Former CBC journalist and executive director Michel Cormier was appointed as head of operations for the Canadian Debates Commission.

The body will be in charge of overseeing the leaders’ debates preceding the upcoming October 2019 election. Currently there are only two debates being planned by the commission.

The “Leaders’ Debates Commision” was announced by the Liberal government on October 30th, 2018 and its intended goal is to “make the debates a more predictable, reliable, and stable element of federal election campaigns.”

Among its mandates, the commission requires that parties meet specific criteria to be eligible for inclusion in the debates. Two of the three following requirements must be met for any party wishing to participate in the leaders’ debates hosted by the commission:

1. Must have a sitting member in the House of Commons at the time when the election is called
2. Must be considered to endorse candidates in at least 90% of electoral districts
3. Based on history and polls, the party must have a legitimate chance to be elected in the election

Minister of Democratic Institutions Karina Gould made the announcement recently before the procedure and House affairs committee. According to Gould, the appointment was not made by her but by former Governor General David Johnston, who has been named the commissioner of the deciding body.

Alongside the commissioner, a seven-member advisory board will manage the commissions’ affairs.

Conservative Critic for Democratic Institutions Stephanie Kusie has called the commission an attempt to control the scope of the leaders’ debates.

“Essentially what this is doing, this is silencing Canadians.” said Kusie shortly after the commission was announced.

According to Minister Gould, Cormier will have the position until March 2020.

For his role, Cormier will be paid an executive-level government salary possibly ranging in the $161,500 and $190,000 range.

The Liberal government intends to allocate $5.5 million to the commission.

After the debates, the commission is tasked with providing the federal government with a report on recommendations for a more permanent government fixture to oversee all future leaders’ debates.

Regina, Saskatchewan has decided that it will not become Canada’s next “sanctuary city.”

Sanctuary cities are an American invention — designed to help illegal migrants in the U.S. evade federal deportation orders. Left-wing activists in Canada have recently taken to appropriating this policy and importing it to our country.

Sanctuary cities are known for refusing to verify a person’s immigration status before that person is eligible to receive taxpayer-funded municipal services.

Regardless of immigration status, sanctuary cities provide all individuals with the same services and privileges as legal tax-paying residents and Canadian citizens.

The motion, first made in 2017, to turn Regina in a sanctuary city has since been downgraded to an “undertaking.”

Now the City’s Executive Committee is looking to remove the issue from their list of outstanding business, thus saving the city from the expensive title of a sanctuary city.

Originally put forward under the ambiguous term “access without fear,” to pass a sanctuary city policy would mean that those who have no legal right to live in Canada would have the same access to municipal services as those who do.

These services could include anything from a library card to subsidized housing.

New York City has to spend $5.6 billion more a year to provide services for illegal migrants since becoming a sanctuary city.

Even Canada’s Minister of Immigration had warned the city from taking on the status.

In 2018 Minister Ahmed Hussen’s office sent the city a letter saying that “a ‘sanctuary city’ has no meaning or status in Canada’s asylum system. There is a risk that such declarations will create incentives for more migrants to enter Canada between ports of entry and establish themselves in ‘sanctuary’ cities.”

Cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton have all instituted sanctuary city policies without consulting their residents.

Other cities, including most recently Windsor, On. have been considering adopting the sanctuary city status.

Regina has decided to respect the rule of law and respect the taxpayer by announcing it will not be the next Canadian city to have to deal with the consequences of a sanctuary city policy.

A man who attacked officials at a military recruitment centre with a knife, and was later acquitted due to mental illness wants the privilege to attend college.

On March 14, 2016, Ali attacked soldiers at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre in North York. He punched a soldier in the head then stabbed him with a large knife, leaving a three-inch wound on his arm.

In 2018 the Ontario Review Board granted Ayanle Hassan Ali permission to attend Mohawk College despite still being detained at a secure Hamilton hospital.

Now the Crown must justify to a judge why Ayanle Hassan Ali, a schizophreniac with radical Islamist beliefs, should not be allowed to attend a public college.

The Crown is also arguing that Ali should be banned from being near anyone in uniform as they believe he is too dangerous to be near any military personnel.

The Crown argues that while addressing the respondent’s mental illness and reintegrating him in a way which would not put the public in danger, the Board failed to consider the potential risk to public safety Ali may have if he were allowed in an educational community.

“The board, however, only cited the needs of the accused and his reintegration when addressing indirect supervision in the community for educational purposes, and failed to advert to, or give adequate consideration to, the paramount factor of public safety,” the Crown argued.

On March 14, 2016, Ali attacked soldiers at the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre in North York. He punched a soldier in the head then stabbed him with a large knife, leaving a three-inch wound on his arm.

The Ontario Review Board believes he should be allowed to attend Mohawk college because he is not a terrorist. Despite this, his doctor does believe he has “potential to act out on political, or radical ideas.”

Due to his schizophrenia, Ali was found not criminally responsible for the charges of attempted murder, assault and weapons offences.

Mohawk College says that they have heard from many concerned students and staff about the possibility of Ali being in their school.

Mohawk added that, if Ali were to become a student at their school, they would probably find a way for it to be done remotely.