Juno News - October 08, 2021


Trudeau's vaccine mandate is about control, not health


Episode Stats

Length

33 minutes

Words per Minute

177.2704

Word Count

5,880

Sentence Count

172

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

8


Summary


Transcript

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,
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
00:33:09.000 you
00:33:09.460 you