Quebec radio station under fire for criticizing governments’ coronavirus measures

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Quebec radio station under fire for criticizing governments’ coronavirus measures

A conservative radio station in Quebec is not bowing down to pressure following its hosting of voices critical of coronavirus measures employed by various levels of government.

Quebec City’s CHOI 98.1 Radio X is facing a boycott after critics say it downplayed the threat of COVID-19 by offering a platform to conspiracy theorists.

Station owner RNC Media said the accusation doesn’t hold water, and that the criticism is coming from a place of “censorship.”

After Quebec City announced that it would no longer advertise with Radio X, a number of other advertisers also abandoned the station.

“In the last few days, a call for boycott has been initiated against us. We are witnessing a vendetta from actors who have long wished to see CHOI censored and gone from the public sphere,” RNC Media president Robert Ranger said in a French statement.

“We cannot stand idle and accept the accusations against us that we are directly or indirectly associated with conspiracist movements or any other movement that goes against public health guidelines. These accusations are not based on facts or on statements made by our hosts.”

The controversy began when Radio X refused to air a government advertisement which they  called “an insult to our audience’s intelligence.” The program has also been accused of giving a platform to conspiracy advocates, although Radio X maintains that the segment only made up a miniscule portion of its regular programming. 

According to Ranger, the station has already played 7,435 government public health advertisements in the last 28 weeks, totalling around 37 advertisements per day. 

The station also highlighted other efforts to educate the public, including airing live streams of government press briefings, producing infographics based on public health data and using radio personalities to promote coronavirus prevention measures.

“Proper access to accurate information and to a diversity of opinions found among the population has always been of utmost importance, and is particularly so throughout this pandemic now striking Quebec. The media has a central role to play in making sure the information is spread rapidly. CHOI Radio X takes these responsibilities seriously,” Ranger’s statement said.

The station is well known for giving a platform to conservative and libertarian voices.

CRA employee fired for giving preferential treatment to family and friends

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CRA employee fired for giving preferential treatment to family and friends

A federal labour relations board has upheld the firing of a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employee who gave preferential treatment to friends and family.

Drew Woodcock, who worked for the CRA for 31 years, was fired after it was discovered he accessed personal CRA accounts 621 times without authorization.

In her ruling, labour board adjudicator Nancy Rosenberg said that Woodcock accessed the accounts “in the course of providing preferential treatment to those taxpayers.”

“It appears that the grievor became overly comfortable in this role and that he repeatedly disregarded some of the CRA’s most basic and important rules,” Rosenberg ruled.

“The reality is that the grievor did not provide client services to random taxpayers. Rather, he accessed the accounts of friends and family to prepare their tax returns for them.”

According to CRA policies, staff are only allowed to access tax files of individuals assigned to them. The CRA claims that staff are reminded of these rules regularly.

In his defence, Woodcock claimed that he was “just trying to help” others in the course of his job in client services, adding that he was not aware of CRA policies. Rosenberg expressed doubt that the 31-year veteran of the CRA did not know basic agency policy.

In recent years, the CRA has reported multiple instances of employees accessing personal accounts without clearance, often for the purposes of committing crimes.

In September, the CRA manager of investigations revealed that the agency “has seen several serious risk situations materialize through employees’ associations with criminals.”

On at least two occasions, CRA employees involved with biker gang members accessed the tax accounts of gang opponents. One employee reportedly “used his access to provide gang members with personal information about members of the police force, for example child care locations.”

In 2018, CRA employee Christopher Casola pleaded guilty to breach of trust for giving Hells Angels members access to the CRA accounts of two police officers.

MALCOLM: The media and the political left want us divided

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MALCOLM: The media and the political left want us divided

America is deeply divided, and increasingly, these divisions are playing out through violent street fights in major U.S. cities. An alarming Politico study found that one in three Democrats and Republicans believe that violence may be justified if the other side wins the election. The same poll three years ago found that just 8% of Democrats and Republicans believed violence against their political opponents could be justified. 

Now is a time to tread lightly.

But instead of focusing on the things that unite people — the flag, the national anthem, the country’s founding principles and institutions — the political left has poisoned the well by claiming these once-uniting symbols now represent hate, violence and oppression. 

Even the things we once enjoyed together regardless of our politics — like comedy, late night talk shows, pop music, the movies — have all become politicized platforms for celebrities to show off their woke credentials and hector the political right. Conservatives are understandably tuning out, and the political and cultural divisions are becoming more stark. 

The responsible thing for leaders in politics and the media to do is remain calm, refrain from dishonest spin and sensationalized news, and focus on the things that unite the country and our society. 

Instead, the mainstream media and political left, in both the U.S. and Canada, are dead set on pouring gasoline into the fire. 

The headlines, for instance, coming out of Tuesday evening’s Presidential Debate obsessively focused on one of the mainstream media’s favourite narratives: that Donald Trump refused to condemn white supremacists. 

The reality is that Trump did condemn white supremacy. This comes straight from the debate transcript:

MODERATOR: Are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups —

TRUMP: Sure.

MODERATOR: — and to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities, as we saw in Kenosha and as we’ve seen in Portland?

TRUMP: Sure, I’m willing to do that. 

Like much of the debate, this exchange digressed into heated cross-talk and inaudible comments. 

Trump said left-wing groups like Antifa were to blame for the violence, and Joe Biden insisted fault lies with right-wing groups like the Proud Boys. Biden went so far as to claim that Antifa was “an idea, not an organization.”

Of course, there were no sensationalist headlines or follow up questions for Biden. 

To re-emphasize his denunciation of violence, Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity after the debate: “Let me be clear again: I condemn the KKK. I condemn all white supremacists. I condemn the Proud Boys. I don’t know much about the Proud Boys, almost nothing, but I condemn that.”

Instead of running with the truth, the American media insist on propping up a distorted interpretation that paints half the country as secret supporters of white supremacy. 

It’s difficult to understate how dangerous this is, especially in this tense political moment.  

Not surprisingly, the lazy Canadian media jumped onboard and created an entire news cycle designed to allow Leftists politicians to virtue signal about “right wing hate.”

“PM Trudeau, other leaders condemn white supremacy in wake of Trump’s refusal to do so” wrote a CTV news headline intent on pushing a divisive narrative irrespective of facts. 

“‘The Prime Minister has condemned and will continue to condemn right-wing extremism, white supremacy and racism in all its forms,’ read a statement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, sent to CTVNews.ca.”

So brave. 

CBC, meanwhile, ran the headline, “Trump’s Proud Boys remark boosts far-right group’s profile, including in Canada, experts say” — omitting the ever relevant point that Biden, not Trump, brought up the obscure group during the debate. 

Journalists who pride themselves on being stalwart guards of our free and democratic society are the ones destroying it. The best thing we can do to promote peace and protect democracy is turn off the TV.

KNIGHT: There’s no end in sight for Trudeau’s spending

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KNIGHT: There’s no end in sight for Trudeau’s spending

Canada has $1.45 TRILLION worth of debt under Justin Trudeau’s watch.

Our deficit is nearing $400 BILLION.

There’s no end in sight for the number of tax dollars the Trudeau Liberals are spending, and they have no plan to pay down this debt.

True North’s Leo Knight says it’s never enough for Justin Trudeau. They’ll just keep spending on their pet projects.

FUREY: The new COVID-19 restrictions don’t make any sense

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FUREY: The new COVID-19 restrictions don’t make any sense

In Quebec, you cannot allow other guests in your home and the police can enter your home if you violate this rule. But you can still allow a babysitter, one plumber and if you live alone, you can have someone over for dinner.

In Toronto, public health officials are calling for similar restrictions as Quebec and are warning residents should only be leaving the home for “essential trips.”

Do these new restrictions make any sense to you?

True North’s Anthony Furey says public health officials need to consider the holistic concerns of these additional restrictions on Canadians.

KNIGHT: Newly filed court records turn up the heat on non-cooperative RCMP

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KNIGHT: Newly filed court records turn up the heat on non-cooperative RCMP

On Friday, one of the RCMP officers involved in the October 2007 response to a disturbance call at YVR (Vancouver International Airport) which resulted in the tragic death of Polish traveller Robert Dziekanski filed an application with the Federal Court. The officer was trying to force the RCMP to release documents that he has been trying to get for seven years through an Access To Information (ATiP) request.

Constable Gerry Rundel and Monty Robinson (Corporal Ret’d) have been chasing after information they know exists but the Mounties have been ducking and diving in an attempt to make them go away. 

Well, they won’t and they haven’t. Their tenacity has been remarkable. 

But they have faced the information brick wall that is the hallmark of the RCMP.  

On May 22nd, 2020, the Information Commissioner of Canada Caroline Maynard made a finding that complaints against the RCMP by Rundel were “well founded.” She made recommendations to the RCMP and according to her letter, the “RCMP accepted my recommendations and as a result new searches for additional records were conducted.”

However, the long sought after documents relating the RCMP lack of disclosure to the Braidwood Inquiry and the subsequent court trials were never provided. These documents would have established the YVR 4 did nothing wrong in their response to the disturbance call at YVR.

Why the RCMP would hold back exculpatory documents resulting from their follow up investigations — an Incident Operational Review, a Superintendent’s review and the YVR Communications report — is a mystery. They also held back documents from the Braidwood Inquiry, the ensuing Special Prosecutor’s investigation and prosecutions of the four involved members.

Instead, the RCMP allowed the YVR 4 to be prosecuted for perjury. 

Two of the four, Bill Bentley and Kwesi Millington, have settled their lawsuits with the RCMP and moved on. But Monty Robinson and Gerry Rundel have been fighting tooth and nail for justice. 

The RCMP has been anything but cooperative. 

This has led to two filing of internal complaints within the RCMP, pushing back against half-hearted internal investigations and ultimately getting a third party agency, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to investigate criminal complaints of obstruction of justice against the Commissioner and several other senior and former members of the RCMP. 

The OPP investigation is ongoing and ramping up with OPP investigators travelling to Vancouver to conduct interviews this month. 

The application to the Federal Court is what is known in law as a Prerogative Writ or a Writ of Mandamus. In a nutshell, Rundel is seeking an order from the Federal Court using the judicial process instead of the administrative process to force the RCMP to do what they are mandated by law to do — release all the relevant documentation by a specified date. 

There is much supporting documentation within the application. The most striking to me was an affidavit filed by the former Chair and CEO of the Public Complaints Commission Shirley Heafey.

Heafey documents the difficulties she had during her ten year tenure and how she was blocked at every turn as she tried to get information to do her job. 

In her affidavit she said, “Although cooperation was required by legislation, what followed were months of fruitless struggle to obtain any information from RCMP Leadership.” 

What she is saying isn’t just an isolated case. This is systemic within the RCMP to avoid any scrutiny and oversight. This is frightening when our national police force acts as though they are above the law. 

By failing to comply with a Federal Court order, the RCMP risks a contempt of court finding which could result in substantial fines against the organization or a finding against whoever in the organization made the decision not to comply. That could result in jail time. The Commissioner would be the one on the hook for such a decision. 

In filing this application, Rundel has put the RCMP on notice. They are about to find out they are not above the law. The court has the authority no one in the administrative process has. 

Rundel has raised the temperature a significant notch.

Newly filed court records turn up the heat on non-cooperative RCMP by True North on Scribd

China surveilled religious minorities in their private residences

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China surveilled religious minorities in their private residences

A new report reveals the extent of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) crackdown on religious minorities. 

According to Bitter Winter, a magazine devoted to religious freedom in China, CCP authorities surveyed the private residences of members of the new religious movement the Church of Almighty God (CAG). 

A CAG member in Zhejiang claims that in 2018, cameras were installed near the entrance to her home and that her mother also reported discovering a listening device installed behind her washing machine and an additional camera positioned in her garage. 

The CAG has faced persecution at the hands of the CCP before. According to the Chinese government, the CAG is officially labelled as a cult and its activities are seen as a threat to the existence of the communist state. 

Another CAG member was reportedly interrogated by Chinese authorities for 36 hours regarding the location of his wife, son and daughter. He was then put under constant surveillance, including tracking devices and surveillance cameras. 

Numerous religious and ethnic minority groups in China are subject to human rights violations and abuse at the hands of the CCP.

Recent satellite evidence published by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), reveals up to 400 internment camps in the Xinjiang province, where the region’s Uyghur minority are believed to be held in captivity and are forced into labor. 

“The evidence in this database shows that despite Chinese officials’ claims about detainees graduating from the camps, significant investment in the construction of new detention facilities has continued throughout 2019 and 2020,” said ASPI researcher Nathan Ruser.

Critics of the Trudeau government have accused the Liberals of failing to denounce China’s treatment of minorities and to ensure that supplies sourced in China are not being produced by slave labour. 

“Many concerns have been raised about how Uyghur Muslims in China, who face horrific repression (the largest detention of a minority since the Holocaust according to many experts), are being forced to participate in slave labour including the production of PPE,” said Conservative MP Garnett Genuis in the House of Commons. 

“When we’ve previously asked the government what safeguards are in place to ensure that slave labour is not part of the supply chain for our government procured PPE, we were told by the minister that there’s a process by companies to self-certify, in other words, they tell us everything is fine and we believe them.”

Concerns regarding the Uyghur forced labour camps have also implicated Chinese tech giant Huawei, who is embroiled in a legal battle with Canada and the US over the extradition of CFO Meng Wanzhou. 

“Huawei is providing Xinjiang’s police with technical expertise, support and digital services to ensure ‘Xinjiang’s social stability and long-term security’,” wrote an ASPI report.

As reported exclusively by True North, Uyghur rights groups have called on Canada to reconsider its relationship with Huawei over its involvement in human rights violations.

Senator calls for investigation into why CBC continues to fail

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Senator calls for investigation into why CBC continues to fail

A Conservative senator wants to see the Senate investigate the cause of CBC’s drastic decline in viewership and revenue.

Senator Leo Housakos recently served notice of a motion to the Senate communications committee asking the committee to hold hearings to determine why CBC continues to fail despite increased government funding.

“Examine and report on the causes for the declining number of viewers for the English television service despite increased funding with taxpayer dollars, including but not limited to a review of the level of adherence to the requirement to provide uniquely Canadian content, and the use by CBC of public funds to unfairly compete with other media outlets with its digital service,” Housakos wrote.

In recent years, CBC has faced a significant decline in viewership and ad revenue. In 2019, only 0.8% of Canadians tuned into local CBC TV evening news broadcasts, with CBC only holding 5% of market share. 

In a statement to True North, Senator Housako said that the government needs to reconsider the purpose of the CBC if the public consistently chooses other news sources.

“Unlike Radio-Canada, the English arm of CBC no longer lives up to its mandate to provide for Canadians news and information they can’t get anywhere else,” he wrote.

“So why should taxpayers continue to fund something that not only doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do but also uses our tax dollars to unfairly compete with private media companies, including start ups like True North?”

CBC recently reported that its revenues declined 20% in the second quarter of 2020. Even as millions of Canadians remained at home over the quarter, CBC attributed the decline to coronavirus.

Housakos says that his motion will compel CBC management to explain to parliament why they are failing to provide services Canadians want out of a public broadcaster. 

“If the English arm of the CBC, and now digital, want to compete with the private broadcasters and media outlets, if all they want to do is provide endless tabloid coverage of what’s happening in another country, then they should have to do so on their own two feet,” he said.

“CBC forgets that it answers to the Canadian public for its expenditure of tax dollars. My motion seeks to do that — to have them come before parliament to explain themselves to Canadians.”

CBC receives most of its funding from a $1.2 billion annual grant from the federal government. While the Liberals have pledged to increase funding to the CBC, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole has vowed to cut funding to the CBC.

As a leadership candidate, O’Toole promised to privatize CBC’s English-language TV programming, saying that taxpayers should not be on the hook for programming they do not want to watch.

FUREY: Toronto Public Health calls for restrictions on day they release inflated numbers

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FUREY: Toronto Public Health calls for restrictions on day they release inflated numbers

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, sent an open letter to Ontario’s top public health official calling for severe lockdown restrictions to be added to the province and using a rise in cases as her justification.

The letter calls for bans on indoor restaurant dining and indoor sports leagues and also for “individuals to only leave their homes for essential trips.” That’s right. TPH wants people to be banned by law from leaving their homes except for “work, education, exercise and fitness, health-care appointments and the purchase of food.”

Read Anthony Furey’s latest in the Toronto Sun.

FUREY: Are COVID-19 restrictions reflective of reality?

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FUREY: Are COVID-19 restrictions reflective of reality?

On Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced additional COVID-19 restrictions as the province announced a spike in cases. The new restrictions include a provincewide mask policy and target restaurants, gyms and other social settings.

The only problem is the media and the government aren’t telling you the truth – some of the reported cases are outdated and the government doesn’t actually know what’s causing the spike in cases.

True North’s Anthony Furey asks are these new restrictions actually reflective of reality?

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