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Monday, August 25, 2025

“They’re all Justin Trudeau,” says Poilievre of Liberal leadership candidates

Source: X

“They’re all just like Justin,” Poilievre told reporters in Ottawa during his first press conference since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he would be resigning once the Liberal party had elected a new leader.

“In the next election I will be running against Justin Trudeau, whether his name is Justin Trudeau or his name is Chrystia Freeland or carbon tax Carney or carbon tax Clark, they will all be Justin Trudeau,” he said on Thursday.  

“They supported everything he’s done and they promise to keep doing it. If they say otherwise, we know they’re lying because they would have done so earlier.”

Poilievre then listed off potential candidates Mark Carney, Chrystia Freeland and Christy Clark, all of who could potentially serve as the new leader of the Liberals, citing each of their long-standing alignment with Trudeau’s policies. 

“I’m calling on Justin Trudeau to do what he has the legal power to do, he can do it without his caucus supporting him. I’m calling on him to walk out of Rideau Hall and announce that there will be an ‘axe the tax’ election now so that Canadians can take back their lives and country,” he said. “The choice will be simple, either the NDP-Liberals, who tax your food, punish your work, double your housing costs, unleash crime and chaos and weakness on the world stage or common sense Conservatives.”

Poilievre went on to say that Canada needs a “massive tax cut” to bolster a stronger economy that is producing and manufacturing products domestically.

The Conservative leader said such changes would make Canada’s economy more independent and less vulnerable to threats from abroad. 

In regards to incoming US President Donald Trump’s pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports, Poilievre suggested a boots-on-the-ground approach to negotiating with the country’s largest trading partner and ally.  

“We should go to the American workers in the Midwest and their union and business leaders and say, ‘how many jobs are you prepared to lose by hitting Canadian energy with tariffs?’ Energy that we sell to America at discounts that create six-figure jobs for American workers. How many of those people will go out work? How many of those hard hats will be laid down and boots be unfilled because Americans will lose jobs due to that self harm if those tariffs go ahead.”

Without tariffs, Poilievre noted, Canada could offer home builders better softwood lumber and tech companies reliable electricity sources to power their AI data centres. 

“We have the most uranium for nuclear centres,” he said. “Meta, Google, Mircorsoft are all buying or refurbishing their own nuclear plants to power their data centres, we could do it for them here in Canada.”

Poilievre argued as our neighbouring ally, the US should not opt for purchasing oil from Venezuela but instead buy “good, clean, Canadian oil.”

“Not only should we condemn Maduro and the dictators in Venezuela for what they’re doing, we should shut them off by shutting down their energy and their oil sales and replacing it with Canadian oil sales,” he said. “The Americans, our friends, want Canadian oil, not Venezuelan, not Iranian and not other dirty dictator oil from around the world.”

Poilievre argued that these would be the kinds of arguments a “strong prime minister with brains and backbone to lead a country” should be presenting to Trump if Canada had a “serious government.” 

He said that the time has come for Canadians to once again be proud of their country, unapologetic of its past and to honour their shared values.

“We need to live out the dream that started with John A. MacDonald. Yes, I said John A. MacDonald, who believed in an independent and sovereign Canada,” said Poilievre.

“We need to uphold our heroes, stop tearing down our symbols. We need to remind people who come here that when they’re given a Canadian flag and they land on Canadian soil, that it’s the greatest gift on earth and that they should be proud to be part of the Canadian family.”

Liberal MP who petitioned against foreign agent registry running to replace Trudeau as leader

Source: ParlVu

Liberal MP Chandra Arya is the second candidate to officially announce his bid to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau following his resignation announcement.

Arya, originally from India, announced on X that he intends to become the leader of the Liberal party and, in turn, become the prime minister of Canada.

Arya has been elected in his Nepean, Ont., riding three times since the Liberal government first came into power in 2015. He’s worked in financial investment firms, owned a manufacturing company and was an executive at a high-tech defence technology company for six years before entering politics.

He also sponsored a petition for the government to reassess the foreign agent registry, which would have forced individuals working on behalf of a foreign government to register their activities in Canada. 

The registry was supposed to help mitigate foreign influence, but Arya claimed it would be used to harass and intimidate ethnic minorities. Despite Arya’s protests, Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act, which established the registry, received Royal Assent on June 20, 2024.

When True North asked MPs if they were involved in foreign interference, Arya did not respond, though only five Liberal MPs responded to deny involvement.

He was also one of two Liberal MPs who were lobbied by Huawei, a now-banned Chinese-owned company that was flagged for spying in Dec. 2019.

This comes with the backdrop of a Conservative leadership election committee chair and Elections Canada warning that Liberals’ lax rules for membership – which allow non-citizens and those without permanent residency to vote – make a future leadership race susceptible to foreign interference.

In his campaign launch announcement, Arya vowed to strive towards getting Canada’s real GDP to $5 trillion in 25 years and said Canada’s immigration system would be one of the priorities if elected. 

“For a long time, there was a social contract. As a skilled immigrant, you worked hard to build the economy and make our country prosperous. If you did so, the sky was the limit for your success, and your family led a comfortable life,” Arya said. “Today, that contract is broken. The government has departed from our time-tested, almost perfect immigration system.”

Arya announced that he intends to lead a “small, more efficient government” that will fix disparities between the middle class and the rest of Canadians and make housing more affordable. However, he did not include how he intended to do so in his lengthy campaign launch announcement.

He vowed that if elected prime minister, he would select his cabinet “on merit and not on DEI quotas,” marking a departure from what’s often criticized as the “woke policies” of the Trudeau Liberal government.

However, he also stated multiple times that he would “make Canada a sovereign republic.” Canada still has ties to the monarchy in England and has never been a republic.

“It’s time for Canada to take full control of its destiny. My government will make Canada a sovereign republic,” he said.  “This is a turning point for Canada. A smaller government, a sovereign republic, and a $5 trillion economy are within our reach—if we have the courage to act today,” he said.

He also said he would raise the age requirement to access Old Age Security, citing the amount Canada spends on the retirement fund as “unsustainable.”

Arya’s only other officially announced contender is former Liberal MP Frank Baylis. However, CTV is reporting that sources have confirmed that former deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland intends to run.

Though Baylis has yet to release a campaign launch statement, he’s posted on X that he will launch a “solutions-driven campaign” to “unlock Canada’s potential.”

Just two months after Baylis left office as a Liberal MP in 2020, his medical supplies company, Baylis Medical, received a $422,946 federal contract. Conservatives accused him of “cashing in” from his time spent in the Liberal caucus.
In 2021, Conservatives raised the alarm over a potential scandal involving Baylis Medical again, this time, the government awarded the former Liberal MP’s company $237 million.

The Faulkner Show | Former Liberal MP on the difficult path ahead for the Liberal Party

Source: X

Long time Liberal MP from 1993-2011 Dan McTeague predicts that the Liberal Party of Canada won’t survive after the next federal election due to the leadership of outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau. McTeague believes that the Liberal Party of the past, a party built around the ideas of pragmatism and fiscal responsibility has been replaced by a far-left ideology headed by Justin Trudeau which is at odds with the majority of Canadians.

Tune in to the latest episode of The Faulkner Show for a wide ranging discussion about the state of the Liberal Party, potential new leaders and how Canada should respond to the expansionist threat posed by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

X users expose how easy it is to register as Liberals ahead of leadership race

Source: Unsplash

As Canadians count down the days until a new Liberal party leader is chosen and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigns, many on X are exposing vulnerabilities in the Liberal Party of Canada’s registration process.

A Conservative leadership election committee chair and Elections Canada have expressed concerns with the membership rules that open the Liberal party up to foreign interference ahead of the first federal leadership race.

Now, several X users are registering under fake aliases, such as their dogs, and using fake addresses, including the Prime Minister’s residence and Chinese consulate buildings.

According to the rules governing membership registration Liberals, voters do not need to be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.

“SCHEDULE A Qualifications for Registration Registration in the Liberal Party of Canada is open without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or physical disability,” it says.

To be eligible to register for the party, a person must be at least 14 years old and “support the purposes of the party.” For those currently in Canada, the party requires individuals to “ordinarily live in Canada.”

David Portier, a self-identified “prospective candidate for the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada,” said he was able to register to vote while using a European internet connection and a fake name and registered his address as 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada.

Alex Brown, an author, said he used the address of the Chinese consulate in Ottawa to vote, telling others to do the same in the hope of fixing the system before voting begins.

“And just like that, Xi Jinping was signed up to vote in the Liberal leadership race,” he said. “This is too easy, even by the low standards of repeated traitors to Canada.”

Author and independent journalist Dahlia Kurtz said she registered her deceased dog to vote and joked about doing it again using various names she called him.

“I just registered my dearly departed dog Fozzie Bear to vote in the Liberal leadership election. Yes, Fozzie Bear will vote for the next prime minister of Canada,” she said in a post on X. “Imagine if I sign him up to vote with all the names I called him. Fozzie Bear will change history!”

Others have raised concerns about these vulnerabilities as well, including Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley and former Conservative MP Derek Sloan, the leader of the provincial Ontario Party.

“Believe it or not…Liberal Party rules mean people who can’t vote in a general election will be choosing Canada’s next prime minister,” Lilley said in a post on X. “Teenagers from China. Senior citizens from India. This is ripe for all kinds of foreign interference. Insane.”

Though a date for the leadership race is yet to be announced, Governor General Mary Simon granted Trudeau’s request to prorogue the government until March 24 to give time for the Liberal Party to choose a new leader.

As parliament cannot vote a non-confidence motion during prorogation, whoever wins the Liberal leadership race will likely become Canada’s next prime minister without a general election being called.

The Northern Dispatch | Trudeau is OUT…sort of

Source: Facebook

The second week of 2025 was one of the wildest weeks for Canada in recent memory. It began with the much anticipated resignation announcement from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – but it wasn’t exactly a resignation announcement. It was more an “intention to resign” announcement to Canadians. That was quickly followed by a threat to annex Canada through “economic force” from incoming U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and renewed taunts by Trump towards Justin Trudeau. All of this now forms the backdrop for a Liberal party leadership race that will likely result in the winner becoming Canada’s next prime minister.

Tune in to the latest episode of Northern Dispatch with Harrison Faulkner from True North and Ryan and Tonya from Northern Perspective.

Rustad demands independent review of 2024 B.C. election alleging votes by non-citizens

Source: Facebook

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include comments from British Columbia’s Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman.

Conservative Party of British Columbia Leader John Rustad announced his party has discovered alleged voting irregularities in one of the 2024 provincial election’s closest ridings – Surrey-Guildford. The BC NDP won the riding by a margin of just 22 votes after a judicial recount.

The BC Conservative leader spoke at a press conference in front of the provincial legislature in Victoria on Thursday morning, announcing that his party has reason to be suspect of the final results.

“There’s been many people who have brought forward a tremendous amount of information to us about the election,” said Rustad.

The B.C. Conservatives have said they have filed a complaint with Elections B.C. regarding their findings.

Elections BC provided True North with a statement by Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman confirming they have received a complaint from the party.

“Elections BC takes any potential violation of the Election Act seriously. As with any complaint we receive, we are reviewing these allegations. They have not been substantiated or proven in court. We are unable to provide further information on these allegations while our review is ongoing,” said Boegman.

“We are aware that Honveer Singh Randhawa intends to file an invalid election application for Surrey-Guildford in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. If such an application is filed, Elections BC will be a party to the application.”

Additionally, regarding the other concerns, Boegman said that if “legislators decide that an independent review is warranted, my office will fully participate in that process.”

“I am confident that the 2024 Provincial General Election was administered in accordance with the Election Act. The integrity measures in British Columbia’s voting process are well established and secure, and help ensure that only eligible voters vote, and that they only vote once. All voters must affirm they meet the eligibility requirements to vote before receiving a ballot,” wrote Boegman.

Rustad claimed he did not comment on the allegations during the election because he believes British Columbians need to have confidence in the electoral system and didn’t want to add any rumours but wanted to make sure that his claims were  based in facts.

The BC Conservative leader alleged there was evidence of irregularities related to a senior home in the riding, instances of people voting twice and votes submitted by non-Canadian citizens. 

“We have cases where an individual went to vote and was told somebody had already voted using their name,” explained Rustad.

Specifically, Rustad pointed to address discrepancies and 21 irregular votes being registered to a senior home.

“In Surrey-Guildford we found a case of a double vote, we have found a case of there being at least 2,000 being cast of people whose place of residence that was on Elections BC is not where they currently live,” said Rustad. 

“One of the more serious issues we have found is associated with a care facility of seniors where 21 ballots were cast and individuals in that facility have come forward with affidavits of what went on.”

BC NDP candidate Gary Begg defeated BC Conservative Honveer Singh Randhawa by one of the narrowest victories in last year’s hotly contested election.

According to read-out provided to the media by the BC Conservatives, the facility in question is Argyll Lodge

Rustad made several recommendations including a call for an independent review into the election process. Additionally, Rustad called for changes to the Elections Act, which was authored by BC NDP Premier David Eby in 2019.

“We are making a recommendation that all photo ID issued should have a ‘C’ on it to ensure that the individuals are Canadian citizens,” said Rustad.

“The last recommendation is we actually think there are many people who have voted who may not be Canadian citizens, however, nobody wants to come forward because they are worried of what may happen. I think we must suspend the penalties for a 90-day period to allow people to come forward and explain what happened.”

Real estate agent banned by Ottawa Real Estate Board for anti-Pride comments

Source: Facebook/Instagram

An Ottawa real estate association has banned a real estate agent for comments he made on social media criticizing LGBT pride.

The Ottawa Real Estate Board, a private board that provides listing services to real estate agents in the city, banned Marc Papineau, a 14-year agent, from doing business with the organization after he failed to pay a fine it levied against him for the comments.

In a lengthy 2023 social media post, Papineau said he doesn’t think LGBT “Pride” should be celebrated for an entire month when veterans only get one day to be recognized. He also said drag shows aren’t appropriate for kids and that sexual preference should be a topic only discussed by adults.

Following the comments, the Reddit activists filed complaints against Papineau to both the Real Estate Council of Ontario – the regulatory body for the industry in the province – and the Ottawa Real Estate Board.

The provincial regulatory body determined that Papineau’s comments were personal in nature and did not warrant disciplinary action. He is still listed as an agent in good standing with no restrictions or disciplinary action on the council’s website.

The Ottawa Real Estate Board – a private industry association – took a different stance. 

According to records of appeal decisions,  disciplinary hearing transcripts and notices of termination acquired by True North, the board considered Papineau’s posts professional because he also posts business-related content on his personal account.

His ban means that he is no longer able to list properties on Realtor.ca, also known as the multiple listing service (MLS).

While Papineau said he regrets how he phrased his comments, he still thinks the backlash has been disproportionate.

“What I said was taken completely out of context. I was called every name in the book. The level of hatred and harassment I faced was beyond imagination—death threats, months of online attacks, and even people showing up at my friends’ workplaces, demanding they be fired for liking my post,” he said. “My staff and friends were harassed relentlessly.”

He told True North that he has no issue with people’s sexual orientation, as he had stated in the original post, but as a Christian, he doesn’t agree with how pride is celebrated. 

He said he has friends who served in the military and endured unimaginable hardships and feels like the disproportionate focus on recognizing LGBT+ pride over the time spent honouring veterans demonstrates that their sacrifices are being “overlooked.” 

“We live in a free country where social issues should be open for discussion. Losing the ability to speak freely is the first step toward tyranny,” he said. “If others want to celebrate pride for months, fine—it’s a free society. But in that same spirit, I should be free to voice my objections. That’s what freedom looks like.”

The Ottawa Real Estate Board did not respond to True North’s request for comment. 

The private listing board’s decision to terminate Papineau’s membership states that he breached a code rule that a real estate who uses its services must not engage in “disgraceful, unprofessional or unbecoming” conduct.

Papineau told True North in an interview that the standard that the private real estate board holds its members to is the same standard that judges in Canada must adhere to in their personal lives – something he feels is unreasonable.

Despite the regulatory body finding no cause to continue action against him, the private requiring estate association effectively overruled RECO’s decision, fining him $4,000 and required him to take a $1,158.25 diversity course offered by the regulator. 

Because Papineau filed for bankruptcy, he negotiated the fines from OREB down from $4,000 to $100. 

As per emails between Papineau and the board, he reached out about being unable to pay for the ethics course, and the board said they’d get back to him. He said because of this he thought he had more time to register for the course. 

By the time the private board got back to him, the date he had to register by had passed and he received a letter of termination from the listing service association on Nov. 28, 2024.

As a sign of good faith towards a future appeal, Papineau borrowed money to be able to take the course and registered for it in December.

Papineau said the board’s decision to ban him has been “devastating” for his career.

“The damages are immeasurable. My reputation has been tarnished in certain circles, and I’ve lost business. Being forced to move to another board has stained my name,” Papineau said. “Competitors now use the fact that I’m blacklisted against me. They tell potential clients I’m banned in Ottawa, which causes me to lose listings and buyers.”

He said he continues to face bankruptcy in the midst of all the trouble, and the ban has “taken a toll” on his family.

Papineau believes that allowing industry associations to police free expression on personal social media accounts endangers Canada’s status as a free society.

“This isn’t just about me. Today, it’s me, and tomorrow it’s someone else. If this continues, eventually, no one will be allowed to speak,” he said. “RECO has a public list of offences by realtors in this city, including fraud, assault, theft… yet those individuals still hold licenses. My ‘crime?’ A Facebook post.”

Papineau said he is seeking an appeal for the regulatory body to overrule OREB’s decision as he keeps his legal options open.

The Daily Brief | Liberal leadership race risks becoming foreign interference free-for-all

Source: Facebook

The Liberals’ upcoming leadership race could become a foreign actor free-for-all if the party doesn’t fix its lax membership rules.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has said that the Freedom Convoy was the beginning of the end for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled his ambitious Fortress Am-Can plan, to accelerate Canadian energy exports to the United States.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Isaac Lamoureux and Noah Jarvis!

Ontario Premier Doug Ford safe after highway collision left two injured

Source: Facebook

Ontario Premier Doug Ford confirmed that he is safe after being side-swiped while driving westbound along Highway 401 near Pickering on Wednesday afternoon. 

Ford and the others in his vehicle were unharmed. However, the driver and passenger of the vehicle that struck them suffered minor injuries. 

“We were just driving straight and the next thing you know we got hammered, just hammered,” Ford told reporters. 

The premier and several staff members were being driven by two OPP Protective Services officers westbound along the 401, approaching Brock Road in Pickering when the collision occurred. 

Ford was leaving a news conference at Ontario Power Generation.

An 18-year-old Oshawa man was behind the wheel of the other vehicle. He and his passenger were both taken to hospital with minor injuries and have since been treated and released. 

According to the OPP, the driver is being charged with dangerous driving and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 25. 

Ford said that the driver who hit them was “out of commission.”

“He hit us and then wound up on the other side of the highway. It was bad,” he added, saying he prays that the man is okay.

Ford jokingly referred to his own condition following that accident by saying, “I’m okay, this head is like limestone. It’s hard as a rock.” 

Anyone who witnessed the collision or who has dashboard camera footage is being asked to call the OPP’s highway safety division at 1-888-310-1122, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

A look at prime ministerial replacements through history 

Source: ourcommons.ca

The decision by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step aside after a Liberal leadership race and let someone else lead his party into the next election means that Canada will – briefly – have a prime minister who never ran in a national campaign.

While Canadians often treat their votes in general elections as a vote for a party and its leader, prime ministers are not elected. The prime minister is typically the leader of a party that commands the confidence of the House of Commons.

The track record for parties replacing the prime minister ahead of an election yields mixed results. 

True North is going over the most recent examples in Canadian history of a prime minister resigning to make way for a new party leader ahead of an election.

Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson to Pierre Elliott Trudeau

In 1963, Liberal leader Lester B. Pearson managed to defeat the Conservative government of John Diefenbaker, forming a minority government. 

Pearson would lead the Liberals in an election in 1965, once again winning the election with a minority government.

This election would see Liberal newcomer Pierre Elliott Trudeau elected in the safe Grit riding of Mount Royal. 

Just two weeks before year’s end in 1967, Pearson announced his intention to resign as the Liberals’ leader and as prime minister.

At the Liberal party’s leadership convention in April 1968, Pierre Trudeau won the race and was sworn in as prime minister soon after.

Trudeau would immediately call an election in June, winning the election and forming a majority government.

Trudeau would go on to serve as one of Canada’s longest serving prime ministers, winning four elections and governing for 15 years, albeit with a short break between his final two terms.

Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau to John Turner

During Trudeau’s tenure as prime minister, he appointed John Turner as his minister of justice, serving in the role for four years. After that, Turner was made minister of finance in 1972.

However, in 1975, Turner resigned after a disagreement with the prime minister over the implementation of price controls and returned to working in the private sector.

After winning the 1980 election and patriating the Canadian constitution in 1982, Pierre Trudeau had become deeply unpopular, and decided to announce his intention to “take a walk in the snow” and resign as Liberal leader and prime minister. 

Turner decided to return to politics and won the Liberal leadership race in June 1984, defeating Liberal cabinet minister Jean Chrétien. 

After being sworn in as prime minister, Turner decided to call for an election one year before an election was due, despite the Liberals trailing Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives in the polls.

Turner led the Liberals to a remarkable defeat in the 1984 election, winning just 40 seats to the Progressive Conservatives’ 211 and the NDP’s 30. 

Turner would contest the next election as Liberal leader in 1988 but lost to Mulroney’s Tories once again.

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to Kim Campbell

Despite having won the 1984 and 1988 elections, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was deeply unpopular with the Canadian people by the early 1990s. 

After failing to pass constitutional reform and allowing his political coalition in Western Canada and Quebec to collapse, Mulroney announced his intention to resign as prime minister and leader of the Progressive Conservatives in February 1993. 

After the PCs conducted a months-long leadership race, former attorney general and defence minister Kim Campbell won the leadership by narrowly defeating environment minister Jean Charest. 

Campbell saw a brief moment of popularity after ascending to the premiership, but quickly saw her support dissipate and her opponent Chrétien’s support rise.

After running a disastrous campaign, Campbell’s PCs were levelled by the electorate, only winning two seats to the Liberals’ 177, the Bloc Québécois’ 54, the Reform Party’s 52, and the NDP’s nine.

The 1993 election marked the worst electoral defeat for an incumbent party in Canadian history and would mark the end of the Progressive Conservative party’s ability to legitimately compete in federal elections.

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to Paul Martin

After forming three straight majority governments in 1993, 1997, and 2000, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien faced a revolt from his finance minister and intra-party rival Paul Martin. 

In 2002, Martin resigned from the cabinet and began geering up to contest Chrétien’s leadership of the Liberal party. 

After seeing his support within the party wane, Chrétien announced in August 2002 his plan to resign as Liberal leader and prime minister, stepping down a year later on Dec. 12, 2003. 

Martin easily won the leadership race to replace Chrétien and after half a year of governing, he called for an election to be held on June 28, 2004.

Martin’s Liberals won the 2004 election, though they were reduced to a minority government in the face of gains by the new Conservative party.

Martin would eventually lose the confidence of the House in late 2005 and lose the 2006 election to Stephen Harper’s Conservatives. 

Like his predecessors, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will hand the leadership of his party and the premiership of Canada to the Liberal who wins the forthcoming leadership race.

According to Angus Reid’s Trudeau Tracker, the prime minister’s popularity is at an all-time low, reaching a disapproval rating of 74% and an approval rating of 22% for a net approval rating of -52%.

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