Canadian security officials have raised alarms about three former Royal Canadian Air Force pilots who are helping to train pilots in China’s People’s Liberation Army.
After security officials reached out to the pilots, who are currently working for a South African flight academy fulfilling a contract in China, they referred the matter to the RCMP who have confirmed they are conducting an investigation.
According to a report in the Globe and Mail, spokesperson for Test Flying Academy of South Africa (TFASA) Edward Lee confirmed that Paul Umrysh, Craig Sharp, and David Monk – all of whom were pilots in Canada’s air force – are under contract with TFASA to train pilots in China.
TFASA has faced international scrutiny for its involvement with China, as the United States placed the company on a sanctions list for “activities contrary to the national security interests of the United States.”
On Oct. 18 2022, the British Ministry of Defence issued a warning to former UK military pilots to not work with the People’s Republic of China in response to reports that 30 retired British Royal Air Force pilots were lured with lucrative contracts to work in China through the TFASA.
Lee confirmed that Canadian security officials identifying themselves with Public Safety Canada reached out to “a number of TFASA employees” on Aug. 24, calling on them to stop working for the Chinese.
“The RCMP is aware of the report of former RCAF pilots taking part in training People’s Liberation Army Air Force pilots,” said RCMP spokesperson Robin Percival in a statement to the Globe and Mail.
“As the RCMP is investigating these incidents, there will be no further comment on this matter at this time.”
Lee defended his company’s practices and the involvement of the three former RCAF pilots, explaining that TFASA training does not provide any classified information or sensitive information in their training sessions.
“Training always involves unclassified procedures, and materials are derived either from open source or from the clients themselves,” said Lee.
“TFASA has strict protocols and a code of conduct in place that are designed to prevent any TFASA employee sharing any information or training that is, or might be considered to be, legally or operationally sensitive, or security classified.”
Former CSIS director Richard Fadden told the Globe that the prospect of RCAF pilots training Chinese pilots is very worrisome, but would be difficult to stop.
“Just the fact that they are training is worrisome,” said Fadden.
“But they are also taking with them all of their experience and knowledge of Western tactics and Western ways of thinking and, even inadvertently, if they pass this onto the Chinese, this is not helpful.”
In a country once globally revered for its commitment to freedom and democracy, Canada finds itself entangled in a disturbing transformation—a crisis that stretches beyond public health to encompass failures of governance and the erosion of democratic ideals. Tamara Lich, Chris Barber, and the Coutts 4 serve as the flashpoints.
The Coutts 4 have been held in detention for over 560 days without a bail hearing. It’s not merely unusual; it’s a flagrant assault on the very essence of democratic judicial proceedings
The trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber started this week. It begs the question: How did the great nation of Canada veer so far off its democratic course?
Why isn’t the Canadian government’s freeze of financial assets without warrant, charges, or conviction on trial? Why isn’t there a public inquiry into the government’s disastrous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic? Why no curiosity into where the Emergency Management Organizations – groups specially designed to manage such crises – were?
No, instead it’s Tamara Lich and Chris Barber who are on trial.
While many Covid fines and charges are quietly being dismissed nationwide, individuals like Lich and Barber remain in the state’s crosshairs. It’s as if the government is using them as cautionary tales, warning the public: “Raise your voice, and you’ll face disproportionate consequences.”
In the case of Lich and Barber, all the federal government had to do was talk to us – but it refused outright. Why? To fabricate a Canadian January 6th. They didn’t want dialogue; they wanted division. After two years of protesting and enduring coercion, job losses, and vaccine passports that barred us from the basic resources of society – all without receiving any acknowledgment – our demand to be heard transformed.
It became more than just a plea; it became a rightful insistence, exactly as it should for any citizen pushed to such extreme limits.
For the skeptics, the term “Problem Reaction Solution Paradigm” might echo in your ears. It suggests that governments may intentionally fuel problems, only to offer solutions that conveniently bolster their authority. The government’s failure to engage EMOs only amplifies public suffering, either by strategic design or sheer incompetence.
But here’s the gut-punch: the individuals paying for these governmental mishaps aren’t high-ranking officials. No, they’re everyday Canadians like Lich and Barber. These are the folks standing before the judicial guillotine because they dared to exercise their democratic right to protest.
Let me crystalize this for you: Even if you disagree with Tamara Lich or Chris Barber, their right to protest is your concern, too. If you’re silent today when their rights are being infringed, don’t be surprised if you find your own liberties in jeopardy tomorrow.
Whether in Ottawa or Washington, D.C., it’s clear: governments are more committed to maintaining their public image than upholding the democratic processes they’re meant to safeguard. It’s not just undemocratic; it’s un-Canadian.
We’re staring at the disintegration of the principles that make democracy function. When governments prefer to silence their citizens rather than engage with them, we must ask: What’s next? Who’s next? If you believe that avoiding the front lines of protest shelters you from the corrosion of democratic values, you’ve misunderstood the gravity of the situation. Our democracy is endangered, and it’s high time we acted to restore it before the damage becomes irreversible.
Tom Marazzo is the author of “The People’s Emergency Act,” available on Amazon September 6th.
The Alberta energy industry is set to spend nearly $730 million this year to tap into innovative resources like hydrogen, geothermal, lithium and helium.
According to the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), that’s a 250% spike in investments when compared to 2020, with projections showing it will go even higher.
Emerging energy sources only began to be taken into account in the AER’s annual reporting last year, painting a picture of what’s becoming a booming industry.
Alberta also has the natural advantage of being abundant in all four emerging resources.
“We have advantages in all four categories. They are important,” said AER economist Afshin Honarvar.
“That is interesting for people to know. Provincially, nationally and globally this is something they are interested in, and they would like to see how we are progressing.”
Alberta has already emerged as Canada’s largest provider of hydrogen as it outputs nearly 2.5 million tonnes each year. In total, Canada produces three million tonnes a year.
The province has also invested in using carbon capture storage emission outputs to produce “blue hydrogen” to offset the impact on the environment.
“We have the right skill set; we have the right infrastructure. We have the human resources, with the knowledge that can be transferable in this area very easily,” said Honarvar.
“Geothermal is no different.”
The new figures come as the federal government unveiled its Clean Electricity Regulations which require provinces to have a net-zero electricity grid by 2035.
Draft regulations remain open to which technology provinces use to achieve the target and still allow for fossil fuel energy sources when paired with carbon capture technology.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has stated that her province will not follow through on the 2035 target but instead stick to its original target of 2050.
“We will never allow these regulations to be implemented here, full stop,” said Smith.
“If it comes down to it, we are going to do our own thing. We have to.”
A retired army commander has advised the Canadian government to launch an agency that would be specifically dedicated to responding to natural disasters, throughout the country, citing the impact of climate change.
On Thursday, retired Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie told CBC News that Canadians are being put at risk by the fact that Canada does not have a task force that is devoted to helping with disasters like wildfires, floods and evacuations.
Leslie believes that such a task force should be “built into ” or “adjunct to” the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as soon as possible, so long as it can get the proper funding it needs without putting any added stress onto Canadian troops.
“The impact of climate change is irrefutable — it poses dangers to us all,” said Leslie. “What has the current government done to prepare for what they knew was coming?”
“The answer is nothing. They continue to go to the armed forces and allocate troops and resources in penny packets, in dribs and drabs, more for the political optics.” said Leslie.
A spokesperson for the federal emergencies ministry told the CBC that the federal government is preparing for future natural disasters in a number of ways, one of which is spending $700 million on wildfire management, some of which will go to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. The centre helps to coordinate aid between provinces and territories in times of crisis.
In addition to spending on things like training, and buying equipment, Ottawa also has plans to update its Federal Emergency Response Plan.
Defence Minister Bill Blair said the federal government’s commitment to national security is “ironclad” when it comes to increasing military funding.
“While the primary responsibility for response to natural disasters rests with provinces and territories, Canadians can expect to see the military continue to respond to emergencies when the capacity of provinces and territories is overwhelmed,” said Blair in a statement.
Provinces are ultimately responsible for managing environmental emergencies, however the CAF have been deployed multiple times over the past several months to aid provinces like Quebec, Alberta and now B.C. in their emergency management, following the provinces’ requests to do so.
The Royal Canadian Air Force were also of great help in evacuating residents from the recent wildfires in the Northwest Territories.
“In Europe, it’s hard to find a significant country … which doesn’t have a standalone emergency response force,” said Leslie. “Do you have it as standalone, per se, or do you nest it within the armed forces so they can leverage heavy equipment to transport their stuff?
“We already have military infrastructure bases spread across our country; we already have [CAF] transportation hubs which are well established.” said Leslie.
Mike Flannigan is the innovation research chair in predictive services for B.C. and he has called for a national wildfire response force in the past.
Flannigan said that there are several options, with the armed forces most likely being the best choice, especially if they can be trained on how to fight several different types of natural disaster.
There is also the option to create an agency similar to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) model, with a greater focus on prevention.
“Using the military as a special branch with appropriate training, and being able to address the emergencies before, during and after … should be explored,” said Flannigan. “And broadening it beyond fire is appropriate, like a FEMA organization.”
The problem with using the CAF in disaster relief and emergency management is that they are already heavily underfunded at a time when Canada is $20 billion dollars short of meeting their NATO obligation to invest 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) into the CAF.
“In a democracy, I think we need to be careful with the use of armed forces,” said professor Christian Leuprecht, who teaches at Royal Military College and at Queen’s University. “This is an organization set apart for special purpose … whose ultimate purpose is the application of the use of force.”
“It’s probably not your optimal first-responder organization,” said Leuprecht, who noted that the CAF are already close to a “breaking point” as a result of the country’s overseas commitments.
Currently, thousands of Canadian troops have been deployed to Latvia and Ukraine and many others are also currently in domestic deployments throughout Canada.
“It is seriously imperiling the organization from operating,” said Leuprecht. “The armed forces have become the easy button for the government … every time somebody cries for help.”
“People always have the impression if there’s no war to fight, the military just kind of sits around, but quite the opposite is true. This is an organization that is massively overstretched because it’s under-equipped, and under-resourced, for what it is being asked to do by politicians.”
Leslie shares the concerns expressed by Leuprecht, saying that relief from natural disasters cannot come at the hands of further underfunding the CAF.
“They’re called upon by the government because they have nowhere else to go to provide essentially brute force,” said Leslie. “Those tasks could actually be done by almost anybody.”
Leslie said what the country needs is a full-time, highly trained specialized force to fight these natural disasters and one which will focus as much on prevention as it will on post disaster relief.
Nearly 20 months after the Freedom Convoy arrived in Ottawa, its two most prominent organizers, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, are standing trial. The 16-day mischief trial began today. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses what this means for freedom and justice before speaking with Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms president John Carpay.
Plus, kids are back to school today and the media thinks climate change and AI are “top of mind” for them. Is that true for your kids?
Campaign poster for Democratic Progressive Party candidate for president Lai Ching-te in Taipei.
TAIPEI––From illegal election gambling operations to stealing opposition talking points, senior Taiwanese officials and cyber security experts have sounded the alarm on China’s information campaigns being conducted in the lead up to the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election.
Taiwan’s deputy minister of mainland affairs, the administrative agency responsible for coordinating affairs with China, Jyh-Horng Jan, alleged on Tuesday that one of China’s “classic tactics” when it comes to election interference is to pay underground bookmakers to place highly skewed odds on failing candidates and provide Taiwanese people with large cash payouts if China’s preferred candidate wins.
Deputy minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Jyh-Horng Jan speaking to reporters in Taipei on September 5.
As gambling is illegal in the Taiwanese constitution, China seeks to take advantage of this by working with underground bookies to incentivize betting by tweaking odds on candidates that Beijing views as friendly as Jan explained. Once people wager on candidates that China views as friendly, “more people will flock to support that candidate.”
“Now we have a candidate who is trailing in the polls and therefore stands very little chance to win an election,” Jan told reporters in what appears to be a reference to Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou You-yi. “In this case, Beijing would work with election operators telling them that if you can get more people to wager on this candidate then the people who bet on this candidate will be able to win very high cash rewards.”
“This is a very classic tactic to China’s election interference. When it comes down to where this money comes from, obviously it comes from Beijing,” Jan said.
According to local media reports, in an effort to crack down on illegal election gambling operations during this election cycle, Taiwan officials are offering citizens up to CAD $426,000 for information on gambling operations linked to foreign sources.
Taiwan’s current vice president and leading contender to succeed outgoing president Tsai Ing-wen in January of 2024 is the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te. Behind Lai in the polls is Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate Ko Wen-je who finds himself in second place in front of KMT candidate Hou You-yi according to polling conducted in July.
The KMT, despite being the original ruling party in Taiwan during the authoritarian dictatorship of Chiang Kei-shek after the Chinese civil war, is the party that favours a softer approach to cross-strait relations and advocates more collaboration with mainland China.
On the other side, the incumbent DPP takes a stronger approach against China through policies such as increasing the length of mandatory military service for all men to one year and continuing to build up national defence capabilities against the increasing threat of invasion posed by China.
“The major theme of China’s influence campaign in this upcoming election is a choice between peace and war,” cyber security expert and research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research Yi-Suo Tzeng said Monday.
According to Tzeng, China wants Taiwanese voters to feel that “if you vote for the DPP, then you choose war.”
Another approach that China takes to interfere in Taiwanese politics according to Tzeng is for Beijing to steal talking points from Taiwan’s domestic opposition.
“Usually Beijing will steal what our domestic opposition party politicians say, their statements and their narratives and make a twist and spread it to create confusion. To make Taiwanese people think that our own people are the local collaborators of Beijing.
This influence campaign is one part of what Tzeng describes as China’s “hybrid threat method” approach to influencing Taiwan’s upcoming election.
When the pure narrative approach is not working as Tzeng explained, China, as part of its “hybrid threat method” will collaborate with the military by conducting airspace incursions, military drills in the Strait and cyber attacks on Taiwan during an election.
“Usually, if China has done everything before the election, as time approaches closer to election day, they will tone down the intensity of military activities and military harassment. This time will probably be different,” Zhang said.
Deputy Minister Jan also explained two other methods that China is employing as part of their information campaigns to influence the outcome of the upcoming Taiwanese election.
According to Jan, China will release statements through Taiwanese business associations that represent those with financial interests in China that the Communist government is opposed to certain candidates.
“By doing this,” Jan said, “they want to shape this image that Taiwanese people are expressing opposition to certain candidates where it is actually (the CCP’s) voice.”
Jan also said that another method utilised by China to shape public opinion in Taiwan is through “a handful” of wives working for the United Front Workers Department married to Taiwanese men living in Taiwan.
“There are around 350,000 cross-strait married couples and among those over 250,000 of them are with a female mainland Chinese spouse living in Taiwan. A handful of them would be utilised by the United Front Workers Department to interfere with our activities in Taiwan or to voice opinions on behalf of the CCP.”
Jan continued, “In Canada, there are a lot of Chinese immigrants so China is also going to wage very similar tactics.”
Editor’s note: Harrison Faulkner’s travel to Taiwan was arranged and funded by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO). However, all coverage is independent and not subject to review or direction by TECO.
The number of asylum and refugee claimants entering Canada has surged despite the government’s decision to shut down the illegal Roxham Rd. border crossing.
Despite a dip in the number of people crossing into Canada illegally after Canada amended its Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, crossings have exploded.
According to data, 12,010 asylum seekers came to Canada via airports or by illegally crossing the land border.
That figure is the highest it’s been since January 2017. In March alone, another 10,120 asylum seekers arrived in Canada.
At least a third of those were migrants who flew to Canada and made refugee claims upon arrival.
Among the locations asylum seekers are arriving from include Mexico, Turkey, India, Colombia and Haiti.
According to some groups which help refugees make asylum claims, many are arriving in Canada with the help of illegal smugglers and deciding to hide for weeks or months until they make a claim at an immigration office in order to skirt Canada’ immigration laws.
According to FCJ Refugee Centre in Toronto, up to 30% of arrivals came to Canada using smugglers.
Additionally, new asylum claimants are having trouble finding accommodations and some are even forced out onto the streets or into homeless shelters.
Recent data out of Toronto shows that 30% of the population in homeless shelters consisted of refugee and asylum claimants.
“We’re running about 9,000 beds per night in the shelter system, and right now about 2,700 of those beds on a nightly basis are being utilized by refugee claimants,” said Gord Tanner who oversees the city’s shelter system.
“We are trying our best to string people into the programs that best meet their needs. But at this time, it’s been very difficult with the high number of people arriving.”
The trial of Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber commenced on Tuesday morning in an Ottawa courthouse. Lich and Barber have been charged with mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation.
The trial will be held in person only, without the option for proceedings to be viewed virtually.
Crown attorney Tim Radclifee intends to submit over 100 exhibits in the trial, including dozens of videos, photos and letters from the Freedom Convoy protest which took place in February 2022 and lasted for almost three weeks.
Lich and Barber were involved in the original group that organized a convoy of trucks and other vehicles to drive to Ottawa to call for an end to the Covid-19 public health mandates that were in place at the time.
The protest inspired many other demonstrations throughout the country and internationally, until the Liberal government invoked the use of the Emergencies Act, giving police special powers to move in and clear the protest.
It was the first time that the Emergencies Act had ever been used since it was first passed in 1988 and it included the ability to freeze the bank accounts of protesters.
The court will call 22 witnesses throughout the trial including Ottawa’s former mayor, Jim Watson as well as police and other city officials.
Lich and Barber attended with their lawyers in the first row of seats and the courtroom had a crowd of some 50 supporters, lawyers and news reporters, according to National Newswatch.
“We’re trying to put this case on the rails,” said Justice Heather Perkins-McVey, who is presiding over the trial.
Perkins-McVey requested the largest courtroom in the Ontario court of justice in order to allow as many people as possible to watch the trial, as it is of high public interest.
A small crowd of supporters holding signs welcomed Lich outside the courthouse as she entered the building.
Lich and Barber were both arrested on the evening that the Trudeau government declared a national emergency under Emergencies Act, which approved special powers for police to make the arrests and begin forcibly removing protesters from the street.
Barber was immediately released on bail however Lich remained in jail for a total of 49 days before being granted bail.
A man in Morely, Alberta, faces up to 10 years in prison after being convicted for the murder of his six-month-old daughter by crushing her skull against a wall, according to the Calgary Herald.
Tyriq Kootenay, 23, was read a statement of agreed facts in court, which detailed how he murdered his daughter, Tanayah Kootenay-Hunter, on Aug. 23, 2021.
The incident took place in his home on the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, following a drunken fight that broke out between Kootenay, his girlfriend, Brenna Hunter and another male friend of hers after she called him “a meth head” for doing drugs in the presence of their two infant daughters.
Kootenay beat up Hunter and threw her and her friend out of his bungalow, read prosecutor Geea Atanase, from the statement.
“Hunter could hear the children crying inside,” said Atanase. “Once outside, Kootenay attacked her, but she was able to get away and run to a residence for help.”
The next day, Hunter returned to Kootenay’s home to check on her children but was told by Kootenay that they had been removed from the home by social services and that Tanayah had been brought to the home of Hunter’s grandmother.
Hunter went into the house and found her eldest daughter of 18-months, with what looked like a bloody nose.
On Aug. 25, 2021 RCMP searched Kootenay’s home and found Tanayah’s body in the basement, bundled up in a blanket and stuffed inside a suitcase.
“Her head was caved in at the top, and police noted bruising all over her face,” said Atanase.
RCMP discovered “a dent in the wall that appeared consistent in size and shape with an infant having been thrown against it” in an upstairs bedroom and DNA taken from the wall matched that of Tayanah’s.
Other injuries sustained by the six-month-old baby were fractured arms and ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a considerable bite on her back, which Kootenay took responsibility for.
In September 2022, Kootenay also admitted to refusing to allow police to enter his home following the fight he had with his girlfriend, in an interview with RCMP.
“At this time, Tanayah was still alive,” said Atanase. Kootenay also admitted that he was “blacked out at times during the evening” due to a large consumption of drugs and alcohol.
The next morning, Kootenay noticed that Tanayah was still breathing next to him in his bed and he told RCMP that he then changed her clothes.
Initially, Kootenay was charged with second-degree murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Atanse called the violence inflicted upon Tanayah “gratuitous for the biting of a victim… who was a small six-month-old with no ability to defend herself,” adding that “Mr. Kootenay may well have been angry but the infant certainly didn’t do anything to provoke the act.”
The prosecutor also addressed the fact that Kootenay did not make any attempt to acquire medical attention for his daughter.
The Crown is asking for a 10 year sentence minus time served for Kootnay, who has been in custody since his arrest on Sept. 1, 2021. If granted, Kootenay would have to serve another seven years in prison.
Kootenay’s defence lawyer, David Roper, is asking for an eight-year sentence less time already served. Roper argued that Kootenay’s attempts to conceal his crime were lackluster, as he didn’t remove Tanayah’s body from the house.
Roper also argued that the murder was not premeditated and that Kootenay’s background as a First Nations person and his guilty plea must be considered as mitigating factors in his sentence.
Kootenay’s faced a difficult upbringing regarding his life on the First Nation, such as a number of family deaths due to substance abuse and suicide, argued Roper.
“While the crime committed by Mr. Kootenay is undeniably tragic, it’s important to view his actions through the lens of his history, societal challenges . . . that acknowledges the complexity of his situation,” said Roper.
Kootenay did not address the court at the end of the sentencing hearing. He is scheduled to reappear before Court of King’s Bench Justice Michele Hollins for his sentence on Sept. 25.
As Covid zero zealots call for a return to mandatory masking, two infectious disease specialists say a return to masking is not needed.
Plus, Conservative Party of Canada members will be voting on resolutions to make candidate nominations fairer and more transparent and to ban lobbyists from serving on the party’s governing body. True North will be in Quebec City to provide in-depth coverage of the convention!
And one year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shut down the idea of supplying Germany with LNG, one of the country’s largest energy companies is dismantling a wind farm to make room for an open-pit coal mine.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Andrew Lawton!
