Juno News - October 26, 2024Will Smith listen to UCP members and stand up for parental rights？
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Summary
On this week's episode of the Alberta Roundup, I sit down with Richard Durr to discuss the United Conservative Party's upcoming AGM in Red Deer, Alberta on November 2nd. Richard is an award-winning politician consultant with extensive experience working on campaigns across Canada. On top of his professional work, he is also the volunteer Executive Director of Pro-Life Alberta, an organization dedicated to advancing pro-life public policy in the province. You may have read one of his two recently published op-eds with TrueNorth where he discussed Smith and her approach to parental rights. In his op-ed, Richard discussed Smith's selective approach to addressing parental rights, focusing on gender-related medical procedures, which he argued didn't properly address broader parental rights and opened her up to opposition from the trans community.
Transcript
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Hello everyone and welcome to a special episode of the Alberta Roundup. If you're watching this
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as it's being released, then I'm likely at TrueNorth's conference in Calgary and I hope
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that my speech went well. Thanks everyone for the ideas provided in the top 10 worst
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leftist ideas over the last few years. As for this week's episode, I had the chance to sit down
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with Richard Durr and discuss the UCP's upcoming AGM in Red Deer on November 2nd. Richard Durr is
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an award-winning politician consultant with extensive experience working on campaigns
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across Canada. On top of his professional work, he is also the volunteer executive director of
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Pro-Life Alberta, an organization dedicated to advancing pro-life public policy in the
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province. You may have read one of his two recently published op-eds with TrueNorth where
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he discussed Smith and her engagement with parental rights. In his op-eds, Richard discussed Smith's
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selective approach to addressing parental rights, focusing on gender-related medical procedures,
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which he argued didn't properly address broader parental rights, and opened her up to opposition
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from the trans community, who say that her policies unfairly target trans kids.
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Richard focused on the issue of abortion, which he claimed was the most glaring example of Smith's
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inconsistency, because a minor can get an abortion without parental consent, but not a vaccine or a
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routine dental procedure. In his op-eds, Richard Durr said, quote, the opportunity is there for Smith to
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broaden her approach and address the full range of parental rights issues, including parental notification
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for minors seeking abortions and other significant medical interventions. By doing so, her government
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can align itself more closely with the values expressed by the party membership, and most Albertans
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in fact, while simultaneously preventing even the perception that her policies unfairly target trans
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youth. It's time for the government to go beyond largely symbolic gestures and deliver real change for
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parents across the province. He added that, quote, in other areas of life, whether it's a tattoo, a body piercing,
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or school staff administering Tylenol, parental consent is required. Yet, despite widespread public support for
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requiring parental consent, minors in Alberta are currently able to obtain an abortion without it. Yet, if a parent's
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permission is needed for something as benign as a school trip to the zoo, shouldn't it be required for
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a life-altering decision like abortion? No child should face the burden of a life-or-death decision
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alone. Richard and I spoke in further detail about not only key policies, but the upcoming AGM and his
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expectations. You can listen to that interview now. All right, Richard. So, yeah, with the UCP's AGM coming up on
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November 2nd, I'm just curious what your overall expectations are for the event, and if there are any key issues
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Well, I'm not so sure about key issues that might dominate the discussion. I'm sure that there will be emphasis and
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likely great emphasis on the parental notification and gender policy surrounding
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gender-related medical interventions. I'm sure that will play a large in throughout the conference.
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And then as for Smith's leadership review, which has obviously been a focal point of the AGM,
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I'm wondering if you have any insight into what her expectations might be. For example, former Premier
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Jason Kenney, obviously, he surpassed the threshold with 51.4% approval, but subsequently resigned because he said
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obviously 51.4% was way below his expectations. So, I'm wondering if you have any idea of what Smith's kind of,
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I guess, expectations will be for what percentage she's kind of going to try and meet threshold-wise?
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Well, I mean, historically, it's always been above 80% or around 80% has always been what's been preferred by
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incumbent leaders. So, I would imagine that in her case, it's much the same, and we'll have to wait and see as to whether
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she'll have stronger policy commitments in exchange for widespread support that might help ensure that she does receive
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the vote of confidence from UCP members above that threshold.
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Yeah, and do you think that's pretty likely that she'll get above that 80% number?
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We'll have to wait and see. I mean, I think it's definitely a possibility. We'll have to wait and see.
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She has shown herself to be, to her credit, someone who's open to listening. She's whip-smart. She's photogenic.
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She has many of the qualities that embody solid leadership, and I think there's just an expectation
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of follow-through that many UCP members have not seen and would like to see. So, I think it might
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depend somewhat on that. We'll have to see how it goes with the convention overall. I mean, she is
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for members, there's an upcoming, what would that be, a tele-town hall coming up on the 26th. So, I know that she
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continues to reach out to party members in hopes of solidifying her support.
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And do you think that Smith's approach to date regarding her strategy surrounding parental rights
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and, as you mentioned in your two op-eds with us, focusing on gender-related medical procedures has
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resonated with UCP members and even taking it a step further with the broader public?
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I do indeed. I think it represents a good first step. I think that though by expanding parental
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notification requirements to include all medical interventions, this would function as a sword and
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a shield issue for her. It would be a sword in that the associated electoral risk that the NDP would be
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forced to manage in having to stake out a position either in favor of what Smith is doing or in opposition
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to it, which would suggest that they take on a position of government knows best, which I do not
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think would be well received by the public at large. And it functions also as a shield issue in that it helps
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to prevent or it shields against opponents who accuse Smith of unfairly targeting trans kids.
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So I think if she expands parental notification requirements, as is already passed UCP policy, I think it's 206.5B, but you could
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probably pull that up for your viewers. That requires parental consent for a whole range of serious, irreversible
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elective procedures performed on minors. And I think that her expanding the criteria of medical interventions that
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would require parental notification would be to her benefit. And like I said, function both as a sword and shield issue
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Yeah, and you had mentioned the policy 206.5B in one of your op-eds. I think you said that members had
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overwhelmingly voted yes on it at the previous AGM, but still, it's a slow process in seeing it come
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forward. And obviously, these policies are non-binding. So I'm just looking for your overall thoughts.
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Obviously, there have been 35 policy resolutions put forward by UCP members this year. So in the past,
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what have you kind of seen from these non-binding policies? And how does it really
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sway not only Smith, but the UCP party as a whole with the motions that they bring forward?
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Well, as to how much it sways UCP, you know, the leadership in the UCP, so to speak, or elected MLAs,
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that's always hard to see. I mean, it takes away one additional excuse for them not to do something,
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if we can put it in those terms. And it does demonstrate then that there is support at least amongst
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partisan members to pass a policy. And so I think that is important. On the other hand,
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it also engages the grassroots in policy decisions that matter to them. But it does so in a way then
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that doesn't bind elected representatives to adhere to or follow through or pass legislation
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reflecting those policies passed. And in most cases, I would say that that's probably rather
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unfortunate if you, you know, of course, support those policies. So in that sense, it's, I think
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that it's important, though, that they, especially with the, again, emergence even in this AGM of
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additional public policy proposals that ask for parental notification and parental involvement
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in medical interventions that, you know, that should be a sign that there is a strong desire,
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especially amongst UCP members, but it can also be found in Alberta, in the Alberta public at large,
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for an expanding parental notification requirements to include all medical interventions performed on
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And you kind of alluded to this already, but I'm just curious, how responsive do you think Smith has
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been so far as a leader to the wants and needs of the party members? And I'm wondering whether you
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think that with this leadership review upcoming, has that shifted her responsiveness in any way?
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Well, she is responsive in terms like she listens, and I think that's to her credit. However, I would
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like to see stronger policy commitments in addition to that listening, and that these commitments aren't
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just something spoken in word, but that are legislatively enacted, so that it results then in real policy.
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That's what is expected. That's what the membership expects of her, and that's not an unreasonable
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And I'm wondering, what do you think a best-case scenario looks like for Smith at this upcoming
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AGM, and conversely, a worst-case scenario, aside from her, of course, getting ousted as
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Well, I think there you pointed out the worst-case scenario. The best-case scenario, I think, is
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that she, you know, from the perspective of the membership, and from my perspective, would
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be that there's a stronger policy commitment for expanding parental notification requirements to
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include all medical interventions performed on minors. I don't think that's an unreasonable
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position to take whatsoever, and again, I believe that would function both as a shield and a sword issue
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that would be politically beneficial for Smith and the UCP party to adopt, and that in her doing so,
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she would, in exchange, get strong support from the membership to continue on as leader.
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Yeah, Richard, is there anything else I haven't asked or covered that you'd like to say?
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I think the UCP membership has clearly stated already in the past, by way of its public policy
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pronouncements, that parents, not bureaucrats, should be responsible for making the terminations
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when it involves serious, irreversible electric procedure to foreign-bound minors,
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and it's my sincere hope that Smith and the UCP party leadership will honour those policy pronouncements
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and enact that into legislation that I think would be accepted by the Alberta population at large.
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And will I see you at the AGM, or are you attending?
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Indeed, you will. I'm excited to be there, and it'll be nice to meet you in the flesh, Isaac.
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Right on. I'll see you then, Richard. Thanks a lot for coming on the show today.
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Per the policy 206.5b that Richard discussed in his op-eds, and a bit more on the show, it reads,
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During this year's AGM, policy resolutions No. 7 and No. 8 both directly touch on parental rights.
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A few other policies address trans rights and biological sexes,
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but Policy Resolution No. 7 calls on the government of Alberta to, quote,
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Support a bill of parental rights which ensures that legislation will recognize, support, and,
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one, acknowledge that a parent's prior right and responsibility to raise their children
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precedes government legislation and does not flow from it.
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Two, provide legislative clarity for the courts to uphold and enforce the existing defined
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and legislated legal age limits of the province.
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Three, protect parents who are providing the necessities for the child's health, education,
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and welfare as they exercise their parental custody and authority and does not interfere
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Four, include remedial provisions for unjustified interference by government, organizations,
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And five, affirm that the ultimate responsibility for a legally defined minor child's health,
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education, and welfare lies with the parents or legal guardians by legislating to regulate
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the practice of subjectively ascribing children, quote,
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Policy number eight calls on the government of Alberta to, quote,
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Support parental rights in education by implementing the following.
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One, require teachers and school boards obtain often informed written consent from the parents
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of a student to any instance when a teacher provides formal, informal, or incidental instruction
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or extracurricular activities on subject matter involving sexuality, sexual orientation,
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At the parent's written request, the teacher of the student shall permit the student to
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leave the classroom without academic penalty or other censor.
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And two, require that all third-party resource materials or presentations related to gender,
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identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality available in Alberta classrooms be pre-approved
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I hope to see some of you at the upcoming AGM in Red Deer on November 2nd.
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If you see me there, feel free to stop by and say hi.