fbpx
Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Recap Day 15 of Emergencies Act hearings | Room erupts during Pat King’s testimony

By
Andrew Kozak
-

On Day 15 of the Emergencies Act hearings, more Freedom Convoy representatives took the stand including Convoy lawyer Keith Wilson, representative Tom Marazzo and live-streamer Patrick King.

The proceedings were temporarily halted during King’s testimony after a heated exchange between him and Ottawa lawyer Paul Champ who was questioning him. 

It started when Champ asked King if the Convoy had caused downtown Ottawa to become a “dangerous situation.”

“Not at all. I met the most loving, most caring people,” said King. “Everywhere you went you were getting hugs, you were getting handshakes. Nobody was violent.”

Champ then asked King why he needed to have security with him during the Convoy. King responded that he had people threatening his life. 

“People were dropping marbles from high-rises,” said King. “They were throwing eggs, and the citizens of Ottawa were threatening to run us over.”

“You know my lawyer was given death threats and bomb scares because she represents me?” said King.

Champ, frustrated, then spoke directly to the commissioner.

“The people of Ottawa got one morning in this proceeding, we’ve had a week of all these Convoy organizers given a platform to say whatever they want.”

Commissioner Rouleau decided to pause proceedings as some shouting began to take place. The commission decided to finish for the day. 

Earlier in the day, Convoy lawyer Keith Wilson testified the government had overstepped during the Convoy.

Wilson questioned when exactly the Freedom Convoy became an illegal assembly and understood its illegality had not been grounded on any basis. 

“It just seemed to be a terminology that started to morph and become adopted with no particular triggering event,” said Wilson.

Wilson noted that around Feb. 4, he felt a “change in tone” from the police and began looking for ways to de-escalate the situation.

He said that by this time, Tom Marazzo had been working with police liaison teams but felt it was not going anywhere substantive.

 “He needed somebody that was more of an inspector level, somebody who had some actual decision making capability and greater authority,” said Wilson.

Wilson says Convoy organizers wanted to help police clear the Rideau Sussex intersection in order to relieve pressure from the police due to its proximity to the Senate and US Embassy.

On Feb. 8, Wilson says the officer on the phone told organizers that they can’t move barricades to allow them to move to Wellington St.

“They felt that the police had double crossed them,” Wilson says. 

Wilson says they decided to draft a Freedom manifest, in order to focus their efforts on Wellington and to get trucks out of residential areas.

A Feb 12 email showed Wilson hoping that the deal in the manifest would keep Prime Minister Trudeau from using the Emergencies Act and allow trucks to stay in a certain area in the city.

Wilson says 850 copies of the manifest were printed to hand out among the truckers. 

Wilson said good faith negotiations were at the core of his thinking in the days during the invocation. He wanted to de-escalate the protests in order to bring the federal government to the table. 

Wilson says he believes they could have had a peaceful resolution and a respectful dialogue about the Convoy’s concerns to end the overall protests without police intervention.

After the break, Tom Marazzo took the stand. He was interested in the Convoy because he had lost his job at Georgian College in Sept 2021 due to the vaccine mandate. Marazzo said he became increasingly wary during the pandemic and that he was afraid of police for the first time despite having friends in the force.

Marazzo was in touch with James Bauder, another Convoy organizer from Canada-Unity, who was planning a similar protest before getting in touch with Brigitte Belton and Chris Barber. Bauder asked him to get involved with the protests. 

“It was the truckers that gave me an opportunity to fight for my kids’ rights,” Marazzo said.

Marazzo was very concerned about having emergency lanes open at all times because his son has a heart condition. Marazzo’s role was to organize logistics making sure people had fuel and food. Marazzo says he was likely appointed because he had experience in the military.

Marazzo says he found the protest to be very decentralized. Many truckers were largely independent contractors who didn’t want to listen to him. 

“You had to use your soft skills to communicate and get people to buy in,” he said. He described him as a “hand grenade” and a “wildcard.”

Marazzo was asked if he saw himself as a spokesperson for the Convoy. He said it was not until Feb. 18 and 19 – when every representative of the Convoy had either left the city or been arrested.

Marazzo was shown a video press conference he hosted where he wanted to sit at the table with anybody in the government. He reached out to NDP, Conservative, Bloc MPs but no one “ever wanted to have a conversation with us.”

“We were desperate,” says Marazzo, saying he just wanted to sit down and speak to someone in the government. 

“To this day, they’ve never spoken to us,” said Marazzo.

Marazzo said he did not want to speak to legacy media because they had “vilified” them. He said he would have reached out if the media had started to report the Convoy fairly.

Marazzo said he knew that former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly was under intense pressure and that if it wasn’t alleviated, then he knew things would “turn for the worse.”

Patrick King took the stand and testified that the aim of the Freedom Convoy was to “practice our right to peaceful protest.”

King said he was involved in the 2019 ‘United We Roll’ protests and has since gotten into a familiar relationship with OPS officers. He said he even had a few officers on past live streams. They talked about safety issues and how they could conduct themselves peacefully.

King was shown a video compilation from his podcasts, in which King said, “The Natives’ culture is a disgrace,” and “It’s called depopulation of the Caucasian race.” He also said: “If you are born of the land, you are Indigenous of the land.” King said the comments were being taken out of context.

When lawyers then showed him a transcript from his videos, King claimed that the transcript had cut many different lines from several videos into one transcript.

The commission was put to a stop after the tense exchange between lawyer Paul Champ and King. 

Hearings will resume on Thursday November 3 at 9:30 am ET. Convoy organizers Benjamin Dichter, James Bauder and Tamara Lich are expected to testify.

True North will continue to have daily coverage of the ongoing Emergencies Act hearings.

Ontario school board guide tells teachers to hide children’s gender from parents

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

A gender expression guide quietly released in September by the Renfrew County District School Board (RCDSB) instructs teachers to not disclose the gender identity kids identify with to parents and guardians regardless of age, if requested to do so by the child. 

“Changes to official records do not require consent from parents/guardians; however, legal guardians of a student have the right to access the student’s records,” writes the RCDSB. 

“Regardless of age or grade, staff must keep a student’s gender identity and gender expression status confidential unless the student gives explicit consent to inform the parent(s)/guardian(s), or there is a specific ‘need to know’ (e.g., to fulfill a specific accommodation request).” 

Other guidance in the RCDSB’s Gender Identity and Gender Expression Guideline also tells teachers to allow students to use restrooms, change rooms and overnight dormitories based on their self-identified gender without question. 

The guide also threatens teachers who refuse to abide by the chosen name or pronouns of LGBTQ staff or students, saying that refusal to do so “may constitute discrimination or harassment on the ground of gender identity.” 

“Intentional or persistent refusal to use a student’s or staff’s chosen name and/or pronouns is a violation of these guidelines and may constitute discrimination or harassment on the ground of gender expression,” warns the RCDSB.

On the use of washrooms and changing rooms for staff, students and visitors, RCDSB’s policy unequivocally states that choices must not be questioned. Even at overnight stays on field trips, students should be allowed to sleep in whichever dormitory that aligns with their self-identified gender. 

“All students, parents/guardians, staff, and community members have a right to safe restroom facilities and the right to use a washroom that corresponds to the individual’s gender identity or gender expression,” writes the RCDSB. “This also holds true for changing facilities and overnight accommodations.” 

“No student or staff member’s washroom use should be monitored or questioned by school staff or peers,” it continues. 

“Schools and central buildings will provide access to change rooms for use by any person regardless of gender identity or gender expression. Schools may not impose the use of any change room for any student based on gender identity or gender expression,” the guide states. 

The guide also instructs teachers on how to plan lessons that abide by equity and gender-identity principles in various subjects like the arts, social studies and English. 

Art classes are guided to “deconstruct gender stereotyping in arts classes.” More broadly teachers are told to “encourage and model diverse family makeups.” 

RCDSB’s policies directing teachers to hide gender-identity from parents align with those of other school boards across Ontario, including the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) which put out a similar guide last year. 

As exclusively reported by True North, the OCDSB guide instructs teachers that “self-identification” was the only measure of a student’s gender entitling a child to use whichever bathroom or changing room they desired based on their chosen identity. 

“Every person has the right to define their own gender identity. A person’s self-identification is the sole measure for their gender,” the document claimed. 

“Trans, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse people are the experts in their own identities and experiences, and school staff must follow students’ leads regarding the spaces and language that are most comfortable for them at any time.”

Meanwhile, a recent intrusive survey sent out by the Toronto District School Board asked students to reveal details about their sexuality and knowledge about transgender topics such as “binding breasts.”

The Andrew Lawton Show | Convoy organizer blows off legacy media after Emergencies Act testimony

By
Andrew Lawton
-

Convoy organizer Tom Marazzo testified before the Public Order Emergency Commission for several hours, but the clip that’s going viral is him refusing to talk to legacy media outlets, which he accuses of “lying for three years.” Marazzo called out the lack of political leadership during Covid, which triggered the convoy protest in the first place. Also up today was Convoy lawyer Keith Wilson, who questioned when the protest became “unlawful” in a country that supposedly upholds the right to protest. In this live show, True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses the latest and takes your questions about the proceedings to date.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Taxpayers billed $1.3 million for Governor General’s 2020 Dubai trip

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The Governor General’s office billed taxpayers $1.3 million for a week-long junket through the Middle East.

According to federal documents first reported on by the Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation (CTF), then governor general Julie Payette flew to Dubai for Expo 2020 at the height of the pandemic at a time when Canadians faced stringent travel restrictions. 

“What value are taxpayers getting for this $1.3-million trip to the Middle East?” asked CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano. 

“Can the governor general prove that spending $1.3 million to go to Expo 2020 in Dubai was a better use of taxpayers’ money than hiring more nurses or helping struggling taxpayers?”

When broken down further, costs included a $160,467 bill from the Office of the Governor General, $518,741 from Global Affairs Canada, $472,591 by the Department of National Defence and $155,931 from the RCMP. 

The documents were released on the Government Operations Committee website months after government employees claimed before the committee that in-flight catering receipts could not be provided. 

In September, Governor General Mary Simon’s deputy secretary Chrstine MacIntyre refused to reveal to the House of Commons government operations committee what food items were served on the flight but did say she was a passenger

After being ordered to provide “copies of unredacted invoices associated with the March 2022 trip to the Middle East,” they were finally released publicly, although detailed receipts were not posted.

An access to information request filed by the CTF reveals some further details about the catering menus. 

National Defence receipts show government officials dining on gourmet “hot dinner services” including “apple and cranberry stuffed pork tenderloins” and “white chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis and lemon zest” for deserts. Breakfasts included “aritsan cheese and meat.” 

“Politicians and bureaucrats need to show respect for taxpayers’ hard-earned money and that means they need to stop wasting so much and proactively post receipts online,” said Terrazzano. 

“They have the receipts for the fancy airplane food, but they’re refusing to post the flight menus online.” 

Conservatives are demanding that current Governor General Simon fully disclose a $100,000 catering bill for her Expo 2022 trip from Mar. 16 to Mar. 24. 

“We’d like to know whether we are dealing with caviar and champagne. What kind of meals are we talking about here?” Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus asked in September.

Indigenous executive says “shift is taking place”, pro-business sentiment growing

By
Anthony Furey
-

“Things are happening, a shift is taking place,” says Calvin Helin, CEO of IndSight Advisers, as he reflects on the economic situation facing Canada’s Indigenous peoples. “There’s a whole body of young Indigenous people who are coming forward with constructive ideas about how to [build wealth]. And deals are being done.”

Helin, a business executive from the Tsimshian First Nation, made the comments during a wide-ranging interview with True North. The conversation arose following the announcement of Indigenous Nexus 2023, a conference coming up in January, co-organized by Helin, that’s being touted as the first of its kind in the way it aims to bring together Indigenous leaders, business executives and Canadian politicians.

“What we want to do with this conference is get people together who are prepared to take a fresh look at the situation in the light of common sense,” Helin says. “We’ve all got to eat… and we should be cooperating and working together in the best way possible to build a bigger pie for all Canadians to share in.”

Helin points out that demographic data shows Indigenous persons are both the youngest and fastest growing population in Canada. “We need all of those young people in the workforce,” says Helin, the son of a hereditary chief. “They’re the future to everybody’s pensions.”

One positive change Helin cites is how First Nations communities in a number of provinces are now buying equity shares in natural resources companies and other businesses. 

“In New Zealand the Maoris have been moving quite a long way down this road,” Helin says. He points to how their communities collectively had $6 billion in commercial assets in the 1970s, but they have since grown that to $70 billion. “They focused on education and getting into the real economy.”

Helin was recently an advisor to the Alberta government, assisting with the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Fund. While he’s excited about the deals that have taken place so far, he’s concerned about business conditions in Canada more broadly.

“What we’re getting from Ottawa basically is that we’re closed for business,” Helin says. He cites German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s recent visit to Canada as an example, where the European leader was basically sent away empty-handed after hoping to secure natural resources from Canada.

When it comes to the view some Canadians have that Indigenous people are opposed to economic growth, Helin says that’s a misconception.

“Recent polls have found that 65% of Indigenous Peoples support or strongly support natural resource development, and 83% of Canadians believe that natural resource development is a major contributor to the economy,” reads a press release for Indigenous Nexus.

That said, Helin emphasizes it’s still important to listen to the concerns of protesters and for governments to do even more in their duty to consult affected First Nations communities. He just doesn’t care for groups that try to use Indigenous communities for their own agendas.

“There are some protests and there are good reasons for protests,” Helin says. “I mean nobody wants to harm our environment. But I think what seems to have happened is that Big Green — the big international NGOs — come into Canada, they’ve got huge amounts of money and huge power in terms of their media reach and they amplify the voices of a few when, for example in the Wet’suwet’en case, you’ve got every community vote and agree to support the LNG project.”

The full line-up for Indigenous Nexus has yet to be released, but they’ve confirmed Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will be the keynote speaker. 

As for Helin, he’s putting the final touches on two books he wrote during the pandemic — one that’s titled Rise: Moving Indigenous Nations from Poverty to Power and the other a personal narrative about growing up on a reserve.

While Helin’s a busy man these days, there’s one thing all his projects have in common: growing the economic pie. “We have to start looking at how to create wealth in Indigenous communities and there has to be a focus on prosperity,” he says.

Why ‘Vancouver is Dying’ (ft. Aaron Gunn)

By
Andrew Lawton
-

The deteriorating state of Vancouver has been well documented over the years, but few pieces of journalism have had quite as explosive an impact as “Vancouver is Dying.” The hit documentary has garnered millions of views, and international media attention. Documentary creator Aaron Gunn joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss his reasons for making the film, what he hopes it may accomplish, and why he thinks Vancouver is dying.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Moe introduces Saskatchewan autonomy act, following Alberta

By
Noah Jarvis
-

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe introduced The Saskatchewan First Act on Tuesday, the goal of which is to assert their provincial autonomy over matters assigned to the provinces in the 1867 Constitution Act.

The Act, also known as Bill 88, comes after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith won the United Conservative Party leadership in part on her campaigning for an Alberta Sovereignty Act. However, Bill 88 does not go as far as the new UCP leader’s legislation.

Moe’s legislation attempts to draw a clear line between provincial and federal jurisdiction, informed by the Constitution Act’s provisions outlining provincial and federal powers, particularly when it comes to the province’s natural resources, forestry industry, energy generation and production, regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and fertilizer use.

The Saskatchewan First Act would also create a tribunal that would assess the economic impact of federal initiatives on behalf of the Saskatchewan legislature.

“This legislation will draw the jurisdictional line and defend that line based on the existing constitutional division of powers,” the Throne Speech, delivered by Lieutenant-Governor Russ Mirasty last week, read. “To be clear, this is not about abrogating or ignoring the Constitution. In fact, quite the contrary. It is the federal government that has been intruding on Saskatchewan’s jurisdiction under the Constitution.”

In the UCP leadership race, Danielle Smith campaigned for months on her promise to introduce and pass a sovereignty act that would negate federal legislation and regulations that intrude on Alberta’s jurisdiction.

The Trudeau Liberal government’s fertilizer regulation seeking that farmers reduce fertilizer emissions by 30% by 2030 appears to conflict with the Saskatchewan government’s assertion of control over fertilizer use and regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Trudeau government also passed the “No More Pipelines Bill,” or Bill C-69, which places federal regulations on the development of natural resources like oil and natural gas.

The provinces have taken the federal government to court over Bill C-69 legislation but ultimately failed as the Supreme Court sided with the feds.

The Trudeau government has introduced legislation that banned the legal possession of thousands of rifles and handguns while also implementing a gun buy-back program. However, Saskatchewan and three other provinces have declared that they will not be enforcing the gun grab, with the Yukon legislature passing a motion sympathizing with the sentiment.

Premier Moe is expected to introduce more legislation in the current session that would further assert provincial autonomy.

In Lieutenant-Governor Mirasty’s speech from the throne, Mirasty said that the government plans on signing an immigration accord with the federal government to give Saskatchewan similar immigration controls to those given to Quebec.

The Saskatchewan government also plans to collect its own corporate income tax, comparing their plan to Quebec’s and Alberta’s.

Preston Manning to chair citizen-led inquiry into pandemic

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

An independent group of Canadians chaired by former Reform Party leader Preston Manning has launched what’s being called the National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) to investigate federal and provincial responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The NCI will be conducted through a federally incorporated not-for-profit and will include subject matter experts across the scientific, medical, legal and social spectrums. 

“The magnitude of these interventions demands a comprehensive, transparent, and objective inquiry into the appropriateness and efficacy of the measures imposed,” said Manning. 

“We need to determine what worked and what didn’t and identify how we can respond better in the future.”

NCI claims that the strength of such a citizen-led inquiry lies in the fact that, unlike a federally-commissioned investigation, the government wouldn’t be investigating themselves. 

The inquiry is expected to hold seven hearings into the matter and currently has an open call for five commissioners. 

“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.” 

The NCI is expected to be completed by the end of March 2023 and followed by a Summary Hearing in Ottawa as well as a subsequent report with recommendations. 

Currently the NCI has launched a petition which has been signed by over 11,000 Canadians with thousands more signing the petition every day. 

Calls for an independent audit of the federal government’s pandemic response are not new, and have even come from within the Liberal party. 

Last month, Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith reiterated a call for an inquiry into the response. 

“We need a greater level of accountability and transparency. And so in this case, we need the Health Minister ideally to identify the key drivers of pandemic risks, describe how Canadian activities contribute to that risk, and then put in place measures to mitigate that risk,” said Erskine-Smith.

“In a perfect world, we’d be striking a committee of people who are much smarter than me and with relevant expertise to answer that very question.”

GUEST OP-ED: Ontario school strike may see bigger public backlash than expected

By
Rita Smith
-

 Rita Smith is the publisher of Road Warrior News/Taxi News.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) may be mis-reading the mood of the public and the press in planning for an illegal strike on November 4th. 

CUPE represents school custodians, administrative staff and educational assistants in Ontario. 

While in years past these workers might have hoped for automatic support from parents, the public and the mainstream media, they may find out that 2022 is a tough time to ask for sympathy – or money. 

As someone who survived the illegal Ontario teachers’ strike of 1997 working as the Education Minister’s communications director, I’ve been comparing it to the 2022 truckers’ protest to see how radically attitudes have changed.

In 1997, when Ontario teachers’ unions called a wildcat strike against the Mike Harris government over changes proposed in Bill 160, protesting teachers clearly occupied the moral high ground in the mind of the mainstream media. Harris was vilified and demonized to a degree almost unfathomable now. 

In 2022, protesting truckers are being vilified and demonized by the very mainstream media that once supported the illegally striking teachers. During the truckers’ protests, the moral high ground was very much claimed by Justin Trudeau and downtown Ottawa residents; even Doug Ford was onside with Trudeau. 

Teachers were protesting a standardized curriculum, testing and equalized funding (all of which were very popular with parents) and the reduction in their paid preparation time. 

In winter 2022, the truckers wanted the protection of Charter rights and freedoms for every Canadian. It should have been an easy sell.

In 1997, one outraged teacher camped out in the lobby of the Education Minister’s office for a week. (Later, he proudly announced that he peed in all the plants during his “protest.”) 

Police decided it was better to let him stay and make his point than to physically drag him out. Compare this kid-glove treatment to the protester trampled by a police horse in Ottawa. 

Ironically, even as I write this, the Public Order Emergencies Commission is holding long, detailed daily hearings, dissecting the minutiae of daily discussions around the police and government response to the truckers’ Freedom Convoy. 

The truckers’ protest mostly impacted the approximately 6,000 residents of downtown Ottawa. Compare that to a province-wide illegal teachers’ strike which impacted 2 million families and sent frantic parents scrambling for childcare.

As a parent, I didn’t enjoy the teachers’ strike at the time, but I did respect their right to peaceful protest, as did the Mike Harris government. 

I’m surprised that Ontarians who once stridently defended the near-sacred right of citizens to protest government are now apparently willing to stand back and let Doug Ford’s government pre-emptively stomp out a strike.

Where opposition politicians once stood alongside protestors to vehemently criticize government, Conservatives and Liberals stood “should to shoulder,” on the convoy issue. 

Even the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has said they will not respect CUPE’s picket line, stating in an email “ETFO members are not in a legal strike position. They will be attending to their regular work duties.” 

If CUPE is hoping the general population and the media will sympathize with their walkout, they are not reading the room. After two years of COVID lockdowns and worried about a bleak economic outlook, parents aren’t in the mood for wildcats or strikes. 

It’s almost as though Ontario is a completely different place now from what it was a quarter-century ago. Maybe it is.

Rita Smith is the publisher of Road Warrior News/Taxi News.

Pastor Tim Stephens acquitted on charges of breaching public health orders

By
Rachel Parker
-

Alberta Pastor Tim Stephens was acquitted on Tuesday on alleged charges of violating the province’s public health orders which required physical distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Stephens spent a total of 21 days in jail in regards to the charges. 

In a statement, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms said Stephens was illegally arrested and imprisoned for having allegedly violated the public health orders, “which have since been shown to be ineffective and harmful.”

“This decision sets the record straight about the justifiability of his actions and about the importance of respecting Charter rights and freedoms,” the Justice Centre said. 

“We are pleased that the Court has acquitted Pastor Stephens on the charges of not complying with a public health order.” 

On May 6, 2021, Associate Chief Justice John Rooke of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench issued an injunction allowing police to arrest, immediately detain and take before the court any Albertan who exercised her or his Charter freedoms in the face of former Alberta premier Jason Kenney’s pandemic mandates.

At the request of the Justice Centre, the injunction was amended by the Court of Queen’s Bench on May 13, 2021 to apply only to persons associated with the Whistle Stop Café, which flouted pandemic restrictions for months.

But just three days later, Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church was arrested for allegedly violating the terms of the injunction. He had no association with the Café and had not been served notice of the injunction. Stephens was released after spending three days in the Calgary Remand Centre.

He was again arrested on June 14, 2021, this time for allegedly conducting an outdoor church service in violation of a court order. He spent an additional 18 days in jail before being released on July 1, 2021. 

At the time of his release, the public health orders in question had been revoked.

Stephens spent a total of 21 days in jail. He was served with six provincial tickets for his alleged breach of Alberta public health orders. Four of those tickets were already dropped, and Tuesday’s decision is in relation to the two remaining tickets.

1...706707708...1,460Page 707 of 1,460

Related stories

© 2025 True North | Privacy Policy