True North

A Liberal MP from Ontario has been paying to advertise a petition calling on his government to reject the proposed Teck Frontier oilsands mine in Alberta. 

According to journalist Brian Lilley, Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen paid almost $400 in targeted Facebook advertising on the petition. 

“We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to reject the proposal to build the Teck Resources Frontier Oilsands Mine in Alberta as it is not in the best interest of Canadians,” says the petition, which was sponsored by Gerretsen.

The Facebook advertisement links to Mark Gerretsen’s personal profile and lists him as the paid source for the ad. 

Facebook data on the ad shows that Garretsen spent between $300-399 to get the petition out to a larger audience and that the ad has already received 60,000 impressions.  

As it stands the petition has received 684 signatures, passing the 500 signature benchmark required for a petition to be tabled in the House of Commons. 

According to Lilley, Garretsen’s office did not comment on whether the money spent on the ads were from personal funds or included taxpayer dollars. 

The Liberal government is expected to make a decision on whether or not it will approve the $20 billion Teck mine project. 

The Alberta government estimates that the Teck mine could create 7,000 jobs during its construction and employ 2,500 throughout its operation. The project would also produce $70 billion in tax revenues for Canada. 

Behind closed doors, Liberal MPs have been urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reject the proposal despite approval of all 14 First Nations communities in the area where the mine will be built. 

The Liberal government has been preparing an aid package for Alberta in the case of the mine’s rejection.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has warned Trudeau that rejecting the mine would have disastrous effects and bring Western alienation to a “boiling point.” 

Liberal Minister of Transport Marc Garneau told CBC News’ Power and Politics that protesters have been tampering with railways, including disabling the signals at road crossings. 

The minister’s comments come at the height of ongoing blockades on Canada’s rail network which have brought the Canadian economy to a halt. 

Protesters have stalled VIA Rail networks nationwide and CN Rail transport in Eastern Canada in support of a small number of hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs who oppose the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline project in BC.

The minister’s confirmation comes only a few days after True North exclusively reported on a handful of far-left websites that instruct activists to sabotage Canada’s rail systems and other infrastructure. 

Garneau said in an interview that he was concerned with “instances of tampering” with the rails during the ongoing blockades. 

“There have also been instances of tampering on the railways […] One that concerns me is disabling the signalling that occurs at a road crossing,” said Garneau.

One far-left website titled North Shore provides step-by-step instructions on how to destroy signal boxes and trick rail circuits to stop train traffic. 

“Rail sabotage works as both a tactic and a strategy, and so we’re calling for ongoing rail disruptions in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people who are currently defending their unceded territory from industry and police invasion,” writes North Shore. 

“Our suggestions include using copper wire to trip signal blocks, and the destruction of signal boxes and rail tracks.” 

True North reached out to Transport Canada and the CN Rail Police Service to ask whether the websites are being investigated in relation to the tampering. According to the CN Rail Police Service, they do not comment on any specific cases, while Transport Canada pointed to a statement by Garneau on “unsafe behaviour around railways.” 

Bureaucrats worked around the clock after Twitter and media were abuzz about a Muslim Voting Guide published by a taxpayer-funded Wilfrid Laurier University Islamophobia initiative.

According to documents obtained under access to information by Blacklock’s Reporter, the deputy minister of industry questioned why the government would fund a voting guide for Canadian Muslims ahead of the 2019 federal election, calling the decision “weird.”

Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Simon Kennedy asked others in the department how they could justify funding a Muslim voting guide.

“In the event we did pay for this, I’m just wondering if in fact we have any policies at the Councils about paying for this stuff that is overtly political in the sense of paying for stuff that, for example, purports to guide people in how they should vote?” he wrote.

“It would seem weird that such a guide would be something we would subsidize no matter what one may or may not think about the content.”

The Canadian Muslim Voting Guide, created by Prof. Jasmin Zine and two graduate students at Wilfrid Laurier University, called Maxime Bernier “blatantly xenophobic and Islamophobic,” referred to the United We Roll demonstrations as a “white nationalist rally,” and suggests all Muslims should support open borders and boycotts of Israel – and should vote accordingly.

The authors received $24,923 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), though this grant wasn’t specifically earmarked for the guide. The government claimed to have not known about the guide until B’nai Brith Canada notified them Oct. 24, after the federal election.

By Oct. 26, the Government of Canada and SSHRC logos were removed from the voting guide. The SSHRC later said that it thought the funding was for “mapping the Canadian Islamophobia Industry,” noting a voting guide was not contained in Zine’s grant application.

However, the grant program offers recipients a great degree of latitude in how they use the funds, including for advocacy.

“The Islamophobia industry is comprised of media outlets, political figures, academics, think tanks, far-right groups and ideologies, and the donors who fund their campaign,” read the grant application.

“These individuals, groups and institutions comprise a network that supports and engages in activities that demonize and marginalize Islam and Muslims in Canada.”

Public outrage over the biased voting guide led to the Prime Minister’s Office pressing the SSHRC about what happened, according to Access to Information records.

“Yikes,” one SSHRC staff member wrote in an email.

“Many dozens of tweets about this now from all sides so (we) can see why the Prime Minister’s Office is worked up,” another wrote.

The SSHRC promised to investigate the matter.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not invite Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to a meeting of party leaders about ongoing anti-pipeline after Scheer criticized the government’s handling of the situation.

Scheer blasted Trudeau Tuesday for failing to offer a plan to resolve the protests that have shut down railways and border crossings across Canada.

“That was the weakest response to a national crisis in Canadian history,” Scheer said.

Shortly after it was revealed that Trudeau had invited all party leaders represented in the House of Commons, except Scheer, to meet with him.

“Mr. Scheer disqualified himself from constructive discussions with his unacceptable speech earlier today,” Trudeau said.

Scheer’s fiery condemnation came as Trudeau continued to claim his government is eager to hear from anti-pipeline protesters and discuss solutions rather than remove blockades by force.

“We are creating a space for peaceful, honest dialogue with willing partners,” he said. “We need to find a solution and we need to find it now.”

Despite causing massive disruptions across Canada, Trudeau said that his government is “not asking these protesters to stop expressing themselves.”

Ongoing blockades of railways across Canada have shut down rail transportation. Protesters claim to be acting in solidarity with those who are protesting the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C.

While stressing the need for immediate action, Trudeau warned against acting with haste and told Canadians to avoid “populism.”

In his response, Scheer called the protesters “radical activists,” adding that Canada has to decide if it wants prosperity or disruption.

“Will we let our entire economy be held hostage by a small group, trampling over the legal system which has governed our country for over 150 years,” he said.

“Let me be clear Mr. Speaker, standing between our country and prosperity is a small group of racial activists, many of whom have little to no connection to First Nations communities.”

Scheer highlighted the fact that all elected chiefs and the majority of the hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation support the pipeline 

According to Scheer, the current protests are just a “warmup” for future protests, with the eventual goal of shutting down Canada’s energy sector.

Scheer said the Conservative party stands with the people who have been hurt by ongoing protests, particularly the Wet’suwet’en people who support pipeline development on their territory.

“We stand with hard working Canadians. Most importantly, on this side of the house we stand in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people.”

Members of Extinction Rebellion Vancouver Island attempted to place BC Premier John Horgan under “citizens arrest” on Monday morning by surrounding his home. 

Horgan was not home at the time of the blockade but returned with a security unit over concerns regarding his wife’s safety. 

The protests are part of a national effort to economically and politically pressure the provincial and federal government to intervene in the construction of BC’s LNG pipeline.

Climate and far-left activists claiming to represent a small number of hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs who oppose the pipeline have staged blockades across Canada with the intention of crippling the economy.

The group posted a statement online on Monday evening announcing their intention to stage “a peaceful lockdown and execute a citizens arrest to disrupt the B.C. government budget speech on Tuesday.”

“[Extinction Rebellion Vancouver Island] is acting with more legal authority than the RCMP, Coastal Gas link, John Horgan or Justin Trudeau. It is acting in recognition of Wet’suwet’en, Canadian and international law. Upholding the law is the responsibility of every settler citizen,” claimed a post on the groups’ Facebook page. 

Police officers arrived at Horgan’s home at 8:00 a.m. PT where they confronted the protesters. 

According to police, one Extinction Rebellion activist was taken into custody over the incident. According to CTV News, protesters laid on Horgan’s driveway and held signs on the street in front of the property. 

In response to the protests, Horgan has called for a return to the “rule of law” and stood by his government’s decision to approve the pipeline’s construction. 

Bombardier has cut an $8.2 billion deal with the French train company Alstom SA to sell the rail arm of the company.

The deal would mean that the Quebec aerospace and transportation giant will be shedding its largest division. 

Bombardier has been in the midst of a number of sales in order to pay a $9.3 billion USD debt owed by the company. 

Last week, Bombardier announced it was leaving the commercial airline business and sold its remaining stake in the C Series commercial jet project to its partner Airbus. Airbus will be paying the company $591 to acquire the stake. 

Stocks for Bombardier reached the lowest point on record in January. In one day, Bombardier stocks lost one-third of their value and closed at $1.22 per share. 

In 2017, Justin Trudeau’s government gave the company a $372.5 million federal loan, while the Quebec government lavished Bombardier with another $1 billion in funding. 

The same year, Bombardier announced it would lay off 5,000 people worldwide.

The sale between Bombardier and Alstom SA comes shortly after the TTC received the last of 204 Bombardier streetcars which it paid $1.25 billion for in 2009.  

For over a decade, Bombardier’s cars were plagued with defects and delivery issues. 

Similarly, New York City’s transit authority was forced to pull 300 Bombardier subway cars due to malfunctions. 

“Out of an abundance of caution, (New York City Transit) removed all R179 train cars from service overnight for thorough inspection and re-deployed other spare cars to continue service for this morning’s rush and ensure minimal impacts to customers,” said New York City Transit President Andy Byford.

“We intend to hold the company fully accountable.”

The deal with Alstom is expected to close in the first half of 2021. The company announced that it will be focusing its operations on producing business jets.