The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns had a devastating impact on Canadians – one thing that is often forgotten is our culture. Sporting events, art galleries and street festivals were all put on pause because of COVID.
As Canada begins to reopen and various facets of the culture sector begin to operate again, let’s not understate how important culture is to Canadians.
Anthony Furey discusses in his latest video.
The Communist Chinese regime says the US could face “countermeasures” following President Joe Biden’s approval of a $750 million arms sale to Taiwan.
The arms sale includes 40 self-propelled artillery units, which is Biden’s first distribution of defence support for Taiwan since he took office. Taiwan believes the provision will improve the democratic country’s security in its efforts to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait.
In response, the Chinese regime released a statement on Thursday accusing the US of undermining “China’s sovereignty and security interests.”
“China will resolutely take legitimate and necessary counter-measures in light of the development of the situation,” the Chinese embassy said.
The Trump administration also sold military equipment to Taiwan. In November, the former president approved a $600 million sale of MQ-9B drones to Taiwan, which also upset the Chinese regime at the time.
China has increased efforts to assert its claim of Taiwan in recent months. Chinese military aircraft have regularly entered the Taiwan air defence zone and Chinese naval vessels have been spotted in waters off of Taiwan’s eastern coast.
Escalating tensions between China and Taiwan have many in the international community concerned. Japan’s defence minister Nobuo Kishi recently said that international pressure was needed to prevent a military confrontation in the Taiwan Strait.
“Rather than a direct military collision between China and Taiwan, international society needs to pay greater attention to the survival of Taiwan,” Kishi said.
“A lot of countries have shown their sympathy with our idea of a free and open Indo-Pacific…We can together send a strong message on regional peace and stability.”
Critics of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have called on the Canadian government to do more to support Taiwan and to stand up to the Chinese regime.
According to a recent report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Canadians see the Communist Chinese regime as the biggest threat to Canada’s national security.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) accused the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC) of featuring a “notorious extremist preacher affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood” for an upcoming Islamic youth conference.
The speaker in question is Tareq Al-Suwaidan who will appear at the August 6 to 8, 2021 Muslim Student Leadership conference.
“Al-Suwaidan is the author of the wildly anti-Semitic “Jewish Encyclopedia,” a book that aims to teach “about the most hostile enemies of the Muslim nation” and is littered with anti-Semitic propaganda, including Holocaust denial,” according to CIJA.
CIJA also referenced several speeches given by Al-Suwaidan in the past where he has referred to Jews as “enemies” and called for young people to wage “Electronic Jihad.”
“All the mothers of the Islamic nation – not only Palestinian mothers – should suckle their babies on the hatred of the sons of Zion. We hate them. They are our enemies. We should instill this in the souls of our children until a new generation rises and wipes them off the face of the earth,” Al-Suwaidan is quoted by CIJA as saying.
“All the wars throughout history – from the time of our Prophet Muhammad and to this day – were started by the sons of Zion. All of them! Our struggle with (them) will continue until one of the two civilizations reigns supreme. Our struggle with them requires Jihad and not plain efforts,” Al-Suwaidan is quoted by CIJA as saying.
In a statement published on Friday, the MAC rejected CIJA’s characterization of Al-Suwaidan saying that they “question the accuracy or currency of the quotes” used by CIJA “and the sources relied upon.”
“MAC’s policy requires that all speeches reflect the true message and universal values of Islam and the Muslim community such as justice, mercy, peace, respect, security, equity, dignity, and equality,” the MAC wrote.
“MAC reaffirms that it conducts the necessary due diligence on all of its invited speakers to ensure its platform is not used to espouse hate, racism and anti-Semitism, as per its anti-racism policies and procedures.”
According to CIJA President and CEO Shimon Koffler Fogel, MAC’s decision to invite Al-Suwaidan to speak to youth goes against the mission of interfaith cooperation.
“We are facing an alarming rise in hate against minorities in Canada, particularly Jewish and Muslim Canadians. What we need are initiatives that bring young people together, not a preacher who promotes extreme hate and incites religious violence,” said Fogel.
“We urge the Muslim Association of Canada to examine the track record of speakers they continue to platform, and determine whether they reflect the organization’s values,” said Fogel.
True North reached out to Tareq Al-Suwaidan to ask for clarification about his past comments, and asked whether he was being accurately quoted by CIJA. He has not yet responded.
According to a recent Nanos poll, a majority of Canadians are supportive of a domestic vaccine passport. But this issue is much more nuanced than many believe.
Will the vaccine passport only apply to the two doses or will a booster be required as well? How long will the vaccine passport be in place – a year or more?
Anthony Furey discusses in his latest video.
When Justin Trudeau banned 1,500 types of firearms and continued to restrict legal gun ownership, he and his government insisted rural Canadians and those for whom firearms are a way of life would not be targeted. Just like with sport shooters and business owners, this is far from the case.
The rural-urban divide in Canada is significant, especially when it comes to firearms laws and regulations, which are written by city-dwelling politicians and bureaucrats who are disconnected from the realities of life elsewhere in the country, where police are hours, not minutes, away.
In this final episode of Assaulted, Andrew talks to Alberta rancher Eddie Maurice, wilderness videographer John Banovich, Canadian Armed Forces veteran Ryan Steacy, and Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights CEO Rod Giltaca.
In Assaulted: Justin Trudeau’s War on Gun Owners, True North’s Andrew Lawton travels the country talking to real gun owners whose stories are being ignored by the mainstream media and who are being vilified by the Trudeau government.
We thank the generous supporters whose contributions made this project happen. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so at https://assaulted.ca
A convicted terrorist from Ontario who was released in 2019 despite posing a threat to society has been put on a four-year-long terrorism peace bond.
According to Global News, Kevin Omar Mohamed will have to abide by 26 restrictions under the bond including a GPS monitoring device and participating in a de-radicalization program.
Additional conditions include a ban on using social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook for three years. Mohamed is also not allowed to possess a passport, terrorist literature, explosives, firearms, “any knife or cutting tool”, and bomb-making materials.
The 28-year-old was sentenced in 2017 to 4.5 years in prison for “participating in or contributing to, directly or indirectly, any activity of a terrorist group for the purpose of enhancing the ability of any terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity.”
The conviction stemmed from Mohamed’s travels in 2014, when he visited Syria with the hopes of joining the al-Qaeda affiliated terror group Jabhat Al-Nusrah.
Additionally, Mohamed participated in spreading terrorist propaganda on social media.
“In those posts [Mohammed] made comments supportive of terrorist activities, promoted violence, and suggested that a person could create timed bombs to be put on planes or boats, and burn cars of ‘non-believers;’ [Mohammed] also commented on the beauty of attacking the west, suggestive of attacks on the Western world,” said the Parole Board of Canada.
Upon his initial arrest, police discovered a large hunting knife on his person and a list of potential targets to attack.
The Parole Board of Canada also cited Mohamed for his unapologetic extremist views and a likelihood that he would present a risk to the community.
“The Board remains very concerned that the serious nature of your offences alone, coupled with your dangerous radical religious beliefs, would impede your reintegration and continue to present significant risk to the community as a whole,” wrote the Parole Board in a statement.
Despite these concerns, Mohamed was released with time served in 2019. Soon after his release, Mohamed was re-arrested on July 8, 2020 for breaching his parole conditions.
Mohamed is one out of an estimated 60 returning extremists who have travelled abroad in order to participate in terrorist activities.
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has backtracked after being heavily criticized for saying she supports Charter rights over mandatory vaccinations.
“I don’t take lightly people’s charter rights, and so that’s why what we’re saying is rapid tests, or your vaccination status and being vaccinated,” Horwath said on CBC News Wednesday.
“We can’t simply ignore that there are folks that are not going to get vaccinated and I don’t think that the right thing to do is just to shut them out.”
Horwath faced swift backlash after the interview, including from federal NDP MP Charlie Angus, who said opposing mandatory vaccination amounted to “idiocy.”
“I just wrote to the party and told them they better push her to walk back her vaccination comments because the [Liberals] will drive a truck over our party for such idiocy,” Angus said in a Wednesday tweet, which was later deleted.
Horwath has since apologized for the comments, now claiming that she fully supports mandatory vaccinations in key sectors.
“I regret the comment. I was wrong. I fully support mandatory vaccination in health care and education, based on science and public health priorities,” Horwath said Thursday.
“I should have made that position clearer, much earlier, in support of the health and safety of the most vulnerable among us: seniors, people with disabilities, people who are sick, and children who can’t yet get their vaccines.”
Justin Trudeau said he’s considering requiring federal workers and those employed in federally regulated sectors to get vaccinated.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has stated that he will not make vaccinations mandatory for workers in the province.
“No, we aren’t doing it — simple as that. We aren’t going to have a split society,” said Ford.
“I think it’s our constitutional right to take it or not take it. No one should be forced to do anything.”
Alternatively, Ontario Liberal Party Leader Steven Del Duca has stated that under his government COVID-19 shots would be mandatory for education workers and healthcare workers.
CBC has claimed that they were unaware that Calgary emergency physician Dr. Joe Vipond was an “NDP supporter” when quoting him as an expert source in numerous articles.
As exclusively reported by True North, Alberta elections finance data revealed that Dr. Vipond has donated nearly $20,000 to the Alberta NDP since 2014.
In an emailed statement, CBC Head of Public Affairs Chuck Thompson addressed Dr. Vipond’s ties.
“In the spirit of full transparency, we didn’t know he was an NDP supporter. We talked to him as a well respected medical professional (for example in the mask opinion piece) and looked to him for that advice and expertise…which is strongly backed by other doctors,” Thompson told True North.
Dr. Vipond has been a vocal and regular critic of Alberta’s ruling UCP government. In one social media post dated July 28, 2021, Dr. Vipond tweeted about “taking to the streets and toppling” Jason Kenney’s government in response to the lifting of quarantine public health orders in the province.
Most recently, Dr. Vipond called for the resignation of Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw for her role in the decision to lift the orders and has led several pro-lockdown rallies.
He has also repeatedly denied any association with the Alberta NDP, claiming that he was an “independent practitioner with no ties to the NDP” and that accusing him of being an NDP activist could be “considered slander.”
True North reached out to Dr. Vipond for comment on whether he had disclosed any of his political donations to the media when asked for his expert opinion.
“I don’t have a conflict of interest. Giving money to political parties is a part of our democracy. I would have a conflict of interest if I was receiving money,” Dr. Vipond told True North.
Dr. Vipond has been a go-to expert source by legacy media outlets like the CBC, Global News and CTV News. Despite records of his extensive contributions to the Alberta NDP being public, media outlets made no mention of his financial support for the party.
CBC News published several pieces in which Dr. Vipond was quoted as an expert and where he was only referred to as a “Calgary emergency doctor.”
One op-ed penned by Dr. Joe Vipond and two other physicians in support of masking included an author biography which only described him as “an emergency doctor and clinical associate professor at the University of Calgary.”
True North also reached out to Global News and CTV News for comment on whether Dr. Vipond’s donations to the Alberta NDP were ever disclosed but did not receive a response.
A number of public parks in Toronto have been overrun by the homeless, and the leftist politicians and activists have enabled them to do so.
While attempting to report on the current situation at Dufferin Grove Park, True North contributor Sue-Ann Levy was confronted by a group of activists who refused to allow our team to walk through the public park.
Sue-Ann says these activists just want to create a scene to portray themselves as victims.
Ontarians are taking a stand against the chain of church burnings that has devastated communities across the country. Grassroots movement Civic Revival announced that they are holding an event in Mississauga this Saturday, August 7, to “Stop the Burning of Churches in Canada.”
“Vandalizing and burning places of worship have no place in Canada and must be condemned in no uncertain terms,” asserts Civic Revival. They are calling “upon the Trudeau government to publicly condemn such atrocities and to assume its responsibility of upholding the Charter Rights for all Canadians and of putting an end to such heinous attacks on churches.”
True North has been mapping the church attacks and has found that 57 Christian churches have been vandalized, burned down or desecrated since the June announcement of the discovery of apparent graves found near a residential school in BC.
While the majority of Canadians have condemned the attacks on places of worship, a number of activists, academics and prominent public figures have excused and even celebrated the church burnings and acts of vandalism.
In response to the church attacks, Trudeau said “it is real and it’s fully understandable, given the shameful history that we are all becoming more and more aware of and engaging ourselves to do better as Canadians.”
Echoing the prime minister’s remarks, former principal secretary to Trudeau, Gerald Butts, stated that the ongoing church burning “may be understandable” in response to a tweet by journalist Terry Glavin.
In response, Civic Revival has asked “concerned Canadians to rise up and ask for accountability from their government and for upholding the rule of law.”
“Not only did these attacks result in damage and destruction to ancient Catholic churches which were built some 100 and 200 years ago, but also churches that were built by more recently established immigrant communities,” wrote Civic Revival.
“One blatant example is St. George’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey, British Columbia, which was burnt to the ground on Monday, July 19, 2021. Followers of the Coptic Orthodox church who emigrated to Canada from Egypt, in pursuit of the promise of equal rights, religious freedom, and the rule of law, were shocked to see their churches once again under attack.”
