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Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Conservatives to vote against Trudeau’s $250 handouts and two-month tax break

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
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Source: X

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced that the Conservatives would vote against the Liberal-NDP plan to implement a two-month HST / GST break and hand out $250 checks to an estimated 18.7 million Canadians.

According to government releases, pausing the GST alone would cost the government $1.6 billion. Coupled with the price of the $250 Canadian Workers Rebates, $4.675 Billion, the plan will cost over $6.2 billion without including the HST break.

Trudeau said the plan was designed to help struggling Canadians during Christmas time.

During a press conference in Ottawa, Poilievre said that the handouts and tax breaks were an “inflationary trick” which would surge the cost of living and only worsen the “out of control” issues that plague Canada.

“This isn’t a tax cut. This is an inflationary, two-month temporary tax trick that will drive up the cost of living,” Poilievre said.

The Conservative leader noted that Sylvain Charlebois, a food distribution policy expert, indicated that the measure would make food even more expensive if “underlying structural issues in food supply chains” weren’t addressed. Charlebois said the $250 cheques would create excess demand and “inevitably” lead to inflation.

“That’s what happens when the government dumps a bunch of cash into the country without creating more of what cash buys. ” Poilievre said. “We need tax relief that actually encourages the economy to produce more of the stuff, cash buys, grow more food, build more homes and produce more energy.”

When asked why Poilievre, a champion of cutting taxes, could be against the tax break, he told reporters that his tax cuts, on the carbon tax for example, will “spark more production” by being targeted on industries to allow them to hire more workers, build more homes and produce more energy.

“Instead of creating cash, we’re going to create more of what cash buys and our purchasing power will go further,” he said.

When Trudeau was asked last week how he planned to pay for his proposed two-month tax break and rebate cheques, he and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said they could afford it because the economy was recovering and the rate of inflation had slowed.

“The reality is we have a weakened economy, a weakened border, a weakened military, and a severely weakened Prime Minister,” Poilievre said. “He’s desperate. He’s lost control, but he’s trying to hold on to power, and so he’s come up with an irresponsible and inflationist $6 billion tax trick that he will take away right before raising the carbon tax on heat, housing, groceries and gas in just a few months.”

The Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to True North’s request for comment.

The government’s proposal comes at a time when the incoming U.S. President Trump threatened a 25% tariff against Canada if it did not secure its borders and prevent illegal immigrants and drug smugglers from crossing into the U.S.

“Now is the worst possible time to spend $6 billion trying to save Justin Trudeau’s political skin, especially with the threats coming from the United States,” Poilievre said. “With our border in chaos, our economy collapsing, and everything is broken, we need real, responsible leadership from a strong, Smart Prime Minister who has the brains and backbone to put Canada first.”

The Liberal government expects the plan to pass with NDP support. NDP leaderJagmeet Singh took credit for the Liberal plan on X before the announcement.

The Bloc Quebecois has noted it would only support the plan if the Canadian Worker’s Rebate cheques were also given to seniors and are likely to vote against it with the Conservatives.

Terrorist apprehensions at Canada-U.S. border far exceed southern counterpart

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

A disparity in terrorist apprehensions at the U.S.-Canada border highlights that it is much less secure than the southern border between the United States and Mexico.

According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the northern border has seen an unprecedented number of encounters with individuals on the terrorist watchlist, significantly surpassing those at the U.S.-Mexico border in recent years.

The data highlights that between fiscal year 2022 and Oct. 2024, 1,199 individuals on the terrorist watchlist have been apprehended attempting to cross into the United States from Canada. 

Conversely, only 205 individuals were caught at the southern border during the same period. 

The data for the fiscal year of 2025, which began Oct. 2024 and tracks until the end of the month, highlights that 44 individuals on the terrorist watchlist were apprehended in the first month alone, meaning the annual pace will be 528 potential terrorists apprehended at the U.S.-Canada border, a projected increase of 47% from the previous fiscal year. 

Founder of True North Candice Malcolm said this stark difference is due to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “disastrous immigration policy.”

“Five times as many terrorists entered the United States through Canada than through Mexico,” she said. 

She asked what the terrorists were doing in Canada in the first place, including how they got here and how many remain at large.

“So spare me the lecture about taking a ‘Team Canada’ approach to Trump and his potential 25% tariff. Spare me the anger and frustration at Trump for wanting to secure his nation’s borders,” said Malcolm. “This crisis is entirely Trudeau’s own making.”

The United States had previously threatened stricter border rules if the Liberals didn’t fix its immigration policies that were resulting in illegal immigration. 

In 2023 alone, 484 individuals on the terrorist watchlist were intercepted at the Canada-U.S. border, compared to 80 at the U.S.-Mexico border, meaning six times more potential terrorists were apprehended trying to cross through the northern border.

A United States Homeland Security report highlighted that apprehensions at the northern border increased by 600% compared to 2021 and surpassed both 2021 and 2022 combined. There were 198,929 encounters with illegal immigrants at the Canada-U.S. border in fiscal year 2024. 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre highlighted other issues at the border following President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to implement a 25% tariff on products from Canada and Mexico due to Canada’s poor border security. 

“Justin Trudeau must put partisanship aside, not just for the sake of Team Canada, but for the sake of our people, and fully reverse his liberalization of drugs. Ban them. Prosecute those who traffic in them. Secure our borders against the illegal importation of fentanyl ingredients,” said Poilievre. “Look, President Trump has the right to put his workers and his nation’s security first. I will put Canada’s workers and Canada’s security first. We need a prime minister with the strength and the smarts, the brains and the backbone to stand up for this country, to rebuild our security, our military and our economy. That is what I will do.”

Poilievre added that he didn’t want to stop drug overdoses to please Trump, but so that “there’s not one more mother with her face buried in a pillow sobbing that he just lost her kid.”

Trudeau said that he had a phone call with Trump on Tuesday.

“He obviously talked about laying out the facts, talking about how the intense and effective connections between our two countries flow back and forth. We talked about some of the challenges that we can work on together. It was a good call. This is something that we can do, laying out the facts, moving forward in constructive ways,” said Trudeau. 

He added that he reached out to some of the premiers and that a First Ministers meeting would take place this week to discuss the border’s issues.

The Daily Brief | Will immigrants in Canada leave voluntarily once visas expire?

By
Lindsay Shepherd
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Source: X

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that he expects the nearly 5 million people living in Canada with visas poised to expire by the end of next year to leave the country voluntarily. 

Plus, Alberta will invoke the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act to counter the Liberals’ oil and gas emissions cap. 

And the police chief of London Ontario is sounding the alarm on “safe supply” drugs fuelling the black market.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Lindsay Shepherd and Isaac Lamoureux! 

Economists call Trump’s 25% tariff on Canadian imports a “negative-sum game”

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

US president-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to impose a 25% tariff on all imports would have a devastating impact on Canadians and many economists are bracing for the worst, saying it could “destroy prosperity on both sides of the border.”

“These tariffs would be bad news not just for Canadians, but also for the many American businesses and workers who rely on Canadian materials to produce their goods,” vice president of communications for the Montreal Economic Institute Renaud Brossard told True North. 

Trump campaigned on an across-the-board 10% tariff on all imports into the US, however, he’s upped the ante since winning the election. 

According to a report published by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce published last month, such a measure would cost the Canadian economy between 0.9% and 1% of the country’s GDP.

This would result in a loss of $1,100 in real annual income for every Canadian and American.

“If enacted, Trump’s tariff would have a significant negative impact, not only for Canada’s economy, but also for the U.S. economy,” said Trevor Tombe, University of Calgary professor and author of the report. 

“There’s an opportunity to learn from long-forgotten history, here. It turns out that the 10% tariff recently proposed by Trump has some echoes of a tariff that was enacted by President Nixon back in 1971. That policy—which was much narrower than Trump’s recent proposal—was a disaster and was quickly reversed.”  

Brossard said, “that’s why tariffs are often referred to as a negative-sum game: they destroy prosperity on both sides of the border.” 

While the importance of a healthy trade relationship with the U.S. is generally understood by Canadians, many Americans may need to realize how valuable Canada is as a supply chain partner in return, noted Tombe.

Canada serves as the top export destination for 34 U.S. states and is a primary destination for thousands of US companies and consumers alike.

“Several U.S. state economies are surprisingly dependent on Canadian trade. In Montana, trade with Canada accounts for 16% of the state economy, in Michigan it’s 14% and in Illinois it’s 10%. Even as far away as Texas, trade with Canada still accounts for 4% of the state economy,” said Tombe.  

Meanwhile, several provincial economies are also heavily dependent on trade with the U.S., particularly New Brunswick at 62%, Manitoba and Alberta at 42%, Ontario at 41%, and Quebec at 23%. 

“When you dig into the data, you immediately see the high degree of integration between the two economies, and how much they rely on each other to make things. That’s why maintaining efficient supply chains ultimately makes both countries more competitive and increases economic security and resilience to global shocks,” added Tombe. 

“With continued partnership, and by rejecting protectionism, Canada and the U.S. can ensure their shared economic security and prosperity well beyond the upcoming election.”

Statistics Canada estimated that total trade between the two countries amounted to $960.8 billion in 2022, with Canadian energy products accounting for 33.5% of the $598 billion worth of exports to the U.S.

President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business Dan Kelly warned that the looming uncertainty is destined to level a heavy blow against the economic recovery of small businesses.

“Small and medium-sized businesses account for approximately 40 per cent of exports to the U.S.” said Kelly in a statement. 

“Canada cannot afford to dismiss this as an idle threat or initial positioning — we need to take this seriously and present, once again, a united front in responding to this challenge.”

Ontario to give PST tax break to accompany Trudeau’s two-month GST / HST tax holiday

By
Clayton DeMaine, True North Wire
-
Source: X

In response to a Liberal-NDP plan to give Canadians a two-month Goods and Services Tax and Harmonized Sales Tax break on select items, Ontario is set to give residents a tax break of their own.

According to a statement by Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario will announce a Provincial Sales Tax holiday during the same two-month period from Dec. 13, 2024, to Feb. 15, 2025.

Since 2010 Ontario’s HST rate has been 13% with the PST accounting for 8% of that and the GST accounting for 5%.

“Following extensive discussions with the federal government about how we can continue to work together to advance Ontario’s priorities, the provincial government will match the federal government’s two-month GST holiday by removing PST from items not currently covered by existing provincial rebates,” the statement said.

Bethlenfalvy claimed that the move would save Ontario taxpayers nearly $1 billion.

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the GST / HST would provide $1.6 in tax relief. The plan would exempt items such as groceries, alcohol, children’s essentials such as car seats, clothing, toys, board games and more for two months.

The PST is an 8% provincial sales tax on items and services acquired in Ontario. The Canadian Revenue Agency already exempts some items and services from this tax. The announcement indicates that the tax will also be paused for the remaining items and services.

According to the CRA website, some items and services eligible for point-of-sale HST rebates include legal aid and educational services, music lessons, domestic ferry rides, and medical and dental services. Home insurance, for example, is specifically exempt from the 8% PST.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation applauds the Ford government for deciding to give taxpayers in Ontario a holiday break.

“Any decision to save taxpayers money is a good decision. All governments should be taking less money from people,” Franco Terrazzano, the CTF’s federal director told True North in an email.

He said Ford also deserves credit for “making life more affordable” with his tax cuts on fuel.

“Trudeau, on the other hand, has been making life more expensive for years with his carbon tax hikes, payroll tax hikes and alcohol tax hikes, among others. If Trudeau was serious about making life more affordable, he would scrap his carbon tax and stop hiking other taxes,” Terrazzano said. 

“After raising taxes on everything all the time, Trudeau’s temporary GST cut doesn’t go nearly far enough.”

The Ontario Ministry of Finance did not respond to True North’s requests to comment.

Trudeau’s Liberals also announced an estimated 18.7 million Canadians who earn less than $150,000 in net income would be eligible for $250 “Working Canadians Rebate” cheques in the spring. If the government estimate is accurate, the rebate will add $4.675 billion to the national debt, which the CTF estimates is over $1.24 trillion.

Along with Trudeau’s rebate, Ontarians can expect a separate $200 cheque from Doug Ford’s government. The province was projected to run a $647 million deficit in the fiscal year of 2023/ 2024. Ontario’s net debt from the $200 handouts will add to the over $408 billion deficit.

Liberal candidate called out over unsubstantiated Métis identity claims

By
Isaac Lamoureux, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

A Liberal candidate is following in the footsteps of Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault after allegedly making false claims to Indigenous ancestry.

The Waceya Métis Society issued a press release on Wednesday highlighting that the Liberal candidate for the upcoming by-election in the riding of Cloverdale—Langley City, Madison Fleischer, had publicly claimed Métis identity.

“After meeting with her on November 23 to discuss these claims, we were disappointed that she could not provide any evidence to support her Métis heritage,” reads the release. “In this meeting, Madison was unable to substantiate her claims with any documentation or historical connections to Métis communities.” 

The society said that it wished to distance itself from Fleischer and her allegedly false claims.

“We ask that Madison take the necessary steps to properly research and verify her Indigenous heritage before making any further public assertions,” said the society. “The integrity of Métis identity is not to be taken lightly, especially in public office, where the representation of our community must be accurate, respectful, and legitimate.”

A LinkedIn post from last year features Fleischer referring to her “mixed-Indigenous heritage.”

An archived post of a sweatshirt designed by Fleischer refers to her as “an Indigenous law student of mixed European and Wahpeton Dakota descent.”

An old version of Flesicher’s X profile read “Liberal Party of Canada MP Candidate for Cloverdale-Langley City. Indigenous Advocate. Métis. Small Biz Owner. Community Leader,” according to the National Post. 

Her bio no longer includes the claim that she is Métis but now describes her as an “Indigenous advocate.”

Other similar claims have also been allegedly scrubbed from the Internet. 

Fleischer allegedly plans to apply for Métis citizenship. 

Liberal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault was previously investigated for a company he co-owned, Global Health Imports, claiming to be Indigenous-owned while bidding on federal contracts. 

The investigation resulted in Boissonnault apologizing but claiming that he never said he had Indigenous identity. 

Some members of the Indigenous community did not accept Boissonnault’s apology. Former attorney general and minister of justice Jody Wilson-Raybould called him out for “play(ing) ancestry wheel of fortune; so shameful and extremely destructive.” 

Boissonnault subsequently stepped down from cabinet, which the Prime Minister’s Office said was to clear the allegations against him.

As for what allegations they were referring to, it was not made clear. Boissonnault is also alleged to have received nearly $120 million in government grants and contracts while being a minister, potentially violating Canada’s ethics laws. Boissonnault blamed the “other Randy.” 

It was also recently revealed that Boissonault shared a P.O. box with a cocaine smuggler. 

Boissonnault’s Indigenous claims were that he had a Cree great-grandmother, while Fleischer claimed to have a Métis heritage.

The Waceya Métis Society urged anyone seeking to identify as Métis to research appropriately so that real voices in the community are not diluted or misrepresented.

“We appreciate the support of our community in upholding the importance of Métis authenticity and look forward to working together to ensure that our heritage is honoured with the respect it deserves,” said the society.

True North reached out to the Liberal Party of Canada and the Métis Nation of British Columbia for comment but received no reply.

Ratio’d | What is happening in Nayib Bukele’s El Salvador?

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

Harrison Faulkner was in El Salvador for the latest Patriots Network event to find out what is really going in Nayib Bukele’s El Salvador. A prolonged state of emergency in which Salvadorans have lost civil rights has resulted in staggering success in combatting gangs and crime. Furthermore, the embrace of Bitcoin as legal tender has also made El Salvador one of the world’s most intriguing countries.

Watch the latest episode of Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner!

Parent company of Quebec EV project files for bankruptcy protection, CEO resigns

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
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Source: Facebook

Northvolt AB said it still plans to go ahead with constructing its electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Quebec, despite its parent company filing for bankruptcy in the United States and the CEO recently resigning. 

Co-founder and CEO Peter Carlsson resigned on Tuesday with the company’s chief financial officer Pia Aaltonen-Forsell taking over as interim CEO. 

Northvolt would require between $1 billion and $1.2 billion in fresh funding to stabilize its finances and survive the bankruptcy, according to Carlsson.

The Quebec project had already been delayed for nearly a year while it underwent a strategic review of its future operations after receiving $7.2 billion worth of taxpayer money.

Despite the bankruptcy filing and with the global market for EVs continuing to dwindle, the Swedish battery manufacturer said it intends to go ahead with the Quebec project anyway. 

It said its Canadian subsidiary is financed separately and “will continue to operate as usual outside of the Chapter 11 process.”

Referring to the project slated for construction just east of Montreal, Northvolt co-founder and chief executive Paolo Cerruti told the Financial Post everything was moving along as scheduled. 

“I see no reason today to think that we won’t do it as planned,” said Cerruti. “Activity on the site is daily and very intense, and there are trucks every day and around 150 people working.”

However, Northvolt’s financial solvency has unsurprisingly turned heads from provincial governments in both Quebec and Ottawa, which pledged a combined contribution of $2.4 billion in funding.

“This was not the desired scenario, no one is hiding it, we would have liked it to proceed differently,” Quebec Economy Minister Christine Frechette told reporters last week.

Quebec already granted the battery manufacturer a $240-million secured loan to help buy the land for the plant in the province’s Monteregie region.

Additionally, the province invested $270 million in parent company Northvolt AB.

“If there’s an amount at risk, it’s this one,” said Frechette, noting that “we’ll have an idea of the future of this amount” only after the restructuring process is resolved.

The minister added that the province will not be providing the company with any additional funding.  

Cerruti echoed that sentiment last month, saying that the company had no intention of asking the provincial or federal governments for more money regarding the Quebec project. 

“Northvolt Six (the Quebec project) is an essential component of the company’s future and we remain fully committed to seeing it through,” he said in a statement last Thursday.

However, Quebec’s pension fund manager the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, has already invested $200 million into Northvolt as well. 

News of the company filing for bankruptcy protection comes in the wake of it announcing it would also be downsizing its operations in Europe.

That downsizing includes laying off some 1,600 employees in its home country of Sweden, around one-fifth of its total workforce.

It also sold a site in Borlänge, Sweden, that was intended to build a factory for cathode materials, a key component of lithium-ion EV batteries.

The company began clearing land and destroying wetlands to construct the new plant in January, sparking public outcry regarding the environmental cost of green technologies.

A similar development proposal on the same site less than a year ago was rejected by the Legault government because it would have destroyed about 65,000 square metres of wetlands. 

In comparison, the current project will affect over 150,000 square metres of wetlands, including over 15,000 square metres that will be restored by the end of 2032.

Rachel and the Republic | THESE Canadian politicians get it RIGHT on Trump and border security

By
Rachel Parker
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Source: Facebook

Today on Rachel and the Republic, Rachel Parker is joined by True North columnist Sue-Ann Levy to analyze Canadian politicians’ response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s threat of 25% tariffs.

Some politicians want action to stop the tariffs, while others are whining about the apparent justice of it all!

Tune in now to find out who has the best plan to move Canada forward!

Conservatives grill CBC president over executive bonuses following mass layoff of frontline workers

By
Quinn Patrick, True North Wire
-
Source: X

The Conservatives took President CEO of CBC Catehrine Tait to task after saying she should still be “entitled” to a bonus despite being at the helm during the Crown corporation’s staggering decline in viewership and revenue.

The organization has been in a steady freefall for some time, dropping in viewership by 50% and leading to Tait’s decision to slash 800 jobs last December. 

However, the CEO told the House of Commons heritage committee that she should still be “entitled” to a bonus on Monday while asking the federal government for more money.

Tait was speaking before the committee hearing to ask for an increase in taxpayer funding, despite the CBC receiving an emergency top-up of $42 million in the Liberals’ 2024 budget.

Much of that previous money was quickly rerouted to be paid out in bonuses worth $18.4 million, with $3.3 million going straight into the pockets of its 45 executives, averaging $73,000 per person. 

The bonuses were an issue that the Conservatives were quick to address at the hearing, noting that it’s “more money than the typical working Canadian will see in an entire year.”

While the CBC’s revenues continue to plummet, Tait remains the highest-paid executive in Canadian history, earning over $500,000 as her base salary.

During the hearing she admitted that “several” other CBC employees are raking in more than a half-million dollars annually as a direct result of these bonuses.

Conservative MP and House leader Andrew Scheer offered his tongue-in-cheek gratitude for all the work Tait has done helping advance the party’s plans to defund the CBC.

The Conservative party has been critical of the CBC for some time, with Leader Pierre Poilievre vowing to defund it if elected.

“I think outside of the Conservative caucus, you have been the most successful person in creating the demand to defund the CBC,” said Scheer.

He brought attention to how “out of touch the CBC can be with Canadians,” citing Tait’s decision to dish out executive and senior management bonuses during “an affordability crisis” while laying off its frontline workers as a prime example. 

This was a move that “that even Peter Mansbridge called out the CBC for,” noted Scheer.

“When we look at all the metrics, all the key performance indicators, ad revenue overall, down. Trust is down,” said Scheer. “Independent third-party organizations that analyze this indicate that trust in the CBC fell 17% in just four years.”

This comes on the heels of Canada’s ethics commissioner launching an investigation into Tait regarding potential conflict of interest violations.

As required by the Conflict of Interest Act, Canada’s ethics commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein disclosed that he has fined Tait for failing to disclose a “material change” of her assets. 

Another issue that Scheer addressed was Tait announcing that the number of “corrections” at the news organization was up, arguing that Tait had previously implied that this was somehow evidence that Canadians’ trust would increase alongside it.

“I look at it the other way, when you have a falsehood broadcast on the national news and then a correction that follows up a few days later,” said Scheer. “That doesn’t instill confidence in trust in the CBC, it points out that the CBC allows things to get to air before doing proper vetting, validation and fact checking.”

He went on to say to Tait that while it may be insulting to hear data surrounding plummeting public interest and revenue, it would be far worse to be a former employee laid off by the Crown corporation under the premise of insufficient funding for a complete workforce, only to find out later “that senior management and executives all got bonuses.”

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