Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has to face the music: Not everyone likes him, particularly the Indigenous.
That came out loudly and clearly in a recent Pollara survey that suggests the Conservatives have a 12-point lead amongst Indigenous voters, which some believe could be partly due to the party’s talking points on fiscal responsibility and spending.
Following that online poll, strategists say the Liberals cannot afford to “rest on their laurels” from past accomplishments.
Instead, they will need “future-oriented goals and innovative ideas” to show that they remain the party to make continued progress toward Indigenous reconciliation and self-determination, a sermon the prime minister has been preaching to lacklustre results for eight years.
But after those eight years and a growing dissatisfaction with the Liberals’ “over-promised and under-delivered” agenda, policy analyst Melissa Mbarki told the Hill Times that a good first step to addressing those shortcomings is recognizing the diversity of views among Indigenous voters and that “not everyone likes (the Liberals).”
Of the 7,001 respondents who participated in the Pollara survey in mid-June, 5,423 — or 81% — indicated they were decided voters, with 32% stating they would be voting for the Conservatives, followed by the Liberals at 30%, the NDP at 21%, the Bloc Québécois at 8%, the Green Party at 5%, and People’s Party with 3%
But the real tale of the tape is told when the survey is broken down along ethnic lines. While the Liberals lead among most non-white demographics, the Conservatives have a five-point lead over the Liberals amongst the Filipino community and a 12-point lead amongst Indigenous voters at 31% compared to the Liberals’ 19%. Even the NDP is outperforming the Liberals among Indigenous voters at 25%.
These are numbers rarely seen in polls.
Mbarki said that while it can be difficult for polling firms to acquire a large enough data set to provide a reliable representation of those communities’ voting intentions, she wasn’t surprised by the Liberals’ comparatively weak polling.
While Mbarki said she would have preferred a larger, more in-depth survey of Indigenous voters with a breakdown by region as well as First Nations, Inuit, and Métis identity, she said the numbers fall in line with the sense of disappointment those voters have with the Trudeau Liberals’ shortcomings and the increasing tenor of the Conservative Party’s messaging on issues like economic development and resource management.
“There are talking points within the Conservative Party that many of us can relate to, especially when it comes to fiscal responsibility and spending,” Mbarki told the Hill Times, adding that Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s messaging on the cost of living particularly resonates with those communities dealing with issues of poverty and lack of housing.
“That’s messaging that we can relate to so we’re going to start looking to see what this party can do for us,” Mbarki explained. “I think Indigenous politics are shifting in a really big way, and we’re going to gravitate to the party that is supporting our economic development.”
“There’s so much more work to be done and a lot more they (Liberals) can do,” Mbarki said. “That’s the disconnect; (the Liberals) talk about reconciliation, but they don’t actually follow through on their words.”
Beyond simply acknowledging where they have fallen short or made missteps, Mbarki also said that, as with the booing crowd at the North American Indigenous Games, the Liberals will need to just accept the fact that “not everyone likes them.”
A former NDP candidate throws his support behind Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and accuses Jagmeet Singh of being a “lapdog” for Justin Trudeau.
Plus, Justin Trudeau’s new heritage minister pledges to continue the government’s fight against big tech.
And Canada reports the highest police-reported crime rate since 2007.
The gall of Toronto District School Board (TDSB) education director Colleen Russell-Rawlins is beyond belief.
On Thursday, she issued a statement – jointly signed by two of her anti-oppression lieutenants Audley Salmon and Louse Sirisko – announcing an investigation into the tragic death of former TDSB principal Richard Bilkszto.
The board has retained the King International Advisory Group, which judging from its website is suitably woke and given the length of the investigation predicted in the statement, may cost the board a pretty penny.
“We want to better understand the facts involved and that is why the TDSB has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Richard’s passing,” Russell-Rawlins writes.
“Our intention is for this investigation to be conducted in a professional, sensitive and respectful manner.”
Bilkszto took his own life two weeks ago. His family claims he was under immense stress after being humiliated by a race “expert” the board hired to preach anti-black racism dogma, left hung to dry by his peers and cancelled by his TDSB superiors.
Needless to say the director’s words are not just grossly ironic but highly patronizing considering according to his claim and a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) report, Bilkszto wasn’t treated with the slightest ounce of respect during or after two anti-racism sessions on April 26 and May 3 of 2021.
Russell-Rawlins goes on to say that “effective learning (during equity training sessions) takes place in a supportive environment that fosters honest dialogue and is based on respect and learning.”
Again if we are to believe the Bilkszto’s $750,000 lawsuit against the board, filed in April of this year, he was bullied and harassed continuously during the two sessions in question.
So there you have it.
A board source, who fears for his job, said they feel this investigation will be a whitewash. The source says the TDSB has used this company before and “holds the power and writes the narrative” – using taxpayer dollars to cover their butts.
The source referred to the climate of fear within the board due to Russell-Rawlins’ “scorched earth policy.”
I’ve covered enough school board shenanigans to recognize that the education director’s decision to undertake an investigation (and spend oodles of taxpayer money) is akin to the fox guarding the henhouse.
Unless King International Advisory Group is prepared to investigate Russell-Rawlins and the previous equity hires for their alleged abuse of poor Bilkszto, no real good will come out of it.
Let’s start with the contractor in question – Kike Ojo-Thompson.
It appears she and Russell-Rawlins, both activists, have been in similar professional circles for years.
When Russell-Rawlins was made interim director of the Peel District School Board, Ojo-Thompson was brought in to conduct anti-racism training with the board leadership.
The KOJO Institute quickly became a contractor of choice when Russell-Rawlins became director of the TDSB in August of 2021.
Sources say the contracts with Ojo-Thompson were always sole-sourced.
According to Biklzsto’s statement of claim, when he was bullied and harassed by Ojo-Thompson, a series of superintendents were among the 200 on the Zoom training. Not one said anything.
Not one person said a word when the contractor continued to harass him at a second session – suggesting that the TDSB take action against Bilkszto for allegedly choosing not to “unlearn” his white supremacism.
Even though a WSIB adjudicator ruled in the spring of 2021 that the speaker’s conduct was “abusive, egregious and vexatious,” the TDSB chose to take Ojo-Thompson’s advice.
The equity hires under the education director’s leadership doubled down and canceled many of his short-term contracts.
They reneged on a contract to hire the once sought after principal at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate when he returned from the sick leave mandated by the WSIB.
He had other contracts revoked by Russell-Rawlins’ acolytes and failed to get internal positions as well, the claim alleges.
Progressives like to say when they’re talking about the uptick in violence that they need to get to the root of the problem.
In my mind, the root of the problem is the toxic atmosphere and climate of fear created by the activists who head up the board, starting at the very top.
Bilkszto deserves a proper independent review of how he was treated.
A new report from TD reveals that Canada is trailing behind its peers in terms of standard of living, despite recent economic growth. Former Statistics Canada chief economic analyst Philip Cross joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to break down the data and explain why economic growth doesn’t always translate into improved quality of life.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a major shuffle of his Cabinet, which saw a handful of ministers get the boot and others reassigned. One portfolio, however, had many Canadians scratching their heads as to what exactly its responsibilities were.
Trudeau named Terry Beech as Canada’s first Minister of Citizens Affairs, though not even Beech himself was sure what his responsibilities will be as a member of Cabinet.
After being sworn in, Beech told reporters that his ministry will be responsible for delivering social services across the country, but could not give any further details.
“This is really where the rubber hits the road in providing services to citizens right across the country,” said Beech.
“I met my deputy minister about five minutes ago. She handed me a piece of paper with a whole bunch of bullet points on it. But I’m less than an hour in so I’m gonna get fully briefed and to provide you much more fulsome answers from her on out.”
Beech told reporters that his ministry will oversee some elements of Employment and Social Development Canada and “a bit of digital governance.”
In the next few weeks, Trudeau will deliver his cabinet ministers’ mandate letters – public orders given to the ministers outlining their responsibilities and objectives going forward – which will outline Beech’s duties in further detail.
The Trudeau government has been criticized for creating positions in Cabinet that have flashy names with little practical utility in operating the affairs of the government. Trudeau had appointed Mona Fortier as his Minister of Middle Class Prosperity to much scrutiny.
The decision to create a citizens affairs minister comes as the Trudeau government has had a difficult time delivering services to Canadians in a timely and effective manner, including the growing immigration backlog, passport service and the disordered state of many of Canada’s airports.
Unions going on strike against the government has become a common occurrence as well, as Canada’s largest public service union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, had gone on strike this past year and B.C.’s port workers following suit in July.
CBC recently took aim at a Christian advocacy group, claiming they advocate for an “unsafe” world for “marginalized groups.” 4 My Canada founder Faytene Grasseschi joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to respond to these claims and explain the true intentions and goals of the organization, whose core mission revolves around advocating for various issues from a Christian perspective.
British Columbia’s public utilities company Fortis BC is warning Metro Vancouver that if it caves to demands from climate activists to accelerate its transition away from natural gas, taxpayers would be left with increasingly unaffordable energy.
According to Postmedia, a letter from Fortis vice-president Doug Slater warned Metro chairman George Harvie that banning natural gas from new buildings and adopting fully electric options would hamper consumer choice.
“Affordability can be a drag on climate objectives,” said Slater.
He called on the government to make decisions “for a diversified approach to our energy systems.”
According to Slater, such a ban would lead to decreased affordability for energy and create additional pressure on the jurisdiction’s electrical grid.
One potential solution to reducing emissions could be to buy renewable natural gas from outside of the province. Slater cited a BC Utilities Commission report that found such a route would lead to “significant emissions reductions and help support a more affordable transition to renewable and low-carbon fuels.”
Slater called on the municipality to also study the impact climate transitions would have on consumers.
Other municipalities in the province have made the drastic decision to ban natural gas from new housing.
Last year, the province’s capital, Victoria, banned the construction of homes that rely on fossil fuels for heating.
During consultations, developers and builders argued that the kind of equipment needed to fully move away from gas heating in buildings was not readily available and the city did not have enough access to electricity to justify the ban.
Victoria councilors have also called for the city to ban gas ovens in rezoned developments.
The search in a Winnipeg landfill for the remains of two missing indigenous women, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, presumed to have been tragically murdered by a serial killer, Jeremy Skibicki, a 35-year-old white man also charged with killing two other aboriginal women, is a mission with no clear start beginning or end.
The lack of a clear beginning except for the charges of first-degree murder against Skibicki on December 1, 2022, is the relative absence of attention paid to the cause of these women’s demise, including the most immediate one, their reputed murder by the hands of a man whose conviction could well be jeopardized by a three-year search for their remains.
Neither are the historical facts leading up to the murder of these women ever mentioned in the established indigenous narrative consumed by giving emotional closure to the families and communities of these women.
As important as psychological closure may be in murder cases, the details of Morgan Harris’ life dispute its overriding motive for this particular search. According to her daughter Cambria, a strident activist leading the demand for the excavation of the Prairie Trail landfill where her mother’s remains are believed to be buried, she was removed from Morgan’s care at the age of six.
“I probably didn’t see her for a few years after that,” she has claimed.
Cambria, who was part of the child welfare system until she was 17, said she watched her mother struggle with addiction, mental health issues and homelessness after she lost custody of her children.
“She was in and out of treatment centres and homeless centres repeatedly trying to get help, and she spent her life on the streets fighting to survive, and she lived in fear.”
Yet her family or community members may never have vigorously attempted to bring her home.
Yes, Harris’ death at such a young age — she was only 39 — is a tragic event, but to remove her human agency by blaming society for her problems only serves to infantilize indigenous women. It also exempts Cambria and the families of other indigenous victims from doing more to ensure their safety.
The case of Marcedes Myran, aged 24, one of Skibicki’s other alleged victims, is particularly instructive of the troubled nature of many indigenous families. Her mother waited seven long months before finally reporting her as missing to the police in late September 2022.
This suggests that shame and guilt may also be driving the grief, anguish, and zeal to find the remains of these women.
Also never mentioned is that indigenous people rarely visit or carefully maintain their community cemeteries, suggesting that finding and memorializing the remains of these women is only part of this story.
Another ignored part is that such a search for human remains should be both headed and conducted by impartial, highly trained forensic police officers. But that’s not happening.
Instead, the most important features of the investigation are now controlled by a collection of self-serving individuals with no background in forensic science following the decision by two separate and independent law enforcement bodies – the Winnipeg Police Service (WPS) and the RCMP – that such a search was not feasible.
This occurred because of the intense lobbying by the families of the two women actively supported by many indigenous leaders, organizations, activists, and the mainstream media.
In short, what should be a police investigation has been transformed into an indigenous-led political movement.
Winnipeg police say Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, Rebecca Contois and a fourth unidentified woman the community has named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman, were all the victims of an alleged serial killer. Jeremy Skibicki, 35, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder. (Submitted by Cambria Harris, Donna Bartlett and Darryl Contois)
Lobbying for the search began after a December 6, 2022 statement by Winnipeg Police Service Chief Danny Smythstating that his forensic experts had made the “very difficult decision” not to search the Prairie Green garbage dump because it wasn’t feasible to do so given the passage of time since the remains were placed there, the large volume of material deposited after their placement, and serious physical dangers associated with excavating the site.
But the danger of searching for and near impossibility of finding the remains of these tragically murdered women, seemingly more cherished in death than they were in life by all and sundry, did nothing to prevent this heartbreaking misfortune from going into overdrive after.
Marc Miller, the former Minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, allocated $500,000 to the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) in February 8, 2023, “to examine the feasibility of a search” for the two women’s bodies.
The AMC quickly appointed a feasibility study committee, its nine-member oversight sub-committee composed solely of indigenous people, including representatives of the two affected families.
How can that be possible?
In the interests of elementary scientific objectivity, accountability, and transparency, the long secret feasibility study should have been led by disinterested parties. Instead, a decision to search with no guarantee of success was predetermined by biased parties.
Along with the potential dangers to workers conducting the search – the most often repeated provincial government concern – and the lack of certainty any remains would be found, this led Premier Heather Stefanson to announce on July 5 that her government would not fund or otherwise support a search of the landfill because the province “cannot knowingly risk Manitoba workers’ health and safety for a search without a guarantee.“
On July 12, Miller called the Manitoba government’s decision “heartless” and callous and that it had damaged, if not destroyed, the federal government’s ability to help with the search.
“The federal government’s willing to help. We’re willing to play a role, a very important role in this. But the government can’t nationalize a garbage dump or the waste-disposal system for the City of Winnipeg,” he said.
The next day, Miller added the federal government could not step in unless the province gave its jurisdictional permission.
None of these statements has any credibility given that the federal government would only serve as paymaster for a search that would be micromanaged by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, just as the search for thousands of reputedly missing Indian Residential School students believed to be buried in unmarked graves across the country has been controlled by local indigenous bands.
Waste Connections of Canada, owner of the Prairie Trail facility, has fully cooperated with provincial authorities by, among other things, immediately closing off the section of the landfill where the women’s remains are believed to be buried. As for the province of Manitoba, Stefanson has declared the province would not prevent the federal government from ordering a search as long as worker safety was assured.
Worker safety, though critical, is still something of a smokescreen. On July 21, Stefanson told Global News Winnipeg that the “difficult” choice not to participate in the search was made out of potential safety concerns for the workers who would be searching the Prairie Green landfill. But in a statement the day before, the union representing landfill workers said there’s no reason the search can’t be done if proper precautions are taken. Clearly, Stefanson continues to highlight the risks because this serves to counter the “heartless” accusation.
Federal officials have undoubtedly dissected the landfill feasibility study in the same way as provincial officials and now seem desperately looking for an exit strategy out of a hopeless search based on a feasibility study that doesn’t pass the smell test, hence the shift of all blame for not searching to the province, a more deceitful effort than Stefanson’s preoccupation with safety issues.
At the end of the day, what is left is a search rooted in bias and indigenous racial privilege, resulting in contrived feasibility, aversion to accountability, and rejection of transparency.
Artist Raven Davis created decals that appear on trash cans across Winnipeg in the hopes of helping people understand why the remains of two murdered women should be recovered. (Travis Golby/CBC)
Add to this mix nasty political considerations, a negation of possible excavation risks, a drawn-out search possibly compromising the conviction of Skibicki, and the absence of human remains as the only likely outcome, says this is a search without a cause except one: the search itself.
This helps explain why Jacqueline Romanow, a Métis associate professor in the University of Winnipeg’s indigenous studies department, just said, “This [search] is the issue of our times right now.”
That the search itself rather than the desire to find the remains of these women is now the focus also saw more than two dozen indigenous motorcyclists roared down the highway from Saskatchewan to Manitoba on the morning of July 26 to lend their voices to the growing call from across the country to search the landfill. Many more local and national protestors are bound the join them in what is destined to be a long and possibly violent summer of protest in Winnipeg.
Hymie Rubenstein is a retired professor of anthropology, The University of Manitoba, and editor of The REAL Indigenous Issues Newsletter.
A new study by the Fraser Institute has found that the average Canadian family of four will pay almost $17,000 this year for public healthcare insurance.
The study, released on Thursday, calculated the cost of healthcare for families based on their income and tax rates.
The study found that a family of two parents and two children with an average income of $169,296 will pay $16,950 for public health care insurance in 2023.
A couple without children will pay $16,162, while a single person will pay $5,622. A single parent with one child will pay $6,294.
The study also compared the cost of healthcare with other expenses and income over time. It found that since 1997, the cost of public health care insurance for the average Canadian family has increased by 223%, much faster than the cost of clothing (53%), food (100%), shelter (125%), and income (131%).
Fraser Institute researchers argue that Canadians are oblivious to the true costs of universal healthcare.
They suggest that Canadians should have more information about how much they pay for healthcare and how it is delivered.
“Canadians pay a substantial amount of money for health care through a variety of taxes—even if we don’t pay directly for medical services,” said Bacchus Barua, director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the study.
“Understanding how much Canadians actually pay for health care, and how much that amount has increased over time, is an important first step for taxpayers to assess the value and performance of the health-care system, and whether it’s financially sustainable.”
Provinces throughout Canada are struggling as Canadians face longer wait times in emergency rooms and for life-saving procedures.
Attitudes have shifted in recent years with more Canadians advocating for private healthcare options for certain procedures.
According to a poll from last year, 72% of Canadians supported introducing private clinic options or reimbursements for work done abroad into public coverage.
Justin Trudeau recently unveiled his new cabinet, and despite the extensive reshuffling, he still remains the central figure in Ottawa. Macdonald-Laurier Institute domestic policy director Aaron Wudrick joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the motivations behind the shuffle and whether it will translate into tangible results for Canadians.
