“Common sense legislation” forthcoming
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Summary
An Alberta minister has resigned due to the ongoing controversy between Premier Danielle Smith and the Alberta Health Services regarding their procurement practices. A different minister warned that the Liberals risked having a similar failure, with a much greater magnitude, to the Green Line LRT between Toronto and Quebec City. You may have seen the billboard urging Albertans to tell the Premier to join the USA. All that and more on today s episode of the show.
Transcript
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A lot of what Alberta deemed common-sense legislation is soon to be introduced in this instance of the province's legislative session.
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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.
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Of course, they also talked about the budget, which was released on Thursday.
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An Albertan minister has resigned due to the ongoing controversy between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the Alberta Health Services regarding their procurement practices.
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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.
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You may have seen the billboard urging Albertans to tell the Premier to join the USA.
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My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the show, and let's hop into that first story now.
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Alberta's legislature reconvened on Tuesday, focusing on introducing what the province is calling common-sense legislation,
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while working to fill the void left by the federal government grinding to a halt due to prorogation.
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While the legislation has been trickling in slowly, beginning with the budget, of course, introduced on Thursday,
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and will continue to be introduced throughout the session,
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we'll discuss the press conference of government House Leader Joseph Skow introducing the session where he took aim at the feds.
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While Skow avoided discussing details of specific bills deferring to upcoming announcements from respective ministers,
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he did hint that the budget would feature amendments to the Alberta personal income tax.
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And it did, considering one of the UCP government's key campaign promises,
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a tax cut will be implemented in 2025, two years ahead of schedule.
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The provincial government is implementing a new 8% personal tax bracket for income up to $60,000.
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The tax cut is expected to save individual Albertans up to $750 in 2025.
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Albertans earning less than $60,000 per year will see their personal income taxes fall by 20%.
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Albertans are expected to collectively save $1.2 billion in 2025 due to this measure.
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Yeah, let me know your thoughts about the budget in the comments,
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especially considering the baseline values provided in the budget assume a 15% tariff on all goods,
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with 10% tariffs on energy and forecast the deficit of $5.2 billion in 2025-26 falling in subsequent years.
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In the low scenario, in the budget, signaling a decline in revenue, 25% tariffs would be put on all Canadian goods,
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except for energy products, which would see 10% tariffs.
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If this were to occur, the Alberta government projects a deficit of $8.7 billion in 2025-26,
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The high scenario assumes no tariffs, but the looming uncertainty would come with a higher exchange rate volatility,
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a swing in energy proxies, and disruption to the supply chain.
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The high scenario also assumes no retaliatory tariffs from Canada, resulting in lower inflation, growth in spending, and more.
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In this scenario, the province still predicts a deficit of $2.9 billion in 2025-26,
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but would almost balance the budget by 2027-28, which would see a deficit of $200 million.
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Scow said the legislation will help Albertans cope with the rising cost of living.
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He emphasized that this upcoming session is extra significant amid global economic uncertainty.
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While much of the legislation is focused on directly improving Albertans' living standards,
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Scow said that Alberta's government will continue to try to ease border and trade tensions with the United States.
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The province will also work to break down interprovincial trade barriers.
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Scow added that some Liberal cabinet members are finally realizing the importance of an East-West pipeline after denying it for years.
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We have a federal government that has been missing in action for quite some time,
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who has failed to understand or at least failed to respond to the needs of our province.
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As we see the turmoil and the self-interest happening within the Liberal Party,
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we're not going to let that distract us from defending Alberta's best interests.
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Alberta's government unveiled nine of the approximately 20 pieces of legislation expected in the spring session.
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The upcoming legislation includes the Automobile Insurance Act,
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and the Red Tape Reduction Statutes Amendment Act.
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Alberta Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Dan Williams,
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said that legislation for involuntary treatment for drug addicts is forthcoming.
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our government has done significant work to build a recovery model,
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now leading the decrease in opioid fatalities across the country,
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a 300% higher decrease than any other jurisdiction in Canada.
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But this is not enough for those who are not able or willing to voluntarily find their way into treatment.
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We had one individual last year who overdosed 186 times,
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as was reported by the provincial health care numbers.
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because not every single overdose is reported and tracked for an individual.
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The last thing that I want to see, or anybody wants to see,
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is that be one of our family members or friends,
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and it be 187th time that takes that individual's life.
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We will not sit back while we watch this happen to Albertans,
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to our loved ones in our communities, and to loved ones in our family,
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who are suffering from this deadly disease of addiction.
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Our government has made a commitment to bring forward compassionate intervention,
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It will create a process and a path for a family member, guardian,
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and for law enforcement or peace officers to intervene and request treatment for somebody who's in addiction,
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or because of their substance use has become a danger to themselves or others.
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we will move forward with legislation that allows society to care for and intervene for those who are most affected.
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The previous legislative session saw lawmakers focus on protecting personal autonomy,
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property rights, and legal firearm ownership for Albertans.
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The province also introduced sweeping changes to local election laws last spring.
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One of the changes will be piloted in the upcoming municipal elections in Edmonton and Calgary,
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which will introduce political parties at the municipal level.
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Alberta's Minister of Infrastructure, Peter Guthrie,
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citing concerns over the provincial government's procurement practices
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and a lack of accountability within Premier Daniel Smith's government.
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Guthrie announced his resignation in a letter addressed to constituents,
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stating he had taken steps to address procurement inconsistencies across government departments
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In recent months, I have voiced concerns regarding the government of Alberta's procurement practices
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As infrastructure minister, Guthrie said he had insight into procurement processes
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and had recommended creating a financial oversight committee
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to review and advise on all major government contracts.
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If implemented, such a committee could have been instrumental in preventing some of the issues
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Unfortunately, the majority of Cabinet does not appear to share my concern.
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Guthrie said his resignation would allow him to continue holding the government accountable
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emphasizing that Albertans expect fiscal responsibility and transparency.
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It is essential that the public has confidence in its government and its processes.
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We were elected to be open, transparent, fiscally responsible, and above all, honest with Albertans.
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told True North that she had accepted Guthrie's resignation.
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Despite resigning as the province's infrastructure minister,
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Guthrie will remain a UCP MLA for Airdrie Cochran.
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He said he looks forward to continuing serving Albertans.
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His resignation comes amid heightened scrutiny over Alberta Health Services' procurement,
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which has led to an investigation by Auditor General Doug Wiley.
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Former AHS CEO Athana Mensopoulos, who was dismissed in January,
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has launched a $1.7 million wrongful dismissal lawsuit alleging political interference in health contracts.
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Mensopoulos claims that government officials pressured her to approve contracts for private surgical facilities
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and that Smith's former chief of staff, Marshall Smith, was involved in the process.
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The lawsuit also raises concerns over the province's $70 million contract with MH Care Medical,
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a company that secured a deal to import pain medication from Turkey.
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stating earlier this month that the allegations should be reviewed transparently and expeditiously.
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She confirmed that her government had requested both an internal AHS review and an independent audit by the Auditor General
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while pausing all new surgical facility contracts until the findings are released.
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As Premier, I was not involved in any wrongdoing.
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Any insinuation to the contrary is false, baseless, and defamatory.
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She has also directed her senior civil service to find a third party to investigate what happened
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with the AHS procurement process independently from the provincial government.
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She said that she also hopes to determine why AHS never brought any substantive evidence
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or documentation to the provincial government despite months of requests.
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I want to reiterate that I was not involved in these procurement decisions,
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nor am I aware of any wrongdoing with regards to the issues raised by the former CEO.
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The government made a policy decision to expand surgical facilities to tackle the critical issue
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of wait times, and we all trusted that direction would be acted upon and implemented by AHS.
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Auditor General Doug Wiley previously confirmed that he had begun reviewing
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the procurement and contracting process at the AHS.
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His reports will be publicly available after they are tabled in the Legislative Assembly.
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Let me know in the comments how you think that might unfold.
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Also on Thursday, Daniel Smith named a new infrastructure minister, that being Martin Long.
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Now hopping into a story that came out at the end of last week, Alberta's Minister of
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Transportation, Devin Drishan, warned that the federal government could be running headfirst
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into a failure akin to Calgary's Greenline LRT with the new high-speed rail planned between
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Drishan had previously called the Calgary project a, quote,
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He blamed that project on former Calgary mayor and current provincial NDP leader,
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Drishan wrote in a letter on September 3rd, quote,
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To be clear, we recognize your and the current council's efforts to try and salvage the untenable
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position you've been placed in by the former mayor and his utter failure to competently
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oversee the planning, design, and implementation of a cost-effective transit plan that could
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have served hundreds of thousands of Calgarians in the city's southern and northern communities.
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He said it was encouraging to see the Liberals supporting mega-infrastructure projects between
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provinces, but warned that not enough preparatory work had been done in advance of the
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The federal government doesn't seem to have done the proper homework for this $80 billion
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When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the project, he said Canada would only invest
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$3.9 billion over six years, on top of the $371.8 million provided in Budget 2024.
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However, according to CBC, Transport Canada said that a high-speed rail between Toronto and
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Quebec City could actually cost up to $80 billion.
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Franco Terrizano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said, quote,
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Trudeau just put taxpayers on the hook for $4 billion for the planning of this boondoggle.
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Transport Minister Anita Anad couldn't even say how much it would cost.
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But do you have a rough estimate as to the price tag?
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I mean, are we talking $15 billion, $100 billion, $200 billion?
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Like, I think if you want to get buy-in from people, they need to understand just how much
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Remember, we have just announced the winning bidder.
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Right now, that bidder is negotiating a contract with the Crown Corporation, Alto.
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And once that contract is negotiated and finalized and the plans for building and laying that track
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have been drawn up, we will have more to say on the price tag.
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But again, the option that we're choosing is to proceed prudently and to ensure that we're
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And if we were not doing that, we would not be doing right by the Canadian public.
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So $3.9 billion to undertake the co-development phase is the right process to take.
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And then we will come out with how much the building of this project is going to take in
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Let's not forget, $35 billion added to the Canadian economy annually as a result of high-speed rail
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is going to be the finished product and the consequence of undertaking this process overall.
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A high-speed rail network named Alto claims on its website that it will save money in five
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These include reducing greenhouse gas emissions in cars on the road.
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Even under the best-case scenario, the claimed savings total only $49 billion, roughly half
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Trudeau claimed Alto, the largest infrastructure project ever in Canada, will boost GDP by up
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to $35 billion annually and create over 51,000 jobs.
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The 1,000-kilometer rail network between Toronto and Quebec City is currently in the consultation
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The subsequent development phase is expected to last around five years.
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Alto will be made up of different phases forming a rail network.
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Each phase is expected to take between five and seven years to build.
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Yeah, let me know in the comments if you think we'll ever actually see this train built.
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Calgary's Greenline LRT project was initially promised to be a 46-kilometer line with 29 stations
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The project's distance was cut numerous times following that, and it ended up being slashed
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Despite the significant reductions in size, the project's costs skyrocketed.
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Driesian said the cuts came because the city council failed to do any of the proper costing,
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At best, it was drawn up on a napkin, he told True North.
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He said, quote, properly planning first and building quickly after is the key for these
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Despite the problems with Calgary's LRT project, the province has big plans province-wide
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The province proposed a commuter rail at the end of April 2024 to connect the province.
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The rail plan aims to be completed by summer 2025.
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A 15-year delivery plan will be presented, and the project aims to be completed by 2040.
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Hopping into our last story today with a quickie, a provocative sign reignited a debate
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over Alberta's future and fueled backlash from local officials.
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A bold new billboard in Bowdoin, Alberta is turning heads and stirring controversy.
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Tell Danielle, let you win the USA, and features a photo of Premier Daniel Smith with US President
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The photo was taken during a recent visit to President Trump's Florida residence in
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Funded by the America Fund, a group linked to former Wexit Alberta members, the billboard
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pushes the idea of Alberta breaking away from Canada.
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Yeah, I thought I saw the billboard in person, but I must have confused it for when I saw
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it on X because I wasn't around Bowdoin recently.
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Bowdoin's mayor swiftly distracted the town from the message, saying,
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The community is not happy about it in any way, shape, or form.
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The America Fund argues Alberta would be better off as an American state, blaming Ottawa's
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policies of blocking pipelines and printing money, causing inflation, and the cost of living
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I have seen so many Canadians and Albertans in particular reaching out and saying,
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We've got to tear down interprovincial trade barriers.
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We've got to support each other in building new pipeline infrastructure.
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I've seen a sea change in attitudes across the entire country.
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So I don't think there's a lot of enthusiasm for what the billboard says or what the president
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And that's why I say let's continue to be the U.S.'s best trading partner.
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And let's get to talking about the things that are going to make us both stronger.
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I think that there's a real opportunity for us to talk about a North American fortress
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that Canada and the U.S. together, we can make sure that we've got energy security,
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national security, international security, food security, and working in partnership
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together with the building on the kind of trade relationships we've had in the past.
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Well, you know, and talk to anybody in the EU, they don't much love Brussels.
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So I think that what I do like is that we have built through various phases,
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whether it was the auto pact, followed by a free trade agreement, followed by NAFTA,
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followed by CUSMA, we have a virtually tax tariff-free relationship with the United States.
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And so are there ways that we can improve that mobility, buy more goods from the U.S.,
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And I hope we can get onto that part of the conversation very soon,
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Tell me if you agree with Smith or whether she's burying her head in the sand here.
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The sign has reignited longstanding frustrations over federal control,
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Separatist political movements have existed in Alberta since the 1930s
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and spiked during the 70s when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau
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The movement picked up steam again when Pierre's son Justin Trudeau was elected in 2015.
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In 2017, he stated that he wanted to phase out the use of Alberta oil sands
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and since then has introduced anti-energy legislation, including Bill C-69.
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Professor Jordan B. Peterson recently wrote in the National Post
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that Canada has to offer Alberta a better deal than what President Trump is offering.
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Enough pathetic celebrity wannabe pandering to the international elites of Davos
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and, for good measure, the utterly degenerate UN.
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Enough overt and covert attempt to destroy the basis of the economy of my fair and hardworking province.
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Enough delaying critical infrastructure development
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and rejection of international trade offers for natural gas, oil, and coal.
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Enough treatment of the resource economy upon which Quebec in particular
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Enough multiculturalism and destruction of the Canadian identity.
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Why belong so expensively to a country that despises its own history, economy, and people?
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Make us a better offer and quickly, my Canadian friends,
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or Trump's tariffs will be the least of your problems.
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Are Peterson's concerns more accurate of Albertans' residents' feelings?
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My name's Isaac Lameru, your host of the Alberta Roundup.