Join us as we hear from Pat Kelly and Warren Steinle as they talk about the recent victory by the Opposition in the House of Commons, the Emergencies Act, and the recent Supreme Court ruling on CP Rail.
00:00:00.840Hello and welcome once again to The Blueprints. This is Canada's Conservative Podcast. I'm your host, Jamie Schmael, Member of Parliament for Halliburton, for the Lex Brock, with new content for you every single Tuesday, 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time. We appreciate you joining us. There's been a lot going on in Ottawa this past week, and we want to inform you about that, but first we ask that you'd like, comment, subscribe, share this program together.
00:00:20.740We can push back against that ever-moving liberal narrative, and of course, if you can't watch or listen to the entire program right this second, you can download it later on, listen to it on platforms like CastBox, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, you name it, it is out there.
00:00:34.440So, without further delay, we have great content, lots happening in Ottawa, two great hosts, both friends of the show, been on before. We have Pat Kelly, Member of Parliament for Calgary, Rocky Ridge, also the Chair of the Ethics Committee, and beside him, Warren Steinle, the Member of Parliament for Regina Luvan.
00:00:49.800He's also the Shadow Minister for Prairie Economic Development and Interprovincial Trade. Welcome, gentlemen.
00:00:56.820I don't even know where to start here, but first, let's give Warren a bit of a shout-out. He did something that's pretty amazing, something that really hasn't happened.
00:01:04.640Warren, why don't you tell us, I'm not going to take anything for this, you tell us what happened, because it is pretty amazing.
00:01:09.820Well, thank you very much, Jamie, and it's not just me, but my 13 colleagues from Saskatchewan. We have 14 out of 14 Conservatives in Saskatchewan, and last week, we were able to put forward
00:01:19.400an opposition motion that actually changes the Constitution of our country. So we were the first opposition to do this, and what it does is, there's an unfair tax exemption in Section 24 of the Saskatchewan Act for CP Rail,
00:01:33.900and it was really a handshake agreement that it was supposed to be removed back in 1966. It's currently before the court case, and we had unanimous consent from all parties across in the House of Commons to move this forward,
00:01:47.300and it was passed unanimously at the Saskatchewan Legislature to bring it to the House of Commons, and we've done our job. Now, once the Senate moves this motion forward, which they've talked about it already, and it passes,
00:01:58.720we will officially change the Constitution for the Saskatchewan Act and save the Saskatchewan taxpayers hopefully $341 million. So it was a big day. My colleagues from Saskatchewan did a wonderful job giving speeches,
00:02:10.580and we're really happy that we were able to move this forward on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan.
00:02:14.880Yeah, sadly, it kind of didn't get the publicity I think it deserved because there was a lot of other things going on, which we're going to talk about shortly.
00:02:22.600Yeah, that's for sure, but you know, in these jobs, sometimes you get to have a really big win, and maybe not a lot of people hear about it, but in the follow-up,
00:02:33.160we're going to make sure that people know that we are always on the Saskatchewan side, and they have 14 strong MPs from Saskatchewan getting the job done and listening to what the people of Saskatchewan wants.
00:02:41.980It comes down to fairness, tax fairness, and respecting provincial jurisdiction.
00:02:46.600So we had a lot of support with that, with the Saskatchewan legislature passing this motion unanimously.
00:02:51.840We wanted to make sure that we also respected what the province wanted as well.
00:02:55.520Well done, especially in opposition. So well done to you and the Saskatchewan team here.
00:03:01.400So, well, let's move on to the Emergencies Act.
00:03:06.540We know that the Prime Minister has made an announcement yesterday to give notice that the Emergency Act will be coming to effect.
00:03:14.100The piece of legislation, which we have not seen yet, will have to be debated in Parliament.
00:03:19.000So it does a whole bunch of other things.
00:03:20.540It gives the police more tools at their disposal, helps them to restore, in this wording, order in places where public assemblies constitute illegal and dangerous activities, such as blockades and occupations.
00:03:33.360It talks about border crossings, about bank accounts, and that sort of thing.
00:03:39.720So there's a whole lot of pieces to it.
00:03:54.280And, you know, like you said, we've had really less than a day here.
00:03:59.020It's not quite clear yet how this is all going to play out.
00:04:04.020So we will have to wait and see what the government actually tables and what we'll be asked to vote on.
00:04:09.000But there's no way that this should have ever come to this.
00:04:12.220And you look at a government that, you know, the other opposition motion that we had last week where we simply called upon the federal government to table a plan by February 28th on how they plan to eventually wind down all of the COVID restrictions.
00:04:32.660Certainly not an unreasonable request that we could ask the government to take a plan.
00:04:36.660We've been two years into this, right?
00:04:38.820And not the first time we've asked either.
00:04:40.840I mean, we've asked on behalf of small business owners for really for well over a year to just take us through and show us some light at the end of the tunnel.
00:04:50.620So, you know, and the federal government hasn't been effective in managing any of the crisis that this has come to with the tools and powers that they already had.
00:05:06.880And, you know, my concern is that, you know, this is just also yet another example of liberals when it comes to posturing and appearing to do something rather than actually doing something.
00:05:20.200And, you know, we're going to have to see what they actually put in front of Canadians in the parliament for us to vote on in the days to come.
00:05:53.960Well, for us, being from Saskatchewan, Premier Mo has laid out a plan of first we're going to limit and get rid of the vaccine passports and then masking at the end of February.
00:06:04.380So he laid out a plan of how Saskatchewan residents can get back to normal.
00:06:08.600And Jason Kenney has done the same in Manitoba and now Ontario have also laid out a plan in Quebec.
00:06:15.420So I think it's incumbent to ask for that.
00:06:17.460Like Pat said, we had a motion similar to this in March of 2021 asking for a plan.
00:06:23.120And now what we see in Ottawa, I think, is a reaction from Canadians that this government just has not said what's their end goal.
00:06:30.720How did we get through this pandemic to an endemic and learning to live with COVID-19?
00:06:35.400And I believe medical health officers across the country have talked about living with it, from Bonnie Henry to Dr. Theresa Tam.
00:06:42.360They've talked about learning to live with COVID.
00:06:44.240And the government now and the true liberals just have refused to put forward that plan.
00:06:48.360So this protest really lies at the feet of this prime minister and his cabinet.
00:06:51.720And there's an unwillingness to tell Canadians how we're going to move past COVID-19.
00:07:04.120As Warren has said, jurisdictions all over the world, including in Canada, are tabling their plans.
00:07:10.720And this government is refusing to table one of their own.
00:07:13.940But part of what has really created the crisis of anger and just people with a variety of opinions on what restrictions should be and whether they should be eliminated completely immediately or not,
00:07:32.180But what the true government has done is turned up the heat by stigmatizing, chastising, name-calling, resorting to sort of the lowest ways in which to divide Canadians quite cynically, seemingly for his own political agenda.
00:07:54.740And it's unbecoming of a prime minister to come out and say, these people over here are, you know, to name-call as he has done.
00:08:05.820It's certainly not going to help Canadians come together and help people to respect one another.
00:08:13.920And certainly all of that in the absence of any kind of plan to show people how we might come out of this.
00:08:21.920We even see this from his own caucus, from members of Joe Lightbomb and Yves Robillard saying, you use the pandemic to divide Canadians for political gain during a federal election.
00:08:34.020So when you know two or three or four of his own caucus members are coming out, you know that there's another 20 that feel the same way but just haven't got to the point where they want to speak out against the prime minister for fear of retribution.
00:08:46.460We know how decisive he can be when someone comes out against him.
00:08:50.280We saw that with Jody Wilson-Raybould and in the past of how really he can take down his own people.
00:08:55.760So I think when you hear caucus members speak about how divisive Justin Trudeau has been with Canadians, it really should strike home with a lot of people that that is his modus operandi is really trying to divide Canadians and not bring people together, which is true leadership.
00:09:11.920I'm going to get to the issue about the potential trucker interprovincial vaccine mandate that the transport minister refuses to answer a straight question.
00:09:22.480I'll get to that in a second before I go to that.
00:09:24.620I just want to talk about the fact that the government might be saying something very soon, potentially later on this afternoon, about PCR tests and traveling.
00:09:33.080Like this kind of stuff that we've called for a path to end the mandates.
00:09:37.040I don't think we really need the PCR test now, especially for Canadians returning, for international travelers.
00:09:43.520Like at this point, I don't see why these measures have been allowed to continue as long as they have.
00:09:51.740Yeah, we've seen Canada really acting kind of reactively and behind what many other peer countries have done.
00:09:58.560And, you know, I think that we all get, I think, quite a bit of hear from many constituents about the frustrations around this and lack of clarity and lack of understanding of what's required.
00:10:12.780And the PCR test on travel has been a real irritant for many travelers.
00:10:19.920And, you know, I think the onus is on the government to confirm or show that their policy has had a meaningful effect on transmission.
00:10:31.020And, you know, the other peer countries are going the other way on this.
00:10:34.780And it's just one concludes that our government is just sort of reactively stumbling along on this and not really following any kind of proper plan.
00:10:53.080Yeah, I would agree. And that's what we're trying to ask them.
00:10:56.200So the transport minister refuses to answer a question.
00:11:13.600In the Ag Committee, we talked to Deputy Minister Tom Roser, and he said they've had conversations within different departments about bringing forward an interprovincial vaccine mandate for truckers since December.
00:11:26.400So, first of all, they're being dishonest about how long they've talked about bringing forward this possible policy.
00:11:32.400But the thing I want to know is truckers have been essential for two years.
00:11:36.140At the height of the pandemic, they're able to cross international and provincial borders.
00:11:40.040So why the timing now? Why, when it seems to be lightening up, would they bring forward a proposal, a vaccine mandate for interprovincial trucking when they never even thought about it for the last two years?
00:11:51.800So I think that's the question I get from a lot of my constituents, from John and Louvain, from a lot of people, is the timing seems a little bit off.
00:11:59.080And show us some of the scientific data.
00:12:01.320The Liberals always talk about science and evidence-based policy.
00:12:04.920Well, we've seen no data, no research that suggests bringing in an interprovincial trucking vaccine mandate where a trucker's in a cab by themselves, why that would be lower transmission of COVID-19.
00:12:18.000So I've asked the Minister many times, please show us any scientific data that this is a necessary policy.
00:12:24.500And as usual, we just get the liberal word salad and it's really disappointing.
00:12:30.880So if truckers are 90% vaccinated, according to the Prime Minister and the Trucking Alliance, then the question is, show us the data that points to this direction.
00:12:49.560But that was, like, what was it, 33 million devices were tracked without permission during the pandemic?
00:12:54.400Well, yeah, this news was reported just before Christmas.
00:12:58.600It was right after we had risen for Christmas.
00:13:02.080There was suddenly a request for proposal for a contract to extend a data collection program that nobody knew was happening and extend it for another five years.
00:13:15.080And it was reported that the federal government had received de-identified mobility data taken from, it was reported, 33 million mobile devices.
00:13:31.600So the government has insisted that nobody's privacy has been violated because the information they receive is de-identified.
00:13:43.360But our committee is really concerned about the method around whether or not it can be as simple as that.
00:13:53.260And experts have said it is actually, in many cases, easy to re-identify data and that there has been no transparency around how this data has been secured.
00:14:06.200The privacy commissioner was not consulted.
00:14:08.360The privacy commissioner was informed, but not because his opinion was not sought.
00:14:14.820The privacy commissioner is investigating this data collection in response to complaints.
00:14:21.080And we've had some very strong testimony at our committee around the concerns about an absence of transparency and an absence of information about just what safeguards are in place to ensure that Canadians are not being surveilled or that their private information has not been compromised.
00:14:47.880So the committee was unanimous in this, including Liberal government side members were unanimous in proposing this study.
00:14:58.580We also unanimously, as a committee, called upon the government to suspend this request or proposal until we have completed our study, heard from experts, and can confirm and report back to the House that Canadians' privacy is being adequately protected.
00:15:17.880And it was unfortunate when this was put to a vote in the House of Commons last week.
00:15:21.880Both of you would have been there for the vote on that, and the government voted against that motion.
00:15:31.720And we remain concerned that they're just plowing ahead with this request to extend this mobility data collection for up to five years before our committee has even been able to report back to the Commons with expert testimony to assure that privacy is going to be protected.
00:16:23.420They put out the request for proposal with a deadline before Parliament resumes.
00:16:28.420They wanted to have this contract all done and have this program continue on for five years before there was any opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny.
00:16:35.420They have postponed the RFP a couple of times, but they won't rescind it.
00:16:40.420And it seems that the postponement now might have more to do with whether or not they've actually got a bidder on the contract.
00:16:47.420So just for our viewers, Pat, are you saying the same Liberals have voted for it unanimously at committee, then voted against it in the House of Commons?
00:17:00.420They changed their mind, I guess, between the committee meeting and the vote in Parliament.
00:17:06.420Well, we have to get out of here. Sadly, I want to continue on. There's so many other topics I want to talk about.
00:17:10.420As you both know, you both have been on the show before. I always give the guests the last word.
00:17:15.420Pat, why don't we start with you? Take it away.
00:17:17.420Well, just thanks for having me on the program.
00:17:20.420And I hope that maybe there will be a little more.
00:17:23.420And thanks for getting us into the discussion on the data collections.
00:17:27.420I think that that's really important. And I hope that amid all of the other things that people are talking about, there's a lot, no shortage of news right now, that this will be good information for people that are concerned about privacy.
00:17:43.420Well, just thank you, Jamie, for having us on once again. And it's just a pleasure to be a guest. And we're going to keep fighting to make sure Canadians can start getting back to their everyday lives.
00:17:52.420So that's what the Conservatives are going to do. We're going to fight to get rid of the mandates and restrictions so that Canadians can once again take back the only decision making they have in their day to day lives.
00:18:01.420Absolutely. Well, thank you very much, Pat Kelly, Member of Parliament for Calgary, Rocker Ridge, also the Chair of the Ethics Committee.
00:18:07.420And Warren Steinle, the Member of Parliament for Regina Luvan in the beautiful province of Saskatchewan.
00:18:12.420Also the Shadow Minister for Prairie Economic Development and the Shadow Minister for Interprovincial Trade.
00:18:18.420That is a mouthful. I know there is a lot more topics we needed to get into. There is a lot happening in Ottawa.
00:18:24.420Unfortunately, we are limited due to time. We have a question period coming up in about 10 minutes or so.
00:18:29.420We need to get back to the Chamber. Also, we need to clear this channel so that question period can be broadcast live.
00:18:35.420So we do appreciate you joining us. We will be back next Tuesday, 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time with new content for you.
00:18:41.420Ask that you like, comment, subscribe, share this program. Together we can push back against the ever-moving Liberal agenda.
00:18:47.420And of course, it's available on platforms like CastBox, iTunes, Google Play and Spotify.
00:18:52.420As always, remember, low taxes, less government, more freedom. That is The Blueprint.