The Bloc Quebecois say they won’t support the Conservatives’ non-confidence motion next week.
Plus, Spotify removed an episode of True North’s The Faulkner Show that featured an interview with former residential school worker Rodney Clifton claiming it promoted dangerous content.
And a BC imam preaches an armed struggle against the Jewish people to Muslim youth.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux!
Canada’s decision to abstain from voting for or against a United Nations resolution targeting Israel drew sharp criticism from various Jewish advocate groups.
Some groups accused the Trudeau government of abandoning its democratic ally in the Middle East and siding with Hamas.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the resolution was “based on a problematic International Court of Justice advisory opinion that unfairly targets Israel.”
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre issued a release on Wednesday saying that the United Nations General Assembly Resolution disregarded historical context, legal principles, and Israel’s security concerns.
They added that the resolution demands Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank and East Jerusalem while making no corresponding demand for the Palestinian Authority to cease incitement in its media and schools advocating for the destruction of Israel.
The release pointed out that the resolution overlooks the pre-1967 historical context, specifically the war launched against Israel to eliminate the world’s only Jewish state. It further criticized the lack of a parallel demand for the Palestinian Authority to halt its incitement, including media and educational materials that call for Israel’s destruction.
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s release also highlighted the misrepresentation in the resolution, which labels East Jerusalem as “Palestinian Territory,” despite it being under Jordanian, not Palestinian, control from 1948 to 1967, a control that was itself gained through force.
“This resolution will not promote peace; it rewards attempts to destroy Israel incrementally by denying it defensible borders and reasonable security guarantees,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean for the Simon Wiesenthal Centre.
B’nai Brith Canada joined the groups critiquing Canada.
The director of research and advocacy for Canada’s oldest human rights organization told True North that Canada continues to allow other members of the UN to unduly attack the state of Israel.
“This resolution undermines Israel’s right to self-defence, endorses a one-sided narrative, and is contrary to the advancement of a two-state solution. It’s time for Canada to take a clear stand against such biased actions and support its democratic ally,” said Richard Robertson.
Abstaining from the vote was a change of pace for Canada. In Nov. 2023, the country said that it would vote no on resolutions “that do not address the complexities of the issues or seek to address the actions and responsibilities of all parties, including the destructive role of terrorist organizations like Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah.”
The non-binding resolution passed with 124 countries voting yes, 14 voting no, and 43 abstaining.
The eight-page resolution introduced by the State of Palestine did not mention Hamas, the terrorist organization’s Oct. 7 attack where they murdered 1,200 Israelis, and was almost entirely anti-Israel, leading to opposing and abstaining countries criticizing that it did not work towards a peaceful resolution.
“This proposed resolution advances the flawed – and indeed, false – idea that adopting a text here in New York can somehow resolve what is easily one of the most complex and persistent diplomatic challenges of our time,” said the United States’ United Nations ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “It also fails to acknowledge, among other things, that Hamas, a terrorist organization, is currently exerting power, control, and influence in Gaza. And it refuses to address the reality that Israel, a United Nations Member State, simply has a right to protect and defend its people from acts of terror or violence.”
Argentina’s spokesperson agreed, saying that omitting the mention of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack would be irresponsible and cannot be ignored in this context.
“To advance in the implementation of this advisory opinion as is sought by the resolution adopted would put at risk the initiatives that are seeking to achieve a ceasefire to which the Republic of Argentina is strongly committed,” he said.
Canada’s United Nations spokesperson said that the country condemns Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and called for an immediate ceasefire and release of all hostages.
The spokesperson said that Canada will continue to support UNRWA, despite previously discovered ties with Hamas.
“There is no mention in the resolution of the need to end terrorism, for which Israel has serious and legitimate security concerns. Canada continues to support Israel’s right to defend itself from terrorism,” said Canada’s explanation of the vote. “We will always stand with the Israeli and Palestinian peoples in their right to live in peace, security, and dignity.”
The United States criticized any member state that considered imposing economic sanctions on Israel, as it would do nothing to expedite peace in the nation.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced imposing sanctions against four Israeli individuals and two Israeli entities on Wednesday.
“While the Trudeau government consistently expresses support for Israel’s right to defend itself, its actions fall short of these commitments. Policies like the arms embargo jeopardize Israel in its time of need. Furthermore, while Canada supports the International Court of Justice (ICJ), allowing it to be exploited to promote agendas that unfairly target Israel undermines its core mission. Canada frequently speaks in favor of Israel, but when the time comes for concrete action, their allyship is conspicuously absent.”
“We must not be guided by fear and despair,” said Thomas-Greenfield. “There is no path forward or hope offered through this resolution. Its adoption will not save Palestinian lives, bring the hostages home, end Israeli settlements, or reinvigorate the peace process.”
She urged other countries to vote no and to press Hamas to take the deal on the table.
The plea clearly fell on deaf ears, as nearly eight times as many countries voted in favour of the resolution than against it.
Nearly 14,000 Canadians joined CIJA in asking Trudeau to vote against the resolution prior to Wednesday’s vote.
“The Trudeau government has lost its moral compass and has not only abandoned its declared ally, Israel, but has also, once again, undermined the legitimacy of the International Court of Justice, an institution Canada claims to value,” said Shimon Koffler Fogel, President and CEO of CIJA.
The investment firm chaired by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s newly appointed “finance advisor,” Mark Carney, is facing scrutiny from Conservatives after reports that it is in talks to manage tens of billions in taxpayer and Canadian pension funds.
According to a report by The Logic, Brookfield is asking for $10 billion from taxpayers days after the former Bank of Canada governor was appointed a Liberal party finance advisor. Members of the Conservative Party of Canada are accusing the government of corruption over the suspected deal.
The report, which cites confidential sources, says that the Toronto-based investment firm Brookfield is in discussions to help the firm invest domestically. The investment group is asking to tap into $36 billion from Canada’s largest pension funds, collectively known as the Maple 8 and $10 billion from taxpayers for investment.
This comes a week after Conservatives accused the Liberals of appointing Carney as an advisor to the Liberals instead of giving him an official government role to shield the former Bank of Canada governor from conflict of interest laws.
“Just days after Trudeau appointed Carbon Tax Carney to this senior position, the conflicts of interest are already evident,” reads a Conservative statement released on Wednesday.
The Conservative party alleged the Liberals are engaged in yet another corruption scandal, claiming it’s unethical to allow Carney to advise Justin Trudeau on economic policy while being the chair of Brookfield, as it’s lobbying the government for billions of tax dollars.
Neither Brookfield, Trudeau’s office nor Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland responded to True North’s requests for confirmation or comment. However, the Conservatives said in their Wednesday statement that Freeland refused to comment rather than denying the story outright.
According to a public financial report, Carney made $987,375 from investments with Brookfield in 2023, the same year the firm directly benefited from federal investments made into Entropy Inc., by the Canada Growth Fund a crown corporation created by Freeland in 2022.
“It is unacceptable that Carbon Tax Carney has been given the power by Trudeau to offer him advice on this request,” the CPC said. “If Trudeau were to grant Brookfield’s request, how much would Mark Carney stand to personally profit?”
In addition to The Logic report, the Financial Post reported that Brookfield began lobbying the government once Carney’s former Bank of Canada colleague Stephan Poloz was appointed by Freeland to lead a task force in charge of directing pension funds to invest domestically.
The Conservatives further claim that Carney’s involvement in Brookfield, as it asks the feds for more funds, is shielded by Carney’s “refusal” to register as a lobbyist.
In addition to holding several leadership positions in international investment and consulting firms such as Bloomberg L.P. and Macro Advisory Partners, which have stakes in the financial success of companies such as Uber, Apple, and Mastercard – Carney also works for international institutions such as the United Nations and the World Economic Forum.
The CPC also claimed that the CEO of Telesat, a company which received $2.14 billion in taxpayer loans to build a broadband network for rural Canada, is Carney’s “close friend.”
Starlink Founder and CEO Elon Musk said his company could deliver the service for half the price – an offer which was shut down by the Liberals.
The Liberal party has criticized Conservatives for opposing the investment in Telesat, saying the deal will create “2,000 jobs across the country” and that giving the money to “foreign billionaires” would not.
Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez recently revealed he will step down from his role in Cabinet to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party. He said he would make his official announcement in Gatineau, Que. on Thursday.
The news also comes on the heels of a devastating byelection defeat for the Liberals, who lost the Montreal-area seat of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun to the Bloc Québécois on Tuesday.
Rodriguez had alluded to being courted for a PLQ leadership bid last month, telling reporters that it would be a return to his roots as he once sat on the party’s youth commission years ago.
“As Minister of Transport and Quebec lieutenant in Justin Trudeau’s government, I am proud to work hard for the good of Quebecers and all Canadians. I am sincerely touched by the many requests I have received to return to where it all began for me,” he said in a written statement.
Rodriguez is expected to remain in office as the MP for Honoré-Mercier for the time being as the leadership race won’t begin until January.
His entry makes him the fifth candidate to confirm his intentions to succeed PLQ Leader Dominique Anglade.
Other candidates include former federal minister and former mayor of Montreal Denis Coderre, former president of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec Charles Milliard, PLQ MNA for Marguerite-Bourgeoys Frédéric Beauchemin, and lawyer Marc Bélanger from Matane.
Minister of Procurement Jean-Yves Duclos, who represents the Quebec City riding, said Rodriguez’s departure will create a “void” in the party.
“Whether it’s today, tomorrow or the day before yesterday, it doesn’t really matter,” said Duclos. “The fact is that he leaves a magnificent legacy for the Quebec region, an extraordinary support for the actors in my riding.”
However, Duclos said that Rodriguez’s decision was not news to him and that it was made “some time ago” after much consideration.
The chair of the Quebec caucus for the federal Liberals, Stéphane Lauzon, echoed a similar sentiment, telling reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday that his departure was a “big loss.”
“Indeed, it’s a big loss for the Quebec caucus,” said Lauzon.
Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor also said she was “disappointed” to see Rodriguez leave.
His departure continues a trend of Liberal MPs who’ve already announced that they won’t be running again in the next election.
In addition to the exodus of MPs, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration has to contend with the loss of their campaign manager, Jeremy Broadhurst, who quit earlier this month.
The Trudeau government may survive its first confidence test of the Fall session next week after Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet indicated that his party won’t support the Conservatives proposed motion.
“Will the Bloc vote in favour of the Conservative motion next week? The answer is no,” Blanchet told reporters in French on Wednesday. “The motion contains absolutely nothing. It essentially says: Do you want to replace Justin Trudeau with Pierre Poilievre? The answer is no,” he said.
The Bloc leader said his party is “at the service of Quebecers,” not Conservatives.
“I’m not a Conservative. Conservative values are not Quebec values,” said Blanchet.
While the next fixed election date isn’t scheduled until October of next year, the Government House Leader’s office notified the Conservatives that their first opposition day motion could tentatively be Tuesday, with a vote taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The Conservatives responded by confirming that their motion would be that “the House has no confidence in the Prime Minister and the Government.”
If the motion was to pass, it would send Canada into an early election this fall.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh announced an end to his NDP-backed coalition government with the Liberals earlier this month. The Conservatives vowed to force a non-confidence vote at the earliest opportunity in the fallout of Singh’s announcement.
However, the motion is now likely moot following Blanchet’s statements that his party won’t be supporting the motion.
Ahead of their byelection win of the Montreal-area riding of LaSalle––Émard—Verdun on Tuesday, the Bloc had indicated that it’s more interested in forcing the government to make decisions that will benefit Quebec in exchange for their support, rather than calling a general election.
The Bloc Québécois’ Louis-Philippe Sauvé took the riding with 28% of the vote, a monumental increase from their 2021 result in which they garnered 22.1% of total votes.
The result reflects a massive plunge in support for the Liberal party in a Quebec riding that has been safely held by the Liberals for nearly a decade. Since its creation in 2015, former Liberal cabinet minister David Lametti won the riding for the Liberals in three straight elections, never dropping below 42% support while his runner-up never eclipsed 30%.
Meanwhile, the NDP has said that going forward, the party will decide whether to prop up the Trudeau government on a vote-by-vote basis.
“We are ready to fight an election whenever it happens, and we’ll take the choice to Canadians,” Singh told reporters earlier this month.
“For any question around votes, we’re going to make that determination on a vote-by-vote basis. So we’re going to see what the government presents, and as an opposition party, we’ll look at it, and then we’ll make our decision.”
On a national level Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre currently has a lead of around 20 points over the Liberals in the polls.
Today on the Rachel and the Republic, Rachel breaks down the latest in the U.S. presidential election. Namely, there was another assassination attempt against former U.S. President Donald Trump. Rachel explains why this keeps happening — and how it connects to last week’s debate.
Speaking of the debate, Trump has once again proved he’s the master of messaging with TikTok users dancing up a storm to some of his most hilarious comments yet.
Tune into Rachel and the Republic now!
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced more emergency school funding on Tuesday but warned that even the record funding may not be enough to counteract Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s mass immigration policies.
The premier delivered her Fall 2024 address on Tuesday night.
During her monologue, she said that over 200,000 people immigrated to Alberta last year. Historically, Smith noted that Alberta has welcomed newcomers with shared values like freedom and hard work and immigrants who contribute to society and abide by the law.
“Equally as important, though, Canada’s previous immigration policies under leaders like Prime Minister Stephen Harper as an example, focused on ensuring that immigration levels matched our nation’s economic needs and was commensurate with our ability to build enough houses and infrastructure to keep up with that growth,” said Smith. “However, the Trudeau government’s unrestrained open border policies, permitting well over a million newcomers each year into Canada, is causing significant challenges and has broken this delicate balance.”
True North previously reported that after accounting for permanent residents, temporary foreign workers, international students, and illegal immigrants, around 2.2 million people arrive in Canada annually.
The unprecedented immigration has led to housing and job shortages, as well as problems with social services like health and education, according to Smith. She added that the additional strain affects all Albertans, new, old, and everything in between.
“I am joining with other premiers across our country and calling on the current federal government to immediately reintroduce sensible and restrained immigration policies, similar to the levels we saw under Stephen Harper,” said Smith. “And, if the current federal government won’t make these changes, our government will certainly support a new one that will.”
Smith said that her promised income tax cut will be delivered in the next budget, which will help offset the loss of income from the federal carbon tax and other policies driving inflation.
The premier said the province is adding approximately 33,000 students per year, equivalent to about 35 schools.
Alberta invested a record $9.3 billion in its education system in 2024-25, with an additional $215 million allocated in July to address the population boom.
Between 2012/13 and 2021/22, education spending grew across Canada, driven by a large increase in compensation. Even before the unprecedented increase, Alberta led the country in enrollment increase.
The recent budget allocated $2.1 billion towards new school construction to add 33,000 new spaces, but many more are needed.
Smith announced a new school construction accelerator program on Tuesday, accompanied by an additional $8.6 billion increase in the province’s K-12 capital budget. The program is set to build 50,000 new student spaces over the next three years and 150,000 in the subsequent four years, which Smith said is the fastest and largest build the province can manage with its available resources.
Additionally, a portion of the fund will be dedicated to building 12,500 new charter school spaces and investment in non-profit private schools and independent schools to emphasize school choice.
Alberta’s surplus was recently revised from the initially projected $367 million to $2.9 billion.
Smith said there was no time to waste and asked schools and municipalities to get on board immediately.
“That is why I’m asking all school boards to work with their respective municipalities and the Ministry of Education on an expedited basis to get priority school sites permitted, services, and otherwise prepared for immediate construction,” said Smith. “If you can prepare the sites, the province will have the dollars set aside to get shovels in the ground.”
The premier pleaded with all school boards to cut the red tape and start construction immediately.
“Our province has become a beacon of freedom, opportunity, and quality of life and prosperity for millions across our country and around the world. And, with that incredible success comes very real growth challenges,” said Smith. “But we are Albertans. There has never been, not will there ever be any challenge too large for us to overcome and conquer together. May our province forever remain strong and free.”
As Canada approaches deficit spending for the 17th consecutive year, a new study contextualizes the spending showing that if families spent like the federal government they would be in financial trouble.
A recent study by the Fraser Institute looked at the federal government’s ever-growing deficits and how that spending would impact the average Canadian family if they decided to budget like the Liberal government.
It found that if the average family making just about $102,000 a year were to spend the same dollar ratio per income as the government, with its expected $39.8 billion deficit in 2024/2025, it would be in “financial trouble.”
“The median family earning $101,821 in 2024 would be spending $109,982 if it spent the way the federal government does. To cover the difference, it would put $8,161 on a credit card, despite already being $427,759 in debt,” the report said. “Of the total amount spent, $11,066 would go towards interest on the debt his year.”
According to the study, the Trudeau government has increased spending, driving up the federal debt to nearly double what it was before taking office: from 53% of the economy, $1.1 trillion in 2014/2015, to an expected 69.8% of the economy, $2.1 trillion in 2024/2025.
“The primary consequence of rising government debt is that they now have to pay more interest on that debt,” Grady Munro, a policy analyst at Fraser Institute and co-author of the study told True North in an interview. “for this year, the federal government is expected to spend about $54.1 billion just to on debt interest.”
He said the feds are expected to pay $54.1 billion on debt interest in this year alone.
“If governments continue to accumulate debt, especially at the pace that it’s been accumulated over the last decade, we’re going to see those interest costs rise, and that’s going to ultimately end up as a higher tax burden on Canadian families,” Munro said.
Franco Terrazzano, the federal director for the Canadian Taxpayer Federation, thinks it’s unfair that Canadian families make tough decisions to live within their means while the feds show no sign of trying to fix the budget.
“The Trudeau government’s spending and debt-binge is out of control. And it means higher taxes for Canadians and more money wasted on interest charges,” Terrazzano said. “All this government wants to do is keep the taxpayer-funded party going. This government’s spending is out of touch with the reality facing Canadian taxpayers.”
He said the government debt is costing taxpayers more than $1 billion each week.
“If the government keeps running massive deficits, interest charges will blow bigger holes in the budget and taxes will go up,” Terrazzano said. “The government must cut spending to balance the budget. That means stop wasting money on silly stuff like building an $8 million barn, shrink the bureaucracy and cancel corporate welfare.”
This month, though the federal deficit is dropping, the CTF has recommended the government reduce wasteful spending, including the over $30,000 spent on an “intersectional feminist” review of space exploration and the $10,000 it spent over four years to catch one frog.
Although the study did not offer suggestions on how the government should fix the budget, another Fraser Institute study found that it could balance the budget by 2026 while providing room for tax reductions.
“We calculate that if the federal government reduced annual program spending by 2.3% over two years, it could both balance the budget and deliver reduced tax rates for many Canadians,” Munro said.
The previous study said the federal government could balance the budget by cutting $11 billion from its annual spending over those two years.
Munro said the government could turn the budget from a near $40 billion deficit to a $12.3 billion surplus by 2028 / 2029 if it followed the Fraser Institute’s recommendations.
In a July interview with True North about the study, Munro, like Terrazzano, pointed to corporate welfare as a first step to cutting spending and fixing the budget.
He also said an area of spending reduction to look at could be balancing the amount federal employees make with their private sector counterparts and advocated that the government limit spending to the rate of inflation and population growth.
Spotify removed an episode of True North’s The Faulkner Show that featured an interview with former residential school worker Rodney Clifton claiming it promoted dangerous content.
The streaming giant cited alleged concerns over “dangerous content” as the reason for the takedown, igniting fresh controversy over censorship and free speech.
In an official statement, Spotify explained, “Upon review, we have removed the following content for violating Spotify’s Platform Rules for Dangerous Content.” However, specific details about what constituted “dangerous” were not made clear by the company.
The episode in question involved an interview with Clifton, who argued that historical narratives surrounding residential schools have been distorted by far-left activists.
Clifton shared his experience working in the residential school system, stating, “There were good and bad things that happened in residential schools, and the good has been outshouted by the claims of bad and people who are getting money for saying bad things.”
Clifton further expressed doubt over the widely circulated claims of mass graves at former residential schools.
“I don’t think there’s any children that have been murdered and buried in schoolyards,” said Clifton.
The interview’s removal was celebrated by Tik Toker Rachel Gilmore, a former Global News reporter, who took credit for the censorship in a post on X.
Gilmore migrated to TikTok after being laid off by her former employer. Among those who celebrated Gilmore’s actions were NDP MP Peter Julian and former director at Indian and Northern Affairs Pamela Palmater.
Despite the furor over Clifton’s comments, there remains ongoing debate about the mass grave claims. Media outlets like CityNews have revised their initial reporting. Further, CityNews Vancouver deleted a tweet and amended an article that had previously claimed “hundreds of unmarked graves” were discovered.
Even the First Nation that reported the original alleged discoveries have revised their statements, referring only to the discovery of “anomalies” instead of confirmed graves.
As a result of divisive media reporting, over 100 churches have been targeted by vandalism and arson since the initial misleading announcement.
Some in the government have even suggested outlawing claims contrary to the official narrative as “residential school denialism.”
The judge in charge of Canada’s foreign interference inquiry admitted she’s not prepared to publicly reveal the names of MPs accused of being foreign government collaborators.
Plus, the Canadian Trucking Alliance is calling for an “end to the carbon tax on diesel” and demanding that the Trudeau government shift its focus onto green solutions proven to work instead of piling extra fees onto families.
And a new analysis of Canada’s indebtedness shows that during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s time in office, the national debt has doubled to over $1.232 trillion.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!
