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Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Quebec RCMP asks public for help to uncover Chinese foreign interference

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Source: X

Quebec’s branch of the RCMP has launched an awareness campaign and is seeking public assistance to fight foreign interference by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Quebec RCMP urged anyone who has been a victim of threats, harassment, or intimidation by Chinese government officials to report it anonymously, in a post to X.

“We are actively investigating allegations of criminal activities related to Chinese foreign interference in Quebec. Report any form of threats, harassment, or intimidation anonymously from the Chinese Communist Party,” wrote the RCMP.

A campaign video was posted to the RCMP’s social media accounts on YouTube, X, Facebook, and Instagram.

Some of the videos’ accompanying text was posted in English, Chinese, and French. However, each video contains audio only in Chinese. 

“RCMP officers, supported by officers from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and the Service de police de l’agglomération de Longueuil, will be present to meet with community members at various locations in Montréal and Longueuil,” said the RCMP in a press release.

The meetings will take place on Wednesday between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. The location is undisclosed, but the RCMP said it can be provided upon request.

The call for action follows a parliamentary report that warned elected Canadian officials were helping foreign state actors engage in political interference, notably working on behalf of India and the Chinese Communist Party.

The report also indicated that China paid some Canadian media executives and journalists to work on its behalf.

The Liberals previously provided nearly $200,000 in federal funding to a Quebec charity being investigated for hosting a Chinese police station.

The human rights group Safeguard Defenders initially reported that more than 100 police stations in over 50 countries were attempting to coerce Chinese citizens to return to China to face charges.

This discovery followed a Hydro-Quebec researcher who was arrested for allegedly spying on Canada for the Chinese Communist Party.

After initially claiming that the RCMP had shut down all the Chinese police stations in Canada, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino admitted there could be more operating in the country.

For the new public campaign in Quebec, the RCMP said that criminal activity can be reported online or by phone. 

Inflation continues to outpace income for a majority of Canadians

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
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Source: Unsplash

Canadians feel less optimistic about their finances according to a new survey, with the majority of respondents saying that inflation continues to outpace their incomes. 

TransUnion’s Canada conducted its quarterly consumer pulse study and found that 57% of Canadian households said their incomes continue to be outpaced by high inflation rates, while 38% said they expected increased payments for bills and loans over the next three months.

The survey conducted from May 1-10 found that Canadians have shifted their saving habits to cope with a more volatile economy, saving more for emergencies, increasing their credit limits and altering their retirement savings plans. 

“Older Canadians are most concerned with rising inflation, as 66% of GenX and 60% of Boomers indicate their income does not keep up with inflation.  This could be due to the fact that many Boomers and some GenX are at or near retirement and might have fixed retirement incomes,” Matt Fabian, director of financial services research and consulting at TransUnion Canada told True North.   

The first six months have been a rough start to 2024, with 46% of Canadians saying that their finances are in a worse place than planned, up from 42% in the second quarter of last year. 

Despite their financial plans suffering, almost four in five of that cohort also reported that their income had either stayed the same or increased in the last three months.

 “Overall, pressure on non-discretionary items creates even more of an overall payment shock and can increase the level of concern as consumers make trade-off choices as to where their income is directed,” said Fabian. 

“Inflationary pressures most concerning to households are those categories that are non-discretionary.  Canadians surveyed are most concerned with the cost of groceries (89%), Gasoline (61%), and utilities (52%). These tend to be of more importance in their hierarchy potentially leaving less disposable income.”

The survey also found that 58% of Canadians were not optimistic about the state of their household finances over the next 12 months, with nearly two-thirds saying that they believe the country is currently experiencing a recession or will be by the end of 2024. 

The overwhelming majority of respondents, 86%, said that inflation was among their top three household financial concerns, marking the highest percentage since TransUnion began tracking it in 2022.

“Inflation has hit us hard in recent years and, despite the fact it is now trending down, families still feel the pinch from those past price hikes,” Renaud Brossard, vice president of Communications at the Montreal Economic Institute told True North. 

“To help bring both it and interest rates down, we need politicians in Ottawa to start cutting back on deficit spending and start living within their means.”

Statistics Canada confirmed last month that the annual inflation rate increased in May by 2.9%, compared with 2.7% in April.

That uptick included gasoline prices rising 5.6%, compared with a year ago and grocery prices increasing 1.5% year-over-year.

While inflation decreased slightly over the past year, the rising cost of groceries, gasoline and utilities are still keeping a firm grip on Canadians’ wallets.

According to the study, around 27% of Canadians plan to apply for new credit or refinance existing credit in the next year, up four percentage points from the first quarter of 2024.

“Part of this increased demand might reflect the need for additional liquidity through this economic cycle. Some of the hesitation about whether to take on new credit was aligned to interest rates; 62% indicated rising interest rates have a moderate or high impact on whether they’ll apply for credit in the next 12 months,” reads the study.

“Younger generations were more sensitive to this as 77% of Gen Z and 74% of Millennials said rising interest rates have a moderate or high impact on whether or not they’ll apply for credit in the next 12 months compared to 59% of Gen X and 47% of Baby Boomers.”

Across all ages of respondents, 15% indicated that they would consider buying a new home in the next year. TransUnion Canada said that “while this number may appear low, it’s up 3 percentage points from the previous quarter.”

“Of those who indicated they’re likely to purchase, rising home prices (66%), rising interest rates (56%) and the amount needed for down payment (40%) were the top three reasons they’d stop considering purchasing a home in the next year.”

Anti-euthanasia group raises concerns about B.C. assisted death numbers

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
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Source: Unsplash

While the British Columbia government’s official figures show assisted deaths are on the rise, an anti-euthanasia advocate is concerned with the quality of the data the province is providing.

British Columbia released its annual report on medical assistance in dying last week, revealing a 10% rise in the number of euthanasia deaths. In 2023, there were 2,767 euthanasia deaths reported compared with the previous year’s 2,515.

Alex Schadenberg, the executive director for the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, raised the alarm on what he calls an “intentionally mysterious” report, which “does very little” to clarify many of the questions surrounding the province’s euthanasia program.

“What was shocking to me about the data was that 32.9% of deaths were from other conditions,” he told True North in an interview.

The report conveys the underlying medical conditions of those who died in the euthanasia program. The majority of deaths (57.2%) were among British Columbians with cancer. 20% had cardio-vascular conditions, 14.6% had neurological conditions, 7.4% reported having organ failure, and 12.7% had respiratory illnesses.

The report said these conditions were indicated on the prescribing practitioner’s assessment as reasons for accessing euthanasia.

Some patients have multiple conditions listed.

Schadenberg noted that these figures are out of alignment with the stats in other jurisdictions. 

“When you look at euthanasia data from countries like Netherlands, Belgium or assisted suicide in the U.S., you notice that cancer usually represents about two-thirds of all the deaths. And here, one-third of the deaths are ‘other conditions,’” Schadenberg said.

The report details the conditions of those 910 individuals who said they had other conditions or comorbidities. 24.8% reported chronic pain, and 9.8% said diabetes was a comorbidity.

Schadenberg is concerned this might mean euthanasia is being used for non-terminal illnesses. He pointed out that these “other conditions,” even when listed as comorbidity, are not terminal.

“(230 deaths, or 8.3%) of all deaths are chronic pain. These are people who may need proper pain control and might need many things,” Schadenberg said. “But diabetes? Diabetes is not in any way a terminal condition and, as a chronic condition, is certainly treatable.”

“Frailty” was considered the most common “comorbidity or other condition.” 60.5% of the 910 individuals under this section had listed being frail as a reason to access the province’s euthanasia program. 52.1% reported still other comorbidities.

About 550 or 20% of those euthanized had frailty as an “other reason or comorbidity.”

“That’s a huge number,” Schadenberg said.

He said other provinces, such as Quebec and Ontario, have committees that attempt to hold the MAiD programs accountable. Quebec’s committee reported 15 people who were killed in a way that did not fit with the requirements of the law.

“British Columbia doesn’t have a committee, so all it gives us is the numbers,” he said.“It’s very hard to know what they’ve done here. And that’s what concerns me.”

B.C.’s Ministry of Health did not respond to True North’s requests to define its use of the word “frailty” or to offer further details about what was included in the unclassified other comorbidities.

“Does this mean that someone 92 years old but otherwise healthy, but because they are 92, they now qualify under this term frailty?” Schadenberg said.

The report does, however, say that mental disorders were combined into the other comorbidities section due to “low numbers.”

The report also noted that nearly 22% of “MAiD provision locations” were in hospices or palliative care facilities. Though Schadenberg is opposed to euthanasia in all its forms, he found its use in these settings particularly offensive. 

“Hospice is about pain and symptom management. When killing becomes part of hospice, it totally changes the orientation of what it’s about,” he said. “The idea of how we care for someone totally changes when killing becomes an option.

Schadenberg thinks these reports are intentionally “mysterious.”

“There’s no actual analysis, just the numbers,” he said.

Canadian diplomat praises Liberals for bringing “intersectional feminism” to Lebanon

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, True North Wire
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Sylvie Michaud - Source: YT - Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship

Although Lebanon’s Sharia-based penal code criminalizes sodomy and same-sex relations, the Middle Eastern country supposedly benefits from the Canadian mission’s “intersectional feminist” approach to foreign policy.

In a speech at the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship in Beirut, a diplomat posted at the Canadian embassy in Lebanon, Sylvie Michaud, lauded her government’s commitment to gender equality. 

Michaud, who briefly served as an engagement strategist for the Liberal Party of Canada before her diplomatic appointment, spoke on a “feminist diplomacy” panel at the American University of Beirut on July 2. 

“Since 2016, Canada’s feminist foreign policy seeks to be inclusive, intersectional, transformative and grounded in human rights. It takes into account the diverse experiences of women, men and non-binary people facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and exclusion,” said Michaud.

The policy applies to Canada’s “international efforts including diplomacy, trade, security, development and consular services” explained Michaud. 

“This approach comes from a place of humility,” she said. “Canada is very aware that we too face our challenges and that much work remains to be done to address systemic inequalities, racism and discrimination including for Indigenous people in Canada.” 

Although there has been a movement to decriminalize homosexuality in Lebanon, the country’s Sharia-based penal code criminalizes sex that “contradicts the laws of nature.” Additionally, anal examinations to determine homosexuality have been a significant staple of Lebanese law enforcement in the past as well as crackdowns on LGBT-friendly establishments. 

True North reached out to Global Affairs Canada for comment but did not receive a response. 

Michaud lauded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s foreign policy directives which included Canada’s feminist international assistance policy and a national plan on women, peace and security.

“99% of Canada’s bilateral international development assistance either targeted or integrated gender equality results. Under this policy Canada has also established itself as a lead donor globally supporting comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights addressing inequalities in unpaid and paid work and strengthening women’s rights organizations and feminist movements,” said Michaud. 

A recent report by Arab Center Washington DC lamented the fact that Lebanon continues to employ religious courts that violate women’s rights in civic disputes like marriage and citizenship.

Additionally, Lebanon has no minimum age for marriage, with 6% of marriages in the country involving a minor.

Liberals overestimated GDP defence spending projection in 2024 budget: PBO

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg & Prime Minister Justin Trudeau - Source: X

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attempts to curry favour with NATO partners during the defence treaty’s 2024 Washington summit, a new report by the federal budget watchdog shows the Liberals significantly overestimated their defence spending. 

On the same day that the NATO meeting began, the Parliamentary Budget Officer released an analysis showing that Canada will miss its NATO spending requirement by more than the Liberals projected in the 2024 budget.

As part of the Liberal government’s 2024 federal budget, the party pledged to increase Canada’s defence spending to 1.76% of GDP by 2030, still below NATO’s 2% threshold. 

NATO member nations have agreed to allocate a minimum of 2% of their GDP to annual military expenditure and to ensure that at least 20% of this spending is dedicated to new equipment. Yet time and time again, the Liberal government has not provided a clear path to reach these targets.

Trudeau’s revised defence policy pledged $73 billion in military spending over the next 20 years with a prioritization on climate change.

Based on NATO’s data, Canada has failed to surpass 1.5% of defence expenditure as a share of GDP every year since 2014, with ebbs and flows seeing increases and decreases over the past decade.

Funding towards the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence, and some portions of Veterans Affairs Canada contribute towards the goal. 

“PBO forecasts that Canada’s military expenditures will rise from 1.29% of GDP in 2024-25 to a peak of 1.49% of GDP in 2025-26 before falling and stabilizing at 1.42% by 2029-30. This represents $39.0B in 2024-25 rising to $52.2B in 2029-30,” according to the Parliamentary Budget Office’s report.

The report said that while the 2% defence expenditure won’t be met, the 20% military expenditure requirement will be met and exceeded starting in 2025-26. 

The discrepancy between the PBO’s budget forecast and the Department of National Defence comes down to two factors, according to the audit.

“First, PBO’s projection of Major Equipment Expenditures is lower than that of DND since recent experience as well as multiple PBO reports suggest a high likelihood of delays and lapsed appropriations,” reads the report. “Second, DND’s forecast uses the OECD’s outlook for nominal GDP in line with NATO’s publications on military expenditures. PBO instead uses its own outlook for nominal GDP, which is broadly similar to the Department of Finance’s.”

While the Department of National Defence projects the GDP defence expenditure to peak at 1.76% in 2029-2030, the PBO predicts a peak of 1.49% in 2025-26.

The department’s projections indicate that Canada’s military expenditures will peak at $57.8 billion in 2029-30, compared to the PBO’s projection of $52.2 billion in 2029-30.

According to NATO’s projections for 2024 GDP defence expenditure, Canada remains among the bottom five spenders of NATO’s 32 countries.

A bipartisan group of 23 United States Senators previously sent a letter to Trudeau. Urging him to uphold Canada’s commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence expenditures.

NATO estimates that the United States will spend 3.38% of its GDP on defence expenditure in 2024.

The NATO summit runs from Jul. 8 to Jul. 11. 

The Andrew Lawton Show | More bonuses for CBC employees coming

By
Andrew Lawton
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Source: cbc.ca

After getting hammered by Canadians and opposition politicians for paying out $14.9 million in bonuses last year, Canada’s state broadcaster, the CBC, has quietly approved another round of bonuses for nearly 1,200 employees. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses with Franco Terrazzano of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

Rights Probe executive director Bruce Pardy writes in a National Post column that corporate leaders betrayed capitalism when they jumped on the ESG and climate bandwagons. He joins the show to explain how.

The renowned American journal Science published an article celebrating the rise of diversity-based hiring at the expense of relying on merit, but offered no evidence that diversity confers any academic benefit. Physicist Lawrence Krauss comes on the show to weigh in.

Saskatchewan granted injunction to block CRA from collecting carbon tax

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
-
Source: X

A court has granted Saskatchewan an emergency injunction against the Canada Revenue Agency to block the federal government from collecting the carbon tax directly.

The province’s court victory was announced Monday by Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre. 

The minister said the province sought an injunction “to stop this unfair and unconstitutional cash grab by the Trudeau government.”

“The court ruled in our favour, blocking the federal government from unconstitutionally garnishing money, pending the full hearing and determination of the continuation of the injunction by the Federal Court,” said Eyre in a Facebook post.

The injunction was filed after the federal Liberal government sent the Canada Revenue Agency after the Saskatchewan government for refusing to collect the carbon tax provincially.

Eyre and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe called the move “unfair and unconstitutional.” 

Canada’s minister of national revenue, Marie-Claude Bibeau, told True North that with the adoption of Bill 151, Saskatchewan became an assigned distributor, obligated to follow the law as any distributor would under the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, the law setting out a mandatory minimum carbon tax.

She said that the Canada Revenue Agency pursued collections as required by law.

“We stand firm in upholding the law and will continue to deliver the full Canadian Carbon Rebate to the people of Saskatchewan. Our commitment to fairness and equality for all Canadians is unwavering, as we strive to level the playing field and champion environmental responsibility nationwide,” said Bibeau. 

After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suspended the carbon tax on home heating oil in Oct. 2023, primarily benefitting Atlantic Canadians, Eyre and the Saskatchewan government called for “fair and equal treatment.”

Saskatchewan was not alone, with most of the country rallying behind it. Seven out of 10 provincial premiers and the Northwest Territories joined the call for carbon tax relief.

Eyre said that providing relief to other parts of Canada while attempting to garnish Saskatchewan’s bank accounts violates Section 126 of Canada’s constitution.

A spokesperson for the Canada Revenue Agency told True North that the agency does not comment on any specific details of court cases.

“The courts provide Canadians with a further independent review of disputed issues, and court decisions serve to clarify the law or resolve disputes between the Canada Revenue Agency and taxpayers,” said the spokesperson.

The injunction will block the Canada Revenue Agency from any action until the Tax Court of Canada can review the case, followed by the Supreme Court, should it reach that stage.

Speed limit to increase to 110 km/h for parts of Ontario’s 401 and 416 highways on Friday

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
-
Source: X

Ontario drivers will soon be able to drive a little faster on select parts of major highways.

Speed limits are set to increase in parts of Ontario along sections of Highway 416 south of Ottawa and sections of Highway 401 in eastern Ontario on Friday. 

Ten sections of provincial highways will see speed limits increase from 100 km/h to 110 km/h,in both the northern and southern regions.

The Ontario government first began consultations and launched a pilot program in 2019 to explore the possibility of increasing speed limits on provincial highways.

Six sections of highway in southern Ontario were permanently increased in 2022 and two others in northern Ontario were increased on a two-year trial basis.  

“Most of Ontario’s highways were originally designed to safely accommodate speed limits of 110 km/h and the data from our changes in 2022 shows they do just that,” said Ontario’s Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria in April.

According to the Government of Ontario’s website, the change “builds on the safe and successful increase to six sections of provincial highways in 2022 and aligns with posted speed limits in other jurisdictions across Canada.”

The change taking effect on Friday will permanently increase the speed limit to 110 km/h for the majority of provincial highway sections, while the remainder will come into effect by the end of 2024.

“These evidence-based increases are a common-sense change to make life more convenient for Ontario drivers while bringing our highway speed limits in line with other Canadian provinces,” added Sarkaria. 

The changes will affect 36% or 860 kilometres of Ontario’s total provincial highway network.

Highways 400, 401, 415 and the Queen Elizabeth Way were all set at 70mph or 113 km/h until 1975 when it was reduced to 100 km/h due to the energy crisis. 

“All highway sections were selected based on their ability to safely accommodate higher speed limits. Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan have a maximum speed limit of 110 km/h, while in British Columbia, the maximum speed limit is 120 km/h,” reads the government release. 

Penalties for stunt driving will continue to apply at 150 km/h, even on the sections of highway which have been selected for speed increases. 

Stunt driving will now apply at 40 km/h over the posted speed limit.  

The speed increases will affect the following sections of provincial highways:

  • Hwy 401, Tilbury, extending the existing 110 km/h zone further east by 7 km
  • Hwy 401 from Hwy 35/115 to Cobourg (approximately 35 km)
  • Hwy 401 from Colborne to Belleville (approximately 44 km)
  • Hwy 401 from Belleville to Kingston (approximately 66 km)
  • Hwy 401 from Hwy 16 to Quebec boundary (approximately 107 km)
  • Hwy 403 from Woodstock to Brantford (approximately 26 km)
  • Hwy 403 from Brantford to Hamilton (approximately 14.5 km)
  • Hwy 406 from Thorold to Welland (approximately 13 km)
  • Hwy 416 from Hwy 401 to Ottawa (approximately 70 km)
  • Hwy 69 from Sudbury to French River (approximately 60 km)

The Daily Brief | KFC restaurants in Ontario are now Muslim-friendly

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-
Source: Flickr

Ontario KFC restaurants are now Muslim-friendly with halal chicken and the removal of pork products from the menu.

Plus, a Conservative MP is blasting “woke censors” for erasing a Heritage Minute featuring John A. Macdonald.

And a Bloc Quebecois MP with Canadian and French citizenships boasted about voting in the French legislative elections and said she was “delighted” with surprise results that saw a coalition of far-left parties surge.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Isaac Lamoureux!

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