Juno News - Smith Defends Meeting with Ben Shapiro

00:00:00.000 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defended her upcoming chat with The Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro after Alberta NDP leader Nahid Nenshi tried to claim she was meeting with a, quote, extremist.

00:00:22.260 The provinces also criticized the Liberals' electricity regulations, saying that Alberta will not comply.

00:00:28.420 Smith similarly disproved one of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claims when he said there was no viable business case for LNG agreements after she struck a deal with Japan.

00:00:40.100 Also on the show today, we'll be looking at two different statements made by the provincial government, one on the premiers' meeting on tariffs and the other on a parliamentary budget officer report on the federal emissions cap.

00:00:52.140 All that and more on the Alberta Roundup today. I'm your host, Isaac Lamoureux. Let's get the show on the road.

00:00:57.840 So hopping into that Ben Shapiro story, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith said that her fireside chat with him will help bring Canada's message to an engaged U.S. audience as Canada bears the economic brunt of U.S. tariffs.

00:01:11.960 Alberta NDP leader Nahid Nenshi published his accusations in a release on Monday where he referred to Shapiro as far right.

00:01:19.440 A spokesperson for Smith told me that the Premier was invited to a fireside chat with Shapiro hosted by PragerU in Florida at the end of March.

00:01:28.580 Her itinerary is not yet finalized and this event is the only one currently scheduled for her trip to Florida.

00:01:34.560 The spokesperson said, quote,

00:01:37.020 A key part of the Premier's U.S. advocacy is advancing Alberta and Canada's message with the American people.

00:01:43.520 They added that given Shapiro's millions of followers, his strong connection with U.S. President Donald Trump,

00:01:48.760 and his belief that the U.S. should lower tariffs on Canada, the event will allow Smith to advocate for Alberta's and Canada's interests.

00:01:56.500 That's right, you may remember Shapiro saying he didn't understand the tariffs placed on Canada.

00:02:01.180 Nenshi was joined by other members of his party bashing Smith.

00:02:05.240 MLA Janice Irwin reposted a post to X from an Edmonton Muslim group claiming that Shapiro was a, quote, 0.86

00:02:12.240 racist, Zionist, and Islamophobe.

00:02:15.300 Shapiro is Jewish and observes Orthodox Judaism. 0.93

00:02:18.820 While the Muslim group used the term Zionist as a derogatory term for Shapiro,

00:02:23.940 the Center for Israel and Jewish Affairs defines Zionism as the belief in Israel's right to exist.

00:02:30.060 The CIJA said, quote,

00:02:32.120 Those who call themselves anti-Zionists in effect call for the destruction, whether by force or diplomacy,

00:02:38.840 of a U.N. member state and of the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

00:02:44.760 Advocating an end to the world's only Jewish state is no less than a denial of the right of the Jewish people to self-determination.

00:02:52.000 The CBC ombudsman previously deemed it fair to link Ben Shapiro to extremists after the state broadcaster linked him to far-right extremism.

00:03:00.520 The ruling came after Shapiro defended himself publicly against the CBC.

00:03:05.460 Let me know in the comments what you think about the Alberta NDP aligning themselves with a group using this kind of language,

00:03:11.860 and what you think of Nenshi's critique of Shapiro, especially in light of his distaste for the tariffs.

00:03:17.060 Now switching to a different provincial story, Alberta's Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz and Affordability Minister Nathan Newdorf issued a joint statement on Thursday.

00:03:26.020 They wrote, quote,

00:03:26.920 The statement followed a new report from the Alberta Electric System Operator,

00:03:40.600 which showed that the clean electricity regulations would cost Albertans $30 billion between 2024 and 2049.

00:03:47.720 The report also predicts that between 2035 and 2050, electricity costs will rise an additional 35% across the board due to the regulations.

00:03:58.200 The Liberals finalized the clean electricity regulations in December 2024.

00:04:02.820 The regulations set limits on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel-powered electricity generation starting in 2035 to achieve a net-zero electricity grid by 2050.

00:04:13.960 The system operator concluded that the regulations threaten the reliability of Alberta's grid, increase costs, and fail to reduce carbon emissions meaningfully.

00:04:22.900 The report reads, quote,

00:04:24.560 The CER sets an emission limit which is unattainable with commercially viable technologies.

00:04:31.100 For example, best-in-class natural gas combined cycle technologies emit five to six times the CER limit.

00:04:38.240 The CER as adopted fails to recognize practical reality.

00:04:42.100 It added, quote,

00:04:43.420 As a result, by 2038, the CER would make Alberta's electricity system more than 100 times less reliable than the province's supply adequacy standard.

00:04:52.500 Power shortages are predicted in the report by the mid-2030s if the regulations proceed.

00:04:58.120 Albertan officials said they've already reduced electricity emissions by 59% since 2005.

00:05:04.460 They said this was done without the regulations and that emissions will continue to decrease without federal interference.

00:05:10.040 The minister said, quote,

00:05:12.140 It's clear the federal government's new regulations aren't actually about reducing emissions.

00:05:16.560 Just like with the carbon tax, the real goal is punishing businesses, provinces, and families for using natural gas for reliable, dispatchable power.

00:05:25.080 The report concluded that the regulations would result in significant risk to the grid with little to no actual benefit.

00:05:31.020 The province's system operator wrote to the Liberals during the consultation process, warning them about the regulations.

00:05:36.700 Electricity Canada also expressed profound concerns about how the regulations would endanger both affordability and reliability nationwide.

00:05:46.240 Alberta Premier Daniel Smith previously invoked the Sovereignty Within the United Canada Act to shield the province from the electricity regulations.

00:05:53.820 The initial version of the federal regulations formerly proposed a net-zero power grid by 2035.

00:06:00.400 Despite delaying the timeline to 2050, Alberta previously said it was still unconstitutional and that any such regulations would be challenged in court.

00:06:09.360 Schultz and Neudorf said it's time to reverse course instead of continuing down the path of costly and punitive policies.

00:06:15.300 They wrote, quote,

00:06:17.660 Someone must fix the mess that Ottawa has made before it's too late.

00:06:21.600 The next federal government needs to scrap these dangerous regulations and start listening to common sense.

00:06:27.260 Now hopping back to the Premier, she secured a major liquefied natural gas deal with Japan,

00:06:32.900 disproving former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's previous claim that there was no viable business case for such agreements.

00:06:39.260 Smith and Ichiro Takahara, chairman and CEO of the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security,

00:06:46.280 met on Tuesday and signed a Memorandum of Understanding between their respective governments.

00:06:51.480 The new agreement reaffirmed Alberta's commitment to working with Japan to develop oil, natural gas, hydrogen, and ammonia resources.

00:06:59.420 While discussing a potential LNG deal with Germany, Trudeau had previously said that there is no business case for such an agreement.

00:07:06.440 Smith revealed that the project will move forward with implementing carbon capture and storage technology while utilizing other emission-reducing measures.

00:07:14.900 The Alberta government expects the agreement to generate jobs for Albertans as well as attract outside investment to Alberta.

00:07:21.180 Takahara said that the deal will, quote,

00:07:23.660 Further deepen its cooperative relationship with the province of Alberta and contribute to the stable supply of energy and resources to Japan

00:07:30.860 and the realization of a carbon-neutral society.

00:07:33.860 Alberta and Japan first signed a memorandum in 2017 when the organization was known as the Japan Oil, Gas, and Metals National Corporation.

00:07:43.340 It was last renewed in 2021.

00:07:45.980 Bilateral trade between Alberta and Japan totaled more than $3 billion last year,

00:07:50.660 making Japan the province's third-largest export market at almost $2.7 billion going from Alberta to Japan,

00:07:57.120 nearly $1 billion of which was energy exports.

00:08:00.140 Minister of Energy and Minerals Brian Jean said Alberta's latest commitment will allow Alberta to supply Japan with the most ethically-produced resources in the world.

00:08:08.820 Jean said in a Tuesday statement, quote,

00:08:10.980 We have an opportunity to supply Japan with the most ethically-produced oil and gas on the planet to aid in their economy

00:08:17.440 and shift to lower-carbon electricity production while we continue to grow our international energy exports.

00:08:23.820 Sticking with energy, the Premier and Schultz released a joint statement after a parliamentary budget officer analysis dropped on Wednesday,

00:08:31.820 highlighting that the oil and gas emissions cap would reduce Canada's nominal GDP by $20.5 billion by 2032,

00:08:39.520 along with wiping 54,400 jobs off the map.

00:08:43.380 The statement highlighted that the PBO's report confirmed that the oil and gas emissions cap would cut oil and gas production by 5%,

00:08:50.520 or over 245,000 barrels per day.

00:08:54.100 Smith and Schultz wrote, quote,

00:08:55.900 Alberta is working to diversify our customer base and get more barrels to Tidewater to maximize the value of our exports.

00:09:02.180 But this policy is blatant hypocrisy at a time when Canadians are uniting on supporting a stronger energy sector.

00:09:08.800 This cap must be scrapped immediately for the good of the country.

00:09:11.940 They added, quote,

00:09:13.260 The evidence is clear.

00:09:14.560 The federal government's proposed emissions cap is unconstitutional, bad for the economy, and bad for Canadians.

00:09:21.160 We urge the next elected Prime Minister to abandon this extreme and ideological cap.

00:09:26.520 It has never been clearer that we must grow and expand our energy sector as part of Uniting Canada

00:09:31.540 and ensuring a strong and independent economy.

00:09:34.820 Yeah, we'll see what our new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has planned for this oil and gas cap.

00:09:38.840 What do you think him and his new environment minister have in store for us?

00:09:42.660 Hopping into a quick statement released by Smith after Canada's premiers or the Council of the Federation

00:09:47.800 met and discussed the ever-evolving tariffs situation.

00:09:51.820 Smith said, quote,

00:09:52.840 I will continue to pursue a primarily diplomatic approach to dealing with U.S. and state officials,

00:09:58.660 but will also continue to respond to any unjustified U.S. tariffs in a proportional and measured way

00:10:03.720 that protects Albertans' interests.

00:10:05.820 She added, quote,

00:10:06.780 Yeah, I just wanted to highlight this last story to ask you what you've thought of Smith's diplomatic approach

00:10:28.280 versus other leaders like Ontario Premier Doug Ford actively threatening the U.S. President Donald Trump

00:10:33.480 and trying to engage in economic warfare with him.

00:10:37.040 Also, now that Carney's sitting at the negotiating table,

00:10:39.940 how do you think the negotiations will evolve?

00:10:42.560 Let me know in the comments.

00:10:44.240 Speaking of comments, let's hop into our comment roundup.

00:10:47.700 Well, I just read through the over 300 comments on last video,

00:10:50.800 which I appreciate greatly, by the way,

00:10:52.420 and some of you may have already answered the questions that I posed in this video.

00:10:56.680 For example, there was an overwhelming theme of support for how Daniel Smith has handled the tariff negotiations

00:11:03.600 that have emerged thus far.

00:11:05.520 But the first comment I want to highlight was more about the 51st state idea than the tariffs,

00:11:10.480 which came from atlead9136, who said, quote,

00:11:13.660 Yeah, so a lot to unpack there, but I like that you referenced my referendum idea,

00:11:35.580 certainly a tool Smith might have in her pocket if the Liberals were victorious in the next election. 0.98

00:11:40.460 That would certainly make for interesting times.

00:11:44.280 The next comment I want to highlight comes from at Brahms Lee.

00:11:47.740 China has tariffed us heavily on metals as well.

00:11:50.440 Where is the outcry towards them like the US?

00:11:52.680 A little fishy, I would say.

00:11:54.400 Yeah, I felt like I needed to highlight this comment because of a lot of the rhetoric I've seen online about this very phenomenon.

00:12:00.660 You're right that China has implemented, in some instances, more severe tariffs on us than the United States.

00:12:06.340 But it seems as if these stories have been less popular and less prevalent than those of the United States.

00:12:12.540 Why does it seem so much more publicly acceptable to hate on the US and Trump?

00:12:16.680 Is China not a bigger threat? 1.00

00:12:18.640 The last comment I'll highlight today comes from at acesofbricks-adamr5893, who said, quote,

00:12:24.940 quote,

00:12:54.940 Yeah, so I wanted to highlight this one because it really got me thinking.

00:13:06.580 You're right that if we joined the US, we would probably even have less of a voice due to our small population in regard to other states.

00:13:13.080 But I think the argument is that if the US were governed by a pro-energy government like that of Trump, then Alberta would be more successful regardless of how small of a populace it is because of the amount of energy we have and what we could provide to the US.

00:13:27.200 It's like Jordan Peterson said, alluding to if the US could offer us a better deal than Canada.

00:13:34.100 The Western provinces becoming its own country altogether would be an interesting idea.

00:13:39.240 I wonder what kind of deals it would be able to usher with the US and what Eastern Canada would do without us.

00:13:45.100 Anyways, there were so many good comments last week, it was very difficult to choose.

00:13:49.420 I mean, I could genuinely sit here and do this all day.

00:13:52.540 But unfortunately, that wraps up our comment roundup in this week's show.

00:13:56.260 My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.

00:13:58.980 Have a great weekend.

00:13:59.920 Thank you and God bless.

00:14:01.040 May Alberta prosper strong and free.

Juno News - March 16, 2025

Smith Defends Meeting with Ben Shapiro

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript