With the arrival of the so-called “double mutant” COVID-19 variant in Canada from India, the Conservatives are calling on Justin Trudeau to suspend flights from global hot spots. By the time politicians get around to talking about travel restrictions, it’s already too late, True North’s Andrew Lawton says.
Also, the media is already saying Erin O’Toole’s climate change plan doesn’t go far enough, plus Canadian churches are closed to worshippers but open to film crews.
Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu claimed in the House of Commons on Thursday that Vitamin D supplementation as an additional preventive measure against COVID-19 infection was “fake news.”
Hajdu made the comments in response to a question posed to her by Independent MP Derek Sloan on why Health Canada is not actively recommending Canadians to take the supplement.
“At least 75 recent studies show that optimal Vitamin D levels significantly reduce susceptibility to COVID-19 and significantly improve health outcomes if people do get infected. It has been documented for decades that Canadians have suboptimal Vitamin D levels, especially during winter. Can the minister explain why Health Canada’s website states that most Canadians are getting enough Vitamin D and doesn’t actively recommend supplementing,” asked Sloan.
“I would encourage the member opposite to not fall prey to the myriad of fake news articles that are circulating around the internet about ways that people can protect themselves from COVID and trust that the Public Health Agency of Canada only puts science-based credible documents up guided ofcourse by our Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Tam and the many scientists that work for us,” said Hajdu.
“What Canadians need now is trust and they need to be able to trust in the information that their elected officials are sharing and I would urge the member to get his sources from credible sites.”
Contrary to Hajdu’s insinuation that “credible sites” have not discussed Vitamin D as a preventative measure, numerous Canadian mainstream news outlets have published features highlighting research into the supplement.
For example, since at least 2020, CTV News has published a handful of articles highlighting Vitamin D research.
One article dated October 27, 2020 was titled “More than 80 per cent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had vitamin D deficiency: study,” another article from March 21, 2021 was called “High vitamin D levels may protect against COVID-19, especially for Black people: study.”
Canada’s own public broadcaster, the CBC, has also published numerous pieces which explore Vitamin D as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
While the US government has not explicitly recommended the use of Vitamin D as a preventative measure or treatment of COVID-19, the US National Institute of Health has noted that insufficient data exists to recommend “either for or against” its use.
Other countries’ health departments, like the UK’s National Health Service recommends people take 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day during the winter months for general health reasons but also notes that more data is needed to determine its ability to prevent or treat COVID-19.
By: Jessica Swietoniowski
Ontario has recently entered its third lockdown due to COVID-19 and Premier Doug Ford has pushed for stricter rules and police enforcement in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
While once claiming to be the champion of small businesses and entrepreneurs, Ford has forced many businesses to shut down.
However, not all business owners in Ontario are sitting back and allowing heavy-handed government decisions ruin their livelihoods.
One of these business owners is Amanda Kenney, who has decided to defy Ontario’s orders and is keeping her spa open.
Kenney, a single mother of two, has been in the industry for 20 years and has owned and operated Skin Sense Spa in Strathroy, Ontario for 10 years.
Ironically, the day the Ontario government announced its Stay-at-Home Order on April 8th was actually her business’ 10-year-anniversary.
While Kenney qualified for some of the governments’ subsidy programs, she was still forced to shut down her business. She tried her best to stay afloat by selling hair and facial products by curbside or delivery.
“I don’t sell enough shampoo to pay the bills, let alone pay someone to sit here to sell it,” Kenney explains.
The Strathroy business owner decided enough was enough. She finally put her foot down.
“Lockdowns haven’t been working… I know this isn’t going to be the last one,” Kenney explained.
Despite the fact that the Ontario government does not consider personal care to be essential, Kenney says her business provides many essential services.
“I have diabetics, I maintain their feet before they get bad.. or if they have issues but can’t feel them because they have neuropathy… I tell them they need to get this looked at by a doctor,” Kenney explains.
Kenney had two clients recently with horribly overgrown nail extensions, which have become painful for them. One woman even had two of her own nails ripped off because they were not maintained professionally.
When Kenney started becoming more public about opening her spa, an anonymous report was made to the police.
Police in Ontario have been given the greenlight by the government to crack down on citizens and businesses for breaking lockdown orders. Kenney, her staff and her clients claim they have all been intimidated by the police in recent weeks.
Friday, April 9th was the first visit from the police.
An officer from the Strathroy-Caradoc Police Service visited the spa to make sure she was only operating curbside, as permitted by the province’s rules. But Kenney didn’t back down and explained to the officer that she was letting clients into her spa and providing what she deemed to be essential services.
No fines were given but it wasn’t the last time police would pay her a visit.
The next day, police came back.
“I got scared. I had police right outside my building, they spent four and a half hours sitting outside and driving around my block,” Kenney explains.
On the morning of Monday April 12th, a police officer and health inspector came to the spa but Kenney was not in and they left her a message telling her she is allowed to sell products but cannot provide any services.
Their message had the intended effect, as Kenney’s staff of three and the five estheticians and hairstylists that rent space from her decided to stop working.
But the determined business owner didn’t stop there. She reached out to police proactively and tried to find a way to stay open while adhering to their rules.
“I don’t want to break the law… I do respect our police force,” Kenney says.
Although Kenney is qualified and trained to maintain a clean and safe work environment, she was told she cannot provide services because she is not a licenced healthcare professional.
She invited the health inspector to come in and inspect her spa to demonstrate that her facility is clean and that she’s keeping people safe, but the health inspector refused.
True North reached out to the health inspector’s office and got a response from the Communications Manager stating that, “Health Unit’s Public Health Inspectors are not currently conducting inspections at Personal Care Service Establishments, such as Skin Sense Spa, because these businesses are not allowed to be open at this time.”
Kenney has been hesitant on how operational her spa should be, but on Friday, April 16th, she had her first fully booked day since over a year with no issues with police.
Since she has been vocal about being open, she has been amazed by the support she has received from her community. She’s been getting new clients and people walking in to tell her how proud they are that she is staying open.
When speaking with the police, they told her if they let her stay open then other businesses will want to open up as well and she said, “Exactly, that’s what I want.”
Although she has papered up all her windows, locked her doors and is limiting her services, she hopes this will encourage other small businesses to re-open safely.
Following the presentation of the 2021 budget in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in a press conference that the former Conservative government of Stephen Harper had “cut support” too quickly during the 2008 recession.
A True North review of federal spending programs from 2008 and 2009 found Trudeau’s statement to be misleading.
“In the last year we promised to have people’s back through this crisis. That means protecting you and your family. It also means making the right investments on what comes next,” Trudeau told reporters.
“We remember what happened when the previous government cut support too quickly during the great recession of 2008. We won’t be making that mistake. This budget lays out a plan for good middle-class jobs and a clean resilient economy that works for everyone.”
Trudeau’s claim rests on two points: that the Harper government had cut financial and economic support to Canadians and that it happened too soon. In reality, the Harper government massively increased spending to support Canadians through the crisis and introduced the multi-year Economic Action Plan which has been described by experts as “one of the largest stimulus packages among affluent OECD countries.”
In 2008, the Harper government introduced spending on numerous public services and supports for Canadians including the then-newly-created Tax-Free Savings Account to ensure lower and middle income Canadians could keep more of their money in their pockets.
Additional support for students was also introduced in that year’s budget, including a $350 million investment in the Canada Student Grant Program, as well as $28 million in new scholarships for both Canadian and international students.
Harper also dedicated $110 million in mental health and homelessness support to the Mental Health Commision that year.
In terms of investments into science and the environmental sector, in 2008 the Conservatives dedicated $250 million for research into developing greener and more fuel-efficient automotive technology. Additional investments were also made to improve environmental protection, with $10 million being allocated to Natural Resources Canada.
As for 2009, while the rest of the world was reeling from the financial crisis, the Harper government introduced several stimulus measures into the budget to help Canadians weather the storm.
Part of Harper’s stimulus plan included an $8.3 billion investment to the Canadian Skills and Transition Strategy with an additional $20 billion in personal income tax relief that year. The Conservatives also funelled $7.8 billion in order to stimulate the housing market, including an additional $12 billion in infrastructure funding.
In fact, the Conservative government’s Economic Action Plan (EAP) stimulus spending made up 1.9% of Canada’s GDP in 2009 alone.
One of the major income supports provided to Canadian workers during the 2008 crisis by the federal government was a two-year $500 million investment to extend Employment Insurance (EI) benefits for workers involved in long-term training as well as expanding the time duration of entitlements workers could receive through EI. Changes to the EI program also included lowering eligibility requirements so more Canadians could receive assistance.
With regard to support for Canada’s First Nations, the Harper government dedicated an additional $1.4 billion to Aboriginal issues on top of the $10 billion the government was spending at the time annually.
The EAP remained in effect for two years until 2011 when even the US had regained its pre-recession GDP levels. In comparison, the Liberal government’s pandemic spending programs have only been in effect since the Canada Emergency Response Benefit was introduced in March 2020.
Cuts to programs did begin around 2012, at a time when the Canadian economy was recovering. As it ended its stimulus program, the Harper government returned to its fiscal roots and slashed funding to the Canadian Conference of the Arts, the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences and several other government programs and public sector agencies.
Given that Harper’s generous stimulus programs were in effect for a significantly longer time period than the current government’s COVID-19 emergency measures, it is misleading for Trudeau to claim that the Harper government had cut support “too soon” at a time when many countries had already experienced recovery from the recession.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has publicly apologized for restrictions announced last week after backlash from the public and law enforcement.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Ford admitted that his government moved too fast in introducing extensive new restrictions on travel and public gatherings.
“We moved fast to put in measures in place to reduce mobility, but we moved too fast,” he said.
“I know that some of those measures, especially around enforcement, they went too far. Simply put, we got it wrong. We made a mistake.”
Last week, Ford gave Ontario police the power to stop-and-question anyone seen outside of their residence to enforce his latest restrictions.
Just one day later, Ford backtracked on the stop-and-question measure after almost all police forces in the province refused to use it. He also reversed the closure of playgrounds.
Ford acknowledged that the previous measures were excessive and took personal responsibility for the harm they may have caused.
“These decisions left a lot of people very concerned. In fact, they left a lot of people angry and upset,” he said.
“I know we got it wrong, I know we made a mistake, and for that I am sorry and I sincerely apologize. As premier, as I said right from the beginning, the buck stops with me. Again, I’m sorry and I apologize to each and every one of you.”
Ford appeared to be very emotional throughout the press conference, at one point choking back tears while discussing the damage the pandemic has caused families and businesses.
Ford’s new restrictions on interprovincial travel also caused massive traffic jams along the border with Quebec.
The Burnaby School District has banned crazy hair days in order to be “more mindful of equity and inclusion.”
The school district says there have been “reports of harm” from students and parents who have been offended by the common themed day, leading the district to ban the event in all schools.
“Upon reflection and insight, we have realized that this choice does not align with our values,” wrote the vice-principal of equity, diversity and inclusion Beth Applewhite.
According to the school district, the term “crazy” is offensive to people suffering from mental illness and the event itself is not inclusive for people who wear head coverings like turbans or hijabs.
Applewhite proposed district schools replace the event with something like “silly sock days.”
“While there are some cute and elaborate ideas out there, all too often, the expressions that come out of this are styles that too closely resemble (intentionally or not) actual cultural and ethnic hairstyles,” she told Burnaby Now.
Leftist activists have been trying to purge words like “crazy” and “wacky” for sometime now, suggesting that words discriminate against people with mental illnesses.
While the school district claims that banning crazy hair days was the right decision, other educators do not agree.
One anonymous elementary school teacher told Burnaby Now that the themed day was appreciated and increased comradery. She said the decision to ban the day is an example of top-down overreach by the district.
“There’s just been so much cancel culture, and that’s not the society I want to live in,” she said.
“I want to live in a society where we can have debates and we can be in disagreement and we can find common ground without necessarily chucking the baby out with the bath water.”
It’s not enough that Conservative leader Erin O’Toole is expressly pro-choice, the mainstream media doesn’t want a single pro-life politician in Canada. Conservative member of parliament Cathay Wagantall has introduced a private member’s bill banning sex-selective abortion. In response, a Globe and Mail columnist said social conservatives continue to emit a “stench” in the Conservative party, extending Peter MacKay’s metaphor that social conservatives are a “stinking albatross” in conservative politics.
True North’s Andrew Lawton explains how the elites have crafted a narrative around these issues that simply doesn’t align with how ordinary Canadians view them.
Watch the latest episode of The Andrew Lawton Show.
Canadians should not fear speaking out about COVID-19 failures and must reject censorship of opinions that go against the official narrative, MP Pierre Poilevre says.
Responding to an audience question on a Canada Strong and Free Network panel, the Conservative firebrand told Canadians to “speak up” to affect change.
“Don’t be silenced. We’ve all heard about herd immunity, well there’s an attempt to drive ‘herd consensus’ and to prevent anyone who has a contrary point of view from stating it out loud,” Poilievre said. “Those who are confident in the factual underpinnings of their position should not fear debate, they should welcome it and the people in the community should speak up when they hear things that don’t make any sense to them.”
Poilievre added people should “not be afraid” of discourse.
“We have a good debate and thrash these issues out based on facts. And not based on a manufactured consensus that silences anyone who disagrees and puts on a pedestal those in authority who have consistently stated what everyone now agrees to be false information,” he said.
The Apr. 21 event, titled “When Politicians Panic: A Look at COVID Management – What’s Working, What’s Not Working and Alternatives Moving Forward,” also featured US Congressman Ralph Norman, Toronto Sun journalist Anthony Furey, Dr. Richard Audas, Dr. Matt Strauss and Lt. Col. David Redman.
Poilievre also went on to slam the Trudeau government for failing Canadians during the pandemic on several fronts including dismissing early calls to close the Canadian border as “racist.”
In a Feb. 2, 2020 statement, the Prime Minister’s Office emphasized Trudeau’s commitment to “combatting fear, stigma, and racism” as the government weighed COVID prevention measures.
“When people suggested the borders should close, he just called them racist. Finally, he agreed they were right, so he then closed the borders too late,” said Poilievre.
Early on in the pandemic, officials within the Trudeau government repeatedly advocated against border closures while then-US President Donald Trump implemented several travel restrictions in his country.
Police in Ontario say the province has given them the power to ID anyone gathering in public – even if they are children.
“If [police] see something like that going on,” Peel Regional Police spokeswoman Const. Danny Marttini said of gatherings, “they would ask to identify all parties that are participating.”
Marttini’s statement comes as Peel police investigate an incident involving an Ontario Provincial Police officer in Gravenhurst, Ont.
A viral video shows an OPP officer pushing a young boy on a scooter to the ground in a skate park, days after the Ontario government shut down most outdoor recreational areas.
In the video, someone says the officer was demanding identification, also saying the pushed boy was only 12 years old.
“Generally speaking, the idea is to treat everybody the same that will engage, explain what should be going on, and then hopefully educate and then that should take care of it.”
Marttini did not comment on if the officers in the videos actually asked the child for ID.
Ontarians must be 16 years of age to qualify for a provincial photo identification card.
The video went viral on social media, receiving thousands of views and shares across various social media platforms.
At the request of OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique, Peel Regional Police have begun an investigation into the incident, with the officer in the video being transferred to administrative duties for the time being.
According to police, the children at the skate park were not wearing masks or socially distancing.
Last week, the Ford government introduced extensive new restrictions and new powers for law enforcement.
One of those powers was the ability to stop and question people who are outside of their residence, a power that was quickly rescinded after almost all police forces in the province refused to use it.
US Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-D) rose in the House of Representatives on Tuesday to call for a safe plan to re-open the Canada-US border.
Higgins made the statement on the same day that both governments announced that they would be extending the border closure until May 21.
The Canada-US border, which is the largest international land crossing in the world, has been closed since March 2020.
“It has been 395 days since the United States-Canadian border closed, and the closure was just extended another 30 days. Families on both sides of the border have been torn apart. People who love each other, parents, and grandchildren are unable to see each other,” said Higgins.
“Vaccinated citizens of both countries significantly lower the risk of getting COVID and wearing face masks significantly lowers the risk of giving COVID. We need a plan to open the U.S.-Canadian border with vaccines, face masks, and good physical distancing. We can do so safely and successfully.”
True North reached out to Public Safety Canada, which oversees Canada’s Border Services Agency to ask whether any re-opening plan has been drafted but did not receive a reply at the time of this article’s publication.
In a tweet on Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said that the government would continue to do “whatever it can” to keep Canadians safe from COVID-19.
According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the federal government is looking at other options to limit travel, including the UK’s decision to ban flights from India.
“We have been very firm and vigilant on these measures, but of course, as I always say, we are continuing to look at more and I have asked our officials to look carefully at for example what the U.K. has done very recently suspending flights from India,” said Trudeau.
Critics have accused the Trudeau government of botching Canada’s vaccination plan and in turn threatening the country’s ability to re-open while other countries like the US are surging ahead in terms of vaccinations.
“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.
