On this episode of Ratio’d, Harrison Faulkner goes rent shopping! The affordable living situation facing Canadians is out of control thanks to mass immigration and rising inflation. As a result, the demand for low-cost affordable living in Canada has grown to such an extent that landlords are now renting out bunk beds, hallways and even bathrooms to desperate people looking for a place to live.
This situation was entirely preventable but instead of putting the interests of Canadians first, the government put the interests of large corporations and colleges who benefit from international students and cheap foreign labour above those of the nation.
Now we’re paying the price.
Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner!
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he’s prepared to crack down on auto theft and illicit exports of vehicles if he’s elected Prime Minister.
Poilievre discussed a variety of issues during a press conference held at a Montreal port on Tuesday, most notably, addressing Canada’s growing problem of auto thefts.
“After 8 years of Justin Trudeau, car thefts are up 300% in Toronto and 100% in Ottawa and Montreal. Nationally, car thefts are up by more than a third since his Liberal government took office,” said Poilievre.
“Canadian cars are being stolen at historically high rates, many of which are being shipped overseas,” he added.
Poilievre pointed out the connection between car thefts and increased insurance premiums, noting that car theft claims rose 329% in the first six months of last year, “adding $700 million dollars in extra costs on your auto insurance which is up by $129 a year just to pay for the Trudeau car theft crisis.”
According to the Journal de Montreal, the federal Port of Montreal only has five agents available to inspect all the containers which pass through the port annually, the same port where the bulk of these stolen cars are exported overseas.
Additionally, the port is only equipped with a single X-ray scanner which is often out of service, leading the Canadian Border Service Agents only able to check less than 1% of all containers that pass through the country.
“Common sense Conservatives will reverse Trudeau’s reckless policies that have turned our federal ports into parking lots for stolen cars. By making it much harder to ship cars overseas where they can be sold, this violent get-rich-quick scheme that gangs around the country have been taking advantage of will no longer be possible,” said Poilievre in a statement released on Tuesday.
“Justin Trudeau has failed to protect your property. I will bring home stolen cars. Let’s hit the brakes on car thieves and protect our federal ports.”
He also criticized the Trudeau government’s heavy use of consultant agencies to solve management problems.
“The consultants are making off like bandits,” said Poilievre. “Trudeau is spending $15 million dollars a year just on CBSA management consultants alone.”
“If you want to drive a truck, you need to know how to drive. If you want to be a barber, you need to know how to cut hair. If you want to be a manager, you need to know how to manage. And if you don’t know how to manage, I’m going to fire you.”
The conservative leader said that he would take the money saved after firing consultants and put it directly towards putting CBSA officers on the front lines of the port to be “boots on the ground.”
Pierre Poilievre urges the Trudeau government to adopt his “commons sense plan” to combat car thefts and increasing crime. pic.twitter.com/LrpEEvgB8W
He also said with the money saved they could invest in X-ray scanners which could find stolen vehicles much more easily in cities like Montreal, Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Halifax.
Poilievre also touched on news that Trudeau had invited Nazi veteran Yaroslav Hunka to a reception the prime minister was hosting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which brought the scandal of Hunka’s invitation to the House of Commons from last September back into the spotlight.
Trudeau had previously claimed that his office knew nothing about the invitation and laid total responsibility at the feet of former House Speaker Anthony Rota.
“Justin Trudeau said that the Speaker of the House of Commons should resign for having invited the former Nazi to the Ukrainian President’s event. Does that mean that Trudeau will apply the same demand to himself?” Poilievre asked.
“Is Justin Trudeau going to call on himself to resign? Or is this just another example of where he’s above the rules that he applies to everyone else? I’m sure it is.”
Pierre Poilievre calls Justin Trudeau a “hypocrite” and a “fake,” after it was revealed Trudeau’s office sent a Nazi veteran an invitation to a reception. pic.twitter.com/w4gZvvQ0R7
While speaking about the Russia-Ukraine war more broadly Poilievre suggested Canada could be of help to Ukraine by donating older missiles that the country will no longer use but that the Ukrainian military has expressed interest in.
He said that Canada will save on the cost of having to dispose of them while being able to help Ukraine defend itself.
Poilievre also said he would sell natural gas to Europe, which would take the power away from Russia, which currently supplies much of the continent with gas and uses the proceeds to fund its attack on Ukraine.
“My common sense plan would sell Canadian natural gas. I will repeal Bill C-69, replace it with a law that consults First Nations, protects the environment but gets natural gas liquefaction facilities built so that we can send that gas to Europe to break European dependence on Putin,” said Poilievre.
“Turn dollars for dictators into paycheques for our people in this country.”
The ongoing legal battle between climate scientist Michael Mann and journalist Mark Steyn has entered into its fourth week. Climate Change on Trial co-host Phelim McAleer joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to provide an update on the latest developments, and describe how both sides are presenting their arguments in the courtroom.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Justin Trudeau should let parents decide what’s best for their children and get his nose out of Alberta politics.
Poilievre was asked to weigh in on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s proposed ban on sex reassignment surgeries for minors and the requirement of parental consent for name and gender changes at schools.
“Justin Trudeau should butt out. He should let parents raise kids and let provinces run schools and hospitals,” said Poilievre at a Montreal press conference Tuesday morning.
While questioning Pierre Poilievre, reporter Justin Ling claims Danielle Smith is “restricting healthcare access to transgender youth.” Poilievre calls Ling out and accuses him spreading “disinformation.” Poilievre then accuses PM Trudeau of spreading “hatred against parents.” pic.twitter.com/3gnQ4ovNPA
Poilievre was asked a similar question the day before, if he supported Smith’s policy on banning gender reassignment surgery and treatments and if his MPs were allowed to speak freely about it as individuals.
He responded by saying that the media and other politicians were peddling “disinformation” about the issue on behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
A reporter similarly asked Poilievre Tuesday if he supported “restricting healthcare access to transgender youth.”
Poilievre rejected the premise.
“First and foremost, you are spreading disinformation and you refuse to even describe the policy proposals that are even being debated. You refuse to even list any of them,” he said.
“Let’s be clear why you don’t do it, because you don’t want to lose the debate. You think if you keep it vague and you refrain from actually describing the policies that Premier Smith is putting in place, then you think that you can then misrepresent them and misrepresent conservatives.”
Poilievre then turned his attention to Trudeau, accusing him of not engaging with the actual proposals at issue in Alberta.
“You notice that Trudeau has not given a single example of any of the policies that Premier Smith has brought forward that he individually disagrees with because he doesn’t want to be specific,” Poilievre said. “That’s because he, and you, want to peddle disinformation in order to demonize Premier Smith and parents. Justin Trudeau has spread hatred against parents.”
Trudeau condemned Smith’s announcement last week, calling the premier’s policies “anti-LGBT,” saying that they would contribute to mental health issues and suicidal ideation among youth dealing with gender dysphoria.
Smith defended her policy as one of caution and compassion, noting that children shouldn’t be able to make “permanent and irreversible decisions” that will limit their choices in the future.
“No matter how well-intentioned and sincere, (that) poses a risk to that child’s future that I, as premier, am not comfortable with permitting in our province,” she said.
Poilievre said in his remarks that Trudeau’s opposition to parental rights bills are an attack on religious Canadians.
“He’s accused Muslim parents of being hateful because they were standing up for their kids. He’s attacked Christian parents, suggested that parents cannot be trusted with their kids and I disagree with him. I think we have to trust parents, no one cares for their kids more than parents.”
The Canadian government has imposed sanctions on key figures within Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad four months after Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced Tuesday morning, four months after the attacks, that Canada was seeking to hold the terrorist groups responsible.
“Canada unequivocally condemns Hamas’s terrorist attack against Israel, its unacceptable treatment of hostages and its heinous use of sexual and gender-based violence as a tactic of war,” said Joly.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization, and they will be held accountable.”
Global Affairs Canada said in a press release the sanctions were to prevent “further attacks.”
“Canada is taking decisive action to limit Hamas’s ability to raise and use funds to carry out further attacks against Israel,” said Global Affairs Canada in its news release.
This is the first time Canada has imposed sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act against a group that is not a country.
Of the 11 listed individuals, ten are associated members or leaders with Hamas. One sanctioned individual is a military leader in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Islamist paramilitary group.
Among those sanctioned are high-profile figures such as Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, and Muhammed Deif, a prominent military leader within the organization. The sanctions extend to a prohibition on dealings with these individuals, freezing any assets they may hold within Canada and barring them from entry to Canada..
“Good. While Hamas leaders live in luxury & safety, their fighters are putting innocent Palestinians in the line of fire,” said independent MP Kevin Vuong. “Sanctions is (sic) an important step, more must be done to bring them to justice.”
Canada has listed Hamas as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code since November 2002. It is a criminal offence to participate in or contribute to any activity by Hamas knowingly.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, and others are also listed as terrorist organizations by Canada.
Some people questioned whether the measures went far enough.
“Why aren’t there permanent economic and travel sanctions on their members and supporters, and why did it take the Liberals four months after Hamas livestreamed its antisemitic pogroms for sanctions to be imposed?” said lawyer Ryan O’Connor in a post to X.
During Joly’s short chat with reporters Tuesday morning, she also announced that Canadian Palestinian journalist Mansour Shouman—who had been missing two weeks and feared dead—is confirmed to be alive. Joly said she hoped to speak with his mother later today.
After throwing former House of Commons speaker Anthony Rota under the bus for his decision to honour Ukrainian SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka in the House of Commons last September, news has emerged that Justin Trudeau invited Hunka to a Toronto reception that same week. True North’s Andrew Lawton says Trudeau scapegoated Rota when he was just as culpable.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has taken aim at foreign property ownership, despite the fact that she and her husband own multiple properties in four countries, including Canada.
Also, campus antisemitism is on the rise, as is antisemitism elsewhere. Andrew stopped in Davos to ask University College London provost Michael Spence to condemn it, but at first he didn’t want to.
Plus, the latest episode of Unjust Transition features geoLOGIC Systems CEO David Hood.
The City of Calgary confirmed receiving a formal petition to recall Mayor Jyoti Gondek under Alberta’s recall legislation.
Former premier Jason Kenney’s UCP government introduced recall legislation in 2020, which came into effect under the Municipal Government Act (MGA) in 2022. This notice marks a historic first under the legislation.
Initiated by local HVAC company owner Landon Johnston, the petition reflects growing dissatisfaction with Mayor Gondek’s leadership. True North reached out to Jonhston for comment but has not yet received a response.
Elections Calgary confirmed receiving the recall petition on January 30, 2024. The petition was reviewed and deemed compliant, triggering the 60-day signature collection period, which will end on April 4. To be validated, the City Clerk’s Office must receive the petition, with the required number of signatures by that date.
Achieving the recall requires signatures from 40% of eligible voters in the city’s population of 1,285,711, totalling 514,284 signatures, significantly higher than the total votes cast in the 2021 election. During the last municipal election, Gondek received 176,344 of the total 393,090 votes cast.
The petition is not online. All signatures have to be physically signed and verified.
“All signatures must be original signatures and a recall petition may not be signed in digital form,” said City Clerk Kate Martin.
Despite Gondek’s ratings being in freefall, the number of signatures required may be too much to ask.
True North previously reported in the Summer that Gondek’s disapproval rating was 55%. Since then it’s gotten even worse.
ThinkHQ revealed in a December 2023 poll that Gondek was the least popular mayor in Calgary’s history, with a 30% approval rate compared to 61% disapproval. Additionally, 43% of respondents strongly disapprove of Gondek.
Gondek’s approval has been negatively affected by criticism over tax increases, her boycott of the city’s annual menorah lighting, and the recent single-use bylaw that went into effect in mid-January, which Premier Danielle Smith said she does not support.
Should the recall petition meet its requirements, it triggers a subsequent 45-day review phase. Following this period, the City Clerk is tasked with presenting a formal determination to the Council at its next meeting, classifying the petition as either sufficient or insufficient.
Per the City of Calgary’s official guidelines, if a petition is declared sufficient, the individual named in the notice of recall petition is recalled, the individual is no longer a member of Council or of any Council committee, and the position to which the individual was elected is vacant.
Given that the next general election is scheduled for October 20, 2025, and with more than 12 months until then, a by-election would be called to fill the vacant seat.
Conversely, should the petition be deemed insufficient, it is the City Clerk’s responsibility to announce this finding on the municipal website. Once a notice of petition has been filed, no further recall petitions about the same Member of Council will be accepted.
According to CBC, Johnston said he’ll do whatever he can to get the required signatures, including launching a website and finding volunteer canvassers.
“I’m going to do absolutely everything I can according to the legislation to get the mayor recalled. But I am well aware of the actual, you know, likelihood of that happening,” he said. “She’s going to hear about it, and she’s going to maybe think twice about the way she runs things.”
The mayor’s office provided a statement.
“In October 2021, Calgarians put their faith in me to be a mayor who could bring balance and stability to this city at a time when polarized ideologies stood to divide us,” Gondek said in a statement. “I remain steadfastly committed to the work of building a future that holds opportunity and prosperity for everyone who lives here. We have work to do. Onward.”
Despite throwing former House of Commons speaker Anthony Rota under the bus, it was revealed this week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office invited Waffen-SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka to a reception the prime minister was hosting for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Plus, the Liberal government has broken a key policy promise to the NDP after announcing a delay to expanding the eligibility of its universal dental plan.
And Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has a foolproof plan to crackdown on vehicle theft.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Noah Jarvis!
Alberta will not accept the federal government’s proposed emissions cap under any circumstances.
That was the message Alberta’s government relayed in a 24-page response to the federal government’s draft Regulatory Framework to Cap Oil and Gas Sector Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
“The federal government’s proposed cap is ineffective, unconstitutional, and unacceptable,” said Alberta in the lengthy response.
Instead of managing emissions consistently across all regions and sectors, Alberta claims that the federal government is targeting a single sector and proposing a cap that will overwhelmingly hurt Alberta and negatively impact the entire country.
“Albertans will not accept this cap or the attack on its constitutional jurisdiction, economy, and citizens that the cap represents,” said the province in its response.
To accompany the response, Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz wrote a letter to her federal counterpart, Steven Guilbeault.
“This cap is not realistic or effective, will not achieve its grandiose emissions targets, and will not be tolerated in Alberta,” said Schulz.
Alberta’s response outlines the severe consequences that the proposed oil and gas emissions cap would bring. The response details how the cap violates the Canadian Constitution, the global implications, the impacts on Canadians, the technical and practical flaws in the cap’s framework, and Alberta’s plan.
As re-iterated by Schulz, Alberta has exclusive jurisdiction to manage the rate of non-renewable natural resources production and operational development in its province.
“[The cap] clearly violates Section 92A of the Constitution Act, 1867,” said the Alberta government in its response.
If the cap were implemented, Schulz said that this cap would have a devastating economic impact not only on Alberta but also on all of Canada.
The Conference Board of Canada’s analysis shows that the cap would reduce Canada’s GDP by up to $1 trillion between 2030 and 2040 and cause up to 151,000 jobs to be lost by 2030.
“The economic impact would be felt from coast to coast,” said Schulz.
According to the analysis, even the federal government’s revenue would be reduced by between $84 and $151 billion between 2030 and 2040. Alberta’s revenue would be reduced by $73 and $127 billion in the same period.
Employee earnings would fall by $460 billion across the country during that decade.
Even the threat of the cap has discouraged investment in Alberta.
Premier Danielle Smith, speaking at the Economic Club of Canada on Monday, said that she recently met with somebody who wanted to build 1200MW of natural gas with carbon capture to do enhanced oil recovery. They spoke with three bankers, all of whom said that they would provide no funding due to the risk surrounding the federal government’s red tape.
“When you see our signs and our advertising about ‘No one wants to freeze in the dark’ in the middle of winter, it’s not hyperbole. That’s reality if we don’t end up solving this problem,” said Smith.
Alberta argued in its report that the federal cap could result in a negative environmental impact worldwide.
“The cap will not result in a global greenhouse gas emission reduction, but rather result in carbon leakage along with transfer of production, wealth, and jobs to other less reliable and less environmentally responsible countries,” said the Alberta government in its report.
It added that the cap would likely increase Canada’s reliance on low-cost and low-transparency foreign oil from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Nigeria, with overall negative global climate impacts.
The government of Alberta also claimed to find numerous flaws in the proposed framework. The basis of the federal cap is established based on 2019 production levels, which Alberta has significantly exceeded.
Data from the Alberta Energy Regulator shows that oil production increased by 2% between 2019 and 2022, while natural gas production increased by 2.4%.
“Inappropriately, the federal government used a single scenario and applied it to 2019 baseline – with unrealistic assumptions about future production growth and technological feasibility – to determine emissions levels in 2030 and set the legal upper bound of the cap,” reads the report.
Schulz added that the technologies needed to abate emissions in the oil and gas sector massively either don’t yet exist or aren’t being developed at the rate the federal cap’s model would require. The report states that the federal government is assuming impractical and unachievable timelines to deploy clean technology.
“The emission reductions from clean technology uptake assumed by the federal government are not based on published or verifiable evidence and are not achievable by 2030,” said the Alberta government in its report.
“Alberta is confident that many of the issues raised in this document are shared by other provinces and industry leaders, both within the oil and gas sector and beyond,” said Schulz.
Instead of pursuing this unconstitutional cap, Schulz calls on the federal government to immediately halt further development and begin collaborating with provinces. She said that Alberta would welcome federal investment to help advance and reduce emissions to support the province’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
Canada has agreed to work more closely with the European Union to further regulate the internet.
Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne and EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton pledged to work together on several key priorities, including internet regulation, last Thursday.
“On online platforms, the EU and Canada intend to continue to cooperate and exchange information on measures to ensure transparency, fairness and accountability and to make the Internet a safer and more inclusive place for users,” a government press release reads.
“In the coming year, the partners aim to exchange on the implementation of their respective frameworks.”
The European Union’s Digital Services Act has raised concerns among civil liberties groups in Europe for its excessive nature.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and numerous human rights and free speech advocacy groups urged Breton last July to clarify that the Digital Services Act does not empower authorities to use internet shutdowns as a punitive measure.
“Arbitrary blocking of online platforms and other forms of internet shutdowns are never a proportionate measure and impose disastrous consequences for people’s safety,” the foundation warned.
“The European Union fully recognises that internet shutdowns severely hinder the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights.”
This was after Breton said in an interview that platforms would be required to pull down content declared hateful “immediately” or face “immediate sanctions” including a ban from operating “on our territory.”
The act first came into effect on July 25, 2023.
In one notable incident, the EU’s digital rights chief warned X CEO Elon Musk about alleged breaches of EU law due to misinformation on the platform following Hamas’ attack on Israel.
The ensuing ultimatum to Elon Musk under the Digital Services Act has drawn criticism for potentially stifling dissent and imposing stringent restrictions.
Breton’s insistence on the immediate removal of content labelled as “hateful” adds fuel to concerns about Canada’s partnership with the EU as the Liberal government has pledged to introduce legislation to combat what it calls hate speech, among other “online harms.”
Liberal justice minister Arif Virani said in November that such legislation was an “absolute priority” for the government.
