Western Context

The Liberals introduce a hate speech bill that won’t pass, take the House Speaker to court over incriminating documents, and use taxpayer money to fund their re-election. Also, the death of Canadian bilingualism foreshadows the next election.

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Duration: 50:55
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“The Speaker’s Office will defend the rights of the House. That is something I take very seriously. The legal system does not have any jurisdiction over the operations of the House. We are our own jurisdiction. That is something we will fight tooth and nail to protect and we will continue to do that.” – House Speaker Anthony Rota on being taken to court by the Government of Canada

• Liberals to introduce new hate speech bill, possibly bringing back controversial Section 13
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• Liberals take House Speaker to court to block release of unredacted records
• Liberal MPs’ budgets pay same firms that help run party’s digital campaigns
• Under Justin Trudeau, official bilingualism as we know it is over
• Word of the Week: Parliamentary Supremacy

Alberta wraps up a successful spring session, CBC is turning off Facebook comments, and Trudeau paid more for less in buying vaccines. Also, our Public Health Agency is held in contempt of Parliament as the Trudeau government covers up more and more.

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Duration: 48:31
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“It’s one thing for our journalists to deal with toxicity on these platforms. It’s another for our audience members who try to engage with and discuss our journalism to encounter it on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, where they are almost guaranteed to be confronted by hate, racism and abuse.” – CBC editor in Chief Brodie Fenlon on the fabricated dangers of free speech

• Alberta legislature wraps tumultuous spring sitting, likely to call new session in the fall
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• Why CBC is turning off Facebook comments on news posts for a month
• Canada paid a premium to get doses from Pfizer earlier than planned
• Handing over Winnipeg lab documents has ‘national security’ implications
• Word of the Week: Contempt

Surprising topics arise during the Alberta NDP convention, Victoria council cancels Canada Day celebrations, and a third of Green MPs cross the floor to the Liberals. Also, Trudeau faces a complicated relationship with both the US and China.

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Duration: 51:34
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“Is Canada prepared to stand up for the Australians who are subject to hostage diplomacy as we expect the Australians to stand up for our Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor? Are we prepared to actually engage in programming which will displease the Chinese government in concert with our allies? Or do we want to leave this to other powers and hope that if Canada stands relatively neutral, that we will be able to protect our market position in China?” – Former Canadian diplomat Charles Burton on dealing with the Chinese government.

• Notley announces plans to move Alberta’s electricity grid to net-zero by 2035 if elected
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• Victoria votes to cancel virtual Canada Day broadcast, will produce reflection event later in summer
• Green MP Jenica Atwin crossing the floor to join the Liberals
• Biden says he wants to ‘confront’ China. Is Trudeau willing to go along?
• Word of the Week: Equity

The remains of 215 indigenous children are found near the Kamloops residential school, Jason Kenney warns of the danger of erasing our history, and John Horgan lays out a modern forestry plan. Also, Canada’s first dose successes can be misleading.

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Duration: 58:56
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“The critical recommendation that’s in play at Fairy Creek is consulting with the title holders. If we were to arbitrarily put deferrals in place there, that would be a return to the colonialism that we have so graphically been brought back to this week by the discovery in Kamloops.” – BC Premier John Horgan on why he won’t immediately protect old growth forests from being logged.

• Remains of 215 Indigenous children found buried at former Kamloops residential school
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• Kenney defends contentious Canadian history, laments cancel culture after Calgary school renamed
• B.C. lays out plans for ‘modernizing’ regulation of the forest industry
• U.S. to share millions of vaccine doses, including with Canada, as Ottawa pushed to donate too
• Word of the Week: Assimilation

BC and Alberta outline their re-opening strategies, Alberta orders universities to cut ties with China, and the CRTC deals a crushing blow to internet affordability. Also, Trudeau is on board with Biden’s search for the pandemic origin.

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Duration: 54:51
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“Are we supposed to lock ourselves into permanent fear and lock ourselves down because of potential worst case scenarios?” Jason Kenney on people who want perpetual lockdowns.

• Open for Summer
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• Alberta orders major universities to suspend pursuit of new partnerships with China
• CRTC scraps plan to mandate lower wholesale internet rates
• Trudeau backs Biden effort to identify origin of COVID-19
• Word of the Week: Oligopoly

Federal politicians say Quebec can amend the constitution, tools to identify old growth are ignored by the BC government, and Alberta’s municipal races heat up. Also, inflation is on the rise once again, while the media and government both ignore it.

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Duration: 58:58
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“The PM is fine [with] Que[bec] unilaterally amend[ing] the constitution to declare Quebec a nation and French its official language. So hypothetically speaking – AB and SK can do something like that too? Or would the answer be no….’asymmetrical federalism’ and all?” – Former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall on the looming constitutional crisis.

• Quebec can modify part of the Canadian Constitution unilaterally, Trudeau says
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• ‘We don’t have time’: scientists urge B.C. to immediately defer logging in key old-growth forests amid arrests
• Former councillor, MP Amarjeet Sohi announces Edmonton mayoral campaign
• From takeout to gas prices, how to protect yourself from rising inflation
• Word of the Week: Nation

A rise in BC gang shootings leads to questions about police methods, 2 UCP MLAs leave the party, and the Liberals resurrect a month old gaffe as a distraction. Also, we discuss just what impacts Bill C-10 will have on Canadian internet.

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Duration: 56:18
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“The key thing is they’ve got to stop treating these gangsters like they’re poor, misfit, misunderstood kids. They’re stone-cold killers. They should go to jail.” – Retired Vancouver Const. Doug Spencer on how to solve gang shootings

• Vancouver airport shooting victim was known target. Should police publicly identify high-risk gangsters?
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• Kenney says UCP needs to be ‘on the same team’ after vote to oust dissenters
• Liberal seek answers on naked photo of colleague, demand that Bloc MP testifies at committee
• Bill C-10 doesn’t pose free speech concern despite social media impact, justice minister finds
• Word of the Week: Trust

The BCCDC is withholding information from the public, Alberta’s new restrictions are wildly mischaracterized, and we get no closer to the end of the Vance allegations. Also, the finances of the Trudeau government are much worse than they realize.

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Duration: 53:58
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“We don’t actually have [IT] systems to support the same consistent collection of the same data over time. We are releasing more than what other provinces are releasing.” – Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on why BC is not releasing more COVID-19 stats than other provinces are releasing.

• Leaked reports show B.C. health authorities withholding data from the public
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• Revamped Alberta Restrictions
• PM says his office didn’t know Vance allegations were about sexual misconduct
• Liberal budget underestimates size of federal deficits, will lead to decades of higher debt: PBO
• Word of the Week: Disclosure

A new study tells us what pandemic responses are helpful or not, BC establishes its own sick pay program, and a tale of school violence shows the importance of facts. Also, Trudeau’s Bill C-10 will censor content that isn’t considered Canadian enough.

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Duration: 1:01:14
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“These politicians in Ottawa really have no clue at all what they are doing. They don’t know what they’re regulating or whose freedoms they’re infringing. I noticed they didn’t have any online content creators at their hearings.” – Journalist and Youtube content creator J.J. McCullough on the Liberal’s controversial Bill C-10 limiting freedom of expression

• Staying 2 metres apart does little to limit indoor spread of COVID-19: study
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• With no help from feds, Premier John Horgan says B.C. working on its own sick-leave program
• Investigators say assault on 14-year-old Black boy was a ‘consensual’ fight that escalated
• Ottawa’s move to regulate video posts on YouTube and social media called ‘assault’ on free speech
• Word of the Week: Censorship

Late government actions have let variants of concern into Canada, BC locks down travel within health regions, and Alberta’s free market leads the way in solar investment. Also, Trudeau’s first budget in two years shows just how much debt we are in.

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Duration: 57:56
Hosts: Shane and Patrick

“The truth is that the tragedy of COVID-19 has created a window of opportunity, which we can open to finally build a system of early learning and child care across our country.” – Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland

• ‘Practically impossible’ to keep COVID-19 variants out, officials say, as flights from hotspots continue
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• B.C. to restrict non-essential travel between 3 provincial health zones
• Lots of irony in Alberta leading the country in new solar projects
• Budget vows to build ‘for the long term’ as it promises child care cash, projects massive deficits
• Word of the Week: Debtonation