Jamil Jivani and Danielle Smith host 'Restore the North' event at University of Calgary

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith joined Conservative MP Jamie Jivani at his cross-country "Restore the North" tour at the first stop in Western Canada, the University of Calgary (UofC).Opening remarks were given by Calgary Heritage MP Shuvaloy Majumdar and representatives from the UofC Conservative Club.To a sizeable crowd, Jivani and Smith answered questions on a variety of topics, ranging from healthcare to communism.There was a notable contingent from the anti-immigration pressure group, the Dominion Society of Canada, who asked the premier and Jivani if they supported "remigration" and asked Smith to comment on the fact she had mentioned she'd like to see the population of Alberta double.Smith reiterated that she wouldn't be against seeing the population doubled but clarified that she would want to see this done but admitted that the current rate of immigration is unsustainable.Jivani then pressed the man who asked the question, "What do you mean by remigration?" "I'm just a volunteer," the man said. "You can look at the Dominion Society website to see our policies." Jivani stated that he was not in favour of deporting people who were legal citizens of Canada.. Smith was then questioned about what to do regarding liberal professors pushing back on students expressing conservative or capitalist ideals. Smith said that the government should be looking into some way to discipline teachers who don't remain impartial.She mentioned a time in university when a professor told her she couldn’t use the Alberta Report in an essay, as it "wasn't an academic source."The first disruption of the night happened when a young man went up to the microphone and said that he didn't believe in capitalism and that attendees should vote for the "Revolutionary Communist Party." This was met with laughter from the audience and Jivani saying that communism was "one of the most extreme forms of bootlicking.".Questions then went back to the status quo, with questions about drug trafficking, boosting production in the uranium sector, and the possibility of Alberta implementing Quebec-style cultural rules, to which the premier said, "I don’t think we’re there yet to implement those kinds of rules.”The second and final disruption came when a young man came to the microphone and brought up the issue of abortion, to which Jivani said he was a Christian and had a theological view on the topic but said it wouldn’t be worth "dividing" the country to try and implement abortion legislation."You're a coward," the young man said somewhat quietly into the microphone."Go sit down; you're not that special, buddy," Jivani responded..The program got back on track after that, with Jivani talking about the importance for young men to get the support they need, as well as the risk disenfranchised young people have of becoming radicalized on social media.The rest of the questions all dealt with subjects such as resource extraction, the fentanyl crisis, interprovincial trade, and immigration, but the last impactful question, in my view, came from a nurse who had said that she was currently on leave after being assaulted at work.She thanked the premier for what she had done for healthcare services but asked what she was going to do about the usage of hospitals as dumping grounds for people with drug addictions and mental illness.The premier said that some hospitals "have the attitude that a bed is a bed is a bed, but we have a different approach; homeless people shouldn't be housed in a hospital.""If you're in the hospital longer than 30 days, you shouldn't be there," the premier said, going on to say for the woman to come and talk to her and her ministers afterward to find out more about the situation she had to go through..The night ended with the premiere and Jivani thanking the audience and apologizing that they weren't able to answer more questions.The next stop of Jivani's tour will be Dalhousie University in Halifax, which he will visit on March 5th.

Jamil Jivani and Danielle Smith host 'Restore the North' event at University of Calgary

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