouble

00:32:51.720 with this

00:32:52.100 because Justin Drew

00:32:52.940 has said that

00:32:53.660 the government's

00:32:54.480 on top of it

00:32:55.200 they're all getting

00:32:55.900 evacuated

00:32:58.300 from the region

00:32:59.260 I mean

00:32:59.520 what's the breakdown here

00:33:00.560 what isn't happening

00:33:01.600 that we're being told

00:33:02.520 is happening

00:33:03.080 well so

00:33:04.720 part of the challenge

00:33:05.740 is you know

00:33:06.540 the lack of transparency

00:33:07.600 and just how much

00:33:08.760 information is being

00:33:09.680 put out there

00:33:10.360 because what we're

00:33:11.000 hearing from people

00:33:11.940 and colleagues

00:33:12.680 and connections

00:33:13.540 right into Afghanistan 0.94

00:33:14.540 is that they have

00:33:15.300 no way to communicate

00:33:16.320 and get their names

00:33:18.480 and there's lists

00:33:19.240 and there's names

00:33:19.880 of people

00:33:20.480 and Afghans

00:33:21.820 on the ground

00:33:22.200 and Canadian citizens

00:33:23.340 I know of Canadian citizens

00:33:24.700 that are on the ground

00:33:25.540 there that are hunkered down

00:33:26.720 and having that same problem

00:33:28.260 of getting in contact

00:33:29.740 with the appropriate

00:33:30.680 Canadian authorities

00:33:31.660 with the embassy

00:33:32.540 etc.

00:33:33.760 so that they can

00:33:34.540 actually find their way

00:33:36.460 and get to that safe location

00:33:38.060 and link up

00:33:38.880 to get evacuated

00:33:40.180 I know

00:33:40.680 the government

00:33:41.500 does have stuff ongoing

00:33:42.900 but the problem

00:33:44.260 right now

00:33:44.640 is that lack

00:33:45.320 of communication

00:33:46.500 and that ability

00:33:47.180 to get that clarity

00:33:48.180 and information

00:33:50.080 to those on the ground

00:33:51.380 that need to get out

00:33:52.420 and you know

00:33:53.520 this is right

00:33:54.160 goes back to last week

00:33:55.280 when they made that announcement

00:33:56.360 I was happy to hear

00:33:57.280 that they're planning

00:33:57.960 on getting 20,000 Afghans out

00:33:59.820 and I think Trudeau

00:34:00.580 has even mentioned

00:34:01.260 up to 21,000 now

00:34:03.280 but I raised this concern

00:34:05.300 over a month ago

00:34:06.280 in the public

00:34:07.600 through a statement

00:34:08.860 through

00:34:09.260 you know

00:34:10.560 a letter

00:34:10.940 to a national paper

00:34:12.760 saying

00:34:13.220 look

00:34:13.520 you have a very short

00:34:14.840 window to do this

00:34:15.760 anybody that

00:34:16.780 saw this coming

00:34:18.180 knew that

00:34:18.560 you only have

00:34:19.140 a couple weeks

00:34:19.900 and now

00:34:21.680 the Taliban

00:34:22.780 have capitalized

00:34:23.720 on the U.S. withdrawal

00:34:24.940 they're now in Kabul

00:34:26.380 they've successfully seized

00:34:28.340 so many of the key

00:34:29.240 crossing and border points

00:34:30.620 so it's going to require

00:34:31.940 even more effort now

00:34:33.200 to get these people out

00:34:34.740 than if they

00:34:35.340 if we would have

00:34:35.940 taken action sooner

00:34:36.800 this may be

00:34:38.480 a difficult question

00:34:39.520 to answer

00:34:40.040 but I'm curious

00:34:41.300 at what point

00:34:42.160 you think that window

00:34:43.160 closes

00:34:43.720 and it becomes

00:34:44.420 too risky

00:34:45.100 to put Canadian

00:34:46.740 soldiers over there

00:34:47.900 I know they're

00:34:48.480 very well trained

00:34:49.260 I know that

00:34:49.980 the U.S. is still

00:34:51.080 controlling the airport

00:34:52.140 for the time being

00:34:53.040 but at what point

00:34:54.200 is it too risky

00:34:55.000 to do all of these

00:34:55.880 things we need to do

00:34:56.800 I can't honestly

00:34:58.660 answer that

00:34:59.240 without access

00:35:00.120 to you know

00:35:00.780 what I would have had

00:35:01.640 when I was still

00:35:02.260 in uniform

00:35:02.740 you know

00:35:03.120 the intelligence sources

00:35:04.140 the information

00:35:04.800 on the ground

00:35:05.400 but ultimately

00:35:06.080 I think that

00:35:07.820 the final deadline

00:35:08.780 is September 11th

00:35:10.060 that's what

00:35:10.580 from what I understand

00:35:11.340 the U.S. has indicated

00:35:12.380 that they intend

00:35:13.120 to have every one

00:35:14.100 of their forces

00:35:14.840 out of Afghanistan

00:35:16.180 so it's tied

00:35:17.580 to our coalition partners

00:35:18.700 it's tied to our allies

00:35:19.960 and what they can do

00:35:21.540 but ultimately

00:35:22.200 our Canadian Armed Forces

00:35:23.540 are well trained

00:35:24.320 as you mentioned

00:35:24.920 they are prepared

00:35:26.040 to do this

00:35:26.720 and ultimately

00:35:28.020 you don't make

00:35:28.760 any decision

00:35:29.420 from a foreign policy

00:35:30.940 or a national defense

00:35:32.580 perspective

00:35:33.140 without some level

00:35:34.900 of risk

00:35:35.360 but every soldier

00:35:36.440 sailor

00:35:37.000 air crew

00:35:37.620 in the Canadian Armed Forces

00:35:39.440 knows that

00:35:42.120 we signed up for that

00:35:43.240 it's a voluntary

00:35:44.100 military here in Canada

00:35:45.740 and we knew

00:35:46.740 right from the

00:35:47.340 you know

00:35:47.580 that's what makes

00:35:48.180 our service personnel

00:35:49.920 unique

00:35:50.320 is they're willing

00:35:51.620 to make that

00:35:52.260 supreme sacrifice

00:35:53.160 if they have to

00:35:54.060 to do the right thing

00:35:55.060 and what our government

00:35:56.460 decides to do for us

00:35:57.940 as military personnel

00:35:59.940 so ultimately

00:36:00.860 I can't speak

00:36:02.660 to the exact timeline

00:36:03.720 I just know

00:36:04.320 that window

00:36:04.860 is closing

00:36:05.580 very very quickly

00:36:06.960 and the Taliban

00:36:08.800 aren't

00:36:10.180 an organization

00:36:11.040 they're a terrorist group

00:36:11.980 that will 0.65

00:36:12.680 not respect

00:36:13.600 the rules of law

00:36:14.600 and the international

00:36:15.980 rules of law

00:36:16.740 they're not afraid

00:36:17.500 they're killing people

00:36:18.260 they'll hunt them down 1.00

00:36:19.220 and commit 0.97

00:36:20.500 terrible crimes

00:36:21.760 if we don't get

00:36:22.540 these people out

00:36:23.340 immediately

00:36:24.040 obviously it's the US

00:36:26.160 that's driving

00:36:27.140 the withdrawal

00:36:27.780 and the US withdrawal

00:36:28.740 that's triggered

00:36:29.500 a lot of this

00:36:30.120 but I'm curious

00:36:31.020 where you think

00:36:31.740 Canada could have

00:36:32.560 played a role

00:36:33.080 if it could have

00:36:33.920 in mitigating

00:36:35.260 some of the damage

00:36:36.040 up until now

00:36:36.860 you mean with respect

00:36:39.040 to getting these people out

00:36:40.240 yes

00:36:41.020 yeah well so

00:36:42.200 as soon as the US

00:36:43.320 had indicated

00:36:44.320 that withdrawal

00:36:45.180 was coming

00:36:45.900 months ago

00:36:46.620 I can't remember

00:36:47.580 whether it was

00:36:48.060 February March

00:36:48.820 or when they had

00:36:49.440 indicated under

00:36:50.400 President Biden

00:36:51.120 that they were

00:36:51.580 going to do this

00:36:52.300 that's when

00:36:53.400 the government

00:36:55.040 should have clued in

00:36:56.260 right off the get-go

00:36:57.660 because we have

00:36:58.340 phenomenal planners

00:36:59.280 I've worked in

00:36:59.920 our Canadian Joint

00:37:00.620 Operations Command

00:37:01.640 in the planning team

00:37:03.320 there

00:37:03.620 they could have

00:37:05.200 spun this up

00:37:05.860 in no time flat

00:37:06.860 and started

00:37:07.860 putting these programs

00:37:09.060 in place

00:37:09.780 to help getting

00:37:10.560 these people out

00:37:11.640 because

00:37:12.240 you know

00:37:13.820 it just

00:37:14.460 you should have

00:37:15.060 we were tied

00:37:15.960 to that September

00:37:16.640 11th deadline

00:37:17.400 so they should have

00:37:18.080 been able to

00:37:18.660 hey here's the

00:37:19.460 drop dead date

00:37:20.260 what's their background

00:37:21.180 what are those

00:37:21.720 triggers 1.00

00:37:22.260 in a planning process

00:37:24.520 that go

00:37:24.940 oh geez

00:37:25.500 Taliban have now 0.99

00:37:26.980 seized this

00:37:27.920 all right

00:37:28.360 well this speeds

00:37:28.960 up the timeline

00:37:29.640 so the planning

00:37:30.580 could have all

00:37:31.120 been easily done

00:37:31.940 if the will

00:37:32.560 was there

00:37:33.180 but ultimately

00:37:34.060 Canadian Armed Forces

00:37:35.320 follows the direction

00:37:36.240 that they get

00:37:36.740 from our elected

00:37:37.700 officials

00:37:38.200 we have

00:37:38.780 it's up to the

00:37:39.640 government

00:37:39.960 to provide that

00:37:40.820 direction

00:37:41.300 and then the

00:37:42.260 military will

00:37:42.760 provide options

00:37:43.480 I don't like

00:37:45.320 politicizing something

00:37:46.540 that should be

00:37:47.460 a very unified

00:37:48.640 issue

00:37:49.140 and I believe

00:37:50.020 that genuinely

00:37:51.100 speaking

00:37:51.600 liberal candidates

00:37:52.860 conservative candidates

00:37:53.840 NDP candidates

00:37:54.680 all want what's best

00:37:55.660 for Canadians

00:37:56.660 and Afghans

00:37:57.700 here

00:37:57.900 but I do have

00:37:58.900 to question

00:37:59.460 about the amount

00:38:00.620 of attention

00:38:01.200 that's being given

00:38:01.920 to this

00:38:02.320 because we have

00:38:03.060 Justin Trudeau

00:38:03.780 on the campaign

00:38:04.860 trail

00:38:05.180 I know the acting

00:38:06.120 chief of the

00:38:06.620 defense staff

00:38:07.180 is also in Hawaii

00:38:08.080 for a conference

00:38:09.300 with other chiefs

00:38:10.380 of the defense

00:38:10.820 staff this week

00:38:11.520 have you gotten

00:38:12.420 the sense

00:38:12.940 that this is

00:38:13.620 being made

00:38:14.560 a priority

00:38:15.200 by some part

00:38:16.920 of the government

00:38:17.460 or some part

00:38:18.120 of the armed

00:38:18.520 forces

00:38:18.920 I can't speak

00:38:21.380 for the armed

00:38:21.820 forces obviously

00:38:22.780 I'm not

00:38:23.320 and I try

00:38:24.100 especially right

00:38:24.880 now and everything

00:38:25.600 going on

00:38:26.160 I don't want

00:38:26.580 to put any

00:38:27.140 other you know

00:38:27.840 for my personal

00:38:28.460 connections at risk

00:38:29.620 for anything

00:38:30.520 that's politically

00:38:31.380 tied

00:38:32.600 but I mean

00:38:33.060 it's no different

00:38:33.540 than the statement

00:38:34.140 that myself

00:38:34.820 and Michael Chong

00:38:35.840 put out the other

00:38:36.600 day you know

00:38:37.340 saying look

00:38:37.920 the Minister

00:38:38.700 of National

00:38:40.260 Defense

00:38:40.780 Immigration

00:38:41.620 Foreign Affairs

00:38:42.760 they should all

00:38:44.140 be you know

00:38:44.820 stopping

00:38:45.700 ceasing their

00:38:46.480 campaigning right

00:38:47.360 now and focused

00:38:48.160 on getting

00:38:48.720 making sure

00:38:49.640 their efforts

00:38:50.140 done on this

00:38:50.920 you know

00:38:51.680 and getting

00:38:51.980 this out

00:38:52.420 and I mean

00:38:52.820 I think

00:38:53.160 that is the

00:38:53.780 only real

00:38:54.200 political

00:38:54.580 consideration

00:38:55.160 is when

00:38:56.260 this crisis

00:38:56.800 became so

00:38:57.800 evident

00:38:58.280 you know

00:38:58.900 in the last

00:39:00.100 couple weeks

00:39:00.760 it does

00:39:01.960 question why

00:39:02.780 the Prime

00:39:03.220 Minister

00:39:03.520 why Trudeau

00:39:04.200 decided to

00:39:05.280 call an

00:39:05.740 election

00:39:06.100 when I

00:39:07.180 think personally

00:39:07.860 he could have

00:39:08.320 held off

00:39:08.740 on that decision

00:39:09.400 if he was

00:39:09.820 still set

00:39:10.280 on calling

00:39:10.700 this election

00:39:12.360 that's fine

00:39:13.020 and dandy

00:39:13.480 but at least

00:39:14.160 get this piece

00:39:15.080 of it done

00:39:15.760 first and foremost

00:39:16.840 to make sure

00:39:17.460 that guidance

00:39:18.080 was going

00:39:18.560 out there

00:39:19.060 and that

00:39:19.820 the focus

00:39:20.540 by the ministers

00:39:21.540 was on

00:39:22.440 dealing with

00:39:23.200 this international

00:39:24.280 humanitarian crisis

00:39:25.220 that to me

00:39:26.700 is more important

00:39:27.840 than any election

00:39:28.600 Canadians aren't 0.94

00:39:30.700 going to remember

00:39:31.260 who won or lost

00:39:32.880 an election

00:39:33.400 necessarily

00:39:34.240 or that you know

00:39:35.380 that MP themselves

00:39:36.460 or that candidate

00:39:37.400 as much as

00:39:38.200 they're going to

00:39:38.560 remember whether

00:39:39.020 they did the right

00:39:40.060 thing or not

00:39:40.680 in helping prevent

00:39:41.640 this crisis

00:39:42.780 and right now

00:39:43.860 these ministers

00:39:47.200 have that ability

00:39:48.220 to influence

00:39:48.920 this and focus

00:39:49.660 on this

00:39:50.200 more than

00:39:50.940 just getting

00:39:51.360 re-elected

00:39:52.080 Alex Ruff

00:39:53.660 conservative candidate

00:39:54.620 for Bruce Gray

00:39:55.720 Owen Sound

00:39:56.220 thanks very much

00:39:56.800 for your time

00:39:57.260 thank you Andrew

00:39:58.540 that was

00:40:00.180 Canadian Armed Forces

00:40:01.140 Afghanistan veteran

00:40:02.180 and conservative

00:40:03.100 candidate

00:40:03.560 in Bruce Gray

00:40:04.840 Owen Sound

00:40:05.420 Alex Ruff

00:40:06.180 my thanks to Alex

00:40:07.120 for coming on the show

00:40:08.240 we will have

00:40:09.140 lots of different

00:40:09.740 candidates from

00:40:10.320 different parties

00:40:10.960 in the shows

00:40:11.940 to come over

00:40:12.800 the next few weeks

00:40:13.880 so fear not

00:40:15.360 we will hopefully

00:40:16.100 get to some of

00:40:16.960 those who have

00:40:17.380 unique stories

00:40:18.100 or unique angles

00:40:18.940 on issues

00:40:19.420 we obviously

00:40:19.940 aren't able to

00:40:20.580 cover every

00:40:21.440 candidate from

00:40:22.220 every party

00:40:22.780 in each of the

00:40:23.380 338 ridings

00:40:24.780 but we want

00:40:25.740 candidates of interest

00:40:26.780 ridings of interest

00:40:27.820 and issues of interest

00:40:29.140 where a candidate

00:40:30.040 has some expertise

00:40:31.180 to speak on it

00:40:32.040 like in the case

00:40:33.100 of Alex Ruff

00:40:33.760 in Afghanistan

00:40:34.480 we will have

00:40:35.800 plenty more

00:40:36.760 next week

00:40:37.460 when the Andrew

00:40:37.900 Lawton Show

00:40:38.320 returns

00:40:38.780 as the campaign

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Juno News - August 21, 2021

Liberals think Erin O'Toole is a fake pro-choicer

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