The Blueprint: Canada's Conservative Podcast - Sometimes, the problem is Government.

00:00:00.000 Hello and welcome once again to the Blueprints. This is Canada's Conservative Podcast. I'm your

00:00:16.620 host, Jamie Schmael, Member of Parliament for Halliburton, Gawortha Lakes, Brock, with new

00:00:20.040 content for you every single Tuesday, 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time. We ask that you like, comment,

00:00:24.920 subscribe, share this program. Together, we can push back against the ever-moving liberal agenda

00:00:29.740 and don't forget, tell your friends about it because they can download it, listen to this

00:00:33.340 program at their convenience on platforms like CastBox, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, you name

00:00:38.000 it, it is out there. A very special show for you today. We're going to throw you off base for a bit.

00:00:42.680 We're going to turn it over for my friend from Calgary, Alberta. Hey everyone, welcome to another

00:00:47.500 episode of All That Jazz Podcast. Today we're remixing things up. I'm here with my good friend

00:00:51.960 and a solid, solid MP, my friend Jamie Schmael. We're doing a remix. We're doing a collective

00:00:57.700 podcast today, so I'm really excited and we have a really special guest today. Jamie, why don't you

00:01:02.520 introduce him? We're going to have Richard Bragdon. He's a friend of the show. He's been on the

00:01:05.640 blueprint before from Toback, Toback, Macduquack, I'm sorry, from New Brunswick. Amazing host. He's

00:01:11.960 going to host the show today. So a bit of a different pace to us today. So let's switch spots

00:01:16.240 because an orator of your stature deserves to be in this spot. I can, I can't even keep up with you.

00:01:22.020 All right. We're doing this live. You know, your kindness is overwhelming to the point of almost

00:01:28.400 incapacitation when I begin to think about it. But I thank you, Mr. Schmael. And of course,

00:01:33.200 it's always, always a pleasure to be with my friend, both of you being good friends who serve

00:01:38.080 in caucus together. We've got lots to discuss today, so I look forward to hearing from both

00:01:42.880 of you. And it's kind of neat to be in the big chair today, even though I'm totally inadequate

00:01:47.200 to be here. Well, us two fine peasants are just extremely honored to be in your presence,

00:01:54.160 my lord. Right? What do I say? But it is a joy to be with both of you. And I appreciate

00:02:02.100 what both of you are doing in your files and for the cause of Canada and the cause of conservatism

00:02:08.220 within Canada. Absolutely. Well, let's get right into it, Richard. We've seen the devastation

00:02:13.360 of Hurricane Fiona and what it did around the Atlantic provinces. Give us a little bit of

00:02:18.760 an update on what's going on over there. Well, look, obviously the relief efforts are starting

00:02:23.820 and underway, recovering a lot of trees yet to be clear, but there's still many people

00:02:27.600 without power in the Atlantic region. And obviously some businesses that have been devastated,

00:02:32.540 some fishing businesses that have been absolutely devastated and the loss of equipment, farms that

00:02:38.740 have gone through some great challenges. So there's a lot to be done. And I think, and I'll just say

00:02:45.180 this, and I know we've got lots to discuss, but Atlantic Canadians are familiar with storms and

00:02:50.640 they're familiar with rough times. And we have always been the type that would come together

00:02:54.720 in adversity. And we're a neighborly friendly bunch. We work hard. And if a chainsaw needs to be

00:03:00.540 gotten and you've got to clear some stuff away, we'll do that. We'll probably throw the teapot on and

00:03:04.600 have a sandwich while we're talking about it as well. We're just friendly, good, hard-working

00:03:09.200 people. But one thing Atlantic Canadians are concerned about is many are great, and especially

00:03:14.940 politicians, at running in when the winds have just swept through and when the storm is just

00:03:21.200 fresh in people's minds. And yes, there's lots of immediate action, and I'm glad there's action

00:03:26.140 taking place. But as you know, with any storm, long after the wind subsides, the waves keep coming

00:03:31.880 and it hits the vessel, it hits the shores. And I think what Atlantic Canadians want to know is,

00:03:37.740 will the politicians, will our government be there, not just in the immediate aftermath of

00:03:43.960 the wind, but will they be there throughout the waves? And as the waves keep coming, and they have

00:03:50.200 to try and put their businesses back on their feet, and they have to get, you know, their boats back in

00:03:54.840 the water, and they've got to get their farms operational. Will we, as the government, be there for

00:04:00.960 the long haul? Through both the wind and the waves. Good point. How do people get to send help?

00:04:09.900 What's your advice to anyone that wants to help out? There are some great organizations, and I know

00:04:14.560 right now the federal government is doing matching funds with the Red Cross, so that's one avenue that

00:04:18.680 people can go through for sure. Great organization, and they can go through there. And there's other

00:04:23.260 wonderful organizations that are always on the ground in times of disasters, like the Salvation Army

00:04:27.080 and other groups. So definitely, if people can make donations and help, and that means a lot. And if

00:04:32.560 you know of some people or have family that have been directly affected by it, reach out. Sometimes

00:04:37.500 it's in the days and the weeks afterwards when it seems like all the attention wanes, but they're still

00:04:42.800 stuck cleaning up the mess. Knowing people are thinking of them means a lot. I think the cleanup efforts

00:04:47.640 are going to take some time, and I would encourage anyone that can help out. Please do.

00:04:52.280 Absolutely. Yeah, get in touch with Richard. This is kind of cool. I like the podcast. So we have

00:04:57.820 Jazz, who's got his own podcast. We've got the blueprint. But this really is filling a void that

00:05:03.660 some people are looking for right now. They're looking for that different flavor rather than

00:05:08.600 the mainstream media that seems to have a narrative. I think this is a great idea. Yeah. So I guess the

00:05:13.440 question is, is the government coming through? I know we've raised in question period a whole bunch of

00:05:17.380 times that they're not coming through with the funds needed. Yeah, I think there's areas to it. I mean,

00:05:22.600 obviously the Premier of Nova Scotia has raised this. They wanted more troops available on the

00:05:26.420 ground quicker to help clear away the debris. Because if you're without power and you're without

00:05:30.560 water, a 24-hour period is a long time, let alone days and weeks. So let's expedite everything, clear away

00:05:38.740 any hurdles that would be there, and make sure we're working cooperatively with those closer to the

00:05:44.080 situation, including the provincial government administrations, but also the mayors. But the

00:05:49.640 federal government on its part can make sure the resources are freed up in there. And if there's

00:05:53.760 need for additional Canadian Armed Forces presence, make sure that they're reached up to be able to be

00:06:00.460 there as well. Jamie, I think you're right. This is great. It feels like we have a good representation

00:06:06.220 today. I'm from Western Canada. You're from Central. And we have representation from Eastern Canada

00:06:11.360 as well. And all of our colleagues, and from all parts of Canada, have been calling for taxes to

00:06:19.160 stop being increased, and especially the carbon tax, which is going to triple, triple, triple next April.

00:06:28.000 Once or twice. I wake up in the middle of the night and I get triple, triple, triple.

00:06:31.920 Yeah. And the thing is that if another storm were to hit next year, it would be even more costly for

00:06:40.000 recovery efforts. And so when we look at people already devastated by the storm, we've been calling

00:06:45.680 on no new taxes, especially the ones that are coming up on January the 1st and April the 1st,

00:06:50.720 as we know. What have you guys been hearing? Same thing. I think obviously in what's tragic

00:06:57.600 any time there's a natural disaster that comes through an area. And it seems like immediately

00:07:02.240 it goes to the whole discussion around climate change. Well, we all recognize climate change

00:07:06.800 is here as part of what we're dealing with. But what is the right approach to it? Is it tripling taxes

00:07:14.240 and somehow increasing the burden on Canadians that are already burdened by devastating circumstances?

00:07:18.800 Or let's say, hmm, let's make sure the necessary infrastructure is built back into those

00:07:24.800 communities, especially in the wharfs and some of the sections that are more vulnerable,

00:07:28.560 that are able to sustain and be able to endure some of the more inclement circumstances we're going

00:07:34.080 to be finding. But also don't increase the tax burden on regions that are already disproportionately

00:07:39.760 taxed. As it relates to home heating, Atlantic Canadians are going to be disproportionately affected

00:07:44.800 by this increase in the carbon tax. Already, according to the Nova Scotia Premier, 40% of Atlantic Canadians

00:07:54.240 are going to be struggling with energy-related poverty issues. They can't afford to heat their homes

00:08:00.320 because of the increase in home heating costs, increase in power bills. And the last thing they need

00:08:06.000 is a tripling of carbon taxes. It just is going to affect everything. Groceries, heating, food, and fuel

00:08:14.080 for their cars. And small town, Atlantic Canada, we have to drive to get to work. We have to drive to get

00:08:18.800 our kids to sports. We don't have access to metros and subways in most parts of Atlantic Canada. So these

00:08:24.320 types of taxes, while they may make the Prime Minister feel warm and fuzzy that he's doing something

00:08:30.080 to affect climate, the reality is he's making the cost of living so much worse on ordinary Canadians.

00:08:36.320 But it's not the super rich changing their behavior. It's the people struggling to get by.

00:08:41.920 That's right. Like I said many times, I didn't coin this phrase, but I've used it. The government always

00:08:47.840 gives you something with an open hand, but behind their back is the clenched fist, right? So the relief,

00:08:54.160 which I think everybody needs, if you're treading water just to get by, any little bit will help.

00:09:00.720 Just like someone, you know, dying of thirst in the desert, right? A little bit of water will help,

00:09:04.960 but at the same time, you're still in the desert. So at the end of the day, the inflationary crisis

00:09:10.560 is still here. You know, the relief money comes, you're able to survive a little bit longer, but you

00:09:15.120 still haven't addressed the overall problem. And I think that's the big issue. And how do you get prices

00:09:20.000 down? Well, the Bank of Canada is trying to do that with interest rates, but you also need more supply.

00:09:23.840 That's right. Right? You need to add supply. So if we want to reduce the price of energy,

00:09:28.240 not only do we have to stop taxing it to endless degrees, but you also have to have abundance.

00:09:32.800 We in Canada have the ability to do that, but our government has handcuffed the industry that has

00:09:36.880 been trying to expand for as long as I can remember. And the whole world's begging for energy. We have it.

00:09:43.040 We just can't do anything with it because the prime minister says there's not a business case.

00:09:46.400 It's absolutely incredible. Yeah. And on top of that, when you look at the carbon tax,

00:09:51.040 when they're going to triple, triple, triple the carbon tax, you have the Liberal government

00:09:55.440 saying that more money will go back into the pocket of Canadians. But the PBO is actually saying

00:10:02.880 in four provinces, it's not with Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, families

00:10:08.720 are going to be paying 60% of them more in carbon tax than they're going to be getting back. And once

00:10:14.080 they actually triple the carbon tax, people in Alberta are going to be paying close to $2,300

00:10:19.840 out of pocket for this tripling of the carbon tax. People in Ontario close to $1,500. And we're not

00:10:26.880 even factoring in inflation that's caused by the government. So any type of saving, any type of help,

00:10:33.040 like you said, is going to be vaporized. And then it's the tax on the tax. In some cases,

00:10:38.480 the GST or the HST on top of the carbon tax. This is not a time when Canadians need more taxes put on

00:10:48.080 them. When many of them are $200 away from insolvency, in some cases, or just living paycheck

00:10:54.720 to paycheck and struggling to get food on their table and balancing and choosing whether I fill up

00:11:01.040 my car or get groceries. That's right. And it is, these are tough choices that Canadians are facing

00:11:08.080 from coast to coast. And I think the last thing they want to hear is governments pondering more ways

00:11:14.400 to get their hands on more of their money. They're looking for who's going to give us a break when we

00:11:20.080 most need it, who's going to stand on the side. And yet Canadian, Canada has amazing potential.

00:11:24.960 That's unrealized, unbelievable potential. But we put a boot on the neck of our energy producers

00:11:32.560 and our food producers at a time when we should be pressing for increased energy security and supply

00:11:39.280 and increased Canadian food supply and agriculture. Those are our strengths and our pillars. So we've

00:11:44.240 got a great story to tell. This government chooses not to tell it. Hear, hear. And on top of that,

00:11:49.120 when we look at the environment, emissions have only been going up along with the carbon tax.

00:11:54.320 They've never met. And they've never met a single emissions reduction target ever. So it's actually

00:12:00.560 working the wrong way. And they're taxing on the back of hardworking Canadians. Absolutely. And you

00:12:05.680 know, when you have less money in your pocket, you have less money for discretionary spending,

00:12:09.840 right? Then the slowdown in the economy happens because you're not going out for dinner as much.

00:12:13.520 You're not buying the fun stuff. Maybe you're not going on vacation. You know, work hard all year,

00:12:17.120 you'd like a vacation every once in a while. But you start to have less money in your pocket,

00:12:20.480 you start to slow that spending, right? And that's a very troubling sign, especially when

00:12:25.840 the wage gains that many people have gotten in the last, you know, 10 or so years, it's been,

00:12:30.720 like you said, vaporized by this inflationary crisis that we have. But we see no end of it

00:12:36.160 because we're still spending. That's right. And when the left talks about record profits,

00:12:39.760 the government is taking in record profits at the moment. That's right.

00:12:44.320 They have more money than they've ever had before. And they still can't figure out the problems,

00:12:49.680 right? The super smart people in Ottawa can't figure it out with all this money.

00:12:53.600 Well, surprise, surprise. The answer is more money, clearly.

00:12:56.080 Well, and to keep printing money, that puts this pressure on that leads to, as we know,

00:13:01.680 inflation. And then of course, to offset that, banks start raising interest rates, which again,

00:13:08.160 all of this leads to increased cost and pressure on the backs of ordinary Canadians.

00:13:12.640 That's right. And this is something that I think a lot of Canadians are frustrated by. And we in the

00:13:19.520 House have asked many times, while they're pushing for all these objectives to please,

00:13:25.600 I don't know who really. I think it's the left wing climate zealots that want to leave it in the

00:13:31.040 ground. Well, and they keep pushing those. Yes, those narratives. But I asked directly in the

00:13:35.040 resource committee, I've asked some of my fellow members, I said, please show me and tell me and

00:13:40.000 explain to me. I'm a simple, ordinary guy from the hills of Tobik Mactaquac. And I have a question

00:13:46.560 that a lot of people have from across the country right now is, how is displacing Canadian energy that

00:13:52.560 is produced and extracted under the strictest of environmental regulations, some of the best in

00:13:57.200 the world and replacing that with oil and energy from unsavory regimes sometimes and those who have

00:14:06.640 far less or no regulation or little to none as it pertains to extraction. How is that better for the

00:14:12.480 planet's climate? That's right. And I've never gotten an answer to that. And I think Canadians are 1.00

00:14:16.880 starting to wake up and realize this doesn't make sense. This isn't fair to our workers. It's not fair to

00:14:22.720 our energy sector. It's not fair to Canadian jobs and Canadian workers. You can go one step closer,

00:14:28.160 too. So according to the Green Marxist, fracking is bad. Okay, fracking for oil and gas is bad.

00:14:35.760 In large part, what do you have to do to get lithium? You have to use fracking. That's right. So it's okay

00:14:41.920 to frack for a non-renewable and they're called rare earth materials for a reason because it's rare earth.

00:14:47.200 Yes. But you can't frack for oil and gas, which provides a stable, tried and tested energy supply

00:14:55.200 that's affordable to the vast majority of people all around the world. It is absolutely incredible

00:15:01.200 what these Green Marxists are putting this country and not only that, most of the developed nations 0.99

00:15:07.120 through. Western oil, you're absolutely right. This is the critical challenge of our times is if we don't

00:15:12.960 get energy security and food security right, it leads to all kinds of not just national insecurity,

00:15:18.960 it leads to international insecurity as we're seeing geopolitically. The world needs nations like

00:15:24.560 Canada to be a safe and reliable supplier of energy and food. And what are we doing right now at the

00:15:30.960 federal level? What is the government doing right now? It is basically targeting those two sectors,

00:15:36.880 whether it's tariffs and taxes on fertilizers. Well, you take away fertilizer, you take away food.

00:15:43.040 That's right. We've got the clean fuel standard coming too. Yeah, another tax. This is on those who

00:15:48.640 produce our energy and our food. It's going to cost Canadians and it costs the world. Well,

00:15:53.760 the world needs more Canadian energy. We all know that. And Canadian food. And lately there's been some

00:15:59.920 very, very hot topics that a lot of us have been able to stand up for. I think the the most recent one was

00:16:07.120 leaving the IRGC as a terrorist organization here in Canada. We saw our leader Pierre Polyev at a rally

00:16:14.160 in Richmond Hill recently with about 50,000 people. It was incredible. Our government will list the IRGC as

00:16:22.160 a banned terrorist organization. It was incredible to see so many people come together to stand up for

00:16:29.920 human rights for human rights for the woman who was killed, Zina Masa Amini, and honor the victims of

00:16:37.440 the down flight PS 752 that actually killed the IRGC terrorist regime killed about 80 of our Canadian

00:16:47.360 citizens and permanent residents together. Yeah. And recently we've seen our party continually ask

00:16:54.160 the prime minister and the government to label them something that they promised. Jamie, you were

00:16:57.920 around then. It was unanimous consent in the House of Commons. They've had years to figure this out.

00:17:02.560 It's amazing that they haven't done it already. The question keeps coming back is why not?

00:17:07.200 How is this controversial? This is this is a regime that is known to brutalize its citizens.

00:17:14.720 Absolutely. And if you step out out of line like the morality police, the IRGC is also known as,

00:17:21.680 they, as you mentioned, they have killed people. Many times they've silenced. And the fact that

00:17:27.440 parliament said, yes, it should be designated as a terrorist group. The liberals drag their feet so

00:17:32.400 they're allowed to fundraise. They're allowed to organize. They're allowed to recruit. It's

00:17:36.400 absolutely ridiculous. I agree. I think this is something else that really frustrates Canadians 0.99

00:17:44.000 is when something is as clear as this is, something that is absolutely clear, why would the government

00:17:51.200 not just do the right thing and do it now? When they hear these non-answers that we're getting in the

00:17:56.640 house to this response and the sidestepping and the tap dancing around it, there's a frustration that

00:18:05.280 comes that says, do we not know right from wrong anymore? Do we not understand the basics? Like,

00:18:11.680 this is terrible. This is tragic. 50 Canadian citizens and 30 of permanent residents were shot down on a

00:18:23.120 civilian flight out of Iran by that organization. It needs to be dealt with. 0.99

00:18:30.400 I think Canada needs to step up. You know, when the Prime Minister has non-answers, he's denying justice

00:18:37.680 for the victims, not just of the flight, but the families that continue to suffer, that continue to

00:18:44.240 be tormented by the fact that there are IRGC agents here in Canada. Like you said, Jamie, they're here

00:18:50.720 organizing, they're planning and raising money. We need to get them out. It is so frustrating that

00:18:57.920 they cannot do the obvious on this. Step up to the plate and do what is right when many of our allies,

00:19:04.800 most if not all, have done the same. Why is Canada behind on this? It makes no sense.

00:19:12.080 Well, normally my program is about 20 minutes. I know, Jaz, your program goes a little longer. Sadly,

00:19:17.840 these conversations always go so fast, but we got to get out of here. We got to wrap up.

00:19:21.760 Do appreciate both of your time. Richard Bragdon, the host from Tobik Maktukwak in beautiful

00:19:27.760 province of New Brunswick. Jaz, do you want to do a quick promo for your show?

00:19:32.960 Hey, everyone. Thanks again for tuning in to another episode of All That Jazz Podcast.

00:19:38.240 Like, subscribe, share if you liked it. And same thing with my good friend, Jamie Schmill.

00:19:43.600 We were honored and blessed to be in the presence of our kind sir, the royal himself, Richard Bragdon,

00:19:51.200 a fine MP from Atlantic Canada. And we hope to see another one. I'm excited to do more of these with

00:19:57.600 Jamie. Absolutely. So it's new content at The Blueprint every single Tuesday, 1.30pm Eastern time.

00:20:03.600 As Jaz just pointed out, like, comment, subscribe, share this program. It's available on platforms like

00:20:08.720 CastBox, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, you name it, it's out there. Until next week, remember,

00:20:13.360 low taxes, less government, more freedom. That's The Blueprint.

The Blueprint: Canada's Conservative Podcast - October 12, 2022

Sometimes, the problem is Government.

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