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Monday, July 14, 2025

Trudeau’s environment minister proposes ban on new gasoline-powered cars in North America

By
True North Wire
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Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson says the government is looking to work with the incoming Biden administration to ban the purchase of gasoline-powered vehicles in North America.

In an interview with Reuters, Wilkinson said he is excited to work with President-elect Joe Biden to do “what the European countries and Quebec and British Columbia have done, which is to put a date at which they will no longer allow the sale of internal combustion engines,” he said.

According to Wilkinson, the Trudeau government wants to talk and see if “whether there is a North American pathway to doing something like that.”

Wilkinson added that both the Trudeau government and Biden agree more action has to be taken to reduce the number of gasoline powered vehicles on the road.

“I think we can collectively come up with mechanisms that will help both countries make progress on climate change.”

While both countries plan to rapidly increase spending on electric vehicles and infrastructure, results from Canada so far show there is little interest to give up fossil fuels.

Despite spending $186 million on an electric vehicle subsidy scheme, Transport Canada does not know if the program has had any effect on the environment. By October the rebate program had only put 43,912 new electric vehicles on the road after five years.

In 2019, a federal audit found that stations in Ontario and Quebec only receive one to three uses a day on average.

Quebec and California both want to stop the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, with British Columbia planning to do the same by 2040.

In his campaign for president, Joe Biden promised to increase the number of charging stations in America by 400% and subsidize electric vehicle production.

Taxpayers paying for private chauffeurs of 53 Ottawa bureaucrats

By
True North Wire
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Canadian taxpayers are footing the bill for the private chauffeurs of 53 senior Ottawa bureaucrats, the Toronto Sun reports. 

Among those civil servants who have a private vehicle and driver are the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Jeremy Ruding and the President of the Public Service Commission Patric Borbey. 

The cars and drivers are in addition to the personal chauffeur already afforded to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and those afforded to members of his Liberal cabinet.

According to government statistics, top civil servants in Canada can earn up to $350,000 a year including a 39% bonus on top of their salaries. 

Just this year, the federal government arrived at an agreement to boost the salaries of civil servants including retroactive raises dating back to 2019. The Liberals also billed Canadians $36 million for home office equipment for civil servants who have to work from home, while many Canadians struggle to keep their jobs. 

As for the driving habits of Trudeau’s ministers, a recent report revealed that Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault put 21,000 km on his government vehicle despite his past insistence that he would not drive. 

When broken down to a monthly basis, Guilbeault put on average 3,000 km a month between January and August of 2020. Meanwhile, estimates show Canadian commuters drive an average 15,000 km. 

Shortly after the 2019 election, Guilbeault told a Quebec radio program that he would avoid using a car as much as possible. 

 “I never needed to have a car. I understand that there are requirements when you are in a practice,” said Guilbeault. 

“I don’t want to make a big ‘no, I’ll never do that’ statement, but I would try to do without. Why not? Maybe it won’t work, but at least I’ll try it.”

When questioned about the minister’s driving habits and his past insistence, his office claimed that the fault was the pandemic’s for changing “the way we socialize work and travel.” 

84 inmates and staff test positive for COVID-19 at Kingston-area prison

By
True North Wire
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Dozens of prisoners and four staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 at Joyceville Institution, a federal detention centre near Kingston, Ont.

The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) confirmed the outbreak after True North received a tip about it.

According to the CSC, 80 inmates have tested positive, as well as four staff members.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and diligently, and we continue to apply our infection prevention and control measures,” said CSC regional communications manager Mike Shrider.

“We continue to actively screen employees entering all our institutions, and all employees and inmates in Ontario are being equipped with medical masks and face shields. In addition, testing has been offered to all staff and inmates.” 

Earlier this year, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair requested for the CSC and the parole board to consider early release for some criminals to prevent the spread of the coronavirus within federal prisons. 

By August, it was reported by Statistics Canada that 16% of inmates were released from correctional institutions in the midst of the pandemic. 

“Some of the steps taken by the Canadian justice and correctional systems to reduce the size of the population living in correctional institutions since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic include temporary or early release of people in custody who are considered at low risk to reoffend; extended periods for parole appeals and access to medical leave privileges; and alternatives to custody while awaiting trials, sentencing and bail hearings,” claimed a report. 

Meanwhile, provincial and territorial prisons saw 25% of its population decline over this period, with Nova Scotia seeing a whopping 41% reduction in prison populations. 

Jason Kenney on lockdowns, freedom and western alienation

By
Andrew Lawton
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Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and True North’s Andrew Lawton sat down in Edmonton for a year-end interview looking back at 2020 and ahead to 2021.

In this edition of The Andrew Lawton Show, Kenney speaks out about the harms of lockdowns, the importance of maintaining a focus on rights and freedoms and how he intends to respond to growing western alienation.

Climate change minister spends $107,000 on flights

By
True North Wire
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Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has spent a total of $106,515 on flights in the past year.

According to documents from Blacklock’s Reporter, Wilkinson and political aides have travelled all across Canada while lecturing Canadians about the need to cut carbon emissions.

“I entered politics largely as a result of my concern about the environmental crisis that is climate change,” Wilkinson said on December 11. 

“I was concerned about these issues as a citizen of this country, a citizen of this planet, but perhaps I was most concerned about these issues as a father of two young daughters.”

This isn’t the first time the Trudeau government has been caught not practicing what they preach.

In December 2019, the government spent at least $683,278 to send a delegation to a United Nations climate change convention. $178,282 was spent on additional expenses such as airfares, taxis and chauffeured cars.

In June, it was revealed that former Environment Minister Catherine McKenna spent over $100,000 on taxi fares while in Ottawa during her tenure in the cabinet position. 

Last week, the Trudeau government announced that the carbon tax will increase by $15 a year to $170 by 2030, or an increase of 240%.

Wilkinson has also said that the government will be moving forward with a second carbon tax in the form of the Clean Fuel Standard next year.

While taxes on the cost of living increase, throughout 2020 the number of Canadians on regular EI has tripled and household debt has increased to 171% of disposable income.

Kenney says he’s the only premier to consider impact of pandemic restrictions on civil liberties

By
True North Wire
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Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says he’s the only leader of government in Canada to keep a focus on rights and freedoms while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a year-end interview with True North’s Andrew Lawton, Kenney lauded Alberta’s pandemic response, which views shutting down businesses as a “last resort” rather than a panacea.

“I’ve been the only government leader in Canada who has spoken consistently about the need to minimize the impairment of fundamental rights and freedoms,” Kenney said in the interview, recorded earlier this week in Edmonton.

“We’ve been explicit since the beginning that we need to protect both lives and livelihoods.”

On Sunday, Alberta implemented a four-week lockdown that reduced restaurants to offering only take-out, and shut down personal care providers like massage therapists and hairdressers.

Unlike other provinces’ lockdowns, however, Kenney’s government allowed retail outlets and places of worship to remain open, albeit at reduced capacities.

Kenney noted that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms allows for impairments of freedoms under exceptional circumstances, but stressed these must have a “clear, legitimate policy goal, and they have to be limited.”

Kenney said he’s viewed shutting things down as a “last and limited resource,” but has resisted the “extreme” of a total lockdown, despite being pushed to do so by some political opponents.

“The restrictions are real, and they are painful. What disturbs me about some of those who have always wanted the harshest restrictions from day one, is it demonstrates an unwillingness to contemplate the deep damage to the lives of people as a result of these kinds of restrictions,” said Kenney.

Alberta has leaned towards a level of restrictions that addresses the need for reduced social contact in the fairest way possible, Kenney said, adding that if retail can safely open at 15% capacity, so can places of worship.

“It is a real impairment. We regret that. But we do have to reduce general social contact to avoid exponential growth and the overwhelming of our healthcare system,” said Kenney. “At least our government is trying to think through those things in a balanced way rather than picking one or two of the extreme lanes in the increasingly polarized debate.”

Kenney says the recent restrictions imposed on Albertans were a last and limited resort due to a 600% spike in hospitalizations. If the numbers of hospital beds taken rises to 2400, the healthcare system would be stretched to a “breaking point.”

“We could expand capacity by cancelling surgeries and denying people non-urgent care, but at great cost to them,” Kenney told Lawton. “We had to, in our view, to act to prevent exponential growth in terms of pressure on the health care system with the collateral impact on other patients waiting on other kinds of care. That’s why we stepped in when we did.”

The Andrew Lawton Show’s year-end interview with Jason Kenney airs on True North Thursday at 1:00pm MT.

Prince Albert church going to court to fight $14,000 lockdown fine

By
True North Wire
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The Full Gospel Outreach Centre in Prince Albert is going to court after the church allegedly violated Saskatchewan’s coronavirus restrictions in October.

Speaking to the Battlefords Regional News-Optimist, lawyer Sarah Miller said she questions the legality of the restrictions that were used to fine her client.

“I took this case because I am concerned with the ‘laws’ being made across the country by non-legislators. Orders, like the current Public Health Order made Nov. 26, 2020, for Saskatchewan, are being published at a fast rate with seemingly little regard for any other aspect of society besides public health,” she said.

“Often, I’ve seen their inexperience with these new structures result in misapplication of the law and Charter breaches.”

In October, the church was fined $14,000 for non-compliance of Saskatchewan’s public health guidelines for places of worship. 

The Full Gospel Outreach Centre runs an outreach program that assists the city’s homeless and drug addicts.

Saskatchewan Chief Medical Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab has said 86 cases of coronavirus have been traced to individuals that have attended the Full Gospel Outreach Centre. Pastor Vern Temple says it is very hard to teach marginalized people how to follow the extensive list of new rules.

Pastor Temple added that the real source of the outbreak was a member of the church that contracted the coronavirus while working at a casino.

“They want to take our building, close it down and demolish it, for no consideration of what we are trying to do, reach out to marginalized people,” he said.

“The mayor doesn’t understand the people we are trying to minister to, and if he doesn’t understand the people we are trying to minister to, then he doesn’t understand us.”

The church’s first court appearance is scheduled for March 1 at the Prince Albert Provincial Court.

Chinese ambassador complains about “unfair” treatment of Meng Wanzhou

By
True North Wire
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China’s ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu complained about the allegedly unfair treatment of Meng Wanzhou on Tuesday while the Huawei CFO awaits the results of an extradition trial in her multi-million-dollar Vancouver mansion.

According to Cong, the detainment of two Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in Chinese prisons is not equivalent to Meng’s situation since they haven’t been mistreated. 

“[They] have been left behind and prosecuted by the traditional organs of China, because they have been suspected of crimes endangering our national security in China,” claimed Cong. 

“Their lawful rights have been guaranteed. Actually, in fact, they have been provided with adequate food and services, in terms of in this period of COVID-19, even the better food, to make sure that their immune system has been enhanced, so they can better deter the risk of being infected.”

The comments were made by the ambassador during an interview with the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. 

In the conversation, Cong went on to say that in Meng’s case, her house arrest is not equivalent because she is innocent and hasn’t broken Canadian laws. 

Meng is wanted by US authorities for breaking international sanctions on Iran.

On the one-year anniversary of her arrest, Meng penned a public letter complaining about the condition of her house arrest. 

In the letter, Meng laments that she’s had to spend her time enduring “fear and pain” while reading books “from cover to cover” and finishing oil paintings.

“The past year has witnessed moments of fear, pain, disappointment, helplessness, torment and struggle,” claimed Meng. 

“Right now, time seems to pass slowly. It is so slow that I have enough time to read a book from cover to cover. I can take the time to discuss minutiae with my colleagues or to carefully complete an oil painting.”

This is not the first instance where the Chinese ambassador has sought to downplay the arbitrary arrest of two Canadian nationals over two years ago.

Only a few days earlier, Cong claimed that Canada’s actions were “disgraceful” and called for Meng to be immediately released.

ESKENASI: The carbon tax is worse than you think

By
Sam Eskenasi
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The Trudeau government is planning on increasing the carbon tax from $30 a tonne to $170 by 2030 – this is going to mean a sharp increase in gasoline prices, among other things.

What alternatives do Canadians have? What about those who can’t afford to drive an electric car?

Sam Eskenasi says the result of any sin-tax like the carbon tax is that leaving people with no alternatives simply means a penalty on those who can’t afford to comply with the government’s social engineering schemes.

Federal government designates first “qualified Canadian journalism organization”

By
True North Wire
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The federal government has designated the Montreal newspaper La Presse as the first publication in Canada to be considered a “qualified Canadian journalism organization (QCJO).”

Under the Liberals’ $595 million media bailout plan, media outlets hoping to get access to federal subsidies must be approved by the federal government. 

“An organization must first be designated as a QCJO to claim the Canadian journalism labour tax credit; potentially have their subscription costs be considered as qualifying subscription expenses for the digital news subscription tax credit; and/or apply for qualified donee status as a registered journalism organization,” the Canada Revenue Agency website claims. 

Qualified media companies are required to meet several Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) standards including having “a consistent practice of providing rebuttal opportunity for those being criticized”

Newspapers eligible for the subsidy will receive a 15% tax credit on digital subscriptions, as well as a 25% payroll write off for employees maxing at $13,750 per person. 

Critics of the government media bailout have accused the Liberals of using the allure of taxpayer funding in return for positive media coverage. 

According to an earlier report, the five-member Independent Advisory Board on Eligibility for Journalism Tax Measures, which oversees the distribution of the funds, has a history of anti-Conservative bias. 

Two out of five members have made critical statements against the Conservatives in the past, including journalism professor Karim Karim who accused former prime minister Stephen Harper of spreading “hate.” 

Meanwhile, former newspaper editor Margo Goodhand also wrote a column in 2013 praising the Trudeau Liberals and attacking the Conservatives as “bullies.” 

“I am not a member of the Liberal Party…but I’m watching new Liberal leader Justin Trudeau these days as he goes up against Team Harper, and I have to admit that I wish him well. I need him to stand up to the bullies,” wrote Goodhand in the Winnipeg Free Press.

“Canadian politics needs to take a new tack, Trudeau has the power and the momentum right now to show us the way.”

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