The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - Alberta fights Trudeau’s oil and gas cap

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 0.98

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. 0.91

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.

The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - November 30, 2024

Alberta fights Trudeau’s oil and gas cap

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