Shaun Newman Podcast - #841 - Cameron Davies

Episode Date: May 1, 2025

Cameron Davies is a former political operative in Alberta, Canada, known for his involvement with the United Conservative Party (UCP) and its predecessor, the Wildrose Party. He played a significant role in the Wildrose Party before its merger with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the UCP in 2017. He is now the leader of the Republican Party of Alberta.Cornerstone Forum ‘25https://www.showpass.com/cornerstone25/Get your voice heard: Text Shaun 587-217-8500Substack:https://open.substack.com/pub/shaunnewmanpodcastSilver Gold Bull Links:Website: https://silvergoldbull.ca/Email: [e-mail] Grahame: [phone]Bow Valley Credit UnionWebsite: www.BowValleycu.comEmail: [e-mail] Use the code “SNP” on all ordersProphet River Links:Website: store.prophetriver.com/Email: [e-mail]

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the team bringing fresh energy and ideas. Together, they're committed to delivering the same hands-on support you've come to rely on. That's Go-Tech. Substack. It's free to subscribe to folks. We can review every Sunday. And then if you want to get a little behind the scenes action, you've got to become a paid member. If you want to see the Cornerstone Forum in its entirety and you can't make it, it's going to be released a week after behind the paywall. So if you want to see the Cornerstone Forum become a paid member today, that way you don't miss anything. Like I say, the Cornerstone Forum is going to be behind that paid wall. We're going to video it all. It's going to be top-notch. Shout out to Jericho and his. his team. They did great work last year. The new studio is coming along. Oh, wait, Tunes wants me to bring this up because he says I never bring it up. There is a trade show at the Cornerstone Forum, okay? We're running out of time, but if you wanted a booth, it's super cheap to do it. You don't get any food or anything with it, but you are in the building. I think we're at about 30 booths right now.

You get access to the entire forum. You get to showcase your business up top. And if you're interested in that, shoot me a text and just reference, hey, interested in the booth. We still have a few days left to try and situate as many booths. They've been slowly trickling in, and we're just getting tight on time, folks. So I apologize, that's a twos recommendation. He's like, why you never mentioned that? All right, twos. I'm mentioning.

This Friday should be interesting as well. I'm gone again, so the mashup is going to be led by twos, and I'm curious to see what he does this week. Last week, he had Jamie Sinclair as his co-host, and with all the news and everything buzzing about Alberta, separation or independence or 51st state, or whatever you want to tack on to it, I'm sure Tews is going to be fired up

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and they look sick. Man, they're freaking awesome. I'm, as you can tell, kind of pumped. All right, let's get on to that. Tale of the Tate. He's the leader of the Republican Party of Alberta. I'm talking about Cameron Davies. So buckle up.

Here we go. Welcome to the Sean Newman podcast. Today I'm trying by Cameron Davies. Sir, how are you doing today? I'm doing well, Sean. Thanks for having me. Okay, there's a lot to get to, but I told Michael Campbell this yesterday.

I'm going to say the same thing to you. I'm going to assume a bunch of my audience doesn't know who you are. And so I just want you to tell me a little bit about yourself, your background. I got to give a shout out to Jason Levine because you were on one of his podcasts a while back. And I was sitting there, I knew everybody but you. And I was listening on like, who is this guy? And so me, I'd reach out to Jason because I was just like, who is this guy? And he told me a little bit about you.

And then, you know, obviously you've popped into some different feeds. I've been sent a couple of the things you've put out. you're the new leader of the republic i'm going to screw this up the alberta republican no i've already screwed it up it doesn't matter you can tell me all about it republican republican party of alberta thank you thank you who's the host here folks anyways um tell me a bit about yourself yeah so i was raised west of uh of spruce grove um in the uh parkland county area and i'm the son of teacher and a small business owner. I was raised in that community with the lessons of hard work and discipline, went to work at a young age, finished

high school a few years early, it was very motivated, and I went to a career in the oil patch like many young Alberta men do because that's where we find opportunity in this province and so I was employed in that industry for a number of years from the minus 40 down in Tabor to the plus 40 heat waves in Drumheller where your boots sometimes appeared to be melting to the rig floor. So that's my background. Later, I served in the military, found a calling in service and the belief that we can serve something greater than ourselves and that standing up for something bigger than us is the most fulfilling thing you can do. And so that's what led me to leading in this fight for Alberta's independence as leader of the Alberta Republican Party.

If we can, just quickly, how many years did you serve in the military? I have military roundtables all the time, and I read that about you, and I guess I just never have heard you talk about it. Even if it was a short stint, long stint, I'd just love to pick your brain on when you served. I served an enlistment between 2019 and the end of 2023 with force reconnaissance in the United States Marine Corps. Really? I served alongside two other Alberta boys, a friend of mine from High River and one from Motascoen, and we all ended up in the same unit. Three Alberta boys that wanted to serve south of the border, because at the time, the Canadian military, and probably not much has changed, is more focused on putting tampons in the men's room than war fighting capabilities.

I guess I'm just curious. The three years, the four years you were in there, four years you were in there. Four years. What, you know, I assume you had your, like, expectations of what the U.S. military was going to be like. Was it any, you know, like, what did you learn coming out of there? Or what did you expect, what did you think of your time in there? The value of discipline, organization, building a team, small unit leadership, building a team to accomplish a mission, and never shying away from the hard things. Other things that I grew up as values as an Albertan, and they served me very well in the military alongside my other Albertans that were there with me.

Forgive me, this is probably a common practice. I just didn't realize it was the American military. and I guess that just caught me a little off guard. You know, like I'm like, Albertan's going to serve in the U.S. military is, is that common practice or is that, you know, like I get the,

the tampons in the bathroom and, and some of the state of our military. So I can see the attraction to the south of the border. I just, is that regular? It is. There's 18 different nations that are permitted to serve at present in the U.S.

military and Canada, happens to be one of them. And it's not that uncommon. And great shout out to the boys in PPCLI. I've got a lot of friends in PPCLI at Eminton. We did a lot of cross-training with different units in the Canadian military. And always had a great time, even though we had slightly different colored uniforms on. And a huge shout out to the entire veteran community here in Alberta. We serve with a purpose with pride and duty, that there are things worth standing up for and fighting for us. So whether you served on south of the border or within the Canadian military, it's an honor to serve. And so I think that there's value in that. And the Alberta side of it,

you know, 1906, a quarter of the Alberta population was from south of the border. And there's lots of roots here in Alberta tied to south of the border as well. And there's lots of cousins. We have a lot in common with our cousins in Montana. And but Albertans, we have the independent spirit. And so seeking to serve is, it should never be downplayed. And I commend all Albertans who have chosen to serve in whatever capacity they can. Yeah, correct me if I'm wrong. I want to say the population that was American that was here was 78,000, I think is. the number that I'd read once upon a time. Now, I don't know if I'm,

I could be just a little off folks, but it's somewhere in there. And I think, you know, when you're talking about the, the independent spirit of like, we're going to go our own way. I'm like, you always want, we always get told we're not like the Americans.

And then you hear that number, it's like, well, no wonder Alberta's different. Like, I mean, come on, it's sitting right there. Your thoughts on the election. I mean, it has been, I, you know,

if I'm honest to the listener, I'm honest to you, you when I was when we were doing the 12 hour stream you know there there was you know leading into it I predicted uh right up to start I said I think it's a liberal minority I hope I'm wrong I hope it's something different and you know maybe you know just maybe there's a reprieve from how crazy this place has been since you know certainly before 2020 but 2020 it went on steroids and it just feels like it hasn't stopped um and of course then Mark Carney gets announced the the new leader and you know we're waiting to see what that all and then Daniel Smith comes out the next day

lowering the threshold for um the citizen led referendums i may be butchering the terminology but you get the idea folks uh but let's start with the election your your thoughts on it and then into um Alberta i think most albertans were shocked dismayed disappointed in the election results there there's There's no doubt in my mind that the genuine hope from Alberta is that Eastern Canadians would wake up, smarten up, and see the liberal decade of decline for what it was. And unfortunately, we were disappointed in that. I know many Albertans, including myself, knocked on hundreds of doors, if not thousands. I predominantly spent most of my time in the election in both Toronto and Colonna and Lower Main. and Lower Mainland to assist candidates as best as I could individually.

And it was disappointing to see those areas of the country embrace a failed philosophy of government and frankly one that has decided to perpetuate the decline of both Canada and continue the broken relationship with Alberta. and to not even treat us as unequal partners, but frankly not partners at all. And so coming back out of that election, it's become buntly obvious to many Albertans, and I don't know if you saw my ex post yesterday, it was happy birthday, to many new Alberta separatists, because we've come to the realization, many Albertans, hundreds of thousands of Albertans, I believe,

that the only way out of this situation now is by separating ourselves from this abusive, toxic relationship that we find ourselves in. It doesn't matter who is elected in Ottawa. It's a design flaw. There's a structural system that doesn't work. It was never intended to work for Alberta, and it has never worked for Alberta. Well, that's why I say it was designed perfectly, and I think a lot of us are just realizing that. And there's no way that Eastern Canada would willingly give up or renegotiate their privileged position within the structure of Confederation. They just won't.

So why, if I'm correct, you were in the Wild Rose well back. You've been around politics for a good chunk of your life, correct? I was with Wild Rose since 2007 and the merger with the Alberta Alliance, the 2008 Paul Hinman leadership by-election, 2009 Danielle Smith leadership, 2012 election. I stuck around with the Wild Rose after the 2014 floor crossing. I helped rebuild the party from four seats to 21. I managed the 2015 Wild Rose election campaign. I managed Brian Jean's leadership campaign for the Wild Rose because I believed then, as I do now, that Albertans deserves an alternative

to a government that had lost its way, a government that had fallen into corruption, into ignoring the voices of conservative Albertans, and one that had just, fallen off the tracks governing to the left of the left on many issues. And I find ourselves in the same predicament today. So why, once again, I look at your, your background. I'm like, you've been staring at this for a long time, right? Like, I mean, that's, that's, what is that? I don't know, 15, 18 years? 18 years? Pretty close to 18 years. I don't know. Pretty close to 18 years.

I don't know. You have to forgive me. 12 hours of live streaming on Monday on the election. It's days after my brain is still like, we're just trying to get it back working here. You've been staring at this. Why a political party? I'm just curious. Like, you know, when I look at that, I'm like,

Wild Rose at the height, you know, was so close. Then you had the floor crossing. And we, you know, and we've all gone down that road. And I go, I've got friends who've done things. in Saskatchewan and others in Alberta and the political process of starting up a new party and then getting the citizens around that idea. Why do you think that can work?

Because, I mean, you've seen done the gambit. Wild Rose, the floor crossing, then trying to rebuild it back, then helping UCP, now leaving the UCP. And now, okay, it's time for something different. So one of the, and look, I'll be the first to admit, when we were advocating for Wild Rose and PC unity after the NDP came to power in 2015, 2016, we were looking at it through the lens of 1 plus 1 equals 2. And I've learned a lot in politics. Most people who've been around have the battle scars of having made mistakes and were judged on how we learn from those mistakes.

And I'm no different. And one of those mistakes was believing that by forcing together two parties, one that was born from a desire to see transparency, accountability, and good government, true fiscal conservatism and respect for property rights could be married in some way to a party that didn't share those values. And it was a forced marriage, I think, out of fear. both sides were more afraid of the NDP and were willing to overlook their different value systems, the entrenched elite, those who had been connected to power for some time. And so looking back now, regretfully, I do believe that the unity between the Wild Rose and PC parties was a tragic mistake. And that Alberta was likely best served, not with two conservative parties,

fighting each other, but two conservative parties that can appeal to very different demographics across the province, an urban and perhaps a rural focus, that a coalition conservative party would best serve Albertans and would likely see the smallest number of NDPMLAs elected in this province ever again. So you look at it like, if I'm catching what you're throwing here, you're saying the future of Alberta politics is probably best served in a coalition form because there's just a disconnect between certain value sets. And that was apparent with the Wild Rose and what they wanted. Correct. Compared to where we're at with the UCP. I'm paraphrasing. Correct. And I would just

add to that that when we have a unit party on the right or the left, the drift towards the center or to leftist ideals, it happens, tragically. And the temptation, it appears, in the current context, the current government, it appears to have fallen prey to the temptation of getting its hand caught in the cookie jar. And the allegations of corruption that have just started to boil to the surface, I don't believe will be the last. And that is something that, just like the Grant Divine Government in Saskatchewan, will destroy the conservative movement for several cycles.

Conservatism in Saskatchewan was set back, I believe, over 10 years because of a scandal with their PC government. That's what we have to avoid. And I believe that a coalition helps prevent that. You have two parties that maybe they agree on 65, 75%, but the act as a check and a balance to power run amok, to a government that can become entitled. And so that check and balance needs to be there.

It doesn't currently exist, but we are forming it, we are building it with the Alberta Republican Party, and we will be that check and balance alternative for Albertans. Curious your thoughts. I want to have another question in there. No, no worries. I'm going to stick with it for the listener.

No worries. I'm going to get to all this stuff on a referendum, because I'm curious your thoughts on it, being around the political scene as long as you have. I guess as far as the Republican Party of Alberta, forgive me, is there seven independence parties? Is there two? It feels like every time I check, there's a new one, and it's switching, and it's just all over the place. And my curiosity for you is, like, okay, you're speaking to a conservative audience right now.

They're going to be, okay, all right, here's another party. I got to go away from the UCP or, you know, either Wild Rose, Ruth. because there's a lot of them. Why your party and not, I don't know, I'm sorry to the rest of the independence party. So they're not Bob's Independence Party or whatever. You know, you get the point. I'm being a little facetious, but you know what I mean. So quite simply this, Sean, we are dedicated to building what has been thus far lacking on the Albert independence front,

which is a professional, organized, disciplined, and motivated movement, moving us towards a binding independence referendum. And I'll come back to that because that terminology is critical. The rest of the independence parties in Alberta in their various stages of success have kept the torchlet. And I give full credit to them for standing there and staying firm in their blue. for for some of them decades that this is the right path. Albertans are now there ready to listen to that message, but it has to be a movement that can capture the hearts and minds of Albertans.

And so that's what we're building. We've extended the olive branch to every other independence movement party group that's out there and said, we're building a train. It's going to be the largest train, the fastest train. we're leaving the station, and we welcome every Albertan that shares our values and believes in the mission of Alberta independence to come on board. The doors are open. Your values. What are they? Respecting the faith of Albertans, protecting our families, and embracing the freedom that Alberta can enjoy as independent Alberta Republic.

Okay, go back to, okay, so an independent Alberta, sorry, you mentioned a binding referendum. So the big news, okay, if the election didn't shock everybody enough, the next day, and forgive me, at times, I don't watch every press conference because they're talking about something, and I'm like, just can't do it. I just, I just can't do it. And I understand the fatigue of the voting population trying to catch up to different press conferences and different things going on. But last one, the day after, that was an important press conference because it took, you know,

The number that was around the number of voters that you would have to get to sign for a referendum was like $600,000. And I am an eternal optimist. I say this all the time. And I'm like, if there's a will, there's a way. But I was not a moron. And I listened to a lot of really smart people say, yeah, but you're climbing Mount Everest and then some with that number. Well, in walks Daniel Smith. And they flip that on its head.

They lower the requirements. The number that's been floating around is 170. 27,000 now, the extended period from 90 days to 120 days. I don't know if you know, but it could give me an answer on this, but at one point it was, it was not only 20% of the population, a voting population from the previous election, yeah, but it was through 58 ridings, it had to be 20% of each of the, and you're like, okay, this is going to be really difficult. And I don't see anything or haven't heard anything like that on this one.

So 10% of the last election who voted 1.7 million and changed turns it down to 177. thousand. Your thoughts on a referendum and whether that's possible, and then you threw in the binding word, which I think is important to bring up as well. So politicians that we elect in this province, we elect them to lead. And kicking the can back to Albertans to say, well, you have to force me to do the right thing, isn't leadership. And a binding independence referendum, has to come from political will. One case and point, if we look back to the referendum on whether equalization was a good thing or bad thing, whether we should renegotiate it or not, that was a government-led initiative.

Most of reviewers may not know this, but there were millions and millions of dollars spent by the Alberta government to educate and inform Albertans on that choice before the election. There was a huge campaign that was undertaken. And that referendum on whether equalization should be renegotiated or not, it passed with just over 60% of the vote. The notion that a government that has self-declared itself not to be in favor of independence, but yet says that Albertans, if you want to have a vote, you can have a vote, is nothing more than looking to, orchestrate a referendum loss that would set the independence movement back decades, if not generations. And so while I applaud the efforts to collect signatures and prepare for a referendum, I would hopefully

and cautiously advise not to proceed with a citizen-led referendum until we are absolutely ready on all fronts to win that referendum. And that is a sustained campaign. And it may take more than a year to convince our fellow Albertans who aren't quite there yet that this is the direction Alberta must go. And so I would just caution those that she's lowered, that the provincial government has lowered the threshold. But it's a trap.

It's lowered so they can kick the can down on the road, you have a vote, it fails, and they can wash their hands of the matter and say, well, we let you have a vote. Too bad, so sad. Political will is what's required. It must come from leadership in this province. It must be led and organized and supported by our elected officials alongside our grassroots organizations. That is the only way that a successful referendum will. be held. I worked on the Brexit campaign in the United Kingdom. That was a close election. And it had

government support, and it was a close election. I saw how the SMP referendum in Scotland failed. We've learned lessons from those things. I've studied the Quebec first and second referendums. If it doesn't come from our elected leadership, it is not. going to succeed. Those are sobering, uh, sobering words, right? There's a, you know, um, right now, uh, there's a ton of emotion going on, not just in Alberta,

Western, Western Canada, I would say. And when there's emotion like that, that's good because people are motivated, but emotion also blinds you to like, let's just slow down just a second. We want to gather as many signatures. and everything. But when you say we got to be ready on all fronts, what are the fronts you're talking about? Organizations that are out there collecting petition signatures or intent to sign signatures, phenomenal. Keep gathering information. We need organizations in every constituency. Our party is doing that. We are here, as the Alberta Republican Party, to build the political

will. There may be some MLAs out there. who agree with independence. We need to give them the courage to speak. There may be some who are not. And we may need to give them the courage to take the exit so that others can step in who will. And above all, the will of the people must be respected. But it's our job, whether you're an independent group,

whether you're a political organization that's in favor of independence, to encourage Albertans to organize, that this is not a sprint, it is a marathon, it is going to require a sustained and effective, professional, and organized campaign to succeed in a referendum, and it will require political leadership. Currently, our government has made it clear. They are not in favor of Alberta independence.

They have made it clear that they are on Team Canada, that they want to see Alberta remain in an abusive, toxic relationship with Ottawa and Eastern Canada. And as an Alberta Republican, I find that troublesome and offensive. And we will fight every day to make sure that Albertans who want an Alberta independent republic, that their voices are heard and they have an alternative to organize, to volunteer for and to vote for. So if I may, and I hope I didn't get any of this wrong, I think you listed off three things.

Because I'm always curious, you say the fronts, I get it, I was saying this morning, you know, one of the things I've learned sitting here and paying attention to politics for the last four years, and it actually shocks me, folks, to say that. I'm like, oh, my God, I've been in this conversation and talking to, you know, these different subjects for four years, It's shocking to me.

And it's also funny how the years just fly by, Cameron. Honestly, at times I'm like, where did the time go? But if I hear it, you go, the organizations, and I'm thinking right now of the APP, right? Like that link is being sent. It feels like everywhere. And they talk, you know, I don't know where the numbers are, but they, you know, the time I've had between Jeff Rath and Dennis Modry and Mitch Sylvester and the list goes on of APP representatives, you know, anywhere between 50 to 70,000 was always the number they were

kind of on their email list. And then the election happened. And I can just imagine that has ballooned. So that, that continuing on and others, you're like, good. That that's happening. Great. The will of the people. You're like, well, the only way the will of the people is going to be known in today's world is how. How do you even gauge the will of the people? Well, that's a, that's a, that's a binding referendum. We, we have to have a binding referendum on this when we're ready and prepared. We had an equalization, we had an equalization referendum, Sean. What has the conservative government done about it since? Absolutely nothing. Absolutely nothing. The political component of this is that we have a referendum that the politicians and the elected

representatives in this province are bound to. How do we make it binding? The government must call for that and it must be called in a way that is binding legislatively, that they must begin negotiations with Ottawa, the provinces and first nation. And, and first. nations upon a successful referendum. That is how it's binding, which by the way, a citizen-led referendum is not binding. It's a suggestion. Citizen-led referendum, can they hop on it as it's going along and say, we'll make this binding? They would have to pass legislation to do so. So it can be done then. I guess that's just what I'm asking.

It could be, it could be, but why would a government who's, announced that they're on Team Canada and against Alberta independence do so. Well, because from what I've watched in politics, I don't like to think of it as a game because you're dealing with people's lives and livelihood and a lot of different things. But the political game would say you could go that way, but what if the political will isn't there? And so the political will, to me, is an interesting point because it's like, well, how do you get the political will? why did no politician before the freedom convoy say no more of this but as soon as there was

thousands upon thousands upon thousands of people there all of a sudden all the things just came off like overnight it's like whoop yeah and that's the that's the people the will of the people and and so and so the will of the people can be executed in a number of ways and one of those ways is by showing the existing government that there are political alternatives that Albertans will vote for if they choose to continue down the road of ignoring Albertans who want independence. The protests and rallies, we need a roadmap and we need leadership. We don't need strongly worded letters, lawsuits, panels, studies to tell us how badly we've been treated. So the mechanics, I think this is important.

The mechanics of a citizen-led referendum are such that once you go down that path, the government will have already staked out its position and its role and its ability to impact the decision. And so this is why it's important that it is a government-led initiative supported by independent groups. perhaps even other parties that make sure it will succeed because it will be binding. If the government decides to be a bandwagon hopper,

it's only doing so because of political opportunism, not because it wants it to actually succeed. And so that's a very important point for your audience to think about is that is the government doing the right thing and helping this along in a meaningful way or are they going to be bandwagon hoppers and still ensure that it doesn't pass because they're only there because we've said it loud enough and clear enough that they want to be part of that at the last minute.

You'll have to take this as no offense, but I don't trust a single politician to lead by example. I haven't seen it there. I used to say, where's the Steve Eiserman who gets up and goes its time? And maybe, maybe Cameron, you're Steve Eisen. Right? You could be. And you can prove me wrong in the next years to come. But until I see it, I look at all politicians as you want the political will or the will of the people. The will of the people is a citizen-led referendum because it will show you that the will is there.

And then you can get in front of it. And then they do that for political gain. And I go, yeah, honestly, I sit here and I go, isn't that what every politician in Canada, And I apologize to every politician in Canada because obviously there's good human beings in there. But to me, that's what it looks like. They find a parade. They jump in front of it at the last second. They say, I was here all along.

And I mean, we're looking for something different. But here in Alberta, I mean, lowering the threshold is a clear indication that, all right, you want to have a shot at this? Show us you want to have a shot at this. And maybe it might, I'm willing to have my. my turn on that. But that's what it looks like to me. It's an easy way to pass the buck. That's for sure. There's no doubt. For sure it is. It's an easy way to shirk off leadership. And it's also an easy way to make sure that you can look at it and say, well, see, we let you have your vote. Too bad it didn't

succeed. Yeah. I, I guess, you know, the thing that you have in spades, earn hearts whatever suit you want to pick is you know you when you bring up Brexit when you bring up Scotland when you bring up it's like I'd be a fool and I think we all be a fool to just write that off is like oh we're different we're so much different than we can just go and not have the government support and it'll be fine right I think I do have to take that into account I think we all should but when I list off the three things organization MLAs across the floor okay or MLAs to support it which I mean at this point if they support it and go against what the party supports,

I assume they're going to be out. Maybe I'm wrong on that. You're probably right. And so part of our job as citizens, whether you're with the Republican Party of Alberta or not, is to help emboldened those MLAs who are in favor of Alberta independence. We have to give them the courage to stand up for us. And sometimes that's in the form of tough love.

That you believe like I believe, but your failure to stand up will result in me voting for someone who is saying what you believe and acting on what you believe. And in showing those MLAs who are still with the existing government that believe in our cause and our mission that if they don't stand up, they could be replaced. Lots to take in. I'm organizations, MLAs, who would support it, will of the people. That's the three things I heard. I'm not, I agree with you 100%. You can't just go racing off and expect that, like, one of the things I think we all have to come to terms with is, you know, yeah, there's a ton of people that are upset. There was a ton of people upset in 2019, right?

You know, snap a figure you had, you had full halls. I sat in one of them, listened to the Waxick talk, right? I sat there and listened to it. it. And I remember leaving like, this is, I don't know what it is. This just isn't it. And you have to appeal to the everyday Albertan and that's going to take time. I agree 110% with that. It's just if I sit around and wait on politicians to do what needs to be done, we'd still be living in 20, we'd be still living in 2022. Like we just what? We have to force them. We have to force them. There's no other way about it.

If the people that you vote for refuse to listen and to do the right thing, then they're no longer there representing you. So why would you vote blindly for a representative who no longer shares your values, who has potentially run as a conservative in name only, supporting a 5.2 plus plus billion dollar deficit. Supporting a bureaucracy that is out of control and larger than, yes, even the 2019 Rachel Notley NDP bureaucracy was smaller than the current so-called conservative government's bureaucracy. I think that's something we should all be looking at considering that if we're voting for something that's against our values out of fear,

where is that going to get us? So what is the next, I don't know, you tell me the time frame. I can give you three months, I can give you a year. You know, like, what is the next X? You tell me what that looks like and what Republican Party of Alberta, Cameron Davies are going to be doing

and what you see, you know, because it's easy to get in the emotion of today, of like, we're leaving, so up, 51st state, see you later, right? There's a ton of that. And I'm like, all the conversations I've done. So look, there's a lot of energy out there right now. There's a lot of excitement.

There's a lot of energy out there. We're operating on numerous fronts right now. And our collection of information of people who are in favor of independence is one. I know other organizations are doing the same thing. We are well past the six-figure mark of, of, finding Albertans who agree with Alberta independence in some way, shape, or form. So we're collecting that information in preparation for a proper referendum. At the same time, our party membership in 24 hours has doubled.

We are closing in on the 20,000 paid party members as of last night. And so it's been a absolutely phenomenal surge in growth for our party and our movement across the province. We're organizing in all 87, soon to be 89 constituency associations across the province as well, building out teams of organizers. The number of people who have emailed our Constituent Development email requesting to form a CA or become a candidate has been phenomenal. We're conducting fundraisers in every region across the province.

starting tonight, we're kicking off with an event here in Calgary, and we're going to be entering into a 300-plus tour stop across Alberta for the next four or five months. Do I plan on seeing you in Lloyd Minster then? We will be in Lloyd Minster. We will definitely be in Lloyd-Minster. It will make time to do another sit-down podcast. We'll have a lot to talk about again, I'm sure. May 24th, your viewers, May 24th is going to be a monumental,

time we're having what will be the largest event in favor of Alberta independence in Red Deer at the Red Deer Resort and Casino Events Center. I would invite all of your viewers make plans, attend. It starts at 2 o'clock. Be there. It's going to be electric. Cameron, appreciate you hopping on today. Any final thoughts for the audience specifically here in Alberta? Keep talking to your friends, your families, people at the coffee shops, at the dinner table, your co-workers. The conversations are important. Turning the hearts and minds of Albertans who are potentially either reluctant separatists or those who have never considered it is vital to the success of an independent Alberta. if you believe that it will take both political will and organization of ordinary citizens,

join us. Go to Alberta Republicans.com. Sign up. Become a member. Become a volunteer. We've got elections coming up in a very short period of time. We're looking for candidates. We're building out our organization.

If you want to volunteer, if you want to take a big lawn sign or a hey, bell wrap. we are promoting Alberta independence from every corner of this province, and I would invite every Albertan who shares those values and shares that mission to sign up, join us. This train is leaving the station, and every Albertan is welcome aboard. Cameron, thanks for hopping on doing this. Thank you, Sean. I appreciate your time, and look forward to coming up there to Lloyd Minster and sit down with you again maybe in a month or so. Sounds good, sir.

Thanks, Sean.