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Friday, August 15, 2025

Two more Canadian citizens arrested by China on trumped-up charges

By
True North Wire
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Two more Canadian citizens have been arrested by the Chinese government on trumped-up charges.

Peter Wang and Ruqin Zhao immigrated to Canada in 2002 and now they’re behind bars in Chinese prisons according to the Globe and Mail. 

Authorities are accusing the couple of defecting to Canada with military secrets after working in Toronto as engineers. The two used to work on military research projects in China before immigrating here. 

According to Chinese state media, the pair were sentenced in 2019. Wang was sentenced to serve three years, while Zhao received two years. 

Chinese media reports played up the arrest as a victory against the US and claimed Wang confessed to “very, very serious” crimes. The couple was accused by state media that their actions pose “a major threat to [China’s] military and scientific security” and that they “had a large number of our scientific research secrets and engaged in work in the same field after going abroad.”

The two join several other Canadians who have been arrested and imprisoned on questionable grounds, including political prisoners Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. 

The federal government has yet to issue public statements on the pair’s case. 

According to Global Affairs Canada, the department “has closely followed the cases of Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhao. Canadian officials have had consular access to and are providing consular assistance to Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhao.”

Kovrig and Spavor have been held in Chinese prisons for well over a year since being illegally detained in retaliation to the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. 

US authorities are seeking to have Meng extradited to the US over a number of bank and wire fraud charges related to Huawei’s alleged dealings with Iran, contravening American sanctions.

Meng has been held under supervision at her multi-million dollar Vancouver mansion. In a letter marking her year spent under house arrest, Meng complained that her time reading books “from cover to cover” and completing oil paintings were “the worst days of [her] life.”

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Kovrig and Spavor have been denied access to consular services or visitors. 

Federal government still accepting temporary foreign workers despite record unemployment

By
True North Wire
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The federal government is still approving foreign workers to come to Canada despite record joblessness and a global pandemic.

Originally reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, last week the head of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program told MPs that the government is ensuring new applicants can still work in Canada this summer.

“We are of course applying our due diligence in assessing the applications, including requiring employers to provide credible evidence that they’ve tried to hire Canadians,” program director Philippe Massé told the human resources committee.

According to Statistics Canada, two million Canadians lost their jobs in April, bringing the total number of people either out of work or on “substantially reduced hours” to 5.5 million.

Of those still employed, 39% are worried they might lose their jobs in the near future.

When questioned by Conservative MP Brad Vis, Massé was not able to say how many foreign workers have been accepted since the pandemic began in March, noting he would have to look into it.

“More than a third of the potential labour force did not work, or worked less than half their usual hours since March 15,” Vis said to Massé.

True North’s Founder Candice Malcolm recently called for Canada to suspend its temporary foreign worker program and instead match unemployed young Canadians looking for work experience with farmers in desperate need of labour during planting season.

“With so many young people out of work — so many of whom are desperate to get work experience, pay off debt and save for the future — it defies logic that our government is paying these young workers to stay at home, while also recruiting temporary foreign workers (TFW) to come fill jobs that have been deemed essential services,” wrote Malcolm in a column for the Toronto Sun.

However, the Trudeau government has made it clear that Canada’s borders are open to foreign workers, even during a period of record unemployment.

In April the government announced $50 million to pay for foreign workers to self-isolate for two weeks once they arrive in Canada.

Rather than remain dependent on foreign workers, Ontario and Quebec have introduced programs and bonuses to encourage residents to take up seasonal agricultural jobs.

In late April New Brunswick banned new temporary foreign workers from the province as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus.

Canada’s infrastructure projects are riddled with fraud and corruption

By
Candice Malcolm
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

Most Canadians who worry about out-of-control government spending focus on the big ticket items: corporate welfare, new unaffordable entitlement programs, or sending money overseas to corrupt international bodies and authoritarian governments.

But most Canadians would be surprised by the corruption, fraud and lack of competition in our own government, particularly when it comes to things like infrastructure projects.

Ottawa building contractor and former chairman of Merit Canada Walter Pamic knows a thing or two about this waste.

Walter joins True North’s Candice Malcolm on The Candice Malcolm Show to discuss.

WeChat conducting “political surveillance” on Canadian and global users, report claims

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A new report by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab found that the popular Chinese messaging application WeChat is surveilling content on users in Canada and beyond. 

WeChat is a widely downloaded messaging application developed by the company Tencent and is very popular among the Chinese diaspora. 

“WeChat communications conducted entirely among non-China-registered accounts are subject to pervasive content surveillance that was previously thought to be exclusively reserved for China-registered accounts,” claims the May 7 report titled “We Chat, They Watch.” 

“Documents and images transmitted entirely among non-China-registered accounts undergo content surveillance wherein these files are analyzed for content that is politically sensitive in China.”

Prior to the revelation that international users are also targeted by surveillance, reports have shown that the Chinese Communist Party actively monitors and censors the private chats of its citizens. 

Most recently, the Chinese government has used the application to prevent information about the coronavirus from spreading. Since January 1st, WeChat actively blocked criticism of the CCP’s coverup and used the application to clamp down on whistleblowers who risked their lives to tell the world about the oncoming pandemic. 

The study goes on to claim that “politically sensitive” material is used to train and build the application’s artificial intelligence to identify content for censorship within mainland China.

“The company is essentially undertaking political surveillance on one segment of users, those who are using their international version of the application outside of mainland China,” Citizen Lab director Ron Deibert told the CBC.  

“That data is being used to then train the algorithms to better undertake censorship and surveillance of mainland China’s users. That’s pretty shocking.”

According to Deibert, if you are simply using the application you are implicated in the Chinese government’s repression of minorities and its citizens.  

“There is a moral issue here. To the extent that you’re using this application, you’re also essentially providing free labour for the refinement of a machine of digital repression inside China. So you’re implicated in it,” Deibert told the CBC. 

According to recent filings by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), the federally owned fund is one of the largest shareholders in Tencent Holdings Ltd. The CPP owns nearly $3 billion worth of shares in the Chinese company, despite its implication in a variety of human rights abuses perpetrated by the CCP.

In a statement emailed to True North, a Tencent spokesperson claimed that all content shared by international users on WeChat was private and that user privacy was a “core value” for the company.

“We received the Citizen Lab report and take it seriously. However, with regard to the suggestion that we engage in content surveillance of international users, we can confirm that all content shared among international users of WeChat is private,” said a Tencent spokesperson.

“As a publicly listed global company we hold ourselves to the highest standards, and our policies and procedures comply with all laws and regulations in each country in which we operate. User privacy and data security are core values at Tencent, and we look forward to continuing to sustain user trust and delivering great user experiences.”

Conservative Leadership Series: Erin O’Toole

By
Andrew Lawton
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Member of parliament and former veterans affairs minister Erin O’Toole joins True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss his campaign to lead the Conservative Party of Canada. O’Toole is running on a platform based on “True Blue leadership,” touting his experience as a lawyer, cabinet minister and veteran combined with what he says are solid conservative credentials.

This is part of The Andrew Lawton Show’s Conservative Leadership Series, featuring in-depth interviews with all of the candidates seeking the Conservative leadership.

Trudeau government re-evaluating planned immigration increases amid pandemic

By
True North Wire
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Cuts to immigration might be on the table due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino told the House of Commons human resources committee that the federal government will be taking a look at current immigration levels and that changes would be “driven by the context” of the situation, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

The Liberal government’s Immigration Levels Plan, which was unveiled on March 12, is set to hike immigration levels by one per cent from 331,000 in 2019 to 341,000 this year, further increasing to 351,000 next year. 

Rising unemployment and economic uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic has called these figures into question, however.

“We will continue to examine the circumstances including the surrounding context of Canada’s response to Covid-19 as we plan for the future,” said Mendicino in response to a question from Conservative MP Peter Kent. 

“We have to put a pause on everything from refugee intake to economic immigrants. At this point in time, it only makes sense. We’re already stretched,” Kent said. 

The Liberals have taken the unprecedented step of closing Canada’s borders and curbing the flow of illegal border crossers because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Although illegal traffic at unofficial border crossings has been formally stopped, recent reports show that the government continues to allow asylum claimants to make claims at official ports of entry.

A new federal order allows migrants who meet the criteria of being refugee claimants to enter the country. Upon entry, they are then required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period. 

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told the House of Commons on April 20 fewer than 10 people had been returned to the US since the border was closed. It is unclear if the minister was including illegal border crossers who have been redirected to official ports of entry in this statistic. 

Refugee claims submitted at official border crossings are under the purview of the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). 

Under the agreement, people claiming refugee status are required to do so in the first country they arrive in otherwise they are to be turned away at official ports of entry.

Several exceptions are in place which would allow family members, unaccompanied minors and special document holders into Canada. There is also an exception for those who have been charged or convicted of an offence that could lead to the death penalty.

KNIGHT: The cringe-inducing Prime Minister

By
Leo Knight
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Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold, the Prime Minister has been in self-exile at his home in Rideau Cottage. 

Why? Well, we aren’t really sure. 

It started when his wife Sophie was diagnosed with the virus after a brief trip to the U.K.

Two weeks later, on March 28th, she was diagnosed as “all clear” and gathered up the kids and swept off to the Prime Minister’s summer residence at Harrington Lake where we are told she has been ever since.

Justin Trudeau remained behind, ostensibly working from home. Except for Easter weekend when he spent the weekend at Harrington Lake after telling Canadians to stay home and not go to their cottages and cabins. Typical. 

Don’t do as I do, do as I say Liberal. 

In the interim, he has been emerging from Rideau Cottage every day at about the same time to deliver remarks to the assembled media and to take softball questions that are meticulously managed by the Prime Minister’s Office. 

Every day he would announce more spending initiatives as his way of telling Canadians what the government was doing to fight the pandemic. Trudeau’s spending announcements have resulted in a whopping deficit of $252 billion. In February, before the pandemic took hold, the deficit was $26 billion.

Full disclosure — I gave up watching Trudeau’s daily briefings after the first few. I felt that watching these press conferences were too detrimental to my health. 

But over the weekend, Trudeau truly outdid himself with cringe-inducing press conferences. 

On the eve of Mother’s Day, he actually said on camera that mothers watching with their kids should leave the room because he wanted to have a conversation with their children. 

Does he actually think that Canadian families are gathered around their televisions to breathlessly listen to his nonsense? 

He went on to talk to his “kids only” audience about Mothers’ Day and how they should treat their moms. True, but he was absolutely trashed on social media. 

The concept of a bearded, wind-swept middle-aged man asking parents to leave the room so he could have a private word with their kids is creepy And inappropriate. 

Not to be outdone, on Mothers’ Day, he actually said this, “Hey parents! If your kids are stuck on a homework question, feel free to pass this message along. Because as a teacher, I want to help out. Let me know what the difficult question is by replying to this tweet or using the hashtag #CanadaHomeworkHelp – and I’ll see what I can do.”

A teacher? He was a back-up drama teacher for a short period of time and a snowboard instructor. 

Some teacher. 

The reality is that Justin Trudeau has the thinnest resume of anyone to ever occupy the Prime Minister’s office. And he proves every day that he is unqualified for the position. 

FUREY: Leave it to Trudeau to make the economy a partisan issue

By
Anthony Furey
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When the pandemic first started, Justin Trudeau told us we were all on Team Canada and that we were all in this together.

But when it comes to reopening the economy, Trudeau has undermined premiers and made this into a partisan issue.

True North’s Anthony Furey says the economy doesn’t refer to only stock markets, the economy is the foundation of our way of life.

MALCOLM: Trudeau gets away with assaults on parliamentary tradition and press freedom

By
Candice Malcolm
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The media landscape in Canada is rapidly changing. Canadians are increasingly consuming the news online and through their smartphones. They’re watching more videos and finding news stories through social media apps like Facebook and YouTube.

Many traditional media outlets are struggling to adapt to the new landscape of digital news delivered through social media. The only saving grace is that the Trudeau government is tilting the playing field in their favour.

Trudeau has announced more funding to state broadcaster the CBC, a bailout to the establishment newspaper chains, and perhaps most disturbingly, a government-commissioned panel recommending jaw-dropping crackdowns on press freedom.

This includes the creation of a government registry for media outlets, heavy-handed new regulations governing content providers, codes of conduct, new taxes and fees, and a licensing requirement for media outlets.

Even while the world is preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns, the Trudeau government still manages to manipulate media coverage.

Take the PM’s daily news conferences as an example.

These press sessions give the aura of responsible, accountable government. Trudeau typically delivers a 15 minute speech with information for Canadians, followed by 15 to 20 minutes of questions from the press.

A closer look, however, shows that these news conferences are nothing but kabuki theatre.

True North, the think tank and online media organization I run, looked at the questions being asked of Trudeau and found that the CBC dominated these press conferences, being allowed to ask twice as many questions as any other outlet.

CBC journalists were granted 21% of the questions asked between March 13 and April 30. Meanwhile, independent online outlets like True North, Rebel News and Blacklock’s Reporter were blocked from asking a single question.

In a similar study, Blacklock’s found that of the 708 questions put to the Prime Minister, CBC asked 167 of them. CTV asked 90 questions, Global News asked 75, the Toronto Star asked 29, the National Post had 14 and the Sun papers only got 4 questions.

These press conferences are organized by the non-partisan Privy Council Office, so any news outlet can dial into the calls and attempt to ask a question. The individual questions, however, are controlled by partisan political aides.

These Liberal staffers apparently chose to call on friendly reporters from left-leaning news outlets — those owned by the government, heavily regulated by the government or bailed out by the government.

Independent outlets are shut out.

That’s why Rebel News filed a federal lawsuit against the Prime Minister’s Office for not allowing its journalists to ask questions.

To add insult to injury, these daily press conferences are being billed as an alternative to Parliament and in lieu of Question Period.

When Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer proposed returning to Parliament last month to hold the Trudeau government to account during this pandemic, his proposal was rejected by Liberal, NDP and Bloc MPs, and many journalists condemned him for even suggesting that MPs get back to work.

“Questions are necessary. Question Period is not,” wrote Toronto Star columnist Susan Delacourt. Another Star columnist and CBC political commentator, Chantal Hébert, argued that a return to Parliament wasn’t necessary right now because “there is precious little appetite among the public for anything that smacks of partisan politics.”

In an open letter to Canadians published in the Sun papers, Scheer quoted former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in saying, “Parliament is more than procedure — it is the custodian of the nation’s freedom.”

Trudeau gets away with these assaults on parliamentary tradition and press freedom because there is a long line-up of loyal journalists willing to defend his every action — no matter how regressive or thuggish. The fact that many of these journalists are on the government payroll is a serious threat to our nation’s freedom.

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms — what rights do you have?

By
Sam Eskenasi
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The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is supposed to guarantee the rights of every Canadian, but what does it actually say?

What rights do you actually have?

Is the government upholding your rights during the coronavirus lockdown?

Is the charter alone enough to guarantee our freedom?

True North’s Sam Eskenasi takes an in-depth look at the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

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