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Sunday, October 5, 2025

Civil liberties group demands gov amends Bill C-63 to uphold rights

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has called for significant amendments to the Liberal government’s Online Harms Act, Bill C-63.

Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, Executive Director and General Counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, announced that the bill needs to be examined in greater detail.

“Our initial assessment reveals that the bill includes overbroad violations of expressive freedom, privacy, protest rights, and liberty. These must be rectified before the bill is passed into law,” said Mendelsohn Aviv. 

Despite the CCLA’s aversion to the bill’s current state, the association said it endorses the declared purposes of upholding public safety, protecting children, and supporting marginalized communities.

The Liberal government’s Online Harms Act, unveiled by Justice Minister Arif Virani, targets a range of harmful content, including materials that incite violent extremism, promote violence, or promote hatred. 

The proposed bill seeks to modify the Criminal Code to strengthen the prosecution of hate crimes, introducing penalties that could extend to life imprisonment for certain crimes.

The Liberals also plan to establish a new organization to enforce rules surrounding harmful online content. This body, comprising the Digital Safety Commission, the Digital Safety Ombudsperson, and the Digital Safety Office, will work to ensure compliance with regulations and can order online platforms to take down content. 

The CCLA said that a troubling aspect of Bill C-63 is the authority granted to the body, allowing government appointees to interpret the law, make up new rules, enforce them, and then serve as judge, jury, and executioner. 

“Granting such sweeping powers to one body undermines the fundamental principle of democratic accountability,” said Mendelsohn Aviv.

Another troubling aspect raised by the CCLA is the bill’s provisions, including warrantless electronic data searches. The association said that these provisions pose significant threats to privacy rights.

“The bill provides for unacceptable intrusions into individuals’ digital lives,” said Mendelsohn Aviv.

In anticipation of the bill’s release, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he would oppose the law, criticizing it as a means for the government to legislate censorship and infringe on Canadians’ free speech.

“We will oppose Justin Trudeau’s latest attack on freedom of expression,” Poilievre responded to a question that True North’s Andrew Lawton asked last week.

The group warned that the sweeping nature of Bill C-63 risks censoring a broad spectrum of expression, from journalistic reporting to healthy conversations among youth under 18 about their own sexuality and relationships. The expansive restrictions on speech within the bill threaten public discourse and will criminalize political activism, warned the CCLA.

The Liberal government’s plan to curb the spread of what it terms “online hate” includes hefty fines of up to $70K for online speech and stringent punishments, including up to life imprisonment for hate crimes.

The draconian penalties of life imprisonment for a very broad and vaguely defined offence of “incitement to genocide” and five years of jail time for other broadly defined speech acts are imposed by the bill, said the CCLA.

“This not only chills free speech but also undermines the principles of proportionality and fairness in our legal system,” said Mendelsohn Aviv.

The new offence — “offence motivated by hatred”—risks misuse or overuse by police and unfairness to accused persons in court, warned the CCLA.

Amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act will let anybody file complaints against persons posting so-called hate speech with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. 

In 2014, a similar provision under the Act dealing with online hate messages was repealed by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper after it was found to have violated Canadians’ freedom of expression rights. 

“The new provision has the potential to censor strong opposition to political authorities. It limits debate and dissent on contentious issues, and historically has not adequately protected the most marginalized groups,” said Mendelsohn Aviv.

She added that an influx of complaints from this provision could strain the Canadian Human Rights Commission further, leading to increased backlogs and limiting access to justice for individuals facing discrimination in employment, services, and other contexts.

“We urge the parliament to amend Bill C-63 to ensure that any legislation aimed at curbing online harms upholds the fundamental principles guaranteed by our Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” said the CCLA.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the legislation will be robustly debated in the House of Commons. 

Alberta moves to protect farmland from renewable energy development

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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Alberta has announced comprehensive new regulations to govern renewable energy development, effectively barring projects from prime agricultural land and instituting no-build zones around key natural landscapes. 

Premier Danielle Smith and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf unveiled the changes, ending a near seven-month moratorium on renewable energy project approvals.

The renewable industry says it was not consulted prior to the pause, according to the Globe and Mail. The industry raised concerns that unprecedented government intervention into the multi-billion-dollar sector would create severe uncertainty and stifle investment.

Alberta municipalities and landowners have been raising concerns about the rapid growth of renewable energy projects, said the provincial government. Investors were also seeking clarification on rules for project development, which led to Alberta’s government introducing a short pause on final approvals for large renewable energy projects so that the Alberta Utilities Commission could conduct an inquiry and issue a report. 

The inquiry was split into two groups by the Alberta Utilities Commission, aiming to comprehensively address land use, reclamation, and how renewable power integrates with Alberta’s grid, among other issues. The pause on final approvals will lift on Thursday.

“Alberta has led the country in renewable energy investment, and we will continue to lead the country. At the same time, we must grow our renewable energy industry in well-defined and responsible ways,” said Smith.

Under the new rules, renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, and other forms, will not be permitted on private lands with high irrigation capabilities. Exceptions are possible but require proof that agricultural operations can coexist with energy generation.

Neudorf sent a letter to the Alberta Utilities Commission to provide policy guidance based on the first report it submitted to the government. Following the review of the second report, Neudorf will send a letter to the commission with additional policy direction.

“We are committed to continue listening to Albertans on this issue as we set a clear and responsible path forward for energy development,” said Neudorf.

A significant aspect of the new policy is the establishment of buffer zones, extending a minimum of 35 kilometres from protected areas and pristine viewscapes, to safeguard Alberta’s renowned landscapes from the visual impact of wind turbines and other renewable infrastructures.

The Alberta Utilities Commission has been tasked with enforcing these rules, including managing reclamation responsibilities. Developers will now need to secure bonds or negotiate cleanup costs directly with landowners, ensuring the land’s return to its original state post-project.

Corporate power deals in Alberta have supported nearly $4.7 billion in new capital investment since 2019. The vast majority of these deals have been in rural parts of the province, where they have provided about $28 million in revenues to municipalities.

Local municipalities gain new rights under the regulations, such as participating in Alberta Utilities Commission hearings, a move that Vulcan County Reeve Jason Schneider applauded. 

“We believe this announcement is a very balanced and thoughtful approach to long-term sustainable renewable development in Alberta,” said Schneider.

The policy changes come after an extensive consultation led by the Alberta Utilities Commission, which sought feedback from developers, landowners, and other stakeholders. The aim was to address the growing concerns about the impact of rapid renewable energy expansion on agricultural land and local communities.

Despite the new restrictions, Alberta’s commitment to renewable energy remains strong, with the government ensuring that the sector continues to play a vital role in the province’s energy mix. 

“An ‘agriculture first’ approach supports the rural economy and conserves grasslands, preventing the release of the several million tonnes of stored carbon and allowing wildlife, including species at risk, to thrive. These changes will bring security to landowners and rural communities,” said Brodie Haugan, chair of Alberta Beef Producers.

Minister Neudorf’s letter to the Alberta Utilities Commission on Wednesday explained that Alberta continues to see 3,300 megawatts of wind and solar projects under construction, 2,760 megawatts with Alberta Utilities Commission approvals, and about 22,900 megawatts of additional announced wind and solar projects. 

“Alberta recognizes that renewables will continue to be an important part of the generation mix. We continue to welcome further investment into the sector and look forward to maintaining investor confidence in Alberta as an investment destination,” wrote Neudorf in his letter.

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar have been cited as being increasingly unreliable.

True North previously reported that despite Alberta’s 44 wind farms, there have been times when they only produced 0.3% of their total capacity. The combined output of wind and solar has been below 0.2% of maximum capacity on numerous occasions.

Another Pakistani flight attendant disappears after landing in Canada

By
Quinn Patrick
-

A second Pakistani flight attendant working for the country’s national airline has gone missing after landing in Mississauga. This  follows a similar incident that occurred last month. 

Flight attendant Maryam Raza with Pakistan International Airlines had been aboard Flight PK 782, which had flown from Islamabad International Airport to Pearson International Airport, according to Insauga.com.

She was reported missing after she didn’t show up for the scheduled return flight from Pearson back to Karachi. 

A note was discovered in her hotel room which read “Shukria PIA,” in Urdu, which translates to, “Thank you, PIA.” 

Her disappearance marks the second of its kind, following the disappearance of a PIA flight attendant on Jan. 19, 2024. 

Two other PIA flight attendants were reported missing in December after arriving at Pearson from Lahore, Pakistan.

Authorities also know of at least five other disappearances of a similar nature who worked for PIA in 2023 after landing at Pearson.

Certain reports suggest that the disappearances may be connected to flight crews having low salaries and the airline’s plan to become privatized.

The airline denies these claims, and instead blames the Trudeau government for its lax asylum policies. 

However, PIA did raise the minimum wage for flight crews travelling to Canada recently. 

Abdullah Hafeez Khan, a spokesperson for PIA told The Media Line that the airline has created a task force to investigate these disappearances. 

Khan said that if found, the missing flight attendants will face “strict departmental action” and “serious legal action,” should they return to Pakistan.

Similar incidents have been reported by PIA in Paris and other parts of Europe over the past several years, beginning as early as 2018. 

Feds deny Alberta’s request to track “safe-supply” drugs being sold on streets

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The Trudeau government has rejected Alberta’s proposal to add a “unique chemical identifier” to pharmaceuticals offered to users under safe-supply programs so that authorities could track its street sales.

Federal Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya’ara Saks said that while she shares the province’s concerns regarding substance diversion, she thinks adding a chemical identifier presents its own issues of impracticality. 

Since the government began collecting data on the problem in 2016, over 40,000 people have died as a result of Canada’s opioid crisis, with the majority of the recorded deaths last year involving fentanyl. 

British Columbia became the first province to offer drug users a supply of pharmaceutical alternatives in what is now known as “safe supply” programs.

However critics, including some addiction specialists, argue that the federal government should not be supporting these kinds of programs. 

The federal government began funding the distribution of hard drugs in Ontario and New Brunswick during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, citing supply chain issues for drugs due to pandemic restrictions. 

Now critics are warning that users are only participating in programs to acquire drugs that they themselves can sell on the street for stronger alternatives. 

B.C.’s provincial health officer Bonnie Henry called the practice a “common occurrence” in her recent review of the province’s program, saying that diversion poses a threat to those not already using drugs. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has refused to set up such programs, instead offering Albertans more recovery-based options as opioid-related overdoses continue to increase in the province.  

Mental Health and Addictions Minister for the province Dan Williams asked federal Health Minister Mark Holland for “hard evidence” that safe supply programs were having a positive impact earlier this month.

Williams argued that adding a “unique chemical identifier that would allow testing of the drug’s origin” should be required of drugs prescribed under safe-supply programs.

Therefore, authorities would be able to track when safe-supply drugs were being diverted and to where. 

However, Saks doubts if that method would be of use in practice. 

“It is unclear how this would work in practice, given these drugs are not manufactured specifically for these programs and are also used for other medical purposes such as pain management,” wrote Saks in response to William’s request.   

“I have asked my officials to reach out to yours to discuss some of the potential practical issues with this proposition.” 

Saks believes that there are “misconceptions and misinformation” surrounding the safe-supply policy. 

“The idea that these programs are simply handing out drugs to anyone is false,” wrote Saks. 

Williams accused the Trudeau government of not taking the concerns of Albertans seriously in a statement released Tuesday.  

Several physicians wrote a letter to Saks after she said that the concerns of safe-supply programs were rooted in fear and stigma in an interview with the Canadian Press.

“Please do not use stigma and fear to justify the harms caused by diverted safer supply medications,” wrote several physicians in a joint letter to Saks, according to City News. 

“Street drugs should not be provided by government-funded programs. Funding of harm reduction programs needs to be contingent upon safe practices,” reads the letter.

The Alberta Roundup | Petition to recall Gondek continues to gain momentum

By
Rachel Parker
-

The formal petition to recall Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek under Alberta’s recall legislation continues to pick up steam. Initiated by local HVAC company owner Landon Johnston, the petition reflects growing dissatisfaction with Mayor Gondek’s leadership.

However, despite the increasing number of  Calgarians signing the petition, organizers say there are a number of roadblocks ahead that make their quest nearly impossible.

Johnston joined Rachel Emmanuel to discuss why he started the petition and gives an update on how the campaign is going.

Tune into The Alberta Roundup!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ALBERTA ROUNDUP

Former CRTC Chair sounds alarm on government’s attempt to protect children from online porn

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Canada’s latest attempts to regulate the internet under the guise of “protecting children” from online pornography through various pieces of legislation has sparked the ire of former Canadian Radio-Television Commission vice-chair Peter Menzies.

On Monday, the Trudeau government tabled the Online Harms Act, Bill C-63, which is aimed at curbing the spread of it terms “online hate” and attempts to crack down on content that victimizes children. The bill also includes $70,000 in fines for so-called “hate speech” and even life imprisonment for hate crimes. 

In addition to C-63 being tabled, Senator Julie Miville-Dechene’s private member’s Bill S-210, also known as an Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material, has been making its way through Parliament and is currently in second reading in the House of Commons. The Trudeau government does not support S-210, and believes it addressed the bill’s concerns through its Online Harms Act. 

In an op-ed written in The Hub, Menzies agrees with prohibiting children’s access to online pornography, but argues that S-210 is “so clumsily constructed as to pose significant threats to privacy and free expression.”

Citing the internet advocacy group Openmedia, Menzies says S-210 could result in Canadians having to obtain government-issued IDs to access most internet services.

The former CRTC vice-chair also took aim at Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives for supporting S-210.

While Poilievre opposes the government’s Online Harms Act, which he describes as “banning opinions that contradict the Prime Minister’s radical ideology,” the Conservative leader has publicly voiced his support for S-210. 

“If the Conservatives genuinely want to give us back control of our lives and make us the freest people on earth, they could start by stepping back from their recent alliance with Big Government solutions and instead find ways to help individuals take control of their lives by managing what comes into their homes,” wrote Menzies.

Menzies provided advice for the Conservatives, providing an alternate solution to protecting children online.

“Leave legal content on the internet alone. By all means, ensure the Criminal Code is enforced, but do not, under any circumstances, put some puffed-up public servant in charge of patrolling the online world. The state has no business in the WiFi of the nation,” Menzies wrote.

“Second, empower parents and families with the equipment they need to control their household’s internet access as they see fit and work with the people who really understand technology to do so.”

Menzies argues that instead of further regulation of the internet, simpler solutions can be implemented to address children’s online safety.

The former CRTC vice-chair suggested a policy in which families were given the option to be alerted when devices connected to their account accessed an adults-only website. 

“Sites of that nature could be, by regulation, watermarked in the same fashion as those embedded to identify images created by generative AI. Would that not serve the same purpose [as S-210?]” asked Menzies.Menzies has been a vocal critic of the Trudeau government’s attempt to regulate the internet. He has previously described the government’s Bill C-10, which expanded the mandate of the CRTC and granted powers to meddle in internet searches, as a “national embarrassment.”

“Thank goodness” unvaccinated Canadians were marginalized, said Liberal MP

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux praised his government for marginalizing millions of unvaccinated Canadians at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic because they were “far-right” in the House of Commons. 

While speaking on an opposition motion regarding the ArriveCAN application fiasco on Tuesday, Lamoureux – who is also the Parliamentary Secretary to the Government House Leader – said, “Thank goodness” that unvaccinated Canadians were prevented from accessing basic services and leaving the country.

Lamoureux made the statement in response to a question by Conservative MP Colin Carrie. 

“We look back to arrive scam and how it started in 2021 during the election, and we see it was used to say to Canadians that unvaccinated Canadians were a danger to vaccinated Canadians. It was the demonization of millions of Canadians,” said Carrie. 

“The MAGA Conservative far right is coming out. These are the ones who still deny the pandemic. At the end of the day, thank goodness Canadians and the majority of the people in the House saw the value of protecting the health and well-being of Canadians and that the far right was marginalized back then,” responded Lamoureux. 

Lamoureux’s comments echoed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who stated in a 2021 interview that unvaccinated Canadians were “extremists” and other derogatory terms. 

“They are extremists who don’t believe in science, they’re often misogynists, also often racists. It’s a small group that muscles in, and we have to make a choice in terms of leaders, in terms of the country. Do we tolerate these people?” said Trudeau. 

At the height of the pandemic, over six million Canadians were unvaccinated. 

In Canada, stringent regulations were enforced regarding federally regulated train and plane travel, mandating proof of vaccination for all passengers, effectively restricting the unvaccinated from leaving the country or travelling. 

Simultaneously, the employment landscape witnessed a wave of terminations as unvaccinated workers faced dismissal for non-compliance with vaccine mandates. Across various sectors, employees who refused vaccination found themselves at odds with workplace policies prioritizing public safety. 

Furthermore, the implementation of vaccine passport systems became a prominent strategy adopted by several Canadian provinces to separate vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.  These systems granted privileges exclusively to those who could provide proof of vaccination, allowing access to amenities such as gyms, restaurants, and events, effectively excluding millions from ordinary activities.

The Daily Brief | Telecom giants cashing in on surge of new immigrants

By
Lindsay Shepherd
-

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has voiced strong opposition to the Liberal government’s proposed Online Harms Act, asserting that robust criminal laws are the key to protecting children rather than censoring opinions.

Plus, a new study reveals that the government’s incoming pharmacare legislation could jeopardize the insurance coverage of 21.5 million Canadians.

And the Liberal government’s record immigration targets might not benefit people trying to buy their first home but Canada’s top telecommunications companies are raking in the dough due to the influx of new subscribers.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF

RCMP launches probe into ArriveCan following Conservative outcry

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-

The RCMP has confirmed it is investigating the controversial ArriveCan app. 

While speaking during a meeting of the committee on access to information, privacy, and ethics, Conservative MP Michael Barrett questioned two officials of the RCMP.

Staff Sergeant Fréderic Pincince told Barrett that the RCMP was reviewing the Auditor General’s report and would take action as required.

Despite the two officers’ reluctance to comment on an ongoing investigation, the RCMP’s Commissioner, Michael Duheme, confirmed during the meeting that the RCMP had an ongoing investigation into the ArriveCan scandal.

This comes after the Conservative Party has advocated for an investigation to be opened. 

“Therefore be it resolved that common sense Conservatives call for a complete and thorough investigation to understand how millions were wasted, hold the guilty parties responsible, and scrap this disastrous app once and for all,” wrote the party.

Following the commissioner’s confirmation of the investigation during the committee meeting, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre shared a letter that he received from Duheme. 

“The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is assessing all available information, including the Auditor General’s performance audit report, and will take appropriate action,” read the letter. 

The RCMP’s letter to Poilievre came in response to a letter he sent them a week prior concerning the Auditor General’s report. 

Poilievre’s letter highlighted egregious mishandling and potential corruption in the app’s development, which ballooned from a budget of $80,000 to nearly $60 million — 750 times over budget.

The Conservative leader’s letter came two days after Auditor General Karen Hogan released a report showing that ArriveCan cost Canadian taxpayers an estimated $59.5 million. Hogan said the final bill could be much higher due to the government’s poor record-keeping.

“In this audit, we found disappointing failures and omissions everywhere we looked,” said Hogan. “I believe that this audit of ArriveCan shows a glaring disregard for basic management practices.”

A previous investigation by the Procurement Ombudsman revealed that 76% of subcontractors that were part of the winning bid did no work on the contract.

Originally designed to curb the spread of COVID-19, the ArriveCan app mandated travellers to submit personal and vaccination details before entering Canada.

Of all the contractors that worked on ArriveCan, GC Strategies had the biggest price tag at $19.1 million.

GC Strategies has won approximately 140 federal government contracts totalling $258 million since Trudeau took office in 2015.

The company has four employees and operates out of a suburban basement. 

A press release issued by the Conservative Party said that the ArriveCan scandal is just the tip of the iceberg.

“In 2022, third-party consultants like GC Strategies, were awarded $17.7 billion in contracts, while ordinary Canadians are struggling to pay for groceries or heat their homes.”

Another breaking story was released on Tuesday by La Presse. The news organization showed that another two-person firm was paid millions to do no IT work on the ArriveCan app. The firm, Dalian Enterprises, received $7.9 million from Ottawa for the development of ArriveCan.

The Globe and Mail calculated that the firm received $95.5 million from Ottawa between 2016 and 2023. 

The firm opened two companies in tax havens known to promote the camouflage of money transfers and tax evasions, though any such money sheltering has yet to be proven.

Time will tell what the RCMP investigation reveals.

GC Strategies seems to have deactivated its website, and the two partners, Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony have seemingly deactivated their emails. 

Taxpayers foot $14B bill for high-earning federal workers

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-
Source

Over 110,000 federal employees received a six-figure base salary in 2023, according to records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

The records show that the number of employees in the federal public service is 356,096. Of those employees, 110,593 have an annual salary of $100,000 or more.

The estimated payroll of the 110,593 employees alone has a price tag of $13,902,954,944. The price tag of approximately $14 billion doesn’t include the other nearly 240,000 employees.

According to the CTF, the figure of nearly $14 billion is likely a conservative estimate, as retroactive pay raises for 2023 have yet to take effect.

The 110,593 federal employees that took home a six-figure salary is a 7.6% increase from 2022 when 102,761 federal bureaucrats received a six-figure salary. 

The records only show a base salary and do not include costs of benefits paid out to bureaucrats.

Compared to the 43,424 federal employees who took home a six-figure salary in 2015, the number in 2023 is a 154% increase. 

True North previously reported that the number of employees receiving six-figure salaries increased by 45,426 during the pandemic. However, 312,825 government employees received a pay raise during the pandemic. 

True North also previously reported that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hired nearly 100,000 new employees to the federal public service since being elected.

The federal workforce has swelled by around 40%, paralleled by a 68% surge in federal payroll.

The federal government has no records of its employees ever receiving a pay cut, according to the think tank Secondstreet.

Meanwhile, the taxpayer burden for federal salaries soared to a record high of $67.4 billion in 2023, as the Parliamentary Budget Office reported.

“I have noticed a marked increase in the number of public servants since 2016 and a proportional increase in spending… but we haven’t seen similar improvements when it comes to service,” said Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux.

However, a report from the PBO shows that the increase in six-figure salaries for federal employees follows years of underwhelming performance results.

“Less than 50% of [performance] targets are consistently met within the same year,” according to the 2023 report.

While the CTF obtained the records through an access-to-information request, the taxpayer advocates have previously called on the federal government to release an annual sunshine list — disclosing the number of employees receiving a six-figure salary.

Aside from Prince Edward Island and Quebec, all provincial governments provide annual compensation disclosure lists.

When pay, pension, paid time off, and other benefits are considered, the average compensation for full-time federal employees is $125,300, according to the PBO.

All full-time workers in Canada make $33.55 an hour, according to Statistics Canada. This equates to a salary of just under $70,000 per year. 

Government employees in Canada who work for the federal, provincial, or municipal governments enjoyed an 8.5% wage premium, on average, over their private-sector counterparts in 2021, according to the Fraser Institute.

Franco Terrazzano, CTF’s federal director, said that the government must be transparent with taxpayers, which means publishing a sunshine list to disclose the salaries of high-paid bureaucrats. 

“We pay the bills, and we deserve to know how many six-figure bureaucrats we’re paying for.” 

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