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Sunday, September 7, 2025

ESKENASI: MacKay’s Jerusalem misstep reveals deeper flaw in Western thinking about Middle East

By
Sam Eskenasi
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BY: SAM ESKENASI

Sam is long-time Canadian human rights activist with experience serving as a regular media spokesperson, often called upon to discuss a wide range of topics ranging from Antisemitism and Human Rights in Canada to Israel and the Middle East.

The past few days have not been kind to Peter MacKay. When he wasn’t being bombarded with questions about a tweet criticizing Prime Minister Trudeau’s election campaign for expensing $876.95 in yoga sessions and spa bills, he was hurriedly clarifying his position regarding moving the Canadian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

It began when, earlier in the week, he told The Post Millennial in an interview that it was premature for him to commit to such a decision despite the fact that it is officially part of Conservative Party policy.

While it is understandable that MacKay is looking to be diplomatic in order to ensure that he has the broadest support possible for his leadership bid, veering so far away from what is clear party policy is a serious misstep. 

On a deeper level, MacKay’s statement and subsequent clarification is symptomatic of a larger problem in Western thinking about the Israeli-Palestinian and broader Israeli-Arab conflict; the belief that maintaining the status-quo can somehow lead to peace. Trump’s decision to move the American embassy was not only right but in its own way, it is more likely to lead to peace. 

Moving the Canadian embassy is the right thing to do, for many reasons.

First, Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since the modern state’s creation in 1948. Following the end of the British Mandate and subsequent Israeli-Arab war, the city found itself, quite literally, divided down the middle.

While the city is often still referred to in terms of East and West Jerusalem, these delineations are political and not necessarily geographic or demographic, and the city is run as one municipality. For example, parts of ‘East Jerusalem’ may, in fact, be Jewish neighbourhoods that have expanded southwest of the city. As such, the term is used to denote the portions of the city that previously ended up in either Israeli (West) or Jordanian (East) control between 1949 to 1967.

Some critics of Trump’s decision to move the embassy have stated that such actions will serve as an obstacle to peace because it may prejudice negotiations regarding final borders between Israel and the newly created State of Palestine. 

However, the refusal to recognize even West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel sends a message to the Palestinian leadership that perhaps Canada, among others, views the entirety of the city as occupied and not truly part of Israel. If West Jerusalem is occupied then why not Haifa, Tiberias, Safed or even Tel Aviv? And if this is the case, does Israel even have a right to exist if it is entirely built on occupied territory?

Even Russia, a country not viewed as biased towards Israel, clearly recognizes West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. It follows, then, that moving the Canadian embassy to Jerusalem — especially to a location within Israel’s 1967 borders — should be no problem. 

Further, moving an embassy or recognizing Jerusalem (even just the Western part of it) as Israel’s capital does not preclude Canada, or any other country, from recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Canada has no history of overt military aggression in the Middle East. Our role has primarily been that of peacekeeping, and we have diplomatic relationships that other countries may not. By recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, we would clearly be demonstrating our longstanding position that Israel has a right to live in peace with its neighbours.

The reality is that any solution to the conflict will require both Israelis and Palestinians to compromise. Israel may have to make some tough concessions, but this also means that Palestinian leaders will have to abandon their maximalist demands, including that “Palestine must be free from the [Jordan] river to the sea”. 

This is why Conservative leadership hopefuls would do well to remember that moving the embassy is about more than showing solidarity with Canada’s Jewish community — it is, indeed, a strong statement about what we as Canadians believe the future of the Middle East should look like. If Canada wants to help foster peace between Israel and a future Palestinian state, it must move our embassy to Jerusalem, if only for the message that it sends about Israel’s inviolable right to exist. If Peter MacKay truly wants to be a formidable leadership candidate, he cannot shy away from strong, principled positions in the hopes of appearing diplomatic. 

Minister of Middle Class doesn’t know median income, defends $1.73 a week tax cut

By
True North Wire
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Justin Trudeau’s new Minister of Middle Class Prosperity still doesn’t know who is in the middle class or what they earn. 

During a Wednesday evening finance committee meeting, members of the opposition grilled Minister of Middle Class Prosperity Mona Fortier over a measly new $1.73 a week tax cut.

Fortier was earlier quoted as saying that the $90 a year tax cut would help Canadians send their kids to camp or purchase healthy food. 

“We are lowering taxes for middle class families and people working hard to join them, which means more money that can be used to do things like buy healthy food, send kids to camp,” Fortier said earlier this week in the House of Commons. 

Both Conservative and NDP committee members criticized the government’s tax cuts which were initially exaggerated. Finance Minister Bill Morneau called the cut a “very significant measure” and suggested that Canadians would save up to $300 a year. 

“It’s about $1.70 a week. Will that pay for groceries?” asked Conservative MP and committee member Pat Kelly. 

When asked by Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre what the median income of Canadians was, Fortier was unable to provide any figures. 

“When we talk about Canadians and middle class Canadians, we know that depending on where they live and depending on their realities they will have different incomes,” said Fortier. 

The real extent of the cut was revealed by the Parliamentary Budget Office who suggested that high earners could benefit from the change more than ordinary Canadians. 

“It’s perplexing to me because it seems so out of touch with the reality so many Canadian families are facing,” said NDP committee member Peter Julian. 

“Half of Canadian families are $200 away from insolvency at the end of every month. People are saying $1.73 is not going to make a huge difference.”

“You know, I am looking at the middle class and we know Canadians want to have access to a good home, they want to be able to pay for education for their kids, they want a dignified and secure retirement, and they want a good job,” replied Fortier. 

Trudeau announced the new ministerial position when he revealed the Liberal cabinet in November 2019. 

Foreign ISIS fighters to be put on trial by Kurdish forces

By
True North Wire
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Thousands of detainees will be put on trial for fighting for ISIS abroad, including dozens of Canadians.

The trial was announced by local Kurdish authorities on Thursday after meeting with Finland’s foreign ministry. 

“We explained our intention to set up a special court for ISIS to the Finnish government and asked for help from the legal and technical aspects, and that this trial be transparent and public,” said a statement. 

According to the Rojava Information Centre, ISIS members convicted of crimes against humanity could face up to 20 years imprisonment or a life sentence.

Trials are expected to begin in March and the local administration is seeking help from international allies. 

According to the Canadian government, 180 people have left the country to fight for extremist groups abroad. 60 are believed to have already returned to Canada. 

Despite the high number of returnees, former minister of public safety Ralph Goodale confirmed that only four charges have been laid against the alleged terrorists. 

An Ipsos poll shows that a majority of Canadians do not want the government to repatriate those who left the country to join ISIS. 

The poll found that 71% of Canadians think Canada should “not do anything” to facilitate their return. 

Only 29% of respondents thought that the government should help the ISIS fighters come back. 

Ontario court orders Omar Khadr to answer questions of lawyers representing family of slain US soldier

By
True North Wire
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The family of slain US soldier Christopher Speer is one step closer to seeing justice after an Ontario court ordered convicted terrorist Omar Khadr to answer their lawyers’ questions. 

Khadr was convicted of killing Sgt. Christopher Speer while fighting as an al-Qaeda militant in 2002. Speer’s family is seeking to have a $134-million wrongful death ruling by a Utah court enforced against Khadr in Canada. 

“What is important are Mr. Khadr’s actions that day and leading up to that day. The plaintiffs and the Utah court hold Mr. Khadr responsible,” said lawyer Jamie Schacter, who is representing the Speers. 

Lawyers representing the Speers are looking to question Khadr on his guilty plea and an agreed statement of facts. 

As part of a guilty plea, Khadr was able to flee to Canada in 2012 and avoid a 40-year prison sentence. Since then, he has claimed that his confession was brought about through abuse and that it was not valid. 

“The plaintiffs are entitled to know which specific factual statements Mr. Khadr alleges are untrue. To go through the statement of fact, fact by fact, according Mr. Khadr an opportunity to agree or disagree with specific factual statements, is not tantamount to using discovery as ‘an instrument of torture,” said court case manager master Linda Abrams. 

In 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau awarded Khadr a $10.5 million settlement for allegedly violating his rights. Trudeau defended his decision to settle with Khadr by saying that it was the “best option” for Canada. 

Khadr has since been freed of any remaining bail conditions after an Alberta judge ruled that his sentence had expired. He can now acquire a Canadian passport and travel freely. 

While free in Canada Khadr has lived as a wealthy man, most recently investing in an Alberta strip mall with $3 million of the taxpayer dollars he received from his settlement. 

Khadr has also appeared as a special guest on the French CBC program Tout le monde en parle where he received a standing ovation from the audience. 

“I think this settlement is not only for me, it’s for every Canadian. I know some people might be offended by it, but I think it’s for all of us,” said Khadr on the show when asked about his settlement. 

A US court recently ruled that Khadr can’t force a military court to hear an appeal to his prior war crimes conviction after his lawyers attempted to expedite his appeal. 

As first reported on by True North, Khadr will be giving a lecture at Dalhousie University on February 10 on the topic of child soldiers. 

Police chief says gun ban would be “nightmare to enforce”

By
True North Wire
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Another police chief has spoken out against the Liberal government’s proposed gun ban. 

Durham Regional Police Chief Paul Martin said a municipal gun ban will create a number of issues for the already strained police force. 

“From a policing standpoint, it would be a nightmare to enforce. It would make sense that it is an outward ban or not,” said Martin.

Gun violence in the Durham region, just east of Toronto, has risen along with the number of illegal firearms seized by police. Between 2018 and 2019, Durham police seized 161 illegal guns.

Martin says gang activity is the source of a majority of the illegal guns, adding guns used in crime are generally stolen or smuggled into the country, generally from the United States.

Prior to being re-elected, Justin Trudeau promised he would give municipalities additional powers to implement local handgun bans. 

The Liberals have also indicated they intend to force a federal “assault rifle” ban on legal gun owners, potentially through an order-in-council rather than a bill that would be debated in Parliament.

According to the Fraser Institute, Trudeau’s plan to buy back and confiscate the legal firearms could cost Canadians several billion dollars. 

Several other policing experts and top cops have come out against a proposed gun ban. 

President of the Toronto Police Association Mike McCormack has said a ban on legal firearms would have no impact on criminal activity. 

“There’s no way in my world or any world I know that this [a handgun ban] would have an impact on somebody who’s going to go out and buy an illegal gun and use it to kill another person or shoot another person,” said McCormack. 

The chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Adam Palmer has also called the idea of a gun ban “naive” and has said that criminal activity is the underlying cause of rising gun violence. 

“People can’t be naive to the realities of how it works with organized crime and smuggling,” said Palmer. 

“There will always be an influx of guns from the United States into Canada… Heroin is illegal in Canada, too, but we have heroin in Canada.

Ten authoritarian countries that license or regulate their media

By
True North Wire
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Canadians came out in full force after a Trudeau’s heritage minister suggested that the government should licence media outlets.

Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault told CTV News on Sunday that the Liberal government would require media outlets to have government licences in order to operate in Canada. The statement came in response to several suggestions made by a government report on telecom and broadcast reforms.

Guilbeault later backpedalled on the comments, claiming he was misunderstood.

“Let me be clear. Our government has no intention to impose licensing requirements on news organizations nor will we try to regulate news content,” said Guilbeault on Monday during a press conference. 

In Canada, press freedom is affirmed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, there are many other countries that do not have this fundamental freedom. 

Licensing, accreditation and government censorship are a few of the many ways authoritarian regimes quash freedom of the press. 

Here are some of the worst offenders worldwide where governments limit free and open media. 

Eritrea 

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Eritrea is the “world’s most censored country.” 

Enshrined in Eritrea’s law is a requirement for all media operating in the country to promote “national objectives” and hew to the government line when it comes to reporting the news. 

“The press is required to work ‘to realize national objectives’ and to ‘develop public control’ and ‘constructive criticism’ by ‘affirmatively contributing to the clarification of ideas helpful to the organs of government in rendering solutions,’” says a UN report on Eritrea. 

The law also legally allows the federal government to own media and have a monopoly over all radio and television broadcasting. Newspapers must also acquire permission from the government to print news.

The country’s oppressive regime has imprisoned journalists and expelled international reporters and continues to require foreign correspondents to acquire a permit from the Ministry of Information. 

North Korea

North Korea has one of the most restrictive regimes in the world when it comes to freedom of the press. 

Most of the media content in the country is owned by the state news agency the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The KCNA is directed by the government’s propaganda arm.

Newspapers are also owned by the government and radios must be inspected and registered with the police. 

Internet access, only available to the elite and foreigners living in the country, is largely restricted and censored.

Saudi Arabia

Journalists are regularly arrested and tortured by the regime of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. 

A 2011 law requires anyone who publishes news or commentary, including blogs and websites, to register with the Ministry of Culture and Information. 

The government also frequently makes use of cyber-surveillance on its citizens and the press. 

According to the New York Times, the Saudi regime also employs the use of bots to spread its propaganda online or to suppress unfavourable reporting.  

In 2018, the crown prince was believed to have directly ordered the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi for his critical reporting of the regime. In 2019 the UN called the murder a “premeditated execution” and claimed that the Saudi government was directly responsible. 

“The circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death have led to numerous theories and allegations, but none alters the responsibility of the Saudi Arabia State. Saudi state agents, 15 of them, acted under cover of their official status and used state means to execute Mr. Khashoggi,” said the UN report.  

Saudi blogger and dissident Raid Badawi has been imprisoned in the country since 2012  for allegedly “insulting Islam” and promoting liberalism. Badawi was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison and receive 1000 lashes.

China

China employs various methods to control private and public media in what is effectively a surveillance state. 

All websites and social media accounts that report on the news must have permission from the Cyberspace Administration of China.

Internet use is heavily controlled and the content censored with foreign news sources and search engines being blocked for ordinary citizens. 

Social media networks are regularly monitored while major platforms like Facebook and YouTube are banned.

Iran 

The Islamic Republic of Iran regularly jails journalists and those critical of its regime. Authorities have used harsh prison sentences, corporal punishment in the forms of lashings, harassment and surveillance to curb freedom of the press in the country. 

Journalists who hope to work in Iran are required to receive accreditation from the government which can be revoked or suspended at any time. 

Written in Iran’s constitution are requirements for the press to promote Islamist principles and not be critical of the regime. 

All television and radio broadcasting is controlled by the Iranian government and newspapers are tied to political parties or powerful elites. 

Cuba 

Cuba has the worst press freedom in all of the Americas as the communist government controls both print and broadcast media within the country. 

Media is required by law to promote socialism and communism. Foreign journalists require the permission of the Cuban government to operate within the country and domestic journalists are prohibited from collaborating with media outside of the country. 

Cuba also has harsh prison terms for anyone believed to be working with the United States or spreading anti-communist messages. 

Independent journalists are often jailed, harassed or tortured for being critical of the Cuban government. 

Vietnam

Vietnam’s communist government owns the official media and broadcasters.

A 2016 law requires that the country’s press follow the party line and promote the official ideology and policies. 

Journalists are censored by being issued directives on what they can or cannot report on. 

In 2019 new laws came into effect which gave the Vietnamese government power to censor the internet and monitor their citizens’ online behaviour. 

As of December 1, 2018, 11 journalists and bloggers were in prison for expressing the wrong views. 

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan’s autocratic dictator President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has virtually total control over the country’s media. 

A UN committee reported that journalists face harassment, surveillance and intimidation for critically reporting on the government. 

President Berdymukhammedov personally appoints editors to national outlets and sets reporting requirements that journalists must strictly abide by. 

Very few citizens have access to the internet and outside sources are banned. 

Belarus

The Belarus government controls most of the media in the country while clamping down on independent outlets. 

Media creators are required to register with the government and journalists must be accredited to work in the country. 

In 2018, the Belarusian government adopted new “fake news” laws to further restrict the dissemination of information on social media and online. 

Foreign reporters are also banned from the country and any foreign media must acquire a permit from the government. 

Equatorial Guinea

Virtually all of the broadcasting is state-owned in Equatorial Guinea and private outlets are forced to self-censor out of fear of government reprisal. 

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema has total personal control of the media and his government often prosecutes those critical of his rule. 

Foreign journalists reporting in the country are required to get special accreditation permissions from the country’s Ministry of Information. 

Nguema’s government is also known to employ digital surveillance and phone tapping to monitor the behaviour of both domestic and foreign journalists.

The Andrew Lawton Show: Trans Politics and Free Speech (feat. Barbara Kay)

By
Andrew Lawton
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SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHOW!

National Post columnist Barbara Kay joins Andrew Lawton to discuss how radical activists have let ideology trump science when it comes to transgender issues.

But there may be hope on the horizon for free speech and academic inquiry to win out, Barbara says.

Fan of Andrew Lawton? Help support the show by joining The Andrew Lawton Show Club: https://tnc.news/lawton-heritage-club/

Man sentenced to one year in prison for smuggling child porn into Canada

By
True North Wire
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A North Dakota man has been sentenced to one year in prison after pleading guilty to importing child pornography.

Michael Garland Crawford, 47, pleaded in a Weyburn, Sask. court on Tuesday. One year is the minimum sentence permitted under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Crawford was arrested Jan. 31 by CBSA officers at the Oungre border crossing between Saskatchewan and North Dakota after border agents found what they believed to be child pornography on his devices.

Crawford was handed over to RCMP officers, who confirmed the suspected images were child pornography and seized ten electronic devices as evidence.

Weyburn RCMP charged Crawford with one count of possession and one count of importation of child pornography.

On Tuesday, the Crown stayed the charge of possession, and Crawford pleaded guilty to the charge of importation.

Eight of Crawford’s devices were also forfeited to the Crown.

While the Crown had only recommended the minimum sentence of one year, Crawford could have faced over ten years in jail.

A similar case occurred in 2019 when Eugene Williams of Maine was sentenced to one year in jail by a New Brunswick court for smuggling child pornography into Canada.

Conservatives grill Canada’s ambassador to China over history of working with Chinese companies

By
True North Wire
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Canadian Ambassador to China Dominic Barton was grilled over his past business dealings with Chinese state-owned companies while testifying before a House of Commons committee on Wednesday. 

Barton testified before the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations on a variety of issues including Huawei, the coronavirus and the two Canadians currently being held in Chinese prisons.

Conservative members on the committee questioned Barton over his past business ties with a number of state-owned companies in China while serving as the Managing Director of McKinsey & Company. 

Barton’s former employer worked with 22 of China’s 100 largest state-owned companies, including providing consulting services to a company that had a hand in building artificial islands in the South China Sea. 

“You were in charge of McKinsey…McKinsey was advising a company that was carrying out the Chinese government policy of building militarized islands in the South China Sea. Is it your position that those islands are in violation of international law?” asked Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. 

“I am not familiar at all with us being involved with designing islands in the South China Sea,” replied Barton. 

While working at the company, Barton supervised its operations in Asia and had a place of residence in Shanghai from 2004 to 2009. 

Committee members also asked Barton why McKinsey hosted a conference near a Uyghur detention camp, where millions of the Muslim minority group are being held against their will for “re-education.”

“You said that McKinsey had this corporate retreat completely unaware that there were concentration camps four miles away?” asked Genuis.

“What I’m saying is that I’m not trying to absolve myself or anything, I’m saying that McKinsey apologized for that being done. It is my understanding that they were not aware that that was the case,” said Barton. 

Barton was also questioned on whether he had met with Huawei officials while ambassador. 

“Have you ever met with Huawei officials in your capacity as Canada’s ambassador to China?” asked Conservative MP Dan Albas. 

“I have had outreach from some of the senior vice-presidents to talk about information that relates to the consular cases,” said Barton. 

Huawei is currently at the centre of a dispute between Canada and China regarding the arrest of the company’s CFO Meng Wanzhou. 


The Canadian branch of the company has admitted to pursuing an aggressive campaign to lobby government officials to gain access to the country’s upcoming 5G network.

KNIGHT: Liberals waste money while ignoring the real gun problem

By
Leo Knight
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The more I read about the Liberal government’s plan to reduce gun violence, the more I want to jam scissors into my head. How did people so stupid get into such positions of power?

The Liberals have announced they are going to spend somewhere between $250 and $600 million on their program, which includes some sort of a buyback program to get weapons from legal gun owners in Canada. 

The stupidity of that idea defies belief. 

This is from the Liberals’ web site describing their plan: “(We are) introducing a buyback program for all military-style assault rifles legally purchased in Canada, with fair market prices for owners and more resources for law enforcement to administer the program.” 

So, more bureaucrats apparently.

There’s no question in Canada we have a gun problem. But it is an illegal gun problem. Weapons in the hands of legal, licensed, gun owners who have gone through background checks and follow all of the draconian laws in Canada is asinine. 

To commit between $250 – $600 million for this program is beyond asinine.

But here we are. 

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police came out publicly at their annual conference in August and said specifically that Canada does not need more gun laws and regulations. But best advice and common sense be damned, the Liberals will forge ahead. 

Anyone with any exposure to what is really going on in our cities will tell you that the gun problem in the first instance, is primarily a handgun problem, not an “assault weapon” problem. 

In the second place, it is a matter of illegal guns not legal guns. Imposing more regulations on legal gun owners is just plain stupid. 

In the third place, there is no such thing as an “assault rifle.” Any rifle will just sit in its locker until its owner goes and gets it and loads it. Then the owner can assault someone but the weapon is not responsible. 

If I keep a nine iron or a Louisville slugger behind my front door in the event someone unwanted tries to storm in, does my nine iron become an assault nine iron?

Durham Regional Police Chief Paul Martin said in his annual update to council this week that he is mostly concerned about the proliferation of guns in his community.  Martin said that there was a time when police rarely seized a gun but that now it happens “with great regularity.”

What he is really saying is that handguns in the hands of gang bangers and organized criminals is growing and police are seeing it. 

To be clear, organized crime is the problem, not legal gun owners. What the Liberals are proposing to spend on their ill-advised gun buy-back program is more than governments give to law enforcement nationwide to investigate organized crime. Think about that. 

In B.C., as an example, there are approximately 120 members of the Hells Angels, approximately 1000 members of Asian Organized Crime, a handful or Traditional Organized Crime members (TOC or Italian), and hundreds of members of street gangs like the Red Scorpions and the United Nations. And then there’s the puppet gangs of all of the above who do the dirty work and sell the drugs and illegal weapons used on the street. 

To investigate the network of a single Hells Angel, it takes police somewhere between 12-20 officers to investigate the network of dealers, muscle and organizers. Then it costs money to conduct the electronic surveillance required along with several folks in the “wire room” monitoring the intercepts. 

By the time, a year or more, that a case can be brought, the cost of the investigation can be upwards of $3-$5 million as long as things don’t get too complicated. And that’s for the network of one Hells Angel or one TOC member. Never mind the Big Circle Boys or the Sun Yee On triad or the real money that really runs the Asian Organized Crime syndicates. 

The idiotic gun buy-back program of the Liberal government is more than the budget combined of all the organized crime law enforcement units in the country. 

The Liberals aren’t serious about the gun problem. They are only serious about the Liberal perception of the gun problem, not what it actually is. 

It’s frankly embarrassing that these are our leaders. 

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