The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - February 11, 2023


Handshake from hell


Episode Stats

Length

9 minutes

Words per Minute

179.07281

Word Count

1,773

Sentence Count

116

Misogynist Sentences

4


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 When you let aero truffle bubbles melt, everything takes on a creamy, delicious, chocolatey glow.
00:00:06.320 Like that pile of laundry. You didn't forget to fold it.
00:00:09.220 Nah, it's a new trend. Wrinkled chic.
00:00:12.100 Feel the aero bubbles melt. It's mind-bubbling.
00:00:24.980 Hey everyone, welcome back to the Alberta Roundup. I'm your host, Rachel Emanuel.
00:00:28.480 I hope that you guys are having a great week so far.
00:00:31.400 Let's take a look at what happened this week in Alberta politics.
00:00:34.200 Unless you're living under a rock, you probably know that Alberta Premier Daniel Smith was in Ottawa this week.
00:00:39.640 And she had some new announcements to make about healthcare funding.
00:00:43.000 The topic of amnesty for those charged for breaching COVID-19 restrictions came up again this week.
00:00:48.240 And we have some new polling numbers as the United Conservative Party prepares to face the Alberta NDP in a spring general election.
00:00:55.100 All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
00:00:57.440 Okay guys, let's start with the story that everybody is talking about this week.
00:01:01.360 The infamous handshake.
00:01:02.780 This week, while she was in Ottawa, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith was captured on video having a rather awkward handshake with the Prime Minister.
00:01:09.640 If you're like me, you're probably wondering what on earth happened that was a very uncomfortable looking exchange.
00:01:24.480 Well, the Premier clarified afterwards that she wasn't expecting the Prime Minister to go in for a handshake because they had just grasped hands backstage.
00:01:32.360 I had already shaken his hand, so we already said our hellos.
00:01:36.820 I was taken a bit by surprise that he wanted me to shake hands again, so we kind of missed the landing.
00:01:42.060 It was a little bit awkward, but we ended up having a really good discussion after that.
00:01:46.620 Smith also started her Thursday afternoon press conference in Calgary by going around the room and shaking everyone's hands,
00:01:52.320 probably just to prove that she could do it.
00:01:54.320 Hello, nice to see you.
00:01:56.560 Very good to see you.
00:01:57.980 Very good to see you.
00:01:59.480 How are you?
00:02:00.220 Nice to see you.
00:02:01.700 Nice to see you.
00:02:02.920 How are you doing?
00:02:03.860 Excellent to see you.
00:02:04.980 Nice to see you.
00:02:05.880 It's the Family and Friends event at Shoppers Drug Mart.
00:02:09.920 Get 20% off almost all regular-priced merchandise.
00:02:13.120 Two days only.
00:02:14.200 Tuesday, February 24th, and Wednesday, February 25th.
00:02:17.700 Open your PC Optimum app to get your coupon.
00:02:19.840 She also met with federal Conservative leader Pierre Polyev and, of course, with the Prime Minister.
00:02:26.900 She spoke at length about their discussion, which she said was overall positive.
00:02:30.980 Smith also said she told Trudeau his government must end work on its proposed just transition legislation,
00:02:36.600 which the Premier has been a staunch opponent of, as well as its emissions reduction cap
00:02:40.740 and its ban on electricity for natural gas.
00:02:43.720 Take a listen to some of her remarks now.
00:02:45.220 Let me be brutally honest.
00:02:47.420 The Prime Minister has not yet shown himself to be a friend of Alberta.
00:02:52.300 There are a litany of federal policies that he has imposed that have been exceptionally harmful to our economy
00:02:57.900 and to our investment climate, and that have cost Albertans tens of thousands of jobs
00:03:02.600 and tens of billions of investment and projects.
00:03:05.880 But this issue is far bigger than me or this Prime Minister.
00:03:09.580 I know that, and I hope that he knows that, too.
00:03:12.720 There are trillions of dollars in revenues, hundreds of billions of dollars in investment,
00:03:17.080 and millions of jobs riding on Alberta and Ottawa working together instead of in conflict
00:03:22.580 and creating an attractive and certain investment climate that millions around the world want to invest in and move to.
00:03:29.580 The Prime Minister is being criticized across the country and from within his own party
00:03:35.660 as being unnecessarily divisive and unable to improve national unity or economic growth.
00:03:42.460 Well, here's a golden opportunity.
00:03:44.680 Come to the table and work collaboratively with Alberta
00:03:47.340 on probably the most important economic issue facing this country in a generation.
00:03:51.920 I'm opening the door, but I also have to be pretty clear.
00:03:56.660 If the Prime Minister chooses to slam this door in our face and moves unilaterally forward
00:04:01.940 with just transition or other impossible and arbitrary emissions targets or policies
00:04:07.920 without Alberta's involvement and agreement, Alberta will be relentless in our opposition,
00:04:13.080 and we will use every tool at our disposal to protect Albertans, their jobs, and their future.
00:04:17.920 The ball is now in the Prime Minister's court, and I hope his response to my offer is the right one.
00:04:23.460 The Premier also said she expects to ink a 10-year funding health care agreement with Ottawa
00:04:27.700 in the coming days or weeks.
00:04:30.200 The province is estimating its shares will be about $518 million new dollars.
00:04:35.480 The Alberta government plans to use the new cash, which Smith called significant,
00:04:39.800 to double down on its initiatives to improve the health care sector.
00:04:42.800 She also pointed to Alberta's ongoing efforts to reduce emergency room wait times,
00:04:47.840 ambulance wait times, and the surgical backlog.
00:04:50.420 The Premier also said she's pleased that most of the funding will come with no strings attached.
00:04:54.860 Moving into our next story here, Alberta Premier Daniel Smith also said she's spoken to people
00:04:59.020 who have been charged for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
00:05:02.240 That includes Arthur Pawlowski, but Smith said she explained to the street preacher
00:05:05.760 that she was unable to grant him amnesty.
00:05:08.440 Pawlowski faces two charges of criminal mischief,
00:05:10.880 and a charge under Alberta's Critical Infrastructure Defence Act
00:05:14.300 related to the Coutts border blockade, which took place one year ago.
00:05:17.800 His trial took place last week, and the judge's decision has not yet been set.
00:05:21.940 Here's what the Premier had to say about it.
00:05:23.460 You know, I've talked to everyone who has concerns about some of the enforcement orders
00:05:30.860 that are against them, and I have told them the same thing that I have told all of you,
00:05:37.040 that I'm awaiting to see the result of a couple of different cases.
00:05:39.760 I'm taking the advice of my Attorney General, and that we'll have to wait for the process to play out.
00:05:44.600 Just specifically, have you spoken to him directly?
00:05:47.400 Yes.
00:05:47.820 Okay.
00:05:48.380 And could you let me know, in the course of that conversation,
00:05:53.180 did you tell him or indicate to him that you would have people looking in
00:05:59.660 to see what could be done with his specific charges?
00:06:01.620 I have always said that I campaigned on it for seven months,
00:06:05.540 that I would look into what the options were for amnesty,
00:06:08.420 and that I would look into what the options were on that.
00:06:11.000 And my Justice Minister came back and said that amnesty is not possible for a Premier.
00:06:16.260 The only role of amnesty is the Governor General in our country, the way our system works.
00:06:20.060 And his advice to me was having lost one case, the CM versus Alberta case,
00:06:24.840 that we were going to wait on the Ingram case to see if there's some clarity in law.
00:06:28.440 So that was the advice of my Justice Minister, and that's what I'm waiting for.
00:06:31.900 The reporter who was asking those questions was a CBC reporter.
00:06:35.280 Investing is all about the future.
00:06:37.280 So what do you think is going to happen?
00:06:39.280 Bitcoin is sort of inevitable at this point.
00:06:41.780 I think it would come down to precious metals.
00:06:44.360 I hope we don't go cashless.
00:06:46.220 I would say land is a safe investment.
00:06:49.020 Technology, companies, solar energy.
00:06:51.180 Robotic pollinators might be a thing.
00:06:53.800 A wrestler to face a robot?
00:06:55.500 That will have to happen.
00:06:57.080 So whatever you think is going to happen in the future,
00:07:00.600 you can invest in it at Wealthsimple.
00:07:02.840 Start now at Wealthsimple.com.
00:07:05.040 You might remember that a couple of weeks ago,
00:07:07.240 the CBC reported that Premier Smith has been inappropriately pressuring
00:07:11.180 her Justice Minister to drop COVID cases.
00:07:13.800 In my opinion, the Premier looks less than impressed with the exchange.
00:07:18.280 And finally, what we're watching in the weeks to come,
00:07:20.500 a new poll from Abacus Data suggests that the United Conservative Party is ramping up steam
00:07:25.260 as it prepares for a spring election against the Alberta NDP.
00:07:29.240 The poll shows that it will once again be a two-horse race between the NDP and the UCP,
00:07:33.700 with the Alberta Party sitting in a distant third.
00:07:36.480 David Coletto, Abacus Data chairman and CEO, said,
00:07:39.300 There is still a sizable group of people who did vote for the UCP back in 2019 who remain undecided.
00:07:47.180 They still are not entirely comfortable with Danielle Smith.
00:07:50.500 They're still, I think, disappointed with some of the decisions that the Jason Kenney administration made.
00:07:55.960 And so they're still sitting on the sidelines.
00:07:58.220 The other side of that, though, is that they aren't completely comfortable with the New Democrats
00:08:02.420 and Rachel Notley either.
00:08:04.880 The survey also found that Calgary will be a key battleground in the election,
00:08:08.460 which you likely know if you're living in Alberta.
00:08:10.900 In Calgary, the NDP currently hold a slight edge over the UCP.
00:08:14.980 Voters in Edmonton seem more likely to vote for the NDP,
00:08:18.080 while outside of Alberta's two major cities, the UCP is leading.
00:08:21.880 Okay, guys, and now it's time for my daily comment roundup.
00:08:24.420 I wanted to go over some of your comments from last week
00:08:26.500 when I asked you what you thought about Dina Hinshaw being hired in BC.
00:08:30.420 You guys had some pretty funny responses, so I'm going to read some of them now.
00:08:34.180 User Aaron M says,
00:08:35.540 As a resident of BC, I am ashamed and appalled about this decision.
00:08:40.140 User Shelley Chappelle said,
00:08:41.740 I cannot believe Hinshaw made so much money because of 2020.
00:08:45.920 While the rest of us suffered enormous mental and social conditions,
00:08:49.400 while high government officials get bonuses from our hard work.
00:08:53.360 It's criminal, really.
00:08:55.080 User Lawrence Lawrence wrote,
00:08:56.760 I applauded that Hinshaw and her overpriced accomplices got fired in Alberta.
00:09:01.260 Good move, Alberta.
00:09:02.560 But for her to be hired in BC is shocking.
00:09:05.320 Bonnie Henry, an unelected official, and her tyranny needed to be fired a long time ago.
00:09:10.680 But now we have the Henry Hinshaw clown show
00:09:13.680 to set this province back when others are moving forward.
00:09:17.760 BC needs a better political party besides the NDP.
00:09:21.720 And user New Sabinium says,
00:09:23.580 I wish I could fail up as much as these bureaucrats.
00:09:26.800 Honestly, I think that's how most of us feel.
00:09:28.820 It seems like there's really no repercussions for them,
00:09:31.500 no matter what their actions are.
00:09:33.560 Okay, everyone, that's all I have for you today.
00:09:35.340 Thank you so much for tuning in to the Alberta Roundup.
00:09:37.720 I hope that you guys have a great rest of your weekend,
00:09:39.640 and God bless.
00:09:40.380 music