Public Safety Canada denied an Edmonton woman a passport because she committed herself to ISIS and Al-Shabaab.
Ayan Jama, 31, is currently in court challenging the Canadian Passport Order. The order allows the minister of public safety to refuse passports to individuals suspected of participating in terrorism.
In a report released by the court, CSIS determined Jama to be a member of the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
Jama had “indicated a desire to attain martyrdom,” according to authorities.
“Jama has a well-established association and support for [Al-Shabaab], an organization which has made threats against targets in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Canada (including the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta),” the report says.
“She has participated in the recruitment and radicalization of a Canadian, whose eventual travel overseas to Syria was encouraged and partially financed by her.”
Al-Shabaab is an Islamist terrorist group based in Somalia connected to al-Qaeda and ISIS. Since its founding in 2007, the group has been responsible for the death of thousands including Canadian citizens.
In 2019 Jama sought a judicial review with the Federal Court of Canada on Friday after Public Safety Canada, citing her connections to terrorist groups, refused her a passport.
Between 2010 and 2011 Jama lived in Somalia and was married to senior Al-Shabaab leader Mohamed Sakr. Sakr died in an airstrike in 2012.
Reports released by the court claimed that information on how to make bombs were found on Jama’s laptop by Somaliland authorities in 2011.
“Jama’s laptop contained a folder titled ‘explosives’ which included a document on how to build a plastic hydrogen bomb,” the CSIS report says.
Since returning to Canada, Jama allegedly helped one woman get to Syria to join ISIS.
In her submission to the court, Jama denied wrongdoing, suggesting that the documents found on her laptop could have been planted there by Somaliland authorities.
“I pose no threat to the national security of Canada, or to any other foreign country or state,” she wrote.
“I pose no threat to the safety and security of other Canadians. I have not and do not plan on engaging in acts of terror or violence.”
I don’t say this often, but I think the Trudeau government deserves some praise for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic this week. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, in particular, has been impressive in setting the record straight and providing a calm and intelligent line of reasoning behind each government decision.
There are, however, some glaring exceptions to this statement. I’m talking about Health Minister Patty Hajdu and her despicable parroting of Chinese Communist Party propaganda during Thursday afternoon’s media briefing.
CTV’s Ian Brown asked the COVID-19 panel to respond to a Bloomberg news story about a classified U.S. intelligence report on China hiding the extent of the coronavirus outbreak by under-reporting the number of cases and deaths.
“China’s numbers are fake,” the report concludes.
“There’s no indication that the data that came out of China in terms of their infection rate and their death rate was falsified in any way,” Hajdu said sternly.
Minister Hajdu also accused the reporter who asked about China's data of “feeding into conspiracy theories.” #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/hCuj1OJqtW
This was a remarkable moment. A top member of Trudeau’s inner circle was ardently defending a communist regime known for grave human rights abuses and lying on the world stage, while tacitly accusing our top ally and most important international partner of spreading false information.
To add insult to injury, when Brown tried to push back with facts, Hajdu lashed out at him, accusing the reporter of “feeding into conspiracy theories.”
Not only was this an autocratic response to a very reasonable question — making the minister look more like a Chinese official than an elected civil servant in a liberal democracy — but Hajdu’s comments are also highly ignorant and in contradiction to known facts.
There have been plenty of indications that the data coming out of China is false, starting with the fact that China has admitted so much.
In mid-February, China was widely criticized for not including individuals who tested positive for coronavirus but were not showing symptoms in official tallies. Last week, the Chinese government finally changed course to include asymptomatic cases — marking the eighth different definition of what constitutes a coronavirus infection in China’s official reporting since the outbreak began in late 2019.
On March 11, a Southampton University study found that had China acted just one, two or three weeks sooner, “cases could have been reduced by 66%, 86% and 95% respectively – significantly limiting the geographical spread of the disease.”
Instead, China spent the early days arresting doctors and journalists who spoke out about the deadly virus, while adamantly denying human to human transmission.
While there is no free press in China, and the communist regime expelled American journalists on March 17, there have been some independent reports calling China’s numbers into suspicion.
On March 27, a Radio Free Asia report contested the official death toll in Wuhan — a large metropolitan area the size of New York City and ground zero of the coronavirus outbreak.
While China claims the death toll in Wuhan is around 2,500, Radio Free Asia reports that incinerators at the city’s seven funeral homes have been “working around the clock.” They report that families have been given government stipends to cover the cost of cremation in exchange for their silence — “hush money” to keep the truth from the world.
Radio Free Asia estimates the real death toll in Wuhan to be somewhere between 42,000 and 46,800.
China’s evolving narrative and criminal cover-up of the coronavirus outbreak is no doubt to blame for the world’s lack of preparation for this deadly pandemic.
When the world finally navigates through this public health pandemic and resulting economic crisis, the global community must come together to hold China to account for its reprehensible actions that led to untold death and destruction.
China deserves to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity and ex-communicated from the global community. We should similarly judge minister Hajdu for her knee-jerk defence of the truly indefensible.
Some people argue that now is not the appropriate time to criticize Justin Trudeau and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. And now is a time to support the government, no matter what they’re doing.
They couldn’t be more wrong.
True North’s Anthony Furey says it’s more important than ever to criticize the government.
As coronavirus continues to spread in Canada, governments are taking measures to crack down on those who do not obey public health orders.
Federal, provincial and municipal governments have made it clear that large gatherings and not following self-isolation orders will not be tolerated.
Punishments differ between provinces and municipalities, with some threatening both fines and jail time depending on the circumstances.
Canada
Harsh fines have been put in place for those who fail to self-isolate. Travellers entering Canada will be told by CBSA that they must begin a 14-day self-isolation immediately upon entering Canada.
The government of Canada has enacted The Quarantine Act. Failure to comply with self-isolation orders can result in a fine of up to $750,000 and six months in jail.
Anyone who fails to self-isolate and puts others at risk or results in spreading coronavirus could face a fine of up to $1 million, up to three years in jail, or both.
British Columbia
British Columbia introduced strict penalties for those breaking public health orders. If violators are caught breaking the province’s public health orders surrounding self-isolation and large groups, penalties can result in a fine of up to $25,000 and possible jail time.
Reselling essential goods like medical equipment and cleaning products has also been made illegal, with the punishment being a fine of up to $10,000, one year in jail, or both.
Businesses in the City of Vancouver face fines of up to $50,000 for failing to comply with public health orders. The city has also introduced fines of $1,000 for those practicing the required 2 metre physical distancing in public.
Alberta
In Alberta both police and peace officers have been empowered to enforce public health orders. Among some of the new public health orders in the province include a ban on public gatherings larger than 50 people and a mandatory 14 day self-isolation period for international travellers.
Failure to follow the new orders can result in a $1,000 fine.
Saskatchewan
Last week Saskatchewan introduced fines for individuals who do not self-isolate after travelling outside of the province. Those who are caught not following the 14 day self-isolation order will now receive a fine of $2,000.
Public or private gatherings of more than 10 people have also been banned.
Manitoba
Manitoba introduced a ban on all gatherings of over 10 people. Manitobans who have traveled abroad are also required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival in province. Failure to comply with these new orders can result in a $50,000 fine or up to six months in jail.
Corporations that violate the new orders may face fines of up to $500,000.
Ontario
Ontario has among some of Canada’s toughest punishments for failing to comply with public health orders. Under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, the province can issue orders, which are enforceable by police:
Failing to comply with public health orders limiting groups over 5 people: $750 fine.
Not identifying oneself to an officer when caught violating emergency orders: $750 fine.
Obstructing officers that are enforcing public health orders: $1,000 fine.
Businesses that fail to comply with orders to shut down: $500,000 fine.
Failing to follow the 14 day self-isolation order after travelling abroad: maximum fine of $750,000 and/or 6 months in prison.
Not following self-isolation in a way that “wilfully or recklessly” puts someone else at risk: $1 million and/or up to three years in prison.
On Saturday Ontario started to enforce new rules preventing price gouging of certain products. Individuals caught price gouging can now face fines of up to $100,000. Corporations caught price gouging face fines of up to $1 million.
The City of Brampton has created a bylaw which could fine people who do not maintain the required 2 meter physical distance on city property. Fines can range from a few hundred dollars to $100,000. A similar bylaw is currently being considered by Toronto City Council.
Quebec
Quebecers are required to self-isolate for 14 days after travelling abroad or being diagnosed with coronavirus. Police in Quebec will arrest individuals who do not comply with self-isolation orders.
Residents of Montreal who do not keep a 2-metre distance from others may face fines of up to $1,000. Fines for COVID-19 carriers not complying with self-isolation orders could be fined $1,000 to $6,000, or face jail time.
On Saturday Quebec Police installed checkpoints on highways leading to eight regions: Bas–Saint-Laurent, Abitibi–Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Nunavik and Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James. Police will only be allowing those travelling for essential services and emergencies to keep on the road. Similar checkpoints have also been established on the roads connecting Gatineau with Ottawa.
New Brunswick
Under public health orders in New Brunswick, gatherings of more than 10 people are banned and anyone who has travelled abroad is required to self-isolate upon arrival. Failure to follow public health orders can result in a fine of up to $10,000. On Tuesday Premier Blaine Higgs warned that jail time or confinement may be used to punish those who ignore emergency orders in the future.
Nova Scotia
Last week Nova Scotia gave police officers the power to enforce the province’s Health Protection Act. The Act bans gatherings of more than five people and enforces a mandatory 14 day self-isolation period for all people who have travelled abroad. Punishments for not following public health orders include fines of up to $1,000 for individuals and $7,500 for business owners. Multiple fines can also be issued if disobedience continues.
All provincial parks and beaches are closed until further notice. Individuals caught trespassing can receive fines ranging from $500 to $10,000.
Prince Edward Island
Islanders who have travelled abroad are required to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Violating self-isolation orders will result in a $1,000 fine for the first offence, $2,000 fine for the second offence, and $10,000 fines for any subsequent offences.
Newfoundland & Labrador
In Newfoundland & Labrador new public health orders in the province include a ban on public gatherings larger than 50 people and a mandatory 14 day self-isolation period for all travellers. Failure to follow the new orders can result in a $2,500 fine and up to six months in jail.
Corporations that violate the new orders may face fines of up to $50,000.
Northwest Territories
Only residents are allowed to travel to the Northwest Territories until further notice. Upon arrival, residents are required to self-isolate for 14 days. Failure to comply with the order could result in a fine of up to $10,000 and six months in jail.
Yukon
The Yukon has not introduced any punishments for not complying with public health orders, though the territorial government has said that a 14 day self-isolation period is required for anyone who arrives in the Yukon.
Nunavut
Starting on March 24, Nunavut will only allow residents and critical workers to enter the territory. Anyone boarding a plane to Nunavut must first show proof of residency.
Before flying to Nunavut all residents must first complete a 14-day isolation period in either Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton or Yellowknife. A completion letter will also be required before boarding a plane to Nunavut.
On Wednesday Nunavut introduced punishments for individuals who are under investigation for COVID-19. Not following the mandatory 14 day self-isolation period can result in a fine of $50,000 or six month in jail.
Liberal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair is asking Canadian prisons to release some inmates early from federal prisons.
The request is being made in order to stop the spread of the virus within prisons, where social distancing is virtually impossible to achieve.
“Minister Blair has asked both the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada and the Chair of the Parole Board of Canada to determine whether there are measures that could be taken to facilitate early release for certain offenders,” said Public Safety Canada spokesperson Mary-Liz Power.
The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers has doubted the effectiveness that releasing some inmates would have in limiting the impact of the virus on Canada’s prison system.
“The focus must be on changing routines in our institutions to respect social distancing and self-isolation directives to every extent possible,” the union told CTV News.
“Canada is in crisis, and its citizens are already dealing with a potentially deadly threat. It is irresponsible to introduce further threats into our communities.”
In Richmond Hill, Ontario a man who was released from police custody due to coronavirus measures went on to allegedly assault a police officer only a few hours after being freed.
22-year old Chibudem Anthony Okeke has since been charged with attempted murder and failing to comply with recognizance after allegedly attacking and trying to disarm Const. Andrew Varao of his firearm.
Last week, the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 were detected at a prison in Quebec’s maximum-security Port-Cartier Institution, according to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).
Two inmates tested positive for the virus and the prison has since been placed into lockdown.
“These two inmates are being medically isolated from the general inmate population and the institution has been on lockdown as a precautionary measure,” claimed a news release by the CSC.
Nine employees at the federal prison were put into self-isolation before the virus was first detected among the inmate population.
Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu actually said at a press conference after being pressed by CTV’s Ian Wood, there was “no indication” China’s stated numbers couldn’t be trusted.
As reported by True North, she actually accused Wood who asked the question, of “feeding conspiracy theories.” Really.
The U.S. intelligence community believes China is covering up the scale of the coronavirus outbreak. Senator Ben Sasse (R/Nebraska) is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He wasn’t shy when he was asked the question by the media.
“The claim that the United States has more coronavirus deaths than China is false. Without commenting on any classified information, this much is painfully obvious: The Chinese Communist Party has lied, is lying and will continue to lie about coronavirus to protect the regime,” Sasse said.
”Beijing’s garbage propaganda shouldn’t be taken seriously by the World Health Organization, by independent journalists, or by the American epidemiologists who are going to beat this terrible virus.”
Well, that seems pretty clear. I wonder if the Minister thinks the Senator is also ‘feeding conspiracy theories?”
And then there are the comments of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who said after the recent G-7 teleconference summit, “The Chinese Communist Party poses a substantial threat to our health and way of life, as the Wuhan virus outbreak clearly has demonstrated.”
The pandemic sweeping the planet has just topped one million reported cases of the viral infection. Whatever else may be clear, it is certain the virus originated in the city of Wuhan in China and likely did not come from someone eating bat soup.
The species of the horseshoe bat that carries the virus was being used at two biological labs in Wuhan. In the early days, China tried to contain the information. At least one doctor who tried to warn the outside world is now dead ostensibly from having caught the virus. Another healthcare professional said the numbers are much higher than what the Communist Party of China is admitting. Not surprisingly, she too, is now missing.
Part of the problem is that the World Health Organization (WHO) is helping China in perpetuating the myth that China is telling the world.
The story was based on an interview with Dr. Gauden Galea, a representative of the WHO in China. “It is an epidemic that has been nipped as it was growing and stopped in its tracks. This is very clear from the data that we have, as well as the observations that we can see in society in general,” he said speaking from Beijing.
“So that’s a big lesson: that the natural course of the outbreak does not need to be a very high peak that overwhelms health services. This lesson in containment, therefore, is a lesson that other countries can learn from and adapt for their own circumstances.”
The WHO is also who Prime Minister Trudeau was relying on well into the pandemic to make decisions. This likely accounts for his delay in making the decisions the U.S. did some six weeks earlier. How many deaths might not have occurred had Trudeau consulted actual experts as opposed to the WHO, itself a creation of the UN?
The Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom is not a medical doctor. He was born in Eritrea and became a politician in Ethiopia where he served as Foreign Affairs Minister and Minister of Health.
In 2017, with the support of the government of the People’s Republic of China, he assumed control of the WHO.
In January, amid all the denials by the PRC and their refusal to allow international experts into the country, including those from the CDC in Atlanta, it was the intervention of Tedros with President Xi directly that allowed WHO people into the country.
For the next 8 weeks China continued to lie to the world as the global pandemic spread like wildfire and they were ably and perhaps blindly, assisted by Tedros’ WHO.
When this is all over there will be much time for recriminations and after-action analysis. But, what is very clear is that President Trump acted promptly in reacting to the burgeoning crisis and Trudeau did not.
It is also clear that China lied out of the gate and the WHO failed utterly in their responsibility to the world.
And many people died as a result. That’s not “feeding conspiracy theories” as Minister Hajdu would have you believe, that is just reality.
Step aside Hanoi Hannah: it’s time for Politburo Patty to shine.
I can’t think of any other name for Canada’s health minister, who boldly hewed to the Chinese communist party line during a briefing by Canadian officials on COVID-19.
Asked about whether China’s official numbers, which were adopted unquestioningly by the World Health Organization, were trustworthy, Hajdu said Thursday there was no reason to distrust China’s figures.
Minister Hajdu also accused the reporter who asked about China's data of “feeding into conspiracy theories.” #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/hCuj1OJqtW
“There’s no indication that the data that came out of China in terms of their infection rate and their death rate was falsified in any way,” she said before accusing the reporter of “feeding into conspiracy theories.”
Her comments led a columnist for China Daily, a newspaper owned by the propaganda wing of the Chinese communist, to call her a “role model,” albeit a “disappointment to those paparazzi journalists and fearmongers.”
Politburo Patty should be proud. A Chinese communist propagandist sees her as a “role model.” pic.twitter.com/AyNLubSjlm
While her finger-wagging to the reporter is still preferable to how the Chinese politburo deals with reporters who challenge the party line, it is still dangerous from a health official who has touted her government’s actions as being rooted in evidence rather than politics.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t go as far as Hajdu did. When he was asked earlier in the day whether he trusted China’s numbers, he simply said those were “questions…for future times.”
Hajdu merely revealed what has always been a significant China-sized blind spot in the Trudeau government’s approach to foreign policy.
Canadian foreign minister François-Philippe Champagne last week publicly thanked the Chinese for doing the “right thing” in response to a tweet from China’s embassy to Canada promoting a donation of medical supplies from the Bank of China.
I am all for giving credit where it’s due, but any supposed benevolent acts from China must be met with skepticism.
The shipment came as reporters were pointing out Canada had sent 16 tonnes of medical equipment to China when it was the coronavirus pandemic’s epicenter.
Champagne fell for what EU diplomat Josep Borrell called China’s “politics of generosity.”
At this point, it’s not even clear whether the shipment from China can be used. The Netherlands had to recall 600,000 subpar Chinese-made face masks. Spain found its Chinese-made test kits had only a 30% accuracy rate, making them even less effective than dollar store pregnancy tests. Several other countries have made similar findings about millions of units of gear.
To accept China’s numbers is, at best, naïve, and potentially far more insidious given China’s penchant for propaganda.
Despite Hajdu’s contention that we should take China’s data at face value, there is ample evidence China has been less than forthright throughout this crisis.
American intelligence officials concluded China underreported its case and death counts, according to a Bloomberg report. The British government similarly believes China’s coronavirus death toll could be 40 times the official tally, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Chinese people have seen stacks of thousands of urns outside funeral homes in the Hubei province – far more than the government’s numbers would warrant.
Interestingly, a Barron’s report suggests the data from China show a “near-perfect prediction model that analysts say isn’t likely to naturally occur.”
Even the Chinese regime acknowledged “shortcomings and deficiencies” in its handling of the coronavirus.
While these seeds of doubt are important, they shouldn’t detract from the broader point that China is simply unworthy of being given the benefit of the doubt about anything.
Canadian Conservative leader Andrew Scheer said as much when condemning Hajdu’s Chinese apologetics.
“Any government that operates in an autocratic fashion, a communist government that denies basic human rights to its own people, that stifles dissent and squashes the free press, should be distrusted,” Scheer said at a press conference Friday morning. “It’s puzzling to me why a Canadian minister would vouch for a country – a government of a country – that operates in that fashion.”
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer doubles down. "Any government that operates in an autocratic fashion, a communist government that denies basic human rights to its own people, that stifles dissent and squashes the free press should be distrusted." pic.twitter.com/XmZAp5b7yH
It’s less puzzling when you look at the pattern emerging with Trudeau’s Liberals, which even predates Trudeau’s tenure as prime minister.
In 2013, he became something of a punchline among Canadian conservatives when he lauded China for its expediency at the expense of democracy.
“There’s a level of admiration I actually have for China. Their basic dictatorship is actually allowing them to turn their economy around on a dime,” he said at a 2013 campaign event.
I’m all for diplomacy, but this is an admiration Canadians can live without.
