Juno News - Smith says the left’s vision is bleak

00:00:00.000 One of the strangest phenomenas of the last two decades is this idea that you're selfish if you have children.

00:00:05.480 Now, children are required for moving civilization forward. 0.99

00:00:09.880 They carry on family legacy and culture.

00:00:12.980 They fill gaps in the workforce.

00:00:15.240 They care for their aging parents.

00:00:17.360 And they add a lot of joy to life in the years in between.

00:00:20.900 But suddenly, life has become very difficult for young families.

00:00:24.360 Housing is unaffordable. Food is expensive.

00:00:26.100 Women are encouraged to wait to have children until past their prime childbearing years. 0.93

00:00:32.200 And those who do have children are told they're responsible for the destruction of the climate.

00:00:37.600 So this week, when Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that she finds the message of the left bleak because of the young people who are choosing not to have kids,

00:00:45.860 I say bravo.

00:00:47.160 These are the types of conversations we should be having more of in politics.

00:00:51.560 I'm Rachel Parker, and this is the Alberta Roundup.

00:00:56.100 Okay, everyone, taking a look at our first story here, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was once again on Dr. Jordan Peterson's podcast this week,

00:01:10.140 and she told him she finds the message of the left bleak.

00:01:13.640 Take a listen.

00:01:14.280 I find the message of the left so bleak.

00:01:16.760 We have a whole generation of young people who have been brought up to believe that just the basic actions of human life are destroying the planet,

00:01:25.100 acting as if there's no future for humanity, that there is no improvement that can be made,

00:01:32.220 that there's too many humans on the planet.

00:01:34.320 young people who are choosing not to have kids because they're worried about what the future might hold.

00:01:39.540 This is a very bleak vision.

00:01:41.220 So it's interesting to me that somehow that, because it has that spiritual component, is so attractive to young people.

00:01:49.360 As I opened with, I couldn't agree more with the Premier, and I think these are really important conversations to be having,

00:01:54.340 especially as we see the birth rate declining, and we are importing more and more immigrants every year to fill the fact that Canadians aren't having kids anymore.

00:02:03.880 We definitely need to begin counteracting that, and I think one of the things we can all do is scream from the rooftops how important and wonderful it is to have children.

00:02:11.680 Taking a look at our next story here, Canada's premiers wrapped up the summer meeting of the Council of the Federation

00:02:16.680 with calls on the federal government to once again collaborate with premiers and with provinces.

00:02:22.060 The premiers of the 10 provinces and three territories were in Halifax for their three-day gathering,

00:02:27.040 hosted by Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston.

00:02:29.680 The premiers said they discussed key priorities, that includes housing, affordability, skills and training,

00:02:34.980 strategic infrastructure, the future of energy, and emergency preparedness and response.

00:02:39.460 Several other premiers expressed frustration with what they say is a lack of teamwork with the federal government on important files.

00:02:45.860 Alberta Premier Daniel Smith said that a lack of collaboration has resulted in the doubling up of services like dental care and pharma care.

00:02:53.060 BC Premier David Eby said he and his counterparts have for years called on the federal government to meet with the federation,

00:02:58.820 but those calls so far have gone unanswered.

00:03:01.660 Here's what Premier Houston had to say.

00:03:03.120 But we also, of course, talked a lot about the need for the federal government to respect our provincial jurisdiction.

00:03:08.600 The current lack of collaboration from the federal government to the provinces and territories has resulted in missed opportunities.

00:03:18.340 As we see federal programs that create duplicate processes that risk pitting provinces and territories, really Canadians, against one another.

00:03:28.520 But really the big risk is just in not delivering unintended results.

00:03:32.660 So there's a lot we can do to collaborate because the current situation we have is not in the best interest of the federation as a whole.

00:03:41.460 Taking a look at our next story here, a new Angus Reid poll on confederation fairness says that Quebec takes more than it gives and Alberta gives more than its fair share.

00:03:50.260 According to the poll, more Canadians believe that Quebec receives a disproportionate benefit from the nation,

00:03:55.500 while Alberta is the province considered by most Canadians to get a raw deal, meaning that it gives more to the federation than it receives.

00:04:02.340 The poll found that 42% of Canadians said Quebec benefits disproportionately from its place in the nation.

00:04:07.760 Conversely, 23% said Alberta gives more than it receives, 10 points higher than any other province.

00:04:13.800 Moving into our controversy of the week, it is an exclusive from the Globe and Mail.

00:04:17.040 Alberta cabinet ministers and government officials attended Stanley Cup playoff games in Edmonton

00:04:22.180 as guests of a man whose company was involved in importing children's medicine from Turkey.

00:04:26.380 While Alberta Premier Daniel Smith and her staff attended a separate game in Vancouver

00:04:30.560 with tickets provided by a director of a provincial crown corporation,

00:04:34.520 according to sources and attendees who spoke with the Globe and Mail.

00:04:37.480 The government changed the ethics rules late last year to make it easier for politicians and their staff to accept gifts and tickets.

00:04:43.880 Alberta Premier Daniel Smith attended a private box to watch an Edmonton Oilers playoff game in Vancouver

00:04:49.220 and invited BC Premier David Eby to join her.

00:04:52.940 A source said an invest Alberta board member gave Miss Smith and her office the tickets.

00:04:57.220 The Premier did not respond to multiple requests for comments.

00:05:00.440 The Minister of Affordability and Utilities, Nathan Newdorf, told the Globe

00:05:03.820 that he attended an Oilers playoff game in Edmonton as a guest of local businessman Sam Maresh.

00:05:09.760 Maresh's company, MH Care Medical, was involved in Alberta's deal to import children's pain medication during a shortage.

00:05:16.660 You guys might remember that Tylenol shortage back in 2022.

00:05:20.140 Newdorf said he received clearance from the ethics commissioner before joining colleagues

00:05:23.820 who included other ministers and government officials in the suite.

00:05:27.440 He declined to name them, but he told the Globe,

00:05:29.420 I don't need to hide anything. I have no problem telling the truth.

00:05:32.780 The United Conservative Party government passed legislation last year

00:05:35.660 to make it easier for politicians and staff to accept gifts, benefits, tickets, and invitations.

00:05:41.420 The legislation requires MLAs to disclose such tickets in certain circumstances

00:05:45.180 and also empowers the Premier's Chief of Staff, who is currently Marshall Smith,

00:05:49.560 to determine what was acceptable for political employees.

00:05:52.600 MH Care Medical is a medical supply and distribution company

00:05:55.600 that was involved in the province's importation of children's pain medicine from Turkey,

00:05:59.420 according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

00:06:02.300 Only 30% of the drugs, which were manufactured by Atabay Pharmaceuticals,

00:06:06.940 arrived and just a fraction of those were used.

00:06:09.900 Maresh did not return messages seeking comment from the Globe and Mail.

00:06:13.180 The Premier traveled to Vancouver to watch a game in a box using tickets provided by the Invest Alberta director.

00:06:18.300 The Premier on May 10 posted a photo on social media of herself in a box

00:06:22.380 with BC Premier David Eby and Vancouver Mayor Ken Simm when the Oilers played the Canucks.

00:06:27.880 A source at Edmonton, Sam Jaber, and his accounting firm, Jaberson & Associates,

00:06:32.840 gave the Premier the tickets.

00:06:34.420 Jaber sits on the board of Invest Alberta, a crown corporation designed to promote, identify,

00:06:39.280 and pursue investments in the province.

00:06:41.440 He also did not respond to messages seeking comment.

00:06:44.520 Okay, I just want to start by breaking down the story because there is so many moving parts

00:06:48.160 and I think it is a bit complicated.

00:06:49.680 So, essentially, it appears that the Premier and her staff and ministers did not break ethics rules

00:06:56.140 because they received a sign-off for these tickets from the Premier's Chief of Staff, Marshall Smith.

00:07:01.980 Typically, there is a threshold.

00:07:03.540 I believe it is $500.

00:07:04.760 You're not allowed to accept gifts over $500.

00:07:07.200 And if you do, you need the sign-off of the Chief of Staff.

00:07:09.820 Marshall Smith signed off on all these individuals receiving these tickets.

00:07:15.020 Now, when we look at the actual cost of the tickets themselves,

00:07:17.580 the story doesn't say how much tickets were.

00:07:19.220 I did talk to somebody who owns a box up in Edmonton at the Rogers Centre.

00:07:25.740 They said during the playoffs, these tickets were going for about $33,000 for a whole box.

00:07:30.860 So, that included 10 sitting seats and 12 standing seats.

00:07:34.620 So, these tickets were in the thousands of dollars.

00:07:36.420 In addition to the base cost of the tickets, there is a minimum catering fee.

00:07:41.640 We could have been looking at about $50,000 all in for the cost of this experience.

00:07:45.500 Now, as I mentioned, it appears that they've sort of avoided breaching ethics rules because they received the sign-off.

00:07:52.820 But I think this is going to be a huge optics problem for the government because it sort of stinks of corruption,

00:07:58.860 considering the fact that the man who was purchasing these tickets for government ministers and government officials

00:08:06.120 was someone who was part of the children's Tylenol deal back in 2022.

00:08:10.840 You guys might remember the Alberta government inked a deal with a Turkish manufacturer for $80 million

00:08:16.680 to receive their own supply of children's medication when there was that shortage.

00:08:20.900 Most of that medication never arrived, and a lot of it that did arrive wasn't usable because it was the wrong size.

00:08:27.660 And you might remember seeing those reports from hospitals saying that the children's medication was too big,

00:08:32.540 so it was clogging the tubes, and they basically just didn't end up using it.

00:08:36.560 So, $70 million of that went to the pharmaceutical company Atabay,

00:08:41.340 and the other $10 million was used for distribution costs.

00:08:44.920 So, the story doesn't say exactly how much Sam Marish's company received from that deal,

00:08:50.340 but they did say that they filed an information request and confirmed that Mr. Marish's medical company

00:08:56.780 was involved in that deal with children's medication,

00:09:00.620 and now it was his company that was involved in that deal,

00:09:02.840 and now he is giving out free tickets that would be in the thousands of dollars to members of the government and to their staff.

00:09:09.740 So, it certainly sort of gives you Allison Redford vibes when we look at just, you know,

00:09:14.740 the level of entitlement.

00:09:16.660 I think it would have just been better for government officials to say no and to pass on this.

00:09:20.940 I think when you're in politics, if you're ever in doubt,

00:09:23.620 if it looks like you might be blurring lines, if you're in a gray area, better just to say no.

00:09:27.200 I know that I would not have been able to afford these tickets,

00:09:29.860 and I'm assuming most people at home who are feeling the effects of the inflation crisis that we're in,

00:09:35.980 the affordability crisis that we're currently in, are also thinking to themselves,

00:09:39.500 you know, I would never have been able to afford this experience for myself and my family,

00:09:43.480 and I certainly would have loved to have go and watched a Edmonton Oilers playoff games.

00:09:48.100 Why is it that our politicians are able to afford these things that regular people can't not afford them,

00:09:53.140 but why is it that they are being treated to this luxury lifestyle when people at home are suffering?

00:09:58.080 A lot of times because of government policies.

00:10:00.420 You know, Alberta Premier Janet Smith hasn't done a lot to ease taxes. 0.99

00:10:03.280 We still have the fuel tax.

00:10:04.980 Taxes are still high.

00:10:05.880 We still haven't made the changes that she promised to personal income tax.

00:10:09.280 So the story, you know, it doesn't sit well with me.

00:10:11.940 I don't think it will sit well with most of you.

00:10:14.180 I'm hearing behind the scenes that this might just be the first of many stories.

00:10:18.200 There might be more things coming out about what this scandal involved entirely.

00:10:22.400 I'm going to not say anything about that further,

00:10:24.300 but this is definitely something to watch in the weeks to come.

00:10:27.380 And my question of the week for you all is, what do you think about this?

00:10:30.060 Do you think it was right for ministers and for political staff to accept these tickets?

00:10:35.620 Or do you think that they were in the wrong,

00:10:37.580 even though they might not have technically breached ethics rules?

00:10:40.820 Would it have been better for them to say no?

00:10:43.420 Because it does look like there is something untoward happening here.

00:10:46.980 And, you know, it doesn't sit right with me.

00:10:48.880 Does it sit right with you?

00:10:50.180 Finally, moving into what we're watching in the weeks to come,

00:10:52.460 the temperature is hot, hot, hot in Alberta right now.

00:10:55.080 And we are going to have to keep our eye out on the wildfire situation unfolding in Alberta.

00:11:00.400 Certainly doesn't look to be anywhere near as bad as it was last summer,

00:11:03.640 but we know these things can change very quickly.

00:11:06.440 There's around 150 wildfires burning in Alberta right now.

00:11:09.860 The fire danger is similarly elevated in many areas of the province,

00:11:13.660 and the majority falling under a very high danger with pockets of extreme fire danger.

00:11:19.080 In a social media post this week,

00:11:20.740 Alberta Wildfire says most new wildfires in July have been caused by lightning.

00:11:24.780 Around half of wildfires this year are suspected to have been caused by human activity,

00:11:29.000 and 30% by lightning.

00:11:30.900 About 20% remain under investigation.

00:11:33.040 The largest wildfire in the province is one of two out-of-control wildfires in the Cattail Lake complex.

00:11:39.200 About 200 firefighters and support staff,

00:11:41.900 10 helicopters, and 43 pieces of heavy equipment are working the complex.

00:11:46.340 Okay, everyone, and finally, moving into our weekly comment roundup.

00:11:49.820 Last week we talked about a new program from the Alberta government

00:11:52.600 that would provide a pathway to permanent residency

00:11:55.600 for foreigners who want to come and police in Alberta.

00:11:59.320 A lot of you thought that this wasn't a good idea.

00:12:01.840 User Dan Popescu said,

00:12:04.580 You know, this is something I think about a lot with just the level of people that are moving to Alberta,

00:12:17.820 even just interprovincially, like not coming from outside of Canada,

00:12:20.580 but coming from places like Ontario and BC is if this is going to cause a big problem for Alberta

00:12:25.980 as being traditionally one of the most, if not the most, conservative province in Canada.

00:12:30.940 I just wonder if these people who are moving here are going to realize that they're moving here

00:12:36.020 from an Alberta advantage that exists because of the way that our politicians have governed thus far

00:12:40.920 and how conservatively our politicians have governed.

00:12:43.740 And a lot of times people don't recognize that.

00:12:45.400 And I think if they don't recognize that in this case, it'll be a problem.

00:12:48.400 It'll be a problem for Alberta politics in years to come.

00:12:52.220 User at Rick Johnson said,

00:12:53.500 Hiring police before they are citizens is contrary to Robert Peely's principle of citizens in uniform.

00:12:59.060 Quote,

00:12:59.340 I think this is a really interesting point to raise.

00:13:08.080 And it's one of the issues that I've always taken with the RCMP.

00:13:11.040 If you really want to become a police officer in Ontario,

00:13:13.060 it can be very hard to get into your local police force.

00:13:15.660 It can be very difficult to get into the Ontario Provincial Police.

00:13:18.480 So a lot of people will accept a tenure for a couple of years in like a rural Alberta community

00:13:23.660 with hopes of being able to get back to Ontario to their community

00:13:26.900 after they have a couple of years of policing experience under their belt.

00:13:30.500 Knowing you have happened is you have someone who has no real love of that community

00:13:34.800 or even of the province governing and policing the people in that community.

00:13:39.660 And I think it's just much better when you have people who are raised up in that community

00:13:43.140 and understand what the area is like, understand what the people are like,

00:13:47.640 because we need to kind of get back to community policing

00:13:50.220 where the police really understand the community and want what's best for the community

00:13:54.040 as opposed to they're simply filling a quota or they're just blindly following orders.

00:14:00.540 And, you know, obviously there are circumstances where maybe there's no one in that specific community

00:14:04.780 who want to be police.

00:14:06.720 But as I said last week, I think that just goes back to let's get this,

00:14:10.060 the conversation started earlier in schools and really tell kids,

00:14:13.580 these are all the options for you when you graduate college or when you even graduate high school.

00:14:18.720 Not everyone needs to go to university.

00:14:20.620 Not everyone needs to go into the trades.

00:14:22.100 There's still other options in between.

00:14:24.040 And I just think a lot of young people aren't aware of how good a policing job is

00:14:28.200 because of the high salary and also the full benefits and pension package that it comes with.

00:14:33.160 You know, these are actually really highly coveted jobs,

00:14:35.300 especially right now with the affordability crisis that we're experiencing.

00:14:38.980 And I think the fact that we apparently don't have enough people applying for policing,

00:14:43.220 which is still mind-boggling to me, speaks to a lack of education with our young people.

00:14:47.900 Okay, I'm just going to read one more comment on this topic.

00:14:51.400 This is from Grant the Peaworth.

00:14:53.560 He said, quote,

00:14:54.060 I think this just really adds to the comment that I said before about people understanding what is important,

00:14:59.760 to a culture in a given area and that can go from something as large as a country to a province,

00:15:29.660 to a specific culture in a community and knowing the needs and the laws and the rules

00:15:34.420 and what's socially acceptable in a given community to best govern and to help move society forward.

00:15:39.980 Okay, everyone, that's all we have time for today.

00:15:41.880 If you support our work, you can do that over at www.donate.tnc.news.

00:15:47.000 I hope that you guys have a great weekend.

00:15:49.420 Don't forget to subscribe to True North and like this video.

00:15:52.060 I'll see you all next week.

00:15:53.220 God bless.

00:15:59.660 God bless.

Juno News - July 20, 2024

Smith says the left’s vision is bleak

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