The Liberal government faces internal division on whether Ottawa should give amnesty to immigrants who remain in Canada illegally.
Plus, an Ontario MPP publicly apologized for having a virtual meeting with British activist Tommy Robinson after he was arrested by the Calgary police.
And there’s one political leader in Canada who is less popular than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and it’s Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and William McBeath!
As antisemitism continues to rise in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, a new group has stepped up to help people take a stand against it.
Upstanders Canada, a predominantly non-Jewish organization, has taken up the cause of empowering individuals to fight antisemitism.
The organization launched its innovative toolkit, “Be an Upstander,” via webinar this week. This comprehensive resource aims to educate people on recognizing and confronting antisemitism, especially non-Jewish audiences who may lack awareness of subtle biases.
Pat Johnson, the Vancouver-based director of Upstanders Canada, emphasized the toolkit’s unique focus on helping individuals spot inherent biases and understand the nuanced forms of antisemitism that often go unnoticed.
Supported by organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, Kolot Mayim Reform Temple, Union for Reform Judaism, and the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island, this toolkit has been reviewed by what Johnson called a “vast number” of leaders and experts.
“This toolkit is aimed at people of goodwill, who want to recognize and confront antisemitism, but perhaps lack the resources, the capacity,” Johnson, who is not Jewish, told True North, ahead of the webinar.
“We should contest antisemitism, because contesting antisemitism is the right thing to do. History has shown that the rise of antisemitism almost always parallels the rejection of liberal values, multiculturalism, pluralism, all of the things that we as Canadians, like to view as central to our national identity. And so if for no more altruistic reason, we should be opposing antisemitism in the interest of our individual and collective well being.”
Upstanders Canada is a nonpartisan, non denominational organization that welcomes and encourages the participation of people, regardless of their political views, religious or racial background, gender and sexual orientation, Johnson said.
The goal is to “mobilize and empower more Canadians to speak up when they see antisemitism, in one on one interactions, in their networks and in our society. So it’s a matter of giving people the confidence to contest antisemitism every time, and everywhere it emerges. And the confidence is in the form of information,” Johnson told True North.
Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combating cntisemitism praised the initiative.
“This comprehensive guide is a testament for education and empowerment by providing historical context, practical steps and valuable resources. This toolkit will equip Canadians to recognize and to combat anti-Jewish hate,” she said.
Rabbi Lynn Greenhough of the Kolot Mayim Reform Temple in Victoria, B.C. said that the massacre in Israel on Oct. 7 “brought an ancient hatred above ground” lamenting the problem of “doctrinaire attitudes and politics being taught at our universities, increasingly at our high schools, and our students are too often falling for their marching orders.”
Speakers noted that while antisemitism has become more brazen and pervasive since Oct. 7, it is not an overseas problem.
“We need to make this clear, antisemitism in Canada is not a consequence of overseas events,” said Toronto television personality Shai DeLuca, who emceed the event. “Antisemitism is a homegrown problem. A conflict in the Middle East is a spark that ignites existing prejudices. It is not the cause. Other conflicts around the world do not create this level of conflict in Canada.”
A student at University of British Columbia, Zara Nybo, took up the mantle of combating antisemitism and told those in the webinar that it wasn’t long ago that she knew nothing about the topic. But she, a non-Jew, began having conversations with Jews, and realized she did not have the full story.
“It was simply by being open and listening to perspectives I hadn’t heard before,” including from her Jewish boyfriend.
“When we choose to fight racism, or other forms of bias, we are advised to listen to your friends who are people of color, or members of the LGBTQ+community, or the women in your life or members of whatever group we are striving to ally with,” she said.
She discovered that the hostility on campus against Jewish students – who are “harassed, verbally and physically assaulted” – is made worse when no one listens to their concerns.
She said she has seen “fear, anguish, panic attacks and tears” and “bewilderment among my Jewish friends, wondering why there are so few non-Jewish students standing together with them since October 7.”
Nybo explained she became an activist “out of necessity” due to the absent non-Jewish support she saw.
“I hear people say we need to stand against the rise in antisemitism. But I disagree with that wording, because I think we should feel uncomfortable with any amount of antisemitism. The status quo antisemitism is not acceptable. And we need a broad movement of non-Jewish allies standing up and speaking out, standing with Jewish Canadians, whether we know any Jews or not.”
The positive side, she said, was seeing Jewish students respond to “hostility and threats,” by “redoubling down their determination to stand against bullying, hatred and intolerance.”
“I have seen bravery, courage and inspiring toughness,” she added, “But I want to get this across to you. They would feel a lot braver, a lot more courageous, and a lot tougher, if more Canadians were standing with them.”
In a press conference defending his actions as the former minister of defence, Harjit Sajjan accused the Globe and Mail of racism for an article alleging he had prioritized the rescue of Sikhs in Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul.
The bombshell report stated that as minister of defence, Sajjan ordered the Canadian special forces to help evacuate Afghan Sikhs, which military sources say limited their ability to allocate resources to evacuating Canadian citizens.
At the press conference, Sajjan said that this report more than likely would not have been published if he did not wear a turban.
“I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t think I’ll be getting those questions if I wasn’t wearing a turban,” said Sajjan.
Sajjan went on to share a conversation he had with his daughter a few days prior about the racism that she saw on social media.
True North reached out to the story’s authors to comment on the allegation of racism, though no response was given.
According to anonymous military sources, Sajjan instructed the special forces to rescue about 225 Afghans despite it not being an operational priority for the armed forces.
The sources said that the order took resources away from getting Canadian citizens and Afghans linked to Canada on final evacuation flights out of Kabul.
Sajjan gave the order after a Canadian Sikh group passed on information to the minister regarding the location of the Afghan Sikhs.
One source said that in the last 24 hours in Kabul before the evacuation deadline, special forces were solely dedicated to getting Afghan Sikhs out.
The mission was ultimately unsuccessful, as the Sikhs deserted the rendezvous point before special forces could reach them, as soldiers arrived later than expected.
Sajjan said that while one of the Canadian military’s priorities was to evacuate religious minorities who would face persecution at the hands of the Taliban, evacuating Canadians was the number one priority.
The end of the evacuation mission from Kabul left a sizable number of Canadians and permanent residents behind in Afghanistan, though the exact figure is unknown.
Sajjan defended the order that he gave the military as minister of defence, stating that the military is subject to civilian control and that his job was to give orders to the Canadian Forces reflecting the government’s will.
Member of Parliament for Spadina–Fort York Kevin Vuong criticized Sajjan, implying that Sajjan lied about his conduct during the fall of Kabul.
“In 2023, @HarjitSajjan said he wasn’t checking his emails during the Fall of Kabul. Now, he’s claiming he “relayed location information and other details about the Sikhs to the military. Canadians deserve to know when he lied,” said Vuong.
Alberta plans to opt out of the Canadian Dental Care Plan, arguing that its provincial plan is better.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, informing him of her government’s concerns with the federal dental care plan.
Smith said her province already offers the country’s most fully funded public dental coverage, benefitting around 500,000 Albertans. The province began offering dental programs in 1973 and has since developed and maintained them.
“The new Canadian Dental Care Plan unnecessarily replicates this coverage for many Albertans. This duplication raises the question of the value of maintaining two plans and whether health funding would be more wisely used to support a single plan,” wrote Smith. “Alberta has long maintained that it would be more effective to expand existing provincial programs than to introduce a new federal plan.”
Smith added that having two different plans would confuse Albertans.
She said that healthcare planning and delivery is exclusively within provincial jurisdiction, which the new federal plan infringes on.
“If a new health program was to be developed by the federal government, it should be done in full collaboration with provinces and territories, and discussions should have occurred before these intentions were announced. Unfortunately, this did not occur,” said Smith.
While Smith announced her intention to opt out of the federal plan, Alberta intends to keep its share of the funding.
“Alberta is seeking to negotiate an agreement for the province’s share of federal dental funding and will use this unconditional funding to expand dental coverage to more low-income Albertans,” reads the letter.
Alberta’s officials expect that terms the province and country deem acceptable can be negotiated within two years when the province plans to opt out in 2026.
“It is our desire for Albertans to have the best possible access to affordable dental care in the country. Alberta is a leader in providing quality dental coverage for low-income Albertans, and we look forward to successfully negotiating an agreement that enables Alberta to continue providing access to dental care,” concluded Smith’s letter.
Trudeau applauded the fact that over 200,000 Canadians have used the Canadian Dental Care Plan since it was introduced.
Health Minister Mark Holland said he only cares that people get dental care, not who administers it.
“If you want to manage it, then we have clear conditions of what it takes. At a baseline, it’s got to be at least as good as our program. Number two, we’re not going to give you more money than it costs us to administer the program. And number three, we need assurance… that you’re not going to burn providers later on and defund this program and not implement it properly,” said Holland.
He said he’s open to sitting at the table with Smith and talking about how Alberta can improve the program themselves but isn’t open to discussions about jurisdictions for jurisdictions’ sake.
“It seems that the way that Premier Smith put it, it was more about, you know, trying to seek conflict with us to create some kind of political thing than it was about patients,” he added.
The Canadian Dental Association previously conducted a survey showing that 61% of dentists would not participate in the plan due to their numerous concerns.
Concerns highlighted by the Alberta Dental Association include the fact that patients will still have to pay out of pocket for numerous services, that patients won’t be able to choose their own dentist should their dentist choose not to participate, and that access to care may be worsened due to red tape.
Despite concerns raised, the Canadian Dental Association issued a press release applauding the federal government’s recent changes to the plan on Tuesday.
“While acknowledging the progress made so far, no public plan is perfect and there is still work to be done in the medium to long term to benefit Canadians over time,” said the Canadian Dental Association’s President, Dr. Joel Antel.
The further improvements called for by the Canadian Dental Association include mitigating the potential loss of insurance coverage for those with existing dental benefits provided by their employer, addressing human resources challenges, and improving the plan’s service coverage.
The federal dental plan was introduced in Dec. 2023.
The plan’s implementation began with seniors aged 87 and older. The plan is now open to seniors aged 65 and above, people with a valid disability tax credit certificate, and children under age 18.
The Liberals have committed $13 billion over the next five years to provide a portion of the payment for those who make under $90,000 a year in family net income. Only those whose families make less than $70,000 a year will have their full costs covered.
Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh says he’s “united” with Alberta New Democrats even as the provincial party’s new leader seeks to distance himself from the federal branch.
After former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi won the Alberta NDP’s leadership contest in a landslide victory on Saturday, he told reporters that he won’t wait on putting the question to the membership of whether to separate from the federal party.
But Singh says the two parties remain “united” in their goal of defeating Conservatives provincially and federally.
“Right now at the provincial level in Alberta, provincially in a lot of places, Conservatives are a threat to people. Conservatives are directly attacking healthcare, education, they’re even attacking pensions,” Singh told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
Nenshi spoke about his desire to leave the federal NDP during the leadership campaign. After winning the leadership contest, he said a decision could be made at the party’s convention next spring.
“That’s what members are really talking about, and I hear it every day,” Nenshi told reporters Saturday. “And the way I like to lead is, I don’t like things that are bubbling under the surface, so I’d like to surface that conversation with members as soon as possible.”
Differences in party policy creates problems for the provincial party in energy rich Alberta. For example, Nenshi and former Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley supported the Trans Mountain pipeline project, but Singh didn’t.
“We just couldn’t get him there,” Nenshi told the Toronto Star this month. “So I think that that has left a lingering issue that the federal NDP doesn’t really understand Alberta.”
Still, Notley told the Calgary Herald as recently as last week that “running away” from the federal brand is “silly, superficial, short-sighted.”
Members of provincial NDP branches automatically become members of Singh’s federal party. That’s unique to the New Democrats compared to Canada’s other major political parties. It’s a feature the United Conservative Party has used to successfully attack their opponents.
During the 2023 general election campaign, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith frequently pointed out the connection between the two parties as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau government’s fell in the polls but continued to be propped up by Singh.
In one video, Smith criticized the “Liberal-NDP coalition” for seeking to lock in the equalization payments for years to come.
“Rachel Notley has had days to respond and stand up to her bosses in Ottawa,” Smith said.
The party is now extending its line of attack, with a new ad tying Nenshi to the prime minister and calling him “Trudeau’s choice for Alberta.”
Ontario MPP Goldie Ghamari has said she wasn’t aware of a controversial British activist’s history when taking a FaceTime meeting with him.
Goldie Ghamari deleted a post from X with screenshot from a virtual meeting she had with anti-mass immigration activist Tommy Robinson during his stay in Canada.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims called on Premier Doug Ford to kick the Iranian-Canadian MPP for Carleton out of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative caucus after speaking with Robinson, who they accuse of being “Islamophobic.”
“MPP Ghamari yesterday decided to post with herself and well-known Islamophobe and criminal Tommy Robinson,” the NCCM said, calling the meeting “completely unacceptable.”
“I condemn all forms of Islamophobia and Antisemitism. Hate has no place in Ontario,” Ghamari said on X after deleting her initial post. “I was not aware of Mr. Robinson’s history prior to our meeting.”
True North asked what aspects of Robinson’s history Ghamari opposed, but did not receive a reply.
Ghamari, who was born in Iran, explained on X that their meeting was about the human rights violations taking place by the Islamic Regime in Iran and the regime’s alleged attempts to spy on and intimidate the Iranian diaspora in Canada.
“We discussed IRGC terrorists, its impact in Canada, and the 6-year effort of the Iranian-Canadian diaspora to put the IRGC on the Canadian terror list,” she said. “I hope that clarifies!”
In a statement, Doug Ford’s office said he was “extremely disappointed” for giving a platform to Robinson “whose behaviour and beliefs are at odds with our government.”
Ford said the meeting was “deeply regrettable,” and the post was taken down as soon as the PC government was made aware of it.
Robinson founded the English Defence League in the United Kingdom. He stepped down after recognizing it had become home to violent extremist actors. He said he wanted to pursue “democratic ideas” rather than violence in light of the arrests.
Ghamari’s apology came a day after Robinson was arrested after speaking in Calgary Tuesday. The Canadian Border Services Agency made the arrest and indicated that it was related to an “outstanding immigration warrant.” Robinson was released on conditions, including that he not leave southern Alberta and thus has been unable to continue his speaking tour.
This isn’t the first time the NCCM has called on Ford to remove Ghamari from his PC caucus for her social media activity.
The NCCM took issue with her reposting what it called “insults against women who wear the hijab” when she said the hijab was a “symbol of the subjugation of women throughout the Islamic world.”
Before the apology, Ghamari highlighted what she viewed to be a double standard in the arrest of Robinson on Monday and the lack of action being applied to men who support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“So let me get this straight…Canada arrests Tommy Robinson, but allows this IRGC terrorist supporter who constantly breaches his bail obligations to dress up in Islamic Regime clothes and threaten politicians like me with zero consequences?” she wrote.
The man has been seen throwing up threatening hand signs and brandishing IRGC attire.
The Canadian government recently listed the military branch of the Islamic Regime in Iran as a terrorist entity. Despite not having charges laid against him, Robinson is still being prevented from leaving southern Alberta during what was supposed to be a multi-city speaking tour.
World-renowned author and journalist Douglas Murray had strong words for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Australian television, calling him a “superannuated drama teacher” and predicting that his political career is all but over.
Discussing the recent byelection defeat Trudeau’s Liberals suffered on Sky News Australia’s Rita Panahi Show, Murray called Trudeau out for, in his eyes, being dishonest, insincere, and unintelligent.
“Performative caring – that’s all that Justin Trudeau does,” said Murray.
“It’s very hard to find a true thing that he’s ever said or a sincere thing that he’s ever said. The man is entirely artifice. He’s an utter bimbo.”
Murray went on to recall a recent trip he made to Canada and described Canadians as being fed up with the prime minister while describing his opposition leader Pierre Poilievre as “competent.”
“I was in Canada last week in a couple of cities and I can’t tell you Rita the detestation that you find for Trudeau across the political board. A vast majority of Canadians want him to stand down now,” said Murray.
“He has really impressive opposition now. I think Pierre Poilievre and the others on the Conservative side, they’re very impressive people now facing off against Trudeau. I think he’s absolutely toast.”
In a comparison to former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, Murray said national leaders like Trudeau are able to do “vicious” things to their citizens so long as it is done with a veneer of compassion.
“People should be aware of this – the amount you can get away with, that is cruel and sometimes evil if you wrap it up in this particular style of politics…whether it’s Ardern or Trudeau, you can do the most vicious things to your public, and wow did they do it.”
Trudeau has increasingly been facing domestic and international criticism as his party continues to do poorly in public opinion polls.
Businessman and TV personality Kevin O’Leary slammed the Trudeau government’s decision to hike the capital gains inclusion rate, calling the prime minister a “weak manager” while joking he wouldn’t let the government run a bodega.
Several politicians worldwide have attacked Trudeau, including Australian Liberal Senator Alex Antic and Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff.
There’s one political leader in Canada who is less popular than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and it’s Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
According to recent data released by ThinkHQ Jyoti Gondek and the city council’s approval ratings have reached an all-time low in June 2024.
The data released tracked mayoral approval ratings since June 2014, when Naheed Nenshi held the role. At the time, Nenshi had an approval rating of 74%. This would plummet to 57% by May 2021, just before his tenure ended.
As of June 2024, Gondek’s approval rating was a mere 26%. In comparison, Trudeau’s latest approval rating was 28%.
“These ratings are unprecedentedly low. They’ve managed to break their own record for low approval ratings set in December of last year, and it seems driven primarily by negative public reactions to policies like the single-use bag bylaw and blanket rezoning,” said ThinkHQ President Marc Henry.
Among the 26% of Calgarians who approved of Gondek, only 7% strongly approved, while 19% somewhat approved of her performance.
Conversely, 48% of respondents strongly disapproved of Mayor Gondek’s performance, while 16% somewhat disapproved.
Henry said that normally, constituents rally around the leader in times of public emergency. However, Gondek’s management has led to the opposite effect.
“Politicians who capably lead during a crisis are rewarded with public support. No such boost for Mayor Gondek, or if there is, it’s masked by unmeasured lower ratings driven by other issues,” said Henry.
Gondek became Calgary’s mayor on Oct. 25, 2021. Soon after being elected her approval rating was 38% by Mar. 2022. This remained relatively stagnant until Dec. 2023, when it dropped to 30% and reached 26% by June 2024.
ThinkHQ’s survey also tracked the approval rating of Calgary’s City Council, which has seen a freefall over the years. As of June 2024, 33% of Calgarians approved of their local councillor, while only 25% approved of the city council as a whole.
In June 2014, 56% of Calgarians approved of their local councillor, while an equal 56% approved of the city council’s performance overall.
“Councillors must also be doing some soul-searching at this stage, with their record-low December approval numbers dropping again,” said Henry.
He added that the ratings for councillors are not uniform, with those who supported the blanket rezoning seeing the largest drop in their approval ratings.
Gondek’s unpopularity had risen so high that she was booed at a Calgary Flames game in April. The boos echoed while a recall petition against her was underway, which eventually ended up receiving over 72,000 signatures. The Recall Gondek campaign was so successful that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith pledged to reform the legislation, given that despite its success, it proved impossible to accomplish the requirements.
Men and Calgarians over 55 and older were the least likely to support Gondek, with approval ratings of only 24% and 20%, respectively.
The survey took place between June 13 and 19, surveying 1,114 Calgarians from all four quadrants of the city.
Calgary’s next municipal election will take place on Oct. 20, 2025. Henry said it has taken Gondek three years to fall as low in approvals as she has, so turning it around will be difficult.
“Barring a significant vote split in the next election, if she runs, Gondek has to be considered a long shot for re-election with numbers like this,” said Henry.
The Alberta NDP’s new leader, Naheed Nenshi, wants to sever ties between his party and the federal NDP led by Jagmeet Singh. True North’s Andrew Lawton says it’s hard to blame them given how insignificant a political entity the federal NDP is, as evidenced by its particularly poor performance in this week’s St. Paul’s byelection.
Also, a deep dive into Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa featuring Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz – including how Alberta is pushing back against the carbon tax, the plastics ban, the oil and gas industry gag order, and more.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW
Conservative MP Marc Dalton introduced a private member’s bill to amend the Criminal Code to include specific arson offences targeting places of worship. He is also seeking a new offence for causing a wildfire.
Plus, Jewish voters overwhelmingly supported the Conservative in Toronto—St. Paul’s byelection, according to a new poll.
And police have shot down accusations that homophobic hate was behind two animal deaths at an Ontario Pride festival.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Noah Jarvis!
