Andrew Lawton has announced his bid to become the Conservative party’s candidate for the newly drawn riding of Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.
Lawton will be taking a leave of absence from True North, as the host of The Andrew Lawton Show and managing editor, while he vies for the Conservative nomination.
Lawton’s announcement comes the day after three term Conservative MP for Elgin—Middlesex—London Karen Vecchio announced that she will not be seeking a fourth term in the upcoming federal election.
“I’ve been fighting for freedom and conservative values my whole career. Now, I want to take that fight to Ottawa,” said Lawton in an X post.
In a comment to True North, Lawton says that he has lived in the region his entire life and reiterated his commitment to conservative values.
“I’ve lived in the region my whole life and cut my teeth in media as a broadcaster at 980 CFPL, where I always took on the issues that mattered to people the mainstream media was ignoring,” said Lawton.
Lawton recently wrote and published a biography of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, a national bestseller.
Lawton previously ran as an Ontario Progressive Conservative candidate in the London West riding in the 2018 provincial election where he lost to NDP MPP Peggy Sattler.
The Conservative party is expected to win the Elgin—St. Thomas—London South riding by a large margin, as the Tories have won in the riding’s predecessor of Elgin—Middlesex—London in every election since 2004 when the party stood for its first federal election.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre restated his commitment to defunding the CBC after one of its international correspondents bemoaned Israel’s assassination of one of Hamas’ leaders in Iran.
Though good news for many seeking justice for the massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7 and the several hundred who were reported to be taken hostage in the attack by Hamas, the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was mourned by some on social media.
Hamas is currently designated as a terrorist organization by the Government of Canada.
CBC News foreign correspondent Chris Brown took to social media, calling the killing a “deliberate effort” to stop any chance at peace in the region.
“If you are serious about negotiating a ceasefire, killing the guy on the other side who is negotiating it seems … like a deliberate effort to make sure it doesn’t happen,” Brown said on X.
Poilievre disagreed with Brown’s take and noted his comments as an example of why he thinks Canada’s public broadcaster should be defunded.
“CBC is mourning the loss of the leader of Hamas, who carried out the biggest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” Poilievre posted on X. “Destroy Hamas. Defund the CBC.”
Brown has since claimed that his original post lacked context and that he would provide a deeper analysis of the potential fallout from the Hamas leader’s death in a “longer format.”
“My previous tweet about the assassination of Haniyeh didn’t include enough context. Likely better to save the analysis of its implications for longer formats,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly told True North in an email that the government is monitoring the situation and is also concerned about the potential fallout from Haniyeh’s death.
“We remain unequivocal in our condemnation of Hamas, a listed terror organization in Canada, and are aware of reports of the death of Ismail Haniyeh,” she said. “Canada is closely monitoring the evolving situation. We are gravely concerned about the prospect for further escalation across the region and urge all involved actors to exercise restrain and de-escalate.”
CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson True North that the state broadcaster “recognizes this tweet needed more context,” but ultimately, CBC News as an organization “does not take a position on the Israel-Hamas war.”
Honest Reporting Canada, an independent media watchdog that focuses on “unfair” Canadian coverage of Israel and the Middle East, thanked Poilievre for pointing out what it sees as CBC’s anti-Israel bias.
“Thank you, Pierre Poilievre, for calling this anti-Israel bias out,” it said on X. “Unfortunately, this anti-Israel rhetoric is par for the course for CBC News and CBC’s Chris Brown.”
In another post, the pro-Israel media watchdog highlighted an Associated Press article published by the CBC on Haniyeh, calling its coverage of the terrorist leader “insane.” As the author described, the leader of the organization responsible for Oct. 7 was a “moderate.”
“CBC: Is murdering babies, children, men, and women, raping and sexually assaulting women, and taking hostages into Gaza considered moderate?” HRC said. “Because he was the leader of that terrorist group, who openly celebrated after October 7. Haniyeh was nothing more than a bloodthirsty terrorist! This is what our tax dollars are paying for?”
Brown did not respond to True North’s requests for comment before the deadline provided.
BC United is attempting to reclaim some of its lost support after an ambitious name change and the emergence of a competitive alternative.
The British Columbia opposition party is asking Elections BC for permission to list its old name, the BC Liberals, alongside its new name on the ballot for the province’s upcoming election in October.
The party membership overwhelmingly approved the change from the BC Liberals to BC United last year.
However, BC United has plummeted in public opinion polls in the past year, largely due to surging support for the BC Conservative party.
As the October election draws nearer, Falcon has tried to attract many of the voters who have abandoned BC United for the Conservatives by reminding voters of the party’s old name.
According to CHEK News’ Rob Shaw, BC United is asking Election BC to have its name read “BC United (formerly the BC Liberal Party)” on the ballot.
According to Falcon, approximately 30% of party members are unaware that the BC Liberals changed their name to BC United, according to an internal poll conducted by the party.
“We’ve got 30 per cent of the voters that don’t know who BC United is and don’t understand the connection between BC Liberal,” said Falcon.
“By just emphasizing the fact that we are the former BC Liberal Party, I think it’s important because we do have an important track record to be very proud — not perfect, no government ever is, but a good track record.”
True North reached out to BC United for comment, but no response was given.
Elections BC confirmed in a statement that parties can make such requests.
“Under the Election Act, political parties can apply to have their ballot name changed,” the election body told True North. “The Act does not specifically prohibit a party from listing its former name on the ballot. BC United has the name BC Liberal Party registered with us as one of its other names.”
In the race for the BC Liberal leadership, Falcon promised that he would consider changing the party’s name in order to reflect the party’s commitment to being a free-enterprise coalition and to disentangle their reputation with the federal Liberal party.
After a June 2022 convention in which two-thirds of party delegates voted to consider a name change, BC United emerged as the favored name for the party.
Of the 18% of party members who voted in Nov. 2022, 80% voted to approve the name change which was officially ratified in Apr. 2023.
However, Falcon and his party have received criticism for changing the name of a party that already has significant name recognition and a legacy of electoral success in the early 1900’s and the 2000’s.
A recent poll from Research Co. found that support for the NDP rests at 41% with the BC Conservatives slightly trailing at 38%. The BC Green party are polling as the third place party at 10% while BC United are only supported by 9% of voters.
Though Justin Trudeau hasn’t commented on the turmoil surrounding Venezuela’s disputed election results, Canada is standing with the Venezuelan opposition to the authoritarian Maduro regime.
Canada has thrown its support to protests that have broken out in Venezuela after electoral authorities declared incumbent socialist president Nicolás Maduro the victor in a widely disputed election on Sunday and have condemned Maduro’s subsequent deployment of the military against the Venezuelan people.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre released a statement on Monday calling on Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly to not recognize Maduro’s claims of victory in Venezuela’s “sham” election and his use of the military to suppress voters and the country’s chosen presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
“Yesterday, the people of Venezuela voted to free their country from socialist oppression. Yet the communist Venezuelan dictator, Nicolás Maduro, has refused to accept the will of the people and manufactured a fake result that will keep his tyrannical regime in power,” Poilievre said.
Opposition leader Maria Corina, who was barred from participating in the election and campaigned to elect Gonzalez as a result, claims that the opposition has evidence from the 70% of tally sheets they had access to that Gonzalez had more than double the votes that Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela received.
“Maduro filled Venezuela’s National Electoral Council with loyalists of his regime and forced opposition scrutineers to leave polling stations,” Poilievre said. Worse still, Maduro blocked the primary opposition leader from being on the ballot while persecuting and detaining her supporters.”
Maduro has called on the military to quash massive protests that have broken out in Venezuela in response to what protesters say was a stolen election.
“Under the Maduro regime, thousands of Venezuelans have been murdered in extrajudicial executions, freedom and free speech have been crushed, and millions have had to flee their homeland as a result of the dire economic situation that Maduro’s regime has created,” Poilieve said. “Maduro is clinging on to power unlawfully, even after the Venezuelan people banded together in historic numbers to restore freedom and democracy.”
Poilievre’s wife, Anaida, moved to Canada with her family when she was eight years old as her family escaped the socialist regime in Venezuela.
Poilievre called on Canada to demand the Maduro regime release a full counting of votes and access to voting records at polling stations to confirm the victor of the elections.
“Canada should only recognize a democratic vote if it is truly free and fair,” he said. “The Government of Canada must do everything in its power to support the people of Venezuela as they fight for freedom and real democracy in their country.”
Yesterday, Venezuelans voted to end socialist oppression, but dictator Nicolás Maduro rigged the results to stay in power.
Trudeau should immediately refuse to recognize this sham election & support the Venezuelan people’s struggle for freedom and democracy.
Though Trudeau has yet to comment on what several countries, including the U.S. and at least seven Latin American countries, are calling a stolen election, his government is siding with Canada’s allies against Maduro’s claims.
“Canada, like many of our other allies, like many of the world’s democracies, has serious concerns about the election in Venezuela. We’re working closely with our partners,” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said in Toronto Tuesday. “I do want to take a moment to really voice my support for the brave people of Venezuela, the brave democracy leaders of Venezuela. It takes real courage to stand up for democracy in the face of an authoritarian regime.”
She said Canada has been supporting the democratic opposition and continues to condemn the “increasingly severe authoritarian regime in Venezuela.”
“I want the people of Venezuela, the democrats of Venezuela, to know that Canada stands with them and recognizes that they are fighting hard for democracy and freedom. And they deserve it, just as all of us do,” Freeland said.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly also put out a statement condemning the socialist dictatorship for its anti-democratic move to suppress its opposition and hijack the voting process in the country.
“The people of Venezuela have demonstrated their commitment to the restoration of democracy in their country by voting peacefully and in great numbers,” Joly said. “We call on the Venezuelan authorities to respect the will of the people, and to ensure transparency and publish detailed results for all polling stations.”
The prime minister’s office did not respond to True North’s request for comment.
A Canadian man arrested in the U.K. has been convicted on multiple charges of terrorism for his involvement with an Islamic extremist organization linked to several deadly attacks.
Edmonton-born Khaled Hussein was sentenced alongside Anjem Choudary, a British citizen, in a London, U.K. court a week after the two were convicted of multiple charges under Britain’s Terrorism Act.
Hussein received a maximum sentence of five years in prison with an additional sixth year on conditional release.
After he serves two-thirds of his five year sentence, the British Parole Board will decide whether to release Hussein on conditions or for him to continue his sentence.
Following his release, he will remain subject to notification requirements for 15 years.
Choudary was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 28 years for his role as leader of the terrorist organization Al Muhajiroun since 2014.
Hussein joined as a member in 2020.
“I am sure that you were in awe of Anjem Choudary and became involved in this offence partly because of his influence over you,” Justice Mark Wall told Hussein during sentencing.
“However, I am equally sure that you knew full well what you were getting involved in and were anxious to become ever more deeply involved in it.”
Wall determined that Hussein acted as an aid to Choudry “in a number of ways” despite living in Canada.
He assisted the leader in creating websites and distributing magazines which enabled Choudary to “spread his message.”
According to the London Metropolitan Police, Hussein “was effectively acting as a personal assistant to Choudary,” tasked with organizing online lectures with other extremists and editing extremist online blogs and publications Al Muhajiroun.
Hussein was first identified as a person of interest as a result of an RCMP investigation into counterterrorism that was launched in 2019, following an undercover officer discovering the connection between Huessein and Choudary.
It was later learned that Hussein was to travel to London from Edmonton to meet Choudary in June 2023 and authorities arrested him in London a month after his arrival.
RCMP Assistant Commissioner for the Northwest Region Lisa Moreland said that cases like Hussein’s are “a reminder that extremism can take hold anywhere and that we must all remain vigilant” in a statement released Tuesday.
Members of Al Muhajiroun are linked to the deadly attacks which occurred on the London Bridge in 2017 and 2019.
The RCMP also confirmed that Al Muhajiroun members were involved in the 2017 Westminster Bridge attack that killed five people, including a police officer.
Wall said that Choudary’s leadership of Al Muhajiroun “ran the risk of causing or contributing to the deaths of very many people.”
“In addition, by running an organization such as Al Muhajiroun, you contributed in a significant way to the fear of terrorist attack by radical Islamic organizations which then existed in this country and abroad,” said Wall during Choudary’s sentencing.
Wall went on to say that Choudary encouraged others to carry out violent acts with the knowledge that it would be harder for authorities to link their crimes back to him.
In the trials of both men, evidence collected by the RCMP was presented in a way which the London Metropolitan Police called essential to their convictions.
“I have no doubt that these convictions and the resulting sentences have left communities here in London, and also right across the U.K. and beyond, much safer,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the London force’s Counter Terrorism Command in a statement.
Today on Rachel and the Republic, Rachel interviews author and speaker James Lindsay about presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ campaign. Rachel wonders if online momentum for Harris translates to on the ground support.
Later on the show, Rachel and Lindsay discuss the Harris’ campaign move to segregate volunteers based on race. Lindsay says the efforts are struggle sessions that keep white women on the “Democratic plantation.” He also explains how the efforts manipulate volunteers to get more activity out of them.
With rampant inflation and a rising cost of living, Canadians can’t catch a break. While life is getting more expensive in pretty much everywhere, government is the big beneficiary. A new report from the Fraser Institute breaks down how Canadians are spending more on taxes than they are on food, clothing, and shelter combined. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses with Kris Sims of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Also, critical theory has taken over Canadian schools, in large part because of a leftward shift in teacher training programs, a new essay charges. James Pew joins the show to talk about his piece “Transforming Children” in this month’s C2C Journal.
Plus, Andrew makes a big announcement, so you don’t want to miss this episode.
Steven Guilbeault says the implication that the federal government could have done more to fight the wildfire that ravaged Jasper, Alta. is “simply not true.”
Plus, a new study shows Canadians are spending more on taxes than food, shelter and clothing combined.
And Aaviral photo of a man apparently defecating in front of a gas pump in Brampton, is sparking outrage online.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux!
Residents of Jasper may soon be able to return to town, but only after the municipality meets various criteria.
The Municipality of Jasper outlined the Jasper Emergency Advisory Committee’s six requirements, not declined to offer a specific timeline.
“We understand and appreciate your desire to come home. We are unable to give timelines yet as the site is currently unsafe, and the wildfire status remains out of control. We know and hear that residents want to come home and we will make that happen when it is safe to do so,” said the Municipality of Jasper in a press release.
For residents of Jasper to re-enter the town, Parks Canada must confirm that the wildfire is not an “imminent threat to the townsite.” Additionally, all hazards in the town must be deemed “secured or mitigated.”
Emergency services, including fire, police, and EMS, and critical services, such as healthcare, public works, and utilities, must be restored to a basic level of service. Similarly, retail services, such as grocery, gas, banking, and pharmacy must also be returned to a basic level of service.
Lastly, a formal re-entry plan will have to be approved. Though listing the criteria with numerical bullet points, Jasper said the requirements are not sequential and will be addressed simultaneously.
“Life safety will remain the top priority; fire threat could require evacuation of the townsite at any point in the future,” reads Jasper’s release.
Parks Canada provided an update Tuesday confirming that Jasper National Park remained closed due to evolving wildfire activity. The federal agency confirmed that all reservations in the park’s campgrounds and accommodations up to Sept. 3, are cancelled. Full refunds will be issued, but they could take a while. No action is required from visitors to receive their refunds.
The federal agency said that there is no estimated date for reopening.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault previously said the feds took all possible measures to combat the Jasper wildfire, and anything to say that they could have done more is “simply not true.”
Thirty percent of the town was claimed by the fire, officials said. While all fires in the town have been extinguished, wildfires in surrounding areas remain a concern.
Landon Shepherd, a deputy incident commander on the fire, said that work is being done to deal with damage in the community.
“But the wildfire threat is certainly still real,” said Shepherd.
The Municipality of Jasper said the wildfire continues to burn and smoulder along Highway 16 on Monday. The highway remains closed.
Over 20,000 residents and visitors were forced to evacuate Jasper last Monday. Any adult evacuated for more than seven days can receive $1,250 in support, while any child is entitled to $500.
Ron Hallman, the president and CEO of Parks Canada, said that the agency’s sole focus is the safety and long-term well-being of the residents of Jasper, both in the short- and long-term planning around re-entry and rebuilding.
“Parks Canada will be doing absolutely everything we can to support recovery, including streamlining local development review processes to support temporary housing and long-term rebuilding work that will come, both for residents and business operators and their employees whose livelihoods have been affected,” said Hallman.
Canadians are becoming increasingly divided on the federal government’s current immigration targets, with over a third now saying we’re taking in “too many” people from other countries.
The Department of Immigration requested polling agency Ipsos conduct a national survey on its current immigration quotas.
“Many participants felt that the targets set for the next three years, which were presented to them, were too high,” reads the survey. “They could not fathom how cities, that are already receiving high volumes of immigrants and where infrastructure is already under great strain, could accommodate the proposed targets.”
The survey cost $295,428 and included 3,000 people canvassed with two surveys and 14 focus groups.
When asked if they thought that immigration has a positive effect on their city or town, just over half, 55% agreed, while 22% said the effect has been negative.
The results were similar when broken down provincially, with 58% saying that the immigration has had a positive effect on their province, compared to 24% who disagreed.
Asked if immigration had a net “negative effect” on their province, 41% of Ontarians surveyed said yes, while a third of Prince Edward Islanders, 33%, and 27% of Albertans saw immigration as a net negative.
Only 48% of respondents felt that the current targets were “about the right number,” while a little over a third, 35%, said it was ‘too many.’
Another small cohort of 12% said that “too few” immigrants are coming to Canada.
The “too many” sentiment was felt highest in Alberta at 52%, followed closely by Nova Scotia and Ontario at 51% and 49%, respectively.
On the national level, 63% said immigration has a positive effect and 23% said it’s negative.
This shows the erosion of a long-held immigration consensus in Canada, one expert says.
“For the first time in recent history, support for immigration has eroded steadily amongst the public,” immigration lawyer Sergio Karas told True North.
“There are a multiplicity of reasons why this is happening. Still, the main issues are the cost of living, housing, competition for good jobs, and the general perception that the recent cohorts of immigrants do not contribute to the economy in the same way that previous generations have.”
The immigration department said the “broad sentiment” indicates support for immigration generally but with the caveat of “not right now” or “how are we going to make this work?”
Participants also expressed “strong appeals for reducing the barriers that prevent experienced newcomers from practicing in their fields of expertise,” citing nurses, teachers and skilled labourers as necessary examples.
However, “reactions to prioritizing those with business skills were more mixed.”
On the issue of family and immigration, respondents generally agreed on “setting a higher target for sponsoring spouses and partners, who are likely to be working-age, and a lower target for sponsoring parents and grandparents, who might put a strain on the healthcare system rather than contribute to the economy.”
Several participants suggested expediting immigration applications for healthier parents and grandparents over “frailer ones.”
“There is also resentment, especially from immigrants who have been in Canada for many years, that the current crop of newcomers is far more interested in receiving government benefits, and that their language and work skills are not up to par,” said Karas. “This seems to be especially acute about the large number of refugees that Canada has admitted.”
According to the department’s data, few participants believed that Canada was doing the “right thing” by providing asylum to large numbers of refugees.
While some respondents recognized the “need to assist,” they were also concerned about Canada’s ability to “realistically support population growth given the current strains on public infrastructure.”
Karas said that a further reason for Canadians’ shifting opinion of immigration is the notion that the government is “admitting anyone” without properly vetting them for their skills, language ability and security.
“While this is not always true, the public is sensitive to how immigrants from non-Western countries are changing the face of Canada,” said Karas.
“The public concern is that the changes are too rapid and too deep and that immigrants should do more to adapt to existing customs, rather than the public being obligated to adapt to them. Current policies of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion have exacerbated that perception as organizations show a preference for EDI hires rather than using a merit system.”
