Today on Rachel and the Republic, Rachel Parker explains that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is building her own relationship with the U.S. that doesn’t rely on Ottawa. As the Trudeau Liberals flounder with the incoming Trump administration, Alberta will use its oil exports to its advantage.
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Former prime minister Stephen Harper was officially appointed as the Chairman of the Board of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation on Wednesday.
The finance ministry previously told True North that it would officially announce the new chair within a few weeks.
While Harper was rumoured to become the next chair, it was alleged that he had existing conflicts of interest that needed to be addressed before officially taking the position.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was thankful that Harper accepted the position.
“Our ambitious goal of building the Heritage Savings Trust Fund to more than $250 billion in the next 25 years requires strong governance oversight, which he will provide. His appointment, and that of the rest of the board, are a strong step forward in giving all Albertans confidence in the long-term sustainability and success of AIMCo,” said Smith in a recent statement.
Harper said he would be chairing the board for free because he believes “it is a meaningful act of public service to my adopted home province of the last 46 years.”
He added that he accepted the role because he wants to see AIMCo further embody the values of professional operations, upstanding ethics, and prudent risk management.
Harper said he feels “uniquely positioned to help the organization improve its governance.”
Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner said that Harper’s nearly decade-long experience serving in government and as a G7 leader proved a strong track record of fiscal responsibility with tax dollars.
“I am confident that the former prime minister and his board colleagues will provide the necessary oversight and direction to AIMCo’s management to ensure AIMCo is strategically well-positioned for long-term success,” said Horner.
AIMCo ranks among Canada’s ten largest pension funds, managing over $160 billion in assets. It achieved a 7.3% annualized return over the past decade, including an $8.9 billion net investment return in 2023.
Some managed assets include the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund, the Local Authorities Pension Plan, the Public Service Pension Plan, and the Heritage Savings Trust Fund.
The Alberta government fired the entire board in early Nov. and appointed Horner interim director.
The Alberta government cited that between 2019 and 2023, AIMCo’s third-party management fees increased by 96%, the number of employees increased by 29%, and the salary, wage, and benefit costs increased by 71%. The increases came despite managing a smaller percentage of funds internally.
Ray Gilmour, a senior public servant in the provincial government for over five years, was named interim CEO the day after the board’s firing, on Nov. 8. Over the past five years, Gilmour oversaw an organization with more than 29,000 employees and a $73 billion budget.
Harper served as Canada’s 22nd prime minister from 2006 to 2015.
During his time in office, Harper reduced federal taxes to their lowest level in 50 years, created over 1.3 million jobs, and balanced the budget while investing in infrastructure and health care.
He created the modern Conservative Party of Canada and was the longest-serving Conservative Prime Minister since Sir John A. Macdonald.
His government oversaw significant trade negotiations, including the Canada-Europe Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, while implementing a principled foreign policy that supported key allies like Israel and Ukraine.
Since leaving politics, Harper has remained active in governance and business.
He serves as chairman and CEO of Harper & Associates Consulting and chairs Vision One, an investment fund he co-founded. He also serves as the director of Colliers International Group Inc., Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., and Recover Inc.
Harper serves as the president of the Advisory Committee of Awz Ventures, a Canadian-Israeli venture capital firm.
Following his retirement in 2016, Harper returned to Alberta and has lived there ever since.
BC NDP Premier David Eby has appointed a former top aide and close advisor to former Alberta premier Rachel Notley as his Chief of Staff.
On the heels of announcing his new cabinet, Eby appointed Jim Rutkowski to the position effective immediately.
Rutkowski has deep roots in Alberta politics, having served closely with former Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley as a senior advisor and former principal secretary. Rutkowski now takes over the administration of the Premier’s Office for a six-month term.
The new appointment steps into the role previously held by Matt Smith, who will transition to an advisory role after serving two years in the Premier’s Office.
This change comes at a pivotal time following Eby’s narrow victory in the recent provincial election, which the Conservative Party of British Columbia argues has ushered in a continuation of what they describe as “radical left-wing policies.”
The appointment of Rutkowski sheds light on Eby’s strategy to lean on experienced NDP operatives in what is expected to be a political balancing act given his slim majority.
Rutkowski’s resume includes significant past stints as Chief of Staff to BC’s former NDP opposition leader Carole James.
The reshuffling of Eby’s cabinet also reflects this progressive tilt. Notably, Adrian Dix, previously accused by critics of mishandling the healthcare sector, has been moved to head the Ministry of Energy and Climate Solutions.
This shift comes amidst criticisms over healthcare management, with long wait times and staffing issues persisting under his watch.
Moreover, the cabinet now includes figures like Christine Boyle, a rookie MLA with a history of advocating for defunding the police and radical stances on the activist “Land Back” movement.
Boyle will now be serving as the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.
With housing affordability, inflation, and public safety still major voter concerns, these moves could prove contentious for Premier Eby, who pledged a different direction to voters while on the campaign trail.
Canadians’ opinions are shifting on immigration, with more people opposing Canada’s generous immigration support systems.
According to surveys commissioned by the Canadian Museum of Human Rights by Probe Research Inc. in 2023 and 2024, there has been a “significant increase” in the number of respondents, from 49% in 2023 to 56% reporting in 2024, who indicated that refugees and asylum seekers receive too many benefits.
The survey used a representative sample of 2,500 people in Canada from Protege, a national sample provider. The sample was statistically weighted for age and gender to represent Canada’s demographics according to 2021 census data.
The online panel is not a random sample, so no margin of error can be ascribed. A probability sample of the same size carries a margin of error of greater or less than 2%, 19 times out of 20.
Among the 56% who reported that asylum seekers and refugees receive too many benefits that could be better used on Canadians, 29% strongly agreed, while 27% said they “somewhat agree.”
Only 5% of the 16% of respondents who disagreed with the sentiment said they “strongly disagree.”
Refugees and asylum seekers have multiple taxpayer-funded supports available to them, including financial assistance with housing and payments for food and clothing through the Resettlement Assistance Program, language training, and access to Canada’s government-funded social and healthcare programs.
Refugees and asylum seekers have also been granted taxpayer-funded hotels in cities across Canada.
The survey found that 41% of Canadians felt that there was too much attention focused on the rights of newcomers.
There was also a “significant decrease” in Canadians who believe immigrants improve the country. In 2023, 52% of respondents agreed that immigrants improve Canadian society, while that number decreased to 44% in 2024.
According to the CMHR, in responses to open-ended inquiries, there was a “notable increase” between 2023 and 2024 in responses reflecting negative feelings toward immigration linked to economic strains Canadians are experiencing.
The survey also asked newcomers about their views on human rights in Canada.
Two-thirds of newcomers said they thought human rights protections are stronger in Canada than in their country of origin, and 39% of those said it was “much stronger” in Canada.
The study also asked Canadians what human rights issues are the most important in Canada. Free speech, censorship, and “being cancelled” were the top issues among respondents.
The number of Canadians who said they are most worried about their freedom of expression rights being trampled on rose by 5% from the previous year, from 9% in 2023 to 14% in 2024.
Over the last year, other surveys have shown that Canadians’ opinions on immigration are taking an adverse turn in a country that has historically had positive attitudes toward newcomers and the immigration system.
One study by the Angus Reid Institute found that Canadians’ concerns about immigration have quadrupled in just two years. Many other surveys True North has reported on show similar trends of growing concerns as it relates to immigration and the volume of newcomers being welcomed into Canada.
This comes just weeks after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government announced an attempt to reverse its immigration policies and halt population growth caused by immigration.
In a video released by Trudeau Sunday, the prime minister admitted his immigration policies have caused the number of newcomers to outpace the country’s social and healthcare services, economy, and housing sector.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced that Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault will be stepping away from cabinet amid a whirlwind of scandals surrounding his former company and false claims of Indigenous heritage.
“The Prime Minister and MP Randy Boissonnault have agreed that Mr. Boissonnault will step away from Cabinet effective immediately,” reads a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday.
“Mr. Boissonnault will focus on clearing the allegations made against him.”
Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor will temporarily handle Boissonnault’s portfolios at the employment and official languages ministries while maintaining her current position.
Boissonnault had most recently come under fire after previous claims that he had Indigenous ancestry proved to be false.
He said that after “reflecting on this a lot over the past days” he “unequivocally” apologizes for not being “clear” about alluding to having an Indigenous heritage on Monday.
However, Boissonnault’s apology was not enough for many in the Indigenous community, including former attorney general and minister of justice Jody Wilson-Raybould, who called his claims “shameful” and “extremely destructive.”
“A Prime Minister committed to true reconciliation would have removed Randy (and the other Randy) from Cabinet long ago. Instead we get to watch white people play ancestry wheel of fortune,” wrote Wilson-Raybould in a post to X on Tuesday.
Metis NDP MP Blake Desjarlais also called for Boissonnault to step down, telling reporters that Indigenous people have been victimized by what has happened, adding that those in his Edmonton Centre riding are “embarrassed.”
“This race-shifting that’s taking place is very concerning,” said Desjarlais on Tuesday.
“If he does not resign, it’s incumbent upon the prime minister to kick someone like that out.”
The culmination of these scandals also led the Conservative party to launch a petition calling for Boissonnault’s resignation.
His ancestral claims were dragged into the spotlight after the company he once co-owned, Global Health Imports, purported to be Indigenous-owned while bidding on federal contracts.
Parliamentary hearings reviewing the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business, a federal procurement program designed to boost the Indigenous economy, found GHI to be among those who received benefits from the program.
The hearings were part of an inquiry launched in response to suspicions that the program was being exploited by companies falsely claiming they were Indigenous-owned businesses.
Boisonnault responded by saying that his partner Stephen Anderson made the bid for the program without his knowledge and has since told media that he plans to take legal action against his former business partner.
GHI was already in hot water over conflicts of interest involving federal contracts going to the company while he was a cabinet minister, which surfaced this summer, leading to what has become known as the “Other Randy” scandal. In addition to those two scandals, most recently there has been the issue that GHI shared a post office box with a cocaine smuggler in Edmonton, which came to light earlier this week.
The cost of the federal bureaucracy under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is continuing to climb, reaching nearly $70 billion annually amid a ballooning public sector. Despite the increased costs, performance from bureaucrats has not risen accordingly.
A report issued Wednesday by the Parliamentary Budget Officer revealed that taxpayers are paying $69.5 billion for federal personnel spending in 2023-24.
The year after Trudeau took office, 2016-17, taxpayers paid $40.2 billion for federal bureaucracy, meaning the costs have since increased by 72.9% during that timeframe.
A taxpayers’ advocacy group said that the added cost doesn’t equate to better services.
“The cost of the federal bureaucracy increased by 73% since 2016, but it’s a good bet most Canadians aren’t seeing anywhere close to 73% better services from the government,” said Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation Franco Terrazzano. “Taxpayers are getting soaked because the size and cost of the federal bureaucracy is out of control.”
Spending on bureaucracy during the first five months of this year has increased by 8% compared to last year, reaching $29 billion, according to the report.
The PBO previously highlighted that despite the Liberals handing out over $400 million in bonuses, federal departments failed to meet their performance targets.
“Less than 50% of (performance) targets are consistently met within the same year,” said the PBO.
However, 90% of federal government executives receive a yearly bonus. Since 2015, over $1.5 billion in bonuses have been paid to federal employees.
“We’ve seen an increase in the number of public servants and in public expenditures, but year after year, despite the fact that departments choose their own performance indicators and the targets, they don’t seem to be getting significantly better at reaching them,” Giroux testified to a parliamentary committee.
Further, since 2016, the federal public service has increased by 108,793 bureaucrats, a rise of 42%. During the same period, Canada’s population increased by 14% or just over five million people.
The private sector has grown similarly to Canada’s population, rising from 11,709,000 to 13,430,100 between 2016 and 2024, an increase of 14.7%.
“Had the bureaucracy only increased with population growth, there would be 72,491 fewer federal employees today,” said the CTF.
Almost half of all Canadians want to shrink government bureaucracy.
After being told that the public sector had grown at roughly triple the rate of the private sector, 47% of Canadians said the number of federal government employees should be reduced.
“The government added tens of thousands of extra bureaucrats, rubberstamped hundreds of millions in bonuses and awarded more than one million pay raises and all taxpayers seem to get out of it is higher taxes and more debt,” Terrazzano said. “For the government to balance the budget and provide tax relief, it will need to cut the size and cost of Ottawa’s bloated bureaucracy.”
The added costs come after the Parliamentary Budget Officer recently revealed that the Liberals’ deficit will reach $46.8 billion this year, instead of the initially promised $40 billion.
Quebec Premier François Legault announced that he will be deploying the Sûreté du Québec to begin patrolling the border with the United States to prevent a potential onslaught of illegal immigrants from entering Canada.
The Quebec government fears that a surge of illegal immigrants may soon overwhelm the Quebec border in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidential election. Trump has promised mass deportations for those found to be residing in the U.S. illegally.
“We can’t afford to have a Roxham 2.0,” Legault said during a scrum at the Quebec National Assembly on Tuesday.
“Indeed, there is a real risk that ‘illegal’ Americans will rush to the Canadian and Quebec border in the coming weeks.”
According to Legault, the SQ deployment will conduct “visual investigations” at the borders, working alongside the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as with U.S. counterparts in the border states of New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and New York.
The area of land that runs along those borders is a hot spot for illegal crossings, known to border officials as the Swanton Sector.
It’s also used by those trying to illegally enter the U.S. via Canada as well.
The United States has seen a spike in migrants crossing into the border from Canada due to fewer security checkpoints compared to those at the Mexico border.
U.S. officials have recorded 191,603 encounters with people crossing into their country through Canada last year, marking a 41% increase compared to 2022.
The majority of migrants still use legal ports of entry, but last year over 12,2000 were apprehended at unofficial entry points, an increase of 241% from 2022, according to the New York Times.
Weekly updates on the situation will be provided by the province’s Minister of Public Security François Bonnardel, who will also regularly be in contact with municipalities along the border.
“There are citizens who are worried that the same situation (as on Roxham Road) will happen again,” said Legault.
“It’s very important that Quebec, and then Canada, doesn’t become a sieve over the next few weeks, the next few months, for illegal immigrants who might come to Canada.”
Ahead of the first meeting of the Quebec-U.S. ministerial working group, Legault said that the province couldn’t afford another Roxham Road crisis.
Thousands of people entered Canada from the U.S. through this rural road in the municipality of Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec irregularly before it was closed in March 2023.
The premier also discussed changes to immigration agreements between the two neighbouring nations, such as the Safe Third Country Agreement.
Additionally, his committee is reviewing responses to potential tariffs that could be imposed on products exported from Quebec under a Trump administration.
Legault said he intends to defend the current supply management system, which determines strict quotas for dairy production as Canada begins free trade negotiations with its partners.
“It would be irresponsible to think that the United States won’t put supply management on the table,” said Legault.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he supports US President Joe Biden’s decision to green-light Ukraine’s firing of American-made missiles into Russian territory.
And British Columbia’s NDP Premier David Eby has announced his new cabinet and the BC Conservatives say it’s more of the same following a hotly contested election.
Plus, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he would never have signed a US-Canada trade deal, which left the possibility of 10% tariffs open.
Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and Clayton DeMaine!
Calgarians have taken to social media to express their disagreement with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek who recently claimed there’s no room for cuts when announcing another increase to the city’s already-bloated budget.
Gondek celebrated her budget on Monday, saying she stuck to her promises by not increasing the budget by more than 3.6% while addressing key concerns, suggesting there were no improvements to be made when it came to reducing city spending.
The mayor challenged anyone to cut anything that didn’t include the budget’s three critical components: infrastructure, transit, and public safety, which she said comprise 75% of the budget – a challenge that many residents took up on social media.
“So to the people saying we can cut it further, I’d love for them to show me the math that they haven’t brought up in the last 12 months that we have been working on this budget process,” said Gondek. “What are you going to cut? Are you going to cut public safety? Are you going to make it less safe for people to take transit after we work so hard to improve that? Are you going to take away from recreation facilities that kids and their families rely on?”
The question was posed during an interview and posted to X by Gondek. As of Tuesday, it had more comments than likes — primarily filled with the very suggestions Gondek requested.
True North has compiled the five best suggestions on how Calgary could reduce its spending.
Remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion positions with the city
One of the most recommended areas for cuts was the multitude of municipal diversity, equity and inclusion positions with the City of Calgary– some of which earn six figure salaries.
Some users even highlighted specific job postings, showing an annual compensation of $94,168 to $144,228 with a 35-hour work week.
Other users highlighted wasteful DEI policies that could be cut, like stocking tampon dispensers in the city’s men’s bathrooms.
Cut the Salary of the mayor and city council
Calgarians also frequently suggested cutting Gondek’s salary.
Gondek makes $213,737 a year as the Mayor of Calgary. In comparison, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith makes less, earning $186,180 a year.
Various users also said there should be cuts to the salary of Council members.
Combined, the Mayor and City Council have operating costs of $12 million per year between 2023 and 2026.
Do not keep pursuing the economic pitfall of electric buses
Electric buses were another recurring wasteful expense.
People hoped that Gondek learned from the mistakes of Edmonton and St. Albert. Edmonton spent $60 million on electric buses from a company that went bankrupt and can no longer provide parts to service them, resulting in three-quarters of the fleet becoming inoperable.
St. Albert saw a similar failure when they purchased buses that promised a lifespan of 18 years, which has since fallen to 12 years. The buses have also experienced premature battery degradation, mechanical failures, and charger malfunctions, significantly hindering their efficiency and reliability.
Calgary has already spent $325.2 million in federal dollars to purchase 259 electric buses. They ordered them from Vicinity Motor Corp, which has dropped below two cents a share from its peak of almost $13 and is expected to be pulled from the stock market altogether. The buses were never delivered.
Calgary Flames NHL Rink
Surprisingly, respondents to Gondek’s post didn’t mention the Calgary Flames’ NHL rink. However, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has previously criticized the $867 million taxpayers expense.
“Politicians should not be hitting up the taxpayer to bankroll arenas for big league sports teams,” said Alberta Director for the CTF Kris Sims. “The costs for this project ballooned quickly last time around, and there’s a huge risk taxpayers will hit with runaway bills on this project.”
Blue Sky City rebranding failure
The City of Calgary introduced a new logo and visual identity that cost the city $5.8 million.
Gondek suggested that nobody has shown her math where the budget could be cut within the last year.
“What does a $5.8M new logo have to do with safety?” asked one X user.
The day after Gondek made her complaints, Second Street re-released a list containing 10 points where municipalities could cut costs, emphasizing that none of the cuts would affect key services. The top suggestions on the list were the very same as those suggested by the respondents to Gondek’s post.
Gondek called on her colleagues to offer her ideas on where to cut costs. Some said that they would be offering suggestions in the coming days.
Gondek’s office did not respond to True North’s request for comment.
Canada’s first Indigenous person to be appointed attorney general had strong words for her former colleague, Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, following the news that he falsely claimed Indigenous heritage.
“A Prime Minister committed to true reconciliation would have removed Randy (and the other Randy) from Cabinet long ago. Instead we get to watch white people play ancestry wheel of fortune,” wrote Wilson-Raybould in a post to X on Tuesday.
“So shameful and extremely destructive!”
Despite regularly referring to his great-grandmother as “a full-blooded Cree woman,” who he sometimes called “Lucy Brown Eyes,” Boissonnault recently apologized for his oscillating ancestry claims – instead claiming he had adopted Indigenous ancestry.
His recent apology led to a strong backlash from members of Canada’s Indigenous community and political rivals alike, including the former attorney general and minister of justice Wilson-Raybould, who was also elected under the Liberal banner in 2015.
Wilson-Raybould held the position of attorney general in 2015 under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He would ultimately have her expelled from caucus over for her role as a whistleblower in the SNC-Lavalin scandal where she alleged the Prime Minister’s Office attempted to pressure her to intervene on behalf of the Quebec engineering firm in a criminal prosecution.
Boissonnault said on Monday that after “reflecting on this a lot over the past days” he “unequivocally” apologizes for not being “clear” about alluding to having an Indigenous heritage.
His apology comes after an Indigenous researcher that Boissionault claimed told him he was “non-status adopted Cree” refuted his claim.
“I sought out advice to know how to talk about my family when I was running, and I want to say unequivocally that I apologize for not being as clear about my family history as I could have been with everything that I know now,” said Boissonnault.
His ancestral claims were dragged into the spotlight after the company he once co-owned, Global Health Imports, purported to be Indigenous-owned while bidding on federal contracts.
Parliamentary hearings reviewing the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business, a federal procurement program designed to boost the Indigenous economy, found GHI to be among those who received benefits from the program.
The hearings were part of an inquiry launched in response to suspicions that the program was being exploited by companies falsely claiming they were Indigenous-owned businesses.
Boisonnault responded by saying that his partner Stephen Anderson made the bid for the program without his knowledge.
His spokesperson, Alice Hansen recently told media that “Minister Boissonnault will be exploring legal action against Mr. Anderson.”
As for his own claims of Indigenous heritage, Hansens told the National Post “as recent reporting has come to light, it appears that the minister’s own understanding of his family’s heritage was inaccurate.”
“This information has come as a surprise to the minister and he has apologized for not being as clear as he could have been,” she added.
Boissonnault has been embroiled in one scandal after another since June over conflicts of interest involving federal contracts going to GHI while he was a cabinet minister, leading to what has become known as the “Other Randy” scandal.
Since then, there has been the issue of his false Indigenous heritage and more recently the fact that GHI shared a post office box with a cocaine smuggler in Edmonton, which came to light on Monday.
The culmination of these scandals has led the Conservative party to launch a petition calling for Boissonnault’s resignation.
