The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - October 29, 2022


Danielle Smith pushes Ottawa back

Topics
affordability World Economic Forum views
Hosted by
Isaac Lamoureux
Mentioned
Danielle Smith Rachel Emanuel Lila Ahir Alberta Sovereignty Act Rachel Notley Jagmeet Singh Pierre Poilievre Lila Heer Chief Gray Dean
Alberta’s APOLOGY WARS Premier Smith attacks “extreme left” climate policies

Episode Stats


Length

12 minutes

Words per minute

172.9

Word count

2,150

Sentence count

141


Summary

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

In this week's Alberta Roundup: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she's open to pulling out of new federal programs, failed UCP leadership candidate Lila Ahir says she won't run for the party in the next election, and we're also going to be giving you the latest update to the Trudeau-Liberal gun grab scheme.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.640 It's the Family and Friends event at Shoppers Drug Mart.
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00:00:13.800 Hey everyone, welcome back to the Alberta Roundup.
00:00:31.600 I'm your host, Rachel Emanuel.
00:00:32.860 Let's take a look at what we're going to be talking about here today.
00:00:35.340 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she's open to pulling out of new federal programs.
00:00:40.060 Failed UCP leadership candidate Leela Heer has said she won't run for the party in the next general election.
00:00:45.480 The Alberta NDP, meanwhile, want to lower the voting age and expand access to abortion across the province.
00:00:50.840 And Daniel Smith has denounced the WEF.
00:00:52.960 We're also going to be giving you the latest update to the Trudeau-Liberal gun grab scheme.
00:00:56.960 All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
00:00:59.140 Up first, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she's open to pulling out of new federal programs
00:01:03.840 or avoiding federal consultations when they aren't in the province's best interests.
00:01:08.040 The Premier published a letter on Thursdays that she had sent to her cabinet ministers
00:01:12.040 outlining the strategies they must use when they're dealing with the federal government.
00:01:16.920 Let's take a look at that now.
00:01:18.240 In the letter, Smith said, quote,
00:01:20.020 There may be cases where Alberta will seek to opt out of new federal programs
00:01:23.420 if they aren't in Alberta's best interest.
00:01:25.720 The new Premier said Ottawa often avoids meaningful engagement with Alberta.
00:01:29.720 That has to change, she said.
00:01:31.340 Ottawa must provide open, honest, and early communication with the province.
00:01:34.880 Quote, if the federal government does not honor cooperative federalism through meaningful
00:01:39.060 engagement, we will simply not participate in their consultations.
00:01:43.260 This announcement comes after Premier Smith's speech at the United Conservative Party annual
00:01:47.420 general meeting last weekend, in which she said Alberta, under her leadership, will not
00:01:52.140 enforce federal laws or policies that interfere in Alberta's jurisdictional rights as outlined
00:01:56.940 in the Constitution.
00:01:57.920 Take a listen to her comments from last week Saturday.
00:01:59.700 Finally, you see Ottawa problem.
00:02:02.400 There can be no doubt that the current NDP Liberal Alliance is just the latest in a long line
00:02:07.820 of Ottawa governments that have frustrated the legitimate aspirations of hardworking Albertans.
00:02:15.440 That stops now.
00:02:17.180 When Ottawa announces policies and laws that attack our economy or violate the rights of our
00:02:22.540 people, or when Ottawa seeks to take control of our sovereign areas of provincial jurisdiction,
00:02:29.440 our UCP government will not enforce those laws and policies in this province, period.
00:02:34.600 Thank you.
00:03:04.580 And let me be very clear.
00:03:09.480 I will never, ever apologize for standing up for the people of Alberta and the province
00:03:15.880 that I serve.
00:03:21.480 So, we will pass the Sovereignty Act.
00:03:24.560 Work has already begun on crafting it.
00:03:26.680 We worked on it earlier this week at the caucus retreat.
00:03:29.580 We still have further work to do, but I have asked for it to be ready by the time I take
00:03:33.060 my seat in the legislature.
00:03:34.160 We will then introduce it, and we will pass it, and we will use it to push Ottawa back
00:03:38.960 into its own lane every single time that they step out of line and intrude on our constitutional
00:03:44.760 rights.
00:03:45.760 Alberta will no longer ask permission from Ottawa to be prosperous and free.
00:03:50.500 UCP, MLA, and failed leadership candidate Lila Ahir has said she won't run for the UCP in
00:03:56.000 the next general election, which is in spring 2023.
00:03:58.640 As you guys know, Lila Ahir was the first to fall off the ballot in the party leadership
00:04:01.940 contest earlier this month.
00:04:03.840 She had just 1.7% of party member support when she fell off.
00:04:07.400 She was also a vocal critic of Danielle Smith during the campaign and was the only of the
00:04:11.860 seven leadership candidates not named in Smith's cabinet.
00:04:14.800 The Chestermere-Strathmore MLA posted a lengthy statement on Twitter in which she said she
00:04:18.920 was grateful for the opportunity and that the United Conservative Party members have chosen
00:04:22.540 a new direction, and she respects that decision.
00:04:24.960 Quote, I am so unbelievably grateful for the time I have been privileged to serve all Albertans.
00:04:29.780 Okay, guys, time to move to your favorite topic.
00:04:32.100 That's right, the Alberta NDP.
00:04:33.880 The party hosted its convention last weekend in Calgary, and they passed a couple interesting
00:04:37.920 resolutions.
00:04:38.780 Let's take a look at them.
00:04:39.840 One of the resolutions sought to lower the voting age from 18 to 16.
00:04:43.800 This resolution passed.
00:04:44.880 Now, it's worth noting that resolutions that passed aren't necessarily binding on the party,
00:04:48.400 meaning the party does not have to include them in their election platform.
00:04:51.300 It's also worth noting that the federal NDP sought to lower the voting age in a motion,
00:04:54.900 which failed in the House of Commons just last month.
00:04:57.700 So it doesn't look like there's a lot of interest from this elsewhere across the country.
00:05:00.400 They also sought to expand access to abortion across the province, and another interesting
00:05:05.100 resolution focused on affordability.
00:05:07.080 Let's take a look at that one.
00:05:08.520 That resolution called on the United Conservative Party government to work directly with the opposition
00:05:12.620 to create an all-party committee on food affordability and routine government reporting
00:05:17.700 on grocery prices.
00:05:18.900 Now, I had the opportunity to ask Premier Smith about this resolution on Monday at a press
00:05:23.300 conference just after her cabinet was sworn in.
00:05:25.320 Take a listen to her response for yourself.
00:05:27.640 Rachel Emanuel, True North.
00:05:29.180 The NDP at their convention this weekend passed a resolution calling on the UCP government
00:05:33.060 to work with the opposition on lowering grocery stocks.
00:05:35.860 You obviously said at the UCP annual agenda meeting affordability was one of your caucus's
00:05:39.660 key priorities.
00:05:40.740 What's your response to that NDP resolution?
00:05:42.880 Well, I'd welcome Rachel Notley saying that she rejects a 300% increase in the carbon tax.
00:05:47.840 That's the number one thing that she could do, because if she wants to bring affordability
00:05:52.280 to the fore, then she can't be adding arbitrary costs on gasoline, diesel, electricity, home heating.
00:05:59.080 She's supported her leader, Jagmeet Singh, at the federal level in increasing the carbon tax.
00:06:02.800 And so, quite frankly, I don't think that any of her statements on this have any credibility
00:06:07.740 until she's prepared to argue against that.
00:06:10.920 You also just spoke about the need to get mandate letters completed.
00:06:13.280 I'm wondering if you'll commit to making those mandate letters public.
00:06:15.880 Yes, I've actually already talked to my chief of staff and my director of the Premier's office
00:06:21.720 that I think it's a good communication tool for the public so that the public knows what
00:06:25.860 it is that we're working on.
00:06:26.900 I think it's also good for the ministers to know.
00:06:28.640 And why wouldn't we want to tell?
00:06:30.220 We've had such great success in checking off the list of all of the things that had been identified.
00:06:35.340 So, I think we should be celebrating that.
00:06:37.440 So, yes, they will be public.
00:06:38.740 Now, at that same conference, Premier Smith also teed off on WEF, calling the World Economic Forum
00:06:43.660 distasteful.
00:06:44.600 She said that she finds it distasteful when billionaires brag about having control over
00:06:48.380 political leaders.
00:06:49.960 This caused quite a storm online, but take a listen to her comments for yourself.
00:06:53.660 Hi, Premier.
00:06:55.480 I want to follow up on what Dean was just asking.
00:06:57.840 I just want to ask you a very simple question.
00:07:00.060 What are your views on the World Economic Forum?
00:07:05.340 Well, I'm not a young global leader of tomorrow.
00:07:09.720 I've never been to one of their events.
00:07:11.720 And I look at Pierre Polyev saying that he doesn't intend to go to their events and doesn't
00:07:16.340 intend to have his ministers involved in them either.
00:07:18.940 And I take the same view.
00:07:20.280 Some say the bubbles in an aero truffle piece can take 34 seconds to melt in your mouth.
00:07:26.080 Sometimes the very amount you're stuck at the same red light.
00:07:29.740 Rich, creamy, chocolatey aero truffle.
00:07:32.580 Feel the aero bubbles melt.
00:07:34.600 It's mind bubbling.
00:07:36.220 But why?
00:07:37.220 You're still not explaining what your views are on the World Economic Forum.
00:07:41.120 What do you find distasteful about it?
00:07:43.080 I guess I find it distasteful when billionaires brag about how much control they have over
00:07:48.520 political leaders, as the head of that organization has.
00:07:52.000 And I think that that is offensive.
00:07:53.940 The people who should be directing government are the people who vote for them.
00:07:57.820 And the people who vote for me and for my colleagues are people who live in Alberta
00:08:01.280 and who are affected by our decisions.
00:08:03.080 And so quite frankly, until that organization stops bragging about how much control they have
00:08:08.260 over political leaders, I have no interest in being involved with them.
00:08:11.520 My focus is here in Alberta, solving problems for Albertans with the mandate from Albertans.
00:08:16.620 Moving into the controversy of the week, national police agencies are warning MPs that policing
00:08:22.320 services across Canada will suffer if police are redirected to act as confiscation agents
00:08:27.640 under the Trudeau Liberals gun grab scheme.
00:08:29.580 At a federal public safety committee hearing earlier this week, MPs heard
00:08:33.020 from national police agencies.
00:08:34.280 We're going to play a couple of comments for you now.
00:08:36.260 First up is the president of the National Police Federation.
00:08:39.040 We have said on a number of occasions that police services in Canada, including the RCMP,
00:08:44.140 are operating at minimal levels already.
00:08:47.460 We're having challenges recruiting.
00:08:49.020 We're having challenges retaining.
00:08:51.120 We're having challenges attracting to the law enforcement profession.
00:08:54.680 So as every time that we increase the mandate of police officers on the street,
00:09:00.680 there has to be something that gives.
00:09:04.080 And is that going to mean that we don't respond to that mental health call,
00:09:08.080 the person in crisis in the middle of the street, because police officers are now tied up,
00:09:13.680 going to pick up guns that are no longer legal to possess.
00:09:18.000 So there is an impact.
00:09:20.620 And in the end, do we leave it to, as Chief Gray said, another agency that may implement?
00:09:27.400 That isn't spoken to in the legislation.
00:09:29.800 It isn't spoken to within the buyback program.
00:09:34.340 So it's going to fall to the cops of the street, the members of the RCMP.
00:09:39.300 Without sustained resources, something has to fall off the plate.
00:09:43.900 And now, take a listen to the warning from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
00:09:48.040 Regarding the mandatory buyback program, of course, there's been a lot of talk about this,
00:09:52.040 the requirement to make assault-style weapons permanently and operable.
00:09:55.600 The CACP is still awaiting the details on the implementation of such a program
00:09:59.620 and the implications for and expectations of police services in Canada.
00:10:04.480 Having said that, the CACP recognizes and understands concerns that have been expressed
00:10:08.940 by certain provinces in the country about using Canadian police resources
00:10:13.320 to go out and confiscate legally acquired firearms from Canadians.
00:10:17.900 Ultimately, the buyback program, this early part of the buyback program,
00:10:22.300 is essentially an administrative process.
00:10:24.760 It's not a policing issue.
00:10:26.300 As a result, such a program could be managed by entities other than police services,
00:10:31.820 thereby allowing police resources to be focused on those who refuse to follow new law
00:10:36.360 and, more importantly, on addressing border integrity, smuggling, and trafficking.
00:10:41.160 So, in conclusion, the CACP supports improving safety for the public
00:10:45.240 and for frontline police officers.
00:10:47.100 Okay, guys, what we're watching in the weeks to come.
00:10:49.880 Premier Smith has said work has already begun on her controversial Alberta Sovereignty Act.
00:10:54.520 You guys know that conversation on the Sovereignty Act dominated the UCP leadership race.
00:10:58.740 Now, Premier Smith has said she's hoping the legislation will be ready
00:11:01.260 by the time she takes a seat in the legislature.
00:11:03.080 She's begun her process of winning the by-election in Brooks Medicine Hat.
00:11:07.140 She launched her campaign earlier this week.
00:11:09.220 And she said that she could be in the legislature as early as November 29th
00:11:12.960 if her bid for that seat is successful.
00:11:14.700 It's worth noting that it is a conservative safe seat.
00:11:16.780 So, I will, of course, keep you updated on that by-election
00:11:19.000 as well as more news on the Alberta Sovereignty Act.
00:11:21.660 Now, that brings us to the Alberta politics funny moment of the week.
00:11:24.600 The Alberta NDP are also running a candidate in the Brooks Medicine Hat by-election.
00:11:27.960 And that candidate is claiming that Premier Smith and her team
00:11:31.400 were accidentally knocking on the wrong doors while they were canvassing.
00:11:35.040 They said that Premier Smith was canvassing in Cyprus Medicine Hat writing.
00:11:39.220 A little awkward.
00:11:40.440 Okay, guys, thanks so much for tuning in.
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00:11:54.860 Thanks so much. See you next week.
00:11:56.100 We'll see you next week.