UCP leadership hopeful Danielle Smith says she's committed to freedom of the press as the federal government continues to try and regulate internet media companies..Smith expressed her opinion on stage for the Western Standard's leadership debate Tuesday evening at Calgary's Roof Top YYC.."What I've seen, the federal government's trying to regulate our internet media companies like Western Standard, Rebel and TrueNorth on the right hand side of the spectrum."."What happens with the CRTC is that you have to go and defend your license for broadcasting every five years. And if you have too many complaints against you, they can hold a life or death decision over pulling your broadcast license.".Smith said: "That's the reason why mainstream media is not giving the full and robust debate that we now see in the alternative media."."I think they wanted to come in and do the exact same thing here. What I would say is we should make Alberta a free medium with free speech zone. So if it means that we have to work with Elon Musk and his Starlight Satellite Service to broadcast to the rest of the country then that's what we should do." .Leadership candidate Travis Toews said he also believes free speech in media is a fundamental right in a free and democratic society.."It's critical to defend it. Without it we have nothing. You know, we have to work with other like minded provinces to push back on the federal government on so many issues, including this issue of free speech," Toews said.."I'm going to go to our universities, our post secondary institutions, because that's a place where so often free speech is not allowed. I believe the Alberta government has an opportunity through our funding model to ensure that every university and every college every post secondary institution in this province allows free speech right across the political and ideological spectrum."."That's absolutely critical to ensure that the next generation is not brainwashed to the activists left. If we go there as the next generation, our society will fail. We have to defend free speech," Toews said..Frontrunner UCP leadership candidate Brain Jean said: "I think the universities in Alberta should be free thought generational machines."."They should give our students, our kids, the opportunity to stretch their minds as much as possible," Jean said.."We need to make sure our universities which are under our exclusive jurisdiction, the constitution, we have the opportunity to make those up the freedom expression areas for Albertans. I would make sure that first of all, they didn't come into our provincial jurisdiction under Section 92. It's federal jurisdiction under Section 92. We have the details, folks, we have the rules. We just have to enforce those rules and have a premiere that's prepared to do so."."That's why I did the equalization referendum study," Jean said.."That's why Jason Kenney put in the municipal government for an election and a vote because we know that we need to take the next step."."The next step is opening the constitution and talking about all those things that we need to talk about, whether it's the balance of power, whether it's elected Senate, whether it's getting your products to Tidewater, whether it's the continual interference by the federal government, but spending 10 years there, I can tell you, I was disgusted and I want the change."
