Long waitlists for surgery could be shortened by embracing the practice of “duplicate” healthcare, says a new report.
The report from the Montreal Economic Institute released Thursday said long surgery lineups would shrink if governments allowed private healthcare practices to compete in Canada.
First on the list is allowing Canadians to buy “duplicate” healthcare insurance, says the report’s author Maria Lily Shaw.
Duplicate insurance is a policy that provides coverage for both the public and private sector. Shaw says it would connect Canadians to treatment options not everyone can currently afford – treatment in the private sector.
“Instead of being accessible only to those who can afford to pay out of pocket, private care could be accessible to the middle class,” she said.
According to Shaw, this would take people out of the long line-ups for treatment, which currently trouble Canada.
She pointed to Quebec, and said this January nearly 160,000 of its citizens were waitlisted for surgery – a third of whom had been waiting six months.
“It’s no secret: our health care system isn’t cutting it,” said Shaw.
“The health care system must be restructured to introduce competition.”
In March of last year, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced the province needed to overhaul its healthcare system – but duplicate healthcare insurance is still banned.
Pilot and unvaccinated travel advocate Greg Hill blasted the US government’s continued vaccine border mandate as nonsensical and akin to restrictions in countries that have troubling human rights records.
In an interview with True North, Hill, who founded Free to Fly Canada explained how millions of unvaccinated Canadians continue to be prohibited from entering the US on spurious grounds both at the land border and by air.
“They’re not in good company… Angola, Pakistan, there’s other West African countries so these are their compatriots as far as edicts keeping the unvaccinated out,” said Hill.
Hill stressed that most people are unaware of the continued mandates and their indefinite nature.
“It’s about raising awareness because even the American politicians don’t know that Canadians can’t cross the border. It’s really not of great interest unless you’re a border mayor,” explained Hill.
At the root of border mandates are an Oct. 2021 presidential proclamation which details the extent and nature of the vaccine requirement. That order was updated on the advice of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in April of last year and has no expiry date.
“These restrictions will become effective at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on April 22, 2022, and may be amended or rescinded at any time, including to conform these restrictions to any intervening changes,” the US Federal Register states.
A recent Emergency Amendment by the Transportation Security Administration extended a vaccination requirement for air travelers until April 10, 2023, on top of the aforementioned proclamations.
Several prominent US politicians have called for a lifting of the border mandate with Canada, including Congressman Brian Higgins and Senator Chuck Schumer.
Last week, Republican Representative Thomas Massie also introduced a bill to end the Covid-19 vaccine mandate for international air travelers. According to Hill, if passed HR185 would also strike down the proclamation effectively robbing its ability to be enforced.
“Politicians still don’t fully understand this because they see some pretty significant news outlets that completely misunderstand this angle,” said Hill.
“There’s complicated American politics and constitutional law… If it succeeds it strikes down the CDC order and because of the way these agencies are funded, regardless of Biden’s proclamation it really doesn’t hold any weight anymore so there’s a bit of a nuance.”
The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of 2023 officially came to an end after five days of the world’s elites coming together to discuss a wide range of issues, including digital IDs, digital currencies and of course, climate change.
Unlike many legacy media outlets in Canada, True North has been on the ground for the duration of the summit, trying to get answers for Canadians. Unfortunately, not all attendees – including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland – wanted to provide answers.
True North’s Andrew Lawton reports from Davos, Switzerland.
While shoring up support for Iranian protesters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, prominent Iranian activist Masih Alinejad told True North’s Andrew Lawton that inaction from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the Islamist regime is getting protesters killed.
In an exclusive interview, Alinejad mentioned the recent vote by the European Parliament to call on member states to designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
While shoring up support for Iranian protesters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, prominent Iranian activist @AlinejadMasih told True North’s @AndrewLawton that inaction from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the Islamist regime is getting protesters killed. pic.twitter.com/fVawbdiOwG
“I strongly believe the time has come for the whole world to put the (IRGC) on the terrorist list, which the United States of America did three years ago. The EU are going to designate the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization,” said Alinejad.
“I hope the Justin Trudeau government will join them because three years ago, I gave a testimony in the Canadian Parliament. I called on Justin Trudeau to designate them as a terrorist organization. They didn’t and what happened? More people got killed.”
Critics have accused the Liberals of dragging their feet on listing the group as a designated terrorist entity under the Canadian Anti-Terrorism Act despite prior commitments.
In 2018, Trudeau and his fellow Liberal MPs voted in support of an opposition motion by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis to further condemn Iran and add the IRGC to the list alongside the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
“Sadly, this turned out to be another instance of Liberals trying to look like they care without actually taking concrete action. The Canadian government has, however, provided no clear indication of why they don’t want to list the IRGC. If Liberals continue to break their word on this, then they should at least explain why,” Genius told True North earlier this week.
Since then, Trudeau has come short of his commitment, instead banning a number of IRGC officials from Canada via an immigration blacklist. Advocates like the President of the Council of Iranian-Canadians Avideh Motmâenfar have called the move “insignificant.”
“I refuse to attribute the failure of the Federal Government to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity to a lack of proper knowledge about the terrorist nature of that organization. Indeed, since the commencement of the ongoing uprisings in Iran, we have seen time and time again Trudeau uttering pretty accurate descriptions of the Islamic Republic and, particularly, the IRGC,” said Motmâenfar.
“Even, to save face, the government has announced some new, however insignificant, sanctions against a number of the IRGC commanders, such as travel bans under the Immigration Act. But why is it that Trudeau has resisted for so long and continues to resist listing the IRGC as a terrorist entity?”
If you got your news only from legacy media outlets, you’d probably have no idea that two Trudeau cabinet ministers were at the World Economic Forum. That’s because the legacy media in Canada completely ignored the WEF this year.
On the other hand, independent media outlets like True North were on the ground in Davos covering the issues that matter to you and challenging the world’s elites.
Where was the legacy media? Why aren’t they covering this important event?
Tune into a special WEF edition of Fake News Friday with Andrew Lawton.
Twice as many “out-of-status” immigrants can now earn permanent residency in Canada by working construction in the Greater Toronto Area.
Liberal MP Peter Fonseca announced on Friday the federal government is doubling its program released in 2019, which legalized 500 immigrants’ permanent stay in Canada in exchange for their labour services near Toronto. They are now allowing another 500 to apply for the program.
This is a win-win, said Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Sean Fraser.
“By providing regular pathways for out-of-status migrants, we are not only protecting workers and their families, but also safeguarding Canada’s labour market and ensuring that we can retain the skilled workers we need,” said Fraser.
Out-of-status workers are those who have entered Canada with residency permits, but for one reason or another have fallen out of status and found employment in the construction industry, according to the national union group Canadian Labour Congress.
As Ontario deals with workforce shortages, many say that, out-of-status or not, immigrants are essential.
Last July, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he planned to request a boost of immigration to deal with generational labour shortage.
The Toronto Star then reported the province had nearly 380,000 unfilled jobs, mostly in healthcare and construction.
Fraser said today’s announcement addresses that problem, and is a sign of good things to come.
“This initiative is a testament to our government’s commitment to finding innovative solutions to support Canada’s workforce and strengthen our economy,” he said.
According to the federal government announcement, Canada issued nearly four-times more work permits last year (645,000) than the year before.
It said immigrants make-up almost 100% of labour force growth, and will represent up to 30% of the population by 2036.
It’s really quite sad that a coalition of activist groups actually believes they stand a chance in their campaign to lean on Ottawa City Council to somehow get an upcoming Jordan Peterson event cancelled.
Peterson is currently in the middle of his Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life Tour, where he has almost 30 cities left to visit.
What’s impressive is not just the geographic scope of the tour – it covers multiple countries – but also that these aren’t small venues. For some stops, like Seattle and Toronto, there are two days planned.
This is the sort of book tour that most publishers can only dream of having for their authors. For the Ottawa event, Peterson is speaking at the Canadian Tire Centre – it’s the largest venue in the city, where the NHL team plays and big name bands perform.
The tour is put on by LiveNation and the book is published by Random House. These are among the biggest players in their respective fields.
I point this out to illustrate that the Peterson tour is a very mainstream event, one that appeals to people from all segments of society. And the broad scope of the Peterson tour actually serves to debunk the arguments made by those trying to cancel it. They’re attempting to portray him as some extreme, fringe character when the truth is that they’re the lunatic fringe.
The coalition is a mash-up of dozens of activist groups including the Council of Canadians, the Centretown Community Health Care, the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women and the Ottawa Historical Fencing Society (yes, sword fencing).
Their open letter on the issue is awash with accusatory theatrics: “The toxic, and often violent, rhetoric touted by Peterson – whose ideas are misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic and racist has led to an increased environment of hate.”
One of their biggest arguments is that because Ottawa was the site of the Freedom Convoy and Peterson voiced his support for the protesting truckers, his speech will be too traumatic for Ottawa residents and must be stopped.
“As we approach the one-year anniversary of the so-called ‘Freedom Convoy,’ the last thing we need is a spokesperson of the far-right taking centre stage in our city,” said Jaime Sadgrove, of the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, one of the coalition groups.
How do people say these things with a straight face? A healthy dose of self-awareness should prevent most people from saying embarrassing things like playing up how they fear being harmed by a successful author’s book tour.
That’s the thing about the Peterson hate community though – where people who haven’t even read him whip each other up into a frenzy over their preconceived notions – it’s all pretty juvenile stuff.
Peterson’s fans say the most impactful aspect of his work helped them become more grounded and find meaning in life. He’s helped them grow up.
The haters should pause and take note. Why is it that Peterson can fill large arenas around the world? What’s actually written in those books that they hate so much? What does he say in all those lengthy videos aside from those few seconds of clips that they obsessively play on repeat?
Like how not every music fan is going to want to see every band perform, it’s perfectly natural for people to say they’re just not interested in reading Peterson’s books or attending his events. But it does seem like those who make the most noise about wanting nothing to do with him are in fact those who would benefit most from attending.
Quebec’s higher education minister Pascale Dery denounced censorship and “Equity, Diversity and Inclusion” (EDI) hiring practices in a letter to the province’s post-secondary institutions.
Dery’s letter comes amid campus events being shut down by activists, professors being suspended for their views and universities engaging in restrictive hiring to increase diversity.
J’ai envoyé hier une lettre aux universités afin de me positionner sur l’importance de la liberté académique. Travaillons ensemble pour des milieux exempts de censure. #polqc#assnatpic.twitter.com/YuyWJ3QYET
“Under no circumstances should we tolerate censorship in academic settings,” wrote Dery in French. She added that censorship hinders thinking and creates fear, which interferes with the pursuit of excellence. “We cannot sacrifice academic freedom for the sake of specific struggles, at the risk of losing both in the end.”
Dery says higher education was founded on academic freedom, with the latter being both a fundamental value and a Quebec value. “It shapes our actions, our thinking and our approach to higher education not only for the benefit of the student and faculty community, but for Quebec society as a whole.”
The Coalition Avenir Quebec government minister also addressed EDI hiring practices in her letter, noting that while she supports the seeking of more diverse and inclusive post-secondary institutions, the latter “must not in any way lead to any form of discrimination or injustice.”
She pointed to the Trudeau government’s Canada Research Chairs program’s EDI policy, which requires institutions who receive funding to work towards meeting equity and diversity targets. Dery believes these requirements “rather restrict certain rights and reduce the primacy of the notions of competence and excellence.”
Dery has asked the province’s Chief Scientist to review evaluation grids for Quebec Research Funds so there is not a predominance of EDI objectives, noting that contrary “would jeopardize excellence, the search for truth and academic freedom.”
Dery’s letter was sent less than a week after trans activists stormed and shut down a seminar on sex vs. gender and the split of some gay and lesbian activists away from transgender causes at McGill university. The speaker, King’s College London human rights law professor and gay rights advocate Robert Wintemute, told True North the censoring of his event was “horribly anti-democratic.”
Meanwhile, Quebec City’s Laval University suspended two professors, Patrick Provost and Nicolas Deromer, after they expressed skepticism over the administering of Covid-19 vaccines to children.
Laval has also been under fire for Canada Research Chairs positions that exclude able-bodied white men, including one in its biology department, as previously reported by True North.
This is not the first time that Quebec’s CAQ government has defended academic freedom and merit, and criticized woke policies.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault previously defended francophone University of Ottawa professor Verushka Lieutenant-Duval after she was attacked for saying the “N-Word” in her Art and Gender class while explaining how certain marginalized groups have reclaimed slurs.
The CAQ also introduced an academic freedom bill last year which allows professors to use any word in an educational context and the Quebec National assembly unanimously passed a motion expressing support for merit-based hiring while denouncing race and gender quotas.
Dery’s letter has received support on social media from people living both in and outside of Quebec.
One of the strongest defenders of academic freedom (and excellence) in Canada is someone whom most anglo Canadians have never heard of: @PascaleDery… Here is a link that supplies an English translation of her January 16 letter to Quebec universities: https://t.co/OOpQqydCvQhttps://t.co/T8HnzNFIQb
True North was on the ground in Davos to cover the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and while there were a lot of public events for all to see – there was also a lot happening behind closed doors.
True North’s Andrew Lawton joins The Daily Brief to discuss his coverage of the summit – including how Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland snubbed True North and how climate alarmism reigned as the number one obsession for the global elites.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Anthony Furey and Andrew Lawton!
On Day 4 of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, global warming alarmism was on full display as the world’s elites fear-mongered about climate change and urged governments to do more to cut emissions.
Al Gore did his best impression of slam poetry, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took aim at oil and gas companies and panellists obsessed over the “Just Transition.” Also, Greta Thunberg showed up on the streets of Davos after being fake arrested in Germany.
True North’s Andrew Lawton reports from the WEF Annual Meeting.
