The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - October 29, 2022


Danielle Smith pushes Ottawa back


Episode Stats

Length

12 minutes

Words per Minute

172.90372

Word Count

2,150

Sentence Count

141


Summary


Transcript

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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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00:11:56.100 We'll see you next week.