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Monday, July 7, 2025

LEVY: Toronto school board letting students skip to protest Israel

By
Sue-Ann Levy
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Hundreds of Toronto students are planning to walk out of class Thursday to protest what is occurring in the Gaza Strip.

Based on information provided to True North, the Toronto District School Board executive team does not approve of the walkouts, but school staff allegedly can’t stop students from leaving the school premises.

Information from education director Colleen Russell-Rawlins’ office claims students will be marked absent if they attend the rallies.

Nevertheless, a series of inflammatory flyers promoting the rallies – some of them containing lies and hyperbole – indicate that the protests will occur either between 10 a.m. and noon or from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. (all during class time).

One flyer from Scarborough’s Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute claims the rally is taking place because of the Canadian government’s failure to recognize the “GENOCIDE happening in the Gaza Strip in Palestine.”

The flyer says students want the government to recognize the fact that Israel was behind the hospital bombing – a lie, as it has been proven that the rocket that hit the hospital parking lot belonged to terrorists in Gaza.

Never let facts get in the way of good indoctrination and hate mongering, though.

A flyer from R.H. King Academy says a teacher can’t stop students from leaving class to participate and the principal, Catherine Chang, has approved moving any tests or quizzes to another day.

Reached Wednesday, Chang said she’s working to ensure the “safety of all students” and that the protest will not occur on school property.

She said they have a “protocol” to ensure hate speech will not be tolerated and that they “create safe inclusive spaces.”

I didn’t really get an answer about why students are permitted to leave class to protest – especially considering the education minister has told school boards to focus on the basics (academics) and not social justice this year.

Any doubt that the lunatics are running the asylum evaporated with the directives from the activist education director, who has been said in the past to not be protecting the board’s Jewish students and staff.

She indicates that most organizers have said their protests will be peaceful and will not include signs with hateful language, slurs or violence.

Based on what has been happening on the streets of Toronto, I am willing to bet she is sugarcoating what could become a series of toxic hatefests. The flyers perpetuating lies about Israel are already hate speech.

She says that while students are encouraged to remain in class, the TDSB supports the rights of all students to “feel heard.”

I find all of this absolutely obscene.

Russell-Rawlins has yet again shown how weak the oversight is at the board.

It is clear that the TDSB and its schools have not only taken sides, but they don’t give a damn about the rights of Jewish students and staff, or the truth.

I have my doubts the protests will remain peaceful and respectful.

But the bottom line is that activities like this should never be permitted to occur during the school day.

Students are in school to learn academics, not how to protest and shout vile antisemitic slurs.

They can easily spew propaganda after school hours.

Yet again the TDSB has proven it has deviated from its mission.

Perhaps it is time the education ministry takes over the board.

Conservative bill to ban federal vaccine mandates voted down

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A bill aimed at preventing the federal government from imposing Covid vaccine mandates for employment or travel in Canada was voted down in the House of Commons Wednesday. 

The private member’s bill championed by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, dubbed the “Prevention of Government-imposed Vaccination Mandates Act,” or Bill C-278, faced stiff opposition from Liberal and NDP MPs.

The bill received 114 votes in favour and 205 against, with all Liberal, NDP, and Bloc MPs voting against it.

The bill sought to amend the Financial Administration Act, the Canada Labour Code, and several other laws to prohibit the federal government from imposing vaccination mandates in the future. 

It would have ensured that individuals could not be compelled to receive a Covid vaccine as a condition of employment in the federal public administration or as part of their involvement with other federally-regulated undertakings. 

Additionally, the bill aimed to prevent regulations under the Aeronautics Act, Railway Safety Act, and Canada Shipping Act, 2001 from barring individuals from boarding aircraft, trains, or vessels solely based on their vaccination status.

Over a million unvaccinated Canadians were barred from traveling via plane, train or crossing the border prior to the Liberals lifting the mandates last year. 

Poilievre, while speaking to the bill Tuesday, blasted the Liberal government’s handling of the Covid pandemic and its approach to vaccine mandates.

“Let us remember that the prime minister originally said vaccines would be a matter of personal choice. Then he did a poll showing that it would be popular to target a small minority of people who chose not to be vaccinated,” said Poilievre. 

“He flip-flopped and said he would make it mandatory, and three days later, he called an election and attempted to exploit that political moment in order to regain power.”

Poilievre also blasted the continuation of Covid vaccine requirements for members of the Canadian Armed Forces. 

“The government’s own grievance tribunal has found that the mandates violated the charter when it comes to members of the armed forces, yet still the mandates remain in place in open violation of the Charter of Rights,” said Poilievre.

Law Society of Ontario refuses to comment on anti-Israel letter from TMU law students

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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The regulatory body for Ontario lawyers and paralegals is declining to comment on an anti-Israel letter issued by a group of law students at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in support of “all forms of Palestinian resistance.”

The open letter, which has since been deleted, called on the law school’s leadership to denounce Israel. It claimed Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, is “is not a country” but rather “the brand of a settler colony.”

“We are declining the opportunity to comment,” said a spokesperson for the Law Society of Ontario. True North reached out to ask if the regulator believes it is acceptable for aspiring lawyers to hold such views.

“So-called Israel has been illegally occupying and ethnically cleansing Palestine since 1948, when the British unlawfully conceded Palestine’s territory,” claimed the students’ letter. “The apartheid state referred to as ‘Israel’ is a product of settler colonialism.”

The students went on to say that they “support all forms of Palestinian resistance and efforts toward liberation” and that the Hamas attack that killed at least 1400 innocent people was a “direct result of Israel’s 75-year-long systemic campaign to eradicate Palestinians.

“Israel is therefore responsible for all loss of life in Palestine. To say otherwise is to accept and endorse colonialism in all its forms: there would be no death if not for Israel’s apartheid regime.”

According to the law students, the current situation is “neither a war, nor a conflict.”

Instead, it is a situation where Palestinians “are the subjects of Israel’s colonization and genocide.” 

Hence, they “condemn any statement that denies or shifts away from the narrative of colonialism, or which equates the struggle of the oppressed with the acts of their oppressor.”

The students also claimed that Canada is a “settler colony” that is an “architect of apartheid.”

“As people living in a settler colony on the lands of the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island, we are directly implicated in the violence taking place in Palestine, both historically and on-going–the ‘Canadian’ state itself is considered the architect of apartheid.”

TMU’s Lincoln Alexander School of Law condemned the letter, which they said was rooted in “sentiments of antisemitism and intolerance.”

“The letter does not represent the views of our law school or the many students, faculty, staff and community members that are committed to upholding our values of inclusivity, dignity, and respect,” the school said.

“The law school does not tolerate anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or statements that promote violence, terrorism, discrimination, racism, and hate.”

The TMU law students’ statement is just the latest case of radical anti-Zionist and anti-Israel activism in Canadian universities.  

As previously reported by True North, student unions at York University issued a joint statement stating that the events that took place in “so-called Israel” serve as “a reminder that resistance against colonial violence is justified and necessary.”

The University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union also issued an anti-Israel statement, in which it said it stood “in solidarity with all Palestinians and innocent civilians affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza and around its borders.”

At McGill, an official campus club praised Hamas’s action as “heroic” and “monumental” in a Facebook post. The group also cheered on the launching of rockets and the taking of hostages. 

Several Canadian professors also expressed support online for Palestinians “taking their land back,” decrying so-called Israeli “colonialism.”

Toronto police investigate hate acts targeting Jewish homes

By
Quinn Patrick
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Toronto Police Services are investigating numerous incidents involving unknown suspects committing antisemitic crimes across the city, including a reported incident that involved suspects banging on the door of a Jewish home and uttering hateful comments.

No further details have been made public at this time.

Additionally, police are investigating the removal of a mezuzah, a scroll of parchment inscribed with a prayer that is hung on the doorposts of Jewish homes.  

“TPS is investigating two hate-motivated incidents involving mezuzahs. In one incident a mezuzah was stolen, in the second, hateful remarks were made. Call 4168082222 if you experience any intimidation, harassment, or hateful behaviour,” posted TPS on X.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CJIA) was also recently vandalized with antisemitic graffiti spray-painted on the walls, garages and garbage bins across several locations throughout Toronto. 

The graffiti depicted the Star of David smeared in red paint with the words “Free Palestine” above it and another had “Soaked in Blood” jotted above the Jewish symbol. 

Similar graffiti was found at the Danforth Collegiate on Monday but has since been painted over. 

“It is absolutely disgusting what is taking place,” said CIJA vice-president for the GTA Jaime Kirzner-Roberts on Tuesday, in an interview with CP24. 

“No community in the city should have to face the kind of hate, the kind of harassment and the kind of intimidation that has been targeting the Jewish community over the last few weeks.” 

While Kirzner-Roberts said that people are entitled to their opinions regarding the Israel-Hamas war, no one should be subjected to these hateful acts.

“This needs to stop,” she said.

Hate crimes have spiked since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, according to Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw, who said there were 14 reported incidents in the first three days of the conflict. 

Of those 14 incidents, 12 involved ties to antisemitism and two were connected to anti-Muslim and anti-Islam events.

A Jewish-owned cafe was targeted earlier this week by pro-Palestinian protesters who were chanting “boycott” in videos later posted on social media. The act was later condemned by Toronto mayor Olivia Chow and other members of city council. 

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles’ constituency office window was also vandalized with the words “Free Palestine” and “blood on your hands” on Tuesday. The vandalism occurred one day after MPP Sarah Jama was ejected from caucus over an anti-Israel statement she made. 

In a statement released by the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), reports of hate incidents are also dramatically on the rise as well, including several Muslim women who have been spat on while walking out in public. 

“Sadly, we have also seen that as rhetoric escalates, and communities are made to bear the brunt of the backlash, it has real life consequences for Canadians,” reads the NCCM statement. “Just this week alone, the number of hate incidents reported to NCCM have increased by over 1000%.”

Cost of living and housing driving young Canadians towards Conservatives

By
Isaac Lamoureux
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Lucas Sarac has never been a Conservative voter, but moving out to live on his own has helped turn him into one.

The 22-year old Edmonton native says the rising cost of living has given him a “loss of faith in the Liberal party.”

“Sometimes I’m shocked at the price I see at checkout,” Sarac says of the rising grocery store costs that have become an all-too-familiar reality for Canadians.

Sarac thinks a Conservative government will make a better go of things. He’s not alone. 

If the election were held today, the Conservatives would more than likely win a majority. Not only is the party led by Pierre Poilievre consistently leading in polls, but it’s also finding strong support from young Canadians – a demographic that typically aligns with the political left.

A September poll by Abacus found that the Conservatives had the support of 37% of 18- to 29-year old Canadians, with only 26% for the NDP and 22% for the Liberals.

According to one pollster, the average age of Conservative voters is now lower than for Liberals.

Comparatively, polling during the 2021 election showed the Conservatives trailing the NDP and Liberals among this demographic.

A key difference this time around is a leader who knows how to communicate with youth, a professor and veteran Conservative says.

Ian Brodie, a University of Calgary political science professor and former chief of staff to Stephen Harper, says Poilievre has been able to use social media “to figure out how to speak to younger voters about issues that do concern their future in a very direct way.”

Nowhere has this been truer than with housing. In one much-shared video, Poilievre discusses the plight of Canadian youth working two or three jobs and still unable to afford a home.

The Conservative party’s communications director, Sarah Fischer, said Poilievre’s resonance with youth is simply because that demographic is bearing the brunt of the status quo.

“(Poilievre’s) common sense message of freedom, axing the carbon tax and getting government spending under control to bring down inflation and make life more affordable is speaking to many young adults who are concerned about their future after eight years of Justin Trudeau,” Fischer said.

This is, perhaps, why housing has become such a central part of his campaign.

During Trudeau’s time in office, the average increase in cost across all types of homes is 74.82%, as of September 2023. The average mortgage payment, Poilievre says, has gone from $1,400 to $3,500, while rents have increased 93%. 

According to one report, you need an income of about $180,075 to buy a home. To put that in context, the top 10% of earners has an average income of $174,000-$176,000.

These figures are of particular concern to young voters, for whom home ownership is increasingly out of reach.

“You can get yourself a good degree, get yourself a good job. You can do everything you’re supposed to do, and still face a 20 to 25 year saving period to get a house,” Brodie says, calling housing an “issue that touches people directly in a way that the Liberals haven’t figured out how to respond to yet.”

The medium is, of course, just as important as the message. The Poilievre’s Conservatives have made a point of reaching voters – in particular young voters – on social media platforms.

Social media is where Sarac gets the majority of news. He admits he’s seen a fair bit of news on Liberal scandals, but it was following the Freedom Convoy in 2022 – and the government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act – that pushed him to sour on the Liberals.

As the polling suggests, Sarac isn’t alone.

“Young Canadians are deserting the Liberals,” Nanos Research founder Nik Nanos says. Nanos points out that this bleed is benefiting both the Conservatives and the NDP, though this isn’t bad news for the Tories.

The Conservatives are “always hoping for a good NDP election result and a bad Liberal result,” Brodie says, noting a split of the left-of-centre vote can help “put the Conservatives over.”

Many of the issues moving young Canadians’ political preferences affect all demographics – notably crime.

Sarac has had to change the way he interacts with his own community of Edmonton

“I’m not walking down any streets alone in a place that I don’t feel super safe in,” he says.

A poll last year found 60% of Canadians believe there has been more crime in their communities over the last five years. 

While police-reported crime rates have only risen 8.32% between 2015 and 2022, violent crime has risen 23.51%. 

Poilievre’s messaging has put the blame for this at the feet of the Liberal government, who Poilievre says embraces policies that allow the same repeat violent offenders loose on our streets to terrorize innocent people.”

The Conservatives proposed a bill to “address the small number of repeat offenders who commit a disproportionately large percentage of violent crimes.”

While polls are no doubt bolstering the confidence of Poilievre and the Conservatives, Brodie offers up the obligatory caution about reading them.

If polls in Alberta’s most recent election were accurate, “the NDP would have won a smashing victory,” he says.

Key interest rates to remain stable for now: Bank of Canada

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The Bank of Canada announced it will retain its target of a 5% overnight rate on Wednesday. According to the Bank of Canada website, it will continue its policy of quantitative tightening, a practice of reducing the amount of money circulating in the economy. 

The bank rate will remain at 5.25% and the deposit rate at 5% as a result of the global economy slowing, but the threat of inflation remains ongoing.

“The Bank projects global GDP growth of 2.9% this year, 2.3% in 2024 and 2.6% in 2025. While this global growth outlook is little changed from the July Monetary Policy Report (MPR), the composition has shifted, with the US economy proving stronger and economic activity in China weaker than expected,” reads a Bank of Canada press release.

The central bank stated that while inflation is easing in most economies, which is relieving pressure on the cost of goods, underlying inflation is still persisting. 

Oil prices, for example, are higher now than they were expected to be in July and the Israel-Hamas war is a “new source of geopolitical uncertainty.”

“In Canada, there is growing evidence that past interest rate increases are dampening economic activity and relieving price pressures. Consumption has been subdued, with softer demand for housing, durable goods and many services. Weaker demand and higher borrowing costs are weighing on business investment,” reads the release.

Rates could be maintained in part due to certain sectors of the labour market feeling less strained as the population grows. However, that growth has added pressure on housing, consumption and the demand for higher wages.

Despite the complex factors in the labour market, “a range of indicators suggest that supply and demand in the economy are now approaching balance.”

Economic growth is expected to grow by late 2024 and through 2025 but will remain weak for the time being as a result of past interest rates and slower international demand. 

“Overall, the Bank expects the Canadian economy to grow by 1.2% this year, 0.9% in 2024 and 2.5% in 2025,” states the release.

Inflation in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been “volatile” over the past several months with 2.8% in June, 4% in August and 3.8% in September. 

The higher interest rates help to moderate the inflation on an assortment of goods that people buy on credit, which later spreads to services. 

Food inflation is beginning to come back down slightly from the very high rates over the past year but inflation on rent, housing and mortgage rates remain high. 

CPI inflation is expected to average around 3.5% though the middle of 2024 before slowly coming back down to 2% in 2025, according to the bank’s October projection. 

The near-term path will stay high as a result of “energy prices and ongoing persistence in core inflation.”

While the Bank of Canada has decided to hold the monetary policy rate of 5%, it is “concerned that progress towards price stability is slow and inflationary risks have increased, and is prepared to raise the policy rate further if needed.”

The Bank of Canada will give its next rate target update Dec. 6, with a monetary policy report to be published in January.

The Andrew Lawton Show | Liberals think bill banning vaccine mandates is “waste of time”

By
Andrew Lawton
-

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre spoke in support of a private member’s bill banning federal vaccine mandates. Liberal MPs including Mark Gerretsen and Seamus O’Regan said it was a “waste of time” and accused Poilievre of not being focused on real issues. True North’s Andrew Lawton says the Liberals just don’t want to be forced to defend their atrocious Covid record.

Also, True North journalist Noah Jarvis joins the show to discuss his series on waste, mismanagement and conflicts of interest at the federal clean technology crown corporation Sustainable Development Technology Canada.

Plus, lawyers Christine Van Geyn and Joanna Baron of the Canadian Constitution Foundation have a new book out about the government’s assaults on freedom over the last three years. They join the show to talk about Pandemic Panic: How Canadian Government Responses to Covid 19 Changed Civil Liberties Forever.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

The Daily Brief | Girl guides miss out on Santa Claus parade due to DEI policy

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

An Ottawa-area Girl Guides chapter is sitting out the Santa Claus parade to avoid breaching its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policy.

And, in response to growing concerns about foreign interference in Canada, the House of Commons ethics committee is calling on the government to adopt measures to combat misinformation online.

Plus, a True North exclusive reveals that a public library’s refusal to cancel a controversial Palestinian comedian’s booking was due to its desire to avoid offending the city’s Muslim community.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Lindsay Shepherd!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF

Olivia Chow denounces pro-Hamas demonstrators harassing Jewish restaurants

By
Quinn Patrick
-

A pro-Palestinian protest that took place outside a Jewish-owned business in Toronto over the weekend has been condemned as an act of antisemitism by city mayor Olivia Chow.

Hundreds of protestors could be seen gathered outside of Cafe Landwer at University Avenue and Adelaide Street chanting “boycott,” while waving Palestinian flags in a number of videos later posted online. 

“Targeting a business in this way is wrong. There is no place in our city for antisemitism, Islamophobia, hate, intimidation and harassment of any kind,” wrote Toronto mayor Olivia Chow on Monday.

“I urge everyone in our city, through all the pain and anger so many are feeling right now, not to lose sight of our common humanity,” said Chow, who mentioned the recent spike in hate incidents. 

Police have received a 132% increase in daily calls regarding hate-related incidents since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7.

On Saturday, protestors marched through downtown Toronto to show their support for Palestine, however no arrests were made, according to Toronto police. 

Cafe Landwer released a statement in response to the protest, saying that their primary goal is to ensure the safety of their employees and patrons while maintaining an “inclusive atmosphere that embraces individuals from diverse backgrounds.” 

One video showed protestors waving a Palestinian flag in the window of the restaurant while patrons were sitting inside eating their meals. The video was accompanied with the caption “zionist cafe boycott.”

MP Kevin Vuong told CP24 that the restaurant was “singled-out” by protestors for being Jewish-owned. 

“That’s not just. That’s not right. It’s an indefensible act of antisemitism and anti-hatred and it must be condemned,” said Vuong on Sunday, calling the protest a “slippery slope.”

Cafe Landwer’s website said that the coffee shop was originally opened in 1919 in Berlin by Moshe Landwer but he was forced to move it to Tel Aviv ten years later to escape the Nazi dictatorship.

The incident was also condemned by Toronto city councilors Josh Matlow and Brad Bradford.

Matlow called the act of harassing Jewish businesses and justifying the Oct. 7 Hamas attack “fundamentally wrong.”

Bradford also spoke out about the rally, calling it “appalling” and “reprehensible.”

“We must stand with the Jewish community in the face of this reprehensible antisemitism,” wrote Bradford on X. “A commitment was made to ensure the community feels safe. Now is the time for action, not words.”

Charges dismissed against Freedom Convoy protester who had bank accounts frozen

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-
Source: Pixaby

An Ottawa judge has dismissed all charges against a Freedom Convoy protester whose bank accounts were frozen by the Liberal government.

According to a press release by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), Evan Blackman had Criminal Code mischief and obstruction of police charges dismissed by the court after police failed to remember key details about the arrest and provided scant evidence to substantiate the charges. 

“My client and I are thrilled with this outcome,” said JCCF lawyer Chris Fleury. 

“After almost 20 months, Mr. Blackman can finally put this matter behind him.”

The evidence submitted to the court included a 14-minute drone video and one officer’s testimony. 

In the video, the JCCF reports that Blackman can be seen in a group of protesters facing off with the police. 

Footage suggests that Blackman was trying to de-escalate the situation by preventing protesters from engaging with police any further and blocking others from confronting police. 

Additionally, the video provided by the police shows Blackman getting on his knees and taking off his hat to sing the national anthem O Canada. 

Despite Blackman’s actions, he was arrested Feb. 18, 2022 after the federal government declared the protest illegal and invoked the Emergencies Act to quash the peaceful demonstrators who opposed vaccine mandates. 

Upon release, Blackman’s bank accounts had been ordered frozen as a result of the Trudeau government’s decision to employ emergency powers. 

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced at the time that the Act would grant financial institutions the authority to freeze the bank accounts of protesters and cancel the insurance of truckers. 

Furthermore, it relied on anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations to go after the funds raised by the Freedom Convoy. 

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