Canada is stable and strong. We respect order, tradition, responsibility, the rule of law, universal rights and freedom for all.
While we’re not perfect, we use our democratic rights like free speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly to push for a better and more just society, while upholding the rule of law and our great Canadian traditions.
Freedom is not free. Any democracy is volatile to the dual threats of mob rule and a tyrannical government.
True North’s Candice Malcolm says we need to be vigilant, be courageous and be proud today and every day that we get to call Canada home.
Vandals have desecrated half of the statues at the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Sudbury.
Greater Sudbury Police say the exact date that the statues were vandalized is not known. A total of six statues have had their faces or entire heads removed.
The statues, presenting scenes from the Bible, were all created in the 1950s.
David Sirois of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie told CTV News that the church community was devastated to learn about the vandalism.
“There’s enough volunteers and people who have donated to try and keep this site nice … for the general public. Then when you see damages like that, you wonder who would do that kind of thing?” he said.
Police say that they have no suspects or witnesses. An investigation is ongoing.
One resident told the Sudbury Star that she and her family were horrified to see what had happened when they went for a walk on Saturday.
“I love this place – it’s beyond beautiful. It is heartbreaking to see that this happened when the whole world was worried and under lockdown for COVID,” she said.
The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes is a popular park in the city of Sudbury, with the site overlooking Lake Ramsay and downtown Sudbury.
The Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie says they will repair the statues. The total cost of the repairs is not yet known.
Statues around the world have become targets of vandalism in recent weeks, with many receiving permanent damage.
The recent vandalism of a statue of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is currently being investigated as a hate crime after black paint was put on the statue’s face.
Anyone with information about the vandalism can contact Greater Sudbury Police or Sudbury Crime Stoppers.
Canadian flags adorn the town’s businesses, municipal buildings and residences as a way to celebrate the nation’s birthday.
According to Mayor Ted Lojko, showing off Canada’s national colours and emblem are a way to get around the limitations that the coronavirus pandemic has put on public celebrations.
“The whole virtual Canada Day thing, I mean we could do nothing, but the problem is with no fireworks, with no concert at Joel Stone park … it’s meant to bring the neighbourhood together, to make them feel that there is something that’s worthy to celebrate which is Canada Day,” said Lojko.
The town has handed out approximately 1,000 Canada Day signs for locals to use to decorate for the occasion.
“We basically tried to look at how many things we could do to celebrate Canada Day on July 1st. So the signs we have been putting up for the last week,” said Lojko.
However, some people don’t seem to share Gananoque’s enthusiasm for Canada as a country.
Last week, the popular Halifax newspaper The Chronicle Herald issued a warning on the front page of their weekend edition regarding a Canada flag cut-out featured with the issue.
“TO OUR READER: Inside today’s edition, on page A9, you’ll find a Canadian flag to clip and post to help celebrate July 1. We understand the flag doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone, however, we hope our readers recognize their ability to play a role in shaping Canada’s future is a freedom worth acknowledging,” said Saturday’s paper.
The disclaimer triggered outrage among Canadians online and beyond.
Among those who chimed in to condemn the publication for the issue was Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate Erin O’Toole, who called it “a slap in the face to all Canadians.”
The Chronicle-Herald should be ashamed of itself. Canada’s flag is a symbol of justice, freedom, and opportunity here and around the world.
This is a slap in the face to all Canadians and especially those wearing the flag on their uniform. 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/yBMOIGhdbr
“The Chronicle-Herald should be ashamed of itself. Canada’s flag is a symbol of justice, freedom, and opportunity here and around the world,” said O’Toole.
The City of Calgary has warned that it will take appropriate steps to shut down large Canada Day gatherings in accordance with coronavirus public health measures.
On Tuesday, the city’s official Twitter account cautioned that any gatherings over 200 people were banned.
“We’ve heard rumours of large events being planned in parks for Canada Day. This is not permitted and these events will be shut down if they try to go forward,” tweeted the City of Calgary.
Only a few weeks prior, thousands of people gathered in the city’s downtown, breaking a number of public health measures for a Black Lives Matter demonstration.
Calgary’s Mayor Naheed Nenshi even thanked the protestors for their presence in the city, despite the fact that they potentially endangered themselves and others by ignoring public health guidelines.
“Thank you for being peaceful, thank you for standing up positively to the rights of yourselves and for each other,” said Nenshi.
“This is a real chance for us as Canadians to acknowledge the very real racism personal and systemic that still exists in this country.”
In response to the City of Calgary’s tweet, several Canadians expressed outrage over the perceived double standard applied to those seeking to simply celebrate Canadian patriotism.
So its okay to have 10000 people gather for a protest but its not okay for a few hundred to gather in a park and celebrate Canada Day. You guys are a JOKE. A hypocritical JOKE. If the patrons where BLM shirts, will they be permitted to hang out in the park?
Canada is an extraordinary country, with a proud history and a promising future.
Understanding where we came from and the importance of Canadian achievements is the best antidote to the fervent anti-Canadian mob. Canadians must reject and combat modern efforts to erase our history and paint one-dimensional caricatures demonizing historical figures and past events.
Our guest on today’s special Dominion Day episode of the True North Speaker Series is Dr. Brian Lee Crowley. Brian is the managing director of the Macdonald Laurier Institute and Canada’s foremost public intellectual and scholar on Canadian history and public policy.
True North’s Candice Malcolm and Dr. Brian Lee Crowley discuss what makes Canada so unique, the many great accomplishments of Sir John A Macdonald, reasons to celebrate our history and early leaders and the building of a Canadian ideal.
Face masks will soon be mandatory in all indoor public spaces in Toronto.
The Toronto city council voted on the matter earlier today. All Toronto residents who hope to go shopping or out for dinner will be required by law to wear a mask.
“It is about respecting and protecting each other,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory on Tuesday morning.
“We hope there are more and more people out in the stores and in the businesses across the city. We want that to happen for the sake of our economy and for the sake of returning to a nearer to normal kind of life.”
Council approved the motion after it was included in a report by the city’s medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa.
Beginning on July 7, the temporary bylaw will go into effect.
Toronto has also legislated bylaws to require all travellers to wear masks on the city’s public transit system.
Those who are caught disobeying the law could face “aggressive enforcement” according to Tory.
According to a city solicitor, fines could be in the range of $750 to $1,000 for those who are found not wearing masks where they are required to.
Recently Ontario Premier Doug Ford rejected a call from mayors for a provincial mandatory mask requirement.
Contrary to prior claims made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a WE Charity co-founder said that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) contacted the group directly to award it oversight over the $900 million Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG).
The charity is set to benefit from the agreement to the tune of $19.5 million at the taxpayer’s expense, the National Post reports.
Yesterday, Trudeau told reporters that the Department of Employment and Social Development was involved in choosing the charity.
“When our public servants looked at the potential partners, only the WE organization had the capacity to deliver the ambitious program that young people need for the summer,” said Trudeau on Monday.
“WE organization is the largest national youth service organization in the country. They have networks in every corner of the country and organizations that they work with.”
However, a recorded conference call on June 12 revealed the group’s co-founder Marc Kielburger told participants that the PMO had reached out to them a day after the grant 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.”
When pressed on his prior comments, Kielburger told the National Post that he had spoken “loosely and enthusiastically.”
“I incorrectly referred to the Prime Minister’s Office. In fact, the outreach came from unelected officials at Employment and Social Development Canada. To be specific, contact came to WE Charity the week of April 26th from a Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch at Employment and Social Development Canada and various additional members of ESDC staff,” Kielburger said.
Critics have accused the prime minister of cronyism due to his family’s connections with the organization.
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.
Conservative MPs Pierre Poilievre, Dan Albas and Raquel Dancho called for an investigation into the decision in a letter sent to Auditor General Karen Hogan.
“The proper channels for Opposition scrutiny, the very bedrock of our parliamentary democracy, have been circumvented,” claimed the letter.
“Indeed, it is your office that will provide the most legitimate and transparent examination of this program.”
An Alberta father of two daughters died after he was denied a potentially life-saving defibrillator for his heart due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Jerry (Ched) Dunham was turned away at his doctor’s office on April 16 while he was there for a scheduled appointment. Dunham was told that his doctor was “too busy” to have him despite the fact that there were no other patients around.
According to the Calgary Herald, Dunham penned a spirited Facebook post while waiting in the doctor’s office to plead with his doctor for the procedure to go through.
“I was basically told that the government is willing to risk my life to save my life,” wrote Dunham.
“Let me say that again, my government told me they’re willing to let me die, which according to them is for my own safety . . .”
Two months later, Dunham passed away on June 7 at the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest nearly a week earlier which deprived his brain of oxygen.
Dunham began to have cardiac issues well over a year before the procedure was scheduled. After being diagnosed with congestive heart failure, he was told that he would be given a defibrillator and put on medication to manage the condition.
“Heart surgery, apparently considered non-essential. Now I know some say that’s non-essential, but it’s pretty goddam essential to me. Now I’m told today possibly could be a year or two?” wrote Dunham on his personal Facebook.
“So what I’m just supposed to kiss my ass goodbye? I’m starting to freak out here. Wondering what I should do?”
Estimates show that nearly 200,000 “non-essential” surgeries and procedures were cancelled or postponed due to fears of hospitals being overwhelmed due to a predicted intake of coronavirus patients.
Despite the healthcare capacity fears, hospitals across the country have been operating at a reduced capacity for the pandemic’s duration.
VIA Rail is losing over a third of a million dollars each day and could be en route to a record-breaking deficit in 2020.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the rail’s First Quarter Report 2020 shows that in the first 90 days of 2020, passenger revenue fell by $33.6 million compared to 2019.
“Funding levels will not be sufficient to offset the potential operating deficit. Significant additional funding will be required,” claimed the report.
VIA Rail operations have been battered since the beginning of 2020 when activists set up blockades throughout Canada, bringing passenger trains to a virtual standstill.
The report notes that revenue declined “mainly due to the interruption of service caused by the February blockades and the decreased ridership and subsequent service adjustments caused by impacts of COVID-19.”
“The situation with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic is such that it is hard to assess when operations will return to more normal levels. The future revenue potential is currently unknown and will be based on the ability to have both essential and non-essential travel and the level of confidence travellers have regarding the safety of train travel,” said the report.
VIA Rail is estimating that 2020 financial reports will be “well below” priorly estimated levels and what was reported in 2019.
In February, the Trudeau government was criticized for placating activists claiming to represent the interests of BC’s Wet’suwet’en people in opposition to the province’s LNG pipeline.
At the time, both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau could not provide the estimated total that the rail blockades were costing Canadians.
According to the CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Dennis Darby, approximately $425 million in goods were at a standstill due to the blockades.
To end the debacle, Trudeau entered into a land rights agreement with a small number of hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs, while ignoring the concerns of the First Nation’s elected leadership.
The elected chiefs called for the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett to resign for overseeing a “flawed and incomplete” negotiation.
“Aboriginal rights and title are the collective rights of ALL Wet’suwet’en people; they are not held only by hereditary chiefs and they cannot be defined or compromised by the small hand-picked group the government is dealing with,” the statement signed by four elected chiefs reads.
“That is 19th century treaty making, not 21st century reconciliation.”
This past weekend’s copy of The Chronicle Herald, a newspaper based out of Nova Scotia, offered their own cut-out of the flag within their pages. But they did so with something of a trigger warning running along the front page.
“Inside today’s edition, on page A9, you’ll find a Canadian flag to clip and post to help celebrate July 1. We understand the flag doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone, however, we hope our readers recognize their ability to play a role in shaping Canada’s future is a freedom worth acknowledging.”
What on earth does this PR speak even mean? It reads like a partial apology for even printing the flag.
Why does there need to be an explanation in the first place? Any sane person flipping through the paper and seeing a flag cut-out would simply understand what it is and either cut it out and tape it to their window or not and move on with their day without a second thought.
