Juno News - March 08, 2025


Smith Fires Back on Tariffs & Border


Episode Stats


Length

19 minutes

Words per minute

168.5545

Word count

3,244

Sentence count

194

Harmful content

Misogyny

3

sentences flagged

Hate speech

1

sentences flagged


Summary

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

A look at Alberta's response to the new 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods sold to the U.S. by President Donald Trump. Also, the most recent developments in the Jasper saga showed that Jasper residents are beginning to move into interim housing as the recovery continues.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Alberta responded to U.S. tariffs with various measures, threats, and said that the province was doing a lot to respond to border issues, but suggested that U.S. President Donald Trump might need to start doing more.
00:00:23.000 The province also introduced compassionate intervention for drug users that will include mandatory drug treatment for those who are an extreme risk to society or themselves.
00:00:33.240 Also, the most recent developments in the Jasper saga showed that Jasper residents are beginning to move into interim housing as the recovery continues.
00:00:42.040 All that and more on today's episode. My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup, and let's hop into Alberta's response to the tariffs right away.
00:00:49.800 So there's a lot to cover with Alberta's recent response to the U.S. tariffs as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and several of her ministers hosted a nearly hour-long press conference on Wednesday.
00:01:00.280 She said that U.S. President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on all Canadian goods sold to the United States, with the exception of energy at 10%, was a clear violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or COUSMA, that Trump himself signed during his first term.
00:01:15.500 Smith said that this was a betrayal of a deep and abiding friendship built over the 100 years of shared history between Canada and the U.S.
00:01:24.120 Smith introduced four measures in response to the tariffs.
00:01:27.180 Firstly, she directed government agencies to purchase all needed goods and services from Albertan or Canadian companies.
00:01:34.540 Secondly, she said that no further purchases of U.S. alcohol or VLTs would be permitted through AGLC.
00:01:40.300 She didn't go as far as Ontario Premier Doug Ford as pulling already purchased and taxed liquor off the shelves, but still.
00:01:48.180 Third, Smith instructed her government to assist grocers and retailers in labeling Canadian products in stores and ask them to purchase their stocks from vendors in Alberta or Canada.
00:01:58.660 Lastly, Smith said she would enter into free trade and labor mobility agreements with any province willing to do so.
00:02:05.280 The Premier also said she had a trump card.
00:02:07.800 She said the following.
00:02:08.700 I also want to point out that Canada has a secret weapon in this trade conflict with the United States, a trump card, so to speak.
00:02:17.880 And it is located directly under our feet.
00:02:20.760 And it is called Alberta Energy.
00:02:22.920 You see, Alberta happens to have one of the largest deposits of oil and natural gas on the planet.
00:02:28.640 It is significantly larger and far more accessible than the quickly declining oil and gas reserves located in the United States.
00:02:36.540 Whether the U.S. president wishes to admit it or not, the United States not only needs our oil and gas today, they are also going to need it more and more with each passing year.
00:02:47.000 Once they notice their declining domestic reserves and production are wholly insufficient to keep up with the energy demands of U.S. consumers and industry, let alone having anything left over to export as they do today.
00:03:00.740 Smith went on to say that she'd love to send more oil and gas to the U.S. to help them become an energy behemoth. 0.98
00:03:06.380 She said that the U.S. cannot be anything close to energy dominant without Alberta's help. 0.53
00:03:10.800 Full stop.
00:03:11.340 But she said that Alberta can't partner with the United States with a 10% tariff on energy, violating an agreement that the country itself signed.
00:03:19.220 Smith said other countries will gladly buy Canada's oil and gas.
00:03:22.480 She made the following threat.
00:03:23.900 So until our U.S. friends come back to reality, we will focus on efforts and financial means to export one of the largest oil and gas deposits in the world elsewhere.
00:03:32.660 We will look to our own nations west and east and north coasts.
00:03:38.220 We will partner with industry, provinces, First Nations, and the federal government to build multiple oil and gas pipelines to all of our coasts for the purpose of dramatically increasing Canadian energy sold to Asia and to Europe.
00:03:51.180 And as soon as the U.S. government is prepared to respect our country and to treat us as allies and partners again, we will welcome the opportunity to partner with them to achieve North American energy dominance.
00:04:02.900 Of course, for this strategy to work in Alberta, we will need to see a significant attitude adjustment from many of our fellow Canadian political leaders with respect to the importance of unlocking and exporting Canadian energy around the world.
00:04:16.680 But I'm confident that Canadians want exactly that right now and that they will elect politicians who share that view regardless of who they may have supported previously.
00:04:27.280 Alberta is counting on it.
00:04:28.880 No nation on earth has more resource wealth per person than Canada.
00:04:33.760 We have the potential to be an energy and economic juggernaut, able to punch well above our weight class in virtually anything from energy to manufacturing to technology to military defense.
00:04:44.260 As Canadians, if we're going to survive this dispute with our neighbours in the short term and win in the long term, we must commit to this strategy.
00:04:52.320 No more excuses.
00:04:53.860 It's time to start building pipe, developing resources, and constructing new ports on every coast without further delay.
00:05:00.820 Wow, a lot to get through there, I know.
00:05:02.780 But I didn't expect Smith to make such a serious threat to the U.S. that we would take our oil and gas elsewhere.
00:05:08.720 Let me know what you think of Smith's response in the comments.
00:05:11.080 And I recommend that you watch the whole press conference as there was a lot of good stuff in there and we definitely don't have enough time to cover on this show.
00:05:19.100 But sticking with the same press conference, but moving to a slightly different aspect, that being the Alberta government touting its recent border security enhancements and successes while suggesting that the U.S. could do more.
00:05:31.240 Smith said, quote,
00:05:32.760 The issue we're facing in Alberta at our border appears to be drugs coming up from the U.S. into Canada, whether it's cocaine or crystal meth.
00:05:40.700 The issue of migrants seem to be exclusively people coming across from the United States into Canada.
00:05:46.620 Alberta's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, made a similar suggestion when he said, quote,
00:05:52.260 Certainly in Alberta, we are doing our part to secure the border.
00:05:55.460 I would certainly ask that the President do his part to secure the border as well.
00:05:59.060 Ellis said the new Alberta Sheriff Interdiction Patrol team already has 20 members assigned to patrol entry points on Alberta's side of the border.
00:06:06.480 He said that 31 additional members will be assigned to the team in the coming months.
00:06:10.380 He said the team is already making a notable difference and that Alberta's side of the border is secure.
00:06:15.340 He added that Alberta hasn't just been addressing the fentanyl crisis at the border, but working with municipalities to combat crime and fentanyl province wide,
00:06:23.680 citing the success of Alberta law enforcement response teams in removing fentanyl superlabs.
00:06:29.740 Alberta unveiled its border security plan back in December 2024.
00:06:34.060 Smith said the deployment of interdiction teams, sniffer dogs, vehicle inspections, drones and Blackhawk helicopters proves that the province is doing its part.
00:06:42.680 She said, quote,
00:06:43.640 Smith argued that the opioid crisis originated in the U.S. pointing to Purdue Pharma's aggressive marketing of OxyContin.
00:07:05.540 She said the U.S. should take responsibility for being a net exporter of cocaine, crystal meth and other illicit drugs.
00:07:11.960 Smith said, quote,
00:07:13.500 I can't stop all the deaths from happening in the United States.
00:07:16.740 They've got to do some work on that too.
00:07:18.620 We can certainly decrease them as we've demonstrated in Alberta,
00:07:21.760 when she revealed that Alberta's recovery-based approach has reduced opioid deaths by 40%.
00:07:26.600 Alberta's Minister of Justice, Mickey Amory, said that the recently implemented critical border zone or red zone is showing early success.
00:07:34.000 However, Amory noted that more needs to be done.
00:07:36.340 He reiterated his call for the federal government to repeal Bill C-5 and reintroduce mandatory minimum sentences for Controlled Drugs and Substance Act offenses.
00:07:45.560 The bill cannot be repealed right now, as Parliament is prorogued until March 24th,
00:07:49.900 after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requested as much, until the Liberals complete their leadership election on March 9th.
00:07:55.780 An inspector with the Alberta sheriffs, Ken Howdl, revealed that the interdiction patrol team is actively patrolling all access points on Alberta's shared border with the U.S.
00:08:04.360 Howdl revealed some of the key arrests and apprehensions already made.
00:08:08.920 He said three individuals were apprehended with cocaine with intent to traffic.
00:08:13.680 Additionally, one traffic stop revealed human trafficking, and other traffic stops removed 34 impaired drivers from the highways.
00:08:21.400 Four vehicles were also stopped for failing to stop for inspection at the border heading north.
00:08:26.580 Howdl said, quote,
00:08:27.420 These instances are clear proof that the interdiction patrol team's presence in the area is playing an important role in both disrupting cross-border criminal activity
00:08:35.460 and maintaining safety and order that surrounding communities depend on.
00:08:39.580 Now hopping to a different provincial story not related to tariffs,
00:08:43.060 Alberta announced in its 2025 budget that $180 million would be allocated over three years
00:08:48.720 to build two compassionate intervention centers, each with 150 secure beds.
00:08:52.980 Construction is set to begin in 2026 and be completed by 2029.
00:08:57.480 Smith said, quote,
00:08:58.580 For those suffering from addiction, there are two paths.
00:09:01.280 They can let their addiction destroy and take their life, or they can enter recovery.
00:09:05.460 Alberta's government is committed to providing a recovery-oriented system of care
00:09:09.060 to ensure that those suffering from addiction have the opportunity to rebuild their lives.
00:09:13.700 While announcing the measure, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams
00:09:17.640 celebrated Alberta's track record in battling the opioid crisis while taking aim at British Columbia.
00:09:22.560 He said that Alberta reported a 39% decline in opioid deaths in the first 10 months of 2024, compared to 2023,
00:09:29.860 whereas British Columbia saw an only 13% decrease.
00:09:33.480 Williams said Alberta's opioid death reduction rate was 300% higher than any other jurisdiction in Canada.
00:09:40.280 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said there were two key ways to fight the opioid crisis.
00:09:44.880 She said one is through policing, which she said is being addressed through her border security plan to stop fentanyl flowing over the border.
00:09:51.000 Smith said the second way to focus on the victims is by emphasizing recovery.
00:09:55.420 She said, quote,
00:09:56.540 Despite Alberta leading the country,
00:10:10.580 Williams said it isn't enough for those who are unwilling or unable to find a way into treatment.
00:10:15.080 He cited a case where an individual overdosed 186 times in one year,
00:10:20.000 a figure he said is likely even higher, as not all overdoses are reported.
00:10:24.720 Williams said, quote,
00:10:25.760 The last thing that I want to see, or anybody wants to see, is that,
00:10:28.980 be one of our family members or friends, and it be the 187th time that takes that individual's life.
00:10:35.100 We will not sit back while we watch this happen to Alberta, to our loved ones and our communities,
00:10:39.580 and to the loved ones and our family who are suffering from this deadly disease of addiction.
00:10:45.000 He pointed to the policies promoted by British Columbia's NDP government as an example of what not to do.
00:10:51.140 He said, quote,
00:10:52.500 No more facilitation of failed policies coming out of the West Coast,
00:10:56.220 and activists who think that we shouldn't be trying to help people with health care and heal them,
00:11:01.100 but instead continue and facilitate the harm, those policies have failed.
00:11:05.080 He added, quote,
00:11:07.260 We care for the sense of public safety that is being eroded as well under the policies we see under the Vancouver model.
00:11:13.580 It's time for a different path that restores hope and humanity and dignity to families and individuals.
00:11:19.240 He said that Albertans deserve more than policies that have led to the chaos seen in the Vancouver neighborhood of East Hastings
00:11:25.500 and increasingly across other communities.
00:11:28.660 Two Albertans shared devastating stories of their family members who couldn't overcome addiction.
00:11:32.920 They said that compassionate intervention might have saved them.
00:11:36.640 One of the Albertans, a mother, shared the following.
00:11:39.200 My heart shattered as my son stepped away from the sanctuary of our harm,
00:11:42.840 choosing the grip of drugs over the stability of our home, family, school, and a future.
00:11:48.300 Each night, the silence of his absence pressing down on us as we lay awake,
00:11:52.060 overwhelmed by worry and fear of where he might be and whether he was safe.
00:11:56.780 I found myself making the unbearable call that no parent ever wishes to make.
00:12:00.660 I reported my son missing.
00:12:04.420 The days turned into desperate searches of downtown Calgary, combed through homeless shelters, and chasing down any lead.
00:12:11.300 For agonizing weeks, our lives were engulfed in a suffocating uncertainty, the dread of not knowing if he was even alive.
00:12:16.720 When EMS responded to a young male overdosing on a train is when I finally found him.
00:12:23.300 I picked him up from the hospital and jumped into action again, desperately seeking programs, both familiar and unexplored, grabbing at anything to help him.
00:12:30.700 And yet, we found ourselves trapped in a relentless cycle of setback, each more devastating than the last.
00:12:38.520 He has attended numerous detox centers and residential treatment.
00:12:42.360 It is essential to understand that those suffering from severe addiction may not be able to choose treatment rationally.
00:12:47.940 The notion of choice is almost non-existing as everything important pales in comparison to the pursuit of the next high.
00:12:56.600 What they truly need is compassion and a safe environment to stay in until they are sober and ready to re-engage with their lives.
00:13:02.460 Long-term treatment is necessary for individuals to have the time to regain their cognitive abilities, relearning life-sensual skills, and distance themselves from the harmful influences that fuel their addiction.
00:13:16.740 As a mother, I should have the ability to ask for my son to receive secure addiction treatment as one would for a loved one facing psychiatric challenges.
00:13:26.240 An individual in active addiction typically do not believe they need help.
00:13:32.000 They will insist they are fine and plan to get clean soon, yet this is often not possible without significant intervention.
00:13:39.340 Today, I feel hopeful.
00:13:41.860 I am grateful for Alberta's government because they have acknowledged the growing crisis in Alberta and are committed to proactive programs aimed at saving our loved ones.
00:13:49.740 I believe compassionate intervention could break the cycle of addiction, repeated treatment, incarceration, homelessness, and the ultimate fear of death.
00:13:59.560 We must intervene to help people like my son reclaim their lives.
00:14:03.520 Let me know what you think of this legislation and the mother's story.
00:14:06.540 While Williams was reluctant to discuss the upcoming legislation in great detail before it was implemented, he said this was a healthcare policy, not a justice policy.
00:14:14.920 He said that family members, guardians, law enforcement, and healthcare professionals could petition those who are an extreme risk to society or themselves to be forced into care.
00:14:24.200 He added that a commission will be appointed to protect civil liberties.
00:14:28.380 Now, hopping into our last story today on a slightly brighter note, the first wave of Jasper residents displaced by the wildfires began moving into interim housing on Wednesday.
00:14:37.300 They will continue to move back over the next few months.
00:14:39.760 Co-director of the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre with Parks Canada, Amy Cairns, said that Parks Canada allocated 4.25 hectares of land in the town of Jasper, along with additional land at Marmot Meadows.
00:14:52.940 Parks Canada procured more than 300 units of housing, consisting of 100 duplex trailers and 120 dorm-style trailers.
00:15:00.840 Logan Ireland, the Municipal Recovery Project Manager for the Coordination Centre and himself a Jasperite, said that the first step was to move the debris from the town.
00:15:08.980 He explained that 98% of demolition permits have been issued to destroy properties, and half of the properties have already had the debris removed.
00:15:17.420 Ireland said that Jasper is on track to begin the rebuild in May 2025, aiming to have the first houses built 8 to 10 months after that, when some Jasperites can relocate to their previous properties.
00:15:28.240 The Canadian Red Cross is partnering on the project to provide property management services to Jasper.
00:15:32.880 The charitable organization is helping manage and maintain interim housing and sites, administer leases and collect payments, manage utilities and more.
00:15:41.900 Parks Canada revealed that 70 seasonal campsites are reserved for interim housing in 2025, in addition to the interim housing units.
00:15:49.140 While some Jasper residents are finally able to return to their town, many remain displaced.
00:15:53.400 Alberta's municipal elections are set for October 2025.
00:15:56.120 Rick McIver, Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs, adjusted the province's election rules to allow displaced Jasper residents to vote in the upcoming election.
00:16:04.380 As long as residents were able to do so before the wildfires, they will be able to vote and run for office, either for a seat on the town council or for their local school board, irrespective of where they are currently living.
00:16:15.280 So hopping into the comment roundup now, the first comment I want to highlight today is a lengthy one that came from at STMCEAD, who said, quote,
00:16:24.160 I don't agree with Danielle, which seldom happens. Canada and has been for decades an abusive partner. 0.99
00:16:29.860 Abused people are the ones that say, my partner will get better, they will change, and it rarely happens. 1.00
00:16:35.060 Time to, at the very least, see what the new partner has to offer.
00:16:38.220 In my view, it is a disservice to Albertans to not at least check.
00:16:41.560 Yeah, this was in response to my question from last episode about the differing responses from Alberta Premier Daniel Smith and Jordan Peterson in response to Trump's tariffs.
00:16:49.920 Your comment aligns with what Peterson was saying, that being that Trudeau has to offer Alberta something better than what the United States are.
00:16:57.000 And Smith suggested that Albertans don't want this.
00:16:59.880 I'd be interested to see, via a referendum, how Albertans actually feel, especially if the U.S. was offering the province a clearly better deal than the federal government was.
00:17:08.460 The next comment comes from at PearlyQ3560, who said, quote,
00:17:13.320 Why should the rest of Canada be taxed billions to pay for high-speed transit between Quebec and Ontario, especially when people can't cover their rents?
00:17:20.660 That's a provincial problem. Nobody in the federal government is helping Alberta with anything.
00:17:25.240 Yeah, this was a recurring theme of people being against this train that I saw pop up in the comments of the last video.
00:17:31.020 It seems that amid our cost-of-living crisis and now tariff threat, that Canadians think our money could be spent better elsewhere, or perhaps even put against our now more than $1.2 trillion in debt.
00:17:43.600 The last comment I'll highlight today comes from at Wyvern088, who said, quote,
00:17:48.300 Yeah, I thought it'd be useful to highlight this comment, especially with the federal election potentially coming up.
00:18:14.780 Almost every time in these federal elections I've noticed over my life, I see the same thing, that they call the election before the votes in Western Canada are even counted.
00:18:24.340 So in that sense, we don't really determine our destiny, but Eastern Canada does.
00:18:28.860 Aside from Alberta's separation, do you have any ideas on how that could be changed in the future? Let me know in the comments.
00:18:34.560 That wraps up our comment roundup and this week's show.
00:18:37.080 My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.
00:18:39.840 Have a great weekend. Thank you and God bless.
00:18:42.040 May Alberta prosper strong and free.
00:18:44.780 Thank you and God bless.