NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh accused a heckler of homophobia during a press conference after somebody shouted expletives during a drive-by exchange.
Videos show Singh being interrupted by a man in a truck who yelled at the NDP leader, alluding to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The audio in the video is unclear, and difficult to determine what was said exactly.
“If you’re homophobic, you know, keep it to yourself. Your homophobia is very inappropriate,” said Singh.
The man followed by calling Singh a “piece of sh*t,” to which Singh asked the man to come outside for a conversation.
“You’re driving away… I’m right here, we can have a conversation if you’d like.”
As soon as the truck drove away, Singh returned to his press conference.
Both Trudeau and Singh have been beset upon by hecklers in recent months as they struggle to make gains in the polls.
Last year, Singh fled an Ontario election event in Brampton after Sikh protesters confronted the NDP leader.
“We’ve got questions,” said one protester. “Don’t sell out!”
Singh did not respond to the hecklers and was driven away in a black SUV. According to one Twitter user, the event organizers called the police on the protesters who were there to confront Singh.
By far, Trudeau has faced the brunt of the outrage. Last month, the Prime Minister was chased out of an event in Belleville, Ontario by a crowd of angry protesters.
University of British Columbia (UBC) journalism professor Dr. Katja Thieme said she believes children should be exposed to adult genitalia to prepare them for the possibility of seeing naked transgender individuals in locker rooms.
Thieme, who uses “she/they” pronouns, made the comment in a Twitter thread criticizing American swimmer and women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines. Thieme labelled Gaines a “transphobe.”
“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,” said Thieme.
“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.”
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
The professor took aim at Gaines for standing 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.
“The first time I saw them in there, he was in a woman’s swimsuit sitting in the corner of the locker room, just sitting there. Watching,” Wheeler toldOutKick.
“The second time, I had gone in to use the restroom during practice, and he was standing there with two other adults and they were changing. He was clothed already and was just talking to them.”
16-yo girl banned from YMCA and kicked off her swim team for opposing a naked male in their locker room.
And to make matters worse, her older sister had to go through the exact same thing with Lia Thomas. But it's "not really happening"….https://t.co/3cxtf6oldS
In response to Gaines, the UBC professor claimed that incidents involving women who are uncomfortable after encountering biological males in change rooms fuel “anti-trans activism.”
1) Teenage girl on the swim team sees or claims to have seen a trans person in the nude in the women’s changeroom. Her anti-trans parent or parents kick into high gear.
2) They lean on coaches: Tell trans folk to change elsewhere. Coach says, no, we can’t, that’s discriminatory.
3) They lean on the club admin: Send a warning message to all members that trans folk are using these facilities. Admin says, hell no, that’s crazy and would be very wrong.
4) They contact Riley Gaines or other transphobes of their choice, they organize protests, events, meetings, hearings, and whatnot.
Thieme added that “at each of these points they talk loudly and incessantly of that one (or maybe several) trans woman’s genitalia. Hard to express how horrid that is.”
She also warned transgender athletes using female change rooms. “Imagine there is something about your body that, when nude, is noticeably different from your team members’ bodies” and “one day one of the white conservative girls who sees you change decides to make a public career out of having seen you naked.”
Thieme declined True North’s request for additional comment. She also made her Twitter account private.
The debate of whether transgender people, particularly trans women who have male genitalia, should be able to access women’s spaces such as changerooms, prisons or bathrooms has been very contentious.
Trans activists hold the belief that self-identification trumps biological sex.
However, polls show that the public is not on board.
According to Pew Research, a growing majority of people believe gender is something determined by one’s biological sex rather than a social construct. Meanwhile, a survey conducted by campaign group Sex Matters saw 98% of respondents say they prefer to get undressed, shower or use the bathroom in a space free of members of the opposite sex.
As for sports, a poll conducted by the Macdonald Laurier Institute found that 62% of Canadians believe it is unfair for biological males to compete in women’s sports. Similar findings were seen in the US, with an NPR/Ipsos poll finding that 63% of Americans saying they oppose biological males competing in women’s sports.
Isabelle Thomas, a mother of two has been identified as the victim of a recent homicide in Prince George, B.C.
According to CBC, she was killed following a home invasion that took place on July 18. Police have arrested one man in connection with the case although no charges have yet been announced.
The murder of Thomas was the second homicide to happen in Prince George over a 24-hour period in mid-July. Both homicides are currently under investigation as the community deals with their highest crime rate on record.
The City of Prince George has had eight confirmed homicides since January, breaking their previous record high in 2010. It also holds the provincial record for most crimes committed in any B.C. city according to a report commissioned by three leading criminologists. The report suggested that this may be partially due to high levels of RCMP burnout, affecting their ability to police properly.
In response, the Prince George City Council approved over a million in funding to hire an additional four RCMP officers as well as two civilian support staff.
“We are working diligently to identify those responsible for the recent spike in violence and have units throughout the detachment focusing their efforts on these and other supporting investigations,” said Cpl. Jenn Cooper with the Prince George RCMP.
Police say that the majority of the homicides are connected to the drug trade however the two victims in July were not engaged in criminal activity at the time of their murders.
The growing crime in Prince George follows a larger trend of violent crime rising across the country, up 5% from 2022, leading many to call for bail reform.
Thomas, who was born and raised in Prince George was identified by her family who described her as someone who “always had a smile on her face.” A mother of two daughters, one six-years-old and the other a six-month-old.
Isabelle’s mother, Leslie Thomas spoke fondly of her daughter saying that she was someone who was always outspoken and upfront. “She told you how it is, and she showed the same amount of love in return.”
Leslie said Isabelle was a loyal and outgoing friend and mother. “The girls meant the world to her,” added Leslie. “She did everything in her power to make sure they were happy, that they were taken care of.”
Both of her daughters were in the room when Isabelle died, according to her mother. “To have both of her babies with her while that thing was happening to her was just unimaginable and so maddening that they had to be put through that,” she said.
A fundraiser has been started to help send Isabelle’s eldest daughter to a child trauma therapy specialist in Vancouver. The two children are currently in the care of their immediate family.
“The babies needed their mother,” said Leslie who has added that she’s received a lot of support from the community. A memorial service was held for Isabelle last weekend and several hundred community members were in attendance.
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) gave controversial “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) consultancy KOJO Institute an $81,000 sole sourced contract, according to TDSB records.
This news comes as fallout continues over the suicide of a TDSB principal who had been allegedly bullied by KOJO Institute founder Kike Ojo-Thompson.
A 2020 TDSB agenda obtained by the Toronto Sun’s Joe Warmington shows the board gave the KOJO Institute a $81,000 contract for DEI work from July 2020 to May 2021.
Documents and minutes also show that the consultancy group was retained without a proper tender or bidding process.
One TDSB document explains that “during the pandemic, there were not many organizations who had the capacity or experience (to) commit to online training of large groups or participants.”
This is not the first case of the KOJO Institute billing thousands of dollars for its DEI services. As previously reported by True North’s Sue Ann-Levy, equity sessions from the consultancy group cost the City of Sarnia $6000.
Ojo-Thompson and her organization has been the subject of vast scrutiny following the suicide of TDSB principal Richard Bilkszto.
A lawsuit filed by Bilkszto against the TDSB alleges that he was bullied, shamed, humiliated and repeatedly labelled a “white supremacist” after he politely challenged Ojo-Thompson’s claim that Canada is far more racist than the United States. Ojo-Thompson subsequently suggested that the TDSB take action against Bilkszto for allegedly choosing not to “unlearn” his white supremacism.
The lawsuit has yet to be served, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
The lawsuit also claims that the TDSB reneged on the contract to hire him at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate when he returned from a sick leave he took following the incident. He also had other contracts revoked and failed to get other internal positions as well.
Bilkszto’s family claimed that he dealt with plaguing stress stemming from the confrontation at the training.
Ontario’s Ministry of Education has ordered a review into training for teaching staff.
In a statement, Ojo-Thompson said she welcomed the ministry’s review. She also offered her condolences to Bilkszto’s family, but denied the allegations made against her.
“The death of Richard Bilkszto is a tragedy and all of us at KOJO Institute offer our condolences to his loved ones,” said Ojo-Thompson. “KOJO Institute welcomes Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s review of this matter and will cooperate fully with Ministry officials.”
“The allegations made against me and KOJO Institute within Mr. Bilkszto’s lawsuit against the Toronto District School Board are false, and we are not a party to the lawsuit. We only learned of the mischaracterization of events detailed in the Statement of Claim filed against the Board, two years after the workshop.”
Ojo-Thompson also claimed that “this incident is being weaponized to discredit and suppress the work of everyone committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“While the coverage by right-wing media of this controversy is disappointing and led to our organization and team members receiving threats and vitriol online, we will not be deterred from our work in building a better society for everyone.”
The TDSB did not respond to a request from True North regarding the KOJO Institute’s sole sourced contract.
Last week, the TDSB announced that it has launched its own investigation into the circumstances surrounding Bilkszto’s death.
Toronto’s largest school board also said it stood by holding regular DEI training sessions for staff – claiming they’re “important.”
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland touted her green bona fides by telling Canadians she doesn’t have a car because she bikes, walks or takes the subway everywhere. Except as a cabinet minister, Freeland has a chauffeured limo, and she regularly flies back and forth between Toronto and Ottawa – often multiple times per week. Even so, she’s accused those who point this out of “misinformation.”
Also, is political polarization worse than ever? A new report from the Public Policy Forum, written by freelance journalist Justin Ling, says political polarization has been on the rise for years, but this has hastened since the onset of the pandemic. The report focuses considerably on discourse around vaccination in Canada and the Freedom Convoy, which the report finds made Canada an “exporter of anti-elite sentiment” around the world. Report author Justin Ling joins True North’s Andrew Lawton live to discuss.
New analysis shows that a majority of both total taxes and income taxes in Canada are paid by the top 20% of income-earning families.
According to a study by the Fraser Institute, high income households pay a “disproportionately large” share of Canada’s taxes when compared to other groups.
“Despite the common misperception that top earners don’t pay their ‘fair share’ of taxes, in reality these households pay a disproportionately large share of the total tax bill,” said Fraser Institute director of fiscal studies Jake Fuss.
“While the top 20 percent earn a large share of total income at 45.7%, they pay an even higher share of total taxes (53.1%).”
On the flip side, the bottom 20% of income earners in Canada pay only 2% of total taxes despite earning over 5% of total income in Canada.
“The assertion that the top 20% of earners in Canada are not paying their fair share is simply not supported by the evidence,” explained Fuss.
According to the Fraser Institute, further tax hikes will only reduce Canada’s competitiveness, especially with its biggest trading partners, the United States.
“Specifically, increasing taxes on top income earners makes Canada a less attractive place to live and to work for highly skilled people such as doctors, scientists, managers, and software engineers,” wrote analysts.
Despite this, the Liberal government has targeted high-earning Canadians with even more taxes. Early on in his first term, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the top tax rate from 29% to 33% but despite promises that it would increase tax revenues, the hike resulted in a net revenue loss.
Last year, the CD Howe Institute warned that Canada was struggling behind other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries to attract business investment into the country.
Investment in Canada is 50 cents per worker compared to every dollar invested in the United States.
“Business investment is so weak that capital per member of the labour force is falling, and the implications for incomes and competitiveness are ominous,” wrote researchers.
“Investment per available worker lower in Canada than abroad tells us that businesses see less opportunity in Canada, and prefigures weaker growth in Canadian earnings and living standards than in other OECD countries.”
A statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II is set to be erected in front of the Ontario Legislative Building in Queen’s Park, Toronto and it has upset at least one NDP MPP.
The Bronze statue will be sculpted by Ontario artist Ruth Abernethy and is expected to cost taxpayers $1.5 million. The project was initially proposed by the Royal Canadian Heritage Trust and began under former Ontario Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne almost a decade ago.
“It has been a while,” said Abernethy. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt to fundraising efforts from private donors which resulted in the statue being put in storage and Abernethy left unpaid.
Initially, the plan was to have the statue unveiled in 2017 in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary however work on the site has only begun in the last couple of weeks.
The statue is scaled at 150% of the life size of Queen Elizabeth II and she is sitting on the Canadian Senate throne. It is set to be placed on the west front lawn of the legislature and will mirror the existing statue of Queen Victoria on the east front lawn. It is expected to be unveiled by the end of this year.
Abernethy’s statute was left in limbo for several years before coming to the attention of Paul Calandra, minister of legislative affairs, which prompted him to contact the artist and other legislative officials.
“The government decided it had to step in and make it right with both artist and the foundry but, more importantly, I think we’re always in tune to honour her majesty on the grounds of the legislature,” said Calandra. “Given that there had been previous approval, we didn’t feel it necessary to relitigate this particular one.”
The legislature’s Board of Internal Economy, chaired by Speaker Ted Arnott, made the decision to finish the project.
New Democrat MPP Sol Mamkwa is taking a stance against the decision however citing that the money could be better spent on uncovering the unmarked graves of Indigenous children at residential school sites or at least paying tribute to the tragedy. “Where is the monument to that?” asked Mamakwa.
Mamakwa represents the northwestern Ontario riding of Kiiwetinoong and is a member of the Kingfisher Lake First Nation. “I don’t know that we really need to construct a statue for Queen Elizabeth.” he said.
Premier Doug Ford had previously committed $10 million towards identifying potential burial sites in Ontario residential schools two years ago however Mamakwa called the amount “a drop in the bucket.” at the time.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford announced an additional $7.1 million would go to an “Indian Residential School Community Engagement Fund” on Monday. The fund will serve as an effort to provide support for survivors and their families.
The unveiling of the Queen Elizabeth II statue comes at a time when the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald at the legislature, erected in 1894, has been vandalized numerous times in response to his role in the residential school system. In 2020, the statue was even boarded up and covered with a tarp to deter vandals.
Calandra believes that the statue of Queen Elizabeth II differs from that of MacDonald, saying “Queen Elizabeth, in my opinion, represents the start of reconciliation in this country,” said Calandra.
Mamakwa disagrees, saying that she is part of a royal establishment that has mistreated Indigenous people and failed to uphold treaty obligations.
Abernethy feels that the statue is simply a tribute to the Queen herself and doesn’t represent the entire monarchy. “I don’t dwell on the royal family. I think it’s important to note this particular one was a tribute to Queen Elizabeth.” said Abernethy. “This is not a tribute to empire…I think that is significant.”
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland boasted about not owning a car while responding to questions about the impact of rising fuel costs on Canadians but neglected to mention that she has a chauffeur service provided by the taxpayer.
Freeland made the comments while speaking with reporters in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on Friday while being pressed about the high cost of fuel prices due largely in part to the Trudeau government’s green policies.
“I am right now an MP for downtown Toronto, and a fact that still shocks my dad is that I don’t actually own a car,” said Freeland. “I’m like 300 metres from the nearest subway; I walk, I take the subway; my kids walk and ride their bikes and take the subway – it’s actually healthier for our family.”
Freeland’s message to Prince Edward Islanders worried about 61c/litre carbon tax: move to Toronto and get a bike!!!
Freeland is entitled to a taxpayer-funded car and driver service as are all cabinet ministers and public records show that she uses the service quite frequently, even while in downtown Toronto. Government travel expenses reveal that she used the service at least fifteen times between April 2021 and March 2023 to commute around cities like Toronto and Montreal which have extensive public transit services.
The expenses indicate the Department of Finance charged $748.77 between July 28 to July 30, 2021 alone for the cost of accommodation and meal expenses of Freeland’s driver in order for her to be chauffeured around her home riding in Toronto.
Freeland has even billed taxpayers to have the chauffeur service drive around without her when she travels by air from Ottawa to Montreal so that she may be met by her usual driver at the airport. She also uses the service abroad such as in Glasgow, Scotland in April 2022 while attending the COP26 climate change conference. The conference was held in Glasgow but Freeland chose to stay in Edinburgh and used the service to commute back and forth to the conference. The service was billed more than $3,000, according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
The spike in gas prices comes following a hike to the carbon tax and the newly introduced Clean Fuel Regulations. This prompted The Council for Atlantic Premiers to issue a joint statement pleading with Ottawa to scale back their policies and acknowledge the “disproportionate impacts on Atlantic Canadians.”
“I understand that there are communities in P.E.I. and across Atlantic Canada where you need to drive, so I understand that our policies need to respect that, and I really believe they do,” said Freeland on Friday.
Conservative Leader Pierre Pollievre posted an edited video of Freeland’s comments to social media with the caption, “Freeland’s message to Prince Edward Islanders worried about 61c/litre carbon tax: move to Toronto and get a bike!!!”
In response to the post, Freeland wrote, “As I said yesterday, in comments you cut out of your clip, I am both a downtown Toronto MP who rides her bike to work in the city, and a proud daughter of northern Alberta, who got her driver’s licence on the day she turned 16.”
You should push back on @hollyanndoan and every Canadian who watched you lecture them about riding a bike when they asked you about why you are tripling the carbon tax.
Your issue isn’t with me. It’s with media who writes things that tell a different story and struggling… https://t.co/PFGddHKsc9
Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman and Freeland also exchanged blows on social media following the Charlottetown press conference, with Lantsman accusing the deputy minister of lecturing Canadians.
Freeland responded to Lantsman’s allegations by accusing the CPC MP of “peddling blatant misinformation.”
Recent polls have shown a drop in Liberal support in Atlantic Canada, even in strongholds such as Fredericton, N.B., where the Conservatives are now leading by as much as seven points.
Disgruntled members of the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party have failed the first step in triggering a leadership review of Higgs – with the party president saying they did not submit enough valid letters to initiate the process.
Plus, a Milton man who was charged with second-degree murder for killing an armed home invader had the murder charge dropped on Monday.
And a Peel District School Board teacher says he and other educators were forced to attend a “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” session containing Critical Race Theory.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Andrew Lawton!
Wang Ling-hua, a police officer with the Taipei City Police Department, has caused a stir over her decision to display the Taiwan flag at the World Police and Fire Games, held in Winnipeg over the weekend.
According to Taiwan News, the controversy started after Ling-hua displayed the flag of Taiwan on the podium as the athletes collected their medals. One Taiwanese police officer took issue with the display, claiming that it went against the “Olympic model.” The Olympic model chooses to only display the Chinese Taipei banner in accordance with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This is in an effort to acknowledge Taiwan as a territory of China.
Taiwan has governed itself independently since 1949 however, the CCP has vowed to reunify the island with mainland China eventually, even using force if necessary.
Another Taiwanese police officer said he was from the National Police Agency (NPA) and told Ling-hua to take the banner down.
A video of their exchange was posted to Facebook by Huang Yuh-min, a member of the Taoyuan Fire Department. Yuh-min called Ling-hua’s tone “threatening” and said that the team could be potentially banned for the display. However, the Chinese team was not in attendance at the ceremony and many other Taiwanese athletes ran over to pose alongside Ling-hua and the flag.
Huang also stated that a number of Canadians cheered for Taiwan as the team entered the gymnasium. The team was introduced as “Chinese Taipei” by the announcer but the Canadian host of the event later referred to them as “Team Taiwan.”
The NPA made a statement in response to the incident, saying that Taiwan’s delegation has “always participated under the principle of taking into account the rights and interests of athletes and fully safeguarding national sovereignty and dignity.”
Taiwan’s medal count at the event was three golds, four silvers and one bronze thus far with Ling-hua being responsible for two of those gold medals. She won in the bikini fitness and physique events. She dawned the Taiwanese flag at the podium both times that she received her medal.
“I would like to thank all the teammates who came to cheer me on and helped to calm my nerves on the first day of competition. It truly made me feel happy and empowered. I hope to use these two gold medals to help cheer and support all my teammates and achieve even greater success.” she said, according to the NPA.
