Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie has won the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.
In an election using the ranked choice voting system, Crombie narrowly beat out Beaches—East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith on the third and last ballot, 53.4% to 46.6%.
Crombie campaigned on being a consensus candidate, appealing to centrist Liberals who would like to see the party moderate.
In an interview with TVO, Crombie told Ontarians that the Ontario Liberals had moved too far to the left under the leadership of Kathleen Wynne and Steven Del Duca, claiming that she would like to govern the province from “right of centre.”
“I think the Liberal party moved much too far to the left,” said Crombie.
“I think traditionally our roots are in the centre. I believe we govern from right of centre.”
Crombie also appealed to voters based on her experience as the chief executive of a major municipality, and her brief stint in federal politics as an MP from 2008-2011.
Leadership candidates MPP Ted Hsu, MP Yasir Naqvi, and MP Erskine-Smith attempted to prevent Crombie from becoming leader by encouraging their supporters to rank Crombie last on their ballots, though their pursuit failed.
Crombie said that she will step down from her position as the mayor of Mississauga in the new year after the city’s budget is crafted, though it is unclear when exactly she will resign.
The Ontario Liberal leadership election saw unusually low voter turnout, as only 23% of party members voted in the race.
Crombie has a tall task ahead of her, as the Ontario Liberals have been reduced to 7 and 8 seats in the last two Ontario general elections, failing to gain official party status.
Immediately after Crombie’s ascent to the Liberal leadership the Progressive Conservatives attacked, Crombie, warning of higher taxes, more gridlock, and fewer home if elected premier.
Let's meet the Ontario Liberals' latest leader, Bonnie Crombie. 👇
Thank you, Chairman Jordan. I’m pleased to be able to join you today to testify on the importance of free expression.
I’d like all of you to think of me as a time traveler from the not too distant future coming back to the present to offer you a glimpse of what could lie ahead for America.
I live in a time in which, in the name of fairness, you can’t share the stories you write for my news publication on social media.
I live in a time in which, in the name of the common good, you can be kicked out of your bank and online payments system—unable to buy even a cup of coffee—for expressing the wrong political views.
I live in a time in which, in the name of social justice, you can commit a serious crime but get a more lenient sentence if you happen to be the right skin color.
I live in a time in which, in the name of safety, you can be arrested for exercising your right to peaceful protest if you happen to be protesting the wrong thing.
Of course, I’m not a real time-traveler. I just live in Canada. Americans—and perhaps those in this chamber—surely think Canadians are too nice, too polite, to embrace this sort of proto-Authoritarianism.
But it’s more accurate to say that our niceness made us susceptible to the new authoritarianism undermining the foundations of our liberal democracy.
If it sounds like I am overstating things, allow me to share three stories that illustrate this creeping authoritarianism.
First story. A few months ago, I reported a story for my publication, The Free Press, about a high school principal in Toronto who had been humiliated in front of his colleagues by a diversity, equity and inclusivity consultant.
The principal’s crime, besides being white and male, was that he objected to the consultant’s assertion that Canada is a less just society than America. The humiliation he experienced ultimately led him to commit suicide.
I was proud of the story, so I went to share it on Facebook. When I did, I was barred from posting it. I received a message that stated: “In response to Canadian government legislation, news content can’t be shared.”
I was confused. This was Facebook. The point of it was to share personal and news content. Then I remembered the recently adopted Online News Act, otherwise known as Bill C-18.
The law forces social-media companies to pay online media companies to link to their content. Facebook, instead of paying for that content, barred its users from posting it.
Government officials insisted this was only a matter of fairness—a way of making sure that media companies are compensated for the news they report. But really, C-18 props up legacy media dinosaurs like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Bell Media and other companies all of which are subsidized by the federal government and all of which can be counted on to echo Justin Trudeau’s worldview and toe the party line.
Not being able to post was irritating, but it wasn’t the end of the world. I don’t depend on Facebook likes or shares for my income. The same cannot be said of Christopher Curtis.
Which brings me to my second story.
Chris is a 38-year-old renegade journalist-entrepreneur in Montreal who runs a digital newsletter called The Rover. Chris calls himself woke. He likes to brandish his pronouns. Now, you might think that Chris is exactly the kind of journalist the Trudeau government would elevate. He is on the political left. He publishes stories about the plight of the homeless and police brutality.
The problem is that, unlike government-funded news companies, independent media companies are truly independent. Which means they report stories that don’t comport with whatever the government wants them to report.
For example, in September 2020, The Rover reported a story on federal mistreatment of Mohawk Indians. This month, it published another story about migrant workers who had been abused and trafficked—with the unwitting help of the government.
But under C-18, The Rover can’t build its audience. Unable to post content on Facebook or Instagram—which is owned by Facebook’s parent company, Meta—the newsletter can’t reach new eyeballs. It can’t grow its subscriber base.
“This is a slow death,” as Chris put it.
For now, he’s unsure how he’s going to support his partner and their three-year-old daughter. He’s thinking of going back into construction.
Which takes me to my third story.
Danny Bulford, now 41, used to be an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—the equivalent of the FBI. For years, he was a sniper in the prime minister’s protective detail.
Then, in 2021, Danny quit because he didn’t want to get his Covid vaccination.
In early 2022, when truckers descended on Ottawa to protest new Covid vaccination requirements, Danny joined them. The government declared a state of emergency. Danny, like many demonstrators, was arrested—and later released without charge.
Then, something chilling happened. On February 17, 2022, Danny logged onto his bank accounts— starting with his checking and savings accounts at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. But instead of seeing his balance— he had $160,000 in there—the only thing he saw was a dash.
Then, he logged onto Scotia Bank, to see about an additional checking account; once again, there was no sign of any money in his account. Finally he logged onto Royal Bank of Canada, which handles his Mastercard account, and was told he had no access to any credit.
Danny’s wife was also unable to access any of these accounts.
Suddenly, they were worrying about how to cover their next mortgage payment and feed their three kids.
That is what it means to be “debanked.” Debanking has been one of the Trudeau government’s weapons of choice. Since 2018, it has frozen the accounts of more than 800 Canadians who did things it didn’t approve of—including those of 280 who took part in the trucker protests, which the government regarded as illegitimate.
Soon after, Danny moved his money out of the big banks and into local credit unions, hoping it would be safer there.
“The worst part of this,” Danny told me, “is not believing in the country I spent my career serving. It’s this feeling that we are being watched, torn apart, made to feel like the much hated other in our own country.”
Canada was once a bastion of free expression? Now—not so much. Consider that at the same time the government and its corporate allies are curbing the free expression of truckers and journalists, Trudeau is defending the rights of pro-Palestinian demonstrators—many of whom traffic in what can only be called antisemitism.
Think about that: Vaccine skeptism—not okay. Peddling medieval blood-libel legends about Jews—okay. I’m all for protecting free expression—I’m from The Free Press. I just want that protection applied fairly.
I also want to be clear: These are just a handful of hundreds of stories I could have picked. What is happening in Canada is a gradual suffocation of free expression. It is draped in a cloak of niceness, inclusivity and justice—but it is regressive, authoritarian and illiberal.
I came here today not simply to warn you about what lies ahead, but to plead with you to do something about it. Now is not the time to be polite. Now is not the time to defend—loudly—the liberties and rights that have given us the greatest freedoms in human history.
Across the world right now, governments, in the name of the good, are considering or adopting measures like we have in Canada.
In Dublin, they’re about to enact a draconian hate-crime bill that poses a dire threat to free speech.
In Paris, President Emanuel Macron has called for censoring online speech.
In Brussels, the EU’s Internal Market Commissioner is calling for a crackdown on “illegal content.”
In Brasilia, they’re fighting “fake news” and “disinformation” by clamping down on legitimate online speech.
To say nothing of Russia and China and Iran.
America is so exceptional—indispensable really. Please do not succumb to the same illiberal, the same authoritarianism. Please keep fighting for what you know is right.
International students seeking asylum in Canada has become an explosive trend, with the number more than doubling over the last five years.
Government data obtained under an access to information request by the Toronto Star has revealed that the number of refugee claims made by international students is 2.7 times higher than the amount of claims in 2018.
Last year, there were 4,880 cases and in 2018, there were only 1,835.
Additionally, the amount of international students coming to Canada has shot up by 1.4 times the amount over the same time period from 567,065 in 2018 to 807,750 in 2022.
Since 2018, a total of 15,935 international students have filed a refugee claim in Canada.
Between 2018 and 2022, the annual rate of international students seeking asylum doubled from 0.3% to 0.6%, despite the fact that less than 1% ended up seeking protection in Canada.
The hefty tuition fees for international students has become a lucrative racket for Canadian schools and employers seeking to fill low-wage jobs like fast-food retailers, short term gigs and factories.
This has led to sectors in post-secondary education and unregulated foreign agents to utilize aggressive recruitment campaigns.
However, in 2023, many international students are struggling to get affordable housing and employment, resorting to food banks.
This has brought forth many critics of these programs, who are calling for a more stringent admission process and better support for students once they arrive.
The majority of international students are attending public and private colleges because they offer programs which are cheaper and shorter in length when compared to universities.
According to the asylum data, Ontario is the province which is home to eight of the top 10 post-secondary institutions, which host the highest number of refugee claimants.
At the top of the list is Seneca College, with a total of 695 of their international students seeking protection in Canada from 2018 to 2022.
The next highest was Niagara College with 455, then Centennial with 460, followed by the International Language Academy of Canada with 415.
George Brown, Fanshawe, Humber and Conestoga were also listed in the top ten.
Outside of Ontario, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières had 435 and the University of Regina had 305, ranking fourth and ninth, respectively.
As long as an international student’s asylum claim meets the legal requirements to justify their need for protection, there is nothing to prevent them from making a case, under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
This means a student could come with the legitimate intention of residing in Canada only for the duration of their studies but may decide to seek asylum later, if the situation worsens in their home country.
The data provided by the Immigration Department revealed for the first time the number of asylum seekers who initially came on a study permit because the Immigration and Refugee Board itself does not collect data based on how the claimant originally arrived in Canada.
Earlier this year, the Canadian Border Service Agency launched a probe into a number of students using fake college admission letters via unregulated education agents to acquire study permits to enter Canada.
The evidence uncovered in the probe prompted Immigration Minister Marc Miller to review the international student programs and consider putting a cap on the amount of study permits granted annually.
“We have a system that has lost its integrity and is subject to some of the worst aspects of fraud,” Miller told reporters recently.
Miller plans to introduce a new process to verify school acceptance letters for each study permit applicant, beginning in December.
The Government of Canada has announced the launch of 9-8-8, a new three-digit suicide crisis helpline.
The helpline is now available to call or text 24/7 in French or English for those in urgent need.
The Government of Canada has provided $156 million to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) over three years to implement and operate 9-8-8. Experienced partners and trained responders are standing by, ready to answer calls and texts to 9-8-8.
“Responders will provide support and compassion without judgment. They are here to help callers and texters explore ways to keep themselves safe when things are overwhelming,” wrote the Government of Canada in its news release.
The launch of the hotline comes after a Conservative motion three years ago by MP Todd Doherty, who lost his best friend to suicide.
“Every day in Canada there are approximately twelve people who die by suicide,” Doherty said. “Often, they have nowhere to turn, no one to talk to and no way of getting help. With the implementation of 9-8-8, we have one more tool in the toolbox to make sure people have access to trained professionals.”
The new three-digit line replaces the 10-digital national number, Talk Suicide, which had been in place for several years. Talk Suicide Canada was about a quarter of the size of 9-8-8 in terms of coverage across the country.
The United States transferred its previous 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to a three-digit phone number in July 2022. Its helpline is also 9-8-8.
“9-8-8 is easy to remember and will provide life-saving services to those who need it most. Anytime and anywhere, 9-8-8 is always available to help,” said Health Minister Mark Holland.
This nationwide initiative involves a network of local and national partners. So far, a network of 39 partners across Canada will be offering support. Additionally, a team of trained responders can be called on when more capacity is needed, and a local responder is unavailable.
The helpline is operated in collaboration with national partners, like Kids Help Phone, along with existing provincial, territorial, and community-based organizations to operate the line. Some partners have hired more staff and volunteers. The Kids Help Phone will continue to provide dedicated service through 9-8-8 to youth. Hope for Wellness can support callers in Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut.
When someone calls, the responders ask whether the caller is contemplating self-harm or suicide.
“Once that elephant in the room has been addressed, it makes it easier to kind of listen to someone’s story and see how they got to where they are and how they’re feeling,” Nausheen Ali told CBC.
Ali coordinates 9-8-8 training for South Asian Canadian Health and Social Services in Brampton.
Following that first question, responders engage in an empathetic dialogue. They discuss whether there’s a plan, mental health concerns, substance use, and the caller’s support and coping strategies.
Callers have complete discretion over the extent of personal information they disclose to responders, who are both paid and volunteer.
When someone first calls, they will be greeted by a notification and asked what language they wish to use. Callers under 18 will be offered specialized support.
Dr. Allison Crawford, Chief Medical Officer for 9-8-8, said that in most cases, emergency services will not be contacted. However, if there’s an immediate or impending danger of self-harm or harm to others, 911 will be contacted. The 9-8-8 responder will stay on the phone with the caller, providing ongoing support until help arrives.
Approximately 12 people commit suicide across Canada per day, an average of 4,500 per year. For every death by suicide, a minimum of seven to 10 people either attempted suicide or grieved the loss of someone who died by suicide.
CAMH will provide data to the Public Health Agency of Canada on the number of calls received, response times, and instances of call abandonment — where callers disconnect either during the call or before connecting with a responder. The data provided will contain insights regarding user satisfaction while ensuring personal data remains confidential.
If trends are similar to those in the U.S., demand may be high directly after the launch, leading to extended wait times for some callers. Callers waiting to be heard will hear a message urging them to stay on the line.
A recent study from the Fraser Institute reveals there has been a significant increase in Nova Scotia families opting to send their kids to independent schools, with enrolment nearly doubling over the last two decades. The Fraser Institute’s associate director of education policy, Paige MacPherson, joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss why so many parents are fleeing the public school system.
A recent study reveals there has been an increase in Nova Scotia families opting to send their kids to independent schools. The Fraser Institute’s Paige MacPherson joined Andrew Lawton to discuss. pic.twitter.com/nwBgXk6f2G
This week on the Alberta Roundup with Rachel Emmanuel, Rachel discusses Premier Danielle Smith’s decision to invoke the Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act for the first time to challenge the Trudeau government’s electricity regulations. Smith says she invoked the act “to create a shield to protect Albertans from Ottawa’s dangerous and unconstitutional electricity regulations.”
Plus, Rachel explains why a decision to remove photo radar from ring roads in Calgary and Edmonton doesn’t go far enough.
Finally, Rachel has news about a major investment in the province.
Last week, the federal government committed an additional $129 million in taxpayer funds over the next five years to support struggling legacy media outlets, supplementing the $600 million media bailout announced in 2019. Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta director Kris Sims joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the implications of this financial support on journalistic objectivity.
Justin Trudeau announced even more money for the failing legacy media. Kris Sims from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation joined Andrew Lawton to discuss. pic.twitter.com/cPYQAkFQAT
While speaking at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, lockdown advocate and Alberta NDP supporter Dr. Joe Vipond laid the blame for Canada’s poor climate performance squarely at the feet of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Speaking on the UCP government’s decision to invoke the Sovereignty Act to combat the federal government’s overreaching Clean Electricity Regulations on constitutional grounds, Vipond claimed Canada was failing to meet international commitments because of Alberta.
Lockdown lover and perennial Alberta NDP donor Dr. Joe Vipond travelled all the way to Dubai to trash talk his province and Premier @ABDanielleSmith at COP28.
“This was like three days ago, they said that they’re going to do the Sovereignty Act to stop any kind of clean electricity regulations from being implemented. Clean electricity is how we get to net zero. If we don’t have clean electricity, we don’t get there,” said Vipond.
“Let’s be clear, Canada is not doing well because of Alberta. In fact, Alberta has 38% of all of our country’s emissions and it’s increased 55% since 1990. So we’re failing because of our province.”
Vipond presented on a panel titled “Phasing out Fossils at COP28: What needs to happen and who is holding us back?” representing the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and the Calgary Climate Hub alongside several Canadian climate activists.
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vipond was cited extensively by the legacy media for advocating increasingly stringent lockdown measures.
He actively led protests against the Alberta government when it decided to ease most pandemic restrictions, including a call for a general strike.
Moreover, in August 2021, True North reported that despite Dr. Vipond’s denial of any affiliation with the rival party, he had a significant history of contributing to the Alberta NDP.
Data from Alberta elections finance revealed that a Joe or Joseph Vipond residing in Calgary had donated $19,387.50 to the Alberta NDP over the past seven years.
Vipond’s contributions included an $8,000 donation to a 2015 NDP campaign, a $4,000 campaign contribution in 2019, and consistent annual donations ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 from 2014 to 2019.
A Consumer Reports survey found that electric vehicles were far less reliable than conventional gasoline-powered cars.
The survey, encompassing vehicles from 2000 through 2023, with a few early-introduced 2024 model years, revealed that electric vehicles (EVs) encounter 79% more problems than gas vehicles.
The report gathered data from over 330,000 vehicles and asked consumers about vehicle problems in the previous 12 months.
Consumer Reports evaluated 20 problem areas for vehicles — from small issues like squeaky brakes and broken interior trim to large ones such as out-of-warranty engines, transmission, EV battery, and EV charging problems.
Of the 20 areas, Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), aka gas, vehicles have 17 potential trouble areas.
EVs can have up to 12 trouble areas. Many issues encountered by ICE vehicles, such as those with engine and transmission, are not included.
Owners of electric vehicles report more frequent issues, primarily with battery and charging systems, as well as problems related to the fit of body panels and interior parts.
The report also highlights that plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are more problematic than fully electric vehicles. PHEVs have 146% more problems than gas vehicles.
PHEVs can experience all 20 trouble areas—17 from ICE vehicles, as well as electric motors, EV batteries, and EV charging.
The report suggested that PHEVs have more problems than their counterparts because they combine internal combustion engines with an electric drive, creating additional complexity and additional potential problem areas.
In contrast, traditional hybrid vehicles, which have been around for about a quarter of a century, are proving to be more reliable than gasoline vehicles. The long-standing presence of these vehicles in the market has allowed manufacturers to resolve many of the initial issues.
Hybrids have 19 potential trouble areas. Seventeen of these are from ICE vehicles, as well as electric motors and EV batteries.
Battery-powered hybrids, however, are the most reliable vehicle of them all. Hybrids have 26% fewer problems than gas vehicles.
Sales growth for EVs has slowed considerably. From a 90% year-over-year growth in June 2022, the rate fell to about 50% by the same time in 2023.
EVs simply aren’t selling. Due to this, a letter signed by nearly 3,900 U.S. auto dealers was sent to US President Joe Biden on Tuesday. The letter said that most US car buyers are not interested in buying battery electric vehicles, even with government incentives, and they are asking the U.S. government not to force them to do so.
The current U.S. federal regulations mandate that two out of every three vehicles sold in the US by 2032 will have to be electric.
Canadian consumers feel the same way. A recent survey found that 66% of Canadians said they were unlikely to consider buying an electric vehicle for their next car purchase, higher than the 53% who felt that way in 2022. Canada has a goal of 100% of new vehicles sold as being electric by 2035. EVs have an average price tag of $73,000, according to Canadian Black Book.
Anglophone Canadians might have a harder time accessing healthcare in Quebec, should the provincial government’s amendments to Bill 15 pass.
Bill 15 is healthcare reform legislation, spanning over 300 pages with more than 1,110 clauses, designed to modify approximately 36 laws and overhaul Quebec’s healthcare system.
Health Minister Christian Dubé’s proposal enables the provincial government’s new health agency, Santé Québec, to withdraw the right of healthcare institutions to offer services in English if the English-speaking population in their area falls below 50%. Opponents of the amendment argue that it threatens Canada’s bilingualism.
Liberal health and social services critic André Fortin raised issues at the legislature committee studying Bill 15.
“The problem with (the amendment) is a government so inclined to take away English services could do it unilaterally,” he said.
Approximately 50 health and social service institutions throughout Quebec are eligible to provide services in languages other than French, as permitted by the Charter of the French Language, based on demographic requirements.
The province wants to give Santé Québec the ability to revoke the right to offer such services in areas where the minority communities have shrunk below 50%.
Under the proposed amendment to Bill 15 introduced by Dubé, the board of directors of Santé Québec has the authority to consider revoking a facility’s recognition after engaging with the impacted minority communities. Additionally, they would consult with the Office québécois de la langue française, which assesses demographic changes to formulate language-related recommendations.
Santé Québec would have the power to decide when and where to revoke bilingual status.
The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and other representatives of the English-speaking community see this last-minute move as a direct threat to their access to health and social services in English.
“We are shocked that Health Minister Christian Dubé would try to drop an amendment like this into Bill 15 at the last moment, days before the government is about to invoke closure to ram this bill through the Nation Assembly,” wrote Eva Ludvig, President of the QCGN, in a statement on Friday.
Dubé introduced the amendment, known as Article 111.1, on Tuesday evening.
Fortin and other opposition members questioned the amendment’s implications during the legislature committee’s clause-by-clause study of Bill 15.
Fortin pressed for details on how the 50% threshold for service in a language other than French would be determined and criticized the lack of a mechanism for healthcare institutions to veto such decisions.
He drew parallels between this amendment and a comparable change in Bill 96. According to that language law, municipalities experiencing a decline in their minority populations were set to lose their bilingual designation. Nonetheless, the government permitted these cities and towns to maintain their status, provided their councils passed a resolution in favour of it.
In a show of respect for their minority residents, almost all municipalities opted to preserve their bilingual status.
Health Minister Dubé, unable to answer Fortin’s questions, suggested suspending the debate on the amendment.
The committee examining the bill has adopted 620 of the 1,180 articles, including 402 amendments.
On Thursday, health critics from the Liberal, Québec solidaire, and Parti Québécois joined forces with several health and social service network representatives to urge the government to abandon its plan to fast-track the bill. They argued that the bill’s numerous amendments are evidence of its shortcomings and unpreparedness for becoming law.
“Bill 15 will not mean more workers in the system; it will not mean more care,” said Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, Québec solidaire MP.
Fortin said that each day reveals more mistakes in the bill, so taking more time to study it would make sense.
“You tell me what the rush is,” he said.
Parti Québecois MP Joël Arseneau claimed that this is the CAQ method.
“We’ve never seen such a huge piece of legislation being changed so much,” he said.
