Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement of a carbon tax exemption for home oil heating and other provinces now seeking exemptions for themselves, an Ontario Grand Chief is requesting a full exemption on Indigenous lands.
Last week, Trudeau announced a three-year pause on federal carbon pricing for home oil heating, which predominantly benefits Atlantic Canadians.
Ontario and the Prairies mostly use natural gas for heating, which has not been included in the feds’ carbon tax carve-out.
Grand Chief of the Akwesasne First Nation Abram Benedict is now advocating for an exemption on federal carbon pricing for all Ontario Indigenous reserves.
Early this year, Benedict wrote a letter to Trudeau, demanding an exemption on behalf of the Chiefs of Ontario group, which passed a resolution calling for an exemption in 2019.
According to Benedict, the carbon tax is in violation of rights granted under the Indian Act as well as his communities’ tax exemption status.
“The carbon tax has been levied on our communities which, in our belief, is a direct infringement of our tax exemption protections under the Indian Act,” Benedict told the National Post.
Rebates on the carbon tax have been promised by the Trudeau government, however many people who live on reserves do not file taxes and therefore would not be eligible to receive the rebate.
“It would require that every homeowner file income tax and in some situations, members don’t file tax returns,” said Benedict. “They probably work on reserves and don’t have any real benefits from filing income tax.”
Indigenous people are exempt from paying income tax for work they do on reserves under the Indian Act.
It’s unclear how much government revenue will be lost if the carbon tax is scrapped on reserves.
On Tuesday, the Trudeau government announced that no further exemptions will be granted regarding the carbon tax, following several requests from premiers to do so.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe threatened to have SaskEnergy refrain from collecting the federal carbon tax from residents, if an agreement cannot be reached.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have both also asked for exemptions on natural gas heating and most recently, Manitoba’s NDP Finance Minister Adrien Sala.
Trudeau defended the decision to just exempt oil heating, which creates higher emissions than natural gas, by saying that the cost for Atlantic Canadians to switch over to heat pumps or a less carbon intensive fuel was too costly at this time.
“We are nothing if not a government that listens to people, that is focused on our goals and is willing to adjust as necessary,” said Trudeau.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that Canada will stick with their plan of accepting 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.
Miller added that Canada will import another 500,000 new permanent residents in 2026, saying that the figures will allow for “sustainable population growth.”
Miller was presenting a scheduled revision of the 2023-2025 Immigration Levels plan, in which Canada aimed to welcome 465,000 new permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller announces new immigration targets.
However, this plan only includes permanent residents. Canada also takes in temporary residents such as temporary foreign workers and international students, as well as refugees.
In 2022, Statistics Canada reported population growth in Canada was 1.05 million, with 95.9% of the growth due to immigration.
The number of new immigrants coming to Canada in 2023 is predicted to be over one million.
But many foreigners on temporary visas overstay in Canada.
An August 2023 CIBC Capital Markets report estimated that Canada is undercounting the number of non-permanent residents living in the country by nearly one million.
According to CIBC deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal, this underestimation is due to gaps in the census and the fact that many residents stay past the expiry of their visas.
Another bank executive, chief economist at the National Bank of Canada Stéfane Marion, said in an early August memo that the Liberals’ high immigration levels are creating a “record imbalance” between housing supply and demand.
“As housing affordability pressures continue to mount across the country, we believe Ottawa should consider revising its immigration targets to allow supply to catch up with demand,” Marion said.
Even so, Miller hinted back in August that he would not lower Canada’s immigration targets, saying, “Honestly, looking at the numbers and knowing what I know and the needs that exist in Canada, I don’t see a world in which we decrease it currently.”
The first ever conference for the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) concluded this afternoon, wrapping up three days of discussions about responsibility, freedom and citizenship in the context of uplifting individuals and families, rather than states and globalism. True North’s Andrew Lawton spoke to dozens of attendees from different backgrounds and found one fairly common goal – a rejection of wokeness and grievance politics. In this edition of the show, live from London, Andrew recaps the conference and shares some interviews he did there.
Plus, thousands of Alberta United Conservative Party members are set to descend on Calgary this week for what’s shaping up to be the biggest political party convention Canada has ever seen.
The Alberta government has announced an interim measure to cap auto insurance rates for “good drivers.”
This measure offers protection against potential rate increases for responsible motorists and serves as a temporary solution while the province awaits a comprehensive report to inform broader auto insurance reforms.
While announcing the measures, Minister of Finance Nate Horner explained that the auto insurance industry has built up pressure from the pause on rate increases implemented over the last year. The cap on insurance rates for “good drivers” will commence immediately after the current pause is lifted at the end of 2023.
“This is a short-term solution to ensure that especially Alberta’s good drivers see rate protection,” said Horner.
The cap, while effective immediately after the pause is lifted, is not seen as a sustainable solution but rather a buffer against potential spikes in insurance rates for select drivers.
Echoing this sentiment, Premier Danielle Smith emphasized the importance of providing immediate relief.
“We understand the financial pressures faced by Albertans, and this measure is a testament to our commitment to support them through these challenging times,” she said.
As for the long-term solutions, nothing in the package addresses the costs associated with auto insurance. The Alberta government has commissioned an independent report on the state of the industry that it expects to receive in early 2024, which will help them address how to approach the long-term issues surrounding car insurance.
The criteria for what constitutes a “good driver,” a central aspect of this temporary policy, was developed in collaboration with the rate board.
Horner explained the criteria for a “good driver” is someone who has not had one or more at-fault accidents in the last six years. Further qualifications include a record free of Criminal Code traffic convictions during the previous four years, such as driving under the influence. Additionally, a “good driver” should not have had any major traffic convictions in the previous three years. These encompass violations like speeding in a school zone. Finally, the definition permits no more than one minor traffic conviction, such as minor speeding tickets, in the same three-year period.
“We worked with the rate board to come up with this definition of a good driver,” Horner explained.
Some criticized the scope of the cap saying that it is too narrowly focused and excludes new drivers, those switching companies, or individuals purchasing new vehicles.
Horner explained that there is a necessity to give insurance companies places to increase rates in the system, or Alberta will start to see companies leave.
“That’s why this needs to be short-term,” he said.
Looking beyond this interim solution, the Alberta government is contemplating a comprehensive reform of the auto insurance system.
“We’re looking at the entire gamut,” said Horner.
In an unexpected move, the government has not ruled out introducing a public auto insurance system, a concept previously met with skepticism.
“I would have been very against starting new Crown corporations. But I’m doing my best to, you know, not be ideological and see what the report actually says,” said Horner.
Liberal MP Joel Lightbound made an unexpected endorsement of Bitcoin during Tuesday’s session in the House of Commons, contrary to past denouncements of the cryptocurrency by the Liberal government.
The Quebec MP highlighted how Bitcoin can help people in tough financial situations and those living under oppressive regimes.
He encouraged everyone, especially progressives, to study Bitcoin, stating that it represents a progressive idea.
“Over the last decade, we have seen Bitcoin empower the underbanked, as well as those living in oppressive regimes,” Lightbound explained.
“Women, for instance, use Bitcoin all over the world to evade unjust restrictions on their financial freedoms. It has also helped thousands of families avoid the tragedy of currency debasement.”
Lightbound clarified that while he’s not telling people to buy Bitcoin, he’s urging them to learn more about it.
“In full disclosure, while I do own Bitcoin, I am not advocating for anyone to buy it, but I do advocate for everyone to study it, progressives in particular, because, after all, Bitcoin was born in the midst of the great financial crisis as an alternative to big banks, greed, and the system that never failed to bail them out. It stands for a truly progressive ideal,” Lightbound stated.
This endorsement of Bitcoin stands in contrast to the criticism the Liberals have directed at Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who has previously praised the digital currency.
Last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized Poilievre’s suggestion that Bitcoin could be used as a hedge against inflation.
“We’ve made every effort to work with all Parliamentarians over the years, and we’ll continue to do so. But we’ll also call out questionable, reckless economic ideas – because Canadians deserve responsible leadership,” said Trudeau.
“Telling people they can opt out of inflation by investing in cryptocurrencies is not responsible leadership.”
Poilievre has been an outspoken supporter of Bitcoin, even pledging to make Canada a blockchain hub while he ran for the party’s leadership.
“Government policies are harming the Canadian dollar, so Canadians should have the option to use other currencies, like Bitcoin,” Poilievre stated during a rally last year.
This is not the first time MP Lightbound has strayed from his party’s stance on certain issues, last year he voted in support of a Conservative motion to end Covid-19 restrictions and mandates.
Ottawa police detective Helen Grus’ defense lawyers continue to insist their client is a victim of bias and prejudice at her discreditable conduct hearing, which resumed this week. Grus’ crime: investigating the link between the Covid vaccines and a perceived uptick in sudden infant deaths.
The remainder of witnesses for the prosecution appeared Monday and Tuesday – former and current colleagues from Grus’ sex assault and child abuse (SACA) unit. Their testimony during defense’s cross-examination included ignoring Grus’ concerns over vaccine safety and relying on internal gossip to form their own professional opinion about the 20-year veteran.
Grus was charged with discreditable conduct on July 26, 2022 under Ontario’s Police Services Act for allegedly bringing Ottawa Police Service into disrepute by conducting an unauthorized investigation involving sudden infant deaths as well as her failure to log police database searches in her duty book.
Grus’ lawyers Bath-Shéba van den Berg and Blair Ector resumed their defence Monday morning under protest after trial officer Chris Renwick refused to hear their arguments for a stay of proceedings, pending their application for judicial review in Ontario’s superior court over denying Grus’ access to one of her duty books.
“Your refusal to hear the motion is another abuse of process, we should have a right to present this argument” van den Berg told Renwick, a former Ottawa police superintendent.
Professional Standards Unit investigator Jason Arbuthnot, who laid the discreditable conduct charge, testified in August that he saw only one duty book in his probe of the Grus’ conduct. Arbuthnot testified that Grus logged her RMS queries, but he did not see notes related to one phone call Grus made to the father of a recently deceased child.
But van den Berg said a second book, revealed during August’s hearing session but withheld from the defense, “may contain exculpatory evidence and has not been reviewed by Sergeant Arbuthnot when he made his decision and assertion – his conclusion that detective Grus did not take any notes.”
“We are continuing under protest,” she added.
Renwick responded that he was “not open to giving an adjournment at this time” and forged ahead with proceedings.
In addition to the duty book, Renwick has also denied Grus’ defense access to the related autopsy reports, electronic communications between police member witnesses and some related investigation notes. Renwick also denied the defense’s submission of perhaps the most shocking evidence of all: notice of a 36-hour wiretap of Grus and her family between Feb. 18-19, 2022, granted weeks after she was suspended at the end of January for refusing the Covid-19 shot.
While Renwick must decide if Grus is guilty of discreditable conduct for investigating a possible covid jab connection to sudden infant deaths, Grus job description as a SACA detective includes investigating sudden infant deaths.
On Tuesday, Grus’ defense also entered into evidence World Health Recommendations about recording adverse events following immunization, or AEFIs and questioned whether SACA unit and the coroners were doing any such diligence in sudden infant death follow ups and reports.
But testimony from current and former SACA members also indicate that Grus was alone among colleagues in her safety concerns about the Covid vaccines and whether they might be responsible for an uptick in sudden infant deaths.
SACA detective Chris Botchar told the tribunal under oath that he “heard a rumour that (Helen Grus) was printing off RMS files”, and that he “didn’t see a need (to look into the vaccine status of the mother)” after one infant died of an enlarged heart. In this case, Botchar said he “saw no evidence” of criminality.
The unit’s commanding officer, Sergeant Marc-André Guy, more-or-less echoed Botchar during August’s hearing.
“If there was information there was a link (between the vaccines and infant deaths), it’s still not a criminal matter…I would close the case,” he said.
On Monday, Botchar told the tribunal that post-Covid vaccine rollout “there were conversations (at work about the increase in baby deaths), I didn’t participate in them.” He also referred to Grus’ September 2021 email to police colleagues expressing concern about the experimental mRNA Covid vaccines, as a “diatribe… the manifesto of the right wing”.
Another SACA member and prosecution witness who cannot be identified due to a publication ban testified that she couldn’t remember how many sudden infant deaths occurred year-over-year, or even an average.
This same witness, “WC”, said she was aware of Grus’ safety concerns about the Covid shots but says she was unaware of Grus’ belief this could involve criminality.
Van den Berg attempted to probe vaccine safety concerns to establish Grus’ motivation, as “she had medical information that suggested that there are harmful side effects of the Covid-19 vaccination, and that those harmful side effects, or adverse events, include some of the same descriptions used in the preliminary autopsy reports of … six of the nine RMS searches that she’s alleged to have conducted.”
However, Renwick shut this down by saying the hearing “cannot and will not be a venue for opinions or theories that link vaccines to child deaths”.
As the defense has pointed out several times during the course of the disciplinary hearings, Grus’ communications about Covid-19 clearly indicate that she agreed the respiratory virus existed, while expressing misgivings about the public health response to the disease, including vaccine mandates and the Covid shots Grus said had injured several police colleagues.
Van den Berg also suggested during cross-examination of SACA detective Tara Anderson that she was jealous of Grus – in particular offers of promotion to the homicide unit that Grus had received – and this was the reason Anderson wrote three additional pages in her compelled statement for the Professional Standards Unit investigation of Grus’.
Anderson denied she was jealous, or that she was the source of the leak to CBC Ottawa for a pair of stories about Grus’ looking into vaccination status of mothers’ whose babies suffered from sudden infant death. Professional Standards Unit investigator Arbuthnot previously testified CBC’s coverage of Grus’ unauthorized probe formed part of the reason for his decision to charge her.
In the August hearing, it was learned that Arbuthnot’s unit had opened an investigation into the source of the media links but later abandoned it.
This current session of Grus’ disciplinary hearing continues until Friday in Stittsvile at Ottawa Police Service’s Huntmar Rd. detachment.
Correction: An earlier version of this story contained incorrect information about testimony given by Ottawa police sergeant Jason Arbuthnot. The story has since been amended to accurately reflect his statements made to the Police Services Act tribunal.
Manitoba NDP Finance Minister Adrien Sala is seeking the same exemption from the carbon tax that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau extended to Atlantic Canadians on home heating for residents in his province.
Sala said he would like to see “greater fairness” in how the federal government applies their carbon pricing exemptions.
Outside of Atlantic Canada, most provinces predominantly use natural gas to heat their homes and not oil heating.
Last week, Saskatchewan’s Premier Scott Moe and Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith called on the federal government to grant their provinces the same exemption on natural gas as Trudeau did for oil heating.
On Monday, Moe declared that SaskEnergy would simply stop collecting the federal carbon tax from Saskatchewan residents if Ottawa would not agree to an exemption on natural gas beginning in January.
Sala said that he would not take the federal government to court over the carbon tax, as Manitoba’s previous PC government had but rather wanted to have a positive dialogue with the federal government about how to ensure Manitobans are treated fairly.
“We’re seeing other provinces that are asking for some changes and we did see that the prime minister committed to some changes in eastern Canada. That’s definitely of interest to us here in Manitoba. We want to know how that might extend to greater fairness for Manitobans,” Sala said on Tuesday in an interview with CBC News.
“We’re going to start by having conversations with the federal government around this question to understand how those types of benefits that are being provided to folks in eastern Canada might be extended to folks in Manitoba. No idea what that looks like right now, but we want to start from a position of collaboration and cooperation.”
Sala cited Ottawa’s exemption for oil heating as well as their offer to fund geothermal heating in Atlantic Canada as potential solutions for his residents as well.
“Those are good offers that are being made to folks in those provinces to help reduce their cost of living,” said Sala.
However on Tuesday, the Trudeau government announced that no further exemptions would be granted.
“There will absolutely not be any other carve-outs or suspensions of the price on pollution,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.
Sala said that on Jan. 1, the Manitoba government will begin their own carve-out: a promised six-month suspension of the 14-cents-a-litre tax on gas.
According to Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, the suspension will be a temporary measure to increase affordability for Manitobans.
Additionally, the Manitoba government plans to install 5,000 heat pumps throughout the province in an effort to reduce energy consumption.
Hamilton Citizenship Ceremony / Copyright: JOEY COLEMAN / THEPUBLICRECORD.CA
Newcomers to Canada are choosing to emigrate in search of better opportunities elsewhere, according to a new study from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the Conference Board of Canada.
The trend of ‘onward migration,’ where immigrants arrive in Canada and then subsequently leave, has been steadily increasing since the 1980s.
The number of permanent residents who pursued citizenship within 10 years of their arrival dropped by 40% between 2001 and 2021.
On Tuesday, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship published a study on immigrant retention and found that many newcomers “may not be seeing the benefits to Canada.”
The study also made note of the potential risks that this problem poses for a country like Canada, which relies heavily on immigration to drive its economic growth and population.
Newcomers to Canada face several challenges including a strained healthcare system, unaffordable housing, and underemployment.
Disillusionment among immigrants is also a contributing factor in slowing down progress, despite Canada consistently setting new records for population growth.
“It’s a reflection on our broader society and more intractable failings that we have. If immigrants are saying ‘no, thanks’ and moving on, that’s a real existential threat to Canada’s prosperity,” said Daniel Bernhard, chief executive officer of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, a pro-immigration advocacy group, in an interview with Bloomberg.
“We need to wake up and recognize that if we don’t deliver, people will leave. And if they leave, we’re in trouble.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been championing the importance of immigration as a means to ward off Canada’s declining economy due to its aging population. However, many believe the Liberals’ policies have led to rapid population growth which is only exacerbating the housing crisis and adding further strain to Canada’s healthcare system.
According to the report, spikes in the annual rates of immigrants leaving Canada were in 2017 and 2019, at 1..1% and 1.18%, respectively.
Those spikes marked a 20-year high when compared to the annual average of 0.9% of newcomers who were granted permanent residence after 1982.
Overall, public support for high levels of immigration is down amongst Canadians, largely due to the lack of affordable housing.
Between low public support from citizens regarding immigration and dissatisfaction from the immigrants themselves, the government will have to find the balance between being able to offer affordable housing and meeting the quota for skilled workers, which relies on immigration.
“If Canada can’t reverse these issues and can’t provide these vital services and affordability, immigrants will leave,” said Bernhard. “We need to be working harder to make sure that they’re happy here, so that they contribute here, become Canadians and contribute to our shared success. We need to realize that on balance, immigrants may owe Canada less than Canada owes immigrants.”
Despite pausing the carbon tax for home heating oil, the Trudeau government has shut down requests from the provinces for additional exemptions to the costly tax.
Plus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appoints a former Liberal MP and a long-time Liberal donor to the supposedly “independent” Senate.
And the Auditor General found that federal DEI initiatives are failing to improve outcomes for racialized workers in the public service.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!
Early indicators released by Statistics Canada suggest Canada may soon enter a potential technical recession.
The preliminary data from the federal agency’s August GDP report, published on Tuesday, shows that the Canadian economy has hit a standstill. Concerningly, the initial figures for the third quarter suggest a contraction, raising alarm bells across economic sectors.
The stagnant growth in August, marking a disturbing downward trend for the second month in a row, continued into September, according to advanced data.
The preliminary estimates by Statistics Canada show annualized shrinkage of 0.1% in the economy for the third quarter, following a contraction witnessed in the second quarter.
A technical recession is characterized by two successive quarters of negative growth.
However, experts like Nathan Janzen, the assistant chief economist at RBC, emphasize that broader economic weaknesses must be evident to declare a recession officially.
“The declines are still very small,” Janzen told the Canadian Press.
In August, only eight out of 20 industries saw GDP growth, according to the report.
The increase in 0.1% of GDP in service-producing sectors was counterbalanced by a decline in goods-producing ones, which saw a contraction of 0.2%.
Sectors such as agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, retail, and accommodation and food services witnessed downturns. Conversely, wholesale trade and mining, including quarrying, oil, and gas extraction, experienced growth.
The Bank of Canada, recognizing the fragile economic state, has maintained its key interest rate at five percent at its last two decision meetings.
Janzen believes that Tuesday’s data release justifies this cautious approach.
“This makes it more likely that they won’t hike interest rates again,” he told the Canadian Press.
Current high interest rates, though essential for curbing inflation, are anticipated to further suppress economic growth, especially as households face mortgage renewals at elevated rates.
Forecasts from the Bank of Canada paint a bleak economic picture, projecting weak growth for the remainder of the year and into 2024.
The reduction in spending, a response to higher borrowing costs, aims to mitigate the soaring inflation, which stood at 3.8% in September.
Meanwhile, The Bank of Canada holds onto expectations that annual inflation will recalibrate to the two percent target by 2025.
