From their handling of the Nova Scotia mass shooting to the fact that senior members of the RCMP are being investigated by the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP fails to be transparent with Canadians.
And now, we’re learning that the RCMP sat on a EKOS poll that stated Canadians didn’t have confidence in senior leadership of the RCMP.
Former officer of the RCMP and Vancouver Police Department Leo Knight says the RCMP is the most opaque organization you can imagine.
Remember the “One Planet, One Child” advertising campaign that ran in Vancouver earlier this fall?
In response to the ads promoting voluntary population control, Alberta MP Garnett Genuis sponsored his own set of Vancouver public transit ads that featured a picture of his own four kids and a Mother Teresa quote stating “How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers.” Now, a whole bunch of Liberal MPs are screeching that the Conservatives want to ban abortions.
True North fellow Lindsay Shepherd has the latest developments.
Toronto’s top health official wants to decriminalize the possession of hard drugs.
The city’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa made the recommendation in a recent report on drug overdose deaths.
From April 1 to September 30, 2020, 132 people died as a result of an overdose in Toronto. The figures were nearly twice the amount of deaths over the same period last year.
When asked whether he would support the recommendations on Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford spoke out in opposition to the idea of decriminalizing hard drugs.
“Absolutely not. I am not in favour of legalizing small quantities of cocaine or heroin,” Ford said.
“We aren’t talking about weed or marijuana, we’re talking about serious drugs that can kill people, that are highly, highly addictive.”
De Villa is not the only public health figure who has called to decriminalize hard drugs recently.
Earlier this year, Canada’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Theresa Tam suggested that she was open to decriminalization as an option to deal with the growing opioid crisis.
“Canadians should be seized with this particular crisis, which can actually happen to anyone and could also have increased risks right now for people who may be isolating at home,” said Tam.
The Liberal government has already funded a project in Toronto to provide drug addicts with a “safe” supply of opiates.
According to the Toronto Sun, approximately $600,000 in new funding was allocated to the project.
A Canadian senator is calling for the government to condemn Turkey and Azerbaijan as Armenians face ethnic cleansing in the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh.
On Thursday, Conservative Senator Leo Housakos introduced a motion calling for the government to recognize Artsakh and condemn Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression in the conflict.
“As we observe Veterans Week. leading up to Remembrance Day, we are reminded of all the times Canada and Canadians have taken a side against the type of unprovoked and unwarranted aggression we are seeing in [Artsakh],” Housakos told True North.
“Unfortunately, the first Armenian genocide wasn’t recognized soon enough. Had world leaders intervened sooner, it might have been avoided. We always say, ‘Never again,’ and yet here we are, again.”
Republic of Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, is a region that broke away from Azerbaijan in 1994. While considered Azerbaijani territory under international law, Artsakh is 99.7% ethnically Armenian and maintains its own government.
In September fighting resumed, with Turkey intervening in Azerbaijan’s favour. Since October, hundreds of civilians have been killed and over half of Artsakh’s population has been forced to flee their homes — leading to fears that the state will be wiped off the map.
Housakos says that recent actions taken against Armenians in Artsakh may result in a “Second Armenian Genocide” and Canada needs to recognize what’s happening immediately.
Turkey, a member of NATO, has extensively used drones and mercenaries against Armenian forces. Armenia has accused Azerbaijanii-Turkish forces of war crimes for their conduct.
In October, Armenia claimed it found Canadian-made components on a Turkish drone used to bomb Artsakh.
Canada has suspended trading of military technology with Turkey over concerns that it is being used in the conflict. Turkey has responded by accusing Canada of hypocrisy.
Housakos says that along with condemnation, Canada needs to recognize Artsakh’s independence and deny Turkey Canadian military technology in the future.
“The Trudeau government should call it out for what it is, in plain language. They should fully recognize Artsakh’s independence and its inalienable right to self determination,” he said.
“And if we don’t want any more blood on our Canadian hands, Justin Trudeau must stop kowtowing to [Turkish] President Erdogan, and ensure that he won’t grant any further requests for exemptions to our ban of Canadian military exports that are being used to kill innocent Armenians.”
A Canadian journalist is calling on news networks to bar their staff from wearing poppies on-air, suggesting they “glorify war” and represent “overtly political messaging.”
The anti-poppy column was written by Davide Mastracci in the progressive Canadian online publication Passage.
“TV journalists should be banned from wearing poppies on-air,” the article is titled.
In it, Mastracci writes that wearing a poppy proves a journalist is no longer objective, likening the symbol to political buttons or pins.
“So-called objectivity is one of the ostensible cornerstones of modern, corporate journalism, but it’s complete bullshit, and the way poppies are handled is a great example of why,” writes Mastracci.
“So, journalists are on TV every single day wearing a political symbol its trademark owners explicitly state is meant to unite us behind a glorified interpretation of what soldiers do, and yet because this political view just so happens to line up with the dominant ideology in Canada — slack jawed reverence of the military — it’s somehow not a violation of objectivity?”
Mastracci says poppies are “explicitly political symbols” because they are trademarked by the Royal Canadian Legion and “play a prominent role in the self-glorifying military ceremonies throughout the country on Remembrance Day.”
The article comes on the same day Liberal, NDP and Conservative members of parliament unanimously condemned grocery chain Whole Foods for its now-reversed ban on employees weaning poppies at work.
Mastracci has spoken out against the wearing of poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day in the past.
On November 9, 2019 Mastracci tweeted that “wearing a poppy is actively harmful” and that he hoped “they disappear.”
Poppies were officially adopted by the Great War Veteran’s Association in Canada as a Flower of Remembrance on July 5, 1921. Since then, the symbol has become a commemorative way to honour fallen veterans ahead of and on Remembrance Day.
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Whole Foods has backtracked on its dress code banning employees from wearing poppies in the lead-up to Remembrance Day, following online outrage, unanimous condemnation in the House of Commons, and the threat of legislation in Ontario.
Also, True North’s Andrew Lawton talks about one of the media’s biggest failures throughout Donald Trump’s presidency – vilifying Trump voters rather than trying to understand them. In addition, a look at how the small Ontario town of Aylmer has become home to a fight for freedom.
Police are searching for three suspects believed to be involved in a rural crime spree targeting properties in Saskatchewan.
In a series of incidents, the suspects stole property and broke into a business.
On October 28, between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. the culprits are believed to have stolen fuel and tools from a farm in St. Louis.
The suspects then went on to break into a bike shop in Cudworth, which is about a half hour away. Authorities believe that the tools stolen in the earlier crime were used in the later incident.
A 2019 grey GMC Sierra and a 2018 red Nissan Rogue were reported stolen from the business.
According to Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan’s rural crime rate is more than double Canada’s national average.
In 2017, Saskatchewan reported 12,829 rural crimes, while the Canadian average for that year was 6,210 in rural areas.
Those with information regarding the crimes are being asked to contact their local RCMP detachment or Crime Stoppers.
The controversial Canadian Muslim Voting Guide released by Wilfrid Laurier University was found to have broken elections laws.
According to Blacklocks’ Reporter, Elections Commissioner Yves Côté declared the taxpayer-funded document was in violation of the law in an internal memo.
“Based on the information gathered during our review, the Commissioner has determined a violation was committed,” wrote Côté. No penalties have been issued for the violation.
“The public interest would be best served by addressing the matter using informal means,” wrote an investigation note.
Ahead of the 2019 federal election, the guide’s authors received $24,923 from the federal Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to “create profiles of key public, media and political figures as well as organizations who produce and distribute Islamophobic ideologies and propaganda.”
Instead, the guide sought to direct voters on who to vote for and gave the former Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer “failing” grades on Islamophobia, immigration and refugees.
“Scheer’s well-documented association with controversial far-right and Islamophobic public figures makes him complicit,” claimed the guide.
The guide also went on to accuse Conservatives of “[fomenting] the kind of fear and moral panic that leads to violence and hate.”
Upon its publication, the guide had a government logo on its cover. That logo has since been removed.
Internal emails with the Research Council also revealed some internal confusion regarding the guide’s purpose.
“I’m just wondering if in fact we have any policies at the Council about paying for this stuff that is overtly political in the sense of paying for stuff that, for example, purports to guide people in how they should vote?” wrote Deputy Industry Minister Simon Kennedy.
“It would seem weird that such a guide would be something we would subsidize no matter what one may or may not think about the content.”
Shortly after the guide was published, the SSHRC denied having any knowledge of the project.
“SSHRC takes the concerns raised seriously and is looking into the situation,” said spokesperson Andrea Matyas at the time.
Update: Whole Foods has updated its policy to allow the poppy to be displayed on staff uniforms. In a statement, the grocery chain also noted they would be observing a moment of silence on November 11 and making a monetary donation to the Legion Poppy Fund.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford sent out a follow-up tweet stating, “It should not take legislation to do the right thing.” assuring that this would not happen in Ontario again.
Whole Foods’ decision to ban employees from wearing Remembrance Day poppies has come under fire from Conservative politicians, with one promising legislation that would prohibit the grocery chain’s dress code.
Conservative leader Erin O’Toole condemned the company’s poppy ban as “shameful” and “un-Canadian,” noting the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers is what gives the freedom for “a big American grocery chain to be stupid today.”
“To those of us who have proudly served our country, to those still serving, to the fallen who have paid the ultimate sacrifice – this is not a cause.” said O’Toole, who served in the Canadian Armed Forces prior to entering politics.
In a video recorded on Parliament Hill, O’Toole rebranded the company “Woke Foods,” taking aim at Whole Foods’ characterization of wearing a poppy as indicating support for a political cause.
“The poppy is not a cause – it is a sign of respect,” he said. “Respect for those who sacrificed it all for our today. I’d like Whole Foods to stop trying to be Woke Foods and to do the right thing – show respect. Lest we forget.”
While O’Toole was direct in his condemnation of the Whole Foods poppy ban, other conservative politicians were much more aggressive.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford vowed in a tweet to introduce legislation prohibiting companies from banning their staff from wearing poppies during Remembrance week.
“It’s disgusting and disgraceful that Whole Foods has banned poppies for their employees. We will always stand with our veterans.” Ford said.
Ford also called on the grocery store chain to apologize and immediately reverse the decision.
“Everyone should wear a poppy. Lest we forget.” Ford said.
Two prominent Canadian constitutional rights groups were excluded from a Justice Department consultation on “legal remedies” for online hate speech.
In September, Blacklock’s Reporter revealed that Attorney General David Lametti’s department was reaching out to various advocacy organizations to get their legal recommendations.
Through an Access to Information and Privacy request, True North acquired a list of all of the advocacy groups privately consulted by the government on the matter. The list showed that neither the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), nor the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) were approached for input by the Liberals.
“Given our long-established role as advocates for free expression in Canada and our frequent participation in these legal questions, it is puzzling why we were left off out of this consultation. You would expect the government to canvass the opinions of organizations with a long established and broad expertise in freedom of expression,” CCF Litigation Director Christine Van Geyn told True North.
Only one explicitly pro-free speech group, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association was listed as a stakeholder in the government’s online hate consultation.
A full list of all of the advocacy groups consulted by the Department of Justice has been provided in PDF format below:
A-2020-00485.pdfdoc by Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
According to JCCF lawyer Lisa Bildy, they were not contacted by the Department of Justice either.
“Despite our expertise on the subject, we were not consulted on this latest effort by the federal government to formulate legal restrictions on internet speech,” said Bildy pointing to JCCF Litigation Manager, Jay Cameron’s testimony on the topic before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in 2019.
“I would hope that the only reason we were not consulted is because the government already has our report at the top of the pile of expert opinions considering the question of whether limits on Canadians’ constitutionally-protected freedom of expression can or should be imposed. If not, and if this list constitutes the extent of their consultation, it would appear that they went looking for the specific answers they wanted, rather than striking a good faith consultation of all perspectives on this important issue.”
The groups consulted by the government include the Anti-Hate Network, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting and the Morgane Oger Foundation.
A variety of gender and cultural based organizations like the Muslim Association of Canada, the Federation of Black Canadians and the Canadian Women’s Foudnation were also listed as stakeholders in the document.
