The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - November 30, 2024


Alberta fights Trudeau’s oil and gas cap


Episode Stats


Length

21 minutes

Words per minute

160.51907

Word count

3,480

Sentence count

197

Harmful content

Misogyny

2

sentences flagged

Hate speech

1

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Premier Danielle Smith will invoke Alberta sovereignty with the United Canada Act to counter the Liberals' oil and gas emissions cap. Also, we ll be discussing the Alberta UCP's recent vote to increase the accommodation allowance of MLAs, which led to backlash from opposition parties given the cost of living crisis being experienced by everyday Albertans. We ll also talk about the province s newest insurance reforms, which caused quite the uproar online, and reconnect with an old friend, former host of the show Rachel Parker, who called out CTV for criticizing Smith for proposing solutions to the Trump tariffs.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Premier Danielle Smith will invoke the Alberta sovereignty with the United Canada Act to counter the Liberals' oil and gas emissions cap.
00:00:07.780 Also on the show today, we'll be discussing the Alberta UCP's recent vote to increase the accommodation allowance of MLAs,
00:00:14.680 which led to backlash from opposition parties given the cost-of-living crisis being experienced by everyday Albertans.
00:00:21.020 We'll also talk about the province's newest insurance reforms, which caused quite the uproar online.
00:00:26.140 Additionally, we'll be reconnecting with an old friend, former host of the show Rachel Parker,
00:00:31.660 who called out CTV for criticizing Smith for proposing solutions to the Trump tariffs.
00:00:36.580 We'll also take a broader look at all the premiers who spoke out against the tariffs following the First Minister's meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
00:00:43.860 I'm Isaac Lamour, your host of the Alberta Roundup, and let's hop into that first story now.
00:00:56.140 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced on Tuesday, alongside the province's Environment Minister, Rebecca Schultz,
00:01:05.620 and Minister of Energy, Brian Jean, that the Sovereignty Act would protect the province from federal overreach through its production cap.
00:01:12.960 Smith said the following about the legality of the cap.
00:01:15.840 We've been very clear that we will use all means at our disposal to fight back against federal policies that hurt Alberta,
00:01:23.920 and that's exactly what we're doing.
00:01:25.480 On November 4th, Ottawa released details of its oil and gas emissions cap, which is a de facto production cap.
00:01:31.740 The cap violates Section 92A of the Constitution, which clearly gives provinces exclusive jurisdiction over non-renewable natural resource development.
00:01:41.820 Ottawa seems to think that they need to save us from ourselves, but they are wrong.
00:01:45.840 Because we're not just working with industry to continue to drive down emissions, we're succeeding at it.
00:01:51.700 Alberta already has a system in place that is working.
00:01:54.720 Emissions per barrel are declining, even as production and contribution to GDP grows.
00:02:00.140 Alberta's energy industry doesn't just provide jobs to Albertans, but to Canadians all across our country.
00:02:06.260 And it doesn't just power Alberta's economy, it powers Canada's.
00:02:10.200 Despite numerous warnings from economists that the emissions cap will have a negative impact
00:02:15.200 on the Canadian economy the Trudeau government has pushed forward.
00:02:18.960 A report from the Conference Board of Canada estimates that the cap will result in the average Canadian family
00:02:24.980 having $419 less a month for groceries, utility, and mortgage payments.
00:02:30.660 The report highlighted that the cap would reduce Canada's GDP by up to $1 trillion between 2030 and 2040.
00:02:38.180 An S&P study highlighted that the cap would cut production of oil by 2 million barrels daily.
00:02:44.400 Alberta launched a national advertising campaign in October, warning Canadians against the consequences of a federal emissions cap.
00:02:52.480 Smith said the advertising campaign's goal was to warn everyone who stands to lose something from the cap,
00:02:58.240 which is all Canadians, about the risks.
00:03:00.780 She previously called the oil and gas cap a, quote,
00:03:04.060 deranged vendetta targeting Alberta.
00:03:07.280 The Alberta Sovereignty Within the United Canada Act motion must be passed in the legislature.
00:03:12.880 The motion proposes launching an immediate constitutional challenge against the emissions cap.
00:03:17.800 The motion seeks to ensure no provincial entity enforces the cap while designating oil and gas facilities as essential infrastructure.
00:03:25.060 It also prohibits unauthorized access to these facilities.
00:03:28.060 It declares emissions data proprietary to Alberta and mandates that disclosure be controlled by the province.
00:03:34.740 Additionally, it establishes royalty-in-kind programs for oil and bitumen.
00:03:39.780 It aims to expand pipeline capacity through collaboration with other jurisdictions.
00:03:44.540 Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz said that the cap would make life less affordable Canadians
00:03:48.980 while having no impact on reducing global emissions.
00:03:51.820 In fact, she said that the cap will increase the production of coal and other high emissions energy worldwide.
00:03:58.940 She said the following.
00:04:01.040 Good afternoon, and thank you very much, Premier, for your leadership in this area.
00:04:05.580 After years of trying to reason with this out-of-touch federal government, our province faces a choice.
00:04:11.160 Secure our economic future and the livelihoods of all Albertans,
00:04:14.760 or let Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sacrifice our prosperity for his extreme ideological agenda.
00:04:20.480 The federal government should not be willing to undercut Alberta's economy just because we don't vote for them.
00:04:27.680 They seem to just be trying to placate their eco-activist base in Ottawa as they collapse in the polls.
00:04:34.080 They are chasing headlines and soundbites while playing politics once again with people's livelihoods.
00:04:39.200 This is unacceptable.
00:04:40.620 We've voiced these concerns to Ottawa many, many times, only to be dismissed and ignored.
00:04:46.140 We will not be sidelined or silenced.
00:04:48.860 She added that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is telling Canadians to prioritize Environment Minister Stephen Guibo's green agenda
00:04:56.140 over feeding their families or paying their rent.
00:04:59.380 She said the province will use the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Agency to market its resources directly and independently.
00:05:06.220 The agency was established by Peter Lougheed in 1973
00:05:09.980 to defend constitutional rights in the war against the oil and gas waged by Trudeau's father.
00:05:15.820 So hopping into our next story here,
00:05:17.620 Alberta's United Conservative Party recently voted to increase their MLA's accommodation allowance by 14%.
00:05:23.820 The decision resulted in opposition members questioning the reasoning for the raise
00:05:28.000 while everyday Albertans are struggling to get by.
00:05:30.760 Alberta NDP MLA Luann Matz was one of the members who spoke out.
00:05:35.000 She said Albertans want their provincial government focused on health care, education, public safety, affordability, and the economy.
00:05:42.640 She said, quote,
00:05:43.600 The government's focus and priorities are incredibly warped.
00:05:46.920 However, a spokesperson for the Alberta UCP told me that the 14% increase,
00:05:51.920 which raises the monthly accommodation allowance from $1,930 to $2,200 a month,
00:05:56.780 is the first increase since 2012.
00:05:59.020 The spokesperson added that the Consumer Price Index, which measures inflation,
00:06:03.880 has increased by 32% in the same time period.
00:06:07.100 The spokesperson said, quote,
00:06:08.880 The increase brings Alberta closer in line with residency allowances offered in other jurisdictions,
00:06:13.920 such as the House of Commons and Ontario, while remaining below their levels.
00:06:18.620 The spokesperson added, quote,
00:06:20.460 The adjustment is a standard business practice designed to ensure that MLA's representing constituencies
00:06:26.560 outside the Edmonton metropolitan area have appropriate resources to fulfill their professional duties.
00:06:33.120 According to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta's Consolidated Members Service Committee Orders,
00:06:39.260 members are eligible for accommodation allowances for every day they maintain a temporary residence in or near Edmonton,
00:06:45.160 when the Legislative Assembly is in session, or when it is not sitting, but they remain near Edmonton on official business.
00:06:52.160 Any claims for the allowance must be supported by documentation highlighting the members' stay-in, ownership, or lease of a temporary residence.
00:06:59.400 Rentals.ca's November rent report showed that the average one-bedroom rental price in Edmonton is $1,384 a month.
00:07:06.860 The average rent for all types of accommodation in the city was $1,584 a month.
00:07:12.400 Across the country, the average rent was $2,152 a month.
00:07:17.400 The province's recent second fiscal update of the year highlighted another increase in its expected surplus,
00:07:23.300 now rising further to $4.6 billion in 2024,
00:07:27.340 growing $4.2 billion, or 12.5-fold, from the initial projection of $367 million.
00:07:34.600 Switching gears now to a story that occurred late last week,
00:07:37.480 the provincial government and its residents did not seem to be seeing eye-to-eye
00:07:41.300 when it comes to the latest auto insurance reforms proposed by the province.
00:07:45.560 You can let me know in the comments about your thoughts on the proposed changes.
00:07:50.020 The province announced the new auto insurance system that it argued
00:07:52.880 would provide better and faster auto insurance services to Albertans while reducing premiums.
00:07:58.560 The new care-focused system is intended to replace the current court-based system.
00:08:04.280 Smith had the following to say about the changes.
00:08:06.540 In a nutshell, under the new system, if someone is injured in a collision,
00:08:11.280 they'll get the necessary care and benefits, whether they're at fault or not,
00:08:15.320 without the need to litigate.
00:08:17.140 No more costly legal battles, no more drawn-out waits for care.
00:08:20.700 Instead, Albertans who suffer serious injuries will be able to rely on treatment until they are recovered.
00:08:27.260 Albertans who suffer catastrophic, life-changing injuries
00:08:30.360 would be able to rely on treatment and care for the rest of their lives.
00:08:33.820 This is a care-focused system.
00:08:36.720 Instead of forcing people through complex legal processes in order to get the treatment that they need,
00:08:41.920 the system default will be that those injured in collisions get the care they need to recover.
00:08:47.260 You could call it better, faster service.
00:08:50.560 And these better, faster services would be delivered at a savings of up to $400 per year on insurance premiums.
00:08:58.200 The provincial government said it heard from 16,000 Albertans in online surveys,
00:09:02.960 which drove the changes to the insurance policies.
00:09:05.960 According to the survey's responses, 95% of Albertans agreed that bad drivers should pay more for their insurance.
00:09:12.700 8 in 10 said that they wanted to pay the lowest possible cost for their insurance,
00:09:17.380 while 73% believed it was important to be able to sue at-fault drivers.
00:09:22.400 However, more than 6 in 10 said they would not need the right to sue if their insurance company supported their needs.
00:09:29.040 Smith posted the entire press conference to X,
00:09:31.800 and while the post only had half as many comments as likes, a large portion of them were negative.
00:09:36.880 One of the most liked comments highlighted that Albertans pay the highest auto insurance premiums in the country.
00:09:43.880 Based on the numbers provided, a $400 yearly saving would not change the province's rank.
00:09:49.720 One user said, quote,
00:09:50.980 Not acceptable. We have the highest rates in the country.
00:09:54.680 And yet, you give the go-ahead to raise premiums another 7.5% per year over two years,
00:09:59.920 with the hopes that these companies will suddenly become cheaper because of no-fault insurance.
00:10:04.380 Your math is adding up like Trudeau's.
00:10:06.180 The debt will pay itself off.
00:10:07.980 However, finance minister Nate Horner said that classifying the new insurance system as no-fault is misleading.
00:10:14.040 He said, quote,
00:10:14.900 Some will categorize this care-first system as no-fault.
00:10:18.580 I really think that's a misleading label and just not right.
00:10:22.000 Under this model, fault still matters.
00:10:24.440 Bad drivers will continue to pay more in premiums.
00:10:27.020 Drivers will be held accountable for their actions.
00:10:30.380 Despite the negative reaction online, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance
00:10:34.320 told me that asserting people were reacting negatively was, quote, premature.
00:10:39.380 The spokesperson said, quote,
00:10:41.060 There are parties with a vested interest in ensuring litigation costs and the status quo of poor benefits for expensive costs remain in place.
00:10:48.560 And they are spreading misinformation on the changes.
00:10:52.020 These changes will provide better, faster, and cheaper auto insurance to Elbertans when implemented in January 2027.
00:10:59.400 And we look forward to ensuring the 3.4 million drivers in the country save money.
00:11:03.960 The spokesperson added that for every dollar taken by insurance companies, they pay $1.17 in settlements, with some paying as much as $1.40.
00:11:12.680 The spokesperson added, quote,
00:11:14.520 Most will continue to lose money under the increased cap, leading to more leaving the province between now and January 2027.
00:11:21.600 We are taking action to protect Albertans from rampant premium insurances until they can see savings under the care-first system.
00:11:28.180 As previously mentioned, the new system is not set to be fully implemented until January 2027.
00:11:34.140 It will require legislation to be introduced in the spring of 2025.
00:11:38.840 In the interim, starting January 2025, the good driver rate cap will be increased to 7.5%.
00:11:45.080 It is currently 3.7%.
00:11:47.840 Horner said, quote,
00:11:49.400 We know an increase in the rate cap is not ideal for Albertans.
00:11:53.320 This wasn't something we wanted to do.
00:11:55.140 It's clear that auto insurance companies are not blameless in this situation either.
00:11:59.360 But the current situation is not about profitability.
00:12:01.960 It's about viability.
00:12:03.680 Many companies are losing millions under the current cap system,
00:12:06.740 and we have chosen to limit the cap as much as possible in the face of escalating costs.
00:12:11.940 Two insurers have already decided to leave our market,
00:12:14.660 and others could potentially follow without some adjustments to the cap.
00:12:18.480 Now revisiting a post from an old friend, Rachel Parker,
00:12:21.620 who of course was the former host of the Alberta Roundup.
00:12:25.120 She said, quote,
00:12:26.440 CTV News is upset that Premier Smith put forward tangible solutions to avoid tariffs
00:12:32.120 instead of beep, instead of bleep, and moaning like other useless politicians. 0.99
00:12:37.720 Highlighting some of the top comments from the post, which may be from listeners of this very show.
00:12:42.220 For example, Andrew Noel said, quote,
00:12:44.580 Danielle Smith's big mistake, she's trying to have a grown-up conversation with news agencies. 0.54
00:12:49.160 These are people who don't think there's an issue with Canada right now,
00:12:52.820 so why would they admit that things need to change?
00:12:55.440 Another user, Stan, said, quote,
00:12:57.880 Danielle, once again proving to all why she's the best Premier in the country.
00:13:01.880 And lastly, friend of True North and Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation,
00:13:06.240 Chris Sims said, quote,
00:13:07.400 Let me know in the comments how you feel about Smith's response to the tariffs
00:13:14.260 and what more you'd like to see.
00:13:15.980 Speaking of the response to tariffs,
00:13:18.180 for our last story today, we'll cover the recent First Minister's meeting
00:13:21.360 held between the country's premiers and Justin Trudeau.
00:13:24.480 Trudeau and Canada's premiers convened on Wednesday
00:13:26.820 to address President-elect Donald Trump's pledge to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian imports
00:13:32.820 unless Canada enhances its border security.
00:13:36.320 Trump said the tariff would remain in effect until illegal immigrants
00:13:39.600 and drugs like fentanyl stop pouring over the border.
00:13:43.160 Trump wrote in a post to True Social, quote,
00:13:46.380 Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power
00:13:49.920 to easily solve this long-simmering problem.
00:13:52.880 We hereby demand that they use this power
00:13:55.120 and until such time that they do,
00:13:57.740 it is time for them to pay a very big price.
00:14:00.860 So Canada exported $439.6 billion worth of goods to the United States in 2023,
00:14:08.040 accounting for 76% of the country's total exports.
00:14:12.520 While not all of Canada's premiers mentioned what they discussed in the meeting,
00:14:15.960 some did and came out with their proposed policies.
00:14:19.180 For example, Smith said that Trump's concerns about illegal immigrants
00:14:22.560 and drug smuggling at the Canada-US border were valid.
00:14:25.620 She said, quote,
00:14:26.860 I communicated this very clearly to the Prime Minister
00:14:30.860 and further indicated that Alberta will be acting urgently and decisively
00:14:35.280 to patrol our own shared border with Montana,
00:14:37.960 with more details to be announced soon in that regard.
00:14:40.680 I also expressed the need for the federal government
00:14:44.020 to aggressively move up compliance with our country's NATO obligations
00:14:47.340 of a 2% GDP spend on our military forces,
00:14:51.160 which is yet another concrete way to solidify
00:14:53.860 our economic and military alliance with the United States.
00:14:57.340 Smith also used the meeting to discuss the importance of energy security
00:15:00.620 and partnering with the United States,
00:15:02.600 urging the Prime Minister to halt his planned production cap,
00:15:05.540 which he of course will invoke the Sovereignty Act to combat
00:15:08.060 should it not be cancelled.
00:15:09.440 Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe also spoke out about the meeting.
00:15:13.080 He shared a clip where he discussed the issues at a separate conference.
00:15:15.980 He said, quote,
00:15:16.680 I think all Canadians would be in favour of ensuring that our borders are secure.
00:15:21.200 Thus, our nation is secure when it comes to people that are coming in illegally. 0.98
00:15:25.520 When it comes to the drugs that are coming in,
00:15:27.560 and the scourge of drugs and the poison that we see in our communities today,
00:15:31.120 it's very, very different than when I was growing up.
00:15:34.500 Moe suggested that the Liberals bring in
00:15:36.420 the Canada Border Services Agency and Military Coast Guard to secure the border.
00:15:41.080 He said this could work towards the country,
00:15:43.220 hitting its 2% of GDP NATO spending requirements.
00:15:47.180 Some other premiers issued statements confirming they attended the meeting,
00:15:50.320 but were less clear in what specifics they requested from the Liberals or from other premiers.
00:15:54.920 For example, Quebec Premier François Legault said that he asked the Liberals
00:15:59.500 to provide a detailed plan on how they plan to improve border security
00:16:03.140 without getting into any further specifics.
00:16:06.120 Conservative leader Pierre Polyèvre has also called on Trudeau
00:16:09.140 to enhance border security despite calling the proposed tariff a, quote,
00:16:12.980 unjustified threat.
00:16:14.120 Around six times more terrorists were apprehended between 2022 and 2024 at the Canada-US border
00:16:21.200 compared to the southern border the United States shares with Mexico.
00:16:25.020 So firstly, Polyèvre called on Trudeau to cancel his quadrupling of the carbon tax.
00:16:29.400 In fact, he further called on the Prime Minister to halt all tax increases.
00:16:34.500 The Conservative leader then joined Smith's call to urge Trudeau to stop his energy emissions cap.
00:16:40.080 Polyèvre said, quote,
00:16:41.260 The incoming American president says he wants to cut gas prices in half.
00:16:45.800 Well, the only way to do it will be to import more clean Canadian energy.
00:16:49.920 So the Prime Minister has to stop this assault on our biggest industry.
00:16:54.560 Polyèvre also urged Trudeau to cancel his billion-dollar cut to the military.
00:16:59.520 Lastly, Polyèvre pleaded with Trudeau to stop his, quote,
00:17:03.440 liberalization of drugs.
00:17:05.760 In fact, take a listen to what Polyèvre had to say of Canada's drug problem.
00:17:09.780 I don't want to stop drug overdoses to please Donald Trump.
00:17:14.800 I want to stop drug overdoses so that there's not one more mother with her face buried in a pillow
00:17:21.360 sobbing that she just lost her kid.
00:17:24.760 After 47,000 other Canadians have died, that's more than we lost in the Second World War.
00:17:31.080 A 200% annual increase in drug overdose deaths have resulted from Justin Trudeau's radical liberalization of drugs.
00:17:41.620 Justin Trudeau must put partisanship aside, not just for the sake of Team Canada,
00:17:47.460 but for the sake of our people and fully reverse his liberalization of drugs.
00:17:53.620 Trudeau confirmed, after meeting with the Premiers that he did, in fact, meet with them.
00:17:57.540 He said, quote,
00:17:58.580 Our focus? Canadian jobs, securing the border, and building on our strong partnership with the United States.
00:18:05.160 So that wraps up our stories for this week, but let's hop into the comment roundup now.
00:18:09.240 There were a lot of great comments from last week, and I always find it a great challenge to choose between them all.
00:18:14.180 I bet you thought we could get through an entire episode without talking about Randy Boissonneau,
00:18:19.540 but we're going to discuss him in the first comment, as there were so many about him in the last show.
00:18:24.400 So, at West Wojcikian said, quote,
00:18:27.640 He should resign and be criminally charged and prosecuted if convicted.
00:18:32.620 He should have jail time and lose his federal pension and other benefits.
00:18:37.440 Canada needs these corrupt politicians and others criminally punished also.
00:18:41.920 So, yeah, I chose to highlight this comment, particularly for the last sentence,
00:18:49.020 because, of course, I agree, and I think generally most Canadians do,
00:18:52.480 that politicians should not be above the law.
00:18:55.840 And yet, with the many scandals we've seen in government,
00:18:59.080 they no longer really seem to be held to account.
00:19:02.740 I'm wondering what you think might occur if Boissonneau was made an example of and prosecuted.
00:19:07.880 Would him being charged change how politicians behave?
00:19:11.420 Sticking with politicians, the next comment comes from at FAC, who said,
00:19:16.380 Yeah, so I really don't feel like this is a far-fetched request.
00:19:31.900 I mean, it seems reasonable enough of an expectation for our politicians and elected officials to not take drugs.
00:19:37.660 I'm curious if something like this was implemented, how many would fail.
00:19:41.420 The next comment comes from at PatrickReed2767, who said,
00:19:45.260 Yeah, obviously, as an Edmonton resident, this is certainly a fear that I share.
00:19:55.960 However, I will say that many organizations have recently been straying away from DEI policies,
00:20:01.720 although these, of course, were private organizations.
00:20:04.920 So I'm curious to ask, how long do you think it will take for federal institutions to follow suit
00:20:09.660 and realize the epic failure that is DEI?
00:20:12.600 Lastly, I want to discuss the many comments that listeners made about Stephen Harper.
00:20:18.000 There seemed to be a relatively common theme that many of you were happy with the economic job that Harper did,
00:20:23.320 but critical of other aspects of his governance.
00:20:26.120 But of course, given the economic trouble our country is in,
00:20:28.940 it's hard to imagine that we'd be in a comparable situation with Harper as PM,
00:20:33.540 as some of you rightfully noted.
00:20:35.220 For example, at AndrewBaldwin4454 said,
00:20:38.980 Read Mulroney's memoirs, Isaac, if you haven't already done so,
00:21:00.360 and see if you still think that Harper was the better PM.
00:21:02.460 I mean, thanks for the advice, Andrew.
00:21:04.640 I'll give that a read this weekend.
00:21:06.780 Another user, at DaveJohnson3773, said of the economy,
00:21:10.840 quote,
00:21:11.560 Turns out we should have kept Harper because we would not be in the position we are right now.
00:21:15.980 Which pretty much speaks to the previous points I covered.
00:21:20.060 Anyways, that wraps up our comment roundup and this week's show.
00:21:23.640 My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.
00:21:26.800 Have a great weekend.
00:21:27.820 Thank you and God bless.
00:21:29.000 May Alberta prosper strong and free.
00:21:34.640 Thank you.
00:21:36.780 Thank you.
00:21:38.200 Thank you.
00:21:39.400 Thank you.