The News Rundown
- Last weekend the UCP AGM took place in Edmonton and while it was a fertile breeding ground for stories that the media would happily use to lead people astray we have to look into some of the more concrete actions that came out of the meeting.
- The AGM represents one of the most grassroots political parties in Canada meaning that ordinary members can go and vote on policy proposals and with work even submit proposals.
- There will be discussion in the media that you may hear about these policy resolutions but at the end of the day, it is up to the government to determine what becomes policy.
- Just because it was voted on at the UCP AGM does not mean that it will become the policy of the government of Alberta.
- The biggest concrete policy action though came from the Premier herself with a pledge to invoke the Alberta Sovereignty Act on the file of the federal gun buyback program and for self defence.
- The media was very quick to assert in an almost hyperventilating tone that it’s actually Ottawa that enforces control over these areas. While legally yes this happens, this motion put forward to the legislature is the province’s strongest card at present to stand up against federal regulations the government does not like.
- The motion instructs all provincial entities, including law-enforcement agencies such as municipal police services and the RCMP, to decline to enforce or implement the federal gun seizure program.
- On this, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, who is a former Calgary Police officer said, “As an experienced former law enforcement officer, law-abiding gun owners have never been an issue, in my own personal experience, nor has there been any data to support that law-abiding gun owners are the ones that are committing violent gun crimes. The illegal guns that you see being used by criminals are typically being smuggled in from the United States.”
- The motion also says that Albertans have the right to use reasonable force to defend themselves, their families and their homes from intruders.
- Speaking to the base at the AGM, Premier Danielle Smith said, “I’ve got a little tip for low-life criminals out there: if you don’t want to get shot, don’t break into someone’s house.”
- The motion promises to use “all legal means necessary” to resist the federal initiatives.
- What happens should somebody defy the buyback or shoot freely in self defence? That’s for the courts to decide and the ruling could be groundbreaking one way or another.
- This by far was the most concrete policy to come out of the AGM but the other big lightning rod this week was whether or not Danielle Smith was booed at the AGM.
- There was a full slate of media stories saying that Danielle Smith was booed at the AGM and was met with skepticism in her speech to the party.
- However, it was only during points where Smith mentioned Alberta working within a united Canada or the pipeline memorandum of understanding that she was booed.
- Media coverage of this amplified the voices who are strongly against the federal government painting it as an indictment of Smith’s leadership.
- The record does show that she was booed but it’s important to realize that the framing of this has been wildly distorted by the media.
- Also wildly distorted is the question, are separatists in control of the UCP?
- CBC Edmonton has a story where in the headline and first paragraph Danielle Smith is insisting the UCP is not a separatist party.
- The Edmonton Journal says that “Five out of nine of the new officers appear on a card bearing the slate of Alberta Prosperity Project.” The Alberta Prosperity Project is the group that is spearheading the pro-independence referendum question.
- However, what this egregious reporting leaves out, and is later reported in the SAME story, is that there are 17 board slots and those who are in the camp of Danielle Smith or her vision of Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada, represent 11 of 17 board members.
- So, there are 9 new board members, 5 have separatist sentiments, on a board of 17.
- So if we look at that in a different way, 5 of 17 board members support Alberta independence outright, 11 support Smith, and 1 has unknown pro-Canada loyalties.
- Take what you will from the UCP AGM but those who are not plugged into convention proceedings and only get their news from mainstream sources will believe that Smith is losing support and the party is run by separatists.
- Supplementals:
- Negotiations this week between Canada and Europe are raising questions as to just how much Canada is getting back from the nebulous "diversifying our economy" goal that seems to be prevalent in many Canadians' minds this year.
- The European Union says Canada will need to pay 10 million euros -- the equivalent of C$16 million -- to join a defence procurement agreement with the continent, a price tag that is raising questions about how much investment the pact will generate.
- Canada this week officially joined the $245 billion Security Action for Europe program, SAFE. It’s part of the ReArm Europe initiative to make the continent less reliant on American defence technology and funding.
- Defence Minister David McGuinty announced Monday the deal had been finalized but was circumspect when asked how much Canada would need to pay, telling reporters on Parliament Hill that “we’ll have more to say about that in due course.”
- As it turns out, EU spokesman Thomas Regnier revealed the fee during a press briefing Tuesday in Brussels: “Canada will have to start to pay a one-off contribution of 10 million to the EU budget, and this will then be reassessed,” he said.
- Global Affairs Canada later confirmed this figure in a Wednesday statement: “Canada will pay a 2.5 million euro upfront administrative contribution and 7.5 million euro upfront annual participation contribution. An agreement in principle has been reached, but technical discussions continue in order to finalize treaty text.”
- Regnier said the fee paid by Canada or any other country is based on the scale of “potential contracts that (each) third country industry will get.”
- He said: “There is a correction mechanism, so this will be reassessed in light of the amounts of contracts that the Canadian industry will get from its participation into SAFE. We are following the same methodology for all potential third-country agreements that we’re negotiating under SAFE.”
- For comparison, the EU has asked the U.K. to pay between 4 and 6.5 billion euros, several times the size of Canada’s fee, but then again, the UK defense industry is several times larger than Canada's, and would likely be able to invest and get back a lot of extra money from the defense pact than Canada would.
- Regnier also said the EU has a separate agreement with Ottawa that allows Europeans to buy products directly from Canada’s defence industry if at least one-fifth of the components in the goods come from the European Union.
- EU countries had set Nov. 30 as the deadline for initial bids for the loans, which are expected to be issued next year. It’s unclear how the passage of the deadline will affect Canadian companies that want in on the action — or whether they’ll now have to wait until 2027.
- Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was cheerleading the deal this past week, saying that “Everyone I spoke with was very excited to have Canadian companies be on the same footing as European companies, in order to compete for procurement contracts here. The SAFE agreement brings Canada into the tent in a very positive way for the domestic Canadian economy.”
- However, not everyone is excited that the defense deal will be a great bargain to Canada. Universite du Quebec a Montreal professor Justin Massie wrote on the social media platform X that the much smaller Canadian fee raises questions about how much investment the deal will bring to Canada: “Given that the entry costs are based on the expected benefits a third-party will derive from access to the EU instrument, we should temper our expectations.”
- Still, the vibes from Carney's government have been positive, regardless of how little we know about the actual specifics of the deal. McGuinty said: “We've been allowed to step inside a tent, the European Union tent. We've been allowed to participate like no other … non-European state has been allowed. We have negotiated our way into the tent to build this relationship and participate in very large opportunities for procurement. The details in terms of costs, percentages are being ironed out.”
- And really, that's the thing. While we are negotiating with the EU and now have a foot in the door, we still don't know what this will affect, how we can benefit, or if it will actually do anything meaningful for Canada. Lack of journalism from the mainstream media on the topic also shows just how little we actually know on the deal.
Firing Line
- US Immigration and Customs Enforcement otherwise known as ICE has made a significant purchase of Canadian military hardware.
- The price tag will run $7,234,926.20 USD or just over $10m Canadian.
- The order is for 20 Senator STANG emergency response tactical vehicles.
- The purchase comes from Roshel that is headquartered in Brampton, Ontario. Roshel has also provided vehicles for Ukraine.
- ICE has generated controversy over controversy this year with their crackdowns on illegal immigrants in the United States.
- Canadians opinions on this story are likely not formed yet as it has gained almost zero coverage in country.
- The story was first reported on by The Independent in the UK. As per usual with foreign coverage of Canadian events, we often get better coverage.
- The Independent runs through what the vehicles do including being able to withstand bomb blasts similar to an 8kg TNT blast and stop .50 caliber rounds.
- For those unfamiliar with firearms, a .50 caliber round is large and will disembowel a person if hit and have the ability to pass through most residential buildings.
- The Senator ERV is powered by a 6.7 liter V8 engine, a 10-speed automatic transmission, and can seat 12. It also features military-grade tires, a hydraulic breaching ram, perimeter gun ports, and escape hatches, as well as options such as video surveillance capabilities, night vision, and “chemical protection systems.”
- The America First movement is questioning why an American firm wasn’t chosen.
- ICE wanted 20 vehicles and Roshel will be able to deliver within 30 days.
- The four US based companies could not meet the requirement.
- Alpine Armoring, which told the agency it could only deliver up to 15 vehicles.
- CITE Armored, which said it could deliver 20 vehicles but would need 180 days to do so.
- DGM LLC, which was capable of delivering 20 vehicles but failed to provide any sort of timeline and was not a verified supplier.
- Lenco Armored Vehicles, which told ICE it could deliver just three used vehicles, in 30 to 60 days.
- As a result ICE decided to go with Roshel.
- Roshel does maintain an American presence with a two story office building in Dover, Delaware. Though the corporate materials tout the Brampton plant.
- Purchases made by federal agencies in the US are exempt from tariffs avoiding any question of the Canada/US trade concerns.
- Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the government had not been consulted about the transaction.
- It is worth noting that the government has the ability to block such a purchase as when previous Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly stopped ammo shipments to Israel.
- NDP MP Jenny Kwan for Vancouver East brought the NDp’s conscience forward saying that she was deeply and profoundly troubled by the news.
- She said, “I think Canadians expect our industries and our government to uphold human rights domestically and internationally, and not enable the further militarization of an organization whose conduct already puts vulnerable people at great risk.”
- There are also loopholes that allow for military hardware to be sold easier to the US than it is able to be sold to other countries.
- For their part the NDP will propose a Bill in January prohibiting the sale of military items to “problematic regimes.”
- Later on after CBC broke the story in Canada others like City News, CP24, and CTV published pieces. But the important thing to note is that none of this came without the story out of The Independent.
- While most of the media coverage has talked about the outrage against ICE using Canadian hardware, there is one Canadian who thinks it is “fantastic news.”
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford called it that and even said, “we’ll take orders anywhere in the world and thank goodness that the Americans are ordering it off us.”
- Now imagine if this had been a member of the federal Conservative Party.
- This story was at first completely missed by our media.
- After it made its way to Canada the coverage was selective at best.
- There does need to be a national question if under the current state of affairs we want to sell to the US and sell to the US for this purpose.
- The Carney government does need to answer that and the media did not provide any pushback on the matter.
- Supplementals:
Quote of the Week
"I was not prepared to go forward and have that civil war. In terms of what my future is going to be, I know my wife is very much looking forward to me being home, I’m sure my bird will be happy.” - Now former BC Conservative Leader John Rustad on his resignation as leader.
Word of the Week
Incapacitated - a condition where a person is suffering from a physical or mental condition or disorder that renders them unable to safely and effectively carry out their professional responsibilities.
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Show Data
- Episode Title: Rustad Resigns
- Teaser: John Rustad eventually resigns as BC Conservative Leader, the UCP AGM reaffirms Danielle Smith’s opposition to federal overreach, and Canada steps into the EU tent on defence. Also, a Canadian company sells military APCs to ICE.
- Production Code: WC-447-2025-12-06
- Recorded Date: December 6, 2025
- Release Date: December 7, 2025
- Duration: 1:02:54
- Edit Notes: none
Podcast Summary Notes
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