Mark Carney is gearing up for his coronation as leader of the Liberal Party, which means, by default, he will become Canada’s next Prime Minister despite never being elected by the Canadian public.
Canada will have an unelected leader, and a proud globalist at that.
On today’s episode of the Candice Malcolm Show, Candice is joined by Counter Signal Editor-in-Chief Keean Bexte. The two of them discuss Carney, his record, his radical ideology and the team behind – the same puppet-masters behind outgoing PM Justin Trudeau.
Candice and Keean also discuss Trump’s 51st state comments and tariffs threats, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s visit to Mar-a-Lago, and what former Prime Minister Stephen Harper gets wrong about this situation.
A Pierre Poilievre government would not shy away from using retaliatory tariffs to fight back against Donald Trump’s trade threats, said the Conservative leader.
Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney billed himself as a political outsider in a recent appearance on the U.S. late-night The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
A ranking of high-income countries revealed that Canada came second last when it came to healthcare system performance.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Clayton DeMaine!
After weeks of pressure from civil society groups and government officials, a conference promoting the idea of installing a global Islamic caliphate has been cancelled.
Hizb ut Tahrir, a group banned as a terrorist entity in the U.K., and Germany were set to host “The Khiliafah” conference to discuss “obstacles” in the way of establishing a despotic theocratic caliphate globally.
The video promoting the event glorified historical Islamic rule and domination. Other terrorist and extremist groups, such as ISIS, have similarly declared the establishment of a worldwide caliphate as their ultimate goal. Some of the speakers at the event have called on Muslims around the world to overthrow their governments and establish a caliphate.
The event was originally set to be hosted in Mississauga but changed its undisclosed location to Hamilton after Mississauga’s mayor responded to community concerns about the conference.
“Hizb ut Tahrir Canada hereby announces, with regret, the cancellation of the Khilafah Conference 2025. This decision was necessitated by circumstances that were beyond our reasonable control,” the group posted on Facebook following federal government push back.
This comes just hours after Public Safety Canada officials released a statement condemning the conference, stating that the RCMP was monitoring it and that the intelligence community was investigating whether it should be a designated terrorist group in Canada.
“Reports of the upcoming Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) conference, scheduled for January 18, 2025, in Hamilton, Ontario are deeply concerning. Hizb ut-Tahrir has a documented history of glorifying violence and promoting antisemitism and extremist ideology,” a joint statement from the minister and associate minister of Public Safety said.
“Its celebration of attacks on innocent civilians, including October 7th, and its support for banned terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah are entirely contrary to Canadian values of peace, inclusion, and respect for diversity,” it said. “We unequivocally condemn their activities and the holding of such a conference – and call on the organizers to cancel their booking.”
The statement said that all appropriate Canadian laws would be enforced, including those pertaining to hate speech.
“Our government is resolute in its efforts to fight antisemitism and extremism in all its forms. We will continue to work with law enforcement and community partners to ensure the safety and security of all Canadians.”
The conference caught the ire of both Muslim and Jewish community groups in Canada. The Global Imams Council celebrated the news that the caliphate conference was cancelled.
“We appreciate the attention given to our concerns and the responsible actions taken by the Canadian authorities,” the Global Imams Council said in a statement on X. “Our commitment remains steadfast in working with Canadian officials and relevant departments to ensure a complete ban/designation of this extremist organization.”
B’nai Brith Canada, a Jewish community group, similarly applauded the cancellation after weeks of advocacy.
“This dangerous event, organized by an extremist group banned in 13 countries, sought to undermine the very values of tolerance, inclusion, and democracy that define Canada,” B’nai Brith said. “Thanks to swift and decisive action, the voices of hate and division will not find a platform here.”
According to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, its petition to call on Public Safety Canada to stop the pro-terrorist group from propagating its “dangerous agenda” garnered over 13,000 signatures. It said the event cancellation was “important progress” towards keeping Canadians safe, and it continues to push Canada to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir as an illegal terrorist organization.
Goldie Ghamari, an Iranian refugee and Independent Ontario MPP, said more should be done, too, calling for those involved to be deported.
“People who think secular countries like Canada should be turned into an Islamic Caliphate have no place in our society and should be deported, full stop,” she said on X. “Islamofascists are dangerous. Kick them out.”
The group shared itsvision for how its theocratic dictatorship would be organized, showing the head of state, or “Khaleefah,” would have ultimate authority and rule through Sharia.
Salman Sima, a Muslim and refugee from Iran, warned Canadians that Sharia, which means law in Arabic, would mean women must be covered and cannot leave their homes without permission from their male “guardians,” as well as the death penalty for LGBT+ people.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will convene a cabinet retreat in Quebec on the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration as United States president.
A Tuesday press release highlighted that the Jan. 20 retreat aims to address Trump’s tariff threats while strengthening Canada’s relationship with the U.S. by highlighting the mutually beneficial trade and security relationship between the two countries.
“Our government is unwaveringly focused on protecting and defending Canadian interests,” said Trudeau. “With the threat of tariffs from the incoming United States administration, Team Canada will use expanded capabilities to strengthen Canada’s relationship with the U.S., protect Canadian investment and jobs, and make unequivocally clear the mutually beneficial relationship our two countries share.”
The release also highlighted that Canada will build on its relationship with the U.S. by bolstering cross-border trade, reinforcing supply chains, and creating jobs on both sides of the border.
The Liberals’ $1.3 billion border security plan in response to the tariffs was also highlighted in the release.
Despite the Liberals’ recent plan, some provinces determined it wasn’t enough after demanding improved border security from the feds.
Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta each previously unveiled border plans to strengthen their provincial borders shared with the U.S. Saskatchewan made a similar announcement on Tuesday.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith previously suggested leveraging Canada’s energy to avoid the tariff threats. Ontario Premier Doug Ford similarly announced a plan to supercharge Canadian energy exports to the United States with hopes of avoiding tariffs or annexation.
The cabinet retreat will be held in Quebec. It is unclear whether Trudeau will find time to attend Trump’s inauguration or whether he was invited to begin with.
True North reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office to ask whether Trudeau received an invitation but received no reply.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he will not be attending the inauguration.
True North previously reported that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith would be attending the Trump inauguration in person, after Alberta’s representative office in Washington, D.C., was given tickets so that she could attend in person.
Canada’s premiers are meeting in Washington, D.C. in February to discuss how his tariffs are impacting Canadians.
Presumptive Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney may soon be Canada’s next prime minister, but he has previously chosen to highlight his European identity and citizenship.
In a 2023 World Economic Forum panel discussion talking on the transition to a “green economy,” Carney identified himself as a European before talking about how the European Union and United States could dependably transition to a net-zero economy.
“As a European, I am a European actually. Yeah, an Irish citizen. Speaking as a European…” said Carney.
"Speaking as a European, I'd like to say the following…"
When Mark Carney is palling around with his WEF chums, he doesn't even identify as Canadian. pic.twitter.com/qra4ODXv6I
Carney talked about how the United States and European Union are reshoring their trade with countries who are politically and economically aligned, throwing Canada in as an honorary mention at the end of his answer.
“It is a real issue in determining how we build resilience across friends after all, and I would say that certainly the EU and the United States are friends. As are the Canadians, I’ll throw the Canadians in, I’m also Canadian,” said Carney.
While Carney is a native-born Canadian, the former central banker obtained Irish citizenship in his youth and became a British citizen in 2018 during his time as the governor of the Bank of England.
Carney spent just under seven years in London in that role and was later appointed by then-U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson as a finance advisor, working on the COP26 conference that Britain hosted in November 2021.
True North reached out to Carney for comment but did not receive a response.
In the past few decades, Canadian politicians seeking the premiership have received significant criticism for holding dual citizenship with another country.
During the 2011 general election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives attacked Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff for holding dual citizenship with the United States, publishing attack ads depicting Ignatieff calling himself an American.
The attacks against Ignatieff – an academic and author who had worked in the United States – worked to great effect, as the Conservatives managed to win a majority government and reduce the Liberals to only 34 seats and the third place party in the House of Commons.
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer also faced significant scrutiny from critics for holding dual citizenship with the United States.
During the 2019 election campaign, Scheer was forced to promise to renounce his American citizenship, though he ultimately decided against doing so after failing to become prime minister.
Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie is calling Premier Doug Ford out for keeping a statue of Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, covered and out of public sight for five years.
Crombie shared a clip from her recent appearance on Toronto Today’s 640 Radio, where she said covering the statue outside of Queen’s Park for so long makes Ontario look “weak.”
“Outside Queen’s Park, there’s a statue of our very first prime minister, John A. Macdonald, the founder of our country. but you wouldn’t know that because Doug Ford put a box around him five years ago,” Crombie said on the radio show.
The province boarded up the statue with wood panels to protect it in the wake of several vandalism incidents targeting the statue following the accusation that Macdonald was instrumental in the establishment of Canada’s residential school system. The wooden box remains over the statue today.
“Now that’s crazy. we have to confront our history and not hide from it. We have to show them how strong we are, to show our pride, our pride and our past,” Crombie said. “Now. Look, our past isn’t perfect, but we have to confront it, not put a box around it. It looks weak, and we are not weak.”
We have to confront our history, not hide it. We have to show how strong we are. https://t.co/g8XeW5EaZd
In addition to the several vandalism incidents, activists laid dozens of small shoes at the foot of the statue to protest supposed discoveries of unmarked graves at various residential schools in Canada.
Despite allegations of genocide, not a single unaccounted-for body was found at the supposed “unmarked grave sites” to date.
Although not the originator of residential schooling, Macdonald’s government initiated large-scale government funding into a government-supported system in 1883, citing a desire to educate a largely illiterate Indigenous population and to integrate First Nations people into Canadian society.
In recent years, Macdonald’s connection with the schools has made his legacy a popular target for far-left activists.
Macdonald’s government also extended voting rights to Indigenous people in 1885, provided they met the exact requirements of living in and owning property in Canada as non-Indigenous voters.
Several statues of Canada’s first prime minister have been vandalized since 2020.
At least five statues of the father of Confederation were vandalized in 2020 alone. Protesters toppled his statue in Montreal and wrote expletives about Macdonald in black inc his statue in Regina, Saskatchewan.
Other “Land Back” activists vandalized a statue in Hamilton red to represent the blood of Indigenous people as a result of colonialism. While others in Baden, Ontario and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island were similarly painted red in the same year.
Crombie’s criticism of Ford’s inaction at removing the shelter built around Macdonald’s statue at Queen’s Park comes a day after Ford suggested an early election. Ford said he would need to secure a strong mandate from Ontarians for measures economic measures in response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs.
Ford’s statements were the closest he’s come to confirming rumours that Ontario could face an early election.
This also comes as a recent poll by Liason Strategies found that Crombie’s Liberals are trailing ten points behind Ford’s PCs in recent polls.
The poll surveyed 1,202 Ontario voters on Jan. 8-9, 2025. The pollsters reported a margin of error no greater or lesser than 2.82% 19 times out of 20.
According to the poll, Ontario’s PCs have 40% support to the Ontario Liberal’s 30%.
A comedian’s 12-year court battle to defend a controversial joke has ended following the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision to dismiss an application to have a previous decision overturned.
Sylvie Gabriel, the mother of popular Quebec singer Jérémy Gabriel, attempted to obtain compensation from Quebec comedian Mike Ward over a joke he made about her son over a decade ago.
However, her application to overturn an unfavourable decision was dismissed on Thursday.
Ward’s jokes at Jérémy expense was nested within a larger premise that there were certain public figures in Quebec that were “untouchable” to ridicule. Ward’s bit also cited the likes of Céline Dion, actor Guy Lepage and other celebrities.
In referencing people who would criticize Jérémy’s vocal talents as a singer, Ward quipped, “He’s living his dream! He’s dying and he’s living his dream. Let him live his dream! He’s been dreaming since he was little to sing off-key in front of the Pope.”
Making light of the children’s Make-a-Wish program, dedicated to providing terminally ill children with a dying wish, Ward joked that he had mistakenly assumed that was the impetus for his successful career as a singer.
“I defended him, non-stop. But now it’s been five years and . . . f–k! He’s not dead yet! And he’s impossible to kill, too! I saw him last summer at the waterslides. I tried to drown him. Impossible! So I went on the internet to check what his disease really is. And do you know what he has? He’s f–king ugly!”
Ward has since said in interviews that he wouldn’t make the same joke now because people’s sensibilities have changed.
However, it was certainly acceptable at the time, with the Untouchables bit being featured in an hour-long show entitled Mike Ward s’eXpose which he performed around 230 times between 2010 and 2013.
There was also a taping of it sold on DVD which sported a cover photo of Ward with a red X over his mouth.
The comedy special can still be viewed on Amazon Prime.
Gabriel’s application had previously been upheld by the Court of Appeal.
Gabriel and her son initially launched the lawsuit after Ward made light of Jérémy’s disability in comedy taping that aired from 2010 to 2013.
Jérémy was a teenager at the time but already a well known public figure in Quebec.
He suffers from Treacher Collins syndrome, a physical disease from birth which causes deformities of the face and skull.
While the Supreme Court did not provide reasons for its dismissal, a regular practice for such requests, it did address the issue of lapsed time in Gabriel’s filing regarding the defamation and harassment suit.
Sylvie was claiming $84,600 from Ward on the basis that the joke made at Jérémy’s expense caused her significant harm.
However, the Supreme Court did not find Ward’s comments met the threshold of discrimination invoked by the plaintiffs.
At the time of the comedian’s joke, Jérémy was already a well-known public figure, known for his singing.
He sang alongside Céline Dion and presented a show at the Vatican for the Pope.
The Supreme Court previously intervened in this case, ruling in Ward’s favour in 2021 after overturning the initial decision that would force the comedian to pay out $35,000 to the Gabriel family.
It was a tight decision, with the judges arriving at their verdict in a 5-4 split.
The ruling stated that the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal did not have jurisdiction to rule on Gabriel’s discrimination complaint due to it being a defamation case.
The legal battle first began in 2012, when the complaint was brought before the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse for discrimination, where it was successful.
The Quebec Human Rights Tribunal later ordered Ward to pay Jérémy Gabriel $35,000 in 2016 as well as an additional $7,000 to his mother in moral and punitive damages.
The Court of Appeal upheld the tribunal’s ruling, endorsing the $35,000 payment to Jérémy but denied that damages would be paid to his mother.
The case would then go on to the Supreme Court. However, it ultimately concluded that the Gabriels’ decision to file their case with the Human Rights Tribunal was in error as should it have been filed as defamation rather than discrimination.
Pickering city councillor Lisa Robinson has been suspended without pay for a third time now and is also facing the prospect of losing her council allowance because of her work on council and her comments. Before the end of the year, Pickering mayor Kevin Ashe put out a bizarre video in which he warns the city about the dangers posed by councillor Lisa Robinson after random social media users left mean social media comments on city council posts and for Robinson’s appearance on right wing podcasts. All of this is happening because of what Robinson has said but was any of it actually that bad?
This is one of the most bizarre stories happening right now in Ontario. Do city councillors have a right to speak to media and make their own social media posts? Are they responsible for social media comments left by other users? Can mayors subvert the democratic process and kick councillors out of a job?
Robinson joins Harrison Faulkner on the latest episode of The Faulkner Show to discuss.
Today on the Rachel Parker Show, Rachel is joined by Coutts trio member Alex Van Herk, who is speaking out after his friends were jailed for their role in the Coutts border blockade.
Marco Van Huigenbos was sentenced to four months in jail on Friday. George Janzen received a three-month conditional sentence, which is to be served in the community.
Van Herk explains why he was not yet sentenced and discusses the lasting impact of the freedom movement.
The self-professed most pro-American prime minister in Canada’s history, Stephen Harper, has criticized some of the recent statements made by President-elect Donald Trump. Harper also placed part of the blame for strained relations between the neighbouring countries on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In a recent interview with Gabe Groisman, Harper rebuked some of Trump’s statements.
“I must admit to being shocked by some of the things he said… I have a real problem with some of the things Donald Trump is saying,” said Harper. “Doesn’t sound to me like the pronouncements of somebody who’s a friend, a partner, and an ally — which is what I’ve always thought the United States is for our country.”
However, some of Trump’s concerns hold weight, according to Harper. He said that the southern border is “an enormous problem.”
While Harper described President Joe Biden as a personal friend, he criticized his administration’s “disgraceful” open border policies.
“It was a violation of his fundamental duties to the country,” said Harper.
Nonetheless, Harper said that the migrant flow from Canada to the United States is minor when compared to Mexico and that drugs, crime, and guns are flowing into Canada from the U.S. more than the other direction.
Former PM Stephen Harper rejects Trump's "51st state" threats, emphasizing Canada's partnership: “Drugs, guns, crime; most of those things flow North not South a lot more.” pic.twitter.com/uj9NFSxM6n
Harper said that Trump’s claims that the United States is subsidizing Canada, one of the reasons for his proposed tariffs, is actually the opposite when it comes to oil and gas. Canada sells oil and gas to the United States at a discounted price.
He seemed to align with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who recently proposed that Canada leverage its energy muscle to avoid the imminent tariffs.
The threats might have something to do with the animosity between Trudeau and Trump.
“Mr. Trudeau’s conduct with Mr. Trump on numerous occasions when they were in office together was not professional. And I can understand why there’s some animosity,” said Harper.
He added that he believes that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will be the prime minister by early May.
Harper said that Trudeau has gone out of his way to shut down Canada’s resource sectors like mining and energy – a policy Poilievre will reverse. The former prime minister added that Poilievre will also reverse Trudeau’s overbearing tax regime.
Trudeau’s government, which initially presented itself as centrist, shifted quickly to the far-left, and despite saying they’d only spend a little bit more and tax the rich slightly, they spent a lot more money and taxed Canadians a lot more, according to Harper.
He added that the strong economic position he left the country in has been “obliterated.”
Harper said that Trudeau’s and the Liberal Party of Canada’s downfall was due to poor results across the board: the economy faltering, anti-Canadian culture, and Canadian public services not functioning properly.
He added that for the Liberals to win an election following their leadership race would require a “miracle,” which he once again compared to the Biden administration, deeming this the “Kamala Harris problem.”
“This leader has to fight a leadership race. In the leadership race, (they) will have to come out saying how much they believe in the Liberal Party and the Liberal Party’s record and then almost immediately go into an election, where nobody wants that record to continue,” said Harper.
He added that he’s known Poilievre since he was a teenager and that even he was surprised by his newfound capacity to capture an audience. Harper said that Poilievre is more of a traditional conservative politician than Trump.
Former PM Stephen Harper hails Pierre Poilievre as a game-changer in Canadian politics who bypasses the biased legacy media by connecting directly with Canadians. pic.twitter.com/tMZbNhm87d
Harper said that Trudeau won three elections because he had a media conglomerate behind him that erased his every error while promoting his assets and misrepresenting his opposition.
“Just literally propaganda. That’s what he’s relied on,” said Harper. “That’s not going to be good enough anymore that those voices have lost their control of the public opinion landscape in Canada.”
The Faulkner Show | City Councillor suspended WITHOUT PAY for being conservative
Pickering city councillor Lisa Robinson has been suspended without pay for a third time now and is also facing the prospect of losing her council allowance because of her work on council and her comments. Before the end of the year, Pickering mayor Kevin Ashe put out a bizarre video in which he warns the city about the dangers posed by councillor Lisa Robinson after random social media users left mean social media comments on city council posts and for Robinson’s appearance on right wing podcasts. All of this is happening because of what Robinson has said but was any of it actually that bad?
This is one of the most bizarre stories happening right now in Ontario. Do city councillors have a right to speak to media and make their own social media posts? Are they responsible for social media comments left by other users? Can mayors subvert the democratic process and kick councillors out of a job?
Robinson joins Harrison Faulkner on the latest episode of The Faulkner Show to discuss.