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Alberta

Alberta. The Best Province in a Nation in Trouble.

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Submitted by Red Deer South MLA Jason Stephan

September 1 is Alberta Day. Alberta is a land of freedom and prosperity, welcoming all who desire to work and to serve, seeking happiness for themselves and their families. Alberta joined confederation and became part of Canada on September 1, 1905. Historically, Alberta has led Canada in key measures such as GDP per capita, business investment per worker, private sector employment, CPP contributions, equalization payments, etc. Alberta is the best.

Canada has benefited from Alberta more than Alberta has benefited from Canada. In this graph produced by the Fraser Institute, for its article titled Understanding Albertaā€™s Outsized Contribution to Confederation, it is estimated that Alberta businesses and workers, between 2017 to 2023, paid more than $244 billion to Ottawa than it received from Ottawa, dwarfing net contributions of the only two other contributing provinces, Ontario and BC, despite, in the case of Ontario, having a much larger population.

The biggest taker during this period was Quebec, receiving more than $327 billion from Ottawa than it paid. Many have written how Quebec and others ā€œgameā€ confederation to increase transfers from producers. Indeed, the current premier of Quebec said that his favorite thing about Canada is equalization.

While Canada has the potential to be the most free and prosperous country in the world, by objective measures it is not, and the flawed structure of ā€œconfederationā€, and some who seek to exploit it to glut themselves on the labors of others, hold us back and drag us down. When the ā€œredistributionā€ of wealth displaces the ā€œproductionā€ of wealth as a ruling principle, we are in trouble and that is now.

Many are concerned that Trudeauā€™s Canada is a growing danger and threat to Albertaā€™s freedom and prosperity. That is true. Alberta is better off without Trudeauā€™s Canada. Trudeauā€™s Canada is a fiscal train wreck. Trudeau has smashed through a trillion dollars in debt, accumulating more debt than all Prime Ministers before him combined. This gross negligence, waste and disrespect will be burdens of our children long after they are gone. Canada now pays more in interest on its debt than it collects from the GST.

Prior to Trudeau, in 2014, Canadaā€™s per capita GDP was 92% of the US. What is it now? In 2022, it is 72%, a 20% drop in less than 10 years, and getting worse. We are getting poorer, fast. It should not be this way, it does not need to be this way.

Canadians awake and alive to the truth of Trudeauā€™s Canada and where it is leading are rightly concerned and alarmed. But what to do? Some are leaving or have left.

Alberta has the highest per capita GDP in Canada, rejecting Trudeauā€™s woke, socialist values of mediocrity and virtue signaling, producing nothing. Trudeauā€™s Canada appears to resent Alberta with policies that single out Alberta, seeking to attack, hold back, or drag it down.

Do not count on many politicians to stand up for a ā€œFair Dealā€ for Alberta, because if Alberta gets a Fair Deal, then it means less handouts for others!

Letā€™s provide Albertans with the unbiased truth and facts surrounding ā€œfiscal federalismā€. Who is paying what, and who is getting what, directly or indirectly, from Alberta businesses and workers. Albertans should be supplied with the truth about what they are paying for and what Trudeauā€™s Canada is costing them. In this fall legislature I will be bringing forward a motion to get to these facts, even if some do not like it.

Letā€™s arm Albertans with more truth, and then trust them to lead, to know what is best. Letā€™s increase Albertaā€™s leverage for a Fair Deal. The less Alberta needs Canada, the more leverage Alberta has. There are many things that Alberta can do for Albertans better than Trudeauā€™s Canada.

Albertans need alternatives to Trudeauā€™s Canada; letā€™s prepare, insulate, and protect ourselves from this accelerating trainwreck, which unabated, will crash as sure as night follows day.

We cannot be complacent – less talk and more action.

Alberta is a blessed land of freedom and prosperity. We must be vigilant to keep it that way. Happy Alberta Day!

 

 

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New Documentary “Cooking with Hot Stones” Explores History of Fort Assiniboine, Alberta

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February 14, 2025 ā€“ Alberta, CanadaĀ ā€“ A compelling new documentary,Ā Cooking with Hot Stones: 200th Anniversary of Fort Assiniboine, is set to air on Wild TV, RFD TV Canada, Cowboy Channel Canada, and you can click here to stream for FREE on Wild TVā€™s streaming service, Wild TV+. This engaging one-hour feature will take viewers on a journey through time, exploring Fort Assiniboineā€™s rich history from 1823 to 2023.

Fort Assiniboine is a significant landmark in Alberta, playing a crucial role in Indigenous history, the fur trade, and the western expansion of Canada. This documentary captures the spirit of the region, illustrating how it has evolved over two centuries and how it continues to shape the cultural fabric of the province today.

Wild TV will make the documentary free to stream on Wild TV+ on February 14th so that it can be easily accessed in classrooms and other educational settings throughout the region, ensuring the historical significance of Fort Assiniboine reaches a wider audience.

Produced by Western Directives Inc.,Ā Cooking with Hot Stones: 200th Anniversary of Fort AssiniboineĀ brings historical moments to life with vivid storytelling, expert interviews, and breathtaking cinematography.

ā€œWe are very excited to partner with Wild TV as part of our one hour documentary production. Based in Alberta, we respect the hard work and quality programming that Wild TV brings to a national audience. With the broadcast opportunity, Wild TV gives our production the ability to entertain and educate Canadians across the country on multiple platforms,ā€ said Tim McKort, Producer at Western Directives.

Scott Stirling, Vice President of Wild TV, also expressed enthusiasm for the project: ā€œAt Wild TV, we are passionate about telling Canadian stories that resonate with our audiences. This documentary not only highlights a crucial piece of our nationā€™s history but also celebrates the resilience and contributions of Indigenous peoples, traders, and settlers who shaped the land we call home today. We are proud to bringĀ Cooking with Hot Stones: 200th Anniversary of Fort AssiniboineĀ to our viewers across Canada.ā€

Airtimes for Wild TV can be foundĀ here.

For airtimes on RFD TV Canada,Ā click here.

For airtimes on Cowboy Channel Canada, visitĀ CCCā€™s schedule.

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Alberta

Canadians owe Smith a debt of gratitude

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CAE Logo Dan McTeague

ā€œThank you, Danielle Smith!ā€

That is what every man, woman, and child in our great nation should be shouting from the rooftops this week. Instead, our journalists, politicians, and their army of Leftist loudmouths on social media, are sticking with the story that sheā€™s, somehow, a traitor. That couldnā€™t be further from the truth, and every one of them should be ashamed of themselves for saying it.

In fact, Smith has been almost entirely alone in fighting for Canada since Donald Trump began broadcasting his intention to use the threat of tariffs to pressure our government on illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking over our border.

The response from the media was first mockery and scorn ā€” ā€˜Look at this American buffoon! He doesnā€™t even know how much he needs us!ā€™ ā€” followed by outrage at Trump and any Canadian who dared to suggest he might have a point. ā€œWhere is their patriotism?!ā€ asked elitists who have spent their careers scoffing at any and every expression of Canadian pride.

And the response from our governing class has been all virtue-signaling and egotism. Yes, Justin Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago to make a perfunctory case against the tariff, but he took every opportunity which presented itself to trash Trump, accuse the American people who elected him ofĀ sexism, and imply that Canadians who might consider voting conservative were just as bad.

Meanwhile, Doug Ford began his chest-thumping ā€˜Captain Canadaā€™ act, while calling an early election with an eye towards keeping himself in power for a few more years. The argument for this move didnā€™t stand up to the slightest scrutiny. Why did Ford call an election in the middle of what he described as an all-hands-on-deck national emergency? Because he needed a huge majority in Queenā€™s Park to authorize the COVID-19-level government spending and interventions he needed to respond to Trumpā€™s tariffā€¦ never mind the fact that the opposition parties are entirely on board with government spending and intervention.

Maybe he was worried that there are still a few conservatives left in his own caucus whoā€™d object to him driving Ontarioā€™s finances further into the mud? He shouldnā€™t be ā€“ if they stuck with him as he sunk billions into the dying EV industry, theyā€™re likely to stick with him now.

In any event, Ford has created a situation where, in the midst of a crisis, his attention is split between governing and campaigning. Itā€™s self-interest all the way down!

Smith, on the other hand, sprang into action. She flew to the States, first to Mar-a-Lago and then to Washington, and tirelessly made the case to all of the major players on this file ā€” Trump himself, Energy SecretaryĀ Chris Wright,Ā Interior SecretaryĀ Doug BurgumĀ and others ā€” that the U.S. and Canada are better off working together.

She made itĀ clearĀ that Albertans are also concerned about the border, and about fentanyl trafficking. She criticized Trudeauā€™s anti-Trump tirades as ā€œnot helpful,ā€ slammed proposals to cut off Canadian oil and gas to the U.S., and called for Ottawa to appoint a border and drugs czar, ideally a retired general, rather than some political flunky, an idea which has gottenĀ supportĀ from retired members of our military corps.

Her instinct has always been towards turning down the temperature, rather than trying to heat things up ā€” that, by the way, is called ā€œdiplomacyā€ ā€” and she never missed an opportunity to stand up for our oil and gas industry. When our Laurentian elite began sabre rattling about slapping an export duty on Canadian energy heading south, she stood opposed to that as well.

And this is at the heart of the Liberal critique of Smith. Sheā€™s betrayed Canada, they say, because she only cares about Alberta and its energy industry. She stands opposed to any action which might imperil Albertan oil and gas.

To which I say:Ā Of course! And good on her for it.

Because, remember, it isnā€™t only Albertaā€™s oil and gas industry. Itā€™s Canadaā€™s. And though Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney, and their ā€œgreenā€ ideologue friends might wish it otherwise, oil and gas remains the backbone of the Canadian economy. It is our ā€œgolden goose,ā€ in the words of economists Jack Mintz and Philip Cross, in aĀ recentĀ studyĀ of Canadaā€™s resource sector. And it is far too important to the livelihood of Canadians ā€” not just Albertans mind you ā€” for the Trudeau Liberals to use it as a bargaining chip. Especially since theyā€™ve spent years hamstringing it, whileĀ suggestingĀ that weā€™d ultimately be better off if it went the way of theĀ Dodo.

Itā€™s worth noting that when the (short-lived) tariffs were announced, the White House underlined Smithā€™s advocacy by singling out oil and gas for a lower rate. More importantly, the concessions from Trudeau which got us our present reprieve ā€” the drug czar and enhanced border enforcement especially ā€” were first proposed by Smith!

So, a separatist? A traitor? Perish the thought! Smith is an advocate for our interests, and a great Canadian.

Hopefully, as we try to avert the unwelcome return of these tariffs, the government looks to Danielle Smith for some guidance. Especially because, chances are, herĀ adviceĀ will be, ā€˜Call an election, so our prime minister has a mandate from the people and can negotiate from a position of strength!ā€™

For the good of Canada, hereā€™s hoping they listen.

Dan McTeague is President of Canadians for Affordable Energy

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Canadians for Affordable Energy is run by Dan McTeague, former MP and founder of Gas Wizard. We stand up and fight for more affordable energy.

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