Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is denying he ever called parental rights protesters hateful during the One Million March for Children nationwide demonstrations last month, despite social media posts showing otherwise.
On Thursday, Trudeau was pressed on a statement he posted to X and whether he would retract his words.
In the post, the prime minister said that he strongly condemns the “hate and its manifestation” during the protests.
“Let me make one thing very clear: Transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia have no place in this country. We strongly condemn this hate and its manifestations, and we stand united in support of 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians across the country – you are valid and you are valued,” posted Trudeau at the time.
Let me make one thing very clear: Transphobia, homophobia, and biphobia have no place in this country. We strongly condemn this hate and its manifestations, and we stand united in support of 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians across the country – you are valid and you are valued.
While at a stop in Vaughan, Ont., Trudeau backpedalled on his comments, claiming he never called parental rights protesters hateful.
“I never suggested that someone who’s concerned about parental rights is somehow filled with hate or intolerance,” claimed Trudeau.
Justin Trudeau: "I never suggested that someone who is concerned about parental rights is somehow filled with hate and intolerance." pic.twitter.com/Y3X6ZlwoA5
Parental rights have taken the front stage both provincially and federally as several premiers are looking to pass policies that would require educators to inform parents if their children under the age of 16 decide to use different pronouns at school.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe recently challenged a court ruling that would prevent such a policy from being imposed on human rights grounds by saying he would invoke the Notwithstanding Clause in the Charter to overrule the decision.
“If necessary, that would be one of the tools that would be under consideration – yes,” said Moe in September.
“The notwithstanding clause is present for a reason — so that duly elected governments can represent their constituents when necessary.”
Former mayor of Toronto John Tory has been found guilty of violating the city’s Code of Conduct by Toronto’s integrity commissioner regarding an affair he had with one of his staff as well as his participation in council votes on the FIFA World Cup.
The consensual relationship with the staffer began in the summer of 2020 and would ultimately lead to Tory’s resignation in 2023, after it became public.
On Thursday, Integrity Commissioner Jonathan Batty released a 122-page report wherein he found that Tory had violated the city council’s rules.
By engaging in a relationship with a staffer, who he referred to as Ms. A, “(Tory) failed to observe the terms of the Human Resources Management and Ethical Framework for Members’ Staff,” reads the report.
Additionally, Tory was in violation of the Code by participating in two city council votes on Toronto’s FIFA World Cup bid, concluded Batty.
The staffer he was having an affair with was also involved in organizing the event. Batty ruled that Tory’s vote on the issue could have potentially had a direct impact on the employment of the said staffer, which he said to be an inappropriate use of influence.
According to CTV News, Batty ruled that Tory’s actions weren’t in violation of the rules regarding Toronto’s Human Rights and Anti-harassment/discrimination Policy however..
Batty said that Tory did not use his influence as mayor to aid the staffer while she worked in his office, nor afterwards, once she was hired by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
Under different circumstances, council may sanction a mayor or councilor who violates the Code of Conduct through pay suspension and formally reprimanding them, but since Tory no longer sits as a member of council, a suspension of pay doesn’t apply.
“While it may be within the authority of Council to reprimand a former Member, it is my view that reprimanding a person who requested I investigate their conduct as they resigned office would serve no purpose,” wrote Batty.
Tory admitted to the affair publicly before resigning in February and he was the one who requested that a probe be launched into the matter by the commissioner.
Batty felt that sanctioning Tory would be unnecessary, however he did say that it was “unfortunate” that he didn’t seek the proper advice regarding how to best handle the relationship sooner.
“As shown, Mr. Tory put himself in a conflict of interest when he began this relationship,” wrote Batty. “Because it was not managed appropriately from the outset, it raised questions whether City resources were used inappropriately. It raised questions whether Mr. Tory improperly used his influence for the benefit of Ms. A while she was on his political staff and when she was looking for a job from the Mayor’s Office.”
Tory released a statement on Thursday wherein he wrote that he “fully accepts” the consequences of his actions and that he regretted not handling the situation differently.
“I sincerely regret the impact my actions had on so many people in my life and on the people of the City of Toronto who it was my honour to serve for so many years,” wrote Tory. “I have tried to deal with this in an honourable manner and I am looking forward to finding new ways to contribute to the success of the city I love.”
The former mayor also expressed his gratitude towards Batty and his staff for “their professionalism and thoughtfulness throughout this process.”
The snap resignation of Tory prompted a by-election to elect a new mayor in which over 100 candidates participated. Olivia Chow won the election in June to replace the outgoing Tory.
Saskatchewan parents are backing Premier Scott Moe’s education policy requiring parental consent for children under 16 to change their gender and pronouns at school.
The support comes as Moe is preparing to invoke the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to preserve the policy after a judge granted trans activists an injunction pausing it.
A Saskatoon father of two, whose kids attend public schools, told True North he believes “children are not able to comprehend these complex topics at their age and yet are being inundated by sexual influences entirely too early in their development.”
“My job as a parent is to protect my boys’ development and be the arbiter of what they are learning and when,” he said. “This (policy) confirms that parents are informed if their child is going through developmental changes.”
The father, who asked not to be named, said his sons were exposed to wokism and gender ideology at their elementary school and he felt sidelined when he tried to voice his concerns to the principal.
“But thanks to Moe there seems to be a glimmer of hope,” he said.
Nadine Ness, a mother of four and a parental rights advocate who leads the group United Grassroots, told True North parents are cheering the policy on.
“When I’m out there in the public, and just talking to anyone in general, they know this is a really good move,” she said.
She believes Canadian public school systems are currently “normalizing keeping secrets from parents” and “normalizing teachers having interpersonal relationships with children that they shouldn’t have.”
Ness also praised Moe for pledging to use the notwithstanding clause to safeguard the policy.
“I’m glad that Scott Moe is taking it a step further and recognizing the gross overreach of the courts. Parents are the ultimate authority over their children’s education.”
UR Pride, the trans activist organization who sought the injunction, claims that the policy is “dangerous” and will “harm children.”
Court of King’s Bench Justice Michael Megaw echoed these concerns in his decision to grant the injunction, writing “the harms identified by the three experts tendered by UR Pride illustrate, quite forcefully, those risks of irreparable harm.”
When asked about claims of harm, Ness said she believes that the policy will, on the contrary, make children safer as it will provide children with the opportunity to report mistreatment at home.
“If it’s not safe at home, a child will disclose it, whereas before, they would have not,” she said.
“There’s already legislation and policies in school for the cases where the child’s safety is at risk, that’s already been addressed. So the idea that a child’s going to be at increased risk, to me, is completely bogus.”
A recent Angus Reid poll found that 86% of Saskatchewan residents believe parents should be informed if their child wishes to change names or pronouns at school. Support is also high in the rest of Canada.
Meanwhile, just 10% of Saskatchewan residents said they disagreed with schools being mandated to inform parents of children’s name and pronoun changes.
Last month, thousands of Canadians across Canada participated in the One Million March for Children – calling for parental rights policies similar to Saskatchewan’s and New Brunswick’s to be implemented nationwide, and for an end to gender ideology teachings.
As inflation continues to drive up the cost of groceries, Canadians are having to compromise on quality and nutrition to feed their families, a new survey shows. The research from Dalhousie University finds that nearly two-thirds of Canadians are concerned about the unhealthy consequences of their purchasing habits; almost half of respondents are now buying groceries from the dollar store, relying more on non-fresh products. True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in.
Also, a private member’s bill from Conservative MP Ed Fast seeks to push the government to rollback it’s expansion of assisted suicide to people suffering only from mental illnesses. Andrew discusses with Euthanasia Prevention Coalition executive director Alex Schadenberg.
Plus, cancelled professor Eric Kaufmann is launching a new anti-woke university course at the University of Buckingham. He joins the show to talk about it.
Google remains firm in removing Canadian news content after the government released the draft of the Online News Act.
Plus, Canada is considering leading a UN military intervention in Haiti, even as the government slashes its defence budget.
And a delegation of some of Alberta’s most prominent business leaders descended on Ottawa and warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about his government’s decarbonization plans and their effects on cost of living.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux!
Next week, the City of Toronto will vote on whether to require 100% of taxis and ridesharing vehicles to be all-electric by 2030. Other municipalities will certainly follow Toronto’s lead; Canada’s federal government plans to require all passenger vehicles sold to be electric by 2040.
As the industry that has evolved from the horse and carriage to the hybrid Camry, from street hails to push radios to cell phones and apps, we expect the taxi industry to take the next innovations in stride.
However, the current ideological rush to “100% electric” is misguided. This migration to electric needs a plan. So far, no government has offered anything even resembling one.
Here are some of the unresolved issues taxi professionals see in the disorganized rush to all-electric:
Range: Existing electric vehicles still do not have the range required by ground transportation providers. For example, a car picking up a fare at the airport has to be ready to drive 20 kilometres or 200. The concern that the vehicle might die before destination or charging station is reached is real, and untenable.
Charging Stations: Not only are there not enough of them, but there are specifically not enough of them in crucially important locations. Wedging them into already-crowded downtown areas is going to be difficult, if it is possible at all. We all hope enthusiastic governments will get this done: none of us want to bet a disappointed customer that they will.
Further, recommendations made to maximize the benefits of all-electric taxis suggest that the best option is to have drivers living in single-family homes install their own chargers. Unfortunately, many, if not most, taxi drivers do not live in single-family homes; they live in apartment buildings or otherwise shared accommodation where installing their own charger is not an option.
Difficult to repair: It is challenging enough to hire mechanics and technicians to work on internal combustion engines in 2023. We don’t have a fraction of the techs qualified to work on all-electric vehicles. This can mean that a car sent out for repair can be gone for months.
Collision repair: This is as challenging as mechanical repair but even more so. In fact, some relatively minor collisions that damage the battery area may make the entire car a write-off, which is one of the reasons insurance companies do not want to insure all-electric taxis.
Replacement cost: An all-electric vehicle needing replacement is a horrendously expensive proposition. We need to plan for a useful vehicle life of five years; a car that only makes it a year or two is not a viable proposition.
Insurance: Canada’s taxi industry already faces a serious challenge procuring insurance coverage; all the above points about electric vehicles exacerbate the existing problems. Insurers have been very clear with us: they have no appetite for insuring all-electric taxis.
The solution to the all-electric problem is simple, and it’s already here: hybrid vehicles. The taxi industry led the way in adopting hybrid vehicles and can continue doing so.
Hybrid vehicles offer all the best of all the worlds: drivers who are able to charge their taxis at home, off-shift, will do so. If they need a charge on the road and a public charging station is available, they will use that. If line-ups at charging stations are too long or there are none available, they can switch to gas.
The hybrid option means never having to say, “A taxi that ran out of juice stalled at an intersection and caused gridlock for blocks around.”
Repairs are manageable, and insurers are willing to write coverage.
Later, when technology improves and becomes more reliable, the taxi industry will invest in all-electric as it has always invested in change (remember the propane craze in the 1980s?)
100% electric for its own sake makes no sense, offers no security for drivers or passengers, and frankly is impossible to implement without plans for grids, chargers, and insurance.
Hybrid is a safe, sure step in the right direction.
Marc Andre Way is the president of the Canadian Taxi Association.
Alberta has launched an $8 million advertising campaign with the goal of informing Canadians about the potential risks of the federal government’s net-zero emissions plan. Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss her concerns with Ottawa’s proposed clean electricity regulations, and the implications they could have for the average Canadian.
Canadians are putting their grocery bill ahead of their nutrition, according to a new survey by consumer data company Caddle and Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab in Halifax.
The survey revealed that 45.5% of respondents said the cost of their groceries outweighed the importance of their food’s nutritional value in terms of what they are purchasing.
While a majority of those same respondents, 63.3%, said that they are aware and concerned about the long term effects of compromising on healthy choices.
When asked if their meat or protein consumption had gone down due to soaring food costs, 49.2% said yes.
“But generally speaking, Canadians are actually concerned about their own health due to higher food prices over the long term. That’s three out of five Canadians, which is a lot,” said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab, in an interview with CTV News on Wednesday.
Higher income consumers were less likely to value the cost of their grocery bill over losing out on nutrition than those who were already struggling financially.
“Of course, there’s always a way to balance things, regardless of what happens to food prices,” said Charlebois. “But it’s increasingly becoming more difficult for a growing number of Canadians.”
Respondents in Alberta and New Brunswick were the most likely to put cost over nutrition and Albertans were the most worried about the long-term effects of this decision, at 70%, however a majority of respondents in every province said they shared that fear.
In terms of age groups, the Greatest Generation ranked the highest for putting cost of nutrition, at 55% with millennials close behind at 53% and Gen Z at 52.5%.
Concerns for the compromise on long term health were most felt by millennials, who Charlebois said are ”clearly feeling the pressure right now” when it comes to concerns about money and health.
“They probably have kids and so right now when they show up at the grocery store, they may not be earning the amount of money they need to buy the food they want in order to support a nutritious diet, unfortunately,” said Charlebois.
With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching this weekend, Canadians can expect to pay significantly more than they did in the past as Statistics Canada’s latest Consumer Price Index report revealed that the price of most food items increased year-over-year in August.
A majority of respondents said that they have “substantially” changed their shopping habits through the use of coupons, flyers and also loyalty programs. Almost half of those surveyed said they are considering growing their own food as a solution to rising inflation.
Nearly 64% said they would choose a generic brand to save money and 59% said they were now shopping at discount stores. Around 50% said they shopped at supermarkets while 47% said they were now buying their groceries at dollar stores.
A minority of respondents, 18.5% said they were shopping at farmer’s markets more frequently and 17% said they have increased their online shopping, while 13% said they were shopping at convenience stores.
Most respondents said they were choosing to “increase the frequency of their store visits compared to the previous year in their quest to economize while grocery shopping.”
Around 79% of respondents said that had dramatically reduced their food waste over the past year.
The survey was conducted in September and included a “representative” sample of 5,521 Canadians with a margin of error of 2.1%.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government met with Canada’s big five grocery store chain owners in hopes to come up with a plan to stabilize food prices with a deadline set for Thanksgiving. So far, nothing has materialized yet regarding this meeting.
Hockey Canada has introduced a new policy for the 2023-24 minor league season and onward, requiring all participants in minor hockey to wear a base layer of clothing while in the dressing room, citing gender identity and inclusion concerns.
“Coaches can’t always visually identify and automatically know what gender someone identifies with, so this just allows everybody to fit into that dressing room,” says Craig Robinson, president of Halifax Hawks Minor Hockey.
“The Dressing Room Policy is focused on enhancing safety for all participants on any team or officiating team across the country. Dressing rooms are designated team spaces for all team participants to use and interact in. These spaces come with minimum attire requirements or supervision, and a requirement to accommodate individuals if they require additional measures or support,” as per its dressing room policy document.
“Hockey Canada mandates that every participant has the right to use the dressing room that is most congruent with their gender identity,” the policy says. However, most minor hockey rinks do not have dressing rooms associated with gender, prompting the minimum attire rule.
“Participants should arrive at the rink wearing a base layer, (e.g., shorts and a t-shirt, compression shorts and shirt or sports bra). A participant not arriving at the rink wearing their baser layer can use an appropriate private space (e.g., private restroom stalls or empty/unused dressing rooms) to change into the base layer and then enter the team dressing room with the other participants,” the rule states.
While minor hockey players are showering, Hockey Canada also recommends that players continue to wear the minimum attire if in an open-concept shower; this could include swimwear. Players are encouraged to change from their initial undergarments into their swimwear to shower and then back to their undergarments afterwards.
The September 12, 2023 revision updated the language regarding the ‘use of showers’ section from “required to recommended”. This revision follows another version from June 19, 2023, where the other major revisions and updates were implemented.
Many dressing rooms used by minor hockey teams have a bathroom with only one stall. Teams have an already limited allotment of time in dressing rooms before and after their games. Forcing each player to take turns in the lone bathroom stall to change from the undergarments they wore to the game into their swimwear, back into their undergarments may cause timing issues.
If a player shows up without their undergarment, Hockey Canada says that “team officials should instruct the athlete to put their equipment (including pelvic-area protective gear) in the private washroom stall within their dressing room (if one is available) before putting their remaining equipment on with the rest of the team.”
Kids may choose to skip showering altogether. Robinson admits that there has been some pushback from parents. Concern has been raised around hygiene and how some players may need to wear sweaty and smelly undergarments to and from the rink.
The next review date for the dressing room policy is September 12, 2026. Parents have had mixed reviews online.
Filmmaker and prospective Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn said the policy was “completely insane.”
The ‘Rule of Two’ is a part of Hockey Canada’s dressing room policy. “The ‘Rule of Two’ requires two trained and screened adults to be present in the dressing room or immediately outside the dressing room with the door propped open to monitor the environment and ensure it is free of any discrimination, harassment, bullying, or other forms of maltreatment.”
Hockey Canada is the national governing body for grassroots hockey in the country. While almost every minor hockey league falls under Hockey Canada’s purview, a few private, generally high-level, leagues are not governed by Hockey Canada, such as HSL (Hockey Super League).
The new policy affects all minor hockey teams participating in leagues associated with Hockey Canada, from the youngest level up to the under-18 age division.
The Bank of Canada’s interest rates continue to increase while simultaneously, fewer new houses are being built. A new report published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives revealed that less homes are being built now than during the lowest point of the pandemic.
The report claims the high cost of materials due to inflation has brought home building to a near halt, predicting the market will continue to slow down as mortgage rates remain high.
In July, investment in new single family homes dropped by 21% when compared to April 2020, which was the lowest point in the pandemic for building. New row homes fell by 8% when compared to April 2020 as well as new apartments and condos by 2%.
When compared to February of 2022, just prior to the rate hikes taking place, the report says the situation was even worse.
Investment for single-family homes dropped by 36%, semi-detached houses were not far behind with a decline of 27% and new apartments and condos dropped by 109%.
“The Bank of Canada estimates that the worst impacts of rate increases take two years to hit the housing sector and the housing sector is the main vehicle for rate hikes to hit the economy,” said David Macdonald, senior economist and report author. “Right now, it has been 18 months since the first rate increases, but most of the bigger rate increases have occurred in the past 12 months — so the worst is yet to come.”
MacDonald said it takes between five to 10 years for the initial planning phase when it comes to new buildings coming to market, meaning the real shortfall for the housing crisis is still yet to come.
This will have serious “real life” consequences, he added..
“Often, we talk about rate hikes in a theoretical sense, but we’re seeing the real impact starting to hit the market where real estate feels it the most acutely,” said MacDonald.
The Bank of Canada lowered the overnight lending rate to 0.25% amid the first lockdown to allow people the ability to borrow money at a cheaper rate, so builders and developers saw an opportunity to make big returns once the economy reopened and took on projects.
However, now that the overnight lending rate has increased to 5%, developers do not see profit at the end of the tunnel for new projects. Developers are especially concerned with the fact that many people who bought pre-construction homes are now no longer able to afford the mortgage on the home once it becomes available.
In January, sales on new construction homes in the GTA plummeted to a 23-year low due to immense uncertainty in the market.
“(Developers are) no longer seeing that these projects will be a good investment for them, especially with the additional high cost of materials and labour,” said MacDonald. “That’s why we need less reliance from the private sector.”
MacDonald suggests the non-profit housing providers and post-secondary institutions could buy up already existing for-profit apartments and then retrofit them into non-market buildings with lower rent.
He would also like to see governments outlaw short-term rental platforms like Airbnb in larger cities.
McDonald said that municipalities could make changes to their zoning laws to accommodate room for new builds as well as reinstate rent control.
“The Bank of Canada wants to slow down the economy and slowing down residential construction is one way to do that,” he said. “We need more housing, but the bank is slamming that door shut.”
