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Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Canadians’ standard of living continues to decline when compared to US

By
Quinn Patrick
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Source: Pexels

Canadians’ standard of living has steadily declined, a trend that is unprecedented when compared to other developed nations since the post-war era.

The Bank of Montreal (BMO) study reviewed Canada’s GDP and its variations on hours worked per capita, to assess productivity and standard of living. Analysts found that Canada has been lagging behind other developed economies for decades, especially when compared to the United States.

Over the past five years, Canada’s business sector has seen an average decline of 0.3% whereas the U.S. has seen a gain of 1.7%

“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.

According to Porter, the sustained decline in recent years has been without precedent since the post-war period.

“GDP per hour worked is the fundamental element of the standard of living,” said Porter. “So the recent decline in productivity is clear evidence that Canadians on average are worse off than before the pandemic — it’s not just a perception.” 

Canadian productivity has dwindled to a growth rate of just 0.5% over the last two decades, a point below the U.S. average.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), higher productivity is a requirement of long-term improvement in living standards and Canada continues to slip down the rankings behind other OECD countries. 

“Low productivity growth since 2015 has led to widening gaps in GDP per capita between Canada and better-performing economies,” said Porter.

In combination with mass immigration, real GDP per capita has dropped over the past year and is lower than it was in 2017.

“Having kept pace with the United States on this measure for 25 years, Canada has been far behind since 2015,” added Porter.

Part of the problem is that economic activity continues to move towards sectors that have limited productivity gains, like public services.

Additionally, there has been a lack of investment in non-residential structures, machinery, equipment and intellectual property since 2015. 

“The relatively low level of investment by businesses and, therefore, that of foreign direct investment are as much a symptom as a cause of the challenges facing Canada,” said Porter. “This weakness was only truly exposed when capital spending in the resources sector collapsed after the oil price collapse in 2015.”

Other contributing factors are a lack of competition within industries, a lower entrepreneurial spirit and a large public sector with high-income taxes.  

Interprovincial barriers also play a role as well as low investment by businesses, especially in technology. 

“The OECD predicts that Canada will rank last among the organization’s members for real GDP per capita growth until 2060,” TD economist Marc Ercolao told Le Devoir.

Canada has least amount of doctors per capita than any other OECD country

By
Quinn Patrick
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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 compared to other Organization for Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

Monday’s Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ)  report revealed that Canada has fewer physicians per capita and spends the least of its total health budget on primary care. 

The report also found that Canada has a relatively high rate of maternal and infant mortality.  

In contrast, every resident is automatically assigned a family doctor in Norway. The Netherlands offers 24-hour daily access to primary care through various after-hours care programs. In Britain, every newborn has to be registered with a local medical practice within six weeks of birth. 

Data compiled by Statistics Canada in 2021 shows that 14.4% of Canadians lack a regular health care provider. 

Additionally, older doctors are beginning to retire and younger doctors are moving away from traditional family practice, meaning the number of patients without access to primary care is expected to rise.  

“We have to have a goal of guaranteed access to primary care and fund it appropriately,” said Tara Kiran, co-author of the report and a family doctor at St. Michael’s Hospital in an interview with the Globe and Mail. 

“Until we do that, unfortunately, we have a situation where we have haves and have-nots,” said Kiran, who also works as a primary-care researcher at the University of Toronto.

The CMAJ report examined the countries of Britain, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands, where family doctors, known as general practitioners, play a pivotal role in health care.

In these countries, most doctors work in primary care, providing patients with ongoing attention from infancy to old age and patients are also offered after-hours care. 

Registration with a general practitioner is either mandatory, automatic or strongly encouraged in these countries. 

Contrastingly, in Canada, walk-in medical clinics are scarce and family doctors have more flexibility in terms of working hours, practice location and patient selection. 

Many doctors will divide their time between office-based care and practicing in other places like hospitals, nursing homes and more specified clinics. 

“These countries have really figured out how to hold their clinicians accountable for timely access to care,” said Kiran.

In 2022, 14.6% of Canadian doctors were 65 and older, according to data from the 

Canadian Institute for Health Information, meaning that they are set to retire soon. 

Currently, Canada has 24.4 physicians for every 10,000 residents, placing it behind the nine other OECD countries. The country with the most is Norway, with 50.5 physicians for every 10,000 residents. 

According to the report, Canada spends 5.3% of its total healthcare budget on primary care, while the average for OECD countries is 8.1%.

In 2020, Canada’s infant mortality rate was 4.5 deaths for every 1,000 live births, the highest among the ten OECD countries.

The CMAJ report comes shortly after the publication of a study by the Fraser Institute which revealed that Canada also spends more on healthcare than the majority of the other high-income OECD countries that offer universal healthcare. 

The Daily Brief | CBC cuts jobs despite government handouts

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Seven hundred journalists will be out of a job soon after the CBC confirmed it was cutting up to 10% of its workforce due to financial difficulties despite a landmark $100 million deal with Google for the legacy media.

Plus, Nova Scotia’s volunteer fire services is demanding a federal carbon tax exemption as it faces evermore stringent budget constraints.

And patients seeking assisted suicide in Canada are mostly “privileged white people,” according to Trudeau Foundation fellow and medical ethicist Dr. Jocelyn Downie.

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

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF

Jewish community left in the dark as company cancels transportation to rally last minute

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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Source: X

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. 

United Jewish Appeal (UJA) Federation of Greater Toronto, which organized the rally, faced a sudden hurdle when the subcontracted bus company, Prestige Worldwide Transportation Network, LLC, unexpectedly cancelled its service. 

Despite having charged and confirmed in advance, the company ceased all communications and provided no explanation for their no-show, leaving hundreds, including young students, stranded in the early hours.

Adam Minsky, President and CEO of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, expressed profound shock and dismay at the situation. 

“Given the absolute silence of the sub-contractor and with no other explanation, we are driven to the view that this shameful decision is intended to disrupt our peaceful rally out of hatred towards Jews,” wrote Minsky in a statement released this morning.

“What happened today is sickening and outrageous… Hate and discrimination against any community can never be tolerated in Canada,” Minsky stated. 

He recalled a similar incident in Washington DC, last month, where antisemitic activists refused to drive Jewish Americans leaving a rally. 

Sara Lefton, Chief Development Officer at the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, highlighted the emotional impact of this incident. She claimed that the subcontractor, owned by Mohammed Ashfaq, contributed to an already taxing environment for the Jewish people in her community.

“They will not speak with us, they will not speak with the contractor, and there were hundreds and hundreds of members of the Jewish community, including young students who are already scared, stranded in a parking lot in the dark,” Lefton told National Review. 

The rally organized as a response to the rising antisemitic hate crimes in major Canadian cities, aimed to unite Canadians in solidarity with the Jewish community.

Lefton said that the situation with the subcontractor reinforced the need to come together and fight antisemitism. 

“Antisemitism is at an all-time high; hate crimes against us across every major city across the country are at an all-time high,” Lefton added.

Despite the setback, the UJA Federation moved quickly to make alternative travel arrangements for those affected. The rally proceeded as planned. Over 15,000 Jewish people and allies rallied together on Parliament Hill.

“The energy of the crowd kept us warm as we raised our voices for the hostages, for Israel, and for our rights as Jewish Canadians to be who we are,” said UJA in a post to X (previously Twitter).  

True North attempted to contact Prestige Worldwide Transportation Network LLC, owned by Mohammed Ashfaq, but the number had been disconnected. This organization is not to be confused with that of the same name in Colorado, which was in no way involved. 

Speaker of the House Greg Fergus under fire speaking at Ontario Liberal leadership event

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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Members of Parliament from the Conservative Party and Bloc Quebecois are calling for the resignation of Greg Fergus, the Speaker of the House of Commons.

The calls for resignation follow Fergus’ controversial appearance in a video at the leadership election for the Ontario Liberal Party, sparking widespread criticism and raising questions about the non-partisan nature of his position.

Dressed in his official Speaker’s robes and filmed in his office, Fergus’ appearance has been deemed inappropriate by MPs.

Andrew Scheer, a former Speaker of the House and Conservative House Leader, wrote a letter to Fergus and published the letter to X (formerly Twitter). Scheer’s letter deemed the conduct unacceptable, saying that it defied all longstanding traditions and expectations attached to the role of Speaker.

“This is incredibly inappropriate to have a person who fulfills a non-partisan, impartial role in the House of Commons participate in a political leadership election convention,” Scheer said in an interview with True North. “It undermines the trust that members have in the position of Speaker and is very damaging to the institution.”

The Conservatives have officially called on the Speaker to resign. 

Scheer explained that in his 20 years as a member and Speaker of the House, he had never seen a similar situation.

Alain Therrien, the Bloc MP for La Prairie, echoed these sentiments, calling on Fergus to resign as Speaker of the House of Commons, according to CBC Radio-Canada.

While the New Democratic Party (NDP) hasn’t asked for Fergus to resign, one MP criticized his actions.

“He says he did it in a personal capacity, but he wore the toga of Speaker of the House. There’s a real mix-up between partisanship, friendship, and the institution of Parliament. The Speaker represents all of us and has no business making this kind of appearance,” said NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice.

Scheer explained that the trust required for a Speaker in the House of Commons has been broken. Speakers need to be trusted to deliver non-partisan rulings, as there is no appeal mechanism or vote on the decisions. When the Speaker makes a ruling, members have to trust that this ruling is based on precedent and not the Speaker’s own partisanship. 

Scheer said it will be very difficult for the Speaker to continue to maintain the overall trust of the House with two parties now calling for the Speaker’s resignation. 

 “If Mr. Fergus wants to put the institution of Parliament and the integrity of the Speaker’s role ahead of any other consideration, I hope he’ll do the right thing and resign,” he said.

Fergus’ office defended the video as non-partisan, stating that it was intended to honour a longstanding colleague and friend.

“We asked Speaker Fergus to record a personal message for John Fraser, which will be broadcast as part of a tribute video to a colleague and friend from the National Capital Region whom he has known for many decades. The video recognizes Mr. Fraser’s dedication to public service and is in no way partisan in nature,” said a spokesperson.

“That said, the Speaker is aware of how this message may have been perceived and recognizes the need to protect the Speaker’s impartial and non-partisan role. He will exercise greater diligence in the future and will continue, as his record shows, to demonstrate impartiality in his role inside and outside the House,” the spokesperson added.

In a post to X, former Interim Ontario Liberal leader John Fraser thanked Fergus for his words and suggested that it may not have been clear to the Speaker where and when the message would be broadcast.

Fergus was elected as the Speaker of the House of Commons on October 3. The prior Speaker, Anthony Rota, was forced to resign after honouring a Ukrainian veteran who fought with the Nazis; this incident occurred during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Parliament. 

LEVY: Moncton menorah is back – but it shouldn’t have been gone in the first place

By
Sue-Ann Levy
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A highly controversial plan made behind closed doors to ban a traditional Hanukkah menorah display on Moncton city property was reversed Monday following pressure from Jews and non-Jews alike across Canada.

Late Monday afternoon, Moncton city council voted to reinstate the Menorah display after opting in secret a week ago to ban it and a nativity scene from city property.

The Menorah display has been a fixture in Moncton, N.B. for 20 years.

According to the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Mayor Dawn Arnold issued a public apology acknowledging there was a “lack of reflection and understanding” of the impact  (I’d say so) and the ban could be construed as a “lack of support” toward certain members of the Moncton community.

The situation was a P.R. misfire from the get-go and left the impression that the mayor and her staff were cowardly, impulsive and discriminatory – especially in the wake of a virulent rise in Jew hatred across the country.

Moncton city councillor Daniel Bourgeois, who spoke with True North earlier Monday, said a board meeting was hastily called last week after city staff recommended an end to this display and a Nativity scene that has been around “forever.”

The councillors met in camera on Nov. 30 because the city’s legal staff deemed it a private matter (it really wasn’t), he said, adding that there was no intention to report the decision in public.

However, the Moncton Jewish community publicized the ridiculous and insulting move.

The excuse used for the ban, according to reports from the city’s Jewish leaders, was that Moncton officials suddenly believed they needed to comply with a 2015 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that found reciting a Catholic prayer before a council meeting violated one’s freedom of religion.

Hanukkah – a joyous holiday during which Jews light candles for eight nights – commences Thursday night. 

Bourgeois said most councillors were “caught off guard.” 

The ban was supposed to include all religious displays.

But it appears there were several exceptions.

Bourgeois said he wrote an email to Arnold asking why the recently held Santa Claus parade or a Lewisville fir tree display with a star on top or angels on Main St. are not considered religious symbols.

Arnold also appeared at a charity breakfast on Nov. 24 sporting antlers, a symbol associated with Christmas.

Bourgeois said he tried to convince his fellow politicians not to introduce a sweeping ban on all religious displays but to consider including all religious groups (not included in the past) and their symbols at the “appropriate time and place.”

As for the secrecy, the staff advised that they don’t need to go public.

I have news for them.

The decision to keep the move secret backfired on them and grabbed headlines across the country.

Whatever the reason – and I don’t believe the Supreme Court excuse – at least the pressure made Arnold and her councillors do what’s right.

Still, the timing of the move also suggested to me that they did so out of fear of backlash from the antisemites and pro-Palestinian protesters.

In fact, on Nov. 6 the pro-Palestinian contingent held a protest calling for a ceasefire.

News reports say the rally was organized in part by Rev. Steve Berube of a local United Church, who has allegedly been to Palestine on a mission – despite the fact that there is no country called Palestine.

Bloc Quebecois table bill preventing religion as a defence for hate speech

By
Quinn Patrick
-

Leader of the Bloc Québécois Yves-François Blanchet tabled a bill in the House of Commons that proposes to prevent the use of religion as a defence for hate speech on Monday. 

 Bill C-367 aims to  “eliminate as a defence…that a person, in good faith, expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text,” said Blanchet, who introduced the bill in response to rising antisemitism.

“It seems to me that a modern Parliament worthy of its name needs to address certain things that we are long overdue in addressing, things that perhaps never should have happened in the first place,” Blanchet said in the Commons. 

“There is a cost to living together and to living in harmony in society. That cost may simply be to refrain from giving inappropriate and undue privileges to people within a society who use them to disturb the peace and harmony, especially if those privileges enable people to sow hatred or wish death upon others based on a belief in some divine power. That is even more true in a country that claims to be secular or that claims that there is a separation between church and state. That is why it is high time that someone took action,” he continued. 

“I would ask the House to quickly support the act to amend the Criminal Code throughout the process in order to prevent the promotion of hatred and antisemitism.”

Blanchet then addressed the recent spike in antisemetic attacks on Montreal’s Jewsih community, “gunfire has been heard in Montreal over the past few days. Windows have been broken, and graffiti has been directed specifically against the Jewish community,” he said.

“There are fears that these actions were in some way encouraged by an exception in the Criminal Code that allows hate speech and the incitement of violence. Would the Prime Minister agree to remove the religious exemption from the Criminal Code?”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed with Blanchet, saying that, “the rise in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in Canada is alarming.” 

“The rise in acts of hatred is even more unacceptable. I strongly condemn the [Molotov cocktail] attack on the Jewish Community Council. We condemn all violence. We will be looking at my honourable colleague’s bill to see whether it can help combat hate and incitement of violence. This is a complex issue, but we are here to work constructively to protect Canadians,” said Trudeau. 

The suspect in the Molotov cocktail incident remains unknown. Before that, two Jewish schools in Montreal were also shot at overnight. No one was injured in the shootings and Montreal police have made no arrests in either case. 

Additionally, a Jewish school in Toronto had to be evacuated on Nov. 17, after the school received a bomb threat. On the same day, a Mosque in York region also had to be evacuated following a bomb threat as well. 

Blanchet said that his proposed bill is short and that he hopes that will help expedite its implementation, according to The Suburban. 

“I hope that we will get somewhere quickly, but we need to reach an agreement,” said Blanchet. “All that we need to do is remove the exceptions, two sections of the Criminal Code, which are used to excuse, permit and perpetuate hate speech. Does the Prime Minister agree that we should move quickly on a bill that is necessary and easy to pass in the House?”

Trudeau responded to Blanchet by saying that, “more things unite Canadians and Quebeckers than divide them. Obviously, our Criminal Code does not tolerate hate speech. Calls for genocide, public incitement to hate and the deliberate promotion of hatred are already prohibited. We will examine the legislative measure proposed by the leader of the Bloc Québécois carefully. We will be there, working to keep Canadians safe while respecting the free society in which we live.” 

Ratio’d | Pierre Poilievre won’t say this about Canada’s housing crisis

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

A video produced by Pierre Poilievre about Canada’s housing crisis is going viral on social media, amassing millions of views. But many Canadians noticed something was missing from his 15-minute analysis – any mention of Trudeau’s open borders mass immigration agenda. Last week, Abacus Research published a poll indicating that 69% of Canadians think immigration is negatively impacting the housing crisis and 62% of immigrants think Trudeau’s immigration levels are too high.

So why are the Conservatives refusing to talk about mass immigration?

Are they afraid of being called racist by their opposition? Are they afraid of alienating new immigrant voters? The data, year after year, has proven that Canadians want a serious conversation about immigration.

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

Alberta gov criticizes federal methane emissions cap as “unrealistic” and “unconstitutional”

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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Source: Facebook

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith shot down any suggestion that a methane emissions cap would be implemented in the province on Monday after federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault announced new regulations at the COP28 conference in Dubai.

The new regulations call for methane emissions to be reduced by at least 75% from 2012 levels by 2030. 

Smith accused Ottawa of embarking on an unrealistic, costly, and unconstitutional path. 

“The federal government has unilaterally established new methane emissions rules and targets to help win international headlines,” wrote the statement co-authored by Smith and Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz.

The joint statement criticized Ottawa for trying to replace Alberta’s approach with costly, dangerous, and unconstitutional new federal regulations. According to the statement, the new regulations won’t benefit anyone beyond Guilbeault’s post-office career.

True North reported that Smith had previously criticized Guilbeault for other unconstitutional decisions, like the Impact Assessment Act. 

Managing Alberta’s oil and gas industry is the province’s constitutional right and responsibility, argued Smith. Using a province-led approach, Alberta has already reduced methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 45%, hitting their target three years early. 

Smith also accused the federal government of setting unrealistic targets and timelines citing the fact that infrastructure can only be updated as quickly as technology allows.

“Alberta will not accept nor impose a total ban on flaring at this time, as it is a critical health and safety practice during production. Any regulation that completely prohibits this is putting lives at risk,” said the statement. 

The finances are another thing that Smith and Schulz took issue with. The proposed approach would cost tens of billions in infrastructure upgrades, yet Ottawa has provided no financial support to help accomplish this.

“A federal government willing to invest $37.7 billion into just three battery plants in Ontario and Quebec cannot credibly refuse to provide tax credits and financial incentives for producers in Alberta and Saskatchewan to assist with achieving a carbon-neutral economy by 2050,” wrote Smith and Schulz.

Smith and Schulz said that Guilbeault needs to work with them, not against them, to keep cutting methane emissions and charting a course for carbon neutrality by 2050. 

“Given the unconstitutional nature of this latest federal intrusion into our provincial jurisdiction, our government will use every tool at our disposal to ensure these absurd federal regulations are never implemented into our province,” concluded the statement. 

CBC to lay off 700 people despite potential $100 million media bailout from Google

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-

Apparently, the lion’s share of a $100 million media payout from Google isn’t enough to keep the CBC afloat as a new report reveals the public broadcaster is expected to announce major layoffs soon. 

Reports from multiple sources, including Le Journal de Montreal, indicate that 600 to 700 employees across the country could be out of work.  

Employees are scheduled to have a virtual meeting with CEO Catherine Tait on Monday to discuss the organization’s “financial challenges” and looming cuts. 

These anticipated layoffs, affecting both English and French services, mark a significant reduction in CBC/Radio-Canada’s workforce, with over 300 positions in Quebec on the line.

Ottawa recently reached a deal with Google, which promised to pay legacy media $100 million a year. As reported by True North, CBC would be the largest beneficiary of C-18. The public broadcaster is poised to receive up to a third of this fund as it employs a significant share of journalists within Canada. 

Catherine Tait sent an email to all employees on November 29. The email said that she wanted to “provide an update on [the] financial challenges and “give an update on what’s coming in the next few months.” 

Last November, Tait announced that “difficult efforts” would be required to reduce CBC’s expenses by $100 million over the next three years. Job cuts were not ruled out. 

During the same month, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) said that CBC bonuses and raises had cost taxpayers $156 million since 2015. 

At a meeting with CBC employees in October, a hiring freeze was announced. 

While specifics of the meeting remain confidential, it’s clear that job cuts are a significant component of the broadcaster’s strategy to trim expenses by $100 million over the next three years. 

The proposed layoffs represent a significant proportion of the broadcaster’s workforce, which stood at 7,960 full-time equivalents as of April 1, 2023.

This development is not isolated. The Canadian media industry has been reeling under the impacts of dwindling readership and advertising revenue lost to social media companies for over a decade.

Major players like Québecor and Bell Canada have also undertaken significant layoffs and restructuring. The closure of Métro Média and several Bell Canada radio stations earlier this year further exemplifies the industry’s volatility.

Following the publication of this article, CBC confirmed to be cutting up to 10% of its workers, including 600 workers.

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