Hours after the Canadian government expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei, China retaliated by expelling a Canadian diplomat.
On Tuesday, China declared Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, a diplomat based in Shanghai, “persona non grata.” Lalonde has been told to leave the country by May 13. It is unclear why Lalonde was targeted.
In a statement, China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry described the decision as “a reciprocal countermeasure in reaction to Canada’s unscrupulous move.”
Further retaliation measures could be taken as China says it “reserves the right to further react.”
On Monday, Canada declared persona non grata Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei for allegedly working with China’s intelligence agency to target Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family over Chong’s criticism of China’s human rights record.
“I have been clear: we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home,” wrote Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.
“This decision has been taken after careful consideration of all factors at play. We remain firm in our resolve that defending our democracy is of the utmost importance.”
Last week, the Globe and Mail reported that CSIS had evidence that China was planning to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family. The federal government has since verified that report.
Chong was threatened following his motion to label China’s forced encampment of the Uyghur minority a genocide.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since denied claims that he was aware of China’s attempts to intimidate Chong and his family.
The Alberta government has announced evacuation payments for the 29,000 Albertans who’ve been displaced by wildfires raging across the province’s north.
During an extensive wildfire update on Monday afternoon, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that eligible evacuees will receive $1,250 per adult and an additional $500 per dependent child under 18 years.
Smith also put out an urgent call for 1,000 volunteer firefighters, saying some experienced Indigenous firefighters would like to join the fight. The premier said those who are brought in will be trained to join existing teams efficiently.
“You certainly don’t want to bring in new people who are unfamiliar with how to do this type of firefighting…we just want to be open to seeing if there are individuals in some of those rural and remote communities who can integrate into our existing teams so that we have as many hands on deck to fight these fires (as) locally as possible so that we can reduce the costs,” she said.
I just met Brigadier-General Graham and the proud members of the Canadian Armed Forces, who are embedded in the wildfire coordination effort. They are currently escalating their planning.
Public Safety and Emergency Service Minister Mike Ellis said he’s asked the Canadian military to safeguard evacuated communities against looting, among a host of other requests.
Sources on the ground in Drayton Valley told True North they’ve heard of multiple reports of looting as residents have been forced to flee. Those who don’t comply with evacuation orders face fines of $10,000 or one year in prison.
On Monday morning, the Town of Drayton Valley announced on Facebook that four homes have been lost in the wildfires. Parts of the town have been under an evacuation order since Thursday, with the order expanding throughout the weekend.
The Emergency Management Cabinet Committee is meeting this morning.
I will be updating Albertans across the province at 3pm regarding the current wildfire situation and additional steps the province is taking.
Christie Tucker, information unit manager for Alberta Wildfire, said the light rain has enabled firefighters to make headway on some out of control fires.
“We’re not out of the woods, yet,” Tucker added, saying the province is forecast to heat up later this week.
Evacuees can apply for the payment at alberta.ca/emergency using an Alberta.ca Account. Funds can take up to 24 hours to flow into accounts and will be disbursed via e-transfer. Evacuees who are unable to receive an e-transfer or who cannot apply online can contact 310-4455 for assistance and to make alternate payment arrangements.
While Smith updated the province on the ongoing wildfires, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley was continuing her election campaign, with one stop in Calgary and another scheduled for Lethbridge on Monday night. Notley said it’s appropriate for her to continue campaigning as wildfires rage on in the province’s north because Alberta is in an election period.
Smith has not made any campaign announcements for the past three days, but attended a UCP fundraiser in Calgary on Saturday.
Notley did not answer a question from True North on Monday about whether it was wrong for the premier to receive criticism for attending a UCP fundraiser over the weekend considering that she’s continued her campaign.
WATCH: Rachel Notley’s staff wouldn’t hand me the mic, but that didn’t stop me from asking the Alberta NDP leader why she’s calling Danielle Smith “insensitive” as she hosts campaign events in Calgary and Smith responds to wildfires up north. pic.twitter.com/BHRWhtFALH
Justin Trudeau has officially announced his intention to stay on as Liberal leader and battle Pierre Poilievre in the next election. But the truth is, things aren’t going so well for the prime minister these days. The once beloved prime minister can now no longer show his face in public without being labelled as a ‘traitor’ and a ‘tyrant’ by protesters.
As the Liberals continue to sink in the polls, as Canadians continue to struggle and as scandals continue to mount, last weekend’s Liberal Party convention would have been the perfect time to try and flip the script and reach out to dissafected voters. Instead, Canadians were served the usual menu from the ruling party: divide, distract and attack Conservatives as “conspiracy theorists.”
Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner.
Canada has ordered a Chinese diplomat in Toronto to leave the country immediately after being implicated in a scheme to intimidate a Conservative MP and his family in Hong Kong.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement on Monday that Zhao Wei, who worked at the Chinese consulate in Toronto, has been officially declared “persona non grata.”
The announcement of Zhao’s expulsion coincided with MPs voting in favour of a Conservative motion that urged the government to expel certain diplomats and launch a public inquiry into the allegations of foreign interference.
Additionally, Joly also warned that other diplomats could face similar consequences if found to be involved in foreign interference.
“I have been clear: we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home,” wrote Joly.
“This decision has been taken after careful consideration of all factors at play. We remain firm in our resolve that defending our democracy is of the utmost importance.”
Last week, the Globe and Mail reported that CSIS had evidence that China was planning to intimidate Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family. The federal government has since verified that report.
Chong was threatened following his motion to label China’s forced encampment of the Uyghur minority a genocide.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since denied claims that he was aware of China’s attempts to intimidate Chong and his family.
The Liberal Party of Canada held its policy convention over the weekend where delegates debated and voted on a number of policy resolutions that could shape the party’s platform for the next federal election.
Some of the most notable non-binding proposals included a push to adopt Universal Basic Income, ending all subsidies to fossil fuel companies, requiring more farmers to reduce their carbon impact and further regulating the internet.
One of the policy resolutions included a new analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Officer on Universal Basic Income and 270 days of consultations with stakeholders to eventually transition into a full program.
The resolution claimed such a measure would reduce poverty and inequality while being adjusted for inflation. According to a 2020 study by the PBO, such a program could cost up to $197.2 billion annually to implement.
“Technology and automation have contributed to job displacement and are shown as main contributors to wage stagnation and to the steadily declining share of Canadian workers’ income over the last 40 years, with nearly half (42%) of Canadian jobs at high risk of automation in the coming years,” read the resolution titled Installing Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income.
The convention also voted in favour of more internet regulation, and proposed to “hold online information services accountable for the veracity of material published on their platforms and to limit publication only to material whose sources can be traced.”
CBC’s Evan Dyer criticized the non-binding motion, arguing that it would “put journalism under government control, and spell the end of freedom of the press in Canada.” Dyer argued that recent reports which allege Chinese interference in Canada’s elections would be banned under this motion, as the reports relied on anonymous national security sources.
The #Liberal Party of Canada passed a non-binding motion at its #lpc23 convention that would ban all of the current reporting on Chinese interference and threats, put journalism under government control, and spell the end of freedom of the press in Canada. pic.twitter.com/7kjlH8uGsr
Additionally, the convention proposed introducing a “truth in political advertising” legislation with its own oversight body.
In a blog post, University of Ottawa Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law Michael Geist, wrote that such a proposal was a form of speech regulation.
“Indeed, these resolutions are only the latest in a series of legislative and policy measures in which the government and the governing party have become increasingly comfortable with speech regulation that raises serious constitutional concerns,” wrote Geist.
Another proposal called on the federal government to end all fossil fuel subsidies before the year 2025, phasing out all direct and indirect forms of funding or incentives.
“It is far less costly to shift our economy away from fossil fuels and adapt to climate impacts than it is to pay the price for climate disasters,” argued the resolution.
Also on the climate change front, one of the resolutions suggested that major commercial streets in large cities be shut down to test pilot “walkable cities” and completely cut out vehicle traffic in designated areas.
“In order to remain economically, socially, and culturally competitive with the rest of the world, the Government of Canada must incentivize cities to enact policies that make their communities more walkable and bikeable,” claimed the resolution.
Measures to further incentivize farmers to cut down on carbon emissions were also discussed.
Delegates also proposed creating a “task force” for a green transition for the Prairies.
“(The) Liberal Party of Canada urges the Government of Canada to develop a high-profile taskforce to coordinate local engagement and cooperation in federal programs to facilitate the transition to a green economy on the Prairies while addressing alienation,” the proposal stated.
The motions passed at the Liberal national convention were non-binding, meaning the government neither has to accept or reject the recommendations. For example, although electoral reform was one of the proposed policies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shut down the idea over the weekend.
“The fact is, there is no consensus,” Trudeau said.
“I’m going to stay focused on the things that matter the most to Canadians.”
Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley says it’s appropriate for her to continue campaigning as wildfires rage on in the province’s north because Alberta is in an election period.
Notley’s comments came at a campaign stop in Calgary North East on Monday afternoon where she pitched increasing home care for seniors by $100 million.
United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith has not made any campaign announcements for the past three days. She attended a UCP fundraiser in Calgary on Saturday, but has otherwise put her campaigning on hold to respond to the fires.
When asked if she considered suspending her campaign, Notley said it’s a “difficult time” for Albertans displaced by the fires but political parties must continue with their pitch to voters.
“As long as we keep a very close eye on where things are at, and ensure the safety and security of those 30,000 Albertans and the communities within which they live is not in any way compromised by the fact that we’re in an election campaign, then I think we also need to continue our conversation with Albertans.”
Notley also said both she and Smith are continuing to work on the campaign amid the crisis.
“Indeed, we’ve seen both of us do that,” she said in response to a question from True North. “And so, that’s what we’re doing.”
WATCH: Rachel Notley’s staff wouldn’t hand me the mic, but that didn’t stop me from asking the Alberta NDP leader why she’s calling Danielle Smith “insensitive” as she hosts campaign events in Calgary and Smith responds to wildfires up north. pic.twitter.com/BHRWhtFALH
Notley did not answer a question from True North about whether it was wrong for the premier to receive criticism for attending a UCP fundraiser over the weekend considering that she’s continued her campaign.
Mount Royal University political science professor and frequent legacy media columnist Duanne Bratt said it was a “really bad look” for Smith to attend the fundraiser between two press conferences about the wildfires.
“Symbols matter,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Especially in the midst of a natural disaster crisis. The campaign event really took away from the otherwise strong performance on Friday and Saturday.”
At the time of the NDP press conference on Monday afternoon, there were 98 active wildfires in the province, including 27 marked as “out of control.”
On Monday morning, the Town of Drayton Valley announced on Facebook that four homes have been lost in the wildfires. Parts of the town have been under an evacuation order since Thursday, with the order expanding throughout Friday.
The UCP did not host any campaign events on Monday. Smith hosted a press conference as premier — not UCP leader — Monday afternoon.
She has a campaign announcement scheduled for Tuesday in Edmonton.
It would appear that Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has finally found himself on the positive side of the hump on the question of who would be the “preferred prime minister.”
Regardless of the Liberals polling badly, the answer since the 2015 election — when Justin Trudeau was the Pied Piper vacuum of youthful voters — was Justin Trudeau.
He was always No. 1.
Until now.
A Nanos poll at the end of March was the first time the pollster saw Poilievre beating Trudeau in their ranking of “preferred prime minister.”
The lead wasn’t much — 28.7% to 25.9% — but pollster Nik Nanos did note that it was rare for an incumbent to lose to a relatively new opposition leader.
“Usually whoever is the prime minister has some sort of advantage,” he told CTV News.
And a May 2 poll from Nanos showed basically the same result, with Poilievre in first place at 28.1% and Trudeau trailing at 25.6%.
This is a wide departure from the leadership race that saw Poilievre take over as the party’s leader.
Just as the Liberals launch a concerted wave of all-out attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, a curious trend is beginning to show up in opinion polls,
As the National Post put it: Canadians don’t seem to hate the Conservative leader like they used to.
During last year’s Conservative leadership race, for example, Poilievre consistently stood out as the candidate that was most disliked by non-Conservatives.
The real tale of the tape, however, was the Tories’ ability to fundraise under Poilievre’s name.
The Conservative Party of Canada brought in more donations during the first three months of the year than any other federal party.
Financial statements from Elections Canada show the Conservatives raised more than $8.3 million during the first quarter of the year from nearly 46,000 donors. The Tories routinely outperform their political rivals on fundraising, and this time they beat out the governing Liberals by nearly $5 million. The Liberals brought in about half as much as the Tories at $3.6 million from nearly 31,000 donors during the same period.
The New Democrats, who agreed to support the Liberals in the minority Parliament with a supply-and-confidence deal, raised almost $1.3 million from about 16,000 donors. The Green Party brought in nearly $401,000, the Bloc Quebecois brought in more than $322,000 and the People’s Party of Canada raised over $296,000.
After Poilievre decisively captured the Conservative leadership last September, an Angus Reid poll pronounced that “Poilievre begins his term as CPC leader far better known than his predecessors.”
But for the most part, this was to Poilievre’s disadvantage. While Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole took the Conservative helm as virtual unknowns, Angus Reid found that 51% of respondents knew just enough about Poilievre to already dislike him, this against 35% who liked him.
At the same time, though, a Leger poll pegged the Poilievre Tories with 34% to the Liberals’ 28% – more than enough to guarantee a Conservative minority in the event of a general election.
The Liberals know they will face an uphill climb when Trudeau looks to win his fourth election in a row — a feat that hasn’t been done since Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s win in 1908. Experts say voters have grown tired of the Liberal Party’s record on crucial issues, especially affordability.
“There’s a sense that the government isn’t delivering or isn’t focused on the priorities that people think it should be on,” said David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data.
In the latest Abacus Data polls, the Liberals trail Conservatives in federal voting intentions by a slim margin, 31% to 33%, respectively.
Seems the country is closer to accepting Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre as a reality than a concept.
And no one knows this better than Justin Trudeau, who used the recent Liberal convention to confirm he would be running for PM once again as the leader of the Liberals.
Hence he himself began the direct attacks on Poilievre.
A Manitoba high school is ending observation of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to “transition to a more inclusive practice.”
The principal of Dr. F.W.L. Hamilton School, a public elementary school in East Saint Paul, Mb. near Winnipeg, issued a memo Friday saying the school would instead encourage non-gender-specific observations of “all those who support our student’s (sic).”
“As we continue to learn and recognize the importance of celebrating all people in our community, we have moved away from isolated observances of specific traditions like Mother’s and Father’s Day,” the memo says.
“Student’s (sic) are now creating cards and crafts with specific messages and people in mind. This has been a beautiful transition to showing gratitude authentically and organically. Thank you for supporting our transition to a more inclusive practice.”
True North asked the vice-principal who sent the memo whether parents or students had complained about the use of “Mother’s Day” and “Father’s Day” but did not receive a reply.
It’s not clear whether the move was initiated by the school or is part of a larger school board directive.
The River East Transcona School Division did not respond to a request for comment.
Calls to ban Mother’s Day and Father’s Day observations from schools are rare, but not unheard of. Last year, an Abbotsford, B.C. school replaced both with a unified “The Grownups Who Love Us Day.” The change was to accommodate “the diverse families that exist in our society today,” the school said.
The Waterloo Region District School Board in Ontario says celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day may be well-intentioned, but is nonetheless “exclusive for some.”
“Reducing the emphasis on ‘mother’ and ‘father’ and focussing on a ‘parent’, or ‘caregiver’, or ‘special person’ to celebrate through activities will create a more safe and inclusive space for everyone,” a blog post from the Waterloo school board’s equity and inclusion officer says.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misidentified the school as the vice-president’s former school in the same district.
Tech giant Meta is prepared to block news on Facebook and Instagram if the Trudeau government passes Bill C-18.
C-18 would require social media platforms to pay Canadian media outlets for their content.
Head of public policy at Meta Canada Rachel Curran told The Canadian Press that they are ready to block news sources on their platform if the government moves forward with the bill.
Curran says that Meta will not remove content or pages that are not related to news and that most pages will still be accessible, such as those for governments and politicians.
“This is a business decision that we are forced to make,” said Curran. “We will remove news in a way that is careful, responsible and transparent.”
In a stand against Bill C-18, Meta says they are not able to follow the new regulations if they pass.
“We believe that news has a real social value,” said Curran. “The problem is that it doesn’t have much of an economic value to Meta. That’s the real concern with this legislation.”
“So if we are being asked to compensate news publishers for material that has no economic value to us, that’s where the problem is.”
Bill C-18 has drawn much controversy since it was first proposed in 2021.
Brett Caraway, an associate professor of information and technology, told True North that it’s senseless to ask tech giants like Facebook to pay when users hyperlink to Canadian journalism.
“I want to go in front of Parliament and ask, ‘Do you guys even know how the internet works?’” the University of Toronto professor said.
Caraway understands the concern parliamentarians may have about supporting journalism but said the bill is a terrible approach.
“[This] is terrifying to me. That’s not how you fix this problem.”
Google has also opposed the legislation but has not yet announced if they would block news content on their platform. In March, the platform announced they were running tests in order to understand how Bill C-18 would affect search results and concluded they were not in favour of the bill in its current form.
“Bill C-18 puts a price on free links,” wrote Vice President of Google Canada Sabrina Geremia. “When you put a price on linking to certain information, you no longer have a free and open web.”
Michael Geist, who serves as the research chair of Internet law at the University of Ottawa, said Canadians may soon see the consequences of Parliament’s bill.
“I could see them stopping the Google News service but continuing to index and link in general search,” Geist told True North.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 200,000 businesses, wrote a protest letter to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage against Bill C-18, saying it is undemocratic.
The new “Canadian Royal Crown” adorning the country’s Coat of Arms features a snowflake and maple leaves, replacing the traditional crosses and fleur-de-lis.
The federal government unveiled the new design on the weekend to mark the coronation of King Charles III.
His Majesty has adopted the Tudor Crown as his insignia, rather than the St. Edward’s Crown used by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The King did, however, wear the St. Edward’s Crown for his coronation, as the physical Tudor Crown was destroyed in 1649.
A look at the St. Edward’s Crown and the Tudor Crown (which was destroyed in 1649). Both feature crosses and fleur-de-lis. Source: Tudor Crown Heraldry
King Charles III’s change of crown for his insignia gave the Trudeau government an opportunity to introduce a Canadian Royal Crown free of religious Christian symbols.
Today, the Canadian Government unveiled a new heraldic Canadian Crown replacing the traditional St. Edward’s Crown used on Canada’s coat of arms, police & military badges.
The Governor General’s website describes the new crown as “an important symbol of the sovereign’s authority, the Canadian monarchy, and the power of the state acting in the sovereign’s name.”
The snowflake is “a reference to Canada being a northern realm” and makes “a direct connection with the insignia of the Order of Canada.” The maple leaves are “a quintessential Canadian symbol used extensively since the 19th century to represent Canada and all its citizens.”
The “Canadian Royal Crown” does not feature jewels. Instead, it has a wavy blue band meant to symbolize bodies of water and emphasize Indigenous themes.
“This blue band, and the water it represents, emphasize the importance of the environment to Canadians, as well as Indigenous teachings that water is the lifeblood of the land.”
The St. Edward’s Crown has adorned the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada since 1957, and is seen on police and military badges as well as various emblems of sovereignty. The government says St. Edward’s Crowns won’t be replaced right away.
“Changes to symbols of sovereignty such as the Arms of Canada and to official insignia will likely take place over the coming years; however, this will be a gradual process, and existing versions of the emblems will remain valid and in use until they require replacement.”
The government also says, “there is no requirement that depictions of existing emblems be changed. However, organizations with such emblems may choose to incorporate the new design when commissioning a revised rendition of the emblem.”
In an email to True North, Monarchist League of Canada dominion chairman Robert Finch said that while his organization feels like the changes to the crown are good, the process in which the latter was done was less than desirable.
“When it comes to the re-designed Crown and the King’s Canadian flag, one must say that the process was not ideal,” Finch said. “Consultations with (the) public and Parliament might well have moderated if not erased the nasty nonsense circulating as to the government’s attempting to ‘destroy our Christian heritage’ and similar such language.”
Author and historian Christopher McCreery had more harsh criticism about the new crown, telling the National Post’s John Ivison that the redesign “is totally unconnected to the King or the coronation.”
“It means the unity of the symbol of the Royal Crown that represents the sovereign throughout the realms will be broken, further distancing the King and the monarchy as an institution.”
The Royal Canadian Crown has also received criticism from Canadians on social media.
The new crown was designed by Canadian Heraldic Authority principal artist Cathy Bursey-Sabourin at the request of the Canadian government. It was approved by King Charles III on the advice of Prime Minister Trudeau in April.
Previous changes to Canada’s emblems included switching the crown from the Tudor to the St. Edward’s in 1957 following the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The Jean Chrétien Liberals then added the Latin inscription “Desiderantes Meliorem Patriam” (Desiring a better country) to Canada’s Coat of Arms in 1995.
In addition to adopting a new crown, the Canadian government has unveiled a new Royal Flag and announced that King Charles III will replace the late Queen Elizabeth II on the $20 dollar bill and the back of coins.
