Days after asking for privacy for his family following his separation from Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Justin Trudeau posted a pink-clad photo of him and his son at a Barbie screening, with the captain that they are “Team Barbie.” Is this Trudeau letting his inner Barbie shine or an elaborate trolling to invite criticism from the right? True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in on this, as well as the Conservatives’ new ad promoting Pierre Poilievre as a family man.
Also, the same news publishers who demanded compensation from Facebook for “stealing” their content have now filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau over Facebook’s decision to block news content.
Plus, former finance minister Joe Oliver joins the show to discuss the “climate catastrophism” dominating the political and media discourse about the environment and energy sector.
A professor and student suing the University of Lethbridge (UofL) over its decision to cancel a talk on “how wokism threatens academic freedom” hope their legal action will set a pro-free speech precedent in Canadian academia.
As previously reported by True North, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom (JCCF) announced last week that court action had been filed against the UofL after they cancelled a speaking event featuring Mount Royal University professor Frances Widdowson last February. Widdowson was deemed controversial due to her views on residential schools.
The university had initially approved Widdowson’s anti-woke talk, but backtracked amid two petitions, UofL’s Department of Indigenous Studies and numerous faculty members calling for its cancellation.
Widdowson opted to instead give her Feb. 1 talk in the UofL Atrium, but was met with a large group of left-wing protesters, who interfered with her ability to give the talk. She then tried to move to an adjacent area, but amid continuing to be drowned out by shouting, drumming, and chanting, she had to move the talk to Zoom.
True North spoke with two of the lawsuit’s three plaintiffs, Professor Widdowson and UofL neuroscience student Jonah Pickle.
Widdowson had said that instead of “encouraging faculty and students to engage with my ideas in order to reach a better understanding of totalitarian identity politics’ impact on the academy,” UofL “created an ‘unsafe space’ for critical thinking and open inquiry.”
Pickle, who was planning to attend the talk before it got cancelled, told True North he found the university’s decision to shut down the event for everyone to be arrogant.
“I didn’t like that from the administration. It seemed to announce that ‘we know what the truth is. and that there’s no need to debate the issue anymore.’ And to me, that’s not a function of science.”
The lawsuit’s applicants are seeking a declaration that the UofL breached their freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, and freedom of peaceful assembly guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedom.
The court action also seeks an injunction requiring the university to allow the talk to take place on campus.
Widdowson told True North a ruling in her favour would be precedent setting because it would mean Charter rights would apply to academia. The Charter applies to governments, but not to private individuals, businesses, or other organizations.
“There’s a lot of controversy across the country as to whether the charter applies to universities or not, and there’s been resistance… by faculty associations and professors, and perhaps administrators because… you don’t really want to have the government interfering in what it is that professors should be really controlling,” explained Widdowson.
She, however, added that right now “universities are just massively failing in terms of the ability for them to meet their obligations of being academic institutions, which really require the open and honest discussion of ideas.”
As for Pickle, he does not want to “see this kind of thing happen on university campuses in the future.”
“I think that if a professor invites a guest to the school, and the professor deems that what they have is of an academic value, then any student who’s interested should be entitled to go and listen.”
Widdowson also told True North, “people need to realize that freedom of expression is not some kind of right-wing idea… (but) a fundamental aspect of our modern society that is based upon enlightenment values, the idea that as an individual you should be able to decide for yourself as to whether this idea has merit or not.”
She added that free speech “is now under serious threat [and] if this continues, we are heading down a path which is unbelievably dangerous. We will not have the kinds of abilities to enter into these kinds of discussions that we used to take for granted not that long ago.”
Back in 2019, Alberta’s UCP government mandated Alberta colleges and universities to adopt University of Chicago free speech principles, which aims to allow speakers to share their views on campuses no matter how “unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive” they may be.
In response to the Widdowson incident in February, the UCP announced new measures mandating post-secondary institutions to provide annual free speech reporting.
However, both Widdoswson and Pickle say these measures do not go far enough, and that the event was cancelled despite UofL having a free speech policy.
Widdowson, a tenured professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University, was fired in late 2021 with MRU president Tim Rahilly accusing her of contributing to a “toxic workplace environment,” thereby “negatively impacting the mission and reputation of the University.”
Her firing came amid her challenging prevailing Indigenous narratives and policies and criticizing Indigenization initiatives.
Widdowson has argued that Indigenous policy development over the past thirty-plus years has been manipulated by elite non-aboriginal lawyers and consultants. She has also published many pieces critiquing university indigenization initiatives, land acknowledgments, and the narrative that the unmarked graves and soil disturbances uncovered this past spring are indicative of “genocide.”
Widdowson told True North her employment process with MRU is still ongoing.
UofL told True North that it would not provide a comment as this is a legal matter.
American swimmer and women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines slammed University of British Columbia (UBC) journalism professor Dr. Katja Thieme after she said children should be exposed to adult genitalia to prepare them for the possibility of seeing naked transgender people in locker rooms.
As previously reported by True North, Thieme, who uses “she/they” pronouns, wrote on Twitter, “Hey, want to know one of my all time excellent parenting ideas? Let. Little. Children. See. Penises. And. Vulvas. Of. Various. Ages. And. Sizes. In. A. Casual. Normalized. Totally. Safe. Way. The world will thank you for it. And so will those children when they grow up.”
Here is UBC journalism professor Dr. Katja Thieme saying children should be exposed to adult genitalia to prepare them for seeing naked transgender individuals in locker rooms. #campuswatchpic.twitter.com/zrXVCVU4TO
“Just imagine if the Riley Gaines of this society could totally keep their cool at the sight of a trans dick. And just imagine if Riley Gaines’ parents were like, yeah, that happens, it’s okay, now let’s talk about your upcoming training schedule.”
In response to Thieme, Gaines wrote “You. Are. Deranged. And. Should. Be. In. Prison.” She added, “If you need a guest lecturer for (your) course, let me know. In the meantime, someone should check her search history.”
If you're not inclined to click on the article, my tweet is in response to this tweet from Theime:
'Let. Little. Children. See. Penises. And. Vulvas. Of. Various. Ages. And. Sizes. In. A. Casual. Normalized. Totally. Safe. Way.'
The UBC professor made the controversial comments in a X (formerly Twitter) thread criticizing Gaines after she stood with 16-year-old Illinois swimmer Abigail Wheeler, who was accused of “hate speech” after she protested the presence of a biological male in the women’s locker room at her local YMCA.
Thieme claimed that incidents involving women who are uncomfortable after encountering biological males in change rooms fuel “anti-trans activism.”
Thieme also warned transgender athletes using female change rooms that “one day one of the white conservative girls” will decide “to make a public career out of having seen you naked.”
In addition to being condemned by Gaines, Thieme’s comments received international news coverage and criticism.
Prime time Fox News host Greg Gutfeld discussed Thieme’s comments in a segment with Fox News Channel anchor Shannon Bream, Professional wrestler George Murdoch (commonly known as Tyrus), columnist Kat Timpf and Celebrity Chef Andrew Gruel.
Primetime TV show host @greggutfeld & his guests discuss the case of UBC prof Dr. Katja Thieme, who said little children should be exposed to adult genitalia to prepare them for the possibility of seeing naked transgender individuals in locker rooms. (Source Fox News). pic.twitter.com/nrhWN99ImS
“She’s advocating indecent exposure to children,” said Gutfeld. “She is pro-pervert and if you’re against it, you are the problem.”
Bream called Thieme’s comments as “full on evil,” adding “I think as much as you can talk about adults and cultural issues and changes and all that kind of stuff… is there anyone in this room who does not agree that (exposing children to adult genitalia) is a crime?”
Murdoch said he found the professor’s proposition to be disgusting, while Timpf asked what child would thank their parents for exposing them to penises.
Gruel meanwhile noted that “the proposal doesn’t surprise me” amid it being “emblematic of higher education, because what’s gonna happen is this proposal is gonna get celebrated and then they’re gonna over intellectualize it.”
“Then people start to actually get sucked into this vacuum of insanity. And that’s a problem.”
True North reached out to Thieme for comment, but she did not respond in time for publication.
Nearly two months after the federal government claimed it would “review” Canada’s membership in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AAIB), the former top official who blew the whistle on the Chinese Communist Party’s influence over the bank’s leadership is wondering why Ottawa is dragging their feet on exiting the organization.
According to the AIIB’s former director general of communications Bob Pickard, Canada would not join the bank today due to the internal influence of pro-Beijing regime actors.
“To me, the test of our membership is this: in light of China’s political interference, attacks on our country’s interests, and thuggish aggression against our citizens, would Canada now join the AIIB if it were being founded today? Not a chance!” Pickard told the Globe and Mail.
In June, Pickard announced his resignation from the organization citing a parallel decision making structure he attributed to the Chinese government. Soon after Pickard’s departure, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Canada would pause its operations with the bank until a review was conducted.
“It was a shadow reporting structure. Senior people warned me when I joined the bank, ‘Watch out for each of the party members. Be careful what you say around them. And don’t mess with them because they’ve got more power than other people do with the bank.’,” said Pickard.
“To do business here and play politics inside of this bank, I would have to deal with party people and get them to consent to what it is I was trying to achieve. None of which involves the necessity of executive committee approval, or getting a board approval.”
In response to Pickard’s accusations, the AIIB has said that an internal review found the claims baseless and that things were running as intended.
According to Pickard, the bank and its proponents have resorted to disparaging his character by accusing him of having management shortcomings.
“The bank sees the destruction of my reputation as the easiest way to try and protect theirs,” said Pickard.
“It is important to note that I left on my own steam and was not pushed out.” He added that he more than doubled the bank’s media coverage, and that there were no communications staff departures during his time there.”
In an interview with True North, senior Munk fellow of economics at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute Philip Cross said the Canadian government was naive to believe the AIIB to be anything other than a tool for the Beijing regime.
“Do I think that Canada’s withdrawal is going to have much of an impact? No, I don’t think I don’t think Canada got many contracts. I’d never heard of Canada benefiting. Canada was always a minor part of this. We should have been aware of that right from the start,” said Cross.
Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson is threatening to pull billions in federal funding from provinces that refuse to comply with the Liberal government’s pledge to have a “non-emitting” electricity grid across the country by 2035.
Wilkinson’s remarks are the latest in a series of threats from federal officials concerning the incoming Clean Electricity Standard – which provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan have labelled as unrealistic and an infringement on provincial sovereignty.
According to Wilkinson, his government is considering barring non-compliant provinces from a 15% investment tax credit and a $3 billion fund for renewable energy.
“We certainly are considering that,” Wilkinson told the Canadian Press.
“But there is obviously consultation that’s going on with respect to the investment tax credits. We want to hear from people. We also want to think about if we’re going to put those kinds of constraints or strings on those things, how we best do that.”
Canadians can expect an early draft of the regulations to be released by Wilkinson’s office early this month.
Critics of the policy say that the federal government is overreaching when it comes to power regulation, which is traditionally left up to the provinces and that completely cutting out coal or gas power is not possible for provinces that lack other options.
“I’m not going to answer hypotheticals with respect to this. But it’s our interpretation that these decisions on how you produce power, most certainly are in the realm of provincial jurisdiction,” said Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe in May.
A recent report by the federal Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) found that as a result of the incoming regulations, Canadian families could pay up to $1,008 extra due to the regulations.
“I can understand that people are not happy when we underline that government action will have repercussions, and in this case, costs, but I stand by the analysis we provided,” said PBO Yves Giroux.
Wilkinson’s recent comments are not the first time that prominent cabinet members have threatened provinces with repercussions for not towing the Liberal government’s line on climate change.
In May, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said that premiers who refused to comply could potentially face violations under the Criminal Code.
“We’ve regulated the ban on coal through (Canadian Environmental Protection Act), which is a criminal tool that the federal government has,” said Guilbeault.
“So not complying with this regulation would be a violation of Canada’s Criminal Code.”
Political pundit Piers Morgan took to social media to express his disappointment in Prime Minister Trudeau on Sunday following Trudeau’s post about watching the blockbuster film, Barbie.
Morgan responded to Trudeau’s post, which featured a photo of himself and his son dawning pink clothing for their attendance of the film. The caption with the photo read, “We’re team Barbie.” The line is a reference to the online “Barnenheimer” debate about which movie is better between Barbie or Oppenheimer; the two films were simultaneously released in theatres this past month.
Morgan’s post sparked a back and forth from both Trudeau’s supporters and critics.
Liberal MP Catherine McKenna, a former cabinet minister retorted by writing, “I can’t tell you how glad we are too!”
NDP MP Charlie Angus came out in defense of the Prime Minister as well, writing, “I never thought I would agree with this toxic windbag on a single issue but here, I stand with Piers. Stay the hell out of Canada mate.”
Not everyone thought the post to be so heartwarming, outspoken critics of Trudeau like Jordan Peterson wrote, “It’s hard to believe (sic) That he’s real (sic) But it’s true Canada.”
How did Canada lose construction jobs during peak season? The latest Stats Can economic update paints a grim picture when it comes to unemployment in Canada.
Plus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Chief of Staff Katie Telford gets fact-checked by X – formerly Twitter – after tweeting about Conservative MPs.
And a prominent voice among Muslims opposing gender ideology in schools gets subjected to online abuse by progressives.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Andrew Lawton!
Earlier this week, Justin Trudeau claimed that housing doesn’t fall under the purview of the federal government, essentially absolving himself of the matter. The statement comes after years of campaigning on the issue, and promises to fix Canada’s housing system. Conservative MP and housing critic Scott Aitchison joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss some of the factors driving the housing crisis, and whether or not it should be considered a federal responsibility.
Business insolvencies in Canada are hitting an all time high, according to the federal Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy.
Data from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy reveals within the last quarter, which ended on June 30, a total of 1,090 commercial bankruptcies were filed, making it the highest on record since 2014.
The latest data suggests that bankruptcies are linked to high inflation and raised interest rates. The total is up 37% from this time last year, which is a drastic change in the trend considering for the last decade, insolvencies have been going down, hitting their lowest point in 2021.
During the pandemic, the federal government offered support programs to businesses and interest rates were quite low, however things began to turn around in 2022 and 2023.
Hotels and restaurants were among the businesses hit the hardest as a result of lockdowns. Construction was another leading industry when it comes to insolvencies, making up about 15% of the total and that number continues to grow.
The rising cost of materials is a burden most often carried by smaller construction companies, according to Dave Wilkes, president of the Building Industry and Land Development Association. While the cost to build a residential building has gone up by 65% since 2020, demand from buyers is going down due to spiking interest rates. These factors are adding even more pressure on the industry to meet the government’s housing targets over the next ten years.
“This period of softness is only going to put us further behind on achieving those goals,” said Wilkes.
A survey conducted by Patrick Gill, who works as the senior director of operations and partnerships at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab, contacted 15,401 businesses between April and May to understand the cause of this increase.
The survey revealed that 56% of businesses cited inflation as the biggest bankruptcy culprit of the second quarter. Input costs, high interest rates and debt were also to blame. “We’re catching up after COVID,” said Gill.
Communications giant Telus has committed itself to shedding 6,000 jobs while inflation in Canada persists, making products more expensive than ever.
The inflation rate in Canada fell to 2.8% in June of 2023, the lowest since March of 2021 from 3.4% in the previous month and below market expectations of 3%, as gasoline prices declined further.
The Bank of Canada is wanting 2%.
Transportation costs fell by 3.4%, extending the 2.4% decline in the previous month amid a 21.6% slide in the price of gasoline. On the other hand, food inflation remained steady at 8.3%, lifted by a 9.1% increase in the cost of groceries.
Also, soaring interest rates from the Bank of Canada (BoC) pinned the increase in mortgage interest costs (30.1%) and lifted shelter inflation to 4.8%. The core trimmed-mean rate, which is closely watched by the BoC, fell less than expected to 3.7%.
On a monthly basis, the headline CPI edged 0.1% higher.
As for Telus, financial markets data firm Refinitiv says Telus had 108,500 workers at the end of last year.
The cuts were made with “a very heavy heart” and prompted by the “evolving regulatory, competitive and macroeconomic environment,” said Darren Entwistle, the company’s president and chief executive.
“Against the backdrop of rapid transformation in our industry and the ways in which our customers want to engage with us, today we are announcing a significant investment in an extensive efficiency and effectiveness initiative across Telus,” he said in a news release.
He added that Telus is also offering early retirement and voluntary departure packages, but also establishes the company’s need to free up cash flow and remain competitive.
The cuts involve 4,000 positions at its main Telus business and 2,000 at Telus International and include offers of early retirement and voluntary exits.
Donna Hokiro, president of United Steelworkers Local 1944 in Edmonton, said in an interview that unionized workers have had enough.
“Why do these companies do it? Because they can. We don’t have strong enough government regulations against it,” she said.
“We have repeatedly lobbied and we will continue to do so, that companies like Telus and others should not be given lucrative government contracts when there are no strings attached.”
Canadians can expect the quality of service they receive from Telus to drop as a result of the job losses, according to Hokiro, the union leader.
“With the cuts you see, with the clerical cuts … darn tootin’ you’re going to notice a difference.”
The restructuring will cost Telus $475 million in 2023 and lead to annual savings of more than $325 million, the company said.
Its plans to reduce its workforce were announced at the same time as the company revealed its second-quarter net income fell almost 61% from the same period last year to $196 million.
The company’s net income amounted to 14 cents per share for the quarter ending June 30 compared with 34 cents per share in the same quarter a year earlier.
