Smith challenges Notley to stand up to Trudeau
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Summary
This week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is challenging Rachel Notley to stand up to Ottawa, Alberta is the first province to announce a permanent fuel tax relief program, a nurses group wants to reimpose a mask mandate in indoor spaces, an Alberta minister says the federal government must consult with the province before investing in vulnerable communities, and finally, Public Safety Minister Marco Medellino now says Ottawa is working with a potential third party to implement its gun buyback scheme. All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
Transcript
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It's the family and friends event at Shoppers Drug Mart.
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Get 20% off almost all regular priced merchandise.
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Tuesday, February 24th and Wednesday, February 25th.
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Hey everyone, welcome back to the Alberta Roundup.
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I was back in Ontario visiting family and friends and I was surprised at the number of
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people who came up to me and told me they watched the Alberta Roundup every week.
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Conservative Canadians across the country are paying attention to what's going on in Alberta right now.
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Now, let's take a look at what we're going to be talking about on today's show.
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Alberta Premier Daniel Smith is challenging Rachel Notley to stand up to Ottawa.
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Alberta is the first province to announce a permanent fuel tax relief program.
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Danielle Smith shut down a request from the United Nurses of Alberta
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An Alberta minister says the federal government
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must consult with the province before investing in vulnerable communities.
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And finally, Public Safety Minister Marco Medellino
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now says Ottawa is working with a potential third party to implement its gun buyback scheme.
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All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
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This week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith took aim at the federal government's renewed intention
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to transition oil and gas sector jobs to renewable energy jobs.
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The federal government has framed its so-called just transition legislation
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as a way to lessen the impact on energy workers displaced by the transition to a low-carbon economy.
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Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has described the bill's focus
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as being sustainable job creation and economic growth in every region of the country.
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The federal government's ill-conceived and short-sighted plan is extremely harmful
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to the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who are supported by the energy sector
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and will be detrimental to Canada's economic recovery.
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Smith is also calling on NDP leader Rachel Notley to join the government in opposing the federal government's bill.
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She said Notley must quote put aside partisanship for the sake of Alberta's economy and join us.
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After a number of provinces announced fuel tax relief last year,
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Alberta is the first province to announce their fuel tax relief program will become permanent this year.
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the United Conservative Party government suspended its 13 cents per litre tax on April 1.
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That tax was partially reinstated on October to 4.5 cents per litre on gas and diesel,
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Smith said the entire fuel tax relief program will be turned for six months.
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That relief began this week on January 1, and it will run until June,
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after which time the province will implement its permanent fuel tax relief program.
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Alberta Finance Minister Travis Taves said beginning July 1,
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the permanent program will return to the current system,
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of providing fuel tax relief based on the price of West Texas Intermediate Oil.
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The measure is just one of a number we brought forward to help Albertans deal
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It's relief we're able to provide thanks to our strong fiscal situation,
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which is helping us fulfill our commitment to make life more affordable.
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This story happened last month, but I haven't got a chance to cover it in the show yet,
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so I'm going to let you guys know now, because many of you were very excited to hear it.
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith shut down a request from a nurses group to reimpose a mask mandate
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indoors. The United Nurses of Alberta made the request after Alberta Health Services announced
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an emergency situation at the Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton, following a surge of kids
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with respiratory viruses. Smith said she was aware of the situation, but her government has been
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clear that anyone who feels comfortable wearing a mask should do so. She said, quote,
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I always appreciate the input of our frontline workers, but we do support choice.
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Smith's comments came after the United Nurses of Alberta president, Heather Smith,
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issued an open letter to the premier after the intensive care unit at Stollery reached 100%
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capacity. She wrote, quote, For the sake of Alberta's children and all Albertans,
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it is imperative that our government cease treating this situation as if it were a political inconvenience
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and address it immediately as a public health crisis that it is. The letters a mask meant it would be
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easy for people to comply with, but also effective to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses.
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Some say the bubbles in an arrow truffle piece can take 34 seconds to melt in your mouth.
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Sometimes the very amount you're stuck at the same red light.
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Rich, creamy, chocolatey arrow truffle. Feel the arrow bubbles melt. It's mind bubbling.
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Following accusations that a Calgary school teacher was pushing an anti-conservative bias onto students,
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the founder of a Calgary charter school says she's not concerned her educators will push a bias onto
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students because they're too busy teaching a fundamentally different curriculum.
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Kaylin Forn, the founder of the Calgary Classical Academy, rejects the view that education should be
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seen as a means of a vehicle for social transformation. A philosophy progressive education reformers began to
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embrace in the 20th century. She said, quote, that's part of why you end up with a lot of this kind of
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thing in schools, a lot of focus on contemporary social issues, on turning students into agents of
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change. Ford said teachers at the Calgary Classical Academy are too busy teaching students things like
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Latin, music, and world history. She said, quote, we expose kids to texts in the works of art and literature
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and stories that have stood the test of times and are in some cases centuries or millennia old.
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Frankly, we don't have time for much else beyond that. Alberta Seniors Community and Social Services
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Minister Jeremy Nixon says the federal government's efforts to invest in vulnerable communities fall
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short when the federal government doesn't first consult with the province. In a year-end interview
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with True North, Nixon said the Trudeau Liberals have bypassed consultation with his government.
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He said, quote, they try to directly apply these things in ways that don't always make sense with what
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the government is trying to do or in ways that doesn't align with the needs that are in our community.
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To address issues and supports for vulnerable Canadians, they need to work with the provincial
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governments and allow us to do what we do best. For example, Ottawa recently announced rent subsidies
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for those earning under $20,000 per year, a commitment which excludes those with a disability
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by just $200. Albertans on assured income for the severely handicapped receive $20,220 from the
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province annually. Nixon said the government either knew what they're doing or they're willfully
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incompetent. Okay guys, moving into the controversy of the week. After four provinces said they would
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not aid the Trudeau Liberals' gun buyback scheme, Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino now
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says the federal government is consulting with potential third parties on administering the
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program. In September, Alberta was the first province to oppose Mendicino's request to confiscate
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its citizens' legally acquired firearms. It was followed promptly by Saskatchewan, Manitoba,
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and New Brunswick. Now, Mendicino says Ottawa is looking at a variety of options to deliver the
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buyback program. He said, quote, we're taking the time that is necessary to get it right. It's going to
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involve a number of critical stakeholders and partners, including law enforcement, but we're
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also working with other levels of government. We're working with industry leaders. We're working
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with potential third parties. So we are exploring all of these options. Okay guys, and what we're watching
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on the weeks to come, I reported on this just ahead of the Christmas holidays. We haven't covered it in
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the show yet. The Alberta government is considering utilizing its Alberta Sovereignty Act to push back
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on the Liberal government's absurd electric vehicle mandate. In December, Liberal Minister Stephen
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Gilbeau announced that every major passenger vehicle sold in Canada must be electric by 2035.
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Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's office said the mandate is a clear violation of Alberta's right to freely
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regulate its economy. Our cabinet and caucus will discuss this issue and what tools we will consider
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using to push back on this absurd federal policy, including potential use of the Alberta Sovereignty
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Act within a United Canada Act, the Premier's office said. Okay guys, that's everything I have for
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you today. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you're able, please consider supporting our work
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at donate.tnc.news. I'll see you guys next week and God bless.