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Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Iranian regime blames Rushdie and supporters for NYC attack

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

The Iranian regime officially reacted to the attack on renowned author Salman Rushdie on Monday, denying any link to the incident and blaming the writer and his supporters instead. 

Rushdie was the target of a 1989 fatwa – a legal decree issued by an Islamic religious leader –   by Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini following the release of his book The Satanic Verses. The fatwa forced the author into hiding for nearly 10 years.

On Friday, a man rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York and stabbed Rushdie 15 times as he was delivering a talk. 

According to BBC, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the regime “categorically” denied any link to the attack, adding “no-one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Kanaani added that Rushdie insulted the religion of Islam.

“In this attack, we do not consider anyone other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters worthy of blame and even condemnation,” Kanaani said during a weekly press conference in Tehran.

“By insulting the sacred matters of Islam and crossing the red lines of more than 1.5 billion Muslims and all followers of the divine religions, Salman Rushdie has exposed himself to the anger and rage of the people.”

Iran’s state media has extensively commented on the attack as well.

Iran’s state broadcaster daily Jaam-e Jam said “an eye of the Satan has been blinded” in reaction to the news that Rushdie may lose an eye following the attack.

Further, Iran’s state-run newspaper Iran Daily praised the attack as an “implementation of divine decree.” Another state-run newspaper Kayhan termed the attack as “divine revenge.” 

On Saturday, Hadi Matar, 24, was charged with attempted murder. Matar has pleaded not guilty. 

District Attorney Jason Schmidt says Matar “preplanned” the attack by taking steps to put himself in a position to harm Rushdie, getting an advance pass to the event and arriving a day early with a fake ID.

“This was a targeted, unprovoked, preplanned attack on Mr. Rushdie,” Schmidt told the court.

According to the BBC, Matar was born in the US to parents who had immigrated from Lebanon. His social media accounts have suggested that he is sympathetic to the causes of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Rushdie has been taken off a ventilator and his condition is improving. 

Canada’s Digital ID plans “uncomfortably close” to Chinese social credit: report

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A constitutional rights group has blasted the federal government’s plan to create a Digital ID infrastructure as a threat to Charter rights and a step towards implementing a Communist China-style social credit system. 

In the report titled Canada’s Road to Beijing, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) outlines how China’s mass surveillance system operates and in what ways a national Digital ID system is a step towards authoritarianism. 

“What Canadians need today is not more unmitigated government access to private information but, instead, a renewed commitment to Charter rights and freedoms. We are on the road to Beijing, and Canadians should be apprehensive,” said JCCF President John Carpay in a news release on the report. 

“Things are moving fast, and Canadians should be very concerned that a free and democratic society is quickly headed towards a society where citizens can be cancelled by the government with the flick of a switch.”

The report cited the Trudeau government’s willingness to freeze the assets and shut down the bank accounts of Freedom Convoy supporters in February. 

“It used the briefly invoked powers of the Emergencies Act to identify its political enemies and to selectively freeze their bank accounts,” the report explains. 

“Rather than smugly assume that ‘our system is better than theirs’, Canadians should be outraged that, in its responses to Covid, Ottawa showed such disturbing eagerness to dismiss and violate the fundamental rights and freedoms which form the foundations of a free society.”

As exclusively reported by True North, the federal government quietly unveiled a national “Digital Identity Program” in August. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for government services to be accessible and flexible in the digital age. The next step in making services more convenient to access is a federal Digital Identity Program, integrated with pre-existing provincial platforms,” a government announcement explained. 

In conclusion, the JCCF writes that no government can be trusted with the extraordinary powers latent in a digital identity infrastructure. 

“As Canada’s introduction of digital ID, digital currency and recent cases of government abuse of power echo similar developments in China, alarm bells should be going off all over the country. Canadians have good cause to fear that they, too, will end up living under a system not unlike the Social Credit System,” the report writes. 

Quebec Conservative Party unveils freedom-oriented platform ahead of election

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

The Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) released its platform on Sunday ahead of the 2022 provincial election campaign.

The 66-page document titled “Liberty 22” promises reforms on the economy, housing, health care, transportation, the environment, child care and education.

“The election coming up this October 3rd is historic,” said PCQ leader Eric Duhaime.

 “It will turn the page on more than sixty years of constitutional wrangling and allow a new reality to emerge. The political spectrum may soon be redefined. The tectonic plates of Quebec politics are realigning.”

“We now have a major party that wants first and foremost to give you more freedom. Our election platform sets out our key commitments in the run-up to this election battle,” added Duhaime.

On the economy, the PCQ pledges to introduce tax cuts for Quebecers, suspend the province’s gas tax and allow for the expansion of Quebec’s natural resources. 

On health care reforms, the party is promising a decentralized system with a greater role for the private sector and increased competition. 

The party also promises to provide weekly vouchers of $200 per child for parents who do not use government daycares. 

The PCQ 2022 campaign is using the freedom-themed slogan “Libres chez-nous”, which translates to “Free in our own homes.” 

The PCQ has seen an unprecedented rise in popularity over the last two years.

The party has gone from 500 members to 60,000 – while polling as high as 24%, despite only receiving 1.46% of the votes in the 2018 provincial election.

The party’s rise can be attributed to Duhaime’s strong opposition to Quebec Premier Francois Legault’s pandemic response – which included some of the strictest and most punitive restrictions in the western world.

Duhaime will also be able to participate in televised debates, making him the first PCQ leader to be given that opportunity.

The Quebec election is set for October 3. 

Chinese regime outraged by U.S. delegation to Taiwan, PLA stages military drills

By
Noah Jarvis
-

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has announced that they have conducted military exercises around Taiwan amid a delegation of U.S. senators visiting the island nation’s president Tsai Ing-we.

On Monday, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) spokesperson said that the PLA conducted combat readiness patrols and combat drills around Taiwan, saying that the army is always prepared for war. 

The Taiwan defence ministry counted 30 PLA aircraft and 5 PLA vessels operating around the island, with 15 of the PLA aircraft crossing the unofficial middle line of the Taiwanese strait, which marks the end of Chinese territory and the beginning of Taiwanese territory. 

“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army continues to train and prepare for war, resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely crush any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatism and foreign interference attempts,” said PLA spokesperson Wu Qian.

The U.S. delegation consists of five U.S. lawmakers, four Democrats and one Republican, whose aim was to discuss trade, regional security, climate change and “reaffirm the United States’ support for Taiwan.”

A recent trip by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan inflamed tensions between Taiwan, China and the U.S. as the PLA engaged in aggressive military tactics; shooting missiles over the island and sending warplanes to buzz the Taiwan strait’s border. 

The Chinese state-owned media agency Xinhua slammed the recent visits by U.S. lawmakers to Taiwan.

“Those U.S. politicians who are playing with fire on the Taiwan question should drop their wishful thinking. There is no room for compromise or concessions when it comes to China’s core interests.”

While the PLA’s boasting of war preparedness is viewed by many as a cause for concern, skepticism is growing over China’s ability to wage a winnable war against Taiwan supported by the U.S.

The Center of Strategic and International Studies has been conducting numerous war simulations in an effort to predict how a potential war between China and Taiwan would play out. 

The think tank concluded that while the U.S. may lose as much as half of the Air Force’s fleet of aircraft, the U.S. and Taiwan would more than likely emerge victorious. 

Senior advisor of the Atlantic Council Harlan Ullman penned an op-ed in The Hill, which raised doubts that the PLA has the capacity to wage an amphibious or land assault against Taiwan while also working against the CCP’s interests. 

“I believe a cataclysmic war is not coming with China and that a direct assault on an island 100 miles away is the last option China would pursue,” reads Ullman’s op-ed.

“Presidents Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping both understand that war would be a global catastrophe and thus in no one’s interest, especially China’s.”

Government blamed Canadians for delays knowing airport security were short-staffed

By
Andrew Kozak
-

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra knew last spring that federal airport security was short-staffed by 25%, according to a briefing note obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter. At the time, Alghabra put the blame for airport delays on Canadians who were eager to travel after the loosening of Covid restrictions. 

In a May 13 briefing note titled Airport and Flight Delays, staff told Alghabra that the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) was down a quarter of its employees due to layoffs during Covid. 

“The Authority retained 75 percent of its workforce during the pandemic to assist with recovery,” wrote staff. “Screening contractors called back all available personnel in preparation for the summer peak.”

At the time, Alghabra made no public mention of short staffing being responsible for delays experienced by air travellers. “We are witnessing delays across all sectors of our economy that are a result of increasing demand imbalance,” he told the House of Commons on May 6.

Instead, the minister blamed the delays at Canada’s airports on travellers.

“We are seeing an increased demand and appetite for people who want to travel,” Alghabra said June 6. “The supply is trying to catch up.”

Short-staffing in airport security was first disclosed on June 7 in testimony by managers of CATSA at the Senate national finance committee. 

“The problem at the airports today and specifically the busiest airports in Canada relates to the labour market and the staffing of screening officer positions by our third party screening contractors,” testified the vice president of CATSA Nancy Filchett.. “At this time it is not a funding problem.”

“Does that mean we have a shortage?” asked Senator Éric Forest. “What is the staff shortage to reach pre-pandemic levels?”

“Before the pandemic we had about 7400 screening officers,” testified senior director of operations Kelsey MacTavish.. “Right now we have 6800 and recruitment is ongoing. In the year to come we’re trying to recruit 1000 screening officers.”

To date, Cabinet has not explained why it failed to hire more security staff during the winter as travel restrictions were easing. 

“The Minister should address the critical issues facing our airports so Canadians can understand if the government is doing anything to fix the mess and not simply waiting out the height of peak travel season in an effort to further abdicate their responsibility,” Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman told the Transport, Infrastructure and Communities committee on August 8.

Alghabra is set to testify in committee before August 19 to explain the delays at airports and flight cancellations at Canada’s largest airports in recent months. 

Author Salman Rushdie off ventilator and able to speak

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

After being stabbed on stage in New York, which has been described as a “preplanned” attack, renowned author Salman Rushdie has been taken off a ventilator and is able to speak again.

On Friday, a man rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York and stabbed Rushdie 15 times. 

Rushdie’s agent Andrew Wylie said the author may lose an eye as a result of the attack.

“Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damaged,” Wylie said.

New York State Police detained a suspect named Hadi Matar, 24, from Fairview, New Jersey.

On Saturday, Matar was charged with attempted murder. He is being held without bail.

District Attorney Jason Schmidt says Matar “preplanned” the attack by taking steps to put himself in a position to harm Rushdie, getting an advance pass to the event and arriving a day early with a fake ID.

“This was a targeted, unprovoked, preplanned attack on Mr. Rushdie,” Schmidt told the court.

According to BBC, Matar was born in the US to parents who had immigrated from Lebanon. His social media accounts have suggested that he is sympathetic to the causes of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

Rushdie was forced into hiding for nearly 10 years after his book The Satanic Verses was published in 1988. The book’s title referred to verses of the Quran, which Rushdie claimed had been removed. 

In The Satanic Verses, he also made references to Islam that Islamists and hard-liners deemed offensive.

Following the book’s release, Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for Rushdie’s execution and offered a $3 million reward in a fatwa – a legal decree issued by an Islamic religious leader.

In 2005, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei restated the fatwa against Rushdie and claimed that the death sentence was still valid.

New federal worker health plan includes $75K sex change coverage

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The federal government has worked out a proposal with unions to update the Public Service Health Care Plan which will now include up to $75,000 in coverage for “gender-affirming care.” 

On Aug. 3, the Partners Committee of the Public Service Health Care Plan submitted its recommendation to the Treasury Board to update the plan after four years of back and forth consultations. 

A federal news release on the plan claims that the updates carry “no additional cost to taxpayers” and was “cost-neutral.” 

“New features of the Plan include increased support for mental health and well-being, such as increased coverage for psychological services and an expansion of mental health service providers,” the news release read. 

“For the first time, coverage would be available for gender affirmation, placing the Government of Canada as a leader in modernized employee health care benefits.”

“Gender affirmation” or “gender affirming care” commonly refers to various health care procedures transgender individuals undergo to change their gender. These include hormone therapy, hair removal procedures, top and bottom surgery or facial reconstruction. 

The $75,000 now covered by the policy applies per lifetime and includes automatic coverage for electrolysis. 

“Negotiations take time and effort, but when there’s a shared commitment to work together, we can achieve positive results,” said Treasury Board President Mona Fortier. 

“Our employees, current and former, will benefit from one of the most modern public sector health care plans in the world, with support for mental health services and gender affirmation, in keeping with our commitment to stand up for diversity and inclusion in the public service.”

Nearly 1.5 million federal public service will be covered under the new plan including retirees and dependents. The last time the policy was renewed was in 2006. 

Victoria bans the construction of homes heated with natural gas

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Victoria councillors have banned the construction of homes that rely on fossil fuels like natural gas for heating after the year 2025. 

This week, city councillors touted its “zero carbon” policy, which will require all future developments to be heated using renewable energy only. 

“Buildings account for nearly half of all greenhouse gas pollution generated in the city,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said in a statement. 

“Each new building will last more than 50 years, so raising the bar now is critical to meeting our long-term climate goals, and to preparing the taxpayers of the future to have less climate-related costs down the road.”

Supporters of the policy claim that it will reduce greenhouse gasses by 80%. However, during consultations, developers cited concerns that the appropriate equipment and service providers were not readily available and that there wasn’t enough access to electricity. 

According to developers, restaurants would be especially impacted as they rely on natural gas largely to cook. 

Victoria is set to introduce a new building code guideline later this year. 

British Columbia produces about 87% of its electricity from hydroelectric sources. As of 2019, natural gas provided about 4% of the total energy produced in the province. 

In May, the government-run electricity provider BC Hydro slammed the use of natural gas and gasoline vehicles in a tweet despite regulating major natural gas pipelines like Coastal GasLink, Kitimat LNG and other projects.

The tweet was a variation on the Anakin Skywalker and clueless Padme meme, which carried the hashtag #FarewellFossilFuels. 

“‘Natural’ doesn’t mean clean,” BC Hydro wrote.

In response to the tweet, BC Liberal MLA Ellis Ross called the messaging ridiculous and unbelievable. 

“What kind of mickey mouse operation is the BC government running??! Why would a crown corporation criticize natural gas as an energy source that its own government approved?? Unbelievable!!! Did the energy minister approve this meme??!!” wrote Ross.

Alberta takes aim at Trudeau’s handgun ban

By
Rachel Parker
-

On this week’s Alberta Roundup, Rachel Emmanuel breaks down the news and headlines that matter to Albertans. First, Alberta’s Chief Firearms Officer Dr. Teri Bryant takes aim at Trudeau’s latest measure to punish law-abiding gun owners – a ban on the importation of handguns without the oversight of parliament.

Next, Albertans may have noticed some relief at the pumps this month. Premier Jason Kenney called for an investigation into price fixing by gas companies last month as some Albertans were paying higher prices than those living in Ontario.

Also, a new controversy is brewing after it was revealed that a former chief of staff to Kenney is earning over $200,000 from a government contract while working in the private sector.

Plus, the latest in the UCP leadership race as Rajan Sawney’s campaign suffered a major blow this week.

These stories and more on The Alberta Roundup with Rachel Emmanuel. Tune in now!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ALBERTA ROUNDUP!

Author Salman Rushdie on ventilator after attack in New York

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

Renowned author Salman Rushdie, who was the target of a 1989 fatwa issued by Iran’s Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, is currently on a ventilator and unable to speak after being stabbed on stage in New York, according to his agent.

On Friday, a man rushed the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in Western New York and stabbed Rushdie 15 times. 

Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses, published in 1988, forced the author to go into hiding for nearly 10 years. The book’s title referred to verses of the Quran, which Rushdie claimed had been removed. 

In The Satanic Verses, he also made references to Islam that Islamists and hard-liners deemed offensive.

A year after the book’s release, Khomeini called for Rushdie’s execution and offered a $3 million reward in a fatwa – a legal decree issued by an Islamic religious leader.

Despite attempts by the Iranian government to distance itself from the fatwa to renew relations with the United Kingdom in the 90s, Iranian religious authorities have continuously reaffirmed the death sentence. 

In 2005, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei restated the fatwa against Rushdie and claimed that the death sentence was still valid.

Rushdie’s agent Andrew Wylie said the author may lose an eye as a result of the attack.

“Salman will likely lose one eye; the nerves in his arm were severed; and his liver was stabbed and damaged,” Wylie said.

New York State Police detained a suspect named Hadi Matar, 24, from Fairview, New Jersey.

On Saturday, Matar was charged with attempted murder. He is being held without bail.

District Attorney Jason Schmidt says Matar “preplanned” the attack by taking steps to put himself in a position to harm Rushdie, getting an advance pass to the event and arriving a day early with a fake ID.

“This was a targeted, unprovoked, preplanned attack on Mr. Rushdie,” Schmidt told the court.

Human rights activist Yasmine Mohammed of Free Hearts Free Minds said “the deranged, violent, and barbaric desire to stifle free expression has not waned” even after 34 years since the fatwa.

Free Hearts Free Minds is a charity that supports persecuted ex-Muslims living in Muslim-majority countries. 

“The terrorist who stabbed Salman Rushdie was not even born when the fatwa was issued. But the hate permeated across generations,” said Mohammed in a statement. 

“How could he not criticize an ideology that inspires such evil? How could we not? This tragedy has arisen in me a simultaneous anger, sadness, and renewed determination.”

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