Juno News - UCP members could OUST Danielle Smith

00:00:00.000 United Conservative Party members will have an opportunity to oust Alberta Premier Daniel Smith at the party's upcoming annual meeting.

00:00:07.960 The party's upcoming annual general meeting on November 1st and 2nd will include a scheduled vote on Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's leadership performance, as well as governance and policy resolutions.

00:00:19.760 I'm Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.

00:00:30.000 I'm happy to be back on the show with you all this week, but I'll be even happier to see you in person very shortly, and I hope you feel the same way.

00:00:39.600 Sorry if you think I look like death, but I am very sick right now, so I'm going to do my best to get through this show.

00:00:46.780 But for those who haven't heard, I will be speaking at True North Nation in Calgary on October 26th, alongside Alberta Premier Daniel Smith, author Andrew Lawton, and my colleague and former host of the Alberta Roundup, Rachel Parker, along with other True North colleagues.

00:01:01.760 I'm hoping that as fans of the show who eagerly await its release each week, you are also equally excited for this upcoming event.

00:01:08.520 During the conference, I'm going to be going through a top 10 list of the worst and craziest ideas from left-wing leaders these past few years.

00:01:15.480 I asked you guys for some ideas last week, but I didn't get much luck, and I'm hoping that now that we're closer, you can help me out more.

00:01:23.660 I have a list, but it's certainly not all-encompassing, and I'm sure that there are definitely some ideas that I'm still missing, so hopefully this week you'll be able to comment below some terrible left-wing ideas in Alberta over the last few years that I may have missed.

00:01:36.600 You can buy tickets to the conference at truenorthevents.ca, and I can't wait to see you all there.

00:01:41.600 But now, let's get back into the UCP's upcoming AGM, which will feature Danielle Smith's leadership review.

00:01:48.440 This will be the first review Smith has faced since she became leader in 2022.

00:01:53.940 For members to be eligible to vote in the leadership review, they must have been party members since at least October 11, 2024, register for the AGM, and attend in person.

00:02:03.900 Former Premier Jason Kenney resigned after receiving only 51.4% approval in the last review, despite surpassing the 50% approval threshold required to avoid a leadership election.

00:02:16.120 Following the leadership review results, Kenney said, quote,

00:02:18.800 Many of the other candidates who were runner-ups in the leadership review are well-known Alberta ministers like Travis Taves, Brian Jean, Rebecca Schultz, and Todd Lowen.

00:02:41.120 But the AGM will feature more than just a leadership review. A total of 35 policy resolutions have been put forward by UCP members this year.

00:02:50.180 A few proposed policies involve eliminating DEI within Alberta Public Service and Crown corporations and ensuring that hiring practices are based on merit alone.

00:02:59.960 Another policy calls to protect female-only spaces and categories from transgender intrusion. 0.96

00:03:05.360 Smith has already promised upcoming amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights, some of which will strengthen parental rights.

00:03:11.680 However, one of the policies takes it a step further and calls for the provincial government to implement a Bill of Parental Rights to ensure that parents' rights precede government legislation.

00:03:21.700 Some of her other proposed amendments address points called for in some resolutions.

00:03:26.140 Another resolution calls for Alberta to, quote,

00:03:34.460 One resolution calls on the provincial government to support any efforts to, quote, axe the tax, including supporting the federal conservatives' movement.

00:03:56.860 Alberta should follow Quebec's lead when it comes to provincial autonomy, according to another proposed resolution,

00:04:02.660 which calls for Alberta to negotiate an accord with the federal government to grant the province more control over immigration.

00:04:09.020 It reads, quote,

00:04:10.080 One resolution calls on Alberta to continue disting itself from the liberals in as many ways as possible.

00:04:38.460 It reads, quote,

00:04:39.980 Any policy that is implemented outside of Alberta that impedes good management and government on behalf of Albertans should be challenged at a constitutional level.

00:04:48.680 Another resolution calls on the government of Alberta to live up to one of its key campaign promises.

00:04:53.860 Implemented 8% personal income tax bracket for middle-income Albertans and restore the provincial tax rate of 10% as the highest personal income tax bracket, reads the resolution.

00:05:04.460 The tax break would apparently save over $1,500 per family, according to the resolution.

00:05:09.640 Party policy resolutions are, of course, non-binding, meaning the UCP government would not be required to act on the policy if it passes,

00:05:16.780 nor would they be required to pass something that did not garner majority support.

00:05:22.000 Me and Rachel Parker and some of the rest of the True North team will be at the AGM,

00:05:27.500 so if any of you guys are planning to go, I look forward to seeing you there as well as our upcoming True North conference on the 26th.

00:05:34.580 Sticking with Alberta politics for our next story,

00:05:37.100 the Alberta government is launching a nationwide advertising campaign to warn Canadians about the consequences of a federal cap on the oil and gas sector.

00:05:44.980 Smith said that $7 million would be spent on the ad campaign, which includes TV, online, video, print, and social media.

00:05:53.100 The ads won't only reach Alberta, but will also be aired in British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia until the end of November.

00:06:01.420 Alberta's strategy cites three previous reports in its press release highlighting the economic damage the proposed cap would inflict on the Canadian economy.

00:06:09.320 I've previously covered all three of those reports at True North.

00:06:12.700 The Conference Board of Canada's report estimated that the cap would reduce Canada's GDP by up to $1 trillion between 2030 and 2040

00:06:21.400 and lead to the loss of 151,000 jobs by 2030.

00:06:25.920 An S&P study showed that if implemented, the cap would cut production by 2 million barrels of oil daily,

00:06:32.000 resulting in a projected 51,000 lost jobs and $247 billion in lost GDP by 2035.

00:06:38.980 Similarly, a Deloitte Canada report indicated that the emissions cap would cause Alberta's GDP to fall by 4.5% by 2040,

00:06:47.260 while the rest of the countries would see a 0.4% decline.

00:06:51.360 The three reports I just mentioned prompted Alberta to send a 24-page response to the federal government's draft regulatory framework

00:06:59.100 to cap oil and gas sector greenhouse gas emissions.

00:07:02.000 We already know that Canada is suffering from a production standpoint.

00:07:06.820 Smith said that while the Liberals say they're cutting emissions,

00:07:09.760 their true intention is to cut production and, as a consequence, decimate jobs and revenues countrywide.

00:07:16.360 She added that Alberta's oil and gas industry provides tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in federal revenues

00:07:22.820 to fund critical programs, services, and infrastructure.

00:07:26.400 Smith said, quote,

00:07:28.040 Alberta's Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz said that the province is already leading the country in terms of emissions reductions.

00:07:42.140 Emissions intensity per barrel has fallen 23%, which Schultz said can be doubled within the next few years.

00:07:48.860 Additionally, she said that the methane emissions reduction target of 45% was hit three years ahead of schedule.

00:07:55.400 She said, quote,

00:07:57.560 Just like Stephen Guibault knows that capping our production does not lower global emissions,

00:08:01.780 it simply increases how much coal and other higher polluting energy is consumed from less clean jurisdictions around the world.

00:08:09.280 Ironically, she said that the Liberals have missed every emissions target they've set in the last nine years.

00:08:15.180 Smith and Schultz confirmed that this new ad campaign is a follow-up to the initial Tell the Feds campaign,

00:08:20.600 which warned Canadians about the Liberals' clean electricity regulations.

00:08:24.600 Following the campaign, the Canada Electricity Advisory Council released a final report,

00:08:29.800 concluding that the Liberals' 2035 net zero grid goal was, quote,

00:08:33.880 unrealistic and unattainable.

00:08:36.300 Smith warned that the Liberals are dangerous right now because the last few months of a government's life

00:08:40.860 is when they're most volatile if they don't see a path to re-election.

00:08:44.820 She added that COP29 is coming up in Baku, where she expects devastating unilateral announcements,

00:08:50.600 like this very announcement that came from COP28.

00:08:53.940 After the latter, Smith called Environment Minister Stephen Guibault a, quote,

00:08:58.060 national embarrassment.

00:09:00.200 Smith said, quote,

00:09:01.380 So that's the reason why we would do it now.

00:09:03.980 I think there's a real danger that we're going to see some ridiculous policies announced in Baku in the coming weeks.

00:09:09.580 Alberta's Energy Minister, Brian Jean, said that,

00:09:12.240 with the province's feats in reducing emissions, there was no reason to impose a cap that negatively affects the entire country.

00:09:19.540 If the federal government proceeds, Jean said, Alberta would take them to court.

00:09:24.900 He said, quote,

00:09:25.800 They've had two defeats, and this is certainly going to be a third.

00:09:29.760 Moving on to our next story, which sticks with the theme of Alberta versus the federal government.

00:09:34.780 The Alberta government has warned that the newly enacted Liberal PharmaCare scheme will result in needless costs and may infringe on the province's jurisdiction.

00:09:44.640 Alberta Minister of Health Adriana Lagrange issued a statement on the passing of the PharmaCare Law, Bill C-64, on Friday.

00:09:52.720 She said, quote,

00:09:53.600 She added that the province intends to maintain its current benefit offerings.

00:10:21.160 The Liberals can assist them in doing so, but should not waste their time duplicating programs or creating unnecessary and costly administrative burdens.

00:10:29.920 It's the same old story of the federal government unilaterally passing legislation without consulting the provinces.

00:10:36.220 Schultz said, quote,

00:10:37.160 Without meaningful consultation and true collaboration, Alberta will continue to call on the federal government to provide predictable, sustainable, and unconditional health funding that aligns with provincial and territorial priorities.

00:10:50.380 And respects our exclusive jurisdiction over the planning, organization, and management of our health care systems.

00:10:57.580 As mentioned, the first phase of Canada's PharmaCare legislation covers diabetes and contraception medications.

00:11:04.600 Alberta announced its intent to opt out of the National PharmaCare Program in February 2024, saying that the province was not consulted.

00:11:12.420 Quebec has also previously signaled its intent to opt out of the federal PharmaCare Program, arguing that health care is within its provincial jurisdiction.

00:11:19.480 Quebec has the longest list of drugs covered by a public insurance plan, yet private plans still cover 59.6% of more medications than the public option.

00:11:29.180 The Liberals' 2024 budget proposed dedicating $1.5 billion over five years to develop the PharmaCare Act.

00:11:36.480 However, between 2024 and 2027, the parliamentary budget officer calculated that the total drug expenditure under PharmaCare would cost between $33.2 billion and $38.9 billion annually, totaling $143.9 billion in the four years.

00:11:54.980 The total incremental cost to the public sector would be between $11.2 billion and $13.4 billion annually, totaling $49.1 billion for the first four years.

00:12:05.600 Look, that's a lot of debt that Canada simply can't afford.

00:12:10.100 We'll remember that Trudeau officially doubled Canada's debt on August 30th, meaning he spent more himself than every other prime minister before him combined, bringing in the debt from $616 billion when he took office to $1.232 trillion on August 30th.

00:12:27.800 The Liberals said in a press release on Thursday that PharmaCare will help 3.7 million people in Canada living with diabetes have universal access to various medications that improve their way of life.

00:12:38.640 However, a previous study conducted by the Montreal Economic Institute showed that 21.5 million Canadians will have their coverage jeopardized by PharmaCare.

00:12:48.340 The study also showed that Canadians with private insurance obtain drugs within 226 days compared to the 732 days it takes for those same drugs to be covered by public insurance.

00:13:00.400 The study also showed that while public plans across the country covered 54,954 unique drugs between 2018 and 2021, private plans covered 84,529.

00:13:11.740 A previous poll showed that the majority of Canadians don't think PharmaCare should be a priority, but that the government should focus on wait times and other pressing concerns within the healthcare system.

00:13:22.700 Canada's healthcare system has already experienced record wait times, and it was recently uncovered that the system will need $2 trillion to deal with the country's aging population.

00:13:32.780 Now moving on to a different story, which covers something that we've covered quite extensively at True North, food banks.

00:13:38.380 So as Calgarians prepared for Thanksgiving this year, the number of Calgary households relying on food banks more than doubled since two years ago.

00:13:48.300 This doubling was confirmed by Melissa Frum, president and CEO of Calgary Food Bank.

00:13:54.700 She said that now more than 750 households are relying on using the food bank every single day.

00:14:01.340 The most concerning part about this doubling is that it's working class people who are now turning towards food banks.

00:14:08.380 And Frum said that this is always a last resort.

00:14:12.560 So using food banks follows using coupons, pinching pennies, going without meals, and people even turning off their electricity before they turn to their last resort, which of course is food banks.

00:14:23.740 A previous study highlighted that food bank usage had been reaching unprecedented levels across Canada.

00:14:30.100 Demand surged 30% nationwide last year, with some regions experiencing even sharper increases.

00:14:36.820 However, it's even worse in some locations.

00:14:39.980 In British Columbia, for example, food bank visits rose by 57% since 2019, climbing over 100% in rural areas with populations under 10,000.

00:14:49.740 Stéphane Ciroir, executive director of Food Bank Depot Alimentaire in New Brunswick, previously told me that the system was, quote, close to a breaking point.

00:15:02.020 He, too, said that working class people were visiting food banks, often for the first time, but not the last.

00:15:07.980 Stéphane Ciroir said, quote,

00:15:10.540 We're not seeing any signs of reversing the trend in the near future.

00:15:14.500 In the next couple of years, numerous Canadians will have to renew their mortgage at a much higher interest rate.

00:15:20.060 This will put even more families over the edge and make them vulnerable to food insecurity.

00:15:24.940 Dan Huang Taylor, executive director of Food Banks BC, told me that more people were turning toward food banks in BC than seen in the 40-year history of operation.

00:15:34.080 He said, quote,

00:15:35.960 We're seeing this alarming trend of people who are working full-time, maybe two jobs, and they're still not able to make ends meet.

00:15:43.960 The sharp rise in food bank visits can be partially attributed to higher food prices and rising costs of everything else.

00:15:50.260 A Dalhousie University research study showed that 84.1% of its 3,000 survey respondents noted that their food expenses had increased in the last year,

00:16:02.600 adding that they had to adjust their shopping habits to adapt to the rising costs.

00:16:06.760 While official reports estimate food inflation between 2.4% and 3.4%,

00:16:11.080 the study said that 54.5% of Canadians believe food inflation to be higher than government estimates.

00:16:17.780 Things became so bad in Canada that a church from the United States stepped in and previously donated $2 million to a Toronto food bank.

00:16:26.160 And the $2 million was a saving grace considering the number of monthly visits skyrocketed from 65,000 to over 350,000 since 2020.

00:16:35.880 Calgary's non-profits are ramping up efforts to meet the growing need.

00:16:39.560 Meals on Wheels has surpassed 1 million meals delivered this year and is preparing to distribute another 400,000 by the end of 2024.

00:16:46.440 The CEO of Meals on Wheels, Esther Elder, said it's the third time in three years that the number of meals has exceeded 1 million.

00:16:54.160 The organization plans to boost production by 180,000 meals annually with new equipment.

00:17:00.320 The surge in food bank dependency is not unique to Alberta.

00:17:03.840 Nearly 20% of Canadians now know someone who relies on a food bank.

00:17:08.080 National food insecurity rates reached 22.9% according to Foodbanks Canada's 2024 Poverty Report Card, which gave the country a D- overall.

00:17:18.540 The report cited rapid population growth, high interest rates, and housing shortages as contributing factors to the crisis.

00:17:25.880 True North previously reported that international students in Canada were filming themselves visiting food banks to get free food to save money.

00:17:33.200 Canada's rent growth recently hit a three-year low due to international student enrollments plummeting.

00:17:38.780 Maybe food banks will follow.

00:17:40.520 I don't know if I'll have time to put this on the show, but just a quick hockey update on the Alberta teams.

00:17:46.660 The Oilers won Thursday night, which was a great game, probably their best they've played so far.

00:17:50.880 So I think they're 2-3 now.

00:17:52.480 And of course, Calgary is somehow undefeated.

00:17:55.140 It was predicted that they'd be like a bottom five team in the league, but now they're like, well, based on the record, they're obviously the best team in the league because they're undefeated.

00:18:05.340 So they're among the best, tied for the best.

00:18:07.540 So I don't know what's going on in the NHL.

00:18:11.840 The Oilers can't seem to start the season off with any sense of urgency, heart, or it doesn't even look like they want to be there.

00:18:19.660 So thank God they're being paid millions of dollars to not show up to their jobs.

00:18:25.500 Unlike me, doing the Alberta Roundup when I'm extremely sick, as you can see, and I look terrible, but it's okay.

00:18:31.520 We're getting through it slowly but surely.

00:18:34.340 Now hopping into the comment roundup.

00:18:36.560 Again, please, please, please comment ideas this week for crazy things that left-wing leaders have done in Alberta over the last few years.

00:18:47.180 I'm supposed to already have my list in, sorry, my whole script and my presentation, PowerPoint, everything in, which obviously I don't have.

00:18:55.340 I have a list, but that's about it.

00:18:58.960 This sickness has set me back quite a bit, so hopefully I can finish that list and script and everything today.

00:19:05.280 But I certainly can change it afterwards if there are some good ideas you guys provide that I've missed, and I certainly think I have missed something.

00:19:13.000 But hopping into the comment roundup from last week, the first comment I'll go with was from Dovly2024-YQ4YY.

00:19:22.640 They said,

00:19:24.640 Yeah, Dovly, yeah.

00:19:54.040 I really agreed with this comment.

00:19:55.860 I mean, I can't think of anyone in the real world, even coming back to professional hockey, professional athletes, if they were in some sort of controversy.

00:20:03.140 We've seen them get punished before it was even proven, by the way.

00:20:07.160 They've just, like, they're suspended without pay from their team until their allegations are not proven.

00:20:13.500 So I don't know why the government has this special protection where it seems like they can do anything, break the law even, and get away with it scot-free.

00:20:23.060 I guess it comes down to rules for thee, but not for me.

00:20:26.060 The next comment will be two comments that I chose because they really made me think.

00:20:32.320 Obviously, we're talking about that class action last week, which is still ongoing.

00:20:35.800 So the first comment from Kathy8395 said,

00:20:38.560 I hope there is a successful class action suit, and yes, I am Albertan and understand I will have to pay.

00:20:45.780 But so will all the people that supported the lockdowns.

00:20:48.320 I also want to see a clear message sent to our government that this was unacceptable.

00:20:53.560 And then the next comment was from 69123.

00:20:56.800 They said,

00:20:58.680 The point, I think, would be to set a legal precedent.

00:21:01.880 Yes, it will cost us money, but this will also protect future generations from government overreach.

00:21:06.940 We should not practice boomer ideology, which passed on issues and debt to the future generations. 1.00

00:21:11.980 We are all hurting because of that.

00:21:13.800 The principle is always more important than the money.

00:21:16.500 I really like that quote at the end there from you.

00:21:19.660 You said the principle is more important than the money.

00:21:21.640 And both these comments got me thinking, obviously, because I'm an Albertan taxpayer,

00:21:26.000 and I was questioning how I felt about the class action last week,

00:21:30.860 given that I would be a part of the people paying it out, which are the Albertan taxpayers.

00:21:35.420 But you're right, that in sending this message that this is not acceptable,

00:21:40.020 I think is more important, and especially how that will last in history or in the future, I should say.

00:21:48.100 Yeah, so it's interesting.

00:21:50.860 I read through your guys' comments each week, and they help develop my own thoughts.

00:21:57.220 And then the last comment from Gary Leon Hart, 4925, who said,

00:22:01.820 There was no heated exchange.

00:22:03.480 Jennifer was calm, cool, and collected.

00:22:05.480 She showed total control.

00:22:07.380 Yeah, I definitely agree with you.

00:22:08.600 I think Jennifer Johnson definitely showed absolute control. 1.00

00:22:12.220 I don't know that I would have been able to stay that reserved in the meeting. 0.93

00:22:16.980 I would have certainly called the transgender person, what was her name, Victoria, out on her hypocrisy. 1.00

00:22:25.340 I would say, look, you're really, to even be in this meeting with you, I have to agree to your set of authoritarian rules. 0.90

00:22:31.860 Yeah, that's not how the world works, and I'm not doing that.

00:22:34.920 And if you can't respect me, why the hell would I respect you?

00:22:38.220 Okay, now getting into the outro, we somehow got through this episode despite my sickness.

00:22:46.480 I have to submit this in like 30 minutes, so I don't know how I'm going to manage that, but whatever.

00:22:54.040 Because I do have to do some editing.

00:22:55.600 Anyways, I'd like to thank everybody for staying tuned throughout the entirety of this Alberta Roundup.

00:23:00.780 As I said before, it's one of my greatest pleasures and honors to be able to host the show for you all.

00:23:05.340 And once again, a reminder that I will be speaking at True North Nation in Calgary on October 26th alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, author Andrew Lawton, and my colleague and former host of the Alberta Roundup, Rachel Parker, among other True North colleagues.

00:23:20.300 So during the show, I'll be going through a top 10 list of the worst and craziest ideas from Alberta left-wing leaders these past few years.

00:23:26.900 Again, please comment any of your ideas and buy tickets to the show to see if your idea made the list.

00:23:33.000 You can buy tickets at truenorthevents.ca.

00:23:37.440 Like I said, I have a pretty decent sized list, but I know there are some things that I'm missing, and I'm hoping that some of your comments can be about these crazy leftist ideas or quotes, although I understand that's hard when we talk about so many compelling stories on this show.

00:23:51.000 As for the conference, I'll be speaking around 9.35am, and I can't wait to see you guys all there.

00:23:56.080 Thank you so much, God bless, and have a great week.

00:24:03.000 Thank you so much, God bless.

Juno News - October 19, 2024

UCP members could OUST Danielle Smith

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