All four Conservative leadership candidates will participate in a debate hosted by Canada’s independent media later this month.
On July 29 the Independent Press Gallery of Canada (IPG) is holding a live debate with Leslyn Lewis, Peter MacKay, Erin O’Toole and Derek Sloan all agreeing to take part.
The debate will be streamed on the IPG’s website as well as by IPG members, including True North, at 7:00 PM EDT.
The debate will be hosted by Independent Press Gallery President Candice Malcolm and moderated by True North fellow Andrew Lawton.
The Independent Press Gallery was recently created to represent independent journalists and publishers counter the monopoly that mainstream outlets hold over reporting in Ottawa.
Membership is open to anyone in the media who adheres to a set of principles based on the Bordeaux Declaration, and agrees to not accept government funding.
A record 269,469 Canadians are members of the Conservative party and thus are eligible to vote in the leadership election, with around 100,000 membership purchased since the beginning of 2020.
The IPG debate may be the last chance to hear the four candidates debate a wide range of topics on the same stage as ballots must be submitted three weeks later.
Normally riding associations and other groups will host leadership debates and all-candidates meetings, though with the coronavirus pandemic there have only been limited opportunities for the candidates to debate.
The Vancouver Centre Conservative riding association hosted a Zoom debate featuring three candidates on behalf of all British Columbia Conservative constituency groups.
The Conservative Party held two official debates – one in French and other in English – on June 17 and 18 respectively.
At these debates, mainstream journalists hounded candidates with leading and pointed questions, particularly on the topics of abortion and race.
At the IPG media scrum after the debate members of the Independent Press Gallery will be given priority when asking the candidates questions.
The WE Charity scandal continues to develop but Canadians are still left in the dark, as the government refuses to tell the truth and the Prime Minister mulls over a request to testify before the finance committee.
Plus, the CBC fails to do their job. And despite all their wrongdoings, the Communist Chinese government still has a presence in Canada.
Tune into the True North Update with Andrew Lawton and guest co-host Sam Eskenasi!
A Liberal cabinet minister was chauffeured from Ottawa to Quebec City eight times during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the National Post, Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos travelled from the capital to his home in Quebec City almost every weekend from March 21 to April 25.
According to a spokesperson in the Minister’s office, Duclos had essential work to do in Quebec as an MP and followed public health recommendations.
“Minister Duclos also had to attend to his duties in his riding of Québec and as a father of three, the minister also had to attend to his parental duties. At all times, the minister adhered to, observed, and respected all public health recommendations and guidance, including his own.”
It is unclear what kind of duties Duclos had to attend to as most government events and meetings during the pandemic were either cancelled or moved online.
Canada’s public health officials have repeatedly told Canadians not to travel unless completely necessary.
“You do not want this disease transmitted rapidly. Whatever you can do to decelerate that transmissions and break those chains of transmission is really important. We can do something about this now,” Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said in March.
In April, Quebec introduced strict border controls, with many drivers being turned away at Ottawa-Gatineau border crossings for not having a good reason to travel.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that Health Minister Patty Hajdu flew home from Ottawa to Thunder Bay four times during the peak of the pandemic.
While Hajdu claimed she went home for official business, her schedule revealed only two events she attended while in Thunder Bay — one online and the other over the phone.
Hajdu told Canadians to stay where they were for Easter and Passover while she flew to Thunder Bay for the long weekend.
Both Hajdu and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also left Ottawa to spend Easter with their families, thus breaking social distancing rules.
Conservative MP John Brassard told the National Post that the fact that cabinet ministers constantly travelled while being told not to shows that the Liberals see themselves differently from everyone else.
“I presumed, probably like most Canadians did, that as they engaged in these daily briefings, that they weren’t going anywhere because the rest of us weren’t going anywhere, but that clearly is not the case,” he said.
“The fact that they were asking Canadians to effectively stay at home, avoid visiting friends, family, and their loved ones, shows hypocrisy on their part. It just once again shows, as well, that there’s two sets of rules in this country; one for for Liberals and a set of rules for everyone else.”
The Edmonton Eskimos football team has reportedly decided to change its name to remove the reference to Canada’s Inuit people.
According to TSN, the 71-year-old football team has already made an internal decision to change its name, with a public announcement coming as early as next week.
Eskimo was a name historically used to refer to the indigenous people of the Arctic. In Canada, Inuit has replaced the word Eskimo, with some believing Eskimo to be derogatory.
In a statement on July 8, the team said it is meeting with members of Canada’s Inuit community to see if they feel the current name is appropriate.
“We take this issue seriously as has been demonstrated by the three years we’ve spent engaging in Canada’s north and conducting research related to our name. We recognize that a lot has occurred since this information was gathered, and as a result, we are accelerating our ongoing process of review,” read the statement.
Sponsor of the football team Bellairdirect insurance said it would pull its sponsorship if the team didn’t change its name.
In the Edmonton Eskimos annual report published on Wednesday, the team’s research found that most Inuit actually oppose changing the name.
“The research revealed that 78% of the western Arctic Inuit oppose the team changing the Eskimos name. In Nunavut, where we are still working on building our relationships, 55% of Inuit oppose a change to the Eskimos name,” the report reads.
Those who opposed changing the name overwhelmingly called the team’s name a source of pride.
The report made it clear that recent pressures from the current political environment is affecting the name debate inside the organization.
Many places and groups have been targeted by the political left in recent weeks for having names associated with people or topics that offend their worldview.
Activists have recently called for places such as the Ryerson University and the City of Vaughan to change their names as their namesakes are divisive figures.
Statues of historical figures such as Sir John A. Macdonald and Pierre Elliott Trudeau have also recently been vandalized.
In the US, football teams are facing similar debates. The Washington Redskins decided to change its name following renewed pressure from activists.
In a poll conducted in 2016, 90% of Native Americans opposed the team changing its name, with 70% not considering the term redskin offensive in the context of a football team.
Justin Trudeau is being investigated by the ethics commissioner yet again. This time over the government’s contract with WE Charity – an organization the Trudeaus have extensive ties with.
But as Trudeau has learned before, if the ethics commissioner finds him guilty, the punishment is merely a slap on the wrist.
This is why the Conservatives are calling on Trudeau to appear before the finance committee to testify on the WE scandal. Finance critic Pierre Poilievre joins the Andrew Lawton Show to discuss.
Aaron Gunn joins Candice Malcolm to discuss the woke mob’s attempt to erase history, radical calls to defund the police and the emergence of cancel culture in Canada.
With over 50 million video views and thousands of followers, Aaron Gunn has become a steadfast opponent of cancel culture and identity politics. Gunn is a spokesperson for BC Proud, he has also worked for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and founded and became Executive Director of the Generation Screwed initiative.
Watch Part 1 of this exclusive interview on the Candice Malcolm Show!
A recent poll from Nanos Research, indicated Canadians want the government to take a more aggressive stance on China to ensure the release of imprisoned Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
This included a majority support for taking aggressive actions against Chinese companies domestically, such as preventing them from buying up Canadian firms.
These concerns about the communist Chinese regime are not misplaced.
In addition to their holding of Canadian prisoners, the Chinese government possesses values that are incompatible with our shared belief in democracy, equality and the rule of law. This is illustrated in their long history of abusing ethnic and religious minorities, suppressing political dissidents and their recent crackdown on Hong Kong.
Even more concerning is the state’s activities within our own border, such as purchasing Canadian assets (which drives up real estate costs) and engaging in state-sponsored cyberespionage campaigns against Canadian industries such as banking and healthcare.
However, our politicians continue to turn a blind eye to China, allowing their tentacles of influence to grow across our country – predominately in the technology space.
For example, take our approach to Huawei, the Chinese tech company, and construction of our 5G network.
Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – reversing a previous decision – ordered all of the company’s 5G gear stripped from the UK’s telecommunications networks by 2027, and to ban all future purchase of 5G equipment from them. This has left Canada as the only member of the Five Eyes alliance that has not restricted the use of Huawei equipment in its 5G network.
This should be a huge cause for concern as national security experts have long warned that Huawei’s involvement could lead to data-sharing with the Chinese government that would risk violating the individual privacy and security rights of Canadians.
Despite this, reports in the Globe and Mail have noted that the Trudeau government has given no indication of whether they would follow the lead of our allies, despite expert warnings and opposition from a majority of Canadians.
Similarly, Canadian governments have not indicated they intend to follow the lead of the United States in considering a ban on the TikTok – the Beijing-owned app which experts warn are putting Canadians at risk of having their sensitive personal information shared with the Chinese state.
What is even more concerning is that Canadian politicians, such as federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Ontario PC MPP Goldie Ghamari, have been active on the app without any apparent concern for Chinese espionage.
When questioned on Twitter, Ghamari defended her use of the app. She stated that she was using her “personal” phone number to register the account while seamlessly ignoring these security risks. Multiple sources told True North that complaints have been previously raised to Premier Doug Ford’s office about Ghamari’s use of the application, but Ford’s office have not responded to request for comment.
Overall, Canadians are increasingly growing aware of the risks of Chinese tech, yet politicians continue to turn a blind-eye towards their use in our country’s affairs – causing one to have to ask: why are Canadian politicians so weak on China? And what will it take for Canadian governments to finally get tough?
Rather than continue this spineless approach, Canadian governments ought to listen to the Canadians who elected them, and act now to protect our security and our future.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu flew back and forth between Ottawa and her home in Thunder Bay while advising Canadians to stay in one place.
According to records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, in a six-week period in the midst of the pandemic, Hajdu took four weekend trips to her residence in Thunder Bay, flying on government aircraft.
“She traveled alone on these flights. Neither staff nor family members accompanied her,” a spokesperson from the Minister’s office told Blacklock’s.
While Hajdu’s office described her reason for heading home as “various departmental briefings and meetings,” the minister’s public schedule only revealed two meetings or events she attended in Thunder Bay. One meeting was held over the phone and the other occurred on Zoom.
Wishing you all a very happy Easter/Joyeuses Pâcques à tous! While we continue to feel the impacts of #COVID19, it’s important to remember that now is not the time for gatherings with family and friends. Connect with others with a phone call or video chat instead. pic.twitter.com/5TzIqYsiRb
Canada’s public health officials have been telling Canadians to avoid unnecessary travel since the beginning of the pandemic.
Hajdu herself took to Twitter to tell Canadians not to visit family over the Easter long weekend. Two days prior, she boarded a plane for Thunder Bay according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“While we continue to feel the impacts of #COVID19, it’s important to remember that now is not the time for gatherings with family and friends. Connect with others with a phone call or video chat instead.”
According to Blacklocks Reporter, Hajdu has made multiple trips to her home riding in Thunder Bay since the pandemic began, including Victoria Day long weekend.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also took a trip for Easter, crossing into Quebec to spend the weekend with his family, who have been living separately from him.
Both Trudeau and Hajdu went directly against the advice of Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, who explicitly told Canadians not to travel for Easter or Passover.
“We need to not let down our guard. The safest plan for your holidays is a staycation for the nation,” Dr. Tam said.
While Hajdu flew multiple times during the height of the pandemic without criticism, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer was heavily criticized by the media for making a single flight from his home to Ottawa.
Shortly after Easter, CBC published an article attacking Scheer for taking a nine-seat plan to Ottawa for work with his family. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and Employment Minister Carla Qualthrough were also on the flight.
The Conservatives are trying to get Justin Trudeau to testify before the finance committee to answer questions about his relationship with WE and his decision to award them a massive government contract. Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre joins the Andrew Lawton Show to explain why.
Also, how cancel culture is squeezing out moderate voices, plus a look at the upcoming Independent Press Gallery Conservative Leadership Debate.
Former prime minister Stephen Harper will be speaking at a large conference pushing for regime change in Iran, True North has learned.
Harper will join former Canadian foreign minister John Baird, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former United States senator and vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman among the numerous speakers at this weekend’s Free Iran Global Summit, according to a source connected with the event.
Harper’s participation has not been publicly announced and a request for comment to his spokesperson was not returned.
The Free Iran conference is hosted by the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its activist wing, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
With delegates from 30,000 locations across 102 countries, the NCRI is trumpeting this year’s conference as the “largest virtual gathering,” having been forced online with public health challenges and travel restrictions caused by the novel coronavirus.
Ironically, Iran has been one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic. While official figures show just over 13,000 deaths in Iran, NCRI estimates the real figure exceeds 70,000 according to a report published Monday. The conference will feature a special tribute to Iran’s coronavirus victims.
Harper, who now serves as chairman of the International Democratic Union, spoke at the Free Iran conference at MEK’s headquarters near Tirana, Albania last year.
“There are few causes in this world today more important at this moment than what you are pursuing – the right of the people of Iran to change their government and their right to do it through freedom and the power of the ballot box,” Harper said then. “The need for change in Iran is greater than ever before and the need for the work of this organization on behalf of the Iranian people is greater than ever before.”
Harper has never shied away from tackling the Iran problem. His government – with Baird as foreign affairs minister – severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012, citing the Iranian regime’s continued expansion of its nuclear program and ongoing threats to Israel, among other factors.
In January, Harper said at a conference in India, after the Iranian government admitted to shooting down a Ukraine International Airlines flight with 57 Canadians aboard, that there needs to be “change in Iran if we are going to see peace in the Middle East.”
NCRI and MEK seek to deliver that change, though the organizations are not without controversy.
The MEK was classified as a terrorist organization in Canada and the United States until 2012, when it was delisted by both countries, then led by Harper and President Barack Obama, respectively.
Several experts say it was lobbying from the Iranian regime itself that put MEK on several terror lists in the first place. The European Union removed MEK from its list of terrorist organizations after a European Court ruling, raising the ire of Iran’s foreign ministry – a component of the regime MEK seeks to upend.
Since then, both MEK and NCRI have worked to establish themselves as voices for a secular and democratic Iran, earning support on both sides of the political aisle in the United States and Canada. Liberal MP Judy Sgro and Conservative MP Candice Bergen both attended last year’s conference, as did Baird.
An open letter signed by over 30 American dignitaries, including former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz calls the NCRI a “beacon of hope” and the “one organization that has done more than any other entity, including governments, to free Iranian citizens from tyranny and the world from fundamentalist-inspired terrorism.”
This year’s event comes on the heels of a United States House of Representatives resolution – backed by prominent Democrats and Republicans – “condemning Iranian state-sponsored terrorism and expressing support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular and non-nuclear republic of Iran.”
The event has historically antagonized the Iranian regime. The 2018 Free Iran conference in Paris was the target of a bomb plot linked by French officials to Iran’s ministry of intelligence, with a senior Iranian diplomat among six people charged.
