A Conservative member of parliament wants to tackle antisemitism on university and college campuses.
Conservative MP Rachael Thomas tabled a motion before the House of Commons Canadian Heritage to deal with the scourge that has become especially apparent since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas last fall.
Thomas cited a rise in antisemitic rhetoric and violence on university campuses and lawsuits against six universities alleging a decades-long history of antisemitic rhetoric.
Thomas referenced the Abraham Global Peace Initiative’s Canadian Universities Antisemitism Report, which gave several universities poor grades for their efforts – or lack thereof – in addressing antisemitism.
If adopted, Thomas’ motion would compel the committee to conduct a comprehensive study into the matter and invite university presidents to be questioned on their efforts to ameliorate antisemitic hate on campus.
The committee would have to report its findings to the House of Commons upon completion of the study.
Heritage committee chair Hedy Fry adjourned the meeting before members could vote on the motion.
Canadian Jewish advocacy group Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs lauded the motion in a post on X.
“Anti-Jewish hate is at an all-time high and our youth are suffering. We call on all (Heritage committee) members to support this vital study,” the organization said.
Thomas urged Canadians to contact their MPs to support the motion.
Antisemitism has no place in Canada.
I’m advocating Parliament undertake a study on the serious nature of antisemitism on university campuses.
Please spread the word & urge the MPs on Heritage committee to support. https://t.co/QrAClV5tK7
Since the Oct. 7 massacre of over 1,100 Israelis by Hamas, universities across Canada have seen a wave of antisemitism wash over campuses, threatening the safety of Jewish students.
Several professors, student unions, teacher’s unions, and students have expressed callousness or outright support for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
Several universities saw Palestinian-supporting students tearing down posters of Israeli civilians who had been kidnapped by Hamas, with one individual calling the posters propaganda.
Recently, CUPE’s 4600 division representing teaching assistants, internally-funded research assistants, and contract instructors claimed that the Oct. 7 attack was “a retaliatory escalation against the current and long history of settler-colonial systemic violence.” The union was denounced by CIJA.
The death of Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin has drawn stark condemnation from Canadian politicians of all stripes. Navalny died at the age of 47, while serving a prison sentence in the Arctic Circle.
“The death of Alexei Navalny has us all reeling,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told CBC News during an interview in Winnipeg on Friday. “It’s something that has the entire world being reminded of exactly what a monster Putin is.”
The prime minister went on to say that Navalny’s death only strengthens Canada’s resolve to take a stand against Putin’s abuse of international laws and human rights.
“There is no question that Alexei Navalny is dead because he stood up to Putin, he stood up to the Kremlin. He stood for freedom and democracy and the right of the Russian people to choose their future, and that was something that Putin was deeply afraid of, as he should be,” said Trudeau.
Trudeau sent his condolences to the family of Navalny and his supporters.
“To be clear: He should never have been imprisoned to begin with. Let this be an important reminder that we must continue to promote, protect and defend democracy everywhere. The consequences of not doing so are stark,” wrote Trudeau on X.
Navalny was arrested by Russian authorities immediately upon returning home to Moscow in 2021, after spending five months in Germany to recover from nerve agent poisoning.
Russian authorities accused and later convicted him of charges of extremism, fraud and embezzlement.
His death was announced by the Federal Penitentiary Service, where he was serving his sentence in the Yamalo-Nenets region.
Navalny was said to have “felt unwell” following a walk and “almost immediately lost consciousness.”
By the time medical staff came to aid Navalny, they were unable to revive him.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the Russian President on social media, writing, “Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died in prison. Putin imprisoned Navalny for the act of opposing the regime. Conservatives condemn Putin for his death.”
Conservative Foreign Affairs Critic Michael Chong also commented on Navalny’s death, saying “Conservatives condemn Putin and the Russian Federation for his death. This is not the hallmark of a great power but of a pariah state.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh expressed his sadness about the news in a social media post, writing, “Navalny’s important work exposed corruption by Putin’s oligarchs and he was killed for it. My thoughts are with his loved ones and with all political prisoners targeted by Putin.”
Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, laid the blame of Navalny’s death at the feet of Putin.
“Putin murdered Navalny just as surely as if he’d strangled him with his bare hands,” wrote Rae on X.
Canadian documentary film director Danial Roher directed an Oscar-winning documentary on the opposition leader called Navalny in 2022.
Navalny issued a potential final message of hope to his supporters at the end of the documentary.
“You’re not allowed to give up. If they decide to kill me, it means that we are incredibly strong,” said Navalny in Russian.
“We need to utilize this power to not give up, to remember we are a huge power that is being oppressed by these bad dudes. We don’t realize how strong we actually are. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. So don’t be inactive.”
Earlier this week, a pro-Palestinian mob gathered outside of Mount Sinai, a prominent Jewish hospital in Toronto, with protesters reportedly blocking access to the building and chanting in support of Hamas. Columnist Barbara Kay joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the concerning rise in anti-Semitic incidents, and the need for leaders to unequivocally condemn such behaviour.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the troubling reality that Mexican cartels are exploiting Canada’s refugee and asylum system.
“Across the country, particularly Ontario, we’ve seen a rise in asylum seekers even as we managed to close Roxon road by renegotiating the Safe Third Country Agreement, the United States, we’re seeing more people arrive in through airports,” said Trudeau.
“We’re in conversations with Mexico about making sure that the number of asylum seekers, some of them, supported by organized crime in Mexico, to come up to Canada are reduced.”
Trudeau admits that the number of asylum seekers has increased despite Roxham road being closed.
He also admits that some of those asylum seekers are backed by organized crime. pic.twitter.com/bFDz9dtTEu
Despite this revelation, Trudeau’s government remains steadfast in its controversial decision to waive visa requirements for Mexican citizens, a move that critics argue has exacerbated the issue.
As reported by True North in 2022, the Trudeau government is standing by its decision to no longer require a visa for Mexican citizens even as major cartels have come to abuse the system and dominate the fentanyl trafficking trade.
An investigation by Wall Street Journal detailed how Mexico’s Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels have overtaken traditional drug suppliers such China in smuggling fentanyl across North America.
As it stands, Canada no longer requires people travelling from Mexico to acquire a traditional visa to enter the country, meaning people can land at Canadian airports as tourists and claim asylum at the immigration checkpoint.
Trudeau lifted the requirements on Dec. 1, 2016, allowing Mexican citizens to only file a $7 Electronic Travel Authorization, which only takes minutes to complete to be granted entry into Canada.
When confronted with the cartel’s growing influence on peddling toxic drugs throughout North America, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told True North that while fighting organized crime was a top priority, the eTA requirement will remain in place.
“The visa lift underscores the importance Canada places on its friendship with Mexico and the closer ties stemming from the removal of the visa requirement,” said IRCC spokesperson Jeffrey MacDonald in an emailed statement.
“As part of the process leading to the lifting of the visa requirement, Canada worked closely with its Mexican partners to put in place measures to protect Canada against the risks posed by the arrival of bad faith travellers from Mexico. The Government of Canada carefully monitors any behavior that threatens the security of the country and takes appropriate measures to remedy the situation.”
The federal government’s chief actuary report showing how much Alberta would be entitled to if it left the Canada Pension Plan is expected in the fall, Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner says.
Horner said in a statement Thursday that the number will be a critical figure as Albertans decide whether a provincial pension plan is in the province’s best interests.
“During the first phase of our engagement on a potential provincial pension plan, we heard loud and clear that Albertans want more information on the value of the asset transfer Alberta would be entitled to if we were to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan,” Horner said.
The preferred method of the chief actuary involves convening a panel to interpret the asset transfer formula in the Canada Pension Plan Act. The interpretation will inform the chief actuary’s calculation.
“The federal government has indicated the panel’s interpretation will be ready this spring and the chief actuary’s calculation will be provided to Alberta this fall,” said Horner.
Alberta’s own report projects that by Jan. 1, 2027, the province’s share of CPP assets would be an estimated $334 billion, 53% of the CPP’s assets, significantly higher than Alberta’s relative population size within the CPP framework of around 15%. The federal government has rejected this analysis.
Horner previously said that the chief actuary has better data than what LifeWorks, who conducted Alberta’s report, had available.
The Alberta Pension Plan Engagement Panel, led by former provincial treasurer Jim Dinning, previously revealed that over 76,000 Albertans participated in the telephone town halls, and more than 94,000 completed an online survey.
In the province’s December update, Dinning said half of telephone town hall participants opposed the Alberta Pension Plan. 20% to 25% were in favour, and 25% to 30% felt they needed more information to decide. He clarified that some who opposed were willing to change their viewpoints in the future.
Dinning and Horner said that the future of the Alberta Pension Plan proposal hinges on the chief actuary’s report.
The Alberta Pension Protection Act promises that the Alberta government will not move forward with a provincial pension plan unless Albertans approve it in a referendum.
When asked whether the referendum would be binding, Horner said that only constitutional referendums are binding. Nonetheless, he emphasized the government’s duty to follow through on the wills and wishes of Albertans.
The proposed Alberta Pension Plan claims Albertans would save approximately $5 billion in its inaugural year.
Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, previously said she did not see Alberta’s projected figures as realistic. She also mentioned the many legal complexities of Alberta’s potential exit.
Alberta would have to negotiate portability agreements with the Canada Pension Plan and Quebec Pension Plan. Additionally, the province would be required to negotiate international social security agreements to guarantee similar treatment for individuals who spend part of their careers abroad.
Quebec has negotiated its own social security agreements with 39 countries, while Canada has negotiated with 60.
Since the Canada Pension Plan was formed nearly 60 years ago, no province has ever left, but Quebec opted not to join in the first place.
The Canada Pension Plan Act outlines the procedure for provinces to exit the CPP, requiring them to issue written notice, accept contributions after a waiting period, provide benefits comparable to those of the CPP, and assume liabilities for members.
A province’s decision to leave the CPP does not require approval from the federal government or other provinces.
Horner said that during the first phase of the province’s engagement on a potential provincial pension plan, it was clear that Albertans wanted more information on the value of asset transfers to which Alberta would be entitled should it withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan.
“I encourage Albertans to continue submitting their thoughts on a potential Alberta Pension Plan. The engagement panel is still accepting workbook submissions until the end of February while they do their analysis of the town halls and online survey,” said Horner.
“We will continue to provide all the information necessary for Albertans to make an informed decision on our next steps.”
An eastern Ontario teachers’ union is warning its members they could face discipline under the human rights code regulating student misbehaviour and expressing a series of opinions, ranging from socially conservative, to apolitical and seemingly innocuous statements.
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation local for the Kingston-area Limestone District School Board (LDSB) sent its union members a “member update” warning of potential discipline for violating human rights if teachers use terms such as “blind spot” or tell a student to put their phone away.
The email, obtained by True North and published in full below, was sent by the chief negotiator for Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation district 27, John Vince. It was sent to union members this past December.
In the email, Vince tells the union membership that some views commonly held in the United States and United Kingdom are not allowed in Ontario and that expressing forbidden views could result in discipline.
“Supporting a so-called ‘right wing’ political view (example: Parental rights)” is listed as not allowed, as well as expressing “The notion that there are only two genders.”
Teachers were told that they cannot express the opinion that transgender women who have gone through male puberty should be barred from women’s sport, despite studies concluding that trans women have an unfair advantage over women.
Believing that trans men with penises may make some women uncomfortable in change rooms is barred despite a significant number of women supporting women’s only spaces.
Teachers were told that they should not believe that certain cultural practices are superior to others, giving the example of believing that Western law is superior to Sharia law – the Islamic fundamentalist code of law or that “the Scientific Method is superior to other ways of knowing.”
Vince encouraged teachers that keeping secrets from parents is not a bad thing, telling teachers that they shouldn’t tell parents if they catch their child vaping and implied that if a teacher caught a student snorting cocaine or other illicit substance, parents shouldn’t be notified.
Not only that, but teachers were told to not tell students to get off their phone, to pull their hoodies down, and should not ask a student why they had arrived to class excessively late.
Vince’s email lists this as verboten: “Words that center out a student such as: ‘get off your phone’, ‘pull your hoody down’, ‘why are you thirty (30) minutes late’, ‘what is the answer to this question’, etc…”
Using common words and phrases like “long time no see,” “blindspot,” “hit it out the park,” “no can do,” “ladies and gentlemen,” and “Aboriginal” may also result in discipline, Vince said..
Engaging in prohibited speech could result in a teacher being handed down discipline from the school board and possibly a violation of the Ontario Human Rights Code.
The Ontario Human Rights Code prohibits actions that discriminate against people based on a protected ground, including but not limited to age, colour and race, ethnic origin, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
On the front-page of the school board’s website, staff and students are able to file a human rights complaint about a teacher. Complaints are sent to the Human Rights and Equity Officer in the case of a student-teacher incident. The current Human Rights and Equity Officer is Yusuf Abdulkareem.
True North reached out to Vince for comment, asking him if his union would defend a teacher facing disciplinary action for saying one or several of his cited speech infractions and to that extent can a teacher have their freedom of expression curbed in a free society. Vince did not respond.
Full Text (unedited):
We are seeing an increase in the number of members who are the subject of a Human Rights code complaint. Students, and some staff and/or community members, are using the ‘QR-code’ complaint process. We have grave concerns that the process allows anonymous complaints. Further, someone who is not even in a school, or connected to a school, can simply access the Board’s website and make an anonymous complaint for malicious purposes. Regardless of whether a complaint is anonymous or not, it often sparks a ‘fact-find’ investigation involving staff and students. For spurious allegations, this is causing undue trauma and upset.
There are some speech/actions that members may not know could result in discipline in Limestone District School Board (LDSB) worksites. In other jurisdictions, such as the U.S.A or the U.K. (who’s media many consume) some of this speech is allowed whereas some is not allowed in Ontario, and members may not know this. We have asked the Board to inform staff of what speech cannot be said in Ontario and/or the LDSB and they have indicated they are working on this. In the absence of this training, below are some examples of speech and/or actions that if uttered/performed in a worksite could result in discipline.
The opinion that women who have gone through male puberty should not participate in women’s sport;
The opinion that women who have male reproductive organs (ex. a penis) may make some women uncomfortable in change rooms or washrooms;
The notion that there are only two genders;
Disagreement that someone could be born in the wrong body or that we all have a ‘gender-soul’;
The idea that keeping secrets from parents/guardians is bad;
Using many euphemisms and idioms such as: “long time no see”, “I’d get lynched”, “blind spot”, “hit it out of the park”, “no can do”, etc..;
Words that center out a student such as: “get off your phone”, “pull your hoody down”, “why are you thirty (30) minutes late”, “what is the answer to this question”, etc…;
Sharing with parents anything about a student not directly related to the curriculum you are teaching: (examples: “congratulations on your child being in the school play”, “I saw your child snorting a white powder”, “your child was vaping in my class”, etc…);
Referring to a person using labels: (examples: don’t’ label someone as “deaf” but rather as “a person who is experiencing hearing impairment”, don’t label someone a “murderer” but rather “a person who experienced ending another person’s life”);
Gendered language such as: “boys and girls” or “guys” or “ladies and gentlemen”;
Saying ‘Aboriginal’ since the prefix ‘ab’ means ‘non’ and could be interpreted to mean “non-original” to Turtle Island;
Teaching certain topics in Indigenous Art (NAC) or Indigenous English (NBE) if you are not Indigenous: examples: the Medicine Wheel, Getting to know our Plant relatives, corn mat weaving, Getting to know the Harvest Moon, beading, etc;
Supporting a so-called “right wing” political view (example: Parental rights);
The idea that certain cultural practices are superior to others (examples: The Scientific Method is superior to other ways of knowing, Western Law is superior to Sharia Law, etc…);
It’s Friday – kick back, grab a drink and tune into the Off the Record with Andrew Lawton, Harrison Faulkner and Sue-Ann Levy!
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre once again demonstrated that he isn’t afraid to confront the legacy media. This week, Poilievre and a Canadian Press reporter exchanged words government media handouts, as the Conservative leader accused legacy media outlets of repeating “PMO talking points rather than delivering real news to the Canadian people.”
Plus, the tolerant left shows their true colours in BC as protesters clashed over a drug injection site in Richmond. According to protesters in favour of the drug injection site, immigrants that don’t want junkies shooting up in their neighbourhood should go back where they came from.
And another church arson took place in Regina but Canada’s politicians don’t seem to care.
Researchers at McMaster University discovered that schools and daycares were not found to be significant places of high transmission rates for COVID-19, a finding standing in stark contrast with decisions by governments to close schools.
“Although the data consistently show that children can both contract and transmit COVID-19, based on published reports to date, following reopening, the risk of widespread transmission from child to child and child to adult is low, particularly when IPAC (Infection Prevention and Control) measures are in place and adhered to,” read the review.
“This trend appears to be consistent in the data collected with early variants of concern. Even when absolute case numbers were high, most infections originated from outside of school.”
The review compared international transmission rates in childcare settings and schools, citing numerous databases and studies, with over 34,000 references.
The findings were published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health on Thursday. The results question the validity of repeatedly sending students home to learn remotely during the pandemic.
Children were removed from schools several times over three consecutive school years, in Ontario for a minimum of 135 missed days.
“We found that after that initial shutdown where everything was locked down, schools did not appear to have much impact on community level transmission when infection prevention control measures were in place,” lead author of the review and assistant professor at McMaster Sarah Neil-Sztramko told CP24.
The review was conducted over two years and had to be “extensively” updated to include the latest data.
“The role of schools and daycares in COVID-19 transmission, from a growing number of studies, were reported in several reviews; the overall findings were mixed, and these reviews became quickly outdated as new and often higher-quality evidence emerged,” wrote authors of the review.
“The purpose of this living rapid review was to continually identify, appraise, and summarise emerging research evidence about the risk of transmission of COVID-19 among children and adults in schools and daycares, the effect of infection prevention and control (IPAC) measures on COVID-19 transmission within schools and daycares, and the effect of opening schools and daycares on community-level transmission.”
The review concluded that protocols such as masking, vaccination and test-to-stay practices were more effective methods for reducing transmission of the virus in schools and daycares.
However, measures like mandatory quarantining, cohorting and hybrid learning could not be proven to definitively have any effectiveness, making “little to no difference in transmission.”
“It is important to understand which measures mitigate transmission so that schools can remain open as much as possible, given the negative impacts that were found during COVID-19 when they were closed,” said Neil-Sztramko.
Other studies have shown increased educational disparities with remote learning, particularly among low-income families and those living in areas with limited access to the internet and other resources.
“School closures also reduced opportunities for students to interact with their peers, which has been shown to have an adverse effect on their social and emotional development,” reads the review.
“Additionally, the fear, stress, and isolation caused by the pandemic contributed to a substantial increase in loneliness, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems.”
The McMaster authors believe that their research will provide a “strong and factual foundation” for how best to handle future viral outbreaks of consequence.
“If there were to be another wave where community transmission was increasing and straining the health-care system, strategies such as masking, vaccination, and test-to-stay interventions are effective in fighting transmission, allowing schools to stay open,” said Neil-Sztramko.
Canada’s spy agency admitted that its anti-terrorist arm was monitoring parental rights activists and even compared concerned parents to neo-Nazis.
Plus, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said that he hopes courts will uphold the Charter of Rights and Freedoms regarding Canadians who had their constitutional rights violated for participating in the Freedom Convoy protest in 2022.
And Environment Canada’s own data shows that the Liberal government’s fertilizer emission reduction will result in a zero net change in emissions by the target year 2030.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Isaac Lamoureux!
Justin Trudeau has joined his counterparts in Australia and New Zealand in sharing “deep concerns” about Israel’s impending incursion into Rafah.
In a joint statement, the prime ministers of the three Commonwealth realms have warned of the “catastrophic” consequences of such an operation.
“We are gravely concerned by indications that Israel is planning a ground offensive into Rafah,” the prime ministers said in a joint statement Wednesday. “A military operation into Rafah would be catastrophic. About 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge in the area, including many of our citizens and their families. With the humanitarian situation in Gaza already dire, the impacts on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating. We urge the Israeli government not to go down this path. There is simply nowhere else for civilians to go.”
Israeli forces entered the Gaza strip in October of last year, just over two weeks after Hamas mounted an attack on the Jewish state that claimed 1,200 lives and kidnapped about 250 hostages.
Most of Israel’s operations have been in the northern and eastern portions of the strip, making Rafah, which is home to a border crossing with Egypt, an evacuation point. It is also, Israel contends, a strong base of operations for the terror group Hamas.
“We are thoroughly planning future operations in Rafah, which is a significant Hamas stronghold,” said Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant.
The United States has expressed its own concerns about the move, calling on Israel to produce a “credible plan” for mitigating civilian casualties.
The letter signed by Trudeau and prime ministers Anthony Albanese and Christopher Luxon claims there is an “international consensus” at odds with Israel’s activities.
“There is growing international consensus,” the statement said. “Israel must listen to its friends and it must listen to the international community. The protection of civilians is paramount and a requirement under international humanitarian law. Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas.”
The statement reinforced the leaders’ desire for a “sustainable ceasefire” while also calling for a release of hostages currently held by Hamas.
