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Friday, October 3, 2025

Illicit tobacco trade discussed at Ontario’s latest budget committee

By
Quinn Patrick
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Ontario held its Standing Committee on Finance and Economic in Cornwall on Thursday where Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. made recommendations to curtail the ever-growing illicit tobacco trade in Canada.

The annual meeting allows consultants to weigh in on Ontario’s upcoming provincial budget.  

It’s estimated that the contraband tobacco market represented up to $1.7 billion in lost provincial tobacco tax revenue from 2019 to 2023.

Head of External Affairs for RBH Kory McDonald spoke before the Legislative Assembly committee to present recommendations for the 2024 Budget, focussing on how best to combat contraband tobacco.

Ontario’s illicit tobacco trade accounts for anywhere between 39% to 50% of all cigarettes smoked in the province, according to data from the Convenience Industry Council of Canada.

Products are facilitated by organized crime syndicates and the profits help to further fund their other criminal enterprises like human trafficking and the sale of weapons and harder drugs like fentanyl.  

The underground trade also increases the risk of youth’s access to tobacco as sellers have no incentive to ID underage customers. 

McDonald recommended that the Ontario government “increase penalties in the Tobacco Tax Act to disincentivize the manufacture, distribution and sale of contraband tobacco products.”

“Without action, Ontario’s 1.5 million adult smokers will continue to face barriers to accessing potentially less harmful alternatives. Governments should acknowledge harm-reduced product categories within the Tobacco Tax Act to encourage adult consumers to switch to potentially less harmful alternatives to cigarettes These modest steps could make a huge difference in protecting Ontarians from organized crime, increasing provincial tax revenue and helping curb youth access to tobacco and nicotine products,” said McDonald.

Among the recommendations presented were the launching of a public education campaign to outline the rules of purchasing contraband tobacco products, increasing police abilities to inspect vehicles suspected of trafficking and assigning Ministry of Finance investigators to monitor and report the illegal tobacco trade online.

“It’s a big business, especially for organized crime,” Danny Fournier, Manager of Illicit Trade Prevention for RBH told True North in an exclusive interview last fall. 

“These are common sense steps that can have a big impact in terms of slowing the continued growth of the contraband tobacco market and keeping Ontarians safe. As well, there’s a need for governments to address the fast-growing issue of online illicit trade and establish their own online detection and interdiction program. While this space represents a clear threat it can also be a great opportunity to have better cooperation between government and private sector,’ said Fournier.

The Daily Brief | Syrian refugees still reliant on social assistance

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Five years after arriving in Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resettlement program, 50% of Syrian refugees are still reliant on social assistance.

Plus, Liberal MP and former justice minister David Lametti has resigned his seat and is leaving politics.

And the United Kingdom has paused free trade deal talks with Canada.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Isaac Lamoureux!

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Poilievre government would drop appeal of Emergencies Act ruling

By
Andrew Lawton
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre would drop the federal government’s appeal of this week’s ruling on the Emergencies Act if elected, his office says.

The Federal Court ruled this week that Justin Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act was “unreasonable,” and the measures employed breached Canadians’ constitutional rights.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland stood by the government’s “necessary” decision to invoke the act and vowed to appeal the decision.

“We have discussed it with the prime minister, with cabinet colleagues, with senior federal government officials and experts,” Freeland said. “We respect, very much, Canada’s independent judiciary. However, we do not agree with this decision and, respectfully, we will be appealing it.”

Asked whether the Conservatives would drop the appeal if the Conservatives form government and it is still pending, a spokesperson for Poilievre said they would.

“Yes, Mr. Poilievre would respect the ruling of the court on this matter,” the spokesperson said.

The Trudeau government invoked the never-before-used Emergencies Act in Feb. 2022 in response to the Freedom Convoy protest against vaccine mandates and Covid restrictions.

The law, which requires the presence of a national emergency emanating from “threats to the security of Canada,” is meant to be a last resort when all other law enforcement tools have been exhausted.

The Liberals used the Emergencies Act to declare protests unlawful, conscript tow truck drivers, and freeze bank accounts of anyone the government believed to be supporting the Freedom Convoy.

The emergency declaration was supposed in the House of Commons by the Liberals and New Democrats. Trudeau revoked the emergency before the Senate voted on it.

The government struck a public commission, as the Emergencies Act requires, which held hearings in the fall of 2022. The Public Order Emergency Commission, led by Ontario judge Paul Rouleau, ultimately justified the use of the Emergencies Act, although this finding was not binding in the way a judicial ruling is.

Justice Richard Mosley’s Federal Court decision found the measures to be extraordinary and violated Canadians’ right to freedom of expression and the right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

Poilievre trumpeted the decision when it was handed down, saying Trudeau “broke the highest law in the land with the Emergencies Act.”

“He caused the crisis by dividing people. Then he violated Charter rights to illegally suppress citizens. As PM, I will unite our country for freedom.”

Canadian military commander demands soldiers support men’s tampons for trans “inclusion”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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An internal Canadian Armed Forces communication shows a Toronto-area commanding officer threatening soldiers who are caught throwing out tampons in the men’s washroom with discipline and urging them to support the policy for the sake of transgender non-binary members of the forces. 

In the email leaked to True North, the Commanding Officer of the 4 CDSG Greater Toronto Area Detachment, Maj. Robert P. Ryan complains that “petty acts of protest” go against Canadian Armed Forces policy. 

As first reported by True North, as of Dec. 15, all federally regulated workplaces, including military bases, are required under the Canada Labour Code to stock menstrual products in men’s washrooms as a step towards promoting “inclusion.”

“We have already had several incidences (sic) where the menstrual products in the male washrooms have been maliciously thrown in the garbage,” Ryan warned in an email to his regiment.

“The petty acts of protest are simply wasteful and are only costing the taxpayer money as the items will need to be restocked.”

Ryan is also a member of the division’s Diversity Awareness Groups, specifically the Defence Advisory Group for Persons with Disabilities.

According to the commanding officer, Canadian Armed Forces members are expected to fully support the policy, as it promotes the inclusion of non-binary and transgender soldiers. 

“You may disagree with the decision of the Government of Canada on this issue, however, as professional members of the Defence Team you need to understand that you do not have a public opinion on government policy and are expected to fully support your fellow Defence Team members. We have members in the Garrison who are non-binary or have transitioned,” wrote Ryan. 

“Your actions are disrespectful to them and I would ask that you consider that when the urge strikes you to throw these products out again. Take time to reflect on how your actions affect others and the cost of what will happen if you are caught.” 

True North reached out to the Department of National Defence for comment and to ask what sort of punishments soldiers caught throwing out tampons would receive but did not receive a response in time for publication. 

Since the policy was introduced, several bases have seen members throwing out the products in the garbage. 

Ontario MPP Parm Gill quits Doug Ford’s cabinet for federal Conservative run

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Ontario Progressive Conservative MPP Parm Gill is jumping to federal politics to run for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.

The two-term provincial legislature announced his departure from the provincial legislature and Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet in a statement Thursday.

Gill said he’s seen “first hand” that Poilievre has a strong commitment to “making our country better.”

Gill said that after “much discussion” with his wife, family, and “many members” of his community, that it was time to represent his constituents of Milton on a federal level. 

“I am motivated to continue to fight for the constituents of Milton by joining Pierre Poilievre’s common sense Conservative team in their efforts to defeat Justin Trudeau’s Liberal-NDP costly coalition,” reads the statement.

“I want to thank Premier Ford for his confidence in me and for helping me deliver for Milton and our great province.”

Gill first won his former Milton riding in 2018. He served as Ontario’s Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism from 2021 to 2022 and most recently became Minister of Red Tape Reduction. 

Gill was the federal MP for the former riding of Brampton—Springdale in the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015. He lost the 2015 election but found success in provincial politics as a PC candidate in the 2018 election.

The Ontario Liberal Party seized the moment by releasing a statement claiming Gill’s resignation was a sign that Ford is losing support.

“This is clearly another sign that Ford’s team is abandoning a sinking ship,” said party press secretary Carter Brownlee. “Ontario Liberals will have more to say on this race in the coming days. We certainly welcome this opportunity to grow our caucus.”

However, Ford spokesperson Caitlin Clark thanked Gill for his service “as a valued member of our caucus,” in a written statement to CBC News. “We wish him every success in this next chapter and will announce a new Minister of Red Tape Reduction at a later date.”

LAWTON: Tucker Carlson comes to ‘liberate’ Canada (ft. Rachel Emmanuel)

By
Andrew Lawton
-

On Wednesday, thousands gathered in Alberta to hear Tucker Carlson speak, alongside Premier Danielle Smith, Jordan Peterson, and other prominent Canadian figures. True North’s Rachel Emmanuel joined Andrew Lawton to discuss her involvement in the event, and share her insight into the key topics that were addressed at the gathering.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Liberal MPs urge Poilievre to condemn Carlson and criticize Danielle Smith

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-

Liberal MPs, while attending the party’s three-day national caucus retreat in Ottawa ahead of Parliament’s return on Monday, expressed serious concerns to reporters about American political influence in Canada. They called upon Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre to denounce Tucker Carlson.

Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez was one of many MPs to address the reporters in both English and French.

“What happened last night is not acceptable. Is he going to condemn that? If he wants to run for Prime Minister, he should have the courage to condemn those words. It’s not acceptable in our country,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez added that extreme-right politics are already in Canada and that the Conservative party are the ones bringing it.

Reporters asked Rodriguez what he expected Poilievre to do, whether he wanted Carlson not to be let into the country. 

“I think his words should be condemned. We cannot accept that in Canada. This is not us. This will never be us,” said Rodriguez.

The Minister of Heritage, Pascale St-Onge, echoed Rodriguez’s concerns that Canadian Conservatives were inviting the American far-right into Canada. She said that Tucker Carlson and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were putting targets on the backs of Canadian politicians, such as Steven Guilbeault.

“What we’re saying today is that we don’t want this type of policy in Canada. We want men and women of all communities, of all origins, to feel comfortable running for office. We don’t want violent politics here in Canada and in the Liberal Party,” she said. 

Liberal MP for Edmonton Centre, Randy Boissonnault, condemned Danielle Smith for inviting Tucker Carlson to Alberta.

“To bring the mouthpiece of the MAGA conservative far-right to Edmonton Centre to spew hate about LGBTQ2 people is beyond deplorable, and we won’t stand for it,” he said. “It’s completely unacceptable for the premier of any province to say that she wants to put a target on the back of any Canadian politician, and my friend and colleague Steven Guilbeault, simply for doing his job.” 

“You do not summon the dogs of MAGA conservatism and somehow scare, try to scare us, and to try to incite violence against politicians of any stripe,” he said. “And if she would take her job seriously, she’d actually be focused on housing, on climate change, on actually solving the issues of Albertans, like forgetting her ridiculous proposal on CPP instead of trying to summon evil forces from the United States to try to take on one of our colleagues.”

Boissonnault said that the division seen in the United States had been brought North of the border, spewing hate speech about LGBTQ people. 

“Conservative premiers, instead of doing their jobs, are trying to invite this wave of populism. It’s making newcomers nervous and fearful. People in the LGBTQ community do not feel safe,” he said. 

Steven Guilbeault said that he was targeted at last night’s event. 

“This increases political violence against everyone who runs for office in this country, whether they’re doing it at the municipal level, at the provincial level, or at any federal level,” said Guilbeault. “To incite violence against people who disagree with you, that’s not how things should be done in Canada.” 

The only example provided of the allegedly inciting violence by any of the Ministers was that they said putting a target on someone’s back could insinuate violence.

Guilbeault said that it’s become more and more difficult to find people willing to run for municipal office because of the increasingly violent climate. 

Liberals, legacy media in total meltdown over Tucker Carlson Alberta visit

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Calgary and Edmonton played host to conservative commentator Tucker Carlson’s speaking tour this week, causing Canadian Liberal politicians and legacy media figures to completely meltdown over the event. 

The well-attended event drew criticism from key political figures who alleged Carlson and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were fanning the flames of “political violence.”

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault held a press conference to express his concerns, alleging that Smith incited violence by suggesting Carlson put Guilbeault in his “crosshairs.” 

“This goes beyond me and the fact that I was targeted last night at this event increases political violence against everyone who runs for office in this country,” claimed Guilbeault. 

Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez seized the opportunity to label the event as an example of the “extreme right” infiltrating Canadian politics.  

“The extreme right politics. Don’t ask if it’s coming to Canada. It’s already here,” said Rodriguez.

Media pundits joined the chorus of disapproval. David Frum expressed disappointment in what he perceived as Canada reverting to relying on “cancelled US programming.”

“The thing that’s so sad is that I thought Canada had passed the point where Canadians had to make do with cancelled US programming as if it were fresh and new,” said Frum. 

Former environment minister Catherine McKenna also weighed in, condemning Smith’s invitation to Carlson as “UnCanadian and dangerous.” 

“Appalling. Danielle Smith encouraging American right-wing rage farmer with a massive base to attack a Canadian politician. UnCanadian and dangerous,” said McKenna. 

National Observer columnist Max Fawcett called the event “unbelievably reckless,” while CTV pundit Scott Reid accused Smith of endorsing Carlson’s statements by extending an invitation, despite Smith’s repeated claims that agreeing to an interview by anyone does not constitute agreement with all of their positions.

TikToker Rachel Gilmore suggested that Carlson had spread the “replacement conspiracy that has inspired mass violence.”



Ratio’d | Tucker Carlson takes on Justin Trudeau and Freeland in Alberta

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

Tucker Carlson was in Calgary and Edmonton yesterday on what he described as his mission to “liberate Canada” from the authoritarian grip of Justin Trudeau. Carlson’s ire didn’t stop at Trudeau. In Edmonton, the conservative commentator also took several shots at Chrystia Freeland.

Carlson directed the attention of the sold-out crowd to the government’s treatment of Christians in this country, the dystopian euthanasia regime implemented under the Liberal government, Canada’s out of control mass immigration agenda and the “safe supply” drug strategy that is wreaking havoc on Canadians.

On the latest episode of Ratio’d, Harrison brings us the highlights of the best moments of Tucker Carlson’s tour through Alberta.

Alberta Premier vows to double province’s oil production while speaking at Tucker Carlson’s show

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promised to double the province’s oil and gas production in a conversation on-stage with Tucker Carlson in Calgary.

Smith made the commitment while she joined former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday in Calgary and Edmonton as part of his Canada tour.

Addressing more than 4,000 attendees in Calgary, Smith emphasized the province’s need to enhance energy security and stability, particularly in the context of recent challenges to Alberta’s power grid.

More than double the amount of people in Calgary came to the show in Edmonton. Rogers Place was packed to the brim, but the upper bowl was closed. Rogers Place has 9,300 lower bowl seats, and an estimated 10,000 people attended the show in Alberta’s capital.

Carlson began the conversation by acknowledging Alberta as the country’s energy-rich province yet addressing that the province recently almost ran out of electricity.

“At the current trajectory, it will be Bolivia in terms of its power grid. Does that get better soon? What’s your projection?” Carlson asked the Premier.

Smith confirmed that the province will bring on new baseload natural gas power this year, which she said will stabilize the power grid. She added that she planned to follow in the United States’ footsteps. 

Smith said that despite the United States leadership talking about phasing out oil and gas, America has become the largest producer of oil and gas exports. The United States is currently producing more oil and gas than any country in history, according to CNN. 

“So, I think we should just double down and decide we’re going to double our oil and gas production,” said Smith. “Where else does America want to get its oil from? Do you want to get it from Iran? Do you want to get it from Venezuela? Or do you want to get it from safe Canada?”

“I think that we can do a lot to make sure that the Americans know that we are here to provide energy security. We are a great friend, great ally, great neighbour, and we just need to get the political leadership to realize that we are a friend,” said Smith.

After listening to Smith, Carlson offered some advice.

“Stop being embarrassed about who you are. You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said.  

Smith’s office had only initially confirmed that she would attend the Calgary show. Her appearance in Edmonton was a joyful surprise to some. Jordan Peterson and Conrad Black also appeared in Edmonton, both of whom had a long conversation on-stage with Carlson after Smith had left the stage.

True North’s Rachel Emmanuel was the first to speak at the event in Edmonton. Emmanuel introduced the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom’s president, John Carpay, who then introduced Carlson.  

Speaking at a separate conference Thursday morning, Smith addressed her promise to double Alberta’s oil production.

“We want to increase production, reduce emissions so that we can make sure we’re addressing the dual problem of not only emissions but also energy poverty. So, I would say that we think we can be a secure supplier to America,” said Smith.

She said that increased production will come from the Trans Mountain Expansion opening up soon and by optimizing the systems currently within Alberta. She added that more natural gas and LNG export announcements will come soon.

Despite people talking in gloomy terms about the future of oil and gas, Smith said that a secure supply of oil and gas will remain necessary.

“We need to be the best barrel on the market so that we continue to make sure that our friends and trading partners have access to this energy.” 

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