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Saturday, July 12, 2025

Flight 752 crash caused by Iranian incompetence, Canadian report finds

By
True North
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Iran’s incompetence led to the regime accidentally shooting down Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 in 2020, killing all 176 on board, according to a Canadian report.

On Thursday, the Canadian Forensic Examination and Assessment Team released a report concluding that Iran did not intentionally shoot down Flight 752 but a series of blunders by the Iranian government and military caused the passenger plane to be targeted.

The team, created by the federal government and headed by former Canadian Security Intelligence Service deputy director Jeff Yaworski, believes that Iran’s surface-to-air missile misidentified Flight 752 and that the regime lacked the leadership or restraint to change course.

“Iran’s account refuses to analyze the full range of deficiencies in the military sector that played a major role in the downing,” the report says.

“While the forensic team found no evidence that the downing of Flight PS752 was premeditated, this in no way absolves Iran of its responsibility for the death of 176 innocent people. Iran is ultimately responsible for the actions it took — or failed to take — which led to the shoot-down.”

In January, Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed shortly after takeoff in Tehran, Iran. All 176 people on board were killed, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Iran later admitted it shot two missiles at the plane after mistaking it for a military target.

The Canadian Forensic Examination and Assessment Team was given the task of Iran investigating the crash but says it faced significant pushback from the Iranian regime.

Iran has tried to hide the truth about the crash, barring a Canadian-Ukrainian investigation from entering the country and only releasing limited details about what happened.

Earlier in June, Canada and several other countries sent a notice to Iran, demanding a formal apology detailing what compensation should be given to the family of victims. Iran has yet to respond to the notice.

At a press conference Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said Iran is still hiding more information from the world.

“It also shows how Iran has covered up information, bulldozed the crash site, providing only a misleading and superficial account of events,” he said.

“We’re not satisfied. We don’t have the complete truth.”

Liberal “hate speech” bill is anti-speech, anti-expression, and anti-technology

By
Andrew Lawton
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The Liberals have tabled a bill to crack down on what they say is online “hate speech.” The bill reaffirms that the Trudeau government is “one of the most anti-speech, anti-expression and anti-technology governments we’ve ever seen,” constitutional lawyer Christine Van Geyn says. Van Geyn, litigation director for the Canadian Constitution Foundation, joined the Andrew Lawton Show to break down the bill and explain why it’s so harmful to free speech.

WATCH THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Canadian athlete told she cannot bring newborn to the Olympics

By
True North Wire
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A Canadian athlete may have to abandon her dream of competing at the Olympics after she was told she cannot bring her newborn child who is currently still breastfeeding.

With just a month before the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Team Canada basketball player Kim Gaucher has still not found a way around the ban on family members attending.

In a video posted to social media, Gaucher said that the decision by the organizing committee to ban families of athletes may end her Olympic dreams.

“Right now I’m being forced to decide between being a breastfeeding mom or an Olympic athlete. I can’t have them both,” she said.

“Tokyo has said no friends, no family, no exceptions.”

Gaucher says she needs her daughter and husband to be with her. She has tried all “traditional routes” to get approval and has had no success.

The Tokyo Summer Olympics were originally scheduled for 2020 but the pandemic and global restrictions on travel led to its postponement to July 2021.

In March, the organizing committee barred all spectators and guests from outside of Japan, citing public health concerns. The decision included the families of athletes.

In a statement to CBC News, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) said an appeal for Gaucher has been filed with the organizing committee but so far they have had no success. 

“In any other Games scenario, we would have long ago found a solution,” the COC said.

“The Tokyo Olympic Games are understandably being conducted with an unprecedented focus on health and safety. This includes Japanese borders being closed to overseas visitors, family and friends.”

Gaucher says she has received lots of sympathy, including from the COC, but so far no one is willing or able to help her.

“Everyone says they’re on board, but no one can do anything,” she said.

O’Toole says he supports the “highest penalty” for intentional attacks on police

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Conservative leader Erin O’Toole says he would support applying the “highest penalty” to anyone who intentionally kills or targets police officers. 

According to the Toronto Star, O’Toole made the remarks while attending a virtual Zoom event where he appeared before the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce and Estevan Chamber of Commerce.

The Conservative leader’s remarks come in light of the death of RCMP Constable Shelby Patton in Wolseley, Saskatchewan. Constable Patton was struck by a stolen vehicle while attending a roadside stop on June 12. 

“We saw an RCMP officer, Constable Patton, killed in the line of duty in Saskatchewan on the weekend as he was attempting to stop a stolen truck. The suspects have been charged with manslaughter and a few minor charges. Do you think that there should be tougher laws in cases like this to protect police officers who are doing their duty?” was asked by event moderators. 

“Any of these acts that are intentional against someone in uniform, the highest penalty should be applied to these people,” said O’Toole. 

“I would support enhanced sentencing conditions for people that take risks even if there is not the intention to harm but risks for someone who is doing the public good by keeping the community safe. I would support these measures. We have to support law enforcement who are given a very difficult job to do.”

41-year-old Alphonse Stanley Raverse and 42-year-old Marlene Velma Louise Pagee have been charged for the death of Constable Patton.

Both are facing charges for manslaughter, failure to stop after an accident resulting in death, theft of a motor vehicle and possession of stolen property over $5,000.

During the event, O’Toole also went on to discuss how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s policies have caused “economic dislocation” for communities leading to increases in rural crime. 

“One thing I learned from my colleagues in Western Canada is the economic dislocation caused by the Trudeau government’s policies has led to massive increases in rural crime, and rural crime and response times puts added strain on law enforcement,” said O’Toole. 

“We’re the only party in the House of Commons that stands up for victims and stands up for people that wear the uniform. If I become the Prime Minister I will be the first person (in that position) to have worn a uniform in Canada since Lester B. Pearson.”

Liberals kill bill that would ban dumping raw sewage into Canadian waters

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Liberal MPs joined fellow parliamentarians from the Green Party, the NDP and the Bloc Quebecois to vote down a bill that would make it illegal to dump raw sewage in Canadian waters. 

Bill C-269, which was introduced by Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, would exclude raw sewage from a list of exemptions the federal government can grant meaning that future governments would not be able to give permission for entities to dump untreated sewage. 

“The environment, like so many issues, is a subject on which the Liberals are all talk and no real substance. This Prime Minister has become world famous for this,” said Scheer during the bill’s first reading on May 10. 

“The Prime Minister was very successful at portraying himself as someone who was serious about the environment. However, at the very first opportunity, he literally flushed that down the toilet by allowing Montreal, instead of treating that waste water and protecting our precious natural environment, to dump it, untreated and full of all the dangerous substances that were contained within it, into a vital water artery.”

Upon being submitted for second reading in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Bill C-269 was defeated with 211 votes against the legislation and 120 votes for. 

Only Conservative MPs voted in support of the bill proceeding to a second reading. They were also joined by two independent MPs Derek Sloan and Ramesh Sangha. 

In 2020, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson granted municipalities a waiver to allow them to keep dumping raw sewage into fish habitats until at least 2040. 

According to official estimates, in 2020 approximately 900 billion litres of raw sewage were dumped into Canadian water over the past five years.

Out of the provinces, Quebec has led Canada in terms of how much raw sewage gets dumped in its waterways. According to Reuters, Montreal dumped approximately 8 billion litres of wastewater into the St. Lawrence River in 2020 alone. 

Free Speech Under Attack

By
Andrew Lawton
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There’s no other way to put it – the Liberal government’s new “hate speech” bill is an attack on free speech. The bill restores the previously-repealed section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, which allows the Canadian Human Rights Commission to target those whose online speech “is likely to foment detestation or vilification.” True North’s Andrew Lawton says free speech must be the hill to die on, and breaks down the legal implications with Canadian Constitution Foundation litigation director Christine Van Geyn.

Also, Epoch Times columnist Fergus Hodgson joins the show to talk about the economic danger of Canada’s “net zero” climate target.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW.

WHO advises against vaccinating children citing lack of evidence

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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The World Health Organization recommended against vaccinating children “for the moment” in its June update. 

“There is not yet enough evidence on the use of vaccines against COVID-19 in children to make recommendations for children to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults,” the WHO wrote. 

Since first published, the update has been slightly changed to claim that children who are in a high-risk group should still consider taking the vaccine. 

“Children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults, so unless they are a part of a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions and health workers,” the WHO states. 

“More evidence is needed on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in children to be able to make general recommendations on vaccinating children against COVID-19.” 

True North reached out to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to confirm its own guidance on vaccinating children.

According to the Government of Canada, it is “important for everyone, including adolescents 12 to 18 years of age, to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when it’s their turn.” 

Currently the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is approved for use by adolescents over the age of 12 in Canada.

“This reflects the WHO messaging from their Strategic Advisory Group of Experts which ‘concluded that the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine is suitable for use by people aged 12 years and above,'” PHAC media relations advisor André Gagnon told True North.

In British Columbia, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry stated that the province will continue to vaccinate people between 12 to 18 years old despite there existing no clear general recommendations from the WHO on the matter. 

“That’s the decisions we’ve made in Canada and in many other countries,” Henry said.

“We know that there has been studies done looking at safety and efficacy in children down to age 12, and there are additional studies being done in children down to six months of age.”

Several health organizations including SickKids Hospital have recently noted that they have witnessed cases of heart inflammation in youth following COVID-19 vaccinations. 

Private cybersecurity firm warned Ottawa of “aggressive” attacks from China, Russia

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A 2019 report by a private cyber security firm warned the federal government to expect increasingly aggressive cyber attacks from China and Russia. 

According to the Toronto Star, the report warned that incoming threats would fall “just below the threshold of armed conflict.”

“The threat is sophisticated, multi-faceted and dangerous. Canada is subject to continuous cyber exploitation and attack, purposeful interference in our national critical infrastructure and foreign influence in the democratic process,” Clairvoyance Cyber Corp writes. 

“Through the theft of intellectual property, misinformation and deception, Russia seeks to re-establish itself as a major world player in a multi-polar world while China seeks to gain increasing economic and political advantage.”

The 2018 arrest of Chinese heiress and Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was also noted in the report as an instigator of further threat activity. 

Meng is currently wanted by US authorities for allegedly having business dealings with Iran despite sanctions against the Middle East country.

“We’re getting very good at putting protection in place for basic network hygiene, security … (But) the threat has moved up the scale and is essentially targeting the ‘wetware,’ people’s minds, knowledge, their perceptions,” said Clairvoyance Cyber Corp founder David McMahon. 

“That’s why we have the anti-vaxx movement, we have conspiracy theories, we have all of these sorts of things and behind some of that, too, are nation states that are just stirring the pot.”

At the height of the pandemic, the Communications Security Establishment’s Cyber Centre (CSE) warned that foreign entities were targeting Canadian research institutions for COVID-19 related information. 

“With regards to the specific threats, the (CSE’s) Cyber Centre has assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic presents an elevated level of risk to the cybersecurity of Canadian health organizations involved in the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said CSE’s acting director-general of public affairs Christopher Williams.

“(CSIS) sees an increased risk of foreign interference and espionage due to the extraordinary effort of our businesses and research centres … (CSIS’) focus is on protecting Canadian intellectual property from these threats — and jobs and economic interests with it.”

Liberals introduce bill to ban online “hate speech”

By
Harrison Faulkner
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Hours before the House of Commons adjourned for the summer, the Liberals introduced a bill to crack down on “hate speech” published online.

Liberal Justice Minister David Lametti tabled the last minute bill Wednesday, which would reinstate a controversial provision in the Canadian Human Rights Act, section 13, which was repealed by the Conservatives in 2013 for heavily restricting free speech rights. The bill will also amend the Criminal Code and the Youth Criminal Justice Act to give the government new powers to preemptively address hateful content.

Under the proposed bill, it will be illegal to use the internet to “communicate or cause to be communicated hate speech…in which the hate speech is likely to foment detestation or vilification of an individual or group of individuals on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.”

The Canadian Human Rights Act sets out numerous protected grounds, from race and sexual orientation to religion and gender identity.

This bill would also give the Canadian Human Rights Commission the power to compel citizens to cease online communication and in some cases, pay a monetary fine. The Ontario Civil Liberties Association believes that this bill “grossly violates the fundamental right of freedom of expression.”

In an interview on The Andrew Lawton Show, Canadian Constitution Foundation litigation director Christine Van Geyn said the bill is fundamentally at odds with free speech.

“(The government’s) proving once again that they’re one of the most anti-speech, anti-expression and anti-technology governments we’ve ever seen in this country,” she said.

“This type of arrogance from this government on imposing their views on what Canadians should and should not be allowed to say and how they should communicate it and how to monitor it – Canadians should be very concerned.”

Conservative justice critic Rob Moore said in a statement that “this bill will not target hate speech — just ensure bureaucrats in Ottawa are bogged down with frivolous complaints about tweets.” 

He went on to call out the Liberals for their heavily restrictive measures on free speech saying, “The Trudeau Liberals are empowering a bureaucracy to subjectively restrict the rights of Canadians.”

The bill says hate speech does not include content that solely “expresses mere dislike or disdain or…discredits, humiliates, hurts or offends.”

These are “subjective” criteria, Van Geyn said, raising questions about what speech is actually off limits, especially on contentious issues that are not yet settled.

These concerns were echoed by True North fellow and free speech advocate, Lindsay Shepherd, who testified before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights during its study on online hate in 2019. 

“This shows us that if the views you’re expressing fall outside the liberal-progressive orthodoxy, you can and will be shut out — and with a return of section 13 or some other similar online hate speech law, Canadians who express non-politically correct opinions could potentially face fines or legal trouble,” Shepherd said.

This legislation comes just weeks after a London attack on a Muslim family renewed calls from many that the government needed to take a stronger approach to tackling online hate. 

The government confirmed that this bill will be accompanied by a new regulatory framework that will tackle harmful content online and in the coming weeks will outline a proposal to hold social media companies accountable for harmful online content.  

If a fall election is called by the Trudeau government, the bill will die and will have to be reintroduced in the next parliamentary session. 

FUREY: John Horgan has had the best response to the pandemic

By
Anthony Furey
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The best response to the COVID-19 pandemic amongst Canadian provinces and territories has come from the only NDP government in the country.

In terms of having the most balanced approach to the pandemic, British Columbia has had the most hands-off response.

Anthony Furey discusses in his latest video.

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