The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - June 07, 2025


The Alberta Roundup ｜ UCP slams NDP over defending porn in schools


Episode Stats

Length

13 minutes

Words per Minute

167.81946

Word Count

2,216

Sentence Count

127

Hate Speech Sentences

3


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 The Alberta UCP is blasting the provincial NDP for trying to stand in the way of protecting
00:00:15.720 children as the province plans to ban sexually explicit material from K-12 schools.
00:00:20.760 A report that came out this week is showcasing that Alberta's oil production has ramped up
00:00:25.620 over the last decade while reducing emissions across various industries.
00:00:29.100 Alberta Premier Daniel Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford also signed a Memorandum of Understanding
00:00:34.980 to eliminate trade barriers between their provinces.
00:00:38.200 While sports haven't been covered on the show in a while, the Edmonton Oilers were victorious
00:00:42.020 in their first Stanley Cup final game, and polls are suggesting that national unity could be on the line.
00:00:48.220 All that and more on this week's Alberta Roundup.
00:00:50.740 I'm your host, Isaac Lamoureux. Let's hop in to that first story now.
00:00:54.280 The United Conservative Party is accusing the Alberta NDP of hindering efforts to protect
00:00:59.800 children from sexually explicit materials in K-12 school libraries.
00:01:04.580 This comes after NDP MLA Lori Sigurdsson criticized the province's plan to ban such content,
00:01:11.360 labeling it as censorship.
00:01:12.600 She said, "...make no mistake, this actually is about banning books, and Smith's administration
00:01:19.120 is not the first in history to target and ban books seen as contrary to its ideology in
00:01:24.640 order to control public discourse."
00:01:26.980 Darby Crouch, the UCP candidate for Edmonton Strathcona, called Sigurdsson out.
00:01:32.380 Crouch said, "...what the NDP calls banning books is what most parents would call basic common
00:01:38.360 sense. We're talking about school library books that depict graphic sex acts,
00:01:43.440 pornographic scenes, and other content that has no place in an elementary or junior high school.
00:01:49.100 Why the NDP thinks children need access to this is beyond comprehension."
00:01:53.640 The books in question contain shocking quotes and pornographic imagery for any age group,
00:01:58.520 let alone children. The books in question are so vulgar that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith
00:02:03.280 issued various graphic content warnings in her post to X.
00:02:07.140 Smith said, "...albertans deserve to know what's really being shown to children in some of our
00:02:12.940 K-9 schools. This isn't about banning books, it's about protecting kids from graphic,
00:02:18.860 sexually explicit content that has no place in a classroom."
00:02:22.340 The Alberta government confirmed that books such as Genderqueer, Flamer, Fun Home and Blankets,
00:02:28.160 which contain depictions of sex acts, child molestation, and sexually violent slurs,
00:02:33.460 have been found in Alberta K-12 school libraries. Crouch said that what the Alberta NDP calls
00:02:39.340 censorship, her party calls protecting kids and respecting parents. She said,
00:02:45.460 "...parents deserve better. They deserve to know what their children are reading in school,
00:02:49.760 and that the content is age-appropriate." An online survey remained active until June 6th,
00:02:54.920 where Albertans could weigh in on what type of content should be available for school library
00:02:59.380 collections. Even the survey came with a slew of warnings. A link was available to see some of
00:03:06.460 the photos that were available to these kids in their libraries, and the survey's warning read,
00:03:11.880 quote, "...warning. This link contains graphic content that may be disturbing to viewers and is not
00:03:17.700 appropriate for young viewers. Viewer discretion is advised." We'll see how the province proceeds after
00:03:23.820 analyzing its survey data. Crouch is running in the Edmonton Strathcona by-election on June 23rd
00:03:29.860 against NDP leader Nahid Nenshi. She had some harsh words for him. Take a quick listen.
00:03:34.900 I'm Darby. I'm running to be your next MLA for Edmonton Strathcona. I also have the
00:03:39.900 pleasure of running against NDP leader Nahid Nenshi. Now, there are some key differences between Mr.
00:03:45.840 Nenshi and me. When someone once asked him about living in Edmonton, he said,
00:03:49.080 why would you wish such a fate as living in Edmonton on me? Could I do it part-time? If you
00:03:53.780 ask me the same question, I'll tell you I'm not just visiting. Like so many young Albertans, I chose
00:03:57.980 to make a life in Edmonton to chase opportunity and because the Oilers might actually win the cup.
00:04:03.180 My opponent, uh... I'm not an Edmontonian, and in fact, it's going to take a lot to get me back
00:04:08.840 into that jersey. Can't forget a few weeks ago when he covered up his Oilers jersey as he cheered for the
00:04:14.340 Winnipeg Jets. Hockey love aside, there's so many real differences between us. I think the people
00:04:19.200 of Edmonton Strathcona are not only incredibly hardworking, but they're some of the most creative
00:04:23.460 and friendly people in Canada. Just like them, I think we need a government focused on keeping the
00:04:28.420 cost of living down. Things like cutting red tape to build more housing and lowering personal taxes
00:04:33.100 so we all can afford doing more of the things that we love. And just like them, I think we all deserve
00:04:38.240 safer streets, matched with more health care, funding for compassionate intervention, so we all can
00:04:43.260 have a community we call home. Again, I'm Darby Crouch, and I'm absolutely proud to run as your United
00:04:48.420 Conservative Party candidate in Edmonton Strathcona, and I will work for you every single day to make
00:04:53.780 this place an even greater part of Edmonton. On June 23rd, please show up to the polls and cast your vote
00:04:59.040 for me in this election. Thank you. The riding Crouch is running in against Nenshi is the Alberta NDP's
00:05:04.380 safest in the province. Notley held the seat between 2008 and 2024. The last time the Conservative held
00:05:11.260 it was Julian Kozak between 1971 and 1986. We'll see what happens in the upcoming by-elections on
00:05:17.960 June 23rd. Now for our next story, we'll be looking at a recent report that came out on Alberta's oil
00:05:23.500 production and emissions. The report, released Wednesday, showed that overall emissions in Alberta
00:05:28.740 decreased almost every single year since 2015 after peaking in 2014. Between 2015 and 2023, holistically,
00:05:36.420 the province's total emissions fell by 9%. Emissions have decreased in conventional oil,
00:05:41.660 transportation, and heavy industry since 2015. They have also fallen in natural gas processing,
00:05:46.960 methane, and electricity emissions. Despite the significant emission cuts, Alberta has boosted
00:05:52.020 energy production by 20% since 2015. The province also eliminated emissions from coal-fired electricity
00:05:58.560 more than six years ahead of schedule after the last coal-fired power plant transitioned to natural gas
00:06:04.020 fuel in June 2024. Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schultz said the report proved Alberta
00:06:10.320 continues to lead the way in responsible energy development. She said, quote,
00:06:15.900 we don't need top-down policies from the federal government to do this, and we'll continue to
00:06:20.640 drive common-sense progress that benefit both our economy and the environment. Emissions from oil
00:06:26.020 sands bitumen fell 26% between 2012 and 2023, while production increased by 96%, reaching 1.56 million
00:06:35.620 barrels daily as emissions continue to decline. Alberta had the highest absolute reduction of emissions
00:06:41.620 nationwide between 2022 and 2023, after reducing emissions by 2.1 million tons. The report shows that
00:06:50.320 Alberta is also succeeding in decoupling emissions from economic growth. From 2005 to 2023, Alberta's GDP
00:06:58.360 increased by 41%, while emissions grew by just 4.8%. Over that same time, emissions intensity per $1,000
00:07:06.600 of GDP fell by 26%. Alberta introduced the first industrial carbon pricing and trading system in North America
00:07:13.920 in 2007. Between its introduction in 2023, 254 million tons of emissions have been addressed by compliance
00:07:22.020 measures beyond on-site reduction, including offset credits and technology investment. Earlier in May,
00:07:29.260 the province froze its industrial carbon tax at $95 per ton in response to the tariff war. Smith said the
00:07:36.080 freeze came in response to concerns of business and industry leaders who warned that further tax hikes would
00:07:41.300 harm Alberta's competitiveness and be detrimental to their businesses. Smith said, quote,
00:07:47.160 Alberta remains committed to reducing emissions through the development and implementation of new
00:07:52.080 technologies, not unrealistically high taxes, while responsibly powering the world for decades to come.
00:07:58.360 Speaking of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, for our next story, her and Ontario Premier Doug Ford signed a
00:08:03.900 memorandum of understanding aimed at removing trade barriers between the two provinces on the 1st of June.
00:08:09.740 Smith hailed it as a milestone for interprovincial commerce, while Ford broadened the effort by
00:08:14.760 signing similar deals with several other premiers. Smith said, quote,
00:08:19.600 Together, Alberta and Ontario are taking a big step towards a more open, competitive, and united economy.
00:08:26.280 This agreement is about getting results, making it easier for people to work, do business, and grow across
00:08:31.880 provincial lines. It's time to stop letting outdated rules hold us back and show Canadians what real
00:08:37.820 economic leadership looks like. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed June 1st at the First
00:08:42.860 Ministers' meeting in Saskatoon, pledges to ease the cross-border movement of skilled workers and permit
00:08:48.480 direct-to-consumer alcohol sales between Alberta and Ontario. The agreement also opens the door for
00:08:54.500 Ontario to potentially join the New West Partnership Trade Agreement, which currently includes Alberta,
00:09:00.320 British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Yes, this was the same conference where Ford called Kearney
00:09:05.920 Santa Claus, but we won't dive into that on this show. Ford expanded the scope of interprovincial
00:09:11.700 cooperation by signing agreements not just with Alberta, but also with Saskatchewan and Prince
00:09:16.800 Edward Island. Ontario has now signed trade agreements with six provinces in total, more than
00:09:22.160 any other jurisdiction. Two-way trade between Alberta and Ontario was worth $62.4 billion in 2021,
00:09:29.280 while Ontario's total interprovincial trade reached $326.6 billion in 2023. Ontario's government framed
00:09:37.720 the agreements as a key part of its strategy to build economic resilience in the face of growing
00:09:42.640 U.S. protectionism. The province has also introduced legislation to Protect Ontario through Free Trade
00:09:49.060 Within Canada Act to eliminate trade barriers and encourage labour mobility. Ford said, quote,
00:09:54.860 It's just the latest steps we're taking to build a stronger, more competitive Canadian economy that
00:10:00.460 can outlast President Trump's tariffs and whatever else comes our way. Now, hopping into something a
00:10:05.340 bit lighter than normal for our last story today, which the shirt I'm wearing might have foreshadowed,
00:10:09.400 the Edmonton Oilers triumphed over the Florida Panthers with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1 of the
00:10:14.240 Stanley Cup Final, held in the province's capital on Wednesday. I'm guessing most Albertans watch the
00:10:19.500 game, so without diving into too many details on the game itself, we'll talk about what winning the
00:10:23.920 Stanley Cup might mean for all of Canada, not just Edmonton. Of course, a Canadian team has not won
00:10:29.180 the Cup since 1993, which was actually before I was born. Edmonton has not won the Stanley Cup since
00:10:34.540 1990, despite the Oilers trading Wayne Gretzky just over a year before. A newly conducted poll by
00:10:40.720 Ipsos found that 63% of Canadians say they're cheering for the Oilers, a 6-point increase from last
00:10:47.040 year's Cup Final matchup. Also, 56% believe the Oilers will beat the Florida Panthers, a 7-point
00:10:54.140 increase from 2024. Ipsos' report reads, quote, the Edmonton Oilers winning the Stanley Cup would be a
00:11:00.660 significant triumph for Canada, symbolizing national spirit and resilience. Almost 7 in 10, 68% of
00:11:07.700 Canadians now see the Oilers as Canada's team. Even Oilers players are realizing the importance. For
00:11:13.620 example, Edmonton forward Evander Kane said, quote, playing for a Canadian team, the Cup having not
00:11:20.640 been back to Canada in 30 plus years, it's something that I think we all understand representing the
00:11:26.240 Edmonton Oilers. Being able to kick it off here is going to be pretty special, he said before the
00:11:31.260 first game took place in Edmonton. The City was electric after Wednesday night's win. Take a quick
00:11:36.740 look at some of the celebration. If you were in the City, I'm sure you felt it, at least felt some of that
00:11:41.380 energy. And the City will definitely be on fire if the Oilers win the Stanley Cup. I mean, just to be a
00:11:47.040 part of that, I might go out and walk the streets all night to experience the party that we so seldom
00:11:52.620 get to experience at. So if I don't show up for work the next day, I'm guessing I won't be the only
00:11:57.760 one. The Stanley Cup final is showing signs of rekindling unity, with 56% of Canadians saying they
00:12:04.700 will pay more attention to this year's final than in previous years, as the stakes are now higher than
00:12:09.720 ever. Over 8 in 10 Canadians, 85%, said the Oilers winning the Stanley Cup would be a significant
00:12:16.420 triumph for Canada, symbolizing national spirit and resilience. So I'm a bit curious if any parties
00:12:22.820 will occur in other cities across the countries if the Oilers win the Cup, because it really might be
00:12:27.660 Canada's victory. A previous Angus Reid poll from April found that 71% of fans said they would support
00:12:34.420 any Canadian team in the playoffs, which was the highest percentage in a decade. But while hockey may
00:12:39.560 serve to boost the national sense of unity, broader national pride has been more volatile. A recent
00:12:45.360 Leger poll showed that Canadian pride surged during the election period in March, when it peaked at 86%,
00:12:51.000 but fell back to 76% in Quebec and just 70% in Alberta following the re-election of a Liberal
00:12:57.740 government. I'm wondering if winning the Cup could bump those numbers back up. I guess we'll have to
00:13:03.060 wait and see. That wraps up this week's edition of the Alberta Roundup. I'm your host, Isaac Lamoureux.
00:13:09.500 Thank you for tuning in. Have a great weekend, and God bless.