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Sunday, July 27, 2025

Day 26 Recap of Emergencies Act hearings | Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act without recieving a detailed threat assessment

By
Harrison Faulkner
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On Day 26 of the Emergencies Act hearings testimonies revealed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Act on the advice of the Clerk of the Privy Council and not based on a detailed threat assessment of the Freedom Convoy by law enforcement authorities.

Clerk of the Privy Council, Janice Charette, was asked by Commission lawyers to describe the document Trudeau signed to adopt the emergency powers. It was titled, Memorandum for the Prime Minister: Invoking the Emergencies Act to End Nation-Wide Protests and Blockades.

The document lays out the history of the Emergencies Act, the legal threshold required for the government to invoke it and Charette’s opinions as to why it was justified. The document was provided to the Prime Minister on February 14th.

The document states, “While the demonstrations started out relatively peaceful, they have grown more complex and have expanded into multiple locations in the country. The movement is considered to be highly organized, well financed and is feeding a general sense of public unrest that could continue to escalate with severe threats to public security, economic stability and international relations…a more detailed threat assessment is being provided under separate cover.”

Commission counsel then asked Charette, “can you tell us about that threat assessment?”

“When we got to this point, it would have been reasonable to expect that we would have been able to include as part of the package going to the Prime Minister, ‘here’s a threat and risk assessment’ – that was not ready by the time this memo was being sent,” Charette told the Commission.

“We have gone back and searched all our records. We have not been able to find that, to the best of my knowledge. There was no written detailed threat assessment provided under separate cover.”

Commission counsel replied, “so this was not actually a threat assessment that was ever produced. It was an aspirational threat assessment, it was one that was supposed to be produced but wasn’t in the end?”

“I think we hoped for it. To the best of my knowledge, to the best of our records, we don’t have a detailed threat assessment written that was provided to the Prime Minister under separate cover.”

The memorandum document reads: “PCO (Privy Council Office) recommends you approve [redacted] declaring a public order emergency under the Emergencies Act.”

You can read the entire document prepared for the Prime Minister on February 14 below.

SSM.NSC_.CAN_.00003224-Memorandum-Invoking-the-Emergencies-Act-to-end-Nation-wide-Protests-and-Blockades

Commission counsel then asked Charette if Cabinet was aware that CSIS had determined that there was no threat to the security of Canada prior to the invocation of the Act.

“Was the cabinet aware that CSIS had assessed that there was no threat to the security of Canada under Section 2 of the CSIS coming out of the protests?” Commission lawyers asked.

“Cabinet was aware that CSIS had not assessed a threat to the security of Canada necessary to trigger their authorities under the CSIS act. To the best of my knowledge, to this day, there was no CSIS investigation of the protest,” Charette replied.

An email between RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki and deputy minister of public safety Rob Stewart indicates that Lucki wanted to make it clear that not all tools had been exhausted by the RCMP to deal with the Freedom Convoy prior to the invocation of the Emergencies Act.

Commission counsel asked Charette if Cabinet had been made aware of Lucki’s comments and knew that law enforcement officials felt that existing tools could still be used.

“I think it’s fair to say that cabinet was briefed that there were tools and authorities in many organizations that had not been fully deployed,” Charette said.

Testifying before Charette was the deputy secretary of emergency preparedness Jacquie Bogden.

Under questioning from Convoy lawyer Brenden Miller, Bogden repeatedly refused to answer basic questions about the text of the legislation in the Emergencies Act and the definition of a threat to national security.

Democracy Fund lawyer Alan Honner addressed a separate document prepared for ministers at the February 13 cabinet meeting from the office of the National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister.

The memo reads that the majority of events across the country have been peaceful and the disruption to government activities is “so far minor”.

It also claims under a subsection titled “CSIS” that there were “no concerns at this time.”

SSM.NSC_.CAN_.00000242-NSIA-Remarks-Feb-13-IRG

What happens next?

Hearings resume on Monday, November 21 with the Commissioner and senior members of CSIS. Commissioner Rouleau determined that CSIS testimony would be heard in private to protect intelligence which could harm the security of Canada.

Scheduled to testify next week are senior members of the federal cabinet including Justin Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland, Marco Mendicino and Bill Blair.

True North will continue to provide daily coverage of the ongoing Public Order Emergency Commission.

Everything you need to know about the Green leadership race and its radical proposals

By
Noah Jarvis
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After a tumultuous few years of party in-fighting for the Green Party of Canada, the Greens will select a new leader, or co-leader, on Nov 19. The current leadership race has seen candidates pitch radical ideas like state control of the economy, a pledge to introduce “deep green thinking” and co-leadership slates of candidates.

Since Elizabeth May stepped down as Green leader in 2019, the party has suffered from internal dysfunction that was routinely aired in public first under former leader Annamie Paul and then with current interim leader Amita Kuttner.

Under Paul, the party clashed on the Israel-Palestine question, causing them to lose a third of their small caucus. After quashed non-confidence votes, accusations of racism and sexism, and court battles, Paul resigned from the leadership.

In-fighting under interim leader Amita Kuttner continued, as Kuttner lashed out at the party after her pronouns were incorrectly displayed on a Zoom call. The incident caused party president Lorraine Rekmans to resign, calling the Green Party itself “dead.”

Elizabeth May.

Elizabeth May now seeks to reclaim the party’s leadership as a co-leader alongside Québécois activist Johnathan Pedneault. The duo is pitching a co-leadership model, though May has said that she’d serve as the face of the party while Pedneault would be in charge of managing the party’s internal affairs.

During the Green Party’s leadership debate, much attention was placed on the party’s in-fighting, fundraising challenges and overall disorganization, and how each leadership contestant would mend the party’s woes.

The May-Pednealt ticket pitches themselves as the only contestants to have a seat in Parliament and the experience required to boost the party to a dozen MPs in Parliament. (May has served as the MP for Saanich – Gulf Islands since 2011.)

Candidate Sarah Gabrielle Baron

Candidate Sarah Gabrielle Baron is a creative writer and long-time Green member who seeks to reimagine the party with “Deep Green thinking” and embracing eco-socialism.

Baron expressed her desire to build a new philosophy of eco-socialism along with the Green Party’s membership while blaming Canada’s inflation problems on capitalism and neo-liberal policies being forwarded by “Justin Trudeau and his Liberal gang of turkeys.”

Baron’s platform includes radical policies like the implementation of a “guaranteed livable income,” the withdrawal from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and “learning to live small” which urges Canadians to consume less in order to survive in peace with nature.”

In an attempt to contrast herself with the May-Pednealt candidacy, Baron slammed the co-leadership model saying that having two egos at the top does not magically make the Greens a grassroots organization.

Candidate Simon Gnocchini-Messier

Candidate Simon Gnocchini-Messier is from the Quebec riding of Hull-Aylmer and identifies as a social democrat. He wants the Green Party to embrace ecological wisdom, a principle that he says is the opposite of what the book of Genesis commands in his policy platform.

“In contrast to the biblical command to human beings to be “fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28), as Greens we recognize that humanity is part of the natural world and we respect the specific values of all life forms, including non-human species,” reads Gnocchini-Messier’s platform.

Gnocchini-Messier frequently maligns “neo-liberal capitalism” as “dystopian” and “rapacious,” blaming the economic system for Canada’s deteriorating public medical system and dispossession of indigenous citizens. He claims Canadian dystopian capitalism relies on the extraction of natural resources, labour of unpaid caregivers and the exclusion of those who stand in the system’s way.

He instead would like to introduce green social democracy and “reassume state control over major levers of our economy” in areas like housing, energy and transportation.

Chad Walcott and Anna Keenan

Chad Walcott and Anna Keenan represent the other co-leadership duo seeking the top job, putting forward a more moderate centre-left agenda in contrast with other contestants. 

Walcott and Keenan’s primary policy proposal would be to introduce a nationwide four-day work week that they claim would make life less stressful and allow more time for leisure.

During the leadership debate, Walcott and Keenan stressed the need for fresh faces representing the party in order to rebuild party’s reputation, and challenged Pedneault’s ability to clean up the party’s internal affairs and run a campaign.

In Walcott and Keenan’s platform, they propose creating a firm regulatory environment for the coal, oil and natural gas industries, and possibly nationalizing the industries entirely. 

Walcott and Keenan also propose amending federal Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) legislation to bar professionals from suggesting MAID where death is not reasonably foreseeable.

The Green Party will make the choice on Saturday evening to either return to Elizabeth May’s leadership, or chart a new course with a selection of moderate or radical candidates. 

The Greens saw their best parliamentary showing under May’s leadership in the 2019 election, scoring 1,200,00 votes, representing 6.5% of the popular vote. That election they won 2 seats, their most ever.

Fake News Friday | The media rushes to defend Trudeau’s latest international blunder

By
Andrew Lawton
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Another international trip for Trudeau, another embarrassing moment for Canadians. This week, Chinese president Xi Jinping publicly criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for allegedly leaking details of their conversation to the media. While international media outlets are reporting the incident accurately, those in Canada’s legacy media are rushing to defend Canada’s prime minister – even going as far as suggesting the public incident means “Trudeau is doing his job.”

Plus, a Toronto Star columnist wants to hear more about “racism and hate crimes” during the Emergencies Act hearings.

And, Canada’s state broadcaster claims crosswords are now racist. Yes, you read that correctly.

These stories and more on Fake News Friday with True North’s in-house crossword expert Andrew Lawton and non-participant of crosswords Harrison Faulkner!

Federal worker compensation hits $55 billion annually, reports PBO

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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The latest report by Canada’s federal budget watchdog reveals that taxpayers are paying about $130,000 in compensation per full-time federal employee. 

According to Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) Yves Giroux, forecasts shows that the cost of federal public service salaries and benefits for full-time workers will reach $55 billion in 2022 and balloon even further in the coming years. When taking into account all personnel and not just those employed full-time, that figure grows to $60.7 billion. 

“Over the past 7 years, personnel spending grew by an average of 6.7 per cent annually, from $39.6 billion to $60.7 billion,” explained Giroux.

“Based on the Government’s spending plans, PBO projects that over the next five years, the number of (full-time employees) will reach over 409,000 by 2026-27. By that time, PBO projects personnel expenditures to reach $59.1 billion.” 

Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Franco Terrazzano called on the government to downsize in a statement responding to the PBO report. 

“The Trudeau government needs to take some air out of its ballooning bureaucracy,” said Terrazzano. 

“Struggling Canadian taxpayers can’t afford more bureaucrats with bigger salaries,” he continued.

“It’s not fair to ask the Canadians who lost their job or took a pay cut during the pandemic to pay higher taxes so the federal government can add a bunch of bureaucrats with bigger salaries.”

A vast majority of the jobs created during the Covid-19 pandemic were in the public sector. A recent study by the Fraser Institute found that 86.7% of all of the jobs created were government positions. 

While the private sector continues to suffer, the Liberals have lavished federal employees with significant bonuses and pay raises. 

Last year, the Treasury Board signed off on over $190 million in bonuses for over 16,000 federal managers. 
At the same time, public service workers have refused to return to the workplace and have called for the continuation of a hybrid parliament.

City of Edmonton opts out of Christmas tree due to environmental factors

By
Rachel Parker
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For the first time since 1999, the Edmonton Downtown Business Association’s (EDBA) Holiday Light Up event won’t have a giant Christmas tree — and the City of Edmonton says it won’t step in to provide a tree due to the environmental impact. 

EDBA executive director Puneeta McBryan said the annual Christmas tree display typically draws in many residents, but the foot traffic doesn’t translate into business for Edmonton shops and restaurants. So the group has rethought its event to fix the oversight, replacing the Christmas tree with other light installations, like a life-sized bison. 

The City of Edmonton has confirmed there won’t be a Christmas tree. It estimated the cost to install a tree and provide public programming at $124,000.

“The City factored in the cost and the environmental implications of cutting down and transporting a mature natural forest tree and decided to explore other opportunities to bring vibrancy to Churchill Square that would complement the new Holiday Light Up event being planned by the Edmonton Downtown Business Association,” spokesperson Karen McDonnell told True North. 

The city also said Edmonton Downtown Business Association provided the tree since 1999. Edmonton supports the event by coordinating the road closures for the transportation and installation of the tree, amplifying the event announcements and providing the space for the tree at no cost.

The city doesn’t typically provide funding for the Holiday Light Up event. But the business group was awarded $88,980 through the Downtown Vibrancy Fund in 2021. And this year, the group received $40,000 in Downtown Vibrancy Strategy funding and $10,000 in Festival and Event Covid Recovery Grant funding to support two events, including the Light Up event.

In 2020, the Holiday Light Up event had a 77-foot Christmas tree with 22,000 LED lights. Last year, the Christmas tree was 65 feet tall and held more than 14,000 lights. 

The 2022 Holiday Light Up theme is The North. The event will showcase a life-sized illuminated polar bear, an LED-lit iceberg and a life-size bison named Bryson, designed by the artist GABS.

“We’ve been doing the tree on the square for many, many years and we found it’s a great draw, families go to the tree and then they leave,” McBryan told Global News. “And it’s not really a great way to activate in our businesses, to draw people in to shop and dine and see what downtown actually has to offer.”

The city won’t splurge for a tree, but last month, Edmonton councillors voted to build 100 kms of bike lanes that will cost Alberta’s capital city $170 million — plus another $11 million annually to maintain.

City administrators presented four options costing $25 million, $90 million, $130 million or $170 million. Councillors chose the most expensive option with the highest annual operating costs.

The Daily Brief | Trudeau’s security advisor demonizes Convoy

By
Sue-Ann Levy
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Government officials took the stand on Day 25 of the Emergencies Act hearings and it was revealed Prime Minister Trudeau’s national security advisor Jody Thomas held a very negative view of the Convoy and referred to them in one email as people who “do not care about or understand democracy.

Plus, one of Canada’s most prominent banks is funding child gender transitions after donating $500,000 to the McMaster Pediatric Gender Diversity Program.

And, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has made good on her promise to rehaul Alberta Health Services’ leadership and has fired 11 members of the department’s board.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Andrew Lawton and Sue-Ann Levy!

“He told the truth by mistake,” MP says of CRTC chair’s Bill C-11 remarks

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Conservative MP Rachael Thomas says that Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) chair Ian Scott walked back comments that Bill C-11 would lead to the policing of online algorithms because “he told the truth by mistake.”

In June, Scott told the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications that the Trudeau government’s controversial internet regulation bill could be used to mandate web platforms manipulate their algorithms.

However, Scott walked back the remarks this week, telling the same committee that “unfortunately, my previous remarks have been taken out of context by some witnesses that have appeared before you.”

“To be clear, the CRTC’s objective is to ensure that Canadians are made aware of Canadian content and that they can find it. It is not about manipulating algorithms; it is about encouraging innovation,” he added.

Thomas, who is the Conservative heritage critic, told True North in an email Thursday that the issue was not that Scott’s comments were taken out of context, but rather that “he told the truth by mistake and now wants to walk it back.”

“Mr. Scott has rightly pointed out that bill C-11 will mandate the CRTC to require platforms to use algorithms to bump some content to the top of the page and keep some content out of site. This is done in the name of promoting Canadian content, something that isn’t defined in the bill,” said Thomas.

“Why should the CRTC have the power to determine what is worthy to be called Canadian?”

Scott also addressed the issue of C-11 regulating user-generated content at this week’s committee meeting. Many voices, ranging from online content creators to tech giants, have expressed concerns over this potential 

While Scott previously confirmed that Bill C-11 would regulate user content, he told the senate committee this week that “the CRTC is not being given the power to regulate individual users in relation to the content they create.”

He added that the regulatory agency “has no intention of regulating individual TikTokers, YouTubers or other digital content creators.” 

In reaction to his statement, Thomas said “Mr. Scott is saying ‘just trust us.’ Why should Canadians trust him? Or the government?”

“The bill allows the CRTC to regulate User Generated Content, which means the government, through the CRTC, will regulate what Canadians can see, hear, and post online,” she added.

Thomas’ comments referenced section 4.2 of the bill, the provision that critics say opens the door to the regulation of user generated content.

“If the CRTC has no intention of regulating the content Canadians post online, the provision should be taken out of the bill and explicit protection should be put in place,” she said.

“The fact that the government is insisting on keeping the provision points to their likely intent, which is to censor Canadians.”

Thomas hopes the Senate will reject the Trudeau government’s internet bill, which she calls “terrible public policy.”

“Bill C-11 will stifle the voices of digital first creators and hinder Canadian viewers’ ability to find the content they love. To have a government agency regulate the dissemination of information online puts Canada in step with countries like North Korea, China, Iran, and Russia,” said Thomas. 

Bill C-11 has completed second reading in the Senate and is currently facing consideration in committee.  

True North reached out to the CRTC to get comment from Scott but did not hear back in time for publication.

Day 25 Recap of Emergencies Act hearings | Banks froze some accounts without RCMP direction

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

On Day 25 of the Emergencies Act hearings, Finance Canada officials confirmed that Canadian banks took measures to freeze some bank accounts at their discretion without receiving information from the RCMP.

Deputy Minister of Finance Canada Michael Sabia testified Thursday morning, alongside two assistant deputy ministers, Isabelle Jacques, who oversees financial security, and Rhys Mendes, who oversees economic policy.

Commission counsel asked the witnesses to explain the process by which banks went about freezing the accounts of Freedom Convoy protesters based on the emergency measures drafted by Finance Canada.

“The banks would receive some information from the RCMP and then they would vet that information and exercise some discretion as to whether or not they should take measures under the order to freeze the accounts. Is that right?” Commission lawyers asked.

“Yes, I would say so,” Jacques told the Commission. “Also, on their own – as I mentioned before – they could review their own information and use the systems they have to detect suspicious transactions which they did and on their own they did freeze bank accounts without any information received from the RCMP.”

Commission counsellor Gordon Cameron questioned the three witnesses on who was ultimately responsible for the freezing of the accounts.

“If the government is saying these measures were ‘the right thing to do’ and the Department of Finance says ‘we had no part in the enforcement of this’ and the people who had enforcement in this say ‘we didn’t write this law’, who takes responsibility for the fact that these accounts were frozen? That people couldn’t pay their rent. That people couldn’t buy their groceries. Who takes responsibility for that?” Cameron asked the witnesses.

“We certainly designed the measures,” Jacques responded. “In developing these orders, we tried to be as targeted and practical as possible…I think to the extent that we developed the emergency order and that we had a successful implementation of that order in my view was quite a feat.”

Cameron asked the same question to Sabia  – “Who takes responsibility for seizing the bank accounts?”

“We set the policy” Sabia responded. “We are accountable for that policy.”

Cameron also pressed the Finance Canada witnesses for the impacts that their emergency measures had on the family members of protesters – people who had nothing to do with the Freedom Convoy other than being related to protesters who had their assets seized.

“Your measures were working because they were affecting people who had nothing to do with the protest other than they had family members at the protests and I put it to you that you must have realized that would be one of the effects of freezing of the accounts the way that they were,” Cameron said to the witnesses

“When we developed the policy we were focusing on those people involved in the illegal activities and in our discussions with the RCMP these discussions came to light. That was not the focus of the policy development, we understand that maybe some people were impacted,” Jacques replied.

Convoy lawyer Brenden Miller asked Sabia if he believed that the government interfering in the donations made to the GoFundMe or GiveSendGo funds would be a violation of the individual donors’ freedom of expression.

“The government took a decision that these activities were illegal,” Sabia responded.

Jody Thomas, Justin Trudeau’s national security advisor, also testified Thursday.

Internal emails composed by Thomas during the Freedom Convoy protest show that she held a very negative view of the protesters in Ottawa and referred to them in one email as people who “do not care about or understand democracy.”

Prior to receiving a threat assessment from law enforcement agencies, Thomas wrote that the protest was about “a national threat to national interests and institutions.”

When Thomas was asked to explain the wording in this email by Commission counsel Thomas said that she had never in fact received a threat assessment. When asked why the assessment was never given to her, Thomas replied, “I think it fell through the cracks and we were overtaken by events.”

Thomas told the commission, “bouncy castles had happened. The view that they were here to stay, that they had zero regard for the citizens of Ottawa, that social media was talking more and more about aggressive action to stay. It was just a change in tone.”

Thomas also repeated the false claim that a wrecking ball was on Wellington Street hanging from a crane. What was in fact seen on the crane was a weight and not a wrecking ball. 

What happens next?

Hearings resume tomorrow morning at 9:30am ET.

True North will continue to bring you daily coverage of the ongoing Public Order Emergency Commission. 

Smith fires 11-member AHS board, replaces them with lone administrator

By
Rachel Parker
-

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has made good on her promise to rehaul Alberta Health Services’ (AHS) leadership and has fired 11 members of the department’s board.

On Thursday afternoon, Smith announced the board was replaced with administrator Dr. John Cowell, a role he’s held before.

“He can accelerate the changes that we all need to see,” Smith said at a news conference. 

Cowell has been charged with reducing ambulance, emergency room and surgical wait times and developing long-term reforms through consultations with front-line workers.

Smith said he will be a full-time administrator and will report directly to her and Health Minister Jason Copping.

Cowell said the public may be skeptical, but urged that he hopes to contribute to a better healthcare experience. 

“I am ready to get to work on behalf of Albertans, building a better system to support patients needing care. I look forward to working with the AHS team, and taking tangible actions to drive much-needed change,” he said. 

“If we’re failing, it’s on me.”

Health Minister Jason Copping said the government must act quickly. He said the government wants to provide all scheduled surgeries within a reasonable time, but it will likely need until 2024 to get back on track. 

“We will do better tomorrow and the next day and we will work at this until we deliver on our promise to Albertans,” he said.

A June survey from the Alberta Medical Association found that 84% of respondents believe wait times in Alberta emergency departments are “fairly” or “very” long. Respondents reported waiting up to five hours for care.

NDP leader Rachel Notely criticized the announcement, saying it “does nothing to get Albertans a family doctor, nothing to address the specific calls from frontline paramedics to reduce wait times, and nothing to get children’s medication in the hands of Alberta parents,” she said in a statement. 

On Monday, the government announced that Dr. Deena Hinshaw had been fired as Alberta’s chief medical health officer and replaced with Dr. Mark Joffe.

The Rupa Subramanya Show | The Unjust Invocation of the Emergencies Act? (Feat. Ryan Alford)

By
Rupa Subramanya
-

Countless witnesses have appeared before the Public Order Emergency Commission and have shed doubt on the Trudeau government’s justification to invoke the Emergencies Act to quash the Freedom Convoy. Claims such as the Convoy posing a “national security threat” and “law enforcement requested the Act” have been debunked. It’s not looking good for the government – but what happens from here?

On this episode of The Rupa Subramanya Show, Rupa is joined by Professor and lawyer Ryan Alford. They discuss the latest from the Emergencies Act hearings, what Justice Rouleau’s verdict will look like and how it will affect Canadian politics – including the impact on the NDP.

Tune into The Rupa Subramanya Show!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE RUPA SUBRAMANYA SHOW

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