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Tuesday, July 8, 2025

French authorities warned Canada about Toronto ISIS suspect 

By
Noah Jarvis, True North Wire
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Source: ca.ambafrance.org

The planned terrorist attack in Toronto was thwarted due to a tip by French authorities, who warned the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service about the plot.

Late last month, the RCMP arrested 62-year-old Ahmed Eldidi and his 26-year-old son Mostafa Eldidi on several charges after conspiring to commit a terrorist attack on behalf of the Islamic State. 

Sources told Global News that French authorities became aware of one of the Eldidis and their involvement with ISIS and told CSIS soon after. 

France is said to have approached Canadian officials with the intelligence around June, allowing CSIS to conduct a brief investigation before handing the case over to the RCMP. How French authorities came to learn of the Eldidis is unknown.

Mounties arrested Ahmed and Mostafa on July 28 in a hotel, as officials say that the Eldidis were “in the advanced stages of planning a serious violent attack in Toronto.”

According to the RCMP, Ahmed and Mostafa were allegedly in possession of a machete and an axe when they were arrested. 

The father and son were both charged with participation in activities of a terrorist group, facilitating terrorist activity, possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose and conspiracy to commit murder. Additionally, Ahmed was charged with aggravated assault. 

The case has raised questions as to how the Eldidis were allowed into the country in the first place.

Before Ahmed immigrated to Canada, Ahmed was allegedly captured on video in 2015 dismembering a prisoner with a sword in an ISIS propaganda video, hacking the hands and feet off of a man being hung on a pole. 

Ahmed and Mostafa were not only allowed into Canada, but RCMP has confirmed that Ahmed was granted Canadian citizenship, though it is unclear when he became a citizen. Mostafa and Ahmed were living in Toronto as city residents at the time of their arrest. 

Parliament’s public safety committee unanimously voted to investigate how the two terror suspects were allowed into the country despite their alleged ties to the Islamic State.

The committee voted to study the case and to demand the ministers of public safety and immigration to answer questions as to how the government allowed the budding terrorists into the country.

In a comment to True North, CSIS said that they cannot comment to confirm the reports.

“While CSIS has formal relationships with many domestic and foreign partners, we do not comment on the nature of our reporting, investigations, methodologies or activities in order to maintain the integrity of our operations,” a CSIS spokesperson told True North.

The RCMP communicated a similar message to CSIS’, refusing to give details as to how they were tipped off about Ahmed and Mostafa.

“The RCMP may receive information from many sources. For example, our law enforcement partners, Internet sources, and ordinary Canadians can provide a variety of tips. Our Intelligence Analysts may take these tips and put together a more fulsome picture that can be used by our officers to advance a line of investigation,” said an RCMP spokesperson.

“We remain vigilant for potential threats and take the appropriate measures to ensure that the safety and security of Canadians is protected. As this is an open and ongoing investigation, we will not be commenting further to protect the integrity of the investigation.”

Rachel and The Republic | Could the US election be stolen?

By
Rachel Parker
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Source: ShareAlike 2.0

Today on Rachel and the Republic with Rachel Parker, Rachel explains new concerns that have emerged over voting machines that will be used in America’s 2024 federal election.

According to a Politico report, some of the best hackers in the world gathered in Las Vegas over the weekend to try to break into voting machines that will be used in this year’s election — and they found multiple pages worth of problems

Rachel says that, like in Canada, voting machines and tabulators have a storied history in America and are not trusted by large swaths of the population — and, therefore, should not be used.

Tune into Rachel and the Republic now!

U.S. Homeland Security tightens rules at Canadian border for asylum seekers

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
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Source: X

The U.S. has taken action to address the surge of asylum seekers using Canada as a stepping stone to enter the United States. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security made changes to the Safe Third Country Agreement with Canada to reduce the amount of time people will have to consult with a lawyer when seeking asylum at the U.S.-Canada border. 

The new procedural changes are akin to the ones implemented at the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this year. 

The department made the changes after reviewing the agreement, saying the process could be streamlined from the initial 24-hour consultation period allotted to asylum claimants to four hours, reducing the amount of time claimants will have to consult with a lawyer before making their case. 

According to the Safe Third Country Agreement, which first came into effect in 2004, Canada and the U.S. are both safe countries for those seeking asylum, however, people must make a refugee claim in the country where they first arrive. 

The agreement was updated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden last year, in which they closed a loophole that allowed people who skirted official border crossings to still make a claim. 

Biden announced a suite of changes in June which mostly affected the U.S. border with Mexico, however, the new procedural changes will affect migrants crossing into the U.S. from Canada as well. 

Another procedural change is that border officers will now only consider the documentary evidence that asylum claimants have on them at the time of their arrival. 

These changes are aimed to slow the amount of asylum seekers who are attempting to cross into the U.S. from Canada, which has increased dramatically in recent years. 

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, agents took 12,612 people into custody along the international border with Canada in the first six months of this year, up from 12,218 in 2023.  

Some U.S. politicians argue that this has become a liability given the number of migrants Canada is accepting, in particular from the Middle East as the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates. 

Last month, Republican senator for Florida Marco Rubio sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, calling for him to heighten precautions along the U.S.-Canada border.

“The possibility of terrorists crossing the U.S.-Canada border is deeply concerning given the deep penetration of Gazan society by Hamas,” it read.

The letter was sent in response to Canada’s pledge to increase the amount of temporary visas for Gaza residents wanting to join family members in the country.

“Irrespective of Canada’s immigration policies, the U.S. should not waive common-sense terrorist screening and vetting for any individual entering the U.S. through other countries,” the letter said.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in May that applications for Canada’s “temporary resident visa” program for Palestinians would be increased from 1,000 to 5,000. 

“We remain deeply concerned about the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza. Many people are worried about their loved ones and have expressed significant interest in the temporary special measures we introduced for their extended family in Gaza,” said Miller in a statement.

“That is why, as part of our humanitarian response, we have increased the number of temporary resident visa applications that will be accepted into processing as part of these measures from 1,000 to 5,000. Over the past few weeks, we have been issuing more web codes so that clients can apply for a temporary resident visa.”

Under the program, Palestinians who live in Gaza and have relatives who are either Canadian citizens or permanent residents will be eligible to move to Canada and stay for up to three years. 

The Daily Brief | “A new virus?”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Source: Wikimedia

The federal workplace health and safety regulator wants Canadian businesses to prepare a pandemic plan for the possibility of a “new virus” that could lead to food or fuel disruptions in the most extreme scenarios.

Plus, the number of building permits given the green light in June declined by a whopping 13.9 percent despite federal pledges to increase the housing supply.

And Canada leads the world when it comes to approving citizens for assisted suicide in comparison to other nations that have legalized the practice.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!

Ya’ara Saks flees campaign picnic after being surrounded by anti-Israel activists

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

Liberal Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks fled a campaign picnic in her York Centre riding after being surrounded by anti-Israel activists demanding she sign a petition calling for an arms embargo against Israel.

Members of York Centre 4 Palestine and Jews Say No to Genocide, along with other anti-Israel activists, “shut down” Saks’ campaign picnic at noon on Sunday after she refused to sign a petition calling for a two-way arms embargo on Israel.

A video posted by YC4P shows Saks calling the Israeli-Hamas war “tragic,” but activists who surrounded the MP claimed that Saks only views the conflict as tragic when it comes to Israeli victims.

The YC4P representative who spoke in the video claimed that Saks had ignored requests to meet for ten months despite Saks saying the YC4P representative could strike up a meeting and that the picnic was not the correct avenue for the conversation.

“I understand, but you have been ignoring me and many other constituents who have been trying to get a hold of you for ten months,” the YC4P member said. “To this day, you have not said anything.”

When asked to sign the petition, Saks’ said she does not sign petitions as an MP.

“Government members – as a minister, we don’t sign petitions,” Saks said. “I will say the humanitarian crisis is tragic, but we do not sign petitions as ministers.”

In the video, the group showed several MPs, mainly from the NDP, who have signed the petition.

The group noted that Canada has authorized over $28.5 million in military exports to Israel since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, with plans to add $95 million more in military exports by 2025.

The protesters’ tone shifted when Ya’ara handed back the petition and started walking away, avoiding the activists.

Saks’ security detail linked arms and created a perimeter around the minister while protesters chanted, “Blood on your hands! Blood on your hands!” As she fled to her vehicle, protesters pursued, chanting, “Israel bombs, Ya’ara Saks pays, how many kids have you killed today?”

Saks posted a statement regarding the incident on her Instagram account on the same day.

“Hurling antisemitic slurs and intimidating our York Centre community will not help Israelis and Palestinians, who desperately need a ceasefire. Peaceful Protest is a right. Perpetuating antisemitic rhetoric is unacceptable. Hate will never be tolerated,” she said. 

“We all want a ceasefire. We all want hostages to be released, for Hamas to lay down its arms, for international law to be respected, for civilians to not be used as human shields and for the escalating violence in the region to end. The only way forward is a safe and secure future for Israelis and Palestinians and a lasting two-state solution.”

David Cooper, the vice president of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, denounced the protesters’ actions.

“No politician – regardless of their political affiliation – deserves to be harassed and intimidated in carrying out their respective duties,” he told True North in an email.

Salman Sima, a former political prisoner and survivor of torture at the hands of the Islamic regime in Iran, believes the incident was a consequence of policies and actions taken by Saks to placate both sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“Wherever MP Ya’ara Saks goes, she is humiliated. Antisemitic mobs empowered by her boss, Justin Trudeau, harassed her at her BBQ campaign. This is the direct result of 9 years of Justin Trudeau,” he said on X. “Ya’ara Saks thought by shaking the hand of Mahmoud Abbas, a Holocaust denier, voting in favour of Hamas and sending hardworking Canadian tax payers’ money to UNRWA -she can make jihadists in Toronto happy and save Trudeau. She was wrong.”

Last month Jewish community members booed Saks during a conference at the Pride of Israel synagogue.

“She cannot play both sides. Look at how police and security miserably escorted her,” he said with the hashtags #HonkHonk and #DeportHamas.

A reference to Saks’ claiming that people saying Honk Honk in support of the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa was an acronym for “Heil Hitler.”

Saks did not respond to True North’s requests for comment.

Meta’s Bill C-18 news ban causes Canadian news engagement to plummet

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Source: Unsplash

A new research study published by the Media Ecosystem Observatory highlights how Meta’s decision to ban news from being posted to Facebook and Instagram for Canadian users has impacted online engagement one year later.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, decided to begin blocking news links on the two websites in response to the Liberal government’s Online News Act, Bill C-18. 

The study said that Canadian news outlets have lost 85% of their engagement on Facebook and Instagram in the year following Meta’s news ban, a loss compensated slightly by increased engagement on other platforms like TikTok. However, the increase on other platforms has not made up for the loss, resulting in an overall decrease of 42.6% in online engagement. 

“This represents approximately 11 million fewer views per day (5 million for Facebook and 6 million per Instagram),” wrote researchers.

The ban has also decimated local news.

According to the research, approximately 30% of local news outlets in Canada that were previously active on social media are now inactive.

As of June 2023, right before the ban, 770 news outlets were active on the five biggest social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and X. 

By June 2024, only 555 were still posting on any platform. 

“30% of the 713 Canadian local news outlets who were previously active on social media are no longer able to share their content and build their readership online,” reads the study.

Local news wasn’t the only thing negatively affected by Bill C-18, as the CEO of a digital content company previously said that the bill was a disaster for small companies.

“When I talk to my peers, whose companies are a lot smaller, I hear they are at the brink of closing their doors,” said Brandon Gonez, CEO of Gonez Media Inc. “Meaning we are going to be left with an ecosystem of companies that are living only because of government funding.”

Even though 86% of Canadians report using Facebook and Instagram monthly, 70% of whom use Facebook and 65% of whom use Instagram to read, watch, listen to, or share the news, only 22% of Canadians are aware of the news ban. 

“Given this lack of awareness, it is not surprising that Canadians have not changed their behaviour to substitute for the loss of news content on Facebook and Instagram,” reads the study.

Canadians are still seeking news content on Meta platforms, which could be because 36% of Meta users report seeing Canadian news content from news organizations on the platforms in the past six months.

The research highlighted various ways to circumvent the ban, such as sharing screenshots of news content.

Before the implementation of Meta’s news ban, there were almost no posts of screengrabs of news. However, immediately after the ban, the vast majority of posts of news on the platforms were via screengrabs.

“News content is thus still circulating among Canadian users on Facebook and Instagram, although it is dramatically less present than the volume of news available before the ban,” reads the study. “Although most Canadians are not aware of the ban, over half of Canadians still use Facebook or Instagram for news and are severely impacted by the reduced visibility of news content online.”

The study said that motivated Canadians can still seek news outside of social media through news subscriptions, digital news websites, or television and radio; however, these active news seekers are the minority, said the study. 

While Meta did not budge in response to the Liberals’ bill, Google struck a deal with them to pay $100 million to Canadian news publishers annually to comply with the legislation. 

“The average Canadian does not frequently consume news, particularly about politics (in fact, 40% actively avoid it) and will likely only become aware of current events by being incidentally exposed to content about it online,” reads the study. “A healthy news industry is a critical part of any democracy: people need access to accurate, diverse, trustworthy information that is presented without political bias. Due to the ban, the Canadian information ecosystem is less able to facilitate that access, and many Canadians are simply unaware.”

Liberal MP says Conservatives are to blame for letting in ISIS members 

By
Noah Jarvis, True North Wire
-
Source: Parlvu

Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell is blaming former prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government for allowing a father and son with connections to ISIS into Canada despite the Liberals holding power since 2015. 

The allegation comes after the RCMP arrested 62-year-old Ahmed Eldidi and his 26-year-old son Mostafa Eldidi in Richmond Hill for conspiring to commit a terrorist attack on behalf of the Islamic State.

RCMP have confirmed that the eldest Ahmed Eldidi obtained Canadian citizenship despite allegedly appearing in a 2015 ISIS video in which he was captured dismembering a prisoner with a sword.

In an emergency meeting of the parliamentary committee on public safety and national security, O’Connell implied that budget cuts the Harper government made to the Canada Border Service Agency weakened the border service and allowed the two ISIS associates to enter the country.

“I’m very pleased to see the Conservatives finally realize that their cuts have consequences,” said O’Connell.

“We look forward to having these meetings so that Conservatives can truly appreciate that their cuts have consequences to our national security and the safety of our communities.”

Upon assuming government in 2006, the Harper government considerably increased CBSA’s budget from $1.28 billion in fiscal year 2006-07 to $1.77 billion in 2009-10. The Harper government further increased spending for CBSA to just over $2 billion in 2013-14.

The Harper government did slash CBSA’s budget down to $1.74 billion in 2014-15, a move that was panned by the Customs and Immigration Union president Jean-Pierre Fortin, arguing that the cut would result in the loss of over 1,000 jobs.

However, at the time, CBSA claimed that the cuts would have “little to no impact” on its front-line operations and said that safety would not be compromised by the budget reduction.

While the total number of CBSA employees has seen negligible fluctuations throughout Harper’s tenure, Canada reached a 15-year low of CBSA workers in 2017 under the Liberal government.

Upon assuming office in 2015. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continued the Harper government’s policy of reducing CBSA’s expenditures, giving CBSA $1.69 billion in 2016-17. 

From 2017-18 to 2020-21, the Trudeau government maintained funding for CBSA at around $2.1 billion, before increasing the border service’s budget to $2.48 billion in 2021-22.

Jennifer O’Connell is no stranger to stirring up controversy in committee meetings. 

During a committee meeting studying foreign interference in Canadian elections, O’Connell heckled Conservative MPs demanding the government release the name of elected officials suspected of engaging in foreign interference, saying “boo hoo, get over it.”

The public safety committee unanimously voted to investigate how the Eldidis were allowed into Canada despite claims that Ahmed dismembered a man for ISIS on film.

Questions over anti-Israel past force Liberals’ human rights pick to abandon post 

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Source: (Law Society of Yukon - YouTube)/X

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s appointee to lead Canada’s top human rights office has resigned before taking office, following scrutiny over his past anti-Israel activism. 

The newly appointed head of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Birju Dattani, tendered his resignation following a leave of absence announced last Wednesday, just a day before he was set to start his new job.

Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani announced the resignation and released the full investigation on Monday.

“The findings speak for themselves. I received Mr. Dattani’s submissions in response to the report on August 1, 2024. I have accepted Mr. Dattani’s decision to step down as Chief Commissioner,” said Virani. “As I have said, maintaining the confidence of all Canadians in the Canadian Human Rights Commission remains my top priority.”

Vice President of External Affairs and General Counsel for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Richard Marceau, told True North that the CIJA appreciated that the Liberals took the concerns of the Jewish community seriously and conducted an investigation into Dattani’s past and his suitability to lead the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

“At a time when antisemitism has reached record levels, the CHRC must be beyond reproach, upholding the highest standards of integrity and unwavering commitment to Canadian values,” said Marceau. “Its role in safeguarding human rights and fighting discrimination is too crucial to be compromised by someone whose past actions would have shattered the trust of Jewish Canadians in the CHRC’s ability to combat all forms of racism and discrimination fairly.”

Virani confirmed that appointing a new chief commissioner will begin as soon as possible. The Interim Chief Commissioner, Charlotte-Anne Malischewski, will continue to serve in the meantime.

“Our government must implement and enforce rigorous vetting processes across all departments to ensure that such a grave failure never occurs again,” said Marceau. 

Dattani shared his response to the investigation on LinkedIn. The investigation included a letter to Dattani from Virani.

“I have reviewed the fact-finding report. Based on the findings that the report contains, I wish to inform you that I have significant concerns related to your candour during the process that led to your appointment,” wrote Virani.

The full review into Dattani’s conduct was 48 pages long. The review explored 14 different allegations against Dattani.

The Liberals initially said that they did not know about social media posts made by Dattani under the pseudonym “Mujahid Dattani.” However, the Liberals subsequently said that he had been clear about his past but hadn’t disclosed everything.

“We find that Mr. Dattani intentionally omitted the reference to ‘Mujahid Dattani’ on the Background Check Consent Form (and elsewhere) and at no time in the application or interview process disclosed that, in the past, he had used the name ‘Mujahid Dattani,’” read the investigation’s report. “We also find that Mr. Dattani did not include periods of unemployment until specifically requested to provide information related to gaps in his employment history.”

Despite his resignation, Dattani defended himself throughout his response.

After Dattani’s appointment, several instances of his participation in anti-Israel protests and activism were uncovered.

One example was when he protested outside the Israeli embassy in London 2012 as crowds reportedly chanted, “Zionism is terrorism” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged other parties to recall a House of Commons committee to investigate the “grotesque appointment” and accused him of antisemitism. His call was not supported by other parties.

Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman said a “simple Google search” could have revealed Dattani’s past views. 

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather posted to X that he was pleased with Dattani’s resignation.

“This was the right outcome, and the independent investigation was the correct process to get us there,” said Housefather.

Gov-funded “anti-hate” network’s report labels Catholic, feminist orgs far-right hate groups 

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
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Source: Unsplash/Unsplash

The Liberal government-funded Canadian Anti-Hate Network lumped Canadian pro-life, feminist and civil liberties organizations into a list of alleged “far-right / hate groups” alongside recognized terrorist entities. 

As first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter the report is meant to be used by far-left activists to organize against groups CAHN determines to be “far-right” in Canada.

In the report titled “40 ways to fight the far right,” CAHN listed Campaign Life Coalition, a pro-life advocacy group, and the civil liberties organization Liberty Coalition of Canada among a “non-exhaustive list” of “Christian Nationalists,” “far-right,” and “hate groups” that it hopes to help fight, an accusation the groups listed call false and ridiculous.

Some of the groups named in the report are fighting back, claiming that CAHN is a radical far-left collective the Liberals have awarded with generous funding to malign conservative voices in Canada.

The report also labelled Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights an “Anti-2SLGBTQ+” hate group. The woman’s organization advocates for the right for women to be in all-female spaces, such as in bathrooms and prisons. The report also stated that “incels” or involuntary celibates and “men’s rights activists” are far-right male supremacists. 

CAHN did not reply to True North’s requests for clarification and comment though the report defines far-right groups as a “loose collection of individuals and groups which are anti-democratic, harbour racism and other forms of hate and traffic in conspiracy theories.” The report doesn’t explain the methodology that led the authors to make such determinations.

James Kitchen, the chief litigator at the Christian civil liberties group Liberty Coalition Canada, denied the allegation that the LCC is far-right or a hate group, saying that everything the LCC advocates for would be achieved democratically and the allegation that the Christian-based group harbours hate is unfounded.

“It’s often the people who claim ‘hate’ that are the most hateful, and the things that they’re identifying as hate are not hate at all, but just actual truth that they just don’t like,” Kitchen told True North in an interview.

Kitchen said the 11-points of the hallmarks of hate that CAHN used in its report could be applied to CAHN itself.

Kitchen said many leftwing groups or LGBT+ organizations use tactics which CAHN promotes in the report, such as targeting their political opponent’s places of work, in attempts to de-platform and impose “social costs” on those whose opinions they oppose.

“You see this in the way some LGBT activists treat Christians. They want us to lose our jobs and be kicked to the curb. Isn’t that hateful? We don’t want any of that for you guys,” Kitchen said. 

The report lists the feminist and Christian groups alongside neo nazi groups that have been designated as terrorist entities in Canada. In the interview, Kitchen said he was skeptical that such “fringe” groups have more than a couple of dozen members in Canada. 

Josie Luetke, the director of education and advocacy at Campaign Life Coalition, agrees with Kitchen. She said her organization is considering pursuing legal action against CAHN, which it believes should lose federal funding.

CAHN has received over $900,000 in taxpayer-funded grants since 2020 according to the Government of Canada website.

“The designation is false. We are neither far-right nor a hate group,” she emailed True North. “It’s disgusting that the CAHN seemingly can’t tolerate difference of opinion and feel obliged to brand pro-life and pro-family views as ‘hate,’ ‘fascist,’ or ‘far-right,’ and to lump them in the same category as Nazism.”

Luetke said CLC’s activism is peaceful protesting against the violence of abortion, which occasionally makes its activists targets of violence rather than the violent instigators that the report suggests.

The report claims that CIS straight white males make up most far-right and hate groups in Canada and exceptions to this rule usually require a “constant performance of internalized racism, misogyny, or other bigotries.”

“Personally, as a woman, I find it condescending that (CAHN) feels it necessary to resort to the eye-roll-inducing “internalized misogyny” accusations to explain away my principled pro-life position and that of my other female colleagues,” she said.

Leutke believes that CAHN’s “deceptive and ridiculous” rhetoric and the “antifascist” tactics the group recommends its readers employ on the taxpayer dime should be taken seriously. CAHN encourages doxing ‘Fascists’, a term she believes was intentionally kept “nebulous,” which can lead and getting people fired or kicked out of businesses and violence.

Canada’s organized crime networks have begun producing fentanyl domestically

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
-
Source: X

Canada’s organized crime groups are shifting their efforts to producing domestic fentanyl as opposed to importing it from overseas, according to the RCMP. 

As fentanyl imports from abroad began to slow down in 2019, gangs began producing it domestically to keep up with the demand,

“The synthesis of fentanyl is relatively complex, when it comes to the importation of chemicals,” James Cooke, who works with the RCMP’s Organized Crime Unit, told CTV News.

In addition to the complex nature of producing the highly addictive and harmful drug, its compound precursors also became illegal substances in Canada last year. 

“They do have legitimate uses – some are controlled or regulated by Health Canada, but others are certainly not – and pose significant challenges for law enforcement to be able to enforce their movement across borders and then their movement once they get into a country,” said Cooke.

While prescribed by doctors as an opioid to treat pain, fentanyl often winds up in the hands of criminals and addicts on the street, which has resulted in thousands of overdose deaths in Canada in recent years.

According to Statistics Canada, over 8,000 Canadians died from opioid overdoses last year, averaging 22 per day. 

Opioids also accounted for 6,312 poisoning hospitalizations and 28,345 poisoning emergency department visits, as well as 41,938 Emergency Medical Services responses in 2022.

Each of those figures rose dramatically last year when compared to 2022. 

Since 2016, 44,592 Canadians have died from opioid toxicity overdoses, much of which was linked to fentanyl. 

Last year, 82% of all opioid-related deaths involved fentanyl, up 44% over the last eight years, when Health Canada first began tracking the issue. 

According to Cooke, there have been some incidences of fentanyl exportation already, however, they appear to be small quantities that are often transported through the mail. 

“Law enforcement continues to tackle transnational organized crime wherever it exists, whether it’s in the fentanyl market, whether it’s in other commodities,” said Cooke. 

“Our focus is on those who are profiting, those who are moving controlled substances across borders, or trafficking them domestically.”

The RCMP seized over 15,500 grams of fentanyl at the border between 2018 and 2021. 

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