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Thursday, July 17, 2025

Inflation unexpectedly rises to 3.3% in Canada

By
Quinn Patrick
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Data from Statistics Canada has revealed that the country’s annual inflation rate has shot up to 3.3% in July, compared to the same month last year.

This marks an increase in the pace of growth since June as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was up from a 2.8% rise.

The rise in CPI was linked to the base-year effect on fuel costs which had previously gone down in July 2022. Outside of fuel costs, the CPI went up 4.1%, a 4% increase since June of this year.

The CPI has increased 0.6% across a monthly basis in July and when adjusted to a seasonal basis, it rose by 0.5%.

Canada’s annual inflation rate is now above the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) target range as the BoC predicted that the CPI would below 3% over the next year before slowly dropping back down to 2%, some time during mid-2025. The most recent forecast from the bank is less optimistic about hitting its targets compared to the predictions they made in January and April of this year.

A survey of economists conducted by Bloomberg had predicted an increase in headline inflation of 3%. However, July’s monthly figure was double what had been predicted. 

The year-over-year gain of mortgage interest costs hit a new record, according to Statistics Canada, making them once again the biggest factor in headline inflation. On an annualized basis, gas prices dropped by 12.9% in July. 

The latest inflation rate increase has many speculating yet another interest rate hike by the BoC. 

In July, Canada’s central bank raised interest rates by the highest level since 2001, raising their benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points or 5%. Only a year and a half ago, the overnight rate was 0.25%.

On Sept. 6, the Bank of Canada will make their decision on the next interest rate raise.

A recent Bank of Montreal (BMO) report has stated that the Trudeau government’s unprecedented spending is driving the BoC’s interest rate hikes.

A BMO Capital Markets’ memo claims that the federal government’s record spending in the form of temporary Covid-19 pandemic benefits and social programs is driving up price inflation. 

New Treasury Board President Anita Anand has given cabinet ministers a deadline of October 2 to cut $15 billion from existing spending plans.

Toronto drug consumption site takes down poster offering chocolate for used needles

By
Andrew Kozak
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A drug consumption site in Leslieville, Toronto recently took down a poster offering chocolates to the public in exchange for used needles after a photo circulated online.

The poster, which hung in a window of the South Riverdale Community Health Centre (SRCHC) for several hours on Sunday near Queen St. East and Carlaw Avenue, was spotted by Crestview Strategy Partner Ginny Roth, who posted it on X (formerly Twitter).

“If you live in Leslieville and you’re concerned about your kids picking up needles that surround the drug consumption site, you don’t have to worry,” wrote Roth. “In fact, if your kids collect enough they can trade them in for chocolate!”

Roth told True North that she walked by the poster on Sunday morning with her three-year-old son on their way to a nearby playground.

Roth said that by Monday morning, the poster had been taken down. 

“In an exuberance to get used needles off the street one of our staff posted a sign that was never meant for the public, said SRCHC CEO Jason Altenberg in a statement to the National Post. In no way, shape, or form was that communication meant for children.”

“We apologize for any miscommunication.”

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre also reacted to the poster.

“This is an actual sign from a drug consumption site in Toronto,” wrote Poilievre. “What is happening in Canada?”

The SRCHC’s “COUNTERfit” Women’s Harm Reduction program is an injection site offering a “trans-inclusive” and a “sex-work positive” space for all women who use drugs. 

Last month, 44-year old mother of two Karolina Huebner-Makurat was killed by a stray bullet following an altercation near the SRCHC’s main operating building on Queen Street East.

Several people who live in the area have reported seeing more drug paraphernalia in the neighbourhood since the site first opened six years ago. 

Parent Ashley Kea told CTV News last month that her son had found a bag of fentanyl on the way to Morse Street Junior Public School.

“Safe injection sites cannot come at the cost of the safety of hundreds of children,” she said. “They overdose in front of children, dealers sell in front of children, and now they are pulling their guns in front of children.”

Ratio’d | International students are ABUSING food banks and BRAGGING about it

By
Harrison Faulkner
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A viral social media post over the weekend has shed light on a new trend taking place among international students living in Canada. International students that arrive in Canada on student visas are filming themselves going to food banks to get “free food” as a way to save money seemingly without any shame or remorse. These students – most of whom are from India – are telling their followers that this is a totally normal and acceptable thing to do.

In reality, these students are coming to this country and leeching off the charitable nature of Canadians who donate food to food banks with the intention that the food will go those in need – not to an international student with enough money to pay international tuition fees.

But is all of this the fault of the students? Not entirely. Canada has approved record numbers of student visas over the past few years. In 2022, over 550,000 students visas were granted. Many students are dumping life savings to come to Canada just to receive a second-rate education with no real chance at success here and are living in terrible conditions.

This is a story of greed and abuse – from students that come here, to the colleges and universities that enroll them, and the federal government.

Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner

Gov employees want those who resist anti-racism training “taken out”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A recent survey of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) employees found a desire among some public sector workers to see their fellow colleagues who resisted or even “subtly protested” mandatory anti-racism training fired or not hired to the department in the first place. 

Last year, IRCC hired Pollara Strategic Insights to conduct an Anti-Racism Employee Qualitative Research survey for $99,779. 

The resulting report was delivered to the federal government at the end of March and recently published to the Government of Canada website. The study consisted of 15 focus groups and 6 interviews with 62 employees at IRCC. 

One of the primary takeaways was that the government take steps to make “anti-racism values” a “prerequisite for hiring and promotions.” 

“Many add that this must be backed by a willingness to remove employees who do not meet these criteria,” wrote the report’s authors. 

One survey participant complained that they were “not convinced” the government was taking anti-racism seriously because there were people who reacted negatively to training which made them “hardline racists” according to the anonymous IRCC employee. 

“There are some people who are true hardline racists. It’s the way they react, subtly protesting things,” said the anonymous IRCC worker. 

Another IRCC employee said that “some people need to be taken out” for not complying with the federal government’s anti-racism mandate. 

“Some people do need to be fired, not just, ‘Oh, let’s go train.’ If you are a problem, you are a legal liability, and some people need to be taken out,” said another IRCC employee. 

“There are people who are extremely cynical. I see it in the trainings. We need to weed those people out. If you don’t support this, don’t work at our department,” a different interviewee claimed. 

In 2021, the IRCC adopted its “Anti-Racism Strategy 2.0” to tackle the issue of so-called systemic racism within Canada’s immigration system. Some of the initiatives include race-based hiring initiatives, mandatory anti-racism training, data collection on ethnicity and other programs. 

As reported by True North last year, the program included an admission that the purpose was to “permanently embed” far-left woke ideology into Canada’s immigration system. 

Participants of the latest survey, however, wanted to see the IRCC go even further in its efforts to root our alleged racism within the department. One interviewee called on the department to create “some kind of test” to root our supposed racists from the application process. 

“The same way you have to pass a drug test to work at the RCMP, IRCC needs to have some kind of test to rule out hiring racists,” the IRCC employee said. 

Over half of Canadians believe it’s time for Trudeau to step down as Liberal leader

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The majority of Canadians believe it’s time for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take a “walk in the snow” and step down as leader of the Liberal Party, according to recent polling.

According to a recent Nanos poll, 53% of Canadians believe Trudeau should step down before the next election. 

The Nanos poll also suggested that 51% of Canadians believe Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre should step down as well. However, within the parties, support for Poilievre as leader was higher amongst Conservative voters with 71% backing the Carleton MP compared to only 42% of Liberal party voters backing Trudeau as leader in the upcoming election. 

Village Media conducted an online poll this week and found similar results. The media outlet asked their readers, regardless of their personal political alignment, whether Trudeau leading the Liberals into the next election would be good or bad for the Liberals. Over 60% of respondents answered that a new leader would give the party a better chance to succeed in the next election.

The prime minister has consistently seen negative polling numbers in recent weeks.

Numerous polls have shown the Conservative Party of Canada to be ahead of the Liberals since October of 2022, according to polls recently aggregated by 338Canada.

The polling suggests that in the next election, there is a 50% chance that the Conservatives will win a minority government and a 40% chance they may win a majority government. 

Abacus Data conducted a survey that found 54% of Canadians say they disapprove of the Trudeau government, up 2% from their previous survey at the end of July. 

Prime Minister Trudeau confirmed he plans to run again as party leader in the next election.

Deputy Prime Minister Chystia Freeland is often mentioned as a suitable replacement along with Minister of National Defence Anita Anand and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.

Poilievre doubles down after legacy media’s WEF “conspiracy” smear

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has hit back at a recent smear piece by the Canadian Press, published in outlets including CBC and CTV, accusing him of “embracing conspiracy theories” about the World Economic Forum – an annual meeting of global elites held in Davos, Switzerland each year.  

The article took issue in particular with a recent fundraising email the Conservatives sent calling on supporters to reject “the globalist Davos elites.” The article cited two academic “experts,” including Liberal donor and politics professor Ahmed Kawser as sources. 

“Trudeau’s media are desperate to stop his continued downfall. Today, CBC’s news service CP wrote a hit piece on me because I dared criticize the World Economic Forum—a group of multinational CEOs and powerful politicians that push their interests,” tweeted Poilievre in response. 

“I work for our people in this country and will bring home our democracy—without apology.”

Poilievre was joined by others including Conservative MP and former leader Andrew Scheer.

“No wonder Trudeau wants to censor all but four or five Liberals (sic) news sources: they all coordinate in attacking Poilievre with the same false headline. Collusion?” asked Scheer. 

The Canadian Press article definitively states that the idea the World Economic Forum wants to impose an agenda on governments around the world is a “debunked claim” without offering any follow-up or examples of said debunking. 

In reality, the WEF’s own explicitly stated mission is to engage the “foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.” 

WEF Founder Klaus Schwab has himself been vocal in boasting about how much sway exactly his organization has over the world’s governments. 

An infamous clip of Schwab from 2017 has the WEF creator waxing about how proud he is that his organization has “penetrated the cabinet” of Canada’s government with the likes of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“I have to say, when I mention now names (sic), like Mrs. (Angela) Merkel and even Vladimir Putin, and so on, they all have been Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum,” said Schwab.

“But what we are very proud of now is the young generation like Prime Minister (Justin) Trudeau … We penetrate the cabinet. So yesterday I was at a reception for Prime Minister Trudeau and I know that half of his cabinet, or even more than half of his cabinet, are actually Young Global Leaders.”

In fact, Schwab’s self-described influence over the Canadian government has drawn the attention of politicians in other countries including Australia, where Liberal Senator Alex Antic blasted Schwab last year for the WEF’s ideas which are “steeped in authoritarianism and Marxist ideology.” 

“It’s an ideology which is creeping into governments across the world,” said Antic before pointing to Canada.

“There’s a word for this: it’s ‘communism’. The World Economic Forum and its affiliates shamelessly promote the abolition of private property.”

As for Poilievre, his own statements about the WEF have been well publicized. To date, Poilievre has pledged to ban any members of cabinet from participating in the Davos conference. 

“My ministers in my government will be banned from participating in the World Economic Forum when I’m in government,” said Poileivre in May 2022. 

“Work for Canada. If you want to go to Davos – to that conference – make it a one-way ticket.”

Other statements by Poilievre on the WEF amount to him saying he doesn’t “agree with (the WEF’s) publicly stated policy objectives.” 

Poilievre has also pledged to prevent the introduction of “mandatory digital ID” in Canada.

Beyond key members of Trudeau’s cabinet like Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland bearing the title of WEF Young Global Leaders, the federal government has partnered with the organization on initiatives which include issues like digital identity. 

According to a written response to an Inquiry of Ministry filed by Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis, former transport minister Omar Alghabra admitted to a $105.3 million contract in partnership with the WEF to introduce digital identity for travel in Canada. 

WEF and the Government of Canada has partnered with Air Canada, the Toronto Pearson International Airport, the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport and others in what’s known as the Known Traveller Digital Identity program. 

Most Canadians opposed to woke anthem changes: poll

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

A new poll indicates most Canadians aren’t on board with changing the lyrics of O Canada from “our home and native land” to “our home on native land,” and that most prefer the “in all thy sons command” lyrics over “in all of us command.”

The polling results come after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau indicated he was open to changing O Canada lyrics amid calls to do so by woke activists.

Polling firm Research Co. asked Canadians if they agreed with the proposal to change the lyrics of the English national anthem from “our home and native land” to “our home on native land.” 44% said they disagreed, while 41% said they agreed.  

Support for changing the lyrics was higher among Canadians aged 18 to 34, with 55% being in favour. Forty-two percent of Canadians aged 35-to-54 said they supported changing the lyrics, while just 28% of those aged 55 and over said they supported the change.

Views on the lyric changes also varied among ethnic groups. Sixty-eight percent of South Asian Canadians, 64% of Indigenous Canadians and 51% of East Asian heritage Canadians said they supported the proposed lyric change. Meanwhile, just 36% of English-speaking Canadians of European descent said they supported the change.

The survey also asked Canadians if they preferred the “in all thy sons command” lyrics or the “in all of us command” lyrics introduced in 2018.

47% said they preferred the anthem with “in all thy sons command,” lyrics, while 38% said they preferred the new anthem with “in all of us command.” 15% were unsure. 

However, despite preferring the “thy sons” version, 48% of Canadians said they agreed with the modification, while just 34% said they disagreed.

Preference for “in all thy sons command” was higher among men (52%) than women (43%). Support was also higher among Conservative Party voters (67%), compared to Liberal voters (43%) and NDP voters (36%).

In January 2018, Parliament passed legislation introduced by the late Liberal MP Mauril Belanger, which changed the lyrics of O Canada from “True patriot love in all thy sons command” to “True patriot love in all of us command” – to make the national anthem gender-neutral.

That change had received support from Liberal, NDP and Green Party MPs, as well as 11 Conservatives.

The debate over changing the national anthem’s lyrics for a second time was sparked after Canadian R&B singer Jully Black sang “our home on native land” while performing the national anthem at an NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, Utah earlier this year. 

Black earned praise from woke activists as well as Mississauga mayor and Ontario Liberal Party mayoral candidate Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

Research Co. surveyed 1,572 English-speaking Canadian adults between July 20 to July 24, 2023. They say the data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Winnipeg man warns consumers of electric vehicles after disastrous family vacation

By
Quinn Patrick
-

A Winnipeg man is expressing buyer’s remorse for his purchase of an electric vehicle (EV) truck after a disastrous family vacation. 

Dalbir Bala bought a Ford- F-150 Lightning EV earlier this year for $115,000 because he wanted a vehicle that was environmentally friendly. Bala said the choice to go with an electric vehicle was “responsible citizenship these days.”

Bala incurred several major expenses shortly thereafter, including the installment of two chargers for $10,000, one at his workplace and one at his home. He also had to upgrade his home electric panel to accommodate the EV charger, which cost him another $6,000.

Shortly after Bala’s initial expenses, he got into a minor accident which required some light work on the front bumper. Bala said that it took Ford’s body shop six months to make the repairs. 

Once repaired, Bala took his family on a road trip to Chicago, about 1,400 kilometres away from his home. On the trip, Bala discovered that fast charging stations were actually costing him more than the gas prices would for the same mileage. In addition to the expense, fast charging stations can only charge EV batteries up to 90%.

The family first stopped to charge in Fargo, North Dakota, which cost $56, took two hours and charged the truck’s battery from 10% to 90%. The fresh charge brought them another 346 kilometres on their journey. 

Bala’s family then stopped in Albertville, Minnesota at a free charging station however, the charger was out of service and the phone number provided on the charging station led to no avail. They then drove to another charging station in Elk River, Minnesota, only to find it was out of service as well. 

“This sheer helplessness was mind-boggling,” Bala posted on social media. “My kids and wife were really worried and stressed at this point.”

By that point in the trip, Bala’s truck battery was only good for another 19 kilometers with no other fast charging stations nearby. 

“By now it was late afternoon. We were really stuck, hungry, and heartbroken,” said Bala. 

Their only option was to have the truck towed to a Ford dealership in Elk River where Bala rented a gas-powered truck and continued back en route to Chicago. The family stopped back into the Elk River dealership upon their return from Chicago to pick up the F-150 Lightning EV to drive back to Winnipeg.

“It was in [the] shop for 6 months. I can’t take it to my lake cabin. I cannot take it for off–grid camping. I cannot take for even a road trip,” wrote Bala. “I can only drive in city – biggest scam of modern times.”

In an interview with Fox Business, Bala said the government should do more to “provide consumers with the right information.” 

“People have to make the right choices. I want to tell everybody to read my story,” said Bala. “Do your research before even thinking about it and make a wiser choice.” 

“The actual thing they promised is not even close. Not even 50%. And once you buy it, you’re stuck with it and you have to carry huge losses to get rid of that. And nobody is there to help you.” 

Ford issued a statement in response to Bala’s story, writing, “This customer’s experience highlights the urgent need to rapidly improve access to public charging across the US and Canada. Ford’s EV-certified dealers will install public-facing DC fast chargers at their dealerships by early 2024, providing alternative charging options to those available today. Ford was also the first in the industry to gain access to over 12,000 Tesla Superchargers for Ford drivers.”

Christian ministry suing Quebec government, and convention centre after worship event cancelled over pro-life views

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

Canadian Christian organization Harvest Ministries International is suing the Quebec government, the Quebec Ministry of Tourism and the Quebec City Convention Centre after a worship event was abruptly cancelled due to the group holding pro-life views.

The lawsuit was filed by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) on behalf of the ministry at the Superior Court of Quebec. 

Harvest’s Faith, Fire, Freedom Rally was set to take place in Quebec City between June 23 and July 2, 2023, with the ministry expecting 1200 people to show up each day for large-scale prayer meetings, musical performances and presentations.

However, less than a month before the event was set to take place, the rental agreement with the convention centre was terminated. Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx ordered the convention centre’s CEO to bar the Christian group amid it holding pro-life views. 

Unlike other private event venues, the Quebec City Convention Centre is a crown corporation of the Quebec government.

Proulx told reporters she was disallowing events like Harvest’s rally because they go “against the fundamental principles of Quebec”.

“We are a pro-choice government, so we need to be consistent.”

Proulx’s comments were echoed by Quebec Premier Francois Legault, who said, “we’re not going to allow anti-abortion groups to put on big shows in public places.”

While Harvest is unapologetically pro-life, they said the event had nothing to do with abortion and that the event did not have any programs related to abortion. 

“We admit without apology that Harvest holds pro-life positions. But, contrary to what politicians and the media have said, the Rally had nothing to do with being against abortion,” said Harvest Ministries leader Pastor Art Lucier.

“It was intended to be a Christian event of reconciliation between Canada’s founding peoples,”

In the lawsuit, Harvest is claiming damages for ending their rental agreement without notice, for the unconstitutional and unjustified infringement of its Charter freedom of expression and its right to be free from religious discrimination.

They are seeking a total of $212,647; including $137,647 to cover financial losses, $25,000 in moral damages and $50,000 in punitive damages. 

The lawsuit alleges that what took place was a case of “pure arbitrariness, based on the intimate convictions of people who have been temporarily entrusted with the levers of power.”

It also calls the actions of Proulx and the convention centre “abusive,” adding that it “testifies to their malice and bad faith, and their intention to harm Harvest.”

Harvest said it was then unable to find another venue, amid 47 other establishments turning them down. This caused the group to cancel the event.

JCCF’s Director of French Canada Olivier Séguin said in a press release that “Indeed, the Minister’s actions are contrary to the rule of law. What we have here is politicians, temporarily entrusted with the levers of power, using state power arbitrarily to impose their own beliefs and worldview on citizens.”

“The reasons given by government decision-makers are so far removed from the principle of equality, and therefore from the rule of law, that they border on the irrational.”

JCCF president John Carpay added that “It is simply not acceptable that anyone should suffer discrimination at the hands of the government on account of religion or political opinion. We take governments to court to ensure that governments respect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Canadians.”

The Quebec City Convention Centre declined to comment as the matter is before the courts. Neither Proulx nor Legault’s office responded to a request for comment.  

Harvest Ministries previously made headlines for defying British Columbia’s church lockdowns, causing it to rack up thousands of dollars worth of fines.

LAWTON: Will immigration fix Canada’s housing crisis? (ft. Cosmin Dzsurdzsa)

By
Andrew Lawton
-

Last month, Canada saw a staggering loss of 45,000 construction jobs, despite the Liberal government’s claim that more immigrants would equal more housing projects. True North’s Cosmin Dzsurdzsa joined Andrew Lawton to discuss some of the factors contributing to this downturn, and the potential implications of Canada’s hefty immigration targets.

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