Juno News - July 07, 2025


Poilievre and Smith praise independent media at Stampede reception

Topics
Polyev's praise for Juno News judicial salary dispute federal judges salaries
Hosted by
Isaac Lamoureux Noah Jarvis
Mentioned
Pierre Poilievre Danielle Smith Justin Trudeau Mark Carney Geoffrey Morawetz Franco Teresano William Robson Ronald Reagan Ken Paxton Juno News
UCP moves to block PC party revival CBC is IMPLODING, wild accusations from former host + CTV has its ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ moment

Episode Stats


Length

14 minutes

Words per minute

169.12

Word count

2,534

Sentence count

116

Harmful content

Toxicity

1

sentences flagged


Summary

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

A new report from the C.D. Howe Institute shows that the Carney government will run $350 billion in deficit spending over the next four years. Federal court judges are complaining that their annual salaries of $415,000 are just not enough and are urging the federal government for a $60,000 raise.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 Juno News' Calgary Stampede event saw Conservative leader Pierre Polyev and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith attend the event, giving appreciative remarks.
00:00:12.000 A new report from the C.D. Howe Institute shows that the Carney government will run $350 billion in deficit spending over the next four years.
00:00:21.000 Federal court judges are complaining that their annual salaries of $415,000 are just not enough
00:00:28.000 and are urging the federal government for a $60,000 raise.
00:00:32.000 Hello, Canada. It's Monday, July 7th, and this is the True North Daily Brief.
00:00:36.000 I'm Isaac Lamoureux.
00:00:37.000 And I'm Noah Jarvis.
00:00:39.000 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.
00:00:41.000 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.
00:00:50.000 Conservative leader Pierre Polyev and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith praised the rapid growth of independent media
00:00:56.000 at Juno News' opening reception for the Calgary Stampede on Friday.
00:01:00.000 Juno News co-founder Kian Bexty delivered brief opening remarks at the reception.
00:01:05.000 Bexty thanked the crowd for attending the gathering and opened his remarks by celebrating Juno News' rapid growth,
00:01:11.000 becoming Canada's most popular independent media platform in a span of four and a half months.
00:01:16.000 Bexty said, quote,
00:01:18.000 We sent an invitation to all the leaders of the federal parties.
00:01:21.000 We are so honored to have Pierre Polyev, the leader of Canada's official opposition, and Premier Daniel Smith today.
00:01:27.000 Pierre Polyev joked that the CBC event conflicted with the Juno News' stampede opener
00:01:32.000 and told supporters that he lost his CBC invitation in the mail somewhere.
00:01:37.000 He praised Juno News' fast growth, saying that it is faster growing than the CBC and does it without any tax dollars.
00:01:44.000 He described the platform as a, quote,
00:01:46.000 risk that is paying off because, frankly, people want to have an independent voice, not what the government wants them to think.
00:01:52.000 Polyev praised Smith's leadership and reaffirmed their shared defense of freedom and common sense.
00:01:58.000 During her remarks, Smith expressed her optimism for the future of federal politics.
00:02:02.000 The Premier said, quote,
00:02:04.000 With Pierre back in the House of Commons, we are going to get some action.
00:02:07.000 Looking forward to seeing Pierre back in there very, very soon.
00:02:10.000 So, Noah, how has the rise of legitimate independent news organizations changed the media landscape?
00:02:16.000 It's changed it quite substantially.
00:02:18.000 I mean, we are in an era in which there is a new medium that has emerged, the Internet, that has disrupted the media landscape
00:02:25.000 and is really changing how people consume news content.
00:02:30.000 Before, you know, people used to just buy newspapers for like a 10 cents back when the New York Times was actually popular.
00:02:37.000 And, you know, then people would use radios and listen to their news that way along with newspapers.
00:02:44.000 And while you would add on these new mediums like television and then color television, these other legacy organizations were still able to survive like newspapers,
00:02:54.000 even if they did go out of fashion every now and then.
00:02:58.000 However, now you have the Internet, the emergence of this medium that is really seeking to disrupt and destroy some industries that were previously able to withstand the emergence of new mediums like newspapers.
00:03:11.000 Newspapers, newspaper subscriptions have plummeted substantially and thus those newsrooms have shrunk substantially.
00:03:17.000 So in this era in which you have a new medium, you need media outlets to be able to conform to and adapt to these new mediums and to really accentuate its strengths.
00:03:29.000 And I think that True North and Juneau News has done a very good job at that with our great website and the podcast and other video and audio content that we offer, the social media presence that we have.
00:03:42.000 We've done a great job adapting to this new media landscape because we were born from it.
00:03:47.000 True North and Juneau News were not born back in the newspaper era or back in the television era.
00:03:53.000 This is a news organization that is built for the times of today.
00:03:57.000 So you're going to see, you know, papers like the papers like the post media news organization or tour star.
00:04:06.000 You're going to start to see those guys really start to shrink and struggle to compete with independent news organizations that are able to adapt quicker, that are more agile, that don't have these bloated newsrooms and are still able to deliver high quality content for their readers.
00:04:23.000 So I think that the growth of independent media has been a great thing.
00:04:27.000 Sure, you might have, you know, popping up some illegitimate news organizations that try to claim to be legitimate.
00:04:35.000 But I think people are smart enough to distinguish between fake news and true news, at least when at least for the most part.
00:04:43.000 So I think that True North and Juneau News are going to have a big, big part to play in the news landscape going forward, and it'll only get bigger from now on.
00:04:52.000 As the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney continues to delay tabling a budget, a new report calculates the estimated cost of implementing the Liberal government's fiscal plan, which would massively increase Canada's structural debt.
00:05:08.000 A new report from the CD Howe Institute calculates the estimated deficit in the Carney government's next budget based on the Liberals' stated spending commitments, revenue collection changes, and economic projections.
00:05:19.000 The report found that the federal government and parliamentary budget officer have been massively underestimating their projected budget deficits, with their projected $29 billion deficit in fiscal year 2028-2029 more likely ending up being $71 billion.
00:05:34.000 With the cost of the Liberal government's implemented fiscal policies and policy initiatives promised in their election platform, the Liberals are expected to massively increase the budget deficit to an annual average of $78 billion over the next four years.
00:05:48.000 With this projection, the deficit in 2025-2026 is likely to reach over $92 billion.
00:05:55.000 In the event that the Liberals' speculated savings do not manifest, the annual average deficit over the next four years would be $86 billion, with a cumulative deficit of almost $350 billion.
00:06:08.000 This would result in an increase in Canada's net debt-to-GDP ratio to 44%.
00:06:13.000 The increase in the national debt would largely be driven by the Liberal government's commitment to increase defence spending substantially, their party platform's policy initiatives, and an economic downturn resulting from the imposition of tariffs by the United States and Canada's counter-tariffs.
00:06:27.000 C.D. Howe Institute President William Robson said, quote,
00:06:30.000 The Liberal election platform, along with the commitment to much higher defence spending, amounts to a radical change in the nation's finances with long-lasting adverse consequences.
00:06:40.000 The report also slams Carney's commitment to separate the federal government's operating and capital spending, arguing that the separation is unnecessary and obfuscates the government's true deficit spending.
00:06:51.000 The report notes that the federal government already uses accrual accounting, which spreads capital costs over their useful life instead of recording them as an expense in the first year.
00:07:01.000 The report calls on the Carney government to drop some of the costlier platform initiatives the party had promised in the 2025 election, to find deep savings in the government's existing operational spending, and rely less on income taxes and more on consumption taxes like the sales tax.
00:07:15.000 The report also calls on the Carney government to cut transfers to promises and territories, though Carney has explicitly said that he will not consider any cuts to federal transfers.
00:07:25.000 So, Isaac, this report lays out a dire image for the future of Canada's finances.
00:07:31.000 And, you know, knocking on wood, this Carney government is going to exacerbate the already existing challenges that had arisen in the time in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the Prime Minister.
00:07:43.000 So is Prime Minister Carney likely to reverse course and make the necessary cuts to the government spending?
00:07:49.000 Yeah, no, at this point it's not looking likely, and I'll remind our listeners that during Trudeau's tenure, he doubled the debt to over $1.2 trillion.
00:07:57.000 Carney might even take it a step further.
00:07:59.000 We know his Liberal government will not even table a federal budget this year.
00:08:03.000 The question is why. That has to be the question we're asking.
00:08:06.000 For example, Canadian Taxpayers Federation Federal Director Franco Terrazano reminded us that even during the Great Depression and World War II, budgets were tabled.
00:08:16.000 So any excuse that Carney might want to come up with for not tabling a budget is, frankly, inexcusable.
00:08:22.000 That alone signals that the Liberals might not be ready to make tough decisions or be transparent about the real state of the finances.
00:08:30.000 And even if they wanted to tackle the deficit, the numbers don't seem to add up.
00:08:34.000 For example, a new study shows that to meet the Liberals' own saving targets, they'd have to cut up to 24% of public service spending, which would mean layoffs and huge service reductions.
00:08:46.000 Just speaking of public service spending, it's funny, I was reminded of an old Ronald Reagan quote where he said, quote,
00:08:52.000 We don't have inflation because the people are living too well. We have inflation because the government is living too well.
00:08:59.000 But what we seem to be seeing out of the Liberals is a strategy to delay and reframe.
00:09:04.000 The Liberals are splitting the budget into what they're calling operating and capital categories, which independent economists have slammed as an attempt to disguise the true deficit numbers rather than fix them.
00:09:14.000 So even if there's some sort of major external pressure like a credit downgrade or a bond market crisis, it just looks like this Liberal government plans to continue to spend taxpayer money worse than the deficit and worse than the debt.
00:09:29.000 Federally appointed judges complain that their $415,000 salary is no longer competitive and are asking for a $60,000 raise, arguing that more money would attract top legal professionals.
00:09:42.000 The federal government is pushing against that claim, calling the demands for a raise unprecedented and insensitive, citing the economic pressures facing Canadians.
00:09:52.000 The dispute is playing out before the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission, which reviews salaries for federally appointed judges every four years.
00:10:00.000 Judges associations are asking for the raise to be applied retroactively to April 2024, citing a growing gap between judicial pay and earnings in private legal practices.
00:10:10.000 Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz said in an affidavit,
00:10:15.000 quote,
00:10:16.000 Despite best efforts, I have often found myself unable to persuade qualified potential candidates to apply for judicial appointments.
00:10:23.000 A routinely cited reason is the combination of the heavy workload of Superior Court judges and the perceived lack of commensurate pay.
00:10:30.000 In a joint submission, the Canadian Judicial Council and the Canadian Superior Court's Judges Association said judicial vacancies are taking longer to fill and that the percentage of judges coming from private practice has declined 10% since 1990.
00:10:47.000 They cited a persistent dramatic pay gap of up to $300,000 when comparing total judicial compensation to lawyers in the 75th income percentile.
00:10:56.000 But government lawyers argue the judiciary remains well compensated and financially secure, with base salaries indexed annually and supported by one of the best pension plans in the country.
00:11:06.000 Judges currently receive automatic annual increases based on the Industrial Aggregate Index, averaging 2.73% over the last two decades, including a 6.6% increase in 2022.
00:11:19.000 A government study pegged the total 2024 compensation for a judge at $571,645 when factoring in pensions and benefits.
00:11:29.000 Government lawyers wrote in their submissions, quote,
00:11:32.000 Not only does this increase have no legal basis, but it is insensitive to the current economic challenges of Canadians.
00:11:39.000 Matching the judicial salary to the salary of the highest earners in private practice is neither necessary nor appropriate.
00:11:46.000 So, Noah, is $415,000 an offensively low salary for federal judges?
00:11:52.000 I don't think so, Isaac. I mean, I'm not getting paid $415,000, but I'm not offended by my low salary or whatever.
00:11:59.000 I actually get paid fine because I'm actually an average Canadian who does not need to be able to afford a Bentley or a condo that has a $10,000 per month rent.
00:12:10.000 I am actually a regular Canadian who is able to, you know, get a regular property and eat regular food and dine with regular people who are not spending exorbitant amounts of money on a daily basis.
00:12:22.000 I think this really shows the disconnect that a lot of people who are employed by the government have such secure positions and such secure salaries.
00:12:30.000 The disconnect that they have from reality, from the everyday person where the average salary for a Canadian is far lower.
00:12:38.000 They are making an over 99th percentile salary. Their salary is better than 99% of Canadians, over 99% of Canadians, and $415,000 would go a long, long way for many people.
00:12:53.000 A lot of people would do a lot of things for $415,000 a year. 0.76
00:12:56.000 So I think federal judges complaining that they're not getting paid enough is absolutely ridiculous.
00:13:01.000 And, you know, sure, maybe some other lawyers get paid more in private practice, but you chose to be a judge to serve the public.
00:13:08.000 Being a judge is about serving the public to ensure that you are the one holding up law and order when it is necessary,
00:13:15.000 and that you are helping to seek justice for those who have been wrongly accused when it is appropriate.
00:13:21.000 Your job as a judge is not to get rich off of the position. If that were the case, everyone would be a judge and nobody would be a lawyer.
00:13:29.000 So there needs to be a balance between the idea that you're going into this job as a judge.
00:13:34.000 You're going to make good money, you know, $415,000 in Trump change in Canada.
00:13:38.000 But you're also maybe taking a bit of a sacrifice for the good of the country, for commitment to public service.
00:13:45.000 I think a lot of judges, a lot of up and coming lawyers have sort of missed sight of that.
00:13:50.000 If $415,000 isn't enough for you, I mean, sure, you can do something else.
00:13:55.000 But that doesn't mean that taxpayers should be put on the bill for such a large increase in federal judicial salaries.
00:14:03.000 You know, as the government said in their statements, this is currently quite offensive given the economic conditions.
00:14:11.000 It's not like we are in an economic boom time with 4% GDP per capita growth on an annual basis.
00:14:17.000 We're in a time in which people's salaries are getting less competitive as they're stagnating.
00:14:22.000 We're in a time in which people are having a hard time paying the bills, you know, a hard time just paying the rent for that matter or just finding a place to purchase because it is absolutely impossible in places like Toronto and Vancouver.
00:14:35.000 So I think that federal judges need to suck it up, you know, just take their $415,000 a year and be happy with it.
00:14:43.000 That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in. You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify.
00:14:54.000 Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a five star rating and please leave a review.