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Sunday, May 11, 2025

The Daily Brief | Public service strike ramps up

By
Rachel Parker
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Public Service Alliance of Canada

The Public Service Alliance of Canada plans to ramp up its ongoing strike today as negotiations with the federal government continue to break down.

Plus, many Canadians are questioning the government’s agreement with Volkswagen, which sees the car maker receiving up to $13 billion in grants and subsidies courtesy of taxpayers.

And at a time when countries are looking to lessen their dependence on Russian and Chinese oil, the majority of Canadians support growing our oil and gas sector.

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

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J.K. Rowling calls out Canadian male politicians for prancing around in high heels

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and other prominent women are calling out Canadian male politicians for prancing around in high heels in an effort to raise awareness about domestic violence.

“Keep us posted on how many femicides this prevented,” said Rowling in a quote tweet of a video posted by Liberal transport minister Omar Alghabra. The British author revealed back in 2020 that she is a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault.

The video shows Alghabra along with other male ministers and MPs walking around a committee room in pink high heels. Other elected officials seen in the video include Liberal housing and diversity and inclusion minister Ahmed Hussein, Green Party MP Mike Morrice and Conservative MP Larry Brock.

The April 20 activity called “Hope in High Heels” was organized by the Halton Women’s Place, a GTA women’s shelter, with the help of Liberal families, children and social development minister Karina Gould. 

Halton Women’s Place describes “Hope in High Heels” as “an avenue for men and boys to show support for women experiencing domestic violence by wearing hot pink heels.” The program has, however, evolved “to include everyone”. It now welcomes “any age range, any ability level, (and) any gender identity.”

In addition to a reception on Parliament Hill, the women’s shelter organizes yearly “Hope in High Heels” walks in the Halton region.

Rowling is not the only prominent woman to call out the “Hope in High Heels” activity. The latter also received criticism from former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, Turning Point USA personality Savanah Hernandez, Toronto Sun Editor in Chief Adrienne Batra and Olympian Sharron Davies, among other big names.

Alghabra responded to criticism by calling out “insecure men” with “fragile” egos – amid people like People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier and Dr. Jordan Peterson also criticizing the activity. Alghabra however did not address the criticism coming from many prominent women.

“A credible organization that combats violence against women has been coming for years to Parliament asking male MPs to help them raise awareness about their work. Yet, a group of insecure men gets triggered when they see men wearing high heels speaks to how fragile their ego is,” he said.

“Ironic that those who complain about how easily offended society is are easily offended by a simple gesture,” added Alghabra.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that Canadian male politicians have been criticized for wearing high heels for feminist causes. Former Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole had received some blowback online after wearing red heels to participate in a “Walk A Mile in Her Shoes” activity to support a Durham region women’s shelter.

True North reached out to the Halton Women’s Place shelter for comment, but they did not respond in time for publication.

PSAC strike left 700 military members without heat

By
Andrew Kozak
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Hundreds of military personnel were left without heat or hot water at CFB Petawawa after over 500 public service workers began their strike Wednesday.

“The workers at the plant were not deemed as essential workers and they’re out on the picket line just like everybody else,” Randy Phinney, president of the Local 629 Union of National Defence Employees, told CTV News.

“I am very surprised that they weren’t deemed essential.”

While some of the newer buildings still had amenities, 21 buildings on the base were left without them for three days after Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members went on strike Wednesday, according to Acting Commander Andrew Mills.

Several offices on the base were also without heat on Friday. Officials say they expect services to return soon after having to send serving members home.

CFB Petawawa houses over 5000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces in the Ottawa Valley near the town of Petawawa. Nearly 1000 civilian employees at the Department of National Defence also work at the base.

PSAC represents roughly 35,000 workers at the Canada Revenue Agency and 120,000 employees in a variety of departments, including tradespeople, teachers, firefighters, Employment Insurance and Immigration workers.

Disruptions affecting Canadians include processing income taxes at the Canada Revenue Agency, passport services such as renewals and deliveries, and delays when applying for licenses, certificates and registrations. 

Canadians can also expect longer processing times at Employment and Social Development Canada and Service Canada locations.

PSAC demanded up to 47% compensation increases over three years, according to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, which would cost taxpayers $9.3 billion. The average pay for a full-time federal employee is $125,300 including pension and benefits, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Mother resists mandatory vaccination for her children

By
Andrew Lawton
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A mother in Ontario is seeking financial support for a legal challenge that aims to prevent the court from interfering with her decision not to vaccinate her children. The father sought a court order for the children to be vaccinated against the mother’s wishes, and the Court of Appeal for Ontario ruled in his favour. Now, the mother wants to defend her family’s rights in the Supreme Court, but lacks the financial resources to do so. Lawyer Lia Milousis joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the ongoing case, and what you can do to help.

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“We don’t see the golden years anymore,” more seniors than ever relying on food banks in BC

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

More seniors than ever are now relying on food banks in British Columbia. 

In March, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank had to help a staggering 2,700 seniors. “That’s an alarming increase of over 1,200 seniors in just a few short years,” according to Cynthia Boulter, the food bank’s chief operating officer. 

Current economic conditions have left seniors with no choice but to turn to charities for basic necessities across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. 

The Salvation Army in Chilliwack also reported a significant surge in the number of elderly people seeking assistance. 

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the overall count has skyrocketed by more than threefold, and what’s more concerning is that the number of seniors seeking aid has increased twofold. 

“When we first opened the program a few years ago, it was less than 1,000 families that were coming to get food from the pantry. Now, we are well over 3,000,” said Salvation Army’s community partnerships coordinator, Josh Draheim. 

Local Giuseppe Berusini was among the dozen individuals waiting in line at the Chilliwack food bank for hours for his basic grocery needs.

“We don’t see the golden years anymore. I’m 69-years-old. I should be secure and stable in life,” Berusini told CTV News.

Sheila Malcolmson, the Minister of Social Development and Poverty in British Columbia, made a statement in Cloverdale this week, blaming global inflation for the struggles of British Columbians.

“We know that the cost of housing, the cost of food has hit people really hard, and that’s why we just invested another $49 million just in food security alone,” claimed Malcolmson.

BONOKOSKI: When will this strike ever be over?

By
Mark Bonokoski
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No sooner had 155,000 Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) workers hit the bricks than the question arose: When will this strike ever be over?

This was Friday, only the third day of the strike, and impatience was already stomping its big feet for a deal to be negotiated or for the Trudeau government to step in and legislate the strikers back to work.

Ottawa, particularly, feels the heat, which will draw sympathy from exactly nowhere in the country.

Ottawa, after all, is where our tax dollars go to be abused.

The nation’s capital region, where tens of thousands of the strikers actually live and work in the 20-plus federal departments represented by PSAC, is still trying to recover from the Covid pandemic, where the sudden embracement of remote work left city-core coffee houses in the lurch, diners decimated, and bars and taverns searching for new clientele.

Empty patios are not pretty pictures.

Previous strikes have been relatively short-lived. But with federal workers making up about 5% of local wages, when their income drops, so will their spending.

“Strikes that are short usually have very little repercussion on the economy, but because the public service is such a large part of the Ottawa-Gatineau economy, even a week-long strike would start to have some repercussions,” said Pedro Antunes, chief economist at the Conference Board of Canada.

“Restaurants and food services, for instance, will probably be the first to feel it,” he said.

That drop in spending is something local businesses that have relied on federal workers for years are wary about.

“There is a worrying concern if this (strike) does last long,” said Michelle Groulx, executive director of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas.

Some downtown businesses are seeing a slight uptick in customers, depending on their proximity to picket lines.

“People are on the lines,” she said. “Popping in to get coffee and some refreshments is always good and it does help serve those local businesses who have been struggling for a while.”

What has hurt businesses the most, though, she said, is remote work.

Groulx wants to see a clear plan for a balanced workforce throughout the city in case another strike or pandemic occurs.

“Having a more diverse downtown means that businesses won’t suffer no matter what the decision is,” she said.

There are other worries beyond the short-term effects on businesses and the economy from a drop in spending, she said.

Since non-essential Canada Revenue Agency employees are among those who have walked off the job, she worries there could be delays for small businesses or startups in getting rebates or tax credits they rely on for cash flow.

Locally, the conference board’s Antunes said even a week-long strike could eat a tenth of a percent into the region’s economic growth. And as that growth is expected to hover around 1.3% for the year, it could be wiped out within a few months.

Nationally, he doesn’t believe there will be as much of an economic effect from the strike.

However, in a note sent earlier this week by Derek Holt, vice president and head of capital markets economics at Scotiabank, he suggested the national gross domestic product could drop 0.2%  if the strike lasts one month.

Yet while productivity may have declined and service deteriorated, writes the Globe and Mail’s Andrew Coyne, compensation for federal employees has marched steadily upward.

A 2017 study by the C.D. Howe Institute, writes Coyne, found that average total compensation in the federal public service, including wages, pensions and other benefits, grew by nearly 5% annually between 2005-06 and 2015-16 – that is, under the Harper Conservatives.

Overall, the study found average compensation in the federal public service, at $64 an hour, exceeded that of comparable private-sector service jobs by 40% to 60%. Again, that’s after 10 years of the Harper Conservatives.

It is difficult to roust empathy.

Climate change is the new Covid (ft. Marc Morano)

By
Andrew Lawton
-

Canada’s public health officials have recently added “climate change,” “capitalism,” and “colonization” to an ever-growing list of public health threats, in a report written for Dr. Theresa Tam. Climate Depot’s Marc Morano joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss the potential consequences of this move, including the possibility of climate lockdowns and authoritarian restrictions.

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The Alberta Roundup | Notley blacklists independent media

By
Rachel Parker
-

This week on the Alberta Roundup with Rachel Emmanuel, Rachel analyzes Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley’s decision to blacklist reporters she doesn’t like and the Independent Press Gallery’s response.

Also on the show, Rachel discusses a new United Conservative Party government proposal which would seek involuntary treatment for drug addicts who are a harm to themselves or others. What’s your take on the idea?

Finally, Rachel has an update on a dying woman’s bid to return to the top of the organ donor transplant list.

Tune into the Alberta Roundup now!

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OP-ED: Toronto’s unrealistic “Net Zero” plans

By
Rita Smith
-

Do Torontonians actually trust their Council to create a “Net Zero” program which reduces emissions without decimating the downtown core? The same Council that voted for “Net Zero” while increasing the number of licensed vehicles for hire by a factor of fifteen – from 5,500 to 86,000?

Before the Soviet Union fell, I recall laughing at a joke about an inspector visiting a farm to conduct an inventory. He demanded the farmer tell him how many potatoes would be harvested. 

“Potatoes? So many potatoes, they will be piled as high as God’s knees!” the farmer enthused. 

“Now, Comrade, you know there is no God,” the Communist inspector corrected him. 

“And you, Comrade, know there are no potatoes!” the farmer replied. 

Listening to Toronto City staff explain to the Vehicle for Hire (VFH: taxis, limousines and rideshare) industry that all VFH vehicles will need to be 100% electric by 2030 is like having an extended conversation with Communist Inspector who knows there are no potatoes, but is determined to write the Potato Report anyway. 

No one knows for certain that the vehicles, the batteries, the charging stations or sufficient electric power to the grid will even exist by 2030, but the laws are being written now. 

“How many vehicles for hire does Toronto have now?” was one of the first questions asked. Surprisingly, staff replied with a rambling, convoluted explanation detailing why they did not have that number. 

(Taxi News wrote the Media office when the video conference ended, and they responded with April 17 numbers: 79,537 rideshare vehicles, 6,710 Taxis and limousines.)

“Will Toronto consider an absolute cap on rideshare vehicles, or will it continue to allow an unlimited number of rideshares?” It appears Toronto has no intention of ever returning to the day when 5,500 VFH was deemed by professional transportation experts to be the correct number of vehicles for the market. The question of why Toronto needs 86,000 VFH cruising for fares when it used to have 5,500 is not part of the Net Zero process, surprisingly. 

Will insurance companies provide insurance to 100% electric vehicles for hire? Staff had no answer to this question, and pointed out that insurance is a provincial issue. In fact, one of the largest providers of insurance to taxis in Toronto has already noted there is no money to be made insuring electric taxis because a minor accident which damages the battery forces them to write off the entire, expensive vehicle. 

“Instead of a $1,500 repair, we’re writing off an $80,000 vehicle. We can’t do it,” I was told. 

So, there’s that. 

Still, Toronto staff are working diligently and conscientiously on the Net Zero file. They were practical enough to propose exempting Wheelchair accessible vehicles. They are proposing a “grant” program which would see licensed VFH drivers receive funding to offset the cost of their licenses. This would not take effect until all current license fee reductions have been clawed back; and there is, in fact, no money in any area of Toronto’s deficit budget to fund such grants. 

However, the idea of an offset grant is a nice idea, in the same way a pile of potatoes reaching as high as God’s knees is also a nice idea. It’s just that neither of them exists in reality. 

This is the government Torontonians trust to supply an energy grid and charging infrastructure to keep downtown Toronto moving in winter weather when even one stalled car can cause gridlock for blocks? 

Perhaps the most inadvertently hilarious question was from an attendee who wanted to know if Toronto would consider adding a “fuel efficient driving” module to VHF driver training. 

Again, I laughed, recalling a taxi owner once exclaiming, “If bureaucrats think there is ANYBODY who wants to spend less on fuel than taxi drivers, they are dreaming!” 

One common theme between Soviet farmers growing potatoes and taxi drivers converting to 100% electric vehicles is this: they both must do whatever government dictates to stay in business. 

It just helps so much when things are not imaginary.

Seven times the CBC’s bias was on full display

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Seven times the CBC showed they were anything but “impartial and independent”

It’s no secret that the CBC has a long-standing left-wing bias that permeates every aspect of its reporting. From its selective coverage of certain stories to its slanted opinion pieces, it’s clear that the CBC is more interested in pushing its own political agenda than in reporting the news objectively.

The CBC has been caught time and time again censoring or downplaying stories that don’t fit their liberal narrative, while exaggerating or sensationalizing stories that do. 

CBC’s recent spat with Twitter over a “government funded media” label has many Canadians paying attention to the broadcaster’s political bias. 

True North has compiled seven times the CBC’s bias against conservative politicians and causes was on full display in recent years.

Failed lawsuit against the Conservatives

A prime example of the state broadcaster’s left-wing bias and attempt to silence its critics on the right was when the CBC decided to sue the Conservative Party during the 2019 election.

The CBC alleged that the party’s use of excerpts from its programs infringed on the so-called ‘moral rights’ of two of its employees, news anchor Rosemary Barton and reporter John Paul Tasker.

In response at the time, the Conservatives criticized the CBC over their decision to launch a lawsuit on the eve of an election.

A year and a half after the electionTwo years ago, a federal court dismissed the CBC’s frivolous lawsuit.

Federal Court Justice Michael Phelan ruled that the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) did not violate CBC’s copyright when it used excerpts from the broadcaster’s footage in an online ad and tweets. He concluded that the CPC didn’t break any laws and were entirely under the “fair dealing” use of the materials.

“There was no evidence presented that a broadcaster’s segment disclosed in a partisan setting reflected adversely on the broadcaster,” ruled Phelan.

Invented Russian conspiracy theory about Freedom Convoy

It’s no secret that the Trudeau government was not a fan of the Freedom Convoy – and it appears the CBC weren’t either. 

In Jan. 2022, the CBC went off the deep end with baseless accusations and conspiracy theories about the Convoy. 

During a Power & Politics segment, a CBC anchor baselessly suggested that Russia was involved in organizing the Freedom Convoy, without any proof whatsoever.

“Given Canada’s support of Ukraine in this current crisis with Russia, I don’t know if it is far-fetched to ask, but there is concern that Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things as this protest grows, perhaps even instigating it from the outside?” asked Nil Köksal.

In reality, the Freedom Convoy was a grassroots movement of hardworking Canadians who were fed up with the government’s overreach and the infringements on their liberties during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even the CBC Ombudsman called out their bias saying they relied on a “speculative question” without grounding. 

“The fundamental flaw, in my view, was the use of a speculative question when it was not called for,” wrote Jack Nagler. 

“Instead, Power & Politics presented its question without attribution. It was not clear to viewers whether anyone was offering evidence that Russia was involved in the convoy – or why they would have such a concern. Asking the question in this way left room for people to surmise that CBC believed such evidence existed.”

Devoting 500% more time to Kamala Harris than to Leslyn Lewis

The CBC is infatuated with the Democrats in the US, as indicated by CBC CEO Catherine Tait’s donation to the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016 and the state broadcaster’s anti-Trump coverage throughout his presidency.

The CBC’s obsession with US politics and the Democrats was on full display when Canada’s state broadcaster n showed its left-wing bias during the 2020 Conservative leadership race. 

The CBC gave more coverage to American Democrat vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris as the “first woman of colour to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket” thanthey did the Canadian Conservative leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis – despite Lewis being the first black woman to run to lead the party. 

According to a True North review of articles from the time, Harris received 500% more headlines from the CBC mentioning her name than Lewis. The CBC dedicated 45 headlines to the American left-wing politician compared to only nine headlines to the Conservative leadership candidate.

By law, the CBC is required to “be predominantly and distinctively Canadian, reflect Canada and its regions to national and regional audiences, while serving the special needs of those regions.”

CBC selectively edited Erin O’Toole’s comment about defunding the broadcaster

Also during the 2020 Conservative leadership race, the CBC was caught red-handed trying to manipulate an interview by selectively editing candidate Erin O’Toole’s comments on defunding the public broadcaster. 

During the interview on CBC’s The House, guest host David Cochrane asked O’Toole about his plan to defund the outlet. 


His response and the question were entirely removed from the interview that was broadcast across Canada despite not removing any other portion of the interview. 

“I did an interview with CBC Radio, but they edited out the question where they asked me about my plan to defund the CBC. Seems the CBC doesn’t want Canadians to hear my answer,” tweeted O’Toole.

In a lazy attempt to explain away the discrepancy, the CBC claimed they edited that part of the interview “for time.” 

Citing a doctor that received $2 million in Pfizer funding to promote child vaccination

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the CBC failed to report on important conflicts of interest when it came to the push for vaccination of 5-11-year-olds.

The CBC and other media outlets have failed to disclose nearly $2 million in funding from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals received by pediatrician Dr. Jim Kellner who was cited as an expert in articles by the broadcaster – clear example of the media’s bias towards the pro-vaccination narrative and their unwillingness to report on any potential conflicts of interest that could undermine it.

The CBC published one article titled, “Wondering about vaccinating younger kids against COVID-19? Alberta experts weigh in” without any reference to his long relationship with one of the chief manufacturers of the Covid-19 vaccine. 

A search on the outlet’s website turned up Kellner’s name over 41 times. 

Doubling down on misleading reporting about Freedom Convoy donations

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the drastic measure of triggering the Emergencies Act to quash the Freedom Convoy last year based on misleading and biased analysis from the CBC.

The Liberals cited “the Broadcasting Corporation’s February 14, 2022 analysis of the data” regarding donations from GiveSendGo.com as justifying their decision to freeze the bank accounts of protestors. 

“The importance of this measure is highlighted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s recent reporting about the crowdfunding website, GiveSendGo.com, which indicated that the majority of the donations to the protests were made by donors outside of Canada,” claimed evidence submitted by the federal government. 

Testimony by GiveSendGo executives and debunked CBC’s claims that a majority of the donations came from outside of Canada, saying that 63% of the donations were from Canadian sources.

Being accused of a “manufactured controversy” over story that relied on anonymous sources

CBC News’ political bias came through most recently when it refused to retract its story that accuses Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office of meddling with Crown prosecutors over Coutts border blockades cases.

Although it printed the story based on anonymous sources and emails it had not seen, the CBC has stuck by the article, risking a lawsuit with Smith. 

Not only has Smith called the article “defamatory,” itsit’s claims were debunked by the civil service and Crown prosecutors.

“The Premier calls on the CBC to retract its outrageous story and, further, that the CBC and the Official Opposition apologize to the Premier, Premier’s Office staff, Alberta Crown prosecutors and those in the Alberta Public Service, for the damage caused to their reputations and that of Alberta’s justice system,”wrote Smith in a statement.

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