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Sunday, July 27, 2025

A-G report says no evidence $4B fed housing fund helps homelessness

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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The Liberal government is dumping billions to fight homelessness but can’t explain whether the funding has helped get people into homes. 

A recent report by Auditor General Karen Hogan found that federal ministries didn’t have any data to substantiate the hefty spending. 

Both the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Infrastructure Canada couldn’t explain how the $4.5 billion divided out across various programs was bettering the housing crisis, according to the A-G. 

“One of my biggest concerns is the lack of federal accountability for achieving Canada’s target to reduce chronic homelessness by half by 2028,” said Hogan in a press release that came out Wednesday. 

“Infrastructure Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation should be coordinating their efforts to deliver on the National Housing Strategy’s objectives and get a roof over the heads of individuals and families.” 

Additionally, the audit found that rental housing programs introduced by the federal government weren’t actually within the means of the low-income or vulnerable Canadians they were meant to assist. 

“Despite being the lead for the National Housing Strategy and overseeing the majority of its funding, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation took the position that it was not directly accountable for addressing chronic homelessness,” the report explained. 

“Infrastructure Canada was also of the view that while it contributed to reducing chronic homelessness, it was not solely accountable for achieving the strategy’s target of reducing chronic homelessness.” 

These findings are similar to those of a recent report by the Vancouver Police Department, which found that despite receiving billions in social safety spending, the homelessness crisis in the city has only gotten worse. 

An exclusive first-hand report by True North’s Sue-Ann Levy explored the state of Vancouver’s notorious Downtown East Side, which has become a hot-spot for homeless encampments and an open drug market.

“This is proof of the harm of safe injection sites, a permissive out-of-control drug culture, politicians who have let the problem escalate and social justice do-gooders who are doing more harm than good,” wrote Levy.

The Daily Brief | Xi Jinping confronts Trudeau

By
Anthony Furey
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On Wednesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a public dressing down at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia over apparent leaks to the press. But Trudeau held firm and told Xi that, “In Canada, We believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have.”

Meanwhile here in Canada, a Conservative MP says the Liberals are benefitting from the Chinese government interfering in Canada’s elections.

Plus, on Day 23 of the Emergencies Act hearings, it was revealed that the RCMP had a plan to clear Freedom Convoy protesters without the use of the Emergencies Act but did not communicate its plan to the federal cabinet.

These stories and more on The Daily Brief with Anthony Furey and Rachel Emmanuel.

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Feds to spend $20 billion on EV charging stations

By
Noah Jarvis
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Source: Facebook

A federal government report estimates the cost of the Trudeau government’s plan to install hundreds of thousands of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to be approximately $20 billion. 

As first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, a department of natural resources report titled Canada’s Public Charging Infrastructure Needs: Updated Projections estimates that over the next few decades, Canada will have to invest billions of dollars into installing EV chargers across the country.

The report says, “In the very long term our overall estimate for public charging infrastructure needs across Canada would represent a total investment of approximately $20 billion over the next three decades.”

The report acknowledges that Canada’s cold might become a costly problem as EV batteries are notorious for underperforming once temperatures drop below freezing.

“As temperatures move towards the cold or hot extremes there are negative impacts on vehicle and battery efficiency resulting in greater charging needs,” said the report.

General Motors is being sued based on allegations that the Chevrolet Bolt was advertised as being able to drive up to 383 kilometres before needing to be charged but has a hard time reaching 300 kilometres during the winter.

The Trudeau government has been making a concerted effort to transition Canada from using combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles by the year 2035 with big spending programs and annual targets.

Along with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the Trudeau government committed hundreds of millions of dollars to construct an RV assembly plant in Oakville. 

In 2022, the Trudeau government dedicated $1.7 billion in the federal budget to an EV subsidy program that would provide a $5,000 credit for purchasing a new electric vehicle. 

The feds are also mandating that by 2026, 20% of vehicle purchases will be of EVs, increasing to 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. Currently, around 4% of vehicles sold in Canada are EVs.

To meet the 2035 target, the federal government report says that at least 442,000 public charging stations are needed on long distances of highway that do not serve high volumes of drivers.

According to Ernst & Young, Canada ranked second last among 14 countries evaluated in an annual EV readiness index. In addition, Ernst & Young found that Canadian demand for EVs trails the global average and that the initial cost of an EV inhibits consumers from picking them.

The average price of an EV costs $10,000 USD more than the auto industry’s average car.

CAMPUS WATCH: Brock University launches segregated “BIPOC Study Hall”

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Niagara’s Brock University has launched a new racially segregated study hall for students who identify as black, Indigenous or persons of colour (BIPOC).

The “BIPOC study hall” run by the university’s Learning Services takes place Tuesday and Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. It offers racialized students tutoring services from fourth year students. 

In a news release, the university claims that the new service, which was created in partnership with Brock’s Hadiyaˀdagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, and BIPOC Caucus, is aimed at “enhancing academic resources for students.”

Brock Curriculum Development Specialist Ashley Grover said in the release that “We know BIPOC students are historically under-represented in academic spaces in general and had less opportunities in terms of getting to university.” 

She added that “feeling welcomed and supported academically in the study hall and throughout the University is just one of the ways we are trying to address that.”

Brock and its new “BIPOC study hall” received criticism on social media, with some saying the service is form of racial segregation and racism. 

Journalist Jonathan Kay, who often calls out the wokeness taking place in Canadian universities, inquired about Jewish people being able to come. 

Meanwhile, former anti-woke Ottawa school trustee candidate Chanel Pfahl called the university “disgusting racists.”

At the time of publication, Kay and Phafl’s comments had far more likes than the original tweet from Brock’s Faculty of Social Sciences promoting the segregated service.

It should be noted that Brock’s “BIPOC Study Hall” is just the latest case of racial segregation taking place in Ontario universities.

As previously reported by True North, the University of Guelph recently defended a yoga session “exclusive to Black-identifying students, staff, and faculty” after the event received online backlash.

Brock University did not respond to True North’s request for comment in time for publication.

GUEST OP-ED: Here’s what school choice could look like for Ontario parents

By
Paige MacPherson
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Paige MacPherson is Associate Director of Education Policy at the Fraser Institute. 

School choice in Ontario—letting parents take their tax dollars to schools they choose for their children and making alternative schools more affordable to all families—is long overdue. 

The CUPE strike was just the latest example of Ontario children being held hostage by the gatekeepers of the government-run public school system. It’s time for the government to stop exclusively funding the current one-size-fits-all system and start funding students instead. 

Because many lower- and middle-class Ontario families don’t have a choice. They can choose their grocery stores, their daycares and preschools. Yet unlike parents in half of the other provinces, they cannot afford to choose their kids’ schools.

The Ford government could change that.

First, it could make it easier for families to switch to any government public school they choose, without adhering to catchment areas, as other provinces such as British Columbia have done. 

The government could also send a portion of parents’ tax dollars to schools of their choice. In Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. the provincial government does exactly that by funding independent schools from 35% to 80% of the per-student cost of government public schools. 

This helps increase school choice and also saves taxpayer money. Every child who attends an independent school costs taxpayers less than students who attend government public schools.

Like in Alberta, Ontario could also allow charter schools, which are common in Sweden, the United States and elsewhere. Typically, governments fund Charter schools, parents pay no tuition, and parents and teachers run the schools, which often have their own unique educational offering.  Alberta’s non-profit charter schools include a STEM school, an English Second Language school, a music school and an Indigenous culture school.  

Finally, Ontario could introduce education savings accounts for every family, which could be spent on independent schooling, homeschooling, tutoring or other educational activities like in Arizona, Singapore and elsewhere. 

In Australia, a voucher system funds student attendance at independent schools, with a higher value for low-income families, based on area of residence. Ontario could even revisit its old income-tested partial tax credit for families, introduced and then squelched in the early 2000s.

The question of demand has been answered. Even in Ontario’s current system where the government offers no independent school funding, enrolment in independent schools is increasing. 

From 2006-07 to 2019-20, the share of Ontario kids enrolled in independent schools jumped from 5.1% to 6.9%. Over the same period, the share of students opting to homeschool also increased while the share of kids enrolled in government-run public schools decreased.

Of course, some critics posit that allowing parents to affordably choose their kids’ schools would gut government public schools. But if government public schools are providing a high-quality education for kids, why would that be the case? 

Other critics say school choice is for the wealthy, an illogical claim given the wealthy already have school choice, because they can afford to pay twice—their tax bill, which funds the government public school system, and again for tuition at an independent school. And in Alberta, research has found that families with children in most independent schools actually have slightly lower incomes than families with children in government-run public schools.

School choice simply gives lower- and middle-class families greater opportunity to choose their kids’ schools. 

Whether Ontario parents want a unique pedagogy, are concerned about the province’s tumbling math scores, or want to bypass the anxiety of school closures and labour strife, they should be allowed to use their own tax dollars to choose their kids’ schools regardless of their income or postal code. 

Paige MacPherson is Associate Director of Education Policy at the Fraser Institute. 

Boy arrested after stabbing at high school pitched for pregnant teen program

By
Rachel Parker
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The Alberta Parents’ Union is reigniting warnings that the Calgary Board of Education’s proposal to move a program for pregnant teens is unsafe after a 13-year-old was arrested following a stabbing at the high school proposed for the relocation. 

The Calgary Board of Education wants to close the Kensington Building, which houses the Louise Dean Centre for pregnant teens and young mothers, and relocate the program to Jack James High School in Forest Lawn. 

On Tuesday, police were called to the southeast Calgary high school after reports of a stabbing. A 13-year-old boy was located and taken into custody shortly after. 

“The Calgary Board of Education has insisted that the safety of the teen moms entering Jack James High School is their number one priority, but just today a 13-year-old boy that does not attend Jack James was able to enter and stab another student,” Alberta Parents’ Union executive director Jeff Park told True North.

“We believe these women when they say this location is not safe and call upon the Calgary Board of Education to do the same!”

The Calgary Police say one student had minor injuries and was treated on sight. 

“The school was temporarily placed into lockdown while officers worked to confirm details about the incident as well as the last known location of the suspect,” a police release says.

The Calgary Board of Education told True North that they are currently looking into the matter and will provide comment at a later time. 

In a statement to True North last month, the board said Kensington requires an investment of around $17 million in maintenance to continue operating, while Jack James needs a one time investment of $5.6 million.

Last month, Park told True North that Forest Lawn has some of the highest crime rates in Calgary and isn’t safe for young, pregnant women.

“The entire idea of this program is that these ladies get bullied and harassed and too often subjected to violence in regular schools,” he said at the time. 

According to Data Enthusiast, the residential area of Forest Lawn had 2,875 counts of crime from January 2017 to July 2022. That includes 657 counts of non-domestic assault, 208 counts of non-domestic violence and 118 counts of street crime.

In Calgary’s all-crime category, Forest Lawn was surpassed only by Beltline and the Downtown Commercial Core.

The board will vote on Nov. 29 on whether to proceed with the relocation efforts. 

Calgary police say charges are pending. 

Indigenous creator says she was “gas-lit” by feds over her Bill C-11 concerns

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

On Tuesday, a witness before a Senate committee alleged that she was subject to intimidation from the federal government for voicing concerns about the Liberal’s Bill C-11, which has been widely dubbed as the online censorship bill.

When asked by Senator Leo Housakos to share her experiences dealing with Canadian Heritage, First Nations witness Vanessa Brousseau explained that “one ministry” had “gas-lit” her and intimidated her after she shared her thoughts on the law. 

“Can you share with this committee what has been your experience with the Minister’s office as an independent [online] content provider from the Indigenous community vis a vis hearing your concerns,” asked Sen. Housakos. 

“One ministry that we met with did have a different perspective and felt that they needed to really intimidate me with their perspective when I was really just there to share my perspective as I don’t know all about the bill and I understand that it needs to be passed on certain levels,” explained Brousseau.

“However, this one ministry, as an Indigenous woman basically gas-lit me and told me that they did speak with Indigenous peoples and as somebody that’s connected very well to my Indigenous community, I didn’t feel that was true and I feel the approach they took with me was very intimidating and disrespectful.” 

Bill C-11, which the Liberals have branded as an update to the Canadian Broadcasting Act, has been widely criticized as being an affront to Canadians’ right to freedom of expression and harmful to independent creators such as Brousseau. 

This is not the first time that the Liberals have faced accusations of witness intimidation over Bill C-11. 

A prior report alleged that Canadian Heritage Parliamentary Secretary Chris Bittle and Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner demanded an investigation into Digital First Canada – a group that has raised concerns about the implication of Bill C-11. 

Senators have raised the issue in the Upper Chamber, with Senator Scott Tannas calling it a “potential question of privilege and contempt of Parliament.” 

University of Ottawa Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law Michael Geist also slammed the move and called for “real consequences” for the Liberal government’s behaviour. 

“It is sad to see the four Liberal MPs fail to recognize the harms that come with these tactics and while Rodriguez’s office has continued to strategically leak, investigating critics in this manner should be a non-starter and merits real consequences for those that developed and supported the strategy,” wrote Geist in September. 

Day 23 Recap of Emergencies Act hearings | RCMP had a plan to clear Convoy but did not communicate to government

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

On Day 23 of the Emergencies Act hearings, documents revealed that RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki had a plan to clear Freedom Convoy protesters from Ottawa without the use of the never-before-used Act but it was never communicated to cabinet prior to the invocation of the Act.

Commission lawyers focused their examination of Lucki on her communication with the federal government throughout the protest to determine whether the RCMP had exhausted all available law enforcement tools prior to the invocation and whether that had been clearly communicated to cabinet. 

“Your update to cabinet as it is deciding whether to invoke the Emergencies Act is that the police now have a plan, and that you as the commissioner of the RCMP consider that plan to be workable without the authorities of the Emergencies Act and your messages don’t get delivered to cabinet when they then deliberate on the invocation of the act,” said Commission lawyer

“You appreciate the significance of that scenario?” 


“Yes and no,” Lucki told the commission. “The fact that we now had a plan – I’m not sure if it was signed off either as of that point because we were having difficulty having it signed off, we didn’t realize it needed to be signed off.”

Commission counsel continued to press Lucki on the fact that her plan had not been clearly communicated to cabinet before the invocation of the act.

“You appreciated the significance, I assume, of the fact that you hadn’t got a chance to give those key messages that we have looked at before. Did it occur to you that you should make sure that the government was aware of your views on these points before it came to land on the invocation of the Emergencies Act?” Commission counsel asked Lucki.

“I guess in hindsight, yeah that might have been something significant,” Lucki said. “Honestly, I’m not sure that it would’ve changed anything.”

It was also revealed that Lucki wrote in an email to public safety minister Marco Mendicino on February 13 – just one day prior to the invocation of the Emergencies Act – that law enforcement “had not yet exhausted all available tools through the existing legislation.”

Lucki’s email to Mendicino reads, “That said, I am of the view that we have not yet exhausted all available tools that are already available through the existing legislation.”

“There are instances where charges can be laid under existing authorities for various Criminal Code offenses occurring right now.” Lucki also wrote in that email.

Lucki’s email also states that existing laws in place are being considered in the policing plan to clear protesters from Ottawa.

“These existing tools are considered in our existing plans and will be used in due course as necessary.”

Also on February 13, according to Commission documents, Lucki wanted Mendicino to know that the RCMP did not need the Emergencies Act to clear the border blockades at Coutts and Windsor.

It was revealed that during the cabinet meetings and at the integrated response group meetings on February 13 and February 14, Lucki was in attendance at those meetings but was not invited to speak.

Following Monday’s revelation that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) told cabinet that the Convoy did not constitute a threat to national security just one day prior to the invocation of the Emergencies Act, Convoy lawyer Brenden Miller asked if Lucki ever told Mendicino that she had thought that the Convoy was a threat to national security as defined by Section 2 of the CSIS Act. 

In response, Lucki said, “No, he would have to ask CSIS.”

“Right, and CSIS told him, you are aware, that there wasn’t,” Miller asked Lucki.

“That’s what I’ve been told.” Lucki responded.

Testifying beside Lucki today was the deputy commissioner of the RCMP Mike Duheme.

What happens next?

Hearings resume tomorrow at 9:30am ET. 

Still to testify this week are other deputy commissioners of the RCMP and senior officials from the Department of Public Safety.

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

Liberals “benefit from” Chinese election interference: Conservative MP

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis blasted the Liberal government over a report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service that found at least 11 candidates received Chinese cash in the last federal election. 

In response to the Liberals refusing to disclose which candidates received the approximately $250,000 in funding, Genuis claimed the Liberals were the ones benefiting from Beijing’s interference. 

“Canadians were shocked to learn that the government of China illegally funded candidates for office here in Canada starting in at least 2019. How could this happen? How could the government of China think they could get away with this?” asked Genuis. 

“Why have the Liberals spent years ignoring foreing interference? Because they benefit from it. Liberals’ weak foreign policy and failure to stand up for justice has led human rights abusers to want Liberals to stay in power.” 

Genuis also referenced former Liberal MP and ambassador to China John McCallum who in 2019 told Chinese media that a Conservative election victory that year would be a disadvantage to Chinese interests. McCallum was fired from his post for controversial statements. 

During the 2021 federal election, Chinese state media also warned that Canada could face “counterstrikes” should the Conservatives have won that election. 

On Monday MPs with the Commons procedure and house affairs committee voted to initiate a prove into the allegations of a “vast campaign of foreign interference.” 

“No one has been expelled from Canada, no one has been charged. There have been no apparent investigations undertaken and there has been no action taken on the part of the government to respond legislatively,” said Conservative MP and committee member Michael Cooper.

“This interference is simply intolerable. It is unacceptable.”

In an exclusive interview with True North, former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu slammed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his lack of action on China. 

“Compared to other Western democracies that have done something substantial to safeguard their democracies and national sovereignty, Canada has done barely anything,” said Chiu.

Chiu lost his seat during the general election last year after facing an online assault he alleges was directed by China. 

Federal NDP call for inquiry into Liberal pandemic response

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The federal NDP are calling for an inquiry into the federal government’s Covid-19 response, labeling the Liberal government’s current stance “unacceptable.”

Speaking at a press conference held in Ottawa Monday, NDP MP Don Davies called for an investigation under the Inquiries Act. The NDP highlighted how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said there will be time for a “lessons learned” exercise in the future, but he won’t commit to a time or even whether the review will be independent.

“It’s unacceptable that the Liberals won’t commit to an independent review of Canada’s response to the most severe pandemic in a century,” said Davies. 

“We can’t put politics above public health. Instead of papering over the federal government’s inadequacies and failures, we must leave no stone unturned to learn from past mistakes and prepare for future threats,” Davies added.

The Act would give a public commission powers to subpoena witnesses, request evidence and retain experts. 

The new call comes two weeks after former Reform Party leader Preston Manning launched the National Citizens’ Inquiry (NCI), an independent investigation into the response to COVID-19.

In a press release on Tuesday, the NCI said that the NDP’s newly announced position speaks to changing public attitudes around mandates. 

“Public opinion undoubtedly has had much to do with reversing the NDP’s position since recent polls have shown that 3 out of 4 Canadians report being harmed by the government’s Covid-19 policies,” wrote Manning. 

The NDP voted alongside the Liberals throughout much of the pandemic and leader Jagmeet Singh continues to prop up Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in exchange for policy promises. On various motions demanding transparency from the federal government on pandemic-related matters, the NDP voted to support the Liberals. 

“The NDP have sold out again. They just voted against ordering the Winnipeg Lab Documents at the Foreign Affairs Committee, reversing from the position that they took in the last Parliament. They are now siding with the Liberals, against democratic accountability,” tweeted CPC MP Garnett Genuis in April. 

Manning first announced the launch of the NCI on Nov. 2. Currently, the inquiry has an open call for commissioners. 

According to the group, the inquiry is expected to complete its investigation by March 2023 and will be delivering a subsequent report with recommendations to the federal government soon after. 

“The inquiry will examine the consequences on public and personal health, rights and freedoms, on specific demographic groups such as the aged and our children, and the economy,” wrote Manning in a press release. 

“Those testifying before the Inquiry will also be asked for recommendations for how Canada’s response in matters as this could be better managed in the future.”

Calls for an investigation into the Covid-19 response have emerged from within the ranks of the Liberal party itself also. 

As exclusively reported by True North, Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith reiterated his call for a parliamentary inquiry into the past few years. 

“Any review process needs to be transparent, non-partisan, credible, and involve feedback and lessons learned from independent experts as well as decision-makers at all levels of government,” said Erskine-Smith. 

“For my part, I continue to think that a legislated review process with support from all parties is a good idea and that the focus should be on learning lessons for future prevention and preparedness efforts.”

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