The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - April 22, 2023


Notley blacklists independent media

Topics
Alberta ADP leader blacklisting reporters
Hosted by
Isaac Lamoureux
Mentioned
Sheila Annette Lewis Rachel Notley Smith Rachel Nolley Pierre Poilievre Ken Paxton Stephen Harper COVID-19 Alex Dhaliwal Nicholas Milliken Rachel Emanuel Alison Pajovic Colin Acheson George Carman Jason Kenney Edmonton
Peterson suggests separation Standing up for law-abiding gun owners

Episode Stats


Length

14 minutes

Words per minute

185.17

Word count

2,773

Sentence count

177

Harmful content

Misogyny

4

sentences flagged


Summary

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

It's been a spicy week in Alberta politics, and we're here to break it all down. First, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Nolley is blacklisting reporters she doesn't like, we're also taking a look at a new endorsement from former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and the UCP is taking heat for their new proposal which would see involuntary treatment for drug addicts. And finally, I have a long awaited update on Sheila Annette Lewis, who has been removed from the organ donor registry for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID. All that and more happening now on The Alberta Roundup!

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 When you let aero truffle bubbles melt,
00:00:02.300 everything takes on a creamy, delicious, chocolatey glow.
00:00:06.480 Like that pile of laundry.
00:00:07.800 You didn't forget to fold it.
00:00:09.200 Nah, it's a new trend.
00:00:10.720 Wrinkled chic.
00:00:12.000 Feel the aero bubbles melt.
00:00:13.880 It's mind bubbling.
00:00:15.000 Hey everyone, welcome back to the Alberta Roundup.
00:00:30.840 I'm your host, Rachel Emanuel.
00:00:32.040 I hope that you guys are having a great weekend so far.
00:00:34.760 It's been a very spicy week in Alberta politics.
00:00:37.640 So let's take a look at what we're going to be talking about on today's show.
00:00:40.840 Up first, Alberta ADP leader Rachel Nolley is blacklisting reporters she doesn't like. 0.96
00:00:46.840 We're also going to be taking a look at a new endorsement
00:00:49.480 from former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
00:00:52.360 And the UCP is taking heat for their new proposal,
00:00:56.120 which would see involuntary treatment for drug addicts. 0.73
00:00:59.160 And finally, I have a long awaited update for you guys on Sheila Annette Lewis.
00:01:03.720 She is, of course, the woman who has been removed from the organ donor transplant list
00:01:08.680 for refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
00:01:11.640 All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
00:01:14.120 Okay guys, up first, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Nolley had hired security,
00:01:18.520 removed two independent reporters from her press conference earlier this week.
00:01:22.520 That was on Monday, and you guys might have seen the clips circulating online.
00:01:26.440 One of the reporters who was removed was the countersignal editor-in-chief, Kian Bextie.
00:01:30.600 And the rebel news reporter Alex Dahlwal was also kicked out of Nolley's press conference
00:01:35.480 before they even had a chance to ask her questions.
00:01:38.280 Later on Twitter, Kian said that he had showed up to the press conference
00:01:41.480 because he wanted to ask Rachel Notley about her candidates and their history of
00:01:45.560 defund the police rhetoric.
00:01:47.160 Rachel Notley said recently that if her party is elected on the May 29th
00:01:51.320 Alberta provincial election, she would hire more police officers 0.99
00:01:54.520 because we are, of course, in the middle of a public safety crisis.
00:01:57.800 But this was very interesting to anyone paying attention
00:02:00.680 because of the history her candidates have had of defund the police rhetoric.
00:02:04.920 So Bextie went to ask Notley about this, and here's what happened.
00:02:08.360 She's welcoming accredited media, though.
00:02:10.680 Well, I'll take media questions.
00:02:11.560 I don't want to split hairs here.
00:02:13.560 I mean, the premier took questions from me.
00:02:15.080 So did the mayor of Calgary.
00:02:16.200 Well, I mean, whatever they do is their bailiwick, right?
00:02:18.840 It's not what they do with us, right?
00:02:19.960 So you can understand that.
00:02:20.840 What they choose to do is within their purview.
00:02:23.400 All I'm just a, you know, I'm just a message to go here.
00:02:25.560 I appreciate that, but, you know, I think that it's totally reasonable that I'm here.
00:02:29.800 Do you work for the party?
00:02:33.000 We're contractors.
00:02:33.640 We're contractors.
00:02:34.760 Security contractors to stop media from asking the ex-premier questions?
00:02:37.560 I'm not stopping anybody from asking anything.
00:02:39.400 I'm just giving a message.
00:02:40.280 Well, you are stopping me.
00:02:41.080 Well, push comes to shove.
00:02:42.120 I mean, we can get into a debate here.
00:02:43.880 I don't want to get into a debate here.
00:02:45.080 I want to ask a very simple question of the ex-premier.
00:02:47.240 All I'm saying to avoid any hassle is that you're not going to entertain your questions.
00:02:52.520 You're not going to entertain my questions.
00:02:54.520 So it's as plain as that.
00:02:55.640 That's the NDP position.
00:02:57.480 That's right.
00:02:58.040 Okay, I'm just taking it.
00:02:59.880 We'll go this way.
00:03:01.080 Okay.
00:03:03.000 Why don't you put your hands behind that?
00:03:08.440 Okay.
00:03:09.240 In a statement to True North after the incident,
00:03:11.400 Bexty said he's accredited by the Alberta legislature.
00:03:14.600 He also said Notley is, quote, lying, unquote, about basic facts
00:03:18.680 to avoid answering difficult questions.
00:03:21.320 Bexty said, quote,
00:03:22.360 I am seriously worried what will happen to press freedom in this province if she regains power.
00:03:27.000 As I mentioned, Rebel News reporter Alex Dallowall was also removed from the press conference.
00:03:31.160 Rebel News later responded to the incident writing, quote,
00:03:33.960 Notley accuses Premier Smith of dodging questions,
00:03:37.000 but she removes independent journalists to avoid being held to account.
00:03:40.760 In recent weeks, Rachel Notley has been throwing a fuss saying Premier Smith is unwilling
00:03:44.840 to take questions from media.
00:03:46.120 Notley's attacks against the Premier ramped up last week after Premier Smith said she would be limiting
00:03:50.600 questions to reporters to one question each.
00:03:53.640 Traditionally, reporters were allowed one question and one follow-up.
00:03:57.160 However, many reporters use the follow-up to ask about an entirely unrelated subject.
00:04:02.200 I myself am guilty of that at times.
00:04:04.440 And so Notley took to Twitter to criticize the Premier,
00:04:07.240 saying Albertans deserve a leader that listens and, quote,
00:04:09.720 takes your questions, unquote.
00:04:11.640 She also said, quote,
00:04:12.440 Leaders with nothing to hide actually answer questions from the media.
00:04:15.880 Alberta, you deserve better than this.
00:04:18.440 And of course, before she hosted her press conference on Monday,
00:04:20.920 Notley made a point to say that she would be taking to the questions from media
00:04:24.200 and then proceeded to throw two independent reporters from the press conference.
00:04:27.880 Now, of course, legacy media has not covered the incident.
00:04:30.600 The Alberta Press Gallery did take the time to write Premier Smith a letter
00:04:33.800 complaining over her new one question per reporter policy,
00:04:37.560 but they have not taken the opportunity to stand up for independent media reporters.
00:04:41.800 The Independent Press Gallery of Canada, of which I and all other
00:04:44.760 true North journalists are a part of, did send a letter to Notley,
00:04:47.880 asking her if she would commit to allowing independent reporters into her future press
00:04:51.640 conferences and to ask questions.
00:04:54.360 The NDP leader so far has not responded to the inquiry.
00:04:57.720 Moving into our next story here,
00:04:59.160 Alberta's United Conservative Party has secured an endorsement
00:05:02.440 from former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
00:05:04.840 That endorsement comes weeks ahead of a provincial vote in which the UCP
00:05:08.360 need to secure moderate voters in the Calgary area as well as outside of Edmonton.
00:05:12.840 Many moderates were quick to vote for former Premier Jason Kenney,
00:05:15.880 who, by the way, was a cabinet minister in Harper's government.
00:05:18.760 Harper, at one point, even called Kenney one of his most effective cabinet ministers.
00:05:22.680 So this endorsement could be a very good thing for Premier Smith,
00:05:25.320 who, according to a recent poll, is viewed as very conservative, according to voters.
00:05:30.040 Here's a look at that endorsement from Harper.
00:05:31.960 Alberta's been through some tough years since 2015, but the economy is finally hitting its stride again,
00:05:38.440 and employment is booming. Yet that could all be derailed if the Notley NDP wins.
00:05:45.320 We've seen what they've done before. Job killing, tax hiking, anti-energy policies leading to mass layoffs,
00:05:52.440 business closures and recession. It took years to recover from the last NDP government.
00:05:58.200 We can't risk going backwards again. Vote for Alberta. Vote Conservative.
00:06:03.560 Okay, everyone. Moving into our controversy of the week, I can't wait to hear what you guys think
00:06:07.800 about this story. Alberta's United Conservative Party has considered introducing legislation
00:06:12.840 which would force drug addicts into involuntary treatment if they're considered a danger to
00:06:17.000 themselves or to others. The documents revealing that such legislation has been considered by the
00:06:22.040 government were obtained by the Globe and Mail through an access to information request.
00:06:26.200 The legislation would be called the Compassionate Intervention Act and could be introduced in the
00:06:30.200 legislature as early as this year. That legislation, of course, would only be introduced if the
00:06:34.840 Conservative Party wins the next general election, and I suspect they would need a very strong majority
00:06:39.800 government to introduce such a controversial bill. Colin Acheson, spokesperson to Mental Health
00:06:44.360 and Addictions Minister Nicholas Milliken, said Premier Smith charged the office with bringing forward
00:06:49.160 recommendations to improve interventions to drug addicts who are considered a danger to themselves
00:06:54.120 or to others. He said the Compassionate Intervention Act was put forward as part of an effort to
00:06:58.840 explore a variety of options. In a statement to True North, Acheson said, quote,
00:07:03.160 As of this time, no decisions have been made by the government of Alberta. We will continue to
00:07:07.400 build out a full continuum of care, including prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery,
00:07:12.200 where all Albertans who are struggling with addiction can be compassionately supported in
00:07:16.120 their pursuit of recovery. Alberta NDP leader Rachel Nolley, who does not respond to inquiries from
00:07:20.280 True North, told the Globe and Mail the legislation is too punitive and, quote, is doomed to failure,
00:07:25.240 both from a treatment perspective and a legal one. She added, quote, effective and lasting treatment
00:07:29.960 meets people where they're at and supports them in taking a different path. I strongly expect that
00:07:34.760 the courts would strike down an approach that forcibly confines Albertans who have not been
00:07:39.080 convicted of a crime. On this show, we have talked extensively about the United Conservative
00:07:43.400 Party's government's effort to stem the addiction crisis ongoing in Alberta. Of course,
00:07:47.800 it's ongoing all across Canada and down the western seaboard of the United States,
00:07:51.640 but Alberta is the only province with a real plan that focuses on treatment. At least one doctor
00:07:57.000 was absolutely outraged that the United Conservative Party government had even considered
00:08:01.240 such a piece of legislation. Here's a video she posted on Twitter critiquing the proposal.
00:08:07.080 It's the family and friends event at Shoppers Drug Mart. Get 20% off almost all regular priced
00:08:12.280 merchandise. Two days only. Tuesday, February 24th and Wednesday, February 25th. Open your PC
00:08:18.600 optimum app to get your coupon. Hey, everyone. So I'm just getting in the car on my way to pick
00:08:26.280 up my kids after school and I just read an article about this proposed legislation from the Alberta
00:08:35.960 government called the Compassion Intervention Act where they can force people against their will
00:08:41.480 to be put into abstinence and recovery programs. And I wasn't expecting to have this reaction.
00:08:51.240 But this is like so messed up and completely violates the rights of people. And unfortunately,
00:08:58.360 this is a population that most of the general population can't identify with. And so they don't care about
00:09:08.360 them. And so it's just this this population that has no way to advocate for them at all.
00:09:15.080 And they continue to just be forgotten and die without services that they need without harm reduction,
00:09:25.160 which has evidence behind it. We all know this and get forced into recovery. And this is just
00:09:31.160 wrong. It's wrong. It's wrong. And it's devastating. And I will keep pushing. I will keep advocating
00:09:40.680 and just hope that something like this doesn't actually come to fruition because it is it's just
00:09:45.480 wrong and it's a complete violation and it's not right. So my question of the week for you guys is
00:09:50.600 what do you think of this proposal? Do you think it is more humane than allowing drug addicts to live
00:09:56.200 on the streets? And as one former drug addict once put it to me to slowly kill themselves?
00:10:01.560 Or do you think that this is likely illegal and inhumane to force anyone into treatment?
00:10:06.440 Please comment in the video below and let me know what you think. Okay, everyone moving into what
00:10:11.080 we're watching the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedom's lawyer who is representing Sheila Annette Lewis.
00:10:16.440 That's the woman who's been denied an organ transplant because she is unvaccinated against COVID-19
00:10:21.720 is demanding that Alberta Health Services overturn its decision to deny Lewis an organ because she
00:10:27.080 has proved natural immunity. For those of you who have been following the story, you know that Lewis
00:10:31.000 has been dying of a terminal illness and she was removed from the top of the organ donor transplant list
00:10:36.760 after refusing to be inoculated against COVID-19. She has been challenging the constitutionality
00:10:42.040 of the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for over a year. That requirement was put in place by Alberta Health
00:10:47.160 Services and Alberta Hospital and six of her transplant doctors. The type of organ that she
00:10:52.600 needs as well as the name of her doctors are under a publication ban. Her legal counsel is now demanding
00:10:57.400 that AHS accept her natural immunity in place of a COVID-19 vaccine and they want Lewis returned to
00:11:03.240 the top of the high priority organ transplant list by April 21st. In a statement, her legal counsel
00:11:08.680 Alison Pajovic said, quote, there is no principled medical or scientific reason to continue to deny
00:11:14.920 Ms. Lewis a life-saving organ transplant. She is protected from COVID-19 as she has had it twice.
00:11:21.480 The refusal to accept Ms. Lewis's natural immunity as an alternative to COVID-19 vaccination
00:11:26.760 and give her life-saving surgery is indefensible and a disgrace. On March 29th, Lewis provided her
00:11:32.600 medical doctors with a privately funded medical report, also known as the Connexus Report, which proved
00:11:39.080 her natural immunity against COVID-19. On April 3, one of Lewis's transplant doctors informed her
00:11:44.840 that nothing had changed. She would still need to be inoculated against COVID-19 if she hoped to
00:11:50.200 return to the organ donor transplant list. In a statement, Lewis's legal counsel pointed to an
00:11:55.720 August 22 U.S. Center for Disease Control study, which found that while COVID-19 vaccines have reduced
00:12:01.560 mortality and hospitalization, so has natural immunity to COVID-19. This is the latest update in
00:12:08.040 Lewis's case. As you guys might remember, she has also filed an application with the Supreme
00:12:12.760 Corps asking them to hear her case and to return her to the top of the organ donor transplant list. 0.99
00:12:17.960 And tragically for Lewis, she only has a limited amount of time. In a November ruling, an appeal
00:12:22.680 court determined that it is a virtual certainty that Lewis will die without an organ transplant.
00:12:28.200 So I'm sure I'll have an update in a few weeks for you guys about what the future holds for Ms. Lewis.
00:12:33.080 Okay guys, and finally, moving into our weekly comment roundup.
00:12:36.520 Last week, conservative leader Pierre Polyev came to Edmonton for a visit, and I asked you all what
00:12:41.640 you think of his approach to the legacy media. User Thor Music said, yes, what Pierre Polyev had to
00:12:47.640 say is very refreshing. Great report as always. Cheers. User George German said, Pierre Polyev is a
00:12:54.120 breath of fresh air. I love the way he hands it to CBC reporters. Most of the comments underneath last
00:12:59.880 week videos were of the same type. It seems that people are very relieved to have a federal conservative
00:13:05.160 leader who was unapologetic for being conservative. It sounds ridiculous that I have to even say that
00:13:10.280 out loud, but it is absolutely the truth. It's certainly been a long time since we had someone
00:13:14.760 in Ottawa who was unafraid to be conservative and to represent conservatives. Finally, user Shell Bell
00:13:20.360 wrote, you are one of the best Canadian independent media channels on here, but please, your hosts need
00:13:25.480 to show more personality. You have what the mainstream media doesn't, which is soul, but you need to
00:13:30.200 show it better. God bless. I thought this was an interesting comment. I am not going to speak for my
00:13:34.680 other True North hosts, which I think are doing a fantastic job, but I will say that 10 minutes is
00:13:39.160 a very short amount of time to bring you an update on what happened this week in Alberta politics,
00:13:44.200 and often when I go to do a bit of editing on my show, I find that I have to cut extra comments and
00:13:49.160 monologues I might have given on a specific issue. So while I do appreciate your effort to get to know
00:13:53.480 me a bit better, I'm on quite the time crunch here, and my viewers haven't really appreciated it when I've
00:13:58.360 gone too much past 10 minutes, which I totally appreciate. There's a million podcasts to listen to,
00:14:03.160 and most of them go on for quite long, so this is a short, brief way to bring you guys all the news.
00:14:08.440 However, if you are hoping to get to know the host a little bit better, I do recommend you listen to
00:14:12.680 the daily brief every morning. We give you an update of the top news stories of the day across Canada,
00:14:17.720 and usually we have a bit of extra time for conversation and debate. It can be quite fun.
00:14:22.840 Okay everyone, that's all I have time for today. Thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode
00:14:27.000 of the Alberta Roundup. Please don't forget to comment underneath the show and let me know what
00:14:31.240 you think about the UCP's discussed proposal of involuntary treatment. And as always, if you're
00:14:36.440 able, please consider supporting us. You can do that over at donate.tnc.news. Thanks so much,
00:14:41.640 have a great weekend, and God bless.
00:14:57.000 Thank you.