David Menzies calls the July 9, 2024 LCBO strike—backed by OPSU—pointless as Ontarians bypass it via private stores or online sales, while workers earn more than retail peers and taxpayers shoulder high costs. He contrasts lax enforcement in LCBO stores (e.g., a 14-year-old buying liquor unchecked) with stricter penalties for private retailers, questioning union priorities amid Ford’s $167M/year-per-capita liquor revenue gap against Alberta’s privatized model. Meanwhile, Adam Sos and Pierre Polyeva at Calgary Stampede frame Trudeau’s inflationary spending, carbon taxes, and "soft-on-crime" laws as failures, pushing Polyeva’s pro-business, regional-repatriation agenda to unite Canada against divisive policies, with 18,000 breakfasts signaling grassroots support. The episode ties union inefficacy to broader anti-government economic and cultural backlash. [Automatically generated summary]
Tonight, why the strike by the employees of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario might be the dumbest strike in the history of strikes.
It's Tuesday, July 9th, 2024.
I'm David Menzies, and this is the Ezra Levant Show.
Shame on you, you censorious whoo-bug.
Could the strike by the 9,000 employees at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario be the most stupid strike in the history of strikes?
Sure looks that way to me.
If you happen to reside in the province of Ontario and you are hoping to pick up a bottle at the local LCBO outlet, well, you are sort of out of luck, but certainly not completely out of luck.
I say sort of because while you can't shop in a government-owned and operated LCBO store for at least the next two weeks, that's not to say you're going to be denied purchasing alcohol outright.
There's the privately owned beer store chain after all.
There are independent wine shops.
There are those grocery stores that have already been granted licenses to sell beer and wine.
And get this, a consumer can simply go online and order anything they so desire from the LCBO's own website.
And you know, when the strike ends, I just wonder how many customers will go back to bricks and mortar LCBO stores once they discover the convenience of online liquor shopping.
That definitely won't bode well for LCBO job security, will it now?
But the point is, so much for the union holding consumers hostage here with this strike.
With all the aforementioned options, a long, hot, dry summer, well, it just ain't going to happen.
And I'll tell you another reason this strike is resoundingly stupid.
Most strike mandates are driven by demands for better wages and benefits and working conditions.
But this strike is being driven by a desire to change government policy.
Last week, the LCBO said in a statement that the union that represents LCBO workers, that would be the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union, made it clear numerous times at the bargaining table that workers would go out on strike to force the government to change course vis-a-vis freeing up alcohol sales in Ontario.
OPSU especially wants the Ford PCs to reverse their decision to expand the sale of ready-to-drink beverages like coolers and seltzers in grocery and convenience stores.
Oh my God, seltzers and coolers in grocery and convenience stores?
That's got to be the end of the world, right?
I think I see the four horsemen of the apocalypse galloping toward Ontario, given that there's no way in hell Ontarians are adult enough to buy coolers and seltzers in a non-government run liquor store.
Now, granted, the Premier has earned the nickname Flip Flop Ford for reversing so many decisions on so many numerous occasions, but I don't think Ontario's chief cherry cheesecake eating enthusiast is going to cave in on this file,
especially given I reckon there is almost zero public sympathy for LCBO workers who earn far more than other retail workers, and especially since there is enormous pent-up demand for freeing up liquor sales in Ontario.
We're not even into the first full week of this strike, and this is a loser for the union and a win for the government.
And while I have no idea how long this strike will last, I'm going to give OPSU seven figures worth of free consulting advice, which is to say, hey, guys, bend the knee ASAP and order your members back to work.
In fact, as far as I'm concerned, the Ford PCs are not going far enough on this file.
Obviously, the LCBO will be downsized in the years to come, but it won't disappear entirely like liquor control boards did in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
And that's really a pity.
Indeed, as the LCBO rank and file are on the picket lines, we need to ask bigger questions about the very role of government when it comes to retailing alcohol, such as why the heck is government in the booze business to begin with?
It's truly a perverse thing, isn't it?
Especially for those who want less government in their lives.
Sure, there is a role for government when it comes to running certain institutions.
The armed forces come to mind, but liquor stores?
Really?
Shouldn't the role of government here to be regulating and taxing as opposed to retailing alcoholic beverages?
In fact, the decades-old justification of government running a liquor monopoly, and for that matter, a lottery ticket monopoly too, is based on that slice of ideology known as social responsibility.
What that catchphrase boils down to is that the private sector only cares about profits, you see.
Private liquor stores just want to sell as much booze as possible.
Damn the consequences.
All private sector liquor store operators want to do is move the merchandise.
And the next thing you know, you'll have 12-year-old kids guzzling down Colt 45 in the parking lot.
But government, on the other hand, well, government is more compassionate and caring and yes, more socially responsible.
The government would rather turn down a sale of liquor if that hooch was destined to be consumed by a minor.
Won't somebody please think of the children?
Oh, really?
Well, folks, I put that social responsibility nonsense to the test more than a decade ago when I was working at the Sun News Network.
We proved it to be a complete fallacy.
Here's the deal.
Bottles and Burqas00:02:48
We had a 14-year-old boy clad in a burqa walk into three different LCBO stores, whereupon he bought three bottles of hard liquor, no questions asked, completely unchallenged.
Here, check it out.
We're going to see if we can buy a bar of hooch or if the LCBO is going to live up to their socially responsible mandate of challenge.
And we're going to find out what happens right now.
1325, please.
No challenging reviews there, right?
No, not even a little bit.
Well, there you have it, folks.
Three out of three times, a 14-year-old boy wearing a burqa was able to buy, booze, ID, and identity unchecked.
And you know something?
That goes actually against the LCBO's own policy when it comes to face coverings, be it a motorcycle helmet, a Halloween mask, or a burqa or any cab.
In fact, here's the policy in writing, folks.
In order for staff to comply with the law and the LCBO's CHECK 25 program, that's a program, folks, where if you look under 25, your identification is automatically checked.
They must first assess a customer's apparent age.
This must be done by looking at the customer's face in full.
Should the face be covered, staff are required to ask the customer to remove the covering.
Well, it was quite the bombshell story at the time.
And in a follow-up story, the Toronto Sun reported Ali Vitnuski, a spokesman for Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, who then oversaw the LCBO, said that the LCBO has a policy that demands age verification for any client who appears to be under 25 years old and said there's also an LCBO policy in place to deal with face coverings, whether it's an icab, burqa, mask, or costume.
Namely, that face covering has to be removed and the age of the purchaser has to be verified with valid government-issued ID.
But as you saw, none of that was done in our test.
Government-Run Liquor Monopoly00:06:11
And equally important was this.
Did any of those staffers at any of those three LCBO stores caught breaking the law get reprimanded?
Did any of those LCBO stores get shut down for a week or three as a penalty?
Absolutely not.
The government just shrugged its shoulders and essentially said, hey, stuff happens and we'll try to do better next time.
Now, do you think the operator of, say, a corner store who sold a pack of cigarettes to a minor would be treated with such kid gloves and given such clemency?
Not a chance.
We're talking severe fines.
And if that was a repeat violation, the store owner would likely lose his license to sell tobacco, an economic death sentence.
Talk about a double standard.
Talk about do as I say, not as I do.
Social responsibility aside, there is another humongous lie when it comes to justifying government-run liquor monopolies, namely that such a liquor monopoly is a cash cow.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
That's because in a privatized system, the government is still collecting taxation.
That revenue stream never evaporates.
So the idea that things like the, oh, I don't know, the healthcare system is going to crumble without the LCBO in place is absolute poppycock.
In fact, in recent years in Ontario, the LCBO has been spending enormous amounts of money on what are effectively Taj Mahal liquor temples, the likes of which one would never see in a privatized and competitive liquor retailing environment.
This is both irresponsible and a slap in the face to all Ontarian taxpayers.
Indeed, check out the stats.
According to Statistics Canada, as of April 1st, 2023, the government of Alberta earned a per capita return of $177.62 via its sale of liquor in the province's fully privatized retail setup.
In Ontario, the LCBO's per capita return to the province is just $166.91, or about $11 lower per person.
Looks like that cash cow really needs to be put out to pasture in Ontario, methinks.
And here's another reason why the union lashing out against opening up the liquor marketplace does not make any sense whatsoever.
That's because in the province of Ontario, when it comes to liquor sales, all Ontarians are equal, but some Ontarians are more equal than others.
Case in point, for decades now, there have been more than 400 so-called LCBO agency stores in the province.
These agency stores are part of a convenience store or a gas station and are situated in small markets that cannot sustain a full-fledged LCBO store.
But wait a minute, how is it that someone can buy booze at a convenience store in tiny Kawartha Lakes or Cameron, but that the people of say Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, and Windsor, well, obviously those folks are too immature to do likewise.
Does this make sense to anyone?
So to recap, the strike is destined for failure.
The union does not hold a hammer here.
And public opinion is not on the side of the strikers.
And the government is not going to back down.
Look, I get that the head honchos at OPSU need something to do now that there's no longer a pro-Hamas encampment operating at the University of Toronto, which was another lost cause, of course, for OPSU.
But OPSU is trying to put the brakes on progress here.
That never works.
But I will say this, though, folks, with all 677 LCBO stores locked down, there is at least one silver lining here, namely, shoplifting, which allegedly costs the LCBO tens of millions of dollars annually, will be reduced to zero as long as those picket lines remain active.
At least that's something beleaguered Ontario taxpayers can raise a toast to this summer.
The public sector union that represents liquor store workers is out of control.
Indeed, the blame for this strike lays squarely at the feet of OPSU as opposed to the rank and file frontline workers.
The union is flexing its ideological muscles.
It is less concerned about improving wages and benefits of its members and more concerned with reversing government policy that gives consumers more choice.
But a bigger question arises.
Why is the government even in the booze retailing business to begin with?
The role of government is to tax and regulate liquor, not to sell the stuff.
Please go to our new website, sellthelcbo.com.
That's sellthelcbo.com.
It's high time to put this government-run liquor monopoly out to pasture once and for all.
Why Pierre Polyev for Prime Minister?00:15:09
Adam Sos here for Rebel News, and I'm on location in Calgary at MP Josh Raj Singh Halan's Stampede breakfast.
Folks, I got to break it to you.
If you didn't already know, Justin Trudeau isn't particularly popular right now.
He's so unpopular, in fact, that he decided not to attend this year's Calgary Stampede at all.
I suspect he understands the type of reception he would get after attacking Alberta and Alberta's industries for so long.
Someone who is here, on the other hand, and who is joining virtually all the other politicians from all levels of government to state their case as to why they deserve your vote is Pierre Polyeva.
Now, we likely won't get a chance to talk with him.
He tends to jump in and out of these things pretty quick, but we're certainly going to speak to some elected officials, both on the provincial and federal level, and see why they believe Pierre Polyeva is the person to be the next prime minister and is the person to lead this country moving forward.
I do, of course, feel like I'm a bit of the warm-up act because I know that we've got a very, very special guest in the audience today.
So let's give a warm stampede welcome to Pierre Paglia, the leader of...
Good morning, everybody.
Yahoo!
What a crowd.
Thank you so much for being here.
And of course, we're so honored.
We have colleagues from the Conservative, Common Sense Conservative Party.
Speaking of the Canadian dream, we know after nine years of Justin Trudeau, it's gone.
We're powerful paychecks, where if you put in hard work, you can afford a home, have a powerful paycheck, run a business, and see safe communities for your kids that have all gone away after nine years of Justin Trudeau's high inflationary spending, high interest rates, his carbon tax scam.
But it wasn't like this before, Justin Trudeau, and it won't be like that after he's gone.
Because under a common sense Conservative government led by the Honorable Pierre Polyev, we're going to bring home that Canadian dream again by axing the tax, building the homes, fixing the budget, and stopping the crime.
I'm honored to introduce our common sense conservative leader and the next prime minister of Canada, the Honorable Pierre Polyev.
Thank you, Jazz.
Anna and I are honored to be back to celebrate the greatest outdoor show on earth with your common sense conservative team.
And thank you to all the volunteers who helped make this possible.
We have pancakes, we have coffee, we even have some turkey, which we source right from Parliament Hill.
So make sure to enjoy it.
I haven't seen Justin Trudeau around.
I think he's hiding under a rock.
He's hiding from his caucus.
He's hiding from Calgarians.
He's hiding from all Canadians.
And that's okay because in not too long we're going to buy him a one-way ticket and we're going to bring home the country that we knew and love.
Very happy now to be joined by Jasraj Singhalan, the host of this incredible Stampede breakfast event.
We just saw Pierre Polyev speak here.
I suppose my question for you is why do you believe that Pierre Polyev is the best prime minister to ensure that Alberta and Calgary have a spot at the table in Ottawa?
This is a really loaded question because that can go on forever, but after nine years of Justin Trudeau and Jagmeetsing, Canada is broken.
It's clear to see.
The reason why I stood behind Pierre Polyev from day one when he was running for leader is because he's a born and raised Albertan and Calgarian.
And he knows that without Alberta, Canada cannot prosper.
Do you believe that under Pierre Polyev's leadership, Alberta will actually have a seat at the table in Ottawa?
Yeah, I think we have a so much better chance.
I mean we have a government right now with Trudeau that is just antagonistic towards Alberta.
We just see it every day and it's so disheartening.
And I think under Pierre Polyev with the Conservative government, we definitely have a better chance of being at the table, being listened to and being respected.
Well certainly I've had some conversations with Mr. Polyev and certainly he understands some of the challenges we're facing regarding crime and social and civil disorder not just here in Alberta but right across the country.
I know that he's listening and certainly he's somebody that is willing to make those changes to make Canada and quite frankly Alberta a safer place.
He's a South Alberta boy.
He's from Southern Calgary.
We all have a very, he and I have a very similar experience.
I grew up in Minapore.
He grew up in Shaughnessy and his message from coast to coast has been to axe attacks, build the homes, fix the budget, stop the crime.
And it resonates irrespective of geography and language.
You saw his multi-day tour through Quebec where he met amazing people who want the same things we want out here in the West.
They want the opportunity to dream big things, to be free, to own a home and live their lives crime-free.
These things are common sense ideas that are resonating nationwide and I think he's been an incredible communicator with an incredible work ethic that has built a consensus in this country that not only is it time for change, it's time for the kind of change that only Pierre Polyev can deliver.
Well absolutely.
When we know that from our experiences with the Federal Conservative Party and our relationship with them, we've worked very collaboratively and closely in any number of areas with the Federal Conservative Party on various initiatives.
They're the only government, they're the only members of parliament who will actually listen to Alberta's needs.
We know that because we're confident in the collaboration that we're having with them and the success that we're having in advancing our joint provincial federal initiatives to Ottawa.
Oh, he's 1000% for sure the man.
Of course he's going to be the right person to be Prime Minister of Canada and he has deep roots in Alberta.
He knows Alberta.
His mom lives here and I think he's really demonstrated affection for our province, for our city.
Look, he's here.
He was flipping pancakes and serving constituents for just Raj Holland and he's available.
He's available to everybody and you know he speaks our language.
He gets it.
He knows what Alberta needs to really have our voices reflected at the federal level.
It's incredibly important.
Very happy now to be joined by Maria, the president and CEO of McAmee College, effectively serving as host to this incredible event.
Part of the reason that I wanted to talk to you is, as we heard, there's sort of an applied politics, a session training opportunity that you guys are bringing in.
Now, they say that if you don't do politics, politics will be done to you.
So how important is it to have people who are active and engaged in advocating for Western values right across this country?
Well, I think it's just really important to get involved.
So I was born in a communist country and we were told that you should never get involved in politics because you went on the backlash of whatever party.
Being in Canada, we have this beautiful freedom that you can get involved, you can vote, you can become an MLA, you can get engaged, you can talk to your local constituents.
I think it's so important to just get engaged and speak for the values that you want to see in Canada.
Canada for me is a land of opportunity.
Alberta expands that so much more.
And we just love the fact that the community gets together.
And so with our applied politics program, we're just hoping to bring people on to have people understand this is a career option for them.
And our applied politics program is going to be the first of its kind.
So normally you would do a four-year political science degree.
This is going to be a two-year diploma that's really focused on how do I get engaged in government in roles and responsibilities that can actually impact change and just be aware of what options are available to you.
Our common sense plan is to axe the carbon tax to lower the cost of gas, heat, and groceries.
It is to build the homes by clearing away the bureaucracy, to have the fastest building permits so that our young people can put roof overhead.
It is to fix the budget by capping spending and cutting waste to bring down interest rates, inflation, and income taxes.
It is to stop the crime by bringing in jail, not bail for repeat violent offenders.
Treatment, not decriminalized and subsidized drugs, to bring our loved ones home drug-free.
Hey guys, we refuse to accept government funds in order to do this work that we do.
And that's why we rely on your support.
One of the fun ways that you can support us beyond just chipping in at RebelFieldReports.com if you're so inclined is by shopping at rebelnewsstore.com.
You can get a great shirt like this one.
Don't auto-up my Alberta.
Tons of people here have been saying great shirt.
Where can I get one?
You can get one for yourself at RebelNewsStore.com using the code AdamTech.
Be clear, there is a huge difference between common sense Pierre Polyev and Justin Trudeau, who's completely broke in Canada.
There's a big difference.
I'm an immigrant to this country.
I know and our party knows the importance of immigration to this country.
We cannot fall behind and our GDP per capita will suffer if we don't have the proper workforce.
Now, what do you think it is that is typical of federal politics where during elections with past leaders, all the right things are being said, there's the right sentiment, but with elections being decided by the time that Toronto threshold is crossed, what makes Pierre Polyev different?
You know, I think just the Conservative principles.
You know, we have good Conservative MPs here in Alberta, and we just need to have their voice represented at the table with the federal government.
And they're just not right now because the current prime minister is just not listening.
And he doesn't care.
And again, just so antagonistic towards Alberta and our values, what we need.
Now, do you feel like this sort of top-down mentality of feds who take crime seriously would impact Alberta crime as well?
Like, is it critical not only to have you trying to tackle crime here, but have the feds on the same page?
Look, I've been very public about this.
The soft-on-crime policies by the federal government, the current federal government, have been an abject failure.
And we've seen cities right across this country become less safe because of those policies and those changes to the criminal code.
You know, I know they were hoping that C-48 was going to be the magic pill to make things a lot safer in Canada, but certainly the data that I've received from the Justice Minister, that really has not been the case.
So my position, as I've stated even a year ago, will not have changed and that C-75 needs to be repealed.
And that's certainly what I'd be advocating to Pierre Polyev if and when he becomes the Prime Minister.
You know, what I see in my leader is a guy who spends time listening to every last person that comes to every one of his events.
And when he listens to the desperation, the pain, the fear that everyday people are encountering because of Justin Trudeau's horrible decisions, it is a motivating feature, not just for him, but from the top down through every part of our party.
So we have a focus to deliver real and meaningful change to people who need it desperately.
You look at the price of this carbon tax on everyday life, and it is devastating them.
You look at the mortgage meltdown on the way, $900 billion of mortgage default on the horizon because of reckless economic policies by Justin Trudeau and Jugmeet Singh.
Polyev has complete focus on the families that are being impacted by this.
So I don't think there's ever a time to let up on the gas.
It's always a time to keep focused, to keep working hard, one day at a time, to be smart and to be disciplined.
The number one issue that comes up in the community is crime.
Soft-on crime initiatives from the federal government, the challenges and the obstacles and the burdens that we have in accessing justice and making sure that the criminal code and the federal jurisdiction is strengthened.
We've lobbied since the day that I became minister to make sure that the federal government knows and is well aware of all of the issues on soft-on crime issues, the catch and release program, and the various other things that we're seeing in the news and in the media all the time.
And it's been radio silence, which tells you exactly what the Trudeau government's position is going to be when it comes to being tough on crime and making sure that serious and repeat offenders pay for what they do.
What makes him different?
We've had past Conservative leaders leading up to the election, saying all the right things, but then right around election time, the election's decided by the time you cross that Toronto voting line.
And sometimes we see a last-minute pivot.
Why do you think Pierre Polyev is different?
I think anybody who has met Pierre or has followed him or has really spent a lot of time hearing his message.
He never wavers from message.
He has resolved.
He's committed.
I've heard him speak at least a dozen times and I've never left any session where he's been at thinking, okay, this guy, well, let me just rephrase that.
Every time I've heard him speak, he's convinced me more than ever that he is, he's going to walk the talk.
And by scanning the shipping containers and securing the borders to keep illegal drugs and guns from coming in and stolen cars from going out, all while we protect your right to hunt and sport shoot with your lawfully acquired firearms.
Axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.
When I say bring it home, I mean bring home powerful paychecks by repatriating our industry and supporting Canadian oil and gas.
Yeah, and I think the number one thing is to listen and to meet and have those open discussions.
Again, we just haven't seen that.
We've seen the federal government trying to go around behind the provincial government's back all the time.
And just having those open discussions up front and dealing with Alberta directly, I think that'll be the biggest thing right off the start.
I'm a simple police officer, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that you can't just print money.
And that's certainly what this federal government has been doing.
And this is why you're seeing costs go up.
This is why you're seeing inflation go up.
This is why you're seeing people struggling on a daily basis.
And, you know, certainly as a province, we're doing what we can.
But the federal government, especially the federal Liberal government, needs to take responsibility here.
And quite frankly, for them to survive, they're going to need to change their policies.
Final question for you, if you don't mind.
What is the one thing you'd like to see Pierre Polyev do right away as Prime Minister to benefit Western Canada or to help heal those relations?
Because clearly, they're not healthy right now.
Get Chagmeet Singh to pull his support, stop putting his pension ahead of Canadian interests.
That's what we're going to keep on pressuring to do so that we can call a carbon tax election so that Canadians can decide whether they want to keep this scam of a carbon tax or they want a common sense Conservative government that will axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime and bring home common sense to this country once again.
None of this would have been a problem if we had a strong Conservative government led by Prime Minister Pierre Polyev in Ottawa.
Politics of Division00:03:37
None of this would be a problem.
The Trudeau-Singh NDP Liberal coalition are obsessed with dividing Canadians on every metric, by region, by demography, by workers against business owners, by religion, by language.
They are focused on politics of division because they think that's their path to victory.
They're tearing this country down.
And our plan is to unite the country for freedom, to unite it on the basis of the rule of law and the things that every Canadian wants, including the prosperity of Alberta, which is great for the country of Canada.
Well, one of the biggest things that I think we need to talk about is Canadian unity, right?
The federal government currently today has been extremely divisive in terms of plotting one province against another, working in various silos and whatnot.
We know that from our experience recently with the carbon tax exemptions that only impact a very select certain set of Canadians.
And what we're saying here is that we need to make sure that the unity in this country is re-established and whatnot.
I also want to see Pierre, hopefully as the new Prime Minister, work on the issue of crime.
We know what the issues are.
We know that every single province in the country is grappling with these issues and we know what needs to be done.
And so this is not a very difficult formula to solve.
We've given them the answers and it's just once again radio silence.
We're hoping that a new Conservative government will address those issues immediately so that we can turn the tide on crime in this province.
I mean bringing home manufacturing, forestry, agriculture by clearing the red tape and the taxes so that we can make stuff here in Canada.
I mean a bring-it-home tax cut so that you bring more home of your paycheck, so that we lower the tax burden on work, investment, and making stuff, that we simplify and cut the bureaucracy and that we cut back on corporate welfare and overseas tax havens so that our working poor pay less tax here at home.
This is the bring it home tax cut, but bring it home doesn't just mean that.
It also means the country we love, the country we knew before Justin Trudeau, where we were united, where we were proud, where our flag flew at the top of the flagpole, where everyone was inspired to unite around what we had in common rather than to divide by all the many things that separate us.
We need a government that unites our people around our common values, common history, common sense, the common sense of the common people united for our common home.
Your home, my home, our home.
Let's bring it home.
Thank you.
The next Prime Minister of Canada.
Well, a great deal of optimism, folks, believing that Pierre Polyeva can't exactly be a different leader, a leader that represents Alberta at that table in Ottawa.
A lot of support here, quite evidently evidenced by the fact that 18,000 breakfasts and counting were served at this stampede.
Breakfast Organizers saying that this was something of a record for them.
So clearly, a sentiment of strong support in Calgary for Pierre Polyeva.
As always, I want to thank you all so much for tuning in for Rebel News.
I'm Adam Sos.
The common sense of the common people united for our common home.