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Monday, September 15, 2025

LAWTON: Judge dismisses Michael Mann’s lawsuit against Tim Ball

By
Andrew Lawton
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A mere eight-and-a-half years after Penn State climatologist Michael Mann filed a lawsuit against Canadian professor Tim Ball, the case has been tossed out for its “inexcusable” delays.

Justice Christopher Giaschi of the Supreme Court of British Columbia issued his decision in Vancouver on Aug. 22, in response to an application to dismiss by Ball.

Based on his reasons, included in full below, the dismissal had less to do with the case’s merits or lack thereof than it did with the glacial pace at which the proceedings moved.

The judge noted several periods of inaction between the commencement of the action in March, 2011 and the date of his decision.

While Mann submitted four binders worth of documentation to combat the motion to dismiss, the judge found there was “no evidence from the plaintiff (Mann) explaining the delay.”

Giaschi said the “inordinate delay” was not excusable, and that it prejudiced justice.

An excerpt:

The evidence is that the defendant intended to call three witnesses at trial who would have provided evidence going to fair comment and malice. Those witnesses have now died. A fourth witness is no longer able to travel. Thus, in addition to finding that presumption of prejudice has not been rebutted, I also find that there has been actual prejudice to the defendant as a consequence of the delay.

Turning to the final factor, I have little hesitation in finding that, on balance, justice requires the action be dismissed. The parties are both in their eighties and Dr. Ball is in poor health. He has had this action hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles for eight years and he will need to wait until January 2021 before the matter proceeds to trial. That is a ten year delay from the original alleged defamatory statement. Other witnesses are also elderly or in poor health. The memories of all parties and witnesses will have faded by the time the matter goes to trial.

I find that, because of the delay, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for there to be a fair trial for the defendant.

The judge awarded Ball legal costs for the dismissal motion, and also the case itself.

LAWTON: Government money is going to Liberal ridings

By
Andrew Lawton
-

Three-quarters of the money doled out by the federal government over the summer went to ridings held by Liberal members of parliament, a new Canadian Press report reveals. This echoes a True North study from earlier in the summer finding a majority of the billions handed out by Justin Trudeau and his government over the summer went to Quebec, and other key regions the Liberals need to win in October’s election.

True North’s Andrew Lawton gives you the latest.

Support True North’s independent voice this election with a tax-deductible contribution: https://tnc.news/lawton-heritage-club/

Truck driver caught trying to smuggle $6 million worth of cocaine into Canada

By
True North Wire
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A truck driver has been arrested by U.S. border authorities after attempting to smuggle $6 million worth of cocaine into Canada.

Jatinderpal Singh was attempting to cross the border into Windsor, Ontario when customs officers discovered 120 kilograms of the drug in his truck during a routine inspection. 

According to court documents, U.S Customs and Border Protection agents utilized a drug-sniffing dog after Singh was exhibiting “extreme signs of nervousness.”

After searching his inventory, officers found the cocaine stuffed in storage cabinets. The bricks were said to appear “consistent with large scale drug smuggling/distribution”. 

Singh has denied that he had any knowledge of the cocaine and has indicated that he might be seeking to have his case tried in Canada to get a laxer prison sentence. 

Documents show that Singh asked agents whether prisoners “receive a large discount relating to time sentenced as offered to Canadian defendants in Canada.” 

Overall drug seizures have gone up significantly along the Canadian border with the United States. 

The Canadian Border Services Agency reports an 80% increase in drugs seized at the border since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed visa requirements for Mexican citizens. 

Currently, people from Mexico only require a $7 Electronic Travel Authorization before travelling to the country. This policy change has also led to a 500% increase in inadmissibility into Canada on various grounds.  

Trudeau’s legislative changes have also potentially let in hundreds of dangerous cartel members and Mexican criminals.

According to authorities, they have lost track of nearly 400 traffickers, criminals and hitmen who entered the country using fake passports.

MALCOLM: Yes, there is such a thing as queue-jumping refugees

By
Candice Malcolm
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The major news coming from the first national leaders’ debate on Thursday was that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t bother showing up. With a record like his, full of broken promises, do you blame him?

But just as important as the absence of our Prime Minister were the topics covered — and those excluded from discussion.

According to a recent Angus Reid poll, 20% of Canadians believe immigration is a top election issue, and yet, none of the debate questions were even remotely tied to immigration.

Despite the best efforts of moderator Paul Wells, who asked Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer a question about Brexit, the conversation turned towards immigration — for less than one minute of the two hour debate.

During that time, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May told a string of falsehoods about our immigration system.

“I’ve heard you say it in the House, Andrew, you act as if people are illegals when they come here as refugees,” May said to Scheer.

First, using the term “illegal” as a noun is mean-spirited and derogatory, and yet, May herself does it in this exchange. A quick search on Open Parliament shows, by contrast, that Scheer has never used this pejorative term.

As Scheer attempted to explain the Conservative position on immigration — that it should be fair, orderly and compassionate, but that illegal border crossers jump the immigration queue — May jumped in to assert, “there is no queue for refugees!”

This is patently false. In fact, there are several different queues for refugees coming to Canada.

When refugees are fleeing a war zone, they move to refugee camps and register with UN officials. This registration process creates a queue for refugees, who then wait to be resettled to a safe country like Canada.

Every year, Canada aims to resettle about 50,000 UN refugees. The asylum seekers entering Canada illegally to seek asylum are bypassing this orderly queue and placing themselves at the front of the line.

But that’s not the only queue asylum seekers are hopping.

Because of the surge of illegal border crossings during the Trudeau years, the wait times for asylum claims to be processed has proliferated. According to the most recent Auditor General report, there is a backlog of 75,000 applicants.

This backlog causes asylum seekers to wait in limbo for their case to be heard in front of an immigration judge. The current wait time to see a judge is about two years, but could be as long as 11.

This means legitimate refugees who are fleeing war, violence and persecution must wait in a queue alongside bogus refugees looking to score freebies from the Canadian taxpayers. This is because Canada has no meaningful triage system to quickly reject asylum claims that are obviously false.

Finally, Canada’s refugee resettlement agencies prepare for an annual intake of about 50,000 refugees. Under the Trudeau government, Canada has, on average, also received an additional 50,000 asylum seekers per year.

Given the limited resources of these agencies, legitimate refugees will be stuck waiting for helpful services while those who crossed the border illegally and have weak asylum claims will be helped first.

No matter which way you look at it, illegal border crossers coming from the United States are jumping a refugee queue.

Defenders of the controversial UN Compact on Migration insisted that the goals of this global scheme were noble — including a new emphasis on correcting the record when public figures spread misinformation about immigration.

I look forward to those voices stepping up and correcting May for her fabrications — but I won’t hold my breath.

Ten years of carbon tax in BC barely impacted emissions

By
True North Wire
-

Despite 11 years of a government-imposed carbon tax, British Columbia’s carbon emissions have barely changed, according to new data from the province.

Last week the province’s Ministry of the Environment reported that in 2007 carbon emissions in BC were 64.76 million tonnes. By 2017, emissions had only decreased to 64.46 million tonnes.

That is a decrease of 0.46% over ten years.

The carbon tax in BC stands at $40 a tonne, with plans to increase that to $50 in two years. This equals around 8 cents per litre at the pumps for British Columbians.

British Columbians pay more for gas than anywhere in Canada, with prices recently going over $1.72 per litre in Vancouver, already one of the world’s most unaffordable cities.

True North fellow Leo Knight, a BC resident, says, “British Columbians are taking it on the chin and achieving the square root of bugger all.”

The carbon tax and Canada’s highest fuel taxes were meant to reduce the province’s carbon footprint, but the government’s own numbers appear to confirm that these efforts only raised the cost of living without making a meaningful impact.

At a time when British Columbia’s biggest carbon-reduction scheme made barely any difference, the provincial government has already begun promoting its newest carbon-reduction plan: CleanBC.

Among CleanBC’s requirements are that all new buildings will be “net-zero” energy by 2032, and all new cars will be zero-emission by 2040.

The goal of the BC government is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. 

At the current rate, that is very unlikely.

KNIGHT: Canadians deserve answers from the RCMP

By
Leo Knight
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Our Prime Minister blocked an RCMP investigation, yet we’re left in the dark by the RCMP.

In another case, the security of our nation may have been breached when a senior RCMP official was arrested and charged with five offences.

True North’s Leo Knight says the RCMP is keeping Canadians in the dark and that is simply wrong.

FUREY: China should be an election issue

By
Anthony Furey
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True North’s Anthony Furey says it’s good that Andrew Scheer brought up the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank during last week’s debate, but we need to do more.

There are a number of issues that should be discussed this election, but our relationship with the Chinese regime affects how Canada will build a prosperous and secure future.

For years now, there have been a lot of questions about Chinese espionage, misinformation and influence in Canada.

FUREY: Let’s drop this charade that a single decade old tweet should ruin a campaign

By
Anthony Furey
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Ever consider running for office?

If you ever laughed at an inappropriate joke or used a word that isn’t socially acceptable, you might want to think again.

Anthony Furey says we need to drop this charade that a single decade old tweet should ruin a political campaign.

LAWTON: Federal leaders are afraid of Quebec

By
Andrew Lawton
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If any other province’s government took aim at religious freedom the way Quebec has with Bill 21, federal leaders would be staging sit-ins at provincial legislatures. But with Quebec, it’s different.

Justin Trudeau, Andrew Scheer and Jagmeet Singh all say they oppose the bill that bans Quebec public servants from wearing religious symbols or garbs, yet none are prepared to do anything about it.

True North’s Andrew Lawton says this is a Quebec-specific cowardice.

Support True North’s election coverage by donating to our coverage fund: https://tnc.news/lawton-heritage-club/

Liberals fail to put up a fight on Trans Mountain Pipeline court challenge

By
True North Wire
-

The Trudeau Liberals are facing a challenge in the Federal Court of Appeal for allegedly failing to consult with Indigenous communities on the Trans Mountain Pipeline.

Despite knowledge of the latest court challenge, the Liberals did nothing to counter the claims made by the challengers. No documentation or evidence was ever submitted by Ottawa, forcing the court to provide written reasons for their approvals. 

“At this time, however, the respondents have withheld their evidence and legal submissions on these points. So the analysis cannot progress further,” wrote Justice David Stratas. 

The new challenge will place the government back in court to defend the pipeline taxpayers paid $4.5 billion for. 

Despite the challenge, Natural Resources Minister Amerjeet Sohi was adamant that the pipeline construction will be completed by 2022. 

“This project is moving forward and will be completed by the middle of 2022,” said Sohi.

Earlier this month, the highest court of appeal in Canada granted a hearing for six out of 12 challenges to the federal government’s decision to proceed on constructing the pipeline. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approved the project earlier this year claiming that the Liberals had succeeded where the Harper Conservatives had not by properly consulting with Indigenous communities. 

Along with the Liberal inaction with regard to a court challenge to the pipeline’s approval, the party’s choice in declaring an anti-oil candidate has raised some concerns among Canadians.

In July, it was revealed that the Liberals nominated environmental activist and opponent to pipelines, Steven Guilbeault for the riding of Laurier-Sainte-Marie, Quebec. 

Furthermore, in 2017, Trudeau was quoted as saying that he sought to “phase-out” the energy sector and end oil sand development for good. 

“We can’t shut down the oilsands tomorrow. We need to phase them out. We need to manage the transition off of our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Trudeau. 

Trudeau has recently been faced with several protests on both sides of the debate.

However, according to a recent poll by Angus Reid, the majority of Canadians want the next federal government to complete the Trans Mountain Pipeline rather than stop it.

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