Chrystia Freeland refers to COVID-19 as a “political opportunity” in viral clip

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Chrystia Freeland refers to COVID-19 as a “political opportunity” in viral clip

A short clip circulating online shows Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland saying the COVID-19 pandemic has created a “political opportunity.” 

“I really believe COVID has created a window of political opportunity and maybe an epiphany,” Freeland says in the 11-second video, posted by an anonymous Twitter account.

The clip has since been viewed over 200,000 times and has received over 2,000 retweets. 

Freeland’s office did not respond to True North’s request for a transcript of her full remarks or details about the context of them, but a CBC News reporter said the comments were made in the context of a discussion on early learning and child care.

Freeland’s language mimics a previous statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touting the “opportunity for a reset” that the pandemic provided governments.

“This pandemic has provided an opportunity for a reset. This is our chance to accelerate our pre-pandemic efforts to reimagine economic systems..” said Trudeau.

As reported by True North fellow Andrew Lawton, Freeland also attended a “Great Reset Initiative” launch at the World Economic Forum in January alongside Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu. 

“The time to rebuild trust and to make crucial choices is fast approaching as the need to reset priorities and the urgency to reform systems grow stronger around the world,” the World Economic Forum said at the time.

Critics have accused the Liberals of politicizing the pandemic and resulting economic consequences in order to push through long held Liberal positions on climate change and other issues. 

One January 30th panel discussion featuring National Post columnist Rex Murphy and Toronto Sun journalist Anthony Furey dissected the Trudeau government’s “Great Reset” agenda. 

“To me the Great Reset, the big problem with it is that it’s ignoring the key lessons of the 20th century while simultaneously seeking to erase the gains of that century. The phrase the ‘Great Reset,’ good heavens, it sounds like Mao’s Great Leap Forward. It sounds like those five year planning things that Stalin came up with and those didn’t end too well,” said Furey.

“What facts…does Justin Trudeau dispute?“: CNN’s Jake Tapper hits back at Trudeau

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“What facts…does Justin Trudeau dispute?“: CNN’s Jake Tapper hits back at Trudeau

CNN host Jake Tapper slammed Justin Trudeau on Twitter after the prime minister accused the US network of not factually representing Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination response in the House of Commons on Tuesday. 

At the centre of the dispute was a Monday evening segment on CNN’s The Lead which dug into Trudeau’s failure to acquire enough vaccines in a timely fashion while the country undergoes a third wave of COVID-19.

“This is a problem where you have to rewind decades to really get to the heart of this problem but that doesn’t let the Trudeau government off the hook. They’ve been in power for more than five years, they heard the dire predictions,” CNN anchor Paula Newton told Tapper. 

“This country for decades had a competitive advantage in making vaccines, the research was right here. Look, Canadians will now pay for that complacency.”

During a question period exchange with Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole, the prime minister was asked whether his handling of Canada’s vaccination campaign was contributing to the ongoing third wave of the virus.  

“The prime minister made CNN last night – the headline ‘Canada’s vaccine shortage.’ Jake Tapper told viewers around the world that the Canadian government had failed. Will the prime minister admit that his failure to secure sufficient vaccines is leading to a catastrophic third wave?” asked O’Toole.

“It’s important that we stay grounded in the facts in this conversation. Canada is actually third in the G20 in terms of vaccines delivered to people and were going to continue to work even harder to get more vaccines into Canada and into arms as quickly as possible,” replied Trudeau.

“That’s what this government’s focus is. At the same time we are supporting the provinces, the families and business owners so that we can do the restrictions necessary to get people through this third wave. We need to get people vaccinated and we need to get the caseloads down before we start easing restrictions and that’s what we’re focused on.”

Soon after the exchange, Tapper responded on Twitter demanding that the prime minister clarify what part of the CNN report he disputed. 

Critics of the Trudeau Liberals have accused them of botching Canada’s vaccination rollout after significant delays in vaccine shipments and the Trudeau government’s decision to partner with China on the botched CanSino vaccination deal. 

Currently, Canada ranks 32nd globally in the share of people who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Several countries including Barbados, Uruguay and Serbia rank higher than Canada on the list. 

Trudeau defends government’s vaccine rollout

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Trudeau defends government’s vaccine rollout

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government made no mistakes in procuring and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. 

At a press conference on Tuesday, Trudeau was asked if, in hindsight, there was anything the government could have done better. Despite Canada’s vaccination rates far below many countries, Trudeau said he has no regrets. 

“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 Tuesday.

“In general, the vaccines have been arriving in Canada in steadily increasing numbers.”

As many countries were developing vaccines in 2020, the Trudeau government only pre-ordered vaccines from CanSino Biologics, a Chinese firm connected to the Chinese Communist Party. China would later block vaccine shipments to Canada.

Once vaccines started arriving in Canada, shipments were small and Pfizer temporarily stopped shipping to Canada in January. With no domestic production, Canada has been at the mercy of governments like that of the European Union, which has restricted exports to meet its own domestic needs.

Canada currently ranks 45th in terms of vaccinations, with the United States and most of Europe well ahead.

Trudeau added that he does not believe high vaccination rates will guarantee an end to lockdowns.

“I think it’s important to remember that vaccination alone, even being well advanced in vaccinations, doesn’t necessarily lead to an ability to ease public restrictions.” 

Vilifying the Normals

Andrew Lawton
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Vilifying the Normals

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Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says that while not all gun rights advocates are extremists, all extremists are gun rights advocates, yet again vilifying Canada’s lawful gun owners by association. True North’s Andrew Lawton talks about this, plus lays out a prediction vaccine passports are inevitable, even if they fly in the face of personal liberty.

Also, Rebel News’ Ezra Levant joins to explain what went down during Rebel’s showdown with Montreal police on the weekend.

Tourism industry slams quarantine hotels, border closures

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Tourism industry slams quarantine hotels, border closures

The head of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) says the Trudeau government’s quarantine hotels and travel restrictions are not fair or effective.

Speaking at a tourism industry conference, TIAC CEO Beth Potter said restrictions on travel are crushing their industry, meanwhile Canadians are not better protected from COVID-19.

“Countries around the world have amended their approach to quarantine using evidence-based data that supports reduced quarantine and an increased testing regime as a more effective way to protect populations,” she said. 

“We believe Canada needs to rethink quarantine rules and invest in rapid testing and contact tracing.”

Along with 14 days of isolation, people entering Canada are also forced to pay up to $2,000 per person to stay in government-approved hotels. The immense cost and hotel horror stories have discouraged many would-be travellers.

Potter says there are much better ways to ensure travellers do not spread the coronavirus. Many countries have already reopened for foreign tourists.

The tourism industry is among the hardest hit by the pandemic. In 2019, tourism brought in $104.9 billion and was the single largest employer of Canadian youth. Tourism sector workers are twice as likely to be unemployed in 2021.

Potter also says limits on interprovincial and international travel have gone on for too long. TIAC is asking the Trudeau government to set a tentative date to reopen the Canada-U.S. border.

“Tourism stakeholders have a shared commitment on keeping Canadians safe. We are asking the federal government for a plan or conditions for reopening interprovincial and international borders. It is important for our members to have time to plan, to prepare for reopening, to ramp up operations, to hire back staff, and to communicate with their clients.”

“Uncertainty is not a plan that ensures a successful recovery.”

MPs refuse to show support for politician salary reduction during pandemic

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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MPs refuse to show support for politician salary reduction during pandemic

The vast majority of Members of Parliament were unresponsive when asked whether or not they would support a salary reduction for politicians until the economy is fully reopened. 

At the height of the pandemic, True North Initiative put out a petition calling for MPs to take a salary reduction while many Canadians are forced to adhere to government-imposed lockdowns. The petition has since been signed by over 20,000 Canadians.

“Shutting down restaurants, gyms and other businesses takes aim at working-aged Canadians and ignores everything we have learned about COVID-19 in the last few months,” reads the petition. 

“If politicians continue to insist on more lockdown measures, they should also feel the economic impact of their decisions. We’re calling on all Canadian politicians to take a pay cut until they fully reopen the economy. It’s only fair.”

True North reached out to all 338 members of parliament to ask whether they would individually support a cut to their pay in support of the many Canadians who continue to struggle to make ends meet. Only two elected officials responded to our request for comment. 

“This question really needs to be answered by the Trudeau Liberals. Canada’s Conservatives are, and will remain, focused on ensuring Canada’s recovery and securing the future,” said Conservative MP and Chief Opposition Whip Blake Richards.

Several requests for comment from NDP MP Peter Julian went unanswered despite attempts to arrange a phone interview through his office. 

Meanwhile, Liberal MP Wayne Easter responded by saying that he would “not at all” support a pay reduction for politicians. 

“In fact in my experience most politicians and their staffs have worked even longer and tougher hours during the pandemic to put together new programs in record time and support constituents with their issues and questions. I’ve been averaging about 11-12 hours days for a full year now, and often am in the office or on Zooms till near midnight,” Easter told True North. 

“I also believe in life you get what you pay for. If we’re going to be cheap with our politicians and government, we’re going to get crappy politicians and governments. Something as important as our democracy shouldn’t be short-changed.”

Easter also pointed out that if all MPs took a $20,000 pay cut, the nearly $7 million saved would be “nothing other than virtue signaling” since it would total only 87 cents per Canadians if individually broken up among the population. 

Earlier this month, all MPs received an annual pay bump to their salaries totaling a 1.8% increase. 

In 2021, MPs received a salary of $182,000 while cabinet ministers got $269,800. As for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his pay increased by around $6,400 to a total of $365,200 a year. 

Five priests, two nuns kidnapped in Haiti

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Five priests, two nuns kidnapped in Haiti

Five Roman Catholic priests and two nuns have been kidnapped in Haiti and are currently held for a US$1 million ransom.

According to Father Loudger Mazile of Haiti’s Conference of Bishops, the seven clergy and three laypeople were travelling through a Port-au-Prince suburb “on their way to the installation of a new parish priest.”

Authorities believe the kidnappers were part of the “400 Mawozo” gang, which has taken control of that neighbourhood in recent months.

Gang violence in Haiti has become a national crisis, with the government declaring a state of emergency in March in an attempt to retake communities.

In a statement, the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince condemned both the violence and the political class which has allowed public safety to collapse.

“For some time now, we have been witnessing the descent into hell of Haitian society,” the Archdiocese said.

“The public authorities who are doing nothing to resolve this crisis are not immune from suspicion. We denounce complacency and complicity wherever it comes from.”

Two of the kidnapped individuals, a priest and a nun, are French citizens. France’s foreign ministry say they are working with the Haitian government to see the release of the clergy.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. While the majority of the country is Christian, no one has been spared from the rise in violence. Earlier in April, a Haitian pastor was kidnapped during a service and held for ransom.

“This is too much. The time has come for these inhuman acts to stop,” Bishop Pierre-André Dumas told AFP.

“The Church prays and stands in solidarity with all the victims of this heinous act.”

FUREY: The troubling ideology of “COVID-zero” activists

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FUREY: The troubling ideology of “COVID-zero” activists

Most medical experts agree that COVID-19 will be an endemic illness, meaning it will be around for quite a long time.

But that hasn’t stopped “COVID-zero” activists from pushing for more lockdown restrictions in order to suppress the virus. What sort of harm to society and the economy would this cause in order to get to zero cases?

Anthony Furey discusses in his latest video.

Guilbeault says online hate bill could have “nuclear” option blocking access to sites

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Liberal Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said regulations on online hate speech could “theoretically” include the ability for the government to block access to non-compliant websites.

Guilbeault said this during a virtual panel on online harms hosted by the Liberal-connected group Canada 2020.

Guilbeault said the government would create a “new body” to oversee enforcing any incoming internet regulation, with the potential for the proposed regulator to use “blocking orders” to deny Canadians access to websites that do not comply with government content rules.

“Could we envision having blocking orders? Maybe. It would likely be a last resort, a nuclear bomb in a toolbox of mechanisms for a regulator,” said Guilbeault. “It’s pretty extreme, but theoretically it is a tool that is out there and could potentially be used. But really no decisions have been made on that. This is something you would see as part of the regulations most likely.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has tasked Guilbeault with crafting several pieces of legislation including a revamping of Canada’s Broadcasting Act and a new regulatory system meant to address online hate, disinformation and misinformation. 

In his mandate letter to Guilbeault, Trudeau directed the minister to treat online hate speech regulation as a top priority for his term.

While the promised bill has not yet been tabled, Guilbeault has said it will define hate based on the Supreme Court of Canada’s Whatcott decision, which found even truthful statements can be classified as hate speech depending on the utterer’s intent.

Earlier in the Canada 2020 discussion, Guilbeault drew attention to general concerns about abusive content directed at politicians and their families.

“We have seen too many examples of public officials retreating from public service due to the hateful online content targeted towards themselves or even their families,” said Guilbeault during an opening statement. 

“I have seen first hand alongside other Canadians the damaging effects harmful content has on our families, our values and our institutions. As a dad and a stepdad to six kids, I know more can and should be done to create a safer online environment.”

Global Muslim organization dedicated solely to fighting anti-Semitism launches

Sam Eskenasi
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Global Muslim organization dedicated solely to fighting anti-Semitism launches

On April 7th, the Council of Muslims Against anti-Semitism (CMAA) held its inaugural event marking Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

Based in Toronto, Canada, the organization states that it is seeking to partner with Muslim thinkers, professionals and activists from around the world who are committed to fighting anti-Semitism in all its forms. 

“We deliberately chose to launch our organization on Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day, known in Israel as Yom HaShoah, as opposed to the UN-designated international holocaust remembrance day on Jan 22,” said Raheel Raza, President of the Council of Muslims Against anti-Semitism. “We are doing so to make a point as loudly and clearly as possible.”

“This anti-Semitic demonization of the Jewish state is a common and central theme in contemporary extreme left, extreme right and Islamist [groups.]”

The CMAA has also differentiated itself from other Muslim organizations by not only adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism but by stating forcefully that attempts to diminish or undermine the definition serve only to promote, rather than combat anti-Semitism. 

When asked what role Canada could play in combatting anti-Semitism globally in the Muslim world, Raza told True North that “Canada holds a great place of prominence in most of the Muslim world. They also give a lot of aid to Muslim majority countries so if the government has combatting anti-Semitism on its agenda they can play a critical role in this field.”

Raza was also hopeful that in the coming years more non-Arab Muslim States would recognize Israel “especially if Saudi Arabia does,” and that this is where change would come. 

The CMAA steering committe member and founder of the Muslim Women Speakers Movement Soraya Deen echoed Raza’s statements. 

“anti-Semitism is a pandemic that has been raging for many years, unfortunately we have no vaccine that can cure it,” said Deen.

“anti-Semitic incitement in the mosques in America must be a cause for concern…Radical imams and certain community members are spewing anti-Semitism in the US.”

Other CMAA Steering Committee members included Rimmel Khan, Sohail Raza and Salman Sima. Its advisory board includes the President and Founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy Dr. Zuhdi Jasser and former Pakistani Diplomat Naeem Hassan, among others.

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