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Sunday, September 28, 2025

Liberal Mississauga Mayor criticized for wanting to change O Canada lyrics

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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An Indigenous policy expert is accusing Mississauga mayor and potential Ontario Liberal Party leadership candidate Bonnie Crombie of jumping “on social media trends,” after Crombie proposed a motion to change the lyrics of Canada’s national anthem.

Crombie’s Motion to city council proposes to change the lyrics of Canada’s national anthem from “our home and native land” to “our home on native land.” If passed, it would have Mississauga send a letter requesting the federal government change the lyrics of O Canada.

The motion says, “the new wording represents a truth which is critical to the understanding of present-day Canada and that such a change is consistent with the federal government’s commitment to Reconciliation.”

When asked about Crombie’s effort to change the national anthem, MacDonald-Laurier Institute Indigenous Policy Analyst and Outreach Coordinator Melissa Mbarki told True North the latter “may bring you some popularity [but] does nothing to improve the lives of Indigenous people.”

“I want non-Indigenous leaders to start dialogue on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with local Indigenous leaders and stop jumping on social media trends because it seems like the cool thing to do,” she said. “We have serious issues happening in our communities like poverty, lack of clean water, crime, addictions and suicides”

Mbarki added that many Indigenous peoples who have chosen to leave the tragedy on reserves to live in urban areas, like the GTA, are facing serious issues, such as finding affordable housing, employment and training. She says politicians are currently not asking Indigenous people what is needed in urban areas, something she finds frustrating.

“One of the things cities should be looking at is how they can help the vulnerable Indigenous population. If they can’t answer nor have the resources to help, then what is the point of changing the anthem?”

Crombie’s initiative comes 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. 

“I was personally moved by Jully Black’s rendition,” Crombie told CTV News. “I think this is a small effort to address our country’s very dark history.”

On Twitter, multiple Canadians also criticized Crombie’s initiative.

A Twitter poll conducted by CTV also saw 87.9% of respondents say they disagreed with changing the national anthem’s lyrics from “our home and native land” to “our home on native land.”

Back 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.

True North reached out to Mayor Bonnie Crombie’s office for comment, but they did not respond in time for publication.

Poilievre slams City of Toronto branded crack pipes

By
Noah Jarvis
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A City of Toronto program handing out crack pipes and meth pipes to the city’s shelters has drawn the ire of Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who slammed the program as “ridiculous.”

On Tuesday, Toronto mayoral candidate Anthony Furey held press conference where he passionately condemned a City of Toronto program handing out city-branded drug paraphernalia to non-profit shelters across the city.

“A whistleblower has provided me with City of Toronto branded crystal meth pipe kits and crack pipes. So your tax dollars, ladies and gentlemen, are going towards creating crystal meth pipes and crack pipe kits,” said Furey at Tuesday’s media event.

At the press conference, Furey presented a blue bag and green bag embroidered with Toronto Public Health’s branding containing a crack pipe kit and crystal meth kit, respectively. 

Poilievre took to social media to denounce the program, urging an alternative solution to solve Canada’s growing drug addiction crisis.

“This is ridiculous. City-branded crack and meth pipes are now being handed out in our cities,” said Poilievre. 

“Stop enabling drug addiction with tax dollars. Put it towards treatment and recovery so we can bring home our loved ones drug free.”

Since ascending to the Conservative leadership, Poilievre has taken a vigorous stance opposing the expansion of drug injection sites and other programs enabling addicts’ continued abuse of illicit drugs. 

Poilievre has taken an alternate approach of championing drug recovery and treatment centres, a course of action that progressive governments across the country have avoided while the Conservative government in Alberta has taken steps in that direction. 

Furey has also been forthright in his opposition to the progressive approach to the drug crisis. Like Poilievre, Furey has championed opening drug recovery centres and shutting down the city’s drug injection sites.

LGBTQ activists demand Blue Jays’ Anthony Bass gets boot despite apology

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Although Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass issued an apology for a post about Christianity and the Target boycott on his Instagram, LGBTQ activist groups are calling for his head. 

In a video statement published to the Toronto Blue Jays Twitter account, Bass said he was sorry for sharing an Instagram reel from a Christian social media influencer that discussed the biblical foundation for boycotting companies that promote gender ideology to children. 

“I recognize yesterday I made a post that was hurtful to the pride community which includes friends of mine and close family members of mine and I’m truly sorry for that,” said Bass.

“I just spoke with my teammates and I apologized to them and as of right now I’m using the Blue Jays’ resources to better educate myself and make better decisions moving forward.” 

Within hours of the apology being posted onto the official team’s account, the radical far-left group Egale Canada called on the Blue Jays to take Bass “off the roster.” 

“Despite apologizing, BlueJays’ Anthony Bass has used his platform to share anti-2SLGBTQI hate. It’s time for the Jays to take number 52 off the roster and stand with the 2SLGBTQI community,” wrote Egale Canada. 

The Toronto Blue Jays tweet featuring Bass’ apology has received over 12,300 replies and 3,339 likes with many Canadians offering their support for the pitcher. 

Bass also received his share of criticism for apologizing for his beliefs, including from fellow baseball players such as former two-time World Series Championship player Aubrey Huff.

“This is why you will continue to wear the rainbow jersey. Because you lack the balls to stand up for your Christian morals & beliefs. But you’ll belittle a flight attendant who refused to pick up after your kids,” said Huff. 

The Instagram post in question was a short clip by the Christian influencer Ryan Miller. 

“Here’s the reason biblically why I believe Christians have gotta be boycotting Target, Bud Light, and any other corporation that’s pushing the things they’re pushing,” said Miller. 

“The Bible tells us what to do as Christians… To take part in that is to take part in that god of Mammon that they’re serving and take part of that darkness.”

The Rupa Subramanya Show | The undeniable failure of lockdowns (Ft. Gabrielle Bauer)

By
Rupa Subramanya
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On the latest episode of the Rupa Subramanya Show, medical journalist and author Gabrielle Bauer joins the show to discuss her latest book Blindsight is 2020, which takes aim at the global response to the pandemic, the now-undeniable failure of lockdowns and the societal overreach of mandates.

Rupa and Gabrielle trace the origins of the lockdown response, why so many lockdown skeptics were publicly shunned and discredited by the public health community and the future consequences that shutting down society will have on younger people.Rupa and Gabrielle also discuss the Freedom Convoy protests and how that shaped the global conversation about the response to the pandemic.

To purchase a copy of Blindsight is 2020, click here.

Watch the latest episode of The Rupa Subramanya Show!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE RUPA SUBRAMANYA SHOW

TTC rolling out ‘2SLGBTQQIA+’ alert chime to ensure customers and employees ‘feel safe’

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is rolling out a new “2SLGBTQQIA+” alert chime on its subway system during Pride Month, as part of its “commitment to ensuring all customers and employees feel safe, welcome and included on public transit.”

The current chime that plays before platform announcements will be replaced with one sung by Toronto’s Singing Out choir, a queer group that describes itself as the city’s largest “non-auditioned, mixed-voice, 2SLGBTQQIA+” community choir.

The TTC’s new initiative comes amid a wave of crime and disorder on the transit system – making many riders feel unsafe.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green told True North the new chime is an “amazing celebration of diversity” and hopes the initiative will help transit riders feel safe.

“As part of our commitment to ensuring all customers and employees feel safe, welcome and included on public transit, we are undertaking a number of initiatives to celebrate Pride Month,” said the TTC spokesperson. “The alert chime is one of them.”

“The safety of our customers and employees is paramount to all we do. Fostering a culture of inclusion on public transit and embracing those who are often victims of discrimination and violence is another way we are making the TTC safer for all.”

Ahead of the launch of the new chime, the TTC has installed posters across the transit network to notify commuters of the change. The “2SLGBTQQIA+” alert chime is temporary, and a normal chime will be reinstated once Pride Month has ended.

On Twitter, users questioned the TTC’s priorities amid the spike in violent crimes.

“TTC priorities. That will make being stabbed or blinded by fireworks so much more enjoyable,” wrote one user. Another user sarcastically said, “Obviously this solves one of Toronto’s biggest problems so I’m delighted to hear of this change. Bravo, TTC!!”

A February report from the TTC CEO found violent incidents against transit riders have gone up by 60% since 2019, and went up 46% between 2021 and 2022.

Incidents that have taken place on the TTC this year include a 16-year old boy being fatally stabbed at Keele subway station, another 16-year-old being stabbed on a bus at Old Mill Station, and a woman being stabbed multiple times in the head and face on the Spadina streetcar.

Meanwhile, a video emerged Tuesday of a teenager setting off fireworks on a crowded TTC bus in Scarborough, causing havoc on board. The TTC said it is aware of the incident, and that “those responsible will be held accountable.”

According to a February Nanos poll, 71% of Ontarians feel less safe riding on public transit than they did last, while another poll found that about 40% of TTC users feel the system is “pretty unsafe” or “very unsafe.”

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story said the new “2SLGBTQQIA+” alert chime was for the subway’s doors. It is instead for platform announcements in stations. True North regrets the error.  

Alberta Parents’ Union says new ‘2SLGBTQIA+’ course confirms fears that education is ‘overly politicized’

By
Rachel Parker
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The St. Albert Public School Board has unanimously approved a new, optional junior high course on “2SLGBTQIA+” perspective to teach students about “internal allyship,” a move the Alberta Parents’ Union said is confirming parents’ fears that the education system is overly politicized. 

The course is the first of its kind in the province and will span across grades 7-9. 

Alberta Parents’ Union executive director Jeff Park said parents he’s spoken to aren’t calling for more social studies courses in their children’s curriculum. Parents want a focus on high priority courses and hate that politics seems to drive everything about how their kids learn, he said.

“Certainly, for a lot of parents this is just doubling and tripling down about concerns that they already had about the education system being overly politicized,” Park told True North. 

“2SLGBTQIA+” is an acronym for a host of so-called gender expressions, including two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, androgynous and asexual.

The course is divided into three general outcomes, beginning with analyzing portrayals of “2SLGBTQIA+” people in media, historically and in the modern world and moving to develop strategies to identify and address pressures faced by “2SLGBTQIA+” students and successes within the community. It concludes with a focus on developing and applying “leadership, empathy and advocacy skills for personal and 2SLGBTQIA+ community empowerment.”

As part of the Grade 7 curriculum, students will identify the changing roles for “2SLGBTQIA+” people over time and consider the influence of perceived gender roles on a person’s life experiences and choices, using historical and modern examples.

In Grade 8, students will analyze the nature of stereotypes and evaluate how they impact individuals.

In the course’s final year, students will examine the nature of stereotypes and evaluate how intersectional identities impact individuals, develop and apply leadership, empathy and advocacy skills for personal and “2SLGBTQIA+” community empowerment, and “reflect on internal allyship and community intersectional challenges relating to personal and 2SLGBTQIA+ community empowerment.”

Park said in this case, allyship is not just about being kind and non-discriminatory but about pushing a particular political agenda. He also said the new course comes amid ongoing concern about learning loss following two years of school closures during the pandemic.

“That’s why we’re happy to remind parents in St. Albert and everywhere that we have a world-leading choice in education,” he said, adding that parents can exercise choice “and make sure they get more of what they want in the school system.” 

Alberta is the only province in Canada to permit charter schools. 

Former premier Jason Kenney expanded access to charter schools by eliminating the province’s legislative cap on the number of charter schools in 2019, streamlining the process for new charter school applications in 2020 and boosting funding for charter schools in the provincial budget.

The Edmonton Classical Academy will open this year, an expansion of the Calgary Classical Academy, which opened in 2022.

The Andrew Lawton Show | Jagmeet Singh says he’ll keep supporting Trudeau until elections can be trusted

By
Andrew Lawton
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NDP leader Jagmeet Singh says he’s not going to pull his support for the Trudeau Liberals over their bungling of China’s election interference, at least not until his confidence in the electoral system is restored. In other words, Singh is rewarding the Liberals for the very reason he’s been criticizing them. This is a level of incoherence only Singh can achieve, True North’s Andrew Lawton says.

Also, Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party continue to govern Alberta after winning a majority Monday night. Andrew is joined by Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs Rebecca Schulz for a breakdown of what happened and what lies ahead.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Twitter fact checks federal museum’s claim of 215 residential school graves

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) was hit with a fact check on Twitter over a claim that “215 children were discovered in unmarked graves” at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in 2021. 

The federal museum made the claim on May 27, which is based on reporting by the Canadian legacy media on soil disturbances detected using radar technology that has been recognized internationally as being sensationalized and inaccurate. 

“It has been two years since the remains of 215 children were discovered in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School,” claimed the CMHR.

“Since then, more unmarked grave sites have been uncovered and there are still thousands of children who never came home from residential schools and whose graves have never been found.”

A subsequent “community notes” tag added by Twitter debunked the extraordinary claims made by the CMHR. 

“No human remains have so far been found at the KIRS site, but 215 soil disturbances were found,” wrote the community note. 

“The RCMP has not been allowed to investigate, and Dr. Beaulieu stated that ground penetrating radar is not capable of determining if a disturbance is human remains.” 

As reported exclusively by True North, two years later, the claim made by the CMHR has no evidence to back it up. 

“We’re in the same place as we were two years ago,” former Mount Royal University professor Dr. Frances Widdowson told True North. 

“But there is a bit of correction that’s happening in the media… the word ‘suspected’ is being put in front of ‘graves.’ Media and politicians are recognizing that we don’t have actual evidence of burials.”

Recently, a panel convened by the federal government assigned to oversee the search for missing children and bodies at the sites of former residential schools turned down an offer of assistance from an international missing persons organization.

The Hague’s International Commission on Missing Persons reached out to the National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools Missing Children and Unmarked Burials but was turned down because they were “non-Indigenous.” 

“While the (committee) is appreciative of a number of changes that have since been made to this agreement, we remain deeply concerned that such an important and sensitive process has been entrusted to a non-Indigenous organization with no prior history of working with residential school survivors,” claimed the committee. 

BONOKOSKI: Johnston continues to snub request to appear before committee

By
Mark Bonokoski
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Within a day of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ditch David Johnston as special rapporteur investigating foreign interference by communist China, the former governor general is snubbing an invite to appear before a House of Commons committee to talk about his work on the Trudeau Foundation.

“It’s essential that we do hear from him,” said Conservative MP Michael Barrett, in trying to make his case by issuing a formal summons compelling Johnston to appear within the next seven days.

“We want to take a closer look at the conclusions that he has, take a look under the hood.” 

Johnston has been criticized in his role as special rapporteur, given his past relationship with the Trudeau family and membership in the Trudeau Foundation. When tabling his report. Johnston dismissed the criticisms by saying he has had no interactions with Trudeau “of a friendly kind” since Trudeau became a Liberal MP.

Johnston resigned his membership with the foundation after his appointment as rapporteur.

Opposition MPs teamed up to force a meeting of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) on Thursday — despite it being a break week for the Commons — where MPs debated a Conservative-sponsored proposal to haul Johnston before the panel of MPs before June 7 to explain, among other things, his affiliation with the foundation.

However, the Liberals were quick to accuse the opposition parties of further politicizing the issue of foreign interference. However, the committee had already decided two months ago, when Johnston was appointed to the role that he should appear.

The other witnesses who have refused to testify before the committee include Edward Johnson, chair of the Trudeau Foundation, and Mel Cappe, a foundation mentor. “It has been frustrating. We have no one willing to appear,” said committee chair, Conservative MP John Williamson.

The public accounts committee has sought records regarding the foundation’s 2016 misrepresentation of a $140,000 donation from communist Beijing as a gift from a Canadian donor. The donation came from an offshore company affiliated with the China Cultural Industry Association, a state-backed entity. The foundation’s CEO and most of the board resigned on April 10 following an internal conflict on how to deal with the donation.

“We have a job to do to try to get to the bottom of what is happening at the Trudeau Foundation and we’re not getting documents and we’re not getting witnesses,” said Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. “That is repeated stonewalling enabled, it seems, by the government but also from people involved.”

Genuis served notice of a motion “that the committee authorize the Chair to summon witnesses,” because he said Parliament must determine if the Trudeau Foundation was targeted by Chinese agents. Genuis said the Trudeau Foundation has an “odd” governance structure, as it is a charity that has also accepted a $125 million endowment from the federal government.

On May 29, the public accounts committee adjourned debate on the motion to instruct Johnston to testify or face a formal summons. Liberal MPs expressed alarm, with MP Brenda Shanahan calling it a “drastic step” and MP Peter Fragiskatos saying it was a “giant leap in the wrong direction.”

While a parliamentary summons has the weight of a court order, it is rarely enforced.

The last time Parliament jailed an uncooperative witness was in 1913 when a Montréal contractor was held for three months at Ottawa’s Carleton County Jail for refusing to take questions on payments of kickbacks to federal officials.

FACT CHECK: Have “remains” been discovered in Kamloops, two years later?

By
Lindsay Shepherd
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The official Twitter account of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights tweeted last weekend, “It has been two years since the remains of 215 children were discovered in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.”

This declaration, which the Museum has so far left up, is false in every sense. 

No remains have been found on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in BC, as no excavations have taken place. 

The figure of “215 children” that went viral was actually later downgraded to “200 targets of interest” by lead researcher Dr. Sarah Beaulieu of the University of the Fraser Valley, who was hired by the Tk’emlups First Nation to conduct ground-penetrating radar (GPR) work on the former school grounds. 

Because no excavations have taken place, there is no way to claim with absolute certainty that “missing children” are buried in the soil: what people are referring to as “unmarked graves” are actually soil disturbances detected by GPR. 

Beaulieu herself cautioned that only a forensic investigation could confirm that these disturbances were indeed burials, as the radar cannot see bones or bodies. 

Independent researchers Nina Green and Kam Res (the pseudonym of an anonymous architectural consultant) have posited that the soil disturbances in question are due to septic field drainage tiles. Dr. Sarah Beaulieu has not released her full GPR report, so we do not know whether she was aware of the documentation of the septic system. 

As Brian Giesbrecht of the Indian Residential Schools Research Group has written, “There is no credible evidence that even one residential school child was killed and secretly buried anywhere in Canada. None of the accusations made at Kamloops or elsewhere meet even the basic standards of evidence.”

“Yes, students succumbed to diseases common at that time, as did everyone else – but particularly Indians on reserves. Yes, many of their graves were untended, and have now been lost in time. Yes, children were sexually abused at the schools – mostly by fellow students. But residential schools were never places of murder and secret burial.” 

The last time Beaulieu presented her GPR research findings was at a press conference in July 2021. Since then, Beaulieu has been silent on the matter, and not open to questions about her work. 

Back in 2021, Canadian flags at official buildings and schools were flown at half-mast for several months, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Day was established (which Trudeau infamously celebrated with a surfing vacation in Tofino), and many became convinced that Canada is a genocidal state. 

“We’re in the same place as we were two years ago,” says Dr. Frances Widdowson, fired professor of Mount Royal University.

“But there is a bit of correction that’s happening in the media… the word ‘suspected’ is being put in front of ‘graves.’ Media and politicians are recognizing that we don’t have actual evidence of burials.” 

Widdowson suspects that the Tk’emlups Nation ignored the two-year anniversary of their original May 27, 2021 announcement that they uncovered “the remains of 215 children” because their research is shoddy and they’re hoping people will stop looking into the matter.

True North reached out to Dr. Sarah Beaulieu and the Tk’emlups Nation for comment, but did not receive a response. 

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