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I'm in Ottawa to cover the Canada Strong and Free Network conference for Rebel News, and today I had the opportunity to ask Alberta Premier Danielle Smith a question on the record — and her answer is something I think every Rebel News supporter needs to hear.

Premier Smith delivered a keynote address this afternoon, and afterward she sat on a panel to discuss the global appetite for Canadian energy. When the floor opened, I stepped up to the microphone.

I asked Premier Smith about how, during the Freedom Convoy, government-subsidized media outlets coordinated to discredit ordinary Canadians who were simply concerned about pandemic policies — and about how those very same outlets are now claiming that Russia is somehow influencing Alberta's independence movement.

I asked the Premier whether she sees this as another attempt to discredit grassroots movements, and whether she's concerned about the pattern of dismissing voices that advocate for freedom and democracy.

Premier Smith's answer was exactly what I needed to hear. She told me that Alberta has taken a different approach, one that respects medical choice and free speech, because Albertans are smart enough to weigh different viewpoints and reach their own conclusions. She also confirmed that her public safety minister has been in contact with the RCMP, and that the RCMP stated in the legislature last week that there is no credible evidence of any state actors interfering in Alberta policy.

Rebel News' Alexa Lavoie also pressed the Premier on another front: the recent comments from oil and gas executives that Canada is no longer competitive, and Mark Carney's flat denial of those concerns.

Premier Smith was candid. Yes, our costs are higher. But she explained that the uncertainty in the Strait of Hormuz has trading partners around the world looking at Alberta and asking whether we can be part of their answer, and she believes they will pay a premium for the certainty we offer.

The legacy media is too busy chasing Russian interference ghosts to ask questions about real issues facing real Canadians. But that's exactly what we're here to do.

The only reason I'm able to be in Ottawa today, microphone in hand, pressing my Premier on these issues, is because Rebel News hired me as a journalist. I'm still on house arrest while I await my Emergencies Act appeal, and being employed as a reporter is what gives me the legal ability to travel for work. If you appreciate the fact that I get to be in the room asking the questions the legacy outlets refuse to ask, please chip in to The Tamara Project to help cover my flights, my hotel, and the cost of keeping me on the road.