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Sunday, September 21, 2025

Six times race-based discrimination was normalized by Canadian institutions this year

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
-
Source: Wikimedia

As the year comes to an end, Canadians can look back on several times when Canadian institutions tried to normalize racial discrimination in the pursuit of “social justice.”

1.  Race-based hiring and new student acceptance In Canadian universities 

Source: UBC

Institutions have been setting quotas on diversity hires for years now. This year, several Canadian universities openly declared that they would be hiring teachers and accepting new students based on the colour of their skin, all in the name of “equity.”

In January, the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria mandated that new professor hires be black. For UBC, it wasn’t enough to just be a “black scholar”; new hires also had to prove that they committed to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and decolonization.

Toronto Metropolitan University’s new medical school was intent on barring “non-equity deserving groups” from three-quarters of the available student positions at the school. Its 2025 intake program stated that 75% of the 94 available seats that the program offered would be taken from the school’s Indigenous, Black or other “equity-deserving” admissions pathways.

The rest of the admissions had to score a minimum 3.3 grade point average to be considered. However, applicants going through the DEI streams could write an essay about how their “equity deserving” identity prevented them from achieving the standard.

After pressure from Ontario Premier Doug Ford, TMU walked back its planned DEI quotas.

2. B.C chief librarian brags about refusing to look at résumés and applications of white people

Source: Facebook


The chief librarian at Burnaby Public Library in British Columbia, Beth Davis, boasted that the library rejected résumés from white candidates and interviewed only non-white candidates.

If you thought, “How is that legal?” you are right. It usually isn’t. The Human Rights Code of B.C. bans discrimination against individuals based on “race, colour or ancestry,” but the Burnaby Public Library received a five-year exemption to violate what otherwise would be considered a human right.

3.  Ottawa race-based tree planting program

Source: X – Forests Ontario

Ottawa’s climate change and forestry officials called on Ottawa city council to do a race-based “Tree Equity analysis” to ensure that trees were planted in neighbourhoods with high numbers of racial minorities.

The “Tree Equity Score,” a proposed method for determining what neighbourhoods deserved new trees planted, took into account the race, age, language, employment, health and income of residents in an area.

The method was to determine which neighbourhoods were of higher and lower priority for the tree planting program.

4. Racial justice roadmap recommends halting arrests and releasing prisoners based on race

Source: X

The Liberal government’s “Black Justice Strategy” presents a roadmap which advocates for a 50% reduction in the amount of black and Indigenous people incarcerated in Canada by 2034.

The plan is an attempt to reduce the problem of “over-representation” of black and Indigenous people in prisons. To do this, it recommends not only the release of black and Indigenous people in custody but also reducing the number of Canadians from these communities being imprisoned to begin with.

Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani championed the plan, calling it a “history-making report” and “an important milestone in developing Canada’s Black Justice Strategy.”

5. Green Party “environmental racism” bill preventing energy development in “racialized” areas

The “environmental racism law” championed by Green Party leader Elizabeth May received royal assent in June. It classifies environmental hazards being built near Indigenous or marginalized communities as “environmental racism.”

The law, previously Bill C-226, prescribes a bureaucracy to analyze the racial demographics around polluting industries, reparations to be paid for any racialized community affected by pollution and effectively limits new polluting industrial buildings only to be developed in predominantly white areas.

Honourable mention: race-based ticket pricing for Montreal family dance

Shake La Cabane 2023 – Source: Facebook

A “family-friendly” dance in Montreal was planning to charge different admission prices to attendees based on their skin colour. The Shake La Cabane FAM-JAM was scheduled at the La Cabane community centre in early December. Organizers charged $25.83 for white people but only $15.18 for black, Indigenous or people of colour.

A recap of the provincial elections of 2024

By
Noah Jarvis, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

In the past year, Canada’s provinces have seen several dramatic elections that have changed political dynamics and leadership. 

Electoral outcomes have differed, ranging from major blowout victories to tight nail biters. True North has recapped the results of the major provincial elections that took place in 2024.

The meteoric rise of the Conservative Party of BC

Source: X

British Columbians witnessed an election that saw the collapse of BC’s Official Opposition and the historic rise of a minor party that hasn’t held seats on the legislature for decades. The BC election was also plagued by uncertain election results several days after election day which ended with the BC NDP under leader David Eby eking out a slim majority government.  

In the run-up to the election, BC United —formerly the BC Liberals — ousted MLA John Rustad, who would join the long-dormant BC Conservatives, becoming the party’s leader.

Rustad would go on to attract support from British Columbians across the province, soaring up the opinion polls and cutting into the support of BC United. Rustad would also attract fellow BC United MLAs to cross the floor and join the Conservatives, including MLA Bruce Banman, MLA Lorne Doerkson, MLA Elenore Sturko, and MLA Teresa Wat. 

Support for BC United continued to plunge until the party’s leader Kevin Falcon announced that BC United would drop out of the election race, holding a joint press conference with Rustad to endorse the BC Conservatives against the NDP.

In the lead up to election day, the BC Conservatives were neck in neck in the polls with the NDP, a tight race fought over affordability, the homelessness crisis, drug decriminalization, and housing. 

Though election day was held on October 19th, the results of the election were unknown until a week later on October 28th when Lt. Governor Janet Austin asked the NDP’s Eby to form a government. The NDP won a bare majority of seats, winning 47 out of the legislature’s 93 seats, while the BC Conservatives won 44 seats and the BC Green party won 2. 

Saskatchewan’s NDP threatens Scott Moe’s government

Source: Facebook

This past October, Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party won a majority government, beating the Saskatchewan NDP by a three seat margin, the lowest that they’ve won since the 2003 election.

The Saskatchewan Party secured 52.3% of the vote and 34 of the legislature’s 61 seats, while the NDP managed to capture 40.3% of the vote and 27 seats. The upstart Saskatchewan United party founded by former Saskatchewan Party MLA Nadine Wilson and supported by Sask Party MLAs Greg Brkich and Denis Allchurch failed to gain traction, winning only 3.9% of the vote.

Premier Moe led the Saskatchewan Party to their fifth straight majority government in an election fought over economic issues, education, and healthcare.

NDP leader Carla Beck helped her party gain traction among voters by proposing to cut the gas tax, cut the provincial sales tax on essential items, cracking down on crime, and improving the healthcare system.

In the lead up to the election, public opinion polls showed the Saskatchewan Party trailing the NDP heavily, though few polls were conducted during the electoral period.

Moe acknowledged that he had failed to earn the trust of the Saskatchewan electorate as his party has overwhelmingly done in the past and must do better on the key issues that matter to voters.

“When you look at the results tonight, many people voted for the Saskatchewan party in the past but chose not to in this election,” reflected Moe.

“We have lost your support, whether it be due to management of healthcare or education or the cost of living, pressures that we’re all feeling in this province and across this nation, all of us in government, and it starts with myself.”

Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservatives win with strong mandate

Source: Facebook

Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston was elected with a strong mandate in Nova Scotia’s general election, winning a supermajority and the most seats in the province’s legislature since Confederation.

Houston called an early election while he benefited from public approval, having won a majority government in 2021 to the shock of pollsters and pundits alike.

This past November, the Progressive Conservatives captured 52.8% of the vote and 43 of the legislature’s 55 seats. The NDP became the Official Opposition by earning 22.17% of the vote and 9 seats.

The Nova Scotia Liberal Party, who historically has alternated with the PCs in governing the province, saw their support collapse to 22.69%, only managing to win 2 seats in the legislature. The Liberal leader Zach Churchill failed to win in his riding and announced that he would be stepping down as the party’s leader.

Independent candidate and former PC MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin won the riding of Cumberland North, beating the PC’s Bill Dowe by over 20 points.

Houston entered the election as a fairly popular premier against a divided opposition to have failed to outmatch one another and appeal to Nova Scotians in the province’s rural ridings.

NDP oust Blaine Higgs in New Brunswick’s general election

Source: Facebook

New Brunswick’s Liberal party leader Susan Holt carried her party to a majority government against the Progressive Conservatives led by Premier Blaine Higgs in a campaign dominated by affordability, housing, and education concerns.

Holt’s ascension to the premiership made her the first female premier in New Brunswick’s history and marked a significant shift away from the conservative leadership of Higgs’ Tories.

The Liberals won 48.2% of the vote and 31 seats in a legislature of 49, with the PCs dropping down to 35.0% of the vote and 16 seats while the Green party won 13.8% of the vote and 2 seats.

In the riding of Quispamsis, Higgs lost his own seat to the Liberal candidate Aaron Kennedy by 2.4%.

The Liberals won the election in a campaign dominated by concerns over the province’s affordability, housing, and education. The party focused on lowering the cost of housing for renters and those looking to purchase a home, reforming the education system to boost the number of teachers, and implementing affordability measures.

On the other hand, the PCs flagship policy proposal was a promise to cut the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax by 2%. 

Elections on the horizon of 2025

Source: X

In 2025, Canada will enter a federal election, currently scheduled for October 20, 2025. Newfoundland and Labrador is set to hold a general election on October 14th, while the territories of Nunavut and Yukon will also hold elections. 

In Ontario, it is reported that Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford is considering holding a snap election in 2025 as his party maintains a domineering position against the opposition.

The Alberta Roundup | Alberta’s biggest stories of 2024

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-
Source: Facebook

On this episode of the Alberta Roundup, Isaac Lamoureux walks you through Alberta’s biggest stories of 2024.

There were many stories to choose from, including the devastating Jasper wildfires which many believe could’ve been prevented and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s decisive win at the United Conservative Party Annual General Meeting.

What do you think was the top story in Alberta? Let us know in the comments below.

Tune into The Alberta Roundup now!

Six times the legacy media failed at their jobs in 2024 

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
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Source: X

As Canadians head into the new year, True North has gathered a list of some of the biggest legacy media failures of the last year.

From skewed reporting to outright fabrications, this year was full of moments Canada’s legacy outlets would likely prefer Canadians forget.

CTV News gets caught red-handed, manipulating Pierre Poilievre clips

In September, the CTV had to fire two staff after Conservatives caught them splicing clips together to make it sound as if Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was putting forward a non-confidence motion to stop the Liberal dental care plan.

After doing a live TV segment on the dental care plan and pointing to criticisms, CTV News anchor Christina Tenaglia threw to a clip of Poilievre, saying, “That’s why we need to put forward a motion.” In reality, Poilievre’s statement was taken completely out of context.

The clip was manipulated by cutting the first words from Poilievre’s statement to reporters, where he said Canada needs a carbon tax election so Canadians “can vote to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.” The since-fired editors spliced it with a separate clip where he said, “It’s time to put forward a motion for a carbon tax election.”

Legacy media personalities enraged over Tucker Carlson’s visit to Canada

In January, ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson visited Canada and spoke at a rally, but Canada’s legacy media personalities were enraged by his presence. Some even equated his comments to inspiring mass violence.

Carlson took shots at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, insinuating that he has not “come out of the closet,” despite Canada’s apparent policy that doing so would be a good thing.

https://twitter.com/_scottreid/status/1750301530765316126

National Observer Columnist Max Fawcett called the event “unbelievably reckless,” while CTV Pundit Scott Reid mocked the exchange, calling it some “cretinous sh*t” and saying that Carlson was a “pointless d*ckwad.” 

Carlson also made comments about changing demographics “diluting the voting power of the people (living in Canada long-term.)” TikToker and laid-off Global News reporter Rachel Gilmore said Carlson was spreading “the replacement conspiracy that has inspired mass violence.”

Legacy media accused of “whitewashing” Hamas by media watchdog

In April, a pro-Israel media watchdog, Honest Reporting Canada, honed in on CBC Kids for unbalanced reporting on the Israel-Hamas war meant to target minors.

The article “How Ramadan feels different this year for these Canadian teens”, focused on how this year’s Islamic festivities had a “sombre tone” as the war in Gaza raged on. The article noted how Muslims are unable to celebrate breaking the Ramadan fast as many in Gaza might not have anything to eat when they do the same. 

The watchdog criticized the piece as antisemitic, citing that many Muslims in war-torn Muslim nations, Yemen, Sudan and Syria, have been facing famine for years without the same level of outrage. The group noted the difference being other Muslims and not Jews are involved in those conflicts.

The article also didn’t mention documented cases of armed men, likely Hamas, stealing aid trucks carrying food and other supplies, many of which Israel sent into Gaza themselves.

Honest Reporting Canada has noted several other instances of “media weaponizing language” against the Jewish state of Israel.

CTV promotes the false claim that Poilievre met with a protest group affiliated with Diagalon

Despite claims from CTV and Press Progress, protesters who met with Poilievre on an impromptu visit to an anti-carbon tax protest say they have no connection to controversial podcaster Jeremy Mackenzie’s fan base, which centres around a fictitious meme country called Diagalon.

Diagalon was used to justify the Liberal government’s unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act to clear out the peaceful Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa in February of 2022.

Poilievre has repeatedly denounced the group, which some in the media and politics have linked to far-right extremism. A 2023 report by independent reporter Caryma Sa’d and Elisa Hategan found that Canadian officials noted that the “group” posed no security threat and Mackenzie denied any connection to the protestors or Poilievre.

Despite declining viewership, CBC CEO Catherine Tait says she’s still “entitled” to a raise

After slashing 800 jobs last December due to a 50% decline in viewership, CBC CEO Catherine Tait and many other executives were set to gain a raise. The executive bonuses eventually ballooned into a public relations nightmare for the CBC and subsequent Parliamentary committee hearings. 

Despite the decline of the CBC under Tait, she said at a committee meeting that she was entitled to a raise. The CBC was given an “emergency top-up” of $42 million in the Liberal 2024 budget, much of which was redirected into $18.4 million in raises, with $3.3 million going directly to its 45 executives.

This happened in the same year that 61.1% of Canadians surveyed, in a poll commissioned by True North and conducted by One Persuasion, said they supported defunding the CBC in some capacity.

Legacy media have a meltdown while covering the election of Donald Trump

The legacy media was the last place Canadians could turn to for an objective analysis of the US election. Instead, outlets like the CBC engaged in doomsday saying dramatics displayed across Canada’s networks this year.

One Democrat strategist on CBC News’ live coverage of the event compared Trump’s election strategy to “Hitler’s playbook,” suggesting there “might not be many Latinos left” after Trump was finished “rounding up” illegal immigrants. She then added that a “white power” element had to be at play to explain the victory.

CBC’s Adrienne Arsenault implied that Elon Musk, who has since been given an administrative role over the new “Department of Government Efficiency” in the Trump administration, was compromised due to industry ties to Russia and China.

The Globe and Mail released an op-ed by columnist Andrew Coyne calling Trump’s victory a “crisis like no other” which would destroy Ukraine and Taiwan’s sovereignty, end NATO, and tank the world’s economy, all while comparing deportations to Japanese internment camps in WW2.

Meanwhile, CBC News anchor Janyce McGregor said Poilievre’s congratulations message to Trump, which focused on Canadian jobs, echoed that of Trump’s campaign. 

She then began to sound the alarm that Conservative MP Jamil Jivani is “someone very close to the mindset of the incoming administration,” implying he shouldn’t be allowed to be “sitting right there” in caucus.

Five ridiculous ways taxpayer dollars were spent in 2024 

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

Canadian taxpayers have faced an onslaught of jaw-dropping expenditures this year, with government spending sometimes leaving taxpayers scratching their heads.

While 2024 saw billions of taxpayer dollars wasted on things taxpayers might not agree with, some expenditures were less expensive but even more jaw-dropping and outlandish.

Here are some of the most ridiculous examples of how taxpayer dollars were spent in the past year. Not all of the spending occurred exclusively in 2024, but all of these expenditures came to the public’s attention this year.

Trudeau’s $71,000 food bill for a four-day trip

Source: Facebook

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s four-day trip to Italy and Switzerland racked up a $71,000 food bill, with $43,000 spent on dining aboard the government’s airplane.

“The per person food bill for Trudeau and his entourage on this trip was more than the average Canadian family spends on groceries in a month,” said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “It would have been cheaper for each member of the prime minister’s delegation to go to the Keg, order a prime rib steak, a Caesar salad, baked garlic shrimp, and a bottle of pinot noir for every meal.”

Meals included veal piccata and lamb ribs, paired with fine wines and Swiss chocolate cake.

Taxpayers cover $254,000 in travel for Climate Change Ambassador

Source: X

Canada’s Climate Change Ambassador Catherine Stewart spent $254,000 on luxury travel in under two years, with hotel stays costing up to $623 per night.

Since her first day as ambassador, Stewart began taking international trips.

“Nothing screams fighting climate change like burning through jet fuel and taxpayers’ cash,” said Terrazzano.

One flight from Ottawa to Toronto cost $10,096, including airfare and a $323-per-night hotel. Other trips saw nightly high-end hotel costs of $390, $454, and $551.

$3 million spent on COP28 summit, including for climate “disinformation” rapper

A total of nearly $3 million was spent to send hundreds of people to Dubai for the COP28 summit, including $1.3 million to host a “Canada Pavillion.”

The summit featured rapper Baba Brinkman, son of Liberal MP Joyce Murray, performing a song on “climate disinformation.”

The Liberals sent at least 193 people to the COP28 summit between Nov. 20 and Dec. 12 in 2023. 

The majority of hotels for the 193 people sent to Dubai by the Liberals cost between $150 and $400 a night. However, some attendees stayed at the Pullman Dubai Jumeirah Lakes Towers, with rooms costing $816 nightly. 

Initially, reports estimated the trip to cost $1.4 million in total. However, the updated records tabled saw the price more than double to $2,954,188.

“Here’s a crazy idea: maybe the feds don’t need to spend $3 million flying 182 politicians and bureaucrats to Dubai,” said Terrazzano.

CBC hands out $18.4m in bonuses after layoffs and plummeting ratings

Source: X

Normally, employees are afforded bonuses after they, and subsequently their businesses, succeed or surpass expectations. 2024 saw CBC take the opposite approach.

Despite mass layoffs and plummeting ratings, the CBC handed out $18.4 million in bonuses for fiscal year 2023-24. Executives received $3.3 million, averaging $73,000 each—exceeding Canada’s median family income.

“In a shocking display of incompetence and greed, the CBC has given itself $18.4 million in bonuses,” said Conservative MP Rachael Thomas.

Since 2015, the CBC has paid $114 million in bonuses while receiving a record $1.4 billion in taxpayer funding in 2024.

In total, 1,194 CBC employees received bonuses, including $10.4 million to 631 managers and $4.6 million to 518 non-union staff.

Over half a billion spent, zero guns collected

Source: pm.gc.ca

The Liberals’ gun buyback program was already subject to cost taxpayers over $100 million, yet no firearms have been collected since its inception. Despite this, the government allocated an additional $597.9 million over three years in the 2024 fall economic statement.

“The projected costs of the ‘buyback’ confiscation program are projected to blow into the billions with the number of guns affected,” said Tracey Wilson, vice president of public relations for the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights. 

The program was initially granted $30.4 million under Budget 2024 “for the buyback of assault-style firearms.”

The most recent update on the program in the Fall Economic Statement reiterated that Canada intends to donate any confiscated firearms, assuming any ever actually get collected, to Ukraine.

Honourable mentions:

  • Global Affairs Canada spent over $3M in taxpayer dollars on alcohol
  • CRA paid out millions in illegitimate tax refunds to hackers
  • Liberals paid out $3.5B in CEBA loans to illegitimate claimants
  • Global Affairs Canada billed taxpayers $186M for real estate over last decade
  • Taxpayers paid $27.3 million for bonuses at CMHC
  • Honda gets $5B in subsidies to create 1,000 jobs
  • Taxpayers paid $224 daily to accommodate illegal border crossings

OP-ED: Australia is banning social media for teens. Should Canada do the same?

By
Christopher Dietzel
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Source: Unsplash

The Australian government recently passed legislation that bans social media for anyone under 16. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the legislation for putting “the onus on social media platforms — not young people or their parents” — for protecting youth from online harms.

Australia is the first country in the world to pass a nationwide ban of social media for teens, set to take effect in a year. But other measures have been enacted or considered here in Canada and elsewhere.

In the United States, it will be illegal for children under 14 in Florida to have social media accounts starting Jan. 1, 2025.

Beginning in 2024, Québec began banning cellphones in classrooms. This fall, with the start of the 2024–2025 academic year, Ontario also began banning cell phones in schools. This follows a lawsuit filed by four school boards in Ontario against social media companies for disrupting youth learning.

Québec is reportedly considering a social media ban — following Australia’s lead — that would limit social media use for teens under 16. Provincial governments recognize that social media and cellphones can be problematic for youth, and they’re not waiting on the federal government to take action.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced that the proposed Online Harms Act (Bill C-63), originally introduced in February 2024, will be separated into two bills. The idea is to pass the part of the bill focused on child protection to address problems like sextortion, image-based sexual abuse, revenge porn and other forms of online sexual violence.

Since the Online Harms Act is still being debated, MPs in Canada may look to other countries, like Australia, for guidance on protecting youth from these online harms.

Youth and online harms

Some people in Canada approve of Australia’s social media ban and see it as a potential solution, including some teens. This idea has received a lot of traction in public discourse too, including with the book The Anxious Generation that argues social media should be banned until age 16.

Many of us may recall the stories of Rehtaeh Parsons, Amanda Todd and more recently a boy in British Columbia who died by suicide after being cyberbullied and sextorted.

Some studies have shown that social media use is related to anxiety and depression among adolescents. Bans or regulations raise important questions about how we, as a society, should respond to social media use among youth and deal with online harms.

Challenges with bans

We are a team of researchers who study technology-facilitated sexual violence among youth aged 13–18 in Canada. We have conducted 26 focus groups with 149 youth from across the country, and launched a nationally representative survey of around 1,000 youth to learn about their experiences with online harms, what they know about the law and which resources work — and which ones don’t.

Our initial findings show that youth experience a range of harms as they use digital platforms and social media. We also found that algorithms are fueling harms. Youth have emphasized they want tailored supports and resources to help them have safe, healthy and enjoyable experiences with technology.

A full ban of social media is not realistic, in part because social media companies have no idea how to implement it. Some ideas are to use facial recognition technology or check someone’s age using credit cards. Another idea is to upload government IDs to third-party platforms for age verification.

However a ban is implemented, it will almost certainly gather more user data, which raises questions about youth data privacy and security. These measures may also drive youth towards other platforms that are less regulated, such as on the dark web. This could actually make it harder to protect youth from online harms.

Bans also don’t actually solve the problem. For example, abstinence-based interventions don’t work when it comes to sex education. It is unlikely that an abstinence-based approach would work with social media.

Furthermore, technology is increasingly integrated into our daily lives, and youth need to be taught about healthy and responsible online interactions.

Youth are learning how to become digital citizens. Kicking the problem down the road until they’re 16 or older will postpone the consequences, not solve them. This could cause more harm than a ban intends to solve.

A ban also frees social media companies, governments and parents from any accountability. Rather than meaningfully addressing the harmful content and their impacts, a ban removes any and all responsibility from the people and institutions whose job it is to protect youth.

Holistic interventions

Technology companies need to develop their products with kids in mind, rather than prioritizing their profits and putting child safety and health second. Kids need guidance and support, and a ban does nothing to remove harmful content or resolve its negative impacts.

Rather than bans, we suggest implementing holistic interventions that emphasize digital citizenship and youth rights and responsibilities so people of all ages learn how to have safe and healthy interactions with technology. This requires a consolidated effort across various sectors of society, including schools, community organizations and, importantly, both tech companies and government agencies.

While there are resources available for educators, parents and youth about how to have safe and healthy online interactions, we need to act now.

Rather than resorting to blanket bans, we should prioritize comprehensive societal changes that address the root causes of these harms. By doing so, we can promote youth safety and help our communities confront online harms.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Tories use committee to push non-confidence vote as early as Jan. 30

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
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Source: YT: Pierre Poilievre

The House of Commons could vote non-confidence in the Trudeau government as early as Jan. 30, a Conservative MP says.

John Williamson, the Conservative chair of the public accounts committee, said his committee will meet before the House of Commons sits again Jan. 27 and entertain a motion of non-confidence in the federal Liberals.

Williamson outlined the plan in a letter to the House of Commons which he shared on social media Friday.

“It is now clear that the Liberal government does not have the confidence of Parliament. Conservative, Bloc Quebecois, and NDP members — representing a majority of MPs — have all announced they will vote non-confidence in the Liberal government,” the letter said. “In the event Liberal members on the committee attempt to filibuster and delay the passage of this non-confidence motion, I am prepared to schedule meetings throughout January.”

He said if the motion passes in the committee it would be sent to the House of Commons Jan. 27, the first day parliament returns after the six-week Christmas break. This means it could be debated on and voted on “as early as Thursday, Jan. 30.”

The committee has five Liberal members, four Conservatives, and one each for the Bloc and NDP, meaning the motion will pass six to five if all the opposition parties vote together.

If passed, the House of Commons could vote in a “concurrence motion” to proclaim that it agrees with the non-confidence motion from the Public Accounts committee. The motion could mean that Canadians don’t have to wait for a scheduled opposition day motion for the three opposition parties to vote to trigger an election.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis thinks the non-confidence motion should pass as the NDP has now stated it would vote to trigger an election in the next sitting of parliament, between Jan. 27 and Feb. 14.

In a video posted to X, Genius said that if the Liberal’s attempt to filibuster the motion, Conservatives are prepared to have the committee sit consistently throughout January to “allow this motion to pass.”

“We are doing everything we can to bring down the Trudeau Liberal government and bring about a carbon tax election as soon as possible,” Genius said in the video.

The Conservatives put forward three failed non-confidence motions this fall.

The Bloc Quebecois announced that it would begin voting with other opposition parties to topple the Trudeau Liberal government in late October. The BQ dropped support for the government after it failed to support BQ private members’ bills to increase pensions and prevent re-bargaining dairy poultry and milk international trade agreements.

Last week was the first time NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh directly pledged that his party would vote to take down the government since the 2021 election. Singh announced that he had “ripped up” the supply and confidence agreement his party had with the liberals but, since then voted to keep Justin Trudeau in power 11 times.

Since the 2021 election, the NDP has voted confidence in the government 286 times.

Off the Record | 2024 was full of naughty politicians

By
Kris Sims
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Source: Facebook

A number of politicians in Canada likely got a lump of coal for Christmas this year. From Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s various scandals to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doubling down on the carbon tax, 2024 had no shortage of naughty politicians.

But it wasn’t all bad news in 2024 as the rise of the conservative movement was seen in provinces across the country.

Tune into Off the Record, guest host Kris Sims, Noah Jarvis and William McBeath.

Canadian rage index at multi-year highs, Donald Trump tops the list of concerns

By
Noah Jarvis, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

As the hectic year wraps up, Canadians are reflecting on the year’s big news stories with anger rather than positivity.

The biggest and most rage-inducing news stories featured U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, including his election victory and his recent tariff threats.

In an annual poll conducted by Pollara titled the “Rage Index,” 63% of Canadians said that they had negative feelings toward the news of 2024, compared to only 5% of Canadians who are feeling positive. This is a noticeable bump from the 58% of Canadians who said they were angry with the news of the year in 2022. 

The overall rage index shows that 55% of Canadians indicated that they are feeling rageful, compared to the 50% of Canadians who agreed with this sentiment in 2022.

The number one news story that Canadians paid attention to was the presidential election that occurred south of the border in which the Republicans’ Trump beat Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris in a landslide victory, winning nearly all of the swing states up for grabs. 

Overall, 86% of Canadians paid some level of attention to the election, with 50% of Canadians moderately following the American election and 36% actively searching for news on the election. Only 12% of Canadians heard about the election in passing.

The second most followed story was Trump’s recent threat to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods entering the United States. 77% of Canadians paid some level of attention to the tariff story, with 55% paying moderate attention to the story while 22% actively searching for news on the tariffs.

While the total eclipse that covered parts of Canada and the war in Ukraine were the third and fourth most popular stories, the assassination attempt on Trump was the fifth most followed story of the year, with 70% of Canadians paying attention to the assassination attempt.

Trump being convicted of 34 felonies also received plenty of attention, as 64% of Canadians indicated they followed the story. 

The two stories that made Canadians the angriest involved Trump, with 31% of Canadians indicating Trump’s victory made them the angriest, while 15% of Canadians indicated that Trump’s 25% tariff threat made them the angriest. Only 8% of Canadians said that Trump winning the election was the story that made them the happiest.

In a startling result, 3% of Canadians indicated that the assassination attempt on Trump made them the angriest while 5% said the assassination attempt made them the happiest. 

The most popular Canadian-centric stories included the total eclipse this summer at number three, the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts at number seven, the Trudeau government’s capital gains tax hike at number ten, and Summer McIntosh winning three gold Olympic gold medals at number eleven. 

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Liberals considering de-listing Syrian al-Qaeda offshoot HTS as terrorist group

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa, True North Wire
-
Source: CSIS

Following the recent regime change in Syria the Canadian government is reviewing sanctions against militant groups involved in driving out Bashar al-Assad. 

Key considerations include potentially lifting sanctions imposed in 2011 and reassessing the designation of the rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham as a terrorist organization.

Currently, HTS is a Listed Terrorist Entity as defined by Public Safety Canada. 

Public Safety Canada says the group is responsible for nearly 600 attacks including “ambushes, kidnappings, assassinations, Improvised Explosive Device attacks and suicide bombings” throughout Syria and the Levant. 

“In March 2017, 2 HTS suicide bombers attacked Damascus, killing at least 74 people, including 8 children. More recently, on December 21, 2019, HTS claimed killing 30 Syrian regime troops in a suicide bombing in Raffa, a town in the southeast of Idlib governorate,” writes Public Safety Canada. 

HTS is a Sunni-Islamist terror group created to wage jihad and establish an Islamist state in the former territories controlled by the Assad regime. It was one of the main groups involved in this year’s capture of Damascus and is now in control of most of Syria. 

Canadian officials say the recognition of the new Syrian government will be contingent upon the establishment of democratic institutions and a commitment to building a modern state that respects the rights of all Syrians. 

The review is said to include examining the status of HTS. The group has tried to distance its past ties to al-Qaeda, and its leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, has made overtures to Western government claiming that Syria will go down a more pluralistic path. 

HTS evolved from al-Qaeda, existing as Al-Qaeda in Iraq between 2004 and 2006. It has since cracked down on al-Qaeda sympathies within its ranks and has engaged in open hostilities with ISIS. 

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