Three Conservative leadership candidates acknowledged the alienation Albertans feel from the rest of Canada during the Western Standard's leadership debate, and pledged to address these issues if elected prime minister..Candidates Jean Charest, Roman Baber and Scott Aitchison joined Western Standard's publisher Derek Fildebrandt for Friday's debate, which took the form of a fireside chat after Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis, and Patrick Brown could not attend.."The eight most terrifying words an Albertan can hear are, 'I'm from Ottawa and I'm here to help,'" Fildebrandt said..Before the debate, Fildebrandt said the province of Alberta has been called a "petting zoo" for politicians, who fly to the province when they require votes during elections.."But Westerners deserve leaders that are willing to look them in the eyes and explain why they should be trusted with the loaded ammunition of democracy — your vote," he said..Charest says Albertans feel 'left out.'.The former Quebec premier said that if Canada is to succeed, Alberta has to "be at the heart of what we do." He said Albertans feel left out, and the rest of Canada has failed to acknowledge the hardships the province has been through..Charest said if elected prime minister, within 30 days he would meet with the premier of Alberta to start the process of defining what would be in his proposed Alberta accord..Within six months, Charest would also meet with the provinces through the Council of the Federation, which he helped to create in 2003. Charest says many Canadians don't understand the country is meant to be decentralized. "It is the provinces that run this country on a day-to-day basis," he said. When asked about the federal government's response to COVID-19, Charest said "our healthcare system was broken before COVID, but it's been made worse." Charest said to ensure Canadians don't have to go through lockdowns again, he would do what "some think is attacking the sacred cow," and table a new Canada Health Act. "I would allow the provinces to innovate. I would untie their hands and allow them to bring in private-sector care, while keeping a single-payer system, so we have a healthcare system that has the ability to absorb people who are sick," he said. On the issue of vaccine mandates, Charest said while he got three doses, he understood that mandating them for sectors of the economy was detrimental. He pointed to Quebec's decision to back off mandating vaccines for the healthcare sector, because they would have lost 15,000 workers. "Now truckers, they were the heroes of the COVID period, and then [Justin Trudeau] comes in with this rule. Well, I don't think it works, and I don't see how you can impose it on everyone," he said. When asked about the Liberal government's ban on 1500 models of firearms and its freeze on handgun purchases, Charest says the real issue is "illegal handguns in cities." Charest said he would focus on stopping firearms from being smuggled across the border. He added the issue of firearms should be looked at by experts who are independent from the federal government. "They can really define what assault weapons are, and we're gonna end up with a much smaller list than we have." Charest also claimed a bog issue the Conservative Party has is that they let the Liberals decide the agenda during elections, "and we take the bait." "I'm convinced now that conservatives are the most generous political party in the world, they go into election campaigns, they actually give it away to the liberals," he said. "Let's focus on the things that we believe in, as opposed to responding to our adversaries." Aitchison says Canada is 'ready for a small town mayor'.Aitchison, a Conservative MP from Parry Sound-Muskoka and former mayor of Huntsville, Ontario, acknowledged that he is one of the lesser known leadership candidates.."I think it's fair to say that not a lot of people knew me outside of my riding, but that is quickly changing," he said..Aitchison said during his time as an MP, he's come to see that Ottawa is a "broken place."."I think the partisan rancor that goes on there is disgusting. And that was probably one of the first things I noticed when I got there," Aitchison said. He added that most MPs tend to focus on what will look good on a Twitter feed, rather than actually solving problems.."I think Canada's ready for a small town mayor who actually focused on doing things," he said. "Things like solving the housing crisis that exists everywhere in our country. These Liberals spent billions and billions of dollars over the last seven years, and have not solved the problem. They haven't moved the needle.".Aitchison said when he travelled to Calgary shortly after being elected, he was "surprised and dismayed" by the number of people who were upset with him for being from Ontario.."And that's fundamentally got to change. I do care very much about Alberta. Alberta is the economic engine of our country," Aitchison said.."I think Albertans are tired of feeling used. And that's the kind of leadership that I bring. I'll make sure that I run an inclusive, engaged government that involves all parts of the country.".On COVID-19, Aitchison said the prime minister chose to divide Canadians over vaccinations in order to win an election. "That's disgusting, it should never have happened, but that's how politics works in this country," he said. "We seek to capitalize, as politicians, on the differences of opinion that exist. whether it's east versus west, urban versus rural, or vaccinated versus unvaccinated.".Aitchison said while freedom is fundamental, "with freedom comes responsibility." While Aitchison said he trusted his doctor on COVID-19 vaccinations, he also respects the rights of other Canadians to make their own medical choices. "That is a fundamental right as well.".Baber says 'you'll always know where I stand'.When Baber was asked why Albertans should trust he won't take them for granted if elected as prime minister, the Independent Ontario MPP said he has been "blessed to develop my reputation on the basis of trust."."Canadians can count on me to make difficult decisions, even when the rest of the political class will not," he said. "You might disagree with what I have to say, and that's fine. That's a democracy. But at least you'll always know where I stand.".When asked about the alienation Western provinces feel, Baber said the best way to unite the country is to “unleash our economic opportunities,” which means taking advantage of Canada’s natural resources.."I'm not going to let oil and gas be cancelled, and I'll encourage 'pedal to the metal' on natural resources. You will never have to worry about production, or being able to transport your oil," he said..Baber said he would abolish the equalization payment system by the end of his first term and slash taxes, "across the board." Baber said getting rid of equalization is an important way to turn Canada into the "national resources superpower it ought to be.".When asked about COVID restrictions, Baber said the collateral harms of lockdowns should have been taken into account, because they were "potentially costing lives, and regretfully, the evidence is showing this was the case."."We knew very early on that 80% of the risk was a long-term care homes. We knew that the virus is considerably more transmissible, making some of the some of the metrics that we're worried about, like hospitalization and death, considerably lower," he said. "Let's reassess the risk. Instead, we will continue to operate as if we're still stuck in March 2020.".Baber said he would also amend the Canada Health Act to ensure Canadians cannot be discriminated against because of their medical status. But he said the "fight" has not just been about vaccine mandates and lockdowns.."It's about the impact of political correctness and the radical cancel culture that precipitated this public health crisis. And some try to make this a simplistic argument of 'freedom versus health,' and respectfully, I don't think that is the case," Baber said.."I propose that we're sensible, intelligent people that can have a conversation. Our freedom is not absolute. So I will eliminate all the conditions that precipitated what transpired.".On the subject of firearms, Baber says the issue is with the "dysfunctional" Canada Border Services Agency failing to stop illegal guns from being smuggled across the Canada-U.S. border.."Instead of penalizing law-abiding gun owners, I would stop the illegal smuggling of guns across the border," he said.
