Juno News - Trudeau's vaccine mandate is about control, not health

00:00:00.000 Welcome to Canada's Most Irreverent Talk Show.

00:00:06.660 This is the Andrew Lawton Show, brought to you by True North.

00:00:12.780 Coming up, why Justin Trudeau's vaccine mandate is an exercise of control rather than public health,

00:00:18.660 plus the countdown to Alberta's equalization referendum.

00:00:23.280 The Andrew Lawton Show starts right now.

00:00:26.860 Hello and welcome to Canada's Most Irreverent Talk Show.

00:00:33.480 It is Thursday, October 7th, 2021.

00:00:36.380 Great to have you aboard the Andrew Lawton Show here on True North.

00:00:40.640 And what is happening right now is that Justin Trudeau has finally decided to make good on his election promise

00:00:46.740 to make vaccination the requirement if you want to keep your job in the federal public service.

00:00:53.680 There's also a requirement if you want to take a plane or a train.

00:00:56.860 Not an automobile just yet, but give it time.

00:01:00.080 Justin Trudeau yesterday gave his long-awaited announcement that if you are working for the federal government

00:01:05.720 in any way, shape, or form, whether you are working in an embassy abroad or working in an office in downtown Ottawa,

00:01:12.080 you have to get vaccinated if you want to keep your job.

00:01:15.120 There's a catch, though.

00:01:17.700 Even if you are working from home, if you are working remotely, if you are literally zooming into the office,

00:01:24.100 you have to be vaccinated under Justin Trudeau's Federal Public Service Vaccination Edict,

00:01:29.460 which means if you are, like I'm doing here, you're holed up in a basement office,

00:01:33.960 you're not interacting with any people around the world,

00:01:36.760 you emerge for oxygen every couple hours,

00:01:38.980 maybe get a coffee, then go back down into your little hidey hole.

00:01:42.200 You need to be vaccinated if you want to work for the federal government.

00:01:45.860 So unless the new or Omicron or Kappa Alpha Theta variant,

00:01:52.100 whichever one we're on, is transmitted through Zoom,

00:01:55.780 there is zero public health basis for this,

00:01:59.060 but nevertheless, the government has decided to make this a requirement of your employment.

00:02:03.340 Now, here's the problem with this.

00:02:05.100 There are many of them, but the big one is that it reveals what we've known for quite some time,

00:02:09.920 which is that these mandates are not at all about public health.

00:02:13.920 They are about control.

00:02:16.100 Because under the government's stated premises,

00:02:18.840 you can make an argument that having employees congregating in an office

00:02:22.300 poses a risk if not all of them are vaccinated.

00:02:25.280 I don't agree with that position, but you could understand the logic of that argument.

00:02:30.480 You can't understand the logic because there is none

00:02:33.080 of forcing people that aren't even working in an office,

00:02:36.600 that aren't even engaging or interacting with their employees

00:02:39.060 to be vaccinated because, well, they're not going to pose a risk to anyone.

00:02:44.220 So what the government is doing is trying to mandate vaccination

00:02:47.840 because what Justin Trudeau wants to do

00:02:49.880 is make vaccination mandatory for anyone and everyone in Canadian society.

00:02:53.960 He can't do that.

00:02:55.180 There's no way to legally do that.

00:02:56.960 So the next best thing is come up with as broad and sweeping a policy as possible

00:03:02.340 that covers the greatest number of people as possible

00:03:05.960 and force those who could be compelled to do something by the government to do it.

00:03:12.880 This is not about protecting the public sector.

00:03:16.060 This is not about protecting government offices.

00:03:17.840 This isn't even about protecting airplanes and trains.

00:03:21.800 This is about finding the broadest policy possible to compel vaccination

00:03:25.920 on the largest segment of the general population possible.

00:03:30.340 That is entirely what the federal government is doing here.

00:03:33.540 You can't get on a plane to see your grandma in Kelowna if you're not vaccinated.

00:03:38.060 You can't take a train back and forth between home and school in, oh, I don't know, Windsor and Toronto

00:03:43.520 if you're unvaccinated.

00:03:44.920 You can't work in a government office.

00:03:47.200 You can't even be a janitor at 2 a.m. in an Ottawa government office building right now

00:03:52.660 unless you are vaccinated.

00:03:54.820 And the federal public sector we know has been growing and growing.

00:03:58.080 Millions of people are caught up in this, especially because they've extended it to contractors.

00:04:03.440 It doesn't matter if you're in an embassy in Kazakhstan

00:04:05.780 or if you're in an office building in Tunis Pastor

00:04:08.640 or if you're zooming into the office from home, you have to be vaccinated.

00:04:13.160 Now, here's what I would like to see come of this.

00:04:16.120 I would like to see the union raise a stink and challenge this and say,

00:04:19.440 well, hang on, you're putting forward a sweeping measure that suspends our civil liberties

00:04:24.120 and those of our employees when there's no connection to public health.

00:04:30.420 And in a way, I'm actually grateful.

00:04:34.540 I'm actually grateful that the government decided to make this mandatory for remote employees

00:04:39.880 because doing so gives us the evidence of what we've been able to kind of surmise

00:04:45.120 up until this point that they are more interested in control than public health.

00:04:48.720 They took it one step too far.

00:04:52.120 So there's no way they can defend what they're doing.

00:04:57.080 That doesn't mean they'll have to.

00:04:58.640 We're going to be doing a deep dive in a soon-to-be-released show

00:05:01.560 about the civil liberties implications of this and similar policies.

00:05:05.320 And sadly, courts have not been siding with individual liberties

00:05:09.560 and individual choice insofar as vaccination is concerned.

00:05:12.700 But I do think that the government has overplayed its hand here

00:05:15.940 because one of the whole hallmarks of this regime of balancing rights and freedoms

00:05:21.940 as though such a thing is supposed to happen in a normal society

00:05:24.840 is that the government has to prove that any infringement of freedoms is justified

00:05:28.940 and that you provide accommodation wherever possible.

00:05:31.860 This is especially true in labor issues.

00:05:34.220 So if someone can be reasonably accommodated by working from home,

00:05:38.300 then there's no justification to force them to be vaccinated.

00:05:44.820 So that's a reasonable accommodation.

00:05:47.380 If someone's able to work from home, let them continue doing it.

00:05:50.700 But Justin Trudeau is not interested in that.

00:05:52.620 It's not a reasonable policy.

00:05:54.240 And I'd say it's not intended to be a serious policy

00:05:57.400 in as much as it's not about the stated purpose.

00:06:01.840 You have to scratch beneath the surface here

00:06:03.780 to figure out what they're actually trying to do.

00:06:05.520 And that is about enacting control.

00:06:07.520 Justin Trudeau said during the election campaign that,

00:06:10.520 oh, well, you know, it's not, you of course have a choice.

00:06:13.300 No one can make you get vaccinated,

00:06:14.720 but you don't have a choice to be unvaccinated and get on a plane.

00:06:18.060 You don't have a choice to be unvaccinated and go to work.

00:06:21.180 Really?

00:06:21.600 I'm pretty sure employment is one of the most fundamental things

00:06:24.680 that you as an individual in a society like Canada

00:06:27.680 should be allowed to pursue.

00:06:30.400 So now that your job is contingent on this thing,

00:06:34.480 it's not a choice.

00:06:36.020 If you have to choose between getting vaccinated

00:06:38.320 to keep your job or keeping your principles,

00:06:41.680 assuming you have a principled objection to vaccination,

00:06:44.380 and losing your job, that is not a legitimate choice.

00:06:47.060 Any more than, oh, I don't know,

00:06:48.200 choosing top bunk or bottom bunk in a prison cell

00:06:51.040 is about enacting a choice on your living arrangements.

00:06:55.200 Yeah, you're choosing between very narrowly selected options

00:06:59.520 that the government has given to you,

00:07:01.560 so narrow that they don't even really qualify as options.

00:07:04.840 They don't qualify as choices.

00:07:07.480 So this is not about choice.

00:07:09.160 And don't let Justin Trudeau's narrative and rhetoric on this

00:07:11.920 convince you otherwise.

00:07:13.460 This is an issue of government mandating vaccination.

00:07:17.780 Just because it's not Justin Trudeau or Patty Hajdu

00:07:20.200 or Teresa Tam showing up on your front doorstep

00:07:22.720 and shoving a needle in your arm without your consent, 0.63

00:07:25.220 it is still something that takes away your choice

00:07:28.340 and your right as an individual to choose.

00:07:31.280 And in my opposition to this,

00:07:33.140 yesterday I put out a tweet in which I pointed out

00:07:35.500 the absurdity, the absolute absurdity

00:07:39.060 of extending this to remote employees.

00:07:41.600 And I had people with the predictable retorts of,

00:07:43.740 oh, you're being anti-vax.

00:07:44.820 No, supporting choice is not being anti-vaccination.

00:07:49.180 I chose as an individual to get vaccinated

00:07:52.320 at a time before I was forced to for any particular reason,

00:07:55.380 like flying or something else.

00:07:56.860 And I encourage others to choose the things

00:07:59.420 that are right for them.

00:08:01.480 But it is important that these decisions remain choices.

00:08:04.880 Otherwise, as a society, we go down a road

00:08:07.320 from which there is no returning

00:08:09.420 of completely abdicating our ability as individuals

00:08:13.640 to decide what goes into our body,

00:08:15.620 decide what medical treatments we take,

00:08:17.220 and more importantly, to wall off aspects of society.

00:08:20.160 This idea of vaccine segregation,

00:08:22.680 of vaccine stratification is a very real thing.

00:08:27.500 And I would point out here

00:08:29.580 that there is no protection for workers.

00:08:34.380 No protection for workers.

00:08:35.940 Justin Trudeau said that the questions about exemptions,

00:08:39.740 religious or for medical reasons,

00:08:41.940 will be very narrow, in his words, onerous.

00:08:44.480 So they basically don't want you to be able

00:08:46.640 to get an exemption for anything.

00:08:48.500 And if you lose your job or are placed on unpaid leave,

00:08:52.820 if you lose your job or are placed on unpaid leave

00:08:55.420 because of this,

00:08:56.460 you are not even going to be eligible for EI benefits.

00:09:00.620 So if the government fires you

00:09:03.020 because you wouldn't get the jab,

00:09:05.040 this EI system that you've paid into will not cover you.

00:09:07.980 And this means that the government is treating it

00:09:10.140 as a with-cause dismissal, I suspect.

00:09:13.540 And again, there's a speculation from what they've said,

00:09:16.160 but the government is treating this

00:09:17.540 as a with-cause dismissal,

00:09:19.420 meaning it's like you stole from your company

00:09:22.060 or you, I don't know,

00:09:23.280 punched someone in the lunchroom or something.

00:09:24.920 So this would go on your record of employment

00:09:27.160 as being with-cause, not a layoff.

00:09:29.940 So that means no EI benefits,

00:09:31.680 and it very much damages your ability

00:09:34.160 to get another job in the future.

00:09:37.640 So Trudeau bragged that these measures are,

00:09:40.880 in his words, quote,

00:09:42.040 the strongest in the world, unquote.

00:09:45.280 Now, limiting freedom more than any other country

00:09:47.760 seems like a very weird thing to be proud of,

00:09:49.760 but I don't know, Canada's back, I suppose.

00:09:52.800 And interestingly enough,

00:09:54.100 and I don't even want to give them ideas here,

00:09:56.060 but for these measures that he claims

00:09:57.740 are the strongest in the world,

00:09:59.000 it's worth noting that you don't even need

00:10:00.900 to provide your proof of vaccination.

00:10:02.460 You can just sign an attestation

00:10:04.480 saying you're vaccinated.

00:10:06.100 So this strongest in the world regime

00:10:08.240 is really just theatrical.

00:10:09.840 It's window dressing.

00:10:10.940 You can get out of your obligation

00:10:12.460 by just saying, I'm vaccinated,

00:10:14.280 although the government was clear

00:10:15.460 to do a bit of a finger wagging

00:10:17.060 and saying, if we learn that you've lied about it,

00:10:19.380 then you can be disciplined for lying

00:10:21.200 because that's a disciplinary offense as well.

00:10:24.700 So they're trying to just create this world

00:10:27.160 in which the only way you can keep your job

00:10:29.160 is to be vaccinated.

00:10:30.040 And at the same time,

00:10:31.420 they aren't even living up

00:10:32.380 to the severity they say is there.

00:10:34.500 But again, I'm nervous about taking on

00:10:37.180 that line of thinking here,

00:10:38.300 that argument,

00:10:38.840 because I don't want them to make this more strict.

00:10:41.060 I don't want them to do more on this.

00:10:42.980 I'm just pointing out the absurdity

00:10:44.400 of what they say they're doing

00:10:46.000 and what they actually seem to be doing here.

00:10:48.720 I have to point out, though,

00:10:50.040 the part that makes me rather upset about this

00:10:52.920 because Justin Trudeau took several weeks

00:10:55.140 to put this mandate into place.

00:10:57.380 He campaigned on this.

00:10:58.440 He could have put this into place a month ago.

00:11:00.380 He could have signed an executive order

00:11:02.240 or an order in council

00:11:03.220 that made this the case weeks ago

00:11:05.240 during the election,

00:11:06.380 leading up to the election.

00:11:07.700 This is not a new thing.

00:11:09.100 He chose to campaign on it.

00:11:11.700 So this thing that I say

00:11:13.220 is a gross violation of civil liberties,

00:11:14.960 which it is,

00:11:15.860 was also and is a winning political proposition

00:11:19.040 for Justin Trudeau.

00:11:20.180 And, I mean,

00:11:21.940 there's a lot about the country

00:11:23.580 that this makes me quite sad about,

00:11:27.680 if I'm being perfectly candid with you,

00:11:29.360 because Justin Trudeau ran on this.

00:11:31.260 This is not out of left field.

00:11:32.520 Normally, such a severe and extreme measure

00:11:34.500 would be the kind of thing

00:11:35.600 that would be a last resort,

00:11:36.660 but he was quite proud of this.

00:11:38.240 He was actually scoring political points

00:11:40.460 off of Aaron O'Toole

00:11:41.360 by saying,

00:11:42.240 why isn't Aaron O'Toole

00:11:43.400 making vaccination mandatory?

00:11:44.760 He was like,

00:11:46.320 there's this thing on Reddit

00:11:47.580 called,

00:11:48.620 am I the asshole?

00:11:50.560 Where people will tell stories

00:11:52.140 about some conflict

00:11:53.580 they've had with another person,

00:11:55.160 and then they ask Reddit,

00:11:56.700 am I the asshole?

00:11:57.620 And basically,

00:11:58.240 the implication is,

00:11:59.060 okay, someone screwed up here.

00:12:00.500 Am I the one in the wrong

00:12:01.540 or is the other person in the story?

00:12:03.360 Justin Trudeau has managed to,

00:12:04.860 with his shamelessness,

00:12:06.220 take his position

00:12:07.240 on mandating vaccines

00:12:08.700 and turn it around to Aaron O'Toole

00:12:10.500 and be like,

00:12:10.940 no, no, no,

00:12:11.220 he's the asshole. 0.98

00:12:12.320 He doesn't want you

00:12:13.680 to be forced into being vaccinated.

00:12:16.060 This guy thinks

00:12:16.700 you should have a choice.

00:12:17.660 What's wrong with him?

00:12:18.880 And Canadians went along with it. 0.98

00:12:21.080 I've talked to numerous people

00:12:22.340 that have done informal

00:12:23.300 and in some cases,

00:12:24.380 formal polls and surveys on this,

00:12:26.220 and what they found

00:12:26.980 is that Canadians,

00:12:27.840 by and large,

00:12:28.900 welcome being forced to do things,

00:12:31.460 especially insofar

00:12:32.560 as the pandemic is concerned.

00:12:35.420 So rather than celebrating

00:12:36.880 your choice as an individual,

00:12:39.300 Canadians want to be forced into it.

00:12:41.400 And with vaccination,

00:12:43.060 I don't think there's anything

00:12:44.380 irreconcilable about being

00:12:45.900 pro-vaccination

00:12:46.880 and being pro-vaccination choice.

00:12:49.680 I think people can celebrate

00:12:50.980 choosing to get vaccinated

00:12:53.200 if that's what they want.

00:12:54.440 They can celebrate choosing

00:12:55.540 to go to a restaurant

00:12:57.160 that requires vaccination

00:12:58.280 or choosing to go to one

00:12:59.740 that doesn't.

00:13:01.120 But instead,

00:13:01.960 we appeal as a country

00:13:03.020 to the lowest common denominator

00:13:04.500 of people that want to

00:13:05.540 control others,

00:13:06.860 people that want to shut down

00:13:07.940 others' right to dissent,

00:13:09.220 people that want to close off

00:13:10.960 other people

00:13:11.740 from being able to make

00:13:13.060 these decisions for themselves.

00:13:15.500 And in doing so,

00:13:17.560 what we've become

00:13:18.640 is a country

00:13:19.440 that has no valuing

00:13:21.800 of independence,

00:13:22.560 no valuing of individual freedom.

00:13:25.560 And this is exactly

00:13:27.240 why these things

00:13:28.460 need to be defended.

00:13:29.480 I said on the show last week,

00:13:31.500 or it might have been

00:13:31.980 earlier this week,

00:13:32.740 that if you don't stand up now,

00:13:35.620 you'll never get a chance

00:13:37.100 to down the road.

00:13:38.040 And I very much

00:13:39.100 stand by that.

00:13:41.040 Because a lot of these things

00:13:42.240 have come incrementally.

00:13:44.980 At the beginning

00:13:45.700 of the pandemic,

00:13:46.260 when the lockdown

00:13:46.960 first happened,

00:13:47.760 back in our first two weeks

00:13:48.940 to flatten the curve

00:13:49.700 or whatever it was,

00:13:50.900 we were told that,

00:13:52.480 okay,

00:13:53.460 we just have to do this

00:13:54.900 to get through

00:13:55.280 the next couple of weeks.

00:13:56.340 And, you know,

00:13:56.740 we were told,

00:13:57.520 yeah, you know,

00:13:58.200 everyone's got to be

00:13:58.780 a bit of a give and take.

00:13:59.860 Restaurants can deal with

00:14:00.740 a couple of weeks.

00:14:01.800 It's going to be tough,

00:14:02.860 but we can do it.

00:14:03.880 And then when reopening

00:14:05.080 started to happen,

00:14:06.000 a lot of people

00:14:06.700 became very comfortable

00:14:07.960 with government

00:14:09.540 being the one

00:14:10.660 to make this choice.

00:14:13.040 I remember there were

00:14:14.040 restaurants in Toronto

00:14:15.160 that were angry

00:14:16.960 before Ontario

00:14:17.900 had a vaccine passport.

00:14:19.220 Restaurants that were angry

00:14:20.360 that Doug Ford

00:14:21.460 wasn't mandating

00:14:22.680 vaccination for restaurants.

00:14:25.360 And I was saying,

00:14:26.280 well, why aren't you

00:14:27.200 just putting a policy forward?

00:14:28.940 I wouldn't support

00:14:29.720 that policy,

00:14:30.400 but I know you'd have

00:14:31.280 lots of customers that would,

00:14:32.500 people that would feel

00:14:33.180 safer going to a restaurant

00:14:34.640 that was requiring vaccination.

00:14:36.420 Why did they want

00:14:37.280 the government

00:14:37.860 to make the call for them?

00:14:40.540 People have forgotten

00:14:41.440 what it means

00:14:42.000 to make choices

00:14:42.840 for themselves

00:14:43.520 because government

00:14:44.440 has made itself

00:14:45.440 the chief choice maker

00:14:46.580 in individual people's lives

00:14:48.540 for much of the last two years.

00:14:51.280 And that is a very dangerous place

00:14:53.720 to be in,

00:14:54.220 in a free society.

00:14:55.460 And I mean,

00:14:56.000 interestingly enough,

00:14:56.920 a lot of people

00:14:57.680 have very distorted views

00:15:00.020 of what rights

00:15:01.280 and freedoms are.

00:15:02.180 I'm just looking at

00:15:04.140 one example here.

00:15:05.460 I've seen a lot of discussion.

00:15:07.060 And again,

00:15:07.360 this is semantics to a point,

00:15:09.060 but I'm curious

00:15:09.820 what you think about it.

00:15:10.720 Feel free to send me an email.

00:15:12.180 People will say

00:15:13.060 they have a right

00:15:13.780 to feel safe.

00:15:15.340 And I've seen this a lot.

00:15:16.720 And I saw this

00:15:17.260 in a lot of the discourse yesterday.

00:15:18.740 If people are going to be

00:15:19.500 on a plane or on a train,

00:15:21.040 they have a right

00:15:21.660 to feel safe.

00:15:23.340 Now, there is no such right

00:15:25.000 to feel safe.

00:15:26.580 You don't have a right

00:15:27.220 to feel safe.

00:15:28.440 You have a right

00:15:29.200 to be safe.

00:15:30.080 You have a right

00:15:30.520 to not be threatened,

00:15:31.480 to not have your life

00:15:32.240 threatened by other people.

00:15:33.560 But this idea of feeling safe

00:15:35.620 is very subjective.

00:15:37.960 Some people might not

00:15:38.980 feel safe walking

00:15:40.300 or riding their bike

00:15:41.560 on the side of a road.

00:15:42.860 Some people might not

00:15:43.640 feel safe driving down a road

00:15:45.400 that doesn't have a median.

00:15:46.300 Some people might not

00:15:47.300 feel safe driving at night.

00:15:49.120 Some people might not

00:15:49.820 feel safe climbing a ladder.

00:15:51.180 There are lots of things

00:15:52.220 that you may do

00:15:53.500 or not do

00:15:54.300 because you feel safe

00:15:55.900 or feel unsafe.

00:15:57.100 But you don't have a right

00:15:59.940 to have your feelings

00:16:01.520 about certain situations

00:16:03.020 trump other people's

00:16:05.060 right to do things.

00:16:06.680 And again,

00:16:07.360 I'm nervous about

00:16:08.360 going down the road

00:16:08.980 of semantics

00:16:09.540 because for some people

00:16:10.560 they genuinely do

00:16:11.480 believe that this is

00:16:12.920 an existential threat

00:16:13.940 to their lives

00:16:14.580 if they go outside

00:16:15.500 and they're around

00:16:16.500 unvaccinated people

00:16:17.560 that, you know,

00:16:18.080 they're going to drop dead

00:16:18.840 or something like that.

00:16:19.620 And I don't like

00:16:20.320 that people feel

00:16:21.600 so anxious

00:16:22.840 and afraid

00:16:23.640 of engaging in the world.

00:16:25.100 But when push comes to shove

00:16:27.420 when we have to reconcile

00:16:28.420 two people's conflicting beliefs

00:16:30.780 I was on a panel

00:16:32.840 on Saturday

00:16:33.540 in Calgary, Alberta

00:16:35.620 the Canada Strong and Free Conference

00:16:37.040 and I was talking about this

00:16:38.080 with Bruce Party

00:16:38.720 who's a fantastic

00:16:39.820 civil liberties lawyer

00:16:40.820 and Jonathan Kay

00:16:42.080 who's a fantastic advocate

00:16:43.940 for free speech

00:16:44.700 but on vaccine passports

00:16:45.820 he's all for them.

00:16:47.060 And Jonathan Kay

00:16:47.720 mentioned something

00:16:48.540 about having been

00:16:49.200 at this Blue Jays game

00:16:50.380 which I'm told is baseball

00:16:51.980 in Toronto

00:16:53.080 and 30,000 people were there

00:16:54.620 and he said

00:16:55.120 that he liked knowing

00:16:56.420 that everyone around him

00:16:57.900 was vaccinated

00:16:58.520 that made him feel good.

00:17:00.940 Okay, that's fine.

00:17:03.040 Now if the Blue Jays company

00:17:04.860 had a Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment

00:17:06.620 I don't know

00:17:07.160 sports are not

00:17:08.000 sports are not my fort

00:17:09.200 as we say

00:17:09.640 but if the Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment

00:17:12.060 had come up with a policy

00:17:13.200 that said you have to be vaccinated

00:17:14.440 okay, sure.

00:17:16.020 Then people like Jonathan Kay

00:17:17.180 can decide for themselves

00:17:18.160 whether they're comfortable.

00:17:19.500 When government does it

00:17:21.100 you don't have the right

00:17:23.020 as an individual

00:17:23.700 to assess your own risk level

00:17:26.100 to assess your own tolerance

00:17:28.180 for risk

00:17:28.660 your own threshold for risk

00:17:29.840 and decide accordingly.

00:17:32.540 And this is a big problem

00:17:34.060 as a society

00:17:34.700 we are not about

00:17:35.720 risk aversion

00:17:36.580 mandated by state.

00:17:38.320 People can decide

00:17:39.180 yeah, I'm going to go

00:17:40.260 whitewater rafting

00:17:41.140 yeah, I'm going to go

00:17:41.760 on that Arctic expedition

00:17:42.800 yeah, I'm going to take up

00:17:44.160 shooting as a hobby

00:17:45.340 yeah, I'm going to do

00:17:46.060 crocheting instead.

00:17:47.100 You do have a right

00:17:48.260 to make these choices

00:17:49.220 so but by government

00:17:51.500 getting license

00:17:53.180 to lower everyone's

00:17:55.760 risk threshold

00:17:56.660 the natural extension

00:17:59.020 of this

00:17:59.360 the logical extension

00:18:00.400 of this

00:18:00.780 is government

00:18:01.700 taking over

00:18:02.460 a lot of other aspects

00:18:03.420 of our lives

00:18:04.060 under the same criteria

00:18:05.860 which is to mitigate risk

00:18:07.860 and not only to mitigate risk

00:18:09.740 but to force

00:18:11.780 a mitigation of risk

00:18:13.560 onto people

00:18:14.180 that might have

00:18:14.720 a risk tolerance level.

00:18:15.820 I mean look

00:18:16.120 I'm not a bar person

00:18:17.580 I don't feel the need

00:18:18.680 to go out dancing

00:18:19.540 and drinking at a nightclub

00:18:20.880 but doing so

00:18:22.180 is an activity

00:18:22.840 that carries risk

00:18:23.720 you're drinking

00:18:24.200 you're out

00:18:24.760 you're amongst strangers

00:18:25.620 you don't know

00:18:26.080 what's going to happen

00:18:26.660 people decide for themselves

00:18:28.300 whether they're interested

00:18:30.060 in doing that

00:18:30.840 people should decide

00:18:32.660 for themselves

00:18:33.300 but when government

00:18:35.060 takes it over

00:18:36.080 it enacts

00:18:38.220 control

00:18:39.300 and that is what

00:18:41.280 it's about

00:18:41.720 more than public health

00:18:42.920 because at a certain point

00:18:44.760 the line between

00:18:45.800 the government measure

00:18:47.140 and the stated

00:18:49.800 purpose of it

00:18:50.760 and then further

00:18:53.280 to that

00:18:53.700 the actual effect

00:18:54.900 of it

00:18:55.200 these connections

00:18:56.300 get blurrier

00:18:57.200 and blurrier

00:18:58.000 and it's in doing so

00:19:01.220 that government

00:19:02.660 starts to become

00:19:03.480 the sole decision maker

00:19:04.560 of all the things

00:19:05.240 that matter

00:19:05.680 of things that used

00:19:06.460 to be up

00:19:07.320 to individuals

00:19:08.340 and from there

00:19:10.120 as I've said before

00:19:11.360 there is no coming back

00:19:12.980 we've got to take

00:19:13.840 a quick break

00:19:14.460 when we come back

00:19:15.040 more of the

00:19:15.640 Andrew Lawton show

00:19:16.280 here on True North

00:19:16.980 stay tuned

00:19:17.660 you're tuned in

00:19:20.380 to the Andrew Lawton show

00:19:21.880 welcome back

00:19:24.260 to the Andrew Lawton show

00:19:25.660 we've been given

00:19:26.160 a fair bit of attention

00:19:27.300 in the last few weeks

00:19:28.700 to the upcoming

00:19:29.320 equalization referendum

00:19:31.260 in Alberta

00:19:31.900 coming up in just

00:19:32.880 11 days

00:19:33.840 and I would say

00:19:35.120 just before we get

00:19:36.000 into the discussion

00:19:36.800 here there's not been

00:19:37.760 a lot of coverage

00:19:38.480 of it at all

00:19:39.220 certainly in the

00:19:40.220 national mainstream media

00:19:41.680 I know we had

00:19:42.360 a federal election

00:19:43.180 but even so

00:19:44.380 a lot of the

00:19:45.140 problems we've been

00:19:46.120 talking about for years

00:19:47.160 about western alienation

00:19:48.560 a growing independence

00:19:49.940 movement

00:19:50.460 a lot of these

00:19:51.560 are going to be

00:19:52.280 assessed in this

00:19:53.300 referendum

00:19:53.820 which is asking

00:19:54.660 Albertans on October

00:19:55.620 18th

00:19:56.420 whether they think

00:19:57.460 equalization should

00:19:58.440 be removed

00:19:59.020 from the constitution

00:20:00.220 obviously a bit

00:20:01.600 of an uphill battle

00:20:02.380 getting that

00:20:03.160 adopted by the

00:20:04.280 federal government

00:20:04.960 but still

00:20:05.440 a very necessary

00:20:06.840 discussion

00:20:07.440 and one I want to

00:20:08.500 have with

00:20:09.160 MLA Drew Barnes

00:20:10.200 he represents

00:20:10.920 Cypress Medicine Hat

00:20:12.080 he's an independent

00:20:12.840 but previously

00:20:13.860 sat in the

00:20:14.640 UCP caucus

00:20:15.440 and was also

00:20:16.080 on the

00:20:16.540 Fair Deal panel

00:20:17.280 and we've talked

00:20:18.180 to him about

00:20:18.540 that in the past

00:20:19.400 Drew it's good

00:20:20.240 to talk to you

00:20:20.680 again thanks

00:20:21.040 for coming on

00:20:21.680 today

00:20:21.940 good morning

00:20:23.100 Andrew

00:20:23.420 so let's

00:20:24.900 start set

00:20:25.260 the stage

00:20:25.700 here for

00:20:26.260 this referendum

00:20:26.980 how important

00:20:28.360 is this

00:20:28.880 is this

00:20:29.280 kind of

00:20:29.800 the be-all

00:20:30.260 and end-all

00:20:30.780 of the

00:20:31.080 independence

00:20:31.560 fight right

00:20:32.160 now

00:20:32.400 or is it

00:20:32.800 just one

00:20:33.340 of many

00:20:34.060 tools

00:20:34.480 that should

00:20:34.840 be looked

00:20:35.180 at

00:20:35.380 by Albertans

00:20:36.120 well thank

00:20:37.360 you

00:20:37.460 it's very

00:20:37.940 important

00:20:38.480 it's a

00:20:39.180 necessary

00:20:39.720 first step

00:20:40.540 for over

00:20:41.380 80% of

00:20:42.180 Albertans

00:20:42.740 that want

00:20:43.540 a fairer deal

00:20:44.360 with Ottawa

00:20:44.940 yes for some

00:20:46.000 of them

00:20:46.280 that fairer deal

00:20:47.060 is independence

00:20:47.760 but for most

00:20:49.220 it's about the

00:20:50.000 opportunity

00:20:50.600 to have a fair deal

00:20:52.220 more economic

00:20:53.720 freedom for their

00:20:54.680 families and their

00:20:55.420 communities

00:20:56.000 hey let's not forget

00:20:57.160 that since 1965

00:20:58.420 Alberta has sent

00:20:59.500 650 billion

00:21:00.960 to Ottawa

00:21:01.820 most of it gets

00:21:02.940 redistributed to

00:21:03.900 Quebec and the

00:21:04.580 Maritimes

00:21:05.120 and equalization

00:21:07.460 has become

00:21:07.880 the buzzword

00:21:08.800 for all

00:21:09.580 of the

00:21:09.880 inequities

00:21:10.500 whether it's

00:21:11.440 you know

00:21:11.740 unfair treatment

00:21:12.840 in the

00:21:13.120 Supreme Court

00:21:13.760 the House

00:21:14.220 of Commons

00:21:14.820 the Senate

00:21:15.420 and the

00:21:17.000 lack of

00:21:18.020 resource

00:21:18.300 movement

00:21:18.760 the average

00:21:20.060 everyday

00:21:20.460 Albertan

00:21:20.940 is upset

00:21:21.600 and realizes

00:21:22.680 this is the

00:21:23.260 first step

00:21:23.760 is your

00:21:24.980 sense that

00:21:25.680 the Jason

00:21:26.380 Kenney

00:21:26.760 government

00:21:27.140 is having

00:21:27.620 this

00:21:27.840 referendum

00:21:28.420 to sort

00:21:28.980 of check

00:21:29.280 the box

00:21:29.760 and say

00:21:30.160 yeah we're

00:21:30.940 listening

00:21:31.280 or do you

00:21:31.800 think they

00:21:32.060 actually want

00:21:32.720 this to

00:21:33.040 succeed

00:21:33.420 and the

00:21:33.840 reason I

00:21:34.240 ask that

00:21:34.640 is because

00:21:34.940 I have

00:21:35.180 not heard

00:21:35.780 a lot

00:21:36.440 of advocacy

00:21:37.000 from Premier

00:21:37.740 Kenney

00:21:38.140 on this

00:21:39.100 referendum

00:21:39.560 and I've

00:21:39.940 not really

00:21:40.280 heard any

00:21:40.680 encouragement

00:21:41.160 from the

00:21:41.620 government

00:21:41.900 by and large

00:21:42.520 telling people

00:21:43.240 they should

00:21:43.880 vote yes

00:21:44.360 on it

00:21:44.820 yeah exactly

00:21:46.280 you know

00:21:46.560 Jason Kenney's

00:21:47.340 been totally

00:21:47.940 invisible

00:21:48.520 once again

00:21:49.440 he's not

00:21:49.860 meeting

00:21:50.160 expectations

00:21:50.920 he's not

00:21:51.420 getting behind

00:21:52.120 his own

00:21:53.320 referendum

00:21:53.880 to vote

00:21:54.940 yes

00:21:55.260 to end

00:21:55.620 equalization

00:21:56.360 take

00:21:56.820 equalization

00:21:58.000 of clause

00:21:58.640 36

00:21:59.100 subsection

00:21:59.760 2

00:22:00.100 you know

00:22:01.600 maybe it's

00:22:02.200 because his

00:22:02.800 popularity

00:22:03.320 is so low

00:22:04.080 in Alberta

00:22:04.940 Andrew

00:22:05.380 his popularity

00:22:06.720 is less

00:22:07.340 than even

00:22:07.920 Justin Trudeau's

00:22:08.900 it's absolutely

00:22:09.700 amazing

00:22:10.200 but it's

00:22:11.480 unexplainable

00:22:12.620 how this

00:22:13.340 is his

00:22:13.660 referendum

00:22:14.160 this was his

00:22:14.740 question

00:22:15.180 he campaigned

00:22:15.960 on it

00:22:16.280 and now

00:22:16.900 he's totally

00:22:17.420 invisible

00:22:17.980 but you know

00:22:20.040 I don't know

00:22:20.660 his rationale

00:22:21.240 for that

00:22:21.820 but I do

00:22:22.520 know what

00:22:22.980 Albertans are 0.82

00:22:23.800 saying to me

00:22:24.300 in the coffee

00:22:24.800 shop

00:22:25.160 most of them

00:22:26.100 are saying

00:22:26.480 it's time

00:22:27.060 to push

00:22:27.580 for a fair

00:22:28.680 deal with

00:22:29.160 Ottawa

00:22:29.480 it's time

00:22:30.200 to push

00:22:30.640 for an

00:22:31.020 end to

00:22:31.280 equalization

00:22:31.900 it's time

00:22:32.580 to push

00:22:32.880 for pipelines

00:22:33.520 and resource

00:22:34.000 movement

00:22:34.420 and if we

00:22:35.520 can't get

00:22:35.980 that

00:22:36.300 second

00:22:37.420 they'll decide

00:22:38.060 how they will

00:22:38.520 hold Ottawa

00:22:39.000 accountable

00:22:39.500 one of the

00:22:40.660 concerns that

00:22:41.360 I've heard

00:22:41.780 from a lot

00:22:42.300 of people

00:22:42.680 that are

00:22:43.200 on your

00:22:43.520 team

00:22:43.780 on this

00:22:44.120 they want

00:22:44.700 equalization

00:22:45.380 over

00:22:45.800 is that

00:22:46.860 because there's

00:22:47.580 not been a lot

00:22:48.140 of discussion

00:22:48.660 about this

00:22:49.140 referendum

00:22:49.620 because a lot

00:22:50.220 of Albertans

00:22:50.700 don't know

00:22:51.080 what's happening

00:22:51.620 or don't

00:22:52.140 necessarily

00:22:52.600 know

00:22:52.980 the stakes

00:22:53.860 of it

00:22:54.120 it could

00:22:54.500 have a

00:22:55.060 very

00:22:55.240 underwhelming

00:22:55.920 turnout

00:22:56.300 or it

00:22:57.260 could fail

00:22:57.880 and I'm

00:22:58.420 curious what

00:22:59.200 the implications

00:23:00.020 of that would

00:23:00.660 be at the

00:23:01.120 risk of

00:23:01.520 putting the

00:23:02.320 cart before

00:23:02.740 the horse

00:23:03.140 if this

00:23:03.600 doesn't have

00:23:04.240 an overwhelming

00:23:04.800 showing that

00:23:05.880 is lining up

00:23:06.520 with yes

00:23:06.880 what's that

00:23:07.280 going to mean

00:23:07.680 for the

00:23:08.300 people that

00:23:08.640 have been

00:23:08.820 talking about

00:23:09.320 these issues

00:23:09.800 that you've

00:23:10.120 just brought

00:23:10.460 up

00:23:10.760 well we've

00:23:12.260 seen a lot

00:23:12.780 of left

00:23:13.800 wing academics

00:23:14.660 we've seen

00:23:15.260 a lot of

00:23:15.880 people that

00:23:17.380 believe in

00:23:17.800 big big

00:23:18.260 government

00:23:18.700 say that

00:23:19.480 this is the

00:23:19.900 opportunity to

00:23:20.620 come out

00:23:20.920 and vote

00:23:21.260 to keep

00:23:21.720 equalization

00:23:22.460 just to send

00:23:23.640 a strong

00:23:24.100 signal against

00:23:25.360 Jason Kenney

00:23:26.140 and how so

00:23:27.000 many Albertans

00:23:27.640 feel he hasn't

00:23:28.300 met expectations

00:23:29.200 but Andrew

00:23:30.060 I will say

00:23:30.620 this and I'm

00:23:31.120 so grateful

00:23:31.640 for all the

00:23:32.340 volunteers in

00:23:33.900 the third

00:23:35.060 party advertiser

00:23:35.980 that have asked

00:23:36.480 me to work

00:23:36.940 with them

00:23:37.220 vote yes

00:23:37.780 to end

00:23:38.000 equalization

00:23:38.740 Canadian

00:23:40.020 Taxpayers

00:23:40.620 Federation has 0.68

00:23:41.440 worked hard

00:23:42.020 Bill Buick

00:23:43.200 and another

00:23:44.680 PAC has worked

00:23:46.200 hard to get

00:23:46.700 the message

00:23:47.100 out

00:23:47.340 when I talk

00:23:48.140 to Albertans

00:23:48.800 they know

00:23:49.620 that this is

00:23:50.120 a crucial

00:23:50.740 first step

00:23:51.440 to increase

00:23:52.980 economic freedom

00:23:53.820 increase prosperity

00:23:54.900 for Alberta

00:23:55.820 families and

00:23:56.440 communities

00:23:56.920 and Andrew

00:23:57.580 let's not

00:23:57.920 forget it's

00:23:58.340 good for

00:23:58.640 Canada

00:23:59.000 when Alberta

00:23:59.840 is strong

00:24:00.380 you know

00:24:00.900 we pay

00:24:01.280 lots of

00:24:01.740 taxes

00:24:02.120 we provide

00:24:02.980 lots of

00:24:03.380 jobs

00:24:03.660 for all

00:24:04.080 Canadians

00:24:04.500 this is

00:24:05.460 a necessary

00:24:06.120 step

00:24:06.740 to make

00:24:07.800 Alberta

00:24:08.400 free and

00:24:08.960 prosperous

00:24:09.360 and if

00:24:10.260 Canada

00:24:10.580 wants

00:24:10.920 bring them

00:24:11.300 along

00:24:11.560 with it

00:24:11.880 one of

00:24:12.880 the things

00:24:13.180 that's

00:24:13.460 come up

00:24:13.900 in the

00:24:14.180 past

00:24:14.620 with the

00:24:15.160 Alberta

00:24:15.500 independence

00:24:16.140 discussions

00:24:16.700 and not

00:24:17.180 secession

00:24:17.660 but asserting

00:24:18.680 more independence

00:24:19.480 and autonomy

00:24:20.020 as a province

00:24:20.660 is that

00:24:21.240 there are a

00:24:21.960 number of

00:24:22.300 things that

00:24:22.700 provinces

00:24:23.100 could do

00:24:23.520 unilaterally

00:24:24.180 like launch

00:24:25.500 an Alberta

00:24:25.840 police force

00:24:26.700 launch an

00:24:27.500 Alberta

00:24:27.740 pension plan

00:24:28.500 basically

00:24:29.000 recreate

00:24:29.700 a lot

00:24:30.540 of the

00:24:30.720 Quebec

00:24:30.980 sovereignty

00:24:31.500 measures

00:24:31.980 but in

00:24:32.520 Alberta

00:24:32.940 and this

00:24:33.940 is not

00:24:34.260 something that

00:24:34.740 depends on

00:24:35.720 equalization

00:24:36.460 as directly

00:24:37.320 and I think

00:24:38.340 that these

00:24:38.700 are still

00:24:39.020 things you

00:24:39.360 agree should

00:24:39.900 be pursued

00:24:40.480 by Alberta

00:24:41.080 regardless of

00:24:41.760 what happens

00:24:42.220 on the 18th

00:24:42.900 right?

00:24:44.140 Absolutely

00:24:44.560 Alberta having

00:24:45.840 its own

00:24:46.220 pension plan

00:24:47.060 would be a

00:24:47.520 three billion

00:24:48.120 dollar net

00:24:48.740 benefit to

00:24:49.420 Albertans

00:24:50.020 so you know

00:24:51.020 seniors right

00:24:51.640 now they can't

00:24:52.200 afford to pay

00:24:52.760 their utilities

00:24:53.420 we could give

00:24:54.080 them a decent

00:24:55.340 retirement benefit

00:24:56.900 or we could

00:24:57.740 have lower

00:24:58.160 premiums for

00:24:58.920 employees and

00:24:59.600 employers

00:25:00.040 you know

00:25:00.720 either would

00:25:01.460 be good

00:25:01.860 our own

00:25:02.480 police force

00:25:03.120 I mean

00:25:03.500 god bless

00:25:04.120 the individual

00:25:04.720 RCMP officers

00:25:05.820 but they're so

00:25:06.820 overtaxed here

00:25:07.660 with rural

00:25:08.320 crime

00:25:08.740 something needs

00:25:10.120 to be changed

00:25:10.680 there

00:25:10.980 and Andrew

00:25:11.700 let's not forget

00:25:12.420 that it's almost

00:25:13.160 21 years since

00:25:14.280 the famous

00:25:14.940 Alberta agenda

00:25:15.820 letter

00:25:16.280 you know

00:25:17.260 called the

00:25:17.700 firewall letter

00:25:18.480 penned by

00:25:19.000 Stephen Harper

00:25:19.640 Ted Morton

00:25:20.380 Ken Boozencall

00:25:21.380 Andy Crooks

00:25:22.060 and others

00:25:22.480 and nothing's been

00:25:23.320 done

00:25:23.600 and it's time

00:25:24.660 to gain this

00:25:25.260 leverage with

00:25:26.080 Ottawa

00:25:26.480 that you know

00:25:28.080 we want equality

00:25:29.260 we want fairness

00:25:30.220 or we want to

00:25:31.620 look at things

00:25:32.440 differently

00:25:32.900 and yeah

00:25:33.980 absolutely

00:25:34.560 whatever the

00:25:35.320 outcome of

00:25:36.280 the vote

00:25:36.980 yes

00:25:37.280 and equalization

00:25:38.160 referendum

00:25:38.620 on October 18th

00:25:39.840 all those

00:25:40.540 Alberta agenda

00:25:41.200 items need to

00:25:41.860 be pursued

00:25:42.320 and implemented

00:25:42.880 let's talk

00:25:43.980 about equalization

00:25:44.840 specifically

00:25:45.540 because the

00:25:46.080 constitutional

00:25:46.720 amendment

00:25:47.240 being sought

00:25:47.960 would basically

00:25:49.020 take that

00:25:49.740 section out of

00:25:50.300 the constitution

00:25:50.780 that requires

00:25:51.580 equalization

00:25:52.440 constitutional

00:25:53.540 changes are

00:25:54.420 virtually impossible

00:25:55.640 in the Canadian

00:25:56.300 political system

00:25:57.400 especially because

00:25:58.220 they would require

00:25:59.200 buy-in from

00:26:00.000 provinces who

00:26:01.040 are receiving

00:26:01.620 equalization

00:26:02.580 changing the

00:26:03.660 formula could be

00:26:04.560 done by federal

00:26:05.400 cabinet

00:26:05.820 I know Maxime

00:26:06.500 Bernier has said

00:26:07.300 you know he was

00:26:08.160 in cabinet once

00:26:08.880 when they changed

00:26:09.380 the formula

00:26:09.940 within the course

00:26:10.620 of a three-hour

00:26:11.200 meeting

00:26:11.560 so that's an

00:26:12.560 easier hurdle

00:26:13.380 but that nuance

00:26:14.480 is not reflected

00:26:15.340 in the the

00:26:16.820 referendum question

00:26:17.620 so what I would

00:26:18.600 ask here is

00:26:19.500 would you settle

00:26:20.500 for a change

00:26:21.880 of the formula

00:26:22.540 that was a bit

00:26:23.100 fairer

00:26:23.600 do you think

00:26:23.960 it needs to

00:26:24.420 go entirely

00:26:25.160 I believe it

00:26:26.960 needs to go

00:26:27.500 entirely

00:26:28.060 again first of

00:26:29.980 all because I

00:26:30.780 mean any

00:26:31.200 political movement

00:26:32.120 could change it

00:26:32.980 and change it

00:26:33.460 back to you

00:26:34.240 know Alberta's

00:26:35.460 disadvantage

00:26:36.020 which again is

00:26:36.680 Canada's

00:26:37.280 disadvantage

00:26:37.900 and the fact

00:26:39.460 that the Quebec

00:26:40.260 Succession Act

00:26:41.200 the Clarity Act

00:26:42.120 of 1998

00:26:43.000 set out a

00:26:44.320 mechanism

00:26:44.840 where Alberta

00:26:45.760 has

00:26:46.300 Alberta I'm

00:26:47.120 sorry where

00:26:47.480 Ottawa has to

00:26:48.380 deal with

00:26:49.320 a strong

00:26:51.340 yes vote

00:26:51.980 to a clear

00:26:52.640 question

00:26:53.140 and the fact

00:26:54.160 that that's

00:26:54.620 leaked independence

00:26:55.400 is kind of

00:26:55.980 ironic in Quebec

00:26:57.040 in 1998

00:26:57.860 yeah no this

00:26:58.900 there's other

00:26:59.720 constitutional issues

00:27:00.840 that have to be

00:27:01.460 addressed

00:27:01.840 like the

00:27:02.940 inequity in the

00:27:03.600 Supreme Court

00:27:04.200 the inequity in

00:27:05.020 the House of

00:27:05.460 Commons 0.69

00:27:05.820 how ineffective

00:27:07.200 and useless

00:27:08.260 the Senate is

00:27:09.120 so yeah

00:27:10.440 Albertans are 0.82

00:27:11.180 telling me they

00:27:11.640 want to push

00:27:12.120 back

00:27:12.480 let's get

00:27:14.600 equalization out

00:27:15.560 of there

00:27:15.900 so we can

00:27:16.980 plan for the

00:27:17.520 future

00:27:17.840 and Alberta

00:27:18.840 can be free

00:27:19.360 and prosperous

00:27:19.840 what are

00:27:21.560 what are the

00:27:22.040 big

00:27:22.400 let me take a

00:27:23.760 step back here

00:27:24.380 and ask this a

00:27:24.980 different way

00:27:25.360 obviously I know

00:27:26.020 most small C

00:27:26.700 conservatives are

00:27:27.400 in favor of

00:27:28.660 scrapping

00:27:29.200 equalization

00:27:29.860 I also haven't

00:27:30.920 heard too too

00:27:31.460 much from

00:27:32.100 Rachel Notley

00:27:32.880 and the NDP

00:27:33.460 on this and

00:27:34.160 I'm curious if

00:27:34.960 this is a

00:27:35.980 left-right issue

00:27:36.880 or if the

00:27:37.480 battle lines are

00:27:38.360 a bit different

00:27:39.000 oh it's

00:27:41.020 absolutely a

00:27:42.040 left-right issue

00:27:42.860 the NDP

00:27:43.980 you know

00:27:44.960 believes in

00:27:45.520 big government

00:27:46.120 believes in

00:27:46.860 wealth transfer

00:27:47.640 clearly they

00:27:49.260 they believe in

00:27:50.800 as much money

00:27:52.060 coming out of

00:27:52.600 Alberta as

00:27:53.160 possible

00:27:53.620 that's why

00:27:54.620 they were so

00:27:55.080 devastating in

00:27:55.880 their four years

00:27:56.500 in government

00:27:57.000 here in Alberta

00:27:58.100 but I would

00:27:59.540 suggest that

00:28:00.340 Rachel Notley

00:28:01.280 is looking at

00:28:01.880 how low

00:28:02.700 low Jason

00:28:03.620 Kenney's

00:28:04.060 popularity is

00:28:04.880 in Alberta

00:28:05.380 when a lot

00:28:06.320 of her people

00:28:07.160 and public

00:28:08.740 servants are

00:28:09.420 saying hey

00:28:10.240 let's vote

00:28:10.800 to keep

00:28:11.380 equalization

00:28:12.020 just to send

00:28:12.600 Jason Kenney

00:28:13.280 a message

00:28:13.740 with how

00:28:14.240 disappointed

00:28:14.740 we are

00:28:15.100 that he

00:28:15.380 hasn't

00:28:15.620 met

00:28:15.780 expectations

00:28:16.420 she's

00:28:17.480 probably

00:28:17.700 just letting

00:28:18.160 that play

00:28:18.660 out

00:28:18.940 all the more

00:28:20.100 reason Andrew

00:28:20.700 that Albertans

00:28:21.820 everywhere

00:28:22.240 need to get

00:28:23.040 out and vote

00:28:23.600 yes to end

00:28:24.240 equalization

00:28:24.940 so Alberta

00:28:25.960 families and

00:28:26.560 communities can

00:28:27.340 be stronger

00:28:27.900 so Canada

00:28:28.640 can be

00:28:28.960 stronger

00:28:29.280 so how

00:28:30.900 does ending

00:28:31.580 equalization

00:28:32.240 make Canada

00:28:32.920 stronger

00:28:33.460 well first of

00:28:35.320 all right now

00:28:35.920 the equalization

00:28:37.280 formula is so

00:28:38.620 it's unclear

00:28:39.940 it's had

00:28:40.660 unintended

00:28:41.120 consequences

00:28:41.880 you know

00:28:42.560 it's clear

00:28:42.940 that some

00:28:43.340 provinces

00:28:43.820 don't develop

00:28:44.560 their resources

00:28:45.300 don't develop

00:28:46.100 their revenue

00:28:46.620 base

00:28:46.980 so they

00:28:47.700 won't affect

00:28:49.500 their ability

00:28:50.100 to collect

00:28:50.580 equalization

00:28:51.240 dollars from

00:28:51.980 Alberta

00:28:52.480 through Ottawa

00:28:53.220 so a system

00:28:55.320 where Alberta

00:28:56.800 first of all

00:28:57.780 could be stronger

00:28:58.420 so there'd be

00:28:58.800 more job

00:28:59.380 opportunities

00:29:00.020 and more wealth

00:29:00.700 created for all

00:29:01.500 Canadians

00:29:01.860 and secondly

00:29:02.780 where the other

00:29:03.260 provinces have

00:29:04.340 the ability

00:29:05.040 to develop

00:29:06.240 their resource

00:29:06.880 bases and their

00:29:07.640 revenue bases

00:29:08.300 stronger

00:29:08.800 which would be

00:29:09.760 good for all

00:29:10.880 Canadian families

00:29:12.340 and even for

00:29:13.560 public services

00:29:14.280 because it would

00:29:14.680 create a greater

00:29:15.540 tax base

00:29:16.240 equalization

00:29:17.420 has created

00:29:18.040 a dissent

00:29:18.700 to create

00:29:20.740 wealth

00:29:21.120 to create

00:29:21.580 revenue

00:29:21.980 to make

00:29:22.420 Canadian

00:29:22.840 provinces

00:29:23.320 strong

00:29:23.740 with one

00:29:24.120 we always

00:29:24.560 hear about

00:29:25.000 is New

00:29:25.600 Brunswick

00:29:25.980 and Nova Scotia

00:29:26.660 and Quebec

00:29:27.000 not developing

00:29:28.160 their shale

00:29:28.640 gas resources

00:29:29.440 so they won't

00:29:30.020 affect their 0.57

00:29:30.480 equalization

00:29:31.140 no doubt

00:29:34.380 there's other

00:29:34.920 examples of

00:29:35.960 where their

00:29:36.460 economies are

00:29:37.060 being held

00:29:37.540 back

00:29:37.840 to continue

00:29:38.660 the money

00:29:39.120 flow

00:29:39.380 from Ottawa

00:29:39.940 so

00:29:40.640 Canada

00:29:42.440 has the

00:29:43.260 people

00:29:43.720 Canada

00:29:45.500 has the

00:29:45.980 commodities

00:29:46.500 we should

00:29:48.680 be the

00:29:49.140 freest

00:29:49.540 most prosperous

00:29:50.240 place in the

00:29:50.920 world

00:29:51.200 and of course

00:29:51.960 what we're

00:29:52.320 seeing

00:29:52.660 under our

00:29:53.640 current

00:29:53.980 federal

00:29:54.880 leadership

00:29:55.400 and current

00:29:56.380 equalization

00:29:57.340 formulas

00:29:57.820 we're seeing

00:29:58.340 us slip

00:29:58.840 into the

00:30:00.240 second tier

00:30:00.940 it's

00:30:02.160 embarrassing

00:30:03.140 and it's

00:30:03.940 just a matter

00:30:04.540 of the right

00:30:04.980 policy to

00:30:05.560 change

00:30:05.820 yeah

00:30:06.720 you're very

00:30:07.440 right

00:30:07.720 and I think

00:30:08.140 this is the

00:30:08.540 one takeaway

00:30:09.220 that people

00:30:09.820 even outside

00:30:10.520 of Alberta

00:30:11.060 and outside

00:30:11.600 of the

00:30:11.840 half provinces

00:30:12.560 need to

00:30:12.940 realize here

00:30:13.520 which you've

00:30:14.260 touched on

00:30:14.820 this is not

00:30:15.500 just a rainy

00:30:16.100 day fund

00:30:16.700 to help

00:30:17.020 provinces

00:30:17.460 going through

00:30:17.920 tough times

00:30:18.480 this is a

00:30:19.460 program that

00:30:20.280 by design

00:30:21.300 breeds dependency

00:30:22.620 and it

00:30:23.540 takes away

00:30:24.120 any incentive

00:30:24.940 for a Quebec

00:30:25.640 to develop

00:30:26.760 its energy

00:30:27.260 sector

00:30:27.620 because they

00:30:28.060 can replace

00:30:28.540 that revenue

00:30:29.140 more consistently

00:30:30.260 and stably

00:30:30.860 by profiting

00:30:31.820 off of Alberta's

00:30:32.660 energy sector

00:30:33.360 particularly ironic

00:30:34.840 given that Quebec

00:30:35.580 does not want

00:30:36.680 pipelines in

00:30:37.380 Alberta oil

00:30:37.980 but they

00:30:38.460 want the 0.55

00:30:38.980 checks that

00:30:39.420 come from

00:30:39.800 Alberta being

00:30:40.300 able to sell

00:30:40.880 its resources

00:30:41.580 exactly at the

00:30:43.300 same time the

00:30:43.880 demand for

00:30:44.540 oil and gas

00:30:45.640 in the world

00:30:46.060 was increasing

00:30:46.780 particularly

00:30:47.300 before COVID

00:30:48.600 we're producing

00:30:49.760 less and Canada

00:30:50.580 is not energy

00:30:51.340 self-sufficient

00:30:52.080 my goodness

00:30:52.980 if line 5

00:30:53.880 closes

00:30:54.280 can you imagine

00:30:54.980 the effects of

00:30:55.560 that on Quebec

00:30:56.400 and Ontario

00:30:57.040 it will be

00:30:58.440 devastating

00:30:59.100 there's just

00:31:00.300 so many things

00:31:01.460 that have made

00:31:03.080 it happen

00:31:03.520 that have held

00:31:04.340 us back

00:31:04.880 to where

00:31:05.700 you know

00:31:06.200 like as an

00:31:07.280 example

00:31:07.680 Andrew

00:31:08.060 from 2004

00:31:09.360 to 2014

00:31:10.340 when Alberta

00:31:11.000 was really

00:31:11.580 really rolling

00:31:12.280 Ottawa didn't

00:31:13.220 have to put

00:31:13.720 anything into

00:31:14.360 Alberta

00:31:14.740 we were paying

00:31:15.740 lots of extra

00:31:16.420 pension

00:31:16.840 lots of extra

00:31:17.600 taxes

00:31:18.060 we were creating

00:31:19.040 jobs for all

00:31:19.840 Canadians

00:31:20.260 and Ottawa

00:31:21.700 had to pay

00:31:22.340 less unemployment

00:31:23.160 and less transfers

00:31:24.320 in here

00:31:24.600 because we were

00:31:25.180 strong

00:31:25.580 the equalization

00:31:27.520 program is based

00:31:28.500 on provinces

00:31:29.460 with different

00:31:30.040 fiscal capacity

00:31:31.120 being able to

00:31:32.440 have the same

00:31:33.040 approximate

00:31:33.600 taxation levels

00:31:34.640 so they can

00:31:35.080 have the same

00:31:35.720 quality of

00:31:36.940 services

00:31:37.380 but Andrew

00:31:38.100 what's been

00:31:38.500 happening

00:31:38.900 is now

00:31:39.440 all the fiscal

00:31:40.040 capacity

00:31:40.580 of all the

00:31:41.020 provinces

00:31:41.420 is narrowing

00:31:42.340 as Alberta

00:31:43.000 falls

00:31:43.600 as Alberta

00:31:44.480 becomes less

00:31:45.200 and less

00:31:45.560 able to

00:31:46.020 create wealth

00:31:46.680 and create

00:31:47.340 jobs for all

00:31:48.060 of Canada

00:31:48.500 we've created

00:31:49.380 a situation

00:31:50.160 that's hurting

00:31:50.820 37 million

00:31:52.240 Canadians

00:31:52.780 never mind

00:31:53.280 the 4.4

00:31:54.060 million Albertans

00:31:54.920 so let's all

00:31:55.900 vote yes

00:31:56.480 to end it

00:31:57.060 and let's

00:31:58.060 decide the

00:31:59.040 strengths of

00:31:59.600 this confederation

00:32:00.560 and let's

00:32:01.640 work hard

00:32:02.560 for more

00:32:02.900 economic

00:32:03.300 freedom

00:32:03.640 the equalization

00:32:05.160 referendum

00:32:05.820 in Alberta

00:32:06.260 coming up

00:32:06.740 on October

00:32:07.260 18th

00:32:07.960 and just to

00:32:08.840 be extra

00:32:09.640 clear and

00:32:10.140 crystal clear

00:32:10.660 here Drew

00:32:11.120 the good

00:32:11.960 vote is

00:32:12.580 the yes

00:32:12.920 vote

00:32:13.220 the good

00:32:14.180 vote is

00:32:14.560 a yes

00:32:14.940 vote

00:32:15.260 vote yes

00:32:16.280 to end

00:32:16.640 equalization

00:32:17.420 take it

00:32:17.960 out of 36

00:32:18.680 subsection 2

00:32:19.540 of the

00:32:19.800 constitution

00:32:20.400 thank you

00:32:21.060 Andrew

00:32:21.240 yeah so

00:32:21.820 if someone

00:32:22.100 tells me

00:32:22.540 after I

00:32:23.000 voted no

00:32:23.440 to equalization

00:32:24.220 I mean

00:32:24.480 okay no

00:32:25.000 no you

00:32:25.320 mean yes

00:32:26.040 right

00:32:26.340 so always

00:32:27.740 have to be

00:32:28.160 concerned when

00:32:28.700 you're in

00:32:29.140 the negative

00:32:29.500 and the

00:32:29.760 affirmative

00:32:30.060 on these

00:32:30.460 things

00:32:30.680 Cypress

00:32:31.080 Medicine

00:32:31.520 Hat

00:32:31.740 MLA

00:32:32.160 Drew

00:32:32.400 Barnes

00:32:32.700 always a

00:32:33.380 pleasure

00:32:33.580 Drew

00:32:33.800 thanks for

00:32:34.180 coming on

00:32:34.680 thank you

00:32:35.660 very much

00:32:35.960 have a good

00:32:36.260 day

00:32:36.440 that does

00:32:37.660 it for

00:32:38.080 me

00:32:38.500 for today

00:32:39.220 we'll be

00:32:39.520 back tomorrow

00:32:40.080 with more

00:32:40.480 of Canada's

00:32:41.220 most irreverent

00:32:42.060 talk show

00:32:42.520 here on

00:32:43.360 True North

00:32:43.720 this is the

00:32:44.200 Andrew

00:32:44.400 Lawton

00:32:44.660 show

00:32:44.860 thank you

00:32:45.320 god bless

00:32:45.840 and good

00:32:46.360 day to

00:32:46.640 you all

00:32:46.960 thanks for

00:32:47.960 listening to

00:32:48.440 the Andrew

00:32:48.840 Lawton

00:32:49.140 show

00:32:49.440 support the

00:32:50.180 program by

00:32:50.720 donating to

00:32:51.300 True North

00:32:51.720 at

00:32:51.980 www.tnc.news

00:32:54.900 lawton

00:32:57.800 you

00:33:06.520 you

00:33:07.920 and

00:33:08.360 you

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00:33:09.460 you

Juno News - October 08, 2021

Trudeau's vaccine mandate is about control, not health

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