The NDP came out victorious in the Elmwood–Transcona byelection on Monday night, securing the left-wing stronghold once again for the party.
NDP candidate Leila Dance won the Winnipeg-area riding with 48.1% of the vote while Conservative candidate Colin Reynolds garnered 44%.
In the 2021 election, the NDP’s Daniel Blaikie won a remarkable 49.7% of the vote while Conservative candidate Rejeanne Caron only won 28.1%.
The Liberal party’s Ian MacIntyre placed in a distant third place, receiving 4.8% of the vote.
MP-elect Dance is a member of the Transcona community who has worked at several non-profit organizations, including as the executive director of Transcona Biz.
Dance replaces NDP MP Daniel Blakie who represented the riding for the past nine years, and whose father represented the riding from 1988-2006.
Dance addressed the victory in a statement alongside campaign volunteers.
“I want to thank all of the volunteers I couldn’t have done this without you, you have been here from the very beginning,” said Dance.
Despite the loss for Reynolds, the Conservatives significantly increased their voter share in the riding. In 2021, the Conservative candidate came second with only 28.45% of the vote.
The NDP has struggled to maintain or gain support in recent byelections since the 2021 general election.
The 2022 byelection in Ontario’s Mississauga–Lakeshore riding saw the NDP’s vote share nearly halve from 9.8% in 2021 to 5%.
In Manitoba’s two byelections in 2023, Portage–Lisgar’s byelection saw the NDP’s vote share drop from 13.4% in 2021 to 7.1% while their support in Winnipeg–South Centre dropped from 20.6% to 14.7%.
In Oxford’s 2023 byelection, the NDP’s support dropped from 18.3% to 10.4%, in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount the NDP’s support dropped from 19.2% to 13.8%, and in Calgary Heritage, they dropped from 17.4% to 14.2%.
The commissioner of the foreign interference inquiry, Justice Marie Hogue announced today that she will not release the 11 names of current or former parliamentarians accused of working on behalf of hostile foreign nations to subvert Canadian sovereignty. Canadians should be outraged over this.
Compare this to the reaction we have seen from politicians and the media surrounding the allegations against Tenet Media. There is clearly a double standard. Current and former MPs and senators have access to state secrets and confidential material putting Canadian lives and Canadian security at risk.
Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner!
The New Brunswick government has announced a surplus of over double the initial projections for the 2023-24 fiscal year, now totalling $500.8 million.
According to a release issued by the provincial government on Monday, the surplus is $253.4 million above projections previously made in the third quarter.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation celebrated the increase, with Atlantic Director Devin Drover explaining that Premier Blaine Higgs’ government has run four consecutive years of surpluses of over $400 million.
“This is a huge win for taxpayers, as the province is using these funds to pay down the provincial debt, which costs taxpayers over $600 million every year just in interest charges — that’s over $700 per person,” said Drover.
He added that the province’s debt has decreased by 12% from where it stood a decade ago. Net debt fell by over $505 million during the fiscal year, reaching $11.8 billion.
According to the province’s public accounts, New Brunswick has had a surplus since 2017. Before that year, the province had been in a deficit since 2009.
New Brunswick’s Finance and Treasury Board Minister, Ernie Steeves, attributed the drastic surplus increase since the previous projections to increased revenue—primarily due to increased harmonized sales tax, corporate and personal income tax, and sales of goods and services—and stronger population and income growth in the past several years.
“We continue to take a responsible and disciplined approach in managing the province’s finances, along with being prudent with taxpayers’ money while focusing on areas of greatest need, like healthcare, education, and social services,” said Steeves.
While the Canadian Taxpayers Federation commended Higgs, they noted that more can be done.
“[We] hope that all parties in New Brunswick continue to support an approach that prioritizes paying down the debt,” said Drover. “In so, continued surpluses will ensure that tax dollars are used wisely, both to support programs important to New Brunswickers and allowing for further tax relief, such as cutting the HST, which will keep more money in the pockets of hard-working taxpayers.”
The province’s net debt increased every year between 2007 and 2021. In 2007, it sat at around $6.76 billion. By 2021, it decreased from its peak of $13.92 billion down to $13.45 billion.
As of Monday’s update, New Brunswick’s net debt sits around $11.83 billion.
“We saw great improvement in the level of net debt, but we must maintain a steady focus to ensure it is managed responsibly going forward for future generations,” said Steeves.
Other provinces have seen similar changes come to light recently.
For example, Alberta’s surplus rose almost sevenfold by $2.5 billion in its most recent update to the province’s fiscal projections.
Conversely, British Columbia’s deficit rose to almost $9 billion, an increase of $1.1 billion over the initial forecast of $7.9 billion.
The province blamed higher spending for wildfire response and debt servicing costs for the increase.
The Ministry of Natural Resources is investigating after a group of men were discovered fishing with nets and bagging salmon found in Bowmanville Creek, a salmon spawning area and popular spot for sport fishing in the township.
TikTok user Justin Newell posted a video, which now has nearly two million views, exposing a group of mostly men fishing with nets in the Bowmanville Creek in Bowmanville, Ont. After Newell confronts them, the men can be seen throwing large fish into bags.
Multiple social media users shared the video; one video on X garnered over 800,000 views.
Following the incident, a photo of Conservation officers engaging with individuals at the creek was posted, though it is unclear what day the photo was taken.
A representative from the MNR confirmed with True North that Conservation officers were aware of the incident and were actively investigating.
“If anyone has information that may assist Officers in identifying any individual(s) in the video, they ask you to contact the MNR TIPS line toll-free at 1-877-847-7667,” the representative told True North in an email. “To remain anonymous, you can also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.”
The MNR said they could not provide further comment on the incident as the investigation is ongoing.
One resident claiming to be from the area said the creek has become a free-for-all in recent years.
“Bowmanville Creek is literally my backyard. It’s an absolute disaster during the spring and fall fishing season with all the newcomers,” X user Adam said. “The pathway is jammed and clearly they are breaking laws…where are the game wardens?”
One TikTok user in the comments of the original post said, “This is not the Bowmanville I grew up in.”
The Municipality of Clarington was unavailable for comment when True North asked about the legality of netting and keeping fish in the area. However, the Ontario Fishing Regulations Summary outlines some rules about the practice.
“In Ontario, it is illegal to take fish by any means other than angling, spear, bow and arrow, dip or seine net or baitfish trap,” the summary lists.
The rules also state that transporting live fish is illegal, though True North was unable to confirm what laws the men were accused of breaching.
It is also illegal in Ontario to keep fish without a valid fishing license, with exceptions including for veterans, active Canadian Armed Forces members, Indigenous peoples, children or the elderly.
Ontario fishing licences are eligible for Ontario or Canadian residents and non-residents. For Ontario and Canadian residents, applicants must have lived in the province or country for at least six consecutive months during the 12 months immediately preceding the application.
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Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comments received from the Department of National Defence.
Canadian military officials wanted the Canadian Armed Forces’ hate crimes and extremism investigation unit to open a file on soldiers vandalizing feminine hygiene product dispensers placed in male washrooms following a Liberal government mandate.
Ultimately both the National Investigation Service and the specialized Hate Crimes, Extremism, Drugs and Gang Enforcement unit turned down the requests due to a lack of evidence.
The controversy began in December 2023, following a Liberal government directive requiring military bases to provide menstrual products in men’s washrooms as part of a broader inclusivity push.
Department of National Defence access to information files obtained by True North shows military superiors scrambling to figure out why tampons and pads placed in male washrooms were disappearing.
Reports of tampons and pads being vandalized or discarded emerged from several locations, including the Denison Armory in Toronto and various bases in Petawawa, Calgary, and Ottawa.
Originally, the tampons missing from men’s washrooms were suspected to be disappearing due to “high demand.” In a Jan. 26, 2024, internal email at CFB Calgary building maintenance managers wrote: “The cleaners informed me that the tampons at Waters are almost running out due to the high demand in the men’s washrooms.”
The tampons and pads were disappearing from the male washrooms at such a rate that CAF real operations unit (West Calgary) operations officer Shaun Delamere noted that they were being restocked twice a day.
“I have confirmed with the contractor that the (tampon) bin in the second-floor men’s room has been filled twice today,” wrote Delamere on Jan. 29, 2024.
The confusion continued, with ATCO Facility Solutions struggling to keep up with tampon supplies.
“Gentlemen, I have no idea what is going on at Waters, but it seems someone may be abusing the provision of female products. The container was completely restocked this morning and is now empty again, as you will see from Bee Clean below,” ATCO Facility Solutions wrote to military staff.
“I have also asked them to use stock from other locations with lower usage to backfill the Waters Building. However, if this consumption rate continues, I will have no choice but to submit an AWR to replace these feminine hygiene products at high-use locations, like the men’s washroom at Waters Building.”
Other bases became wise to the true source of the problem – vandalism and soldiers discarding the tampons in the trash. At the Denison Armory, menstrual products were found discarded in the trash, leading Defence Construction Canada Facilities Management Coordinator Anthony Leano to halt restocking the dispensers.
Vandalism was also reported at Coventry Tower in Ottawa and New Brunswick’s CFB Gagetown. At CFB Gagetown, Sergeant Major Brian Standing complained in a Jan. 10, 2024 email that the vandalism was “not acceptable in today’s society” and failed to abide by the Liberal government’s new Labour Code directive for equitable tampon access.
Incidents continued across all of the bases mentioned and some even resulted in official complaints of theft and vandalism that were forwarded for military police intervention.
The chief military police body, CFNIS, under the direction of Captain Nic McArthur, reviewed multiple complaints but concluded that the incidents did not fall within the organization’s mandate to trigger an official investigation.
McArthur’s communication dated January 23, 2024, stated, “I have reviewed the file, and it does not meet the mandate of CFNIS. The file has been sent to CFNIS HEDGE to determine if it falls under their mandate.”
Despite this referral to the hate crimes and extremism investigation unit, CFNIS HEDGE Borden Region official Dustin Vass ultimately decided not to pursue further action, suggesting that alternative steps would suffice.
“My name is Dustin, and I work with CFNIS HEDGE in Borden. I reviewed your street check and wanted to reach out. It doesn’t meet the requirements for our mandate to be enacted,” wrote Vass.
True Noth reached out to the Department of National Defence to ask whether further incidents have occurred since those reported in the access to information documents.
DND media relations officer Major Gabriel Ferris told True North that no such incidents have been reported since the time of the request.
“CFNIS HEDGE has conducted assessments into complaints of vandalism in relation to menstrual product dispensers; none of which met the offences outlined within Criminal Code or National Defence Act as offences motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression, or on any other similar factor,” said Ferris.
“None of the reported incidents appear to be serial in nature.”
According to Ferris, CAF members who fail to maintain professional conduct can face appropriate remedial measures.
“Specific minor disciplinary actions are hard to track, a specific breakdown is not available,” Ferris told True North.
“The implementation of the provisions pertaining to the free access to feminine hygiene products is a shared responsibility across DND/CAF. The management of this requirement is achieved through different means, across the country and across facilities, whether in-house, through maintenance and/or janitorial contracts or varying levels of both. The supply of these products is not tracked separately or differently than any other hygiene and sanitary products.”
Ferris said that the mandate across federally regulated workplaces “is inclusive of all workers who menstruate and it will improve the well-being of nearly half a million workers who may require menstrual products during their workdays, including cisgender women, gender diverse individuals, transgender men, and intersex individuals.”
As exclusively reported by True North in January, internal communications showed Toronto-area CAF Commanding Office Maj. Robert P. Ryan threatened soldiers who defied the inclusivity mandate with reprimands, calling the vandalism “petty acts of protest.”
“You may disagree with the decision of the Government of Canada on this issue, however, as professional members of the Defence Team you need to understand that you do not have a public opinion on government policy and are expected to fully support your fellow Defence Team members. We have members in the Garrison who are non-binary or have transitioned,” wrote Ryan.
A 19-year-old who identified himself as an international student was arrested and charged by police in connection to an alleged sexual assault at Durham College’s Oshawa campus on the first week of the fall semester.
A spokesperson for Durham College told True North in an email that the suspect has been trespassed from the campus.
“The safety and well-being of our campus community is of the utmost importance to DC,” the spokesperson said. “To support our campus community, well-being resources are always available. We also have a number of sexual violence supports and resources for students and employees.”
Police arrested, Ved Pratikbhai Patel, a resident of Oshawa, Ont. and charged with sexual assault and criminal harassment on Friday. Patel was released on a promise to appear before the court, according to a Durham Regional Police Service’s news release.
Patel is accused of groping a female after sitting next to the alleged victim on a bench on Aug. 28, 2024, while she waited for the bus in front of Durham College’s main building. According to the police report, the victim said Patel allegedly identified himself as an international student who was in the accounting program at the school.
After allegedly groping the victim, he then reportedly followed her onto the bus and attempted to sit with her, though she sat next to the bus driver for safety and was able to contact the police.
“Investigators identified the suspect and on Friday, September 13, 2024, took him into custody,” the news release said. “He was released on an Undertaking.”
The Ontario Court of Justice and the DRPS could not confirm with True North the conditions of Patel’s release or his scheduled court date.
The DRPS said they would not provide information or comment beyond what was in the news release.
One user on Reddit claimed to be a student at the shared Durham College and Ontario Tech University campus.
“I’m a student at Durham/UOIT. I plan on calling to ensure this loser isn’t on campus anymore. It would be cool if others called as well to add some weight to the situation,” she said. “This guy shouldn’t be at Durham anymore.”
The school’s policy against sexual violence outlines a commitment to respect the rights of and to “believe all who are affected by sexual violence.” It also outlines the right of individuals in the campus community to be free from any form of sexual violence.
The policy indicates that when reported, an accusation of sexual violence is internally investigated by the college, and any who are found to have committed an act of sexual violence is then held accountable “through a process that ensures procedural fairness.”
Police are asking anyone with cell phone, dashcam, surveillance footage, or information about the incident to contact D/Cst. Fitzgerald of the Special Victims Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5316.
Anonymous information can also be sent to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca, and tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
Minister of Industry François-Philippe Champagne is calling an offer from Elon Musk to provide Canadians with cheap internet access “nonsense” after the Tesla owner said he could get the job done at less than half the cost of the federal government’s plan.
The Trudeau government announced a $2.14 billion deal with the Ottawa-based communication company Telesat on Friday, which will allow the company to boost internet reception in remote areas of Canada by using its low-orbit satellite system.
“As the largest space program ever conceived and built in Canada, this agreement with Telesat Lightspeed will have a significant impact on the growing network of Canadian suppliers and talent, offering critical support to the sector as it continues to flourish,” said Champagne in a statement.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that the deal was “fundamentally about making sure that Canadians and people in more distant communities, in smaller northern communities and in remote parts of the world can be connected to the transformation and the progress that the world is seeing at increasingly destabilizing speeds.”
According to the Trudeau government, the new deal will result in “2,000 jobs across the country through Telesat and its supply chain.”
However, Conservative MP Michael Barrett called upon Musk to give his opinion on the issue as to whether it could be done cheaper in the private sector.
Hey @elonmusk – how much would it cost to provide @Starlink to every Canadian household that doesn’t have high speed?
If this $2.14 BILLION plan is the panacea of expanding access, competition, and service – where is the interest from private investors and banks? https://t.co/RuARVTC1TU
“Hey @elonmusk — how much would it cost to provide @Starlink to every Canadian household that doesn’t have high speed?” wrote Barrett in an X post on Saturday. “If this $2.14 BILLION plan is the panacea of expanding access, competition, and service — where is the interest from private investors and banks?”
Musk promptly responded that Starlink could provide the same service at half the cost.
“Less than half that amount,” he wrote.
Once Champagne became aware of their exchange, he denounced it as being “typical Poilievre ‘nonsense,’” referring to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Typical Poilievre “nonsense”…
They’d prefer giving money to foreign billionaires instead of supporting our industry and our workers.
This loan will help build a world-class Canadian made satellite network and supports thousands of jobs in Quebec!
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@FP_Champagne) September 15, 2024
“They’d prefer giving money to foreign billionaires instead of supporting our industry and our workers. This loan will help build a world-class Canadian made satellite network and supports thousands of jobs in Quebec! Now that’s common sense!” wrote Champagne on X.
Several X users were quick to point out that Musk is a Canadian citizen, not a foreigner. While born in South Africa, he holds dual citizenship with Canada.
“A Canadian is a Canadian, no? A Canadian is not a foreigner,” one user responded below Champagne’s pinned post.
Typical Poilievre “nonsense”…
They’d prefer giving money to foreign billionaires instead of supporting our industry and our workers.
This loan will help build a world-class Canadian made satellite network and supports thousands of jobs in Quebec!
The federal and Ontario governments penned a similar deal to the Telesat contact last summer, awarding $215 million to Rogers Communications to expand its fibre-optic network to rural communities across the province. However, Tristan Hopper, a journalist with the National Post later estimated that had the province used Starlink satellites to connect rural users with the internet as opposed to fiber-optic cables, the cost would have been less than $50 million.
Former U.S. president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told supporters he was safe and unharmed after a second assassination attempt on his life ahead of the upcoming U.S. elections.
Plus, provincial leaders reject the Trudeau government’s plan to relocate asylum seekers.
And Jagmeet Singh backs down on support for the Trudeau government’s carbon tax.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux!
The Trudeau government’s unwillingness to spend 2% GDP on national defense is being slammed by officials in the US, with one former Pentagon official calling for Canada to be removed from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“I think personally there have to be real consequences,” Elbridge Colby, former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense, said in a new documentary by filmaker and Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn.
Canada currently spends 1.34% of its GDP on defense.
“I’ve said that I think Canada should not be in the G7,” Colby stated, who is also author of the book, “The Strategy of Denial: American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict.”
“Forsaken Warriors: How Trudeau Broke Canada’s Military,” a new documentary by filmmaker Aaron Gunn, has been released for online streaming.
The film features interviews with nearly two dozen national security experts, veterans, policymakers and retired generals who speak to issues such as Canada’s treatment of veterans, underserviced equipment, and failure to spend 2% GDP on national defense as is required for NATO countries.
Sławomir Dębski, Director of the Polish Institute of International Affairs, was another interviewee featured in Gunn’s film.
“Perhaps you should leave the G7 if you are unable to behave as one of the leaders of the free world,” Dębski stated.
“It is very sad looking at where Canada is now, actually now it is kind of the free rider in the alliance.”
In 2021, a technology and defense partnership, AUKUS, was formed by Australia, the UK, and the US. Canada was not invited to join the alliance.
“Why would we bring the Canadians into AUKUS?” Colby said. “The military is in disrepair… That’s not the kind of country we want to reward. The kind of countries we want to reward are Australia, South Korea, Japan, India.”
On the last day of the NATO summit in July 2024, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would meet the 2% military spending target by 2032, though no specificities were presented.
“We used to be a middle power. Now we’re an annoying ideologue who goes around lecturing other countries on what they should or shouldn’t be doing,” Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Mark Norman said in the film, which also included discussion of the Trudeau government’s attempts to “woke-ify” the military by installing tampon dispensers in the men’s washrooms and relaxing dress code policies to allow coloured hair and face tattoos.
These cultural and dress code policies were enacted to increase recruitment to the Forces, but the measures haven’t led to the desired result.
“This was always a topic I’ve wanted to cover, it’s a topic that’s very close to my heart having served in the Canadian Army Reserves myself,” filmmaker Aaron Gunn, who spent three years in the Reserves, told True North. Gunn is currently the Conservative Party candidate for the federal riding of North Island–Powell River in British Columbia.
“I hope the film serves as a wake-up call to Canadians about the state of our Armed Forces, and the urgent need to deliver the equipment, funding, and moral support to our men and women in uniform that they desperately need and deserve.”
Gunn’s previous documentaries such as Vancouver is Dying and Canada is Dying have been viewed over 10 million times, and he is now working on a sequel to Canada is Dying.
Former U.S. president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told supporters he was safe and unharmed after a second apparent assassination attempt on his life ahead of the upcoming U.S. elections.
Federal authorities arrested the suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, within 500 yards of the former president as he was golfing with a friend at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In a statement, Trump said that he was “safe and well” despite the incident.
“There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL,” said Trump in an email to supporters.
“Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me.”
The incident was the second attempted assassination after a July shooting resulted in Trump being grazed by a bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, authorities were “investigating what appears to be an attempted assassination” targeting Trump.
A Secret Service agent noticed a rifle barrel and engaged the suspect by firing several shots in the attempted shooter’s direction, according to Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.
“The US Secret Service personnel opened fire on a gunman located near the property line and this matter is under investigation,” a Secret Service representative said.
JUST IN: The Trump assas*ination suspect was hiding in the bushes with an AK-47 with a scope, two backpacks, and a GoPro.
The Secret Service agents were one hole ahead of Trump, scoping out the area when they noticed the suspect.
Subsequently, the suspect fled in a car and police discovered an “AK-47 style rifle with a scope” and a backpack with ceramic tile, as well as a GoPro camera.
“No statement right now as far as his involvement in the incident and there’s further investigation to be completed,” said Bradshaw.
According to reports, a witness saw the suspect flee the area and get into his vehicle after police spotted him.
Both sitting U.S President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris released statements following the attempted assassination.
“I have been briefed by my team regarding what federal law enforcement is investigating as a possible assassination attempt of former President Trump today. A suspect is in custody, and I commend the work of the Secret Service and their law enforcement partners for their vigilance and their efforts to keep the former President and those around him safe. I am relieved that the former President is unharmed,” wrote Biden.
Harris wrote in a statement that “violence has no place in” the U.S. and that she was “glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe.”
