fbpx
Saturday, May 17, 2025

OP-ED: No more exclusion – Include Taiwan into WHA for a healthier and safer world

By
Jin-Ling Chen
-
Source: Wikimedia

The Covid-19 pandemic underscores the need for accessible and equitable healthcare worldwide. Yet, despite the United Nations Charter declaring health as a universal right for all, Taiwan’s 23 million people are still excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) due to Chinese government pressure, violating their fundamental right to healthcare.

China argues against Taiwan’s entry into the World Health Organization (WHO), claiming Taiwan lacks statehood and that it represents Taiwanese people within the organization.

However, Taiwan is a fully sovereign state, and communist China has never ruled Taiwan and never contributed to Taiwan’s healthcare needs.

China’s recent military exercises against Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022 and President Tsai Ing-Wen’s meeting with current US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles in April this year further refutes Beijing’s claim to represent and protect the interests of Taiwan’s people at the WHO. It is absurd that a regime threatening the health and safety of Taiwan’s people claims to represent them in the organization.

The exclusion of Taiwan from the WHO is not only unfair, but it also politicizes global health issues, which undermines the global response to public health crises.

Despite this exclusion, Taiwan has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting global health and has made significant contributions to the worldwide health system, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, Taiwan has developed medical countermeasures to COVID-19, strengthening its capacity to innovate critical drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, Taiwan has issued 13 export licenses for its herbal formula NRICM101 (Taiwan Chingguan Yihau) to help countries in the region combat the pandemic.

In addition to its efforts during the pandemic, Taiwan has actively participated in international humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts, further demonstrating its commitment to global health and well-being.

After the war in Ukraine broke out, Taiwan assisted three Ukraine cities with the purchase of power generation and heating equipment and donated millions of dollars to procure equipment that will provide relief to frontline residents hit by the ravages of war.

Moreover, after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6 this year, the people and government of Taiwan have also donated more than US$40 million to help people affected by the disaster. It is, therefore, essential for Taiwan to participate in the WHO to strengthen global health efforts, identify and address emerging health threats, and ensure access to necessary resources and support.

The recent visit to Taiwan by the Canadian parliamentary delegation led by the Hon. John McKay shows Canada’s support for Taiwan, and underscores Taiwan’s crucial role in regional and global prosperity and stability. As the world’s 21st largest economy, Taiwan’s contribution to the global supply chain, particularly as a major supplier of advanced semiconductors, is of utmost importance.

Moreover, Taiwan is one of Canada’s fastest-growing trading partners. Millions of Taiwanese tourists travel to various destinations each year, promoting international trade, tourism and cultural exchange. These facts underline Taiwan’s significance as a global citizen and underscore the necessity of its inclusion in the WHO.

The upcoming annual WHA, the decision body of the WHO, is fast approaching.

Despite health being a universal human right, Taiwan remains excluded from the WHO system.

With a war currently underway in Europe due to Russia’s attack on Ukraine’s territorial integrity, it is crucial that Canada and the democratic world send a clear message that inclusivity and unity are pivotal in fostering a healthier and safer world. It is important to avoid indifference toward this goal. The WHO cannot sacrifice its principle of universality for the sake of obedience to Beijing.

It’s time, now more than ever, to support Taiwan’s participation in the WHA as an observer, as well as in all WHO meetings, activities, and mechanisms.

Former CSIS chief says Chinese election interference “close to treason”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-
Source: PIxaby

A former senior intelligence official has called for jail time for those involved in Chinese interference in Canadian elections and democracy, saying their actions amount to treason.

Yesterday, the former chief of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) with the Asia-Pacific desk, Michel Juneau-Katsuya, testified before the House of Commons house affairs committee that the allegations detail actions that are “close to treason.”   

“(There needs to be) jail time because we’re close to treason here, literally. So I say jail time now, the size of the jail time would be judged by jurisprudence and by our system but definitely jail time,” said Juneau-Katsuya.

His comments come after a Global News report revealed that CSIS had briefed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several cabinet ministers in January 2023 that China had covertly funded 11 mainly-Liberal party candidates in the 2019 federal election and tried to infiltrate the offices of MPs.

Trudeau has admitted that China tried to interfere in Canadian elections but has insisted Canadians were the ones who decided on his re-election in the two recent federal elections.

According to media reports citing anonymous intelligence sources, China had a preference for Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party in the 2021 Canadian election and tried to undermine the Conservative Party, which was seen as being unfriendly to Beijing’s interests. 

Additionally, intelligence sources show that Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family in Hong Kong was targeted by a Chinese diplomat over the MPs criticism of China’s human rights record. The House of Commons has recently voted to undergo a study into the intimidation campaign. 

Juneau-Katsuya also stated on Thursday that China’s foreign election interference has been happening since at least the 1980s. 

“I want to be very clear. We can prove that every federal government from Mr. Mulroney to Mr. Trudeau (has) been compromised by agents of Communist China. Every government was informed at one point or another. Every government chose to ignore CSIS warnings,” said Juneau-Katsuya. 

“We’ve known for the last 30 years. We warned the prime minister. We warned the cabinet about all those things, and people for self-serving interests or partisanship or by negligence, neglected to take action.”

BONOKOSKI: The shameful winners of the CTF’s Teddy Awards

By
Mark Bonokoski
-

For the last 25 years, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) has been annually dishing out its Teddy Awards.

It’s a fun but shameful day, especially for the recipients.

No one and no agency wants to be associated with this award because it represents the worst in government waste.

The Teddy, a pig-shaped trophy, is named after Ted Weatherill, a former federal appointee who was fired in 1999 for submitting a raft of dubious expense claims, including a $700 lunch for two.

This year the recipients outdid themselves.

The Canada Revenue Agency was nominated to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Teddy’s most prestigious(?) award, for “giving pandemic subsidies to ineligible businesses, people in jail, teenagers and hundreds of dead people.”

The cost to taxpayers: More than $32 billion. Yes, billion.

The Canada Revenue Agency gave the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, or the CERB to:

 · 190,254 people who quit their job instead of losing it due to the pandemic;

 · 692 people who received a duplicate payment benefit;

 · 1,522 people who were in jail;

 · 704 people who did not live in Canada;

 · 434 people under the age of 15; and,

 · 391 dead people.

The feds handed out potentially more than $32 billion in ineligible or suspicious payments, according to the Auditor General.

“Usually, if you take money that doesn’t belong to you, you might end up in jail,” writes Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the CTF.

“In Justin Trudeau’s Canada, (however), we got the reverse: First you go to jail, then the government sends you money you’re not supposed to have.

“(But) here’s the strangest part,” says Terrazzano,  “If you owe the CRA a toonie, they’ll send the hounds after you. But the billions of dollars sent out the door to ineligible recipients?

“Suddenly, the CRA’s too busy to recover the money.”

The top individual Teddy Award, not surprisingly, goes to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon for spending more in a week’s trip to the Middle East than Trudeau spent on a year’s worth of family groceries.

The tab for in-flight meals and snacks? $99,362.

But they were no different than ordinary in-flight meals,  Simon said in an attempt to downplay them.

No, far from it.

The flight menus included “beef Wellington au red jus” and “pan fried chicken scallopini in creamy mushroom wine reduction sauce.”

Buttery chicken tikka masala, apple and cranberry stuffed pork tenderloin, beef carpaccio and about $190 worth of “VIP sliced fruit” were also on the menus.

The bureaucrats tasked with being Simon’s travel agents promised to cut back.

“Drink garnishes will be eliminated from service,” the government’s chief of protocol Stewart Wheeler said. No more vodka martinis a with twist?

Quelle horreur!

Naturally, the Prime Minister made the nomination list for allowing the biggest mystery in Ottawa to go on for months.

Some mysterious Canadian, at the time,  had the nerve to stay for five days in a $6,000-a night hotel room while attending the Queen’s funeral.

 “Several top-shelf hotels including The Four Seasons, The Langham, The Savoy, even the Shangri La all offer lower prices than the Corinthia,” the Toronto Sun reported.

Bureaucrats bent the rules trying to hide the truth about the hotel room. They even said it would be a security risk to reveal who stayed in the room months prior.  The CTF launched a legal fight and, magically, the government confessed.

It was, to no one’s surprise, Justin Trudeau was the $30,000 mystery man. But it would be, wouldn’t it?

The most intriguing award went to Global Affairs Canada for spending $12,520 organizing shows where seniors talked about their sex lives in front of a live audience.

Through Global Affairs’ Mission Cultural fund, the Canadian government gave funds to the Toronto-based group Mammalian Diving Reflex to organize live stage performances in Austria, Australia and Taiwan.

The show was called “All the Sex I’ve Ever Had” and starred senior citizens who were invited on stage to recount “everything they can remember and care to share about their romantic and sexual lives.”

If you hear the wheelchair a-rockin’, don’t come a-knockin’.

Bernier says he will run to fill former CPC MP Candice Bergen’s Manitoba seat

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier will compete for a federal seat in rural Manitoba in a forthcoming byelection.

Bernier will be running to replace former Conservative Party interim leader and Portage–Lisgar MP Candice Bergen who announced she was leaving political life. In an announcement, Bernier pitted himself as the main opponent to the Conservatives – his former political home. 

“I’m proud to announce that I’m putting my name forward in the upcoming byelection in your riding,” Bernier told supporters. 

“I’m ready to be your representative in the House of Commons, because we know that families deserve a strong voice and I’m ready to be that strong voice for you and for the country.” 

According to Bernier, the byelection results will be a “major turning point” for Canada. 

Although the byelection has yet to be called by the Prime Minister, the Conservatives nominated candidate Branden Leslie to run in the riding. 

In the 2021 federal election, PPC candidate Solomon Wiebe came second to Bergen with 21.58% of the vote – among the best results the party has seen running federally. 

According to the latest poll, the PPC is currently sitting at 2% of the federal vote. 

During his speech, Bernier blasted the “woke cult” that is tearing down the traditional foundations of Canadian society. 

“The woke cult is tearing down the traditional pillars of our society and seeking to establish a twisted and deeply sick vision of the future,” said Bernier. 

“It is not the People’s Party that divides the Conservative vote, on the contrary, it is the Conservatives who move ever more to the left to divide the Liberal vote.”

By some measures, a recession is already underway in Canada

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Although most analysts predict a recession will officially begin in Canada later this year, according to some other measures, one is already underway. 

Real GDP per capita data, a key indicator of living standards, reveals Canada is already experiencing a per capita recession and it could soon get worse. 

According to the real estate news platform Better Dwelling, a real GDP per capita recession occurs after two consecutive quarters of real GDP per capita contractions. 

Canada’s exploding population growth via surges in immigration could be skewing the real state of the economy when measured by aggregate GDP – the most common measure when reporting recessions. 

According to Statistics Canada, real GDP per capita is “often used” when checking for standard of living. 

“GDP per capita is often used for assessing the standard of living and for making cross-country comparisons in the economic standing of a country,” writes Statistics Canada. 

Data shows that a real GDP per capita recession already began last year. The figure saw a 0.9% contraction in Q4 of 2022 and in Q3 it also fell by 0.2% – marking two consecutive contractions. 

Recently, the credit-rating agency Barclays downranked some of Canada’s biggest banks over fears of a recession. 

“While we do not anticipate that the Canadian banks’ second quarter will demonstrate much earnings weakness, we believe that cracks in the foundation will become evident,” said Barclays head researcher John Aiken. 

“While we continue to see long-term value in the Canadian banks and are not concerned with their solvency, we do anticipate near-term pressures will continue to mount and weigh on sentiment.” 

Drag queens don’t belong in the classroom (feat. Eric Duhaime)

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

Drag queen story hours for young children have become popular in LGBTQ and progressive circles, but many Canadians do not support the activity taking place in public schools, daycares and libraries. 

This is especially the case in Quebec, where Conservative Party of Quebec leader Eric Duhaime, who is openly-gay, has come out against drag queen story hours. Several Quebec media figures, including columnists and radio hosts, have also since come out against the activity.

The discourse in Quebec on the issue differs from the rest of Canada, where the radical left and the legacy media have labeled anyone who opposes drag shows for kids as homophobic and transphobic.

True North’s Elie Cantin-Nantel spoke with Duhaime about why he opposes drag shows for kids being held in public schools, daycares and libraries.

The Daily Brief | Was the NDP behind the protest of Smith’s campaign event?

By
Rachel Parker
-

Questions about the NDP’s involvement arise after protesters stormed UCP leader Danielle Smith’s campaign event, forcing the premier’s security detail to remove Smith from the room until the matter was resolved.

Plus, the CRTC is being accused of using Liberal government talking points to defend the government’s controversial online censorship law, Bill C-11.

And a new study reveals Canada’s historic pandemic spending resulted in some of the worst results among advanced countries.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Rachel Emmanuel and Andrew Lawton!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEF

The Andrew Lawton Show | The Liberals are obsessed with abortion

By
Andrew Lawton
-

Thousands of pro-life activists gathered on Parliament Hill for the annual March for Life yesterday, prompting a wave of virtue signalling statements and videos from Liberal MPs talking about how important abortion rights and bodily autonomy are. These are the same Liberals who endorsed a vaccine mandate for the public service, True North’s Andrew Lawton says.

Also, Catherine Swift from the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada on how Trudeau’s climate policies are jacking up electricity prices.

Plus, a poll from Leger for SecondStreet.org finds a majority of parents would want to be notified if their child asks the teacher to be identified by a different gender. Is this even controversial? Colin Craig from SecondStreet.org weighs in.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Liberals, NDP outraged over Conservative bill to protect pregnant women

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall is hoping to strengthen protections for vulnerable pregnant women with her latest Private Members Bill – but is facing backlash from the Liberal and NDP coalition, who claim her bill is anti-abortion.

Bill C-311, titled ​​the Violence Against Pregnant Women Act, would amend the Criminal Code of Canada and add abusing and causing physical or emotional harm to a pregnant woman to the list of “aggravating circumstances” during the sentencing process.

This means an offender could get a harsher sentence for assaulting a pregnant woman.

The bill comes after the killing of over 80 pregnant women in Canada in recent years. These women include 18-year-old Rori Hache, who was killed by a man who repeatedly hit her in the head with a hammer or similar object, and 31-year-old Cassandra Kaake who was killed by a man who strangled her, slit her throat, poured gasoline on her and set her house on fire.

Rori Hache. (Facebook Photo)
Right Cassandra Kaake. (Molly Matters)

Both women were pregnant when they were brutally killed by men.

“Canada needs this Violence Against Pregnant Women Act,” said Wagantall at a press conference this week. “We need to ensure that criminals who attack or kill a pregnant woman can be sentenced appropriately by our courts. The sentence should match the crime.”

She also said that her bill “has nothing to do with abortion,” but rather has to do with women who are carrying their child, planning to carry that child to term, but are then brutally murdered, or assaulted.

Wagantall believes every Member of Parliament should support this bill. However, the Liberals and NDP are fiercely opposed to it, claiming her legislation aimed at protecting pregnant women is anti-abortion.

This comes despite the fact that Bill C-311 would not in any way regulate or ban abortion. The word “abortion” is also not mentioned anywhere in the text of the bill.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described Wagantall’s bill as “another thinly veiled attempt by the Conservative Party of Canada to restrict a woman’s right to choose.” Trudeau has also been ramping up his pro-abortion rhetoric on social media in light of the bill.

Liberal families, children and social development minister Karina Gould claimed that Bill C-311 is “another attempt by the anti-abortion movement to restrict women’s access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.”

Meanwhile, justice minister and Attorney General David Lemetti claimed Wagantall bill “will not only make pregnant women less safe, but is actually attempting to restrict the right to choose.”

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh claimed that Conservatives “find ways to go after choice in hidden techniques,” and said Bill C-311 is “a veiled attempt — and not very veiled” to restrict abortion.

Wagantall’s bill is also being criticized by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC), who is labelling it a redundant “vehicle to advance fetal rights”. It also thinks the motives behind Wagantall’s bill are suspect, amid her being pro-life and having previously introduced a bill to ban the misogynist practice of sex-selective abortion.

When asked by True North about ARCC’s opposition to her bill, Wagantall accused its executive director Joyce Arthur of playing political games.

Bill C-311 is the third attempt by Conservatives to introduce stronger protections for pregnant women through private members bills in recent years.

Wagantall had introduced a private members bill in 2016 titled Cassie and Molly’s Law, which sought to make it an additional offense to injure or kill a preborn child while attacking a pregnant woman. Former Conservative MP Ken Epp had also introduced the Unborn Victims of Crime Act in 2007, which sought to recognize preborn children as additional victims of crime when they are killed or injured as a result of an attack on their mother.

Both bills however failed to pass, amid pro-abortion activists claiming they would result in preborn children having rights, opening the door to restrictions on abortion.

Despite the rhetoric from the Liberals, NDP and pro-abortion activists, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre intends on voting in favour of Wagantall’s bill, and the CPC is currently promoting the proposed legislation on its website.

Liberal tweets against Bill C-311 were also hit with a Community Notes providing readers context on Bill C-311, including the fact that it has nothing to do with abortion.

Protesters disrupt UCP campaign event

By
Rachel Parker
-

On Thursday, three protesters stormed UCP leader Danielle Smith’s campaign event where she was announcing another plank in her party’s platform.

“Hospitals are not for sale,” the protesters chanted while holding “for sale” signs.

One disrupter added, “We will not sell our arms and legs for hospitals. Hospitals should be public.”

Smith was removed from the room by her government security detail until the matter was resolved.

After posting a series of inflammatory and factually questionable tweets about the UCP’s plan to increase the use of charter surgical centres in Alberta — a policy the NDP has repeatedly described as putting Alberta hospitals up for sale — the official Twitter account for the Alberta NDP publicised the date, time, and general location of the UCP event.

The Alberta NDP later issued a statement condemning the protests, but accepted no responsibility for their role in inciting them to occur.

“What happened today during a press conference with Danielle Smith was unacceptable and we strongly condemn the actions taken by the protesters involved,” the party wrote.

Just hours earlier, the NDP had advertised the campaign stop, posting to its nearly 50,000 twitter followers, “Danielle Smith will be next door to the South Health Campus at 11 a.m. today.”

One of the protestors was former federal Calgary-Signal Hill NDP candidate Patrick King.King ran against Ron Liepert in Calgary Signal Hill in the 2021 federal election where he finished fourth with 14.7% of votes cast.

Smith began the question portion of the announcement by reiterating that a re-elected UCP government won’t charge for doctor or hospital visits. She said the protest resulted not from poor UCP messaging but Alberta NDP “lies.”

The UCP is using charter surgical centres to end the backlog of surgeries, but “no one will ever pay out of pocket,” she said.

Smith also asked reporters to cover the party’s position in a balanced manner.

1...565566567...1,460Page 566 of 1,460

Related stories

© 2025 True North | Privacy Policy