Victoria’s chief of police released a video explaining the Victoria Police’s decision to remove Coastal GasLink protesters who were occupying a government building for 15 hours.
In the video, Chief Del Manak describes how officers were physically assaulted and subject to “race-based” verbal attacks by the belligerent protesters.
On January 21, 12 protesters occupied the BC Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources office in support of hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs who oppose the pipeline, forcing officers to intervene.
According to an official police statement, officers used the “minimum amount” of force necessary to remove the occupants.
“Our officers experienced verbal and physical abuse in the course of executing their duties,” said Manak.
“[They] were pushed, they were kicked, and they were subject to race-based verbal attacks.”
Manak made the video to clear the air on alleged “misinformation” propagated by social media and media outlets with regards to the protests and to respond to several complaints regarding the police’s use of force.
“The arrested protestors were not youth, in fact, the ages of those arrested ranged from age 18 to 66, with the average age being 30 years old,” said Manak.
Several mainstream media reports referred to the protestors as “youth,” including a report by Canadian Press.
“No one requested or accepted offers to be seen by a paramedic while they were being processed at the Victoria police department’s jail facility,” said Manak.
The protest took place as tensions continue to rise over the hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs’ opposition to the pipeline’s construction.
The BC Supreme Court has shut down legal claims made by chiefs who sought to put an end to the project’s construction. The court wrote in a ruling that their protests have caused “irreparable harm” to the project.
20 First Nations along the pipeline route have already signed agreements in support of the project and BC Premier John Horgan has called for a return of the “rule of law” during the pipeline’s construction.
Asia Bibi will be releasing an English edition of her memoir, where she lays out her experience being on death row in Pakistan and finally arriving in Canada as a free woman.
The book, titled “Finally Free,” was co-written with journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet and was originally released in French as “Enfin Libre.”
In 2009, Bibi was falsely accused of blasphemy by her coworkers after refusing to denounce Jesus Christ and convert from Catholicism to Islam.
After a mob attacked Bibi in her home, she was eventually convicted of the blasphemy charge and sentenced to death by hanging in 2010.
Eventually, Bibi’s case made it to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, where the charge was overruled and she was forced into hiding.
Despite the acquittal, protests broke out throughout Pakistan with thousands calling for Bibi’s execution.
True North and its founder Candice Malcolm have been covering Bibi’s ordeal for the past few years and advocated for Canada to grant her asylum since she went into hiding.
“Her case highlights the very reason countries such as Canada have an asylum program — to protect individuals from cruel and unjust treatment while upholding our own values of freedom of speech, religious freedom and the rule of law,” wrote Malcolm.
The Canadian government finally accepted the calls to accept Bibi as a refugee on May 8, 2019 where she was reunited with her daughters who had already fled Pakistan.
In her memoir, Bibi writes about the imprisonment and torture she was subjected to while in Pakistan.
“You may know my story through the media, you may have tried to put yourself in my place in order to understand my suffering,” said Bibi in a press release about the book.
“But you are far from understanding my daily life in prison or my new life and that’s why, in this book, I will explain it all.”
Politicians say it’s “racist” to take precautions about the coronavirus, the left increases its radical calls for climate action, plus the Trudeau government brazenly stamps out freedom of press in Canada… plus we’ll talk about the Super Bowl.
It’s the latest episode of the Candice Malcolm Show!
Last week the federal government announced it would be giving Mastercard $49 million to build a new facility in Vancouver. Giving free money to a multinational credit card company is just the latest example of corporate welfare in Canada, and by no means the worst.
In 2018 the federal government and the four largest provinces gave a combined $29 billion to corporations through programs, funding announcements, and tax breaks. Often these corporate welfare cheques are completely unnecessary.
Here are ten times the government gave your money away to corporations.
1. Mastercard gets $49 million to open new centre
In January, Mastercard and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains announced the company is building a new cybersecurity research centre in Vancouver. Despite only employing 380 people, Mastercard will get $49 million from the federal government, despite the company’s net income of nearly $4 billion in 2017.
Mastercard Canada President Sasha Krstic said cybersecurity technology developed at the new centre will benefit Mastercard customers around the world.
2. Trudeau gives mainstream media $595 million
The Trudeau government announced in November, 2018 that the mainstream media would get $595 million over the next three years, mostly in the form of a wage subsidy. Only news outlets that the government considers “qualified Canadian journalism organizations” are entitled to funding. Mainstream outlets like the Toronto Star have already received millions from the Trudeau government.
What outlets qualify for funding is decided by a panel which includes Unifor, an anti-conservative labour union.
3. Loblaws gets $12 million, later lays off 800
Last April, then-environment minister Catherine McKenna announced the government was giving grocery giant Loblaws $12 million to purchase “low-emission” refrigerator units for its stores. Loblaws made $221 million in profit in the quarter before the announcement.
Loblaws rewarded taxpayers in Jan. 2020 by laying off 800 people at its Ottawa and Laval distribution centres. The jobs are expected to be replaced by automation.
4. Bombardier gets over $1.3 billion in loans, later lays off 3000
In 2017 the Trudeau government bailed out the struggling aviation company Bombardier with a $373 million loan. The Quebec government gave the Montreal-based firm another $1 billion. Bombardier has struggled with profitability in recent years and is currently $9 billion in debt. The loans went to cover the production costs of its new series of aircraft.
“The investment I’m announcing today is the right solution for the time and in terms of innovation, jobs and long-term competitiveness for the company,” Industry Minister Navdeep Bains said at the time.
Only 18 months later Bombardier laid off 3,000 employees in Canada in a move to cut costs. Currently the firm’s long term survival is in question.
5. Maple Leaf Foods gets $62.5 million, cuts 300 jobs
In late 2018 Maple Leaf Foods announced they will be constructing a new poultry facility in London, Ont. As part of the project to which the federal government contributed $28 million and the government of Ontario contributed $34.5 million. Once the new facility opens in 2021, Maple Leaf will be closing its smaller facilities in Toronto, Brampton, and St. Marys, leading to a net job loss of 300.
6. Calgary gives $23.5 million to nine organizations
The city of Calgary announced the $100 million Opportunity Calgary Investment fund in 2018 to create jobs and diversify the city’s economy. Through the fund, Calgary wanted to fight its high unemployment and office vacancy rates. To date, eight organizations have received a combined $23.5 million from the fund, creating around 800 jobs and a few hundred “training spaces.”
In October, Mayor Naheed Neshi admitted the program has made little impact on the city’s employment or office vacancy rates.
“I’m not disappointed, just a little bit surprised,” he said.
7. $220 million for project owned by multinational energy companies
In 2018, the government announced it was putting $220 million into LNG Canada’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex in Kitimat, British Columbia. The project, totalling $40 billion, is the single largest private investment in Canadian history. LNG Canada is a joint venture owned by Shell, Petronas, Petrochina, Mitsubishi, and Korea Gas – all companies worth billions.
The funding went towards “highly energy-efficient gas turbines,” for the complex.
8. Trudeau forgives $2.6 billion in loans to GM and Chrysler
In the wake of the Great Recession, in 2009 the federal government and Ontario gave General Motors and Chrysler $13.7 billion to ensure they kept their Canadian facilities open. In 2018, the Trudeau government wrote off $2.6 billion the two firms still owed to taxpayers.
In September, Chrysler laid off 1,500 in at its Windsor plant in order to “better align production with global demand.” At the end of 2019, General Motors closed its plant in Oshawa, putting another 3,000 people out of work.
9. Government forgives loans for company owned by billionaire
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) forgave the outstanding loans of Atlantic Wallboard, a New Brunswick manufacturer, in Aug. 2019. The firm’s sole owner, James Irving, is worth $5 billion.
The total loan was for $7.4 million, but ACOA refused to say how much of the loan Irving had paid back before it was forgiven. Along with the loan, Irving was also given $35 million in non-repayable funding from the federal government to set up Atlantic Wallboard
10. Trudeau gives plastic producers $35 million then bans single-use plastics
The Trudeau government gave $35 million to NOVA Chemicals in Jan. 2018. The firm manufactures plastic products, including plastic packaging and other non-reusable products. The $35 million was intended to expand the firm’s facilities.
A year later, Justin Trudeau pledged to “ban harmful single-use plastics as early as 2021.”
“We have a responsibility to work with our partners to reduce plastic pollution, protect the environment, and create jobs and grow our economy,” Trudeau said after issuing the ban.
Minister of Middle Class Prosperity Mona Fortier said Canadians should use a $90 a year tax cut to buy healthy food and send their kids to camp, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“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 in the House of Commons.
Fortier was talking about the Liberal government’s increase of the basic personal exemption from $12,298 to $15,000 a year by 2023.
According to the Parliamentary Budget Office, the change would only save Canadians $90 each year, or $1.73 a week. The amount is considerably less than the $300 a year in savings originally advertised by Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who called it a “very significant measure.”
Conservative MP Pat Kelly said the Liberals are trying to exaggerate the impact of a “modest” change.
“The government is trying to get extraordinary credit for what is really a very modest tax cut,” said Kelly. “The budget resembles marketing documents rather than giving Canadians accurate and clear information about what the government actually plans to do.”
Sending one child to overnight summer camp can cost between $300 to $1,000 a week, with day camps costing between $35 to $500 weekly.
In 2015, the Liberals axed two fitness and arts tax credits implemented by the Harper government intending on making activities more affordable for Canadian families.
A year prior, Canadians could claim up to a $1,000 refundable credit on fitness activities for kids and receive up to $150 back in taxes for each child and another $75 each for arts activities.
During the 2019 federal election, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer proposed reviving the two tax breaks if elected.
After saying that the government would require media outlets to get a license, a Liberal cabinet minister is now denying the idea.
On CTV’s Question Period Sunday, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said that the Trudeau government would require licensing for media outlets if it accepts a commission’s recommendations.
“If you’re a distributor of content in Canada and obviously if you’re a very small media organization the requirement probably wouldn’t be the same if you’re Facebook, or Google. There would have to be some proportionality embedded into this,” Guilbeaultsaid.
“We would ask that they have a licence, yes,” Guilbeault continued.
On Monday morning Guilbeault backed down from his remarks, saying that the government will not demand news organizations to get a license.
“Let me be clear, our government has no intention to impose licensing requirements on news organizations nor will we regulate news content,” Guilbeault said while reading from prepared notes.
“We are committed to free and independent media which is essential to democracy.”
When he was asked who asked him to clarify his position, Guilbeault said, “I did that all by myself as a big boy.”
In Ottawa, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault clarifies his position on broadcasting & telecom review panel's recommendations: "Let me be clear. Our govt has no intention to impose licensing requirements on news organizations nor will we try to regulate news content." #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/XQQlutSQzp
The Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel, a commission led by former telecommunications executive Janet Yale, recently recommended the government should suppress independent media content using regulations or licensing.
“We recommend the Broadcasting Act be amended to ensure the CRTC can by regulation, condition of license or condition of registration impose codes of conduct,” the commission’s report reads.
According to Yale, the CRTC should “have the ability to exempt” certain media based on unspecified rules.
The commission also recommends increasing the $1.2 billion in annual funding the CBC receives from the taxpayer, saying the state-owned media has a “critical role to play” in fighting fake news.
Fighting “fake news” has been a focus of the Trudeau government since first being elected in 2015. While the government has not yet accepted any of the commission’s recommendations, they have attempted to censor independent media in the past.
In the leadup to the 2019 federal election, the Liberals threatened social media companies with regulations and financial consequences if they failed to combat “misinformation” on their platforms.
During the election, the Leaders’ Debates Commission, a body created by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attempted to ban True North from covering the leadership debates.
A judge later ruled that the government’s attempt to ban True North was not logical or justifiable.
When the Liberals banned me from covering their campaign it was apparent they have no respect for press freedom. Licensing would let them get away with only letting government-approved journalists do their jobs.
While we traditionally think of public health officials as those tasked with providing immunizations and keeping our drinking water clean, in recent years they’ve drifted into subjects outside of their core duties.
Does this decrease public trust in our health officials? Could it in some way compromise their integrity and objectivity?
The latest example — coming in the middle of the coronavirus outbreak — unfortunately warrants a “yes” in answer to both of these questions.
Whether it’s Prince Charles, Justin Trudeau or Chrystia Freeland, the message is always the same — do as I say, not as I do.
Climate alarmists pontificate about how we all should act about climate change and impose higher costs on all of us. Yet, their action belies their words.
True North’s Leo Knight takes a look at their carbon footprint in his latest video.
We’ll always report on the truth! But unlike the mainstream media, we’re not getting a government handout. Support independent media in Canada: http://www.tnc.news/donate/
Why is Canada so out of step with other countries when it comes to preventing the spread of the coronavirus?
Why are public health officials so concerned about “racism” and “misinformation” instead of keeping Canadians safe?
True North’s Anthony Furey says there’s a lot of confusion right now, and politicians and public health officials need to conduct themselves better to calm the uncertainty and get everybody on the same page.
Devin Drover is a grassroots political activist, and the Atlantic Spokesperson for the Canada Strong and Proud network.
Last week, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his government’s decision to allow Chinese telecom company Huawei to be involved in building the country’s 5G network. This decision comes despite strong warnings from the Trump administration and was quickly met with public backlash from cyber-security experts, legislators and foreign allies.
As Canadian officials grapple with critical decisions in the construction of our own 5G network and face vigorous lobbying efforts from Huawei, it is important that we do not make the same mistake. Canadians need to recognize the real threat to our security and privacy posed by Huawei, protect our relationship with the United States and other foreign allies and ultimately stand up to China by refusing Huawei access to our 5G network.
5G is a critical piece of infrastructure that we must be very considerate in developing. It is not only faster and more reliable than existing 4G networks used by most of our mobile phones but will also be used in the connection of practically all technology, from electricity grids to emergency services. With this comes the transfer of mass data, and opens Canadians to cyber-threats if we are not prudent in network development.
Allowing Huawei any role in developing our 5G network will open Canadians up to mass-surveillance by the Chinese government and could lead to data-sharing which risks violating our individual privacy and security rights.
Huawei’s dominance of the 5G market is not by accident. Its corporate governance structure makes them effectively an arm of the Chinese government, giving them access to nearly unlimited resources compared to some of their private competitors. This also means the Chinese government could have easy access to all data they collect, including from their involvement in foreign projects like the operation of 5G in the United Kingdom, and exploit it.
Boris Johnson’s plan includes a caveat that Huawei will only be involved in a limited capacity – only allowed to account for 35% of the network’s development at the periphery level, and excluded from areas near military bases and nuclear sites. But as the adage goes, “if the camel once gets his nose in the tent, his body will soon follow.”
While the UK’s spy agencies have stated that risks of data-sharing can be mitigated, this has been heavily disputed by cyber-security experts – including a director of the Australian Signals Directorate Simeon Gilding, who reported that the UK is relying on an out-dated cybersecurity model in attempting to manage the risk of data-sharing through state-sponsored hacking.
Canada following a similar path as the UK will continue to deteriorate our relationship with the United States, who have launched a significant campaign to stop the “Five Eyes” countries from being involved in 5G development. Meanwhile, we will instead continue to bend to the authoritarian Chinese regime – which continues to participate in unspeakable human rights abuses, including in Hong Kong, and continue to threaten Canada without any consequence.
A ban on Huawei in Canada will have some negative implications for Canadian telecommunications companies, many of whom have already invested in parts from Huawei to be used in their network. However, we must put the security and privacy rights of Canadians above the profit interests of our telecommunications company. And our federal government is overdue to stand up to the anti-consumer, ethically-questionable behaviour from these corporations regardless.
Ultimately, nations that do not secure their data from geostrategic threats are not sovereign nations. We must stand up against China, refuse Huawei an ability to develop our 5G network, protect Canadian privacy and security rights and rebuild relationships with our closest foreign allies. It is the only path forward.
