Shaun Newman Podcast - #844 - Alberta Prosperity Project

Episode Date: May 7, 2025

We discuss 200,000+ pledges, the referendum question and all things Alberta Prosperity Project.Mitch Sylvestre is the current CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project, the president of the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul United Conservative Party (UCP) Constituency Association. He is the owner of Sylvestre Sporting Goods, a well-established store in Bonnyville since 1989. Jeff Rath is a seasoned lawyer based in Alberta, Canada, with over two decades of experience. He is the founder of Rath & Company, a law firm established in 1995. Rath specializes in treaty and Indigenous rights, environmental law, and general civil litigation, often challenging government actions. He has led class action lawsuits, such as one against the Alberta government over COVID-19 vaccine policies and business shutdowns. Dr. Dennis Modry is a retired cardiothoracic surgeon from Alberta, Canada, known for performing the first heart transplant in Western Canada in 1985. A native of Camrose, he earned his B.Sc. and M.D. from the University of Alberta, followed by advanced training in general surgery, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, and critical care at McGill University, as well as transplantation immunology and high-risk cardiovascular surgery at Stanford University. He served as CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project until 2023.Sign the Intention to Vote YES: http://albertaprosperityproject-albertafirstpension.nationbuilder.com/Donate: https://albertaprosperityproject-albertafirstpension.nationbuilder.com/donateMembership: http://albertaprosperityproject-albertafirstpension.nationbuilder.com/join_usVolunteer: http://albertaprosperityproject-albertafirstpension.nationbuilder.com/volunteerCornerstone 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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Appreciate all of you. tweeting it out and sharing the podcast. It is truly where I'm at, I'm at where I'm at because of all of you and I appreciate all the help. All right, let's get on to that tale of the tape. The first is the CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project, the second, the founder of the law firm Rath and company, and the third, a former CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project. I'm talking about Mitch Sylvester, Jeff Rath, and Dennis Modry. So buckle up. Here we go. Welcome to this John Newman podcast. Today I'm joined by Dennis Modry, Mitt Sylvester, and Jeff Rath.

Gentlemen, thanks for being on. Thanks, Sean. Thank you for having me, Sean. Yeah. Well, it's been a whirlwind since April 28th. Carney got elected, and then obviously some strong feelings have emerged from Albertan, specifically. You three would know more about that than probably most, being a part of the APP.

feel free all three to chime in. I assume start with Mitch as the acting. I think it's CEO, correct, Mitch? I'm not wrong on that title. You could probably give a 10,000-foot view of what you've been experiencing on the APP back end.

So since the election, well, we were anticipating growth if Carney won, but we were getting 4,000 to 5,000 people an hour join us at one point. So we've got enough. Right now we're up to 220,000 pledges.

So based on Premier Smith's new threshold, we can actually trigger a referendum for independence for Alberta. So our goal is not necessarily just to trigger the referendum. Our goal is absolutely to win the referendum. We believe that we're in a position right now to actually make real change. And I think Alberta has changed from that day forward. Alberta is going to become a different place. The Premier has come out and said many things that she's,

you know, she's mentioned the word separation. She's absolutely on a path to renegotiate Alberta's deal within Confederation. So we believe that those are positive things, but we believe that we need to have more than that. We believe that if the Premier is going to be able to do this, she's going to actually need to have a threat. There's got to be a stick involved. We've been chasing this day.

down for literally 100 years. Since 1980, the government of Canada has clamped down on us. Back when the National Energy Program began, they started a process that said that they didn't want the power base of Canada to move from Ottawa to Calgary. And at that point, you know, transfer payments came into the picture and all manner of things that basically, the Premier acknowledged that Ottawa is basically attacking Alberta's economy. and trying to keep us poor. And that's exactly what's happening.

And there's no sugar-coding that. That's been very clear to me. So we have to make decisions here as Albertans, as this is a democracy, that no politician is going to save us. We absolutely have to save ourselves here. And the only way to really save ourselves is to join this movement and give our Premier

the leverage that she needs or the stick that she needs to actually make real change, even though I really believe that based on what the liberals have been doing with us for the last 10 years, and the fact that the new prime ministers is a confirmed globalist and a confirmed world economic forum leader, that we can't expect anything better than what we've had. As a matter of fact, I'm very concerned that it's going to be much worse.

So I think that pretty much sums up our position. Just before I let Jeff or Dennis hop in, on the over 200,000 pledges, in order to trigger things, if I understood, know like it was we had the election the next day Daniel Smith comes out we're going to lower the threshold just for the audience because there's some confusion around pledges and what that actually means if you were to trigger the window the 120 day window now then the 200,000 pledges and then a whole bunch of others essentially there'd be a 120 day window to go collect signatures

which would then actually trigger the referendum correct right so so from our perspective what has to happen is the reason that we need pledges is we have to know where you are because that 120 day window to collect all those signatures they have to be notarized there's lots of steps along that process that have to be done absolutely perfectly our elections over will throw it out so we have to know where you are and then in order to do that you have to pledge to join us or to so that we know if you go to APPP and pledge then you you put your name your address your telephone number all that manner stuff in there so that you can support what we're doing. We're going to need more than 220,000 pledges to be sure that we're going to get

177,000. We will doork before that, and we will absolutely make sure that you're legit, because we need to know, and then we get to basically go out there, get you to fill your part of the signature for the petition for a referendum for independence, and then once you do that, then we're going to make sure that we get you out to vote. So all of those things are going to be crucial steps to this and all of them very important. And the only way that we can collect these signatures and make sure that we have enough to trigger the referendum is for you to pledge to us so that we know where you are. Does that make sense?

Yeah. Is that clear? Yeah, I think so. Dennis, I can see you want to hop in and Jeff will get to you right after. Well, yeah, you see, for one thing, this change in legislation hasn't been proclaimed until law yet. So we're still operating based on the former threshold, which is 600,000 people who have to register their contact information with us. The new legislation won't be proclaimed, well, second reading is taking place on May 15th, and then it wouldn't be proclaimed into law

until sometime in June. So that, but you know, I want people to think about the fact that, number one, this is a populist movement that benefits everybody. But in order to be successful, the greater the number of registrants that we have on our website, the greater that circle around those registrants are who also will support a referendum on Alberta sovereignty. So the larger the number of individuals who support the petition that then forces the referendum, the greater the probability of winning the referendum. You see where I'm going with that. The other thing I want people to understand very clearly is that when you

register on our website, your contact information, that information is not shared with anybody. And we live in this era of cancel culture. So if you're registering your contact information or you're making a donation, you don't need to be worried about any of that information being shared. It won't be, it can't be. And that's why we registered the Alberta Prosperity Society with Service Alberta. We don't give out tax receipts for one thing. But we also are in a position where we have no legal obligation to share any information. our list which i think is really quite important and you know people are still thinking about

the trucker convoy and having their accounts frozen that will never happen as a result of supporting a referendum on a petition and a referendum on alberta sovereignty so i just wanted to add a little bit of clarity around this populist movement and i'm sure jeff can add more to it but the the future is incredibly bright to for us when we can get out from under all of the oppression and suffocating regulations from that we currently are experiencing with this federal government. And Jeff can speak very eloquently to that as well. So just to jump in on that, I mean, let's be really clear about what we're doing here

and what people are going to be voting for. Albertans are going to be given the opportunity, and we say it has to happen this year, not next year. We're not going to play into Daniel Smith's little team Canada strategy of holding off the referendum on independence until next year so she can have another, you know, dozen referenda questions to muddy the waters. We need a standalone vote this year in or out. And what I'd like to do is I would like to announce on your show that we have a clear and unambiguous referendum question that we're going to be put into a ballot this year. So maybe if you could put that up, Sean, if you want. The question is, Simply, do you agree that the province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada?

Yes or no. It couldn't be more clear. People in Alberta need to understand what they're voting for. What they are voting for is a complete end to all federal taxes in Alberta. No more federal income tax. No more federal corporate tax. No more GST. No more carbon tax at any level whatsoever.

Not on agriculture, not on the oil and gas industry. no more federal taxes period on anything, no more excise taxes on fuel, no more threats from Ottawa to shut down our oil industry, no more federal regulations of development of oil and gas in Alberta. We can double oil and gas production in Alberta within three to five years by voting ourselves out of Canada and becoming a sovereign country. We will become the wealthiest sovereign country in the world by voting yes to that question. And what we're concerned about, and I mean, there's lots to, you know, lots of, you know, to thank Danielle for in terms of what she's doing, but she really has to decide whether

she's on Team Canada or whether she's on Team Alberta. What she announced yesterday, there were lots of things that she said that were very positive. You know, she said that Jason Kenney needs to shut his face hole and stop calling people traitors and coops and doing all the name calling and extremists and all the rest of it. That applies equally to Preston Manning, who's referred to people in our movement as extremists and eccentrics as opposed to grassroots Albertans who are just fed up. So, you know, Danielle has come out clearly and said, look, you know, these people are all loyal Albertans working for the betterment of our province.

Well, thanks for acknowledging what was obvious from day one. We appreciate that. But when you, you know, when someone stands up and says, well, it doesn't matter if they have the signatures, doesn't matter if they have the votes, doesn't matter if they have a clear question, I'm going to hold, this is Danielle, I'm going to hold a bunch of panels this summer, I'm going to, you know, basically come up with my own bullshit list of referendum questions that I have the authority to pass by legislation in any event without a referendum. And then I'm going to muddy the waters on an independence referendum by putting a clear

question on independence on the ballot with a bunch of questions that come out of a bunch of panels that she's going to hold this summer. She's demonstrating that she's playing for Team Canada. She's literally running the clock and icing the puck. And she needs to decide whose team she's on. I mean, we love a lot of what she's doing, but she needs to decide. It's either Team Canada or Team Alberta, you can't be both. One of the things that people always tell me on the text line and in conversations

is they worry about the infighting, right? Like, when you say she's just icing the puck and winding out the time, do you think the resolve of Albertans will change in a year, Jeff? By 2026, do you think it's going on? It's not a question. Sorry, Sean, I shall let you finish the question. No, just when I hear the hockey game reference, I go, yeah, you ice the puck to wear out the clock. Last night, we were watching the hockey game, and that's what they were doing.

And you go, okay, I understand the reference, but in my mind, when I start looking at Quebec and trying to galvanize more than 200, it's going to take more than 200,000 people to pull up a successful referendum. And I think, you know, the goal is not only to get the question put forth to the Alberta public, but then you need to win it. And so you need a lot of people to come out and support that. When you say, you know, she's just icing the puck and winding out the clock, my brain goes, well, the game ends. So are you worried that Albertans are going to change their thoughts over the course of a year and it needs to be, you know, just like that's what you mean by ice in the puck. No, no, not at all. what I'm worried about is that she's not playing for Team Alberta.

She's not Alberta first. She's Canada first. And this is a federalist strategy to delay and delay the referendum that we could have this year. And then they delay it and then they confuse it. So once they confuse it, she can have a whole bunch of, you know, let's say 10 other referendum questions on the ballot instead of one single clear question. And then a bunch of those questions are going to presuppose that Alberta remains within Canada. They can then add up all the numbers and say, oh, these people, they're. answer these other questions, you know, in a manner that indicates that they want to see options

within Canada. So even though they won, you know, on the independence question, you know, it's not a clear and unambiguous question. She's mucking around in what we're doing. She's doing it because she's on Team Canada, not Team Alberta right now. And she's got to decide what horse she's riding. She's either Team Alberta or Team Canada. She also needs to internalize, for my perspective, how much stronger Alberta. She announced yesterday that she's going to put together her negotiating team. She needs to internalize to negotiate with Canada, but she needs to internalize how much stronger her negotiating position is if she's negotiating as the leader of an independent nation state as opposed to doing what we've been doing, which is Alberta going on bend-and-kneed

to Ottawa saying, please, Mr. Ottawa, could we please have some of our money back? I mean, we're done with that. So she wants to continue playing that same game, and I would remind her that the very definition of insanity is doing the same stupid thing over and over and over again and expecting a different result. And just let me finish that point. She'll say, well, I'm not doing the same thing over and over again because now I've got APP set up and, you know, so that they can have a referendum on independence. That's the threat. Oh, I've got this new threat. Well, it's not much of one if the feds know that she's really playing on their team and she's not serious about Alberta leaving Canada. She's playing games with us and she's not being honest with Albertans by the

strategy that she's imposing and she needs to know that we're you know that you know that we're not stupid and we know what she's doing. Sean, let me let me weigh in here because there's something really relevant in relation to what Jeff said there and what you posed in terms of timing, timing of the referendum. One thing that hasn't been discussed is how much further carnage can Mr. Carney cause to Alberta the longer we wait before we have a sovereignty referendum. So as the Premier pointed out, actions speak louder than words. So, for example, is he going to introduce a central bank digital currency, which is something he has touted that he is willing to do? That will put every Canadian, every Albertan under the control of the federal government. And this gets back

to the point that I made earlier about freezing people's bank accounts if they don't comply with federal dictates. So that's one thing. But what will he do about Bill C-69, Bill C-48, about the various oppression litigation that he has right now, or that the liberal party has right now with respect to censorship? This is another thing that can affect you and can affect everybody, Sean, in terms of getting the message out. And then, as Jeff pointed out, then there's the firearms issue as well. So, I mean, how much harm can he do before we can have this referendum? And I think that's an important question.

The other thing is the issue of polling in terms of how close are we right now with respect to, If we were to hold a referendum today, what is the probability of winning that? According to the polls, we're maybe at 35, 40 percent, according to the polls. But are the polls accurate? Remember, we live in this era still of cancel culture, where people don't like to express really how they feel. And we saw that in spades in the U.S. election where the polls did not predict the outcome, that occurred, a massive landslide for Mr. Trump and the Republican Party. So, you know, I think we may be closer to a plurality than we think,

yet at the same time, we want to push the education of Albertans on the rationale and merits of Alberta sovereignty for a little bit longer period of time. we would like to hit that 600,000 or greater number before we launched the petition. But we will be able to launch the petition anytime after the, well, we could even do it. We could even do it now, but that would put us under the gun of getting that 600,000. So it would be safer to wait until the new threshold is proclaimed into law in June. But just to jump in on that, Dennis, like when we talk about polling at 35 percent, Don Brade had a column in the Calgary Herald that actually led to the global coming out and doing that interview with me. And Don Braids polling had Alberta conservatives at 44% in favor of independent, or 40% in favor of independence and NEP voters at 4%.

So of politically active people in Alberta, 44% are in favor of independence, according to Don Bray. And that's, again, without Albertans fully internalizing the benefits of not having to pay any federal taxes and not being subject to any federal regulation. So I think that, and especially now with the momentum and the discussion around every coffee table and dinner table in Alberta that is being, you know, has arisen since APP's success in reaching the threshold of signatures for, you know, for a referendum. I think we could well be over 40 or we could be over 50% now. So I don't think we need to be afraid of that. We just need to keep moving forward as hard and as fast as we can and continuing to get the message out. It doesn't matter who you are in Alberta. There's nobody in this province whose lives are not going to be substantially better

by getting rid of all federal regulation in this province and getting rid of all federal taxes in this province and literally having us only subject to taxes that have been determined by a government that we elect in Alberta for Albertans. So, you know, I think that, you know, I think when people really understand the fact that what they're voting for is a 30% pay raise, you know, that we're not going to have any trouble on a standalone question this year voting Alberta out of Canada. And I don't think we should be afraid of that. And I'm not suggesting that you're saying that we are, but I'm just saying that we just, you know, we need to stay focused on that and have a very, very strong. message going forward in terms of what we're doing. Well, if I may, the one thing about your question, when I read it back to myself, do you agree

that the province, Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada, yes or no? One of the, you know, there was three veins of thought, I think, that people were getting confused by. One is, you know, like an independent province in a nation of Canada. I forgive me, that's one. Two was a country. Three was 51st state.

to me this is pretty clear it's it's like i think it's like cease being a province become a country i'm probably oversimplifying it but i don't know how i can simplify a clear question i think that's important for people to hear the next thing i would say is like the goal isn't 44% of albertans you need at least 50 plus right we're we're 44% three weeks ago sean that was before carney was elected that's right and i and i go ahead well i was just going to say like the goal is whether it's in a year from now or six months from now, the goal is for this discussion, if you want out of Canada, you need to get a majority of Albertans to go out and vote and support your question of, yes, we want out.

And if you can get there in a year or six months, the timing does matter because you, Dennis, you'd mention like if how much carnage can Carney do? And my brain goes, the more carnage that happens, the more people start to pay attention. Because, you know, I thought Daniel Smith's comments yesterday were pretty much bang on. There is a group of people that have been ready to go. Dennis, you can probably talk to this until the cows come home. They've been ready to go for 20 years, maybe longer. Then there's a group that will never leave.

And then there's this group that are becoming more and more frustrated and are having to come to terms with Alberta first. Our first conversation when you were in studio, we were talking about this. And I was like, I don't know, Alberta first. man that's a tough concept to get a guy's head around that was a year ago think about how far our conversation's gone and you sit you go how many more albertans are waking up every single day having these conversations around the water cooler and starting to come to terms with maybe we have to be alberta first and getting those folks on board with uh coming out and supporting a referendum is of the utmost importance isn't it well it it is Sean you know and let me just make uh

comment about the term sovereignty. Sovereignty really means self-control, control of your own wealth and affairs, control of your destiny. And you can think of sovereignty at the individual level. And Jeff just touched on it. When you seed your wealth, i.e. through excessive taxation and regulation, you lose some of your personal sovereignty. You lose some of your personal ability. You lose all of your sovereignty, Dennis. You lose all of your Your ability. Right. So you're compromised in terms of planning for your future for yourself and your family. So we've been giving up our sovereignty to different levels of government for a long period of time. We have this unique opportunity moving forward where we can have not only personal sovereignty for ourselves and our family, but we can have country sovereignty in a sovereign nation of Alberta, where we can have wherein, for example, where the average person, when you add all taxation up, may be paying anywhere from 50 to 60% taxes at every level to get back to maybe eight or 10%. Well, just

think about the change. You know, the best example is the average laborer, worker in the province of Alberta that makes $78,000 a year. That person has only real purchasing power of $31,000 a year because of all the taxes and regulations. If we could get out from under that, that average worker would have $68,000 to $70,000 of purchasing power every year. That's the stark numbers of what we're talking about. This is a matter of individual sovereignty, family sovereignty and sovereignty of the nation of Alberta. And it's so important for people to understand what this sovereignty really means for them and their families. It should be a no-brainer. There's nobody that loses on this, including the indigenous population. And I'd like Jeff to make a comment

because, you know, as there have been some chiefs that have come out in opposition, but everybody wins, especially the indigenous population. Jeff, please comment on that. No, absolutely. I've devoted my entire life to advancing indigenous rights in the province of Alberta. And I would not be doing this if I did not believe in my heart that the indigenous nations of Alberta are going to be far better off within a new Alberta Constitution that they can negotiate with Alberta nation to nation as opposed to the deal that they have with Canada. You know, there's absolutely no reason that if we take back the $70 billion a year that Alberta sends to Ottawa to only get $33 billion back, that Alphabwe's, that Alphabye's, that

the independent Commonwealth of Alberta couldn't afford to negotiate a constitutionalized resource revenue sharing arrangement with every First Nation in Alberta. There's no reason that the Republic or the Commonwealth of Alberta would not be able to recognize First Nation sovereignty in the same manner that American tribes are recognized in the United States with authority over gaming and, you know, and a lot more autonomy on, you know, on their own lands to govern themselves. in the same way that U.S. tribes and First Nations govern themselves. I mean, the entire thing, and nor would an independent Alberta mean an end to the First Nations treaties or their arrangement with Canada.

If, you know, they have outstanding grievances with Canada and want to continue suing Canada for things that Canada owes them over the last 150 years of abuse that they've suffered at the hands of the Canadian government, the Canadian government will remain liable. So, you know, this is nothing but a win, win, win for Alberta First Nations and a real opportunity for them once and for all to be, you know, to fully participate in the economy of this province and to have wealth beyond any measure that they've seen previously in terms of the handouts that, you know, they have to beg on bend a knee for, you know, from Ottawa to get. I mean, keep in mind, I've been practicing law for 34 years. I've been suing Ottawa on behalf of indigenous nations in Canada and Alberta for 34 years. I can tell you that nobody in Ottawa ever has said, oh, my goodness, do we owe that to First Nations people? We better get on paying them right away.

You know, there's always 10 or 15 years of litigation. And then there's always some bullshit negotiation that results in Ottawa holding out until, you know, First Nations are forced to settle literally for pennies on the dollar of what they're owed. So, you know, the time is now for First Nations to understand that this is a real opportunity, and certainly I would be involved in doing this unless I, you know, personally believe that it was to their benefit. Further, the APP Aboriginal policy was developed with input from one of our founding directors, Lawrence Cordare, who is a former vice chief of the Assembly of First Nations in Canada, who's one of the strongest advocates for treaty rights in the province of Alberta,

who I've known for almost 40 years. And the program developed by APP and the rights that would be enshrined in an Alberta constitution will certainly take Alberta of First Nations far beyond whatever their relationship with Canada has and takes them into the future as prosperous thriving communities

as opposed to what Canada has done to them by deliberately keeping them down decade after decade after decade. Yeah, and just to add to that, on the website in the education section, there's a document entitled proposed policies and governance of the sovereign nation of Alberta. Well, in there, there's an indigenous section that Jeff had drafted, and it makes it very clear, a very senior, and I won't mention his name, but he's also a good friend of Jeff. from First Nations has said in relation to what what is on our website there under Indigenous

people is that this would bring along, this would be supported by 90% of First Nations chiefs. Mitch, could you just to pull back, just to shift gears for one second, I had one other question. I want to make sure that gets addressed. I've had a lot of people reach out to me directly, and I've sent, I think, well, no, I know because I got the link from you, people asking where the APP link is. Have you had any issues with, I don't know, people mimicking APP links? And if people are looking for your link specifically so they know they're signing up to the right one, we can put it in the show notes on the podcast, but where would you direct people online so they know they're getting the right link?

to our website, to the Alberta Prosperity Project website. So that would be the right link. So just be aware just on that note. We are the people that are actually going to get this to a referendum. That's us. We're committed to that. A lot of these other people that are gathering signatures are gathering signatures so that they can reach people and they can fundraise

and they can do all the rest of that stuff, but have not gotten the real ability to get this to the end. We have the infrastructure, We have the people. We have it all broken down. I'm sure we have the biggest number of people as well. But if you want to actually get this done, you have to sign with the Alberta Prosperity Pack.

There's really no other game in town. And I pay very close attention. I've been involved with many of these groups from day one. As a matter of fact, a lot of them are sending us their information. We have a couple instances of that. I just want to go down another path for you. And this is part of the frustration. and that's who I am.

We don't need another Fair Deal panel. We've had one. I've talked to Drew Barnes extensively. He was on the Fair Deal panel before. All they're going to do is study. So what we need right now is action. We need some kind of action from the UCP to show us and show government and show the federal government that they're actually serious about making Alberta a better deal and making Alberta a better place.

So the firewall letter was sent in 2001. and we're 24 years away from that after that. And it's got some very good things in there that Stephen Harper endorsed. As a matter of fact, I've seen Danielle Smith speak about it publicly years ago, and she agreed with most of the stuff that's on it. But we have never ever got any of the stuff that they've recommended in the firewall letter. Top of that list are collect our own taxes. Something we could do right now.

Quebec's doing it. Why aren't we doing it? I'm out the impression that they want to collect our own taxes, but we're waiting for Quebec to do it. it first and then we would piggyback on that but I'm just concerned with why do we have to wait waiting is becoming a big issue for me personally and a big issue for for Alberta because we keep studying things and not accomplishing anything so that could be done the premier's on record for saying that the Alberta pension plans are no-brainer and we've we've agreed I haven't agreed

but their stance on that was we're going to wait until the federal government, the federal election's over, so we don't hurt the conservative's chances of winning by bringing that to Alberta. However, we're talking about $370 billion of Alberta money sitting in Ottawa on their balance sheet. That could be called over without a plebiscite or without a referendum. If I may, I'm just curious, because I'm like, as soon as we start bringing in all the things Alberta could do, I go, well, that's what probably Daniel Smith's going to go around the country, sorry, the province talking to and going to put on a referendum in 2026. But my point is, Sean, is why hasn't she done it already?

She's at two and a half years. You know, and let's keep spinning our wheels and spinning around in the mud. I mean, come on. Like, enough is enough. It's like she was elected to lead. We expect her to lead. It is lead, follow, or get out of the way. Well, I don't, I guess where I sit for the people listen.

of this. I go, is Daniel Smith listening? Possibly. Is there team listening? I'm sure. Is there people in the UCP listening? I'm sure. But there's a whole lot of Albertans listening right now. And when Mitch, you said it's about action, I'm like, I think a lot of people understand that. And where I want to push

towards or at least bring them back, which I think is your wheelhouse, is you have people signing up on the daily. You're over 200,000. People want to get motivated, or motivated to do something. And I assume there are things that you can are leading towards for them to do,

which would probably be canvassing their neighborhoods, their areas, trying to get that number that Dennis had talked about, the $600,000, because if you got $200,000 and they all grabbed, you know, three of their friends, all of a sudden you're at $600,000. So you go, are you working on,

if there's people listening that are motivated, that want to volunteer for the APP to go out in Canvas, Alberta, that is your, well, I would think your greatest asset, is the action. part, not getting into the, not, I don't even mean it in the mud, uh, in a bad way, just

getting, you know, it's not to go talk about Alberta, uh, um, pension plan, sorry, um, it's, it's to go and talk about, we have a clear question. We want to get as many pledges as humanly possible. And if you want to help us do that, I assume there's a way that people can help the Alberta Prosperity Project go and do that. Am I wrong on that thought? You're 100% right. And that's exactly laser focused.

We're talking about other things. things here, we're laser focused on getting more people. That's absolutely what we need. Just to be clear, but sorry not to jump in, but since Carney was elected, APP

has been flooded with volunteer requests. So we're now over 15,000 volunteers that have committed to being boots on the ground for moving this forward. We're right now putting together an 87 constituency door-knocking campaign and plan in support of referendum

signatures. We're also going to have an 87 constituency door knocking and canvassing plan in support of the referendum. Every day, and we're urging people to volunteer, if you reach out to us and say you want to help, we'll put you to work. Don't worry about that. We currently have more volunteers in APP than they have infantry soldiers in the Canadian Armed Forces. We can get this done. We have a committed, you know, we have a committed volunteer base and we are moving this forward. Okay. So, a bunch of town halls that are that are being scheduled as well and there's a big one coming up in calgary next month in on monday sorry did i monday may 12 monday may 12 okay so if people are listening they should pay attention uh you know and are interested in this they should go to the alberta

prosperity project.com correct correct I'm right at first ready project.com. That's correct. Correct. They should sign up, and on there will be a list of the town halls that are coming up. The first one starting Monday, May 12th in Calgary, but there will be a list there of where they can see getting closer to their homes, I assume.

There will be 50 town halls in the next six or eight weeks, and we're going to hit the whole province twice. Okay. Is there anything else, gentlemen, you want to make sure the Alberta population knows before I let you out of here? Absolutely. I've got one that I wanted to raise with regard to the Alberta Bill of Rights. Everybody needs to hold our politicians accountable and hold Daniel Smith accountable.

Because this idea that we're going to have a referendum in 2026 and that she's not going to work with us to have a referendum this year is unacceptable to those of us that largely make up her base that want a referendum this year. We don't want any more half measures. Like the Alberta Bill of Rights, Danielle needs to internalize the fact that we can't can't have her and her government playing games with us the way they did with that document. It says the right to acquire and keep and use firearms in accordance with law. She didn't need a fair deal panel to get that right.

Keep and use firearms in accordance with law. All she's saying is, let's put in the Alberta Bill of Rights that the federal government has the right to seize Alberta firearms. Like, instead of making our rights stronger, her amendments to the Bill of Rights weakened our rights and everything that I see her doing right now in terms of her announcement. that she's going to water down the referendum with all of these other questions, is her playing for Team Canada and undermining our rights, not strengthening them? And we need her to get on board and be part of our team rather than continuing to play for Team Canada,

which is what she's doing. She's either a federalist or she's in Alberta and she needs to make up. Is there a way in your guys' minds to get a referendum this year? And if, you know, the 50 town halls go in the next six weeks, it goes the right way. Let's just say, you know, the best outcome ever happens. You get 600,000 plus. You get the 120-day window. You sign everything on.

I assume you've planned out. We would like a referendum, if possible, by this day. And what that would look like for Albertans? Yeah, it's a real easy way to do it. All Daniel needs to do is because the legislation hasn't passed the House yet. She needs to make sure that the legislation or the regulations along with the legislation, say simply that the period for gathering signatures is 120 days or until such time as the requisite number of verified signatures have been obtained by elections Alberta.

Because when Danielle's talking about pushing this into Alberta or into next year, it's like, oh, well, it's 120-day period. So the legislation won't be proclaimed until July. And then July, August, September, October. So then we're four months out. and then by the time Elections Alberta verifies the signatures and whatever, we're into 2026 on a referendum anyway. That's unacceptable. What she needs to do is to put into the legislation or the regulations that it's going to be 120 days or until such time as the requisite signatures have been gathered.

We already have 220,000 pledges of signatures. I am confident on the basis of the momentum that we have now and the team that we have in place that we can have, all of the required signatures within 30 days. So we can have, you know, we can have all of the signatures that we need by the end of July if the legislation is proclaimed in early July. That means that we could have, we could have the referendum in October with the municipal elections as Keith, you know, Keith Wilson has been advocating for, or we could have it in late September or we could have it in early November, either way. But there's no excuse for holding this off until the to 2026 and there's absolutely no excuse for muddying the water

with a bunch of you know a bunch of questions coming out of another fair deal panel that she has the power to legislate anyway by all means you know daniel consult with your base that's your job but don't try to hold up our referendum with your process because it's just not going to fly So if I got one message that I can share with everybody is please understand. I've learned this lesson over and over again, and I would really like you to pay attention to this, if I could be so humble as to ask you to do that. I would like you to understand that the politicians are not going to save you

and you are going to be totally responsible for your future here. And it's going to take effort. It's going to take the fact that you're going to have to talk to people. You're going to have to sign up on the only direction possible to get this to happen. And you're going to have to do some work and understand for yourself the benefits of you doing this very thing. Or the real consequences of you not doing this very thing, which is something I'm more worried about, actually, than the other. So please understand. There is no politician who is going to save you.

This is on us. And people have said to us, oh, you don't have a face for APP. well, the face of APP right now for this referendum is the actual people of Alberta. There's not going to be, we're not putting a politician at the head of this, our people will rebel. The politicians who have got us here. So just understand, you are the face of this. You are going to be responsible for doing this. We're going to work really hard to help you do it.

But if you do not show up, we will not win this. I just did a talk at the NFA the other day, and I showed them and explained to them very, clearly there's 22, 2.2 million gun owners in Canada, and they all wanted the conservatives to win. There was 28 or 29 writings within a percent at the end of the evening that could have swung it for a conservative majority, but I'm sure, based on performance here, that gun owners didn't get out and vote, because that has just been the pattern that I've seen involved here as well. So I'm just singling that group out, but now I'm talking to every Albertan here. This is going to be our democracy, as far as I'm concerned, is on the line here.

And we have a way to make sure that it's not going to be on the line so that we could take it a step or two further so can really understand what's going on. Because what's happening here is unprecedented. We've never been attacked by federal government before. And Danielle Smith actually acknowledged yesterday that we are solidly being attacked. So that's not just coming from us. So just please understand. You're responsible for this.

You'll be responsible for yourselves and your family's future. Thank you. That's my message to you. Dennis, any final thoughts? Well, my final thought is for everybody to recognize that, you know, the Alberta Prosperity Project is an educational project. We never anticipated or have wanted to become a political party or anything like that.

And it's one of the reasons, because we are an educational project, it's one of the reasons why we can cut across all political spectrums in terms of getting a message out in terms of Alberta sovereignty. So for people who want a better life for themselves and their families, whether they're conservatives or liberals

or NDP supporters or something else, you will win. for yourself and your family by supporting a referendum on Alberta sovereignty. And you might as well join with us by registering your contact information on our website and be part of this populist movement, because that's what this is. This is a populist movement to benefit everybody in the province of Alberta. That's all I have to say. gentlemen, appreciate you guys hopping on and doing this.

And I'll make sure all the links to your website and everything are on the show notes that way. I know I've been getting texts a lot about people not being able to find it or just other things muddy in the water if they're looking specifically for you. And we'll make sure that they know where to get in the contact, well, getting contact with the APP. Appreciate you guys hopping on today. And well, we'll see what the next weeks and months bring. Thanks for having us.

Thanks, Sean. Very much.