Inflation in Canada reached its highest rate in a decade in May as the prices of everyday goods continue to rise.
On Wednesday, Statistics Canada reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation on consumer goods and services on a year-over-year basis, reached a rate of 3.6%.
While CPI has been trending upward for several months, the rise in May was largely attributed to increased prices for housing and vehicles.
“Prices rose in every major component on a year-over-year basis. Shelter prices rose 4.2% year over year in May, the largest yearly increase since September 2008,” the report reads.
“Prices for durable goods rose 4.4% year over year, the fastest pace since 1989, against the backdrop of rising consumer confidence and low interest rates.”
BREAKING: Inflation accelerates further to 3.6% year-over-year in May, with shelter & autos leading the way.
Time to stop government money printing that is driving up consumer costs and ballooning the gap between rich and poor. #InflationTax#RestoreSoundMoney
On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.5% since April. Both the monthly and annual inflation rates came in higher than economists forecasted.
Prices for certain goods have skyrocketed in the past year, including a 43.4% increase in gas prices and a 9.8% increase in furniture prices.
The report focuses on rising housing prices as a driver of CPI, with the cost of owning a home rising at its fastest rate in a generation.
“Year over year, the homeowners’ replacement cost index rose 11.3%, the largest yearly increase since 1987.”
“Prices have risen year over year for 16 consecutive months, as prices for new homes continue to be influenced by shifting consumer preferences and higher construction costs.”
In March, the average price of a home sold in Canada reached a new record of $716,828. While demand slowed in April and May, prices remain high.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul took shots at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau while giving a speech in which she accused fellow party members of waging a “racist” attack on her leadership.
Paul held a press conference on Wednesday, following a non-confidence vote levelled against her.
“A small group of councillors sought to force a vote of no-confidence in my leadership. They did so with no substantive consultation with the members they represent. They produced a list of allegations that were so racist, so sexist, that they were immediately disavowed by both our MPs as offensive and inflammatory and contrary to party ethics,” Paul told reporters.
According to a copy of allegation of non-confidence obtained by Global News, party members said Paul “has acted with an autocratic attitude of hostility, superiority and rejection.”
Members also accused the Green Party leader of “failing to develop a collaborative working relationship, failing to engage in respectful discussions, and failing to use dialogue and compromise.”
“She has attended few council meetings, and when in attendance, has displayed anger in long, repetitive, aggressive monologues and has failed to recognize the value of any ideas except her own, acting in a manner not in compliance with the leader’s role and responsibilities,” the allegation reads.
The internal party feud reached its boiling point earlier this week after former Green Party MP Jenica Atwin crossed the floor to the Liberals over dissenting views on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
During her speech, Paul also accused Trudeau of faking his social justice views and not being a real “ally” or a feminist.
“The Liberal Party of Canada has demonstrated that it is hell bent on winning their majority at almost any cost. By their admission, in recent days, they have sought to sow division, and to create disarray,” said Paul.
“That claim that they are allies is one where they talk the talk without walking the walk. To the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, you are no ally and you are no feminist.”
Paul also accused Trudeau of failing to support “strong, capable, competent women” in politics and “pushing them out” of the party fold when things don’t go his way.
At the height of the SNC-Lavalin political interference scandal in 2019, several women – including former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould – left the Liberal Party caucus after it was revealed that Trudeau attempted to interfere in the justice system.
Upon Wilson-Raybould’s departure, former Liberal cabinet minister Jane Philpott also left the party, followed by the departure of Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes.
Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion eventually found the prime minister guilty of breaking ethics laws a second time over his conduct in the affair.
A new report by Alberta’s Office of the Child and Youth Advocate Del Graff reveals chilling details about how the province’s deadly opioid crisis is affecting youth under 25.
According to official statistics, a record number of 95 young people under the age of 25 died from accidental opioid overdoses in 2020.
“An increasingly toxic and unregulated drug supply, combined with persistent gaps in prevention, intervention, and recovery supports, is endangering Alberta’s young people,” said Graff.
“The grim reality is that our young people are dying in even greater numbers today than when we brought this issue into focus nearly three years ago.”
Graff also raised the prospect that next year’s deaths could outnumber 2020’s numbers. According to Graff, the government needs to take more action to address the issue of opioid abuse and addiction.
“This strategy ought to encompass a continuum of services spanning primary prevention, early intervention, harm reduction, treatment, and aftercare,” said Graff emphasizing a focus on the province’s Indigenous youth.
“Agreements or memorandums of understanding around how the strategy will inform the policies and practices of youth-serving ministries and agencies should be established.”
Provinces and municipalities across the country have reported an uptick in opioid deaths since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Ontario, 2,050 people died of opioid overdoses between March and December 2020. The deaths represent a 75% spike in overdoses when compared to the same period the year prior.
The newest member of the Liberal caucus has a history of making outlandish and controversial statements.
Jenica Atwin, who crossed the House of Commons floor from the Green Party to the ruling Liberals last Thursday, has recently received flack for her views on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
However, Atwin’s shortcomings don’t end there. While still a Green Party MP, Atwin held troubling views on other issues like free speech.
True North has compiled a full list of Atwin’s most bizarre and radical claims before she became a Liberal MP.
Claimed that “harmful and oppressive” words should be erased
In December, Atwin suggested on Twitter that allegedly offensive words like “tribal” should be “rooted out and discontinued” from use in the English language.
“So sorry. We have allowed many harmful, oppressive words and phrases into our vernacular and they must be rooted out and discontinued. This is a prime example and while the intent to harm may not have been there, we must be accountable for what we put out into the world,” wrote Atwin.
Atwin’s statement was in the context of a former Green party candidate’s prior use of the word “tribal.”
Accused Israel of “apartheid” and “human rights abuses”
At the height of the Israel-Palestine conflict in May, Atwin made several controversial statements including accusing Israel of “apartheid” and claiming that there are “no two sides” to the conflict.
“I stand with Palestine! There are no two sides to this conflict, only human rights abuses!” tweeted Atwin with a #EndApartheid hashtag.
After joining the Liberals, former Liberal MP and head of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies Michael Levitt blasted the party for accepting Atwin to their ranks.
“As a former Liberal MP I’m disappointed and concerned by the news that MP Jenica Atwin has crossed the floor to join the Liberal caucus, given her inflammatory one-sided and divisive rhetoric during the recent conflict between Israel and the terror group Hamas,” said Levitt on social media.
Atwin has since walked back on her statement despite claiming in a CTV interview that a lot of Liberal MPs agreed with her anti-Israel positions.
Wants UNDRIP bill to go further towards “decolonizing Canada”
Green Party MP Jenica Atwin expressed her support for Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) bill, otherwise known as Bill C-15 because it was a step towards “decolonizing Canada.”
Atwin also put forward a motion to require the Canadian government to draft laws that “reflects non-binary identity and two-spiritedness.”
“Finally, this amendment is consistent with the vision of this government to promote human rights, including respect for diversity and inclusion, protecting 2SLGBTQ+ rights and addressing discrimination. This proposed amendment is a concrete step toward this objective as well as towards decolonizing Canada,” said Atwin.
Claimed it’s urgent to fight “environmental racism”
Only a few days before crossing the floor to the Liberals, Atwin claimed that issues like “environmental racism” were one of the urgent challenges facing the planet.
“Mr. Speaker, the current generation of youth grew up acutely aware of the urgency to fight the climate crisis and the multitude of challenges facing our planet, from deforestation to environmental racism and pollution generated by plastic waste,” said Atwin.
People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier was arrested, handcuffed and jailed in Manitoba for protesting the province’s COVID restrictions on a speaking tour. He was released Friday night on bail, but will return in July to fight the charges in court. Bernier joined True North’s The Andrew Lawton Show to discuss his tour, arrest, and next steps.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) spent $18,902 in 2019 to give its former president a private washroom.
First reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, in a recent disclosure to the House of Commons, PHAC revealed that an “executive washroom” was installed in the office of former president Kristina Namiesniowski.
Namiesniowski was appointed president of PHAC in 2019 for a five-year term with an annual salary of $273,700.
In September 2020, Namiesniowski abruptly resigned from PHAC, telling staff she needed a break after months of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I need a break,” she wrote in an email.
“Since it makes no sense for the Agency to be without a President for any length of time given current circumstances, I feel I must step aside so someone else can step up.”
PHAC had previously claimed to be extremely prepared for potential pandemics. In a 2019 internal memo, the agency said it had amassed an adequate stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) and could meet rush orders for supplies within a day, if necessary.
However, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, PHAC was very unprepared. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam later admitting not enough PPE had been stockpiled.
“There was definitely a small amount. It wasn’t a lot,” Dr. Tam said of the stockpile.
In spring 2019, PHAC disposed of 2 million N95 masks and 440,000 medical gloves after closing its stockpile warehouse in Winnipeg. The discarded PPE was never replaced.
Despite the PPE shortage, which cost billions to address during the pandemic, Health Minister Patty Hadju had avoided taking responsibility and instead shifted blame to provincial health authorities.
Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu once again refused to hand over documents related to the firing of two scientists from a federal infectious disease lab in Winnipeg.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, during a Canada-China Relations Committee meeting, Hajdu repeatedly refused to disclose information about the incident claiming that releasing the documents could harm Canada’s national security.
Opposition committee members repeatedly pressed the Liberal government to disclose information related to federal scientists Keding Chang and Xiangguo Qiu.
“You don’t want to be forthcoming about the government’s errors, the national security breach and possibly how you put our nation’s security at risk,” Conservative MP John Williamson said on Monday.
“I would suggest your insistence on having documents presented in a way that would not protect security is exactly that, putting Canada’s national security at risk. I would ask if you have the appropriate security clearance to be able to look at documents,” responded Hajdu.
“You guys had no idea who you were letting in that lab. That is why we’re seeing the stonewalling,” Williamson continued.
The pair, who were employed at the National Microbiology Laboratory at Winnipeg, were accused of sharing Ebola and Henipah virus samples with China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. On January 20, they were fired from the lab and reports have since claimed that the RCMP are unable to locate the couple.
Hajdu also indicated that there was “no connection” between the two scientists’ departure from the lab and their decision to share the samples with China.
Earlier this month, internal emails obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter also revealed that Keding and Xiangguo’s colleagues had sounded the alarm about the virus transfer and collaborations with China.
In one email, former scientific director Dr. Matthew Gimlour said he had “concerns” about close ties between researchers and China.
“They are requesting material from us due to collaboration with Dr. Qiu,” one staff email read.
“Historically it’s also been easier to obtain material from us as opposed to U.S. labs.”
A Calgary pastor has been arrested for a second time for holding a gathering that violated public health orders.
On Monday, Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church was arrested after he led an outdoor church service that police say did not comply with the province’s gathering limits and social distancing requirements.
In a video taken by Rebel News, Pastor Stephens can be seen embracing his wife and children in front of their home before being placed into a police vehicle.
The arrest has been condemned by the Justice Centre of Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which is representing Stephens in court. According to JCCF lawyer Jay Cameron, the arrest of Stephens is evidence that the Alberta government is trying to punish individuals who publicly oppose them.
“Locking out Fairview Baptist congregants and arresting Pastor Tim Stephens has everything to do with punishing dissent, and nothing to do with public safety,” Cameron said.
In May, Pastor Stephens was arrested for allegedly breaking a prior court injunction regarding a former violation of public health orders. Fairview Baptist Church was later ordered to close its doors.
Later in the month, Alberta Health Services (AHS) dropped the charge against Stephens after it was revealed he was never served with the order he was accused of breaking.
Cameron believes Alberta’s public health orders are inconsistent and unfairly target churchgoers.
“In two weeks, literally tens of thousands of people will gather in Calgary for a massive rodeo party, but Tim Stephens cannot lead his congregation in worship because Premier Kenney believes this to be too dangerous,” he said.
“The province is supposed to be fully opening in less than two weeks and yet AHS is leading the charge to lock up Christian pastors, and anyone else who criticizes Alberta’s thin-skinned health tyrants.”
In a statement, Calgary Police Services (CPS) say they received multiple calls complaining about the event and that Pastor Stephens was aware he was violating public health orders.
“Stephens acknowledged the injunction, but chose to move forward with an illegal outdoor service, ignoring requirements for social distancing and reduced capacity limits for attendees,” CPS wrote.
“It is important to understand that law enforcement recognizes people’s desire to participate in faith-based gatherings. However, as we are still in a global pandemic, we all must comply with public health orders in order to ensure everyone’s safety and wellbeing.”
Pastor Stephens will remain in jail until he appears in court on June 28.
A Roman Catholic church in Vancouver, British Columbia was targeted by vandals over the weekend.
According to Global News, vandals spray-painted the words “killers” and “release the records” on the front doors of St. Augustine’s Roman Catholic Parish.
The anti-Catholic statements were made in reference to the apparent discovery of human remains near Kamloops Indian Residential School, which was managed by the Catholic Church while in operation.
“[We] are true followers of Christ. Please don’t blame the people of today for what happened before,” said Parishioner Maria Bastone.
A preliminary report on the findings is expected sometime this month according to local First Nation Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Chief Rosanne Casimir.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been accused of sidestepping the federal government’s responsibility in the residential school system after repeatedly calling on the Catholic Church to apologize for its role.
“While acknowledging our own sorrow and guilt, and trying to own our sinfulness in the participation in residential schools, it is important to note the wording in our statement, especially the words, ‘participation in government policies,’” wrote Calgary Catholic Bishop Most Rev. Fred Henry last week.
“Primary responsibility must be owned by the federal government.”
This is not the first incident this month where a Catholic church was the target of vandalism.
On Sunday, a memorial to preborn children was toppled at St. Joseph’s Parish in Port Moody.
St. Joseph’s Rev. Mark McGuckin called the incident “disturbing” but said that he doesn’t know the vandal’s motivation behind the attack.
“It is disturbing for [parishioners] who wish to engage in this ongoing work of healing in a charitable way,” McGurkin told Tri City News.
“It’s a peaceful message there in honour of the pre-born, we welcome the engagement of dialogue.”
Other monuments and places associated with Canada’s residential schooling system have been targeted by vandalism and efforts to have them replaced since the Kamloops discovery.
A committee in charge of organizing Canada Day festivities in Wilmot, Ontario has decided to cancel the civic holiday citing its Indigenous reconciliation efforts.
According to The Record, the Canada Day in Wilmot Committee will instead be allowing community members to “pause and reflect” on Indigenous relations as an alternative to the planned virtual events.
“This is the year to pause and reflect. This is the year to listen. And this is the year to allow that grief to happen,” said committee chair Angie Hallman.
“The Indigenous community is asking for Canadians to pause and reflect this Canada Day, and create a safe space for healing, to process trauma … to create a space out of respect that maybe this July 1 is not the day to celebrate confederation of Canada.”
Instead of the virtual Canada day, children will be invited to decorate wooden leafs for a public art exhibit which will be displayed near Hartman Bridge in New Hamburg.
Local regional Councillor Michael Harris spoke out against the decision saying that he was disappointed with the cancellation.
“Each and every day we should be thinking about those issues that have left a mark on our country,” said Harris.
“We really shouldn’t be looking for ways to further divide Canadians. We should be bringing them together, and there’s no better way to do that than during the celebration of Canada Day.
Other municipalities including the capital of British Columbia, Victoria, have recently decided to cancel their own Canada Day celebrations.
In a unanimous decision last week, Victoria city councillors voted to halt the planned festivities and replace it with a broadcast centred on Indigenous relations.
Those supporting the initiative to cancel the civic holiday have cited the apparent discovery of human remains near the historic Kamloops Indian Residential School.
A preliminary report on the findings is expected to be released sometime this month.
