Smith takes on the WEF
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Summary
This week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith slammed the World Economic Forum, and the federal government's so-called "Just Transition" proposal. U.S. Senator Joe Manchin says it makes no sense that the Biden administration isn't relying on Canada for more energy, and we're going to talk about the Coutts prosecution cases. All that and more happening now on The Alberta Roundup.
Transcript
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everything takes on a creamy, delicious, chocolatey glow.
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Hey everyone, welcome back to the Alberta Roundup.
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I hope that you guys are having a great week so far.
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Let's take a look at what happened this week in Alberta politics.
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Alberta Premier Daniel Smith slammed the World Economic Forum this week
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and the federal government's so-called just transition proposal.
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U.S. Senator Joe Manchin says it makes no sense that the Biden administration
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And we're going to talk about the Coutts prosecution cases.
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All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
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Okay guys, we are going to start up today's show by going over the just transition saga.
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There was a lot of back and forth about this proposal in Alberta politics this week.
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For starters, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she's paying close attention
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to the World Economic Forum which happened in Davos this week
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because she believes it aspires to shut down Alberta's energy sector.
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The Premier further said that a report released this week confirmed her worst fears.
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That the federal government's so-called just transition proposal
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does in fact seek to shut down Alberta's oil and gas sector.
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She made those comments Monday on the Sean Newman podcast.
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I'm watching what comes out of it through the reporting by Andrew Lawton
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because I think that they unfortunately have an aspiration for our economy to shut down
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We've been hearing all about the just transition ever since we started the beginning of the year.
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And if you look at the report that came out from Blacklock's reporter,
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they've done a story today that confirms my worst fears.
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That they talk about how we need to transition oil and natural gas workers into jobs like
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janitors and driving trucks for solar companies.
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This is the language that they're using in the bureaucracy.
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That comes from a large concerted effort by a number of people who want to shut down
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Nor am I going to rub shoulders with people who share that aspiration.
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We're going to make sure that our oil and natural gas industry stays strong.
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That we transition our energy use in a way that makes sense for Alberta,
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which I've talked a lot about carbon capture and hydrogen and bitumen beyond
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combustion and petrochemicals and exporting LNG.
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That's what I think our future is, but it is not on side with some people.
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And I think it's my job to make sure I stand up for Alberta.
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The federal government's just transition proposal has yet to be tabled,
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The federal government claims the bill will help the provinces transition workers
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into jobs that support a more sustainable energy economy.
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The memo the premier was referencing was first reported on by Blacklock's reporter.
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The June 1 memo to federal natural resources minister, Jonathan Wilkinson,
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said more than 2.7 million Canadians will face significant disruptions
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in sectors that will be affected by climate change programs.
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Alberta NDP leader, Rachel Notley finally weighed into the conversation this week,
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saying if she was premier, she would know what's in the legislation by now.
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and that the rest of Alberta doesn't know is part of the problem.
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The plan as it exists now has clearly been constructed.
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It's been constructed without the government of Alberta there at the table speaking up
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on behalf of Alberta workers, Alberta job creators, Alberta investors.
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And as a result, the plan cannot go ahead in its current state.
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And so I'm not talking about just putting it off.
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I'm saying we have a fundamental flaw in how we've gotten to this point,
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a flaw primarily driven by one of the most chaotic, incompetent provincial governments
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that we have seen in the history of this country over many, many decades.
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In terms of the second point, I've been very clear to everybody, Jagmeet Singh, Justin Trudeau,
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all the MPs, quite frankly, in Ottawa, that the specter of Ottawa MPs debating a plan
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that by now their own admission that we've seen through these documents will have a disproportionate
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disruption to a sector that includes hundreds of thousands of workers primarily residing in Alberta.
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This prospect of them debating that in Ottawa right now, while we're in the midst of what is
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almost an election campaign, I mean, we're in the red zone and we're very close to that,
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Without us at the table, it's just not acceptable.
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This week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, True North correspondent Andrew Lawton caught up
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with US Senator Joe Manchin and asked him why he thought the Biden administration has been so averse
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to importing Canadian oil. Manchin, who visited Alberta in April to learn more about our energy economy,
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So, first off, what do you think of the Biden administration's decision to
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It makes no sense to me whatsoever. You know, Canada's been our best trading partner, it's been our best ally,
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and it's our friend or neighbor. And next of all, 62% of our heavy crude comes from Alberta. So,
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I'm totally committed to it, and they're totally wrong and not accepting it and willing to go to
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different places and lift the sanctions off of Iran, who wants the most prolific terrorist
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supporters and give them money. Or going towards areas that basically do not have the climate
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standards that Alberta has and the way they've done it and done it so well and made so many different
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advancements. So, I'm totally supportive of Alberta oil coming more and more to the US,
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and it was a shame that we didn't ask them to support more.
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Okay guys, and moving into our controversy of the week, I want to start by responding to your
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guys' comments on our last week's episode. Last week, I asked you if you thought that
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Premier Smith was backtracking. As you know, in October, at the United Conservative Party Annual
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General Meeting, just after Smith was sworn in as Premier, she said she was going to seek pardons
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for those charged for breaching COVID-19 restrictions. Last week, Smith said she
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cannot interfere with the legal process and it would be inappropriate for her to do so,
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but she said she's been asking the Justice Minister and his Deputy Minister to reconsider
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on a regular basis whether pursuing these charges is in the public interest. Now, I put it to you guys
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and I asked you, do you think that this was the Premier backtracking on her promises of seeking
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pardons? Most of you said no. You didn't think the Premier was backtracking. She sought legal advice
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and she was doing the most that she could. I'm going to read a couple of those comments for you now.
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User Biddydibdab wrote, I think that Danielle is in the early days of her Premiership and is still
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learning quickly. I trust her to do all that she legally can to get charges dropped, but unlike
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the federal government, she is careful to uphold the law. Margaret Nordstrom wrote, Danielle did not
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make a promise. She stated she needed consultation with the courts and would keep us updated. RG Turner
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wrote, I am happy with Smith's actions and she is not walking back anything. Dealing with the
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judicial system while not interfering is complicated and tricky. Sean wrote, I hope she doesn't walk
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back on this one because I think she's shown a lot of bravery and great leadership so far. I will be a
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little patient on this one. It is a very important issue though. The bravest of us are still being
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affected by this. I hope Danielle remembers that. I was not one of those brave people, but I thank them
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for standing up to the tyranny and bullying that took place. And Michael Matt wrote, if she promised
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a problem for victims of COVID, she should keep her word. There were a couple of people who said she
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was backtracking, but most people seemed pretty happy with the Premier's actions thus far and hoped
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that she would continue doing what she can while saying there might be restrictions on what she's
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able to do. Now there is more to this story. You guys, I'm going to give you a bit of an update.
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Premier Smith touched on this topic when she was asked about the organ transplant list. Now you guys
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know the story we covered it last week. There's a woman here in Alberta who is unvaccinated and was
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removed from the top of the organ donor transplant list. She's now seeking to take her case all the
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way to the Supreme Court of Canada. She's put a request in asking them to hear her case. We don't
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yet know if they've agreed to hear it. Danielle Smith was asked about that this week on the Sean
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Newman podcast, and she said her views on the issue of medical choice are well known. Later on in her
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answer, she talks about not being able to wade into the legal process and grant people clemency like
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governors in the US are able to do, for example. But take a listen to her comments for yourself.
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I think my views on this are well known. I do believe in medical choice. I think the issue of
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transplant is a bit unique because we're talking about putting people on immunosuppressant drugs.
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And I think we've all acknowledged that those who are immunosuppressed have greater risk
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on a whole variety of viruses, including influenza, and COVID has been added to that list. So I look
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at that as a little bit different. And that's why I want to defer to the medical experts on that.
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But if it was applied more generally, I mean, quite clearly, I have said that we need to preserve
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medical choice. And that's what we've done in Alberta made my my views very well known. I've
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been pleased to see that most of the companies and operators in Alberta have have gone down that
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same track. But the question of what can you do? It is a bit frustrating. There's no question that
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once the wheels of justice roll on certain cases that there really isn't anything a politician can do
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other than watch it play out. And as cases are decided to see whether that recalibrates the
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decision making on the two things that a prosecutor has to consider. Is there a reasonable likelihood
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of conviction? And is it in the public interest? So we're watching these cases unfold. And I think
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that we'll see that that's the kind of decision making that we have to leave to the Crown prosecutors.
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I know that's I know that because we've been so influenced by the states, I think that some people,
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I think that the premier has the same power as they do in the states of clemency or offering pardons.
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And I've not observed that that's the case in Canada. We just have a different criminal justice
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and different legal system. And once things have been handed over for prosecution, politicians have
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to be hands off. So I'm watching it all with great interest. I'm watching to see what those judgments are.
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But I do have to let that process play out. So my question for you guys this week is what
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do you think about Annette Lewis? She was a woman who's been denied an organ transplant list.
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Optimum app to get your coupon. Do you think that the premier's answer on this is fair or do you
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think that she should do more to advocate for this woman who was denied an organ transplant
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because she is unvaccinated? Okay guys, and while we're watching in the weeks to come,
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this story is related to the last one. CBC News had a big scoop in the late end of the week,
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reporting on Thursday that staff from Alberta Premier Daniel Smith's office emailed Crown prosecutors
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challenging their assessment and direction on charges relating to the coup's border blockade.
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According to unnamed sources who CBC agreed to keep private for fear they could lose their jobs,
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those emails were sent in the fall. However, in a statement provided to CBC late Thursday evening,
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the premier's office denies the claims. They say the premier had no contact with Crown prosecutors
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and did not direct staff to do so. Quote, this is a serious allegation. If a staff member has been
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in touch with a Crown prosecutor, appropriate action will be taken. I suspect this isn't the
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end of this story and we'll probably hear more about it in the days and weeks to come,
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and I'll be sure to give you an update when we have one. Okay guys, that's all I have for you today.
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Thank you so much for tuning in. Don't forget to comment under this video and let me know what
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you think about the question of the week and Annette Lewis's bid to get back on the organ donor
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transplant list. If you're able to, please consider supporting independent media at donate.tnc.news.