The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - Smith committed to overhauling Alberta’s healthcare

00:00:00.000 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is continuing with her plans to overhaul Alberta Health Services.

00:00:05.780 Plans which the Conservative base say is long overdue. This week the Premier announced that

00:00:11.340 she would be removing Alberta Health Services as the operator of some hospitals. It was the

00:00:17.160 biggest news story in the week and I have all the details for you today here on the Alberta Roundup

00:00:21.700 with Rachel Parker. Let's get into it and you're gonna want to stay tuned all the way to the end

00:00:26.040 of the show because I have a big announcement for you guys this week.

00:00:38.760 Taking a look at our first story here, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith revealed the next phase

00:00:43.700 in her government's plan to restructure health care in Alberta, including plans to remove Alberta

00:00:48.300 Health Services as the operator of some hospitals in the province and instead turn the facilities over

00:00:54.560 to other operators like Catholic health care provider Covenant Health. The Alberta government

00:00:59.240 is currently setting up a structure where the government retains ownership of facilities and

00:01:03.660 leases them to AHS and is quote, prepared to also take away their authority to operate hospitals as

00:01:09.600 well. Because if our operator isn't performing the services we need them to, we're going to take the

00:01:14.680 hospital back. The next phase is to see how many of those hospitals that AHS currently operates that

00:01:19.800 we can retake ownership over. We can't do it for all of them. Smith said that this strategy will

00:01:24.900 improve the delivery of health care and help eliminate service disruption in rural hospitals

00:01:29.280 by introducing two incentives into the existing system, competition and fear. Take a listen to

00:01:35.380 what else she had to say. Alberta NDP leader Nahed Nunchi is calling the plan disturbing. Take a listen to what

00:01:53.300 else he had to say. Come clean and tell us exactly how much money you've already spent, what recommendations you've

00:01:59.200 accepted, which ones you rejected, which ones you're further analyzing, what your timelines are. Moving into

00:02:04.180 our next story here, another feel good news story for the province of Alberta. Alberta's surplus is

00:02:10.120 forecasted to grow on paper to $2.9 billion on the back of higher than anticipated oil prices and population

00:02:18.300 growth, but also in part due to continued borrowing. The projected surplus for 2024 to 2025 is $2.6 billion

00:02:26.400 higher than the slim $367 million surplus projected in the budget last February. But the $2.9 billion

00:02:35.360 represents an accounting surplus where much of that money isn't available for the government to spend.

00:02:41.220 On Thursday, Finance Minister Nate Horner told reporters, quote, there are streams of government

00:02:46.000 revenue that aren't accessible for operational spending. He listed university tuition and income

00:02:51.680 earned by the Heritage Savings Trust Fund as examples. He also said the government

00:02:56.200 expects to have no surplus cash on hand at the end of the fiscal year and is instead borrowing an

00:03:01.240 additional $641 million for short-term spending. He added, quote, that means we must be even more

00:03:07.320 measured and responsible. It also means that the surplus won't translate into any tax cuts for Albertans this

00:03:14.000 year. And Horner also says the UCP's election campaign promise of a tax cut is going to have to wait even

00:03:21.120 longer. Under our new fiscal framework, all of the income is left to the fund to continue to grow

00:03:26.500 and generate prosperity for Albertans in the future. Furthermore, the Finance Minister said

00:03:31.080 that Alberta's population growth, expected to grow by 6.4% in 2024, is a mixed bag for the province's

00:03:38.280 bottom line. The growing number of workers bolsters tax revenue, including from personal income tax,

00:03:44.560 which the government projects to grow by $458 million over last year. But the high population count

00:03:51.240 also taxes government programs and infrastructure, prompting a need for upgrades or expansions of some

00:03:57.040 facilities. Moving into our next story here, hockey player Johnny Gaudreau, who formerly paid for the Calgary

00:04:02.360 Flames, was killed while cycling in New Jersey on Thursday night. Gaudreau and his 29-year-old brother

00:04:08.160 Matthew were riding their bikes in Salem County, New Jersey, when they were struck by a vehicle,

00:04:13.260 according to New Jersey State Police, Sportsnet reported. Police said the vehicle was going in

00:04:18.020 the same direction as the brothers. The vehicle then tried to pass two other vehicles and struck

00:04:23.800 the brothers from behind. When officers arrived at the scene, the brothers were pronounced dead.

00:04:29.480 The Gaudreau brothers were reportedly in town to celebrate their sister's wedding,

00:04:33.440 which was scheduled for Friday evening in Philadelphia, per People magazine.

00:04:36.880 A man identified by police as Sean M. Higgins was arrested and charged with two counts of death

00:04:42.280 by Otto. Police suspect he was under the influence of alcohol. A devastating story, especially for that

00:04:48.420 family who was supposed to be celebrating a wedding on Friday night and instead received the news that

00:04:52.860 two of their brothers had died. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time.

00:04:58.060 Moving into the controversy of the week, several corporate sponsors are withdrawing their support

00:05:02.560 of the Canada Strong and Free Network's Red Deer Conference. The termination of support comes after

00:05:08.200 left-wing activists have targeted the networking organization for hosting American conservative

00:05:13.160 journalist Christopher Rufo. A hit piece published by the National Observer at the beginning of August

00:05:17.500 attacked Canada Strong and Free for hosting Rufo, painting the conservative journalist as far-right.

00:05:23.560 Later in the month, a petition on Change.org started by LGBTQ activist Wilbur Turner began circulating online,

00:05:30.240 seeking to pressure Canada Strong and Free's corporate sponsors into withdrawing their support

00:05:35.440 from the September conference in Red Deer because of Rufo's scheduled talk. The petition claims that

00:05:41.200 sponsors should withdraw their support because Rufo is one of the leading opponents against critical

00:05:46.940 race theory. Actively campaigns against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, appeared alongside

00:05:53.500 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during the signing of his Stop Woke Act and was appointed to the board of Florida's

00:06:00.540 new college. Soon after, Bruce Power, Ontario's only private sector nuclear energy provider, pulled their support

00:06:07.180 alongside MasterCard, a major payment transaction processor. Sun Life Financial, Canadian Pacific Kansas City,

00:06:15.120 and the Canadian Bankers Association also joined the boycott. In a statement to True North, Canada Strong and Free

00:06:21.140 Networking President Adam Bullock said that he is unable to speak to the specific sponsor arrangement

00:06:26.580 and agreements, but appeared to be undeterred by the corporate sponsor boycott. He also said, quote,

00:06:32.240 You may have seen the attempts of the activist left to undermine the spirit of free thought and debate

00:06:36.260 that CSFN fosters at our conferences. Their attempts will never discourage us. Bullock went on to

00:06:42.520 reaffirm his commitment to hosting Rufo at the conference. Finally, moving into what we're watching in the

00:06:47.940 weeks to come. Okay, I'm going to break a cardinal rule of journalism here and make the story about

00:06:52.920 myself, or rather about our organization. This was the big announcement that I told you all to stay

00:06:58.600 tuned for. I am actually going to be leaving the Alberta Roundup. It is good news for you all. Let me

00:07:05.260 just explain for a moment. I'm going to be giving the show to my colleague Isaac Lamoureux, who you guys

00:07:10.800 I'm sure know he has appeared on the show a couple of times before. And he also does a lot of the

00:07:16.480 written coverage of Alberta news for True North, considering that I'm not technically on mat leave

00:07:21.380 anymore. But I do have a son and I am by no means working anywhere close to full time. I basically just

00:07:26.940 do a couple hours a week. So he's really taken over a lot of that coverage in my absence. And it seemed

00:07:31.560 very natural for him to take over the show because he's so plugged into Alberta politics. And I want you

00:07:36.740 to have the best possible person to be bringing the news for you guys on the show. And it seemed

00:07:42.840 a little bit silly that I would continue doing the show when I was basically using a lot of his

00:07:46.840 written coverage for the show. Obviously, he knows these stories better if Isaac is the one writing

00:07:51.520 them. So he's a more natural fit to do the show just given some of the exciting changes that are going

00:07:55.780 on in my own life. Now that being said, you guys are actually going to benefit from this change

00:08:00.660 because I'm going to be launching a new show with True North, the Rachel Parker Show. And we

00:08:06.620 are going to be covering a wide range of issues from coast to coast in Canada, a little bit of

00:08:11.320 culture and health and US politics mixed in there as well. But obviously, because I live in Alberta,

00:08:16.060 and because I've covered the province so closely, I have a lot of strong ties there. We are still

00:08:19.900 going to be doing a lot of Alberta coverage, a lot of interviews about major topics going on in

00:08:25.380 Alberta news at the moment. So you guys are actually going to be getting even more Alberta

00:08:29.280 coverage than you've had with just one show. So I hope that you can see this announcement for

00:08:34.320 really the exciting opportunity that it is for both myself and Isaac. And Isaac has just done

00:08:39.460 such tremendous work at True North. So I'm excited for you guys to get to know him a little better.

00:08:43.500 I had the chance to catch up with him a little earlier to talk to him about what he's hoping

00:08:47.520 to bring to the show and some of the changes he might implement. I will show you guys what he had

00:08:51.840 to say right now. So Isaac, first of all, congratulations. Thank you, Rachel. Yeah, it's a great pleasure

00:08:59.520 to be afforded this opportunity. As I mentioned already to my audience, one of the reasons I felt

00:09:06.260 that you would be a natural fit is that you have obviously taken over a lot of the Alberta coverage,

00:09:10.660 and you're based right there in Edmonton. So you have great access to the legislature and to a lot

00:09:15.720 of the press conferences. Obviously, you know, I've explained sort of the format for the show. And I

00:09:20.740 think you can do what you want with it. It really is your sort of window of opportunity. I guess I'm just

00:09:26.740 wondering, you know, what are some of the the stories that you think that you are most excited

00:09:30.560 to cover, or that you'll be focusing with on the show? I'm sure the audience would love to know.

00:09:36.040 That's a tough question. Obviously, any political Alberta, Alberta politically stories like

00:09:42.700 Conservative Party of Alberta, the NDP of Alberta, I'll be covering stories that encompass those two

00:09:49.400 parties in any way. But something that I'm really looking forward to is that obviously for True North,

00:09:55.600 I've done quite a bit of work on the Daily Brief and Off the Record, which are two shows or one's a

00:10:01.860 podcast more so than a show. But those those while I've been on those shows, they weren't my show,

00:10:06.880 right? So for this, what I'm really looking forward to is kind of, I guess, making it my own and maybe

00:10:12.560 building relationship with some of the viewers. I know that one of the previous segments you've had

00:10:19.180 was to look at top comments from last week. I'm really excited to keep that going to help build

00:10:25.760 that personal relationship with viewers. So yeah, really excited about that. Another aspect that I'm

00:10:31.340 maybe going to bring in that you probably didn't have, Rachel, was definitely any Alberta sports

00:10:36.960 stories I'll be mentioning. Obviously, for those who don't know, I'm an Edmonton Oilers fan when it

00:10:43.220 comes to hockey. So sorry for any Flames fans. I know, I know. So I'll definitely be covering hockey

00:10:48.720 stories in the winter. The summer sporting stories are less common, obviously, in Alberta. But while

00:10:56.980 saying that, stories do come up pretty often. For those who don't know, Johnny Hockey, I woke up to

00:11:03.520 the news today that he was killed by a drunk driver while bike riding with his brother. Obviously,

00:11:11.680 he used to play for the Flames, but he was playing for Columbus. So that was terrible news to wake up

00:11:16.560 to on Friday morning. But yeah, I mean, even in the summer, like I said, yeah, the sports stories,

00:11:22.920 they keep coming. So I'll definitely be talking about sports because I love sports. And I always

00:11:27.480 love any opportunity I get to cover any sporting stories. I think one of the really unique things

00:11:32.400 about the video podcasting format is sort of that ability to, as you mentioned, build a relationship

00:11:37.540 with the audience, read through the comments, see what people like, see what they didn't like,

00:11:41.260 see what sort of stories people are most interested in. And I was going to ask you,

00:11:44.940 but you already beat me to it, if there would be sort of a sports segment of the show. I know we

00:11:48.940 have so many big hockey fans in Alberta. I'm sure people will be really keen and eager to see that

00:11:54.480 on the show. I did sort of debate a couple times, including more hockey stuff on the show, but it

00:11:58.800 never really felt appropriate because I barely understand the hockey issues. I don't watch it.

00:12:04.060 I don't follow it closely. So I think that certainly that will be in better hands with you. And who knows,

00:12:08.560 maybe there will even be so much interest that there'll be a sport or just even a hockey

00:12:12.880 spinoff show at some point. So again, Isaac, congratulations. And I'm really excited to see

00:12:17.900 where you take the show. Thanks, Rachel. I'm really looking forward to hosting it. Yeah.

00:12:23.740 Okay. And so he'll be taking over the show in about two weeks time. So stay peeled for that. And I'm

00:12:31.140 excited to see where he takes the show and to see him grow and to see the audience grow as well.

00:12:36.240 Okay. And finally, moving into our weekly comment roundup last week, Isaac and I covered the coots

00:12:41.380 four. Here's what you guys had to say about it. User Lynn Steven said they are trying to break these

00:12:46.740 men. I absolutely believe that to be true in the case of lawfare. So often it's really just about

00:12:52.420 grinding people down and tiring them out. And I believe that is what we are seeing here with the

00:12:56.700 two men who are still in jail. And I know that the crown asked for nine years, nine years is far more

00:13:03.080 time in jail that many criminals have been given for killing actual people in Canada. Just an FYI.

00:13:09.580 End user Volzerg said, perhaps if it hadn't been for the actions of the Freedom Convoy participants,

00:13:15.540 we would still be having lockdowns at this time to protect the public from monkeypox. I think you

00:13:21.060 raised a really good point. And I think that the future governments will have to think twice

00:13:25.120 about doing something like the lockdowns that we saw. I know that we haven't been successful in

00:13:30.020 every area. For example, the Supreme Court refusing to hear whether the travel ban

00:13:35.320 violated Canadians' constitutional rights. But we have seen a lot of legal successes. For example,

00:13:41.880 in Ontario, a lot of hospitals have had to pay huge sums to unvaccinated nurses and then are even

00:13:48.520 being told they have to hire those nurses back. So we are also seeing a number of legal wins. So

00:13:53.620 hopefully this will set a precedent in our country never to do these types of lockdowns again.

00:13:57.400 Okay, everyone, that's all we have time for today on the Alberta Roundup. Please give Isaac a warm

00:14:02.580 welcome in the comments section below. We'll be back next week. Hope that you guys have a great

00:14:07.620 weekend and God bless.

The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - August 31, 2024

Smith committed to overhauling Alberta’s healthcare

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