Two years after Justin Trudeau’s Emergencies Act invocation, Freedom Convoy protester Jay Vanderwier has been convicted of two counts of mischief for his participation in the protests, specifically as the driver of “The Shed” truck, which parked in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa for three weeks. Lawyer David Anber joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss his client’s case.
LAWTON: B.C. city councillors suppress book challenging residential school narrative
The editors of Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us (and the Truth about Residential Schools) have accused City of Quesnel councillors of stifling debate and obstructing access to well-researched historical analysis surrounding Canada’s residential school narrative. Co-editor Tom Flanagan joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss.
Canadian premiers rally against carbon tax while testifying at parliamentary committee
While appearing before a federal committee, two Canadian premiers were united against the carbon tax, arguing there is a better way for Canada to reduce emissions without throwing its citizens under the bus.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs testified on Thursday before the Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.
The two premiers were joined by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Nova Scotian Premier Tim Houston in sending individual letters to the finance committee, requesting to testify in opposition to the upcoming carbon tax hike on Monday.
While the finance committee did not allow them to testify, the committee on government operations and estimates reached out on the same day the letter was written, Tuesday, saying that they could appear before them.
Meanwhile, Moe appeared before the committee on Wednesday, where Liberal MPs complained about his testimony.
Houston did not appear before any committee, and whether he will is unclear. True North reached out to Houston for comment but received no reply.
First in line to appear before the committee on Thursday morning, Higgs testified for about an hour before Smith.
He said that he didn’t want to politicize the conversation and felt that everyone present disagreed with the carbon tax but emphasized his intent to reduce emissions. His focus was on Canada shifting towards policies that would have a bigger global impact while being less punishing on its citizens.
“My plea here is across party lines to say: let’s think bigger. Let’s look at Canada as a solution to world environmental impact and changes,” said Higgs.
“We are one of the few nations that have the opportunity to have it all. We have the resources which we’ve always thrived on. We have the ability to have a major climate change impact beyond our borders, beyond the 1.5% of [global] emissions that we’re focused on internally,” Higgs stated, emphasizing Canada’s potential to lead in reducing worldwide emissions.
“We don’t need to put the burden of climate action and climate change on the citizens of our country,” he added.
Echoing Higgs’ sentiments, Alberta Premier Smith labelled the carbon tax increase as “reckless, immoral, and inhumane,” pointing to the significant economic and social strain it places on Canadians.
She said that “the added pressure will ruin countless lives, futures, and dreams. It’s a weight Canadians can’t bear. And that’s why Alberta has been calling on the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax since 2019.”
Alberta’s premier referenced a report from October 2023, which showed 51% of Canadians were $200 or less away from being unable to meet their financial obligations.
Smith emphasized Alberta’s efforts in reducing emissions through innovation and technology, questioning the tax’s effectiveness in combating climate change.
“We understand the importance of achieving carbon neutrality, and we can manage it together as a nation without punishing everyday Albertans,” Smith remarked.
Both premiers said their provinces were ahead of schedule and making significant strides towards reducing emissions, which could continue without a carbon tax.
Smith explained that the upcoming hike will increase the carbon tax on natural gas to $4.09 a gigajoule, compared to the base price of natural gas of $1.72 a gigajoule.
“The federal government is to increase the carbon tax on something that is life or death for Albertans in the extreme cold of winter. And I will say that is, again, inhumane,” said Smith.
While some committee members reiterated the Liberal party’s claim that eight out of ten people somehow get more money back than the tax takes, Higgs presented contrasting data from a recent Fraser Institute study.
The carbon tax is expected to increase to $170 per tonne in 2030, which the study shows will cause the economy to shrink by 1.8%, causing a loss of approximately 185,000 jobs and reducing real income in every province.
In 2024-25, 60% of households in Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba will pay more in carbon taxes than they receive in rebates. By 2030, this will increase to 80% being worse off in Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and P.E.I, while 60% of those in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador will remain worse off due to the tax.
The study added that the federal government still owes small and medium-sized businesses $2.5 billion in rebates.
“Despite any claims to the contrary, Monday’s federal carbon tax hike will leave Canadian families financially worse off—now and in the future—damage government finances, and negatively impact the economy,” wrote the study’s authors Juli Mejía and Elmira Aliakbari.
Liberals want to change election date because of Diwali – but wouldn’t do the same for Jewish holiday
The Liberal government’s claim that its proposed postponement of the 2025 election is to avoid Diwali rings hollow for Jewish Canadians. In 2019, they sought accommodation by the government to avoid an overlap of the election with a Jewish holiday, but the concerns fell on deaf ears.
The Liberals introduced a bill to alter the Elections Act that moves the scheduled 2025 election date from Oct. 20 to Oct. 27. Cynics have pointed out that the delay makes dozens of MPs eligible for pensions, but Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says it was just to avoid overlap with Diwali, the Hindu festival of light.
LeBlanc said the overall bill is designed to strengthen Canada’s democracy, but news of the rescheduling stirred up memories of a similar request made by Chani Aryeh-Bain five years ago.
Aryeh-Bain was the Conservative candidate in the Toronto riding of Eglinton−Lawrence in the 2019 election.
An orthodox Jewish woman running in a riding with a large Jewish population, Aryeh-Bain attempted to have the Oct. 21 election date changed to avoid overlap with the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, which was to begin Oct. 20 and ends Oct. 22.
Eglinton−Lawrence was home to about 5,000 Orthodox Jewish voters in 2019 and the previous three federal elections had been decided by 2,000 to 4,000 votes.
Aryeh-Bain took her case to Federal Court. The court urged the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada to reconsider, but he ultimately opted to keep the election date as scheduled.
In an interview with True North Wire, she noted the apparent “double standard.”
“Imagine my surprise when I read that the Trudeau government was tinkering with the Elections Act so as to accommodate the voters who celebrate the Diwali holiday by moving the date forward by one week,” Aryeh-Bain said.
Additionally, the 2019 advanced polling day of Oct. 12 conflicted with the sabbath, and the Oct. 14 advance polling day also coincided with the Jewish holiday festival of Sukkot.
Orthodox Jews are prohibited from a range of activities, including writing, driving, and working, on the sabbath, which runs from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday each week..
“Why can’t (the government) abide by the decision they made in regards to Shemini Atzeret? Diwali observers can vote in advance polls, daily at returning offices or mail in their votes. Why the double standard?” asked Aryeh-Bain.
The chief electoral officer in 2019 said “there is no such thing as a perfect election day, especially in a country as diverse as Canada. There are always Canadians who are unable to vote on election day.”
Given the legal precedent set by the 2019 Elections Canada ruling, the government need not be selective in its observance of religious holidays.
“Even if one wants to posit that this decision has nothing to do with the lack of fairness towards the Jewish voters and their religious & democratic rights, then why else would Trudeau make the exact move that he denied the Jewish community? “ asked Aryeh-Bain.
Aryeh-Bain suspects pension eligibility more than religious accommodation might explain the 2025 delay.
“Upon closer inspection, therein may lie an additional reason: the MPs’ coveted gold-plated pensions,” said Aryeh-Bain. “Moving the election date forward by one week ensures at least 80 MPs will qualify for their pensions. Many of the affected MPs fear they will lose the next election and their ticket to retirement bliss. Moving the date is the easiest and best solution.”
All MPs receive a pension after six years of service, meaning any MP elected Oct. 21 2019 will only reach that six-year threshold if the election is after that date in 2025.
Over 500 international students protested BC’s changes to immigration policy
International students are furious with British Columbia’s NDP government after it changed the requirements for permanent residency status.
In a significant display of dissent, international students and their supporters converged on downtown Vancouver to voice their opposition against the recent amendments to the B.C. Provincial Nominee Program, an immigration path for skilled workers.
The gathering, which took place at the Vancouver Art Gallery, saw a robust turnout. The protest was preceded by the “Promise Made, Promise Kept: Secure Future Paths for BC PNP International Students” petition, which has been circulating among the international student community.
The crux of the protest lies in what protesters call an abrupt policy change that now requires master’s graduates to obtain a one-year skilled job offer and fulfill specific language requirements to be eligible for permanent residency—a stark departure from the previously lax direct application process.
This sudden shift has sparked outrage among the student community, who argue it derails their established plans to become Canadians, negating their substantial financial investments. Changes to the program also align with the international student cap, recently introduced by Ottawa.
The petition, which has garnered over two thousand signatures and is swiftly approaching its 2,500 target, claims that the government has betrayed international students.
In response to the outcry, provincial authorities have defended the revisions as steps towards creating “clearer pathways for international workers,” aiming to thwart exploitative recruitment practices.
The updated program now features three pathways for university and college graduates, heightened language prerequisites, and a continued focus on prioritizing individuals employed in sectors in need of workers.
Despite these justifications, many rally participants stand firm in their belief that the changes were implemented too hastily and without due consideration for those currently enrolled in master’s programs.
Majority of Canadians feel cost of living outweighs importance of carbon tax: poll
The majority of Canadians now feel that climate change policies should take a back seat to the high cost of living, according to a new poll.
The Angus Reid Institute surveyed Canadians on how they are responding to the April 1 carbon tax increase, which will raise the levy by 23%.
According to the report, 56% of Canadians cited the cost of living as outweighing any climate change concerns, with 40% of respondents saying that the tax has made life “a lot” more expensive.
Another 25% say that it’s increased their cost of living but only “a little.”
Titled, Carbon Tax: Perceptions of insufficient rebates, cost of living concern & questions over efficacy send support plummeting, the poll aimed to see how Canadians perceive the tax, and why its support has begun to wane.
The poll found that while the number of Liberal, NDP and BQ voters who support the increase has risen from 15% to 22% since last November, another growing cohort of that same voting block, as many as 16% in the NDP, now want to see it paused or abolished.
Within the Conservative voting base, 75% are in support of scrapping the tax altogether, while 9% want to see it at least lowered.
Even more respondents, 68%, don’t believe the carbon tax is effective at reducing Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The carbon tax has received so much backlash in recent months that the federal government engaged in a rebranding effort, renaming it the Canada Carbon Rebate.
It had been previously known as the Climate Action Incentive Payment.
“The name was updated to the Canada Carbon Rebate to clarify its function, and make its meaning and relationship to the carbon pricing system more intuitive for Canadians,” reads a government press release from February.
The Trudeau government felt that the previous language surrounding the policy may be too “complex” for some Canadians to understand.
“If we can speak the language that people speak because people say the words ‘carbon,’ they say the words, ‘rebate,’ right? And if we can speak that language that’s important, so people understand what’s going on here,” said Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan.
Despite the name change, the poll found only 4% of Canadians believe that the rebate is helping them save money.
Only two in five respondents said that they were sure their household had even received the rebate.
When the Trudeau government announced a carve-out on home oil heating last fall, several premiers called for a carve-out on natural gas heating as well.
The poll found that 65% of respondents want to see the carve-out extended to include all forms of home heating.
While only 3% of Canadians homes use oil heating, 30% of that figure are homes located in Atlantic Canada, where voters typically lean Liberal.
The poll also found that 68% of Canadians believed the oil exemption to be politically motivated, instead of the government attempting to ease the cost of living for people.
Support for the carbon tax is highest in British Columbia and Quebec, however, those two provinces have provincial carbon taxes and not a federal tax.
Opposition to the tax is highest in Alberta and Saskatchewan but it also surpasses the majority threshold in Atlantic Canada as well.
The carbon tax was first implemented in 2019 with the price for carbon being scheduled to increase $15 per year until it reaches $170 per tonne in 2030.
LEVY: CUPE’s defence against antisemitism claims shows how dumb they think we are
CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn claims he did not discriminate against his Jewish members when he posted on X the day after the brutal atrocities of Oct. 7 that he was grateful for the “power of resistance around the globe.”
In his long-awaited response — some 93 pages — to a human rights complaint by more than 80 Jewish members against the long-time union boss, Hahn says he just has a “different view” than the Jewish complainants do.
Those complainants were also disturbed by Hahn’s Instagram post on Oct. 8 in which he included the chant, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.”
That chant has long been considered a call to eradicate the Jewish state.
Hahn “welcomes, supports, accommodates and celebrates” their Jewish members, the defence states, and maintains that expressing criticism of Israel as a state is “not discriminatory.”
CUPE’s response comes four months after dozens of Jewish CUPE union members signed on to a series of human rights complaints claiming antisemitism from CUPE Ontario, its president Fred Hahn and union local 3906, which oversees bargaining for teaching assistants, research assistants, sessional faculty and postdoctoral fellows at McMaster University.
Hahn issued a half-hearted apology on Oct. 21 in which he stated his social media posts became a “giant lightning rod for legitimate anger and bad faith actors with a divisive agenda.”
He indicated in the apology that, while he condemns the Hamas attack on Israel, the retribution by the Jewish state was “disproportionate.”
Even before the IDF assault on Gaza really began, Hahn called for an immediate ceasefire and expressed grave concern about the “humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.”
His anti-Israel tweets have continued unabated since then, suggesting he has doubled down.
Lawyer Kathryn Marshall, who is leading the human rights complaint, said last fall her clients are also demanding accountability from a union they say has been engaged in antisemitism for many years.
But in his response Hahn claims the union’s positions on Israel and Palestine were “developed over years through democratic processes” — resolutions brought forward, debated and voted on through a democratic process by delegates at CUPE conventions.
The response also says that CUPE is a “democratically run organization” which has other avenues to address disagreement regarding issues of social, political or academic debate.”
What the response doesn’t say, of course, is that all opposition has either been ignored or cancelled outright. It does say that Hahn has been re-elected president seven times since 2010 and posts about “many social justice issues.”
In fact, the response says the Oct. 8 tweet was not about “Palestine and Israel” or the (horrific) violence, but rather a general comment about “injustice and oppression.”
”(It) was one of the many tweets by Hahn about the power of workers, fighting for justice and resistance to or rising up against injustice and oppression,” Hahn’s response says, contending that he’d tweeted at least 36 times about the “power” of workers, resistance, and the need to “rise up” in the six months prior to Oct. 7.
As for the “River to the Sea,” CUPE’s response claims that phrase is also not antisemitic—that it is a “protest slogan with use rooted in Palestinian expressions for “liberation, freedom and equality” and in the “struggle to challenge Israel’s colonisation and military occupation.”
He insists it is not a “call for death or violence to Israelis or Jewish people.”
Not only are these claims insulting, but Hahn must think we’re all really really stupid.
Hahn’s response also maintains that expressing support for the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement against Israel is “not rooted in anti-Semitism.
”It is a non-violent movement that aims to apply international pressure for Israel to comply with international law,” the response says. “It is a non-violent protest against states.”
The response does not say against which other states CUPE also engages in BDS actions.
Hahn’s response also says calling for a “just peace” is not discriminatory.
Marshall says the defence illustrates how “deeply ingrained” anti-Semitism is in CUPE.
”It’s a disturbing, long-winded manifesto of CUPE’s discrimination towards its Jewish members,” she says.
”There is no acknowledgement of the pain and trauma they have inflicted on their members.. instead they are doubling down.”
She says they’re prepared to fight all the way.
What the response and the human rights claim also proves is how far CUPE Ontario has deviated from its real mission to ensure members are well represented in bargaining and in grievances with the employer.
Instead this has taken a back seat to social justice and fighting battles that have nothing to do with its members in Ontario.
LAWTON: Liberal bill would give MPs tens of millions in extra pensions
Last week, Dominic LeBlanc introduced an amendment to the Elections Act, potentially enabling around 80 MPs to qualify for a House of Commons pension. According to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, this delay would result in tens of millions in additional costs for taxpayers. Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta director Kris Sims joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss.
Ratio’d | GamerGate 2.0 is OUT OF CONTROL!
Gamer Gate is back and it is already out of control.
Modern video games are awful and have become unplayable because of diversity, equity and inclusion ideology taking over the industry. Gamers have started to push back on developers who are ruining their favourite titles and the reaction from the industry is hardly surprising.
According to one BBC gaming presenter, there needs to be a “final purge” of all those who don’t align with the divisive DEI ideology.
Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner!
Chinese president Xi Jinping meets with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney
Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to address trade between China and North America on Wednesday.
Jinping held talks with a number of North American business leaders in an attempt to rekindle trade ties with Western executives following years of growing tensions with the U.S. and Canada.
Chinese state media revealed that in addition to Carney, who served as Bank of Canada governor from 2008 to 2013, Stephen Schwarzman, boss of private equity firm Blackstone, and Cristiano Amon of chip manufacturer Qualcomm were among the 20 executives in attendance.
Carney went on from the Bank of Canada to become the Bank of England governor in 2013 and remained in that position until 2020 before becoming chair of Bloomberg. He is also an asset manager with Brookfield and a United Nations envoy on climate change. He is rumoured as a contender to seek the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada whenever Justin Trudeau steps down.
The meeting followed a complaint filed by Beijing to the World Trade Organisation on Tuesday accusing the United States of discriminatory practices for its electric vehicle subsidies.
While the Chinese commerce ministry didn’t provide details on what prompted the complaint, it may be linked to a new U.S. rule that came into effect Jan. 1 under U.S. President Joe Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which makes EV buyers ineligible for tax credits if critical minerals or batteries components were manufactured by China.
Foreign investment in China is currently at a 30-year low, as a result of growing tensions with the West, still China is targeting to have its economy expand by 5% this year.
According to the Telegraph, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said that “the foundation for China’s sustained economic recovery and growth is not solid enough” and that its economy continues to face “many lingering risks and hidden dangers.”
The International Monetary Fund projects annual growth in China to fall to 3.4%c by 2028.
