The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - “Common sense legislation” forthcoming

00:00:00.000 A lot of what Alberta deemed common-sense legislation is soon to be introduced in this instance of the province's legislative session.

00:00:18.280 When the province was introducing the session, they spent half the time talking about the legislation and the other half smack-talking the Liberals and the void they've left by suspending Parliament.

00:00:27.520 Of course, they also talked about the budget, which was released on Thursday.

00:00:32.780 An Albertan minister has resigned due to the ongoing controversy between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the Alberta Health Services regarding their procurement practices.

00:00:41.400 A different minister warned that the Liberals risked having a similar failure, with a much greater magnitude, to the Green Line LRT with their planned high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City.

00:00:51.400 You may have seen the billboard urging Albertans to tell the Premier to join the USA.

00:00:55.380 All that and more on today's episode.

00:00:58.020 My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the show, and let's hop into that first story now.

00:01:02.340 Alberta's legislature reconvened on Tuesday, focusing on introducing what the province is calling common-sense legislation,

00:01:08.920 while working to fill the void left by the federal government grinding to a halt due to prorogation.

00:01:14.020 While the legislation has been trickling in slowly, beginning with the budget, of course, introduced on Thursday,

00:01:19.260 and will continue to be introduced throughout the session,

00:01:21.820 we'll discuss the press conference of government House Leader Joseph Skow introducing the session where he took aim at the feds.

00:01:27.520 While Skow avoided discussing details of specific bills deferring to upcoming announcements from respective ministers,

00:01:33.840 he did hint that the budget would feature amendments to the Alberta personal income tax.

00:01:38.180 And it did, considering one of the UCP government's key campaign promises,

00:01:41.860 a tax cut will be implemented in 2025, two years ahead of schedule.

00:01:46.460 The provincial government is implementing a new 8% personal tax bracket for income up to $60,000.

00:01:52.860 The tax cut is expected to save individual Albertans up to $750 in 2025.

00:01:59.480 Albertans earning less than $60,000 per year will see their personal income taxes fall by 20%.

00:02:05.620 Albertans are expected to collectively save $1.2 billion in 2025 due to this measure.

00:02:11.940 Yeah, let me know your thoughts about the budget in the comments,

00:02:14.840 especially considering the baseline values provided in the budget assume a 15% tariff on all goods,

00:02:21.460 with 10% tariffs on energy and forecast the deficit of $5.2 billion in 2025-26 falling in subsequent years.

00:02:29.020 In the low scenario, in the budget, signaling a decline in revenue, 25% tariffs would be put on all Canadian goods,

00:02:36.120 except for energy products, which would see 10% tariffs.

00:02:39.260 If this were to occur, the Alberta government projects a deficit of $8.7 billion in 2025-26,

00:02:45.160 which would still fall in the next two years.

00:02:47.160 The high scenario assumes no tariffs, but the looming uncertainty would come with a higher exchange rate volatility,

00:02:53.080 a swing in energy proxies, and disruption to the supply chain.

00:02:57.000 The high scenario also assumes no retaliatory tariffs from Canada, resulting in lower inflation, growth in spending, and more.

00:03:04.440 In this scenario, the province still predicts a deficit of $2.9 billion in 2025-26,

00:03:10.560 but would almost balance the budget by 2027-28, which would see a deficit of $200 million.

00:03:17.320 But now getting back into our other story,

00:03:19.060 Scow said the legislation will help Albertans cope with the rising cost of living.

00:03:22.940 He emphasized that this upcoming session is extra significant amid global economic uncertainty.

00:03:29.740 He said,

00:03:30.120 While much of the legislation is focused on directly improving Albertans' living standards,

00:03:50.460 Scow said that Alberta's government will continue to try to ease border and trade tensions with the United States.

00:03:56.900 The province will also work to break down interprovincial trade barriers.

00:04:01.140 He said,

00:04:01.640 Scow added that some Liberal cabinet members are finally realizing the importance of an East-West pipeline after denying it for years.

00:04:22.240 The House leader said,

00:04:23.380 We have a federal government that has been missing in action for quite some time,

00:04:27.680 who has failed to understand or at least failed to respond to the needs of our province.

00:04:31.720 As we see the turmoil and the self-interest happening within the Liberal Party,

00:04:35.320 we're not going to let that distract us from defending Alberta's best interests.

00:04:39.720 Alberta's government unveiled nine of the approximately 20 pieces of legislation expected in the spring session.

00:04:45.300 The upcoming legislation includes the Automobile Insurance Act,

00:04:48.600 the Financial Statutes Amendment Act,

00:04:50.360 and the Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act.

00:04:53.080 Alberta Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Dan Williams,

00:04:55.960 said that legislation for involuntary treatment for drug addicts is forthcoming.

00:05:00.180 Let's watch that clip here.

00:05:01.340 As the premier laid out,

00:05:02.480 our government has done significant work to build a recovery model,

00:05:05.320 now leading the decrease in opioid fatalities across the country,

00:05:09.180 with year-over-year of 39% decrease,

00:05:11.500 a 300% higher decrease than any other jurisdiction in Canada.

00:05:15.300 But this is not enough for those who are not able or willing to voluntarily find their way into treatment.

00:05:21.840 We had one individual last year who overdosed 186 times,

00:05:25.740 as was reported by the provincial health care numbers.

00:05:28.400 We believe it's likely more often than that,

00:05:30.720 because not every single overdose is reported and tracked for an individual.

00:05:34.780 The last thing that I want to see, or anybody wants to see,

00:05:38.440 is that be one of our family members or friends,

00:05:40.720 and it be 187th time that takes that individual's life.

00:05:44.200 We will not sit back while we watch this happen to Albertans,

00:05:48.300 to our loved ones in our communities, and to loved ones in our family,

00:05:51.420 who are suffering from this deadly disease of addiction.

00:05:54.700 Our government has made a commitment to bring forward compassionate intervention,

00:05:58.580 and that legislation is coming soon.

00:06:01.200 It will create a process and a path for a family member, guardian,

00:06:04.920 for health care professionals,

00:06:06.060 and for law enforcement or peace officers to intervene and request treatment for somebody who's in addiction,

00:06:12.900 or because of their substance use has become a danger to themselves or others.

00:06:17.020 With the highest civil standards,

00:06:18.440 we will move forward with legislation that allows society to care for and intervene for those who are most affected.

00:06:24.740 The previous legislative session saw lawmakers focus on protecting personal autonomy,

00:06:29.020 property rights, and legal firearm ownership for Albertans.

00:06:32.360 The province also introduced sweeping changes to local election laws last spring.

00:06:36.520 One of the changes will be piloted in the upcoming municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary,

00:06:40.660 which will introduce political parties at the municipal level.

00:06:43.280 So hopping into our next story here,

00:06:45.020 Alberta's Minister of Infrastructure, Peter Guthrie,

00:06:47.480 resigned from Cabinet Tuesday morning,

00:06:49.440 citing concerns over the provincial government's procurement practices

00:06:52.480 and a lack of accountability within Premier Daniel Smith's government.

00:06:56.720 Guthrie announced his resignation in a letter addressed to constituents,

00:07:00.260 stating he had taken steps to address procurement inconsistencies across government departments

00:07:05.020 but found little support from Cabinet.

00:07:07.260 He wrote, quote,

00:07:08.160 In recent months, I have voiced concerns regarding the government of Alberta's procurement practices

00:07:12.940 across all departments.

00:07:15.160 As infrastructure minister, Guthrie said he had insight into procurement processes

00:07:19.660 and had recommended creating a financial oversight committee

00:07:22.780 to review and advise on all major government contracts.

00:07:26.000 He said, quote,

00:07:26.900 If implemented, such a committee could have been instrumental in preventing some of the issues

00:07:31.180 we are now seeing in Alberta Health and AHS,

00:07:34.000 adding,

00:07:34.480 Unfortunately, the majority of Cabinet does not appear to share my concern.

00:07:38.820 Guthrie said his resignation would allow him to continue holding the government accountable

00:07:42.820 as a private member,

00:07:43.980 emphasizing that Albertans expect fiscal responsibility and transparency.

00:07:48.420 Another thing he wrote was, quote,

00:07:50.180 It is essential that the public has confidence in its government and its processes.

00:07:54.560 We were elected to be open, transparent, fiscally responsible, and above all, honest with Albertans.

00:07:59.860 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told True North that she had accepted Guthrie's resignation.

00:08:04.780 Despite resigning as the province's infrastructure minister,

00:08:08.060 Guthrie will remain a UCP MLA for Airdrie Cochran.

00:08:10.960 He said he looks forward to continuing serving Albertans.

00:08:14.400 His resignation comes amid heightened scrutiny over Alberta Health Services' procurement,

00:08:18.900 which has led to an investigation by Auditor General Doug Wiley.

00:08:22.680 Former AHS CEO Athana Mensopoulos, who was dismissed in January,

00:08:27.560 has launched a $1.7 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit alleging political interference in health contracts.

00:08:34.000 Mensopoulos claims that government officials pressured her to approve contracts for private surgical facilities

00:08:39.180 and that Smith's former chief of staff, Marshall Smith, was involved in the process.

00:08:44.200 The lawsuit also raises concerns over the province's $70 million contract with MH Care Medical,

00:08:49.840 a company that secured a deal to import pain medication from Turkey.

00:08:53.100 Danielle Smith denied any wrongdoing,

00:08:55.060 stating earlier this month that the allegations should be reviewed transparently and expeditiously.

00:08:59.660 She confirmed that her government had requested both an internal AHS review and an independent audit by the Auditor General

00:09:05.460 while pausing all new surgical facility contracts until the findings are released.

00:09:10.140 She previously said,

00:09:11.440 quote,

00:09:12.000 As Premier, I was not involved in any wrongdoing.

00:09:14.780 Any insinuation to the contrary is false, baseless, and defamatory.

00:09:18.860 Smith told True North this week that

00:09:20.560 She has also directed her senior civil service to find a third party to investigate what happened

00:09:25.720 with the AHS procurement process independently from the provincial government.

00:09:29.820 She said that she also hopes to determine why AHS never brought any substantive evidence

00:09:34.080 or documentation to the provincial government despite months of requests.

00:09:38.100 She said,

00:09:38.580 quote,

00:09:38.840 I want to reiterate that I was not involved in these procurement decisions,

00:09:42.520 nor am I aware of any wrongdoing with regards to the issues raised by the former CEO.

00:09:47.020 My actions were straightforward.

00:09:48.340 The government made a policy decision to expand surgical facilities to tackle the critical issue

00:09:53.000 of wait times, and we all trusted that direction would be acted upon and implemented by AHS.

00:09:58.500 Auditor General Doug Wiley previously confirmed that he had begun reviewing

00:10:01.860 the procurement and contracting process at the AHS.

00:10:05.760 His reports will be publicly available after they are tabled in the Legislative Assembly.

00:10:09.860 Let me know in the comments how you think that might unfold.

00:10:12.260 Also on Thursday, Daniel Smith named a new infrastructure minister, that being Martin Long.

00:10:17.160 Now hopping into a story that came out at the end of last week, Alberta's Minister of

00:10:21.280 Transportation, Devin Drishan, warned that the federal government could be running headfirst

00:10:25.480 into a failure akin to Calgary's Greenline LRT with the new high-speed rail planned between

00:10:31.000 Toronto and Quebec City.

00:10:32.400 Drishan had previously called the Calgary project a, quote,

00:10:35.320 multi-billion dollar boondoggle.

00:10:37.140 He blamed that project on former Calgary mayor and current provincial NDP leader,

00:10:41.260 Nahid Nenshi.

00:10:42.820 Drishan wrote in a letter on September 3rd, quote,

00:10:45.200 To be clear, we recognize your and the current council's efforts to try and salvage the untenable

00:10:50.820 position you've been placed in by the former mayor and his utter failure to competently

00:10:55.500 oversee the planning, design, and implementation of a cost-effective transit plan that could

00:11:00.300 have served hundreds of thousands of Calgarians in the city's southern and northern communities.

00:11:05.240 He said it was encouraging to see the Liberals supporting mega-infrastructure projects between

00:11:09.460 provinces, but warned that not enough preparatory work had been done in advance of the

00:11:13.680 announcements.

00:11:15.680 The federal government doesn't seem to have done the proper homework for this $80 billion

00:11:20.220 high-speed rail project.

00:11:22.280 When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the project, he said Canada would only invest

00:11:25.760 $3.9 billion over six years, on top of the $371.8 million provided in Budget 2024.

00:11:32.400 However, according to CBC, Transport Canada said that a high-speed rail between Toronto and

00:11:36.680 Quebec City could actually cost up to $80 billion.

00:11:39.140 Franco Terrizano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said, quote,

00:11:44.640 Trudeau just put taxpayers on the hook for $4 billion for the planning of this boondoggle.

00:11:49.520 How much will this actually cost taxpayers?

00:11:52.300 Transport Minister Anita Anad couldn't even say how much it would cost.

00:11:55.940 She said the following.

00:11:56.900 But do you have a rough estimate as to the price tag?

00:11:59.940 I mean, are we talking $15 billion, $100 billion, $200 billion?

00:12:03.320 Like, I think if you want to get buy-in from people, they need to understand just how much

00:12:07.380 this is going to cost, don't you?

00:12:08.600 Those figures will come, JP.

00:12:10.480 Remember, we have just announced the winning bidder.

00:12:13.320 Right now, that bidder is negotiating a contract with the Crown Corporation, Alto.

00:12:18.880 And once that contract is negotiated and finalized and the plans for building and laying that track

00:12:27.960 have been drawn up, we will have more to say on the price tag.

00:12:32.640 But again, the option that we're choosing is to proceed prudently and to ensure that we're

00:12:39.880 using taxpayer dollars efficiently.

00:12:42.940 And if we were not doing that, we would not be doing right by the Canadian public.

00:12:47.320 So $3.9 billion to undertake the co-development phase is the right process to take.

00:12:55.280 And then we will come out with how much the building of this project is going to take in

00:13:01.760 the long term.

00:13:02.880 Let's not forget, $35 billion added to the Canadian economy annually as a result of high-speed rail

00:13:10.160 is going to be the finished product and the consequence of undertaking this process overall.

00:13:17.040 Thank you.

00:13:17.320 A high-speed rail network named Alto claims on its website that it will save money in five

00:13:38.540 key areas.

00:13:39.160 These include reducing greenhouse gas emissions in cars on the road.

00:13:42.700 Even under the best-case scenario, the claimed savings total only $49 billion, roughly half

00:13:48.060 of the projected cost.

00:13:49.500 Trudeau claimed Alto, the largest infrastructure project ever in Canada, will boost GDP by up

00:13:54.580 to $35 billion annually and create over 51,000 jobs.

00:13:59.340 The 1,000-kilometer rail network between Toronto and Quebec City is currently in the consultation

00:14:03.780 phase.

00:14:04.480 The subsequent development phase is expected to last around five years.

00:14:08.560 Alto will be made up of different phases forming a rail network.

00:14:11.500 Each phase is expected to take between five and seven years to build.

00:14:15.220 Yeah, let me know in the comments if you think we'll ever actually see this train built.

00:14:18.600 Calgary's Greenline LRT project was initially promised to be a 46-kilometer line with 29 stations

00:14:23.900 costing $4.65 billion.

00:14:25.960 The project's distance was cut numerous times following that, and it ended up being slashed

00:14:31.840 by 78%.

00:14:33.380 The number of stations fell by more than 75%.

00:14:36.520 Despite the significant reductions in size, the project's costs skyrocketed.

00:14:41.420 Driesian said the cuts came because the city council failed to do any of the proper costing,

00:14:46.060 engineering, or planning.

00:14:47.300 At best, it was drawn up on a napkin, he told True North.

00:14:50.500 Driesian then had some advice for the feds.

00:14:52.160 He said, quote, properly planning first and building quickly after is the key for these

00:14:57.000 type of projects.

00:14:58.120 Despite the problems with Calgary's LRT project, the province has big plans province-wide

00:15:02.640 for passenger rail.

00:15:03.880 The province proposed a commuter rail at the end of April 2024 to connect the province.

00:15:08.560 The rail plan aims to be completed by summer 2025.

00:15:11.500 A 15-year delivery plan will be presented, and the project aims to be completed by 2040.

00:15:16.380 Hopping into our last story today with a quickie, a provocative sign reignited a debate

00:15:20.700 over Alberta's future and fueled backlash from local officials.

00:15:24.680 A bold new billboard in Bowdoin, Alberta is turning heads and stirring controversy.

00:15:28.980 The sign reads,

00:15:30.160 Tell Danielle, let you win the USA, and features a photo of Premier Daniel Smith with US President

00:15:34.920 Donald Trump.

00:15:35.980 The photo was taken during a recent visit to President Trump's Florida residence in

00:15:40.300 Mar-a-Lago earlier this year.

00:15:41.820 Funded by the America Fund, a group linked to former Wexit Alberta members, the billboard

00:15:46.180 pushes the idea of Alberta breaking away from Canada.

00:15:48.900 Yeah, I thought I saw the billboard in person, but I must have confused it for when I saw

00:15:53.580 it on X because I wasn't around Bowdoin recently.

00:15:55.900 Let me know if you saw the sign, though.

00:15:57.620 Local leaders aren't having it.

00:15:59.100 Bowdoin's mayor swiftly distracted the town from the message, saying,

00:16:02.500 quote,

00:16:02.880 The community is not happy about it in any way, shape, or form.

00:16:06.040 The America Fund argues Alberta would be better off as an American state, blaming Ottawa's

00:16:10.620 policies of blocking pipelines and printing money, causing inflation, and the cost of living

00:16:15.440 crisis.

00:16:16.380 Smith said the following about the sign.

00:16:18.280 I see no enthusiasm for that notion.

00:16:21.780 What I have seen is the opposite.

00:16:23.500 I have seen so many Canadians and Albertans in particular reaching out and saying,

00:16:31.300 we've got to put Canada first.

00:16:33.120 We've got to tear down interprovincial trade barriers.

00:16:35.060 We've got to find new markets.

00:16:36.060 We've got to support each other in building new pipeline infrastructure.

00:16:39.580 I've seen a sea change in attitudes across the entire country.

00:16:42.960 I'm very, very encouraged by that.

00:16:45.080 So I don't think there's a lot of enthusiasm for what the billboard says or what the president

00:16:51.420 has been talking about.

00:16:52.340 And that's why I say let's continue to be the U.S.'s best trading partner.

00:16:57.300 Let's continue to be a sovereign nation.

00:16:59.280 And let's get to talking about the things that are going to make us both stronger.

00:17:02.920 I think that there's a real opportunity for us to talk about a North American fortress

00:17:08.200 that Canada and the U.S. together, we can make sure that we've got energy security,

00:17:12.800 national security, international security, food security, and working in partnership

00:17:17.140 together with the building on the kind of trade relationships we've had in the past.

00:17:21.080 I think that that's the pathway forward.

00:17:23.640 Economic union like the EU?

00:17:25.940 Well, you know, and talk to anybody in the EU, they don't much love Brussels.

00:17:30.100 So I think that what I do like is that we have built through various phases,

00:17:36.000 whether it was the auto pact, followed by a free trade agreement, followed by NAFTA,

00:17:39.160 followed by CUSMA, we have a virtually tax tariff-free relationship with the United States.

00:17:45.360 I think it's something like 99% tariff-free.

00:17:48.300 And so are there ways that we can improve that mobility, buy more goods from the U.S.,

00:17:52.560 have them buy more goods from us? 0.88

00:17:54.420 I'm open to talking about that.

00:17:55.980 And I hope we can get onto that part of the conversation very soon,

00:17:58.620 because that's a lot more constructive.

00:17:59.820 Tell me if you agree with Smith or whether she's burying her head in the sand here.

00:18:03.740 The sign has reignited longstanding frustrations over federal control,

00:18:07.300 energy regulations, and equalization payments.

00:18:10.240 Separatist political movements have existed in Alberta since the 1930s

00:18:13.840 and spiked during the 70s when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau

00:18:17.140 imposed his devastating national energy plan.

00:18:20.600 The movement picked up steam again when Pierre's son Justin Trudeau was elected in 2015.

00:18:25.700 In 2017, he stated that he wanted to phase out the use of Alberta oil sands

00:18:31.060 and since then has introduced anti-energy legislation, including Bill C-69.

00:18:36.780 Professor Jordan B. Peterson recently wrote in the National Post

00:18:39.820 that Canada has to offer Alberta a better deal than what President Trump is offering.

00:18:44.400 He also said the following. 0.97

00:18:45.980 Enough pathetic celebrity wannabe pandering to the international elites of Davos 0.99

00:18:52.780 and, for good measure, the utterly degenerate UN. 0.96

00:18:57.300 Enough overt and covert attempt to destroy the basis of the economy of my fair and hardworking province.

00:19:03.480 Enough delaying critical infrastructure development

00:19:07.060 and rejection of international trade offers for natural gas, oil, and coal.

00:19:13.240 Enough treatment of the resource economy upon which Quebec in particular

00:19:17.220 so unacceptably depends as a moral pariah. 1.00

00:19:22.080 Enough idiot green moralizing. 1.00

00:19:25.540 Enough carbon tax. 1.00

00:19:27.040 Enough bloody net zero.

00:19:28.940 And how about this?

00:19:32.220 Enough multiculturalism and destruction of the Canadian identity. 0.95

00:19:36.700 Why belong so expensively to a country that despises its own history, economy, and people?

00:19:46.120 Make us a better offer and quickly, my Canadian friends,

00:19:49.660 or Trump's tariffs will be the least of your problems.

00:19:52.720 Are Peterson's concerns more accurate of Albertans' residents' feelings?

00:19:57.000 Let me know in the comments.

00:19:58.340 That wraps up this week's show.

00:20:00.340 My name's Isaac Lameru, your host of the Alberta Roundup.

00:20:02.960 Have a great weekend.

00:20:03.940 Thank you and God bless.

00:20:05.020 May Alberta prosper strong and free.

The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - March 02, 2025

“Common sense legislation” forthcoming

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