CTV News admitted that it broadcast a clip of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre that was spliced to make it look like he wanted to trigger an election to prevent the Liberal dental care plan.
Plus, debate on the release of names of MPs accused of collaborating in foreign interference plots is not a priority for the House of Commons, according to House Speaker Greg Fergus.
And Ontario Premier Doug Ford tells homeless people to “get off your A-S-S” and get a job.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzusrdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!
Here’s a surprising development – the Carbon Tax, which was a keystone policy of the Green Left just a few short years ago is now a political pariah. Though, for some of us, it isn’t so surprising.
As you will recall, the federal Carbon Tax back was one of the Trudeau Liberals’ first announcements upon taking power. It was meant to set the tone for their commitment to tackling the “climate crisis,” and achieving net zero carbon emissions. The policy required that all provinces and territories which did not have their own carbon pricing scheme in place would have one imposed on them by Ottawa.
The Carbon Tax had buy-in from Green apologists all over the country, including many Conservative politicians. You may recall Patrick Brown, former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, stunning an audience of PC Members in 2016 when he announced. “Climate change is a fact… We have to do something about it, and that something includes putting a price on carbon.” Ever the political opportunist, Brown had bought into the notion that you can’t win if you aren’t in favor of a carbon tax.
And that is how it was sold. The carbon tax was inevitable. And it would come with all sorts of environmental benefits – ending forest fires, floods, and combatting all manner of bad weather. Plus, the price would mainly be paid by greedy corporations. The average Canadian, they said, would actually be getting more money back on the tax rebate than they’d paid in the first place. In their telling, the carbon tax sounded like it was all carrots and no sticks!
Of course, that was too good to be true. There were, in fact, plenty of sticks. Sky-high gas prices, heating bills, food prices, and an overall increase in our cost of living. Eventually the Parliamentary Budget Office issued a report which confirmed what many Canadians had already learned, that the tax would be a net loss for most households, with the middle class being particularly hard hit.
No wonder public support started to wane, and then to spiral. Even Trudeau’s desperate rebranding – he started calling the tax “pollution pricing” – couldn’t save it.
A Leger poll released earlier this year revealed that 7 in 10 Canadians do not support the Carbon Tax. It helps that Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has made ‘Axe the Tax’ a cornerstone of his campaign, consistently making the case that the Carbon Tax is harming consumers and making the country less competitive.
What was once considered the unsinkable Carbon Tax is now taking on water. And lots of it.
We saw early signs of this earlier this year when the annual Carbon Tax increase, scheduled for April 1st, was loudly opposed by a number of premiers. Even Liberal premiers, such as Andrew Furey of Newfoundland and Labrador, pleaded with Justin Trudeau to hit pause on the increase.
More recently, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has been waffling on the tax as currently structured, suggesting that it has “put the burden on the backs of working people.” Of course, as the Conservatives like to remind him, Singh voted in favor of this same tax twenty-four times in the House of Commons.
But perhaps the most significant nail in the carbon tax coffin came courtesy BC Premier David Eby. Remember that it was BC, under the Liberal premier Gordon Campbell, who implemented the first Carbon Tax in 2008 – not just the first in Canada, but rather, the provincial government claims, the first “revenue neutral” Carbon Tax in the world!
The Carbon Tax has been a hallmark of BC’s climate policies for nearly two decades. But in a shocking turn of events, just weeks before the upcoming provincial election, Eby said that if re-elected his government would end the provincial carbon tax on consumers, provided the federal government removed the “legal backstop” that requires them to keep a tax in place.
With Eby’s main opposition also pledged to repeal, it seems that even in the policy’s birthplace, no one wants to touch the carbon tax with a ten foot pole!
Now Eby defended the move by claiming essentially that the Trudeau Liberals’ fumbling of the issue has “badly damaged” what he says was the political consensus on the carbon tax. But the reality is that this was bound to happen eventually. In my capacity as President of Canadians for Affordable Energy, I’ve been warning Canadians for years that Trudeau’s carbon tax increase, compounded by his Clean Fuel Standard, which I’ve dubbed the Second Carbon Tax, would not only raise the price of fuel, but would increase the price of all goods, groceries included.
Once Canadians saw what the tax actually cost, and felt its devastating impact on their ability to make ends meet, to fill their gas tanks, heat their homes, and feed their families, they were bound to turn against it. This is exactly what we’re seeing now. And with elections looming, as go the voters so go the politicians who need their votes.
It seems the Carbon Tax is sinking and the rats are jumping ship.
Dan McTeague is a former Liberal MP and is currently the President of Canadians for Affordable Energy.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has hinted at further protecting vaccination choice, property rights and legal firearm ownership in upcoming amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights.
Smith revealed the measures in a post to X on Tuesday, stating that every Albertan will have the right to make their own vaccination and medical decisions. Additionally, no Albertan will be deprived of their property without legal due process and just compensation. The final measure announced was an amendment to defend the rights of all legal and responsible firearm owners.
Smith said that the legislation will be introduced in a few weeks and is intended to protect the rights and freedoms central to the identity of Albertans.
“Since its inception, the Alberta Bill of Rights has been a reflection of our shared values, recognizing the fundamental rights and freedoms that are essential to a free and democratic society. It enshrines the principles that every Albertan holds dear: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to equality before the law, among other fundamental rights,” said Smith. “It serves much like a constitutional document, in that it ensures all provincial laws and policies must align with those listed rights and freedoms.”
However, she added that while the Bill of Rights has served its purpose over the years, laws need to evolve to match the evolution of society so that rights and freedoms remain protected as the world changes.
Smith initially revealed in July that Alberta’s Bill of Rights would include the right to refuse a vaccine. She discussed the bill in more detail at the Canada Strong and Free Network on Sep. 21.
The speech in Red Deer confirmed that the bill would make it illegal for governments to discriminate against anyone for refusing medical treatments, such as vaccines.
Smith also revealed that further legislation in the fall would ban puberty blockers for those 15 years old and younger. Additionally, an opt-in choice for lessons on gender ideology and sexual identity at schools will be available to parents, and a sports league exclusive to biological females will ensure that stronger transgender biological males cannot compete against them.
“In recent years, we’ve seen the challenges and hardship that can arise when that right to bodily autonomy is not adequately protected. It is my firm conviction that no Albertans should ever be subjected or pressured into accepting a medical treatment without their full consent,” said Smith. “For me, this addition to the Bill of Rights is about recognizing that in Alberta, we believe that individuals have the right to make informed decisions about their own bodies without fear of undue pressure or interference by government.”
Smith said that the amendment for property rights affirms the right of every Albertan to own and enjoy the properties they’ve worked so hard for.
Lastly, the premier said that her government respects the right of individuals to legally acquire, keep, and use firearms safely.
“For many Albertans, firearms are critical to their livelihood and way of life,” said Smith. “I personally feel that law-abiding firearms owners have been unfairly targeted by our federal government for decades, and it is my hope that these amendments will better protect the rights of our farmers, ranchers, hunters, and sports enthusiasts.”
The Liberals’ firearm buyback program’s cost recently rose to at least $67 million from previously costing taxpayers $42 million in Mar. 2024. Not a single gun has been collected yet.
As for whether this amendment could protect Albertans, a spokesperson for Alberta’s Minister of Justice said that the proposed firearm amendment signals to the Liberals that the province takes firearm ownership seriously.
“We will continue to advocate to the federal government against what we feel are unfair restrictions to lawful firearms owners,” said the spokesperson.
While the Alberta Bill of Rights amendments are set to strengthen property rights and protect law-abiding firearms owners, they are unlikely to overrule the federal government’s firearm buyback program.
Under Canada’s Constitution, criminal law—including firearms regulation—falls under federal jurisdiction. Although Alberta can legislate on property and civil rights, which includes some aspects of firearms ownership, the federal government holds the power to enforce laws that protect public safety.
Similar actions have been taken by provinces like Saskatchewan, which introduced the Firearms Act in 2022 to complicate the federal buyback process by introducing strict transportation regulations for firearms.
Quebec also attempted to preserve its long-gun registry after the federal government dismantled it. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Ottawa, affirming the federal government’s control over firearm regulation.
Therefore, while Alberta’s amendment may assert provincial rights and challenge federal policies, its actual impact on the buyback program will likely be limited, with any significant legal challenges requiring lengthy court battles.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert for an interview while in New York to attend the 78th gathering of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
The conversation was practically devoid of anything that resembled a hardball question, instead, talk show host Colbert asked the prime minister to sell him on Canada, the differences in each country’s bacon and his favourite Star Wars movie.
Colbert also asked Trudeau about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who the late-night TV host claimed has been called “the Trump of Canada.”
“The far right and flirtations with fascism at the very least is rising across the globe, even in Canada, your Conservative party leader, your opponent there, has been called ‘Canada’s Trump,’ and I’m sorry about that,” said Colbert.
“I’m curious why at least some form of nativism or far-right xenophobia might grow in a country as polite as Canada. Why do you think this is getting a foothold even in your country?” he asked.
Trudeau said that while Canada has its fair share of rainbows and unicorns, it’s not a perfect country.
“That phrase ‘even in Canada’, I mean we’re not some magical place of unicorns and rainbows all the time,” Trudeau responded. “We’ve got more than our fair share but the things that we’ve managed to do, we’ve had to work really really hard at.”
Trudeau cited universal healthcare as being a “decades of trying to bring people together” before mentioning his fight against climate change, dental care and child care.
“There’s a big argument right now about whether dental care even exists,” said Trudeau. “We’ve delivered it to 700,000 people across the country and my opponent is gaslighting us and saying, ‘Dental care doesn’t even exist yet.’”
Neither Colbert nor Trudeau cited any examples to substantiate the claims that the Conservatives were flirting with fascism.
When asked by Colbert why the Conservatives were presenting a motion of nonconfidence to force an election, Trudeau said that “Canadians are hurting right now.”
The prime minister addressed the housing crisis, which he said was being felt “a little sharper” in Canada than in the U.S.
“Well, it is a really tough time in Canada right now. People are hurting. People are having trouble paying for groceries, paying for rent, filling up the tank… We’ve lost a little ground over the past decades on building houses, so the housing crisis is a little sharper,” said Trudeau.
However, he claimed that Canada’s economic outlook was better off “on a macro level” than that of the U.S. but that Canadians “don’t feel it when they’re buying groceries.”
“People are frustrated and the idea that maybe they want an election now is something that my opponents are trying to bank on because… People are taking a lot out on me for understandable reasons. I’ve been here and I’ve been steering us through all these things and people are sometimes looking at change,” said Trudeau.
He went on to say that he plans to “keep fighting” to win a fourth term as prime minister.
The Conservatives will present a motion of nonconfidence in the House of Commons on Wednesday, however, it’s unlikely that it will pass as both the NDP and Bloc Quebecois have said that they will support the Liberals in the vote to maintain their government.
Debate on the release of names of MPs accused of collaborating in foreign interference plots is not a priority for the House of Commons, according to House Speaker Greg Fergus.
Fergus ruled against NDP MP Jenny Kwan’s request, which sought to categorize the withholding of these names as a primary violation of parliamentary privilege. Fergus was elected as a Liberal MP for the Quebec riding of Hull–Aylmer.
Kwan’s stance is that such secrecy erodes public trust and unfairly casts a shadow of suspicion over all members of parliament.
However, Fergus countered that Kwan failed to demonstrate how this secrecy directly hinders MPs from performing their duties, also noting that the issue was brought up belatedly.
“While I understand that findings presented in the NSICOP report are serious and appear to create suspicions about certain members, that in itself is not a basis to establish this question of privilege merits priority of consideration over all other House business,” said Fergus.
“The facts raised by the member in her arguments had become apparent well before her intervention. The chair is of the view that the member for Vancouver-East had prior opportunities to raise her concerns.”
Fergus’ decision means that while the debate is not off the table, it will not disrupt the scheduled flow of other House business.
The underlying report suggests that at least 11 unidentified MPs might have been involved with foreign entities, either wittingly or unwittingly, yet stops short of identifying them.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who was selected to lead the inquiry into these allegations, has had access to the relevant intelligence. Nevertheless, she recently admitted that she won’t be disclosing the identities involved.
Amidst this impasse, Kwan proposed that the matter be taken up by a committee dedicated to finding a way to disclose the names without jeopardizing national security – a process yet to be undertaken.
In June, an exclusive True North investigation asked every MP and Senator if they were willing to go on record and say they were not involved in foreign interference.
A total of 107 MPs and 10 Senators replied. Of those who replied, 99 were Conservatives.
Today on the Rachel Parker Show, Rachel explains how the federal Conservatives are capturing the sentiment across the country by kicking off their Opposition Day with a motion of non-confidence in the Liberal government.
Later on the show, Rachel is joined by National Post columnist Adam Zivo to talk about his new documentary Government Heroine. Callum Bagnall, who is featured prominently in the documentary, also joins to share his experience about addiction and recovery.
Next, Rachel has thoughts about Melanie Joly’s push for more DEI initiatives in the clip of the week. And finally, Rachel responds to some of your comments from last episode.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford did not mince words when telling able-bodied homeless people to find employment in order to get out of encampments.
Ford was asked about the more than 1,000 people currently on wait lists for affordable housing at an unrelated news conference on Monday.
“You need to start working if you’re healthy — bottom line. If you’re unhealthy, I’ll take care of you the rest of my life, your life, we’ll take care of you,” said Ford. “But if you’re healthy, get off your A-S-S and start working like everyone else is. Very simple.”
The comments received an uncommon round of applause for a press conference.
“Do you know what the best way to get people to be able to get out of the encampments, get out of homeless(ness)? Get an application and drop it off at one of these companies and start working,” said Ford.
The recent comments follow Ontario’s homelessness crisis reaching a point where the Association of Municipalities of Ontario asked the province for funding and guidance on how to deal with the 1,400 homeless encampments across the province last year.
Ford added that he intends to challenge the court ruling on the Waterloo encampments.
In Jan. 2023, Ontario’s Superior Court ruled against the Region of Waterloo’s attempt to evict residents from a homeless encampment, stating that enforcing the eviction violated their Charter rights to life, liberty, and security. The decision emphasized that accessible shelter options were inadequate for the diverse needs of the homeless population, leading the Region to abandon its appeal.
“We’re going to challenge that court case because you can’t have people setting up encampments in beautiful neighbourhoods. You just can’t do it. It destroys the neighbourhoods,” said Ford.
Ford said that his government is investing over $3 billion in housing infrastructure projects, such as $1.2 billion to help municipalities develop and expand local water infrastructure systems, $970 million to build 500,000 homes across 60 municipalities, and more.
Ontario’s premier said he governs North America’s fastest-growing region.
“We’ve never seen anything like it. Over 800,000 people arrived last year,” said Ford.
He added that Ontario has grown faster than the two fastest growing States combined, Texas and Florida.
However, on top of last year’s growth, Ford said that 136 companies worldwide came to invest in Ontario, investing over $11 billion and creating over 12,500 jobs.
Canada’s unemployment has been driven by record immigration, which has far outpaced job growth and employment rate.
While Ford made his initial comments on Monday, he revisited the point at a separate press conference on Tuesday.
He said he agreed with the City Council of Hamilton’s idea to build tiny homes with taxpayers’ money for homeless people, providing them with food, medicine, security, and other things costing millions.
“If there’s anyone out there (with) mental health issues, addictions, have a disability, I’m always going to take care of those people for the rest of their lives,” said Ford. “(If) you’re young, you’re healthy, and you can work, you have to find gainful employment. That’s what you need to do.”
CTV News misled Canadians to believe that the Conservatives were putting forward a non-confidence motion to stop the Trudeau government’s dental care plan.
The legacy media outlet issued a correction Monday after the Conservatives discovered its editors had spliced various clips from a scrum with Pierre Poilievre.
On Sunday, CTV News broadcasted a segment about the non-confidence motion, which featured a doctored clip of Poilievre supposedly saying the Conservatives wanted to trigger an election to stop the government’s dental care plan.
“Close to 650,000 Canadians have already received care. While the continuation of the plan appears safe for now, the events of the last week have raised new questions over the plan’s future,” CTV News anchor Christina Tenaglia said in the Sunday night broadcast prompting the clip.
“That’s why we need to put forward a motion,” the broadcast showed Poilievre saying.
However, Poilievre never said such a thing.
The clip was manipulated by cutting the first words from Poilievre’s statement, saying, “We need a carbon tax so Canadians can vote to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget, and stop the crime with a common-sense Conservative government,” at the scrum and editing it together in the middle of him saying, “That’s why it’s time to put forward a motion for a carbon tax election.”
Not only is @PierrePoilievre’s quote clearly about the carbon tax (cut from CTV’s broadcast), @CTVNews bizarrely manipulated it.
Real quote: "That's why it's time to put forward a motion for a carbon tax election."
After a letter from Poilievre’s media relations director, Sebastian Skamski, CTV corrected its error.
“Last night, in a report on this broadcast, we presented a comment by the Official Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre that was taken out of context. It left viewers with the impression the Conservative non-confidence motion was to defeat the Liberals’ dental care program,” CTV said in a statement Monday. “In fact, the Conservatives have made it clear the motion is based on a long list of issues with the Liberal government, including the carbon tax.”
CTV news said the misrepresentation came from a “misunderstanding” during the editing process.
“We unreservedly apologize to Mr. Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada,” the statement said. “We regret this report went to air in the manner it did.”
However, many Conservatives on X aren’t buying the apology.
“CTV News, you spliced three parts of different sentences together to create a new one that Pierre never said,” Conservative MP Chris Warkentin said on X. “That’s not a misunderstanding during editing, that’s fabricating disinformation. Where is your apology for that?”
Pierre Poilievre slams CTV News after the legacy media outlet got caught red-handed manipulating a clip of Poilievre. pic.twitter.com/D3tHtt6RpZ
Conservative MPs also called out the incident as “interference” and accused CTV of willfully lying to Canadians or being bought and paid for by the Liberal government.
Bell Media, the parent company of CTV News, has received media bailouts worth hundreds of millions in tax subsidies from the Trudeau government. In February, Bell was granted $40 million in annual subsidies to save jobs and keep the media giant afloat, though the company fired over 4,800 workers.
CTV News did not respond to True North’s requests to comment.
CTV News apologizes after getting caught manipulating clips of Pierre Poilievre. pic.twitter.com/E9ArZcsgvg
The US is urging Canada to review its immigration policies and to enforce stricter border protection after data revealed that more than 1,200 terror suspects have been stopped from crossing the northern border since 2020.
Plus, as MPs debate on a non-confidence motion later today, Quebec Premier Legault shared a post accusing the Bloc Quebecois of selling out the province by propping up the Liberals. Will the Bloc and NDP grow a spine today and trigger an election?
And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police lost a total of 205 firearms since 2020, including submachine guns and machine guns, according to data obtained through an access-to-information request.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Noah Jarvis!
The BC Conservatives announced a provincewide rent and mortgage rebate if elected that would exempt up to $3,000 a month in housing costs from BC income taxes.
The program is designed to offer financial relief at a time when the cost of living continues to surge.
The measure dubbed the “Rustad Rebate” would start by exempting $1,500 per month in Budget 2026, increasing by $500 per year to $3,000 per month.
I’m proud to have announced the Rustad Rebate on Rent & Mortgage.
BC Conservatives will provide a tax credit on up to $3K per month of rent & mortgage interest, so you don’t pay income tax on housing.
“The Conservative Party believes in hard work and opportunity. If you work hard here, you should be able to get ahead. Under the NDP, British Columbians have been stuck on an endless treadmill of rising costs and punishing taxes,” said Conservative Party of British Columbia leader John Rustad in a statement on Monday.
“The Rustad Rebate is a real solution to help families stay in their homes, support the middle class, and provide relief to those being squeezed by high housing prices and rents.”
Rustad said that people in BC have been “punished by having to pay for sky-high housing costs” with after-tax income.
“In 2017, David Eby and the NDP promised a $400 rent rebate for all renters, regardless of income. As usual, they broke that promise not once, but twice,” said Rustad. “Not only did they fail to deliver for five consecutive budgets, but when they finally introduced it in 2023, it was so severely income-tested that the average family in Vancouver can’t qualify.”
He argued that the NDP’s rebate only offered a “drop in the bucket” to those struggling with the increasing cost of living, saying it only covered “1% of the annual rent” for a one-bedroom in Vancouver.
The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said the benchmark price of a Metro Vancouver home was $1,188,000 last year and a detached home was $1,953,600.
Condos were significantly less expensive, albeit not necessarily more affordable, at $760,800.
While many homebuyers in the city leverage existing home equity to move up the housing ladder, most of the city’s younger residents aren’t as fortunate.
“Families and individuals are being driven out of our cities because they can’t afford to live here anymore,” said Rustad.
According to the BC Conservatives, the rebate will be the “largest tax cut for renters and homeowners in BC history” by issuing a 5.06% tax credit that is “equivalent to the rate of BC’s base tax bracket.”
Rustad said that the relief will be “immediate,” included as part of Budget 2026 while remaining a “fair and fiscally responsible tax credit” that won’t exceed its $900 million budget.
“This is not another band-aid solution. This is real relief for British Columbians who are working hard but getting squeezed by rising housing costs,” he said.
“The NDP’s broken promises have left middle-class families behind, and enough is enough. The Rustad Rebate will provide meaningful support to renters and homeowners, allowing them to stay in the communities they love and keep more of their hard-earned money.”
NDP Premier David Eby also announced his latest housing plans ahead of the election which has drawn mixed reactions, with some realtors expressing doubt about whether the plan to offer “glorified rentals” in the form of long-term leases will address British Columbia’s housing crisis.
Eby plans to subsidize 2,600 homes available for purchase on a 99-year strata leasehold on First Nations land in Vancouver.
In partnership with MST Nations, the province announced a development of the homes at an “initial 40% below market value” last week with the expectation that the portion the government finances is to be paid back upon resale of the property or after 25 years in the form of a second mortgage.
Buyers will be able to pay a 5% deposit on 60% of the home’s “market value” for studio, one, two and three-bedroom homes on a 99-year strata leasehold. Unlike a freehold purchase agreement, the purchaser will not own the land where the property is situated – meaning the land title will remain with the First Nations.
The BC government evaluated “market price” for one a bedroom at $850,000, two bedrooms at $1.3 million and three bedrooms at $1.5 million. With the government’s finance scheme, the leases will cost $510,000, $780,000 and $900,000 respectively.
