Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Pictures Media Radio. Welcome to
Speaker 1: Policy and Rights Show US welcomer Policy, Human Joys.
Speaker 2: I'm about to brief the Security Council on IT eighty.
Speaker 2: THEU meditarian situation is appalling, but there are faint glimmers
Speaker 2: of hope. I heard the Security Council and the international
Speaker 2: community to step up for the people of eighty at
Speaker 2: this pivotal time. I also want to say a word
Speaker 2: about the unfolding tragedy that is Gaza. Unbelievablely, civilians are
Speaker 2: facing yet another deadly escalation. Israel's initial steps to military
Speaker 2: takeover Gaza City signals a new and dangerous face. Expanded
Speaker 2: military operations in Gaza City will have devastating consequences. Hundreds
Speaker 2: of thousands of civilians, already exhausted and traumatized, would be
Speaker 2: forced to flee yet again, plunging families into even deeper peril.
Speaker 3: These must stop.
Speaker 2: At the same time, we have seen yet more unconscionable
Speaker 2: Israeli strike, including earlier this week at NASE Hospital in Conunis.
Speaker 2: One attack was followed by another, killing civilians, including medical
Speaker 2: personnel and journalists who were carrying out their essential work.
Speaker 3: All with the world watching.
Speaker 2: I know so many of the reporters here along with us,
Speaker 2: have lost their colleagues. These attacks are part of an
Speaker 2: endless catalog of orrors. There must be accountability. Gaza is
Speaker 2: piled with rappel, piled with bodies, and piled with examples
Speaker 2: of what may be serious violations of international law. Ostriches
Speaker 2: taken by a mass and other groups must be released,
Speaker 2: and the atrocious treatment they have been forced to endure
Speaker 2: must stop. Civilians must be protected, and let's be clear,
Speaker 2: the levels of death and destruction in Gaza are without
Speaker 2: parallel in recent times. Femine is no longer a looming possibility.
Speaker 2: It's a present day catastrophe. People are dying from anger,
Speaker 2: Families are being torn apart by displacement and despair. Pregnant
Speaker 2: women are facing any imaginable risks, and the systems that's
Speaker 2: the same life, food, water, else care have been systematically dismantled.
Speaker 3: These are the facts.
Speaker 2: On the ground, and they are the result of the
Speaker 2: liberate decisions that defy basic humanity. Israel, as the occupying power,
Speaker 2: as clear obligations it must ensure the provision of food, water,
Speaker 2: medicine and other essentials. It must agree to and facilitate
Speaker 2: far greatermlitarian excess. It must protect civilians and civilian infrastructure,
Speaker 2: and it must end the destruction of that which is
Speaker 2: indispensable for the survival of the civilian population. The International
Speaker 2: Court of Justice has given binding provisional measures, and these
Speaker 2: include the obligation to take all steps to ensure unfettered
Speaker 2: humanitarian and medical assistance to Palestinians throughout Gaza, without delay
Speaker 2: and in full cooperation with United Nations. These measures must
Speaker 2: be implemented fully and immediately. The UN and our partners
Speaker 2: are doing all we can, often at great personal risk. Indeed,
Speaker 2: surrendered sixty six UN personnel have tragically been killed, day
Speaker 2: after day. Our efforts are being blocked, delayed, and denied.
Speaker 2: This is unacceptable. In West Bank, the situation is also
Speaker 2: profoundly alarming. Military operations, settler violence, demolitions, and discriminatory policies
Speaker 2: are driving displacement and deepening vulnerability. The relentless expansion of
Speaker 2: settlements is fracturing communities and cutting off access to vital resources.
Speaker 2: There isn't approval of a plan for the construction of
Speaker 2: thousands of settlements in the EU area would effectively separate
Speaker 2: the northern and southern West Bank an existential threat.
Speaker 3: To the two state solutions.
Speaker 2: I repeat the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank,
Speaker 2: including East Jerusalem, have been established and are being maintained
Speaker 2: in violation of international law. Israel must seize such actions
Speaker 2: and comply with its obligations. There is no military solution
Speaker 2: to the conflict. I appeal once again for an immediate
Speaker 2: and permanencies fire and fattered meditarian access across Gaza and
Speaker 2: the immediate and unconditional release.
Speaker 3: Of all hostages.
Speaker 2: Starvation of the civilian population must never be used as
Speaker 2: a method of warfare. Civilians must be protected. The meditarian
Speaker 2: access must be an impedance. No more excuses, no more obstacles,
Speaker 2: no moral lies. Thank you, Thank you.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to Policy and Writes here Depictions Media Radio.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Michael Kloggs. Announcement from the Canadian government.
Speaker 1: The Federal government is improving access to cultural to culture
Speaker 1: and ensuring that arts organizations can leverage the latest technology
Speaker 1: to showcase talents, innovation and ideas that strengthen Canada today.
Speaker 1: The Honorable which I'm recording this on August twenty eight,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty five, The Honorable Stephen Colbert of the Canadian
Speaker 1: Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages, announced
Speaker 1: an investment of eighty nine thousand dollars in the Creative
Speaker 1: City Center following a tour of the new Cornwall Street
Speaker 1: location where the innovations are underway. This funding, provided through
Speaker 1: the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, will be used for the
Speaker 1: purchase and installation of special specialized equipment. This includes projectors,
Speaker 1: screens and public access system, audio and recording equipment, a
Speaker 1: hearing assistance system, and professional quality lighting, draping and staging.
Speaker 1: These upgrades modernize the center's technical systems while also increasing
Speaker 1: accessibility and enhancing the audience experience. The renovated building will
Speaker 1: house an art gallery, performance video classrooms, artists in the
Speaker 1: Residence studio, a recording and production studio. Other tenants will
Speaker 1: include Articulate, Ink, First Nations Artists, Collective, common Wealth, Community
Speaker 1: Arts and Saskatchewan Arts Alliance. This project is expected to
Speaker 1: be completed in March of twenty twenty six. Wow, that's
Speaker 1: pretty quick. Okay, So a couple quick facts about the
Speaker 1: Creative City Center. It was originally established in two thousand
Speaker 1: and eight, officially open in twenty eleven. Its mandate is
Speaker 1: to provide affordable spaces and opportunities for artists to develop
Speaker 1: and share their work. The Creative City Center presents one
Speaker 1: hundred and fifty to two hundred events every year. These
Speaker 1: include music concerts, visual arts exhibition, spoken word poetry, slams,
Speaker 1: comedy nights, live drawing sessions, ELM screenings, and other workshops
Speaker 1: and community events. The Canadian Cultural uh Spaces supports the
Speaker 1: improvement of physical conditions for the arts, heritage and culture
Speaker 1: and creative innovation. Innovation in addition to UH fund supports
Speaker 1: renovation projects, the acquisition of specialized equipment, and planning, design
Speaker 1: feasibility studies related to the arts and cultural spaces. So
Speaker 1: it's really cool that the Canadian government is supporting all
Speaker 1: types of arts. Arts and culture are especially what actually
Speaker 1: tells the story throughout history to future generations about hey,
Speaker 1: what is happening right now. It also allows us to
Speaker 1: speak out and demonstrate ideas and injustices as well as
Speaker 1: as justice, how the justice justice system in our society
Speaker 1: actually works in actually celebrating those who do wonderful things.
Speaker 1: All right, So let's move forward, and we're actually going
Speaker 1: to hear from well Russia on Iran and as there
Speaker 1: have been further complications into the Iranian nuclear program, and
Speaker 1: as Russia puts it, Russian Russia states that Western states
Speaker 1: are just simply trying to control the future of fuel
Speaker 1: and energy and making it so that Iran cannot put
Speaker 1: their own products out on the market because well, simply put,
Speaker 1: the Iranian government doesn't always want to participate in the
Speaker 1: ideas of the World Bank and capitalism as we know it.
Speaker 1: So moving forward from there, we're gonna hear Antonio Guerrerez
Speaker 1: as he's talking about escalation of hunger and suffering in Haiti.
Speaker 1: He also will talk about Gaza and how Israel is
Speaker 1: breaking international laws with with some of their occupation and settlements,
Speaker 1: and how it needs to come to it in so
Speaker 1: that a two state solution can be found. We've been
Speaker 1: talking about this two state solution for quite some time,
Speaker 1: and there are certain groups that in our world they
Speaker 1: do not want to see a two states solution happen
Speaker 1: between Israel and Palestine. They don't want to see Palestine
Speaker 1: being to be seen as a sovereign territory, and they
Speaker 1: want to deny the Palestinian people the right to the
Speaker 1: land that their ancestors have always held claiming it for
Speaker 1: them for themselves. In some respect, it isn't much more
Speaker 1: than just colonialism happening all over again. Okay, and to Canada,
Speaker 1: we're going to hear from Alberta as they're talking about
Speaker 1: talking about fuel that there are some possible struggles and
Speaker 1: things that happened with especially with how the United States
Speaker 1: has been acting tariffs no taraff yo yo effects of
Speaker 1: how the Canadian beachmen from the tarzans is to be handled, tariffed,
Speaker 1: sold in other things. Simply put in my opinion is
Speaker 1: that Alberta has to be allowed to find a new
Speaker 1: customer because right now they have one, well really only
Speaker 1: one customer, and that is the United States. They need
Speaker 1: to find other viable solutions in order to sell their
Speaker 1: products to the to the rest of the world, and
Speaker 1: hopefully without building pipelines that actually destroy the environment. Which
Speaker 1: that brings me to something that I found on social media.
Speaker 1: And again, yes, I spend way too much time on
Speaker 1: social media, but sometimes you come across these little tidbits
Speaker 1: that really want to make you think. Somebody said that
Speaker 1: for the sake of clean air, that all wood burning fireplaces,
Speaker 1: wood stoves and things alike should be registered through the
Speaker 1: government so that they well, the government knows who is
Speaker 1: actually polluting the air, because the wood burning stoves, fireplaces
Speaker 1: and barbecues are sources of pollution and should be gotten
Speaker 1: rid of. Well, okay, the alternative, of course would be, well,
Speaker 1: we have the one alternative, which is propane, which is
Speaker 1: a oil based product and has to be dug out
Speaker 1: of the ground the same as any other oil based thing.
Speaker 1: Or going with electricity. And the answer back to the
Speaker 1: electricity thing is, especially in British Columbia, well, there's an
Speaker 1: overwhelming amount of electricity being used on the BC Hydro grid,
Speaker 1: and so much so that BC Hydro found a way
Speaker 1: to build a super dam. Well, the costs to the
Speaker 1: environment for that super dam is tremendous. That superdam will
Speaker 1: be coming online as it has been mostly completed. But
Speaker 1: the thing about it is the plant life that was destroyed,
Speaker 1: the animal life that now has to find a new
Speaker 1: ecosystem in order to live. In the diversion of fish,
Speaker 1: the destruction of water born species that in other animals
Speaker 1: that depended on the river that the dam was built
Speaker 1: to survive is there now in jeopardy. The trees that
Speaker 1: were cut down are carbon sinks. They suck up the
Speaker 1: carbon that is being put into the air. The wood
Speaker 1: burning stoves and the wood burning fireplaces and barbecues would
Speaker 1: put out that these trees would actually sink that carbon
Speaker 1: back into the ground, but they were they were cut
Speaker 1: down and destroyed. Their lives were ended there, and thus
Speaker 1: we don't have the trees to do the job they
Speaker 1: were supposed to do. So what is the real benefit
Speaker 1: of making everything go electric? Thus the electric heating and
Speaker 1: the electric cars. Now, granted, the the the gas burning
Speaker 1: car is there. There is no difference between the electric
Speaker 1: car and the gas car as far as carbon footprint
Speaker 1: is concerned. But the continuation of tearing down ecosystems that
Speaker 1: that are rich in carbon sinks doesn't make sense. So
Speaker 1: we need to find ways to power up fuel what
Speaker 1: have you, without with doing minimal damage to our environment
Speaker 1: so that all life on our planet can survive. Okay,
Speaker 1: So in one uh, one last item, they we'll hear
Speaker 1: from the Canadian Minister of Energy as he talks about
Speaker 1: he's speaking from Germany, as he's talking about fast track
Speaker 1: projects to actually help fuel Europe, and of course the
Speaker 1: pipelines are one of those fast tracked ideas. For projects
Speaker 1: to get the Alberta tar sans beechamen to Europe for
Speaker 1: refining and for them to use it as fuel, because
Speaker 1: as we know that Germany was hit hard in other
Speaker 1: and they're just one of the countries that was hit
Speaker 1: hard in Europe by the cut off of oil based
Speaker 1: products from Russia. The EU is struggling with fuel needs
Speaker 1: and fuel supplies to operate their society. So they're turning
Speaker 1: towards Canada to take up the slack. So why don't
Speaker 1: we get started, And we already listened to some of
Speaker 1: Antonio Guerrera said, so why don't we listen to the
Speaker 1: rest of what he had to say at the UN
Speaker 1: Security Council as he spoke about what is happening in Haiti.
Speaker 4: Senior President President, I would like to thank Panama for
Speaker 4: convening this briefing on the humanitarian and child protection situation
Speaker 4: in Haiti, Your excellencies, the people of Haiti are in
Speaker 4: a perfect storm of suffering. State authority is crumbling as
Speaker 4: gang violence in gulfs portou Prince and spreads beyond paralyzing
Speaker 4: daily life and forcing families to flee. Civilians are under
Speaker 4: siege with appalling reports of rape and sexual violence. Hospitals
Speaker 4: and schools are under repeated attack. The rule of law
Speaker 4: has collapsed. The humanitarian toll is staggering. One point three
Speaker 4: million people, half of them children, have fled their homes.
Speaker 4: Six million people need humanitarian assistance. Haiti is now among
Speaker 4: the five global hunger hotspots of highest concern. Aid workers,
Speaker 4: especially local responders, are being targeted, facing threats of violence,
Speaker 4: extortion and kidnapping. Let me be clear, all parties must
Speaker 4: respect international humanitarian law. Humanitarian personnel, asse and facilities must
Speaker 4: be protected. Despite the danger, humanitarians remain on the ground
Speaker 4: delivering food, water, medicine and shelter. In the first quarter
Speaker 4: of this year alone, they reached one point three million people.
Speaker 4: Yet Haiti remains shamefully overlooked and wofully underfunded. For twenty
Speaker 4: twenty five, we require nine hundred eight million dollars to
Speaker 4: support three point nine million people, but less than ten
Speaker 4: percent of that has been received, making Haiti the least
Speaker 4: funded humanitarian appeal in the world. As a result, over
Speaker 4: one point seven million people risk receiving no assistance at all.
Speaker 4: This is not a funding gap, it is a life
Speaker 4: and death emergency. I urge all turners to act before
Speaker 4: life saving operations coined to a halt.
Speaker 2: Excellencies, children are bearing the brunt of these crisis. In
Speaker 2: my annual report on Children Are in Conflict, it ranked
Speaker 2: among the top five countries for grave violations against children
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty four. Children are being abducted and killed,
Speaker 2: recruited and used, and subjected to orific sexual violence, including
Speaker 2: gang rape. These are crimes that scare bodies, minds, and futures.
Speaker 2: The United Nations verified two thousand, two hundred and sixty
Speaker 2: nine grave violations against t thousands, three hundred seventy three
Speaker 2: children last year and nearly fivefold increase from the year before.
Speaker 2: This includes two hundred and thirteen children killed when ender
Speaker 2: thirty eight MA and three hundred and two children recruited
Speaker 2: and used.
Speaker 3: We also verified five.
Speaker 2: Hundred sixty six cases of sexual violence against miners, including
Speaker 2: one one hundred and sixty cases of gang rape, and
Speaker 2: the scoring how such crimes are used as a weapon
Speaker 2: of terror and control. Basic services have collapsed. Mass displacement
Speaker 2: has left children without education, else care or safety. As
Speaker 2: a vapul gang violence have interrupted the schooling of two
Speaker 2: hundred forty three thousand students. We verified when added, fifty
Speaker 2: four abductions when added, fifty four attacks on schools and hospitals,
Speaker 2: and seven hundred twenty eight incidents of denial of humanitarian access.
Speaker 2: The twenty twenty four Handover Protocol between the United Nations
Speaker 2: and the Government of at is an important step toward
Speaker 2: protecting children detained for a large association with armed groups,
Speaker 2: but implementation remains uneven. Conditions that SERMI call the Integration
Speaker 2: Center for miners in conflict with the law are deeply troubling.
Speaker 2: I'm also alarmed by the rise of so called community
Speaker 2: self defense groups, some aligned with police forces implicated in
Speaker 2: grave violations, including summary execution of children. I urge all
Speaker 2: authorities to implement the and Over Protocol nationwide and the
Speaker 2: dictation of children for a large association with armed groups,
Speaker 2: ensure access to specialized services, including for survivors of sexual violence,
Speaker 2: and guarantee accountability for all perpetrators. I call on this
Speaker 2: Council to prioritize the protection of children extencies. The political
Speaker 2: situation remains fragile, but there are emerging signals of hope.
Speaker 3: I am encouraged by.
Speaker 2: Growing corporate between the President, the Transitional Council, LA Hansin
Speaker 2: Sir and the Prime Minister aliks dd FME, who are
Speaker 2: both leading consultations to move the political process forward. We
Speaker 2: are also seeing closer coordination between the Prime Minister Task Force,
Speaker 2: the Asian National Police and the Multinational Security Support Mission
Speaker 2: improving operations on the ground. These fragile gains must be
Speaker 2: protected and expanded. That requires decisive and coordinated international security
Speaker 2: support to strengthsen national efforts, protect the population and create
Speaker 2: conditions for a return to the rule of law and
Speaker 2: credible inclusive elections. I welcome efforts by members of this
Speaker 2: Council to advance my twenty four February proposal to strengthen
Speaker 2: the Multinational Security Support Mission through even logistic and operational support.
Speaker 3: I urge the.
Speaker 2: Council to act with other delay and authorize an international
Speaker 2: force supported by the Unitied Nations ZOLO, logistical and operational
Speaker 2: backing and predictable financing. Voluntary contributions to the MSS Trust
Speaker 2: Fund remain essential, but assessed support would ensure impact and sustainability.
Speaker 2: Security measures must go and in hand with increased pressure
Speaker 2: on those fueling the violence. This includes an effective arms
Speaker 2: embargo as well as a target expansion of sanctions against
Speaker 2: gang leaders, financiers, arm traffickers.
Speaker 3: And others connected to them.
Speaker 2: These steps are vital to cut off the weapons and
Speaker 2: money that sustain chaos. Enforcement at ports, borders and online
Speaker 2: must be strengthened in close coordination with regional partners. My
Speaker 2: Special Representative Carlos Ruige Mossieu is in Porto Prance working
Speaker 2: with national Internet national partners to build consensus at this
Speaker 2: pivotal moment. BIRINU will continue to support an inclusive political
Speaker 2: process and work closely with the Asian National Police, the
Speaker 2: MSS and donors to ensure coherence coordinated assistance. I urge
Speaker 2: all national stakeholders to seize this moment and sustain the
Speaker 2: spirit of cooperation. Excellencies, With unity inside the country and
Speaker 2: resolve from this council, the ancient people can emerge from
Speaker 2: the perfect storm, begin to turn hardship into hope and
Speaker 2: reclaim their future. I reaffirm my we neighboring solidarity and
Speaker 2: the determination of United Nations to stand side by side
Speaker 2: with the people of eighty for peace, dignity and security.
Speaker 3: And I thank you.
Speaker 5: Aco so Di Acollegues, thank you very much for responding
Speaker 5: to our call. I want to make an important announcement
Speaker 5: About an hour ago Russia and China put into blue
Speaker 5: draft Security Council resolution. It's very short, so I will
Speaker 5: read it aloud. I think you will bear with me.
Speaker 5: The Security Council, recalling its Resolution twenty two thirty one,
Speaker 5: twenty fifteen, acknowledging the importance of finding a negotiated diplomatic
Speaker 5: solution to the issues related to Resolution twenty two thirty
Speaker 5: one twenty fifteen. Recognizing the necessity of allowing additional time
Speaker 5: for negotiations on this matter, PERA one decides to technically
Speaker 5: extend for six months till eighteen April twenty twenty six,
Speaker 5: the ten year term after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Speaker 5: Action jcpoa adoption day indicated in the Resolution twenty two
Speaker 5: thirty one, twenty fifteen and its annexes, with a possibility
Speaker 5: for a further extension too, urges all initial participants of
Speaker 5: the JCPOE to immediately resume negotiations on the matters related
Speaker 5: to the Resolution twenty two thirty one and the JCPOI
Speaker 5: that's it.
Speaker 6: It's a very short text.
Speaker 5: I think it's absolutely clear, self explanatory. Unlike many other
Speaker 5: Security Council resolutions, and I will make some additional comments.
Speaker 5: So now the world is at crossroads. It's quite clear.
Speaker 5: One option is peace, diplomacy, goodwill, normal human contact. Another
Speaker 5: option is kind of diplomacy at the barrel of the gun,
Speaker 5: hence extortion and blackmail all other things. The second option
Speaker 5: is clearly represented by the action that was triggered today
Speaker 5: by France, Yuki and Germany. You all know that they
Speaker 5: circulated a letter triggering so called snapback. I will not
Speaker 5: explain you this procedure in detail. I think everybody who
Speaker 5: is knowledgeable of this fact doesn't have such a necessity.
Speaker 5: But I will say that this move by European countries,
Speaker 5: in our view, has absolutely no legal bearing because they
Speaker 5: were not implementing Resolution twenty two thirty one in good faith.
Speaker 5: For example, they did nothing in terms of in terms
Speaker 5: of lifting sanctions against Iran during the so called Transition
Speaker 5: Day two years ago. They are acting absolutely in breach
Speaker 5: of JCPOE in each and every sense and letter and
Speaker 5: spirit of this document. They have not exhausted the mechanisms
Speaker 5: foreseen by JCPOE first and foremost dispute resolution mechanism. So
Speaker 5: we do not think that this move by these three
Speaker 5: countries should entail any action from the Council. This is
Speaker 5: our very strong and principled conviction. Of course, it will
Speaker 5: affect the overall climate.
Speaker 7: Over the.
Speaker 5: Issues related to Iranian nuclear program. It will complicate international
Speaker 5: cooperation in this regard. So we think that the option
Speaker 5: that proposed Russia and China today is a way that
Speaker 5: everybody should follow in order to avoid complications, in order
Speaker 5: to avoid problems, serious problems for international peace and security,
Speaker 5: in order to give some chance and breathing space for diplomacy.
Speaker 5: So once again we believe that the move by E
Speaker 5: three cannot and should not entail any legal or procedural effect.
Speaker 5: A mirror is collatory step. It's something that is absolutely
Speaker 5: showing that the Western countries do not know what is
Speaker 5: diplomacy about. They don't care about diplomacy. They care only
Speaker 5: about blackmail and threats and coercion of independent countries. Not yet,
Speaker 5: we are thinking about it. You know that when resolution
Speaker 5: is put into blue, the vote can be requested at
Speaker 5: any moment, and that is something that we are now
Speaker 5: thinking about with our partners, and the countries that support
Speaker 5: us are much more numerous than simply Russia and China.
Speaker 8: Yeah, mister ambassador, if you really believe that these countries
Speaker 8: who started this snapback process are just interested in making problems,
Speaker 8: and so what hope do you hold for your resolution
Speaker 8: draft resolution to pass in the Security Council? And do
Speaker 8: you I really believe that in six months all these
Speaker 8: problems with Iran and their violations of the j c
Speaker 8: p o A will be solved.
Speaker 5: We believe in common sense, We believe in diplomacy, We
Speaker 5: believe in the fact that many countries understand what can
Speaker 5: follow if this situation is going to the spiral of
Speaker 5: violence and further breach of international law. I also need
Speaker 5: to remind you about the context where this whole is happening.
Speaker 5: The IA repeatedly failed to notice any threats, for in
Speaker 5: terms of nuclear reliferation from Iranian nuclear program. So regardless
Speaker 5: of what Iran this is interpreting, this is interpretation. And
Speaker 5: we all know that the measures that were taken by
Speaker 5: Iran in terms of uranium in Richmond, they were taken
Speaker 5: in response to the US withdrawal from JCPOA, and these
Speaker 5: measures can easily be reviewed. So Iran it was always
Speaker 5: open to diplomatic solution of this issue. United States abandoned
Speaker 5: JCPOA and since then the situation started deteriorate, So we
Speaker 5: should not confuse the real source of the problem that
Speaker 5: happened in twenty eighteen. Also, we shouldn't forget about the
Speaker 5: context of absolutely unlawful strikes that were conducted against Islamic
Speaker 5: Republic of Iran in June by Israel and then by
Speaker 5: the United States, including against the objects that are placed
Speaker 5: under the JCPOA safeguards. So this was and this still
Speaker 5: is a serious breach of international law, and we cannot
Speaker 5: ignore these context. So these countries that want to follow
Speaker 5: further on the parts of escalation, they continue breaching international law.
Speaker 5: Maybe they still believe in the so called rules based
Speaker 5: international order, but in their action they show that this
Speaker 5: international order has nothing to do with international law. This
Speaker 5: is very obvious. So we believe in common sense, we
Speaker 5: believe in peace, we believe in diplomacy, and the option
Speaker 5: that thrush Is Shina is now providing for the whole
Speaker 5: world should lead us to this aim without further problems.
Speaker 3: Is it.
Speaker 7: Do you think it's consistent with.
Speaker 9: Your argument, sorry, with your argument that this is not
Speaker 9: a legal move. If it's not legal, why are you
Speaker 9: trying to extend it? Is there inherent sort of clash there.
Speaker 9: If you don't think they're not member of j CPO
Speaker 9: anymore the E three and they have no legal basis
Speaker 9: to even trigger a snapback, So why are you extending it?
Speaker 7: Can you simply say that.
Speaker 3: May make no mistake.
Speaker 5: Our move is not linked to snapback, it's just coincided.
Speaker 5: We launched the work on this resolution a long time ago,
Speaker 5: before the even the intention of these three countries to
Speaker 5: launch to launch snapback. First second, if you were listening
Speaker 5: to me attentively, I quoted para two of our resolution
Speaker 5: where we call for initial participants in the JCPO. It
Speaker 5: means that this implies that now, of course, several certain
Speaker 5: countries cannot be considered to be members of the h JCPOE,
Speaker 5: for example the United States. I haven't heard about these
Speaker 5: three countries leaving JCPO, but by their actions, they already
Speaker 5: put themselves outside of the legal framework of this of
Speaker 5: this document.
Speaker 7: This is true.
Speaker 5: So thequal is for the initial participants in the JCPO
Speaker 5: A to come back to where we started and to
Speaker 5: find a solution to this issue.
Speaker 10: It goes through and they veto your resolution. To you,
Speaker 10: does Russia find itself obligated to the previous sanctions. Do
Speaker 10: you think that it's legal those those previous sanctions will
Speaker 10: hold water?
Speaker 7: Are you going to implement them?
Speaker 5: Or This question has no legal bearing because their move
Speaker 5: is legally null and voids and we are not in
Speaker 5: hypothetics so far because we haven't yet called for the
Speaker 5: vote and we don't know what will follow them. We
Speaker 5: hope that the common sense will prevail even with these
Speaker 5: three countries that have already made this absolutely illegal move.
Speaker 5: But we are not bound by this move in any
Speaker 5: way in the security counts.
Speaker 7: I love so.
Speaker 11: So yes, so I think I'm so many with you
Speaker 11: from killed on News. I have yeah, okay, one question
Speaker 11: about to make sure the relationship between snapback and your
Speaker 11: draft resolution. So if the draft resolution is adopted, will
Speaker 11: subtle the rifle snap also be stopped and extended.
Speaker 5: We call for the for the extension of the provisions
Speaker 5: of twenty two thirty one. It means, of course, the
Speaker 5: any action, any considerable action within the framework of twenty
Speaker 5: to thirty one will also be suspended and prolonged to
Speaker 5: the next stage. But again, don't forget that we do
Speaker 5: not acknowledge the legal grounds behind this snapback, So for us,
Speaker 5: nothing happened. What we're speaking about is the extension of
Speaker 5: twenty thirty one as such.
Speaker 4: About the snapback, our reaction.
Speaker 5: Disappointment, of course, because we believe that we are dealing
Speaker 5: with serious people with serious intention, and it looks like
Speaker 5: that we're dealing with some kind of I don't know, gangsters.
Speaker 5: So that's it.
Speaker 12: Just to clarify, if snapback happened in thirty days, Russia
Speaker 12: will not implement the UN sanctions.
Speaker 5: Snapback has not happened. It was not launched thirty days.
Speaker 5: If this process comes to a conclusion, how can it
Speaker 5: come to a conclusion if it has not started. Be
Speaker 5: consistent in your precise.
Speaker 3: Options implement UN sanctions on a run.
Speaker 5: Again and they are not being introduced. If they are,
Speaker 5: how can they be introduced If the snapback that is
Speaker 5: being launch light right now.
Speaker 3: Is illegal, Well that's Europe.
Speaker 5: I don't I don't see I don't see any consistency
Speaker 5: in your in your question, so biologically, sorry, why I
Speaker 5: can't hear?
Speaker 8: Why do you call it illegal?
Speaker 5: I explained to you because these countries were breaching j cpie,
Speaker 5: they were not observing the provisions of JCP and they
Speaker 5: have not exhausted the mechanisms that are provided by j
Speaker 5: CPE first of all the DRC. So that's why they
Speaker 5: don't have any any reasons to appeal to this document
Speaker 5: because they were not implementing it, not in good face,
Speaker 5: not technically in any way. I think that's what international
Speaker 5: law prescribes to us. If it's about rules based international order.
Speaker 5: If they leave in this paradigm, it's up to them.
Speaker 5: But we live within the paradigm of international law.
Speaker 13: So do you have any comments about the timing of
Speaker 13: the E three doing this right now one month before
Speaker 13: High Level Week and before the Russian Federation as the
Speaker 13: presidency of the Council in October? Do you have any
Speaker 13: comments about the timing of this row?
Speaker 5: I didn't think about, frankly, because we do not consider
Speaker 5: it as a legal move, so timing is very secondary
Speaker 5: in this regard. Any more questions question?
Speaker 3: Okay, thank you.
Speaker 11: So it's it possible Russia can bring a new drug
Speaker 11: resolution to Security Council in order to like lift this
Speaker 11: lab back.
Speaker 5: We've just presented a resolution. Yeah, you were a little
Speaker 5: bit late, but we can write it after them. Okay,
Speaker 5: everything is clear.
Speaker 13: Do you think would you would you would you request
Speaker 13: a meeting even this weekend for this or what's the
Speaker 13: urgency that I know? It's to the president.
Speaker 5: I heard that there is some kind of request for
Speaker 5: consultations for tomorrow, but I have no confirmation. So of
Speaker 5: course the Council will discuss this issue for sure. But
Speaker 5: I think that to our position is clear right now. Yes,
Speaker 5: thank you very much.
Speaker 8: There no vote to sorry, no vote tomorrow on your
Speaker 8: doctor resolution.
Speaker 7: It may happen, I don't know.
Speaker 5: Still, every option is on the table.
Speaker 14: Thank you, thank you. Good morning everyone.
Speaker 15: Today I'm pleased to present the government Alberta's twenty twenty
Speaker 15: five twenty twenty six first quarter fiscal.
Speaker 6: Update and economic statement.
Speaker 15: It's clear twenty twenty five has brought a share of
Speaker 15: challenges for everyone. Our provincial neighbors to the east are
Speaker 15: projecting larger than expected deficits, and they're not alone. Geopolitical uncertainty, inflation,
Speaker 15: and unstable oil prices continue to impact Alberta's fiscal position.
Speaker 15: We're experiencing many pressures on the economy that are outside
Speaker 15: of our control. The price of oil has been up
Speaker 15: and down this calendar year alone. We've seen oil prices
Speaker 15: fall as low as fifty seven dollars US per barrel
Speaker 15: and reach as high as eighty dollars. This volatility, in
Speaker 15: conjunction with the ongoing trade conflict with our largest trading partner,
Speaker 15: has significantly affected our revenue. As a result of this volatility,
Speaker 15: we are now forecasting a six point five billion dollar deficit,
Speaker 15: our first deficit in five years. That's one point three
Speaker 15: billion more than what we projected when we release budget
Speaker 15: twenty twenty five in February.
Speaker 6: I want to.
Speaker 15: Acknowledge that this is a big shift from the eight
Speaker 15: point three billion dollar surplus we had at the end
Speaker 15: of March just five months ago. We know how important
Speaker 15: stability is for el Burtons, and we also know it
Speaker 15: hasn't been easy. Many Oburtons are struggling with high grocery bills,
Speaker 15: utilities and the pressure of mortgage or rent payments.
Speaker 14: And as we.
Speaker 15: Promised at budget, we'll face these challenges together, and that
Speaker 15: commitment stands even with a higher deficit. We'll tackle these
Speaker 15: challenges head on, making responsible choices to deliver on the
Speaker 15: priorities that matter most twelve burdens. That's why careful fiscal
Speaker 15: management matters, so we can keep delivering the quality programs
Speaker 15: and services Alberton's count on today and in the future.
Speaker 15: Despite ongoing challenges, Alberta's economy remains resilient and is expected
Speaker 15: to outperform the rest of Canada. We are facing less
Speaker 15: severe US tariffs on our goods than we initially anticipated
Speaker 15: a budget. Nearly ninety percent of our top export to
Speaker 15: the United States energy is protected under the Canada United
Speaker 15: States Mexico Agreement that means it's exempt from tariffs. Drilling
Speaker 15: activity is up along with our oil export volumes due
Speaker 15: to the added flow capacity from the TMX pipeline. Consumer
Speaker 15: spending is outperforming expectations with easing inflation and a resilient
Speaker 15: job market. In the first half of the year housing starts,
Speaker 15: we're up thirty two percent. Alberta's population is projected to
Speaker 15: grow in twenty twenty five by two point four percent,
Speaker 15: a more reasonable rate compared to the four point four
Speaker 15: percent record surge we experienced in twenty twenty four. We
Speaker 15: also revised our GDP projections up from budget to two
Speaker 15: percent and expect to lead the country in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 15: While we have many positive milestones to celebrate, Alberta still
Speaker 15: faces some significant pressures. Unemployment is expected to remain high
Speaker 15: and even with lower tariff rates. Tariffs have slowed global
Speaker 15: economic growth and made investors think twice about expanding internationally.
Speaker 14: So what does this.
Speaker 6: Mean for our bottom line?
Speaker 15: Revenue for twenty twenty five twenty twenty six is forecast
Speaker 15: at seventy three billion, down one point two billion from
Speaker 15: the budget. Expense for twenty twenty five twenty twenty six
Speaker 15: is forecast at seventy nine point four billion, up one
Speaker 15: hundred million from budget. This means Alberta's deficit is now
Speaker 15: six point five five, a one point three billion dollar
Speaker 15: increase from what was first projected. This is largely due
Speaker 15: to falling revenues from non renewable resources down one point
Speaker 15: four billion, or an eight percent drop from budget.
Speaker 6: Low oil prices.
Speaker 15: Have driven down royalties, and a stronger Canadian dollar means
Speaker 15: we get less for our product. Overall, a narrower light
Speaker 15: heavy differential drives up the price of our heavy crude
Speaker 15: and helps offset the lower.
Speaker 6: Than budgeted price of WTI.
Speaker 15: As of the first quarter, we have lowered our projected
Speaker 15: price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate to sixty
Speaker 15: three seventy five US per barrel, down four dollars and
Speaker 15: twenty five cents from budget. While corporate income tax revenue
Speaker 15: is up driven by revision to corporate profits, revenue from
Speaker 15: personal income taxes is down with lower than expected twenty
Speaker 15: twenty four tax assessments. Now turning to expenses, operating expense
Speaker 15: is forecast at sixty five billion, up about one percent
Speaker 15: or six hundred cent seventy nine million, in large part
Speaker 15: due to compensation pressures and to support collective bargaining. We
Speaker 15: deeply appreciate the people who keep our public services running.
Speaker 15: Their work impacts us all every single day. More than
Speaker 15: half of the approximately one hundred and fifty five separate
Speaker 15: collective agreements for public sector employees that are negotiated with
Speaker 15: unions have been signed in the current round of bargaining.
Speaker 15: There are also additional dollars for key initiatives that will
Speaker 15: enhance seniors care, provide meals to kids, create a center
Speaker 15: of Excellence in Alberta for aviation training, and help Elberton's
Speaker 15: facing gender based violence navigate the courts. The twenty twenty
Speaker 15: five twenty twenty six capital plan is up largely because
Speaker 15: we've reprofiled unspent funds from last year into this year
Speaker 15: to continue to deliver on approved projects. We're building recovery
Speaker 15: communities to support recovery for mental health and addiction, and
Speaker 15: we've added eighty nine million to accelerate the construction of
Speaker 15: eleven new schools as fast as possible in growing communities.
Speaker 15: Budget twenty twenty five we included a four billion dollar contingency,
Speaker 15: double the amount set aside in the previous budget, to
Speaker 15: cover unexpected in year expense increases. We anticipated what was
Speaker 15: coming and planned ahead. By providing this increase, the government
Speaker 15: can better navigate unexpected economic pressures and support collective bargaining commitments.
Speaker 15: As for the first quarter, we v allocated roughly one
Speaker 15: point five billion of the contingency, including seven hundred and
Speaker 15: six million for disaster and emergency spending to fight wildfires
Speaker 15: and to replant trees affected by wildfires. This leaves two
Speaker 15: and a half billion in the contingency to address pressures
Speaker 15: that may arise through the remainder of this fiscal year.
Speaker 15: In terms of other first quarter updates, taxpayers supported debt
Speaker 15: is forecast to be up one point seven billion since
Speaker 15: budget due to the higher deficit. Higher boring requirements have
Speaker 15: also pushed up debt servicing costs. The challenges faced by
Speaker 15: Alberta and our economy are significant. Loyal prices have result
Speaker 15: in a significant drop in the non renewable resource revenues
Speaker 15: our budget relies on, and uncertainties in trade and security are.
Speaker 6: More notable than ever.
Speaker 15: The oil price forecasts for you this year sits as
Speaker 15: I said at sixty three seventy five US, down four
Speaker 15: dollars and twenty five cents from budget. For every dollar
Speaker 15: the price drops, Alberta loses hundreds of millions of dollars
Speaker 15: in revenue. This is a substantial change. Our government has
Speaker 15: taken a very measured approach to dealing with the highs
Speaker 15: and lows to protect Alburtons and our province from those
Speaker 15: unpredictable swings. While we can't control external factors, we can
Speaker 15: control our spending to protect the vital services Alburton's rely on.
Speaker 15: We carefully save during the good years and in years
Speaker 15: like this one, we stick to our fiscal framework and
Speaker 15: make responsible fiscal decisions so that important government services remain
Speaker 15: viable for our kids and grandkids. Elburtons want our government
Speaker 15: to be frugal, provide the services they need, and look
Speaker 15: for efficiencies and opportunities to speed up economic growth and stability.
Speaker 6: That's exactly what we'll do.
Speaker 15: We will protect Alberta's economic security and ensure that Alberta
Speaker 15: remains the best place in Canada to live, work and
Speaker 15: raise a family.
Speaker 6: Thank you, and I'm happy to take questions. All right,
Speaker 6: thank you, minister. Now we'll move to the media question
Speaker 6: the answers.
Speaker 4: We have time for one question, one follow up.
Speaker 6: Just ask the media to identify yourself and your outlet
Speaker 6: for asking the question. We'll start in the room and
Speaker 6: then go to the phones.
Speaker 14: I see we have some questions lined up.
Speaker 4: Yes, please go ahead.
Speaker 6: Natzki's going to get pressed.
Speaker 16: Thanks for taking questions. In this update, w HIT forecast
Speaker 16: has dropped about four dollars credib Blestments from different agencies
Speaker 16: say that could drop to about mid fifty dollars by
Speaker 16: the end of the year. For Q four, are you
Speaker 16: concerned that oil presses could drop further?
Speaker 6: How much is that weighing on you right now?
Speaker 15: Oh, we're always concerned, especially having this job. You know,
Speaker 15: if I followed every day, I think it's important to understand,
Speaker 15: you know, what and budget we're forecasting for the entire
Speaker 15: year and at every period of reporting here we're at
Speaker 15: Q one. We take into account the actuals that we've seen,
Speaker 15: so I can tell you that the actuals to date
Speaker 15: over the first three months of this fiscal year have
Speaker 15: oil at sixty four fifty two, so you would need
Speaker 15: maybe sixty three and a.
Speaker 6: Quarter for this forecast to realize.
Speaker 15: But we take all those things into consideration and try
Speaker 15: to weigh them against the actuals.
Speaker 16: We are in a different place from three four months
Speaker 16: ago in terms of trade negotiations with the US. You
Speaker 16: mentioned last update the investment install do to a fair
Speaker 16: bit of uncertainty. Given where we are now, how do
Speaker 16: you describe the past three four months where we are now.
Speaker 6: Compared to then?
Speaker 15: Well, I think, as I said, the actual tariff implications
Speaker 15: for Alberta between US and the US have been lighter
Speaker 15: than we anticipated a budget.
Speaker 6: The actual.
Speaker 15: Weight of the tariffs is around three percent for everything
Speaker 15: that we trade with the US.
Speaker 6: So that's a good thing.
Speaker 15: I'd say, it's presented itself a little different in Alberta's circumstance.
Speaker 15: I'd say the global uncertainty and a lot of the
Speaker 15: trade discussions that the US is having with all of
Speaker 15: the other trading partners around the world has affected Alberta more.
Speaker 6: We do see a.
Speaker 15: Bit of a chill regarding large investments, a lot of
Speaker 15: dollars sitting on the sidelines, just waiting for more stability.
Speaker 15: And it's definitely impacted us through the oil price dramatically.
Speaker 15: And you know, the demand, the demand still looks still
Speaker 15: looks looks stronger, is even stronger than a budget but
Speaker 15: we're just seeing that that risk weighted heavily in the market.
Speaker 6: So that's the way it's impacted Alberta.
Speaker 3: Thank you.
Speaker 6: Hi Edward from City News.
Speaker 14: Minister.
Speaker 17: If the price for oil goes below that sixty dollars
Speaker 17: per barrel mark, is Alberta in trouble and can the
Speaker 17: province potentially be cutting services here as well too?
Speaker 8: Well?
Speaker 15: If it goes below that, the deficit will be higher
Speaker 15: if we don't make some other changes on the expense side.
Speaker 15: I would maybe just say this, it's much talked about
Speaker 15: the royalty roller coaster that albert has been on.
Speaker 6: That's very true.
Speaker 15: But the way it affects actual elburtens is when governments
Speaker 15: ratchet up spending in surplus years to try to catch
Speaker 15: up and then drastically cut in deficit years.
Speaker 6: What our commitment has been is.
Speaker 15: That we'll use the surpluses appropriately to improve our fiscal position,
Speaker 15: either through debt repayment or savings in the Heritage Fund.
Speaker 15: And well by managing the surpluses appropriately, we can weather
Speaker 15: some of these deficit cycles. I don't want to immediately
Speaker 15: match our spending when oil is at eighty dollars, and
Speaker 15: I likewise right now, I'm not going to bring down
Speaker 15: our spending to match sixty three dollars. So we are
Speaker 15: going to have to weather some of this. But I
Speaker 15: think the fiscal rules will help us. Back to your
Speaker 15: original question, you know, we have budget twenty six deliberations
Speaker 15: upcoming this fall. We also have a program review Committee
Speaker 15: that's going to look at the existing budgets of all ministries.
Speaker 15: We're going to look for opportunities and efficiencies. I think
Speaker 15: Alberta can't afford to be an outlier in many places.
Speaker 15: We are one when it comes to taxation, and that's
Speaker 15: that's the one place we we'd like to protect.
Speaker 6: But we're going to look at everything.
Speaker 17: And currently teachers are in negotiations for a new contract.
Speaker 17: Would any potential races come from the contingency Fund?
Speaker 15: In Well, we've we've done a few things you know,
Speaker 15: we have we have put some of the expectations around
Speaker 15: bargaining into into ministries' budgets, but we can't budget for
Speaker 15: what we don't know. So it will depend on where
Speaker 15: these deals actually land once they're ratified, but they will
Speaker 15: a large portion will have to come from the contingency.
Speaker 14: Yes, thank you.
Speaker 18: Seeing no further questions in the room, will move to
Speaker 18: the phones operator.
Speaker 6: Can you please put through the first collar.
Speaker 12: Yeah, that's question from Sarah Comedina from Global Chelane yourself,
Speaker 12: I thank.
Speaker 19: You for taking my question. So how will you be
Speaker 19: using the contingency fund as often the blow right now?
Speaker 15: So the way the way the contingency works, it's at
Speaker 15: four billion, Like we said, we've allocated one point.
Speaker 14: Five to date.
Speaker 6: A large portion of that is for wildfire.
Speaker 15: As ministries face pressures throughout the year, UH, they'll return
Speaker 15: to treasure report and UH ask that we resolve them.
Speaker 15: My from my perspective, I think the way you approach
Speaker 15: the contingency and asks are you start with the things
Speaker 15: that are unavoidable, the things that are legislated obligations of
Speaker 15: which we have many, and things that we have some
Speaker 15: choice in the matter. Maybe may get may get deferred
Speaker 15: to a later date, but that's basically the approach we take.
Speaker 6: We deal with what we can avoid.
Speaker 19: And if allow up what kind of ye What kind
Speaker 19: of direction are you giving ministers right now with the
Speaker 19: potential of test economic times. I know you mentioned that
Speaker 19: you're not looking to match this sixty three dollars vary,
Speaker 19: but if things continue like this into next year the future, like,
Speaker 19: what direction do the ministers get?
Speaker 6: So that's a great question.
Speaker 15: I know I updated Caucus and Cabinet in the last
Speaker 15: couple of days. My expectation is I want them to
Speaker 15: understand that any new un budgeted ask is going to
Speaker 15: increase the deficit at this time. So first, first, and foremost,
Speaker 15: I want them to ask that question, is this something
Speaker 15: that we want to borrow for on behalf of il burdens.
Speaker 6: I wouldn't rule out the possibility that we may have.
Speaker 15: Spending target memo come out at Q two before the
Speaker 15: budget process starts. Much like we've seen the federal government.
Speaker 15: We're not as fat as the federal government, so it
Speaker 15: probably won't be as I we've done a lot of
Speaker 15: work on the spending site since twenty nineteen, but I wouldn't.
Speaker 6: Rule that out.
Speaker 4: Thank you operator, please put through the next question.
Speaker 12: NXT question is from Jackiekermichael from Edmonton. Joinal here line
Speaker 12: is oping.
Speaker 20: Thank you for taking my question. You described good years
Speaker 20: and then deficit year and it looks like we're in
Speaker 20: a deficit year. When is the last time it was
Speaker 20: worse or more deficity than this?
Speaker 15: Well, this will be the first deficit if that's how
Speaker 15: this year ends in five years, so it's been been
Speaker 15: some time.
Speaker 14: Can you follow up?
Speaker 20: Yes, Alberta is an outlier in taxation, but you say
Speaker 20: everything's on the table and that includes taxation as a consideration,
Speaker 20: So that's going to be look that this year.
Speaker 6: Well, it's always a consideration for government.
Speaker 15: But I would say from our government we have a
Speaker 15: strong commitment and belief that we really need to look
Speaker 15: under every stone on the spending side and ensure we've
Speaker 15: done that work before we come back to Alburton's and
Speaker 15: ask for more revenue on large scale revenue reform, that
Speaker 15: hasn't stopped us from looking at revenue in specific cases.
Speaker 6: Just in Budget twenty.
Speaker 15: Five we updated many fees that hadn't been looked at
Speaker 15: sometimes in forty years. So we're constantly looking at revenue
Speaker 15: as well, you might have saw the Data Center announcement
Speaker 15: from yesterday where we saw that we wanted to ensure
Speaker 15: that Alburton's got a fair deal if those investments do
Speaker 15: come do come to pass, and thought that it maybe
Speaker 15: didn't totally align with our tax structure, so we ensured
Speaker 15: that there was a.
Speaker 6: Levy that will be applied.
Speaker 15: So opportunities like that exist l larger scale revenue reform. Remember,
Speaker 15: wants to make sure we have spending in a place
Speaker 15: we're comfortable before we have that conversation.
Speaker 19: All right, thank you, operator, Please put through the next collar.
Speaker 12: Our next one is Katherine, because you're from all Alberta.
Speaker 12: Your line is open. Yeah.
Speaker 18: Thanks, And so along that line, you said said you
Speaker 18: may be preparing those spending targets for cabinet, but in
Speaker 18: terms of all Burtons, what should they be bracing for?
Speaker 18: What's what's your message as as they prepare for this
Speaker 18: government to be frugal?
Speaker 15: Well, I don't I don't think I would tell Burton's
Speaker 15: you know, I know the Premier's comment with Alberton should
Speaker 15: brace themselves. I guess I would say Alburton's should be
Speaker 15: prepared for, you know, a government that's looking at everything
Speaker 15: and doesn't want to be an.
Speaker 6: Outlier in any way.
Speaker 15: Regarding spending, we still have you know, a lot of
Speaker 15: our a lot of our programs are still the highest
Speaker 15: in the country. We we do have to we do
Speaker 15: have a look at those things and unless we want
Speaker 15: to increase the debt and deficit even higher, you know,
Speaker 15: it's going to be part of a process. The process
Speaker 15: is the thing we can lean on, and we have
Speaker 15: the fiscal rules to guide us, which I'm grateful for.
Speaker 15: Continue to keep our spending growth, you know, below population
Speaker 15: plus inflation. Do everything we can to stay within the contingency.
Speaker 15: That's the rules that we've legislated ourselves to live by
Speaker 15: UH and that's been seen.
Speaker 6: Favorably by credit rating agencies.
Speaker 15: They want to ensure that we spend the surplus as well,
Speaker 15: and then we can manage the deficit years.
Speaker 6: All right, thank you, go ahead?
Speaker 21: Kay?
Speaker 7: All sure?
Speaker 22: From Berlin and Germany. This is my first international trip.
Speaker 22: Is Canada's miss of energy and natural sources.
Speaker 7: And I to be here.
Speaker 22: Let me be clear, this destination is not a coincidence.
Speaker 22: It's a deliberate choice reflecting the important place of Canada's
Speaker 22: relationship with Germany, especially when it comes to energy and
Speaker 22: natural resources, as well as manufacturing, trade and defense. Canada
Speaker 22: and Germany share a long standing partnership rooted in common values,
Speaker 22: mutual respect, and shared commitments to democracy, sustainability and global leadership.
Speaker 22: That partnership has been significantly significantly strengthened by this visit
Speaker 22: and a strong relationship between our Prime Minister and.
Speaker 7: The German Chancellor.
Speaker 22: Over the course of these two days with Prime Minister
Speaker 22: Kearney and the Canadian delegation, we have had many productive
Speaker 22: meetings and discussions with Key and German companies committed to
Speaker 22: advancing strategic projects for both our countries. These conversations advanced
Speaker 22: are shared priorities, strengthened by lateral cooperation, and are driving
Speaker 22: towards results. Our alliance is extremely important because we are
Speaker 22: living through a hinge moment in global history. Today's geopolitics
Speaker 22: have shown the risks and role of vulnerabilities of over
Speaker 22: reliance on a single supplier or customer for energy or
Speaker 22: critical minerals. Three years ago, Russia's full scale invasion of
Speaker 22: the Ukraine plunged Europe into the worst energy crisis since
Speaker 22: the nineteen seventies, and Germany faced the harshest energy shock
Speaker 22: in generations. Meanwhile, Canada, Canada is facing a trade war
Speaker 22: that has caused us to look to retool our economy
Speaker 22: and build a new economic and security relationship, not only
Speaker 22: with the US, but with.
Speaker 7: Our allies around the world. These are stark reminders that energy.
Speaker 22: Is not just about economics, but also about national security,
Speaker 22: industry and manufacturing, and our sovereignty. As such, the new
Speaker 22: federal government has made a conscious choice to recenter energy
Speaker 22: in how we think about our domestic affairs, but also
Speaker 22: Canada's place.
Speaker 23: In the world.
Speaker 22: As the world is recalibrating, Canada is stepping up to
Speaker 22: be a trusted partner and supplier.
Speaker 7: We are securing our.
Speaker 22: Place as a global energy superpower. From critical minerals, to oil,
Speaker 22: natural gas and to hydrogen. We are ready to be
Speaker 22: a cornerstone of Europe and the world's energy resilience in
Speaker 22: a matter in a manner that demonstrates our commitment to
Speaker 22: diversified trade relations, indigenous reconciliation, and the energy transition. Over
Speaker 22: the past two days, a key focused our discussions has
Speaker 22: been critical minerals cooperation. Canada has what Germany and Europe
Speaker 22: needs secure reliable supplies of responsibly produced minerals that are
Speaker 22: essential to clean technologies.
Speaker 7: Events and advanced manufacturing.
Speaker 22: During this trip, I was pleased to meet German CEOs
Speaker 22: and take tangible steps towards attracting German investment into Canadian
Speaker 22: critical minerals projects. For example, at the G seven Leaders
Speaker 22: meeting in June, we announced that Canada and ore like
Speaker 22: minded allies will co fund projects, strengthen research and development,
Speaker 22: and secure the minerals that power evs and batteries, aerospace
Speaker 22: and defense from market manipulation and non market based competition
Speaker 22: via our Critical Minerals Production Alliance. Yesterday, Jeremy announced the
Speaker 22: appointment of their envoy to the alliance, who will be
Speaker 22: a direct counterpart to our envoy, Isabella Chan. Our two
Speaker 22: envoys will work together over the next few months, especially
Speaker 22: leading up to the G seven Ministerial meeting in the fall,
Speaker 22: to connect Canada and Germany on discussions and work to
Speaker 22: stockpile and develop critical minerals needed for defense and technology.
Speaker 22: We also saw the signing of three agreements between Canadian
Speaker 22: and German companies, material steps to advance the crucial work
Speaker 22: I'm talking about. Troylist Corporation, Canadian Mining Company reached.
Speaker 7: The supply agreement for significant.
Speaker 22: Portion of future copper constant concentrate production with the Rubus AG,
Speaker 22: a leading European smelting and recycling group headquartered here in.
Speaker 7: Hamburg, Germany.
Speaker 22: Torn Gat Metals, a Quebec based rarer's development company, and
Speaker 22: Vacuum Smelts, a global leader in the production of rare
Speaker 22: earth's permanent magnets, have signed an agreement for the long
Speaker 22: term supply of Canadian rare earth oxides to the company.
Speaker 22: Rock Tech Lithium, a Canadian German clean tech company, signed
Speaker 22: an MLU with Entertrack to connect their lithium conversion plant
Speaker 22: in goub And, Germany to Anthratrags solar and offshore wind farms,
Speaker 22: allowing rock Tech to decarbonize its operations and offer its
Speaker 22: customers more competitive pricing. This is a major step forward
Speaker 22: as we prepare for the G seven Energy and Environment
Speaker 22: ministers meeting in the fall.
Speaker 7: On lerg.
Speaker 22: As you likely heard, our new government is taking a
Speaker 22: somewhat different position. I want to be clear this is
Speaker 22: not to speak ill of the past government. To do
Speaker 22: what democratic governments are elected to do, evolve based on
Speaker 22: the moment and what Canadians and our allies are asking for.
Speaker 7: Based on new information, new.
Speaker 22: Facts on the ground, and changing geopolitics, recognizing that LERG
Speaker 22: projects under construction in Canada will primarily serve Asian markets.
Speaker 22: Over the course of our time in Germany, I heard
Speaker 22: there is still strong demand for Canadian energy here and
Speaker 22: across the EU, and we are open to exploring how
Speaker 22: Canadian energy can play a significant role in the world's
Speaker 22: evolving energy mix beyond Asia. If the demand and the
Speaker 22: infrastructure aligned in Canada had seid, I want to be
Speaker 22: very clear to the Canadian audience any project that could
Speaker 22: potentially serve European markets would have to be built in
Speaker 22: collaboration with the affected provinces, with indigenous partners, and have
Speaker 22: a strong chance of successful execution. In my meetings with
Speaker 22: German Energy Minister Katharina Recre I also had the chance
Speaker 22: to discuss how we can progress hydrogen cooperation, which remains.
Speaker 7: A key pillar of our bilateral relationship.
Speaker 22: Despite challenges in the global hybrigen market, Canadian projects continue
Speaker 22: to advance and we know there will be long term
Speaker 22: demand for hydrogen as a sustainable fuel source, a demand
Speaker 22: it is in our interest to meet as an energy
Speaker 22: superpower for today and tomorrow. This trip has been about
Speaker 22: more than trade. It has been about building a future
Speaker 22: where energy is secure and sustainable and Canadian products are
Speaker 22: being traded in alignment with a commitment to democracy and
Speaker 22: a free market. It is about attracting capital investment to
Speaker 22: Canada and we get back into business of building big things.
Speaker 22: I see the enormous potential to deepen Canadian German cooperation
Speaker 22: in energy, mining, infrastructure development and technological innovation. These are
Speaker 22: areas where Canada brings not only resources, but reliability, expertise,
Speaker 22: and a commitment to the low carbon products that Germany
Speaker 22: is looking for as they, like Canada, look to navigate
Speaker 22: the energy transition without compromising industrial strength.
Speaker 7: Or energy security.
Speaker 22: In a time of global uncertainty, Canada is offering predictability
Speaker 22: and purpose. We are proud to be a trust worth
Speaker 22: to the continued collaboration with Germany. Thank you, Mercy, and
Speaker 22: I'll take your questions.
Speaker 7: Thank you.
Speaker 24: We will now begin to begin taking questions. Most sons
Speaker 24: that now for our first question, we will start with
Speaker 24: Megan Potkins. Just a reminder to please share your name
Speaker 24: and affiliation and ask your question. I will prompt you
Speaker 24: to unmute now.
Speaker 21: Meghan, Hello, minister, thank you for taking my question. This
Speaker 21: is Megan Potkins with the Financial Post. You talk about,
Speaker 21: you know, evolving, an evolving situation and facts that are
Speaker 21: changing that have led to your government's position. I guess
Speaker 21: specifically I'm asking about LNG. We also know that that
Speaker 21: LNG projects, specifically that are offering that could potentially involve
Speaker 21: shipping Canadian lerg across the Atlantic, have been challenged by
Speaker 21: things like incredibly high capital costs, you know, the restricted
Speaker 21: shipping season through the Arctic if it was something through
Speaker 21: the Port of Churchill. We also know that it's faced
Speaker 21: political opposition as well as frankly, the risk that buyers
Speaker 21: German buyers who might be running might be running on
Speaker 21: hydrogen before the first cargo itself would leave Nova Scotia
Speaker 21: or the East Coast. These have all been raised. I
Speaker 21: say these, these have all been raised its objections to
Speaker 21: or challenges to a project advancing. I'm curious if you
Speaker 21: could articulate what gives either you, I don't want to
Speaker 21: say confidence, but incredible evidence that a project could advance.
Speaker 21: What gives proponents of these projects who are apparently saying
Speaker 21: they could potentially deliver this within five years the kind
Speaker 21: of confidence that the belief that this could potentially be different,
Speaker 21: that we could see a project advance that involves shipping
Speaker 21: Canadian ergy energy across the Atlantic.
Speaker 22: I'll speak about what I heard and what Canadian LNG
Speaker 22: producers heard, and I'll caveat this by saying, as I
Speaker 22: in my private sector life build projects, what you do
Speaker 22: to decide whether there's need of a project is talk
Speaker 22: to your customers. What we heard loud and clear from
Speaker 22: German LNG buyers and LNG users.
Speaker 7: Is they believe there is demand and they want to
Speaker 7: buy our products. What we heard.
Speaker 22: Very clearly from a number of German LNG buyers and
Speaker 22: users and from the German government is while they believe
Speaker 22: natural gas is a transition fuel, what they have come
Speaker 22: to realize over the last several years, given the geopolitical uncertainty,
Speaker 22: given the rapidly increasing demand for electricity, partially driven by
Speaker 22: the AI Revolution, is that they will need more of
Speaker 22: that transition fuel than they thought a few years ago.
Speaker 22: They will need materially more than they thought a few
Speaker 22: years ago, and they will need it for longer than
Speaker 22: they believed a few years ago. That was a message
Speaker 22: we heard consistently from German buyers of energy and users
Speaker 22: of energy and from the German government. We had four
Speaker 22: different Canadian energy projects that are at various stages of
Speaker 22: commercial operation over here. All of them were receiving the
Speaker 22: same message from Germans. So in my experience, the best
Speaker 22: way to tell whether there's a demand for something.
Speaker 7: Is to talk to the customers. The customers are saying there's.
Speaker 23: Demand, Thank you, Megan. Next we will go to Katherine Levec.
Speaker 25: Hime Minister Catherine Levec from the National Post. You said
Speaker 25: the Major Project's Office will be launching later this week.
Speaker 25: Could you clarify which date exactly, who will be in
Speaker 25: charge of this office and does the government have a
Speaker 25: list already ready to go or will this be more
Speaker 25: of a piecemeal approach where you're going to be announcing
Speaker 25: you know, port, infrastructure and just a few projects at
Speaker 25: a time.
Speaker 7: Thank you.
Speaker 22: So I always learned not to jump in front of
Speaker 22: your boss. My boss has said that it will be
Speaker 22: announced later this week. Today's Wednesday, so it'll either be
Speaker 22: Thursday or Friday.
Speaker 7: In terms of.
Speaker 22: Major projects, the Prime Minister has said he would expect
Speaker 22: there to be announcement at some point in the next
Speaker 22: two weeks. I think that's a pretty good guidance for you.
Speaker 22: I'm not going to go further than that, so I'm
Speaker 22: hopeful you will be quite pleased on Thursday or Friday
Speaker 22: with the announcement of the launch of the Major Project's Office,
Speaker 22: the leadership of the Major Project's Office and the plans
Speaker 22: for it, and I would expect over the next two
Speaker 22: weeks the first projects.
Speaker 7: To be announced.
Speaker 23: Thanks Catherine. Next we'll go to David young Gren with writers.
Speaker 14: Yes, good afternoon. Thank you for doing this.
Speaker 26: Given the long list of hurdles that you and others
Speaker 26: have enunciated about getting LERG to Europe. I mean, how
Speaker 26: realistic is it to expect Canada we'll be exporting l Europe,
Speaker 26: not just anytime soon, but anytime ever.
Speaker 7: I can tell you that.
Speaker 22: Many of the buyers are prepared to buy LNG off
Speaker 22: the West coast of Canada and trade those products in
Speaker 22: the international market for LNG.
Speaker 7: That was something that was a really important learning experience
Speaker 7: for me.
Speaker 22: Many of the buyers have trading operations in North America,
Speaker 22: in Asia and in Europe, and they will swap cargoes,
Speaker 22: and so they can buy cargoes on the West Coast
Speaker 22: and swap those cargoes for cargoes in Europe, and so
Speaker 22: German companies today are looking at buying West Coast LNG
Speaker 22: and swapping it for deliveries into Europe so that they
Speaker 22: can take advantage of our production on the West Coast to.
Speaker 7: Supply German needs in the Atlantic.
Speaker 22: As we move forward and projects move through the One
Speaker 22: Project One review, and if they're projects of national interests
Speaker 22: were through the Major Project's Office, we are confident we
Speaker 22: can get to a place where the right projects, with
Speaker 22: strong proponents and with the support of provinces and First nations,
Speaker 22: we will get those through. And I would just point
Speaker 22: out to you when you look at the projects in
Speaker 22: British Columbia, they have the support of the province, they
Speaker 22: have the support of First Nations, and I expect that
Speaker 22: to be the case for several other projects as well.
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