Prominent Canadian political commentator Aaron Gunn has kicked off the fourth season of his hit show Politics Explained, with the first episode getting about 200,000 views on YouTube. .“There’s no shortage of journalism to be done,” said Gunn in a Tuesday interview. .“We have a couple of good outlets like the Western Standard in this country, but unfortunately much of the government-funded mainstream media refuses to look at or examine these issues seriously.” .The first episode is called Fractured Nation, which came out on July 11. Fractured Nation examines how Western Canada is being shafted. .Gunn said producing it “really exposed, from equalization to the inequities in our constitution, just how the West was being used by much of the rest of the country.” He acknowledged Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been a strong voice in standing up for Western Canada. .Smith has spoken out against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and passed the Alberta Sovereignty Act..Gunn said her re-election “vindicated that kind of stance and vindicated sticking up for provincial rights, sticking up for provincial jurisdiction and standing up to an increasingly centralized and power-hungry federal government that is looking to use certain powers that have traditionally been reserved for the provincial governments, such as resource development.” .One of the interviews in this episode was with Alberta Firewall Letter co-author Andy Crooks. Gunn said he spoke with Crooks because the Alberta Firewall Letter was the precursor to the Alberta Sovereignty Act. .The letter formed part of the ideologies of former prime minister Stephen Harper, the Reform Party and the Canadian Alliance and developed the Conservatives into what it is now. It became an important piece of literature for the conservative movement and Canada. .The political commentator went on to say Canada cannot continue with engrained inequities from equalization. He added these inequities have a bias to Western Canada. .For Eastern Canada, he said equalization has disincentivized it from realizing its full potential. If people want Canada to remain united into the future, some changes need to be made. .The next episode is called the End of Free Speech in Canada, which is set to air Tuesday..The End of Free Speech in Canada examines challenges to free speech in Canada such as the federal government introducing censorship bills, efforts by human rights tribunals to fine people for politically incorrect comments, and the City of Calgary’s anti-protest bylaw. .He said Fractured Nation’s view count exceeded his expectations, which shows equalization resonates with Canadians, especially with those in the West. .Gunn concluded by saying it is important for people to support independent journalists and media because democracies are only strong if they are informed. .“It’s important that we have a variety of viewpoints in this country,” he said. .Gunn unveiled the third season of Politics Explained in October, with the first episode drawing about 500,000 viewers at the time. .READ MORE: WATCH: Gunn launches next season of YouTube series.“When looking around the media landscape in Canada, for the most part, this kind of long-form investigative journalism just doesn’t exist,” he said. .“I think it’s important that Canadians have an opportunity to take an in-depth dive and explore some of the issues that are most important for them.”
