1 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 1: On this episode of Newsworld. The Freedom Convoy, known as 2 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: the Canadian Trucker protests, converged on the city of Ottawa, 3 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: the capital of Canada, on January twenty eighth. The protests 4 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: began in opposition to the government's introduction of a mandate 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: requiring all cross border truck drivers to be vaccinated against 6 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: COVID nineteenth. On Sunday, February twentieth, the week's long protest 7 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: in the streets of Ottawa had been largely cleared, not 8 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: because the truckers felt like their voices were heard and 9 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: decided to go home. On the contrary, Prime Minister Justin 10 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,600 Speaker 1: Trudeau announced on February fourteenth he was invoking the Emergency's 11 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: Act for the first time in Canada's system. The Act 12 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:52,480 Speaker 1: allowed for Ottawa police to use pepper spray and stunt 13 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: grenades to disperse crowds, tow away over seventy vehicles, and 14 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: arrest one hundred and ninety one people, bringing of three 15 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,680 Speaker 1: hundred and eighty nine charges against one hundred and three 16 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 1: of them. In addition, the Federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police 17 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: ordered a freeze on two hundred and six bank and 18 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: corporate accounts managing millions in funds related to the protest. 19 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:21,039 Speaker 1: They also flagged three hundred and fifty three bitcoin addresses 20 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: and forbid local crypto exchanges from facilitating transactions with the accounts. 21 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: I've never witnessed such government overreach in a democratic country 22 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: in my lifetime. Here to provide more information about the 23 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: events as they unfolded, I'm really pleased to welcome my 24 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:48,920 Speaker 1: friend and guest, the honorable John Baird. John, thank you 25 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: for joining us. Great to be with you, Newton. You know, 26 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,639 Speaker 1: in your many years in public life, both federal and local, 27 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: have you seen anything like the truck our protest and 28 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: the trudo reaction. I think this was all sparked by 29 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: the federal government and Prime Minister Trudeau's decision to bring 30 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,920 Speaker 1: in the mandate for vaccinations for truckers that are coming 31 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: across the borders. From the get go, I thought it 32 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: was complete overkilled because if there's one single group in 33 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: society that don't need to be vaccinated if they choose 34 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:18,280 Speaker 1: not to, it would be people who work and sleep 35 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: alone in their cabs. So I think he was using 36 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 1: it as a wedge issue that was political correctness on steroids, 37 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: and he obviously got a huge blowback. I think it 38 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: was the straw that broke. The camels asked whether it 39 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: was mandatory requirements for vaccinations, whether it was the shutdown, 40 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:36,679 Speaker 1: the horror that has been experienced in schools and in businesses. 41 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: It was the last straw, and the truckers rose up, 42 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: and Canadians from coast to coast, so many of them 43 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: seemed to be joining them to support them, which is 44 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: something very unique here. The word freedom isn't used a 45 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: lot in Canadian political circles as it is in the 46 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: United States, but it was quite something to behold. Initially 47 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: I thought that the truckers didn't get a lot of support, 48 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,639 Speaker 1: but then went on, they got more and more support. 49 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: I think partially in reaction to the government. Yeah. I 50 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:03,160 Speaker 1: think it became more of a mass public versus elite issue. 51 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: You saw average Canadians. You know, there's one single mother 52 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,800 Speaker 1: who donated fifty dollars to the trucker's protest fund, and 53 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: she's now had her bank account frozen and she can't 54 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 1: buy food for a family. The overkill and the Trudeau 55 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,239 Speaker 1: government is really disturbing. You know. Part of the break 56 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: seemed to be when the convoy ended up blocking the 57 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: Ambassador Bridge and Windsor, which is the busiest crossing between 58 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: Canada and the United States. Protesters also blocked other border 59 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,960 Speaker 1: points in Alberta, Manitoba, but the one between Windsor and 60 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: Detroit was particularly important and really disrupted trade between Ford 61 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: Motor Company, General Motors and Toyota, which produce on both 62 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: sides of the border, and actually a number of their 63 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: factories shut down. And on February tenth, the Biden administration 64 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: actually asked Canada to use its federal powers to stop 65 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: the disruption of the border. To what descent do you 66 00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: think the Biden administration helped encourage Trudeau's response, Well, there's 67 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: no doubt that he of course hard, but we didn't 68 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: need anything like the Emergencies Act to clear what was 69 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: a parking problem. I don't have a problem with political protesting. 70 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: It becomes an economic blockade at the Ambassador Bridge, that 71 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 1: was a concern, but he didn't need the Emergency Measures Act. 72 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: It was literally dealt with by parking enforcement and police 73 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: officers in Windsor, Ontario. You know, there was sort of 74 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: mixed reaction because that the truckers were noisy. The local 75 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: news reported that for over a week people couldn't sleep 76 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: very well. They went on to say, I know people 77 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 1: who have had carbon monoxide detectors going off. Building evacuated 78 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: because the truck fume was going on in the occupied streets, 79 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 1: the an ambulance and fara roots blocked off and what 80 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: might be more noticeable than anything else of all of 81 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,720 Speaker 1: the businesses in the busiest part of Ottawa Headroman Clothes 82 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: for over a week. In that sense, to what extent 83 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 1: was the public sort of divided? I think there were 84 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: certainly people living in downtown Ottawa. We're inconvenience, no doubt 85 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,239 Speaker 1: about it. But where was all these complaints about business 86 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,359 Speaker 1: being shut down in the two years of this pandemic 87 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:01,279 Speaker 1: when we had lockdown orders where most businesses were forced 88 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: to close literally for three, four or five six months. 89 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,039 Speaker 1: So it was a bit ironic the complaints that ensued. 90 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: So in a sense, when the government had you closed 91 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: your business, that was fine. When the truckers had you 92 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: closed your business, that was terrible. Absolutely. You know, listen, 93 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:17,280 Speaker 1: if this had been a Black Lives Matter protest, that 94 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:19,640 Speaker 1: this has been a union protest, the government of Canada 95 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:21,359 Speaker 1: wouldn't have had any problem with it. It would have 96 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 1: supported it up the yingang but of course it was 97 00:05:23,600 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: people pushing for freedom, people pushing against government overreach, people 98 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: pushing against excessive mandates. They got a lot of pushback 99 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,679 Speaker 1: from Canadians. So you also had I know, you're deeply 100 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,600 Speaker 1: involved in this, so you speak with a certain expertise, 101 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: but you've also had turmoil in the Conservative Party in 102 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: the middle of all this. Well, in the middle of 103 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,160 Speaker 1: all this, the Conservatives sacked their leader. They felt it 104 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: wasn't being strong enough in pushing back against mandates. For 105 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: the first time ever, the Conservative Caucus had a vote 106 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: and removed the leader of the Parliamentary Caucus. And now 107 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,799 Speaker 1: we've got a leadership contest underway where freedom is actually 108 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: becoming the big issue. Year system works. Does the parliamentary 109 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,279 Speaker 1: Caucus itself pick the leader or does it go to 110 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 1: the larger party. We have a one member, one vote system. 111 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 1: All party members across the country can have a vote, 112 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:13,840 Speaker 1: but it's similarly to the electoral college. Every constituency in 113 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: the House of Commons has one hundred votes, so one member, 114 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 1: one vote. The Parliamentary Caucus can only remove the leader, 115 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: not install a new one. But that must have been 116 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:25,480 Speaker 1: a shocking moment, particularly for the leader. I was absolutely 117 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 1: stunned at it because my entire time in politics, we've 118 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 1: never had any acrimony within the caucus. But it was 119 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 1: actually a clean win for those who sought to replace him. 120 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: So who are the contenders to replace the leader. There's 121 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: two major contenders. One has announced Pierre Paulyev, who is 122 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,600 Speaker 1: a member of Parliament who's been the shadow Finance minister 123 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 1: for the last four years. He's by far the front runner. 124 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: He's getting dozens and dozens and dozens of members of 125 00:06:47,920 --> 00:06:51,479 Speaker 1: the parliamentary Caucus and Conservatives across the country, and he's 126 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: likely to face up against the former premier of Quebec, 127 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:56,560 Speaker 1: johsh Errey, who would be more of the moderate wing 128 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: of the Conservative Party. Does Canadian politics tend to break 129 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: into West of Ottawa it's more conservative and east of 130 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: Ottawa it's more liberal. Absolutely. It's funny when Stephen Harper 131 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,359 Speaker 1: had a majority government, we had one hundred and sixty 132 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: six seats, one hundred and forty six of them were 133 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: west of the Ottawa River and only twenty were east 134 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:15,679 Speaker 1: of the Otta River. And there's five provinces on either side. 135 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: So the problems of Quebeca and the Atlantic provinces tend 136 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: to be demonstrably more moderate. So when you say that 137 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: freedom is sort of becoming the watchword of this campaign, 138 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: what does that mean? I mean, how would they translate 139 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: freedom into policy, Freedom to return to more competent macroeconomic policies, 140 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: excessive taxation, excessive control over people's lives on things like 141 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: unionized institution based childcare funding, things like high taxes, high spending, 142 00:07:43,080 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: and then of course the mandates that we've seen, not 143 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: just from the pandemic, but increasingly government in Ottaware trying 144 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 1: to control people's day to day lives and people are 145 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: beginning to push back on it. And it's something I've 146 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: never seen in Canada. Well, it's a part of this process. 147 00:07:57,600 --> 00:07:59,840 Speaker 1: It seems to me that there's been turmoil in Ottawa's 148 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: partly because that's where the truckers came, that's where the 149 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: government's based. But you ended up with Peter Slowly, the 150 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: police chief had to resign. What led to them, I 151 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,840 Speaker 1: think there was just gross mismanagement of the whole crisis 152 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,559 Speaker 1: by the police, And not only he had to resign, 153 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 1: but most of the Police Services Board, the Oversight board 154 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: had to go because it was just complete mismanagement. Here 155 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: in Toronto we had a trucker's protest. It was well managed, 156 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: it was over in twelve hours and there was no 157 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: problems whatsoever. But in Ottawa it just seemed to be mismanaged. 158 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 1: Did that affect directly on Prime Minister Trudeau? Were those 159 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: in his two separate problems. I think he just looked 160 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,199 Speaker 1: like he lost control, not just the streets around the Parliament, 161 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 1: but he lost control of the agenda and lost control 162 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: of his attempt to micromanage this pandemic in a very 163 00:08:45,120 --> 00:09:04,199 Speaker 1: ineffective way. The Emergencies Act of something I don't think 164 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 1: we have in the US. It's interesting it actually replaced 165 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: the War Measures Act, which was used during World War One, 166 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,679 Speaker 1: World War Two, and the nineteen seventy October Crisis by 167 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: the first Prime Minister Trudeau. Interestingly enough, so okay, as 168 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,200 Speaker 1: a non Canadian, what was the nineteen seventy October crisis. 169 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 1: What that was is that the FLQ terrorists, the radical 170 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 1: Quebec terrorists, had kidnapped the British Trade Commissioner and killed 171 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,560 Speaker 1: one of the Quebec cabinet ministers. And Trudeau brought the 172 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:35,320 Speaker 1: military in a very clear demonstration of the force of 173 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: the state, very controversial. It was repealed back in nineteen 174 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:40,840 Speaker 1: eighty eight, and this law was brought in and the 175 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,000 Speaker 1: debate back in nineteen eighty eight. And this law is 176 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:44,920 Speaker 1: part and it would only be used as an absolute 177 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,400 Speaker 1: last resort if there was a genuine national crisis. And 178 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:51,200 Speaker 1: it was just such overkill on behalf of the federal 179 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 1: government to use this, and the pushback on both the 180 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: left and the right seems to be quite significant. I 181 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 1: was surprised the way the Emergencies Act works. It really 182 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: gives the government total power with no judicial oversight. The 183 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: only oversight would be that Parliament has to within a 184 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:11,320 Speaker 1: week a firm support forward. And last night, by a 185 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:14,720 Speaker 1: narrow margin, the House of Commons endorsed the government's clan Yeah, 186 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: for thirty more days. I think, is that right? Thirty 187 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 1: more days? So how did they pull that off? Because 188 00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: I thought going into it that he might not be 189 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:23,319 Speaker 1: able to get that done. He has a minority Parliament, 190 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 1: which means that he needs to get the support of 191 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: one of the opposition parties, and the left wing the 192 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 1: Democratic Party, which has basically got Bernie Sanders type party 193 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:34,600 Speaker 1: for your American listeners, shockingly supported the government and it 194 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: was able to narrowly pass. Are they in the government 195 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:39,200 Speaker 1: or why would they do that? They seem to be 196 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:41,520 Speaker 1: doing everything they can to prop up this government on 197 00:10:41,559 --> 00:10:45,040 Speaker 1: confidence votes, on spending bills and came to their raid again. 198 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 1: This is a very different type of the liberal government. 199 00:10:47,880 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: Our liberal governments, certainly my ID at lifetime, have been 200 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:54,800 Speaker 1: more centrist, where this is decidedly center left. So is 201 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,679 Speaker 1: the minority party also worried about going to an early election. 202 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: Should have went to an early election last and I 203 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 1: just think he would be killed if he tried to 204 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:05,520 Speaker 1: go to an early election. That if he couldn't maintain 205 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: the support in the House of Commons for even a year, 206 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 1: he would be really in danger of losing. It. Also 207 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: has noted that the Social Democrats are deeply in debt, 208 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: have no money to campaign, so that could have likely 209 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 1: influenced their decision. Yeah, because when he's actually not in 210 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 1: very good shape to continue governor, it seems to me 211 00:11:21,240 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: that he's rapidly losing popular acceptance. We have a government 212 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: that's in power with thirty two percent of the vote 213 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 1: in September, and even the opposition Conservatives and the popular 214 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: vote received thirty three so it's a very very weak 215 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:38,080 Speaker 1: comnority government. Now I noticed that the Deputy Prime Minister, 216 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 1: Christia Freeland said, if your truck is being used in 217 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,840 Speaker 1: these protests, your corporate accounts will be frozen, the insurance 218 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,600 Speaker 1: in your vehicle will be suspended. The consequences are real 219 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: and they will bite. I don't like to call her 220 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,920 Speaker 1: the deputy prime Minister. I calling her how prime minister, 221 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 1: because the Prime Minister basically turned this whole file over 222 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: to her run. She's a very smart woman, very capable, 223 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:06,160 Speaker 1: but she has decidedly center left and it's real overkill 224 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: in terms of the approach that she's taken. I mean literally, 225 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:11,840 Speaker 1: in order to move these trucks, you needed basically parking enforcement, 226 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: and if people wouldn't move them, you haven't towed away, 227 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: and to need the emergency measures are getting into people's 228 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 1: bank accounts. Now the city is trying to tell these 229 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: truckers that they're going to impound their trucks and sell 230 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: them with the money going to the state, which when 231 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 1: it comes to property rights, is just deeply disturbing. I'm 232 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: curious because I read her book on the Theft of 233 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 1: the Century, which is a fascinating book from when she 234 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: was the Financial Times reporter in Moscow and her grandmother's 235 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: Ukrainian I actually spent time with her when she was 236 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 1: the Foreign minister. It's anyway that she had learned more 237 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:47,720 Speaker 1: from Putin about how to run a dictatorship then she'd 238 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: learned about how to be part of a free society. 239 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 1: I mean, her attitude has since has been remarkably aggressive 240 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 1: about using the power of the government very much so. 241 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: And I don't think this is going to sit well 242 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: in time. I think government's lost its balance and the 243 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: way they've dealt with the whole pushback, the whole Trucker's dispute, 244 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 1: this decision is not going to wear well in time. 245 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:10,200 Speaker 1: So you also have the Canadian system, which you know, 246 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:14,959 Speaker 1: we don't fully understand as Americans, has remarkable levels of 247 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:18,040 Speaker 1: power at the provincial level. I mean, in some ways 248 00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 1: it really is a confederation as much as a national state. 249 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 1: So how have the various provinces responded to that the 250 00:13:27,080 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: government here in Ontario has supported them, which truly shocks me. 251 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: There's getting a lot of the pushback and blowback from 252 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 1: their supporters. Some of the Western Canadian premiumers have come 253 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:37,800 Speaker 1: out solidly against it. Even going to court to try 254 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:40,520 Speaker 1: to stop them. That's been a mixed bag during the pandemic, 255 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: though most of the restrictions and lockdowns have been made 256 00:13:42,800 --> 00:13:46,359 Speaker 1: by the provinces, and I think that there's growing fatigue 257 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:49,840 Speaker 1: with the way they've handled it. So in that sense, 258 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,960 Speaker 1: do you see provincial political leaders gaining a larger role. 259 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: They already have a pretty powerful role in our confederation. 260 00:13:57,440 --> 00:13:59,839 Speaker 1: I mean they handle social services as they handle like 261 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: occation to handle healthcare. The bulk of the concerns that 262 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:05,480 Speaker 1: the average family would have would be dealt with at 263 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,360 Speaker 1: the provincial level. That's why the authoritarian streak of the 264 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:11,200 Speaker 1: federal governent in this was so shocking, if I can, 265 00:14:11,240 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 1: because I think most Americans really haven't followed Justin Trude 266 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: very much. And I realize you represent the other party, 267 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 1: so he probably you share my biases. But isn't he 268 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: a little weird? He certainly can be somewhat eccentric from 269 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: day to day, that's for sure. I'm thinking about his 270 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: trip to India, where he apparently dressed like he was 271 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: Indian and the Indians all thought it was kind of strange. 272 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: That was probably the low point of his time in office. 273 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: He went for a week and a half to India 274 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:43,360 Speaker 1: and wore different Indian costumes and outfits every day, to 275 00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:45,880 Speaker 1: which the Indians rolled their eyes. I can remember being 276 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: in London, England, and there was a four page spread 277 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: in the Daily Mail mister dress up. You know, here's 278 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: a guy that, as a center left liberal, was found 279 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: to have worn blackface so many times in his twenties 280 00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:59,840 Speaker 1: and up to age twenty nine that he couldn't remember 281 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: how many times he had wore in blackface. And of 282 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:04,960 Speaker 1: course the left wing and the legacy media gave him 283 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: a total pass. I mean, even Barack Obama endorsed him 284 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:10,480 Speaker 1: in the last two elections after learning that that's a 285 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: different situation. When that affected the Democratic governor of Virginia, 286 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 1: who everyone but President Obama came out demanding his resignation. 287 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: PARTO was so shocking about the seriousness of imposing this 288 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 1: emergency power is that Canada seems to have been more 289 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: laid back than the United States. I mean, we get 290 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: all involved, and you know, whether or not people are 291 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: woke or they're not woke, whether or not twenty six 292 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: years ago they did something inappropriate. I mean, if you 293 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: look at the whole crisis at CNN. You know where 294 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,040 Speaker 1: it becomes. Do you have a relationship with somebody but 295 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 1: you didn't report it. Have you been coaching your brother 296 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 1: in order to try to survive as a sexual scandal. 297 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: There's a seriousness and a kind of pomposity in the 298 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: American model that it seemed to me prior to this 299 00:16:09,560 --> 00:16:14,360 Speaker 1: crisis wasn't particularly a Canadian pattern. Certainly, we've seen the 300 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: rise of vocalism in Canada, There's no doubt about it. 301 00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: There's a very celebrated clip of the Prime Minister doing 302 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: a town hall type format and someone said, in the 303 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 1: history of manhood, we haven't seen an He interrupt him 304 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: and said, personhood, not manhood, personhood. So he has definitely woke, 305 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,640 Speaker 1: definitely politically correct, and the legacy media certainly has its back. 306 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: We call the legacy media in Canada the media Party, 307 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: and there always come to Trudeau's aid whenever it gets 308 00:16:38,320 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: into trouble. So my impression was your media starts to 309 00:16:42,040 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: the left of the New York Times and keeps going 310 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: pretty much. So absolutely, yeah, but that there's remarkably little 311 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: non left wing media in Canada. Yeah, we have a 312 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 1: few newspapers, but that's about it. Television coverage is overwhelmingly 313 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 1: center left. And what I would say that the divide 314 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: here would be as it is in the United States, 315 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:01,720 Speaker 1: probably more elite versus mass public. We call them Laurentian elites, 316 00:17:02,040 --> 00:17:04,440 Speaker 1: and they have for years in Canada controlled whether it's 317 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:08,200 Speaker 1: the media, whether it's a public service, whether it's broadcasting, 318 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:11,399 Speaker 1: whether it's arts and culture or business. And Trudeau has 319 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:14,159 Speaker 1: certainly rote on that. Do you have any kind of 320 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,120 Speaker 1: talk radio culture like we do? Is there any outlet 321 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: for conservative thought? Yeah, we have some conservative talk radio. 322 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:23,200 Speaker 1: We do have a National Post or the Sun chain 323 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: of newspapers, but they're a small minority of the coverage. 324 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: What we're seeing, though, is that with social media and 325 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 1: new technologies, they don't have the power that they once had. 326 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: For example, I was talking about Pierre Pauliev who's running 327 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: for the leadership of the Conservative Party. He did an 328 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:41,359 Speaker 1: announcement video and across all of his platforms, within forty 329 00:17:41,359 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 1: eight hours, more than five million people had watched it. 330 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:46,439 Speaker 1: And you know, the top news broadcast wouldn't even get 331 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:49,640 Speaker 1: a million shows in Canada. So new technologies are really 332 00:17:49,760 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: changing the dynamics here. We have state run media here 333 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:55,880 Speaker 1: in Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which gets a billion 334 00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 1: dollars from the federal treasury. It's a state broadcaster I have. 335 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 1: The federal government under is actually funding the media to 336 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 1: keep them alive. So whether you're a private TV station 337 00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,680 Speaker 1: or a private newspaper, they're all collecting tens of millions 338 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 1: of dollars from the federal treasury, which is in my opinion, 339 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: just not right. Well, the Biden administration of the Democrats 340 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: tried something very similar but put it in a bill 341 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:19,479 Speaker 1: that didn't go anywhere, but they were basically trying to 342 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,400 Speaker 1: subsidize the news media in a very significant way. Yeah, 343 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:25,479 Speaker 1: well they're doing it here in Canada. And the biggest 344 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 1: thing about our political system that differentiates us from the 345 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: United States is the government, regardless whether they have a 346 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: majority or a minority, they present a budget and the 347 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:36,720 Speaker 1: opposition either has to vote yes or vote no. And 348 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,200 Speaker 1: the last time Concerns were a minority, they voted no 349 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:41,480 Speaker 1: and the Prime Minister stood up and resigned and we 350 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: went into early elections. We came back with a majority, 351 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:45,920 Speaker 1: so it all worked out. But it gives a few 352 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 1: people at the top a tremendous amount of power our 353 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 1: parliamentary committees have very little power, very little influence. Even 354 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:55,440 Speaker 1: most of the cabinet have very little power and very 355 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 1: little influence. It's five or ten people at the center, 356 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:00,880 Speaker 1: people around the Prime Minister, like Christie Freeland. I think 357 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,280 Speaker 1: we've evolved in the same direction. The top two Senate 358 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,440 Speaker 1: leaders and the Speaker of the House and the President 359 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:11,200 Speaker 1: have like ninety percent of all the power in Canada. 360 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 1: Those five or ten people would have ninety nine point nine. Yeah, 361 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:16,679 Speaker 1: so it makes it really a big deal to be 362 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,880 Speaker 1: one of them. Absolutely, And many of these people are 363 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:23,359 Speaker 1: unelected party apperachecks who have no accountability. At least Christie 364 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: Freeland has to face Parliament every day and defend the 365 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 1: government's actions. Were a lot of the party appera checks 366 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: that are at the center of power face no such accountability. 367 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:35,479 Speaker 1: In that sense, the key people all have to go 368 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:38,000 Speaker 1: and win elections. Right. All of the cabinet members are 369 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: also members of parliament. So I think of your system 370 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:43,119 Speaker 1: where you'd be a cabinet secretary and a congressman together. 371 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:45,159 Speaker 1: So when I was a Minister of Foreign Affairs, I 372 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 1: also had to have my own constituency where I have 373 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:50,679 Speaker 1: to get elected, Okay, and do you have a party 374 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,800 Speaker 1: central office which helps you find a safe constituency, or 375 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:56,679 Speaker 1: do you run in a constituency that you actually live in. 376 00:19:57,040 --> 00:19:59,840 Speaker 1: The tradition is you run in the constituency where you 377 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,880 Speaker 1: have routes. But that is beginning to change. When I ran, 378 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: I had to find one and it was a marginal 379 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 1: seat in an urban area in the capital, which is 380 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 1: tougher a conservative, but that people there were good enough 381 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,679 Speaker 1: to elect me three times. And this kind of a model. 382 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,160 Speaker 1: But you don't have the sort of British style where 383 00:20:16,240 --> 00:20:19,640 Speaker 1: somebody who's hand picked. You know, Churchill for example, got 384 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: moved around in the thirties until they finally found a 385 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:26,479 Speaker 1: seat he could win. What is becoming If you're a 386 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:28,920 Speaker 1: conservative in the city of Toronto, you tend to find 387 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 1: a seat in the suburbs or in rural areas outside 388 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 1: of the city if you want to get elected. So 389 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:34,399 Speaker 1: a lot of members of problem and all of a 390 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 1: sudden have a farm in the country that it becomes 391 00:20:36,640 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 1: their residence. We were talking about, for example, with Harper's majority. 392 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:43,879 Speaker 1: And I was just with Stephen in South Korea the 393 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:46,879 Speaker 1: other day and he looks at all of this just things, 394 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: you know, the Trudeau's crazy in this kind of a setting, 395 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:54,680 Speaker 1: with Harper's majority being, as you pointed out, overwhelmingly west 396 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:57,639 Speaker 1: of the Ottawa River and only twenty seats to the east. 397 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:01,800 Speaker 1: But the East itself is divided. You have the Quebec interests, 398 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:06,080 Speaker 1: which is culturally very different. You have the seaboard provinces 399 00:21:06,400 --> 00:21:09,560 Speaker 1: which are very, very poor, and then you have Toronto, 400 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:12,960 Speaker 1: which is your biggest They're all very underpopulated, aren't they. Yeah, 401 00:21:12,960 --> 00:21:16,399 Speaker 1: they're small populations. In Canada, comparing our Parliament to the 402 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: House of Representatives, you have a redistricting and you know 403 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:22,400 Speaker 1: Illinois will lose a seat, in Texas will gain one. 404 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 1: In Canada, you can never take a seat away from someone. 405 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:26,760 Speaker 1: So my seat in Pliament would have had one hundred 406 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:28,639 Speaker 1: and twenty five one hundred and thirty five thousand people 407 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: and they get one member of parliament. In Prince Edward 408 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: Island they have one hundred and forty thousand people and 409 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: they get four. So it leads to lopsided political power 410 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,679 Speaker 1: for some of the smaller provinces and our places, like 411 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:42,159 Speaker 1: the very poor provinces. Are they very left wing or 412 00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,119 Speaker 1: are they just interest group or what drives them? The 413 00:21:45,119 --> 00:21:48,320 Speaker 1: Atlantic Canadian provinces tend to support a bigger role for 414 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 1: government in particularly in social services and transfers from the 415 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 1: federal government. Somebody said the other day that basically Alberta 416 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:59,400 Speaker 1: and Saskatchewan produce most of the revenue which then gets 417 00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 1: redistributed a big chunk of it, and Ontario, of course, 418 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 1: on Tara's like fourteen million people were pretty economically prosperous. 419 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: Often people want to get out a counter and see 420 00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:10,440 Speaker 1: how much money we're putting in and where we're getting out, 421 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: which is tricky if you're also the seat of government. 422 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:15,920 Speaker 1: The wealth that comes out of the Greater Toronto region 423 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,640 Speaker 1: is huge and significant, and increasingly are getting frustrated here 424 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: that they don't get the whether it's infrastructure or other spending, 425 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:24,440 Speaker 1: to keep up with the growth we have in Canada. 426 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:27,400 Speaker 1: You know, four hundred thousand immigrants come to Canada every year, 427 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:29,480 Speaker 1: and that's more than two hundred fifty thousand moved to 428 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: the Greater Toronto area. So the population is exploding, real 429 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: estate prices are skyrocketing, and that's presenting a real challenge. Well, 430 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,280 Speaker 1: in Toronto's a world city, I mean, it's an astonishing 431 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 1: center of creativity and activity. Absolutely and it's not just 432 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 1: in trade and commerce, it's arts and culture, it's science, health. 433 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:48,679 Speaker 1: Some of the best hospitals in the world are a 434 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:50,840 Speaker 1: mile from where I'm speaking to you today. It's a 435 00:22:50,880 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: really dynamic place. The city of Toronto. It's two point 436 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,480 Speaker 1: six for the city proper, and a majority of people 437 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:58,159 Speaker 1: in Toronto we're not born in Canada, so it's a 438 00:22:58,359 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: very very pluralistic and multi culture. As a proportion of 439 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:06,000 Speaker 1: your population, you actually accept more legal immigrants than we do. 440 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:08,399 Speaker 1: We have the largest total number. I think we get 441 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: about a million a year, but that's on a population 442 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 1: of three hundred and thirty miles, so per capita, one 443 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:15,919 Speaker 1: tenth the size and taking four times more than you 444 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: do per capita. Absolutely, it's amazing, and you manage to 445 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:23,160 Speaker 1: assimilate them. We have a pretty dynamic, pluralistic society. You'll 446 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 1: find unclay as a Toronto which with a heavy South 447 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: Asian population or a heavy Chinese population, they tend to 448 00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,639 Speaker 1: do pretty well in Canada. That's great. Well, listen, I 449 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: really appreciate your joining me. I'll be curious to see 450 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,639 Speaker 1: if there's an American variation because there's a certain copycat 451 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 1: effect underway right now I have a hunch we'll deal 452 00:23:41,760 --> 00:23:44,680 Speaker 1: with it differently than Trudeau did. I think the pushback here, 453 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:48,480 Speaker 1: maybe the truckers ignited it, but pushback against big government 454 00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:51,680 Speaker 1: trying to control people's lives and the extent to which 455 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:55,120 Speaker 1: they've shut down the economy, shut down schools, shut down 456 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: elective surgeries in our hospitals, and shut down trade and commerce. 457 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:00,480 Speaker 1: People have had enough and they're pushing back in a 458 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: major way. And the elites don't like it when they 459 00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:05,119 Speaker 1: can't be in control. And that's I think the thrust 460 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 1: of where Trudeau was brought into emergency measures. Yeah, I 461 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,520 Speaker 1: think we've been through that in the United States, both 462 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 1: on masks and on vaccinations, and they're amazing differences. I 463 00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: look at marvel at the collapse of the mandates in 464 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 1: the United States, even in blue states where they can 465 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:21,720 Speaker 1: see that they might have thought they had the public 466 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:23,159 Speaker 1: with them, but they all of a sudden woke up 467 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:25,840 Speaker 1: one day and realized the public was increasingly against them. Well, 468 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 1: it started with football games. Absolutely, You'd see a hundred 469 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 1: thousand people in zero mask and you suddenly had a 470 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: hunch of people were speaking in a very real way. 471 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: But John, it's always fun I'll tell Kloss so we 472 00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,400 Speaker 1: had a great conversation together and we both look forward 473 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: to seeing you and the near future. Give her my 474 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:49,320 Speaker 1: best and thanks for you having me. Thank you to 475 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 1: my guests, the honorable John Baird. You can read more 476 00:24:52,359 --> 00:24:56,320 Speaker 1: about the Freedom Convoy on our show page at newsworld 477 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:59,960 Speaker 1: dot com. News World is produced by Ginglish tweet sixty 478 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:04,920 Speaker 1: and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer is Garnsey Sloan, our producer 479 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: is Rebecca Howe, and our researcher is Rachel Peterson. The 480 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:13,640 Speaker 1: artwork for the show was created by Steve Penley. Special 481 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,960 Speaker 1: thanks to the team at Gingwish three sixty. If you've 482 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,439 Speaker 1: been enjoying news World, I hope you'll go to Apple 483 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:23,040 Speaker 1: podcast and both rate us with five stars and give 484 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:25,920 Speaker 1: us a review so others can learn what it's all about. 485 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: Right now, listeners of news World can sign up for 486 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:33,800 Speaker 1: my three free weekly columns at Gingwish three sixty dot 487 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:38,240 Speaker 1: com slash newsletter. I'm newt Gangwish. This is news World.