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Sunday, May 18, 2025

Canada will lose 200,000 jobs because of carbon tax: report

By
True North Wire
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A new report from the Fraser Institute suggests Canada will face serious economic consequences should the carbon tax rise to the planned $170 per tonne by 2030.

Researchers estimated that both GDP and employment will be significantly lower by 2030 because of the carbon tax, with the total economic loss amounting to $44.1 billion.

“Real GDP could decline by about 2.1% compared to the case without the tax, and the economy will lose approximately 200,000 jobs. Also real household consumption will decline in every province even after taking account of the rebates, which highlights the challenge the federal government will face in achieving their goal that most Canadians will be made better off by the plan,” the report says.

“It is noteworthy that increases in energy costs fall disproportionately more heavily on lower-income households.”

The report conflicts with the Trudeau government’s position that carbon tax policies will make Canada better off.

In December, Trudeau announced the carbon tax will increase by $15 a year until it reaches $170 paper tonne in 2030. The government claims that the hike along with other expensive programs are required to meet the greenhouse gas reduction target in the Paris climate agreement.

Researchers note the Trudeau government’s plan to issue rebates to Canadians will likely increase the federal deficit. The carbon tax, by punishing consumption and economic activity, will shrink the tax base and offset any carbon tax revenues.

“If the federal government aims to refund most of the proceeds of carbon charges to households while keeping other spending and tax rates unchanged, the net effect will be an increase in the government deficit,” the report says.

The Fraser Institute and other experts have determined the carbon tax is not sufficient to meet the Paris agreement. Even if Canada met its Paris targets, the total effect on global greenhouse gas levels would be minuscule.

Michigan governor snubbed Canadian ambassador over Line 5 meeting: Enbridge VP

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer recently refused to meet with Canada’s Ambassador to the US Kristen Hillman over an ongoing dispute centred on the cross-border Enbridge Line 5 pipeline.

At the heart of the dispute is a decision by Gov. Whitmer to revoke an easement on the pipeline giving it permission to enter the state from Western Canada citing environmental concerns. While operating, Line 5 carries 540,000 barrels of oil and other resources between Sarnia, Ontario and Superior, Wisconsin. 

Parliamentarians at the Special Committee on the Economic Relationships between Canada and the US were told on Tuesday by the Executive VP and President of Enbridge Inc. Liquid Pipelines Vern Yu that the governor had snubbed the ambassadors’ repeated efforts for dialogue.  

“There’s one thing that I did read from Ambassador Hillman who’s been trying to negotiate and she was in discussion between Michigan and the governor and she said her discussions had broken down, can you shed any light on that?” asked Conservative MP and committee member Marilyn Gladu.

“I believe Ambassador Hillman had tried to open a channel for dialogue with the governor and I believe my understanding is that the governor was not open to having any dialogue,” Yu replied. 

Earlier in March, Liberal Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O’Regan told the committee that his government will fight for the project considering the potential devastating energy impacts to both Canada and the US should the pipeline be cancelled. 

“We are fighting for Line 5 on every front and we are confident in that fight. The operation of Line 5 is non negotiable,” said O’Regan at the time.

Following US President Joe Biden’s decision to revoke permits for the Keystone XL pipeline earlier this year, critics have accused the federal government of not doing enough to stand up for Canadian energy. 

Since the cancellation, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has urged the federal government to level retaliatory tariffs against the US government in the same way they had done so during the dispute over aluminum with former president Donald Trump. 

On the impact of a closure to the pipeline, Yu warned that the pipeline’s cancellation could actually harm the environment further through increased shipping and that it would impact the price of goods for both countries. 

“The stakes could not be higher,” said Yu.  

“Line 5 is not just a pipeline, it’s an economic lifeline for both Canada and the US. A disruption would impede the energy that’s needed to run our economies, it would cause energy shortages and significantly impact the price of gasoline, diesel, propane, jet fuel, plastics and chemicals. Closure threatens thousands of good paying jobs across both countries.” 

Recall and WEcall

By
Andrew Lawton
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The Alberta government has introduced a voter recall bill that would allow Albertans to fire their municipal and provincial representatives between elections, a move trumpeted by Premier Jason Kenney as a win for grassroots democracy. True North’s Andrew Lawton talks about this and breaks down WE Charity’s and the Kielburger brothers’ attempt to throw Justin Trudeau under the bus after Trudeau did the same to them.

Also, RightNow co-founder Scott Hayward joins the show to discuss the pro-life movement’s place in the conservative movement and at this weekend’s Conservative convention.

Anarchist groups march in Montreal to abolish the police

By
True North Wire
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Over one hundred anarchist and Antifa-affiliated groups marched in Montreal’s Metro Parc on Monday calling for an end to the police. 

The march was organized by the group Collective Opposed to Police Brutality (COBP), who allege that abolition of the police is the only effective way to combat police violence. 

“COBP reiterates that this solution, which may seem radical if we stop at this slogan alone, is the only possible solution to curb the systemic violence of the state against vulnerable or marginalized people,” wrote the group in  a press release following the march. 

COBP’s website claims the group has been operating since 1995 and this year’s march was the 25th annual rendition of the event. 

According to media reports immediately following the protest, police were unable to verify whether they had laid any charges or made arrests at the event. 

As reported on by True North, the anarchist-affiliated COBP took part in a similar masked march through downtown Montreal last year on March 15th. 

As a result of the protest, two people were arrested on scene for uttering threats and causing mischief. 

To advertise the event, COBP posters were shared on far-left platforms like Montreal Counter-Information. 

As exclusively reported on by True North, Montreal Counter-Information has been responsible for publishing guides during the national rail blockade crisis on how to create Molotov cocktails and other means of sabotaging national infrastructure.

Last year, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) classified “anarchist violence” as an example of “ideologically motivated violent extremism” alongside ethno-nationalist violence, anti-LGBTQ violence and the incel movement. 

“Anti-authority violence is defined as the opposition to, or rejection of, the authority of the State which leads to anti-Government and violence against law enforcement,” wrote CSIS.

25% of Conservative convention delegates connected pro-life group

By
True North Wire
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Prominent pro-life organization RightNow says at least one-quarter of the delegates for this week’s Conservative Party of Canada policy convention are from its ranks.

“There’s about 4,000 delegates attending this convention, and from our analysis within our database, about one out of every four of those delegates comes from our RightNow database. That’s a huge, huge number,” RightNow co-founder Scott Hayward said on True North’s The Andrew Lawton Show.

Hayward said this strong showing demonstrates how significant the social conservative contingent of the Conservative party’s membership is.

“We have 25% of the delegates being from RightNow and there are other pro-life organizations are getting delegates there. There are people within the party who are attending the convention who might not be in any of the databases, who are just naturally pro-life,” Hayward said. “So I would say, in terms of the delegates at this convention, probably well over half right across the country are somewhere on the pro-life spectrum.”

The virtual policy convention takes place from Thursday to Saturday and allows delegates to vote on a range of proposals, which, if passed, will become official party policy. The proposals were initiated by local riding associations across the country.

Despite the efforts of pro-life groups, no policies concerning abortion made it onto the list of 34 proposals up for voting. Though this is not because of a lack of pro-life members, but rather a lack of pro-life representation on EDAs, Hayward said.

For RightNow, whose goal is to increase pro-life participation in politics, the number of pro-life delegates shows social conservatives are a strong force within the Conservative Party.

“If you look at the number of candidates who had won the nominations for the 2019 election, the number of pro-lifers who were elected for the Conservative Party of Canada among the new members of parliament. The last two leadership races even,” Hayward said.

“I don’t think we’re a smaller share of the party. I think, if anything, we’re actually a growing share of the party.”

Sarnia gym fined for disobeying regional lockdown

By
True North Wire
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A gym in Sarnia has been fined after it decided to open its doors in opposition to the region’s new lockdown restrictions.

On Monday morning, Sarnia police and bylaw officers entered Sharky’s Athletic Club which opened that day despite the region’s new grey level lockdown.

According to owners Bill and Cindy Van Hoogenhuize, they were handed a fine of $1,000.

For regions in the grey zone in Ontario, indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities are forced to close. For Sharky’s, this will be the third time they have had to shut their doors because of lockdowns.

In a video posted by Sharky’s on Instagram, officers let themselves into the gym by climbing over the security gate.

Cindy Van Hoogenhuize had previously told the media they planned to open despite Lambton Region’s lockdown upgrade. She is currently battling terminal cancer and relies on Sharky’s for her family’s income as well as her own mental health.

“We can’t do lockdowns anymore,” she said. “They’re going to keep doing them until we can’t reopen and we’re not going to do that.”

“The comments on our Facebook page tell us that they’re all behind us.” 

In a statement, Lambton County Medical Officer of Health Dr. Sudit Ranade said that while he sympathizes with business owners that wish to stay open, defying the lockdown “can present a significant health-risk to the community.”

“We need to work together as a community to combat this virus. Workplace and public health safety measures provide guidance at the various levels of risk under the Framework. At this time, the risk is quite high and it has the potential to impact our community significantly,” Dr. Ranade said.

Sharky’s was not the only gym in the region to defy the lockdown. The Corunna Fitness Centre in the nearby town of Corunna also attempted to open. Owner Ron Theriault was let off with a warning but told he could be charged if he served customers again.

Ontarians’ mental health continues to decline as lockdowns persist: poll

By
True North Wire
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New polling by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) suggests that the collective mental health of Ontarians continues to decline as the pandemic and lockdowns continue.

The new polling conducted by the Ontario branch of CMHA found that only 35% of Ontarians said their mental health was “very good” or “excellent” compared to 52% in May 2020.

“It’s very worrying to see the trend lines on the mental health of Ontarians decreasing as significantly as they have since our last poll,” said CMHA CEO Camille Quenneville.

 “As service providers, it’s very alarming to think about what we’ll need to do to support the population. The service demands will be very significant.”

The survey also found that 57% feel lonelier since the pandemic began and 36% “often, very often or almost always lonely.” A shocking 80% say mental health will be a province-wide crisis after the pandemic ends, a big jump from the previous surveys in May August.

The poll aligned with other research done regarding mental illness during the pandemic. In a previous CMHA poll done nationwide, 40% of Canadians said their mental health has declined throughout the pandemic, with a shocking 10% saying they have recently experienced thoughts of suicide.

“Not a lot of people would talk about loneliness before the pandemic. And if they did, it was often in the context of a senior citizen whose spouse had passed, whose peers and friends are gone,” Quenneville said.

“A lot of people will struggle in the aftermath of the pandemic because they will be coming to terms with what they’ve lost and for a lot of people, it will be anxiety provoking to go back to their regular routine.”

Declining mental health is believed to be associated with an increase in drug and alcohol abuse, as well as the rising number of opioid overdoses.

Experts have been warning since the beginning of the pandemic that mental health may become a crisis in Canada as lockdowns cause unprecedented anxiety and loneliness.

Chinese embassy accuses Canada of gross interference over Hong Kong position

By
True North Wire
-

The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Canada issued a statement on Sunday condemning comments made by Liberal Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau. 

China took issue with a statement made by Garneau which described the clampdown on Hong Kongers as a move that “fundamentally erodes democratic elements of the electoral system” and a similarly-worded tweet from the Canadian Foreign Ministry dated to March 11, 2020. 

“By doing so, the Canadian side has grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs. The Chinese side expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition and has lodged solemn representations to the Canadian side,” said an Embassy statement. 

“The attempt of Canada and a few western countries to undermine the stability of Hong Kong and hinder China’s development is doomed to fail. The Chinese side urges the Canadian side to immediately stop meddling with Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs in any way. Otherwise, it would only cause further damage to China-Canada relations and will be met with strong reactions from the Chinese side.” 

Canada-China relations are severely strained due to the continued illegal detention of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in Chinese prisons. 

The pair, who were arrested in 2019 following the detainment of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, are currently facing trumped-up espionage and national security charges over their alleged activities in China.

A Chinese state-owned newspaper is reporting that the trials of the two Canadians will begin in the near future. However, Global Affairs Canada says the government had not been notified by China.

The latest condemnation marks a string of similar statements directed at Canadian politicians and media regarding the portrayal of the Chinese government within Canada. 

In February, following the wake of the successful Uyghur genocide vote in the House of Commons, the Chinese embassy called the action a “malicious provocation” against all Chinese people. 

“They have been engaged in political manipulation on Xinjiang-related issues under the pretext of human rights, in an attempt to interfere in China’s internal affairs and earn political capital by playing [the] China card. How hypocritical and despicable!” the statement said.

“They are still trying to continue to poke their nose into China in the 21st century. How arrogant and ignorant!”

The motion to declare that the Chinese government was perpetrating an ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs received support from all parties, except for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself and the Liberal cabinet, who collectively abstained from voting on the matter. 

FUREY: Opposing lockdowns shouldn’t be a partisan affair

By
True North Wire
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Politicians in Canada are forcing Canadians into further lockdowns with virtually no opposition. Many believe only Conservative politicians are pushing for reopenings.

But as Anthony Furey explains, that’s simply not the case. In the US, both Republicans and Democrats are pushing for a reopening of their economies.

Kielburgers claim Trudeau Liberals “hid behind” WE Charity to avoid scandal

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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WE Charity co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger were grilled by parliamentarians on Monday over the organization’s handling of the federal summer student service grant. 

In his opening remarks before the House of Commons ethics committee, Marc Kielburger shifted blame onto the Liberal government, accusing them of politicizing the grant process and unnecessarily entangling the charity with a scandal. 

“WE Charity agreed to help, that’s what charities do, they help for what is needed. We didn’t advise the prime minister and minister Morneau to not recuse themselves, we never prorogued parliament, we’re not involved in the decision to filibuster the committee this fall,” said Marc Kielburger.

“This is a political scandal for the government, not WE Charity. The government hid behind a children’s charity by letting it take the fall for their political decisions, and the opposition allowed them.” 

This is not the first time the once-esteemed youth activists have appeared before a parliamentary committee to answer questions on the grant. 

Prior to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to prorogue parliament last Summer, a number of committees, including the ethics committee, were undergoing a study into WE’s relationship with several members of Trudeau’s family and cabinet. 

According to prior testimony, the Kielburgers revealed that the Trudeaus, including the prime minister’s wife, his mother and his brother had collectively received over $500,000 in the form of speaking engagement fees and covered expenses while at WE events. 

On the issues of involvement in the grant selection process from those close to the Liberal cabinet, Conservative MP and committee member Pierre Poilievre pushed the Kielburgers on a LinkedIn message sent to Bill Morneau’s chief of staff and adviser to the prime minister Ben Chin on June 27, 2020. 

“What was the role exactly of Mr. Chin, senior adviser to the prime minister, in setting up this program?” asked Poilievre. 

“Not that I’m aware of,” replied Craig Kielburger.

“Then why did you send him a message on LinkedIn on June 27th saying ‘Hello Ben, thank you for your kindness in helping shape our latest program with the government. Warmly, Craig’?” asked Poilievre.

“Sure, so I sent a hundred messages because I had seven people on LinkedIn before that and so that day a hundred messages went out. My EA sent them to people to join on LinkedIn and he was one of them.”

“You’ve got yourself in a lot of trouble here, you’ve just said a moment ago that you thought that the prime minister’s senior adviser Mr. Chin had no role in the establishment of the program but I have correspondence where you thanked him for helping shape that very program. So why did you thank him for shaping the program when now you claim that you didn’t know he played any role in the program?” Poilievre continued. 

During their appearance, the Kielburgers were also questioned on recent reports that the charity had removed plaques promised to donors. 

Former WE Charity donor Reed Cowan called the RCMP and the US Internal Revenue Service to investigate the organization after he was informed that a plaque meant to commemorate his deceased four-year-old son was removed and replaced with another donor’s name. 

“I demand that every penny paid to WE and Free the Children by the groups I brought there for what feels like a sham experience be immediately reimbursed. Every penny,” said Cowan in a YouTube statement. 

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