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Monday, August 11, 2025

Ontario requests “urgent” meeting with Chrystia Freeland over Alberta’s proposed CPP withdrawal

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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In what’s shaping up to be a contentious national debate, Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy is pushing for an “urgent” meeting with the federal Liberal government to discuss Alberta’s proposed withdrawal from the national pension plan.

The push follows Alberta’s proposal to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and create its own separate Alberta pension.

“I am writing to request that you convene an urgent meeting of Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) finance ministers to discuss Alberta’s proposed withdrawal from the Canada Pension Plan,” wrote Bethlenfalvy in his letter to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. 

Bethlenfalvy raised concerns about the effect that Alberta’s proposed withdrawal would have on the country at large. He explained that the CPP belongs to all workers and beneficiaries across Canada. 

“The CPP’s greatest strength is its pan-Canadian approach that provides stability for workers and their families, so Canadians can be sure they have a reliable retirement plan, no matter where they live, work or choose to retire,” he wrote.  

“We believe this proposal could cause serious harm over the long term to working people and retirees in Ontario and across Canada.”

While no province has ever left the CPP, Quebec chose not to join when the program was launched in 1966.

Prior to Bethlenfalvy’s letter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, saying he believed Alberta leaving the CPP would adversely affect the pensions of millions in Alberta and across Canada. 

“The harm it would cause is undeniable,” wrote Trudeau. 

Responding to such criticisms, Smith fired back.

“It is disingenuous and inappropriate for you to stoke fear in the hearts and minds of Canadian retirees on this issue,” she wrote.

Much of Smith’s response referred to the LifeWorks report written by pension actuarial experts, which analyzed the costs, benefits, risks, and considerations of an Alberta pension plan. 

The report suggested that Alberta would be entitled to a whopping $334 billion by 2027, more than half of the CPP’s current assets pegged at $575 billion. This figure is significantly higher than Alberta’s proportionate population within the CPP, which stands at approximately 15%.

Bethlenfalvy addressed the report in his letter to Freeland. 

“We would also welcome a rigorous analysis of the assumption that Alberta’s proposal is based on,” he said. 

Shortly after Bethlenfalvy’s letter was released, Freeland indicated her intent to arrange meetings with provincial and territorial finance ministers to discuss Alberta’s plan to withdraw from the CPP.

Speaking in Calgary, Freeland said any province has the right to leave the program, but that it’s important the decision is “based on facts and…clearly and well-informed.”

In his own letter to Freeland, Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner indicated Alberta would like to host Freeland and the province’s provincial and territorial counterparts in Calgary at the next finance ministers meeting. 

“Alberta welcomes all good-faith, rigorous analysis of the report produced by LifeWorks,” he said. 

Horner said he’d like the meeting to discuss equalization reform, the federal fiscal stabilization formula, and the federal carbon tax, which he said “continues to significantly increase the cost of living for every Canadian.” 

LAWTON: On C2C: How pandemic panic changed Canada forever

By
Andrew Lawton
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Lawyers Christine Van Geyn and Joanna Baron of the Canadian Constitution Foundation have authored a new book, “Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to COVID-19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever,” which explores COVID-era legal cases and the lasting impact of pandemic policies on Canadian law. They joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss.

Read more about the new book here.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Birth certificate calls Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Indigenous ancestry into question

By
Quinn Patrick
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Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie, who has been active since the 1960’s as both a musician and an Indigenous activist, has come under fire for allegations that her Indigenous heritage may be false.

Sainte-Marie, who was adopted and did not know her biological parents, has denied the allegations, calling them “deeply hurtful.”

“I don’t know where I’m from or who my birth parents were, and I will never know. Which is why to be questioned in this way today is painful,” said Sainte-Marie in a statement on Thursday. “To those who question my truth, I say with love, I know who I am.”

Sainte-Marie was recently contacted by the CBC about the allegations, as they are making her the subject of their investigative TV series The Fifth Estate, which is scheduled to air on Friday. 

The episode entitled, Making an Icon will cover her claimed Indigenous ancestry and the allegations that it may be false. 

Sainte-Marie defended her position with a post on X, stating, “For 60 years, I’ve shared my story with the world as honestly as I know how. I am humbled my truth is one so many others have connected with. Unfortunately, some wish to question my truth. So here it is – as I know it. From me to you. Big love, Buffy.”

She called herself “a proud member of the Native community with deep roots in Canada” in a video posted to Facebook.

“But there are also many things I don’t know, which I’ve always been honest about. I don’t know where I’m from, who my birth parents are or how I ended up a misfit in a typical white Christian New England home,” she went on to say in the video.

“I realized decades ago that I would never have the answers.”

She first gained popularity in the 1960s for her songwriting with many of her songs being covered by other popular artists of the time like Elvis and Janis Joplin. She also made numerous appearances on Sesame Street.

In 1982, she became the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar for best original song, co-writing Up Where We Belong, which appeared in the film An Officer and a Gentleman.

Her adoptive parents were Albert and Winifired Sainte-Marie, her mother identified as part Mi’kmaq and was from Massachusetts. 

Other accounts say their surname was Santamaria and that they were of Italian and English descent, later changing the name to Sainte-Marie to avoid anti-Italian discrimination after World War II. 

According to Sainte-Marie’s authorized biography, she presumed she was born Cree on Piapot, a First Nation in the Qu’Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan around 1940, although there was no official record of her birth. 

“To be born Cree in the 1940s in Canada was to be a person who was not always counted, at least not in a formal and legal fashion,” reads the biography. “Birth records from the time, particularly on reserves, were spotty, and there are countless reports of records being lost or destroyed.”

The reasons for her adoption were never made clear, some accounts were that she was born out of wedlock, while others allege her mother died in a car accident. 

Some members of Sainte-Marie’s own family deny her claims that she was adopted from Saskatchewan. There are also numerous discrepancies in her account of ancestry. 

“She wasn’t born in Canada.… She’s clearly born in the United States,” said Heidi St. Marie, the daughter of Sainte-Marie’s older brother, Alan. “She’s clearly not Indigenous or Native American.”

Documents obtained by CBC support the claim of her niece, including a birth certificate of Sainte-Marie from Stoneham, Mass. that said she was born in 1941. 

Sainte-Marie and both of her parents are listed as white on the document. 

Her marriage certificate, a life insurance policy and a United States census all corroborate the information listed on the birth certificate.

The Piapot Family however said she was adopted into their family in the traditional way in a recent statement made to combat the allegations, which they called “hurtful, ignorant, colonial and racist.” 

“We claim her as a member of our family and all of our family members are from the Piapot First Nation. To us, that holds far more weight than any paper documentation or colonial record keeping ever could,” reads the Piapot family statement.

The Daily Brief | Trudeau backs down from carbon tax on home heating oil

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Liberal and NDP MPs shut down a motion to condemn over 80 incidents of arson and vandalism targeting churches across Canada.

Plus, amid outcry from Atlantic provinces and politicians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is suspending the carbon tax on home heating oil for the next three years.

And doctor-assisted suicide made up 4% of all deaths in Canada in 2022.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and William McBeath!

Trudeau appoints new Supreme Court justice from Alberta

By
Quinn Patrick
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that justice Mary Moreau will be Canada’s next Supreme Court justice on Thursday. 

A francophone born in Edmonton, Moreau is the Chief Justice for Alberta’s Court of King’s Bench.

“I am confident that her impressive judicial career and dedication to fairness and excellence will make Chief Justice Moreau an invaluable addition to our country’s highest court,” said Trudeau in a statement.

Two of the nine seats on the Supreme Court are to be reserved for judges from Western Canada and Moreau was selected to replace Brown as part of that requirement. Candidates are also required to be bilingual.  

Moreau was the first woman to be appointed to serve as the chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in 2017 and has previously served on the court since 1994.

She was a member of the National Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics from 2014 to 2017 and has been actively involved in judicial education. 

Prior to becoming a judge, Moreau worked as a lawyer in Edmonton, focusing on criminal and constitutional law as well as civil litigation.

Moreau has presided over numerous bilingual and French trials and is also a co-founder of the Association des juristes d’expression française de l’Alberta.

Dean of law at the University of Calgary Ian Holloway embraced the appointment, calling Moreau “a wonderful jurist who enjoys the respect of everyone who knows her.”

“She works extremely hard, and she is unfailingly courteous to everyone who appears before her,” said Holloway. “Plus, she is a francophone, which will be a tremendous asset for her new job. So I’m delighted.”

Moreau’s predecessor Russell Brown resigned in June 2023 after he faced a claim of misconduct related to an incident at a resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Brown had been on leave for months after reports came to light that he’d been in some altercation with other patrons at an upscale resort in January 2023. 

Brown denies the allegations.

There are several differing accounts as to what occurred during the altercation. Some say that Brown had been in a fight with Jon Crump, a U.S. marine veteran who was staying at the resort with a group of friends. 

Crump claims that Brown harassed him and his company while under the influence of alcohol before following them back to their hotel rooms. A brief brawl broke out wherein Crump punched Brown for refusing to leave, according to CBC News. 

Crump later reported Brown to the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC).

Brown’s account alleges that Crump punched him inexplicably and that his version of the events are false.

Initially, Brown had high hopes that the CJC review into the altercation would be “dispensed with quickly and would not significantly impact the court’s business.” 

However, once it became apparent that the probe would likely continue into 2024, he retired, subsequently ending the CJC probe. 

Members of the House of Commons are expected to hold a hearing in the lead up to Morneau taking her seat on the Supreme Court bench. Justice Minister and Attorney General Arif Virani will speak on the reasons for her selection.

The hearing will be followed by members of Parliament and senators who sit on the House and Senate Justice committees asking Moreau a series of questions to examine her views and experience.

Justice Moreau’s appointment marks the sixth Supreme Court Justice appointed by Trudeau since he took office in 2015.

New general counsel at federal prosecution service to prioritize DEI, tackling “over-representation”

By
Noah Jarvis
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The new general counsel at the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) says that she will promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by addressing “over-representation” of black and Indigenous people in the criminal justice system.

Althea Francis, a long-time progressive prosecutor, was promoted to general counsel at the federal prosecution service’s Ontario office, giving her a major role in setting the legal policy of prosecutors. 

In an interview with Canadian Lawyer magazine, Francis said tackling over-representation of racial minorities in the criminal justice system is top of mind for her.

“We do hold a significant power within the criminal justice system to influence the trajectory of someone’s life and how the overall perception of justice is seen, and we do have to be mindful of our own biases,” said Francis. 

Francis also said she wants to build on her past DEI training work, including instruction on addressing unconscious bias, systemic racism, and pronouns, in the new role.

The PPSC is the independent body responsible for prosecuting federal crimes, mostly drug-related crimes and certain violations of the Criminal Code. 

Francis has made DEI a top priority during her time at PPSC to date, chairing the Ontario office’s DEI and accessibility committee and receiving an award in 2019 for promoting DEI in the organization, organizing events on gender issues, race issues, unconscious bias, and more. 

“Working in the space of equity, diversity and inclusion is the most rewarding for me,” said Francis. 

“It’s about challenging your biases to think and rethink about how you view an accused person and to recognize when you’re sentencing an individual that you’re not just sentencing the bad parts of the individual. You’re sentencing the whole person.”

Francis went on to talk about how prosecutors ought to take into consideration the racial and socio-economic backgrounds of the people they prosecute, and how these traits ought to inform how these individuals are prosecuted.

“How do you ensure that when you go to look at a particular case, you’re taking into account the person and their socio-economic status? How do you balance the safety of the community with ensuring that you don’t perpetuate the stereotype?”

As general counsel at the PPSC Ontario division, Francis will work on high-profile, high-risk cases involving national security, cross-border prosecutions, and more.

“Doctors are not allowed to say what they think”: Docs gear up for ‘Free Speech in Medicine’ conference

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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Overzealous regulators and a culture of fear are top of mind for doctors and medical professionals as they descend on an idyllic Cape Breton village.

Baddeck, N.S. is playing host to the second Free Speech in Medicine conference this weekend, which promises to ignite discussions surrounding the state of free speech within the professional community. 

The Oct. 27-29 conference, co-organized by Drs. Chris Milburn and Julie Curwin, aims to be a gathering for those whose voices have been marginalized and silenced in recent years.

This year’s agenda features prominent speakers including psychologist Gad Saad, Dr. Ken Zucker, and True North’s Rupa Subramanya. Guests are slated to discuss contentious topics ranging from Covid policy and the rise of the biomedical security state, the legal boundaries of regulatory colleges’ control over free speech, transgender ideology, and the limits of harm reduction strategies for drug abuse.

Speaking on the Andrew Lawton Show Thursday, Milburn said free speech is not a new challenge to doctors, but it’s worsened in recent years.

“Free speech has been a problem in medicine over several decades,” he said. “I think that many people didn’t realize this was happening. But then, suddenly Covid hit, and it’s like, oh, wow, doctors are really not allowed to say what they think.”

One of the topics to be explored is whether regulation is creating the political climate, or is a consequence of it.

“I’d say, to some degree, it’s a vicious circle. They feed on each other. The colleges have become very draconian. As with many institutions, they’ve been kind of captured by the left-wing fringe,” said Milburn. 

“One thing that everybody has in common is that they’re afraid that they’re not getting the whole balanced story on these difficult subjects. They don’t feel they’re getting both sides of the story, and they want to hear it.”  

As previously reported by True North, Milburn was removed from his three-year post as a head of emergency medicine in Nova Scotia after criticizing public health measures in a June 2021 radio interview.

He voiced concerns about school closures and claimed the approach was “unscientific, political, and crass.” Following his remarks, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Strang, suggested Milburn should stick to his own area of medicine. 

Milburn further emphasized the fear that many harbour.

“A fair amount of doctors behind the scenes come up to me in the mail room — they make sure the door is shut, and nobody’s there — and say, ‘Chris, I really like what you’re doing, but I don’t think I can come to the conference because they just don’t want to be seen associated with this,’” said Milburn. 

Milburn said that the issues in the healthcare field are particularly challenging to tackle because of government controls — even though many people agree the status quo isn’t working.

“The College of Physicians and Surgeons in Nova Scotia has a very bad reputation,” he said. “If you talk to 20 doctors, you get 20 negative opinions. But how anybody would change that is beyond me. I don’t think there’s any way to do that.” 

According to Dr. Milburn, the trends for free speech in medicine are still heading in the wrong direction.

He hopes this upcoming annual conference can somewhat turn the tide. 

“Hopefully, more people will grow the courage necessary to speak out and start to turn the tide. It’s not happening yet, but I’m hopeful it will,” he stated. 

Ratio’d | Ontario councillor SUSPENDED WITHOUT PAY for opposing gender ideology

By
Harrison Faulkner
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Pickering, Ontario city councillor Lisa Robinson has been given a 60-day suspension without pay for advancing the interests of her constituents. Robinson introduced three motions on the council floor; to ban the flying of all non-governmental and special interest flags including the pride flag on municipal properties, imposing an age limit on drag shows taking place on city property and to ensure that women had a safe changing room at a local recreation facility. Robinson was suspended from council as a result.

In the Pickering integrity commissioner’s findings, Robinson is accused of “promoting attitudes which are homophobic and transphobic”.

This is an example of a radical city council embracing Marxist tactics to enforce ideological purity across all councillors and to make an example out of the one councillor willing to actually speak up and be a voice for the silent majority.

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

Trudeau suspends carbon tax on home heating oil for next three years

By
Quinn Patrick
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Some rural Canadians are getting a modest reprieve from the carbon tax.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday his government would put a three year freeze on the carbon tax for home heating oil. Trudeau also announced a doubling of the rural supplement to the carbon tax rebate.

“We have to fight climate change in a way that supports all Canadians,” Trudeau said.

The Trudeau government plans to offer new programs to rural Canadians to incentivize them to switch to alternate heating options.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took Trudeau’s announcement as proof the current government is “not worth the cost.”

“After plummeting in the polls, a flailing, desperate Trudeau is now flipping and flopping on the carbon tax as I am holding a gigantic axe the tax rally in a Liberal-held Atlantic riding,” Poilievre wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“He is admitting he’s not worth the cost.”

Atlantic Canadians have been particularly affected by the carbon tax. It was a Liberal member of parliament from Newfoundland, Ken McDonald, who voted with the Conservatives on a motion to suspend the carbon tax earlier this month.

“You can’t do it all overnight,” McDonald said of his government’s approach to climate. ”You can’t make it more expensive on people than what they can handle. And that’s exactly what’s happening right now.”

The federal carbon tax will apply to provinces and territories that don’t have a carbon pricing system that Ottawa considers sufficient enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Households in those provinces are entitled to a rebate to offset the tax.

Currently the tax is fixed at $65 per tonne of emissions and set to rise by $15 every year through to 2030.

Liberal and NDP MPs shut down debate into widespread church burnings

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Liberal and NDP MPs swiftly struck down a committee motion on Tuesday by Conservative MP Arnold Viersen to condemn over 80 incidents of arson and vandalism targeting churches across Canada.

The motion, presented at the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee Oct. 24, aimed to denounce the arson and vandalism on the 83 churches across the country, extend condolences to affected communities, and call for justice against the perpetrators.

True North compiled a map featuring all of the incidents following the 2021 claim that over 200 suspected graves were discovered by ground penetrating radar near a residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Viersen introduced a motion that the committee “condemn the arson attacks of over 80 churches across Canada; and in particular, extend their condolences to the community of Grouard and Kapawe’no First Nation with the loss of St. Bernard Church, one of the oldest churches in Alberta, a piece of history, the building that holds memories for generations of community members, and that the committee reaffirm freedom of religion and assembly and call on those responsible for these attacks to be brought to justice.”

Instead of adopting the motion, Liberal MP Jaime Battiste called for a vote to adjourn the debate which successfully passed, receiving seven votes in favour as opposed to four against. 

“What has happened over the past few years with reconciliation and with churches and with the Pope coming to apologize, there’s a deep need for reflection and reconciliation, but I really want to get to the end of this study,” said Battiste.

“We’ve called to adjourn debate on this. I would like to call to adjourn debate on this if that’s what we can do, so we can hear the rest of the study, but if we have to, then I would rather discuss it in camera because it does have a way of triggering a lot of people who went through residential schools and the things they are going through.”

In a statement, Viersen called the decision to end the debate “shameful” and a disgrace to the memories of those affected. 

“On Oct. 24, I introduced a motion at the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee where I serve as a member to condemn the arson attacks on over 80 churches across Canada, extend condolences to local affected communities, and call for the perpetrators to be brought to justice,” said Viersen in a statement. 

“Unfortunately, a Liberal MP called for an immediate end to the discussion, supported by the NDP. This prevented the motion from going forward and communicating the committee’s condolences to hurting communities. This is shameful. These losses of church buildings have been devastating to these communities as these churches are places of milestones—weddings, funerals, baptisms.”

Many of the arson incidents targeted churches on First Nations territory, including St. Bernard Catholic Church in Grouard, Alberta which was completely engulfed in flames earlier this year as a result of an arson. 

“In my community this past summer, Grouard, the St. Bernard church, one of the oldest churches in Alberta, was burned down. Community members were gathered there – many from Kapawe’no First Nation – remembered the funerals, the baptisms and the weddings that had taken place in that community,” said Viersen in a statement. 

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