With week three of the 2023 Alberta provincial election campaign coming to a close, Rachel Emmanuel is joined by Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta Director Kris Sims, Crestview Strategies Senior Campaign Strategist Evan Menzies, and UCP Senior Campaign Advisor Erika Barootes to discuss the top campaign moments of the week.
UCP leader Danielle Smith announced a novel policy to deal with the addictions crisis, and the legacy media doesn’t want to talk about a new Ethics Commissioner report which found no evidence the premier’s office contacted Crown prosecutors on Covid prosecutions.
We’ll also discuss Smith’s Thursday night debate knockout.
Election Watch, a special edition of the Alberta Roundup, will run for the four-week election campaign. Tune in now!
It could be considered the boondoggle of the past decade and proof of how little accountability there is by provincial and municipal governments over major construction projects.
I’m referring to the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT build, which is now in its 12th year of construction with no end in sight.
The construction is at least $1B over budget (up to $12.5B which includes operating the system) and the actual opening is likely one year away–four years from the initial target date of fall 2020.
The 19-km line – which is supposed to be being managed by Metrolinx and built by a consortium led by Crosslinx Transit Solutions – has been plagued by legal issues, delays due to Covid and troubles digging under key stations with an existing subway like Yonge Eglinton.
Several sources have contended that contractors encountered a water table when they dug deep at Yonge and Eglinton. If so, it is something that should have been anticipated long before construction began.
But none of the players associated with this fiasco are admitting to anything except for uttering useless platitudes about how the Eglinton-Crosstown is a priority. The Ford government keeps blaming delays due to Covid and the contractor.
Earlier this week, Crosslinx filed its second lawsuit against Metrolinx, claiming that the TTC – which will operate the line once done – has made never-ending demands on them.
Another lawsuit in 2020 claimed that supply chain problems and absenteeism during the pandemic delayed Crosslinx from meeting its targets and hiked costs.
A $325-million settlement was reached at the end of 2021 and the target completion date was pushed back a year.
The latest lawsuit, which could shut down work entirely, has left the completion date completely up in the air.
There’s been plenty of finger-pointing but in my view, everyone has dropped the ball on this. The leftists, who believe the government should be responsible for building all projects, blame the private-public partnership model.
But the P3 model works if its government overseers do their job.
Both the Ford government and Metrolinx have been grossly negligent about keeping on top of Crosslinx. Toronto city officials – council and the mayor – sat on their hands, passing the buck to Metrolinx.
Yet the Ford government turned over the management of the Ontario Line build to Metrolinx as if they haven’t completely made a mockery of on-time and on-budget construction with the Crosstown.
All any politician needed to do was come to my neighbourhood, where they’d have a bird’s eye view of the lack of productivity by all of the trades on the project.
I have written much over the years about workers loafing at or near the job site playing with their iPhones for more time than constitutes a coffee break. At the stations near me, workers leave the job at 4 p.m. sharp or earlier, never to be seen on weekends or at night. During Christmas, they were given two weeks off.
It was outrageous to see, especially as the years wore on and those of us living near the construction site had to endure being detoured and trapped in our streets, construction debris and an endless stream of trucks (even TTC buses) being diverted to our streets.
I lost count of how many businesses, hidden behind construction hoarding, went bankrupt over the past 12 years..
Those who managed to hang on during the construction and COVID lockdowns worked night and day to stay alive.
Productivity at Yonge and Eglinton
On a trip along Eglinton this past week, there was absolutely no sign of work being done at any stations. Equipment and debris sat untouched.
Construction-weary shop owners told me they have no clue what will happen next.
They added that Toronto City Hall, in its wisdom, started to install bike lanes along the street–until the businesses got a one-year moratorium to recover from the construction.
They worry that once the year is up, Toronto transportation officials will remove all parking on the street to put in the bike lanes.
No end date in sight. No accountability. No concern for the residents and businesses impacted. No ownership of the issues.
Heads should roll, starting with the overpaid head of Metrolinx and the point people on the project.
But they won’t.
It’s as if accountability has gone off the rails, along with the project itself.
A Quebec charity being investigated for hosting an extra-judicial police station acting on behalf of Beijing received nearly $200,000 in federal funding since 2020.
Service à la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montréal (SFCGM) is implicated in allegedly running the operation for China.
The RCMP has since launched an investigation into SFCGM to “detect and perturb criminal activities supported by a foreign state that can threaten the safety of people living in Canada.”
According to the National Post, Canada Revenue Agency reports filed by the group show that the federal government gave SFCGM $178,450 in 2020-2021 and another $21,728 in 2021-2022.
Additionally, the group has received funding from Employment and Social Development Canada since 2018.
The SFCGM has claimed that the RCMP was causing “potentially irreparable harm” to the group, which claims it is simply providing services to Chinese community members.
In a statement, the SFCGM asked why the national police force “would publicly name two community centres serving the Chinese communities in Québec, causing serious and potentially irreparable harm to the community.”
This week, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino flip-flopped on the issue after claiming in the past that the RCMP had shut down all of the Chinese police stations operating in Canada.
“I am confident that the RCMP have taken concrete action to disrupt any foreign interference in relationship to those so-called police stations, and that if new police stations are popping up and so on, that they will continue to take decisive action going forward,” said Mendicino.
“Our expectation is that if those activities manifest, if there is foreign interference, that yes, the RCMP will take decisive action as they have in the past.”
The human rights group Safeguard Defenders first reported that there were over 100 police stations in over 50 countries trying to “persuade” Chinese citizens to return to China to face charges.
Federal Justice Minister David Lametti has been basking in the glow of some happy provinces over changes proposed to the bail system involving violent criminals.
Ontario’s Solicitor General Michael Kerzner and Attorney General Doug Downey, for example, said too many innocent people have lost their lives due to dangerous criminals not being behind bars.
“If passed, the federal government’s proposed legislation will bring meaningful and much-needed changes to Canada’s bail system,” the statement said.
If only it were true.
Lametti covered only one real demand of the country’s premiers and their top lawmakers, so it was no surprise that the much talked about reverse onus would fall on the accused to convince the court he was fit to be released on ball rather than the prosecutor.
“You are innocent until proven guilty, and this is a critically important part of our legal system,” Lametti said during a news conference.
“But what we’re doing for certain violent offences is changing the default position and making sure that it is only in cases where there isn’t a threat to security.”
Lametti said he hopes the law will pass with unanimous consent from other political parties.
The Conservative Party of Pierre Poilievre may be a tough sell.
Poilievre said that he would go a step further if he was prime minister and waive such offenders’ rights to a bail hearing.
The Conservative leader would bring in laws that would require repeat violent offenders who are newly arrested for violent crimes to remain behind bars throughout their trial.
He went on to say that the proposed laws would not raise the bar to access bail and instead they create a series of lower bars and will continue to allow repeat violent offenders to be released on bail.
“A common sense Conservative government will reverse Trudeau’s catch and release,” he said.
One thing that was missing from Lametti’s proposed legislation was one scenario that front-line police saw as important.
And that was the tightening of rules involving sureties for dangerous offenders, the process by which family or friend put up substantial money or personal property to ensure that the accused lives up to his bail conditions.
As it stands today, the accused can commit a serious crime while out on bail and there is no consequence to the surety provider—no surrendering of the cash or loss of the property promised should the accused break his bail conditions.
It makes sureties next to toothless in keeping an accused safety corralled.
Consider the murder of 28-year-old rookie OPP Const. Grzegorz (Greg) Pierzchala on Dec. 27.
Following that murder, Lametti committed that the federal government would move forward quickly on “targeted reforms” to the Criminal Code that would update Canada’s bail system.
“We have a broad consensus on a path forward,” Lametti promised, saying reforms will aim to address the challenges posed by repeat violent offenders and those facing firearms or other weapons charges.
“Bail is a constitutional right, but it is not absolute,” he said.
“Our laws are clear that bail can be denied where there is just cause, when it is necessary for the safety of the public or to maintain the public’s confidence in the administration of justice.”
Court documents show one of the two people facing first-degree murder charges in his death, Randall McKenzie, was initially denied bail in a separate case involving assault and weapons charges but was released after a review.
What happened to the surety that was most likely holding his tether?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to lecture her about her country’s LGBTQ record.
Media outlets reporting on the interaction noted that Meloni looked “visibly annoyed” by Trudeau’s remarks.
“Obviously, Canada is concerned about some of the (positions) that Italy is taking in terms of LGBT rights,” said Trudeau.
“But I look forward to talking with you about that.”
Italy's media is roasting hypocritical @JustinTrudeau after he lectured Italian PM @GiorgiaMeloni on LGBTQ issues.
"The 'democrat' Justin Trudeau who, after having repressed legitimate protests against compulsory vaccination, tries to give lessons on rights." pic.twitter.com/SEivhBEB4Q
An official press release by the Canadian government recounted the conversation.
“The leaders also exchanged views on the importance of protecting and defending human rights, including the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ people,” a summary of the meeting stated.
Meloni has been outspoken about her opposition to indoctrinating children with gender-ideology and its associated harms.
Prior to being elected in Oct. 2022 Meloni made several speeches in which she denounced the breakdown of family values and structures.
“They said it’s scandalous for people to defend the natural family founded on marriage, to want to increase the birth rate, to want to place the correct value on human life, to support freedom in education, and to say no to gender ideology,” said Meloni.
“The embarrassing ones are those who support practices like ‘womb for rent’ abortion at nine months, and blocking the development of children with drugs at eleven years of age,” said Meloni.
Meloni has rejected claims that she is transphobic and insists that she is fighting for the rights of women.
One of the men responsible for the death of Sgt. Andrew Harnett has been granted parole after pleading guilty to manslaughter in January 2022, as reported by CBC News.
21-year-old Amir Abdulrahman has served 18 months of a five-year sentence for fleeing a traffic stop that led to Harnett being fatally dragged 400 metres before colliding into oncoming traffic. Abdulrahman was a passenger in the vehicle.
A panel from The Parole Board of Canada ruled Thursday that Abdulrahman’s risk to the public was “manageable.” The Board decided he would live in a halfway house in Calgary for the next six months and that he would be granted leave privileges.
The Board concluded that since Abdulrahman did not have a significant criminal history and that he has accepted his role in the sergeant’s death, his risk to the public has not met the threshold for a more serious punishment.
Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Robert Hall initially intended to sentence Abdulrahman to six years but reduced it due to his expression of remorse and his guilty plea.
Since Abdulrahman was not the driver of the vehicle, Hall decided that he was merely a “minor participant” in the fleeing.
The driver of the vehicle, who was only 17-years-old at the time of the incident, will receive an adult sentence. The Crown wants the man, who is now 20-years-old, to serve anywhere from 11 to 13 years in prison for manslaughter.
In light of the Trudeau government announcing new legislation on bail reform Tuesday, premiers and police associations across the country are pushing lawmakers to do more in addressing rising crime rates in major cities.
The new legislation implements reverse-onus bail conditions for those accused of severe violent offences with weapons, if they were previously convicted of a similar violent crime in the last five years or if the alleged crimes involve intimate partner violence or firearms.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre reacted to the new measures saying that if he was prime minister, he would waive offenders’ rights to a bail hearing and require violent offenders to remain behind bars throughout their trial.
B’nai Brith Canada has called on London, Ontario to not give a platform to American comedian Amer Zahr due to his past antisemitic comments and praise of terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas.
This comes only days after London Public Library refused The Society for Academic Freedom (SAFS) to host a free speech event with author Joanna Williams at their venue because she was critical of woke politics.
In a letter published to the organization’s website, B’nai Brith CEO Michael Mostyn said that London was giving Zahr access to municipal space – which should be revoked immediately.
“The City of London must do the right thing and refuse to give this radical American access to its municipal space,” said Mostyn.
“All levels of government in Canada need to do a better job of preventing those with a history of propagating hate from accessing public resources.”
In the past Zahr has spoken in support of designated terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas who stand against the “Israeli occupation.”
Additionally, Zahr has praised terrorist and flight hijacker Leila Khaled calling her his “valentine” on social media.
Zahr has also claimed that Jewish people have no connection to Jerusalem, their historic homeland, furthermore he claimed “Israel is based on Jewish supremacy.”
“We are calling on the City of London to cancel the event. There is a need for all governments in Canada, including the City of London’s administration, to utilize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which has already been adopted by both the federal and Ontario government, and to employ the IHRA when vetting those who may be granted access to public space,” wrote B’nai Brith.
Earlier this week, True North reported on how SAFS was barred from booking a space at the London Public Library for a May 19 talk titled “Sex, Gender, and the Limits of Free Speech on Campus” with Williams.
The library claimed the event went against policies on workplace harassment and poses a risk of “physical danger.”
As the culture war continues to heat up in Canada with the London Public Library cancelling a talk on free speech, what does the future look like as woke ideology continues to invade every aspect of public life?
Joanna Williams, author of “How Woke Won,” which examines how woke ideology has taken over politics and academia, was barred from speaking at London Public Library due to concerns raised by staff about potential “workplace harassment” and the “possibility of physical harm.”
Joanna joins The Rupa Subramanya Show this week to talk about the most pressing cultural issues in Canada and what it means for the future of public debate and free speech in the West.
A new report by the federal budget watchdog found that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s second carbon tax will cost the average Canadian family up to $1,157 by the year 2030.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) blasted the federal government over the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s (PBO) assessment, calling on Trudeau to scrap the scheme at a time of increasing affordability.
“Canadians are already struggling to afford gasoline and groceries and the last thing we need is another carbon tax that makes life more expensive,” said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano.
“The PBO is clear: the second carbon tax will cost families hundreds and even thousands of dollars.”
Canadians will first start paying the carbon tax on July 1, 2023 as part of a clean fuel regulations scheme.
This is on top of the federal carbon tax already in place.
The PBO estimated that costs will range between $384 and $1,157 by the end of this decade depending on the province of residence.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must do the right thing and scrap his carbon taxes,” said Terrazzano.
According to the PBO, the price of gasoline will rise by 17 cents per litre as a result of the second carbon tax which is “regressive for households.”
“Lower income households generally spend a larger share of their income on transportation and other energy-intensive goods and services compared to higher income households,” wrote the PBO.
Additionally, the PBO report stated that Canada’s own emissions are not large enough to materially impact climate change.”
United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith has been absolved by the Ethics commissioner following an investigation into allegations that she and her office contacted Crown prosecutors regarding Covid-19 prosecutions.
Plus, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley’s proposal to hike corporate taxes would result in Alberta shedding 33,700 jobs, according to economist Jack Mintz with the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.
And a former CBC journalist claims the state broadcaster shut down stories critical of lockdowns and instead opted for “pushing propaganda.”
Tune into The Daily Brief with Rachel Emmanuel and Andrew Lawton!
