Lena Metlege Diab - Journey in Politics and hopes for the next Prime Minister of Canada (Member of Parliament for Halifax West) - Afternoon Pint

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, cheers, cheers.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
Cheers everyone.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Afternoon Play.
I'm Mike.

Speaker 3 (00:05):
Tobin, I am Matt Conrad.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
And I'm Lina Mettlisch-Diab.
Lina Mettlisch-Diab, nice, tomeet you, the Honourable.

Speaker 3 (00:12):
Thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
First time for me.
Thank you very much.
I think you two are somewhatacquainted, yes, but first who
is Lina Mettlisch-Diab?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, I was born in Halifax, raised a little bit in
Lebanon, in a very small littlevillage, a.
I spoke French and I spoke mynative language, Lebanese, but I

(00:48):
had to learn English fromscratch and ever since I've been
here.
So St Agnes, st Pat's, stMary's, I say to everybody the
saints follow me wherever I goand then, of course, dalhousie
after that for graduate school,and then I did law school as
well Cool, and I've been heresince.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
That's awesome and I think there's a connection.
How do you two know each other?

Speaker 3 (01:10):
Matt, yeah, so it's funny.
So I met Lina when you ran foroffice and you were in office
and everything, and we met at acouple of different events and
you met my wife and you justhappened to find out that my
wife was going throughuniversity and that she was a
teacher and becoming learning tobecome a teacher, but she at

(01:31):
the time was teaching orlearning to tutor people,
government workers and stufflike that and you just asked,
hey, would she tutor me?
Kind of like you know, I don'tget an opportunity to speak a
lot of French because you werein provincial government at that
time.
And so, yeah, you hired her tocome every monday and, uh, aunt
sat with her for I don't know,it was like a year, uh, every

(01:54):
monday and just talked just infrench that.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Yeah, I, I remember that was over a decade ago
because I was a first elected in2013 and then became a cabinet
minister, and so that was over adecade ago and you two were not
married.
We weren't married.
No, she had, like really reallyrecently joined Halifax.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
She was very recent, yeah, exactly.
And yeah, you were very kind toher when she basically you sent
her congratulations when shegraduated and became a teacher.
You kind of recently sentsomething else to her, I can't
even remember, but you've beenvery kind and, you know, really
kind of staying in touch andstuff.
So I've known Lena now for over10 years.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
My wife has been here for 12 years and so yeah, I
think, lawrence, I think I alsoknow you, because I believe I
know your parents.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Well, you know my mother.
Your mother worked in a lawfirm.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
That's right and of course, I am a lawyer by
profession.
And I practiced law for 22years.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
I read your Wikipedia Before.
I don't know what the Wikipediasaid.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
22 years before I was elected Cool.
But I knew his mom because onthe other side of the telephone.

Speaker 3 (03:09):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Us lawyers talk a lot on the phone, especially back
then right, not so muchcomputers and it's hard to see
people a lot face-to-face.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Amazing, and you've gotten us to a new location.
We're unlocking a new locationfor the Afternoon Point Day.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
thanks, to you.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
Oh, that's fabulous I love that, I gotta say.
This location has one of Mattand I's favorite IPAs.
It is one of my favorite beersto drink in the whole province,
so you picked out a great spot.
Where are we?

Speaker 2 (03:37):
We are at the North Brewing, which is in Timberley
actually.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
And.

Speaker 2 (03:43):
I'll tell you why I picked it.
So I'm not, I don't frequent alot, particularly beer, you know
, but I love the independent,small beer brewing industry
that's happening here, as wellas the wine and all of the local
industries that are happening,but in particular, with this one

(04:05):
in 2023, the trails here besideus yes blt trails had floods
and flooding.
We had trails we had floodingthat's from that massive
rainstorm that happened right,yeah, and it flooded and it had
to be closed and at the timethey they're a volunteer
association they needed tofundraise quite a bit of money

(04:27):
in order to do some repairs andso on, plus other things.
And I recall coming to thisspecific location, meeting them,
but also because thisparticular company, a group here
they were helping in thefundraising effort by, I think,
donating five dollars orsomething like that to uh, to be

(04:49):
yeah to the sales and stuff,and I remember buying quite a
bit at the time as well, so itwas great yeah, they're.

Speaker 3 (04:56):
I mean north brewing is a is a really great industry.
Really.
They're leading in in thequality of the beer they make.
So thank you for to them, forhosting us and alternate reality
is theA, if you want to say itby name Great name, great can
great taste of beer MultiniteReality IPA.

Speaker 1 (05:10):
And what are we drinking today?
Matt?

Speaker 3 (05:11):
We have a different one, yeah so we have a couple
different things here.
So, Lena, you're drinking theLawrence Town.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
That's it.
I'm drinking the Lawrence Town.
I said I want something alittle bit light and on a fruity
side.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
No, that's a nice beer.

Speaker 3 (05:25):
I like that one too.
We're not in Dartmouth, butthis is the Dartmouth Dark, so
this is a coffee-infused darklager.
This reminds me a little bit ofour lager that we made last
year too.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
Yeah, it's just a little bit less coffee.
Yeah, yeah, it's good, ourstasted a lot like coffee.
Ours tasted more like coffee.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
People were no joke putting ice in the beer that we
made last year.
Oh wow, they were putting icein it because they said it
tasted like an iced coffee.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
That sounds nice.
It was actually really good.
That sounds very nice.
They sold it pretty quickly.

Speaker 3 (05:56):
It was sold out in two weeks.
So, yeah, it went pretty well.
That was fun.
So back to you.
You talked about how you wereactually technically born here
but went back home from yourparents' home.
Yeah, why did you go back atlike two?

Speaker 1 (06:10):
You were like two years old or something.
What happened there?
I?

Speaker 2 (06:12):
had my grandparents here as well, and my grandfather
got ill and wanted to go backhome, so my grandparents left,
but my dad and all his siblingswere here, and so they were by
themselves there.
So my dad and his brother thetwo older ones here at the time
said we will, uh, take turns.

(06:32):
Each one of us will go and livethere for a certain period of
time, because our business washere, actually hollis street,
they had a bar, they had arestaurant, it was was called
Steve's Lunch, among many otherthings I'm talking to you a long
time ago.
And so they took.
The idea was they would taketurns and, of course, so my

(06:53):
father was the first one thatwent.
So he took his wife and, at thetime, three little kids, one
that's a few months old and onethat was a year, and myself.
So we were all three underthree, basically, and so that
that was the trade-off.
But then my parents would comeback here and my uncle would go

(07:14):
there, but they said you staythere with your grandparents,
and at that time my grandfatherhad passed away, so it was only
my grandmother left, uh, and soI stayed there for, you know,
close to eight years right, wentto school there and then,
unfortunately, war broke out acivil war at the time.
That's exactly right and so myfather said you know, that's it,

(07:36):
it's time everybody comes back.
And he carried his mother inhis arms.
She was a small woman, uh, shedidn't want to leave because
that was her home, that's hertown.
And he said to her Mom Ipromise, once the war is over
we'll bring you back.

Speaker 3 (07:53):
You know, there seems to be ongoing wars that are
happening in Lebanon through theMiddle East, and everything but
from some of the people that Ispeak to is oftentimes in the
villages and stuff.
People have no idea it's reallygoing on.
Was that really the case for?

Speaker 2 (08:05):
you.
Well, they know what's going on.
Yeah, they're not ignorant.

Speaker 3 (08:08):
Sorry, I should rephrase that no, no, no.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah.
So I guess what I would say isyou're not faced day to day with
the bullets and with theweapons and with the military.
What you are faced with, though, is the notion of there's not
going to be any food, no food,no medication.
So people get worried shortageof food, shortage of medication,
shortage of everything else and, in the villages, there's no

(08:43):
heating systems in a lot of theplaces, and so when it gets cold
, if you're still there,depending on where you are,
where we were.
So it's, yeah, it's.
I wouldn't wish that on peoplehere, but I'll tell you, the
good news in Lebanon right nowis, for the first time or not
first time, but now we have anew president, new prime prime

(09:03):
minister, and there's really alot of hope so is.

Speaker 1 (09:08):
Is lebanon peaceful right now?
In a sense, I would yeah, it'speaceful.

Speaker 2 (09:12):
There's no, there's no conflict going on but,
economically things are bad,financially they're bad.
Uh, the banking system hadcollapsed, uh.
So all kinds of issues afterthe beirut explosion.
As you know, that was worsethan the Halifax explosion.
And we talk about that becausethe Halifax explosion here in

(09:32):
1918, historically, was one ofthe first but also worst.

Speaker 1 (09:38):
What year was the Beirut explosion?
It was four years ago, oh my,my gosh, and how many fatalities
there were fatalities.

Speaker 2 (09:47):
I can't, I don't remember the numbers right now,
I know.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
Sorry, that's a tough question to answer off the spot
, yeah, 100% but it was amassive explosion it was massive
yeah, I remember it but it,yeah, I mean.

Speaker 3 (09:58):
So it's good to hear that things are kind of on the
up and up and I mean it.
You know, the the uh, it's.
It's not due, it's just kind ofcircumstance because the
lebanese people here in halifax,like halifax stands on the
shoulders on the lebanesecommunity like heavily right,
they've been, it's been a uh,they've been a huge asset to
halifax, uh well, it works bothways.

Speaker 2 (10:20):
Uh, you know the?
The lebanese people started tocome here 140 years ago.

Speaker 3 (10:25):
Most people don't realize that it's not a new
thing, but there's actually astatue at the waterfront that
has the year on it.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
A lot of them that came actually stayed, whereas
other immigrants and so onthey've come through and kept on
going to other parts of thecountry.
But it works both ways.
The Lebanese have contributedgreatly and really have enriched
the province.
Just like you know, they liketo give back to the community.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
Yeah, I can tell you one, like an event that I've
been going to the last few years, that I actually look forward
to every year, is the CedarMaple Gala.
What a great event, right, yeah, what a great event.
I mean right, yeah, what agreat event.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
I mean, uh, norm does a great job, kind of putting
that on and just the highlightof everything and I just love
that they blend that, likecanadian lebanese showcases the
business part of the community,but also with the culture, with
the food, with the entertainmentand, as you can see, uh, the
majority that attend, if I couldsay, are non-lebanese
background.

Speaker 3 (11:24):
So so that's a good thing, that's a positive thing.

Speaker 2 (11:27):
Because you get to see you know something different
, so it's great.

Speaker 3 (11:32):
I think it's important to kind of highlight
all the great things that thecommunity has done for our city.
Going back to you specifically,I know you kind of said you
started off as a lawyer, but youdid start off kind of in
politics though, because if Iremember it wasn't your first
degree, or something like that,in polyscience.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
Oh dear, it was economics actually.

Speaker 3 (11:54):
Was it Okay.

Speaker 2 (11:55):
It was economics, but I minored in political science
Okay, yeah.
Good job, and I also minored inFrench.

Speaker 3 (12:00):
Okay, yeah, but you worked at the legislature, you
worked at the legislature.
You worked at the legislature,didn't you?
Oh, my goodness, I did I did.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
I tried at that time, when I was a student, I think,
two, three times and I finallygot hired as a student 1985, 86.

Speaker 3 (12:15):
Okay, cool.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
Not long ago.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
And John Buchanan.
That's how I remember JohnBuchanan, even though my dad and
whatever they knew him as well.
They all knew each other backthen quite well.
But that's where.
Yeah, so 85, 86,.
I was a page at the legislatureand I recall years later saving
a newspaper clipping where I'mon the cover and it says uh,

(12:43):
housing shortage back in 1986,some things never change.
The nova scotia they're goingback to the legislature and
there's a page with my name,lena metlage, at the time
putting the papers on the uh andit was housing.
I gave that newspaper clippingactually to the legislature, uh
for them to keep it in theirrecords.

(13:03):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (13:07):
So yeah, so you were back there with John.

Speaker 2 (13:09):
So you said your dad knew John Of course, yeah Well,
he was a lawyer too, eh no, Iknew John.

Speaker 3 (13:13):
No, John was a close friend.

Speaker 2 (13:16):
From before.
So, and you know, back in the70s, 80s, to be honest, like I'm
sure your parents tell you, youweren't born, but there weren't
that many people in halifax,really quite frankly right no,
and so they all knew each other.

Speaker 3 (13:31):
Yes, absolutely yeah, well, that's, that's the law
office like john practiced inmom's, like the office that mom
works at up until his death,kind of thing, so yeah, but uh,
so, knowing John and kind ofgetting that early stage, and
what made you go liberal asopposed to a PC?

Speaker 2 (13:50):
Oh I, it's funny.
After that, I think I startedin in university.
I would say I also did modelparliament as well.
The political ideals that Ibelieve exemplified me best in

(14:14):
the sense of what I believedwere equality of opportunity,
you know, not to say othersdon't have them, but that was
the one that I believed.
And again, I didn't have anyrole models, if I could say,
like none of my family waspolitical or is even now
political or is even consideringbeing political.

Speaker 1 (14:29):
So let's just put that out there, right.

Speaker 2 (14:31):
So this was yeah, You're all on your own.

Speaker 1 (14:33):
I'm on my own.
Figure that out.

Speaker 2 (14:35):
And even back then I'd go to events and, like I
would be on my own right Fordecades I'd be on my own.

Speaker 1 (14:42):
But it's just something I love to do.
What was it like getting intopolitics yourself?
How did that feel?

Speaker 2 (14:48):
So I volunteered for many years first, and I was part
of a writing association and soon, so I knew what it was from
the inside.
And finally, in 2013, it wasactually the month of February,
like right now I said I waspracticing, I was in my office

(15:11):
and I didn't like certain things.
Sometimes, when you go intopolitics, you're going in
because you think you want tosee something different or you
want to drive change Seems theorigin story of most politicians
Right.
And at the time my children weregetting older, some had started
to be in university.
But I saw a lot of young peopleafter high school leaving Nova

(15:37):
Scotia.
I mean, we were being emptiedout from young people and from
people you know.
They were either going toschooling somewhere else or
going to schooling here andleaving.
You know, it was just for me itwas a shocker.

Speaker 1 (15:52):
So that was your incentive, that was my incentive
.

Speaker 2 (15:55):
I said I don't want that to happen to my children.

Speaker 3 (16:00):
And that's why I guess you've been a minister of
many things, and that's why Iguess you've been a minister of
many things.
But one of the last thing, Iguess because I didn't really
kind of put that connectiontogether, but one of the last
things that you were actuallygiven, one of the last files you
were given, was populationgrowth.
That's right, was?

Speaker 2 (16:16):
that a part of that kind of desire, it's well, when
we went in in 2013,.
So we would have gone in and weformed a government because we
took from I think it was the NDP.

Speaker 3 (16:26):
NDP yep.

Speaker 2 (16:28):
That was one of the.
There were many priorities.
This was one of them that I wasgiven alongside other things.
But I would tell you, mostpeople the first couple of years
thought, you know, it wasn'tgoing to happen.
We, you know there was a lot ofwork that had to be done to get
us to the point where we werefinally on an upward.

Speaker 1 (16:51):
Right, because we were losing this country.
We were losing, or the provincewas losing, every year, you
know we would get stats of thenumber of births versus the
deaths.

Speaker 2 (17:00):
Well, obviously, the deaths always outweighed the
worth, but also that people ofleaving as well, and the aging
population.

Speaker 1 (17:07):
Right.

Speaker 2 (17:08):
It was really scary In some parts of the province.
Hospitals were closing, schoolswere closing.

Speaker 3 (17:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (17:15):
They just didn't have the population.

Speaker 3 (17:18):
Yeah, and I mean so you kind of really, because it's
a twofold, because I mean shewas Minister of Population
Growth but also Minister ofImmigration Right, so heavily
kind of fell on your shouldersto grow the province.

Speaker 2 (17:31):
And I know you had Stephen McNeil before on a
podcast and I'll say to you hewas a fabulous person to work
with.
He pretty much and I can saythat now this is public and I
have no problem in saying itbecause I've said it one-on-one
to so many people pretty muchgave me a carte blanche as a

(17:51):
minister.

Speaker 3 (17:52):
Oh, good To do what I felt was necessary to do, and
he appointed Lena as the firstattorney general in Nova Scotia.

Speaker 2 (18:03):
History Cool Since 1750, I believe was the first
one.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
There was one in 1750 .
No, there wasn't any Since thestart.
Since the start.

Speaker 3 (18:13):
There definitely wasn't one in 17, anything I
know.

Speaker 1 (18:18):
So the first time I went, into the office as a
justice.

Speaker 2 (18:22):
In public.
It was Justice, public Safetycalled together, but attorney
general right, so the attorneygeneral would all be wearing so
as a lawyer.
When we go to court, you knowhow we dress in robes, right?
Anyway, the first time I wentinto the office and that's where
your wife actually used to meetme.
Yeah, we used to be on terminalroad okay uh, all photos.

(18:43):
They had the photos from thebeginning of all the men and in
the early years for like a longtime they would all be robed.
We called them robed and hadtheir white sashes because
that's what we wore when we goto court.
Right, it hit you like itreally hits you, it really

(19:04):
smacks you.
If you have time to think,though, that's the problem the
portfolio and things were sobusy that you rarely had time to
think about anything but work.
But it really does hit you interms of how you've come Well
cheers to you, cheers, yes,cheers.

Speaker 1 (19:19):
You guys are drinking a lot more than me, that's okay
.
We will have problems.

Speaker 3 (19:25):
But I will say though , you know, when I was talking
with Lena before, she was sayinglike she's like, oh, I don't
want to.
You know, she doesn't want tobrag too much, so I'll have to
do a little bit of bragging forher.

Speaker 1 (19:34):
Help her out, yeah.

Speaker 3 (19:36):
Women in politics is tough, it's very tough, and one
of about is that she used toreally like about Lena is they
always had really gooddiscussions about women
leadership kind of breaking thatglass ceiling and stuff like
that.
Okay, and you've done a lot ofthat, like in Nova Scotia,
obviously being the first of afew things but a minister of
many things now going on.

(19:57):
You know, going from and we cantalk about that, going from
provincial to federal politicsand all that stuff but you've
led the way in a lot of waysprovincial to federal politics
and all that stuff, but you'veled the way in a lot of ways.
I also heard that you leavingthe provincial liberals kind of
put them at a huge disadvantage,because I hear that you are a
fundraising queen.

Speaker 2 (20:17):
Oh yeah, You're going to raise money.
Listen, when I made thedecision to leave provincial to
federal, the Liberal Party wasdoing quite well in Nova Scotia.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
Yeah so.

Speaker 2 (20:26):
I didn't.
I left thinking.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
You were leaving them in good hands, yes.

Speaker 1 (20:31):
Yeah, no, quite frankly yes, so you're the
reason they lost there.

Speaker 2 (20:35):
Well, no, I wouldn't say that, but I guess what I
would say is you never know inpolitics.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
Yeah, right, right.

Speaker 2 (20:42):
And things change.
I think there's an Englishsaying you tell?
Me.
Things change on a dime.

Speaker 3 (20:48):
It's not something I say, but I've heard that before,
particularly in politics.

Speaker 2 (20:53):
Yes, yeah.

Speaker 3 (20:54):
Very much.
People have short memories,whether that's a good or a bad
thing.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
Exactly.

Speaker 3 (20:58):
Right, like you know people, something bad could
happen and a year later doesn'tmatter.
People forget about it and theystill vote the person in.
Or something good happens and ayear later they don't care what
you did for them, it's what didyou do for me lately?

Speaker 2 (21:12):
Right, that's the sales, that's every job.

Speaker 1 (21:14):
It's a lot of things Actually.
Yeah, you're in the same job, Ibet you you'd probably give a
really good quote to a clientone year and then the next year.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
Oh my God, things have gone up and you're now?

Speaker 3 (21:26):
Yeah, well, at least there's one thing that the three
of us around this table canunderstand is you know what
profession do people hate themost?
Insurance, lawyers orpoliticians?
I don't know.
Oh my God, and I've got two outof the three.
That's not good, that's nottrue.

Speaker 2 (21:41):
Lawyers are there to actually serve and help people.
I think everyone is, though Icertainly did that.
Yes, I agree with you.

Speaker 3 (21:46):
Politicians are there , and politicians exactly.
And you know what?

Speaker 1 (21:51):
Despite popular belief, insurance, people are
there to help at your worst time, exactly Okay, moving on,
violins away.

Speaker 2 (21:59):
No, no, but you don't need these people if you're
doing well.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
Right, honestly Now, lawyers, you might.
If you win a million, you'regoing to probably need a lawyer
to drop a few things.
Oh right.

Speaker 2 (22:10):
But certainly if you're doing well generally
speaking, you leave all of this,but that's when you need
somebody.

Speaker 1 (22:17):
So why the jump from provincial to federal?

Speaker 2 (22:20):
I wanted to really understand what made that change
happen.
Yeah, well, okay, there wasmore than one, but generally
speaking, you've hit it.
I was a minister of a number ofportfolios, some of which
touched topics that are morenational and international.

Speaker 1 (22:40):
Right.

Speaker 2 (22:40):
Okay, immigration francophonie you know as an
example, and I was doing a lotof that in my last couple of
years.

Speaker 1 (22:47):
You were limited on a provincial level.

Speaker 2 (22:49):
We were limited on a provincial level, right, exactly
so.
That was one of the reasons.
Another reason is and you knowpolitics, it's all about timing.
They say the opportunity camewhere my predecessor decided to
retire.
Yeah, long serving too so longserving predecessor, after 20

(23:12):
plus years, decided to retire.
And this is the area where Ilive and you know where I've
given a lot to and so on, and soit just, you know, it just made
sense and either way, itappeared that we were going to
be heading into an election, soI wasn't leaving my provincial
colleagues, we were going to beheading into an election anyway.

Speaker 1 (23:33):
Right.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
Because I'm somebody that really cares.
If you work with me, I don'twant to let you down.
I value relationships,regardless of who, or you know
who they are, or what it's for,or whether organization, and so,
yeah, it just made a lot ofsense for me at the time and it

(23:58):
still does, so I'm glad I did.

Speaker 3 (23:59):
Yeah, no, that makes a lot of sense.
I mean, the some people thinkthat that's kind of a natural
progression, but not always.
There's a certain calling thatit takes to become in federal
politics.
It's not easy.
You're gone a lot right.

Speaker 2 (24:13):
You're gone a lot.
That's the hardest part ofbeing federal it's the fact that
you have to actually get on anairplane to go to the House of.
Commons in Ottawa and ithappens a lot more than you
think and it airplane to go tothe House of Commons in Ottawa.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (24:25):
And it happens a lot more than you think.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
Oh, and it's the time factor the time factor.

Speaker 3 (24:31):
What is it?
65% of the time you're away?
Is that what it is?

Speaker 2 (24:34):
No, it's well, it feels like that.
Okay, but it's half the weeksof the year.

Speaker 3 (24:40):
Half the weeks, okay, so 50% of the time you're gone.
Monday to Friday half the weeks.

Speaker 2 (24:46):
Okay, so 50 of the time.
Monday to friday.

Speaker 3 (24:47):
And they sit monday to friday yes, so with weeks, uh
, yeah, yeah, yeah, not rightnow, though, because you're
you're not sitting no, no, yeah,but we don't sit every single
week anyway no, exactly we don'tsit every week, uh, but, as you
know, there is a uh, thesession is prorogued and many
people say, oh, but people arenot working.

Speaker 2 (25:05):
Whatever Rest assured .
Rest assured, we members ofparliament are working hard, but
so is the government and theministers and the prime minister
.
I mean, you know they'reworking nonstop.
And I would say to you Topeople that don't understand.

Speaker 1 (25:19):
Why did they shut down?
I think people don't understandthat.
I've seen comments on a weeklybasis of people not
understanding why that happened.

Speaker 2 (25:28):
I have too.
I see that too and I say tomyself I wish I could do a
political science class.

Speaker 1 (25:35):
Sure, no, here we go, let's go.

Speaker 3 (25:37):
Yeah, here we go.
Here's your political scienceProfessor Lena Okay.

Speaker 2 (25:40):
Well, first of all, it's not unprecedented.
It has happened before, oh yeah.
Second of all, there needs tobe a reason for it.
You know, in this particularcase, instead of us going back
last week, we will go back March24th, and, as I said to you, we
don't sit every week anyway.

Speaker 3 (25:59):
No, exactly.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
It just means the parliamentary part of this job
does not get done, meaning whatwe do when we go to Ottawa, the
committees we sit on, but therest of the stuff, the
constituency and everything thatwe do, keeps going on.
The ministers, the ministries.
They're nonstop.
It has absolutely no effect onany of that.

Speaker 1 (26:22):
Of course we have a leadership.

Speaker 2 (26:24):
We meaning the Liberal Party.
The Prime Minister has saidhe's stepping down and therefore
a new leader needs to beelected for the political party.
It doesn't matter what theparty is, but that's what it is.
The Prime Minister is steppingdown.
There needs to be a new leader.
In this case, they said you'vegot to elect one, so that takes

(26:46):
a bit of time.
In fact, the time they've givenis pretty short yeah, for our
leadership when the house shutsdown.

Speaker 1 (26:52):
And again I'm asking for the folks that aren't into
politics here, because I'm moreon that side of of the defense.
I'm learning a lot of this forthe first time, um like so.
So in these instances, when thehouse shuts down, does certain
things not get done?

Speaker 2 (27:10):
So what does not get done is the fact that you're
going and sitting in the Houseof Commons and debating publicly
legislation.
Everything else is stillcontinuing.

Speaker 1 (27:19):
Right.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
Meaning the Prime Minister is doing his job, but
you can't pass legislation.
No, that's correct, laws can'tget passed that job.
But you can't pass legislation.
No, that's correct, laws can'tget passed.

Speaker 2 (27:26):
That's correct.
You can't pass new laws Now ifthere's some that are passed and
the public servants is workingon regulations.
That continues, that's noproblem, okay.
The implementation continues.

Speaker 1 (27:37):
So something was approved, and it's in the
offices of whomever that's stillgetting worked on Exactly
Something that was held up orstill being debated on.
That's a hard pause.
Nothing's getting done with it.

Speaker 2 (27:48):
That's correct.

Speaker 1 (27:49):
And.

Speaker 3 (27:49):
I think a lot of people like Lena mentioned, I
think a lot of people forget ordon't even realize it, honestly,
about 20% of the work, honestly, of what's being done, what you
see on camera and what you seein the actual legislature or the
House or anything.
That's 20%.

Speaker 2 (28:04):
It's an important part of the work.
It's an important part of it,but it's small, but it's not the
totality of the work.
Is what I'm saying when peoplesay you know nothing's being
done.

Speaker 1 (28:13):
It's time to lay it as an observer again, that
doesn't really understand how itworks.
I mean, I see a lot of almostlike theatrics, a lot of arguing
back and forth and a lot ofalmost foolishness.

Speaker 2 (28:23):
There's a lot of that .
I agree with you.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
Within the last year or so, almost to a whole new
perplexing level.

Speaker 2 (28:28):
So as a mom and now as a grandma to be honest, I
find it sometimes embarrassing.
If I want my kids are bigger,they get it, but if you bring a
school age class and, dependingon the timing they actually go
in and watch, I find itembarrassing and that's the

(28:49):
thing.

Speaker 3 (28:49):
I watch it and I find it embarrassing sometimes too,
when I watch about the bickeringback and forth and stuff, I'm
like these are grown adults,that we've elected, that we pay
good money to go up there andrepresent us and then just the
just the bickering and theinsults and all that stuff and
back to that you.
You know it's hard on women inpolitics.
It can be hard in that room.
As a woman in politics, I'msure you would know far better

(29:10):
than I, right.

Speaker 2 (29:11):
Well, I mean, you're not supposed to get personal,
but we all know that.
You know there's people thatjust cross that line.
Government is there to govern.
Government is there to makepriorities because it has no
choice.

Speaker 1 (29:26):
It should be the house of intellectual debate.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
When you make priorities, there's going to be
people that are not happy, andthen you know because you're
making priorities and you'retrying to make decisions for the
collective good of people.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
Right.

Speaker 2 (29:39):
Yeah, the opposition is there to oppose.

Speaker 3 (29:43):
Yeah, and that's fine .
It's parliamentary process, andthat's fine.

Speaker 2 (29:46):
But it's when they get to the theatrics and talking
about anything but the kitchensink and everything else.
Yeah, it's ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (30:00):
Yeah, it does get a little foolish, but you know
what?
I get it a little bit in termsof, like you know, they try to
get each other's skin, they tryto get them roweled up or
whatever, but it is what it is.
But I mean, you know yourformer colleague, brendan
Maguire.
He was on the show but he wasformerly liberal, now PC.
But I can tell you one thingwhen people don't realize so,

(30:24):
brendan is someone who is a goodfriend of mine and we we talk
often.
But I can tell you, if you everwant to see or like feel what
it's like to to know, that ifhe's in the legislature, I can
actually, if the ledge is in, Ican actually get ahold of him,
no problem.
When he's not, he's actuallyharder to get a hold of Now,

(30:46):
especially because he has theeducation file and he's the
house leader.
Dude's busy, like I hear fromhim at 11 o'clock at night and
like bedtime used to be 10o'clock for him before.

Speaker 2 (30:55):
Well, I mean sometimes we're working around
the clock.
I mean, you know, I try andsleep by midnight.

Speaker 1 (31:02):
Yeah, really yeah, and that's not exhausting.
You don't get tired of that?

Speaker 2 (31:06):
You do.
But, again, I, you know, I'mlucky my kids are older.
I have no, you know, I haveadult children.
But you know that's not.

(31:26):
It's not an easy life,particularly for somebody who,
and I, have a very large family.
So I try and do you know, myChristmas and my Easter and my,
you know, is that enough?
I guess, each to his own, weall make decisions.
I very much, though I very muchenjoy serving people, I get,
you know, a real, you know realsense.
I'm just so happy when I canhelp people and help somebody

(31:51):
fix something, provide them withsupport, give them advice, do
what you know what, yeah, and wedo a lot of that.
There's a lot that goes on.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
Yeah, honestly, yes.
Again.
Going back to thenon-parliamentary process stuff,
I reached out to you a coupleof years ago for a buddy of mine
who was getting sent back home.
In the end he still had to getsent back home, but you guys
were pretty good to respond backand you've helped me connect it

(32:25):
with some things.
There was actually somebodyelse who I originally tried to
reach out to who wasn't asresponsive, so I mean, at least
it was an answer, you connectedme with some people and you
helped and there was a littlebit of glimmer of hope, I think
at one point.

Speaker 2 (32:37):
So, but there's a lot we can do, but we also have
constraints of course there's anumber of things we can't do,
and I guess what I would say toyou is, because of my legal
background, yes, and myexperience, both provincial, I
know very well, and myeducational experience, but also
my personal, you know, you knowthere's a lot I can identify

(33:00):
with people, but I also know,realistically, you know, what
you can do, what you can't do,and how you can do it fast or
not.
So it just depends, and I, youknow, I give that lessons to my
staff because they're not always, you know, yeah, so it's a
learning curve for many people.

Speaker 3 (33:20):
I mean, I personally, you know, am in your riding now
because there's been somealignments and stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (33:26):
Next general election , the riding will be distributed
and I will have all of thePeggy's Cove loop.

Speaker 1 (33:32):
Oh, there you go.

Speaker 2 (33:33):
Yeah, and I will actually go back to represent
quite a bit of an area where Irepresented as a provincial
member.

Speaker 3 (33:40):
Yes, that's right.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
In the Armdale area, which would cover all of the Joe
Howe and the Fairmount and theBayers Road.

Speaker 1 (33:50):
So how would things change?
If, like I mean the LiberalParty right now, I mean we?
Yeah, there's a lot of changescoming.
We know that the ConservativeParty is doing much better than
they ever have in a long time.
In this I mean federally right.

Speaker 2 (34:04):
Polls say that sure.

Speaker 1 (34:05):
Polls say that, that it seems to do that, and I mean
you know, I mean I'm notspeaking personal politics here
or anything.
I'm just asking like, uh, whatdo you feel like the future of
the liberal party is?
Do you think there's going tobe a major resurgence here now?
I mean we trudeau would reallydrag down the polls.
I mean it's I know that's not Ithink I know you may not have
to say it, right, listen, thisis what I would say, yeah.

Speaker 2 (34:28):
Listen, we were.
No, the party was not doingwell.
Right, the prime minister didhis best.
He has served people for over adecade.
And you started thisconversation with I don't know
if it was on the air or not, Ithink it was with saying when
you do good and you help people,people have short memories.

Speaker 1 (34:48):
Yes, you know.

Speaker 2 (34:50):
I can tell you, when I went to the doors in 2021, as
a first time federal memberknocking on doors, or federal
candidates, sorry, knocking onthe doors I had people come to
me and say, when you go back andyou see Trudeau, tell him thank
you.
It was because of him we'vesurvived, either because our
businesses didn't close or ourhealth.

Speaker 1 (35:11):
we didn't die, so people do have short memories
and I still say still aboutTrudeau.
I mean, today is February 4th,we recorded February 2nd.
I was there Saturday night withmy partner watching Trudeau
speak.
Excellent job.
Oh, what a great job.
Excellent job, it was anexcellent job, but you know the
decisions made you know I'm notsomebody that says, oh, what, if

(35:33):
, what if?

Speaker 2 (35:33):
what if You've got to move with today forward?
Right this is the kind ofperson I am.
You know, we do have aleadership and I hear on the
streets because I am here inHalifax now more than anywhere
else.
I, because I am here in Halifaxnow more than anywhere else I
go around and talk to peoplethat I don't know.
Sometimes it's better for me totalk to people I don't know,
because I love that more and,yeah, there seems to be a bit

(35:54):
more of a you know people areexcited.

Speaker 1 (35:58):
You can thank Trump for that.

Speaker 2 (35:59):
I mean.

Speaker 1 (36:00):
I really do think, because what happened here over
the last week or so is we'veseen Trump largely unite the
nation again.

Speaker 3 (36:07):
Seriously.

Speaker 2 (36:07):
Because, and I brought with me our Canada flag.

Speaker 3 (36:11):
I saw those there Did you see that I give that to
everywhere and I bring whatever,because You're right.

Speaker 2 (36:17):
I say to you be careful.
Who you Change is notnecessarily better, and be
careful.

Speaker 3 (36:24):
I'm someone who I don't hide anything.
I'm fairly non-partisan.
That being said, I'm a bigKretchen guy.
I think he's the GOAT rightTurned 91.
Did you see what he put?

Speaker 1 (36:37):
out.
Oh yeah, no, we shared it onour social media.
Oh, I love it.

Speaker 2 (36:40):
No, no, no.

Speaker 3 (36:42):
He's the GOAT.
So, that being said, I'm notjust all over liberal and
everything like that kind ofthing, but I will say that I
like Trudeau's decision and I'lltell you why I like Trudeau's
decision For more of a politicalkind of analysis type of thing,
not necessarily a personal one,because there's things that I
like that he did very well andhe's represented Canada
positively internationally, andthere's some things that I

(37:04):
didn't like that he did verywell and he's represented Canada
positively internationally, andthere's some things that I
didn't like that he did andeverything.

Speaker 2 (37:12):
You know there's scandals and you know things
like that.
Well, nobody's going to likeeverything about anybody, 100%
that's the reality.

Speaker 3 (37:16):
But you know what he did that as much as Trump has
united us.
What Trudeau did that I reallyadmired is he gave Canadians a
choice.
Polls were low for him, he wastrending low.
He clearly realized, hey, I'mnot the guy that they want right
now.
So he had to step aside, putthat aside, his ego aside and

(37:39):
all that stuff, and say I needto give Canadians a choice.
And the Liberal Party wasn't achoice, clearly, for a lot of
people.
And now we're seeing the pollsreally starting to spike back up
.
Not to be slightly negative, Iknow, I'm looking at you I mean.

Speaker 1 (37:51):
I'm not always, I can't always just give everybody
their flowers all the time.
It's okay I mean, I ChristinaFreeland.
I wish she had the right voice.
I think it's going to be aharder battle for now than it

(38:11):
was then.
I really feel like trudeau godbless him.
Yeah, great speech, saturdaythumbs up.
Uh, should have been gone ayear ago or more and and we, we,
the Liberal Party dragged theirbutts and didn't move that fast
enough.
And they totally should have.
If they really I don't know.

(38:32):
This is how I feel.

Speaker 2 (38:33):
Listen, I appreciate your view because I've heard
that before as well.
I mean, Chrystia is anexperienced politician.
She's won four elections.
She's also won a nominationbattle and for those listening
that have no idea what it is,talk to me.
I've won one in 2013 and one in2021.

Speaker 1 (38:53):
All right, give us a quick.
What's the nomination battle?

Speaker 2 (38:56):
So in this country we have partisan politics
provincially and federally, wedon't municipally.

Speaker 1 (39:02):
Right.

Speaker 2 (39:02):
So in order to run, you have to belong to a
political party.
That's just the way it works.
I can't speak for the otherparties, but for the liberal
party, because I don't knowabout the other ones.
A hundred percent, I think theymay select, I don't know, but
for the liberal party, for themost part, what they do is they
send out packages you have toapply, basically.

(39:23):
You have to go apply.
It's like applying for a job,but it's a hell of a lot more.
It's a hell of a lot more.
I had no idea how much it tookto apply as a federal candidate.
You have to go through so muchinformation, questions,
interviews, etc.

(39:43):
Etc.
Yeah, and then you know you runagainst whoever else also got
approved.

Speaker 1 (39:50):
Right.

Speaker 2 (39:50):
That is the hardest.
That is harder to get that nodto run for the party than to run
in a general election.

Speaker 3 (39:57):
Really yeah, because, well you think about it, you
have people who are all in thesame view.
It's like we're all liberals,right, and so it's really this
is a big part of like when I wasasked oh, that's what's
happening with the leadershipnow of course, that's what's
happening with the leadershipnow.

Speaker 2 (40:07):
So, to get back to Chrystia, she won a nomination.
When she first started.
She was part of oppositionbecause when she won in 2013, it
was a by-election and that wasnot held by liberals at the time
.
So she won the nomination, shewon the by-election.
She was sitting, apparently,beside May of the Green Party.

(40:28):
That's how there were so veryfew liberals at the time and I
think Trudeau was on the otherside because they were just so
very few back in 2013.
So she's experienced and she'sheld many, many important
portfolios.
The most important that I wouldsay to you and you just spoke
about Trump is she knows how tonegotiate.

(40:49):
She knows trade.

Speaker 1 (40:51):
She's been on the American stage and she's
respected the US and she's beenon the American stage.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
I was looking yesterday she did an interview
with all of the Americanjournalists.

Speaker 1 (40:59):
Yes, she did, but not just recently, because I think
Carney recently popped up too,but I mean Freeland.
I remember when she showed up onBill Maher, one of my favorite
American politics shows no morethan me, and this is years ago
and she was awesome, right, shewas a real rock star on that,
okay and yeah sad thing aboutFreeland is the fact that I feel
like, where she was so close togo for so long and that was so

(41:22):
recent, that separation I meanI'm, I mean I don't know if it's
going to be tougher for her.

Speaker 2 (41:27):
You know what?
It's March 9.
We'll see what happens.
What I will say to you is she'scommitted to stay, no matter
what happens?
I like that she's committed tostay no matter what happens, and
for me that's golden.

Speaker 1 (41:38):
That's respect.
Right there she's alsobilingual.

Speaker 2 (41:41):
I mean she also speaks other languages.

Speaker 3 (41:44):
Actually, she speaks a number of languages.
She speaks five languages.
Don't ask me what they are, butshe speaks quite a few.
No, it's true, I think her homelanguage is Ukrainian.
Oh, really, that's her homelanguage.
She is Ukrainian, yeah, sothat's what she speaks in her
home.
Cool.

Speaker 2 (41:57):
Russian.
Anyway, she speaks, but she'sbilingual and to be a prime
minister in Canada in my opinion, you need to have both
languages.
Which brings you back to why Iwas trying to enrich.
Not that I wanted to be primeminister, but for me it was
always important to didn't evenspeak English anyway when I was

(42:23):
born, as you know, we don'tspeak, we speak baby language,
but when I came into grade six,I didn't speak English.
I did speak French, and so forme it's important to have both
English and French and, ofcourse, your native tongue.

Speaker 1 (42:39):
If you have another one, what's your?
I got to ask you this what'syour fears, you think, if
Pauliev takes over leadership?
What's your biggest concerns?
I don't say fears, that's notthe right word.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
There is fear, yeah, there is fear.
I believe this particularliberal government has brought
in a lot of good things Notdental care.

Speaker 3 (43:00):
Yeah, childcare.

Speaker 2 (43:03):
I'm telling you the people that are benefited from
the child care.

Speaker 1 (43:05):
It's unbelievable, and Paulieva has expressed
explicitly he's going to cutthat.

Speaker 2 (43:08):
Well, he's said that every single time.
So, Pharmacare that we'retrying to now bring in.
You know we're starting with.
Yeah, there's many things onthe.
We've indexed the old agepension the.
Canada pension plan the GIS.
Guaranteed Income Supplement sothat it actually goes up every

(43:29):
year.
Now for seniors.
Some of them don't even knowthat, you know.

Speaker 3 (43:32):
But they did that.

Speaker 2 (43:35):
They rolled back from 67 to 65.
Like, a lot of these things aredefinitely on the chopping
block.
There's no doubt about it, andI could go on, but those are the
things that I think a lot ofpeople rely on in this country.

Speaker 3 (43:47):
Do you know what, though?
This is going to be anunpopular opinion?
Sure, but I actually think thatthe old age pension should have
remained higher, because we'reliving longer and I think that
people are retiring later.
So, as people live longer andretire later, it makes sense to
have that older.

Speaker 2 (44:09):
You know what People who contact me, people who
contact our constituency officesdon't feel the same way but I
understand what you're saying.

Speaker 1 (44:19):
Don't share that opinion in Paris.

Speaker 2 (44:20):
No no.
Yeah right, I understand whatyou're saying and I heard it
before a couple of years agofrom somebody who is much older
and who said the same thing.
So I understand what you'resaying.
I have a partial philosophy.

Speaker 1 (44:31):
I'm partially with you.
I understand that you have tokeep going yes but the thing is,
I think there should be a partin your life too.
You're 65 years old.
You've worked hard and long.
You just now have a choice.

Speaker 3 (44:41):
I agree with you.

Speaker 1 (44:43):
My dad or whoever now can choose how he wants to work
and how he wants to spend hisday.
No, I agree with you and havesomething if he wants to take
time off and go away and allthat stuff, but there's a
financial thing to it.

Speaker 3 (44:56):
We have to obviously balance budgets and all that
other stuff.
And if people, as medicaladvancements happen and we're
living longer than we ever have,if all of a sudden our average
age at some point reaches, like,say, a hundred, yeah, you're
gonna tell me that you're gonna.
You're gonna be able to supportpeople from the age 65 to 100
well, I'd love it to reach 100.

Speaker 2 (45:13):
I don't.
I don't see that happening,matt, I do, I do, I don't think
it is.
I love that, I love it.

Speaker 3 (45:19):
You know what medical advancements are going super
fast and you know they're.

Speaker 1 (45:23):
Canada went down the last couple years and maybe it's
because of covid no, we didwell in code.

Speaker 3 (45:30):
We did, but we did well in covid, but the average
life expectancy did drop itduring covid periods over the
last few years for like thefirst time in history.
It was like it was like pointsomething we're still doing
better than the us we are yeah,which uh, you know uh old
donald's right's right at theend of that range.

Speaker 1 (45:48):
Donnie's in 49th place from the statistics.
I looked at the other week?

Speaker 3 (45:52):
Yeah, exactly, I love statistics.

Speaker 1 (45:54):
And yeah, so we're in , like we're 20th, wow.
But speaking of internationalstuff, japan is kicking our ass.
Japan's the longest outside ofSardinia, yeah.

Speaker 3 (46:01):
Sardinia in Italy.
Longest Sardinia, mostconcentrated blue zone in all
the world.
Oh wow, people will live wellin their hundreds, 110, 115.
Yeah, couples, seriouslyCouples.

Speaker 2 (46:12):
You want to retire there?

Speaker 3 (46:14):
I would.
Oh boy, food might be good Wine.
I want the food Wine fish pasta.
Yeah.
But speaking of moving on to alittle bit more of the
international stuff, I mean,like we did had some like tariff
scare, which is, you know, wasinteresting.
I think it's kind of funny.
I feel Trudeau basically likesaid to Trump that the exact

(46:37):
same thing that we're alreadydoing, and he was just kind of
like, OK, I won.
And it was like, yeah, I thinkthey're all like he and Mexico
are just kind of laughing.
I just told them exactly whatwe're doing already.
Well, listen.

Speaker 2 (46:47):
Trudeau and the team.
They've been working on thisfor a long time.

Speaker 1 (46:54):
Yeah, it was in the news last November.
This is not yeah, exactly.

Speaker 2 (46:59):
And so he's got a fabulous team of ministers that
represent different portfoliosthat have been working on this
steadily team of ministers thatrepresent different portfolios
that have been working on thissteadily.
Chrystia Freeland wasdefinitely one of them when she
was the finance minister, but healso is working with all the
premiers of the provinces andthe territories.

Speaker 1 (47:18):
It was great.

Speaker 2 (47:18):
They're all talking in the same language, for a
change which is fabulous.
I mean that's what you need.

Speaker 1 (47:25):
I mean Trudeau was very he was wrong with the
fentanyl accusations coming fromCanada.

Speaker 3 (47:30):
He was dead wrong, even the.

Speaker 2 (47:32):
Americans are saying that he has zero proof.
He has nothing to back it up.

Speaker 1 (47:39):
He's kind of throwing his muscle around and he's
trying to intimidate.

Speaker 3 (47:42):
I want one of Ford's hats that says Canada's not for
sale.
I want one of Ford's hats thatsays Canada's not for sale.
I want one of those.

Speaker 2 (47:47):
Oh, absolutely we are a proud nation.

Speaker 3 (47:51):
Yeah, it's our sovereignty.
We are not for sale.

Speaker 2 (47:54):
But it's our sovereignty economically and
politically yes.
And I kid you not, he evenrepeated it.

Speaker 3 (48:02):
51st state Give me a break.

Speaker 2 (48:05):
What planet is you know?
He wants Canada, he wants,repeated it, 51st state Give me
a break.

Speaker 3 (48:07):
Yeah, what planet is you know?
He wants Canada, he wantsGreenland, he wants Panama, like
yeah.

Speaker 2 (48:11):
You go home now See how many things you know your
little boy wants for you know.

Speaker 3 (48:16):
Exactly no, I think he's a con man, actually, your
boy's probably a lot more saner.

Speaker 2 (48:21):
Yeah, that's probably true.

Speaker 3 (48:23):
Shares more, that's for sure.
But so the tariffs obviouslylike that's never going to be a
good thing, like tariffs areobviously bad for both countries
.
But one thing I do love thatthis has brought out is this
kind of not newfound but likerebirth of, like this pride in
Canada and like you saidpremiers, everyone's getting

(48:44):
together Business leaders,unions, everybody.

Speaker 1 (48:46):
So can we get these interviews?
I've been talking about thisnew program.
We need to fan that flame,though, because we do so here
we're doing this interview.

Speaker 2 (48:52):
I don't know when it will go on air, but February 15
is our national flag day.

Speaker 1 (48:58):
Is it?
I don't know if you know thatRight after Valentine's Day, huh
National flag day is February15th.

Speaker 3 (49:03):
That's the birthday of the Canadian flag.

Speaker 2 (49:04):
Yes, and so you know, as an immigration minister for
me.
I would go to so manycitizenship ceremonies and when
people were getting there, yourwife got her citizenship.
You probably remember, at onepoint Not citizenship Quebec.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
Oh, she came from, that's right.

Speaker 1 (49:20):
That's a whole other conversation, no, no.

Speaker 2 (49:31):
They were going to leave, they carry the flags with
them and they are so proud atthese ceremonies.
It's funny, we need to do thatall the time and as an MP we do
get people emailing and callingsaying do you have any Canada
pins July 1st, around that July?
But we need to do that all yearround and you're right.
That has given, I think, arenewed sense of that.

(49:51):
I have a funny little joke foryou.

Speaker 3 (49:53):
I got a funny little joke for you.

Speaker 2 (49:54):
I saw this meme and it's relevant to what we saw.
So it's Quebec, eh.
So, yeah, they're very proud to.

Speaker 3 (49:59):
Yes, so it says here.
This was something that I sawon threads today.
It said dear america, you'vepissed off the quebecois.

Speaker 2 (50:13):
Do you know how badly you had to f up to get quebec
to be proudly canadian?
Well, the premier of quebec ison this let's go, let's go I
mean, if it's a trade-offbetween Canada and the United
States, come on now.
I'm glad.
I'm glad.
Thank you for sharing that.
I think that's important.
Yeah, I know it is, that'simportant.

Speaker 1 (50:31):
You've touched on a lot of the things that the
Liberal Party you know is reallyvaluable.
Here today we just kind of goback a step.
We talk about seniors, thesenior age of retirement.
We talk about the free dentalcare, the child care.
These are all very positiveliberal things.
One thing I did hear Polly Eppssay that I like I like
listening to the good ideas onboth sides, not the bad.

(50:52):
Good interprovincial trading.

Speaker 2 (50:56):
That's important.
So the trade minister is inHalifax tonight.

Speaker 1 (50:59):
Oh is he.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
It's a woman.

Speaker 3 (51:02):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (51:04):
Anita, Anita Anand.
Anyway, I'm meeting hertomorrow.
We are doing an announcementtomorrow.
Can you tell her that theAfternoon Point really wants
this.

Speaker 1 (51:11):
Oh my God, Tell her to come on the show.
We're doing a roundtable oninternational trade.

Speaker 2 (51:16):
Do you know how hard they've been working?
You don't, but.

Speaker 3 (51:18):
I'm going to tell you .

Speaker 1 (51:19):
So she's meeting with all the ministers and I know
ministers of so and I know as aprovincial person at the time we
also were working on that asnova scotia.
Right to try with others, butif anybody's listening, alberta,
I really want your beef in novascotia.

Speaker 3 (51:34):
I'm a big steak guy and we need the best beef and
you guys got it.
We'll trade your lobster forsteak.

Speaker 1 (51:40):
We got some servant turf let's work something out,
get these provinces kind of kindof you know, doing some
business steven m McNeil when hewas premier and we signed a
deal with Alberta on somethingon international trade.

Speaker 2 (51:50):
So they're not all bad, but they do want to protect
their own.
That's the problem though A lotof provinces, depending on what
issue you're talking about theyall have this protection.
But now the good thing is, it'sbetter to talk Canada than to
talk us separately, becausethat's how we're all going to
win together.

Speaker 3 (52:09):
And we have all the resources we need.

Speaker 2 (52:11):
We do.

Speaker 3 (52:13):
We have all of the fresh water, the lumber, the oil
, the diamonds, the gold, theuranium, all the natural
resources, if you speak toJonathan Wilkinson, who's the
current Minister of NaturalResources.

Speaker 2 (52:24):
he could go on with it just amazes me how much
Canada has.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (52:28):
We could be self-sufficient.

Speaker 1 (52:30):
We need to be up that defense.

Speaker 3 (52:31):
Yeah, I was going to say we need to be
self-sufficient.

Speaker 1 (52:33):
That's the other thing, but we need to be able to
protect it.
I mean, that's a big yeah yeah,absolutely we do yes.

Speaker 3 (52:40):
So yeah, yeah, if Anita wants to come on the show,
I would do a little specialepisode with her.
That'd be great.

Speaker 1 (52:45):
We wanted to talk about trade.
I'm obsessed with understandingtrade better.
Ever since we talked to HoustonHouston because of trade laws
and trying to figure out andnavigate how we can get better
deals for local products.

Speaker 2 (52:56):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (52:57):
You know again, liberals, all about this carbon,
saving carbon, but theleadership, have all said the
consumer price is going anywaySure.

Speaker 2 (53:07):
We're going to concentrate on the industries.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
Right and you know what.
It's been there for a couple ofyears and it has done its job.

Speaker 2 (53:13):
If it's going to shift people's attitudes, it has
shifted some.
So now you concentrate on theheavy polluters, yeah.

Speaker 1 (53:20):
Okay, but like you have a God.
Hold up Honest to God, like wegot cows right now coming from
New Zealand that are in ourgrocery stores in Nova Scotia.
Cows, cows, beef, beef, beef.

Speaker 2 (53:30):
I thought you meant cows B-E-I Ice cream From.

Speaker 1 (53:33):
New Zealand, and I'm like I mean carbon tax, flying
cows going across the oceanhalfway across the world.
Hell of a lot closer nowAlberta, Alberta, right.
So we've got to figure outdeals that make sense.
This could get rid of carbontax, right Absolutely.

Speaker 3 (53:48):
This is what I was going to say about carbon tax.
Lena's been a part of twodifferent governments that
operated two very different ways.

Speaker 2 (53:54):
Well, that's the other thing.
We didn't have a carbon taxwhen the provincial liberals
were in because they negotiatedand Trudeau's government and
we'll talk people's names, andthey accepted it.

Speaker 3 (54:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (54:10):
You know not to well, I guess I am political but I'm
not that partisan.
But my point being PremierMcNeil not Premier McNeil,
premier Houston didn't want todo that.

Speaker 3 (54:17):
Yeah, Didn't want to do what Cap and trade.
He didn't want to do that andhe didn't want to do his own
provincial thing.

Speaker 2 (54:22):
He told he didn't want to do his own provincial
thing.
He said to the feds, dowhatever you want, yeah,
Essentially that we're not goingto do our own.
And so you know, the feds wereleft with.
I say the feds, you know, yeah,we're left with.
This is how it's going acrossCanada, unless you have your own
program.

Speaker 1 (54:38):
I like the cap and trade system.
Nova Scotia didn't have the Capand trade is not bad.
I'm with you on that because Imean it doesn't sound super
attractive, but it works.

Speaker 2 (54:45):
Ian Rankin, who is actually the MLA for where?
We're sitting right now he wasa vocal advocate of that.
And if you ever talk to him.
He knows a lot about it, A lot.

Speaker 3 (54:56):
I've had a couple beers with Ian.

Speaker 2 (55:00):
I believe, you?

Speaker 3 (55:02):
Yeah, exactly, so now we're going to be going to
leadership, then we're going tobe going to leadership, uh, then
we're going to be going back.
I mean, what?
What do you really think?
Like, obviously there's someother big issues that are coming
up, but, um, we could be in forsome really busy couple months
for, you know, voting and allthat other stuff, um, but, uh, I

(55:24):
don't know how.
Where do you think things willland?
Like, do you, do you, um, doyou put the, the liberal
blinders on and think like no,we're gonna win again?
Or like, you know, do you think, well, listen for me as a
member of parliament.

Speaker 2 (55:36):
I represent an area yeah it's halifax west, you know
again.
It'll start at the armdalerotary and work its way up st
margaret's bay road and joe how,and you know all the way
through to where we are here theBLT area the.
Prospect Loop, the West Bedford, clayton Park, fairview, etc.
Etc.
I am what I can do is control,you know sort of work to for me

(56:00):
to win my, my seat.
Why?
Because I believe I can betterrepresent the people that live
in this community.
Because it's a learning curvebeing a federal representative.
It has taken me three coupleyears.
Well, it took me a first coupleof years.
When we first got elected, westill had COVID, and then we had

(56:20):
the convoy situation where wewere not allowed to go to
certain places.
I was staying in a hotel thehotel at the time.
I called them before I leftHalifax airport and they said to
me we can't guarantee we canlet you in.

Speaker 3 (56:33):
Why.

Speaker 2 (56:34):
Because we're, they were all there so.
I didn't go.
I canceled the flight that week.
So my point being is it was alearning curve we had for me and
it's taking me that long tofigure things out in ottawa a
little bit, all together withdoing everything I can for the
people in this community,whether it's one-on-one support,

(56:55):
uh, with service canada, withimmigration, with the old eight,
with hundreds of, or communitycommunity groups, organization,
helping them fund infrastructure, housing, you know stuff Like
there's so much I've been ableto deliver for the seniors,
horizons programs, for the childcare spaces that we've created

(57:19):
with the funds available,fairview Resource Center I mean
I could go on and on and onFairview Resource Center.
I mean I could go on and on andon that.
I feel as a member of parliamentI can now take that Canada
summer jobs, like I can go onand on, take that and do that
much more for the people Irepresent.
And, as I said, with my legalbackground and the fact I've

(57:39):
also served provincially on anumber of issues, I know very
well the local issues,provincial, federal, and I'm
pretty good on international.
I sit on a number of issues.
I know very well the localissues, provincial, federal, and
I'm pretty good oninternational.
I sit on a lot ofintercommittees.

Speaker 1 (57:51):
I think you should be running for prime minister.

Speaker 2 (57:53):
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
First up first, Not this time,not this time.

Speaker 3 (57:59):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
First things.
First, though, is get theinterprovincial archaic laws
about alcohol, absolutely,absolutely.

Speaker 2 (58:07):
Oh yes, alcohol is, I'll tell you they used to fight
a lot about alcohol Ridiculous.

Speaker 3 (58:13):
Do you know?
It's more legal for me to bringbooze into the United States
than it is to New Brunswick.
Really, yes, I'm not supposedto actually bring vodka to New
Brunswick.

Speaker 1 (58:22):
They just don't want Bud Light getting.
We do well in Nova Scotia solet's get those international
provincial trades down, I agreewith you, let's get Nova Scotia
beer out to the world, and it'snot just.

Speaker 2 (58:33):
It's on everything, Even workers right.
The regulations around peoplewho work in different industries
.

Speaker 3 (58:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (58:39):
There's a lot that we can do and should do, and they
had been trying to do it, but Ibelieve they now have the
incentive to work that muchharder together and I think
that's a positive.

Speaker 1 (58:49):
That's cool, matt.
I think we should get to ourquestions.
My friend, let's do it, let'sdo 10 questions.

Speaker 3 (58:54):
She was scared about this.
Don't oh gosh these?

Speaker 1 (58:58):
questions are stupid by design.
Some fun, a couple serious,yeah, a little mix.
Do you want to do the camerathing or do you want to just
kind?

Speaker 3 (59:05):
of keep going.

Speaker 1 (59:05):
It's really busy here .

Speaker 3 (59:06):
Yeah, you know what?

Speaker 1 (59:08):
We might just skip the cameras.
Today, I think, yeah, let'sjust do it yeah we'll just kind
of rock and roll, let's just goyeah, okay.
So.
I'll start with question one,Matt.
Let's see here.
It's Okay, go ahead.
Okay.
If your life was a movie, whatwould you call it?

Speaker 2 (59:26):
If my life was a movie, what would I call?

Speaker 1 (59:29):
it.
That's your first question.

Speaker 2 (59:30):
Oh my goodness, Bulldozer, bulldozer.

Speaker 1 (59:37):
I love it.
Great answer.

Speaker 3 (59:41):
That's a great answer , All right.
Question number two what is oneof your favorite Lebanese
dishes?

Speaker 2 (59:48):
Oh, that's a tough one.

Speaker 1 (59:49):
You know who I am right, you know who you're
talking to here, do you yeah?

Speaker 2 (59:53):
Listen, my mother makes everything delicious.
Go to her home on Sunday andshe will feed you anything
what's that address, yeah sokibbeh, it's Lebanese ground
meat.

Speaker 3 (01:00:08):
Oh, I know that it is really good, Okay, of course
you've got the tabbouleh.

Speaker 2 (01:00:11):
Like I could go on and on.
By the way, I don't eat thatanywhere, but with her, because
it's fresh ground meat, yeah, soyeah.

Speaker 3 (01:00:21):
Amazing Good answer.

Speaker 2 (01:00:22):
All right Question number three Okay, if Freeland
wins and becomes prime minister,can you make Matt?

Speaker 1 (01:00:34):
Conrad a senator.
No promises, matt.
No, okay, he wanted to take ashot.

Speaker 3 (01:00:36):
I shoot my shot.
Oh, my goodness, you know what,though You're young, you have
many years to go?

Speaker 2 (01:00:41):
You never know.

Speaker 3 (01:00:42):
I think the Senate needs some young blood.

Speaker 2 (01:00:47):
That's what I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:00:47):
You've got a shot, just like anyone else and we're
all and you know what theSenators are all independent now
.
So I'm a free thinker, you know, open to new ideas.

Speaker 2 (01:00:54):
You have a shot, just like anyone else, but I will
not make any promises to you.

Speaker 1 (01:00:59):
Alright, I'll have to accept that your turn bud.

Speaker 3 (01:01:03):
If you had to name your dog after one person in
Parliament, who would it be, andwhy?

Speaker 2 (01:01:09):
Dear Lord, I have no dogs, yeah, but if you had one.

Speaker 1 (01:01:13):
If you got a dog.
I'm giving you a new puppy, ifyou had to name anybody in
Parliament, who would you namethe dog it?

Speaker 2 (01:01:17):
depends, do I like my dog?

Speaker 1 (01:01:19):
This is all on you.
This is up for yourinterpretation.
You name it.

Speaker 2 (01:01:22):
and while you name it , Mom do you know how many young
ladies I see carrying aroundthose little poodles, that they
love them more?
Than their souls.

Speaker 1 (01:01:32):
Yes, because they can't afford to have kids
anymore, right?
I don't know, some of them havekids too.
Just teasing.

Speaker 3 (01:01:37):
That's a tough one.
Yeah, I'm not going to Do.
I need to do that.
You can drink it.
You can drink it.
You can just take a drink.
You can have a sip if you don'twant to.
Yeah, you've got to take adrink if you don't want to
answer.

Speaker 2 (01:01:45):
Okay, I will here.

Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
There you go, cheers.
There you go, cheers.
Just pleading the fifth on thisshow Pleading the fifth.
Yeah, okay, there's going to bea few more hard ones here.
All right, okay, who lies more?

Speaker 2 (01:02:03):
Lies.

Speaker 1 (01:02:04):
Oh my goodness, Can you give?

Speaker 3 (01:02:05):
me the definition of a lie.
It depends, right.

Speaker 2 (01:02:11):
Who lies more.
Who lies more?
I guess it depends on theindividuals.
I don't believe it's theprofession I don't buy that.

Speaker 1 (01:02:20):
You believe it's on the individuals.

Speaker 2 (01:02:21):
I don't believe that, Because yeah, you're speaking
to a lawyer and a politician.

Speaker 3 (01:02:25):
We know, I know, you know, but no, it's no, I don't
you want to pit yourself againstyourself.
I think it depends on theindividual, not on the
profession.
Great answer, that's good,these are yeah professions that
are very, yeah, professional.
That's right.
So who do you see as a naturaltrading partner with Canada that

(01:02:45):
we underutilize?

Speaker 2 (01:02:48):
Ooh, we underutilize.
You need Anita Anand here don'tyou Exactly?

Speaker 3 (01:02:57):
Oh, my God, you want to call a friend.

Speaker 1 (01:03:00):
I can text her now, to be honest, you know what.

Speaker 2 (01:03:03):
I'll tell you what she says.
I'll ask her that question.
Write that down for me.
I'll ask her that.
To be honest, you know what?
I'll tell you what she says.
I'll ask her that question.
Write that down for me.
I'll ask her that questiontomorrow.
Awesome, but I don't know.
It depends.
I personally would love to domore trade with the Francophone
nations.
To be quite frank, there's alot of African countries that we
could do a lot of trade with.

Speaker 1 (01:03:21):
Okay, yeah, all right .

Speaker 2 (01:03:26):
Yeah, all right yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:03:27):
Okay, this is a bit of a pivot.
Okay, you ready?
Okay, so listen carefully.
Who famously sang these songlyrics?

Speaker 2 (01:03:31):
Oh boy.

Speaker 1 (01:03:32):
Get into the groove, boy.
You've got to prove, boy, yourlove to me.

Speaker 2 (01:03:37):
Oh my God, I know the song 80s.
Yeah, that's my generation.

Speaker 1 (01:03:41):
I got this for you.
I figured when would you havebeen in the club you know,
having a good time right.

Speaker 2 (01:03:47):
Can we Google that one?
This would have been a jam foryou.
I didn't have Google back then.

Speaker 1 (01:03:51):
Get into the groove.

Speaker 2 (01:03:53):
I know the song.
I know, I know.
I used to dance to that when Iwas young.

Speaker 1 (01:03:56):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:03:57):
Help me out.
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:03:58):
Em.

Speaker 2 (01:04:00):
What.

Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
Em.

Speaker 3 (01:04:10):
She was iconic.
Ah, blonde hair.

Speaker 1 (01:04:11):
Ah, m rhymes with Alonda.
Oh Madonna, is it Madonna?
It's Madonna, yeah.
I told you, I know the song andI dance to it.
Malona, oh my, I just couldn'trhyme with Madonna.
Malona's not going to be happy.
I just found that out.
Oh, not Malania, no Malania, ohthere we go.

Speaker 2 (01:04:23):
Okay, oh, not Melania , melania, no Melania.
Oh, there we go.

Speaker 3 (01:04:24):
Okay, that's a good segue, because the next question
is President Trump and hisadministration have recently
moved away from the DEI thediversity, equity and inclusion
in government.
Some major companies, such asFacebook and Tesla, have also
done the same.

Speaker 2 (01:04:45):
Do you think that the Liberal or Conservative Party
would do anything similar tothat with Canada.
I think the Conservatives would, because I sit on the Science
and Research Committee inParliament and the Conservatives
have criticized it every singlemeeting that the scientists,
the researchers, the NSERC, thehealth professionals,

(01:05:06):
everybody's come and they havecriticized it and it's all
public.
I'm not giving you any storiesand so, yes, they certainly
would.
I would not, definitely.
And I'll tell you, I sawheadlines, I didn't watch them.
There was the Grammys orsomething.
This week.
And one of the women that wonsaid the headline that I saw was

(01:05:27):
DEI, that's why we're all here,or something.

Speaker 1 (01:05:32):
There's a lot of great stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:05:33):
Look, DEI, these are competent people.
Folks, these are competentpeople.
And you know, if that programhelps a few people along.
That's what we need, that'swhat this country needs, that's
what the world needs.
We don't want to leave peoplebehind, because sometimes people
are left behind because of whothey are, what they look like or

(01:05:53):
whatever.
We don't want that.
So you know the perception outthere, if there's any from
people listening that these arenot competent.
They are definitely, and it'snot that we're leaving anyone
else behind.

Speaker 1 (01:06:05):
And I mean, if any of you don't want to believe that
narrative, you could also justsay like doesn't inclusivity
create a more peaceful andharmonious world?
There's never, been analternative where it's like, oh,
we're going to let more peoplein our circle and you know kind
of give and I'll go a bitfurther.

Speaker 3 (01:06:23):
Different points of view, whether it be from
different backgrounds, or howyou were raised, or what gender
you are or anything like that,we all have a bias because of
that, internally or externally.
Absolutely, that's humanity.

Speaker 2 (01:06:36):
It is.

Speaker 3 (01:06:37):
But here's the good thing about it is that we all
can bring different point ofviews together.
And that's better for business,it's better.
For business, that's better foranything you do.
You get different perspectivesright, you learn how.
If I'm just going to be a whitestraight male all the time and
we want to sell this podcast topeople, we need to talk to more
than just white straight males,you know kind of thing, because

(01:06:57):
we need to get that and I lovewhite straight males there's
nothing wrong with us.

Speaker 2 (01:07:01):
No, not that there's nothing wrong with them.
There's something wrong withhim no they're fabulous, don't
you know?

Speaker 1 (01:07:06):
But we also want everyone else, yeah of course,
that's what it's all about,right?
It's the include.

Speaker 2 (01:07:11):
That's it, absolutely All right.
Good answer Next question.
You like it, do you?

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
Okay, a question from our younger listeners.
Okay, which Canadian premier orsorry, I've changed that
Canadian premier, or sorry, I'vechanged that which Canadian
prime minister, past or present,do you think has the most riz?

Speaker 2 (01:07:28):
Riz, yeah, so maybe I'll pick one from my lifetime,
because it's pretty hard for meto you know what riz means.
Well, I think I do.

Speaker 1 (01:07:36):
You want to define it no, no, you define it.
What do you think it means?

Speaker 2 (01:07:39):
Riz like, pizzazz like.

Speaker 1 (01:07:41):
Charisma.

Speaker 2 (01:07:47):
Charisma, yeah, charisma, charisma yeah, you got
it.

Speaker 3 (01:07:48):
Yeah, okay for me, I'll pick my life.

Speaker 2 (01:07:49):
I'm gonna pick from my lifetime right, I mean, yeah,
pierre elliott trudeau oh okay,he was a superstar, though like
really yeah, it's true Iremember him when I was in
junior high and then later in uh1982, when the constitution
came in with the equality rightsin 82.
But.
But I also remember him injunior high when Quebec was
about to separate or we'retalking about separation.

Speaker 3 (01:08:12):
There you go.

Speaker 2 (01:08:12):
That's when I got interested and I said to you I
hardly knew English.

Speaker 3 (01:08:18):
My grandmother had a big crush on him.

Speaker 2 (01:08:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:08:20):
Yeah, my grandmother had a big crush on him back in
the day.

Speaker 2 (01:08:22):
I was in school, like you know.
That's a good answer Lastquestion.

Speaker 3 (01:08:28):
This is the one question that we've asked every
single person so far on thisyear as a guest.
So what is one piece of advicethat you were given in your life
that you can pass on to us andour listeners?

Speaker 2 (01:08:45):
If you have children, educate them, send them to
schools.
That was the one thing myparents wanted to do with their
children, because with education, anything's possible alright
everything else comes and goes,but with your education, that's
what they passed on to usbeautiful.

Speaker 1 (01:09:04):
that's a great answer , completely unique and original
.
We love that, so thank you somuch.
Yeah, so that concludes our 10questions.
And that's what if you don't?

Speaker 2 (01:09:11):
have kids, though, I would say and if you're,
whatever I would say send thatdog, the little Chihuahua, you
got in the first.

Speaker 1 (01:09:17):
No, no, forget about dogs.

Speaker 2 (01:09:21):
No yourself.

Speaker 3 (01:09:21):
Right, awesome, I like that too.
Well well, you know what.
Lena, thank you very much forcoming on the show.
We appreciate the chat.
It's been a, it's been apleasure and, yeah, we'll.
Good luck in the in theupcoming election that we know
will be coming very soon.
Right, yeah, all right, cheers,cheers, cheers to you too.

(01:09:42):
Bye.

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Lena Metlege Diab - Journey in Politics and hopes for the next Prime Minister of Canada (Member of Parliament for Halifax West)

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Lena Metlege Diab - Journey in Politics and hopes for the next Prime Minister of Canada (Member of Parliament for Halifax West)