Alberta MLA Drew Barnes is calling for a referendum on independence when Albertans go to the polls next, going beyond the equalization referendum promised by Premier Jason Kenney. Barnes tells True North’s Andrew Lawton an independence referendum would give the province bargaining power with the federal government, and if negotiations are unsuccessful put the province in a position to seek a future outside of Confederation. Would you support such a ballot question?
A number of politicians including a mayor, a former MLA and several former councillors have joined the newly launched End the Lockdown Caucus, one day after it was announced by the Liberty Coalition of Canada.
The caucus, which originally consisted of Ontario MPP Randy Hillier, former Conservative MP Derek Sloan, former MP and People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier, Perth East Councillor Darryl Herlick and Centre Wellington Councillor Steve VanLeeuwen, has since added four politicians to its membership.
The new additions include West Lincoln, Ontario Mayor Dave Bylsma, former MLA and interim leader of the Wildrose Independence Party Paul Hinman, and former Rocky Mountain House, Alberta councillor Jason Alderson and former Innisfail, Alberta councillor Glen Carrit.
A statement signed by all members of the group calls for an end to lockdowns on the grounds that they have caused more harm than the problems created by the virus itself.
“We devote our energy and efforts to the just and compassionate objective of reopening our businesses, schools, places of worship, recreational facilities, along with the full resumption and expansion of efficient medical services. We desire to restore dignity and respect for all Canadians by safeguarding our representative democracy and its institutions, defending our Constitution, personal freedoms and responsibilities, whilst implementing focused protection for the most vulnerable,” reads the statement.
According to Hillier, the campaign has seen great growth since its launch yesterday and more elected officials have come forward to express interest.
“[The mainstream media] has certainly done anything possible to suppress and to marginalize any dissenting voices. I think that really is the key to all of this and why this initiative was started,” Hillier told True North.
“A great many people throughout our country know that this is wrong but we are living a lie because only one opinion is allowed and permitted to be heard in the public square. So that’s really the purpose of the caucus is to give voice to those millions of people in Canada who don’t want to live a lie, who want to have an honest debate and to have a truthful discussion.”
Hillier and others in the caucus have courted controversy in the past for expressing opposition to provincial and federal lockdown measures.
Over the holidays, Hillier publicly posted a photograph of himself gathering with loved ones over the holidays contrary to Ontario’s stay-at-home orders. He has also recently posted about attending an in-person church service.
“The greatest problem we have to overcome is that there’s a great many people who share my sentiments and the sentiments of Maxime and Derek and others, but there is a reluctance and an outright hesitation to speak truthfully on this,” said Hillier.
“A great many people throughout our country know that this is wrong but we are living a lie because only one opinion is allowed and permitted to be heard in the public square so that’s really the purpose of the caucus is to give voice to those millions of people in Canada who don’t want to live a lie, who want to have an honest debate and to have a truthful discussion.”
Former Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes believes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and some of her former colleagues in the Liberal caucus don’t actually practice what they preach when it comes to their supposed feminism and racial progressiveness.
Or, as Caesar-Chavannes puts it, they were “fake as f**k.”
In an interview with Vice, the former Whitby, Ont. MP alleges she was treated as a “token” and not taken seriously, despite Trudeau’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“I never had to use my brain at all. It was tokenistic. It was embarrassing,” she said.
“Never once invited to a meeting with a feminist, ‘diversity is our strength’ government, as the only Black female representative in Parliament.”
Caesar-Chavannes says the schism started when she and then-MP Maxime Bernier were embroiled in a public spat about funding for Canadian minorities, which Caesar-Chavannes said triggered a wave of online backlash.
She said she confronted Trudeau about the lack of support from him and her colleagues, and was allegedly told by Trudeau, “as a strong Black woman, I didn’t think you needed help.”
Caesar-Chavannes said she constantly felt undervalued and unappreciated as a Liberal, leading her to resign in February 2019. She met with Trudeau on the same day Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin scandal
When Caesar-Chavannes told Trudeau she wanted to resign, she alleges he told her that “he couldn’t have two powerful women of colour leave at the same time.”
“I had to ask him, ‘Motherf****r, who the f**k do you think you’re talking to?’” she said. “I was so angry.
Caesar-Chavannes says it was the Liberals’ treatment of Wilson-Raybould, who was shuffled out of her role as attorney general after refusing to give a beneficial plea deal to SNC-Lavalin, which was on trial for bribery.
Caesar-Chavannes supported and defended Wilson-Raybould publically as the SNC-Lavalin scandal became known. In April, Trudeau removed Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus.
Alberta UCP MLA Drew Barnes still has faith in Premier Jason Kenney despite the two men’s public disagreement about the need for an independence referendum.
Barnes was asked on The Andrew Lawton Show Thursday if he still considers Kenney an ally in Alberta’s fight for a new deal, even as Kenney rejects Barnes’ idea of an Alberta independence referendum.
“Well, I do. I believe that Premier Kenney wants Alberta to be free and prosperous and strong. And, you know, I have no idea of all the things that are happening with him,” Barnes said.
“Ottawa needs to know that there will be consequences if they don’t give Alberta a fair deal, if they don’t give Alberta equality, and if they don’t give us a resource movement.”
On Wednesday, Barnes told the Calgary Sun’s Rick Bell that Alberta should hold a referendum on independence in conjunction with the 2023 provincial election.
Kenney has rejected the idea of separation, reiterating the official UCP stance of a “united Canada” and a commitment to “fight within Confederation.”
“That’s the commitment [UCP candidates] gave to voters,” Kenney said.
Barnes previously sat on the province’s fair deal panel, which proposed ways for Alberta to achieve more economic independence within Confederation. While acknowledging that many Albertans strongly support remaining in Canada, Barnes believes that most want to see drastic reform of some kind.
Barnes strongly feels that a referendum would be a strong message to the rest of Canada.
“There’s a lot of people that have sentimental attachment and see the value of still being part of Canada,” he said.
“At least 80% of the people in the fair deal panel and the people I talked to say that Alberta is getting the short straw and it is time for us to go and see if we can get a better deal within the Canadian Confederation and if not, explore all our options. One of those options is independence.”
Barnes has previously said he does not intend to leave the UCP unless his constituents demand he do so, though he does not think voters will break ranks with him over the question of independence.
“Albertans are telling me every day that they want a new deal with Ottawa. And if they can’t get a new deal with Ottawa, as a free and sovereign people we need to decide our future.”
Several former and current politicians have banded together to form a non-partisan organization calling for an end to lockdowns, which they claim violate Canadians’ fundamental Charter rights.
The End the Lockdown Caucus was first announced on Thursday in association with the Liberty Coalition Canada.
So far, the group includes Ontario MPP Randy Hillier, former Conservative MP Derek Sloan, former MP and People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier, Perth East Councillor Darryl Herlick and Centre Wellington Councillor Steve VanLeeuwen.
“After careful examination and scrutiny of mitigation measures undertaken by all levels of government, it is now evident that the lockdowns cause more harm than the virus and must be brought to an end,” claimed a statement signed by the group.
“We devote our energy and efforts to the just and compassionate objective of reopening our businesses, schools, places of worship, recreational facilities, along with the full resumption and expansion of efficient medical services. We desire to restore dignity and respect for all Canadians by safeguarding our representative democracy and its institutions, defending our Constitution, personal freedoms and responsibilities, whilst implementing focused protection for the most vulnerable.”
All five politicians have used their position to speak out against the harmful effects of the lockdowns to some degree.
Hillier, who was a former member of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, has been an outspoken advocate against lockdowns. In November, Hillier was charged by local authorities after hosting an anti-lockdown rally outside of Queen’s Park.
Sloan, who was recently ejected from the federal Conservative caucus by Erin O’Toole, has also repeatedly called for an end to the lockdowns.
According to Bernier, he was motivated to join the caucus because he shares the same values as his fellow signatories.
“It was important for me to not be alone in that fight. As the leader of the People’s Party of Canada, we are the only national party in Canada that is speaking against the lockdowns for a long time,” Bernier told True North.
“I was pleased to take part and join these people in the fight against lockdowns. I think the more of us there are, the better we’ll be and the more efficient we will be.”
With regard to politicians from other parties who might be supportive of the initiative but are reluctant to join the caucus over fears of reprisal from their parties, Bernie said that any official opposed to the lockdown is welcome to join the caucus.
“I think they must have the courage of their conviction. They must come with us. They must be a part of our caucus, it is too important. We need to have an open debate on all of the consequences of these lockdowns in Canada. We don’t have that open debate. We don’t have real opposition against government measures concerning the fight against the virus,” said Bernier.
Bernier also called on the general public to contact their local, provincial or federal representatives and urge them to join the caucus.
Due to restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Halton, Ont has seen an uptick of domestic violence.
According to Halton Regional Police, officers responded to 343 calls regarding intimate partner violence (IPV) and laid 206 IPV charges in the first month of 2021 — a 142% increase compared to last year.
Halton Police warned that they could be responding to as many as 4000 IPV calls by the end of the year if the trend continues.
“Tragically, January is not an anomaly,” Halton Police said in a statement. “Our analyses indicate that this is a continuation of a trend of an increasing frequency and severity of intimate partner violence incidents in the community over the course of the pandemic.”
Halton Regional Police are urging community members to look out for neighbours, relatives, friends and co-workers, especially if they may not be safe at home.
Because of lockdown restrictions, many victim services locations in Canada were forced to close, with staff working from home and offering support services remotely. This has led to medical experts speaking out and several organizations raising the alarm about increases in domestic violence.
Victim services in Canada have reported a 92% decline to in-person counselling as they shifted to alternative methods to adhere to health restrictions.
Research has shown that social isolation, loss of employment and reduced income contribute to increased risks of IPV.
Further, increased stress from lockdowns, school and childcare closures and confinement at home could lead to increased tensions within homes with very few opportunities to escape abusive situations or report them.
WE Charity said last September it would be shutting down its Canadian operations, though its founders, the Kielburger brothers, seem to be readying for a comeback with a CBC interview replete with faux contrition. Despite the significance of Justin Trudeau’s WE scandal, the mainstream media just isn’t talking about it – just as it isn’t talking about the Liberals’ forthcoming internet speech regulation legislation.
True North’s Andrew Lawton tackles both, plus chats with Alberta MLA Drew Barnes about his push for a referendum on Alberta independence.
Several Canadian legacy media outlets launched a coordinated campaign on Thursday urging the federal government to force social media companies to pay for news content.
The “Disappearing Headlines” campaign featured a number of outlets including the Toronto Star, the Waterloo Region Record, the National Post and a number of other local and national publications.
As part of the concerted effort each publication issued a print edition with a blank cover page featuring a disclaimer by the advocacy group News Media Canada asking Canadians to “imagine if the news wasn’t there.”
“Google and Facebook use their monopoly power to pocket 80% of online advertising revenues. These corporate giants benefit from the news content produced by Canadian journalists and publishers – without paying for it,” reads the disclaimer.
“Ottawa needs to act now to protect the future of your local news.”
News Media Canada was formed in 2016 and it counts hundreds of Canadian mainstream media publications as members.
The group has also pushed for the Canadian government to introduce copyright laws which would prevent other outlets from reporting on and aggregating news coverage.
According to News Media Canada’s official website, over 100 newspapers ran the blank front pages this morning urging Ottawa to “adopt legislation that allows newspapers to negotiate a fair price for use of their content, with massive fines if Google and Facebook refuse to co-operate.”
True North reached out to News Media Canada for comment but did not hear back at the time of publication.
The federal government is in the process of finalizing legislation that would regulate Canadian news content on social media websites such as Facebook.
Recently, Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault testified before the Committee on Canadian Heritage regarding incoming Liberal social media legislation.
In November, the Liberals introduced Bill C-10, also known as the “An Act to Modernize the Broadcasting Act.”
Critics have argued that Bill C-10 has opened the door for state regulation of the internet.
Around 100 Christians have been killed in recent attacks by Islamists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to Open Doors, since the beginning of the year an Islamist group known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) have launched attacks on three different communities. In at least one attack, 17 people were hacked to death using machetes.
“These predominantly Christian communities are attacked by an Islamic extremist group with a clear Islamic expansionist agenda,” said Illia Djadi, an Open Doors spokesperson for sub-Saharan Africa.
“It is a reminder of what is happening in other parts of the central Sahel region – groups like Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria, for example. The ideology, the agenda of establishing a ‘caliphate’ in the region, and the way they operate is the same, and we can see how they afflict terrible suffering on innocent people.”
While 95% of the DR Congo’s population identifies as Christian, Islamists attacks have increased in recent years as the government cracks down on insurgents. Since 2017, the ADF have killed 3,971 people, many because of their faith.
In Open Door’s annual ranking of the most dangerous countries for Christians, DR Congo increased from 57th in 2020 to 40th in 2021.
The Congolese army has been fighting the insurgents since 1995, but in recent years attacks on African Christians have started to increase rapidly, mirroring a deadly trend seen across the continent.
Islamist groups, bolstered by ISIS and al-Qaeda, are responsible for the deaths of dozens of Christians and clergy in countries like Niger, Burkina Faso, Mozambique and the Ivory Coast.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Iran may be weeks away from having a functioning nuclear bomb.
Speaking to NBC, Blinken says Iran is currently months away from having enough nuclear material for a bomb, but it could be ready in “a matter of weeks” if Iran continues to ignore agreements with the international community.
In 2015, the United States, Iran and other major nations signed the Iran nuclear deal. In the agreement, Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.
In 2019, Iran started openly ignoring the terms of the nuclear deal after the United States abandoned the deal and imposed new sanctions. The previous Trump administration accused Iran of not following the deal from the beginning.
Most recent UN estimates say Iran has 2.4 tonnes of enriched uranium, more than 10 times the amount allowed under the deal.
Blinken says the United States would be willing to return to the agreement, despite concerns the Islamist regime will never abandon its goal of a nuclear missile.
In a recent statement, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz estimates there may be six months before Iran has the means to create a bomb, adding that President Trump “seriously damaged Iran’s nuclear project and entire force build-up.”
“In terms of enrichment, [the Iranians] are in a situation of breaking out in around half a year if they do everything required,” he said.
True North contributor Sam Eskenasi has studied the Middle East extensively and says ending sanctions against Iran may enable it to launch attacks on Canadian allies including Israel.
“Getting close to Iran might embolden the regime, might give them new funds, and reduce some of the sanctions which would free them up to cause trouble,” he said in a recent video.
“Iran is one of the largest state-sponsors of terror, and has a number of covert operations trying to destabilize its neighbours.”
