Canadians see the Communist Chinese regime as the biggest threat to Canada’s national security, according to a recent report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
“A clear majority, 58%, see China as the biggest threat to Canada,” said a report titled Attitudes To CSIS. “It is followed distantly by Russia (18%), North Korea (10%) and Syria (4%).”
First reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, the report reveals that Canadians were particularly concerned about espionage against Canadian companies.
“Respondents were asked whether they were more concerned about espionage against classified government information or about economic espionage against Canadian companies. Results reveal somewhat mixed views. 50% feel espionage against Canadian companies is more of a concern,” wrote researchers.
The Canadian government and a number of allies recently blamed the communist regime for a massive cyberattack that compromised thousands of computers around the world earlier this year.
In March, it was revealed that hackers exploited Microsoft Exchange emails. The federal government estimates 400,000 servers were compromised.
A number of foreign affairs experts are sounding the alarm on China’s aggressive behaviour and are calling on the Canadian government to do more to protect its citizens.
Canada’s former Ambassador to China David Mulroney recently tweeted that he believes the Canadian government has become “in-ward focused.”
“China is emboldened because it believes that the West, Canada included, isn’t just in retreat — it’s collapsing on itself. This isn’t abstract Marxist theory. It comes from reading our papers, listening to our artists, athletes, academics, politicians,” tweeted Mulroney.
“Especially our politicians. National politicians, like the Prime Minister, are not more thoughtful, or even particularly concerned about how their statements resonate abroad, indicates how obsessively, narrowly, and dangerously inward-focused government has become.”
There has been a lot of discussion about a domestic vaccine passport in Canada, which would force Canadians to show proof of vaccination in order to access services and goods.
Those pushing for this radical idea want domestic vaccine passports to be a permanent part of Canadian society. There’s been no discussion about a sunset clause or an exit strategy.
Canada hit a dubious mark this week; more than 50 churches have now been vandalized, desecrated or burned to the ground since the announcement in Kamloops, B.C. of unmarked graves found near a residential school.
Fifty communities have been robbed of a sacred space to pray and effectively stripped of a fundamental right we hold dear in Canada — so much so that it is the very first right enumerated in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law… Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion.”
The freedom to pray and the right to access your place of worship must apply to all Canadians. And yet, our government is failing to uphold these rights for too many.
So, where are the politicians? Where are the police? Why aren’t these churches being protected?
Rex Murphy similarly pondered these question in a recent National Post column, and he pointed out that while churches are burning to the ground, the Trudeau government hosted two summits this week on the very topic of protecting religious freedom — one dedicated to Jewish Canadians and the other to Muslim Canadians.
“What I find rather inexplicable is that while our federal government is rightly attending to acts of discrimination targeting Jewish and Muslim worshippers, there is, as far as can be determined, no scheduled summit dealing with the current wave of destructive hostility directed at Christian worshippers,” Rex Murphy noted.
Instead of any sort of passionate defence of religious freedom or solidarity to those who have lost their house of worship, the range of reaction in Canada goes from quiet indifference to cheerleading to downright aiding and abetting.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on July 2 that he “understands the anger” and gently pushed back by saying the attacks were “unacceptable and wrong.” He’s been silent ever since.
Former top aide to the Prime Minister, Gerald Butts, stated on Twitter that the attacks were “understandable.”
CTV News showed footage of an arsonist attacking a church, but chose to protect her identity by blurring her face during the broadcast.
Hang on. Did CTV actually blur the image of the criminal caught torching a B.C. church?
The first few arson attacks targeted churches on First Nations reserves, and many saw it as a legitimate form of political expression in righting a historical wrong. It seemed particularly cruel, from my perspective, to rob Indigenous Christians of their place of worship at a time like this. It’s like rubbing salt in an open wound.
The “burn it all down” crowd, however, celebrated what they perceived as vigilante justice.
This has enabled a rampage that if it were happening in any other country in the world, or to any other faith group, Canadian leaders would rightly be denouncing this vile persecution.
The latest round of arson and attacks is just as heinous.
Early in the morning on July 19, a deliberate fire destroyed the St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey, B.C. The church was built by refugees who had fled religious persecution and intolerance in the Middle East, and believed that they had found peace and safety in the quiet Canadian suburb.
This follows similar news that the House of Prayer Alliance Church in Calgary was damaged in an attack on July. This church was owned by the Calgary Vietnamese Alliance, its congregation mostly included immigrants and refugees from Vietnam and the Philippines.
By Friday morning, the number of churches attacked had reached 52, including more immigrant churches with congregations from former Soviet countries. Again, the cruel irony is that many people of faith choose to move to Canada because of our historic commitment to religious freedom.
When newcomers are applying to come to Canada, as visitors or immigrants, the government asks the following question: “have you ever witnessed or participated in… the looting or desecration of religious buildings?”
Canada explicitly does not welcome those who fail to respect something as near and dear as tolerance and religious freedom. And yet, too many political leaders are failing to uphold these sacred rights on our own soil.
Travellers arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport will be separated into two queues for Canadian customs – vaccinated people in one and non-vaccinated people or partially vaccinated people in another.
A spokesperson for the airport told the CBC this measure is intended to streamline the border clearance process.
“There are different entry requirements for vaccinated and non-/partially vaccinated travellers, which have been broadly communicated by the Government of Canada,” airport spokesperson Beverly MacDonald said.
Travellers are asked to provide proof of vaccination in ArriveCan – the Government of Canada’s app for inbound travellers to log details such as quarantine plan, testing results, and symptom checks.
Vancouver International Airport has already implemented separate queues for travellers based on their vaccination status.
“For vaccinated passengers, if they meet the criteria of having had a Canadian-approved vaccine, at least 14 days prior to travel, then they don’t have to do the two weeks of quarantine upon arrival into Canada. Additionally, there’s no longer a government-approved hotel that they have to stay at,” Vancouver airport’s vice-president of passenger journey, Robyn McVicker, told CityNews.
The government recently announced that as of July 5, fully vaccinated Canadians are exempted from quarantine measures. Starting August 9, fully vaccinated US citizens are also able to enter Canada without quarantine measures.
The Chinese communist regime is becoming a bigger threat both on the world stage and here in Canada.
Many experts are sounding the alarm, including Canada’s former Ambassador to China David Mulroney. Mulroney says Canada needs to do more when it comes to the communist regime’s aggressive behaviour.
When will the Canadian government do more about China’s belligerence? Anthony Furey discusses.
Arsonists may have burnt down St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Surrey, BC, but members of the church remain resilient and faithful.
St. George Coptic Orthodox Church has begun a fundraiser to rebuild the church.
“While today is a day of sadness, we will not be deterred and we will rebuild. Our church will always be open for all and continue to be a beacon of light and hope for all in our Community,” Bishop Mina said in a statement.
The Surrey church was engulfed in flames on the morning of July 19. While firefighters were able to stop the spread of the fire to other buildings, they were unable to save the church.
The RCMP is treating the blaze as suspicious and is currently investigating the incident.
Surveillance video showed a female suspect lighting items on fire at the door of the church on the morning of the incident.
Surveillance video provided to @CTVVancouver by one of the church members shows a woman lighting the front door of the church on fire last week. Fire officials say it’s too early to confirm whether today’s fire is indeed arson. https://t.co/SDRi2hvKqYpic.twitter.com/vNRNUeQITE
“Our church was more than a building. It brought together a diverse congregation of Coptic, Eritrean, Iraqi, and Lebanese Orthodox believers,” the church said in a statement.
“It was a place we built community, where we shared meals, where we married our youth, christened our babies and welcomed newcomers to the faith.”
Since the announcement last month of the apparent discovery of graves found near a residential school in Kamloops, BC, 53 Christian churches have been vandalized, torched or desecrated.
Although Indigenous leaders are denouncing these violent crimes, churches continue to be targeted by vandals.
True North is keeping track of all the churches that have been targeted by the radical vandals in recent weeks.
Canadians interested in supporting the rebuilding of St. George Coptic Orthodox Church can make a donation here.
People in an increasing number of European countries are taking to the streets to protest mandatory vaccine policies and the imposition of vaccine passports. True North’s Andrew Lawton says these discriminatory policies ensure the post-pandemic society will be less free than the pre-pandemic one, warning the infrastructure for these programs will outlive COVID-19.
Also, Justin Trudeau and the media refuse to call a spade a (communist) spade when it comes to Cuba.
Five city councillors have signed an open letter asking Toronto Mayor John Tory to adopt a “nonviolent approach” when clearing out illegal homeless encampments in Toronto parks.
The letter, signed by councillors Shelley Carroll, Mike Layton, Josh Matlow, Gordon Perks and Kristyn Wong-Tam, calls on the mayor to stop using “extreme show of force” when the city dismantles homeless encampments.
“There is absolutely no need for batons, pepper spray or even guns, not when the work should be done by the City’s Streets to Home staff and other outreach workers,” the letter reads.
The letter comes days after the city finally dismantled an illegal encampment at Alexandra Park and Lamport stadium, resulting in violent clashes between activists and police.
At Lamport staidum, hundreds of protesters — most of whom are not homeless and do not live in the encampment — showed up to stop the tent city from being cleared.
Many of the activists blocking the police belonged to the Encampment Support Network, a volunteer network that supports residents of the illegal encampments.
Footage from the scenes at Lamport show the protesters actively blocking police from clearing the tents and refusing to obey commands.
Twenty-six people were arrested at Lamport Stadium. Seven of them are facing criminal charges while the rest were charged under the Trespass to Property Act.
Police said three officers were injured while clearing the encampment, and that objects were thrown and an unknown substance was sprayed at officers.
The City of Toronto has provided hotels and other forms of shelter to the residents of the illegal encampments, however many of them prefer to live in the encampments instead citing the fear from random check-ins.
It is anticipated that the illegal homeless encampment at Moss Park will be cleared in the coming days.
The Trudeau government appears unwilling to target Cuba’s oppressive communist regime with targeted sanctions against those responsible for cracking down on anti-communist protesters.
According to Bloomberg, Foreign Minister Marc Garneau declined to comment on whether Canada would be pursuing sanctions. Instead, a spokesperson for Garneau’s office said that adding sanctions is one potential tool available in defending human rights.
On Thursday, the US Treasury Department issued sanctions on multiple Cuban officials. President Joe Biden said this was “just the beginning” of the US response to the Cuban regime’s repression of the recent wave of protesters on the island nation.
“I unequivocally condemn the mass detentions and sham trials that are unjustly sentencing to prison those who dared to speak out in an effort to intimidate and threaten the Cuban people into silence,” Biden said in a statement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was recently forced to condemn the violence used by Cuban authorities to silence protesters.
When Trudeau was first asked if he would condemn the communist regime’s horrendous human rights abuses, the prime minister did not have an unkind word to say about the Cuban regime.
“Canada has always stood in friendship with the Cuban people. We have always called for greater freedoms and more defence of human rights in Cuba,” Trudeau said, stopping short of condemning the Cuban government outright.
“We will continue to be there to support Cubans in their desire for greater peace, greater stability and greater voice for how things are going.”
The opposition Conservatives are calling on the Trudeau government to fast-track applications by Cuban-Canadians to sponsor relatives seeking to leave Cuba. While the government did not directly address the Cuba proposal, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino’s office says Canada would continue to prioritize family reunification in welcoming newcomers.
Human rights groups believe hundreds of anti-communist protesters have been jailed in Cuba in recent days. The Cuban regime has also cut out internet access in an effort to suppress the protests.
Canadians should be on alert for foreign interference in the upcoming election, according to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
In its special report on foreign interference threats, CSIS believes foreign actors may attempt to blackmail and threaten voters and politicians to influence the outcome of the upcoming federal election.
“State actors may use threats, bribery or blackmail to affect the voting behaviour of individuals inside or outside of communities,” reads the report.
“Individuals may be threatened or fear reprisal for themselves or their loved ones in Canada or abroad if they fail to comply with publicly supporting a particular candidate or contributing funds to the foreign state’s preferred party.
“While state actors may use coercive techniques to achieve their objectives, they may also use flattery, promise compensation, or appeal to an individual’s sense of pride towards another country to elicit the desired behaviour.”
CSIS warns that foreign actors may also attempt to influence MPs and their staff through romantic affairs.
“These relationships enable the manipulation of targets when required, for example, through requests for inappropriate and special ‘favours,'” warns CSIS.
“The individual may also be able to hinder or delay initiatives that are contrary to the foreign state’s interest.”
CSIS’ report follows a similar warning from another government body, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). The CSE believes Canadians are likely to encounter efforts by foreign actors, namely Russia, China and Iran, to influence or interfere with their vote in the next federal election.
According to the CSE, Canada is a potential target because of its active role on the world stage and that foreign actors have the tools, capacity and understanding of Canada’s political landscape to take action in the future “should they have the strategic intent.”
