Last week, Google announced that the federal government’s draft regulations aimed at addressing concerns with Bill C-18 have failed to persuade them. Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta director Kris Sims joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the possible implications for Canadian news consumers, including the removal of news content from YouTube and Google.
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is heralding the Supreme Court’s ruling on the ‘no more pipelines act’ as a win for her province – and Canadians.
The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-2 decision that the federal government’s Impact Assessment Act, accused by critics of making energy projects virtually impossible, was “largely unconstitutional” Friday.
Speaking at a Calgary press conference Friday, Smith said the law posed an “existential threat” to Alberta’s economy and criticized federal ministers for somehow claiming the Supreme Court decision was a positive for the feds.
“It is not,” she said. “(Environment Minister Steven) Guilbeault does not seem to acknowledge how badly he lost.
“Mr. Guilbeault has done more damage to our investment climate in this province than probably any single federal minister I’ve ever seen.” The IAA, enacted in 2019, allows federal regulators to consider potential environmental and social impacts of various resource projects. Smith contends that it has already caused the loss of thousands of jobs and deterred billions of dollars in investments across various industries.
She said she welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision as an opportunity to rebuild investor confidence and reassert to industry that Alberta is once again “open for business.”
The court’s ruling affirms Alberta’s authority over non-renewable natural resource development, a jurisdiction the province is keen to regain.
Many companies have said that because they didn’t know if they could navigate the regulatory process, they have instead pulled the plug, explained Smith.
One example was the Energy East pipeline, which was scrapped because of Impact Assessment Act concerns after $1 billion had already been spent on it.
Alberta has no major projects in the queue for natural gas.
“That is a direct result of the federal government interfering in our market and creating uncertainty about whether or not such projects would be able to go ahead,” said Smith.
Smith said that natural gas projects are necessary for Alberta to beef up its electrical grid, which has almost failed eight times in the past year.
“We know that we need to bring on more natural gas, and we will commission more natural gas, and it will be very clear that we have the constitutional authority to do that,” she said.
The federal government has jurisdiction over cross-border projects, but Alberta retains jurisdiction over projects that remain 100% within Alberta’s borders.
The Supreme Court ruling was also lauded by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who said the government has “violated constitutional rights of Canadians” with its anti-pipeline bill.
Poilievre pointed to countries having to rely on gas exports from dictatorships like Qatar, which has offered shelter and support to Hamas terrorists.
“Qatar is one of the lead sponsors of Hamas violence,” he said, noting he’d rather Canadian companies be the beneficiaries of energy revenues rather than Hamas.
Poilievre reiterated his pledge to repeal the act entirely, replacing it with one that consults First Nations and protects Canada’s environment.
Smith was clear that Alberta will work with the federal government, but will not stand for oversteps into provincial jurisdiction. She gave a reminder that Alberta will invoke its Sovereignty Act if need be.
“We will continue partnering with willing provinces, First Nations, and other allies in fighting unconstitutional federal overreach, using any and all legal means available to us,” she said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a scathing critique of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act to quash Freedom Convoy protests during a press conference in Vancouver on Friday.
Poilievre minced no words in his condemnation of Trudeau’s decision to invoke the controversial act last February – and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s support of it.
According to Poilievre, it was one of the most “despicable acts” seen during Trudeau’s tenure.
“Justin Trudeau’s and the NDP’s imposition of the Emergencies Act to crush the civil liberties of Canadian citizens was one of the most despicable acts we have seen under his government. I will ensure that never happens again,” said Poilievre.
“I will protect people’s freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression and we will make Canada the freest country in the world.”
The invocation of the Emergencies Act earlier this year, amidst nationwide protests against vaccine mandates and pandemic-related restrictions, was widely condemned by civil liberty groups as an overreach.
The Emergencies Act granted the government broad powers such as the ability to order bank accounts frozen and indiscriminately arrest protesters.
Poilievre’s announcement comes as Jewish communities across Canada continue to live in fear of pro-Hamas protests following the terrorist group’s attack on Israel.
Addressing the tensions, Poilievre said that he will continue to condemn Hamas’ brutal actions.
“At the same time I will exercise my freedom to condemn anyone who celebrates the murder of little babies, of grandmothers,” said Poileivre.
“No Canadians should stand with an evil, sadistic terrorist death cult like hamas. People are free to have their own opinions but I’m free to condemn those opinions as a citizen myself.”
Poilievre also pointed out how Canadian law currently prohibits anyone from providing material support to terrorist groups like hamas.
“I want to make sure the police enforce the law by investigating and charging anyone who provides money or other support to help Hamas carry out terrorist attacks against civilians or anyone else,” said Poilievre.
Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!
Truth: Mass Grave Hoax
Reconciliation: Redeem Sir John A’s Integrity
The sign board displaying this message outside of Councillor John Robertson’s home has made him an outcast among his fellow Murray Harbour, P.E.I. councillors, including the mayor.
Terry White, mayor of the village of 260, is calling for Robertson to be removed from his council position, and is “working to see what can be done.” Council cannot remove Robertson without provincial intervention, which White is trying to coordinate immediately.
Council also voted unanimously for a third-party investigation into Robertson and how he is using the signboard located on his own property.
“It’s the old community centre sign,” Robertson told True North.
The old sign was destined either for the regional 70 Mile Coastal Yard Sale or the dump, but at a September 2021 council meeting, Robertson bought it for $50. “It has use… there’s a life to it,” he recounted.
Generally, Robertson displays messages such as “Welcome to Murray Harbour,” “Merry Christmas,” or congratulations to a recently engaged couple.
During last year’s Freedom Convoy, Robertson displayed the first message that could be considered political: “Support the truckers.”
While the Freedom Convoy sign caused a local buzz, it didn’t get into the press – it is only now with the ‘reconciliation’ sign that everyone has gone “ballistic,” in Robertson’s words.
“It’s on my property. I own it. It’s beyond the road limit, it doesn’t contravene any laws,” he said of the sign.
“It’s within the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. You can have an opinion, you can express it, and you can have your own thoughts. And I don’t consider this Council’s business.”
Robertson believes the the rural municipality’s council accepted a burden that was not theirs because of the complaints they were receiving.
“I’m right across the road, let them knock on my door… If they’ve got a problem with me, they can talk to me,” he said.
“People who support me speak to me directly and people who complain speak to the mayor.”
A local First Nations chief, Junior Gould, was sent into a council meeting to reeducate Robertson, though Robertson didn’t attend. Gould is also publicly calling for the councillor’s removal, saying Robertson’s sign was poorly-informed, disrespectful, and anti-inclusion.
Similarly, P.E.I. Senator Brian Francis accused Robertson of displaying “hateful and harmful content” and perpetuating “violence.”
“As far as the accusations go, you may wonder why I’m keeping quiet. I consider them so outrageous. So outrageous… I won’t even dignify that with a response,” Robertson said.
Though Chief Gould may think Robertson is poorly-informed, in the two and a half years since the Tk’emlups Nation of Kamloops, BC announced it had “confirmation of the remains of 215 children who were students of the Kamloops Indian Residential School,” no bodies have been found.
Researcher Prof. Sarah Beaulieu claimed she found a juvenile tooth and rib bone on the former residential school grounds, but the tooth turned out to be non-human and the rib bone disappeared before it was ever analyzed.
The Tk’emlups Nation, and the other First Nations that have made similar claims about unmarked graves, have only ever found soil disturbances via ground-penetrating radar.
Manitoba’s Pine Creek First Nation found 14 soil abnormalities with the radar, but an excavation only turned up rock.
However, if you bring up these facts – as Robertson was alluding to with his sign – you will be labelled a “denialist.”
And Canada’s political elites have toyed with criminalizing “denialism.”
“Urgent consideration should be given to legal mechanisms to address denialism, including the implementation of both civil and criminal sanctions,” wrote Ottawa-appointed special interlocutor on unmarked graves Kimberly Murray in a June 2023 interim report.
As for Sir John A, in recent years he has become known as “the architect of residential schools.”
“He did things that were wrong and he did things that were right, and who amongst us hasn’t?” said Robertson.
“I’m not suggesting for a moment that there weren’t problems in residential schools and the history of our country. But let’s just start with the truth, instead of this mass grave hoax that the CBC won’t let go of.”
Robertson is now going through a textbook cancellation process. The calls for removal, the third-party investigation, the reeducation sessions, the public denouncements. It’s all so sadly familiar in Canada.
“Through this persecution, I’ve strengthened my relationship with Christ. And I forgive all my enemies. I just feel so badly for the abuse the whole village is taking,” Robertson said.
“And who’s benefiting? I don’t know.”
The Supreme Court of Canada has found the federal government’s Impact Assessment Act (IAA) to be largely unconstitutional.
The 5-2 decision was part of a reference case initiated by the Alberta government.
Enacted in 2019 by the Trudeau government and originally referred to as Bill C-69, the IAA gave power to federal regulators regarding the potential environmental and social impacts of different resource and infrastructure projects – notably pipeline development.
Since being implemented, the IAA has received stark criticism from conservative politicians, particularly in Alberta, where it was dubbed the “no more pipelines act.”
Alberta filed a constitutional challenge with the Alberta Court of Appeal and won in a 4-1 decision in which the court referred to the law as an “existential threat” to the Canadian Constitution.
Ottawa appealed that opinion and the Supreme Court held hearings in March.
Chief Justice Richard Wagner said that Sections 81 to 91 of the IAA were not in violation of the constitution because those sections involved projects that are carried out on federal land and are financed by the federal government.
Therefore, they fall under federal jurisdiction and may be separated out as constitutional and unchallenged.
Outside of those sections however, the bulk of the scheme involves regulations on “designated projects,” which are in fact, unconstitutional, according to Wagner.
Designated projects, according to the IAA, are projects that are subject to ministerial order and regulation.
“In my view, Parliament has plainly overstepped its constitutional competence in enacting this designated projects scheme,” wrote Wagner.
The court found that the law was so broad that it interfered with provincial jurisdiction.
Justices Andromache Karakatsanis and Mahmud Jamal dissented, finding the law to be constitutional in its entirety.
There was much anticipation in the lead up to Friday’s decision from legal experts, who said this decision will help bring some clarity to what has been a highly contentious area of law.
“The words of the court, the opinion of the court, really will define the landscape for federal impact assessment and environmental assessment for decades to come,” said David Wright, associate professor at the Faculty of Law for the University of Calgary, in an interview with CBC News.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith celebrated the decision by posting to X, “Alberta Wins! Canada Wins!”
As tensions rise in the Middle East, a former Hamas leader seeks to strike fear into the rest of the world by urging for a global “Day of Jihad.” Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the significance of these threats, and what the Canadian government should do to address this escalating situation.
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Despite the government’s claim that it was operational, the Canadian embassy in Israel was in fact closed during Hamas’ brutal attack.
Plus, Toronto police arrest three men over alleged threats at a Jewish high school.
And the federal government’s travel vaccine mandate is back in court.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and William McBeath!
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman said Canada’s Jewish community is living in fear as a former Hamas leader calls for a global “day of rage.”
Lantsman spoke to True North’s Andrew Lawton Thursday, on the eve of the day on which former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal asked supporters to “head to the squares and streets.”
Lantsman warns of the growing concern among locals following the threatening video.
“In our own community, there has been a heightened sense of fear,” said Lantsman.
“When a terrorist leader calls on something like this around the world, its intention is to destabilize the normal daily lives of Jews living in communities abroad and instill fear in the community, and that’s exactly what it’s doing.”
Throughout history, there have been repeated attempts to eradicate the Jewish people, she added.
“This genocidal terrorist group is no different. Their goal is one goal, and that’s the eradication of Israel and Jews around the world.”
Serving as the MP for Thornhill, Lantsman said her riding has the largest number of Jews in the country.
Some Canadians have been seeking help from the federal government to no avail. When Canadians in Israel tried to reach the Canadian embassy in Tel Aviv, they discovered it was closed on the weekend.
“When you’re in a situation where you are fearful, you should at the very least expect that the government is going to answer the phone,” says Lantsman.
This led many to end up calling Lantsman’s office in hopes of assistance. Lantsman emphasized that she will continue to push on the Canadian government to keep Canadians safe wherever they are.
In a recently released video, Meshal, the former head of Hamas, requested that Muslims fulfill four criteria on Friday, according to a translation from Rachid Hammami, a Moroccan former Muslim television host and national security expert.
He’s called on Muslims to “show anger” towards Zionists and America, provide financial support to Gaza fighters, apply “political pressure” “to stop Israel’s military invasion of Gaza,” and “carry jihad by their souls; to fight and be martyrs for Al-Aqsa.”
Although YouTube removed the video within 24 hours, it can still be accessed on Rumble, with translated captions.
Meshal, who led Hamas from 2004 to 2017, called on Muslims worldwide, with particular emphasis on those from Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt, believing they had a greater duty to support Hamas.
“Head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world, throughout communities everywhere,” said Meshal.
Near the end of his video, Meshal describes how “blood and souls” are required to achieve Hamas’ goals.
“We will create it. We will create the future. But we do not create it with words, wishes, prayers, or money only. What is required? But today, blood and souls are required,” said Meshal.
Despite the fear, Lantsman was confident the Jewish community would prevail, as it always does.
A pro-Palestinian campus club at McGill University is being criticized for celebrating Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attack against Israel.
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill called the attacks, which have so far claimed over 1500 lives, “heroic.”
On Saturday, Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel in decades. Thousands of rockets were fired into Israel, and Palestinian gunmen infiltrated Israeli territory. The casualties include babies, children, women, and seniors – even Holocaust survivors. Hamas is also holding hostages and threatening to kill them on camera.
Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill, which is recognized by the university’s student union, 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.
“The resistance in Gaza led a heroic attack against the occupation and has taken over 30 hostages including Brigadier General Nimrod Aloni. Their march toward liberation is as monumental as their rockets – the resistance will free the prisoners who have been facing a fascist attack by the occupation and liberate our land from the fangs of the enemy.”
The group added that “the resistance has set a new precedent for the Palestinian struggle – our right to resist the occupation, to defend the land, and to free our prisoners are the utmost priorities.”
The association’s post also encouraged people to celebrate the attack by attending a pro-Hamas rally.
“We call on our people in Montreal and in the far diaspora to celebrate the resistance’s success, to uplift their calls, and to march this Sunday.”
SCREENSHOT: McGill campus club celebrates Hamas’ attack on Israel
McGill Provost and Vice-Principal of Academics Christopher Manfredi denounced the campus club in an email to students, staff and faculty, calling its posts “abhorrent.”
“Many people in the McGill community, and I include myself among them, are deeply upset about the horrific attack by Hamas on Israel last weekend. Knowing the pain that these events are causing to our community, it is particularly distressing to see recent social media posts by an association known as ‘Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights,’ which publicly associates itself with McGill University,” he wrote.
“The university denounces these abhorrent posts, which celebrate recent acts of terror and violence that have resulted in widespread loss of human life.”
Manfredi added that the statements “are antithetical to the university’s values and stand to undermine the important work aimed at bringing our community together… They also serve to create a harmful environment for both the Jewish and Muslim communities on our campuses.”
Manfredi has asked the student union to revoke the club’s ability to use the McGill name and to consider other appropriate reprimands.
The McGill student union did not respond to a request for comment from True North about if or how it will respond.
The union continues to promote Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights McGill on its website.
The McGill student union has previously been challenged over its own anti-Israel activism.
In 2022, the McGill administration threatened to sanction the union over a policy adopted by referendum to boycott all companies and institutions that are “complicit in settler-colonial apartheid against Palestinians.”
The policy ended up being overturned by the union’s board of directors.
A double fatal grizzly bear attack in Banff National Park emphasizes the need to review the ban on guns for self-defence in Canada’s national parks, a firearm rights group says.
National Parks wildlife regulations forbid firearm use in Banff, despite risks posed to hikers and campers by animals such as bears, cougars and coyotes.
The Sept. 29 deaths of campers Doug Inglis and Jenny Gusse aren’t the first and won’t be the last, according to Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights spokesperson Tracey Wilson.
“It amplifies the necessity for Canadians to be able to protect themselves against wildlife,” she says. “We have the tools and the technology to protect ourselves. We just don’t have the legal ability to do so.”
According to Wilson, things could have “absolutely” ended differently if the couple had firearms instead of bear spray, which failed to deter the bear from killing them or their dog.
While some view the national park gun ban as being about wildlife protection, Wilson noted laws against poaching and hunting already exist. If someone were to break one of these laws, Wilson argues, the government would throw the book at them.
“But to just ban the use and carry of a firearm in a national park is a danger to human life,” she says.
Inglis and Jenny Gusse, along with their border collie, were discovered by the Wildlife Human Attack response team with an empty canister of bear deterrent spray nearby.
Despite being labelled as ‘bear spray,’ Wilson says this deterrent would be more effective against a dog or a smaller animal.
“A hungry grizzly bear is not going to be stopped by bear spray,” she says. “When you’ve got a giant charging grizzly coming at you, a can of bear spray is like throwing marbles in a war.”
The Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights advocates for gun owners in an increasingly hostile regulatory climate. In May 2020, the federal government prohibited 1500 variants of what it called “military-style assault weapons,” though many of the guns on the list were used by hunters.
The government put in place a two year amnesty period, which was renewed in 2022 and again this week and now is set to lapse in 2025.
“Canadians know it’s not licensed gun owners, hunters, and trappers out there shooting up the streets of Toronto,” says Wilson.
She believes that the Conservative government, should they win the next election, would take a far more focused approach to targeting actual crime, violence, and gun smuggling instead of gun owners.
“I think you would see a total 180 on the way things are done on the public safety file. I think with the rising crime and violence across Canada, Canadians are ready for it.”
National parks are meant to preserve the land and wildlife within them. However, if humans are allowed to enter these areas, Wilson says, “it only makes sense to me that they should have the ability to protect their own lives should they find themselves in that unfortunate circumstance.”
The prohibition doesn’t apply to superintendents, park wardens, or peace officers, which Wilson suggests is a recognition by the government that firearms serve an important purpose.
“Self-defence against wildlife in remote situations should be a right for every Canadian.”
