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.
Poilievre, who attempted to introduce the motion to the floor, was shouted down by the Liberals, in turn, preventing the motion’s consideration.
According to parliamentary procedure, motions presented in this way require the unanimous consent of the House, which the motion did not receive given the governing Liberals’ opposition.
“Given that, the CBC announced it is cutting 600 jobs and 250 of those jobs are across the broadcaster’s French language services and the CBC has paid nearly $100 million in bonuses to executives and talking heads since 2015,” the motion reads.
“The President of the CBC, Catherine Tait, refused to rule out bonuses for CBC staff this year, despite the announced job cuts, and the CBC President received a salary increase of $60 thousand in July of this year, more than a typical Canadian makes in a year, the House instructs the CBC to immediately ban all executive bonuses.”
Despite CBC being one of the main beneficiaries of a $100 million deal negotiated with Google by the federal government in compliance with the Online News Act, the state broadcaster confirmed approximately 600 to 700 jobs were on the line to mitigate “financial challenges.”
As per a recent report by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, it was discovered that taxpayers were on the hook for $16 million in bonuses for up to 1,142 full-time employees at the public broadcaster.
Tait, as the company’s president and CEO, makes up to $521,000 in salary and is entitled to a bonus of up to $145,880.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation revealed that the CBC gave $16M to executives in bonuses last year. CBC CEO Catherine Tait says it's "too early to say" if she will do the same this year, amidst journalist layoffs. pic.twitter.com/KNsJUs5YQU
Many Canadians believe utter falsehoods about Canada’s residential school program.
After an absolute bombshell of an accusation leveled by in 2021 – that human remains had been discovered in unmarked graves near a residential school in Kamloops BC – the legacy media took these accusations and weaved together one of the most destructive fake news narratives in Canada’s history.
On today’s episode of The Candice Malcolm Show, Candice is joined by author and historian Dr. Tom Flanagan to discuss his new book, Grave Error: How the Media Misled Us (And the Truth about Residential Schools).
Dr. Flanagan walks the audience through the real history behind residential schools and discusses many of the falsehoods Canadians believe about this program.
They discuss why and how the media got this story so wrong, the incentives behind the false narrative and their efforts to correct the record on this issue.
Dr. Flanagan explains how a moral panic led all Parliamentarians to unanimously support a motion falsely and recklessly declaring that Canada committed “genocide” – calling the episode a “low point in the history of Parliament.”
Human trafficking in Canada often goes unpunished, new statistics show despite a troubling rise in cases.
On Monday, data published by Statistics Canada revealed that only a marginal portion of trafficking victims can see justice, as police only solve less than half of the cases.
Additionally, the majority of incidents that are reported to police do not end in charges being laid.
“Hearing those statistics, it’s enough to bring tears to my eyes,” Wyndolyn Brown, a trafficking survivor, told Global News.
The Statistics Canada report shows that the justice system appears to be stacked against survivors, as only 40% of the 4000 incidents reported between 2012 and 2022 resulted in police laying charges, or recommending charges.
“If [human traffickers are] not stopped, how many other girls do they traffic along the way?” asked Sarah Dillon, another survivor.
Almost all of the incidents were against women and girls, with 70% of the victims being under the age of 25, states the report and 25% were under the age of 18.
Of the incidents reported, 56% remain unsolved, however, some are still under investigation.
Over 3,500 charges were laid in a little over 1,000 cases, yet only 11% of the completed adult criminal cases resulted in a guilty verdict.
The majority of cases, 83%, resulted in charges being either stayed, withdrawn, dismissed or discharged.
“I had to go through the court system and see what it was like,” said Dillon, now 23, who said she was 18 when she was trafficked. “I went to a party and … I never came home. It was really just a couple horrific things happened to me at that party,” she said.
Dillon was trafficked for about a year before she managed to escape, however, she did return to her traffickers several times as a result of their coercion and manipulation.
Dillion believes that the low rate of traffickers being found guilty is because they are “are good at what they do ” and that police can often struggle to attain the necessary evidence.
“The sex trade — it’s all cash. There’s no paper trail,” she said.
Brown was first trafficked at the age of 15 for approximately one year, she is now 54-years-old.
“If I had to walk from where [her trafficker] had me to where my parents lived at that time, it probably would have [taken] me about 20 minutes,” said Brown.
“But because of the dynamics of what was happening and being always under the influence of some type of substance that he would give me and the control that he had over me, I couldn’t do that.”
According to the report, the average court case for trafficking takes almost 400 days from start to finish, about double the time that sex trade and other violent offence cases take.
“By (the time the trafficker is arrested), that man has already probably been back talking to you and trying to… put the manipulation back on your head,” said Brown. “And then we have another statistic… because now we’re going back and the cycle just completes itself over and over.”
Head of research and policy for the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking James McLean said that Canada’s judicial system is heavily reliant on survivor’s testimony, which can be detrimental to a guilty decision.
“This has become a major obstacle when the survivor has experienced exploitative trauma and abuse and have to relive it through the court system for months or even years,” said McLean.
“We see that many survivors do choose not to go through the criminal justice system because it can be so intrusive, because it can be so time-intensive and because it can be re-traumatizing.”
During a trial, defence attorneys can often try to undermine the survivor’s credibility, questioning their character or the details of their memory.
“Survivors are often dealing with intense amounts of trauma and so they may misremember facts or they may remember things differently over the course of a trial,” said McLean.
“Some people may interpret that as lacking credibility, but it’s the way that a brain works when it’s been impacted by trauma.”
According to McLean, many victims are trafficked along Highway 401 from places like Windsor to Toronto, and then further up to Montreal.
“Highway 401 is a major corridor that traffickers use to move their victims to different sex markets,” he said. “(And) between Windsor and London and Toronto, up to Owen Sound, Ottawa and Montreal.”
Since 2021, the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking has been making recommendations to the federal and provincial governments on how to identify the kinds of gaps in social policies that leave survivors more vulnerable to being trafficked, like providing them with proper housing and shelter.
The report does not include superior courts in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan or Quebec’s municipal courts.
The Montreal Canadiens have begun charging fans nearly $200 for a personal visit from their mascot, Youppi! during games.
Fans will have to dish out $195 to receive a brief visit and photo session from Youppi! The visit includes the mascot coming to the fans’ seats with confetti, a personalized sign, and a themed gift bag worth over $75.
When buying tickets for the game, fans can select the option for a visit from Youppi!
Maxime Truman, a commentator and co-owner of the fan site Dans Les Coulisses, came across a social media advertisement for the offer during the weekend. His subsequent post about it quickly went viral on social media, attracting hundreds of predominantly negative comments.
Jean-Nicolas Blanchet, assistant to the sports director at Journal De Quebec, recently discussed the issue with Rodger Brulotte. The latter is one of the people who created Youppi! when he was working with the Expos. Brulotte said he wanted the mascot to be one that kids wanted to hug.
Unless parents are willing to cough up $195, their children’s desires to hug the mascot will remain unfulfilled. Unless you’re lucky enough to bump into him at the game, assuming he’s not too busy with his pricey dates.
“All of this is the absolute opposite of the concept of a mascot. It seems to me that a mascot is accessible, a tool to bring the team closer to the fans, especially young fans,” said Blanchet
“It’s so sad and insane that I refuse to believe it’s true. A big prestigious organization like the Canadiens, worth about $2.5 billion, decides to monetize their mascot’s hugs to make even more money,” he added.
The day following the exposure of the marketing scheme, Truman explained on X that the “comments on this Tweet are quite unanimous.” Fans did not mince their words.
The Canadiens are not the only team charging for mascot visits. It’s $150 USD for a visit from the Kings’ mascot Bailey in Los Angeles, and the mascot Dinger for the Colorado Avalanche is asking the same price. However, it’s only $85 for a visit from Victor E. Green of the Dallas Stars.
Moshe Lander, a lecturer specializing in sports economics at Concordia University, told the Canadian Press that these mascot visits represent a growing trend among sports teams to enhance the arena experience, extending it far beyond the mere watching of the game.
Lander explained that with the advancements in TV quality, teams are now striving to provide unique experiences, like concerts and personalized encounters, that fans can’t replicate at home. This strategy aims to justify the high cost of ticket prices.
“The game is almost becoming ancillary to the broader experience of being in a stadium or in an arena,” he said.
However, he deemed that in this situation, the Canadiens failed, both in terms of price point and the offer itself.
“What are we supposed to do with the person who doesn’t pay that money?” he said. “Is Youppi! supposed to swat at that little kid that tries to come up for a free picture and say, ‘Show me the money or get out of here, kid?’”
Blanchet feels that teams are already asking enough of their fans.
“The ghosts of banners hanging from the ceiling must be discouraged,” he said.
Four days after being posted, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s documentary-style video on Canada’s housing crisis has amassed over four million views on X (formerly Twitter).
Poilievre’s 15-minute video, titled Housing hell: How we got here and how we get out, delves into Canada’s housing crisis, exploring statistics and case studies into the dire state of the housing market.
“Something new and strange has happened in Canada — something we haven’t seen before. An entire generation of youth now say they will never be able to afford a home. This is not normal for Canada,” said Poilievre in the video.
The video had 4.1M views on X by Wednesday morning. Comparatively, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s video addressing housing challenges, which was released on the same day, had 262.8K views.
However, Trudeau’s video had more comments, 2.3K, compared to the 2.1K comments on Poilievre’s video.
Many users commenting on Poilievre’s video criticized the Conservative leader for not addressing immigration levels, which some analysts have argued is a key contributor to the lack of housing in Canada.
Poilievre’s viral video is being commended as a unique approach to reaching voters.
Alex Marland, a professor at Halifax’s Acadia University and a specialist in political communication, told Le Journal de Montreal that Poilievre’s video “marks a new era in political communication in Canada.”
“It’s very unusual to see a documentary-style video this long,” said Marland.
“They’ve taken some shortcuts because it’s infotainment: you have to make politics simple enough for people to pay attention, and I think they’ve succeeded,” Marland added, acknowledging the strategic simplification for broader appeal.
Marland said that Trudeau’s Liberals have no choice but to make similar videos, even if it means coming in second place.
“I think the risks of doing nothing are far worse,” he said.
Three conservative insiders revealed to The Globe and Mail that Poilievre’s video is a key element of a wider strategy initiated in the summer. These sources suggest that the extended format of the video is a tactical move to counter the left’s criticism that the Conservative leader relies on soundbites.
Two of these sources further characterized the video as a largely Poilievre-driven experiment. Given the substantial viewership garnered by the first video’s release, they said the public can anticipate a series of similar videos.
The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois are calling for the resignation of Speaker Greg Fergus after he appeared wearing full regalia at a partisan Ontario Liberal event.
Plus, members of Toronto’s Jewish community were left stranded Monday morning when 17 out of 72 buses booked for transportation to a pro-Israel rally in Ottawa failed to show up.
And a new report found that over 95% of people in developed countries have regular access to a primary care provider. However, Canada trails behind in key areas when compared to other nations.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Noah Jarvis!
The Bank of Canada announced it will be holding its key interest rate at 5% on Wednesday, making it the third consecutive pause.
A number of economists predicted that the central bank would keep its key interest rates at 5% from reviewing data on the weakening Canadian economy.
Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been stagnant and consumer spending has slowed.
Meanwhile, Canada’s unemployment rate has risen to 5.8% as the labour market continues to struggle.
Inflation is slowly beginning to decline, decelerating to a 3.1% yearly pace in October.
More and more Canadians are dealing with financial strains and many are having to resort to food banks just to keep their families fed.
This is becoming such a popular trend that food banks across the country are being brought to a breaking point, trying to keep their shelves stocked for those in need.
Families with newborns have also been faced with the dilemma of acquiring baby formula, which has been in short supply in recent months, and when it can be found, it’s often very costly compared to what it was this time last year.
Earlier this week, the Bank of Montreal released a study that revealed the standard of living for Canadians has been in decline since the post-war era, especially when compared to other countries, in particular, the U.S.
Canada’s business sector has also seen an average decline of 0.3% whereas the U.S. has seen a gain of 1.7% over the past five years.
“What is new is that productivity has actually reversed itself over the last five years, has declined, taking real GDP per capita with it on a downward trajectory.” said Douglas Porter, chief economist of BMO.
Canadian parents are stuck between a rock and a hard place when faced with the rising cost and dwindling supply of baby formula.
Ashleigh Ottley, a 20-year-old mother from Chilliwack, B.C. who is unable to produce enough breast milk following an emergency C-section said that she has had to have family members living in other parts of the country mail her formula.
Her son Colt is only able to stomach the Similac formula, which has become evermore difficult to procure at grocery outlets like Walmart.
“At what point do you stop calling it a shortage because it’s been so long?” Ottley told CBC News in an interview.
Supply chain shortages from U.S. manufacturers are being felt by families with small infants across Canada, and with fewer supplies available, the price continues to rise.
Between September 2022 and September 2023, the price of formula went up by over 20%, going from $31 per bottle to over $38 per bottle.
“Infant formula has risen [in price] almost five times more than the average food product in a grocery store since March of 2022,” said Dalhousie University food policy researcher Sylvain Charlebois. “That is pretty significant.”
Ottley’s son Colt consumes between 24 and 30 ounces of formula daily, costing his mother over $280 per month.
“It’s rough,” said Ottley. “I’m spending $70 a week, when I could be putting that money in a gas tank.”
Recently Walmart released a statement regarding the formula shortage, writing, “In the face of ongoing global, industry-wide supply challenges with baby formula, and other market pressures — including double-digit price increases from suppliers over the last two years — we continue to do our absolute best every day to make it easier for customers to find formula on a budget.
“Despite these challenges, we have about 90 per cent more inventory in stores compared to the same time last year.”
A non-profit in Chilliwack called the Meadow Rose Society helps to support families in financial crisis who have young children at home. However, even the Meadow Rose Society has been faced with challenges in keeping their baby formula stocked and affordable over the past several months.
“Generally, [you can purchase] just two jars or two packages of formula,” said Jackie Kingma-Glattfelder, executive director of the non-profit, adding, “the stuff that’s reasonably priced is not on the shelves.”
According to Kingma-Glattfelder, the Meadow Rose Society has received 1,240 visits this year from 210 registered clients. In past years, they would have received an additional two or three clients per month, however in 2023, it’s been closer to 16 new clients each month.
Health Canada is looking into working with domestic production companies to produce baby formula which “could help to alleviate the limited supply.”
Charlebois said that because fewer Canadians are having children, private companies may be less likely to invest in formula manufacturing, however, he suggested the Canada Royal Milk plant as a potential solution.
The plant, which is located in Kingston, Ont. was part of $332 million investment from a Chinese company and supported by all three levels of government. The plant is managed by executives from China and Canada.
The initial objective of the plant was to export the vast majority of its output to China but Charlebois thinks it may be possible to negotiate a deal with the Chinese partners to retain some of the formula for Canadian consumers.
“The Kingston-based plant is actually our best bet because it’s already built,” said Charlebois. “There’s some capacity there, so why not talk to the Chinese?”
Canadian students are lagging in mathematics compared to their international peers, according to global rankings compiled by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
The test is conducted every three years and measures 15-year-olds in the subjects of math, science and reading. During the latest round of assessments, PISA placed its focus on math, with fewer questions devoted to science and reading.
The assessment was released on Tuesday and revealed that Canada’s overall scores have declined by 35 points from 2003 to 2022.
In the area of math, only 12% of Canadian students ranked as high achievers, scoring at Level 5 or 6. In Singapore, 41% of students scored at the top level, in Hong Kong, it was 27% and in Japan and South Korea, it was 23%.
In 2022, the test was conducted in 81 countries, with Canada enrolling 23,000 high-school students to participate. The test helps guide curriculum changes and future policy decisions around education and also serves as a review of government action.
With Canadian math scores steadily declining over the years, math pedagogy has been a focus of debate amongst parents, politicians and educators.
Some experts and parents have been campaigning for a back-to-basics approach, with more of an emphasis on math’s fundamentals as opposed to an inquiry-model, that uses pattern discovery and problem-solving to educate in a more open-ended fashion.
The OECD’s director for education and skills, Andreas Schleicher, said that the declining math scores should be a cause for alarm.
However, the latest drop in scores cannot be attributed to the pandemic because scores have been in decline for nearly 20 years.
“The world requires a lot more mathematics these days. If you do not understand an exponential function, you’re not going to follow the discussion on climate change or the evolution of a pandemic,” said Schleicher in an interview with The Globe and Mail.
“We should be seeing rising outcomes, because the demands in our societies are dramatically rising, and we are seeing falling outcomes.”
The PISA math test can measure students’ ability to problem solve and their mathematical reasoning.
According to the latest results, 78% of Canadian students scored at or above Level 2, which is considered the baseline level of math literacy for one to fully participate in modern society.
Across all OECD countries, 68% of students scored at or above Level 2, with the top performing countries being Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong, at 85%.
In a global context, Canada scores well, behind only eight other jurisdictions in the math category, ranking behind Singapore, Macao (China), Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong (China), Japan, Korea, Estonia and Switzerland.
Regardless, math scores have steadily declined across all Canadian provinces since 2003 and one in five Canadian students performed at the lowest level, below Level 2.
Male students outperformed female students and immigrant students scored higher than non-immigrant students.
Within the provinces, students from Quebec performed the highest in math, while students in Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia scored above the OECD average.
Students in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan performed around the OECD average and students in Newfoundland and Labrador scored below it.
Mathematics professor at the University of Winnipeg, Anna Stokke, has been calling for schools to take the back-basics approach to math, saying that educators continue using “ineffective philosophies based on inquiry-based learning.”
“You can’t fix a problem by doubling down on methods that don’t work,” said Stokke. “Problem-solving skills are developed by building up foundational skills and techniques through a lot of practice. They cannot be taught in isolation.”
As Canada’s economic situation worsens, one policy expert is exploring the potential of tax reform as a means of stimulating the economy. Macdonald-Laurier Institute domestic policy director Aaron Wudrick joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to explain why he believes tax reform may be the key to reviving Canada’s economic fortunes.
