The Alberta Roundup with Isaac Lamoureux - February 03, 2024


Trudeau goes to war with Smith over parental rights


Episode Stats


Length

14 minutes

Words per minute

165.44708

Word count

2,472

Sentence count

121

Harmful content

Misogyny

3

sentences flagged

Hate speech

4

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

This week, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a huge policy designed to protect children. An Alberta minister has been tasked with investigating whether municipal single-use items are legal, and a follow-up on a story we talked about a few weeks ago on how the Alberta government is already taking action ahead of the expected drought this spring. All that and more happening now on The Alberta Roundup.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Hey everyone, welcome back to the Alberta Roundup. I'm your host, Rachel Emanuel.
00:00:03.820 We had another huge news week in Alberta this week. Probably one of the biggest stories of the
00:00:09.480 year dropped this week. Taking a look at today's topics, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced
00:00:14.620 a huge policy designed to protect children. An Alberta minister has been tasked with investigating
00:00:19.640 whether municipal single-use item bylaws are legal. And a follow-up on a story we talked about
00:00:25.180 a few weeks ago, the Alberta government is already taking action ahead of the expected
00:00:30.340 drought this spring. All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
00:00:44.360 Taking a look at our first story here, this week Wednesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced
00:00:49.460 a comprehensive set of policies designed to protect children and parental rights. The Premier said that
00:00:55.040 being a teenager is a complicated time and that parents, leaders, and community teachers must
00:01:00.580 preserve the right for children to grow into impactful adults who can make the best decision
00:01:05.020 for their lives. It is my view that list of adult choices includes deciding whether or not to alter
00:01:10.540 one's biological sex. Making permanent and irreversible decisions regarding one's biological
00:01:16.480 sex while still a youth can severely limit that child's choices in the future. Prematurely encouraging
00:01:22.580 or enabling children to alter their very biology or natural growth, no matter how well-intentioned
00:01:28.460 and sincere, poses a risk to that child's future that I, as Premier, am not comfortable with permitting
00:01:33.920 in our province. Similarly, the risks and unfair advantages that young women and girls are experiencing
00:01:39.160 when competing with biologically stronger transgender females in sporting competitions 0.93
00:01:43.840 have also grown too high. As such, the Premier announced that she would ban top and bottom
00:01:48.860 gender reassignment surgeries for those age 17 and under. Puberty blockers and hormone therapies 0.91
00:01:54.900 for gender reassignment or affirmation will be strictly prohibited for minors age 15 and under,
00:02:01.380 except for those already undergoing treatment. For minors age 16 and 17, the Premier outlined a
00:02:08.280 nuanced approach. Those minors will be allowed to commence hormone therapy for gender reassignment, 0.61
00:02:13.320 provided there is explicit approval from parents, physicians and psychologists. The caveat is that
00:02:19.780 the minor must be deemed mature enough to make such a decision. The approach differs for transgender
00:02:24.740 adults. For transgender adults, our government is currently working to attract one or more medical
00:02:30.280 professionals to practice in Alberta who specialize in transgender surgery to ensure those individuals
00:02:36.020 transitioning have access to an expert in Alberta to assist them with their extremely unique and
00:02:42.280 complex medical needs, rather than going to Quebec, which is now the practice. We will also be
00:02:47.260 building a private registry of medical professionals who specialize in this field to better support the
00:02:52.180 lifelong healthcare needs of transgender Albertans, including access to needed hormones and surgery
00:02:57.300 after care. The policies also cover parental rights. Classroom instruction on the topics mentioned already
00:03:03.540 will require parental notification and an opt-in. Third-party resource materials or presentations
00:03:09.840 related to these subjects in K-12 schools must undergo pre-approval by the Ministry of Education
00:03:16.480 for age appropriateness. Parental notification and consent are deemed necessary to alter the name or
00:03:22.760 pronoun of a child age 15 and under. Notification but not consent are required to be given for children
00:03:28.800 age 16 and 17. The announcement also made strides to protect female athletes, with the Premier saying there's
00:03:35.440 obvious biological realities that give biological men competing in women's sports a massive competitive advantage.
00:03:44.080 She said the government is working with sporting organizations to offer women and girls the choice to compete
00:03:49.520 in women-owning divisions. For biological men who want to compete in women's sports, the government is working 0.96
00:03:56.160 to expand co-ed options. I understand how controversial and divisive discussions on topics of sexuality and
00:04:03.200 gender can be, especially when those conversations involve children. I would therefore ask that as we work
00:04:09.600 through implementing these policies, that we as adults in this province do all we can to depoliticize the
00:04:15.600 discussion and focus on the well-being of the children involved, whether they are young people identifying
00:04:20.800 as transgender or who find themselves attracted to those of the same sex or simply trying to understand
00:04:26.960 the complex and often changing emotions and feelings of being teenagers. They all need our
00:04:31.920 unconditional love and support. Calgary-based Skipping Stone Foundation and EGAL Canada said they
00:04:37.360 condemned Smith's policy and called it a quote, direct and unprecedented attack on 2SLGBTQI plus Canadians.
00:04:46.720 The executive director for parents choice in education, John Hilton O'Brien said while Smith
00:04:52.720 didn't go as far as he would have liked, her approach was reasonable and it went further than he expected.
00:04:59.280 Hilton O'Brien said he believes Smith took a middle ground to diffuse tension between schools and parents,
00:05:05.760 adding quote, what you're looking at is a powder keg. If the premier doesn't do something to diffuse it,
00:05:12.320 there will be much bigger trouble than a potential group of cases in court. She'll be looking at mass
00:05:17.760 protests. Federal Justice Minister Arif Varani said Smith's measures amount to quote, targeting and
00:05:24.160 demonizing trans children. He told the media quote, I have significant concerns about that. I think
00:05:30.880 targeting that small minority for some political reasons, as it seems the premier is doing, is not
00:05:36.640 becoming of her office. And just as you expected, the left lost their minds over this very nuanced
00:05:42.560 policy announcement. Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley, who as you likely know, has announced she
00:05:47.760 will resign once a new leader is elected later this year, called the policy horrifying.
00:05:52.160 I am, I'm so deeply, deeply concerned for what this means, uh, for transgendered and other
00:05:59.760 marginalized youth within the queer community. We know that, um, that, that, that houseless, uh, 1.00
00:06:07.200 children disproportionately come from those communities, uh, because the relationships, uh,
00:06:13.520 with their families have broken down. She also said she thinks the premier will have to enforce
00:06:18.000 the notwithstanding clause to enforce these policies because she believes it will be rejected by the 0.95
00:06:23.520 court. Asked about the policy, Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau called it the quote,
00:06:28.800 most anti LGBTQ policy of anywhere in the country. Take a listen. Canadian parents love their kids
00:06:39.200 and we want the very best for them. And we want them to be kept safe. LGBT youth across this country,
00:06:48.560 are among the most vulnerable to homelessness, to suicide, to a range of things that can harm them.
00:07:00.800 We need to be there to defend them. We need to be there to protect them. And I know Canadians across
00:07:07.360 the country are doing just that. It is telling that the week after welcoming, uh, far-right
00:07:17.600 American conservative Tucker Carlson to her province to sit with him on stage,
00:07:23.120 Danielle Smith has now moved forward with the most anti LGBT policies of anywhere in the country.
00:07:32.480 Canadians need to know that the federal government, uh, and, uh, all Canadians, uh, will be there to
00:07:40.160 protect youth. Meanwhile, an extra magazine journalist, quote unquote, said the policy amounts to genocide.
00:07:46.240 Take a listen.
00:07:58.880 As you guys likely know, whenever a conservative politician
00:08:14.160 The point of everything the province is doing is to destroy trans people as a meaningful population.
00:08:20.160 And what is that? That's genocide.
00:08:22.560 As you guys likely know, whenever a conservative politician takes action on a controversial subject matter,
00:08:28.800 the media tries to get them with a lot of gotcha questions. And at least one of those fell very flat this week. Take a listen.
00:08:35.440 My understanding is that your legal first name is Marlena. Why did you choose?
00:08:41.440 I'm wondering why did you choose to go by a different name and why you would take steps to restrict the same freedom, uh, for others to do the same?
00:08:52.080 Well, my mother's going to get a great kick out of that, uh, question because I've been, I've been,
00:08:58.080 ever since 9-11, I've been telling her how difficult it is that she decided to have me go by my middle name and not my first name.
00:09:05.760 It was my parents choice to call me Danielle. And it was my parents choice to put on my birth certificate that Marlena, Danielle Smith,
00:09:13.520 they just liked the ring of it better. That's actually what it comes down to.
00:09:16.240 They didn't do the same thing for my older brother. He goes by his first name, not his middle name.
00:09:19.920 My middle sister, she goes by her first name, not her middle name. Um, my two, um, other brothers also go by their first name,
00:09:27.040 not their middle name. They just decided to make a difference with me. They liked the name Danielle,
00:09:31.600 but they didn't like the ring of Danielle Marlena Smith. That's what it comes down to.
00:09:34.880 I'd like to hear from all of you guys. Do you think the policies went far enough?
00:09:38.720 Do you think they didn't go too far or do you think the premier struck a nuanced and balanced approach?
00:09:43.840 Let me know in the comments below and I'll be sure to get to some of your comments next week.
00:09:48.000 Moving into our next story here. The Alberta government is making moves to mitigate the risk of severe drought in the province this year.
00:09:54.640 Alberta's drought command team has been given the go ahead to begin negotiations with water license holder to secure water sharing agreements.
00:10:02.880 Alberta relies on melting snow and rain for its water. This year, the winter snowpack is below average,
00:10:09.760 and rivers are at record low levels, and multiple reservoirs will remain below capacity,
00:10:15.680 the province said in a news release this week. Due to all these factors,
00:10:19.280 the Alberta government has given its drought command team authorization to begin negotiations
00:10:24.240 with major water license holders to begin water sharing agreements in the Red Deer River, Bow River,
00:10:30.640 and Old Man River basins. The goal is to quote, secure significant and timely reductions in water use.
00:10:37.040 Alberta Minister of Environment and Protected Areas Rebecca Schultz said in a news release. She added quote,
00:10:42.720 this effort will be the largest water sharing negotiation to ever have occurred in Alberta's history.
00:10:47.840 There are 25,000 organizations and businesses in Alberta that hold licenses for 9.5 billion cubic meters
00:10:55.120 of water. That's enough to fill 8.3 million Olympic sized swimming pools. Moving into what we're watching
00:11:01.120 in the weeks to come, you guys are going to love this one. Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs,
00:11:06.000 Rick McIver, will investigate whether municipal single-use item bylaws in Edmonton and Calgary
00:11:12.080 violates the Municipal Government Act. The Premier was speaking at a conference last week when she was
00:11:16.560 asked about the bylaws in light of the federal court ruling which found that federal single-use
00:11:21.680 plastics ban was unreasonable and unconstitutional. The Premier said quote,
00:11:27.600 I heard there was near-mutiny on wing night in some restaurants because you have to ask
00:11:31.840 whether or not people want napkins. I mean some things are just so obvious that you need napkins
00:11:37.520 when it's wing night. The Premier also said that she does not support the single-use plastics ban
00:11:42.240 adding quote, I'm not supportive of the decision in both Calgary and Edmonton, but I've put it to my
00:11:47.040 Minister of Municipal Affairs to see if they've gone outside the realm of the Municipal Government Act.
00:11:52.400 I think there's a little bit of ideology getting ahead of common sense here. Edmonton Mayor
00:11:56.640 Anne-Marie Tsoe said he is confident that the city's bylaw is in accordance with its authority
00:12:01.520 under the act. In a statement to Global News he said quote, the MGA authorizes the city to pass
00:12:07.440 bylaws for environmental purposes and to regulate businesses. Some of you probably remember when we
00:12:12.720 covered this in the early days of the show, Edmonton's single-use item bylaw has been in
00:12:16.560 place since last year, but councillors moved to increase the fees for paper and reusable bags
00:12:21.840 just last month and that's set to come into effect by July 1st. Edmonton's bylaw has banned plastic bags
00:12:28.080 from stores, but paper bags can be sold for 15 cents and reusable bags cost $1. Calgary passed
00:12:35.040 a single-use items bylaw in mid-January requiring businesses to provide cutlery, condiments, and
00:12:40.880 shopping bags only by request. While McIvor has been tasked with investigating the municipalities,
00:12:46.640 Smith recommended that in the meantime people contact their councillors and mayors to let them know
00:12:52.320 what they think about the bylaws. And finally moving into my weekly comment roundup, the comment
00:12:57.360 of the week goes to a response from at Phil Rack who responded to a video of Justin Trudeau clapping
00:13:03.760 erratically at a women's hockey game writing, what's going on with Trudeau? Maybe he's dipping into his
00:13:09.840 safer supply a little too liberally. I'm not going to read this entire next comment here, but I do want
00:13:15.440 to just touch on the beginning of it. User iamthejuggernaut said, Smith's response to the reporter was okay,
00:13:21.120 but I'd like to see her take the Polyev approach of asking the reporter to provide their evidence
00:13:26.240 when making blanket statements like, quote, this is somebody who has been accused of defending white
00:13:30.720 supremacy, end quote. While it is fine to draw the distinction of not needing to agree with everything
00:13:35.520 a person believes in order to take an interview with them, I would have preferred her to respond
00:13:40.080 with a question like, who has linked him to white supremacy? I've seen a lot of comments like this,
00:13:45.440 I think that Polyev's approach to deal with the media has probably been the strongest of any
00:13:49.520 Canadian politician that I've ever seen, at least in my lifetime. Let me know if you think of someone
00:13:54.480 better, but it is very distinct and unique to him. That being said, I think that we're really seeing
00:13:59.040 the Primer Smith kind of come into her own when it comes to handling the media. I said this on the
00:14:03.520 Andrew Lawton show a few weeks ago, I think she's becoming a really polished public speaker and really
00:14:09.840 just hitting all the right notes to avoid unnecessary controversy. As well with the clip I played earlier
00:14:15.440 for you guys today when she was answering that question about why she goes by Danielle when her
00:14:19.920 actual first name is Marlena. I think she handled that splendidly and we're seeing more responses
00:14:24.960 like that from the Premier. So I think we're going to be seeing her taking a stronger approach to the
00:14:29.360 media. I think as she just gets more comfortable with the role and more comfortable with dealing 0.68
00:14:33.040 with media. Okay everyone, that's all we have time for today. Thank you so much for tuning in.
00:14:37.120 As always, if you're able to support our work, you can do that over at donate.tnc.news.
00:14:42.080 Have a great weekend. I'll see you guys next week and God bless.