PJ The Belt - Alberta Patriots Just Scored a MASSIVE Win in The Courts!!

00:00:00.000 We begin with a new flashpoint in the tent standoff between Alberta and Ottawa.

00:00:04.920 The Premier in Alberta, Danielle Smith, threatening to withhold funding to support new judicial appointments

00:00:10.580 unless the federal government gives the province a say in who is picked.

00:00:15.240 Her move comes as some in Alberta are calling for the province to separate from Canada.

00:00:20.800 Well folks, looks like Alberta patriots just got another massive win against the federal Liberals

00:00:26.760 and it landed right in the Alberta courts.

00:00:30.000 For years, Ottawa has used the courts as a control tool.

00:00:34.280 They appoint the judges, they shape the system, then they tell Alberta to sit down and just accept it. 1.00

00:00:41.460 Well, that changed today.

00:00:44.040 The government of Alberta stopped asking.

00:00:46.560 They stopped waiting and decided to take matters into their own hands.

00:00:52.020 And if you're wondering why you're seeing all the panic from the left,

00:00:56.160 while you're hearing lectures about democracy all of a sudden,

00:01:00.980 it's because they didn't think Alberta would ever push back this hard.

00:01:06.580 Well, here we are.

00:01:07.960 And this is only the beginning.

00:01:10.020 Danielle Smith putting these demands into a letter to the Prime Minister.

00:01:13.740 What did it say?

00:01:14.460 Well, essentially, she wants to see the way judges are chosen in her province to change.

00:01:19.700 And she said she wants more say, her government, that is, to have more say.

00:01:23.380 And if that doesn't happen, as you mentioned, she plans to withdraw the funding that promotes and supports that selection process.

00:01:28.940 So, going back to that letter, it was dated January 23rd, only made public yesterday,

00:01:33.560 outlining the desire for her government to have a bigger say in how judges are chosen in the courts in Alberta,

00:01:39.460 as well as in the Supreme Court of Canada.

00:01:41.360 David, she also mentioned she wants to see the rules loosening around judicial appointees

00:01:45.620 when it comes to that requirement for them to be bilingual.

00:01:48.760 Provincial governments do not currently get a say, a direct say, in how judges are appointed.

00:01:54.900 Can you actually explain to us how that happens?

00:01:57.300 Yeah, right now, it is the federal government that appoints all judges in courts across the country.

00:02:01.880 But they are given recommendations based on what is said and brought forward to them from 17 judicial advisory committees.

00:02:10.300 Those are made up of seven people.

00:02:12.420 And you can see on your screen how it all breaks down.

00:02:14.760 Seven people coming from Ottawa, the province, the chief justice of that province,

00:02:19.000 as well as two lawyer groups, one national and one provincial.

00:02:21.900 Right now, of those 17, David, there is one of those judicial advisory committees in Alberta.

00:02:29.260 Here's why this is a big deal and why most Albertans are happy about this.

00:02:34.360 People here have been saying the same thing for years.

00:02:38.300 The courts don't feel like they work for us anymore.

00:02:41.560 They feel like they serve Ottawa.

00:02:44.220 They feel like liberal activism comes first and consequences for real criminals come last.

00:02:51.280 And for the first time, the Alberta government didn't complain.

00:02:56.020 They didn't beg.

00:02:57.740 They didn't write a strongly worded letter or statement.

00:03:01.760 They used leverage.

00:03:03.240 They said, we're not going to give you our money anymore.

00:03:06.300 No blank check for you.

00:03:08.460 No more control without our input.

00:03:11.280 That's not just rhetoric anymore.

00:03:13.660 That's a power move.

00:03:15.000 And every Albertan watching knows exactly what this means.

00:03:20.140 Premier Danielle Smith believes the province should have more input on judicial appointments.

00:03:25.220 Smith wants changes made to the appointment process at the Alberta Court of King's Bench,

00:03:29.900 the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

00:03:32.560 To fill vacancies, Smith wants to see a special advisory committee created

00:03:36.920 that would consist of two people recommended by the province.

00:03:40.420 She says Alberta will withhold funding to support new appointments until its input is allowed.

00:03:45.780 There are currently three vacancies on the Alberta Court of King's Bench.

00:03:49.620 Okay, what is Smith saying she wants to do?

00:03:51.760 Okay, so with the one that is already in her province, instead of seven people,

00:03:55.800 she wants to bring it down by three and she wants it to be four, 1.00

00:03:58.620 with two chosen from Alberta, two from Ottawa.

00:04:01.920 And then that group would come together with a list of potential appointees.

00:04:04.940 That would then go to the ministers and then, of course,

00:04:07.140 would have to be approved and appointed by the federal government.

00:04:09.500 This reverberates in a couple of ways.

00:04:11.300 We have the whole Alberta separatism discussion going on right now.

00:04:15.660 There's also calls within the legal community in Alberta

00:04:19.360 who have looked at some of Smith's suggestions.

00:04:21.720 They don't like it.

00:04:22.580 Can you take us through that?

00:04:23.640 Well, Danielle Smith has been very vocal about her criticism of the court system there,

00:04:27.860 speaking on a Calgary radio station recently,

00:04:30.440 saying that she wants to direct the judges in the courts.

00:04:33.160 Of course, that didn't go over well with the chief justices in her province.

00:04:36.720 But the language here, she's saying that she wants the judicial appointees 0.78

00:04:41.140 to really reflect the national unity in her province,

00:04:43.680 as well as the distinct legal traditions.

00:04:46.220 Look, this all is because of this letter from Smith to Kearney.

00:04:50.200 Has the Kearney government responded?

00:04:51.520 Yeah, we heard from the Justice Minister, Sean Fraser.

00:04:54.040 There was a statement that was sent out from a spokesperson from his office.

00:04:57.560 Take a look at what it says, in part.

00:04:59.120 It says,

00:04:59.580 the independent judicial advisory committees protect that independence

00:05:03.440 by keeping judicial appointments at arm's length from political influence.

00:05:07.600 So speaking to the importance of that independence,

00:05:10.900 that judicial independence,

00:05:12.080 that's something we also heard from the chief justices in Alberta.

00:05:14.820 The NDP also speaking out, saying the courts are already underfunded.

00:05:18.120 So this would have far-reaching effects.

00:05:20.840 This is why this moment matters.

00:05:23.140 This isn't only about judges.

00:05:25.140 This is about who runs Alberta.

00:05:27.520 And today, Alberta demonstrated that it is willing to take that power

00:05:32.240 back from Ottawa, one institution at a time.

00:05:36.080 And this is all happening while the independence conversation

00:05:39.240 is only getting louder,

00:05:41.400 while people have decided they've had enough of Canada,

00:05:44.720 and while Alberta is testing what it can do without permission. 1.00

00:05:49.560 Another round of demands from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith

00:05:52.360 towards the justice system.

00:05:54.540 In a letter dated January 23rd to Prime Minister Mark Carney,

00:05:58.120 Smith asks for more input when appointing judges

00:06:01.100 to the Alberta Court of King's Bench,

00:06:03.160 Court of Appeal,

00:06:03.860 and Supreme Court,

00:06:05.400 all to reflect the province's, quote,

00:06:07.540 distinct legal traditions.

00:06:09.520 Smith wants a committee formed with two people from Alberta

00:06:12.200 and two from Ottawa.

00:06:13.680 But if this doesn't happen,

00:06:15.320 Smith threatens to pull funding for these appointments.

00:06:18.340 The letter reads,

00:06:19.200 Alberta's government will not agree to provide the necessary funding

00:06:22.600 to support any new judicial positions in this province

00:06:25.580 until such engagement and collaboration are provided.

00:06:28.900 Independence is absolutely possible, 0.99

00:06:32.040 uniquely possible in Canada,

00:06:34.000 because the Supreme Court of Canada,

00:06:35.440 the 1998 Quebec reference case,

00:06:38.100 laid out the constitutional pathway

00:06:39.920 for a province to hold a referendum

00:06:42.020 and leave the country,

00:06:43.560 and the current geopolitical dynamics

00:06:46.360 of the hostility from the Carney government

00:06:48.960 towards the United States,

00:06:50.580 and the national security interests of the United States

00:06:53.660 to recognize Alberta

00:06:54.980 after the democratic vote occurs,

00:06:57.580 make independence absolutely possible

00:07:00.660 and shorten the time frame

00:07:02.160 for, I think,

00:07:02.800 what it will take to complete the implementation

00:07:05.080 and the transition.

00:07:06.460 This is a real shift,

00:07:07.640 and if you still think this movement is just talk,

00:07:11.120 you're not paying attention.

00:07:13.240 Thank you for watching.

00:07:14.800 If you support these videos,

00:07:16.300 subscribe and click the bell icon

00:07:18.060 so you never miss an update from PJ.

00:07:20.260 Special thanks to each and every channel member

00:07:22.360 for your support

00:07:23.160 and for making these reports possible.

00:07:25.320 I'll see you in the next episode.

00:07:27.080 Cheers.

00:07:27.580 Cheers.

00:07:29.220 Cheers.

00:07:36.160 Cheers.

00:07:36.300 Cheers.

00:07:37.640 Cheers.

00:07:53.140 Cheers.

00:07:53.440 Cheers.

00:07:53.580 Cheers.

00:07:55.440 Cheers.

00:07:55.540 Cheers.

00:07:56.760 So.

00:07:57.440 We'll be right back.

PJ The Belt - February 05, 2026

Alberta Patriots Just Scored a MASSIVE Win in The Courts!!

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