Rebel News Podcast - EZRA LEVANT ｜ 'Alberta's done waiting'： Keith Wilson takes independence fight public

00:00:00.000 Tonight, Keith Wilson throws his hat into the ring of Alberta independents,

00:00:04.240 launching a new third-party advertiser.

00:00:06.580 It's June 19th, and this is The Ezra LeVant Show.

00:00:09.820 You're fighting for freedom!

00:00:12.740 Shame on you, you censorious bug! 0.73

00:00:24.540 Well, you know Keith Wilson.

00:00:26.240 You probably got to know him during the trucker convoy

00:00:28.600 when he was the lawyer for the truckers.

00:00:31.460 He was helping to negotiate with the various bureaucrats and police forces.

00:00:36.320 He was the lawyer for the convoy.

00:00:38.400 Well, he's been, for the last year or so, a kind of lawyer for Alberta independence.

00:00:44.040 Of course, it's not a courtroom battle, but it is a battle of ideas and arguments.

00:00:48.820 And while Mitch Sylvester and Jeffrey Rath and others worked the ground game

00:00:54.220 to get hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition to call a referendum,

00:00:58.600 Keith Wilson is being laying down the intellectual case and debating, including several debates with Jason Kenney, the former premier of Alberta.

00:01:07.960 Here's an excerpt from one of those debates.

00:01:10.980 We have so much going for us.

00:01:13.780 You know, we have the third largest reserve of oil in the world.

00:01:16.840 We have a young entrepreneurial workforce.

00:01:22.300 90% of our trade is with the largest economy in the world

00:01:28.300 that is right on our border, closest to us.

00:01:32.660 We've all seen countries from far afield come with gifts to President Trump

00:01:39.320 to try and get a little bit of access to that market.

00:01:42.820 And what an opportunity.

00:01:45.040 Meanwhile, we have Prime Minister Carney saying,

00:01:47.340 our relationship with the United States has come to an end

00:01:50.240 or something to that effect, and let's embrace Europe.

00:01:54.860 So we've got so much going for us.

00:01:58.980 We have a larger economy than New Zealand, Finland,

00:02:05.840 Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Kuwait, Qatar, Iceland, Luxembourg,

00:02:10.180 and I could keep going, over 100 sovereign nations.

00:02:13.460 We have a situation where we've contributed over $700 billion in net fiscal transfers to Ottawa, and Alberta receives roughly 65 cents back from Ottawa for every dollar we spend or send to them.

00:02:32.500 And we have a diversified economy. It's not all just oil and gas. We're blessed with that. Third largest reserve of oil and gas in the world.

00:02:39.960 so my conclusion is that canada is no longer an optimal size of governance but alberta is

00:02:55.840 we have what it takes to go on our own well in alberta election law if you raise or spend any

00:03:02.600 money you have to register as a so-called third party advertiser rebel news has done so as you

00:03:08.220 know we've done that federally as well, in part to avoid being prosecuted by left-wing electoral

00:03:14.460 officers who would say that our editorial stance is illegal politicking. So to play it safe, and

00:03:21.120 because we believe in telling our side of the story, we are third-party advertisers too. But

00:03:25.580 Keith Wilson launched today, along with a colleague, a fourth-generation Alberta farmer,

00:03:31.760 Tanya Clemens. Here's a bit of an excerpt from their remarks.

00:03:34.900 Thank you, everyone, for coming out today.

00:03:39.900 As John's noted, we're four months away from a historic opportunity for Alberta to chart

00:03:46.720 a new course towards independence, and what's really important is that, as Albertans reflect

00:03:54.800 on their options over the next four months, that they have accurate, clear, authoritative

00:04:03.180 information on the reasons why I believe and Tanya believe that Albertans

00:04:10.800 should vote for option two on October 19th which is to trigger the formal

00:04:16.080 process for an independence referendum so to help Albertans make an informed

00:04:22.080 decision we've started this new group this new independence organization called

00:04:27.000 Let Alberta Decide. And we also have our campaign that Alberta's done waiting.

00:04:34.000 Canada is unique in Western democracies in that our Supreme Court of Canada in the 1998

00:04:42.000 reference decision laid out a legal pathway for a province to move towards independence

00:04:49.000 after holding a clear vote on a clear question with a clear majority.

00:04:55.000 So, why is it that I, as an Albertan, as a lawyer, and as a father, believe that this

00:05:03.920 is the right course for Alberta to move towards independence?

00:05:09.320 And I'll say this, that we know, many Albertans know, about the unfairness of equalization.

00:05:17.380 The federal constitutional program that results in tens and tens of billions of dollars being

00:05:24.780 sent to Ottawa that never come back to the benefit of Albertans, but it's more

00:05:30.780 structural than that. The way the electoral structure is in the

00:05:35.380 constitutional structure of Canada, Alberta never gets a voice. We won't get

00:05:39.960 a voice. We can't have a voice because decisions are always made in Ottawa as

00:05:44.280 determined by the wishes of the voters in Quebec and Ontario. So we have a

00:05:51.280 a structural problem. And we have effectively, we're treated as a colony where we send the

00:05:59.680 money and we're told what we can do, we're told what we can't do. We saw this with the

00:06:05.060 National Energy Program under Trudeau Senior. Basically the net zero and climate policies

00:06:12.360 of Justin Trudeau, where essentially have been a National Energy Program 2.0.

00:06:19.740 And what we're seeking to help Albertans to think about is, does Canada still work for Alberta?

00:06:30.060 Does it make sense for Alberta to continue to be ruled by Ottawa,

00:06:35.300 have decisions that affect our lives, our communities, our economy, our children, made by Ottawa?

00:06:41.080 You know, I really do believe that much like those of us who have children, and, you know, when you have a child and they're 10 years old, it makes sense for them to continue to live at home.

00:06:57.440 But when they're 21 or 22 or 24 and they're still in the basement, it's time for them to move out.

00:07:04.300 In other words, they can achieve a greater potential by going out on their own.

00:07:08.980 And they don't need you to care for them and to protect them.

00:07:12.320 I really think that that's what's happened with Alberta.

00:07:14.880 It might have made sense for Alberta to be in Canada and supported by Ottawa as occurred from 1905 up to the 1940s.

00:07:23.700 But ever since our economy started to mature, that we developed our oil and gas industry with the third largest reserve of oil in the world, we've outgrown our relationship with Ottawa.

00:07:35.480 And it's time for us to set out on our own.

00:07:39.600 Independence allows Albertans to make decisions that affect Albertans.

00:07:45.720 So instead of going to Ottawa and asking for permission for things, we have the opportunity before us, depending on how Albertans vote, to elect the politicians here in Alberta that will make the full range of decisions that affect every aspect of our lives and our economy.

00:08:05.400 So, our central message is that Alberta has the resources the world needs, the people

00:08:18.120 and the expertise to develop them, a young entrepreneurial workforce, strong agricultural

00:08:24.600 base, deep energy experience, stable institutions, and a long record of competence and contribution.

00:08:32.680 Again, it's my view and Tanya's view and I think a view of an increasing number of Albertans

00:08:39.680 that Canada no longer works for Alberta.

00:08:42.680 We've outgrown the relationship and we have the ability to venture forth and achieve greater things

00:08:50.680 by being unconstrained by Ottawa.

00:08:53.680 Of course, our relationship with the rest of Canada would not end.

00:08:57.680 We would just be in a position of leverage to negotiate a new relationship with Ottawa and the rest of Canada

00:09:05.400 instead of the situation we have today where we're told what we can and can't do.

00:09:10.840 So our campaign will also address some of the difficult questions.

00:09:14.840 This is a serious decision that needs to be made.

00:09:17.260 And we will work with other organizations such as the Alberta Transition Council

00:09:21.860 that I also co-founded with and co-leading with Dennis Kalma, who is in the route today.

00:09:29.620 And we're working on a white paper that will be released near the end of July.

00:09:34.320 And the purpose of the white paper is to describe the transitional steps,

00:09:38.800 what would be involved in Alberta moving from a province within Canada to an independent country.

00:09:46.080 So, important work ahead.

00:09:47.960 We're going to use a broad range of campaign techniques including reaching out and making ourselves available to the news media as well as using social media, meetings, digital strategies and information and supporting volunteers as we all work together to get people thinking about their future, the future for their children and their grandchildren.

00:10:17.960 and how, in our view, they would be better off in an independent Alberta.

00:10:21.960 The bottom line is Alberta has tried for decades.

00:10:30.960 We helped elect Mulroney, and we saw that no fundamental change to the Constitution.

00:10:38.960 There were serious attempts. The Beach Lake Accord, the Charlottetown Accord, they all failed.

00:10:44.960 Even our opponent, former Premier Jason Kenney, admitted in my debate with him in May that the Constitution is unamendable.

00:10:54.960 And so I don't know how those who are advocating that Alberta should stay think they're actually going to change things.

00:11:03.220 I've challenged them many times to show us your plan. They don't have one because I don't think it can be changed.

00:11:09.540 independence and of referendum

00:11:12.780 consistent with what the Supreme Court

00:11:15.340 of Canada said is the only pathway

00:11:17.300 for change.

00:11:19.780 So

00:11:20.040 we also sent

00:11:23.060 the Reform Party to Ottawa.

00:11:25.980 We helped elect

00:11:27.400 and had a Prime Minister, Prime Minister

00:11:29.380 Harper from Ottawa. We sent Jason

00:11:31.220 Kenney to Ottawa. Nothing

00:11:33.100 changed. In 2021, we

00:11:35.280 had a province-wide referendum here in Alberta

00:11:37.200 on equalization.

00:11:38.640 It passed with over 62% support.

00:11:42.060 Premier Kennedy wrote a letter to the Prime Minister requesting a constitutional conference.

00:11:45.980 He was denied.

00:11:47.040 He wrote a letter to the other Premiers requesting a constitutional conference.

00:11:50.560 He was denied.

00:11:51.500 It ended the matter.

00:11:52.900 In other words, the only vehicle forward for Alberta to achieve systemic change to address our grievances,

00:12:01.960 remove the constraints upon us, and allow Alberta to achieve its potential is a vote for independence.

00:12:06.880 With that, I'd like to introduce Tanya Clemens. If you don't know who she is, Tanya is a fourth generation Southern Alberta farmer. She's a former junior high school math and science teacher. She's a mother and an Alberta independence advocate.

00:12:25.380 She was raised on a family farm with roots in the Blackie area dating back to 1909, and she holds a degree in science and education, and she has come to the conclusion, like me, that her children and her grandchildren have a better, more prosperous future, a freer future, by being in an independent Alberta.

00:12:52.880 And with that, I'd like to invite Tanya to make a say some words.

00:13:05.900 Good morning, everyone.

00:13:07.520 Before I begin, I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to be here today,

00:13:11.780 including members of the media from across Alberta.

00:13:14.400 Whether you agree with us, disagree with us,

00:13:16.860 or are simply here to better understand why this conversation is taking place,

00:13:20.700 I appreciate your willingness to listen and to help Albertans engage with the ideas we're discussing today.

00:13:26.700 One of the questions I've spent a lot of time thinking about over the last few years is this.

00:13:32.700 How many times can Albertans ask for change before we have to admit that the change we're asking for may never come?

00:13:40.700 Because that's what really brings us here today. This isn't about anger, resentment, or division.

00:13:46.700 What brings us here is a growing recognition that Alberta has spent generations trying

00:13:51.700 to improve its place within Confederation, and many of the same concerns remain unresolved.

00:13:58.700 That recognition is what led Keith Wilson and myself to launch Let Alberta Decide.

00:14:03.700 We're trying to reach the people who feel something isn't working, but aren't convinced

00:14:08.700 about what comes next. Because that's where I was. I had questions, I had concerns, and

00:14:15.700 And before I reached any conclusions, I wanted to understand why so many Albertans felt increasingly

00:14:20.980 frustrated with the direction of our country.

00:14:25.180 For most of my life, I believed Alberta's future would be secured within Canada, and

00:14:30.020 that meaningful reform was possible.

00:14:33.100 I believed Alberta could achieve a fair and lasting place within Confederation if just

00:14:38.680 elected the right governments, proposed the right reforms, and made the right arguments.

00:14:44.680 I wanted very much for that to be true.

00:14:47.640 But over time, I found myself looking less at promises and more at outcomes.

00:14:53.640 And when I did, I found myself asking whether Alberta could still achieve meaningful change within Canada.

00:15:01.380 I think the modest place to start answering that question is with Alberta's history.

00:15:06.360 Because for decades, Alberta's have sought reforms aimed at securing a stronger voice within Canada.

00:15:12.960 we have really tried. From the Reform Party, to the Firewall Letter, from the

00:15:19.320 Fair Deal Panel, to the 2021 Equalization Referendum, Elberts have

00:15:24.040 repeatedly tried to improve their position within Confederation. At some

00:15:29.160 point, Elberts have to ask whether decades of asking for change have

00:15:33.340 produced meaningful results, or whether we're being asked to keep faith in a

00:15:38.040 process that never seems to deliver them. In many ways, Alberta arrived at this

00:15:43.720 conversation only after trying everything else. If decades of advocacy,

00:15:49.800 reform efforts, constitutional proposals, and democratic mandates have failed to

00:15:55.740 produce meaningful change, what reason do we have to believe that the next

00:15:59.220 attempt will be successful? Albertans have been extraordinarily patient, but at

00:16:05.940 some point we have to evaluate outcomes rather than promises and Alberta is done

00:16:11.760 waiting. There's another question we have to be willing to ask. What if we do

00:16:17.320 nothing? Because doing nothing often feels like a safer option but doing

00:16:23.580 nothing also is a choice and one that comes with consequences. Alberta's future

00:16:29.560 is going to be shaped and changed whether we actively participate in that

00:16:33.780 process or not. The real question is whether Elbertans will have enough influence over

00:16:38.280 that future or whether we'll continue adapting to decisions made elsewhere and far away.

00:16:45.020 For me, the certainty of where Canada is headed concerns me far more than any uncertainty

00:16:51.540 of what Elbertans could achieve if they were free to choose their own future.

00:16:57.300 Every path carries risks, but too often we scrutinize the risks of change while barely

00:17:02.540 acknowledging the risk of staying exactly where we are after studying this issue and being deeply

00:17:09.180 involved in this conversation i have reached my own conclusion alberta is capable of governing

00:17:15.180 itself and shaping its own future i reached that conclusion not because i became focused on what

00:17:21.180 alberta might lose but because i became increasingly interested in what alberta might gain greater

00:17:27.580 control over our economy, our resources and the decisions that shape our future

00:17:32.800 along with the responsibility that comes with that. Which brings me to the

00:17:38.440 question that I think matters most. What kind of Alberta do we want to leave

00:17:43.180 behind? Because this conversation is ultimately about the people who will

00:17:47.740 inherit the consequences of the decisions that we're making now. I spent a lot of

00:17:52.660 time thinking about the next generation, about my children, my students, about

00:17:57.160 about whether young Albertans will enjoy the same opportunities that previous generations have enjoyed.

00:18:03.160 And when I think about that question, I find myself returning to something that farmers understand very well.

00:18:09.160 Stewardship.

00:18:11.160 By being Albertans, we have been entrusted with Alberta.

00:18:16.160 And our responsibility is to leave it stronger than we found it for the generations that follow.

00:18:22.160 If we genuinely believe Alberta's future matters, then we have a responsibility to examine every option available to secure that future.

00:18:31.180 Even the ones that make us uncomfortable, and even the ones that challenge assumptions we've held for most of our lives.

00:18:39.280 And that's why I believe Alberta is worth having this conversation.

00:18:42.500 Not because the future is guaranteed, but because the certainty of where Canada is headed

00:18:49.500 concerns me far more than the uncertainty of what Albertans might achieve if they had

00:18:54.500 the opportunity to choose their own path.

00:18:57.500 Alberta has always been built by people willing to think differently, take responsibility,

00:19:02.500 and believe they could leave something better behind than what they inherited.

00:19:06.500 I think we owe the next generation that same willingness.

00:19:10.500 And that's ultimately why Keith and I launched Let Alberta Decide.

00:19:14.320 Because whatever conclusions Albertans ultimately reach, it should be Albertans who decided.

00:19:20.640 Thank you very much.

00:19:22.240 Most impressive to me wasn't what I heard from Tanya or Keith.

00:19:26.900 I've frankly heard it all before, I think, several times.

00:19:30.860 What was new to me was the size of the media that came to hear it.

00:19:35.980 And I've just been listening in to questions in the scrum, and I'm sort of amazed by how substantive and respectful the questions are.

00:19:45.640 It feels like a different approach than the regime media has taken towards independence so far.

00:19:51.720 Now, of course, that's just the questions they're asking here.

00:19:54.420 What survives or gets left on the cutting room floor before it's published into News Tomorrow may be a completely different thing.

00:20:00.900 But I think that at least some of the journalists I observed felt like they could ask deep or nuanced or substantive questions of Keith Wilson that maybe they hadn't had a chance to ask anyone before other than perhaps the premier of Alberta herself.

00:20:18.720 I like the name Alberta's done waiting because it sort of puts the question to the other side,

00:20:23.000 which is how long do you expect us to wait?

00:20:25.800 Because so many decades have gone by and the same unresolved problems remain.

00:20:31.920 Well, what those that are advocating for Alberta to stay in Canada, the pro-Ottawa crew, have no plan.

00:20:39.700 You know, we know from Charlottetown, even former Premier Kenney himself volunteered that the Constitution is unamendable.

00:20:45.940 So they have no plan.

00:20:47.180 Those who are saying Alberta should just wait some more, negotiate some more, be patient.

00:20:51.960 They have no plan to address the concerns.

00:20:54.600 The condition of the country is getting worse.

00:20:56.880 The opportunities for Alberta are before us right now.

00:20:59.660 Albertans are increasingly tired of what Ottawa is doing to us, and we want to move forward.

00:21:05.400 I have a question about the federal liberals,

00:21:09.460 Because I think that so many things that impact Albertans are decided by Ottawa in ways we don't even know.

00:21:16.520 For example, appointment of judges.

00:21:18.340 There may be a vacancy in the Supreme Court.

00:21:21.780 And some of the names being bandied about are quite radical.

00:21:25.240 Do you think Albertans are aware of how many day-to-day decisions are done by appointees,

00:21:31.780 if not loyal to Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney, at least ideologically loyal to them?

00:21:36.480 Well, I don't think they understand the level of control that the Prime Minister's office has.

00:21:42.160 The Prime Minister's office decides who our judges are.

00:21:44.960 The Prime Minister's office decides who the head of CSIS is.

00:21:48.440 The Prime Minister's office decides whether or not the commissioner of the RCMP keeps his job.

00:21:53.520 And that's a very concerning thing in a democracy.

00:21:56.220 You should not have a situation like that.

00:21:58.180 So Canada has evolved to become increasingly centralised in its decision-making.

00:22:06.480 less concern and consideration for the provinces, particularly Alberta.

00:22:11.360 And we've seen these authoritarian tendencies with actions from freezing bank accounts

00:22:16.820 to arresting protesters to now censorship laws.

00:22:20.460 Thanks for taking the time. Good luck.

00:22:21.640 So I thought it was a very interesting event, and I would say it's successful by that measure alone.

00:22:27.300 I like the phrase, Alberta's done waiting,

00:22:30.680 because it throws the gauntlet to the Jason Kenneys of the world,

00:22:33.440 and saying, you tried this and it didn't work.

00:22:36.860 Before you, Preston Manning tried it, it didn't work.

00:22:39.320 Before him, Peter Lougheed tried it, it didn't work.

00:22:42.180 I mean, how many generations does Alberta have to wait?

00:22:44.860 There's no lack of solutions to the problems Alberta faces. 0.95

00:22:48.800 There's a lack of the power to get it done because of the system.

00:22:52.140 Here's some questions I put about that to Keith Wilson himself.

00:22:55.780 Hi there, Ezra Levant from Rebel News.

00:22:58.980 I remember in the last federal election, Preston Manning wrote an op-ed in the Globe and Mail

00:23:06.980 saying that if Mark Carney were elected prime minister, that could be the last prime minister ever of a united candidate.

00:23:14.980 That would be the last straw that Alberta would break apart.

00:23:18.980 How has Mark Carney, what factor has he been in Alberta independence?

00:23:25.980 And do you ever talk to Pastor Manning about independence? Because that was, I think, in a white president's way of saying it's not worth. What are your thoughts on that?

00:23:36.980 Well, I think, I've said this before, I'll say it again, I think Mark Carney is the greatest force in support and encouraging more and more Albertans to support independence.

00:23:52.980 He plays an interesting game. On the one hand, he's trying to portray that he wants to take the Canadian government in a different direction relative to the direction of the Trudeau years, but he spent nothing to repeal most of the nine bad laws, despite the premier's characterization that he has, because he has not.

00:24:18.980 They're still on the books. Some of them have been delayed and slightly altered.

00:24:25.400 And if Prime Minister Carmi really wanted Alberta to fully develop its resources

00:24:32.660 and the tremendous economic benefits that would provide not only to Albertans in jobs and businesses

00:24:41.060 but also for governments, for revenue, for taxation to help reduce deficits and debt,

00:24:45.640 He could do it tomorrow. He could repeal Bill C-69, the no more pipelines and in fact,

00:24:52.640 no more major projects fall. He could lift the tanker ban. He could abandon the harmful

00:24:59.640 net zero policies. But Prime Minister Carney chooses not to do those things because I think

00:25:05.640 he fundamentally believes that he can make Canada this role model for net zero despite

00:25:11.640 despite the fact that countries around the world are now realizing the harm of that policy and moving away from it.

00:25:18.380 So my view is that Prime Minister Carney talks a big game.

00:25:26.140 You know, in the MOU between the Premier and the Prime Minister are not evidence of Canada working.

00:25:35.280 They're evidence of why Alberta has outgrown its relationship.

00:25:39.560 The EU is evidence of why the relationship is broken.

00:25:44.560 Look at the amount of political capital, energy and time that the Premier has put in

00:25:50.560 and the amount of cost and concession she's had to agree to.

00:25:54.560 $20 billion or more for pathways. 0.74

00:25:57.560 Someone's going to have to pay for that.

00:26:00.560 The oil pact has said they're not going to.

00:26:02.560 Guess who's going to end up paying for it? You.

00:26:05.560 So, the fact that it's taken so much effort and time just to have an MOU about a possible pipeline that the Prime Minister has announced, he's given a veto to British Columbia and the First Nations over, and that such incredible cost to the taxpayer and the economy is actually evidence of the failings of Canada, not a success.

00:26:30.460 Well, I mentioned third-party advertisers.

00:26:33.040 Rebel News has one, and our friend Corey Morgan has one.

00:26:36.260 Here's a quick chat I had with him.

00:26:38.220 Corey, you're the head of a third-party advertiser, and you're just doing great.

00:26:42.220 I see your lawn signs all over Alberta.

00:26:44.260 What do you make of Keith Wilson and Tanya Clemens and their announcement today?

00:26:48.160 I think it was fantastic.

00:26:49.380 I mean, this is what we've really kind of needed, though, was a polished campaign head.

00:26:53.360 You know, this looks professional, well-planned.

00:26:55.640 I mean, it's been great with all sorts of smaller groups like myself getting things rolling,

00:26:58.880 but there hasn't been a well-functional and communicated campaign getting rolling,

00:27:03.660 and clearly that's going to change after this.

00:27:05.780 So I'm quite excited seeing what they've put out so far.

00:27:07.860 Yeah, I think you're right.

00:27:08.560 I mean, just look over there.

00:27:09.520 There's probably a dozen journalists here,

00:27:13.780 which is probably the largest media turnout for any independence-oriented event

00:27:19.340 that doesn't involve the premier.

00:27:21.840 Yeah, I mean, they've mostly been covering individual things that might happen,

00:27:25.060 like the Tabor fiasco.

00:27:26.240 I've been in events and things like that,

00:27:27.940 But now there's actually somewhere they can come to on this campaign and talk to people.

00:27:32.080 And they clearly appear to be interested in it.

00:27:34.000 So getting that out to Albertan so they can see it's more than just a few activists.

00:27:36.840 There's a real campaign getting rolling today.

00:27:39.820 And I think Keith Wilson in particular has a bit of a different tone than some of the other third party groups.

00:27:46.380 He's a lawyer.

00:27:47.780 He's, you know, he's always wearing a suit and tie.

00:27:51.380 Like he's got a bit of a different aesthetic, different message.

00:27:55.540 He debates Jason Kenney, the former premier, a couple times.

00:27:59.600 Like, I think he brings a new level of, I don't know, sophistication is probably the wrong word,

00:28:06.540 but professionalism, let's say.

00:28:09.000 Absolutely, Keith brings that to it.

00:28:10.600 And it's not to take a shot at any of the other leaders.

00:28:12.820 No, I'm with you.

00:28:13.660 I mean, there was a lot of hard work done to get to this day, signing petitions by the hundreds of thousands.

00:28:18.200 But this is sort of a different style, isn't it?

00:28:20.320 It certainly is.

00:28:21.060 And I think it's what more regular Albertans expect to see in a campaign and a formalized one.

00:28:25.920 You know, some of the other, Mitch and Jeff, you know, who have spoken with Stay Free Alberta and such.

00:28:30.680 I mean, they're well received.

00:28:31.680 They speak well.

00:28:32.460 They do the rallies, the town halls.

00:28:34.760 But it isn't necessarily that calm, suit-and-tie approach that people want to see in a campaign as well.

00:28:39.840 I mean, having them all speak for it together could hopefully really help move that needle in this next four months.

00:28:44.540 Well, thanks for talking with us.

00:28:45.460 Good luck, and thanks for participating from time to time on our live streams with Sheila Gunn-Reed and doing the Alberta Fact Check.

00:28:51.660 I think that's great.

00:28:52.500 It's been a pleasure and fun, actually.

00:28:54.340 I enjoy the invitation to be able to contribute.

00:28:57.080 Thanks very much.

00:28:58.100 Now, I mentioned that the journalists have asked substantive questions, and I think that's true,

00:29:02.760 including a young man from Global News who asked two meaty questions of Keith Wilson,

00:29:08.520 but he couldn't help himself when he announced he was with Global News.

00:29:12.760 He couldn't help, but take a shot at our friend Tamara Leach. Here's how that looked

00:29:18.260 Hi, I have two questions if you don't mind. Sure. First of all, I do want to make a comment to Miss Leach

00:29:24.300 First of all, when you say that you're a huge fan of someone's work

00:29:27.880 You put a stain on this microphone

00:29:29.880 And everyone that comes here after you has to speak into the same microphone

00:29:34.200 So I appreciate that you stay objective

00:29:37.000 When you ask questions to people

00:29:39.960 that are you know stating their case with that said i have a couple of objective questions if

00:29:44.600 you don't mind um you spoke about the grassroots movement um are you worried at all about like

00:29:51.960 splitting the message there's so much coming from so many different sides uh in this separatist

00:29:59.320 movement um obviously you want to establish yourselves as you know maybe a leader uh you

00:30:06.120 you know, the big front-runner voice for this.

00:30:08.580 But are you concerned that, like, you might bubble the message a little bit

00:30:12.120 and people that do support what you are after at the end of the day

00:30:16.720 when they go to, you know, mark that ballot at the end on October 19th,

00:30:20.860 that they just don't get the message just because they're hearing it from so many sides.

00:30:25.060 Well, Tamara is friends with Keith Wilson.

00:30:27.800 She was her lawyer. He was her lawyer.

00:30:30.080 I don't know why the global news chap was so incensed by it. 0.95

00:30:33.340 But here's what Tamara Leach had to say about all that.

00:30:35.980 Tamara, you've known Keith for a long time.

00:30:39.720 He was the lawyer for the Trucker Convoy,

00:30:41.640 and now he's taking a leadership position for independence.

00:30:44.740 What do you think of that?

00:30:45.980 Well, I'm a huge supporter, obviously.

00:30:48.240 I think Keith Wilson has been in the belly of the beast.

00:30:51.180 He understands more so than I think a lot of people

00:30:53.840 what we're really dealing with when it comes to how we're treated by Ottawa

00:30:58.260 and how they really are.

00:30:59.800 You know, I've told lots of people back home,

00:31:02.140 People have always felt that there was corruption in the government,

00:31:06.160 but it's 100 times worse than what people actually realize.

00:31:10.120 When you think about the violence that was sent against the peaceful protesters

00:31:14.880 during the trucker convoy, those were decisions made in Ottawa.

00:31:18.060 I mean, they even mused about sending tanks.

00:31:21.120 This was the most peaceful protest in modern Canadian history,

00:31:25.020 but because it had a freedom spirit and came in some ways from Alberta,

00:31:29.300 they wanted to smash it to dust.

00:31:32.720 Absolutely.

00:31:33.520 Well, I mean, this is one of my concerns about remaining in Canada, Ezra,

00:31:37.980 is that every single institution that I was raised to believe was there to protect myself,

00:31:42.460 my family, and my rights has failed myself and Canadians in every single way,

00:31:47.040 whether you're talking about the health care system, the law enforcement system,

00:31:52.520 especially the judiciary system.

00:31:54.520 But, you know, we went to Ottawa expecting to have a conversation,

00:31:57.640 as so many Canadians would expect to and receive, and we never got it.

00:32:01.400 So that's a huge problem, and so that's why I support Alberta independence.

00:32:06.800 You know, there's a lot of journalists here today, probably a dozen,

00:32:11.280 some from independent media, some from the regime media.

00:32:14.460 Can I ask you about a funny moment there?

00:32:16.180 Of course.

00:32:16.700 There was some guy, I think he said he was from Global News,

00:32:19.080 and he started off by saying, because you tipped your hat to Keith,

00:32:24.480 who's been your lawyer, so you've got a personal connection.

00:32:27.220 and that he was so outraged this guy from global news he said before he got to his question he said

00:32:33.940 i have to address the stain on the microphone here i let's just take a quick look at that

00:32:40.420 i did we get that stain on the microphone thing okay um boy that man has a lot of feelings yes i

00:32:47.680 think i did hurt his feeling and um let me just say that i've been called a lot worse by better

00:32:53.720 Yeah, you know, I mean, it was sort of startling.

00:32:56.300 It was definitely out of sync with the tone of the event, but it was really revelatory.

00:33:02.020 It showed who he was.

00:33:03.340 And for him to say, I'm with Global News, I call you a stain.

00:33:07.320 If he was a personal guy, it would be weird.

00:33:10.240 But for him to say, I'm here representing Global News, but before I say anything,

00:33:14.140 I must denounce an independent journalist as a stain on the microphone.

00:33:18.460 Brother, you're giving it away.

00:33:20.460 You're saying the quiet part out loud.

00:33:22.200 Exactly.

00:33:23.080 And as you said, I have a very good relationship with Keith.

00:33:26.140 We've known each other for a long time.

00:33:27.700 We went into battle together, essentially.

00:33:29.660 So I'm not going to change who I am.

00:33:32.380 I'm just going to keep being myself.

00:33:34.400 And, you know, I made a simple joke because I do know Keith very well.

00:33:39.640 But I'm not going to stop being me.

00:33:41.540 I don't think you should.

00:33:42.680 I don't think you could.

00:33:44.240 And we need you to be you because if you weren't you, then who would be?

00:33:47.180 And I was just remarking with you earlier that it's around six months now that you've been given her.

00:33:52.600 for rebel news and you're a journalist all over alberta but also you travel from bc to ontario

00:33:58.760 etc i just think you're doing great and if you're listening that kind of reaction from the regime

00:34:03.560 to me that's a big thumbs up yeah i agree you know i do wear that sort of stuff as you very

00:34:08.520 well know like a badge of honor because it tells me that i'm flying right over the target

00:34:12.440 well thanks very much nice to see you here and we'll see you covering more more events

00:34:16.840 in the future you've got your own report from today too right yes i do yep we'll make sure

00:34:20.600 sure to tune that in. Thanks. Well, that's my report from Calgary. It's interesting because

00:34:27.020 it's a referendum on a referendum. Now, you might recall that a rogue judge invented an idea that

00:34:33.900 there's no referendum allowed before consultation with aboriginal groups is done. That's not the

00:34:41.160 law. That certainly wasn't the law as it applied to Quebec. But of course, things are made up when

00:34:45.920 you're a judge, especially a Trudeau-appointed judge, and in the mysterious world of Indigenous

00:34:50.960 title. If I was a British Columbian, I would be terrified about who owns the land underneath my

00:34:56.460 house if these rulings continue. But that's the latest from Alberta and the independence battle.

00:35:02.060 It's summertime, and a lot of things are fun. Politics isn't top of mind for people. In a couple

00:35:08.320 weeks, there'll be the Calgary Stampede. Everyone here will be focused on pancake breakfasts and

00:35:13.840 barbecues. But I think that as we get closer to the fall and as Labor Day comes, I think we'll find

00:35:20.940 that politics, once again, is on the front page. For Rebel News, I'm Ezra LeVant.

Rebel News Podcast - June 20, 2026

EZRA LEVANT ｜ 'Alberta's done waiting'： Keith Wilson takes independence fight public

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