Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has promised a referendum on equalization, but Alberta independence activists say there are more challenges than simply equalization payments that are driving westerners to feel more and more alienated from Canada. Alberta Economic Education Association chairman Danny Hozack says the referendum should be broadened to truly send a message to Ottawa about how Albertans feel about their place in confederation.
This interview was part of a special edition of The Andrew Lawton Show about western alienation. Watch the full episode here.
The historic “Holy Roller” tank in London, Ont.’s Victoria Park was vandalized with a profane anti-war message Friday night.
Images posted to social media Saturday show the Second World War Sherman tank covered in spray paint, including a peace sign and the words “F–k war.”
Retired Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Haley, who heads the Holy Roller Memorial Preservation Project, says he’s disappointed to see people disrespect the memorial to London’s veterans.
“A lot of good people died so that people can demonstrate their opinion but they should take it out on the government, not on the veterans,” Haley told CTV London.
The Holy Roller is one of only two surviving Canadian tanks from the Allied forces’ D-Day landings.
The Holy Roller, manufactured by General Motors in Flint, Mich., landed on Juno Beach on June 6, 1944 with the London-based 1st Hussars regiment, and stayed in use until the war ended, participating in the liberations of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Last year, a London brewery launched the Holy Roller Memorial Preservation Project to have the aging historic tank repaired and restored. The accompanying fundraising campaign has raised over $95,000 of its $250,000 goal.
Haley said the plans will continue, but noted the restored tank will need to be protected against further vandalism.
“When it comes back after it’s been preserved and restored, then we’ll make sure that it’s got appropriate safety measures around it,” he said.
A Toronto restaurant has sent Premier Doug Ford a bill for $431.55 for beer that will be spoiled because of Ontario’s third lockdown.
Antler Kitchen and Bar on Dundas St. sent Ford the invoice and a letter expressing offense that he abruptly barred patio dining in Ontario right before the Easter long weekend, a mere two weeks after allowing it in Toronto.
“Two weeks ago, you assured Toronto restaurateurs that we were safe to open our outdoor spaces to our diners,” wrote owners Michael Hunter and Jody Shapiro.
“Having been locked down for over 100 days in Toronto, and competing with restaurants open for indoor dining just outside the city, we followed all the proper protocols and jumped at the chance to open. It was a path for our business to survive.”
As of Saturday, Ontario triggered a provincewide “emergency brake.” Under this modified lockdown – which the government is calling a “shutdown” – indoor and outdoor dining are prohibited, as are indoor gatherings. Stricter limits have also been put on businesses and religious services.
Hunter and Shapiro note their business has had to deal with constantly changing restrictions and multiple lockdowns, accusing the Ford government of not respecting businesses.
“You say you care about Toronto’s restaurants. And we know you care about beer. So we’re sending an invoice to you for two kegs worth of beer that will spoil because of this shut down,” Hunter and Shapiro wrote.
“We’re literally hiring, paying, and then laying off the same employees during the same payroll period.”
According to one recent survey, 51% of Canadian businesses are concerned they will not survive the financial hardships caused by the pandemic and lockdowns.
The Ford government has been previously slammed by businesses for escalating restrictions and shifting the goalposts on coronavirus statistics.
Many healthcare professionals agree that having an active and physical lifestyle, taking Vitamin D and other lifestyle choices can lessen the chance of a serious outcome if infected with COVID-19. In fact, the UK government sent its citizens free vitamin D supplements.
Meanwhile, public officials in Canada have never discussed these lifestyle choices. As a result, many Canadians are unaware and unprepared for COVID-19.
Growing alienation in the west is leading to an increase in the push for independence in Alberta. People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier says Alberta can learn from Quebec’s experience however, and assert independence through reclaiming programs that the federal government currently controls, such as pension plan and policing.
This interview was part of a special edition of The Andrew Lawton Show about western alienation.Watch the full episode here.
A new study comparing federal spending by past governments reveals that in the past year, the Trudeau government has spent nearly double what the Canadian government did during World War II.
“In 2020/21, the federal government spent the largest amount of money per person (adjusted for inflation) in Canadian history by a wide margin. Indeed, per-person program spending will reach a projected $17,091 (in real 2021 dollars), which is approximately double the amount spent during the 2009 recession and at the peak of the Second World War,” wrote study authors Jake Fuss and Nathaniel Li.
“By 2018, federal per-person spending had grown to $9,061, which was the highest amount in Canadian history up to that point. Per-person spending set a new record again the following year, rising to $9,500. This means the Trudeau government increased real per-person federal government spending by nearly 18% during its first term in office, and before any recession.”
Despite the large spending commitments, the Fraser Institute notes that the Canadian economy saw “weak performance” under Trudeau’s leadership.
“Clearly, larger government is not always associated with improved outcomes. The Trudeau government must consider these negative economic consequences before it cultivates an even greater role for itself in coming years with new programs such as national daycare, national pharmacare and expanded infrastructure,” the study claimed.
“Current projections (which do not include these potential new programs) already indicate federal program spending in 2021 will reach $11,370 per person—or 18.7% of the economy—which is considerably higher than the size of government in 2019, the year before the pandemic.”
Recent estimates by the Parliamentary Budget Officer reveal that the federal deficit is expected to balloon to $363.4 billion for the 2020-2021 period. The figures would plunge Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio to its highest point in over fifty years.
True North’s Lindsay Shepherd just released her highly anticipated book — Diversity and Exclusion: Confronting the Campus Free Speech Crisis.
True North’s Candice Malcolm sits down with Lindsay Shepherd to discuss Lindsay’s tell-all book, her experience at Wilfried Laurier University and how she overcame university censorship.
Toronto-area Liberal MP Adam Vaughan disputed the fact that only 1.75% of Canadians have received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and accused Conservative Senator Linda Frum of “making up numbers” despite Frum sourcing an official Government of Canada database.
Fewer than 2% of Canadians are fully vaccinated against Covid. Doesn’t stop Liberals from doing a victory lap …. https://t.co/CatLXiGuVu
In response to Frum’s tweet claiming that less “than 2% of Canadians” have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Vaughan made several accusatory statements specifically targeting the senator and Conservative Party at large.
“Ahh..check this..first your party says a billion people around the world will be vaccinated before any Cdn is..now you’re making up numbers about how many Cdns have got it..we’re not running out of doses.. [The Conservative Party] is running out nonsense [sic] to spew..what’s next an anti-vax campaign?” tweeted Vaughan on Thursday.
One of Vaughan’s central claims is the accusation that Frum was “making up numbers” regarding how many Canadians have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
A True North fact check found Vaughan’s claim to be false – Frum relied on and sourced verified data that Vaughan’s own government published.
As indicated by Frum in a followup tweet, the information she was referencing were found on the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination information hub.
“What? I am ‘making up numbers?!’ Here is the Government of Canada database that says only 1.75% of Canadians have received 2 doses. Canadians waiting on doses aren’t fooled by your disinformation. 86% of us haven’t even had 1 dose yet,” tweeted Frum.
Clearly displayed on the website under the “key updates” section is the statement that “1.75% of the population has received two doses” which substantiates Frum’s earlier claim that less than 2% of Canadians have been fully vaccinated.
As noted, the weekly vaccination report was the result of a collaboration between provincial and territorial governments and the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network’s Canadian Immunization Registries and Coverage Network.
By casting doubt on the validity of official coronavirus data, True North found that Vaughan contributed to the atmosphere of misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.
Fox News personality Tucker Carlson compared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini during a Wednesday night segment, taking aim at the Liberal government’s policy of forcing Canadians who travel abroad to quarantine in government facilities.
“Canada, took a dramatic move towards legitimately dangerous authoritarianism,” said Carlson.
“Trudeau’s internment policy has been in place since last month and as far as we can tell no major US network has even mentioned it, and neither has our State Department which ordinarily seems to exist to make unhappy noises about human rights violations around the world but not a word about Canada.”
The program focused largely on a tweet by Trudeau where he announced that it was “not optional” for travellers to quarantine in government facilities should their coronavirus tests come back positive.
“If your results come back negative for COVID-19, you’ll be able to head home and finish your mandatory quarantine there. If your test results come back positive, you’ll need to immediately quarantine in designated government facilities. This is not optional,” tweeted Trudeau.
Carlson also made mention of Conservative Party MP Michelle Rempel who criticized the government’s handling of the federal quarantine program after two women were sexually assaulted while under government supervision.
Following reports of the sexual assault, Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that the mandatory hotel quarantine was meant to “protect Canadians.”
“Suddenly Canada is a flagrant violator of the most basic human rights. Fail a COVID test and they will lock you up without trial. And go ahead and try to disobey, according to the Canadian government, anyone who attempts to avoid these rules (detention in a government internment facility for example) could face a million dollar fine and three years in prison,” said Carlson.
“This is Justin Trudeau’s Canada. It’s funny – Trudeau always seemed like a cheerful idiot: wearing weird costumes and yammering on about diversity. Who knew he was Mussolini?”
During a House of Commons public safety committee in March, the federal government admitted that it relied upon “incomplete data” regarding the effectiveness of mandatory hotel quarantines as opposed to at-home quarantines.
“I will just say this, the data is incomplete internationally. We are as a world trying to figure out what the best approach is to prevent the importation of COVID-19, the combination of quarantine and testing and it is under study,” Hajdu said on March 10.
The federal NDP are set to debate whether or not to phase out the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) at their upcoming 2021 convention.
The policy resolution titled “Elimination of the Canadian Armed Forces” was submitted by the party’s Spadina-Fort York Electoral District Association (EDA).
It claims that “in a world with a globalized economy traditional militaries are becoming increasingly unnecessary” and points to other countries like Costa Rica and Iceland which have allegedly “abolished their armies.”
“An NDP government will commit to phasing out the Canadian Armed Forces,” the policy resolution states. “All members of the Canadian Armed Forces will be retrained, at the expense of the federal government, into civil service roles that help expand Canadian, provincial and municipal social services, such as expanded health care, education, community services, public transit and parks.”
The policy also makes provisions for members of the CAF to continue receiving their full salaries and benefits until they take on their new proposed role in the civil service.
The NDP policy convention is set to take place from April 9-11. According to convention rules, any party member can write a resolution and submit it to their EDA for consideration. All resolutions are submitted to the convention by EDA Presidents upon which they get debated and voted on by all NDP members.
Critics have accused the NDP of propping up the Liberal government which currently holds a minority position in the House of Commons.
Recently, the NDP revealed that it had repaid a multimillion-dollar debt it had accumulated during the 2019 federal election. The party was able to scrounge together $7.7 million to repay the loans despite the fact that fundraising has been slow through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other policy resolutions to be debated at the convention include a motion to remove all Sir John A Macdonald statues from public spaces, abolishing Canada’s monarchy and pulling Canada out of NATO.
True North reached out to the NDP for comment on the resolution but did not hear back by the time this article was published.
