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Saturday, July 26, 2025

High immigration linked to inflation says BoC Deputy Governor

By
Quinn Patrick
-
Source: Government of Canada

Bank of Canada Deputy Governor Toni Gravelle gave a speech on Thursday that focused on the impact that immigration is having on inflation, especially its contributions to the housing crisis. 

Housing construction has not managed to outpace the increased demand brought on by record-levels of immigration, which in turn increases the cost of shelter. 

Gravelle also emphasized that he would like to see more downward momentum in inflation before making any further commitments regarding future interest rate hikes. 

The Bank of Canada announced that it would be keeping its policy rate at 5% on Wednesday, however, they warned of possible increases in the future.

Gravelle said the economy is “roughly in balance” as inflation begins to decline and consumer spending slows down. The central bank still warns that things have not improved to such a level where it can  take further rate hikes off the table. 

“While we saw some welcome improvement in inflation measures in October, we must remember it’s just one month. We need to see further progress,” said Gravelle during his speech in Windsor, Ont.

Many economists believe that interest rates have already peaked and that the Bank of Canada will begin reducing rates by mid-2024. The central bank has yet to confirm any such speculation and Gravelle’s speech did not lean towards any changes regarding a less strict monetary policy.

Instead, Gravelle focused on how high immigration levels are contributing to inflation and the direct effects it’s having on housing and rental costs.

Overall, inflation fell to 3.1% in October from its peak of 8.1% in June 2022, however, the cost of housing continues to climb exponentially. This is in part due to the bank’s rate, which has resulted in higher mortgage costs but it’s also tied to higher-than-average levels of immigration over the past several years.

“Canada’s housing supply has not kept pace with recent increases in immigration. This is different from the United States where housing construction has been more flexible to respond to population shifts and where rent inflation is expected to continue to decline,” said Gravelle, noting that Canada has had the highest population growth of any G7 country since 2016.

Even more recently, immigration targets have jumped up by 50% since 2019, bludgeoning the construction industry and the cost of housing. 

“This jump in demographic demand coupled with existing structural supply issues could explain why rent inflation continues to climb in Canada. It also helps explain, in part, why housing prices have not fallen as much as we expected,” said Gravelle.

“When newcomer arrivals picked up sharply in early 2022, that steady decline in the vacancy rate became a cliff. Canada’s vacancy rate has now reached a historical low,” he said.

High levels of immigration can be beneficial to the labour force and economic growth, however, increasing Canada’s output by 2-3% since last year. 

“Newcomers have helped loosen tight labour markets and have significantly improved our country’s potential growth, which will help keep a lid on inflation pressures in the long run,” said Gravelle.

In the short term, the housing crisis remains persistent. 

Gravelle also mentioned how only 3% of Canada’s permanent residents work in the construction industry, compared to the 8% of overall Canadians who do, whereas the U.S. makes a point of taking in more immigrants who work in the construction industry.  

The Candice Malcolm Show | Why are they blaming Pierre Poilievre for THIS?

By
Candice Malcolm
-

It’s Fake News Friday on the Candice Malcolm Show!

Today, Candice walks us through the latest faux outrage fake news narrative that the legacy media has directed at the Leader of the Opposition.

Last week, Liberal Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said that the CBC would indeed be entitled to a significant portion of the $100M the Trudeau government managed to squeeze out of Google to pay out to the dying legacy media in Canada.

This, of course, would be in addition to the approximately $1.3B CBC gets from taxpayers each and every year.

It was a little odd, then, that CBC this week announced that it would be laying off between 600 and 700 employees.

Merry Christmas! Not so much at the state broadcaster.

To add insult to injury, CBC’s hopeless CEO Catherine Tate was interviewed on her own network and couldn’t seem to answer the basic question of whether executives would be receiving Christmas bonuses this year. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation revealed that CBC paid out some $16M last year in executive bonuses alone.

Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre noticed this, and posted about it on social media.

Well, apparently, according to our brilliant legacy media, this makes Poilievre the real villain of the story.

See their silly reactions and watch Candice break down the facts and explain how Twitter contributed to the total breakdown of trust in the Canadian media. 

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

Canadian military bases mandate menstruation kits in men’s bathrooms

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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In a move to align with the Liberal government’s commitment to “inclusivity,” Canadian military bases are required to provide menstrual products, including tampons and pads, in men’s washrooms by December 15.

This directive, issued by Employment and Social Development Canada, extends to all federally regulated workplaces and military installations.

True North has independently verified the implementation of this policy in at least one Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) military base, where menstruation kits are now available in men’s washrooms. 

Major Soomin Kim of the Department of National Defence confirmed that this decision aligns with federal government directives, emphasizing compliance with the Canada Labour Code.

“Starting December 15, 2023, as per the Canada Labour Code, all federally managed washrooms will be required to provide menstrual products to all employees,” Major Kim told True North. 

The federal directive underscores its commitment to “better protect menstruating employees” by mandating the presence of menstrual products in all toilet rooms, irrespective of their designated genders.

According to a recent federal briefing note, the CAF is facing a recruitment crisis as it struggles to find willing Canadians to fill the military’s thinning ranks. 

The directive also outlines specific requirements for employers, including the provision of covered containers for the disposal of menstrual products.

“The regulations specify that menstrual products must be in all toilet rooms, regardless of their marked genders. This means that every female-identified, male-identified and all-gender toilet rooms will need to have menstrual products. Unrestricted access to menstrual products better protects menstruating employees and makes sure that they feel safe to use the toilet room that best reflects their gender,” writes the directive. 

“Employers must also make sure a covered container for disposal of menstrual products is provided. A disposal container must be placed in each toilet room that has one toilet. In rooms with multiple toilets, a disposal container must be in each toilet stall.” 

The directive defines menstrual products as tampons “inserted into the vagina when menstruating, with or without an applicator” and pads which “absorb menstrual fluids by affixing to underwear during menstruation.”

Across Canada, other government entities are making strides to expand access to taxpayer-funded menstrual products in all washrooms.

The District of Saanich, for example, has announced plans to provide free menstrual products in all public washrooms, including men’s rooms.

Councillors supporting this initiative argue that it will benefit “people who menstruate” and those facing financial constraints. 

Taxpayers to pay $200 million extra for carbon tax administration fees

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Canadian taxpayers will have to dish out $200 million extra in hidden administration fees for the carbon tax as of its inception in 2019. 

The costs were revealed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) after obtaining government records based on an article by Blacklock’s Reporter on the issue.

The Trudeau government assigned 465 full-time employees to administer the carbon tax rebate scheme, costing Canadian taxpayers $82.6 million last year alone.

“The carbon tax is a double whammy for taxpayers,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “First, it makes our gas, heating and groceries more expensive. And then we’re forced to pay higher taxes to fund Trudeau’s battalion of carbon tax bureaucrats.”

Conservative MP for Grande Prairie-Mackenzie, Chris Warkentin, requested order paper questions to release the details of what the cost was regarding the administration of federal carbon tax.

In 2022, carbon tax administration costs came to $82.6 million and totalled $116.5 million between 2019 and 2021.

There were 223 bureaucrats “assigned to work on the collection of the fuel charge” last year, while 242 were charged with administering the rebate scheme, according to the documents.

In 2022, the yearly costs for the rebate scheme peaked as the government changed the structure of the rebate “from a refundable credit claimed annually on personal income tax returns, to [a] quarterly tax-free payment made through the benefit system.” 

“It should be obvious to everyone that the feds can’t raise taxes, skim hundreds-of-millions off the top and hire hundreds of new bureaucrats, then somehow make everyone better off with rebates,” said Terrazzano.

In 2019, 256 bureaucrats cost taxpayers $33,219,471. 

In 2020, 316 bureaucrats were hired, costing $40,541,290. 

The following year, 333 bureaucrats were hired, costing $42,766,636 and that number jumped up to $82,628,993 in 2022, after 465 bureaucrats were hired. 

According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the average family will spend up to $710 on the carbon tax this year, even after they have received their rebates.

Currently, the carbon tax costs 14 cents per litre extra for gasoline and 12 cents per cubic metre of natural gas. 

That price is expected to increase to 37 cents per litre of gasoline and 32 cents per cubic metre of natural gas by 2030.

“Canadians pay higher taxes so federal paper-pushers can increase our fuel prices and make our lives more expensive,” said Terrazzano. “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau can immediately make life more affordable by scrapping his carbon tax and taking some of the air out of his ballooning bureaucracy.”

Several premiers have begun to push back on Trudeau’s carbon tax, with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe vowing to stop collecting the federal carbon pricing on home electric heating as of Jan. 1 2014.

The carbon tax isn’t just affecting individual Canadians, but it’s putting financial stress on emergency services as well, who are struggling to afford the cost of heating their fire halls and filling up their fire trucks. 

Alberta NDP proposed rent control bill could cause more harm than good, say critics

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-
Source: Facebook

Alberta NDP is proposing a temporary cap on rent increases for what they claim will protect tenants from soaring housing costs, but critics are warning the policy could have disastrous consequences. 

The Alberta NDP’s introduction of Bill 205, The Alberta Housing Security Amendment Act, seeks to cap rent increases altogether. 

NDP housing critic Janis Irwin told reporters that this bill is an emergency measure to provide immediate relief amid concerns from renters, including some facing up to 50% rent increases. 

“This is forcing families to stretch their household budgets to the breaking point,” said Irwin. The bill proposes capping rent increases at 2% for two years and then tying them to the Consumer Price Index for a maximum of 5% for the following two years.

Neil Sharma, a reporter who has covered the housing market for over a decade, said that a rental cap could only do so much given the immense housing demand driven by immigration. 

Sharma, who lives in Toronto, not Alberta, said that renters in Ontario are also spending over 50% of their monthly income on rent.. 

Sharma said that unless immigration is addressed, the demand for housing and basic necessities will continue going up.

Jen Lamoureux, a mortgage broker and landlord for over 11 years, listed some concerns for renters as a result of the proposed policy. 

The two most common leases in Alberta are fixed-term agreements—one with a specific start and end date—and periodic agreements—one with no end date, generally paid month-to-month.

Lamoureux said that all of her nine properties are on fixed-term agreements. She explained that this bill would cause tenants to move more often, as landlords would never renew leases if the market did not support them. 

For example, if the rent agreed upon at the start of the lease was $1500/month, but the market supported rents of $1750/month at the end, a rent cap of 2% would not allow for this much of an increase. Therefore, landlords would find a new tenant and increase the lease to whatever the market allows them to charge.

She said that the provincial government does not have the time to audit every landlord in the province.

“The only way that an increase greater than 2% is going to get reported is if you were staying with your current tenant and tried to jack their rent,” she said. 

Relief for Albertans’ housing costs should come through an increased supply, said Lamoureux and her husband, Trevor Adams, who is a landlord himself. This bill would do the opposite, they claimed. 

A 2% cost increase cap would not even keep up with the increase in costs on mortgages, electrical, natural gas, property taxes, and more — all of which are not capped. 

They said this bill would do the opposite and decrease supply, causing some in the rental market to sell their properties instead of dealing with the hassle or operating at a loss. 

Adams’ sister had a rental in Comox, British Columbia, which they sold because a rental cap was introduced. The government gave the tenant all of the control. The owner was not able to raise rent to offset costs and decided to sell the home because it became too expensive. 

“More people will become homeless because there will be no incentive to rent places,” said Adams.  

Alberta’s Seniors, Community, and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon agreed that a province already short on housing and implementing rent caps would lead to more homeless people. 

“Every jurisdiction that went down the road of rent control has been a disaster. There’s not a major economist anywhere in this country calling for rent control because it does not work,” said Nixon. 

The couple believe that this bill will not pass in the legislature. They believe it is an election tactic for the NDP so that at the next election, the party can say they tried to help renters, and the UCP voted against it, even if the bill would realistically do more harm than good.  

The UCP has committed to investing over $1 billion in the upcoming three years to enhance affordable housing options. As outlined in February’s budget, this plan includes allocating close to $235 million within the same period for programs assisting with rent.

Speaking on behalf of Nixon, Mental Health and Addiction Minister Dan Williams emphasized this commitment at the legislature on Tuesday. He highlighted the province’s concentration on constructing additional housing, aiming to introduce 25,000 new units by 2031.

A free market is the best system for rental properties in Alberta, say Lamoureux and Adams. 

“When it has to go down, it goes down. It goes up when it can — when there’s an allowance for it. The market only bears what it can bear, only absorbs what it can absorb,” said Lamoureux. 

The Daily Brief | Gondek under fire for skipping menorah lighting

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek will skip the city’s annual menorah lighting ceremony, asserting that she can’t attend because the event politically supports Israel.

Plus, “white supremacy” and “colonialism” stand in the way of achieving net-zero climate targets claimed a COP28 panel of climate activists from Canada and abroad.

And Greg Fergus signalled he will stay on as the House of Commons Speaker although the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois have called on him to resign.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dszurdzsa and William McBeath!

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The Alberta Roundup | Alberta won’t be bullied by Ottawa: Smith

By
Rachel Parker
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Source: Facebook

This week on the Alberta Roundup with Rachel Emmanuel, Rachel discusses Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s decision to invoke the Sovereignty Act citing a lack of progress with the Trudeau government. Plus, Smith is slamming the feds for their emissions cap on the oil and gas sector.

Also on the show, a lockdown advocate and Alberta NDP supporter is back in the news — this time for blaming Canada’s poor climate performance on Smith.  Rachel has some news about the COP28 conference in Dubai.

Finally, she responds to some of your comments from last week.

These stories and more on the Alberta Roundup with Rachel Emmanuel. Tune in now!

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Pornographers appear before commission to discuss Canadian content

By
Lindsay Shepherd
-

Two representatives from Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), the firm that owns Pornhub, Youporn and many other pornographic websites, testified in front of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on December 7.

The private equity firm acquired Aylo (formerly known as Mindgeek) in March 2023.

Mindgeek, the parent company of Pornhub and the like, rebranded to Aylo amid a series of lawsuits from individuals alleging the company’s former owners profited off of revenge porn, rape, and child sex trafficking uploaded to the site without checks and balances.

Lawyer and rabbi Solomon Friedman, as well as law student and pornographer Kate Sinclaire, argued to the commission on behalf of Ethical Capital Partners that internet pornography platforms should be exempt from promoting and funding Canadian Content (CanCon) under the Online Streaming Act.

Sinclaire said she has worked as a producer and director in the adult industry in Canada for approximately 15 years.

“I have, in short, to put it in a straightforward way, been making adult CanCon for a fair portion of my life,” she said.

Friedman and Sinclaire argued that if adult sites are subject to regulation, then pornographers should be able to access government funding.

“If the adult industry is regulated and required to make contributions, it must be able to access the benefits,” said Friedman.

Under the Online Streaming Act, major streaming platforms will have an obligation to fund Canadian content and they will be required to promote government-approved Canadian content creators via algorithm adjustments.

Friedman and Sinclaire spent much of their testimony complaining that people working in the pornography industry allegedly have a hard time finding a bank that will work with them, as well as whitewashing the sex trade and arguing that decriminalizing the sex trade is more important than broadcasting regulations. 

“Sex work is work,” Friedman said.

“Sex work is not an inherently unsafe industry,” Sinclaire stated.

The two representatives from ECP often evoked the language of diversity and inclusion when arguing for the widespread availability of unregulated internet pornography. 

“Recent anti-LGBT movements make us more concerned about being able to represent sexuality authentically,” said Sinclaire.

Sinclaire alluded to a sexual community that has “practices that some people would find objectionable” but that are central to their “queer identities.”

“Right now in this world of basically targeting queer speech… it’s a difficult time right now for queer communities and it’s incredibly important to not continue that into [the pornography] space.”

Sinclaire argued that government broadcasting regulations would impose “cisheteronormative tropes” upon individuals from queer kink “communities.”

“I’m very disturbed by the fact that ECP concentrated only on the wellbeing of content producers of pornography and did not mention once the harms millions of children are experiencing by being exposed to hardcore, often violent pornography because porn platforms owned by ECP and others are not doing age verification of customers,” Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne told True North.

Earlier this year, Senator Miville-Dechêne tried introducing an amendment to the Online Streaming Act that would require pornography sites to implement age verification measures, but her amendment was rejected by then-heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez.

One Canadian study found that the average age of first exposure to online pornography was around 12 years, and one-third were exposed as young as age 10.

A recent undercover investigation revealed an Aylo producer talking candidly about how it is “helpful” for 12-year olds to view online pornography to figure out what sexuality they are, and said that more pornography featuring trans people can hopefully “convert” straight men.

So far, the CRTC has said “It would not be appropriate, for the time being, to exclude online undertakings that provide adult content from the application of the conditions of service.”

Higher permit fees, fewer work hours incoming for international students

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The federal government announced that the number of future study permits being issued will be “significantly” limited in the wake of massive fraud in Canada’s international student program.  

“Enough is enough,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller during a press conference on Thursday.

Miller announced that the government would increase the financial commitment required of incoming international students as well as restrict their number of permissible work hours each week. 

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2024, applicants will have to pay $20,635 for their cost-of-living study permit, up from the initial $10,000 financial requirement. That fee does not include their tuition or travel costs. 

The raised cost-of-living permit is designed to ensure better housing for international students once they arrive in Canada and will be adjusted yearly.

Miller claims that the new measures will dial back the current business model of post-secondary education institutions, which he likened to “puppy mills.” 

“The fraud and abuse needs to end,” said Miller.

Since 2013, the number of study permit holders has tripled, from 300,000 to 900,000.

International students contribute $22 billion to the Canadian economy via tuition fees and personal spending, they also account for 200,000 jobs.

The international student program has been the subject of much controversy in recent months over the education sector’s use of unregulated foreign agents, who apply aggressive recruitment campaigns to get students in as well as the uncovering of thousands of fraudulent acceptance letters. 

Canadian post-secondary schools have found a lucrative cash cow in foreign students and employers have also become accustomed to utilizing international students for low-wage jobs in fast-food, retail, warehouses and the gig economy.  

The surge in international students in combination with Canada’s current housing crisis has left many study permit holders without proper shelter or employment, with some turning to food banks to save money. 

Both the public and private sectors of colleges are primarily to blame for the exponential growth in international students as universities are less able to offer degrees that come fast and cheap. 

Colleges can also offer international students the opportunity to stay and work in Canada as well, and in certain cases, qualify for permanent residence.

The Immigration Department lifted the 20-hour weekly work hours granted to international students during the pandemic to ease their financial strains, however, Miller said the 20-hour limit will return to effect as of May 1, as the winter semester comes to a close. 

According to the Toronto Star, Miller said the new pilot programs will be implemented to encourage post-secondary institutions to alter their recruitment process and to retain students from countries that are currently underrepresented. 

Ratio’d | Don’t let them get away with it!

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

Somehow political leaders and unelected bureaucrats across the country have managed to escape any form of accountability despite leading the worst assault on Canadian freedoms since WW2. As Western countries begin the process of holding formal inquiries into what exactly happened during the Covid-19 pandemic, nobody at the political level in Canada seems interested in doing the same. What are they so afraid of?

A group of patriotic citizens took it upon themselves to hold our officials accountable for what they did to us and launched the National Citizens Inquiry (NCI), a monumental citizen-led effort. Not a single public health official or politician responded to invitations to testify in front of the NCI. That should scare Canadians.

Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner.

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