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Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Liberals showered magazines, other periodicals with $85M in funding

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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In April 2020, the Trudeau government showered over 670 magazines and other periodicals with $85 million in taxpayer funding, government data shows. 

The funding was distributed by the Department of Canadian Heritage as part of the 2020-2021 Canada Periodical Fund. 

The two individual publications that netted the highest valued grants include Canadian Living which and TV Hebdo which both received $1.87 million each.

The two outlets are currently owned by TVA Publications INC. When added together, TVA’s various print publications received a whopping $11.34 million from the federal government. 

Meanwhile, the popular news magazine Maclean’s, which is edited by Liberal minister Catherine McKenna’s husband Scott Gilmore, received $1,565,498 from the Liberals on April 1. 

“Recipients can spend the funds on a variety of publishing activities, such as content creation, production, distribution, or business development,” claimed the publication’s funding announcement. 

A number of ethnic media outlets, including Exploring China, Chinese Canadian Times and Nawa-i-Pakistan also received government funding. 

Numerous publications owned by the Canada arm of  the Hong-Kong based Ming Pao Newspapers received a total of $4.64 million in grants from the fund. 

Various hobby and sports magazines such as The Hockey News, Pacific Yachting, Canadian Stamp News and numerous others were also approved for funding. 

Critics have accused the Trudeau government of trying to buy out the Canadian media by subsidizing outlets that are struggling to keep their heads above the water. 

In 2019, the Liberals pledged they would distribute a $600 million media bailout plan in the form of funding and subsidies to approved and handpicked mainstream outlets. 

For a full list of publications which received grants from the Canada Periodical Fund see the PDF document attached below: 

Periodical Fund by Cosmin Dzsurdzsa on Scribd

Champagne refuses to refer to China’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocide

By
True North Wire
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Liberal Minister of Foreign Affairs François-Philippe Champagne refused to refer to China’s inhumane treatment of Uyghurs as a “genocide” after China lashed back at earlier comments made by Canada’s UN Ambassador Bob Rae. 

“I have raised this issue both privately and publicly with the foreign minister of China, and I will continue to do so,” said Champagne on Monday. 

Over the weekend, Rae told the CBC that he requested the UN Human Rights Council to launch an investigation into China’s human rights abuses against the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region.

There are approximately one million ethnic minorities being forced into re-education camps by the Communist regime.

“There’s aspects of what the Chinese are doing that fits into the definition of genocide in the genocide convention,” said Rae. 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian denied Rae’s characterization and instead accused Canada of committing a genocide against Canadians. 

“I would like to ask this ambassador, if his logic is plausible in finding out who best fits the label of genocide, it seems that it is not the Uighurs who are persecuted, but rather the people of Canada, am I right?” said Zhao pointing at Canada’s rate of population growth.

Critics of the Liberal government have accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of being too conciliatory towards the Chinese communist regime. 

Earlier this week, Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole slammed the prime minister for his record on China and called on an immediate ban on the Chinese telecommunications giant, Huawei. 

“We’re bringing a motion to have a serious public education discussion and make the government take these issues seriously, finally,” O’Toole told The West Block.

‘[The government should] highlight the risks and the intimidation that hundreds of Canadians and families are feeling from Chinese communist influence operations in Canada.”

Minister Champagne himself has been accused of going too soft on China after a past video resurfaced of him calling China “inclusive” and a “beacon of a rule-based system.” 

“Canada and I would say China, stands out as a beacon of stability, predictability, a rule-based system, a very inclusive society,” said Champagne on May 9, 2017.

In 2019, Prime Minister Trudeau did not hesitate to declare that the murders and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls in Canada amount to an act of genocide.

Potential Chinese agents in Canada are not tracked: government

By
True North Wire
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The Department of Immigration does not investigate potential agents of the Chinese Communist Party that enter Canada.

At the House of Commons Special Committee on Canada-China Relations on Monday, senior officials at the Department of Immigration told MPs that only criminal charges would impact a person’s visa status according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

“These would definitely be matters that are handled on a case by case basis. A conviction would be clear evidence of inadmissibility that would apply,” said Associate Assistant Deputy Minister Natasha Kim.

“So there’s no reporting mechanism within the department?” asked Conservative MP John Williamson. 

“I’m left with the belief the department is just not in the business of examining behaviour that we would not want visitors in this country to engage in.”

Conservatives on the committee noted instances of the Chinese regime supporting Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSAs) in Canadian universities. These clubs have been associated with the harassment of Tibetan and Uyghur international students.

When asked, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino refused to comment if students involved in these groups have had their visas revoked.

MPs also pressed Mendicino on pathways to immigration for Hongkongers fleeing Communist encroachment on the city-state. Despite allegations that pro-Beijing agents have been intimidating the Hong Kong community in Canada, Mendocino would not say if anyone has lost their visa.

“Individuals representing the Communist Party of China in Canada have been engaged in vigorous campaigns of intimidation, threats and coercion against pro-democracy Chinese-Canadians and Chinese and Hong Kong nationals living in Canada,” said Conservative MP Raquel Dancho.

“Have you canceled, denied or revoked any immigration visas such as temporary residence visas or permanent resident visas or others for any individuals known to be agents of the Chinese Communist Party engaged in these tactics of intimidation on Canadian soil?”

“We have a robust safety apparatus,” Mendicino replied.

“THIS SAYS IT ALL!” Trump endorses Elections Canada tweet about paper ballot voting

By
True North Wire
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President Donald Trump weighed in on a viral tweet from Canada’s election agency touting its longstanding use of hand-counted paper ballots.

Trump shared an Elections Canada tweet pointing out that Dominion Voting Systems software is not used in Canadian federal elections.

The electronic tabulation systems have been the subject of much criticism as allegations of ballot irregularities from the Trump campaign have mounted in the weeks since the United States election.

“THIS SAYS IT ALL!”, Trump said in a retweet of the graphic Tuesday afternoon.

“Did you know?” the Elections Canada infographic posited. “In Canadian federal elections, we use paper ballots that are counter by hand in front of scrutineers. (We do NOT use machines to count ballots.)”

Media outlets have called the Nov. 3 presidential election for Joe Biden, though Trump has refused to concede, making claims of voter fraud and a rigged election.

The president’s campaign has filed several lawsuits in tightly contested states to overturn or re-evaluate the voting results. 

Dominion, which has its headquarters in Toronto, is at the heart of the election dispute after Trump claimed that the electronic vote counting software was purposefully rigged to help Biden’s election chances. 

Dominion has denied the president’s characterization, saying that any claims about vote deletions or votes being switched are completely false. 

Meanwhile, Canadian parliamentarians unanimously decided to send an invitation to Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris to visit Canada.

FUREY: The government failed to protect the vulnerable

By
True North Wire
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Since the pandemic began, we have learned a lot about the coronavirus – particularly that the elderly were the most vulnerable.

So why didn’t the government do more to protect the elderly when they knew a second wave was imminent?

Anthony Furey says since the government failed to protect the most vulnerable, they’re taking it out on the rest of us now.

Slashing Calgary police budget will harm reform initiatives: Farkas

By
True North Wire
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Calgary’s city council decision to defund the Calgary Police Service (CPS) by $20 million over two years was hailed as a small victory by protesters but could be damaging to the idea of police reform, a critic of the move says.

Mayoral candidate and city councillor Jeromy Farkas opposed the motion and argued amending it to see the increased funding for social services come from lower priority areas like the bike path initiatives, arts funds or the money Calgary has set aside for a “rainy day.”

Speaking to True North, Farkas stood by his previous comments, saying the defunding of the police is an extreme view.

“That’s not to say that there aren’t reasonable people on this issue who are calling for reform and improvement on how police conduct their business, that’s an obviously reasonable position,” said Farkas. “Whether you call it reallocation, divesting or defunding, it all means the same thing. By insisting that this money comes from the police to fund the various needed social support programs, council is proving they have an ideological axe to grind.”

Farkas believes this push to massively defund the police is setting the city back on the needed reforms that Calgarians are asking for.

“Further reducing the budget is going to set us back on reforms like diversifying the service to improve their relationship with marginalized communities, implementing additional officer training and furthering accountability initiatives like body cameras.” he said.

After the motion was passed by a margin of 9-5 in early November, the president of the Calgary Police Association John Orr said in a statement that removing resources from a community police force that is already “stretched thin” could result in “steps backwards.”

“Police officers everywhere have been under increased scrutiny and as a result, members of our own community have made demands which include increased training, increased use of body-worn cameras, and making police services more diverse through improved recruiting methods,” said Orr. “Cutting the CPS budget will force us to take steps backwards in respect to all of these important and worthy initiatives and risks a regression in the progress already made.”

The city council is set to deliberate the re-allocation in November, so far, no decisions have been made on where the CPS budget will change.

The decision was made to defund the CPS despite the surveys John Orr cited, showing a high satisfaction with the police service at 93% and only 21% of people surveyed believing CPS is adequately staffed.

“A massively defunded police service is not only unable to keep Calgarians safe but also unable to reform. This is not about denying that our service requires reform, it is about ensuring that we have a thoughtful conversation about how we get there.” said Farkas.

Farkas is calling for alternative approaches to funding additional social services and warns about becoming entrenched in ideology.

“This is not about giving a blank cheque to our police, nor is it about giving them blind support. It is about being thoughtful and strategic. Let us make those investments so that in the long term the load on our police is reduced but let’s not be so ideological about this that Calgarian’s safety is not harmed in the process.” said Farkas. 

Public sector employees complaining about “repetitive” and “uninspiring” work

By
True North Wire
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Public sector employees with the Department of Public Works have been complaining about working too hard and “drowning in a pool of repetitive, menial and uninspiring” work, an internal report reveals. 

The report, which was obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, was the work of Mental Health Ombudsman André Latreille.

“We have been seeing employees coming to our Office in great distress as a result of their workload for several years now,” writes Latreille. 

“As our employees have repeatedly told us, it is difficult if not impossible to find meaning and dignity in work when all we can do is try to keep from drowning in a pool of repetitive, menial and uninspiring tasks that don’t adequately leverage the unique abilities, strengths and talents of our people.” 

Recently, the union representing federal public services secured a salary increase deal with the federal government.

Employees with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) were given a 2.8% raise for 2018, an additional 2.2% increase for 2019 and a 1.35% raise for this year.

With regard to the raise, Liberal MP and President of the Treasury Board Jean-Yves Duclos said earlier this month, that Canadians are capable of bearing the cost of the salary increase for public sector employees. 

“First, respect for the work of public servants. Second, respect for the capacity of taxpayers to pay for the important work of the public service,” said Duclos. 

“A trillion-dollar debt and you say they’ve got the capacity for more spending? Wow, that’s very generous of you on the taxpayers’ behalf,” replied Conservative MP Kelly McCauley.

Prior to the federal election in 2019, the allegedly non-partisan PSAC campaigned for a Liberal re-election. 

“We liked the fact that they did promise us that they would get back to us after the election regarding a fair collective agreement for our 140,000 federal public sector members,” said PSAC national president Chris Aylward.

Canadians view China as a bigger threat than Russia: poll

By
True North Wire
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Canadians are more concerned about the international threat China poses than they are about Russia.

A poll commissioned by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute found that 79% of Canadians said China poses a serious or moderate threat to the security of Canada, while only 68% believed the same with regard to Russia. 

Another 22% of people polled said they only viewed China as posing a minor or no threat at all, while 33% viewed Russia in the same way. 

“This study confirms yet again how out of sync the Government of Canada is with public opinion on China’s emerging threat to Canadian sovereignty and national security,” said MLI Senior Fellow Charles Burton in a news release on the poll. 

“As a consequence, the credibility of Canada’s claim of principled commitment to the international rules-based order rings hollower and hollower as the years go by.”

Canadian attitudes towards Beijing have shifted dramatically in the past few years. Since the retaliatory arrest of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor by Chinese authorities, perception of China has plummeted to an all-time low. 

Another poll from July by the Innovative Research Group showed that 53% of Canadians don’t trust China to act fairly. 

“Chinese Canadians are often under-represented in public debates and the survey not only tells people what they think in these unprecedented times, it also sheds light on the diversity within the Chinese-Canadian community,” IRG research manager Vanessa Agrawal told Vancouver is Awesome.

Another poll from October conducted by Pew Research shows that 73% of Canadians had a very unfavourable or somewhat unfavourable opinion of China.

Instead of taking responsibility for how China is viewed, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs blamed Canadian politicians and the Liberal government for the anti-China attitudes among Canadians. 

“I have noted this opinion poll you mentioned. You said that it showed more Canadians now hold negative opinions towards China. I want to tell you that it is because of the Meng Wanzhou incident I just mentioned,” Zhao told the Globe and Mail in response to a question on a recent Pew Research poll. 

“These politicians in Canada should think it over: why are more people in Canada now viewing China unfavorably? It is several Canadian politicians and the Canadian government that are at the bottom of this.”

Toronto expected to see 1.4 million food bank visits by 2021: report

By
True North Wire
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Canadians in Toronto have been especially hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. 

A new report by the Daily Bread Food Bank and the North York Harvest Food Bank shows that the number of Torontonians visiting a food bank has reached a record high this year. 

When compared to 2019, visits to the food bank for the month of June were up by 22% and up by 51% in August. 

“When the COVID-19 crisis began, food banks saw an almost immediate increase in visits. The pandemic exposed the financial precarity of many households and demonstrated that our social safety net was not up to the task of protecting people from a dual health and economic crisis,” claims the Who’s Hungry 2020 report.

“The surge in food bank use that has come in the wake of the pandemic is not expected to ease as the economy reopens. If current usage trends continue, we project there will be close to 1.4 million visits to food banks in Toronto in 2021. Food banks are preparing to meet this heightened need for years to come.”

According to the report, food bank use was trending upwards even before the pandemic. In 2010, the number of people visiting food banks peaked due to the 2008 economic recession. 

Projections show that Canadians can expect to pay more for groceries in 2020 due to rising prices. 

Canada’s 2019 Food Price report estimates that the cost of meat, vegetables, fruits and seafood will be impacted by a price increase of between 2% to 4%.

Food insecurity is not the only growing issue those in Toronto have had to deal with since the coronavirus pandemic took off. 

Recent figures show that opioid overdose deaths have spiked in the city by up to 85% since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Ford warns Ontario may be locked down for Christmas

By
True North Wire
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he would not hesitate to cancel Christmas in Ontario if the amount of coronavirus cases does not slow down.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Ford said that Ontarians need to be “super cautious” in the coming weeks so that lockdowns will not be required for the holidays.

“Well, nothing is more important other than the health and safety of the people,” said Ford. 

“We’ll always have other celebrations, we’ll always have other Christmases, but if the numbers continue to spike, as I’ve said before, I won’t hesitate in a heartbeat to lock things down.”

On Monday, Ontario announced 1,487 new coronavirus cases, pushing the seven-day average to a new high. On the same day, York, Hamilton, Peel and Halton regions moved into the “red zone” of widespread restrictions.

In the “red zone,” cinemas, gyms, and performing arts facilities are closed while other businesses are extremely limited. Public and private gatherings as well as religious services face size limits.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said that he is hopeful that the province will enter the “Green Zone” in time for the holidays.

“We can get these numbers down as we did before, and bring them down to level so you move from the red to the orange, yellow and I would like to think everybody would be in green, especially for the time of Christmas.” 

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a similar warning to Canadians, saying that in-person activities may not be allowed over the holidays if the upward coronavirus trend is not reversed.

While the federal government cannot directly order lockdowns in provinces, Trudeau said he was sternly telling premiers to do more and promised financial support if they initiate new lockdowns.

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