Juno News - Western provinces are taking a stand for gun owners

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 0.99

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, 0.56

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 0.99

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.

00:34:13.440 Support the program

00:34:14.280 by donating to True North

00:34:15.520 at www.tnc.news.

00:34:18.960 MC diet Podcast

00:34:30.720 付kä Scott

00:34:32.920 di Sanders

00:34:34.940 www.tnc.news.ca

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Juno News - April 08, 2024

Western provinces are taking a stand for gun owners

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