The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - May 17, 2025


Smith slams Carney’s cabinet, warns of renewed anti-oil agenda


Episode Stats

Length

15 minutes

Words per Minute

154.10779

Word Count

2,341

Sentence Count

126

Misogynist Sentences

2

Hate Speech Sentences

1


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is slamming
00:00:13.440 Prime Minister Mark Carney's new cabinet picks, warning that they signal a continuation
00:00:18.400 of Ottawa's anti-resource agenda.
00:00:21.320 Smith is also calling on the new environment minister to reject misleading pipeline claims
00:00:26.320 made by her predecessor, Stephen Guibo. While sharing the stage with Alberta Prosperity
00:00:31.040 Project's CEO, Mitch Sylvester, Smith doubled down on her pledge to reject the status quo from
00:00:37.200 Ottawa. The meeting between the two came the same day the project revealed its official
00:00:41.840 referendum question. Meanwhile, the Alberta UCP is freezing Alberta's industrial carbon tax
00:00:48.000 indefinitely amid growing uncertainty from tariff threats and investment instability.
00:00:53.360 All that and more on this week's Alberta Roundup. I'm your host, Isaac Lamoureux.
00:00:57.280 Let's hop into that first story now. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is warning
00:01:01.360 that Prime Minister Mark Carney's newly unveiled cabinet signals a continuation of Ottawa's
00:01:06.640 anti-resource agenda. He said that while she's been trying to give Carney the benefit of the doubt,
00:01:12.000 one of his first actions as prime minister is a step in the wrong direction.
00:01:16.640 Carney unveiled his 28th minister cabinet on Tuesday. Half of the ministers served in former
00:01:22.160 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's inner circle. Also, because Carney forced gender parity in the cabinet,
00:01:28.960 it consists of 14 men and 14 women. Because it's 2015.
00:01:37.280 Smith has consistently pushed Ottawa to scrap policies including the oil and gas emissions cap,
00:01:43.040 clean electricity rules, plastic bans, Bill C-69, and other federal environmental mandates.
00:01:50.000 Following the most recent general election, Smith met with Carney and reiterated her demands,
00:01:55.040 saying that he replied by saying he would rapidly advance national building projects.
00:02:00.800 She said, quote,
00:02:02.320 Following this meeting, I gave the Prime Minister the benefit of the doubt. We wanted to see whether he
00:02:07.360 would take decisive and meaningful action to repair the relationship between Alberta and Ottawa,
00:02:12.560 or if this was just more hollow rhetoric that Albertans have become accustomed to.
00:02:18.000 But with Carney's newly appointed cabinet, Alberta may be in for more hollow rhetoric after all.
00:02:23.440 Smith raised her concerns with newly appointed Environment Minister Julie DeBruson. Smith said,
00:02:29.440 quote,
00:02:30.160 Not only is she a self-proclaimed architect of the designation of plastics as toxic, but she is a staunch advocate
00:02:37.280 against oil sands expansion, a proponent of phasing out oil and gas, and for the last four years,
00:02:43.360 she has served as the right hand to former environment minister and militant environmentalist
00:02:48.400 Stephen Guibo.
00:02:49.840 Over the last decade, Smith said that Alberta has suffered due to the anti-development and
00:02:54.960 anti-resource policies pushed by the Liberal government. She said that Alberta is now forced to deal with
00:03:00.560 another keep-it-in-the-ground environment minister. Smith said, quote,
00:03:05.120 This is a step in the wrong direction. I will continue to do everything in my power to negotiate
00:03:10.640 a fair deal for Alberta with the new Prime Minister. Albertans will not stand for the status quo from
00:03:16.640 Ottawa. If the Prime Minister is serious about resetting the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta,
00:03:22.320 then we need meaningful action now, not more of the same. I call on the new environment minister to
00:03:28.240 support Alberta's energy industry and work towards increasing production and market access for
00:03:33.760 our resources. Conservative leader Pierre Polievre issued a similar warning. He said that Canadians
00:03:39.920 cannot afford more out-of-touch Liberal policies and spending that has resulted in young Canadians
00:03:45.600 having no chance to buy homes and two million people lining up at food banks. While Carney has talked
00:03:51.760 a big game about taking Canada in a new direction, Polievre warned that talk is cheap, and lining
00:03:58.000 his cabinet with the same ministers as former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not a good start.
00:04:04.000 Polievre took aim at various ministers, both new and old. Though he noted that Carney had borrowed
00:04:09.520 several of his ideas during the leadership campaign and election, Polievre dismissed it as water under
00:04:15.040 the bridge. In fact, he encouraged Carney to take more. Take a listen on the advice Polievre gave to Carney.
00:04:21.520 We also have an offer to make the Liberals. My message to Mr Carney? Steal my ideas. We've got
00:04:29.680 great ideas. And we've been leading the charge on the debate over carbon taxes, inflation, housing prices,
00:04:37.120 crime, drugs, resource development. And I note the Liberals even lifted a few of those ideas and put
00:04:43.120 them in their platform to get re-elected. We want to make sure that they were sincere about that. And we're
00:04:47.520 going to continue to put forward solid ideas to make people's lives better every day. Because our purpose
00:04:55.200 is to bring home the promise of Canada that everyone who works hard gets a great life, that anyone from
00:05:00.160 anywhere can do anything. Where you get a nice, affordable home on a safe street. Every day and in every
00:05:06.640 day, every way, we will fight for our people and our country to put people back in charge of their lives with
00:05:11.840 bigger paychecks, abundant affordable energy, home ownership, low taxes, safe streets, and a strong
00:05:18.560 military in the country that we know and love, Canada. Thank you. For our next story, Alberta Premier
00:05:24.720 Danielle Smith is demanding that the new Liberal Environment Minister disavow misleading comments
00:05:30.560 made by her colleague and predecessor, Canadian Culture Minister, Stephen Guibo. Smith has frequently
00:05:36.560 clashed with Guibo in the past, who formerly held the role of Environment Minister. Smith previously,
00:05:41.760 labelled him as an ideologue, irritating, a national embarrassment, awful, dangerous,
00:05:48.240 and more. Now, Smith is accusing Guibo of misleading Canadians once again. She said,
00:05:54.960 quote, Canada's new Canadian Identity Minister, Stephen Guibo, just deceived Canadians,
00:06:01.440 saying we don't need more pipelines because the TMX pipeline is only 40% full and peak oil will be in
00:06:08.240 two years. Yes, Guibo claimed that oil demand would peak in 2028-29 worldwide and in Canada. He also
00:06:16.320 said there are no investors for oil and gas or support for an east-west pipeline. He added that pipelines
00:06:22.560 are built by companies, not the government. However, despite these claims, the Trans Mountain expansion was
00:06:29.280 initially set to be built by private investors. After facing regulatory hurdles, court challenges,
00:06:35.840 and political opposition from the Trudeau government, the private investors backed out,
00:06:40.960 and the federal government purchased the project for $4.5 billion. However, the project ultimately
00:06:47.760 cost taxpayers $30.9 billion to fund. Smith said, quote, the facts are that TMX, which just opened and would
00:06:56.160 have been built entirely with private dollars if Ottawa hadn't made it impossible for the original
00:07:01.360 proponent to build it, is already close to capacity. She added that demand for bitumen is projected to
00:07:08.240 grow for decades and it will be required to replace conventional US oil fields. Despite her recent
00:07:14.720 criticisms, which we just talked about, of the new environment minister, Smith also issued a request to
00:07:20.320 her. She said, quote, this is just another example of how misleading and destructive this former
00:07:26.400 environment minister was to Alberta's and Canada's economy. It's the family and friends event at
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00:07:44.160 And the investment climate. We asked for the new environment minister, Julie DeBruson,
00:07:52.000 to disavow his comments and commit to working with Alberta to build new pipelines to access new markets.
00:07:59.200 Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer blasted Guibo, too. He said that Guibo lied about Trans
00:08:05.280 Mountains operating capacity and neglected to mention the billions of dollars lost in energy investment in
00:08:11.440 Canada. Scheer said, quote, the Liberals attacked Canada's oil and gas industry for 10 years.
00:08:18.080 Canadians don't want more of the same. For our next story, we'll cover some remarks made by Smith
00:08:23.520 while she was sharing the stage with Alberta Prosperity Project's CEO, Mitch Sylvester. Smith said
00:08:29.760 that Albertans aren't asking for special treatment, just freedom. She said, quote, I will not permit the
00:08:36.000 status quo to continue. We are proud Canadians, but our loyalty must not be mistaken for submission.
00:08:42.640 Alberta will stand strong and free. We will be the leaders we were born to be. We will work with the
00:08:48.720 new federal government where possible, but never at the cost of our own prosperity or principles.
00:08:54.240 This is Alberta's moment to stand up, speak out, and build a future that reflects the courage,
00:08:59.920 ambition, and strength of our people. While Smith hasn't endorsed a referendum,
00:09:04.880 Sylvester's Alberta Prosperity Project surpassed 240,000 signatures on Monday,
00:09:10.720 well above the 177,000 that will be required once the UCP's newest legislation is passed.
00:09:17.440 The meeting between Smith and Sylvester occurred on the same day the Alberta Prosperity Project
00:09:22.720 revealed its separation referendum question. Smith said she disagreed with those opposed to a
00:09:28.480 referendum question, arguing that the democratic process should be respected if the legal threshold
00:09:34.560 is met. However, Smith reiterated her preference for Alberta to remain in Canada, saying she still
00:09:40.960 sees a path forward for a strong and sovereign Alberta within Confederation. Smith said, quote,
00:09:47.440 The federal policies have blocked pipelines, capped our industries, driven away hundreds of billions
00:09:53.280 of dollars of investment, and these decisions have cost us jobs and opportunity and the future that
00:09:58.800 we owe to our children and grandchildren. Ottawa's overreach from carbon taxes to net zero mandates has
00:10:04.800 not only hurt Alberta, but it's weakened Canada's place in the world. Smith said Ottawa's attacks on
00:10:10.560 Alberta go back further than the last decade of liberal rule, citing Pierre Elliott Trudeau's policies.
00:10:16.640 She said, quote,
00:10:18.160 Pierre wanted to steal Alberta's wealth while Justin wanted to destroy it.
00:10:23.040 She also pointed to media hysteria over US President Donald Trump as an example of hypocrisy.
00:10:29.280 Smith said, quote,
00:10:30.560 The media said Trump was an existential threat to Canada's economy, but Albertans feel the exact same
00:10:36.240 way about Ottawa. As for Carney, Smith said there are two versions, one who worked as Bank of Canada
00:10:42.640 governor under Stephen Harper, and another who became a green extremist following his departure.
00:10:48.560 However, she said Canadians may be finally rejecting the green agenda in favour of economic development.
00:10:55.280 She said Carney has six months to prove he's serious about changing direction.
00:11:00.000 Smith said her government is also exploring the Alberta Bill of Rights as a way to shield law-abiding
00:11:05.200 gun owners from Ottawa's firearm policies. She has put the issue to her Department of Justice to
00:11:10.320 explore further and find out just how much she can do to shield Albertans from federal overreach.
00:11:16.000 The Alberta Prosperity Project has officially unveiled the question it plans to put to voters
00:11:21.120 if a citizen-initiated referendum on Alberta's independence proceeds.
00:11:25.040 Constitutional lawyer and APP General Counsel Jeffrey Rath revealed the proposed referendum
00:11:30.000 question on Monday. It is,
00:11:32.160 Do you agree that the province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country
00:11:36.160 and cease to be a province of Canada? The APP says it has already gathered over
00:11:40.880 240,000 pre-registration signatures. While the legal threshold is technically still 600,000,
00:11:47.920 the UCP's new legislation, Bill 54, would lower that number to 177,000 once passed through legislation.
00:11:54.720 The group is continuing to push forward with that 600,000 number in mind despite the fact that this
00:11:59.280 will likely be lowered to 177,000 very shortly. In the meantime, APP has launched an educational
00:12:05.120 campaign to promote its roadmap to sovereignty. The group proposes the creation of an Alberta pension
00:12:10.000 plan, a provincial police force, and full provincial control over resource development, immigration,
00:12:16.080 tax collection, and employment insurance. The project's website reads quote,
00:12:21.680 These initiatives not only pave the way for sovereignty, but also reinforce Alberta's capacity to manage its
00:12:27.760 affairs effectively. Once the project surpasses the required signature threshold, it plans to present
00:12:33.120 the petition to Elections Alberta for approval and begin canvassing the signatures within the timeline,
00:12:39.040 which is 90 days but will be extended to 120 days upon Bill 54's passage.
00:12:44.560 For the last story today, we'll cover how Alberta is fighting back against the federal government's
00:12:49.520 hidden tax. The Alberta government is freezing its industrial carbon tax at $95 per ton of emissions,
00:12:56.160 citing rising tariffs from the ongoing economic war with the United States and growing uncertainty for
00:13:01.280 investors. Premier Daniel Smith and Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz announced the decision
00:13:06.320 Monday halting a planned increase to $110 per ton in 2026 and a further rise to $170 per ton by 2030
00:13:16.480 under Alberta's Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction Regulation. Smith said industry leaders
00:13:22.240 told her that further increases to the carbon tax would be devastating to Alberta's competitiveness.
00:13:28.000 She said quote,
00:13:29.040 If industry told us that any increase past $100 per ton would be harmful, you can imagine what $170 per ton would do.
00:13:37.200 That would be devastating to Alberta's economy.
00:13:40.160 Alberta remains committed to reducing emissions through the development and implementation of new technologies,
00:13:45.920 not unrealistically high taxes, while responsibly powering the world for decades to come.
00:13:51.200 In fact, since 2007, Alberta has reduced emissions from oil sands operations by over 22%,
00:13:58.000 while increasing oil production by 90%. And overall, emissions across the province are down 7.2%.
00:14:05.200 Schultz said Alberta is being unfairly penalized under Ottawa's climate framework,
00:14:10.240 despite the entire country only contributing 1.5% to global emissions.
00:14:16.320 Schultz said quote,
00:14:17.440 This is our jurisdiction, not Ottawa's. And if the federal government wants to work together to keep our
00:14:23.120 economy strong, respect the constitution, and do the right thing for the environment,
00:14:28.240 they can follow the path forward that has been outlined by the Premier over the last couple of weeks.
00:14:34.000 Schultz also cited a recent estimate that showed Canada at one point was paying 34% of the world's carbon taxes.
00:14:42.320 The freeze is expected to support key sectors including oil and gas, agriculture, petrochemicals,
00:14:48.400 forestry, mining, and more.
00:14:51.040 Schultz said the freeze was necessary to protect tens of thousands of Alberta jobs
00:14:56.160 and to prevent further economic instability caused by Ottawa's climate mandates and the ongoing US tariff war.
00:15:03.600 That wraps up this week's show. My name's Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.
00:15:08.400 Have a great weekend, thank you, and God bless.