Juno News - April 08, 2024


Western provinces are taking a stand for gun owners


Episode Stats

Length

34 minutes

Words per Minute

182.41476

Word Count

6,347

Sentence Count

380

Hate Speech Sentences

3


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Welcome to Canada's Most Irreverent Talk Show.
00:00:05.080 This is The Andrew Lawton Show, brought to you by True North.
00:00:12.100 Hello and welcome to you all, Canada's Most Irreverent Talk Show here,
00:00:16.700 The Andrew Lawton Show on True North on this Monday, April 8th, 2024.
00:00:21.940 I will just warn you right up front, because I'm worried that there will be some big calamitous thing
00:00:27.100 that takes place Monday morning, and this show will be dated.
00:00:30.540 This is the exception to the rule. This show is actually pre-recorded.
00:00:33.740 I am on my way right now. Well, actually, I'm in Ottawa.
00:00:36.720 I had to tend to something that I will give you an update on tomorrow,
00:00:40.960 but like tomorrow for you, not tomorrow for me.
00:00:43.040 See, this is why we don't pre-tape. It just gets so confusing.
00:00:45.360 But we are pre-taping the show today, and I'll tell you all about it later this week.
00:00:50.020 But I did want to follow up on a discussion we had on a previous episode
00:00:54.860 that was really interesting, and it was about Saskatchewan
00:00:58.320 and what that province is doing to stand up for the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
00:01:03.860 I spoke about this in broad strokes and kind of the national picture
00:01:06.860 with Rod Giltaka from the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights.
00:01:10.940 But I thought there was enough going on there with the Saskatchewan government
00:01:14.420 expanding the Firearms Office there and really taking advantage
00:01:18.880 of some of the tools it has in its toolkit as a province
00:01:22.360 to really give the federal government a run for its money,
00:01:26.320 money that the federal government is spending a lot of to do very little,
00:01:30.160 in fact, nothing that will enhance or uphold public safety.
00:01:33.980 So with that, I wanted to welcome into the show Murray Cowan,
00:01:37.440 who is the new Chief Firearms Officer of Saskatchewan,
00:01:40.440 and Robert Freeberg, who had the role up until just a couple of weeks back
00:01:44.440 and has now taken on a new position as the Firearms Commissioner of Saskatchewan.
00:01:49.840 Murray, Robert, good to talk to you both.
00:01:51.260 Well, thanks so much for coming on today.
00:01:52.940 Thanks, Andrew. I'm really glad to be here.
00:01:54.940 Thanks for having us on your program.
00:01:56.860 So let me just first start with you, Murray.
00:01:59.460 In terms of understanding this, for people in the country who aren't firearms owners
00:02:03.560 or even who are but haven't navigated the system as much,
00:02:07.760 what is your role as you envision it?
00:02:10.080 What is this supposed to be?
00:02:11.680 Sure, sure.
00:02:12.320 And as you know, Andrew, it's a brand-new role,
00:02:15.420 so I'm still getting comfortable and learning the ins and outs of everything I'll actually be doing.
00:02:22.880 But primarily, I'm taking some of the workload off of Bob here,
00:02:28.620 and we talked about this quite a bit as I came into the organization,
00:02:34.100 but he was basically wearing two hats,
00:02:36.700 and I couldn't believe how hard he was working to develop this program
00:02:41.600 and to develop the firearms office here in Saskatchewan.
00:02:44.540 So basically what I'm going to be looking at in general is taking over the operational side
00:02:50.820 and kind of providing oversight to the firearms program
00:02:54.900 and looking after the new ballistics lab that we're developing, you know,
00:03:01.340 once it's up and running, and, yeah, just providing general oversight.
00:03:06.480 So, and Bob can probably explain a little more in detail
00:03:09.500 because he's got a better understanding about Salouette,
00:03:11.540 but, yeah, there's different branches of our firearms office now
00:03:15.320 which will focus more for me on the operational side.
00:03:19.740 Yeah, and Anne, I will go to you, Bob, because you obviously had this role previously,
00:03:22.700 and now you're shifting in as part of this expansion to the commissioner role,
00:03:26.840 which is one that's certainly not as familiar to me.
00:03:28.940 What's that, and how do you fit into this landscape now?
00:03:31.920 Well, that's a great question,
00:03:32.940 and the reason the commissioner role came about for a couple of reasons, Andrew,
00:03:37.220 is that we started off just taking over the duties of a chief firearms office
00:03:42.960 which was called opting yen,
00:03:44.700 which is a term that's used across Canada with provinces
00:03:48.660 that decide that they want to appoint their own CFO
00:03:51.640 to administer the firearms program under direction from CFP.
00:03:57.420 We started off in that direction back when they hired me in August of 2020.
00:04:01.320 It was appointed as the CFO in September of 2021,
00:04:05.480 but what we've discovered in getting into the role of round firearms
00:04:10.300 is that there was a lot more needed.
00:04:12.780 Of course, there's advocacy, there's education,
00:04:15.520 but there was also a need from our law enforcement partners
00:04:18.680 to establish, for example, a ballistics lab,
00:04:22.120 also work within a framework of provincial regulations,
00:04:24.960 and the provincial regulations really are mirroring some of the federal regulations
00:04:31.020 or legislation, I should really say, properly.
00:04:34.660 But what we've done is for the administrative expense errors,
00:04:38.320 like some are forgetting to renew their PAL
00:04:40.980 or not recognizing that their firearm is now prohibited
00:04:44.180 because they haven't yet sent any documentation,
00:04:45.940 we've created some offenses out of the province
00:04:48.720 that allows us to deal with those outside of that laying a criminal conviction.
00:04:53.380 So with that, we've developed the SAS Firearms Office,
00:04:57.100 and under that we've developed the pillars like the ballistics lab,
00:05:00.540 the chief firearms officer's lab, our client services unit,
00:05:03.960 and of course our lawyers that work within our legal unit.
00:05:07.360 So when we did that, we came up with the Saskatchewan Farms Act
00:05:11.340 back in April of last year,
00:05:14.100 they put into place a role of a commissioner
00:05:17.060 because really a CFO traditionally isn't dealing with a lot of those issues.
00:05:21.940 So what we've done now with creating a separate ministry or secretariat,
00:05:26.360 as it's defined under legal provincial legislation,
00:05:30.460 what we've done is now they've assigned me as the commissioner.
00:05:33.380 So my duty is just to look from a top-down approach
00:05:36.500 as to what we can do around advocacy,
00:05:38.840 what we can do around supporting the police agencies,
00:05:42.480 what we can do around our legal framework
00:05:46.140 with assisting law enforcement in a number of ways.
00:05:50.600 And of course, the main thing is getting out
00:05:52.760 and spending time with our stakeholders.
00:05:54.840 So this new division of power or division of authority
00:06:00.540 gives me a bit more flexibility to do that,
00:06:03.700 and we can put some of the operational work
00:06:05.640 onto Murray's desk to look after.
00:06:08.980 Well, when you talk about engaging with stakeholders,
00:06:11.200 that's so key.
00:06:12.280 I mean, I'm a firearms owner.
00:06:13.480 I know there are a lot of gun owners that watch and listen to this show,
00:06:16.240 and they feel that certainly at the federal level,
00:06:18.860 they're the ones that are left dealing with the consequences
00:06:21.420 of regulations and legislation,
00:06:22.960 but they don't actually have any real role
00:06:25.700 in advising the government or any meaningful role in that.
00:06:28.720 And I know that, you know, Murray, you're a career police officer,
00:06:32.440 you're a police chief, you understand this,
00:06:34.200 that you've got this set of laws that, you know,
00:06:37.140 gun owners are the only ones following and obeying
00:06:40.380 that are not doing anything about the people
00:06:42.400 that are being arrested in downtown Toronto
00:06:44.120 with an illegal handgun.
00:06:45.220 Sure, sure, Andrew, 100%.
00:06:48.080 You know, our goal here and my goal is certainly
00:06:51.780 to focus on the public safety aspect,
00:06:54.680 but my role is also to support legal and lawful,
00:06:59.360 law-abiding gun owners across the country.
00:07:02.160 And, you know, I may sound like a broken record when I say that,
00:07:05.980 but, you know, lots of folks and the vast majority of gun owners
00:07:11.100 in this country are licensed, vetted, and legal and law-abiding.
00:07:16.960 And, you know, and as you know, we see it as,
00:07:20.540 or I see it as, you know, they're not the problem primarily,
00:07:24.360 but it's the illegal guns, it's the criminals and the folks
00:07:28.980 that aren't going to follow the laws regardless.
00:07:31.900 And, you know, that's part of our work here
00:07:34.620 at the firearms office as well is to, you know,
00:07:38.140 focus on the criminal side of it
00:07:40.700 and work with our policing partners
00:07:43.120 as Rob, or Bob, sorry, already alluded to.
00:07:48.500 Well, you mentioned earlier the ballistics lab.
00:07:51.100 I don't know which of you is best positioned to speak to this,
00:07:53.740 but I actually find this to be tremendously important
00:07:55.740 because I've had trouble as a journalist
00:07:57.740 getting really solid data
00:07:59.840 on where the guns that are used in crime have come from.
00:08:04.260 There seems to be this patchwork across the country.
00:08:06.720 You get some statistics from CBSA
00:08:09.600 and American border officials.
00:08:11.320 You get some from some local police officers.
00:08:13.960 You know, most of it tends to support this idea
00:08:16.060 that the guns used in crime are, by and large,
00:08:18.580 smuggled in across the border.
00:08:19.940 But tracing the origins of guns used in crime,
00:08:23.000 is that not a big part of what this lab will be able to do?
00:08:26.100 Yeah, and I'll speak to that question
00:08:27.840 because I've been involved on that.
00:08:29.600 So we've now put an exec director
00:08:31.500 who comes from the RCMP
00:08:33.380 and comes with a vast experience as an ident person
00:08:36.640 and running the DNA repository in the province and so forth.
00:08:40.580 But one of the goals of the program
00:08:42.720 is to, of course, trace firearms,
00:08:46.440 get the serial numbers off of firearms
00:08:49.320 that have been obliterated
00:08:50.960 using various scientific techniques
00:08:52.940 so we can find out where they're coming from.
00:08:55.200 And to your point, I mean, a lot of these firearms,
00:08:57.900 you know, are not coming from lawful gun owners.
00:08:59.740 They're locking them up and have security systems in their house.
00:09:03.120 Now, granted, there is long guns
00:09:04.480 that have been getting stolen
00:09:05.740 and chopped down and made into modified, prohibited firearms.
00:09:10.520 And we've been doing a big education program around that
00:09:13.100 in Saskatchewan with billboards and advertising and radio
00:09:16.280 saying, you know, secure firearms, safe for communities.
00:09:19.780 We've also spent a lot of time in education
00:09:21.720 going out to gun shows and home shows and other people,
00:09:25.060 you know, reiterating the message
00:09:26.560 that as responsible gun owners,
00:09:28.440 we need to remain vigilant
00:09:29.840 and locking up our firearms.
00:09:31.680 But getting back to the lab question,
00:09:34.000 obviously, yes, the tracing's a big deal.
00:09:37.260 Looking at the brass casings
00:09:38.720 and seeing if they could be tied to a firearm.
00:09:41.040 So you have a crime scene where there's casings.
00:09:43.660 You're, you know, you're entering that into a database.
00:09:45.960 You're finding a gun on the, you know, in the,
00:09:49.120 you know, from a criminal,
00:09:50.040 maybe on a roadside stop or some other arrest.
00:09:52.440 And now you're able to tie that firearm back to that incident.
00:09:56.580 And it gives you a lot more information
00:09:57.940 as to where it came from, how it was tied to a crime.
00:10:00.700 It may be come from Toronto.
00:10:02.260 It could have come from Vancouver.
00:10:04.120 It might have come from Alberta.
00:10:05.660 It might have come from somebody down the street.
00:10:08.680 So, you know, the federal government
00:10:10.980 closed the provincial lab in Saskatchewan many years ago.
00:10:13.640 And our police partners are saying
00:10:15.280 it could take a year or two to get any information back
00:10:17.760 by sending the guns to, you know, RCP lab.
00:10:21.300 So we're excited about having our own facility.
00:10:23.640 We'll, of course, work in partnership with those other labs.
00:10:26.240 But again, having our own facility again
00:10:28.360 here in Saskatchewan is key.
00:10:30.620 And I want to say that I'm very impressed
00:10:32.800 with the provincial government
00:10:33.700 because they're funding our program,
00:10:35.400 $12 million this year,
00:10:37.400 100% coming for the provincial government,
00:10:39.260 not a dime is coming for the federal government.
00:10:42.260 And yet we continue to hear
00:10:43.800 that they're supporting, you know,
00:10:46.680 illegal use of firearms.
00:10:47.820 And yet we're spending $42 million
00:10:50.040 on a gun buyback
00:10:51.380 that hasn't confiscated a single fire.
00:10:54.680 Why are we putting some of that money
00:10:56.260 across Canada into the type of initiatives
00:10:58.800 that we're doing here at Saskatchewan?
00:11:00.880 Well, since you bring up the buyback,
00:11:03.020 I'll ask you, Murray,
00:11:03.960 because the Saskatchewan government has said that,
00:11:06.380 well, they've basically put in legislation
00:11:08.020 that will make it very difficult
00:11:09.760 for any agent of the federal government
00:11:11.800 to come in and start collecting the,
00:11:14.360 I don't even like using the term buyback
00:11:15.920 because the back implies
00:11:17.060 it was the government's in the first place.
00:11:18.620 But nevertheless, semantics aside,
00:11:20.920 I assume that participating in this
00:11:23.040 is not at all a part of your mandate.
00:11:25.900 Well, we've got the,
00:11:27.980 like we've introduced
00:11:28.740 the Saskatchewan Firearms Act,
00:11:30.380 which of course is provincial legislation.
00:11:32.060 And there is legislation in that document
00:11:36.440 that speaks specifically
00:11:37.580 to the buyback program.
00:11:40.420 And you're correct.
00:11:43.020 Like, you know,
00:11:44.760 we have gatekeepers in place
00:11:46.880 that will, you know,
00:11:48.280 so that we can control
00:11:50.380 who's actually collecting these guns,
00:11:53.020 assuming this was to move forward
00:11:54.660 and to be able to control,
00:11:57.480 in some respects,
00:12:00.080 the dollar value of these firearms.
00:12:03.220 You know, some of these firearms
00:12:05.060 are worth a significant amount of money,
00:12:07.900 understanding and knowing firearms
00:12:09.380 the way I do.
00:12:10.880 You know, we want to ensure
00:12:12.340 that things aren't undervalued.
00:12:14.500 You know, some firearms are worth,
00:12:16.280 you know, over $10,000.
00:12:18.660 And, you know,
00:12:19.520 we want to make sure
00:12:20.180 there's fair compensation that way.
00:12:22.620 Let me ask either or both of you here
00:12:25.460 about the road forward from now,
00:12:27.720 because you've obviously got
00:12:29.000 a lot of the regulations are federal.
00:12:31.300 And certainly when it comes
00:12:32.500 to classification of guns,
00:12:33.840 guns that are prohibited overnight,
00:12:35.380 that's done by the federal government,
00:12:37.140 handguns as well.
00:12:38.860 This has been federal government.
00:12:40.300 How much latitude do provinces have
00:12:42.900 to really,
00:12:44.540 basically, where is the space
00:12:46.040 where provinces really have
00:12:47.460 that latitude they need
00:12:48.880 to serve gun owners
00:12:51.440 and serve public safety?
00:12:53.340 Well, I'll speak to that.
00:12:55.220 I mean, obviously,
00:12:55.940 the federal legislation is,
00:12:57.320 it is federal law,
00:12:58.900 and we're here to enforce that.
00:13:00.220 But again,
00:13:01.480 with the Firearms Act,
00:13:02.280 for example,
00:13:02.980 someone,
00:13:03.880 I'll use a good example,
00:13:04.860 we have someone,
00:13:05.820 say, in rural Saskatchewan
00:13:06.900 that has a Mini-14.
00:13:08.500 They've been using it
00:13:09.360 to hunt predators for years.
00:13:11.820 They don't even know
00:13:12.900 that it's on the list.
00:13:14.760 They've never been sent the letter
00:13:15.840 because no one knows they own it
00:13:17.180 because it's not registered.
00:13:18.620 And they go out
00:13:19.360 and use it as a tool
00:13:20.220 that they've intended to,
00:13:21.300 and all of a sudden,
00:13:21.760 now they're getting
00:13:23.320 a roadside check,
00:13:24.180 and they're saying
00:13:24.740 that they're getting charged
00:13:25.660 with having a prohibited fire,
00:13:28.100 which could end up
00:13:29.080 five years in prison.
00:13:30.540 So in those circumstances,
00:13:32.040 the police have ability
00:13:33.620 to charge under
00:13:34.480 the Provincial Act,
00:13:35.960 and we can look at that
00:13:36.940 and say,
00:13:37.260 well, that was an administrative error
00:13:38.660 versus, you know,
00:13:40.120 going to have to turn
00:13:40.720 the firearm in
00:13:41.580 because it is part
00:13:43.040 of the prohibit list.
00:13:44.140 But saying,
00:13:44.700 and that goes,
00:13:45.400 just to interject,
00:13:46.120 that goes back
00:13:46.620 to what you were talking
00:13:47.140 about earlier
00:13:47.520 of adding this,
00:13:48.500 this sort of provincial category
00:13:49.920 of offense
00:13:50.540 that deals with
00:13:51.160 some of these things.
00:13:51.960 Yes, because I mean,
00:13:52.520 obviously,
00:13:52.940 if somebody's doing
00:13:53.540 a criminal offense
00:13:54.340 and, you know,
00:13:55.160 creating a, you know,
00:13:57.120 public safety risk,
00:13:58.060 I mean, we're going to use
00:13:58.880 all the federal laws
00:13:59.960 and our lawyers
00:14:01.260 and our officers
00:14:01.840 know them very well
00:14:02.840 and we're going to
00:14:03.520 throw the book
00:14:04.040 at these people,
00:14:04.720 so to speak,
00:14:05.640 make sure that we're
00:14:06.260 getting a prosecution
00:14:07.220 and that charge
00:14:08.860 isn't getting washed out
00:14:09.880 for another charge.
00:14:11.520 So again,
00:14:12.600 if you're using
00:14:13.280 a gun illegally
00:14:14.020 in Saskatchewan
00:14:14.860 with what we're doing
00:14:16.020 with the lab
00:14:16.700 and what we're doing
00:14:17.660 with our own lawyers
00:14:18.480 and our firearms office,
00:14:20.000 we're going to be getting
00:14:20.820 pretty aggressive with that.
00:14:22.760 But at the same token,
00:14:24.240 if someone doesn't know
00:14:25.100 that their license expired
00:14:26.300 or they didn't know
00:14:26.960 that the firearm
00:14:27.500 that they owned
00:14:28.080 for 20 years
00:14:29.100 is now on a prohibition list
00:14:30.360 and we want to work
00:14:31.000 with those folks
00:14:31.680 with some sort
00:14:32.720 of alternative measures.
00:14:33.860 So to your point,
00:14:35.300 I mean,
00:14:35.660 we have to use
00:14:37.080 the federal laws,
00:14:38.540 but very similar
00:14:39.800 to driving while impaired.
00:14:41.100 I mean,
00:14:41.280 there's the ability
00:14:42.440 to have the .08
00:14:43.680 criminal code legislation,
00:14:45.300 but as you know,
00:14:46.360 there's many provinces
00:14:47.340 like BC and so forth
00:14:48.700 that have put
00:14:49.640 alternate measures in
00:14:50.740 to curb
00:14:52.240 creating and driving
00:14:53.460 without having people
00:14:55.260 go to jail.
00:14:55.760 So we're really using
00:14:56.800 the same methodology
00:14:58.680 around the firearms.
00:15:00.100 No, you're very right.
00:15:01.080 I mean, look,
00:15:01.400 I live and breathe news,
00:15:02.600 so I follow this stuff
00:15:03.540 very closely.
00:15:04.440 I believe I got a letter
00:15:05.780 at one point
00:15:06.560 notifying me
00:15:07.400 of one of the changes
00:15:08.380 to firearms that I own,
00:15:09.600 but I know people
00:15:10.640 that didn't receive that letter.
00:15:11.980 And, you know,
00:15:12.300 theoretically,
00:15:12.800 if they don't follow
00:15:13.580 the ins and outs
00:15:14.220 of this stuff,
00:15:14.720 I see that scenario
00:15:15.740 you described
00:15:16.420 as being quite commonplace.
00:15:19.240 And, you know,
00:15:19.680 one of the things
00:15:20.200 that's so interesting here
00:15:21.540 is that you have
00:15:23.120 in almost every case
00:15:25.540 that I'm aware of,
00:15:26.340 of every gun owner I know,
00:15:27.460 people that are very diligent
00:15:28.780 and want to protect the law,
00:15:30.100 people that kind of panic.
00:15:31.160 Like, I remember when I,
00:15:32.220 you know,
00:15:32.680 like when I got my training done
00:15:34.780 and, you know,
00:15:35.200 they told me about the importance
00:15:36.300 of taking a direct route.
00:15:37.520 I'm like,
00:15:37.900 I can't even stop for gas
00:15:39.400 if I'm on the way
00:15:40.120 from my range
00:15:40.860 to my house with a handgun.
00:15:42.040 Like, I was just that panicked
00:15:43.040 about just making sure
00:15:44.320 I was doing everything right.
00:15:45.360 And there does seem to be
00:15:47.040 in a lot of the approach
00:15:48.720 that we see,
00:15:49.380 certainly for the federal government,
00:15:50.580 assuming the worst.
00:15:51.820 And, you know,
00:15:52.280 to go back to you, Murray,
00:15:53.260 with being in policing,
00:15:54.560 like that the guy
00:15:55.220 who did what Bob just described,
00:15:58.660 treating them the same way
00:15:59.880 as someone who has a firearm
00:16:01.680 for illegal purposes.
00:16:04.120 Well, that's right.
00:16:04.820 And, you know, Andrew,
00:16:07.900 like law-abiding people
00:16:09.560 in this country,
00:16:11.800 let alone the province,
00:16:12.900 are like,
00:16:13.960 they're afraid.
00:16:14.880 Like, they want to follow the law,
00:16:16.400 as you mentioned,
00:16:17.140 and they want to,
00:16:19.500 they don't want to get into trouble.
00:16:21.700 And in a lot of cases,
00:16:23.760 they're not understanding it either.
00:16:25.960 And so they're worried,
00:16:28.540 they're scared,
00:16:29.020 and they're not really sure
00:16:29.840 what to do a lot of times.
00:16:31.020 And I know our office here
00:16:32.720 receives calls
00:16:33.840 with a lot of questions
00:16:34.920 in relation to that
00:16:35.880 because they're really not sure.
00:16:39.180 And it's sad in a way
00:16:41.900 because, as I mentioned before,
00:16:43.280 our criminals
00:16:44.920 and those who don't follow the law,
00:16:46.840 they don't care about any of that.
00:16:49.100 Yeah, well,
00:16:50.020 very well said.
00:16:50.840 I'm glad to see two people
00:16:52.260 in these roles
00:16:53.000 that know the rules
00:16:54.880 and regulations in and out,
00:16:56.160 but also understand,
00:16:57.460 I think,
00:16:57.800 the function of this.
00:16:59.020 And it's good to know
00:16:59.720 that if you're a gun owner
00:17:00.660 in Saskatchewan,
00:17:01.420 you've got an ally.
00:17:02.260 And as an Ontarian,
00:17:03.560 I can say to you both,
00:17:04.320 I'm quite jealous.
00:17:05.140 So thank you very much
00:17:07.020 to both of you,
00:17:07.800 Murray Cowan,
00:17:08.340 Chief Firearms Officer
00:17:09.320 of Saskatchewan,
00:17:10.520 and Robert Freeberg,
00:17:11.680 Firearms Commissioner
00:17:12.620 of Saskatchewan.
00:17:13.320 Thank you so much, gentlemen.
00:17:14.940 Thanks, Andrew.
00:17:15.440 Appreciate the time.
00:17:16.660 Thanks, Andrew.
00:17:17.200 Appreciate your interest.
00:17:18.780 Well, we now go
00:17:19.780 from Saskatchewan,
00:17:21.320 one province west.
00:17:22.840 It is Monday,
00:17:23.560 and it would not be a Monday
00:17:24.660 without our good friend,
00:17:25.780 Chris Sims,
00:17:26.900 Alberta Director
00:17:27.560 for the Canadian
00:17:28.520 Taxpayers Federation.
00:17:29.740 Chris, I know I'm going to see you
00:17:30.700 in like two days in person,
00:17:32.040 so we're doubling up
00:17:33.540 on the Sims quota this week,
00:17:35.100 but it's the only thing
00:17:36.440 that's supply managed
00:17:37.300 on the Andrew Lawton show
00:17:38.360 is the quota of Sims,
00:17:40.360 and you can never have enough
00:17:41.340 is my view,
00:17:41.980 but good to have you on.
00:17:43.420 Thanks for coming on today.
00:17:44.740 Thanks for having me on,
00:17:45.800 and I need to thank you personally
00:17:47.140 for that country song.
00:17:48.440 That was really kind of you.
00:17:50.320 The voice of Alberta.
00:17:51.640 Yeah, people have been
00:17:52.500 like requesting it.
00:17:53.560 I had someone say,
00:17:54.160 is it on iTunes?
00:17:55.300 So we could have been
00:17:56.640 making money off this.
00:17:57.600 I had no idea.
00:17:58.560 Just imagine, yeah,
00:17:59.320 friends and family
00:17:59.900 have reached out saying,
00:18:00.840 really?
00:18:01.040 So it was really nice.
00:18:03.020 So thank you for that.
00:18:04.020 It's good to be here.
00:18:05.200 I love it.
00:18:05.800 Well, we've been talking
00:18:07.700 about how you've not been
00:18:08.580 letting the Alberta government
00:18:09.740 off the hook
00:18:10.340 on the gas tax going up.
00:18:12.660 It's just not what
00:18:13.500 taxpayers need.
00:18:14.560 A little bit of good news
00:18:15.520 on the Alberta taxpayer
00:18:16.820 horizon, though.
00:18:17.820 The MLAs have done
00:18:19.700 the right thing, shockingly.
00:18:21.940 Yes, and credit where it's due,
00:18:23.980 and to your point, yes.
00:18:25.700 I have a job to do.
00:18:27.380 I may personally really
00:18:28.840 like Danielle Smith,
00:18:29.840 and she knows that I do.
00:18:31.180 But I have a job to do.
00:18:32.400 And she knows that.
00:18:33.280 The premier's office knows that.
00:18:34.840 And the job there
00:18:35.540 is to hold them account
00:18:36.920 for tax increases.
00:18:38.700 And so they increased
00:18:39.580 the fuel tax back up
00:18:40.660 to 13 cents per liter,
00:18:42.200 which is full strength,
00:18:43.260 the provincial fuel tax
00:18:44.180 here in Alberta.
00:18:44.920 So we took them to task
00:18:46.040 for that,
00:18:46.400 and we will continue
00:18:47.040 to do that.
00:18:47.920 But credit also
00:18:49.140 where it is due.
00:18:50.760 And the MLAs
00:18:51.900 at the legislature
00:18:52.700 in Edmonton,
00:18:53.540 so our provincial politicians,
00:18:55.300 have a pay freeze.
00:18:56.380 In fact,
00:18:57.500 back in 2019,
00:18:58.720 they took a pretty hefty pay cut.
00:19:00.640 So when Premier Jason Kenney
00:19:02.860 was in charge,
00:19:03.960 they reduced their MLA pay
00:19:05.700 by around $7,000 per year,
00:19:08.640 and it's been frozen ever since.
00:19:11.140 And so this time of year,
00:19:13.680 with the end of fiscal,
00:19:14.640 beginning of a new fiscal year,
00:19:16.220 the issue of MLA
00:19:17.940 and politician pay hikes
00:19:19.280 comes up,
00:19:19.820 and the Alberta ones
00:19:21.280 said no,
00:19:21.980 which is really interesting.
00:19:23.620 So Alberta MLAs
00:19:24.880 make around $120,000 per year,
00:19:28.260 and the Premier of the province,
00:19:30.460 no matter who's in that office,
00:19:32.160 makes around $186,000 per year.
00:19:35.700 Now, that's a really healthy salary.
00:19:38.680 Anybody listening
00:19:39.340 would be probably pretty happy
00:19:40.760 to be able to be paid
00:19:41.720 that kind of money,
00:19:42.560 but this is really important.
00:19:44.980 The Premier of Alberta
00:19:45.880 is paid less
00:19:47.180 than the Mayor of Calgary,
00:19:48.940 and the Mayor of Edmonton.
00:19:51.500 It's pretty eye-opening.
00:19:53.240 And so compared to that level,
00:19:55.420 that's a lower amount of pay,
00:19:57.280 and it's staying there
00:19:58.400 for this year.
00:19:59.160 So kudos where it is due.
00:20:01.380 The MLAs and the Premier
00:20:02.660 are doing the right thing
00:20:03.440 here in Alberta,
00:20:04.160 and they've kept their pay
00:20:05.120 frozen for this year.
00:20:06.520 Yeah, and it's a nice little contrast
00:20:08.460 to what we've seen
00:20:09.500 at the federal level,
00:20:10.340 where the pay increase
00:20:11.580 is basically automated,
00:20:13.520 and everyone just puts
00:20:14.640 their hands in the air,
00:20:15.320 and says,
00:20:15.480 well, I didn't do it.
00:20:16.240 And that almost makes it worse,
00:20:17.400 because no one's voting on it.
00:20:18.600 It just sort of happens,
00:20:19.580 and people end up
00:20:20.880 getting this big,
00:20:21.940 giant pay bump
00:20:22.740 without really,
00:20:23.820 well, and they still have
00:20:24.560 clean hands on it,
00:20:25.360 because they weren't personally
00:20:26.540 the ones that voted
00:20:27.920 for the increase.
00:20:29.060 Yes, and it's really
00:20:29.920 unaccountable.
00:20:31.200 And to your point,
00:20:32.740 they have had five pay increases
00:20:34.720 every single year.
00:20:36.280 They've not missed a one.
00:20:37.640 And when you think about
00:20:38.560 the last timeline
00:20:39.660 that we all just went through,
00:20:41.220 and we're still kind of
00:20:42.180 emerging from,
00:20:43.220 think of the lockdowns,
00:20:44.620 and the business shutdowns,
00:20:45.880 and the lost wages,
00:20:47.400 and the pay cuts,
00:20:48.200 and the pain
00:20:48.960 that the average working person
00:20:50.840 in Canada has been put through
00:20:52.220 for the past four years or so,
00:20:54.480 largely at the hands
00:20:55.660 and actions of government,
00:20:57.680 the government,
00:20:58.900 federally speaking,
00:21:00.040 the MPs have not missed
00:21:02.180 one pay increase.
00:21:04.080 Not only have they not
00:21:05.200 gotten a pay cut,
00:21:06.240 not only have they been
00:21:07.320 shut down or suspended,
00:21:08.480 they haven't missed
00:21:09.360 one pay increase.
00:21:10.360 So that is in stark contrast
00:21:12.840 to what is happening
00:21:13.940 here provincially.
00:21:14.900 So again,
00:21:15.740 credit where it is due.
00:21:16.920 We're really happy
00:21:17.800 to see this pay freeze.
00:21:19.860 So one group
00:21:21.280 that does not have to suffer
00:21:22.960 in addition to federal MPs
00:21:24.900 is that of the CBC.
00:21:27.860 Canada's state broadcaster
00:21:29.440 gets a healthy subsidy
00:21:30.620 from the taxpayer,
00:21:31.620 $1.4 billion a year.
00:21:33.780 We have heard
00:21:34.820 from Conservative leader
00:21:35.800 Pierre Polyev
00:21:36.520 that he's going to defund CBC
00:21:38.160 and famously turn its
00:21:39.440 Front Street headquarters
00:21:40.340 into a condo.
00:21:41.920 So some nice suburban
00:21:43.640 Toronto couple
00:21:44.620 that wants to move downtown
00:21:45.680 can move into
00:21:47.100 Rosie Barton's makeup room
00:21:48.540 as their first studio apartment.
00:21:50.080 It'll be great.
00:21:51.040 But one thing
00:21:52.060 that I will point out here
00:21:53.380 and you did a fantastic column
00:21:54.920 about this last week
00:21:55.920 and you went through the numbers
00:21:56.840 is that CBC claims
00:21:59.100 whenever it's under attack
00:22:00.380 that it's so important
00:22:01.600 because it didn't have
00:22:03.360 a government role
00:22:04.220 and a government subsidy.
00:22:05.360 All of this stuff it does,
00:22:06.660 no one would do.
00:22:07.400 All of these non-profitable
00:22:08.860 forms of programming
00:22:09.860 like Indigenous coverage,
00:22:11.740 Northern coverage,
00:22:13.000 all of that would not happen.
00:22:14.420 And you looked at the numbers here
00:22:16.100 in your column
00:22:17.680 and they're not really doing that.
00:22:20.160 None of their money
00:22:20.920 is going towards
00:22:22.140 these things
00:22:23.040 that could actually be said
00:22:24.840 to be part of its mandate
00:22:26.180 and not really having
00:22:27.500 a market alternative.
00:22:28.960 Exactly.
00:22:29.680 And that's why we wanted
00:22:30.800 to make that point really clear.
00:22:32.480 So quite often the CBC,
00:22:34.540 whenever we start saying,
00:22:35.640 you know what,
00:22:36.020 you guys are way too expensive
00:22:37.460 and you're unaccountable
00:22:38.540 and you should be defunded,
00:22:40.360 they clutch their pearls,
00:22:42.040 so to speak,
00:22:42.720 and they say,
00:22:43.500 well, we're essential.
00:22:44.760 You know,
00:22:44.940 look at all this wonderful
00:22:45.960 magnanimous service
00:22:46.980 that we provide for people.
00:22:48.620 And so just to back up
00:22:49.580 a little bit,
00:22:50.480 when the CBC was first created,
00:22:53.080 Canadians listened to it
00:22:54.920 for farmers weather reports
00:22:56.740 or to get the score
00:22:57.900 on the hockey game
00:22:58.760 or to get a little bit
00:22:59.940 of entertainment,
00:23:00.880 kind of radio soap opera
00:23:02.320 entertainment
00:23:02.860 that competed
00:23:03.480 with the powerhouses
00:23:04.340 out of places
00:23:04.900 like New York City
00:23:06.100 and Chicago.
00:23:07.220 Like times have
00:23:08.200 drastically changed.
00:23:09.700 Like we can get
00:23:10.440 that information
00:23:11.080 from literally anywhere now.
00:23:13.300 It's almost like
00:23:14.000 finding a coffee shop
00:23:15.000 on every corner street.
00:23:16.200 So that has drastically changed.
00:23:18.940 Further,
00:23:19.720 when they try to say things like,
00:23:21.560 oh, indigenous programming,
00:23:23.620 it was pretty interesting.
00:23:25.340 The great reporters
00:23:26.480 at Black Locks Reporter,
00:23:28.020 Holly and Tom there,
00:23:29.280 they dug up
00:23:30.120 this funding information,
00:23:31.560 which really was
00:23:32.680 eye-popping to me.
00:23:34.120 They went through
00:23:34.800 their financial reports
00:23:36.140 and apparently
00:23:36.920 the CBC spends
00:23:38.840 a little over
00:23:39.880 $6 million per year
00:23:42.760 on indigenous programming.
00:23:45.260 Now, again,
00:23:45.700 that sounds like
00:23:46.220 a lot of money
00:23:46.820 and it is.
00:23:48.240 But when you compare that
00:23:49.240 to how much they spent
00:23:50.160 on bonuses
00:23:51.160 and executive pay,
00:23:53.360 like I think
00:23:53.900 the last round of bonuses,
00:23:55.460 they just finished spending
00:23:56.460 either $14 or $15 million
00:23:59.120 on them.
00:24:00.860 Like, so they're spending
00:24:01.860 more on bonuses
00:24:02.760 than they are
00:24:04.000 on indigenous programming
00:24:05.360 that's been labeled
00:24:06.100 within their financial documents
00:24:07.440 at least.
00:24:08.520 And what's also interesting
00:24:09.800 here, Andrew,
00:24:10.700 is that it is not just
00:24:12.660 the be-all and end-all.
00:24:13.860 So if you want to get
00:24:14.640 something that's in Cree,
00:24:16.020 for example,
00:24:16.760 or some other
00:24:17.600 First Nations language
00:24:18.600 or some cultural programming,
00:24:20.880 the CBC is not
00:24:22.060 your one-stop shop.
00:24:23.740 We actually have,
00:24:24.840 I really like it,
00:24:25.960 we actually have
00:24:26.540 a television network
00:24:27.440 called the Aboriginal
00:24:28.300 People's Television Network,
00:24:29.860 APTN,
00:24:30.820 and they do
00:24:31.640 outstanding reporting.
00:24:33.580 I follow them quite closely.
00:24:35.080 They have a supper hour newscast.
00:24:36.980 They have an investigative
00:24:37.900 journalism team.
00:24:39.240 And they do get
00:24:40.300 some government funding,
00:24:41.400 but it's a fraction, Andrew.
00:24:42.980 And it's only for
00:24:43.700 two annual events,
00:24:45.580 like, you know,
00:24:46.080 the First Nations
00:24:46.740 Annual People's Day,
00:24:47.880 that sort of thing,
00:24:48.900 and a festival
00:24:49.480 that they hold in Winnipeg,
00:24:50.620 which is where
00:24:51.100 the news station is based.
00:24:53.080 It's like a tiny amount
00:24:54.860 compared to what
00:24:55.740 the CBC gets.
00:24:56.940 And yet they broadcast
00:24:57.740 in all sorts of
00:24:58.700 First Nations languages,
00:24:59.620 and they reach
00:25:00.620 millions of homes
00:25:01.500 every week.
00:25:02.460 And so, again,
00:25:03.300 we don't require
00:25:04.340 the state broadcaster
00:25:05.560 to provide this sort
00:25:06.880 of cultural programming.
00:25:09.020 And if you were
00:25:10.120 to come to me
00:25:11.100 with a proposal
00:25:11.980 that said,
00:25:12.680 all right,
00:25:13.260 we're going to get rid
00:25:14.060 of all the CBC funding,
00:25:15.540 but we're going to keep
00:25:16.220 that $6 million,
00:25:17.420 heck,
00:25:17.640 maybe even increase it
00:25:18.420 to $10 million.
00:25:19.540 We'll keep
00:25:19.920 the small budget
00:25:21.000 for non-Quebec
00:25:22.620 French language coverage
00:25:23.940 because, let's face it,
00:25:24.860 there isn't a market case
00:25:26.340 for a French outlet
00:25:27.620 in Edmonton,
00:25:28.340 most likely.
00:25:29.540 You'd be left with,
00:25:30.980 again,
00:25:31.380 I mean,
00:25:31.540 you could still make a case
00:25:32.360 that those could be done
00:25:33.620 by the market
00:25:34.220 under certain circumstances,
00:25:35.760 but at the very least,
00:25:36.920 you'd slash,
00:25:37.760 even if you got rid
00:25:38.380 of $1.2 billion
00:25:40.040 of CBC's budget,
00:25:42.400 you'd have saved a fortune
00:25:43.860 and Canadians
00:25:45.040 would be no worse off.
00:25:46.680 And I've often said
00:25:47.640 whenever people say,
00:25:48.440 well, I like the CBC,
00:25:49.280 I say, great,
00:25:50.200 continue to like it,
00:25:51.100 continue to watch it,
00:25:52.020 but pay for it yourself
00:25:53.500 through advertising,
00:25:54.640 through subscriptions
00:25:55.280 the way every other media company
00:25:57.420 in the country
00:25:58.120 is expected to operate.
00:25:59.620 Yes, exactly.
00:26:00.660 And we have to keep in mind
00:26:01.640 to your point,
00:26:02.260 your excellent point
00:26:03.100 on language programming
00:26:04.220 and what I would call
00:26:05.440 kind of cultural issues
00:26:07.000 and cultural programming,
00:26:08.720 the CBC pot of money
00:26:10.320 isn't the only taxpayer money
00:26:12.420 that goes out the door
00:26:13.480 for such things.
00:26:14.420 Oh my goodness,
00:26:15.000 not by a long shot.
00:26:16.420 Anybody can take a look
00:26:17.540 at the Heritage Ministry budget
00:26:19.340 and see where this kind
00:26:21.120 of money goes to.
00:26:22.460 And so I think
00:26:23.180 the Canada Council
00:26:24.040 for the Arts,
00:26:25.080 last time I looked,
00:26:26.300 it may be higher or lower,
00:26:27.700 but last time I looked,
00:26:28.760 they got $500 million
00:26:30.440 per year.
00:26:31.960 So like half a billion dollars.
00:26:34.400 So again,
00:26:35.300 the CBC funding,
00:26:36.600 which is now,
00:26:37.320 because they just got
00:26:37.920 a pay increase,
00:26:38.660 by the way,
00:26:39.060 from the Trudeau government,
00:26:40.080 it's now $1.4 billion.
00:26:42.960 That's not the only money
00:26:44.580 that is put forward
00:26:45.720 for cultural programming
00:26:47.180 or language programming,
00:26:48.420 not by a long shot.
00:26:50.540 So if folks are concerned
00:26:51.780 that they won't be getting
00:26:53.160 that kind of specialized niche,
00:26:55.660 very specifically Canadian content,
00:26:57.800 they need to have funding
00:26:59.260 in their view
00:26:59.940 that they don't think
00:27:01.000 has a market for it,
00:27:02.080 okay,
00:27:02.780 go check out
00:27:03.940 a whole bunch
00:27:04.600 of other departments
00:27:05.400 where there's tons of money
00:27:06.780 already going out the door.
00:27:07.960 They could easily repurpose
00:27:09.380 or properly channel
00:27:11.120 some of that funding
00:27:12.020 in order to meet
00:27:13.160 that requirement.
00:27:14.660 Well,
00:27:15.140 and also,
00:27:15.760 if you watch the credits
00:27:17.040 of any CBC show,
00:27:19.360 like a primetime program,
00:27:21.660 which,
00:27:22.120 okay,
00:27:22.480 there are a couple
00:27:23.160 of premises there.
00:27:24.080 Number one,
00:27:24.700 you actually tuned in
00:27:25.680 in the first place
00:27:26.420 and number two,
00:27:27.440 you made it all the way
00:27:28.680 through to the credits.
00:27:30.420 So, you know,
00:27:31.300 maybe for whatever reason,
00:27:32.840 something has happened
00:27:33.640 and everything else
00:27:35.080 was on your TV
00:27:35.840 was busted
00:27:36.320 and you had to watch
00:27:37.240 Little Mosque
00:27:38.300 on the Prairie rerun
00:27:39.200 or whatnot.
00:27:39.660 You get to it,
00:27:40.120 you're going to see
00:27:40.540 in the credits
00:27:41.120 all of these logos
00:27:42.780 of various,
00:27:43.600 like,
00:27:43.840 government agencies
00:27:44.540 and departments
00:27:45.160 and councils
00:27:45.800 that have also
00:27:46.340 provided funding.
00:27:47.220 So,
00:27:47.480 it's not just
00:27:48.300 that $1.4 billion.
00:27:49.440 It's all of these
00:27:50.220 productions are so
00:27:51.260 heavily subsidized.
00:27:52.380 Now,
00:27:52.600 that's true of CTV shows
00:27:54.240 in Canada as well,
00:27:55.480 but the entire operation
00:27:57.480 is dependent
00:27:58.320 on taxpayers right now.
00:28:00.020 Oh,
00:28:00.220 big time.
00:28:00.860 And so,
00:28:01.280 again,
00:28:01.840 I have to keep repeating
00:28:02.700 this sometimes
00:28:03.400 because what's happened
00:28:04.680 with the last
00:28:05.340 carbon tax fight
00:28:06.340 has,
00:28:07.620 again,
00:28:08.000 reminded me
00:28:08.540 that some folks
00:28:09.260 don't know
00:28:10.140 that the government
00:28:11.320 doesn't have money.
00:28:13.360 Okay?
00:28:13.880 There's no such thing
00:28:15.280 as government money.
00:28:17.000 They don't have money.
00:28:18.600 You have money.
00:28:20.060 Taxpayers have money.
00:28:21.520 The government
00:28:21.980 takes it from you,
00:28:23.960 roughly half your paycheck
00:28:25.280 if you're a hardworking person,
00:28:26.800 and they then
00:28:28.180 spend it on what they want.
00:28:29.840 So,
00:28:30.200 every time you see,
00:28:31.420 if you've already
00:28:32.100 made it to the end credits,
00:28:33.000 if you see those little logos
00:28:34.880 popping up,
00:28:36.080 that's you.
00:28:37.500 You have paid for this,
00:28:39.120 not just through,
00:28:39.940 you know,
00:28:40.360 your Netflix subscription
00:28:41.320 or, you know,
00:28:42.040 through your cable company
00:28:42.980 or I'm showing my age
00:28:43.780 by calling it that.
00:28:44.840 It's not just that bill.
00:28:46.480 It's your tax bill,
00:28:47.740 too,
00:28:48.080 that has gone to
00:28:48.980 paying for this sort
00:28:49.880 of entertainment
00:28:50.400 and stuff.
00:28:51.500 And again,
00:28:52.240 think of what
00:28:53.160 that money could otherwise
00:28:54.240 pay for
00:28:54.780 that we pay for the CBC.
00:28:56.200 So,
00:28:56.320 at $1.4 billion,
00:28:58.160 I broke it down.
00:28:59.480 I think it was
00:29:00.080 6,000 new police
00:29:02.040 and 6,000 new paramedics.
00:29:04.980 Like,
00:29:05.460 that's how much
00:29:06.300 we're paying for the CBC
00:29:07.840 every single year.
00:29:09.700 And again,
00:29:10.280 for folks who really love it,
00:29:12.220 okay,
00:29:12.920 if you want,
00:29:13.900 so,
00:29:14.280 one of their top rated shows,
00:29:16.000 Andrew,
00:29:16.800 I forget what it's called,
00:29:18.120 but I think it's called
00:29:18.760 The Great British Bake Off.
00:29:20.960 Like,
00:29:21.520 it's literally
00:29:22.120 not even Canadian.
00:29:23.260 Like,
00:29:23.420 that's one of their
00:29:24.040 top rated shows.
00:29:25.700 If you love watching that,
00:29:27.500 like,
00:29:27.760 power to you.
00:29:28.600 I love watching
00:29:29.460 Antiques Roadshow
00:29:30.360 on PBS.
00:29:30.940 That's okay.
00:29:32.680 But you pay for it.
00:29:34.080 You choose to subscribe
00:29:35.320 to that organization
00:29:37.020 or I choose to read,
00:29:38.960 you know,
00:29:39.420 a news outlet,
00:29:40.420 for example.
00:29:41.340 You can pay for it
00:29:42.240 through a voluntary subscription.
00:29:43.860 You don't have to force
00:29:44.820 your neighbors
00:29:45.320 and your family
00:29:45.980 to pay for what
00:29:46.780 you choose to watch.
00:29:48.380 I actually just thought
00:29:49.520 Antiques Roadshow
00:29:50.240 was when Peter Mansbridge
00:29:51.320 was brought back on.
00:29:52.540 I thought that was
00:29:53.200 what that was.
00:29:54.880 We do have to think
00:29:56.180 of the eventualities
00:29:57.160 of this.
00:29:57.640 One question,
00:29:58.280 even Pierre Paliyev,
00:29:59.540 for all his talking
00:30:00.600 about CBC defunding
00:30:01.620 has not answered this,
00:30:02.900 is what happens
00:30:03.960 to the poutine market.
00:30:06.740 All right.
00:30:07.660 All right.
00:30:10.180 All right.
00:30:11.660 All right.
00:30:12.420 All right.
00:30:13.300 The Liberal Party
00:30:27.440 always supports CBC.
00:30:29.020 How many poutines
00:30:29.760 can you get
00:30:30.240 for 1.4 billion, Chris?
00:30:31.760 So many.
00:30:33.360 I don't know
00:30:33.720 what the going rate is
00:30:34.620 in the just inflation economy.
00:30:36.800 Oh, my goodness.
00:30:37.700 That's a lot.
00:30:38.680 Oh, my God.
00:30:39.040 That's a lot of poutine.
00:30:40.440 And again,
00:30:41.500 so this highlights it.
00:30:43.280 So in defense,
00:30:44.940 I don't think
00:30:45.560 the journalist
00:30:45.980 was expecting that.
00:30:47.160 No, no.
00:30:47.500 David Cochran
00:30:48.160 was kind of shafted there.
00:30:49.780 Yeah.
00:30:50.140 And you just,
00:30:51.460 I would die
00:30:52.500 like if I were that journalist
00:30:54.320 and all these cameras
00:30:55.620 are on you
00:30:56.200 and this is what happens.
00:30:58.080 And again,
00:30:58.780 but this reminded me,
00:31:00.180 remember,
00:31:00.500 so I think you guys have,
00:31:01.580 I think we have
00:31:02.080 the press gallery dinner
00:31:03.100 coming up again soon.
00:31:04.780 My invitation
00:31:05.680 must be lost in the mail.
00:31:07.280 Right.
00:31:07.580 I'm sure that they're
00:31:08.540 expediting it to you.
00:31:09.820 But a birdie tells me
00:31:11.260 that it's happening,
00:31:12.140 I think,
00:31:12.440 in about 10 days or so.
00:31:13.740 And so I,
00:31:14.380 full disclosure,
00:31:15.300 I have gone to one of them
00:31:16.480 while I was working at CTV.
00:31:18.480 All fun was had by all.
00:31:19.880 But it used to be
00:31:20.960 this kind of closed off
00:31:22.540 in-camera roast.
00:31:24.440 So it actually
00:31:25.380 wasn't meant for broadcast.
00:31:26.920 It was meant to have
00:31:27.680 politicians elbows up
00:31:29.060 with journalists
00:31:29.880 and have them kind of
00:31:31.460 jokingly insulting each other.
00:31:33.120 I've never really found
00:31:34.000 those funny
00:31:34.480 because I find them cringy,
00:31:35.560 but whatever.
00:31:36.140 Some people really like roasts,
00:31:37.680 but now it's this weird
00:31:39.560 broadcasted spectacle.
00:31:41.840 And that Putin thing
00:31:43.580 reminded me so much
00:31:45.180 of when Trudeau got up there
00:31:46.680 a few years ago.
00:31:47.720 And I'm paraphrasing,
00:31:49.340 but he said something
00:31:50.260 to the effect of,
00:31:51.140 oh, well,
00:31:51.700 you know,
00:31:51.920 the mainstream media
00:31:52.980 just says what I tell them to say.
00:31:55.540 And they'd better
00:31:56.420 because we paid them
00:31:57.620 $600 million to do so.
00:32:00.600 And there was like zero laughter
00:32:02.340 because it was true.
00:32:04.120 Yeah, cut a little bit
00:32:05.120 close to the bone,
00:32:05.920 I think.
00:32:06.520 And also not funny.
00:32:07.700 And so again,
00:32:08.340 this is why we keep
00:32:09.380 on banging on this drum.
00:32:11.400 Journalists should not
00:32:12.400 be paid by the government.
00:32:13.940 It doesn't matter
00:32:14.840 if you're right wing
00:32:15.740 or left wing
00:32:16.480 or if you're activist
00:32:17.260 or not,
00:32:17.840 or if you think
00:32:18.760 you're an objective
00:32:19.480 journalistic robot
00:32:20.800 and good for you
00:32:21.540 for trying.
00:32:22.600 You shouldn't be paid
00:32:23.700 by the state
00:32:24.420 because it is your job.
00:32:26.320 One of the key jobs
00:32:27.300 is to hold the truth
00:32:29.140 and the powerful
00:32:30.180 to account.
00:32:31.900 This is the point.
00:32:32.920 You're supposed
00:32:33.460 to speak truth to power.
00:32:34.940 And if you're getting paid
00:32:35.600 by those in power,
00:32:36.520 it's pretty tough
00:32:37.300 to hold them to account.
00:32:38.700 No, see,
00:32:39.000 I actually love the roast.
00:32:40.320 I was invited to emcee
00:32:41.840 a leadership debate
00:32:43.200 for the conservatives
00:32:43.960 in 2017.
00:32:45.340 This is when they had like,
00:32:46.580 it was like Hollywood squares,
00:32:47.700 basically.
00:32:48.100 They had like a million
00:32:48.900 different candidates
00:32:49.760 that wouldn't all sit
00:32:50.580 on the stage.
00:32:50.980 Oh, I remember that.
00:32:51.460 And I was like,
00:32:52.480 but they had done
00:32:53.040 all these debates.
00:32:53.740 So I'm like,
00:32:54.100 the only thing I could do
00:32:54.740 to liven it up
00:32:55.400 was just start by
00:32:56.420 like just roasting them
00:32:57.460 all individually
00:32:58.140 for the first few minutes.
00:32:59.900 And there's a boundary.
00:33:01.680 You can't go over the line.
00:33:02.860 You have to like go
00:33:03.520 right, right to the line.
00:33:05.680 And Chris Alexander,
00:33:07.060 and I made like
00:33:07.700 some barbaric
00:33:08.340 cultural practices joke,
00:33:10.120 which Chris Alexander
00:33:11.760 thought crossed the line.
00:33:12.680 Everyone else just,
00:33:13.740 you know,
00:33:13.960 thought it killed.
00:33:14.600 So anyway,
00:33:15.320 so if you need a roast master,
00:33:18.160 I'm your guy.
00:33:18.940 If not,
00:33:19.380 I'll find someone else.
00:33:20.840 But Chris Sims,
00:33:22.080 we will see you on Wednesday
00:33:23.500 in Ottawa
00:33:24.320 at the Canada
00:33:24.860 Strong and Free Conference.
00:33:26.060 Always good to talk to you.
00:33:26.940 Thanks for coming on today.
00:33:28.320 See you soon.
00:33:28.740 All right.
00:33:30.240 Well,
00:33:30.360 that does it for me
00:33:31.620 for today.
00:33:32.660 I'll be back tomorrow
00:33:33.900 from Ottawa.
00:33:34.920 So not the usual setup.
00:33:36.160 And then we'll have
00:33:37.300 our fantastic mobile studio
00:33:39.300 for the rest of the week.
00:33:40.540 We got some good guests
00:33:41.600 planned for you so far.
00:33:42.760 So do stay tuned.
00:33:43.980 And like I said,
00:33:44.820 if you are there,
00:33:45.620 come out and say hello,
00:33:46.800 though preferably not
00:33:47.540 when I'm on air
00:33:48.180 and mid-sentence
00:33:49.200 and preferably not
00:33:50.260 when I have lunch in my mouth,
00:33:51.740 which is always like
00:33:52.420 the worst time
00:33:53.060 to come up
00:33:54.160 and talk to someone.
00:33:54.880 I felt bad.
00:33:55.640 I was at a dinner
00:33:56.560 with Jordan Peterson
00:33:57.380 some time back
00:33:58.540 and like any time
00:33:59.240 he put like a bite
00:33:59.960 of food in his mouth,
00:34:01.000 someone just like
00:34:01.580 went over to the table
00:34:02.440 and he's like,
00:34:02.920 oh, nice to see you.
00:34:04.380 So try not to do that.
00:34:05.680 But anyway,
00:34:06.640 we will talk to you all tomorrow.
00:34:08.260 Thank you.
00:34:08.820 God bless.
00:34:09.380 And good day to you all.
00:34:10.980 Thanks for listening
00:34:11.780 to The Andrew Lawton Show.
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00:34:14.280 by donating to True North
00:34:15.520 at www.tnc.news.
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