Welcome to this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show

We kick things off with a conversation with former Alberta MLA and deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk. His group Forever Canadian has the green light from Elections Alberta to begin collecting signatures on their referendum petition, aimed at beating the separatists to the punch.

This week also brought us a major foreign policy shift for Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Canada will follow the lead of France and the UK and officially recognize a Palestinian state. We’ll be joined by Stacey Leavitt Wright, she is CEO of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton.

Plus, new data shows a massive backlog of airline passenger complaints at the Canadian Transportation Agency. We’ll hear from Dr. Gabor Lukacs, founder and president of Air Passenger Rights.

Don’t forget, you can follow our work and subscribe here at our Substack page (robbreakenridge.ca), which is where the podcast is hosted. You can also listen and subscribe on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Check out our YouTube channel, as well.

00:00 Intro and Welcome

00:37 Alberta separation petitions & referendums update

02:52 Thomas Lukaszuk interview

28:01 Canada's Israel-Palestine Policy Shift

32:03 Stacey Leavitt-Wright interview

39:11 Canada-US trade update

44:17 Gabor Lukacs interview

1:01:00 Wrap-up

On this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show:

A controversial American Christian performer has sparked a debate in Canada over where we draw the line on free speech. Sean Freucht was booked for a string of performances in various Canadian cities, but, things really escalated quickly in the days leading up to this past weekend. The Canadian Constitution Foundation has been closely following developments here, and they’re very concerned about what’s happened - including and especially the response from officials in Montreal. We’ll speak with Christine Van Geyn, CCF litigation director.

Also, we’ll examine the fallout from the verdicts last week in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial. We’ll speak with writer and journalist Scott Stinson about his latest piece on where this all goes from here.

Plus, we’ll have the latest on where things stand on Canada-US trade talks ahead of what we understand to be a looming deadline: Friday, August 1st. We’ll hear what Prime Minister Mark Carney had to say on Monday about the whole situation.

Don’t forget, you can follow our work and subscribe here at our Substack page (robbreakenridge.ca), which is where the podcast is hosted. You can also listen and subscribe on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Check out our YouTube channel, as well.

00:00 Intro & welcome to the show

00:25 Sean Feuucht controversy: Overview and recap

03:29: Christine Van Geyn interview

19:04 Scott Stinson interview

36:29 Trade deal deadline looms / Prime Minister provides update

44:57 Wrap-up & Extro

Greetings friends, and welcome to this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show - thanks for much for downloading and listening to the podcast

We begin the show with a look at a fascinating shake-up in Alberta politics and the two MLAs at the centre of it. We’ll speak with Peter Guthrie and Scott Sinclair, both former UCP MLAs - Guthrie was also a cabinet minister - who found themselves sitting as independents. They’re now hoping to revive the PC Party of Alberta, and provide Albertans with an option that is a fiscally conservative, socially moderate, and pro-Canada. We’ll find out how they’re planning to make that happen.

Also today, this week marks the one-year anniversary of the massive wildfire that ravaged the Town of Jasper. It was July 22, 2024 that almost 25,000 people had to be hastily evacuated - and then two days later, the powerful winds sent the blaze ripping through the town. We’ll speak with Jasper Chief Administrative Officer Bill Given about the status of the recovery, the work that still lies ahead, and what lessons have been identified in the town’s independent review.

Plus, coming off the heels of the First Ministers’ gathering this week in Ontario, and looking ahead to an ever approaching deadline for a US-Canada trade agreement, there’s an timely and important new white paper out from the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations. We’ll speak with Tim Sargent, who is a member of the Expert Group and is Director of Domestic Policy and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. He’s also got a unique perspective on this trade drama with the US, as he previously served as Deputy Minister of Trade during the NAFTA renegotiation during the first Trump administration.

Don’t forget, you can follow our work and subscribe here at our Substack page (robbreakenridge.ca), which is where the podcast is hosted. You can also listen and subscribe on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Check out our YouTube channel, as well.

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On this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show, we’ll take a closer look at gun control in Canada - how the policy shift of 2020 has evolved over the last five years and where things are headed under a new prime minister.

We’ll have a conversation today with JR Cox, CEO of the Edge Group and President of Sterling Arms International.

JR has just learned that due to a change in the RCMP's Firearms Reference Table, the Sterling Arms rifle, known as the R-9, has now been classified as prohibited. This change seemingly came out of nowhere and could devastate his business.

Plus, later in the episode, the latest on an important First Ministers’ meeting in Huntsville, Ontario.. Tuesday morning, the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario announced an updated memorandum of understanding on building new pipelines. This all comes as the federal government looks to identify projects that would be in the national interest and thus be fast-tracked under the new Building Canada Act - and of course, there’s the added urgency to all of this as a result of the tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Don’t forget, you can follow our work and subscribe here at our Substack page (robbreakenridge.ca), which is where the podcast is hosted. You can also listen and subscribe on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Check out our YouTube channel, as well.

Welcome to this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show

Up first, we’ll look at the growing concern and looming deadline around Ottawa’s electric vehicle mandate. Starting next year, 20 per cent of new vehicles sold in Canada must be zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). That threshold grows to 100 per cent by 2035. We’ll hear from Ross McKitrick is a professor of economics at the University of Guelph and a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute

We’ll also talk about Canada’s media landscape as we have a conversation with Peter Menzies - he’s a former publisher of the Calgary Herald and a former CRTC vice-chair. He’s now a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and publishes his own Substack (The Rewrite). We’ll talk the fallout from the departure of a high profile CBC news personality and a renewed debate over bias at the public broadcaster. We’ll also examine the broader question of reforming the mandate of the CBC and whether Ottawa may now be looking at cuts. Plus, what happens now with the various media subsidies and bailouts that originated under Justin Trudeau?

Don’t forget, you can follow our work and subscribe here at our Substack page (robbreakenridge.ca), which is where the podcast is hosted. You can also listen and subscribe on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Check out our YouTube channel, as well.

00:00 Introduction

00:51 Ottawa faces pressure on its controversial EV mandate

04:45 Ross McKitrick interview

18:11 Peter Menzies interview

32:51 Trade talks update: Tariffs here to stay?

39:33 UK lowers voting age: Will Canada follow suit?

45:50 Extro

Plenty to cover on this episode 16 of the Rob Breakenridge Show.

Up first, the latest on how the federal government is responding (or not responding) to the new tariff threat from U.S. President Donald Trump.

We’ll have a conversation with David Clement from the Consumer Choice Centre about how all of this is bad news for consumers. Specifically, we’ll discuss Canada’s supply management system, and whether it's time to just let it go

A new report from the Macdonald-Laurier Institute makes the case for looking beyond a mere trade agreement with our American neighbour. In arguing for “A Grand Bargain,” suggests tying together issues around trade, energy, border security, and defence. We’ll hear from Institute senior fellow Richard Shimooka

Plus, we’ll discuss protests in Canada and the need for protesters and police to understand rights and understand when and how the law comes into play. To that end, the Canadian Constitution Foundation has released a new guide to safe and legal protest in Canada. We’ll speak with CCF counsel Josh Dehaas.

00:00 Introduction

01:41 Canada's response to Trump's tariff threat: what happened to "elbows up"?

08:18 David Clement interview

22:41 Richard Shimooka interview

42:13 Josh Dehaas interview

55:33 Battle River - Crowfoot byelection update, Poilievre responds to separatists

Plenty to cover in this episode of the Rob Breakenridge Show: Just when it seemed Canada and the U.S. were inching toward a trade deal, Donald Trump is threatening massive new tariffs on Canadian goods. We'll have details. Former Alberta Finance Minister Ted Morton says if Alberta really wants to maximize the benefits of referendums, a separation vote won't cut it. We'll find out what he's suggesting instead. Plus, growing concern over growing wait times in Alberta emergency rooms. We'll speak with Dr. Warren Thirsk, head of emergency medicine for the Alberta Medical Association.

00:00 Introduction

01:26 Trump's new tariff threat

06:02 Interview with Ted Morton

25:29 Interview with Dr. Warren Thirsk

Welcome to Episode 14 of the Rob Breakenridge Show!

We delve into the implications of the recently passed Bill C-5 on pipeline projects and environmental assessments in Canada, particularly in Alberta. We'll have a conversation with University of Alberta energy economist Andrew Leach.

We'll explore political dynamics between the UCP government and the federal government, amid the push in Alberta for a separation referendum. National Observer columnist Max Fawcett joins us

Plus, the latest on our trade talks with the United States, as we face a July 21 deadline for a new Canada-US agreement, and the aftermath of talks collapsing last week over Canada’s Digital Services Tax. We’ll get into all of that with economist and C.D. Howe Institute senior VP Daniel Schwanen.

Don’t forget, you can follow our work and subscribe at our Substack page (robbreakenridge.ca), which is where the podcast is hosted. You can also listen and subscribe on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Check out our YouTube channel, as well.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:05 Update on Carney's C-5 comments, Smith & Ford news conference

08:17 Andrew Leach interview

25:44 Max Fawcett interview

52:02 Update on Canada-US trade talks, plus Trump's new tariffs for other countries

54:06 Daniel Schwanen interview

01:08:46 Extro