Alberta Patriots Just Scored a MASSIVE Win in The Courts!!
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Summary
A new flashpoint in the standoff between Alberta and Ottawa. Premier Danielle Smith threatens to withhold funding to support new judicial appointments unless the federal government gives the province a say in who is picked. Her move comes as some in Alberta are calling for the province to separate from Canada.
Transcript
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We begin with a new flashpoint in the tent standoff between Alberta and Ottawa.
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The Premier in Alberta, Danielle Smith, threatening to withhold funding to support new judicial appointments
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unless the federal government gives the province a say in who is picked.
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Her move comes as some in Alberta are calling for the province to separate from Canada.
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Well folks, looks like Alberta patriots just got another massive win against the federal Liberals
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For years, Ottawa has used the courts as a control tool.
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They appoint the judges, they shape the system, then they tell Alberta to sit down and just accept it.
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They stopped waiting and decided to take matters into their own hands.
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And if you're wondering why you're seeing all the panic from the left,
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while you're hearing lectures about democracy all of a sudden,
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it's because they didn't think Alberta would ever push back this hard.
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Danielle Smith putting these demands into a letter to the Prime Minister.
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Well, essentially, she wants to see the way judges are chosen in her province to change.
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And she said she wants more say, her government, that is, to have more say.
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And if that doesn't happen, as you mentioned, she plans to withdraw the funding that promotes and supports that selection process.
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So, going back to that letter, it was dated January 23rd, only made public yesterday,
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outlining the desire for her government to have a bigger say in how judges are chosen in the courts in Alberta,
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David, she also mentioned she wants to see the rules loosening around judicial appointees
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when it comes to that requirement for them to be bilingual.
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Provincial governments do not currently get a say, a direct say, in how judges are appointed.
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Can you actually explain to us how that happens?
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Yeah, right now, it is the federal government that appoints all judges in courts across the country.
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But they are given recommendations based on what is said and brought forward to them from 17 judicial advisory committees.
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And you can see on your screen how it all breaks down.
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Seven people coming from Ottawa, the province, the chief justice of that province,
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as well as two lawyer groups, one national and one provincial.
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Right now, of those 17, David, there is one of those judicial advisory committees in Alberta.
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Here's why this is a big deal and why most Albertans are happy about this.
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People here have been saying the same thing for years.
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The courts don't feel like they work for us anymore.
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They feel like liberal activism comes first and consequences for real criminals come last.
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And for the first time, the Alberta government didn't complain.
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They didn't write a strongly worded letter or statement.
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They said, we're not going to give you our money anymore.
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And every Albertan watching knows exactly what this means.
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Premier Danielle Smith believes the province should have more input on judicial appointments.
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Smith wants changes made to the appointment process at the Alberta Court of King's Bench,
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the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.
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To fill vacancies, Smith wants to see a special advisory committee created
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that would consist of two people recommended by the province.
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She says Alberta will withhold funding to support new appointments until its input is allowed.
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There are currently three vacancies on the Alberta Court of King's Bench.
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Okay, so with the one that is already in her province, instead of seven people,
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she wants to bring it down by three and she wants it to be four,
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And then that group would come together with a list of potential appointees.
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That would then go to the ministers and then, of course,
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would have to be approved and appointed by the federal government.
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We have the whole Alberta separatism discussion going on right now.
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There's also calls within the legal community in Alberta
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who have looked at some of Smith's suggestions.
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Well, Danielle Smith has been very vocal about her criticism of the court system there,
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saying that she wants to direct the judges in the courts.
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Of course, that didn't go over well with the chief justices in her province.
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But the language here, she's saying that she wants the judicial appointees
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to really reflect the national unity in her province,
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Look, this all is because of this letter from Smith to Kearney.
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Yeah, we heard from the Justice Minister, Sean Fraser.
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There was a statement that was sent out from a spokesperson from his office.
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the independent judicial advisory committees protect that independence
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by keeping judicial appointments at arm's length from political influence.
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So speaking to the importance of that independence,
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that's something we also heard from the chief justices in Alberta.
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The NDP also speaking out, saying the courts are already underfunded.
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And today, Alberta demonstrated that it is willing to take that power
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And this is all happening while the independence conversation
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while people have decided they've had enough of Canada,
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and while Alberta is testing what it can do without permission.
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Another round of demands from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
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In a letter dated January 23rd to Prime Minister Mark Carney,
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Smith asks for more input when appointing judges
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Smith wants a committee formed with two people from Alberta
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Smith threatens to pull funding for these appointments.
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Alberta's government will not agree to provide the necessary funding
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to support any new judicial positions in this province
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until such engagement and collaboration are provided.
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and the national security interests of the United States
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what it will take to complete the implementation
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and if you still think this movement is just talk,
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Special thanks to each and every channel member