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Friday, October 3, 2025

CBC CEO defends broadcaster as essential in fight against ”disinformation”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-
Source: ParlVu

CBC CEO Catherine Tait faced tough questions from the House of Commons Heritage Committee as she defended her leadership and in particular, the state broadcaster’s supposed role in combating disinformation. 

Conservative members of the committee scrutinized Tait’s record, highlighting concerns over declining viewership, loss of trust, and recent layoffs accompanied by executive bonuses.

During the hearing, Tait mainly asserted the importance of the CBC in the fight against “disinformation.”

“The public broadcaster remains the single most effective tool that we have as Canadians to combat this disinformation. We are the only national media company in the country,” said Tait.

Conservative MP Rachael Thomas was the first to press Tait on the CBC’s declinee, questioning whether she deserves a bonus.

Thomas pointed out that under Tait’s leadership, CBC’s trust in the media has declined, viewership has halved, ad revenue dropped by 31%, and more than 100 correction notices have been issued in the last two years.

Tait defended her performance, stating that she has performance pay based on objectives, and she believes she has met those metrics despite industry trends.

“I do not control the number of Canadians that have left television to go online. And by the way, equal to the number declining on CBC television that you continue to report is an increase in millions that are watching CBC Gem,” Tait responded.

Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer also questioned Tait’s record and the justification for issuing performance awards. Tait explained that the drop in revenue was between an Olympics year and a non-Olympics year, suggesting that the years with two Olympic Games had higher revenue levels.

“The 30% drop in revenue was between an Olympics year and a non-Olympics year. And in fact, in the years you’re describing we had two Olympic Games and so have a much higher level of revenue those years,” said Tait. 

“So were ad revenues in 2023 higher than in 2022?” asked Scheer. 

“I would say there were flat and that is by the way what very much a part of what is going on in the industry,” said Tait. 

In December, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s motion to ban all bonuses for CBC executives was thwarted by the Liberals in the House of Commons. The motion was introduced after Tait confirmed layoffs affecting 10% of the workforce. Despite the CBC benefiting from a $100 million deal with Google under the Online News Act, financial challenges were cited as the reason for the layoffs.

A recent report by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation revealed that taxpayers were responsible for $16 million in bonuses for up to 1,142 full-time employees at the public broadcaster.

Postsecondary institutions in B.C., Ontario push back on foreign student cap

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The recent cap on international students has led to some pushback from postsecondary schools and provincial governments, including Colleges Ontario and B.C. Premier David Eby. 

Eby wants to see exemptions in occupational areas where there is high demand, such as nurses, early childhood care and truck drivers.  

“We can’t have this cap impacting our healthcare system or the availability of childcare, or the ability to build the homes that we need,” Eby told reporters.

The Trudeau government announced a cap on international students visas last week due to unsustainable housing, pressure on the healthcare system, and corruption within some of the student visa programs. 

“This is the first stage of a discussion that we’re having with the federal government about the number itself as well as any other areas that might be carved out for areas of particular needs,” Eby told CBC News in an interview.

While Eby does agree that there are too many international students entering Canada every year, he wants to see the Trudeau government reduce the number “in a way that minimizes harm to the overall provincial economy, to postsecondary institutions, and to international students themselves.”

Canada accepted 352,325 international students in 2015. By the end of last year, that number had tripled to 1,038,850. 

The cap will mean a new student visa can only be issued once an old one expires. 

B.C. and Ontario will feel the cap more than other provinces as they take in the greatest number of international students every year, despite the fact that the cap is applied on a per capita basis equally across all provinces. 

Colleges Ontario, an association representing 24 public colleges across the province, said that there will be “long-lasting repercussions” as a result of the cap in a statement released last week. 

“The federal government’s cap on study permits for international students is essentially a moratorium by stealth that is already causing significant and unnecessary upheaval for students, employers and communities,” reads the statement released on Thursday. 

“Ontario’s public colleges are calling for the federal government to treat the post-graduate credentials at public colleges the same way it treats the post-graduate credentials at universities and to exempt them from the cap.”

Almost one-third of all postsecondary students in B.C., about 545,000, are international, and with a number that high, postsecondary institutions are going to feel the loss in tuition fees. Especially since some institutions may charge as much as 10 times the amount in tuition fees to an international student as they would to a Canadian student.

Universities throughout Canada have argued that international students play a pivotal role in contributing to communities, bringing in an annual $22 billion to the economy.

Postsecondary institutions in Ontario account for 40% of international students and they have argued that the cap is going to bring financial hardship to their sector. 

However, the federal government believes that that the cap is a result of mismanagement on behalf of some schools, with Immigration Minister Marc Miller going as far as to call them “puppy mills” for providing international students with a subpar education. 

According to the Globe and Mail, B.C. Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Selina Robinson responded to the announcement by promising to go after “bad actors” who abuse the system.

“We do need to stop the bad actors from misleading the students,” said Robinson. “We are taking action to increase higher standards and stronger enforcement for institutions that enroll international education students here in British Columbia.”

According to Robinson, the new measures will include more frequent inspections of private postsecondary institutions to ensure quality. 

Private colleges, which account for more than half of international students in B.C. will be obligated to demonstrate a correlation between the needs of the labour-market with their graduates. 

Additionally, B.C. will set minimum language requirements at private training institutions.

“We will work with public and private institutions to set appropriate limits on international enrolment,” Robinson told reporters.

Miller responded by saying that the federal government was willing to work with B.C. on implementing the cap, however he would not comment on whether or not it would consider exemptions. 

Provinces pressure feds to delay expansion of assisted suicide to mentally ill ‘indefinitely’ 

By
Noah Jarvis
-

Several provincial ministers have signed a joint letter urging the Trudeau government to delay the planned expansion of medical assistance in dying to the mentally ill indefinitely. 

This letter comes as federal Health Minister Mark Holland alongside Justice Minister Arif Virani, announced that the Liberals would be tabling legislation to push back the expansion of assisted suicide scheduled for March 17 by an unspecified amount of time.

The expansion to the assisted suicide regime would controversially allow Canadians whose deaths was not reasonably foreseeable and whose sole reason for seeking assisted suicide was their mental illness.

Ministers from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon signed on to the open letter. 

The provinces are calling on the government to scrap the March 17 deadline and delay the expansion of MAID indefinitely to properly reconsider their policy. 

In specific, the provincial ministers raised concerns that provincial health departments are ill-prepared to implement a system with the necessary and appropriate guardrails.

“It is critical that all jurisdictions, health authorities, regulators and MAID practitioners have sufficient time to implement these safeguards and to address capacity concerns that are expected to result from the expansion of MAID eligibility,” reads the joint letter.

The provincial ministers also said that the examinations used to determine a person’s capacity to make treatment decisions for themselves are flawed and inconsistent.

“The federal Expert Panel has acknowledged that the comprehensiveness and delivery of the mental competency exam to determine an individual’s ability to make treatment decisions is inconsistent across Canada.”

Despite the blowback from most provinces and territories across the country, the federal health minister told reporters that he does not believe it was irresponsible for the Trudeau government to pass the law in spite of provincial readiness.

“When you look at the people who are suffering and who are asking for this relief, we take that deeply seriously,” said Holland.

“I think the question though is making sure before we move forward, and the date is March 17, to really ascertain and understand, is the system ready and to get it right.”

The Trudeau government had already pushed back the deadline for assisted suicide expansion, as in February 2023, the Liberals with the help of the NDP and Bloc Québécois passed Bill C-39 which delayed assisted suicide’s expansion to March 2024.

The provinces that did not sign the letter were Manitoba, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador. True North reached out to the health ministers of each of these provinces for comment, but did not receive a response.

Canada surpassed international student target last year by nearly 100K

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The Liberal government had exceeded its projected target for international student visas by nearly 100,000 last year.

There were nearly a million valid international student permits issued as of last November, 100,000 more than the 900,000 figure announced last August by Immigration Minister Marc Miller.

Data disclosed in response to a House of Commons order paper question on Monday revealed that Canada had a staggering 981,192 study permit holders as of Nov. 30, 2023.

Of these, 336,636 were held by students at universities, with 129,792 in postgraduate studies, explained Miller’s parliamentary secretary, Paul Chiang. 

Last summer, Miller initially presented the 900,000 figure without considering a cap on the number of international students while facing growing pressure to cut down the number amid rising cost of living and housing challenges. 

“Just putting a hard cap, which got a lot of public play over the last few days, is not the only solution to this,” he remarked at the time. 

“Core to this is actually trying to figure out what the problem is we’re trying to solve for. It isn’t entirely housing, it’s more appropriately the integrity of the system that has mushroomed, ballooned in the past couple of years.” 

However, a few months later, the government reversed course, announcing a two-year cap on international student admissions. This decision was aimed at a 35% reduction in the number of permit holders.

“In recent years, the integrity of the international student system has been threatened,” said the federal government in its announcement. 

“Some institutions have significantly increased their intakes to drive revenues, and more students have been arriving in Canada without the proper supports they need to succeed. Rapid increases in the number of international students arriving in Canada also puts pressure on housing, health care, and other services.”

Ethics commissioner says case is closed on Trudeau’s Jamaica vacation

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Canada’s interim ethics commissioner says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Jamaican vacation did not violate any rules and confirmed Trudeau checked with him before accepting the gifted accommodation from his friend.  

“He consulted us, and we advised him,” Konrad von Finckenstein told MPs on Tuesday, testifying before the House of Commons ethics committee regarding what the rules are in relation to gifts and trips.

Finkenstein told the committee that as far as his office was concerned, the matter has been dealt with and the case is closed.

“If it had not been an acceptable gift, it would have had to be reported on our website… nothing has been reported,” he said. 

Gifts valued at $200,000 or more must be disclosed on a public registry within 30 days, according to the Conflict of Interest Act.

Exceptions are made for gifts that are received via family members or from friends. 

While the exact location of Trudeau’s vacation was not disclosed, the National Post did report that he and his family stayed at a villa that costs several thousand dollars per night, which was privately owned by Peter Green, whom Trudeau describes as a friend. 

The villa was part of a larger resort owned by Green’s family.

“Thirty days have passed since the prime minister disclosed that he went to Jamaica… you can draw your own conclusion as to what the advice was that I gave,” said von Finckenstein.

Conservative MP and ethics critic Michael Barrett claimed that Green’s offer was likely valued at more than $80,000 and substantial enough to qualify as an influential gift. 

However, von Finckenstein pointed those concerns to the existing exemption for gifts accepted by family and friends.

“The prime minister has stated that Mr. Green is a friend of the family, has been a friend for over 50 years. He has stayed at Mr. Green’s property since he was a child,” said von Finckenstein. 

“The prime minister has received gifts… more than once from this friend. He has spoken publicly of this friendship and has sought advice from my office, both during my tenure and during the tenure of my predecessor.”

Liberal MPs agreed to the Conservatives’ call for the ethics commissioner to appear, saying that it would allow for the Canadian public to be made aware of the ethics rules around what is permitted for Canadian MPs surrounding gifts and trips. 

However, the Prime Minister’s Office had initially claimed that Trudeau’s family would pay for the Jamaican vacation themselves before later clarifying to the Canadian Press that Trudeau’s accommodations were “at no cost at a location owned by family friends.”

Additionally, the Prime Minister’s Office said the ethics commissioner was consulted “on these details prior to the travel to ensure that the rules were followed.”

Trudeau “continues to reimburse the equivalent of a commercial airline ticket for his personal travel and that of his family,” wrote the PMO at the time of the trip. However, the prime minister must travel on government aircraft for security purposes, a government policy established years ago.

Trudeau’s press secretary responded to comments Barrett made about Trudeau not being transparent over the vacation by saying that “any allegation that we would mislead the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner is categorically false,” in a statement to CTV News. 

The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner did confirm that the Prime Minister’s Office consulted with it regarding the prime minister’s vacation beforehand, stating that the office “does not approve or ‘clear’ regulatees’ vacations.” 

However, the commissioner declined to provide the committee with any specific details, citing confidentiality requirements. Von Finckenstein did say, however, that office holders “always” take his office’s advice regarding what is acceptable, because an investigation would follow if they didn’t.

“We work to verify the true depths of a friendship asserted. If someone is a friend, they can offer a gift to a public officer in a personal context, and the gift does not need to be disclosed,” said von Finckenstein.

Three-quarters of contractors paid for $53 million ArriveCan app didn’t do any work

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The contentious ArriveCan app that was brought in to track citizens during the pandemic has become the subject of controversy once again, following an investigation revealing that three-quarters of the contractors who received money to build the $54-million dollar app didn’t actually have any involvement in its creation.

The revelation came in a report by the federal government’s procurement ombudsman.

“In roughly 76% of applicable contracts, resources proposed in the winning bid did not perform any work on the contract,” the report found.

The finding was condemned by Conservative members of Parliament Kelly Block and Pierre Paul-Hus.

“A damning watchdog report has revealed that federal officials in the Trudeau government rigged the ArriveCan contract so it would end up with the well-connected, two-person consulting firm, GC Strategies,” reads a joint statement from the two released Monday.

“In total, these two individuals did not work on the app, yet received $11 million dollars from taxpayers. Multiple investigations into ArriveCan have revealed millions in taxpayer dollars sent to connected insiders and consultants,” the statement continued.

Canadians were initially told that the ArriveCan app would cost $80,000 to implement, however that number quickly ballooned to costing over $54 million, a bill that was laid at the feet of the taxpayer, which the Conservatives took aim at in their statement.

“Experts have estimated that ArriveCan could’ve been built in a weekend for $200,000. But instead, the Trudeau government decided to waste $54 million in taxpayer dollars on this unnecessary and broken app. Unfortunately for Canadians, these recent allegations of abuse are starting to make the extreme $54 million price tag make sense,” reads the statement from Block and Paul-Hus.

Canadians were also billed an additional $7.5 million for a Service Canada call centre, $5.2 million in data management fees, $4.9 million in “indirect costs” and another $4.6 million for cloud hosting. 

The app was rife with technical glitches and faced a massive backlash over privacy concerns and its purpose of forcing Canadians into quarantine, including senior citizens who did not know how to use the app. 

It also contributed to the Canadian tourism industry losing billions of dollars. 

Government officials were suspended without pay due to their inappropriate relationships with contractors involved in the app after the news became public. 

The scandal included an “ArriveCan Whisky Tasting” event hosted by GC Strategies, attended by government officials to celebrate the app.

“Since this scandal came to light, whistleblowers have been silenced and government officials have been suspended without pay for telling the truth at Committee. Now, as the allegation of corruption grows more severe, the RCMP has decided to investigate the contracts for potential criminality,” reads the Conservative statement. 

The Daily Brief | University of Waterloo brings back racial segregation at pools

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The Immigration and Refugee Board has ordered the deportation of one woman accused of spying on behalf of China.

Plus, almost 2,000 families have been compensated by the Vaccine Injury Support Program, totalling over $11 million in payouts.

And racial segregation at pools is back and it’s being piloted by the University of Waterloo, where it has dedicated swim times for “black folx.”

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Noah Jarvis!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF

The Andrew Lawton Show | UNRWA association with terrorists is nothing new

By
Andrew Lawton
-
Source: UNWatch

The United Nations refugee agency operating in the Palestinian terroritories, UNRWA, is facing bombshell allegations from Israel that a dozen of its staff were involved in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with one of them actively involved in a kidnapping. Canada has paused funding of UNRWA but an NDP MP’s response was to donate money to the agency. True North’s Andrew Lawton says UNRWA’s association with terrorists is nothing new – this is just the latest example.

Also, Andrew gives an update on Michael Mann v Mark Steyn, the climate change free speech trial underway in Washington, D.C.

Plus, we launch a new segment called Unjust Transition, an interview series with representatives of Canada’s energy sector who are speaking out against the federal government’s desire to transition away from oil and gas. Today’s episode features Michael Binnion, head of the Modern Miracle Network and CEO of Questerre Energy.

That, and a chat with Avi Yemini and Ezra Levant on the streets of Davos about why independent journalists are the only ones holding the World Economic Forum and its elites to account.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

LEVY: Pride Toronto cashed grant cheques without delivering on its promises

By
Sue-Ann Levy
-

It’s a prime example of what happens when boards abuse their power and have little oversight by their political masters.

The beleaguered Pride Toronto organization – already battling possible insolvency because of its policy decision to ban the police from the parade based on demands from BLM – did everything it could to cover its tracks before, during, and after a heated AGM in January 2020.

Self-appointed meeting chair Michael Erickson – the owner of Glad Day bookshop – obfuscated about an investigation into allegations of financial improprieties. He even claimed that the investigation was complete and any wrongdoing found has been “addressed.”

He and his interim board – who had installed themselves into three-year terms – ran out the clock that night to evade scrutiny.

I was at the meeting as Erickson declared a lot of things I reported in the weeks before were “false and trash.”

Erickson is long gone but evidently the reports were neither false, nor trash.

The federal government has ordered Pride to repay $505,000 in grant money after a KPMG study, conducted in 2021, confirmed that many of the projects for which it received $1.8-million in funding were not completed.

According to reports, Pride could not produce evidence it they had completed the promised deliverables.

There were three separate grants – $1-million from Public Safety Canada to develop better relations with the police; $250,000 to tell the story of the 50th anniversary of decriminalization of homosexuality in this country; and $600,000 to put together an exhibit of Indigenous artwork.

The $1-million grant came with the agreement to allow police back into the parade. But in January of 2019, Pride members voted 163-161 to renege on the agreement and uphold the ban.

Another $1-million grant from the Federal Economic Development Agency was not studied by KPMG but is thoroughly documented in an independent review by Pride Toronto member and York University ethics professor Tom Hooper.

Hooper put together his extremely comprehensive review at pridegrants.ca.

He alleged fraud and forgery – namely that the organization never delivered the art exhibit and forged letters of support for the Indigenous grant from the Assembly of First Nations, the TDSB, the Peel Region District School Board and the Waterloo Region District School Board.

He also alleges that funds meant for Indigenous artists were redirected to cover expenses for VIP party passes and Pride staffers.

He found that much of the $1-million grant from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario was used to cover wages for Pride Toronto staff and its contractors.

By the time the entire amount was released to Pride Toronto, Hooper discovered – using documents traced through FOI requests –  that some $900,000 of the $1-million was used to cover staff salaries instead of a 2020 Pride pavilion and a partnership with Indigenous artist Kent Monkman (which fell through) among other things.

However, he reported on his website that KMPG, regrettably, did not investigate the fraud and forgery claims or the $1-million grant from the Federal Economic Development Agency

According to reports, Pride Toronto has already paid back $100,000 and has tightened up its financial oversight.

But frankly from years of covering this organizational train wreck – which is heavily subsidized by the city of Toronto, the province and the federal government (especially during the Trudeau era) – I have my doubts.

To repeat, this is a perfect example of what happens to a woke organization with staff more worried about their proper pronouns than diligently managing their fiscal resources – one that shuns gay people like myself for demanding accountability.

Let’s remember, the Toronto police are still banned from marching in the annual Pride parade.

They can provide security but gay and lesbian officers are not permitted to march.

That tells me everything about the mindset of those purporting to run Pride.

Feds “disappointed” with grocery chains for lack of food price transparency

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said he’s “disappointed” with Canada’s largest grocery store chains over transparency on food pricing issues due to inflation.

Champagne wrote a letter to Canada’s Commissioner of Competition Mathew Boswell, expressing his disappointment with the lack of cooperation from the big five chains, which are Metro, Loblaws, Sobeys, Walmart and Costco. 

“Large grocers have not, to date, been sufficiently transparent about the causes of food inflation and they have failed, for the most part, to provide regular updates on initiatives aimed at stabilizing food prices in the country. The continued record profits in the grocery retail sector indicate that there are more opportunities to bring relief for Canadian consumers,” wrote Champagne.

The letter didn’t mention implementing tax measures if prices weren’t stabilized, which was a threat made by the Trudeau government last fall. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had given the grocers an ultimatum of either creating a plan to reduce inflationary prices or being potentially subjected to tax measures.

“The large grocery stores have accepted to work with the government of Canada. This is a step in the right direction,” said Champagne at the time, following a meeting with CEO’s from the big five chains. “We’ll keep on pushing them. Trust me, this is just the beginning.”

Champagne’s letter referenced the “record profits” that the grocery store sector is currently experiencing, hoping that the letter will put pressure on the Competition Bureau to “further address the concerns of Canadian consumers.”

Recently, Parliament passed Bill C-56, also known as the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act, which Champagne hopes will allow the commissioner to “take full advantage” of the powers granted to him.  

Under Bill C-56, the Competition Bureau is allowed to investigate unfair behaviour in the grocery sector and may even take new actions against those who are guilty. 

It also compels grocery chains to provide the government with information on market studies.

“This is why we amended the Competition Act through Bill C-56, the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act, to include formal market study powers, repeal the efficiencies defence that allowed harmful mergers to proceed, and expand the scope of reviewable agreements and tools to challenge abusive practices of market-dominant firms. These powers are by and large now in effect,” reads the letter.

The letter did not contain any mention of new government measures being implemented but was rather to express discontent and to hold “grocers’ feet to the fire.” 

However, there are new Competition Act reforms currently passing through Parliament, which if passed, would give more authority to the Bureau to investigate anti-competitive activities in the sector.

“As I’ve said many times before at this podium, the best way to stabilize grocery prices in this country is to have more competition. More competition will mean more options, which leads to a downward pressure on price. It’s fairly straightforward and I think every Canadian can understand that,” Champagne told CTV News.  

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