The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - Smith goes toe to toe with Trudeau and Trump

00:00:00.000 While many of the headlines this week have been dominated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

00:00:04.440 announcing his future resignation, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has made some headlines

00:00:09.160 for her response, which was a scathing rebuke, with very strong words. Smith also had a back

00:00:14.700 and forth with President-elect Donald Trump during his ongoing tariff threats and now

00:00:19.920 annexation threats. Alberta NDP leader Nahid Nenshi will finally run for a seat in the legislature

00:00:25.940 after taking over the party last year. Alberta also plans to double its oil production and

00:00:31.400 increase exports to the United States despite the oil and gas cap which Alberta also issued

00:00:36.520 a fresh response to. All of this and more on this week's episode of the Alberta Roundup.

00:00:51.620 I'm your host Isaac Lamoureux and it's a great honour to be back on the show after

00:00:55.760 the holiday break. Let me know if you experienced any Christmas blues. I know I was in a lull

00:01:00.840 for weeks. But let's hop into that first story between Trudeau and Smith now. In a post to

00:01:07.200 X, Smith criticized the Liberals for the Prime Minister's decision to prorogue Parliament,

00:01:13.360 delaying critical discussions and leaving Canada without clear leadership during a very challenging

00:01:18.700 period. Smith said, quote,

00:01:20.880 The Liberal Party has no such mandate from Canadians and they are putting their selfish 0.99

00:01:25.840 political interests ahead of the Canadian people by paralyzing Parliament and suspending democracy

00:01:32.000 for months while they fight a divisive internal leadership contest. It is one of the most irresponsible

00:01:38.520 and selfish acts of a government in Canadian history. Smith urged every federal party and MP to

00:01:46.320 force an election as soon as possible. Alberta's Premier did an interview with Fox News where she

00:01:52.920 said the following. But with the wokeism, with the extreme environmentalism, with the punitive

00:01:58.780 approach to taking to anything from mining to all the way through to the development of oil and gas,

00:02:04.860 excessive carbon taxes, making life more unaffordable, spending like mad, seeing the increase in

00:02:11.280 inflation. I think we've had parallel experiences over the last four years and quite clearly Canadians had

00:02:17.720 enough of it. I personally think that we'd be better off going straight into an election. I would like to

00:02:22.780 see a new Prime Minister chosen so that we would have a four-year mandate. Your incoming President,

00:02:28.460 Donald Trump, has a four-year mandate. We need to be able to have somebody who has the credibility

00:02:32.360 of a four-year mandate behind them as we get into these really difficult conversations about tariffs.

00:02:37.740 Smith also discussed the likely future Prime Minister Pierre Polyèvre's interview with Jordan Peterson,

00:02:43.320 which has now garnered more views than Canada's population, sitting at over 42.5 million on X alone.

00:02:51.700 Smith asked the Fox News host and all Americans to be patient and just wait a few months because by

00:02:57.040 that time, she said that a dramatic turn will occur in this country and a strong partner for the United

00:03:03.080 States may emerge. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who chairs the Council of the Federation, informally known

00:03:09.940 as Canada's premiers, has asked Trudeau to put 100% of his energy into addressing the pending tariff

00:03:16.540 threats, which may prove challenging given the leadership race currently taking place. Smith said

00:03:22.100 she agrees with Ford and that the federal government's singular obsession needs to be on the tariff threat.

00:03:27.820 She added that while the premiers are doing what they can, she doesn't feel that Trudeau will be able

00:03:32.480 to stop the tariffs, which is why she's calling for a federal election immediately. Smith informed people on

00:03:38.740 X that she would be in Washington during President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration. While this

00:03:45.340 has been known for some time, I previously reported in an exclusive that Smith would be attending the

00:03:50.780 inauguration on Capitol Hill, despite earlier reporting suggesting otherwise. Trump will be sworn in on

00:03:57.180 January 20th. Alberta's representative office in Washington, D.C. was given tickets to Trump's

00:04:02.840 inauguration so Smith could attend in person. Smith also issued a recent statement on Tuesday,

00:04:08.020 reminding people that Canada is the ninth largest economy in the world that buys more products

00:04:13.120 and services from the U.S. than any other single nation, and more than Germany, UK, France, Italy,

00:04:19.940 and Vietnam combined. She said, quote,

00:04:22.700 We can strengthen our partnership even further in the coming years by securing our shared border and

00:04:28.080 fighting unfair Chinese trade practices that harm workers in both of our countries. The stance against

00:04:33.720 China is a thought echoed from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has recently been outspoken on China.

00:04:39.700 His recent Fortress Amcan plan paid special attention to helping the American economy decouple from 0.99

00:04:45.660 China. Ford also recently implemented a border security framework paralleling Alberta's recently

00:04:50.980 implemented policies. Yeah, let me know in the comments what you think about the premiers having to step up

00:04:56.440 and negotiate with Trump over the economic livelihood of Canada in Trudeau's absence and as a result of him

00:05:02.720 forcibly shutting down Parliament to avoid a non-confidence vote. So for our next story here, after being bashed by

00:05:09.520 the premier and numerous ministers for refusing to run to become an MLA, Alberta NDP leader Nahid Nenshi has

00:05:16.760 finally announced that he will run for a seat. It seems that Rachel Notley's retirement provided the

00:05:22.560 opportunity given he will run for her vacant seat. Nenshi said, quote,

00:05:27.960 This doesn't mean I'm leaving Calgary behind. While still proudly Calgary and I'm already dividing my

00:05:32.900 time between the two cities, and I'm looking forward to learning more about Edmonton. The Edmonton

00:05:38.740 Strathcona seat was the second safest seat in the whole province in the 2023 provincial election, despite the

00:05:45.620 NDP losing to Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's United Conservative Party. Notley won the seat with 79.7%

00:05:52.760 of the vote share in the seat, a 62.4% higher margin of the total vote than the UCP candidate. And despite

00:05:59.560 the Alberta NDP's defeat by former Premier Jason Kenney in 2019, the Edmonton Strathcona seat was

00:06:05.460 again the safest for the NDP, seeing a 72.3% vote share and a 55.2% margin. Notley held the seat between

00:06:14.060 2008 and 2024. The last time a Conservative represented the riding was Julian Kozak in

00:06:20.320 1986 with the now-defunct PC Alberta Party. The 2023 provincial election saw the Alberta NDP win

00:06:27.700 only two seats outside Edmonton and Calgary. That was in Banff, Kananaskis, and Lethbridge West.

00:06:33.420 The Alberta NDP will nominate a candidate for the upcoming by-election in Edmonton Strathcona on

00:06:38.560 January 22nd. Nenshi is currently the only candidate eligible for nomination. If no other

00:06:44.960 approved candidates seek the nomination three weeks before the meeting, he will automatically

00:06:49.560 be granted the candidacy. Nenshi became leader of the Alberta NDP following a leadership contest in

00:06:55.200 June 2024, where he won on the first ballot with 86% of the vote. In December 2023, the Alberta NDP had

00:07:02.920 16,224 members. During the leadership race that Nahid Nenshi won, the number allegedly surged to 85,144.

00:07:12.580 However, Elections Alberta later cited the Alberta NDP for inflating its membership numbers. Before Nenshi's

00:07:19.240 announcement, an Alberta minister called him out for celebrating his, quote, first legislative session.

00:07:25.460 Alberta Minister of Transportation Devin Dreschen said, quote, Nenshi never served one day in the

00:07:30.680 legislature because he refuses to run in an election to become an MLA. Smith also previously

00:07:35.920 criticized Nenshi for not running in the Lethbridge West by-election, which the NDP won. She has until

00:07:41.440 June 30th to call a by-election in Edmonton Strathcona. Nahid Nenshi was formally elected as Calgary

00:07:46.720 mayor in 2010 with 40% of the vote and re-elected in 2013 with 74% of the vote. In 2017, he won a third term

00:07:53.980 with 51% of the vote. However, he did not seek re-election in the 2021 election when Gioti Gondek

00:08:00.040 took power. The current UCP government of Alberta is pushing back further against the war on fossil

00:08:05.660 fuels by aiming to double its oil production and increase exports to the US. A press release on

00:08:11.280 Monday highlighted that Alberta is working to expand its pipeline capacity and double crude oil

00:08:16.500 production. The province has signed a letter of intent with Enbridge, the energy behemoth headquartered

00:08:22.100 in Calgary, which transports nearly 20% of the natural gas consumed in the United States and

00:08:27.240 accounts for 30% of North America's crude oil production. Enbridge transported nearly 4.4

00:08:33.620 billion barrels of oils and liquid in 2023. Over the last decade, Enbridge has transported almost

00:08:39.340 37 billion barrels of oil. The organization delivers around 5.8 million barrels of crude oil and liquids

00:08:46.160 daily in its cross-continent pipeline network. Enbridge and the Alberta Petroleum Marketing

00:08:51.880 Commission will form a working group to evaluate future egress, transport, storage, terminalling,

00:08:57.520 and market opportunities across the 29,000 kilometers that Enbridge operates. Smith said,

00:09:04.100 quote, the world needs more Alberta oil and gas, and we need to make sure Alberta is meeting those

00:09:09.340 needs. This will also allow us to play a role in supporting the United States in its energy security

00:09:14.460 and affordability goals. So Smith is making good on a promise she made while speaking at a Tucker Carlson

00:09:20.580 event a year ago when she vowed to double the province's oil and gas production.

00:09:26.220 Smith has gone toe-to-toe with the federal government on many occasions regarding how much oil should be

00:09:31.320 produced in the province and the country. She previously called Trudeau's oil and gas cap a,

00:09:36.800 quote, deranged vendetta targeting Alberta. She had also launched a nationwide advertising campaign

00:09:42.540 warning Canadians about the consequences of a federal cap on the oil and gas sector. Alberta previously

00:09:48.380 became the first non-U.S. state to join a United States energy pact. The province accounts for 56%

00:09:54.920 of oil imports into the United States double the amount Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq collectively

00:10:01.260 provide. Despite the possible tariffs, major Canadian oil producers have predicted production

00:10:06.260 growth for 2025. Similarly, the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors has predicted the highest oil and gas

00:10:14.020 drilling in 2025 since 2015. Alberta's energy minister, Brian Jean, previously discussed how

00:10:20.580 Alberta plans to partner with Trump's more pro-energy government in 2025 and going forward on the Alberta

00:10:26.280 Roundup. He said this.

00:10:28.400 And if we're going to, you know, get this product to market that is the best product in the world,

00:10:33.000 that is the most environmentally friendly and best for human rights and jobs, then we need to get more

00:10:37.640 of it out of the ground and into pipes that go south and go east and go west and north.

00:10:43.400 Alberta's environment minister, Rebecca Schultz, issued a release on Wednesday saying that this was the

00:10:48.340 federal government's last chance to scrap the cap. She said, quote,

00:10:53.560 For too long, we have watched this federal government ignore the needs of Canadians while attacking our economy

00:10:59.000 and our energy sector. The proposed emissions cap is not just bad policy. It's an economic wrecking ball

00:11:05.640 aimed at the heart of Canada's economy. Schultz explained that a 35% cut to emissions by 2030 is

00:11:12.640 not realistic or achievable and that global emissions would increase nonetheless. She said people across

00:11:18.120 the country will lose their jobs, businesses will close, costs will rise, and government revenues and

00:11:23.640 services will be cut. She said, quote,

00:11:26.820 The federal government needs to listen to Canadian provinces, industry, workers, small businesses,

00:11:32.320 and families from coast to coast instead of creating a constitutional and economic crisis.

00:11:38.320 This production cap violates Canada's constitution and we are already preparing to take this fight to

00:11:43.640 the courts if these regulations ever become law. The oil and gas cap is not to be confused with the

00:11:49.980 electricity cap, which Ottawa recently shifted to a net zero power grid by 2050. The original plans were to

00:11:57.040 reach net zero by 2035. Alberta said it doesn't matter because the year doesn't affect the constitutionality

00:12:03.860 and any such advances will be challenged in court. The Alberta government previously used the Sovereignty

00:12:09.940 Act to shield the province from the mandated net zero grid by 2035. But instead of getting into the

00:12:16.180 nitty-gritty of the many times Alberta has and will take the feds to court,

00:12:20.800 It's the family and friends event at Shoppers Drug Mart. Get 20% off almost all regular priced

00:12:27.100 merchandise. Two days only. Tuesday, February 24th and Wednesday, February 25th. Open your PC

00:12:33.380 Optimum app to get your coupon. Let's hop into a quick short story. So this quick sports shout out

00:12:40.840 will be for my Calgary Flames fans. Yeah, I don't know if you heard, but the Flames versus Kings game in

00:12:46.660 Los Angeles on Wednesday got postponed due to the ongoing fires. Uh, and a date for a makeup game

00:12:52.920 has yet to be scheduled. Los Angeles seems to be dealing with a similar situation that we saw

00:12:58.400 in Jasper. But without diving too deep into that and landing myself in some trouble, let's hop in

00:13:04.040 to the comment roundup. The first comment comes from at baskethound2133 who said, quote,

00:13:09.900 So yeah, in case you've forgotten, the last episode of the Alberta Roundup was an interview

00:13:38.480 with Alberta's energy minister, Brian Jean. And speaking to what baskethound said, the tides on

00:13:44.620 energy seem to be shifting from anti to pro. As Canadians are realizing that cheap energy is the

00:13:50.640 fastest and easiest way to economic prosperity and the best way for Canada to be successful on

00:13:56.880 the world stage, not only economically, but in reducing emissions, in fact, worldwide by supplying

00:14:02.820 our clean energy instead of coal from dictators. Because the world needs energy and it really is

00:14:09.780 one or the other. The next comment comes from at Roma Eterna who said, quote,

00:14:15.080 Absolutely thrilled to have uprooted my family to Alberta. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, Danielle.

00:14:20.800 The constitution will save Alberta and Canada. Follow the constitution to the letter of the law.

00:14:26.680 If the province has jurisdiction over anything, take it from the feds, period.

00:14:30.840 Yeah, I've decided to highlight this comment because this is a common theme I've seen not

00:14:35.720 only on these videos, but on posts across the World Wide Web, which is that freedom-seeking

00:14:40.820 Canadians have relocated to Alberta. But I think this has to be viewed as good and bad in a way 0.98

00:14:47.260 because Alberta is, of course, dealing with population and immigration issues like the rest

00:14:52.160 of the country, albeit primarily from international immigration. And also, some people may be immigrating

00:14:58.640 to Alberta for its economic benefit, despite not agreeing with the morals and economic policies

00:15:04.460 that have let the province become what it is today. But speaking towards provincial jurisdiction,

00:15:11.280 Alberta's current government has done this more than any other province, which is challenge the

00:15:15.960 feds at every instance where they feel that their jurisdiction is being imposed upon.

00:15:20.720 So the next comment comes from AtReboot underscore 2.0, who said, quote,

00:15:26.760 Brian Jean's answers satisfied my opinions on how the Alberta government is treating the oil and gas

00:15:32.100 industry and reminds me of how the NDP single term did so much damage to the province.

00:15:38.600 Yeah, this kind of ties in with my last comment there, because New Albertans may not be aware

00:15:43.900 of the damage caused by the NDP during its governance if they did not live here during that time.

00:15:50.720 Remember, Rachel Notley's victory in 2015 ended 44 years of rule in Alberta by the Progressive

00:15:56.820 Conservatives. She subsequently lost the elections in 2019 and 2023 before resigning as NDP leader.

00:16:04.360 So I'm curious to ask you guys, do you think that the Conservatives will hold the throne in Alberta

00:16:09.580 again for four decades or even longer? Or will the NDP or some other party be able to take over at

00:16:15.620 some point in the future and why? That wraps up our comment roundup in this week's show.

00:16:20.880 My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup. Have a great weekend.

00:16:25.660 Thank you and God bless. May Alberta prosper strong and free.

00:16:29.300 Thank you very much.

00:16:30.260 Very much.

00:16:50.440 Thank you.

00:16:52.540 Okay.

The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - January 11, 2025

Smith goes toe to toe with Trudeau and Trump

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