Statues honouring Calgary’s police and firefighters were vandalized on Friday.
The statues stand outside Calgary City Hall and are a memorial to police officers and firefighters lost in the line of duty.
Police say that the two statues were found Friday covered in red, white and yellow paint. The paint has been removed.
In a statement, Calgary Police condemned the vandalism, calling it inappropriate given the sentiment behind the statues.
“This memorial honours those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect Calgarians,” a spokeswoman told CBC.
“Those who take issue with the Calgary Police Service should do so through meaningful dialogue and not deplorable acts of vandalism.”
Calgary Police Superintendent Ryan Jepson called the vandalism disgusting, adding that an investigation has been opened.
“I thought it was disgusting,” Calgary police Supt. Ryan Jepson said Friday.
“It’s as disgusting as it would be if a memorial site was desecrated anywhere. So, it’s unfortunate that it happened and I understand that it’s likely out of some frustration from some community members.”
Anti-law enforcement rhetoric has increased significantly in Canada and around the world since the death of American George Floyd while in police custody.
Statues have also become a target since Floyd’s death, with leftist activists vandalizing or destroying statues across the world.
Among the statues targeted in Canada include those of Sir John A. MacDonald, Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Egerton Ryerson.
Earlier this week it was learned that six statues were vandalized at a Catholic park at Sudbury.
The six statues at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, all representing scenes from the bible, had either their heads cut off or their faces removed.
Since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month, the war on police has taken on unnerving proportions. The left has seized the death and unleashed protests, riots, looting and the tearing down of historical monuments all in the name of fighting racism.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked the ball off in Canada when he claimed, with no evidence, that the RCMP as an institution was guilty of systemic racism, suggesting that racism was endemic in our national police force.
Pundits and protesters then moved the goalposts to include all police agencies in the country.
Well, I have been around policing since 1975 and I have never seen it. Neither have the many serving and retired police officers I have heard from who are angry at being labelled racist.
In reality, the police tend to separate society into two segments: good and bad, decent folks or buttholes. Decent folks are always treated with the utmost respect and buttholes are treated as they deserve. Note: the actual terms used are not suitable for this discussion, but you get the drift.
I have seen buttholes talk themselves into jail with their mouth or their actions when they might have been let off with an admonishment or a warning. This is not a race thing, this relates to the way people act in public and when interacting with the police.
But, perhaps the most interesting note I received was from a retired Vancouver Police Officer Wes Fung. As you may have noticed from his surname, Wes is Chinese. I was going to quote from the note, but on further reflection, I thought it should be shared more in its entirety.
Just for the record, Wes served primarily in patrol, but then on a few specialized units including the Diversity and Aboriginal Unit where he wound up his career.
Here is Wes Fung’s entire message without edits. He called it, “An Asian cop’s two cents worth:”
I’m a retired 32 yr member of the VPD and the fifth Chinese Cop ever to be hired. I can’t speak for other Officers of colour, I can only speak for myself. In my years of policing I’ve never experienced any racist incidents nor been a target of racial slurs. Had there been such an encounter it would have been “resolved” in the locker room…that’s how it was done back in the day.
To paint the entire Vancouver Police Department as being rife with systemic racism is highly inaccurate, completely unfair and bordering on slander. No doubt there were Officers who possessed “red neck” opinions but they generally kept these sentiments to themselves.
At the end of the day if a member was in danger and yelling for cover any one of us, irrespective of race or personal beliefs, would respond in a heartbeat. During these tense moments there was only one colour…BLUE and a bad guy was a bad guy…their ethnicity never a consideration…unless they needed an interpreter.
No organization is perfect, there will always be challenges but with the calibre of people…sworn and civilian…working for the Vancouver Police Department, the citizens can be assured the Officers and Senior Executive will continually strive to better serve their community.
As for allegations of racist conduct and Police brutality, consider the source and wait until all the facts are disclosed before drawing conclusions. Cops are held to the highest standard as they should be. When inappropriate or criminal conduct is proven often times that member will face penalties far greater than that of a civilian…and that’s also how it should be.
An overwhelming number of VPD Officers, many coming from the various ethnic communities, have served and are serving our City with great distinction and have the support of a vast majority of its’ residents. Remember this the next time an anti-Police activist espouses unproven allegations of wrongdoing, interested only in exacerbating the problem instead of collectively working toward finding a solution…and consider the source.
Canadian senator and former RCMP commissioner Bev Busson called out the unfair stereotyping of Canadian police officers in a recent public statement.
“Disturbingly, I see a tendency by some to stereotype equally each and every police officer with the same criminal motives. I am referring to the wave of hatred and disrespect directed at our police forces generally, and specifically at the RCMP,” wrote Busson, in reference to recent protests calling for the defunding of police.
Busson praised the work of Canada’s police, saying that the vast majority of officers are “the finest people you will ever meet,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“We must remember that racism and stereotyping are wrong in all forms and must be eradicated. Police are people. They are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.”
During an emergency debate on June 18, several senators echoed sentiments by those calling to defund the police.
“You have all seen police brutality go unchecked. Young boys and girls, parents and grandparents are attacked by those who are supposed to protect them,” said Senator Rosemary Moodie.
“Imagine what it would be like to be scared to call the police, just terrified…This is what Black people are dealing with everyday, and they do not have the privilege of only imaging it,” said Senator James Munson.
Several municipalities have already held votes on whether or not to decrease funding of local police departments.
Recently, a vote to cut Toronto’s police budget by 10% in 2021 was defeated by a wide margin. A total of 16 councillors voted against the proposal, while 8 were in favour.
While the motion to cut the budget failed, a motion to establish further accountability and oversight for police officers did pass.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will now be facing a sixth investigation by Canada’s ethics commissioner over the federal government’s decision to award a $900 million sole-source contract to a charity with ties to the Trudeau family.
Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau both have extensive ties to WE Charity. Grégoire Trudeau is a “WE ambassador and ally” and hosts a podcast with the organization, and the family has hosted and attended many WE events. Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s daughter Clare Morneau is also tied to the organization.
Trudeau called WE Charity the “best and only” organization able to administer the Canada Student Service Grant program.
Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion confirmed to the Conservatives and the NDP on Friday that he is opening an investigation into the deal.
“In your letter, you allege that, given the existence of Mr. Trudeau’s close family ties with WE Charity and the outsourcing of this project to the charity over the federal public service or another volunteer organization, Mr. Trudeau afforded preferential treatment to WE Charity in contravention … of the Conflict of Interest Act,” wrote Dion in a letter today to NDP MP Charlie Angus.
“I have considered your request and am of the view that it satisfies the requirements set out in … the Act. I am therefore commencing an examination.”
WE Charity has since rescinded its management of the grant after the deal was subjected to public scrutiny.
According to WE co-founder Marc Kielburger, he was approached by the Prime Minister’s Office one day after the student grant was announced by the federal government.
“So myself, my team… had all watched this [announcement], and the next day, the Prime Minister’s Office kindly called us and said, ‘you know that announcement we just made? Would you be interested in helping us actually implement it?’,” said Kielburger in the recording of the call obtained by National Post.
“So after much consideration, we put up our hand and said, of course, we’re happy to be of assistance. This is really important at an important time.”
Kielburger’s claims went contrary to what Trudeau had said earlier about the matter. The prime minister initially insisted that it was the Department of Employment and Social Development that was responsible for securing the deal with the organization.
This is not the prime minister’s first run-in with the ethics commissioner. Trudeau was found to have broken Canadian ethics laws twice while serving as Canada’s prime minister.
On the first occasion, Trudeau was reprimanded for accepting a vacation on the private island of the Aga Khan. The prime minister was also found guilty of breaking ethics laws by attempting to pressure then-Attorney General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould into intervening on behalf of SNC-Lavalin in a highly-publicized corruption trial.
In Dion’s SNC-Lavalin scandal ruling, he stated that Trudeau had abused his position of authority in an attempt to influence Wilson-Raybould.
“I found that Mr. Trudeau used his position of authority over Ms. Wilson-Raybould to seek to influence, both directly and indirectly, her decision on whether she should overrule the Director of Public Prosecutions’ decision not to invite SNC-Lavalin to enter into negotiations towards a remediation agreement,” wrote Dion in his report.
As a result of the SNC-Lavalin scandal and Trudeau’s conduct, Canada’s international corruption rank suffered. In the last year, Canada fell from 9th place on the Corruption Perceptions Index to 12th.
“Gaining and retaining public trust remains an ongoing challenge for institutions in Canada,” said Dion in this year’s report on the Conflict Of Interest Act.
“This is evidenced by data published by credible international organizations that provide a broad indication of levels of public trust.”
The Chinese communist regime has introduced a new national security law in Hong Kong. What does this mean for the Hong Kong people and how does this affect you?
True North’s Anthony Furey explains the significance of this new law, the importance of Article 38 and how China’s behaviour can be traced back to Document 9.
After a public backlash and accusations of cronyism, Trudeau and WE Charity “mutually agree” that WE Charity won’t manage the federal government’s $900-million program to pay students and fresh graduates for volunteer work this summer.
Now that the anti-racism protests are over, public officials suddenly care about the coronavirus again.
Plus, after months of appeasing the communist regime, the Trudeau government finally gets tough on China.
These stories and more on the True North Update with Candice Malcolm and Andrew Lawton!
Construction on the Keystone XL pipeline began in Oyen, Alberta on Friday.
Premier Jason Kenney visited the site for its ceremonial opening, emphasizing the province’s reliance on the energy industry.
“When complete, this project will be a major part of our energy sector’s continuing success, and a pillar of Alberta and Canada’s economic recovery, post-COVID,” said Kenney.
“So make no mistake, the energy industry is the lifeblood of our provincial and our national economies.”
Upon completion, the pipeline will carry 830,000 barrels of oil per day 1,947 km away to Steele City, Nebraska.
According to Kenney, Albertans will benefit from about 2,000 construction jobs due to the project which is expected to be completed in the year 2023.
The Kenney government has promised a $1.5 billion investment into the project for this year, with the hopes that it will boost Alberta’s economy after it took a severe downturn during the coronavirus pandemic.
Permits for the project were approved by US President Donald Trump, however Democratic opponent and presidential candidate Joe Biden has promised to put a halt on the development if he is elected.
“Biden strongly opposed the Keystone pipeline in the last administration, stood alongside President Obama and Secretary [John] Kerry to reject it in 2015, and will proudly stand in the Roosevelt Room again as President and stop it for good by rescinding the Keystone XL pipeline permit. Stopping Keystone was the right decision then and it’s still the right decision now,” said a statement by Biden’s policy director Stef Feldman.
In response to Biden’s election promise, the chairman of the Business Council of Alberta Hal Kvisle announced in May that the US government could expect a multibillion-dollar lawsuit should the project be cancelled.
“This is all grandstanding and it doesn’t look good on the politicians,” said Kvisle.
“TC would have a multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the U.S. government if they kill the project that’s already been approved.”
WE Charity has agreed to step away from managing a $900-million federal student grant program and return all of the taxpayer money it had already received after facing public backlash.
Critics accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of playing favourites after the organization was selected as a sole-sourced contractor for the lucrative job.
Trudeau himself has spoken for the group on several occasions, and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau hosts the charity’s podcast and is involved in youth outreach.
According to Trudeau, the decision to end the contract was “WE’s decision, which we support.”
Now that the organization is out of the picture, the federal government plans on distributing the funds itself.
“Certainly there are certain things that we will not be able to do as government delivers this program directly,” Trudeau said.
“Obviously this situation unfolded in a way that is truly unfortunate because one of the things that ends up happening with this is that young people won’t maybe have the same kind of access to programs that they would have.”
“Obviously the way this situation has unfolded has been unfortunate,” said @JustinTrudeau. “We will continue to work hard to make sure that young people get the opportunities to serve their country, but it will no longer be with the organization WE.” https://t.co/0yOzQ79U0Epic.twitter.com/iMdGhZhA3E
Originally, the prime minister told reporters that the Department of Employment and Social Development was responsible for awarding the contract. However, in a recorded conference call, WE co-founder Marc Kielburger can be heard saying that the Prime Minister’s Office had personally contacted him with the offer only a day after it was announced.
“So myself, my team… had all watched this [announcement], and the next day, the Prime Minister’s Office kindly called us and said, ‘you know that announcement we just made? Would you be interested in helping us actually implement it?’,” said Kielburger in the recording of the call obtained by National Post.
“So after much consideration, we put up our hand and said, of course, we’re happy to be of assistance. This is really important at an important time.”
Kielburger has since retracted his comments, saying that he had misspoken during the meeting.
“I incorrectly referred to the Prime Minister’s Office. In fact, the outreach came from unelected officials at Employment and Social Development Canada,” Kielburger claimed.
The Canadian oil company Cenovus Energy Inc. has announced that it is shipping oil to Canada’s East coast using the Panama Canal.
On July 1st, the company revealed that a shipment of crude oil from Burnaby, BC will be making an 11,900 km trip to Eastern Canada through the Panama Canal to refineries owned by Irving Oil.
The extensive detour through Central and South America to get to the other side of Canada is necessary due to a lack of other transportation methods.
“We were pleased with the economics of this transaction for Cenovus and excited to work with another strong Canadian company like Irving Oil,” Cenovus executive vice-preisdent Keith Chiasson told the Financial Post.
“It’s encouraging to see more Canadian-produced oil refined at a Canadian refinery. It’s a one-off shipment for now, but we believe this Canadian success story has the potential over time to create significant value for both companies and the entire country.”
Originally, Irving oil supported the $15-billion Energy East pipeline which would connect Albertan oil to refineries in Saint John. However, the pipeline was scrapped in 2017 due to environmental disputes.
Had there been a pipeline in place, the oil would only have to travel a 4,600 km route.
In May, the Canadian Transportation Agency approved a request by Irving Oil to deliver oil via the Panama Canal.
The company cited an urgent need to access Alberta’s crude oil supply.
“It is critical to our customers, to our business, and to energy security throughout Atlantic Canada that we are able to use foreign crude oil tankers to access Western Canadian crude oil on an urgent basis and going forward,” Irving chief refining and supply officer Kevin Scott said at the time.
