Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland will be attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting.
The global organization is hosting its 2023 annual meeting in the Swiss mountain town of Davos next week.
The conference theme is “Cooperation in a Fragmented World,” which the WEF says is necessary given the “sheer number of ongoing crises” facing the world right now.
Freeland has attended Davos several times and sits on the WEF’s board of trustees.
It’s not yet clear if Freeland will be speaking. She did not attend the WEF’s 2022 meeting, but spoke on a panel about implementing “stakeholder capitalism” at the 2021 event, which was held virtually.
The WEF positions itself as a platform for convening private and public sector leaders to tackle global challenges.
Other attendees at the 2023 meeting include former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres, and US climate envoy John Kerry.
At a pre-meeting press conference Tuesday morning, WEF founder Klaus Schwab said this year’s meeting will have “unprecedented” participation, including from dozens of finance ministers and foreign ministers from countries around the world.
True North will be on the ground in Davos starting this weekend to report on the proceedings.
When it comes to the federal government overstepping their budget, military procurement tops the list according to one taxpayers group.
In response to a recent announcement that Ottawa finalized a $19 billion deal to buy 88 F-35 fighter jets, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) told True North that the price tag is double the original amount proposed.
“The government needs to stop going way over budget with its military procurement. $19 billion is double the original price tag of replacing the CF-18s,” said CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano.
“The government needs to make sure these costs don’t balloon further. With the massive price tag, any more cost overruns would put a huge hole in taxpayers’ wallets,” he continued.
“In the highly competitive field of government waste, military procurement stands head and shoulders above all others.”
On Monday, federal defence minister Anita Anand announced that the government has secured the jets for delivery beginning in 2026. This comes after the Liberal government slammed a similar deal at the lower price of $9 billion first proposed by former prime minister Stephen Harper in 2010.
Terrazanno pointed to other military procurement debacles as indicative of a greater problem with regard to the file.
Last year, the Parliamentary Budget Officer reported that the price to revamp Canada’s naval warships has ballooned to a whopping $300 billion.
Originally, the cost to purchase the ships was supposed to be $26 billion while maintenance was supposed to cost $64 billion.
As exclusively reported by True North in December, a $41 million dollar deal first struck in 2014 to acquire a torpedo upgrade kits for Victoria-class submarines has since doubled to $89 million as a result of “cost increases, obsolescence, hardware failures and hardware rework.”
Despite the price increase, the Canadian government has indicated it will continue forth with the purchase.
“Canada has not yet received a formal request from the United States Navy for additional funding. Though details have yet to be finalized, DND is aware that this request is forthcoming, likely in early 2023,” Department of National Defence Media Relations told True North.
“We acknowledge this issue and are prepared for a higher cost than originally expected. Based on current class maintenance schedules, we now expect upgrades will be completed fleet-wide by 2027.”
No matter where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finds himself in Canada, getting heckled and yelled at is a near-constant. Not only did Trudeau get heckled by a pedestrian during his year-end interview with CTV News but over the weekend, he was heckled by attendees at the third anniversary of the downing of Flight 752.
Harrison Faulkner says getting heckled at a memorial service must be a new low for Trudeau.
On the latest episode of Ratio’d, Harrison recalls the tough reception from Canadians Trudeau has faced on his travels around the country in the last few years.
As politicians, law enforcement and the public all discuss the recent uptick in alleged crimes committed by offenders out on bail, True North has compiled a list of some recent examples.
The Killing of OPP Const. Gregorz Pierzchala
On December 27, 2022, rookie Ontario Provincial Police Constable Gregorz Pierzchala was murdered in the line of duty when responding to a call of a vehicle stuck in a ditch. The alleged cop-killer Randall McKenzie, who has been charged with first degree murder in Pierzchala’s killing, was out on bail for firearms offences and assaulting a police officer.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said that Pierzchala’s death was preventable and expressed outrage at the fact McKenzie was out on bail. “This should have never happened. Something needs to change. Our police officers, your police officers, my police officers, the public deserve to be safeguarded against violent offenders who are charged with firearms-related offences,” Carrique said. “I’m outraged by the fact that McKenzie was out on bail and was provided the opportunity to take the life of an innocent officer.”
Christmas Day killing in Calgary
On December 25, 2022, Yosef Hagos allegedly shot and killed 24-year-old Samuel Welday Haile in a southeast Calgary neighbourhood on Christmas day.
Hagos was arrested in April 2022 for holding up a pharmacy with a firearm in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan. Hagos’ court date for his armed robbery charges was scheduled for March 8, 2023.
“Man Arrested for Attempted Murder while Already on Release for Attempted Murder”
On January 6, 2023, the Peel Regional Police posted a press release with the blunt headline: “Man Arrested for Attempted Muder while Already on Release for Attempted Murder.”
As described in the title, an offender named Elijah Simpson-Sweeney was arrested on January 4, 2023, for attempted murder and assault. At the time of Simpson-Sweeney’s arrest, he was out of prison on a release order for a separate attempted murder charge and firearms related offences.
According to the press release, Simpson-Sweeney was also wanted by the Toronto Police Service for second degree murder and attempted murder.
Brampton man ordered to stay out of St. Catherines goes to St. Catherines
35-year-old Brampton resident Thoby Guerrier was arrested in downtown St. Catherines after he was ordered by an Ontario court to not enter the Niagara region.
Guerrier was originally arrested in April 2022 in St. Catherines for robbery and assault charges, in which Guerrier allegedly robbed, attacked, and threatened to kill a man. Two months after Guerrier’s release, he was found acting aggressively and scaring customers in a downtown St. Catherines bar.
Saskatchewan mass murder
The nation responded in shock when news broke of a mass stabbing in Saskatchewan, where Myles Sanderson went on an alleged murder spree throughout the James Smith Cree Nation, killing ten people and wounding eighteen. Sanderson had an extensive criminal history.
In 2015, Sanderson was accused of repeatedly stabbing and attacking his in-laws, resulting in him being charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a weapon. He served two years for the incident. In November 2017, Sanderson forced somebody to rob a restaurant by threatening them with a gun.
In June 2018, Sanderson was arrested, during which he kicked a police officer in the head. Sanderson was released early because, in the parole board’s opinion, Sanderson wasn’t a risk to society. “It is the Board’s opinion that you will not present an undue risk to society if released on statutory release and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law abiding citizen.”
Toronto cop-killer’s criminal record dates back decades
On September 13, 2022, 40-year-old Sean Petrie allegedly shot and killed Toronto police officer Const. Andrew Hong in a Mississauga Tim Hortons.
Petrie’s criminal record goes back to 2002, where he was convicted on assault charges and failing to comply with release conditions. In 2015 Petrie faced child pornography charges and in 2016, Petrie faced a robbery charge, but both of these charges were dropped.
Armed robbery puts store clerks in critical condition
On January 5, a London, Ontario, Gold Buyers store was robbed, with a male store clerk being shot in the chest and his female co-worker hit in the head with a blunt object. Both were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Tyreese Brown-Austin, one of the alleged assailants, was previously charged in September 2021 with drug charges and firearm possession charges. While on bail for those charges, in March 2022 Brown-Austin was arrested and charged for obstruction, flight from police, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
Serial assaults in downtown Vancouver
A Vancouver man captured on video assaulting strangers pleaded guilty to five assault charges for incidents between June 19 and July 19, 2022. Shakwan David Kelly had been serving probation for a 2020 assault and a 2021 mischief conviction when he had assaulted two security guards at Vancouver General Hospital on June 19. Kelly went on to attack a stranger on board Vancouver’s public transit, assaulted another person on or near transit, and knocked down a mother and her toddler where he was arrested soon after.
Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada Pierre Poilievre has blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for passing legislation making it easier for persons charged with an offence to be released early.
“Trudeau brought in C-75. No one forced him to do it,” said Poilievre in an interview with True North’s Andrew Lawton. “He passed it and he stood by it ever since. Trudeau has introduced laws to reduce sentences for violent gun offences, and that too will make life more dangerous.”
More Canadians now believe that Canada is heading in the wrong direction than those who think it’s on the right track.
For the first time since former prime minister Stephen Harper’s last year in government, the number of people with a negative outlook on the trajectory of Canada outnumber those with a positive outlook.
According to Nanos’ latest annual tracking survey, when asked to say whether “Canada as a country is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction” 43% of respondents said they believe Canada was headed in the “wrong direction”. Meanwhile, only 40% said they believed it was heading in the “right direction.”
When broken down even further, the greatest gap between outlooks existed with middle-aged Canadians, with 48% leaning towards a pessimistic outlook and only 39% being optimistic.
Quebecers were the most positive when it came to the country’s trajectory with 46% having a positive impression and 34% thinking the country was deteriorating.
On the Liberal government specifically, Canadians were also more likely to rate its performance as poor or very poor instead of good or somewhat good.
41% of those polled said that the government was performing very poorly or somewhat poorly. On the other hand, 33% gave the Liberals a very good or somewhat good rating.
The number of Canadians who believe the country’s reputation hasn’t been improving has also grown considerably over the past few years.
In 2022, 46% of Canadians reported that they believed the country’s international reputation has not improved or has somewhat not improved. In comparison, two years ago that number sat at 26%.
“Looking at the numbers, it’s clear the Trudeau Liberals are in similar territory to the Harper Conservatives before their defeat,” wrote pollster Nik Nanos.
“All the underlying indicators in the mood of Canadians point to Liberal vulnerability and, in a number of instances, vulnerability reminiscent of the Harper government in the close of its mandate.”
The latest voting intention polls show the Conservatives have a slight lead over the Liberals. A year-end poll conducted by Leger found that 33% of Canadians intended on voting for a Conservative candidate whereas 30% said the same of the Liberals.
The Conservative Party of Canada under leader Pierre Poilievre would win an election if it were held today, according to polling data from both 338Canada.com and Nanos.
The Conservatives are projected to win 144 seats while the Liberals drag behind at 137, according to 338Canada’s founder Philippe Fournier. The NDP, Bloc and Green numbers are likely to remain similar to the results of the 2021 election.
338Canada predicts that at the low end, Conservatives could win 112 seats and a maximum of 171. The Liberals are projected to win anywhere between 105 and 165 seats. Polling suggests a high probability of a minority, with the government having to appeal to other parties in order to pass legislation.
A recent Nanos report similarly suggests that while nearly 80 seats are too close to call, Conservatives can confidently walk away with 112 seats, Liberals with 105, NDP at 21, the Bloc at 19, and the Greens pulling away with two seats.
The Conservatives would be looking at winning over 35% of the popular vote to the Liberals’ 31% and the NDP with only 21%.
In 2015, then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper lost the election having won 32% of the popular vote. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau won that election, and become prime minister, with 40% of the vote.
“Our internal modelling numbers are consistent with where Fournier thinks the projections are,” said Nik Nanos to the Hill Times. “We’re a little more cautious identifying what’s too close to call.”
According to another Nanos poll commissioned by The Globe and Mail, which looked at party leader preferences, more than half of Canadians prefer that the Liberals have someone other than Trudeau leading them in the next election.
An Ipsos poll taken in December 2022 found that half of Canadians think that there should be a federal election in 2023 with Canadians aged 18-34 most likely to want one. Just over half of Canadians – 54% – think that Trudeau should step down as Liberal leader.
Trudeau has faced heavy criticism for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Freedom Convoy protests, and more recently, the increases in taxes and the implementation of Bill C-21, which aims to ban several rifles and shotguns used for hunting.
In 2021, Trudeau won a minority with less than a third of the popular vote, the lowest in Canadian history.
A survey commissioned by the Department of Canadian Heritage found that a majority of Canadians who participate in sports want games to remain separated based on sex, age and other characteristics.
The poll titled ‘Future of Sport’ Public Opinion Research was prepared by the company Phoenix SPI from May 2022 to July 2022 and gauged a variety of attitudes pertaining to physical activity and the sporting world. It included 9,208 Canadian residents over the age of 16 who identified as participants in organized or non-organized sports.
At a time when the public debates whether transgender individuals born as men should be allowed to compete against biological women, 60% of respondents cited safety and fair play when saying that “sports should have separate programs based on age, sex and ability.”
Another 40% believed that sports programs should open up to “mixed-age, mixed-sex and mixed-abilities” to promote inclusion.
Although divided on whether competitive sports should be separated on these lines, 74% of Canadians agreed that sport programs should “be designed to welcome everyone” no matter their beliefs or backgrounds. Meanwhile, 26% of respondents said that for sport programming to be more diverse it should be “designed with specific populations in mind.”
Those aged 35 to 54 were more likely (61%) to say that sports should remain separated based on sex or other characteristics while those aged 16 to 34 were less likely (54%) to believe the same.
In the US, some states have moved to ban transgender athletes who were born biological men from competing in female sports at public schools. A federal judge recently upheld such a ban by West Virginia citing the fact that sex “dictates physical characteristics that are relevant to athletics.”
On the other hand, some sporting organizations in Canada have taken steps to open up competition to transgender individuals even further.
According to Canadian advocate for sex-based rights Christ Elston, more popularly known as “Billboard Chris”, sport authorities are ignoring the will of Canadians in favour of gender-ideology.
“The vast majority of Canadians believe that women’s and girls’ sports should not include males, for obvious reasons,” Elston told True North.
“Various sport authorities are not only ignoring the will of the people, but they ignore the inherent unfairness and safety risks associated with including males in female sports. Bodies compete in sports, not identities. Sport associations need to stop virtue signalling and get back to reality.”
As reported by True North, Skate Canada recently axed any reference to “man” or “woman” from its official vocabulary to be more inclusive along the lines of gender ideology. The organization’s Equity, Diversity and Accessibility Operating Committee deemed the terms to be discriminatory and not in line with the group’s values.
“This change has been collectively endorsed by Skate Canada and will allow for new and exciting partnerships in the pair and ice dance disciplines to compete at the national level. Skate Canada is privileged to continue the advancement of skating in Canada by making rule and policy change that allows everyone to experience the joy of skating,” said Skate Canada President Karen Butcher.
The growing number of criminals reoffending while released on bail has raised more questions about public safety and the Trudeau government’s recent changes to the bail system.
Plus, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre defends renowned author and psychologist Jordan Peterson’s right to free speech.
And reacting to the news that the Trudeau government will unveil its “Just Transition” bill early this year, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is not mincing her words and has made it clear she will not follow the federal plan to transition workers out of the energy sector.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Anthony Furey and Harrison Faulkner!
A woman fined by the City of Oshawa for giving food and other necessities to the homeless is fighting her $250 ticket, saying she won’t be “bullied.”
As True North reported last month, bylaw enforcement officers with the City of Oshawa told Ashley Wickett to scrap her planned Christmas Stockings for the Homeless event at the city’s downtown Memorial Park.
Organizer Ashley Wickett was told by the City that any distribution of goods in a city park required a permit, though she was offered no path to get one. She said she would remain on the sidewalk or hand out the stockings from her car to comply with the bylaw, but she was then told this would violate the highway vending bylaw.
“At this time you may not proceed with your proposed event,” the subsequent email from a bylaw enforcer said. “If you wish to contribute to the less fortunate, particularly around this time of year, there are a number of established charities and shelters in the area who would no doubt benefit from your compassion and initiative.”
Wickett and her volunteer group, Communities for Freedom, proceeded with their Dec. 18 event and handed out sandwiches, juice, clothing items and toiletries to about 50 homeless and needy people.
City vehicles were seen driving around taking photos and videos during the event, though bylaw officers didn’t intervene. Days later, however, Wickett was emailed a $250 ticket for allegedly violating the city’s highway vending bylaw.
On Jan. 24, Wickett will be fighting the ticket at Oshawa’s city hall. Communities for Freedom is hosting a rally in support of her.
The City of Oshawa’s head of bylaw enforcement did not respond to several requests for comment from True North.
“I won’t be bullied into just paying it,” Wickett told True North.
Wickett noted that there was a church-affiliated group doing something similar at the park that didn’t appear to attract the ire of bylaw enforcers.
While Communities for Freedom isn’t political, its members met during the Freedom Convoy last year in Ottawa. Wickett suspects this may be why her group has wound up in the City of Oshawa’s crosshairs.
Wickett said she isn’t letting the event deter her from continuing to help the needy.
“I won’t stand down,” she said. “I will help who I want when I want.”
There’s a lot of speculation as to whether Canadians will head to the polls this year. But, as Anthony Furey explains in his video, it’s very unlikely Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would want to trigger an election.
Trudeau’s coalition with Jagmeet Singh and the NDP, the state of the economy and a strong opponent in Pierre Poilievre are all reasons why Trudeau wouldn’t want an election right now.
Most importantly, Trudeau has been prime minister for almost eight years and, like with many prime ministers before him, Canadians are simply tired of him.
