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Friday, July 25, 2025

BC gang extortion letters have South Asian community fearing for their lives

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A surge of extortion letters, aimed at South Asian businesses in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, has the local community fearing for their lives as tensions rise between conflicting ethnic groups.

The letters, purportedly originating from a group identifying as “an Indian gang,” insist on large sum payments from the recipients, accompanied by threats of death in case of non-compliance or if the matter is reported to law enforcement.

Letters shared online alleged that two residences had already been targeted with gunfire due to the owner’s failure to meet the financial demands outlined in the extortion threats. 

The letter further asserts that those seeking to engage in business activities in Abbotsford must provide a share of their earnings, or they will encounter severe repercussions.

“We want your share from your business like protection money,” the letter reads. 

“We are asking only two million. We have links all over. Do not ignore us. It will affect you real bad.”

BC Conservative leader John Rustad said that based on a recent meeting with local business owners in Abbotsford, a gang task force must be assigned to the case immediately. 

“They would like to see the gang task force focused on going after these people,” Rustad told the Vancouver Sun. 

“(They) are not seeing the action that needs to be taken.” 

While authorities in Abbotsford and Surrey have cautioned the public about the extortion campaign, they have yet to establish any verifiable connections between the letters and the reported shootings.

Former B.C. solicitor general Kash Heed noted that such extortion attempts were prevalent in the early 2000s, predominantly affecting ethnic communities in British Columbia and seem to be returning.

“Most of the people paid a sum of money, a sum of, if you want to call it, protection money,” said Heed. 

“Certainly not to the extent of millions and millions of dollars. But this is a level we seem to be going to now, where people are making these outrageous demands and threats.”

Expressing concern over the impact of these threats on the South Asian community, particularly business owners, Surrey Centre MP Randeep Sarai emphasized the need for vigilance.

Both the provincial government and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) B.C. have acknowledged their awareness of ongoing investigations and affirmed their commitment to providing support.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth recently urged recipients of extortion letters to promptly notify law enforcement, assuring them of the government’s concerted efforts to combat organized crime.

“Violence and intimidation are not acceptable and have no place in British Columbia,” said Farnworth. 

“There’s lots of innuendo of who is behind this … no matter where it’s coming from the enforcement officials need to take this seriously and address it in a coordinate nature.”

Mayor Jyoti Gondek sparks outrage over boycott of Calgary menorah lighting

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek announced her decision to skip the city’s annual menorah lighting ceremony at City Hall, claiming she could not attend because of the event’s support for Israel. 

Gondek wrote in her press release, posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, that she has looked forward to attending the event over the years. 

She said that when she initially asked to speak weeks ago, it was to bring traditional greetings celebrating Hanukkah and the spirit of Calgary’s Jewish community. However, she claimed in her release that the event had been repositioned as an event to support Israel.

“This last minute change goes against the original intention, and has left me feeling let down by leadership,” Gondek wrote.

She added that this change makes it impossible for her to attend, citing concern that people wishing to celebrate Hanukkah will have their good intentions compromised.

Calgary’s mayor recognized her responsibility to attend diverse and inclusive events with and for Calgarians from many faith-based and ethnic communities.

“However, when a celebration of community is turned into something with political intentions, it goes against the mission to uphold diversity and inclusion,” she said.

Gondek explained that she believes the changes in tomorrow’s event create a divide and force people to choose a side. 

“There are no sides to choose when terrorists incite violence by murdering innocent Israelis, knowing retaliation will follow and lead to the murder of innocent Palestinians,” she wrote. 

“It is absolutely possible to condemn acts of violence and war without choosing one community over another. We have a moral imperative to do so.”

“My heart remains with Jewish and Palestinian Calgarians who continue to mourn the loss of loved ones,” Gondek concluded. 

The comments in response to Gondek’s press release on X have been very negative. 

One of the most liked comments highlighted the hypocrisy in Gondek’s messaging.

“You realize this letter announcing you won’t attend is…political,” wrote the user on X.

“Weak and predictable from you. Seems like you were just waiting for an excuse not to attend,” wrote another. 

Calgary’s federal Conservative MPs issued a joint statement in response to Gondek’s withdrawal from the event. 

“We are deeply troubled by Mayor Gondek’s decision to withdraw from tonight’s menorah lighting event at Calgary City Hall. Her decision to withdraw could dangerously normalize antisemitism at a time when across campuses and communities, Jewish Canadians are already feeling threatened,” reads the statement.

The Conservative MPs strongly urged Gondek to stand with Calgary’s Jewish community and reconsider her message and decision to withdraw. 

The Calgary Jewish Federation also released a statement hours after Gondek’s press release on Wednesday night. 

“It is with tremendous hurt and disappointment that we learned this evening in a statement by Mayor Jyoti Gondek, that she has withdrawn her attendance and participation in our annual candle lighting event at City Hall because it is in her words, ‘an event to support Israel.’”

The Federation said that its community does not waver in its support of Israel, nor will its community forget that 140 Israeli hostages remain in captivity. 

“Our yearning for peace in Israel and Gaza do not run counter to our support of Eretz Israel, but rather are inextricably linked,” said the Federation. The nonprofit organization released the statement at midnight on Wednesday and said they will issue a formal statement sometime on Thursday.

The Calgary Jewish Federation’s statement was released in conjunction with Rabbi Menachem and Rochel Matusof from the Chabad Lubavitch of Alberta.

The Chabad Lubavitch of Alberta has been organizing the community Menorah Lighting for 35 years. 

Menachem Matusof, the religious organization’s senior Rabbi, told CBC that the event would function as both a celebration and a demonstration in support of Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

“Unfortunately, due to what’s going on today, we had to put a program together that speaks to the current events,” said Matusof. 

The senior Rabbi said that the event will include fun elements, such as music and dancing, but also feature solemn moments for prayers and songs of encouragement for the local community and people in Israel. 

“It’s impossible to win a war, so to speak, by having our heads down, and we’re not [going] to let evil and negativity take over the world,” he said. 

Rabbi Matusof said that his organization worked with city officials and the Calgary police to bolster security for the event. He added that the event is open for all residents of Calgary to attend.  

Alberta rebukes Ottawa’s “intentional attack” on the province’s economy

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-

The Alberta government strongly opposed Ottawa’s latest emissions cap. The measure announced on Thursday mandates the oil and gas industry to reduce emissions by over one-third compared to the 2019 levels by 2030.

Premier Danielle Smith and Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz issued a joint statement in reaction to the Liberal government’s announcement. 

The statement comes only hours after the federal government introduced their framework. 

“This announced de facto production cap on Alberta’s oil and gas sector amounts to an intentional attack by the federal government on the economy of Alberta and the financial well-being of millions of Albertans and Canadians,” reads Alberta’s statement. 

The federal framework, outlined early Thursday by Minister of Environment Steven Guilbeault and Minister of Energy, Jonathan Wilkinson, will abide by draft regulations expected by mid-2024. Final regulations will be implemented by 2025. 

The framework demands the oil and gas sector reduce emissions by 35% to 38% below 2019 levels by 2030. 

The requirement can be lowered to between 20% and 23% by purchasing carbon credits or contributions to a decarbonization fund. 

“Every sector of the economy has a part to play in cutting pollution, particularly the oil and gas sector—one of few where greenhouse gas pollution levels continue to increase,” reads the federal government’s statement. 

The Alberta government said this framework risks hundreds of billions of dollars in investments in Alberta’s and Canada’s economies. This risk devalues the retirement investments of millions of Canadians while threatening the jobs of hundreds of thousands of Albertans, according to the Alberta government.

“Ironically, they are also significantly undercutting global emissions-reduction efforts by effectively deincentivizing capital investment by the oil and gas sector in the emissions-reducing technologies and fuels the world needs Alberta to develop and share,” said Smith and Schulz. 

Albertans will not tolerate this framework, according to Smith and Schulz.

“Our province is simply done with what amounts to a steady stream of economic sanctions and punitive measures thrown upon our citizens and businesses to intentionally damage their livelihoods and the economic engine that disproportionally powers our national economy and the programs that Canadians rely on,” said the statement. 

“Over the coming months, our cabinet and caucus will develop a constitutional shield in response to this and other recent attacks on our province by what is fast becoming one of the most damaging federal administrations in Canadian history.”

Alberta strives to continue implementing its Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan to achieve a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 – as originally planned by the province. 

The provincial government said that its federal counterpart must stay out of its constitutional jurisdiction and instead work with the province to align its emissions-reduction efforts with Alberta’s plan.

Wilkinson, however, claimed that the federal government’s plan collaborates with provinces and territories, industry, Indigenous peoples, workers, and international partners. 

Smith and the federal government both spoke to the media Thursday morning. 

Senior Iranian living comfortably in Toronto, prompting deportation case

By
Quinn Patrick
-

A senior Iranian government official has been discovered living comfortably in Toronto, prompting Canada to launch a deportation case against him.  

A member of  Iran’s Islamist dictatorship, Seyed Salman Samani, 42, now faces a deportation hearing under sanctions that were imposed last year, banning any senior member of the Iranian regime from Canada. Proceedings are scheduled to start on Jan. 3, 2024. 

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) requested the Immigration and Refugee Board hold a hearing for Samani that could result in his deportation.

“Samani was referred for an admissibility hearing on Nov. 10, 2023,” Anna Pape, a spokesperson for the Refugee Board told Global News.

Samani’s case will mark the first of its kind under the new sanctions, implemented following the murder of Mahsa Amini by Iranian morality police after she showed her hair in public. 

Amini’s death sparked outrage from women under Iran’s regime and prompted the Canadian government to designate Iran’s government as a regim engaged in “terrorism and systematic and gross human rights violations.”

The policy led to tens of thousands of Iranian officials and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps being barred from entry into Canada.

The CBSA has declined to comment publicly on Samani’s case, citing privacy laws. 

“The CBSA cannot comment on where any person may be residing, however we can say that the CBSA only requests admissibility hearings for persons presently in Canada,” said CBSA spokesperson Guillaume Bérubé.

In 2016, an Iranian official with the same name was appointed to be Iran’s Deputy Minister of Interior, the government has not commented on whether or not the ongoing case concerns Samani the minister.

The Interior Ministry manages domestic police agencies and security in Iran and has been the subject of many human rights abuses. 

Canada, along with the U.S. and Europe, has sanctioned Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi and former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps general. 

Vahidi allegedly “deployed (the police agency) to subdue protests in Iran, including the ongoing protests over the death of Mahsa Amini.”

“In the past, Vahidi has warned Iranian women that the government’s security forces will penalize those ‘breaking rules’ in reference to hijab compliance,” said the U.S. Treasury.

Samani is the department’s deputy minister and official spokesperson, according to his profile on the interior ministry’s website. He represented Iran at the United Nations in 2019, defending Tehran’s human rights record.

Terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah are armed, financed and trained in Iran, as well as other militia groups located in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. 

Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, praised the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas militants, saying “We are proud of them” in a post on X. 

“It’s impossible to climb the ranks like that without being loyal to the system,” Kaveh Shahrooz, a Toronto lawyer and senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.

Sharooz said that Canada is a safe haven for regime members.

“They see it as an easy country to get into, to bring their money and launder their money here. And frankly, I think it’s also because our officials are just not taking this issue as seriously as they should.”

Sharooz said that he wasn’t surprised to learn that a senior Iranian official was discovered in Canada. “It tells me that there’s a broken system in place in Canada,” he said.

According to the Canadian government, its ban on Iranian regime members applies to “a wide array of individuals in a regime that has perpetrated crimes against the people of Iran and other nations. It includes: heads of state, members of the Cabinet, ambassadors, senior diplomats, members of the judiciary, senior military and intelligence officials and senior public servants.”

News of the Iranian senior official’s whereabouts comes on the heels of a major investigation that revealed an estimated 700 Iranian regime members are currently in Canada and covertly operating.

“Climate genocide” and “white supremacy” dominates COP28 discussion

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The world can’t tackle climate change unless it first deals with the prevailing problems of “white supremacy” and “colonialism,” according to a COP28 panel of climate activists from Canada and abroad in Dubai. 

On Tuesday, Indigenous Climate Action executive director Erial Deranger of Alberta blasted oil sands development and claimed that “patriarchy” and “white supremacy” stood in the way of solving climate change. 

“We cannot continue this extractive economy. Our call to action for gender justice, racial justice, upholding Indigenous rights, and the rights of nature. Calling for a just transition and immediately phasing out fossil fuels is an ongoing agenda for people on the planet,” said Deranger.

“False solutions, white supremacy colonization and patriarchy have no place in any climate action plan. Rather, government and financial institutions must adopt just transition and feminist policies and frameworks.” 

Deranger’s comments continued in the broader context of “intersectionality,” a concept originating in the academic context of critical race studies which has become in vogue with activists today. 

“Colonization has brought with this the imposition of patriarchy which has turned and twister and perverted our culture into a colonial structure where we are told we need to adopt these systems and we have been forced into these patriarchal systems,” claimed Deranger. 

Ponca Nation of Oklahoma councillor Casey Camp-Horinek told the audience that there was an ongoing “climate genocide” being perpetrated by the oil industry. 

“I could tell you that 100% of this is a product of colonization. It is a product of the fossil fuel companies in our territory that are virtually killing it. It is genocide what’s going on here,” said Camp-Horinek.

“The murder of the four legs, the wings and the murder of those that fins guide, the murder of water herself and the murder of the sacred air and the murder of the ways of the natural worlds. They have to carry that burden. What do we get to do? We get to be the sheroes and heroes.” 

Earlier this week, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced at COP28 stricter rules on methane emissions, a move recently opposed by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on constitutional grounds. 

The Daily Brief | Liberals shut down Poilievre’s motion to ban CBC bonuses

By
Lindsay Shepherd
-

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s motion to ban all bonuses for CBC executives after the state broadcaster’s president Catherine Tait confirmed the Crown corporation would lay off 10% of its workforce was foiled by the Liberals in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a Conservative MP was kicked out of the House of Commons after he called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a liar.

And the cost of baby formula in Canada continues to rise as supply becomes more scarce.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux!

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Food bills for Canadian families expected to go up by $700 in 2024

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Food prices are set to increase by $700 more for Canadian families in 2024, according to an annual report on grocery pricing. 

According to the Canada Food Price Report, grocery prices will rise between 2.5% and 4.5% next year. 

A family with two parents and two children can expect to pay $16,297.20 for their annual grocery bill. 

The annual report was released on Thursday and first began 14 years ago, published by Dalhousie University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Guelph and the University of Saskatchewan.

It estimates that in 2024, certain items like bakery, meat and vegetables will go up in cost by 7%. 

While the rate of inflation is slowing, with the estimated 4.5% peak being less than the 5.9% increase of 2022, the cost of groceries is expected to go up overall. 

Interest rates will contribute to the price hikes, as well as energy costs brought on by policies related to climate change like the carbon tax.

Additionally, the Israel-Hamas war and Ukraine war are expected to add costs to transportation expenses.

Certain staple foods like wheat, corn and soybean may see a small drop in prices, according to Stuart Smyth, Agri-Food Innovation & Sustainability Enhancement Chair.

“We’re also seeing a more consistent supply of products through our supply chain, and uncertainty costs money,” said Smyth, a co-author of the report. “I am optimistic that we will be in a little bit more of a stable period now.”

As inflation begins to come down, grocers will have more wiggle room to make profits on the basics, noted Sylvain Charlebois, the lead researcher for the report and director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.

“It’s going to be a much more manageable year compared to the last two years,” said Charlebois. “Dried pasta, sauces, canned goods – all those products could be subject to some price wars.”

From the beginning of the pandemic to October 2023, grocery prices have increased 18.5%, Charlebois told the Globe and Mail. 

The grocery sector has been the subject of scrutiny over their higher profits since the pandemic. 

The Trudeau government introduced Bill C-56 in September, which proposed several amendments to the Competition Act, aiming to make groceries less expensive.

Among the amendments is giving the Competition Bureau more authority to conduct market studies and to terminate deals between rivals that allow for price fixing. 

In October, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau summoned the heads of the big five grocery chains in an attempt to stabilize the rising cost of food prices. Despite this, prices are still expected to rise at a rate that will likely outpace inflation. 

The Bank of Canada projected that inflation would remain around 3.5% until the middle of 2024, in its October Monetary Policy Report, before returning to its 2% target in 2025. 

2023 marks the first time in the Food Price Report’s publication history that Canadian families spent less on average on groceries than in the preceding year. This is a result of the financial strains families are facing due to higher interest rates and debt levels in combination with the cost of housing, noted Charlebois. 

In 2022, the report estimated that the typical Canadian family of four would spend about $16,300 on groceries in 2023, similar to this year’s prediction, but they ended up spending $15,600, either through reducing the quantity or quality of their food.

Alberta government dismisses Chestermere mayor and council members amid governance concerns

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-

Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver wasted no time dismissing Chestermere Mayor Jeff Colvin, four councillors and as all three Chief Administrative Officers following repeat governance issues on Monday. 

“Overall, the City of Chestermere has not been compliant with its legal requirements,” Minister McIver announced during a press conference. 

The decision followed a municipal inspection initiated in May 2022, revealing prolonged governance issues in Chestermere and non-compliance with the supervision of the Official Administrator appointed to supervise the municipality.

According to a provincial news release, the inspection report described the City of Chestermere as being “managed in an irregular, improper and improvident manner.”

Efforts to correct these issues, including 12 binding directives issued in March 2023 and the appointment of an official administrator in September 2022, were deemed insufficient by the province. 

“After undertaking all reasonable efforts to have the city comply with its obligations, it has failed to do so,” said McIver, emphasizing the city’s continued non-compliance.

“I am profoundly disappointed that it has come to this, but the people of Chestermere deserve better. This community should be able to have trust in its local elected government.”

In addition to Mayor Colvin, the dismissed council members include Councillors Mel Foat, Blaine Funk, and Stephen Hanley. 

McIver sent a letter to Chestermere on October 18, alerting the city of his intent to dismiss all seven council members and all three Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) from the office. The letter required responses by November 2. After reviewing the responses, McIver said the city left him “no other reasonable choice.” 

However, Councillors Shannon Dean, Sandy Johal-Watt, and Ritesh Narayan were spared and recognized for their efforts to ensure accountability and proper governance. They will remain elected councillors but will have no role in governance until the next byelection, which will occur in 2024.

The now ex-council members, led by Mayor Colvin, have contested the decision and plan to seek legal redress. 

“We are looking forward to moving this forward through the courts. We will be continuing on with our judicial review,” Colvin stated on Monday, indicating a legal challenge to the dismissals.

Colvin and former city councillor Foat claimed that the city has been managed properly and is prospering financially.

“I don’t know how they can say that we are improper, irregular, or whatever. There is no city or town that has that type of a record,” Foat told CTV News.

Foat expressed a strong intention to escalate the matter legally, considering actions up to the Supreme Court of Canada, due to profound disappointment with the provincial government’s intervention in municipal affairs. 

In the midst of these events, McIver reassured Chestermere residents about the continuation of municipal services. 

“To the people of Chestermere, rest assured your rec facilities will remain open, your roads will be plowed, and your garbage will be collected,” he stated, aiming to address public concerns.

An appointed independent accounting firm will conduct a financial audit of the City of Chestermere. McIver has assured that the findings of this audit will be made public to the residents before the next byelection. 

Speaker Greg Fergus says he will not resign amid uproar from MPs

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-

Greg Fergus intends to remain as the House of Commons Speaker despite calls from the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois to resign due to his breach of impartiality. He apologized Monday while in Washington D.C., citing miscommunication about the video’s intended use.

The Speaker is facing severe criticism for his participation in a video tribute shown at the Ontario Liberal leadership convention, which led to many MPs questioning the non-partisan nature of his role as Speaker, as previously reported by True North.

Despite the calls for resignation, Fergus told CBC he won’t resign, saying he plans to demonstrate fairness and impartiality. 

The video showed Fergus in the Speaker’s office, wearing his official Speaker’s robes while paying tribute to interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser. Fergus said the video was not intended to be broadcast at the event.

Shortly after the video controversy, Fergus travelled to Washington.

“Following weeks of planning, Speaker Fergus will spend two days in Washington, D.C., carrying out the diplomatic portion of the Speaker’s role. He will be meeting with members of the diplomatic community and elected officials from both sides of the aisle,” said Mathieu Gravel, a spokesperson at Fergus’ office.

Fergus is expected to remain in Washington until Wednesday evening. During his trip, he will be taking part in a number of meetings, namely with former US Speakers Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy. 

An additional video of Fergus was revealed on Tuesday, a day after he apologized. The video showed the Speaker in Washington reminiscing about his time as head of the Young Liberals. The video has resulted in additional criticism of the Speaker.

The Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party have both called for Fergus’s resignation, while the NDP acknowledged that Fergus’ video reflected poor judgment but agreed with the Liberals that MPs should accept his apology and move on. 

Andrew Scheer, former Speaker of the House and Conservative House Leader, emphasized the importance of maintaining the non-partisan nature of the Speaker’s role. 

The Conservative Party’s leader, Pierre Poilievre, echoed Scheer’s comments.

“All neutrality is gone. He must resign,” said Poilievre in his post. 

In a previous interview with True North, Scheer noted that while every MP is elected through a party, Fergus came from a history of hyper-partisan roles, such as the president of the Liberal Party and the parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister. 

“Given his background, he should have gone above and beyond to make sure he wasn’t showing any signs of partisan activity,” said Scheer. 

Yves-François Blanchet, Leader of the Bloc Québécois, has also condemned Fergus’ actions, stating that the Speaker has “failed” to maintain the essential impartiality of his role. 

“He cannot stay,” Blanchet said to reporters. “It should be fixed as soon as possible for it not to become a distraction in Parliament.”

Despite the uproar, Government House Leader Karina Gould has expressed confidence in Fergus’ ability to continue in his role. 

“We have a tradition in this place that once somebody apologizes, we accept that, and we move on,” she said on her way to cabinet. 

Conservative MP kicked out of House of Commons for calling Trudeau a liar

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Conservative MP Damien Kurek was kicked out of the House of Commons Wednesday after he called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a liar.

Kurek, who represents the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, accused Trudeau and the Liberal caucus of lying after leveling the accusation that the prime minister met with Senators over the weekend, pressuring them to scrap Bill C-234.

The bill was initially introduced in February 2020 by Conservative MP Philip Lawrence and aimed to give farmers an exemption from the carbon tax levied on natural gas and propane used in farming operations. 

Farmers use these fuels when undertaking tasks like grain drying and to maintain the temperature of certain agricultural buildings. 

Initially, the bill was supported by all opposition parties and ascended to the Senate, where it was blocked after Senator Bernadette Clement brought forth a motion to adjourn the debate regarding the bill last week. 

Clement, who is part of the “Independent Senators Group,” did so right before the bill’s third and final reading.

The motion to adjourn was backed by 29 senators, with 24 opposing and 37 abstaining.

In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Kurek said, “I know for a fact that farmers are asking that minister to axe the carbon tax.”

“That PM promised that the Senate would be independent but the actions this past week proved that that is a complete farce. We know he bullied his senators. The PM himself was on the phone over the weekend telling them that they had to gut Bill C-234. The prime minister lied and his minions continue to lie…” 

Kurek’s last words were drowned out by raucous applause and booing. He was then asked to apologize by the Speaker; however, Kurek refused. 

“Mr. Speaker I will not apologize to that prime minister when he continues to lie about the impact of the carbon tax and the independence of the senate,” replied Kurek. 

The speaker told Kurek that he cannot use the word ‘liar’ in the chamber and asked him to apologize again. 

“It’s the truth, It’s the truth,” replied Kurek. “I will not apologize to the prime minister Mr. Speaker.”

He was then asked to leave the House of Commons. 

Should the exemption be granted, it would save Canadian farmers an estimated $1 billion dollars by 2030, according to a report from the Parliamentary Budget Office.

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