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Thursday, July 10, 2025

Canadian legacy media journos rush to defend Trudeau’s UK antics

While media outlets in the United Kingdom and the United States blasted Justin Trudeau for his “drunk” rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ while in London for the Queen’s state funeral, legacy media journalists in Canada rushed to defend the prime minister’s actions.

On Monday, Twitter user @LisaPow33260238 first uploaded a clip of a casually-dressed Trudeau with a group of individuals singing the popular Queen song.

While some users questioned the authenticity of the clip, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed to Toronto Sun journalist Joe Warmington that the clip was in fact real and was filmed just two nights before Her Late Majesty’s funeral.

A number of journalists at the CBC, Global News, CTV News and the Toronto Star were quick to downplay Trudeau’s latest international blunder.

The CBC’s senior writer Aaron Wherry claimed nobody “truly and genuinely cares about the prime minister singing in a hotel lobby on Saturday night.”

Meanwhile, CTV News claimed Trudeau’s antics were “in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth,” though there was no indication that the prime minister’s rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ was for the Queen, who was not a member of the British rock group despite its regal name. 

At Global News, instead of criticizing the prime minister’s actions, Rachel Gilmore attempted to fact-check the user who first uploaded the clip. “The viral tweet got some key things wrong,” Gilmore tweeted.

The Toronto Star’s national columnist Althia Raj attempted to downplay the incident by tweeting, “I feel very privileged to live in a country where the most controversial thing to have happened today is footage of the prime minister singing on Saturday night with a Quebec icon in the lobby of a hotel while in London for the Queen’s funeral. #perspective.” 

Journalists in the United Kingdom, meanwhile, were not as kind to Trudeau. As the clip of Canada’s prime minister went viral, a number of UK media outlets published scathing reports about the incident.

The UK’s highest-circulated daily newspaper The Daily Mail reported on the incident with the headline: “’Drunk’ Canadian PM Trudeau is slammed as a ‘tone deaf embarrassment’ for singing Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody at London hotel before Elizabeth II’s state funeral.”

“Justin Trudeau faced intense criticism after he was recorded singing a rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody following an evening dinner just two days before Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral,” senior reporter for the DailyMail.com Claudia Aoraha wrote. 

“The Prime Minister of Canada belted out the 1975 hit at an impromptu session in London’s swanky Corinthia Hotel – where suites go for at least $5,000 – while the UK and Commonwealth were in their official period of mourning.”

Another well-known UK media outlet The Telegraph described the incident as “disrespectful” and “failing to show ‘decorum’” in response to the incident.

BBC News’ Elsa Maishman gave a balanced report on the incident, highlighting those criticizing the prime minister and those who believe the incident had been “exaggerated.” 

A number of Canadian media outlets receive funding from the government as part of the Trudeau government’s $600 million media bailout and other handouts. Canada’s state broadcaster the CBC receives a $1.5 annual grant from the federal government. 

Third party advertiser created to promote Kenney attacks Danielle Smith

A third party advertiser created to promote Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is sending out automated text messages criticizing Danielle Smith’s candidacy for the United Conservative Party leadership.

Some Albertans received text messages from Shaping Alberta’s Future on Saturday warning potential voters that Smith is a “conservative of convenience.” The text provides a link to the organization’s website, which published an article questioning Smith’s conservative values. 

In the article, Shaping Alberta’s Future says a “true conservative” would oppose tax hikes and support conservative social issues but Smith’s record “flips that script.” The UCP offers room for discussion, but Smith plays a “game of avoidance” by declaring herself a libertarian on social issues, the organization alleges. 

“For years, Danielle Smith has called herself a conservative and is running on that same platform for UCP leadership. But there’s a big difference between talking conservative and living it.”

According to its website, Shaping Alberta’s Future was formed to promote Kenney and the United Conservative Party. It’s been registered as a third party advertiser with Elections Alberta since 2018.

Some Albertans posted screenshots of the text message they received and a screenshot of Shaping Alberta’s Future’s website to social media on Saturday. 

The third party group says Smith does not offer clear messaging on her views on abortion, pointing to her comments in CTV News Edmonton after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion nationwide.

Smith wrote at the time, “I am pro-choice, and that includes supporting a person’s right to make choices on what to do with their own body, such as medical treatments and vaccines.”

Shaping Alberta’s Future says this response is a “vague message that doesn’t help UCP members understand how those beliefs translate into policy.”

In response to the attack, the Smith campaign said it’s “focused on putting out a positive message, based on good policy, to every corner of the province.”

“That’s our focus right now and will continue to be throughout the remainder of the campaign,” the campaign said in a statement to True North. 

Shaping Alberta’s Future also took aim at Smith’s fiscal policy, pointing to a 2020 column she published in the Calgary Herald calling for a provincial sales tax. Former finance minister Travis Toews raised that column with voters earlier in the election race, resulting in Smith saying she won’t introduce the tax.

Toews himself once discussed the possibility of a provincial sales tax. In November 2020, he told members of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce he would consider looking at a provincial sales tax, but only after the pandemic and after further spending cuts.

In July, Toews told True North those comments were indicative only of his promise to propose a revenue panel before the end of his government’s term.  

Smith also signed a Canadian Taxpayers Federation pledge in August saying she would never impose a Provincial Sales Tax or raise taxes of any kind, if elected Premier.

“Conservative or libertarian?” Shaping Alberta’s Future wrote. “Anti-tax or pro-tax? Will the real Danielle Smith please stand up?”

The third party group did not respond to a request for comment by publication deadline Monday.

#TrudeauMustGo trend continues to grow on Twitter

Canadians from all walks of life are using the hashtag #TrudeauMustGo on Twitter to voice their displeasure with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

Twitter users ranging from politicians to former Olympians are crafting tweets describing who they are, what they do for a living, writing phrases similar to “Justin Trudeau thinks I’m a problem and that I hold unacceptable views” and concluding with the hashtag #TrudeauMustGo or #TrudeauHasToGo.

According to Rebel News, the #TrudeauMustGo hashtag went viral on Sept. 15, 2022, ranking as the number one hashtag in politics, with 153,000 tweets. The trend was started by Calgarian Martin Bélanger. 

The trend refers to past comments Trudeau has made about unvaccinated Canadians and supporters of the Freedom Convoy.

In Sept. 2021, during an interview with the French-language program La semaine des 4 Julie, Trudeau referred to unvaccinated Canadians as “extremists,” among other derogatory terms.

“They are extremists who don’t believe in science, they’re often misogynists, also often racists. It’s a small group that muscles in, and we have to make a choice in terms of leaders, in terms of the country. Do we tolerate these people? Or do we say, hey, most of the Quebecois people – 80% – are vaccinated. We want to come back to things we like doing. It’s not those people who are blocking us,” said Trudeau. 

In Jan. 2022 as the Freedom Convoy made its way to the nation’s capital, Trudeau called the movement and its supporters a “small fringe minority” with “unacceptable views.”

“The small fringe minority of people who are on their way to Ottawa are holding unacceptable views that they’re expressing, do not represent the views of Canadians who have been there for each other who know that following the science and stepping up to protect each other is the best way to continue to ensure our freedoms, rights, and values as a country,” Trudeau told reporters. 

As of Sept. 19, the hashtag is still trending.

Trudeau’s former top advisor Gerald Butts attempted to discredit the trend by claiming unnamed forces were financing the campaign and that bots were behind the trend. There has been no indication that the campaign is funded and many of the tweets are from verified accounts. 

LEVY: Waterloo school board’s new Strategic Plan is more woke than ever

In a newly released eight-minute video, the Waterloo Region District School Board’s (WRDSB) activist education director Jeewan Chanicka claims that from now on, students will be placed at the centre of all board decision-making – or at least some students

Chanicka’s video on the board’s new Strategic Plan – a dizzying word salad of wokeisms – makes it clear that Indigenous, black or racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+-identified will get special attention.

He talks about the concept of an “Ethical Core” which puts students at the centre of policy and planning, around which gravitate staff, families, global partners and community partners.

“The circle is anchored in the wisdom of Indigenous peoples… we are stronger together,” he says.

“Circles bring us in … they erase hierarchies even though some of us may hold greater responsibilities.”

He says students are at the top of the organizational chart, which in its new incarnation looks like a colourful whirling top.

Quite frankly Chanicka made my head hurt as he repeatedly claimed this “work is hard and necessary,” as if reading from a progressive handbook.

But bear in mind this is the same education director who produced an eight-minute video on menstruators, in which he claimed that men menstruate too.

If one looks beyond Chanicka’s bafflegab, however, it is clear his strategic plan is in lockstep with the ideologies promoted by his black activist colleague, Toronto District School Board (TDSB) education director Colleen Russell-Rawlins.

In fact, the strategic plan comes across as a roundabout way of ramming Indigenous and Critical Race theories down the throats of WRDSB students and dumbing down the curriculum.

The plan calls for de-streaming from Kindergarten to Grade 12. They also propose reducing the number of expulsions and suspensions.

Their plan vows to “disrupt anti-Indigenous racism and Indigenous erasure” so that First Nation, Metis and Inuit students have a sense of success and belonging in Canada, formerly known as Turtle Island.

To do so, the WRDSB will ensure students from K-Grade 12 learn about Treaties, the contributions of Indigenous peoples and residential schools.

In the 2022-23 academic year, the Grade 11 English requirement will transition to English: Understanding Contemporary First Nation, Metis and Inuit Voices.

The idea, according to the plan, is to make students “caring and compassionate global citizens” by having them understand the contributions of the original inhabitants of Turtle Island.

Talk about pandering to political correctness. Statistics from the Waterloo region show that only 1.7% of all residents identify as Indigenous. 

The plan, while not going as far as to name Critical Race Theory, states that WRDSB administrators will work with 90 schools over the next five years to empower them to “notice, name and disrupt anti-Black racism.”

This will help schools, teachers and administrators to better support “Black brilliance”, the plan says.

“We will continue to engage in system-wide learning on the ways anti-Black racism shows up throughout society and in schools with the goal of Black students being able to see and feel their identities, abilities and lived-in experiences,” the plan states. “We recognize that anti-Black racism pervades all systems in our society.”

This plan makes it abundantly clear that black students, who have been treated differently (in other words, oppressed) in the school system, will get preferential treatment.

Not only is this plan a perfect example of reverse racism but it dangerously assumes that black and Indigenous (if there are any in the board’s schools) students should take no responsibility for such allegedly racist acts as not choosing to go to university or for being allegedly targeted with more suspensions and expulsions.

It just waters everything down to the lowest common denominator and will create classrooms where achievement (at least by those not considered to have preferential status) will be frowned upon.

It’s indoctrination at its finest.

Chanicka’s parting word salad is proof of that:

“The work is hard, and necessary… (as we) prepare students for their futures…We all want to create a public education system where every student knows they belong, feels supported and is able to achieve their fullest potential in learning and in life.”

You know as do I that won’t happen.

If this woke philosophy continues under an education director who should never have gotten the job in the first place, those able to do so will leave the public board. 

Those who don’t, will graduate knowing all about Treaties and how to communicate as an Indigenous person but ill-prepared for both higher learning and the world of work.

Elections BC investigates after donor list appears to break party financing laws

Elections BC is investigating a spreadsheet dropped on a Vancouver sidewalk that appears to have details of political donations, which could be linked to Mayor Kennedy Stewart and may be a violation of election laws. 

Vancouver resident Stanley Woodvine tweeted an image of the document allegedly discovered outside of a No Frills on West Broadway St. 

“The names absolutely jumped off the page at me because they were developers that everyone in Vancouver knows,” Woodvine told CityNews.

Donors listed on the printed spreadsheet allegedly include millionaire developers and the owner of the Vancouver Canucks besides some hefty donations well above Elections BC’s $1,250 limit per political party. 

“Francesco Aquilini’s donation behind his name was, I believe, $64,000,” said Woodvine. 

BC is set to hold its municipal elections on Saturday, October 15. 

Stewart’s team has since stated that it cannot confirm the spreadsheet and that they are “actively fundraising.” 

“Like all campaigns, Forward Together is actively fundraising. We follow all Elections B.C. rules. In August, we were the first campaign to publicly disclose our donor list and will do so again before election day,” said Forward Together manager Mark Hosak. 

Elections BC has since said that while it hasn’t come to any conclusions, they are actively investigating the matter. 

“We certainly haven’t come to any conclusions around any potential noncompliance with the rules under the local elections campaign financing act. But as I said, we review any complaint we receive and we’ll review this one as well,” said election official Andrew Watson. 

Challengers including Ken Sim and Bill Tielman have raised serious concerns about the story with Tielman calling on the city’s integrity commissioner to intervene and launch an investigation. 

“We shouldn’t have Vancouver voters going to the polls not knowing exactly what happened and whether the fundraising rules have been met in every way, shape and form,” said Tielman. 

Poilievre Conservatives would win election if held today: poll

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre would become prime minister if an election were held today, according to Liberal-leaning pollsters at Abacus Data.

The Abacus survey found that 35% of respondents would vote for the Conservative Party led by Poilievre, 30% for the Liberal Party, 17% for the NDP and 9% for the Bloc Quebecois.

The poll was conducted after the results of the Conservative leadership were announced on Sept. 10, which saw Poilievre win with a decisive 68.15% on the first ballot. The poll has a margin of error of 2.2% 19 times out of 20.

Provincially, the Conservatives had the most support in the prairies with 56% in Alberta and 51% in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The survey revealed that the Conservatives would have the upper hand in battleground provinces British Columbia (33%) and Ontario (38%). 

Despite the positive numbers for the Conservatives, Abacus claims Canadians have mixed opinions about its new leader. According to the survey, 34% of respondents have a negative impression of Poilievre while 29% have a positive impression. Poilievre’s positives were the highest in Alberta (43%) and lowest in Quebec (21%).

Poilievre won the Conservative party’s leadership on a pledge to “remove the gatekeepers” to bring down the cost of living and increase wages.

The Carleton MP’s affordability message resonated with Conservative members, attracting hundreds of thousands of Canadians to the Tories. 

Last week, it was revealed that several Liberal MPs are hoping that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau moderates his agenda to be “less woke.”  After a Liberal caucus meeting, MPs concluded that the Liberals need to run to the political centre, a position the Liberal Party has historically occupied.

A Liberal MP who spoke to the CBC on the condition of anonymity expressed the desire for the party to return to its roots and quit the appeals to woke causes.

“We must return to a federal centre, centre-right party. We need a government that is down to earth and less woke,” said the MP.

Another Liberal MP expressed concern about the party’s handling of the economy, as inflation nears 8% and post-pandemic private sector employment struggles.

“We need to reframe the message. We need to have both hands on the wheel when it comes to the economy. We dropped the ball on this,” said the MP.

Toronto man gets EI benefits reinstated after being fired for being unvaccinated

Toronto delivery driver Tim Conlon has had his Employment Insurance (EI) benefits reinstated by a federal tribunal after being fired for declining to show proof of vaccination, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. 

According to Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) lawyer Marty Moore, the Social Security Tribunal’s judgment was the first successful appeal by a Canadian who was denied unemployment benefits because of their medical status.

“People lose their jobs all the time,” said Moore. “People don’t expect to be denied Employment Insurance benefits they paid into for years.”

“In my view what we’re seeing is a crack developing in what has been categorical discrimination against Canadians who are not vaccinated.”

In its ruling, the tribunal found that “claimants who lose their job because of misconduct or voluntarily leave their employment without just cause are not entitled to receive Employment Insurance benefits.”

However, in Conlon’s case, the tribunal ruled in his favour because “he had only been given two days to be vaccinated for Covid-19 or he was told he would have to quit.” 

“The employer may have the authority to develop and impose policies at the workplace … however employees ought to be given a chance to understand the policy, to know what is required, to have an opportunity to review or ask questions and be given enough time to comply,” the tribunal ruled.

Conlon was fired on July 9, 2021 and was denied his EI benefits after concluding he was fired for workplace misconduct. The Tribunal ruled that Conlon was a longtime employee with a clean record whose conduct “was not wilful, conscious or deliberate.”

The JCCF says it has been contacted by “hundreds of people” who were denied EI benefits after being dismissed. 

“I would venture to say there are thousands, tens of thousands, in this same circumstance,” said Moore.

In previous cases, the tribunal upheld the denial of EI benefits to employees fired for challenging workplace vaccine mandates.

In December, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough warned Canadians that unvaccinated individuals could be denied federal benefits.

“As long as the collective public health of Canadians is jeopardized, and our economy is thereby threatened, we’re going to have to keep public health policy top of mind in our employment and labour and economic decision making,” Qualtrough said.

“And I don’t know how long that will be.”

WATCH: Canadians remember Queen Elizabeth II with ceremonies across country

Canadians will pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II with ceremonies and parades across the country, including the nation’s capital.

In Ottawa, members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police will take part in the national commemorative ceremony. A 96-gun salute – one for every year of the Queen’s life – will take place. A church service at the Christ Church Cathedral will also take place and include eulogies by former prime minister Brian Mulroney and former governor general Adrienne Clarkson. 

The Queen’s state funeral took place on Monday morning in London. Approximately 2,000 guests attended, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon.

National Commemorative Ceremony (Ottawa) for The Queen:

Alberta Commemorative Ceremony for The Queen:

Newfoundland and Labrador Commemorative Ceremony for The Queen:

Nova Scotia Commemorative Ceremony for The Queen:

PEI Commemorative Ceremony for The Queen:

New Brunswick Commemorative Ceremony for The Queen:

Trudeau spotted singing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ while in London for Queen’s funeral

While in London to represent Canada at Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was spotted in the lobby of the Corinthia Hotel singing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’

Twitter user @LisaPow33260238 first uploaded the clip of a casually-dressed Trudeau with a group of individuals singing the popular Queen song.

While some users questioned the authenticity of the clip, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed to Toronto Sun journalist Joe Warmington that the clip is in fact real.

“After dinner on Saturday, Prime Minister joined a small gathering with members of the Canadian delegation, who have come together to pay tribute to the life and service of Her Majesty,” the PMO’s Lead Press Secretary Ann-Clara Vaillancourt said in a statement.

“Gregory Charles, a renowned musician from Quebec and Order of Canada recipient, played piano in the hotel lobby which resulted in some members of the delegation including prime minister joining.”

Many users on social media reacted negatively to the clip of Trudeau singing joyfully while in London for the Queen’s funeral.

“Given the magnitude of the Queens funeral, given he’s suppose[d] to be representing [Canada], I’m no prude but pls, some decorum & respect at least for a day. It’s always got to be about him #TrudeauMustGo,” tweeted @Victoria59L in response to the video.

“Like having a bachelor party on the eve of your wedding. Very poor taste. He wouldn’t know that tho,” tweeted @KHannise.” 

A delegation of prominent Canadians has travelled to London for the Queen’s state funeral, including former prime ministers Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper.

No other clips of members of Canada’s delegation to the state funeral singing and carousing have surfaced.

This isn’t the first time Trudeau has made embarrassed Canada while abroad.

In 2018, while in India, Trudeau showed off his bhangra dance moves in front of an Indian crowd at a public event. The prime minister was also ridiculed for inviting a convicted terrorist to a state dinner on the same trip.

In 2017, Trudeau infuriated leaders of 10 Asia-Pacific countries by not showing up for the signing of a lucrative trade deal. An official familiar with the trade deal said, “the Canadians screwed everybody” following Trudeau’s no-show.

WATCH: Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral

The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be held on Monday Sept. 19 at 6am ET (11am London time).

The service will be an hour long and will be the first funeral for a monarch held at Westminster Abbey since King George II’s in 1760. Anglican priest David Hoyle, the Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service.

Approximately 2,000 guests are set to attend the Queen’s state funeral, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon.

A national commemorative ceremony will take place in Ottawa at 12pm ET.

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