In this episode, Conservative MP for Durham, Aaron O'Toole joins us fresh off of his party's fall convention to discuss the party's climate change strategy and plan for the next election. He also talks about the need for technology and innovation to tackle climate change.
00:02:26.960But I'll tell you, we're going to have a serious and clear climate change plan in the next election.
00:02:32.820It's important to our caucus, as you know, Jamie.
00:02:35.100It's important to parents and families.
00:02:38.740And we're going to do it without burdening people on the margins and small businesses,
00:02:44.080without the excessive tax approach of Mr. Trudeau.
00:02:47.360And we're going to try and partner with the provinces as opposed to imposing on the provinces.
00:02:50.760So it dominated the headlines, but we set records with the convention, 5,700 people or so registered.
00:02:58.380I gave a speech that's been well-received, Q&A.
00:03:01.840We had great panels with some of our outreach, some of our amazing female MPs.
00:03:06.620You know, our hosts, Archie and Leslie Lewis, did an amazing job.
00:03:10.960So I'm really proud of the convention.
00:03:14.720Well, I'm going to get to the recovery plan in just a second.
00:03:18.500But something that was always talked about on our end is the need for technology and innovation.
00:03:25.440And something I was reading just a little while ago, if we as Canadians were able to export some of the technology we are using already in a lot of our industries,
00:03:34.240we could significantly and drastically reduce the amount of emissions by the bad actors right across the globe.
00:03:40.180Absolutely. In fact, Canada is a leader in nuclear, in carbon capture, sequestration, as you know.
00:03:49.860Some of our energy producers in Alberta have been getting their carbon intensity down in double-digit orders of magnitude over the last decade, decade and a half.
00:04:00.640This is how we can confront any issue.
00:04:03.260It's how Brian Mulroney and the Conservatives confronted Acid Rain.
00:04:06.020By partnering with the Americans and using technology to get emissions down that were causing acid rain and destroying some of the lakes in the Muskokas and the beautiful Kawarthas,
00:04:16.120which is well represented by a good blue politician that hosts this podcast.
00:04:22.060So tackling these problems, we have to do it on a combined way with the Americans.
00:05:31.480Two ministers embarrassed themselves this week, as you know, Jamie, covering up just some simple questions about the whole we scandal and the Trudeau family.
00:05:40.800Third pillar will be a national mental health action plan.
00:05:43.740We've got to secure mental health and wellness.
00:05:45.920Every family's been touched by that throughout this pandemic.
00:05:51.500Make sure we're ready for any crisis in the future.
00:05:53.800Domestic manufacturing of vaccines, PPE.
00:05:56.740Make sure we're more self-reliant and less reliant on China and bad actors, as you said.
00:06:03.320And fifth, a plan to get back to balance over the next decade.
00:06:05.940We can't burden our children and future generations with the mistakes and overspending of today.
00:06:12.240We needed to help businesses and families through this crisis do that a little bit more, but we have to get back to balance.
00:06:19.480So a five-point recovery plan, I think it's exactly what the country needs.
00:06:23.460Leadership, again, as opposed to lagging.
00:06:25.720And that's some of the things we talked about with other guests on the show over the last year or so, is ensuring that the environment is right for private sector growth in this country.
00:06:36.620And that is something that you and I have seen in Ontario, when the Ontario Liberals did the Green Energy Act and chased manufacturing jobs away.
00:06:44.360We have the federal Liberals with almost the same staff that came from Queen's Park, putting their boot on the neck of the oil and gas industry, and in some cases, the mining industry, the anchors of our economy.
00:06:54.880So there are things right away that we can tackle to start getting these jobs back in order and then providing the spinoff jobs as people, you know, buy things with their discretionary spending.
00:07:09.140You know, it's the job destruction team around Justin Trudeau, the Jerry Butts and crew that helped Dalton McGinty chase jobs and competitiveness out of Ontario, raise taxes, raise deficits.
00:07:20.100They're doing the same thing nationally now.
00:07:22.160Now, you know, the same staffer behind some of the stonewalling on the gas plant scandal in Ontario is the staffer we're trying to call in the cover-up related to Harjit Sajan and sitting on a complaint from a woman in the Canadian Armed Forces about misconduct, sexual misconduct allegations in the Canadian Armed Forces.
00:07:41.940It's the same crew, and they just cover up, obscure, hide, and downright lie.
00:07:50.920We need to make sure Ontario is not out of step with Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
00:07:56.280The Great Lakes Basin, as you know, Jamie, we compete for jobs in manufacturing.
00:08:00.840And since the 1960s, we've been integrated with the Auto Pact and then with free trade.
00:08:05.940So we can't be excessively taxing, excessively regulating, or we're going to see jobs and investment leak to the U.S.
00:08:12.640Just like the Supreme Court said there'd be carbon leakage amongst provinces, there's carbon, there's leakage amongst Canada and the U.S., jobs and investment, and we don't reduce emissions.
00:08:22.560So we need smart policies for a change, and I'll tell you, it's been terrible to see Justin Trudeau's team doing to our national economy what that same group did under McGinty and Wynn.
00:08:34.960And let's quickly talk about the mental health aspect.
00:08:37.680We had Todd Doherty on last week to talk about some of the work he's been doing with you and the rest of our caucus.
00:08:43.960That is something I think, no matter where you are in this country, the pandemic has certainly played on the mental health, regardless of age as well.
00:08:52.940And that is something I think will resonate because we all, I'm sure, know somebody suffering from mental health because of the measures taken during this pandemic.
00:09:20.180But I talked about a UBC study showed that 65% of the people responding to their studies said someone in their family had suffered a mental health-related issue or incident throughout the COVID crisis.
00:11:27.220We've got an incredibly talented team.
00:11:29.440We're recruiting incredibly talented men and women from coast to coast because Canadians deserve better than the Trudeau team that put their insiders and friends first and Canadians the back of the line.
00:11:40.880So we're going to fight for all Canadians in our plan to recover post-COVID.
00:11:44.860Aaron O'Toole, a member of Parliament for Durham, also leader of Canada's Conservatives, leader of the official opposition.
00:11:50.820But we need your help to make him the Prime Minister of Canada.
00:11:54.000So you need to like, comment, subscribe, share this program.
00:11:57.280Help us push back against the ever-moving Liberal agenda.
00:12:00.500And hopefully then you'll hit someone in your social media network that might be open to hearing that Conservative message, something, again, as I mentioned off the top, that they are not hearing from the mainstream media.
00:12:11.020Of course, if you can't watch this program all right at once, you can download it later on.
00:12:16.000And listen to it on platforms like CastBox, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, you name it.