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Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Mendicino proposes new definition, ban on “assault-style firearms”

By
Rachel Parker
-

The federal government is renewing its push for a ban on what it calls “assault-style firearms” with a proposed suite of amendments to its gun control bill C-21.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino announced the changes Monday, saying they “would ensure that any future government will have a very, very difficult time making assault-style firearms legal again.”

Mendicino said amendments to Bill C-21 and Canada’s ban on AR-15 “assault-style firearms” will include a standard technical definition containing. 

“This definition which would apply going forward would be inserted into the Criminal Code,” he said. “It provides the clarity that gun owners and industry leaders need and the protection that advocates have long called for.”

Mendicino also said the regulation will remove the burden away from gun owners, and make manufacturers responsible for classifying their firearms “because they do have a responsibility in keeping our community safe.” Those actions, he continued, flow from recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission’s final report.

According to a news release from Public Safety Canada, the technical definition would cover firearms designed and manufactured after Bill C-21 comes into force and not impact “the classification of existing firearms in the Canadian market.”

Mendicino also said the federal government would crack down on ghost guns, firearms produced without serial numbers.

“These amendments will make it a criminal offence to make any illegal ghost gun either by buying firearm parts or by using 3D technology.”

The Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights said Mendicino and the Liberals are continuing to make law-abiding gun owners a priority in their attempt to slow violence in Canada. 

“As we’ve said all along, this is about polarization and votes. If the Liberals truly cared about public safety, they’d repeal their (2019) Bill C-75,” said spokesperson Tracey Wilson.

“Law enforcement across the country has asked for this. Instead, we get gun bans and misinformation.”

Wilson also said the federal government would deal with Canada’s pressing issues, like the opiate crisis, an explosion in gang violence, bail reform, and a marked decline in mental health if their concern was “genuine.”

“These are the determinants of violence with or without firearms. But they have prioritized gun bans above all else, the measure with the least potential to yield results.”

Ottawa also plans to reinstate the federal firearms advisory committee that will make recommendations on the classification of guns now on the market.

In May 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was banning more than 1,500 models of firearms, including guns explicitly used for sport shooting and hunting. The Parliamentary Budget Officer said the program will cost $750 million. Those costs could balloon to $1 billion once administrative fees are taken into account.

The buyback program would require firearms owners to sell their guns to the government or have them rendered inoperable at federal expense.

In October, police witnesses told the House of Commons Public Safety Committee that police services in Canada are operating at minimal levels already. The committee is studying Bill C-21, proposed legislation through which Trudeau’s order in council would become law.

Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include comment from the CCFR.

Smith mum on whether she’ll continue legal action against CBC

By
Rachel Parker
-

United Conservative Party leader Danielle Smith is declining to say whether she’ll continue to pursue legal action against CBC News after she demanded the outlet retract a story about contact her office had with Justice officials over Coutts border blockade charges.

Last month, Smith’s legal team gave notice of the premier’s “intention to bring an action against the CBC” under the Defamation Act unless the publication retracted the news article in question by April 28. 

With that deadline now passed and the news article still live, Smith is declining to say whether she will pursue the matter further, saying her “sole focus” is the ongoing campaign against the Alberta NDP. 

“I think that Albertans are interested in what we’re going to be campaigning on to move the province forward, and that’s what I’ll be focused on for the next four weeks — is making sure that people understand exactly what a UCP majority government will deliver,” she told reporters in Calgary on Monday morning. 

CBC head of public affairs Chuck Thompson said the publication has not received any further legal action from the premier since the initial letter on April 2. 

The CBC News article in question reported on a call between Smith and controversial street pastor Artur Pawlowski. On the call, Smith says she’s been in weekly contact with Justice officials regarding the pastor’s criminal charges from his involvement with the Coutts border blockade.

Smith is also heard telling Pawlowski multiple times that she is unable to intervene in the legal matter.

CBC’s report argues that the call reveals that Smith’s conversations “with top Alberta Justice officials about pandemic-related prosecutions were more frequent and specific than she has admitted publicly.”

Prior to the call being released, Smith told the public that her staff worked with Justice officials to determine how to help those charged “with non-violent, non-firearms COVID-related charges.”

Smith’s lawyer called the CBC report “defamatory,” and said it alleges “that the Premier has lied to the public about appropriate contact with a Minister in her government about COVID-19 related prosecutions.”

“The defamatory nature of the Article is transparent,” the letter says. 

At the time of the initial legal notice, Thompson told True North that CBC stands by its journalism on this story and, if necessary, “will defend it in court.”

Shortly after becoming party leader, Smith said she wanted to pardon those charged for breaching Covid-19 restrictions. She abandoned those promises months later, saying her Justice minister said it would not be possible for her to interfere in the independent Crown prosecution process. 

The election campaign officially began on Monday, with the UCP promising Albertans that a reelected government will implement a flood of tax relief measures.

UCP tees off on tax breaks as election campaign begins

By
Rachel Parker
-

Alberta’s 31st election is officially underway and the United Conservative Party is promising Albertans that a reelected government will implement a flood of tax relief measures. 

Alberta chief electoral officer Glen Resler confirmed late Monday morning that writs were issued to administer Alberta’s 31st provincial election. 

“We are excited to welcome Albertans back to the polls this month,” Resler said in a statement.

“Returning Officers have been appointed, and we are in the process of recruiting and training nearly 20,000 Election Officers to conduct voting in the 87 electoral divisions across the province.”

Later that morning, UCP leader Danielle Smith announced that her re-elected government would create a new 8% tax bracket on income under $60,000. Under the new policy, every Albertan earning $60,000 or more will save $760, with savings of up to $1,500 per family.  

Albertans earning less than $60,000 will see a 20% reduction to their provincial tax bill under this tax cut.

Smith said the announcement would cost the treasury around $1 billion. 

“At its heart, this election is a choice between moving forward or going back, between embracing forward looking policies to grow the economy, generate new opportunities, make life more affordable, or returning to the costly failed policies of the NDP,” Smith said.

“For the sake of hundreds of thousands of families across Alberta we can’t afford to go back. And with Albertans’ support, we won’t.” 

A re-elected UCP government would also extend the Fuel Tax Holiday until the end of the year and continue to index all tax brackets to keep up with inflation.

Albertans are currently saving 13 cents per a litre at the pump through the fuel tax policy. 

The party has already signed the No Tax Hike Guarantee, a pledge not to increase personal or business taxes. It also announced a reelected UCP government would formalize the guarantee by expanding the Taxpayer Protection Act to ensure no future government can increase personal or business taxes without first getting approval from Albertans in a referendum. 

Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley will also kick off the election campaign in Calgary later on Monday.

The Daily Brief | Public service strike finally comes to an end

By
Rachel Parker
-

The Public Service Alliance of Canada has reached an agreement with the federal government, ending the national strike that disrupted services for Canadians for nearly two weeks.


Plus, former Ontario PC MPP and federal Conservative leadership candidate Roman Baber announced that he will seek the Conservative nomination in the riding of York Centre.


And Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is chastising the Alberta NDP leader over Rachel Notley’s attempts to criticize the government for its new Calgary arena.


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

BONOKOSKI: Many unanswered questions about PRC-backed donation to Trudeau Foundation

By
Mark Bonokoski
-

Dirty slush surrounding the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation continues to pile up over a controversial $200,000 Chinese donation.

On Friday, the foundation’s former CEO, Pascale Fournier, who left the foundation with other board members a few weeks ago during an internal crisis, testified before the House of Commons ethics committee that her predecessor “misled” the public by claiming its origin was Canadian and not Chinese.

As reported by the Epoch Times, she noted a statement her predecessor Morris Rosenberg had given to the National Post in 2016 regarding the $200,000 donation promised by Chinese businessmen Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng.

The Post article paraphrased Rosenberg as saying the foundation does not count the donation as being foreign since it was made by a company registered in Canada.

“This was a declaration on behalf of the foundation to say that it was not foreign, that it was Canadian money. This was in the annual report as well, when in fact, the tax receipt itself mentioned China,” said Fournier, a law professor of law at the University of Ottawa.

“I think this is something that is misleading to Canadians.”

Zhang Bin and Niu Gensheng, both formally associated with the Chinese regime-backed China Cultural Industry Association (CCIA), had promised to give a total of $1 million to the foundation and the Université de Montréal in 2014, in honour of former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

The issue surfaced in the news in 2016 a few months after the donation ceremony, when the Globe and Mail reported that Zhang Bin had attended a cash-for-access Liberal Party fundraiser where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the guest of honour.

Of the $200,000 promised to the foundation, in the end only $140,000 was provided in two instalments.

But the reality doesn’t quite match what was publicly announced by the donation’s beneficiaries.

Fournier explained that the two charitable receipts had been signed by Rosenberg, with the one for the first instalment of 2016 mentioning an address in China. It was also not in the name of either announced donor, but on behalf of the company Millennium Golden Eagle, which is owned by Zhang Bin.

The receipt for the second instalment provided in 2017 was for the same company, but this time with an address in Quebec, said Fournier.

“I immediately started to ask questions about why is it that we would have two receipts that are so different that one seems to be international with money that seems to come from China, and another one with an address in Quebec?” she said.

Fournier’s inquiries about the donation started after the Globe reported on Feb. 28 that it was the Chinese regime that directed Zhang Bin to give money to the Trudeau Foundation, in a potential foreign influence scheme.

When Fournier started investigating internally what had transpired, she found out through reviewing emails that the CCIA was in direct communication with foundation employees, telling them what to specifically write on the donation receipts.

She said that based on what she saw, there was no direct link between the donors and the foundation. “The link was really between this (Chinese-regime-backed) association (CCIA) and the foundation.”

“Is it fair to say that the association was an extension of the People’s Republic of China, the government?” asked NDP MP Matthew Green.

“I think there was a very strong proximity. I don’t know if I would say extension, but it was clearly under the guidance of the (Communist) government,” said Fournier.

Former Alberta Emergency Management Officer slams government’s Covid response

By
Rita Smith
-

Plans developed by Canada’s best professional Emergency Management Officers (EMOs) were discarded at the start of Covid, says Alberta’s former EMO.

“We threw out every lesson we had ever learned,” Lt. Col. (Ret.) David Redman told the National Citizens’ Inquiry (NCI) on April 27th. “Alberta’s Emergency Management Plan already had an appendix for a Pandemic. It was never opened.”

Redman served in Canada’s Armed Forces for 27 years before he was made head of Alberta’s EMO, where he served for eight years. His two-hour presentation to the NCI covered the basics of Emergency Management and contrasted that process with the chaos which occurred when Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments launched its Covid measures in 2019.

He confirmed that every province and territory has an EMO, staffed, trained and fully equipped. The federal EMO is Public Safety Canada.

“EMOs manage fires, floods and terrorism, and SHOULD have managed the pandemic,” he said.

“Public Health should never have been in charge of the pandemic management. They are part of the team of course – but Public Health never manages an emergency.”

Redman told the NCI that he personally wrote letters to the Premiers of each province and territory to explain to them that the Covid pandemic should to be managed through their EMO teams, putting the needs of citizens first.

“Citizens were being told they needed to protect our health care system. That is backward. Citizens don’t exist to protect the health care system; the health care system exists to protect the citizens. I wrote to every Premier to warn them the dangers of ignoring Emergency Management principles, but never heard from anyone. I failed,” he observed plainly.

Redman presented the NCI with a thorough overview of the Emergency Management process, during which he emphasized repeatedly that teamwork involving subject matter experts from a variety of disciplines is the heart of the process. These experts meet regularly between emergencies to keep plans and information updated.

“We discarded Emergency Management principles, and it cost us dearly,” Redman said.

NCI is a Canada-wide citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative to investigate governments’ Covid-19 policies in a fair and impartial manner completely independent from the government. Through questioning led by lawyers, individual Canadians and experts are presenting evidence under oath to Independent Commissioners.

As described on its website, the NCI’s purpose is to listen, to learn, and to recommend by asking questions such as: “What went right? What went wrong? How can Canadians and our governments better react to national crises in the future in a manner that balances the interests of all members of our society?”

Testimonials have also been provided to the Inquiry in Truro, Toronto, Winnipeg and Saskatoon, and Red Deer. Examples include funeral directors who refused to keep family members separated from their loved ones despite government limits on attendance; health and safety professionals who watched every rule of workplace safety get decimated by employers; and police officers who refused to implement martial law when politicians called for it.

Further hearings are being scheduled for Victoria, Vancouver, Quebec, and Ottawa. The hearings (from 9 am to 5 pm local time in each city) will be broadcast live on the National Citizens’ Inquiry website.

Public workers reach deal with feds, ending national strike

By
Andrew Kozak
-

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has reached a tentative contract agreement with the federal government, ending the two-week strike that disrupted a number of public services.

On Monday, PSAC announced that it had reached an agreement for more than 120,000 Treasury Board workers. The union says these workers will return to work on Monday or their next scheduled shift after that date.

However, as Canadians await their tax returns, PSAC is continuing strike action for more than 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers. 

According to the union, the contract includes a 12% wage increase over four years. 

On remote work, the union says managers will have to negotiate requests individually, not by group, and will have to provide written responses to requests.

The government announced on Saturday that it had tabled “a final updated comprehensive offer that addresses all remaining PSAC demands” but stopped short on specific details.

“During a period of record-high inflation and soaring corporate profits, workers were told to accept less – but our members came together and fought for better,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. 

“This agreement delivers important gains for our members that will set the bar for all workers in Canada.”

Since the strike began on April 19th, Canadians have experienced delays to many public services such as renewing a passport, filing taxes, issuing licenses, certifications and benefit requests.

Striking public workers protested in “strategic locations,” with the aim of disrupting the government and the Canadian economy. Protesters set up a picket line near the Ambassador Bridge, caused delays at Pearson Airport and set up tables and tents on city property – including the prime minister’s office.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation heavily criticized the demands made by PSAC, saying federal employees are “out of touch” and are asking too much while Canadians are struggling to make ends meet.

Air travel groups criticize feds’ proposed changes to air passenger bill of rights

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

Air travel groups are criticizing the Trudeau government’s proposed changes to the air passenger bill of rights – warning Canadians that the changes may result in higher airfares. 

This comes amid Canada already having some of the most expensive flight prices in the world. 

On Thursday, the federal Liberals tabled legislation to amend the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR), as part of Bill C-47, the Budget Implementation Act. They claim that these amendments will lead to Canada having the “toughest” passenger protection laws. 

The changes seek to limit situations in which airlines can refuse to compensate passengers affected by flight disruptions. The changes will also increase penalties for non-compliant airlines, modify the complaint process and require airlines to pay the Canadian Transportation Industry a portion of the cost of processing complaints.

In response to the government’s proposed changes, the National Airlines Council of Canada warned in a news release that the latter may result in more expensive airfares.

“By imposing a new fee for passenger claims submitted to the Canadian Transportation Agency and expanding compensation requirements, the cost of air travel may increase, threatening access, connectivity, and choice for passengers,” said the NACC.

The NACC believes “the proposed amendments to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR) contained in Bill C-47 will not improve the operation of Canada’s air travel system or the travel experience for customers.”

The group added that “targeted infrastructure funding, re-investment of airport rent, increasing the accountability of third-party service providers, and reduction of costs and fees would strengthen the system, as has been repeatedly recommended by many parliamentary committee and government reports issued over the last several years.” 

The Liberals’ proposed changes are also being criticized by Air Passenger Rights president Gabor Lukacs. Lukacs told True North “the government is weakening passenger rights in Canada.”

Lukacs also told CTV News that the changes actually create a new loophole for airlines that will allow them not to pay penalties.

The air passenger bill of rights amendments have also been criticized by opposition parties, with Conservatives saying they “will do nothing” to address a backlog of passenger complaints. The NDP described the changes as “complex, bureaucratic and expensive.”

In an interview with CBC Radio, transport minister Omar Alghabra defended his proposal, saying “we’re not asking the airlines to do more than what they promised their customers they would do.”

“We’re not holding them responsible for things they don’t control. We’re asking them to deliver on what they promised customers. And I think this will be better for customers. This will be better for airlines. And this will be better for everyone.”

The changes to Canada’s Passenger Bill of Rights come after a disastrous 2022 that saw air passengers subjected to extremely long wait times, delays, as well as several flight cancellations. 

BONOKOSKI: Can a deal be reached to end the strike?

By
Mark Bonokoski
-
Public Service Alliance of Canada

Treasury Board is urging leaders with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) to let its members review the government’s latest offer, one it calls “fair, competitive and reasonable.”

It’s a wise move.

Only a third of the union members voted for a strike in the first place, but it pitched 155,000 onto the picket line which made it the largest strike against a single employer in Canadian history.

Some 42,420 PSAC members voted in the strike vote—20% of them voting no—which leaves approximately 34,000 members calling the shots to hit the bricks.

If Treasury Board’s latest offer is truly “fair, competitive and reasonable,” a union vote now could end the strike that began April 19.

No one likes holding out for nickels and dimes.

In an open letter released Saturday, the Treasury Board Secretariat said its “final updated comprehensive offer” given to the union on Friday addressed all of PSAC’s remaining demands and included an “enhanced wage offer” that “builds” on recommendations by an independent arbitrator, without providing more details.

“Along with the new wage package, we also presented solutions to address priorities such as telework, seniority, and contracting without impeding our ability to deliver services to Canadians,” the letter said.

“This is a fair, competitive and reasonable final offer, with wage and non-wage improvements, and we believe that employees should have an opportunity to review the details of it.”

The federal government has felt pretty confident in ignoring the union’s demands, prompting strikers to escalate into all-out blockades of bridges, roads and even sections of downtowns across the country.

The Treasury Board offer, however, only applies to approximately 120,000 members in the four bargaining groups under the purview of the board. They include striking workers in the Program and Administrative Services, Operational Services, Technical Services, and Education and Library Science bargaining groups. It does not apply to workers with Canada Revenue Agency.

A PSAC spokesperson said Saturday afternoon the union would not immediately comment “out of respect for the bargaining process,” this as both sides continued to negotiate for the strike’s end.

But the federal government has felt pretty confident in ignoring their demands, prompting strikers to escalate this week into all-out blockades of bridges, roads and even sections of downtowns across the country.

About 30 departments and agencies are impacted, including immigration, citizenship, passport, licensing, and tax services.

After meeting in the middle on hundreds of lesser issues, the two sides remain far apart on the major issue that tends to bog down most labour disputes: Money.

It’s a major sticking point. The federal government has offered a 9% raise spread out over three years, a move that negotiators say would add $6,250 to the average worker’s pocket. The union, meanwhile, began negotiations with a demand for a 13.5% raise over three years.

Across Canada and in various industries, more and more labour disputes are looming because of money disputes. From Vancouver Symphony Orchestra stagehands to nurses in Ontario, and from WestJet pilots to flight attendants at that airline and others, it seems to be a sentiment echoed by workers across the country.

Money, however, will not be a precedent in the PSAC strike. It will be whatever deal negotiators made on remote work.

That will be a game-changer.

Risk assessment expert slams Canada’s Covid response at National Citizens’ Inquiry

By
Rita Smith
-

Canada’s Covid response was not based on any kind of science, Risk Assessment professional Dean Beaudry told the National Citizens’ Inquiry (NCI) on April 26.

“I cannot imagine how we could have done a worse job,” Beaudry noted in astonishment at one point.

NCI is a Canada-wide citizen-led and citizen-funded initiative to investigate governments’ Covid-19 policies in a fair and impartial manner that is completely independent of the government. Through questioning led by lawyers, individual Canadians and experts are presenting evidence under oath to Independent Commissioners.

Alberta engineer Dean Beaudry, BSc., MSc., P.Eng. spent his entire career assessing and mitigating workplace risks. His presentation to the NCI in Red Deer was titled: “Quality Decisions in High Stakes Situations.” It represented his professional opinion on how the risks associated with Covid-19 could have and should have been handled.

Beaudry was shocked that Canada’s public health managers deviated from every accepted norm in the field of Risk Assessment.

“Nothing we did was based on science,” he stated ruefully at one point.

In exploring the root causes of the Covid situation, Beaudry noted, “One of the roots was unchecked and inadequate governance action. There was a suspension of Charter rights, and that provided the authority for general lowering of ethical and privacy standards, the course of vaccination requirements, passports, travel restrictions, lockdowns…all the bad things that happened. But it also eliminated the requirement for critical thinking and difficult decisions.”

While his dismay at Canada’s Covid response appears profound and incredulous, Beaudry seemed pleasantly surprised at the information which was being presented at the NCI.

“This Inquiry is the best thing since the Convoy,” he told Commissioners.

The NCI’s purpose is to listen, to learn, and to recommend by asking questions such as: “What went right? What went wrong? How can Canadians and our governments better react to national crises in the future in a manner that balances the interests of all members of our society?”

Testimonials have also been provided to the Inquiry in Truro, Toronto, Winnipeg and Saskatoon, and Red Deer.. Examples include funeral directors who refused to keep family members separated from their loved ones despite government limits on attendance; health and safety professionals who watched every rule of workplace safety get decimated by employers; and police officers who refused to implement martial law when politicians called for it.

Further hearings are being scheduled for Victoria, Vancouver, Quebec, and Ottawa. The hearings (from 9 am to 5 pm local time in each city) will be broadcast live on the National Citizens’ Inquiry website.

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