Juno News - Smith opens up in exclusive interview

00:00:00.000 I sat down for an exclusive 18-minute interview with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith this week.

00:00:15.940 We'll discuss a few things that were uncovered in that interview, such as her new scorecard for

00:00:20.080 grading Alberta's healthcare overhaul, her biggest regret, and what she still hopes to accomplish. 0.68

00:00:24.840 We'll also look at the biggest announcement unveiled at last weekend's AGM when Smith

00:00:29.460 unveiled a castle law stopping police from charging those who protect their property with lethal force.

00:00:35.480 We'll also look into the new UCP Board of Directors, which was also uncovered at the AGM and partially

00:00:40.940 overtaken by separatists. Lastly, we'll look at Alberta's new motion unveiled under the Sovereignty

00:00:46.120 Act to completely stop the federal gun confiscation program. I'm your host Isaac Lamoureux and let's

00:00:51.580 jump right into that first story about the interview. So prior to the interview between Smith and I being

00:00:56.480 released, I actually wrote a few articles on it and diving into the first one on her internal

00:01:00.840 scorecard for healthcare reforms, she told me the clear three benchmarks her government will use to

00:01:06.400 judge its success. Smith said the government will measure its healthcare overhaul by whether every

00:01:11.460 Albertan is attached to a family practitioner, if surgical waitlists are eliminated beyond medically

00:01:16.240 recommended times, and if emergency rooms are redesigned to dramatically improve patient experience.

00:01:22.280 These comments of course followed shortly after Alberta unveiled a public-private healthcare model

00:01:27.060 aimed at reducing wait times and expanding patient choice. She said the first requirement is ensuring

00:01:32.760 that every resident has a consistent primary care provider, whether that is a doctor or a nurse

00:01:38.220 practitioner. Smith said, quote, that's why we created a new physician funding model and why we allow

00:01:43.540 nurse practitioners to set up their own shops as well. And now we have 90 nurse practitioners who've taken 0.57

00:01:49.060 on patients, which is fantastic and more coming. Smith said her second benchmark for success is

00:01:54.540 eliminating long surgical wait lists. She revealed to me that 80,000 Albertans are on a wait list for

00:02:00.840 surgeries, 33,000 of whom have been waiting longer than medically recommended. She said, quote, with dual

00:02:07.260 practice, we want to see those numbers go down. We want to see people get the care they need when they need it so

00:02:13.100 that nobody is waiting longer than medically recommended. And the third measure Smith identified is what she

00:02:18.040 called the patient experience, particularly in emergency departments. She said patients should

00:02:23.660 receive rapid triage, clear communication, streamlined testing, and either admission or discharge without

00:02:30.000 long delays. Perhaps most interesting, Smith made it clear to me that she had studied patient experience

00:02:35.420 in depth through looking at what was going on in other jurisdictions. She said, quote, when somebody walks

00:02:41.860 into an emergency room, they want to have a very quick check-in. They want to be able to see a triage nurse

00:02:47.160 very quickly, get tests, and then be treated and released or treated and admitted. She told me

00:02:52.500 that there are other hospitals across the world really excelling at this, that being the patient

00:02:56.580 experience, hoping that Alberta can get there one day. I also, of course, had to ask Smith about the

00:03:01.700 Alberta NDP falsely labeling her healthcare reforms as US style. Take a listen on what she had to say about 0.96

00:03:08.140 that. Have you explained your healthcare reforms to Albertans who may have heard the Alberta NDP

00:03:12.900 describe your plan as US style healthcare? And what do you think is most important for them to understand

00:03:18.240 about what your model actually includes and intends to accomplish?

00:03:21.500 It's European style healthcare. You know what, even the Americans don't want American style healthcare. So why

00:03:27.200 wouldn't we go in that direction? One of the things that we want to preserve is the public health guarantee that no one

00:03:34.020 will ever have to pay out of pocket to see a doctor or have medically necessary treatment. But there are some

00:03:40.740 who want to do that. They want to pay for preventative tests. There are those who want to be able to remove

00:03:47.820 themselves from the queue. And in doing so, that allows for somebody to be treated faster. We have to acknowledge

00:03:56.240 that right now in our system, we have this strange situation where patients are flying in from other

00:04:02.540 provinces to get treatment here. And then Albertans are flying somewhere else to get treatment somewhere

00:04:07.040 else just because of some dumb rules. And so let's clear those rules out of the way. And let's make sure 0.96

00:04:12.360 that we're building the capacity. We're allowing for surgeons to have more operating room days. We're allowing

00:04:18.280 for nurses to also have more shifts working with a surgical team. And let's try something new. It's 0.98

00:04:26.400 something that has been tried in multiple universal healthcare systems that work much, much better than

00:04:33.240 ours. I think that our approach that we want to take where we ensure that we don't see any diminishment in

00:04:38.880 the number of patients or procedures that they perform for the public system, I think that will provide the

00:04:43.700 guarantee that we're looking for. But I hope that attracts more doctors and surgeons to decide to

00:04:49.440 come to Alberta. And just jumping into our next mini story of that interview, Smith revealed her

00:04:54.080 biggest regret to me, which was perhaps unsurprisingly also healthcare related. First of all, of course,

00:04:59.240 I asked her how long she would remain premier. While she joked about not answering that, she actually

00:05:03.520 did give me a pretty detailed answer. She was like, of course, I'm not going to answer that. And then she

00:05:07.360 proceeded to give me like a multi-minute answer. So I was like, oh, I guess you are going to answer that.

00:05:11.600 But she said she plans to remain in her position as long as Albertans want her to, saying she stays

00:05:15.820 plugged into public sentiment through her town halls, weekly radio show, and other public forums. So she

00:05:20.840 essentially said that she has a pretty good idea on how people feel about her. She also explained

00:05:25.560 that her job requires dozens of daily decisions, and the worst decision would be not acting at all.

00:05:30.480 But her biggest regret was allowing procurement decisions inside Alberta Health Services to operate

00:05:35.500 without adequate scrutiny. She said, quote, by leaving things in the hands solely of an agency that had no

00:05:41.000 oversight, there are some things that went wrong. She added that her government plans to overhaul

00:05:45.620 internal safeguards next year to prevent similar issues from arising. But beyond reflecting on past

00:05:50.880 mistakes, Smith outlined several personal priorities she still hopes to accomplish, including one that

00:05:56.560 has been on her mind for three decades. After accomplishing her goal of implementing a bill of rights

00:06:01.120 for just compensation when the government seizes a person's property, which Smith of course pursued as a

00:06:07.000 property rights advocate before her time as premier, she said other issues she discovered during her

00:06:12.020 advocacy efforts still need to be addressed. Her first long-term focus is addressing abandoned and

00:06:18.480 inactive oil and gas well sites across the province. She said that the unresolved wells and land cleanups

00:06:24.200 had been on her mind for three decades. She added that her government is working on a mature asset

00:06:28.560 strategy to ensure future well transfers include predictable closure funding and that existing sites are

00:06:34.560 finally addressed. Another unfinished Goalsmith highlighted is the growth of Alberta's Heritage

00:06:38.860 Savings Trust Fund. She said the province should have saved all investment income when the fund was

00:06:43.560 created, as reflected in her first column about the issue in the early 2000s. She told me she believes

00:06:48.500 that if this had been the case, the fund would be around $150 to $200 billion today, generating in itself

00:06:54.840 enough investment to stabilize the budget and avoid deficits altogether. The fund, however, has grown from

00:07:00.800 about $16 billion when the United Conservative Party formed government to more than $30 billion today,

00:07:06.700 but Smith said the province must continue strengthening it to help stabilize Alberta's

00:07:10.580 long-term fiscal position. A third personal priority, Smith said, is of course permanently fixing the

00:07:16.080 healthcare system, which is the biggest budget item and affects every Albertan. She said, quote,

00:07:20.800 we're all going to need it and it has to be there for us when we need it and it hasn't been functioning

00:07:26.100 properly. It takes more and more money each year, preventing us from spending on other priorities,

00:07:31.000 and it's delivering worse and worse performance. And so we're turning the corner on that. That's

00:07:36.300 another big checkmark I want to have by the time I'm done. Look, honestly, I'd love to just sit here

00:07:42.100 and do an hour-long show on everything that me and Smith discussed, which also of course included her

00:07:47.240 views on federal-provincial relations, separation sentiment, and her explanation for using the

00:07:52.400 notwithstanding clause during the teacher's strike. But instead, I'll just urge you to go watch the

00:07:56.980 full interview on Juno News' YouTube channel. And for our next story, we'll cover another huge event

00:08:02.080 from last week. That's right, the Alberta UCP hosted its AGM for 2025, and I saw many of you there,

00:08:08.420 which was great. But while a lot happened over the weekend, perhaps no announcement was bigger than

00:08:13.020 the party unveiling a new castle law, which will protect Albertans who defend their homes from

00:08:17.940 criminals. Smith said something pretty notable during her speech about the motion. She said,

00:08:22.820 quote, here's a tip for low-life criminals out there. If you don't want to get shot,

00:08:26.880 don't break into someone's house. It's really that simple. And of course, that's how simple it

00:08:31.080 should be. But her and Amy referenced the now famous Ontario case, where a homeowner was charged

00:08:36.420 for defending his home from an intruder who broke in with a crossbow. But since Smith first introduced

00:08:41.420 the motion on Castle Law, it was actually publicly released too. And Alberta's new self-defense

00:08:46.380 protocol formally instructs Crown prosecutors that charges will generally not be pursued against

00:08:52.160 Albertans who use reasonable force to defend themselves or others inside their own homes.

00:08:57.240 The document, which took effect on November 28th, summarizes Section 34 of the Criminal Code and

00:09:02.820 Supreme Court case law, making clear that a person is not guilty if they reasonably believe forces used

00:09:08.500 against them, act for the purpose of protection, and respond in a way that is reasonable in the

00:09:13.520 circumstances. The protocol says there is a strong public interest in preserving the safety and

00:09:18.400 sanctity of personal dwellings and in protecting children, elderly people, and other vulnerable

00:09:23.260 individuals from intruders. For that reason, prosecution for force used during a home intrusion

00:09:28.720 will generally not be in the public interest. It directs prosecutors to examine three elements.

00:09:34.420 The three elements are, of course, whether the accused reasonably believed a threat existed,

00:09:38.640 whether they acted for the purpose of defense, and whether their response was reasonable based on

00:09:44.020 all circumstances. The protocol also stresses that it is generally unlikely someone accidentally

00:09:50.720 enters a stranger's home, especially in rural areas. An uninvited intruder is reasonably perceived

00:09:57.020 as a threat, and that Albertans have no duty to retreat from their own homes before defending

00:10:02.100 themselves. Prosecutors must also now consider practical realities like rural isolation,

00:10:07.380 delayed police response times, available shelter, and the presence of children or vulnerable people

00:10:13.500 when determining whether charges are appropriate. And while self-defense might be one of humans'

00:10:18.440 frankly most basic and oldest human rights, here's what the Alberta NDP had to say about self-defense

00:10:24.620 of property. In fact, they said there's no such thing. Take a listen.

00:10:27.860 There's no such thing as self-defense of your property. Federal government holds exclusive jurisdiction

00:10:33.100 on criminal law, and that includes registration, licensing, and classification of firearms. And

00:10:39.080 that was no surprise the minister doesn't know how much firearms are out there in Alberta, and yet he's

00:10:44.220 making policies about it. Other thing with respect to defending the property, I think the minister was

00:10:49.700 stretching self-defense way too far. There is no such thing as self-defense of your property. Self-defense

00:10:55.520 means that if there is an imminent threat to your person, and the perception of threat is real,

00:11:01.380 then you can take reasonable action that would be judged in the context of entire circumstance. And

00:11:07.460 giving that kind of advice from podium to Albertans, that they can somehow not comply with criminal law

00:11:15.000 provisions, and somehow a minister can issue guidelines, and they would be not prosecuted,

00:11:20.860 I think that's very dangerous. So watching that, I'm really left with a question. Does the Alberta NDP

00:11:25.560 really believe that you have no right to defend your property? But for our next story, we'll cover

00:11:29.740 another big story coming out of the Alberta UCPAGM, one that in fact might have been overlooked by

00:11:34.980 many. One of the most vital aspects of the Alberta UCPAGM took place late on Saturday night when the

00:11:40.920 results came through for the board of directors. And while I frankly expected the separatists win

00:11:45.600 every position, they did not sweep the election, failing to elect their candidates in some key

00:11:50.420 positions, including perhaps the most key, that being the board president. The Alberta Prosperity

00:11:55.600 Project promoted a list of board candidates for separatist advocates to vote for. The list went

00:12:00.540 position by position, highlighting candidates that they deemed pro-Alberta independence. An

00:12:05.200 alternative list of pro-establishment candidates, who separatists said supported the status quo,

00:12:10.840 was also provided. The list read, quote,

00:12:13.440 this voting guide highlights candidates who support Alberta independence, Alberta first values, and

00:12:18.900 grassroots accountability. All voting decisions remain your responsibility. The Alberta separatists

00:12:24.500 endorsed nine candidates for the positions of president, secretary, VP of fundraising, VP of

00:12:30.340 communications, and various riding-specific positions. Five candidates advocated for by the

00:12:35.300 Alberta Prosperity Project won, while three won for the establishment. The Edmonton candidate who won

00:12:40.220 was on neither side of the Alberta Prosperity Project's list. And interestingly, the race for

00:12:44.680 the VP of fundraising was so close that a recount was required. Once the results were tallied, though,

00:12:49.760 it was a pro-separatist who came out on top. Earlier in the day, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith used her

00:12:55.520 keynote speech to express her opposition to separating from Canada. She said Albertans were the proudest of

00:13:01.300 all Canadians and hoped to lead the country towards a brighter future. Smith said, quote,

00:13:06.260 All we need is a government in Ottawa to get out of the way and let us turn Canada into a thriving energy

00:13:11.640 superpower, with Alberta leading the way. Let us lower our fists and instead roll up our sleeves and get to

00:13:17.820 work on making our province and our people more prosperous than ever before. But before the results came in,

00:13:23.360 I spoke with general counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project, Jeffrey Rath, just before they came in,

00:13:28.640 this was live at the event, and Rath said Friday night showed that 85% of members at the Alberta UCPA GM

00:13:34.800 support a free and independent Alberta. He cited the fact that he received the loudest applause when

00:13:39.540 he spoke on stage, while Smith was booed when she mentioned anything to do with anti-separation.

00:13:44.540 He said, quote,

00:13:45.720 Hopefully when the votes are counted, the pro-independence candidates will be firmly in

00:13:49.760 control of the board of directors of the United Conservative Party of Alberta.

00:13:53.480 Moving forward, we're going to be the ones selecting MLAs. We're going to be the ones moving the party

00:13:58.220 forward into the next election. Rath added that he watched Smith's keynote speech very closely,

00:14:03.260 noting that she was booed again every time she mentioned pro-Canada sentiment. He said,

00:14:07.920 quote,

00:14:08.260 Albertans are fed up. We don't want to do any more of this. The stupid MOU that she's entered into, 1.00

00:14:13.020 whoever advised her on it, was completely delusional. With the newly elected board of 1.00

00:14:17.080 directors, Rath said the Alberta Prosperity Project will determine the next stages of the

00:14:20.980 Alberta UCP, including who runs as MLAs. And while Rath spoke with me before the votes were tallied,

00:14:26.080 he said he was cautiously optimistic that his separatist movement would have a majority on the board.

00:14:30.340 His wishes came true, after all, as the separatists now hold a slim majority on the board,

00:14:35.560 with five pro-separatist candidates compared to the three pro-establishment and one neutral candidate.

00:14:41.180 But for our next story, we'll look at how Alberta launched its toughest fight

00:14:44.460 yet against the Liberal government's gun confiscation program, invoking the Sovereignty

00:14:49.340 Act to legally order provincial police, including the RCMP, to refuse to enforce Ottawa's firearm

00:14:55.520 seizure scheme. While Tuesday's news release highlighted the motion defending law-abiding

00:14:59.680 firearms owners, it also focused on Alberta's Newcastle law. The motion must still be debated

00:15:04.360 and passed by the legislature before taking effect. Smith said, quote,

00:15:08.460 It's time for Ottawa to stop targeting the wrong people. Albertans have the right to protect their

00:15:12.700 homes and their families. No one should hesitate to defend themselves when faced with the threat

00:15:16.980 at their own doorway. Law-abiding citizens, hunters, farmers, and sports shooters are not the source of

00:15:23.000 violent crime. Yet the federal government wants to confiscate their property while illegal guns

00:15:27.960 poor across our borders. Alberta will not stand by while responsible gun owners are treated like 0.99

00:15:33.500 criminals. Alberta's Justice Minister, Mickey Amory, similarly connected the rights of legal gun

00:15:38.300 ownership and self-defense. He said, quote,

00:15:40.640 When someone breaks into your home, the law recognizes that you have enhanced rights to

00:15:44.540 protect yourself and your family. Alberta is making that principle unmistakably clear. Lawful,

00:15:50.580 reasonable self-defense will be respected, not criminalized. Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis

00:15:56.060 highlighted a fact that police organizations have been emphasizing nationwide for years,

00:16:00.220 that law-abiding gun owners are not the ones committing crimes. He said, quote,

00:16:04.280 The illegal guns that you see being used by criminals are typically being smuggled in from the

00:16:09.300 United States. The federal government should help us strengthen the border,

00:16:12.680 helping us to stop illegal guns from coming into Canada. This would further enhance safety and

00:16:17.620 security for the people of Alberta and Canada, as opposed to going after lawful gun owners.

00:16:23.440 Amory also confirmed that 9 out of 10 gun crimes involve guns acquired illegally. However,

00:16:28.880 True North previously revealed that Prime Minister Mark Carney's first budget pledged to spend more

00:16:33.960 money confiscating legal firearms next year than on NATO and border enforcement combined. The liberals

00:16:39.880 previously extended the firearm amnesty for the third time in five years, despite rolling out

00:16:44.820 their buyback program in Cape Breton a month earlier. And speaking of that rollout, it was a complete

00:16:50.080 disaster, costing taxpayers nearly $7,000 per confiscated firearm, with only 22 firearms collected.

00:16:57.340 The Alberta government estimated that the firearm compensation program will cost more than $750 million.

00:17:03.380 Alberta continues to call on Ottawa to abandon the buyback entirely,

00:17:06.880 and instead address illegal firearms smuggling and violent repeat offenders. An approach now echoed

00:17:12.020 by multiple provinces and police agencies. The province said the firearms motion considers the

00:17:16.940 Alberta Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Criminal Code. But that wraps up this week's

00:17:22.060 Alberta Roundup. My name's Isaac Lamoureux. Have a great weekend. Thank you, and God bless.

Juno News - December 08, 2025

Smith opens up in exclusive interview

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