Alberta Premier Jason Kenney suggested his province’s “libertarian political culture” is contributing to an increased share of people flouting COVID-19 measures and spreading the virus.
Kenney made the comments in an interview on True North’s The Andrew Lawton Show as Alberta sees a continued rise in COVID-19 cases. He said much of this can be attributed to poor compliance with public health restrictions.
“We have lower levels of compliance,” Kenney said. “And I think that may just be because Alberta has more of a freedom-loving libertarian political culture, which I think is a good thing. But it does, unfortunately, mean in this context that there is a larger share of people, I think, who have just moved past all of this and they’re just not paying any attention to the measures.”
Kenney continued by saying he “could not be more sympathetic” to people who want to guard their freedoms.
“I totally sympathize with freedom-minded people. I share their frustration and even their anger at everything that’s going on here. But I just beg them to understand that the conduct of each of us can affect others, and right now, if we don’t get this spike under control it will force us, the government, to do mass cancellations of surgeries in order to open up more ICU beds.”
Throughout the pandemic, Kenney has said his priority is protecting “lives and livelihoods.” His government has faced criticism in the past week for imposing a new wave of restrictions, which shut down personal care services, capped faith services at 15 people, and banned organized outdoor recreational activities, among other things.
Kenney has also not minced words when it comes to those openly breaking gathering restrictions. Earlier in the week, he lashed out at an unofficial weekend rodeo event in Bowden, Alta.
“The reason we are at this critical stage of the pandemic in Alberta, with record-high daily case counts and intensive-care numbers, is precisely because too many Albertans are ignoring the rules we currently have in place,” Kenney on social media.
Alberta reported 1,980 new COVID-19 cases on Friday.
A day earlier, on Apr. 8, Alberta health officials announced that the province had administered 57,716 in a single record-setting day.
According to Kenney, prompt and effective vaccination is at the key of moving past the pandemic and Albertans might get to see the other side of the tunnel by June.
“If we can just start bending this number down, the growth down, then I am absolutely optimistic that the vaccines will take over here, as they have in so many other places, and we’ll be able to get through this darn thing, I believe, in the month of June if we just buckle together,” Kenney told Lawton.
Not only are Canadians pushing for the Canada-US border to reopen, but even prominent US politicians are starting to realize the economic benefits of opening the border.
Among them is one of the US’ most well-known Democratic political figures Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Ontario leads Canada’s provinces and territories in the severity of its lockdowns and public health measures, a new report on provincial COVID-19 responses suggests.
A paper recently published by a team of Oxford University researchers and data scientists compares Canada’s provincial and territorial COVID-19 government measures.
Included in the report is a “stringency index” which evaluates the overall strictness of lockdowns and public health orders. The index takes into account over a dozen variables including mask policy, gathering limits, restaurant closures and much more.
While relying on this research, True North has graded the severity of each province’s COVID-19 lockdowns. Grades were based on the stringency scores applied to each province by Oxford University – the higher the stringency score, the lower the grade.
Any province with a low stringency score of 0–20 received a grade of “A,” while provinces with a score of 20–40 received a grade of “B” and so on, with “F” being the worst grade a province or territory with a stringency score between 80–100 could achieve.
As noted by the report researchers, the stringency scores shouldn’t be interpreted as a measure of how good or appropriate the policies are but how relatively strict the lockdown-style measures are when compared province by province.
Ontario – F (83.3)
Premier of Ontario Doug Ford
Based on Premier Doug Ford’s increasingly severe public health measures and stay-at-home order, Ontario is the only province or territory to receive a failing grade. By far, Ontario has overall the most strict public health orders in Canada.
Restrictions on public gatherings bar all indoor or outdoor public events other than those with your own household or one other person who lives alone.
Ontario has also implemented cross-border travel restrictions which until recently included regular checkpoints at border crossings into Manitoba and Quebec.
In Ontario, small businesses are also severely impacted by lockdowns. Most retail businesses and services have been ordered to shutter their doors and only offer curbside pick up or other alternative options.
British Columbia – D (66.7)
Premier of British Columbia John Horgan (Left)
British Columbia’s recent decision to close indoor dining and ramp up restrictions have contributed to it receiving a grade of D.
Currently, all indoor social gatherings are banned in the province and outdoor gatherings are limited to up to 10 people. Similar to Ontario, BC has also introduced province-wide travel restrictions which bar citizens from leaving their health regions for non-essential travel under the threat of hefty fines.
As for schools, the province is requiring all students from grades 4 to 12 to wear a mask in all indoor areas including at their own work desks.
Quebec – D (64.4)
Premier of Quebec François Legault
Out of all of Canada’s provinces and territories, Quebec is the only place where a mandatory curfew is in place beginning at 8 p.m. for some regions.
Quebec’s measures are based on an alert level system, with some regions being subjected to “special emergency measures.” Under the regime, travel to cities and regions under lesser restrictions is prohibited with some exemptions.
The special emergency edict also prohibits all indoor or outdoor gatherings with some exceptions for allowing single individuals to join family bubbles.
Alberta – D (63.6)
Premier of Alberta Jason Kenney
Despite some attempts at re-opening, the Alberta government recently introduced a new spate of stricter restrictions meant to handle the surge of COVID-19 cases in the province.
Under the new rules, select regions are being required to comply by the new stricter rules. Sports and physical activity centres are also being ordered to shut their doors. Meanwhile, retail businesses are being limited to a 10% capacity.
The entire province is also subject to an ongoing ban on indoor social gatherings, while outdoor gatherings are being limited to a maximum of 10 people. The province is also set to introduce a province wide ban on all in-person dining, including patios.
Manitoba – D (62.1)
Premier of Manitoba Brian Pallister
In April 2021, the Manitoba government declared a province-wide state of emergency. Unlike its neighbour Ontario, small businesses and restaurants do not face the same strict rules.
For example, gyms and fitness centres are allowed to operate at 25% capacity in the province, while restaurants are being allowed to remain open for patio dining.
Similarly, personal service businesses like salons are also being allowed to remain open at 50% capacity for appointment visits.
Nova Scotia – D (69.7)
Premier of Nova Scotia Iain Rankin
In late April, Nova Scotia introduced new widespread restrictions. Prior to the announcement, Nova Scotia’s restrictions were relatively lax compared to the other Atlantic provinces.
Indoor and outdoor gatherings are limited to household bubbles only. Retail stores are closed for in-person business unless they are deemed essential. Essential businesses may operate at 25% capacity.
Weddings and funerals are only permitted to have five attendees, plus officiants. All other gatherings are strictly forbidden. Public and private schools are close, but daycares are allowed to remain open.
Newfoundland and Labrador – C (51.2)
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador Andrew Furey
The entire province is currently under Alert Level 2, which is one level above the “new normal.” In Newfoundland & Labrador, individuals can interact with their household plus twenty additional people.
Formal gatherings hosted by recognized organizations may have up to 100 attendees. Retail stores and restaurants may operate with a 50% capacity.
In February, Newfoundland and Labrador postponed their provincial election by six weeks after cases began to rise. As voting had already begun, the postponement led to chaotic election.
Prince Edward Island – C (48.2)
Premier of PEI Dennis King
Each household may gather with up to 10 other people either indoors or outdoors. All public gatherings, including worship services and concerts, are limited to 50 people. All businesses can operate with mandatory masking and physical distancing. Restaurants remain open with a 50-person capacity and a maximum table capacity of ten.
The province has implemented cross-border travel restrictions and currently only allows for certain types of traveller to enter the island.
Currently, restaurants and bars are limited to a 50% capacity indoor limit, except for businesses in Iqaluit and Kinngait, where restaurants are only allowed to serve takeout.
Nunavut also allows public gatherings up to 100 people outdoors, while indoor gatherings are allowed up to 100 people depending on the circumstance. Nunavut residents are also allowed to welcome up to 15 additional people in their homes.
Saskatchewan- C (43.9)
Premier of Saskatchewan Scott Moe
Compared to its neighbour province Alberta, Saskatchewan has relatively loose restrictions. According to public health rules, outdoor gatherings are permitted for up to 10 people while indoor gatherings are only allowed for members of households.
Meanwhile, retail stores are allowed to operate at a 50% capacity. Restaurants in the province are closed for indoor dining in several regions.
Yukon – C (43.9)
Yukon Premier Sandy Silver
Some COVID-19 related restrictions are currently in place in Yukon, however, the Yukon government is set to lift more of them near the end of May.
Yukon has no travel restrictions in place but self-isolation is required. Under current guidelines organized gatherings can be held with up to 50 people indoors and up to 100 people outdoors. Meanwhile, social gatherings are allowed with up to 10 people indoors and up to 50 outside.
Live performances are also permitted in the province subject to some rules.
New Brunswick – C (42.1)
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs
The province allows for a personal bubble consisting of your household and fifteen other people. Indoor gatherings are limited only to an individual’s personal bubble, while outdoor gatherings can have up to 50 people socially distanced.
All businesses are allowed to be open provided they create and implement a COVID-19 operational plan. Places of faith are open with masks, social distancing, and a 50% capacity.
New Brunswick uses an alert level system. While some regions have faced stricter lockdowns at times, in general all of New Brunswick faces the same level of restrictions. Travel is permitted between yellow zones, with only essential travel recommended in orange or red zones.
Northwest Territories – B (34.8)
Premier of NWT Caroline Cochrane
The Northwest Territories have the least strict health orders out of all of Canada’s provinces and territories.
As it stands, indoor gatherings are allowed with a cap of 25 people while outdoor gatherings can be held with up to 50 people. NWT residents are also being allowed to host gatherings at their homes with a maximum of 10 people.
The major online retailer Amazon will be delaying its annual Prime Day for Canada and India because of the dire COVID-19 situation in both countries.
According to CNBC, Amazon will be hitting the pause button on the savings event and has yet to reveal when it will resume.
Prime Day is a sales event which allows Amazon users to experience the company’s Prime shipping services. Amazon has been doing the event annually since 2015.
As a result of slow vaccination roll outs and some provinces experiencing a harsh third wave of COVID-19, Canada was skipped over for this year’s deals.
Meanwhile, other countries like the US, Germany, France and China will be allowed to partake in the event in June.
Last year, Amazon delayed its Prime Day event until October 2020.
Critics have accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of mishandling Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, leading to the country lagging behind its international partners in re-opening.
“We are in the third wave of this pandemic, so severe because of the Prime Minister’s failure to secure vaccines at a rate the United States was at months ago. Exceeding targets by stealing vaccines from the developing world is shameful leadership by the Prime Minister,” said Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole on April 20th.
Trudeau has defended his government’s handling of the situation, claiming that he had no regrets on Canada’s pace despite trailing behind other nations.
“No, not in terms of our vaccine rollout. Obviously, we worked extremely hard from last summer onwards to sign many different contracts with different potential vaccine makers around the world,” Trudeau said.
“In general, the vaccines have been arriving in Canada in steadily increasing numbers.”
According to government data, as of April 30, 2021, only 2.55% of Canada’s population has been fully vaccinated with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Conservatives have accused the Liberals of botching the plan by only pre-ordering vaccines from the Chinese state-connected firm CanSino Biologics, while many other nations were developing their own vaccines.
Canada lost a total 207,000 jobs last month as increased lockdowns in multiple provinces pushed many out of the workforce.
According to Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey published on Friday, nearly half a million Canadians either lost their jobs or faced reduced hours in April.
“Employment fell by 207,000 (-1.1%) in April and the unemployment rate rose 0.6 percentage points to 8.1%,” the agency wrote.
“Employment declined in both full-time (-129,000; -0.8%) and part-time (-78,000; -2.3%) work. The number of employed people working less than half their usual hours increased by 288,000 (+27.2%).”
StatsCan attributes the decline in employment to increased lockdowns, primarily in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.
In early April, the Ford government issued a provincewide stay-at-home order and forced all non-essential businesses to close indoor business. Similar restrictions in Quebec and BC put many people out of work.
“The majority of the April employment decline occurred in Ontario and British Columbia, in industries most affected by the recent tightening of public health restrictions.”
The vast majority of jobs lost were in three industries which were heavily affected by lockdowns, namely retail trade (-84,000), accommodation and food services (-59,000) and information, culture and recreation (-26,000).
StatsCan also notes that as of January 2021, there were 20,000 fewer active businesses in Canada compared with a year earlier. Similar to the April Labour Force Survey, the largest declines were seen in food services and recreation.
The Trudeau Government failed to consider any violent left-wing protest groups associated with urban riots and bombings when compiling its annual list of banned terrorist groups, True North has learned.
According to a new document exclusively obtained by True North, the Department of Public Safety did not provide any records to the Minister on a long list of Antifa-affiliated groups who operate in Canada.
Antifa is a violent far-left movement whose followers organize riots and openly call for violence against anyone they believe is a “fascist” — a broad and ill-defined classification that has included veterans, police officers, security guards, military personnel, store owners, journalists, conservatives, Trump supporters and anyone who isn’t adequately woke.
Antifa members have been arrested in cities across North America and Europe for the destruction of property, arson, uttering threats, assault, incitement and even murder.
The group dubs itself “anti-racist” and “anti-fascist,” and because they occupy the far-left end of the political spectrum, they often fly under the radar and do not receive the same attention and condemnation from journalists, academics and politicians as violent groups on the far-right.
As for the Trudeau Liberals, records show that Antifa and its violent rallies are not even worth studying.
An access to information request asked the government to “provide any memos, briefing notes, policy briefs and other similar documents provided to the Minister relating to the possible placement of the following groups on the Criminal Code list of terrorist entities.” The request lists more than a dozen Antifa groups that are known to operate in Canada.
“A thorough search was conducted and Public Safety Canada was unable to locate any records responding to your request,” wrote a manager with Access to Information and Privacy in response to the request.
One of the groups listed in the request, Résistance Internationaliste, claimed responsibility for a number of bombings between 2004 and 2010, with targets including an oil and gas executive in Montreal and a Canadian Forces recruitment centre in Trois-Rivières.
Another group, Hamilton Against Fascism, has been involved in a number of violent attacks that have led to many arrests. In late 2018, ring-leader Cedar Hopperton pleaded guilty to mischief over $5,000 and counseling to commit mischief after he led a riot that caused significant property damage.
Hopperton was described as the “ringleader” of a group of some 40 masked anarchists who attended what they described as a “militant and confrontational march.”
Likewise, the group Toronto Against Fascism has been linked to violent rallies, including one outside a Munk Debate at Roy Thomson Hall in November 2018. According to Toronto Police, 12 people were arrested during that rally after police officers were assaulted. “One officer hit with a stick, another punched in the face,” noted a tweet from Toronto Police Operations.
Several other Antifa affiliated groups, including Youth Liberation Front, Redneck Revolt Socialist Rifle Association and By Any Means Necessary, all have a long rap sheet of violence at their street marches in the U.S., and yet, none were examined by the Minister of Public Safety.
The Trudeau government has been accused of politicizing the terrorist watch list, first removing the term “Sikh extremists” so as not to offend Khalistani activists in the Liberal base, and then going even further to remove the terms “Sunni” and “Shia” when describing radical Islamist terror groups.
Trudeau’s terrorist report included a large section on “right-wing extremism,” but does not so much as mention “left-wing” groups — this despite the growing menace of Antifa and violent left-wing urban riots.
US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the Canada-US border should open soon as residents of both countries suffer the effects of prolonged closures.
Originally reported by True North contributor Anthony Furey, Schumer travelled to the Massena International Airport in upstate New York this week to make his case for re-opening the border.
“We can’t wait any longer,” the New York state senator said.
“The monthly extensions… have no rhyme or reason, they confuse people, they don’t let people plan, they frustrate thousands of western New Yorkers and Southern Ontarians, who depend on the border crossing.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau originally closed the border to non-essential travel on March 16, 2020 and has extended the closure each month since.
Earlier this week, Trudeau indicated that he was not interested in re-opening the border anytime soon, but added that he may consider reopening it in the summer “if everything goes well.”
Schumer says the United States’ high vaccination rates and New York’s recent decision to lift most restrictions means keeping the border closed is no longer necessary.
“While at the beginning — and in the height — of the pandemic it was understandable for such drastic measures to be taken, we know much more about the virus than we knew in March of last year and are making strong gains against it,” he said.
“Since vaccination rates have risen, overall rates are steadily falling, and New York is ready to reopen, based on the data, it is time to take the first steps towards reopening the Northern Border to non-essential travel.”
Unfortunately, Canada drastically lags behind the U.S. when it comes to vaccinating Canadians. According to government data, as of April 30, 2021, only 2.55% of Canada’s population has been fully vaccinated with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
In comparison, 32.3% of Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Schumer is the latest to join the bipartisan chorus of U.S. politicians calling for the reopening of the border to normal travellers.
In April, Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins, who represents the cities of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, called for the border to re-open, noting that many families in border towns have been torn apart.
Alaska Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy recently offered free vaccinations to the residents of a small Canadian town on the Alaska-BC border. Dunleavy personally visited the border with Alaska’s chief medical officer to offer the vaccines and ask Canada to begin allowing residents to cross.
Toronto City Council has unanimously voted in support of a motion that will see the city urge the Bank of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mint to replace “white and male” politicians on Canada’s currency.
The motion, which was introduced by Coun. Paul Ainslie and seconded by Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, was voted on by the council on Thursday.
“In the pursuit to better reflect a more heterogeneous and inclusive society this Motion speaks to our currency being overrepresented by politicians, most of whom are white and male, underrepresenting persons who have contributed to other fields of great importance to our society,” writes Coun. Ainslie.
“Our currency does not reflect our current multiracial, gender diverse and multicultural reality as a nation.”
Motion by @Ainslie_Ward24 to urge BOC and the Royal Canadian Mint to change Canada's currency due to too many white and male politicians was adopted by City Council today pic.twitter.com/AWXRVD7GYW
In his motion, Ainslie cites US President Joe Biden’s move to have civil rights hero Harriet Tubman replace former president Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
“The Biden administration is also considering special coin and bill issues which will give prominence to those who championed women’s rights as well as civil and voting rights. Those being considered include Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, Martin Luther King Jr. and Marian Anderson,” argues Ainslee.
Ainslee also cites the fact that although much of Canada’s currency features a woman, Queen Elizabeth II, Ainslee notes that it is “due to her position as Head of State, and not because she is a woman.”
In 2016, the Bank of Canada revealed a new $10 bill featuring Canadian black rights activist Viola Desmond.
The Bank of Canada website claims that change was made to highlight “the diverse and important contributions women have made in shaping Canada’s history.”
Currency is not the only thing on Toronto’s social justice chopping block. Recently, the city put out a job advertisement to hire Museum coordinators in order to “decolonize” the city’s museum system.
“If you are committed to inclusive practices, this will be an exciting opportunity for you to join the Toronto History Museums’ team as we embark on an ambitious and intentional change journey to decolonize the City’s museums and create community spaces that are inclusive to all,” writes the job advertisement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Conservative Party of having “tinfoil hats” for raising concerns about the Liberal government’s internet censorship bill, C-10.
Trudeau made the comment in response to a question by Conservative Party MP Michael Barrett in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
ICYMI our PM @JustinTrudeau thinks that you are a tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorist if you believe C-10 is a threat to freedom of expression in Canada. Funny, experts from the left, right and centre say that C-10 is a problem but Trudeau tells @MikeBarrettON that it's fine. pic.twitter.com/CmHBstBbVs
“Mr. Speaker, anytime anyone asks a tough question of the Prime Minister, he says it is a personal attack. That is why when the questions got really tough and heated for the Prime Minister, when he was trying to cover up his conflict of interest in the WE scandal, he shut down Parliament during a pandemic. Now his attacks on democracy have gotten more brazen,” said Barrett.
“That is what the Prime Minister is trying to do by silencing Canadians online with Bill C-10. Will the Prime Minister tell us how long it will be before every aspect of Canadian life must conform to his Liberal vision of Canadian society?”
“Mr. Speaker, the tinfoil hats on the other side of the aisle are really quite spectacular,” responded Trudeau.
“We will continue to stand up to defend freedom of speech and stand up against hatred and discrimination. We will do it while supporting Canadians to both get through this pandemic and come roaring back on the other side. That is our focus. The Conservatives can continue to focus on me. We will continue to focus on Canadians,” he continued.
The prime minister’s comments echo similar name-calling by Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, who is in charge of drafting the legislation.
Earlier this week, Guilbeault lashed back at criticism of the bill by going so far as targetting Conservative MP Rachael Harder for her pro-life views.
“When he wasn’t able to defend his infringement on people’s Charter rights, he decided to go after my personal values and beliefs. Indeed, freedom is messy and although Mr. Guilbeault’s response was inappropriate, I would never wish for his freedom of speech to be taken from him. He is free to use or misuse his voice. The consequences are his to bear,” Harder told True North.
Guilbeault has also accused critics of the bill, which include prominent politicians, professors and civil liberties advocates, of catering to an “extremist element.”
A decision by the Liberals to remove an amendment from the bill which protected user-generated content from Canadian Radio‑television and Telecommunications (CRTC) regulation has sparked outrage among the Canadian public.
Liberal Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault has since promised to introduce a separate amendment which would make it clear that content posted by Canadians on platforms like YouTube and TikTok will not be subject to CRTC oversight.
Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) says the federal stimulus plan may have been “miscalibrated” and will have less of an impact than the Liberals’ claim.
In a report released Wednesday, the nonpartisan watchdog said that a large part of the $101.4 billion in new stimulus spending announced in last month’s budget should not be considered new stimulus.
The PBO calculates the actual new stimulus to be $69.2 billion over the next three years.
“Finance Canada’s impact assessment of the Recovery Plan overstates the economic impact of stimulus spending in Budget 2021,” the report reads.
“We maintain our judgement that stimulus spending in Budget 2021 could be miscalibrated if the focus is solely on returning to pre-pandemic benchmarks.”
In the federal budget released in April, the government predicted the stimulus would increase economic growth by 2% and create 334,000 jobs. By comparison, the PBO predicts the true stimulus numbers would only boost growth by 1% and create fewer jobs.
“Given the $69.2 billion in stimulus spending in Budget 2021, we estimate that the level of real GDP would be 1.0 % higher in 2022-23 and 2023-24. The level of employment would increase by 74,000 jobs in 2022-23 and by 94,000 in 2023-24.”
In April, the federal budget predicted a deficit of $354.2 billion for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. Over the next year, the Trudeau government plans to add an additional $154 billion to the national debt.
Along with pandemic stimulus and other benefits, the budget made other expensive promises such as $30 billion investment towards developing a national child-care plan and over $17 billion in environmental spending.
As True North founder Candice Malcolm noted in her recent column, in order to fund these massive programs, the Trudeau government has resorted to unprecedented spending and money-printing.
“The Trudeau government is now borrowing an astronomical $3 billion per week to stay afloat — much of it being printed by the central bank, putting off the eventual need for drastically higher revenue to find a balance,” she wrote.
“Instead, each dollar printed by the feds — in what they call the ‘modern monetary theory,’ which is the profoundly irresponsible ‘theory’ that we can print money and not worry about the consequences or the realities of inflation — means that the money in your wallet and bank account will be worth less.”
The PBO notes that the federal government has substantially raised the debt-to-GDP ratio, meaning it will be harder to increase spending in the future without raising taxes or cutting spending in other areas.
