Former Ontario member of provincial parliament Roman Baber is seeking the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, running on a vision of restoring democracy to the Conservative party and Canadian politics. In this sit-down interview with Andrew Lawton, Baber addresses supply management, equalization, Covid policy, and his future in politics, among other subjects. In the Conservative Leadership Series, True North’s Andrew Lawton sits down with leadership candidates for in-depth, one-on-one interviews.
Several high profile British Columbia politicians attended an event celebrating China’s takeover of Hong Kong alongside Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials last week.
According to Richmond News, the Hong Kong Economic Trade office held an event on Jun. 23 on the anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Among those who attended as VIP guests were Chinese consul general Tong Xiaoling, former Conservative MP Alice Wong, Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Asia Pacific Foundation CEO Jeff Nankivell.
The event was met by a group of anti-CCP protestors calling for China to stay out of Hong Kong’s affairs.
“Given the huge influence of Hong Kong immigrants, or those who came by way of the Hong Kong pathway, seeking refuge here in Canada to start a new life in the past two or three years, I think we cannot allow ourselves to just be so naive, or just be so wilfully blind to just look at the invitation as no harm and it’s just standard practice,” said Vancouverites Concerned about Hong Kong protestor Fanella Sung.
“When people attend those events, you are not just being polite, you are encouraging and fostering the relationship with that foreign power. You’re like not cultivating a relationship with your electorate or community. You are fostering and building relationship with that foreign power with their representatives there.”
In 2020, Chinese authorities moved into Hong Kong and introduced a National Security Law which allowed the communist government to deport and arrest dissidents within Hong Kong.
The law was met by weeks of rolling protests and demonstrations. Critics claimed that the move effectively ended the “one country two systems” agreement in place in Hong Kong since 1997.
Last month, the Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Services David Vigneault warned in a speech to the University of British Columbia that public officials should be weary of foreign interference from countries like China.
“Elected and public officials across all levels of government, representing all political parties, staff, and public servants are also potential targets of foreign interference. Virtually anyone with input into or influence over the public policy decision-making process — is an attractive target for those looking to advance their interests covertly,” said Vigneault.
Another RCMP staffer has come forward with claims that Commissioner Brenda Lucki was letting political pressure influence her direction of the investigation into the 2020 mass killings in Nova Scotia.
The former head of communications for the Nova Scotia RCMP Lia Scanlan confirmed in an April 14, 2021 email that RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki attempted to interfere in the RCMP’s Nova Scotia mass shooting investigation to advance the Trudeau government’s gun control agenda.
Scanlan raised concerns in an email with Lucki, calling her conduct in a meeting with Nova Scotia RCMP representatives “appalling, unprofessional and extremely belittling.”
Scanlan specifically called out Lucki for operating based on political considerations set out by Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, to support the government’s gun control policies.
The email was released by the Mass Casualty Commission, which is investigating the massacre.
In a statement last week, Lucki apologized for her conduct in the meeting, but claims she did not improperly try to influence the investigation.
Scanlan claimed that Lucki demanded that the RCMP release the details of the firearm used in the shootings because of “the pressures and conversation with minister Blair.”
“I remember a feeling of disgust as I realized this was the catalyst for the conversation,” wrote Scanlan.
“I could not believe what you, the leader of our organization, was saying and I was embarrassed to be privy to what was unfolding. It was appalling, unprofessional and extremely belittling.”
The April 28, 2020 conference call where commissioner Lucki demanded the details of the firearms used in the massacre came just a week before prime minister Trudeau unveiled sweeping gun restrictions on May 4, 2020.
At the time, the RCMP did not release the details of the firearms to the public to not compromise the RCMP’s effort to discover the weapon’s origin.
The allegations of corruption between the PMO and Lucki were revealed when the Mass Casualty Commission released handwritten meeting notes from Nova Scotia RCMP superintendent Darren Campbell.
No Liberal MPs have taken responsibility as Justin Trudeau, and Bill Blair denied any wrongdoing.
“I gave no direction as to what information they should communicate. Those are operational decisions of the RCMP, and I respect that and I have respected that,” said minister Blair in question period.
Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen said that she was disgusted by the allegations. Conservative MP Dane Lloyd suggested that commissioner Lucki should be fired if an investigation finds the allegations true.
The Ottawa Police Service put out a stern warning on Tuesday saying that it will be on the lookout for “racist, homophobic, misogynistic signs or speech” during this year’s Canada Day celebrations.
A spokesperson with the force said that communicating any such messaging either verbally or in another fashion could lead to criminal charges.
“Communicating (words spoken or written, gestures or signs) homophobic, misogynistic, and/or racist messages in a public place will be investigated and can lead to various criminal charges including public incitement of hatred Sec 319(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada,” said Cst. Mike Cudrasov. “These will NOT be tolerated.”
Walked around a heavily fenced off Parliament Hill albeit with pedestrian access. Can’t recall anything like this since 9/11 if even then. This is peak tourist season, and a few days before #CanadaDay, and the area around Parliament is sterile and desolate. pic.twitter.com/Qpx5ZHiBWg
On Monday, interim police chief Steve Bell told the Ottawa Police Services Board that law enforcement would “actively respond to” these messages and cited concerns about Freedom Convoy-associated groups and other protest movements attending the event.
“We know the scars our community feels from the days in the end of January, beginning of February, where there was all of the negative interactions with people who were attending and occupying and illegally protesting within our streets. We’ve heard those,” said Bell.
“We’ve listened to those. And I want to reassure you that those feelings, that trauma that our community has felt, is front and centre in all of our planning efforts and will be front and centre in our response efforts.”
A look at the fencing around the Supreme Court of Canada amid planned freedom events on July 1st. pic.twitter.com/vZEBFEey5p
Fencing has been set up throughout the parliamentary district in anticipation of Friday’s events.
Freedom organizers have planned events to welcome Canadian Armed Force Veteran James Topp as he arrives at the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier after trekking across Canada to protest Covid-19 mandates and restrictions.
The Supreme Court has also seen its security ramp up with signa warning that camping or sleeping on the property is not allowed.
“No person shall occupy, reside, camp or sleep in or upon any public work or use any vehicle for the purpose of occupying a public work or residing, camping or sleeping thereon,” a sign states.
Not since 9/11, if even then, have I seen Wellington Street and the area around Parliament Hill as desolate as I did a few days before Canada Day. The Trudeau government has moved the main Canada Day festivities to LeBreton Flats, a couple of kilometres down the hill near the National War Museum. The official reason for the venue change is “construction”. That’s more than a little strange, when the Flats is basically one big construction zone, including a fenced-off open pit, just the other side of Wellington.
You can decide how credible you think the government’s explanation for the change of venue is.
Walked around a heavily fenced off Parliament Hill albeit with pedestrian access. Can’t recall anything like this since 9/11 if even then. This is peak tourist season, and a few days before #CanadaDay, and the area around Parliament is sterile and desolate. pic.twitter.com/Qpx5ZHiBWg
Someone of a cynical bent might think that Trudeau and company have been spooked by the peaceful protestors of the Freedom Convoy, who exercised their constitutional right to protest on and near Wellington this past winter. What does it say about the state of our polity and society when the government isn’t even willing to celebrate Canada Day at Parliament, which is supposed to be the house of the people, or at least of our elected representatives? Indeed, signage at the construction site on Parliament Hill reads: “A Place Where Canada Comes Together. The seat of Canada’s democracy is also its symbolic heart. Parliament Hill is where the Canadian public gather to celebrate, grieve and protest, and to share important experiences and join in events.”
The stage for Canada Day celebrations being set up at Le Breton flats. Normally the stage would be at Parliament Hill, but this year ostensibly moved to Le Breton due to construction on Parliament Hill. Meanwhile this is the construction around the flats. Literally an open pit. pic.twitter.com/cGbZzPOaqU
Apparently though, not Canada Day 2022. In fact, this was more a place of the people when the Freedom Convoy and its supporters turned Ottawa into a winter version of Canada Day – a real carnival of friendship and camaraderie, bringing together Canadians of all ethnicities, cultures and regions.
Fittingly, the signage is directly across the street from the Prime Minister’s Office, from which Trudeau rules the country. What then does it tell us about the state of Canada? The Freedom Convoy protests and the Trudeau government’s brutal suppression of them have opened up fissures in what appeared to many to be a placid middle ground of a country where everyone mostly agreed on everything. That might have been the Canada of previous decades, but it’s certainly not the country that has seen the first genuine popular protest against an overreaching and all-powerful technocratic and managerial state, that we’re currently witnessing.
After more than two years of virtual rule by diktat, by a minority government shored up by an even more leftist party which on its own could never form a government, many grassroots Canadians are saying, enough is enough, and we need to reclaim our individual liberties and personal freedoms. That’s certainly the lens through which I see the Freedom Convoy, despite the best efforts of Trudeau and his willing allies in sections of the legacy media who wanted to portray peaceful protestors as some kind of latter-day insurrectionists.
Meanwhile, the celebration, such as it is, will take place with the public penned into an open ground on the plains below Parliament, far away from the hilltop from which the politicians and bureaucrats govern the country. The divide between the rulers and the ruled couldn’t be more stark in terms of the geographical imagery. Should Canadians who would have celebrated Canada Day on Parliament Hill vote with their feet, and choose to stay away from the playground that Trudeau has created to keep us all occupied while grand affairs of state transpire elsewhere?
As I was walking along Wellington Street, three days before Canada Day, I struck up a conversation with Odilia, who came to Canada in 1985 with her brother, fleeing persecution in Guatemala. When she and her husband drove in to the city a few days before Canada Day, her husband removed the flags they normally fly from the car because he was afraid that they might be targeted by the police as possible trouble makers. Recall that the flags were a potent symbol of the Freedom Convoy, with many in the liberal commentariat claiming that they had “hijacked” the flag. I asked Odilia what she thought of all the fencing around Parliament Hill, and she said it reminded her of Guatemala, a place she left behind fleeing persecution, and she thought she’d never see anything like this in Canada.
That poignant remark summarizes best the state of Canada as we prepare to celebrate Canada Day 2022.
Canadians are increasingly disappointed with the country’s direction, as a majority of Canadians report being pessimistic about Canada’s future.
An Angus Reid poll has found that 52% of Canadians are either very or moderately pessimistic about the future of Canada, compared to the 48% who are optimistic.
Frustration with the country’s direction is apparent in English-speaking provinces, as none of these provinces have a positive rating below 50%.
Westerners hold an especially pessimistic outlook on Canada’s future, as 57% of Manitobans, 61% of Albertans and 65% of Saskatchewan’s residents aren’t content with the country’s direction.
In contrast, Quebecers are much more optimistic about the country’s future, as only 43% are pessimistic.
The Angus Reid poll revealed that while individual Canadians are more optimistic about their own futures, this stat is also declining.
34% of Canadians are pessimistic about their own futures, a 15% increase from the 19% benchmark set in 2018.
Optimism about an individual’s future is dependent on their income level, as 45% of Canadians making under $25,000 per year are pessimistic about their futures.
Confidence in Canada’s future has been declining in recent years. In 2017, Angus Reid posed the same question and found that 65% of Canadians were optimistic about their country’s future compared to the 35% who weren’t.
An Abacus Data poll paints a more dismal picture of Canadian confidence in the direction of the country, as it shows that 49% of Canadians believe the country is on the wrong track compared to 35% approving of the direction the country is headed.
Canada’s exit from the Covid-19 pandemic has been difficult for many Canadians, as record government spending has resulted in a historically-high inflation rate of 7.7%, hitting low-income families the hardest.
This year alone, gasoline prices have increased by 48%, energy prices have increased by 34.8%, and food prices have increased by nearly 10%.
Further, the federal government has struggled to mitigate the crises at passport offices and airports across the country, as Canadians have been subject to long delays and wait times to access basic government services.
Security efforts have been beefed up in front of the Supreme Court of Canada and Parliament Hill ahead of freedom events planned for Canada Day.
Freedom organizers had planned events to welcome Canadian Armed Forces Veteran James Topp and in celebration of Canada Day, including a family picnic and music concert in front of the Supreme Court and a dance party on Parliament Hill.
Some attendees were also planning on camping outside of Parliament Hill.
A look at the fencing around the Supreme Court of Canada amid planned freedom events on July 1st. pic.twitter.com/vZEBFEey5p
Fencing has been installed around the Supreme Court lawn and the federal government has put up signs warning that camping is prohibited.
“No person shall occupy, reside, camp or sleep in or upon any public work or use any vehicle for the purpose of occupying a public work or residing, camping or sleeping thereon.” reads a sign on the lawn of the Supreme Court.
The sign adds that “notice is hereby given requiring you to cease your activity, to remove your personal property from and quit the public work and to not thereafter resume the activity to which this notice applies.”
A sign from the federal government warns that “no person shall occupy, reside, camp or sleep in or upon any public work or use any vehicle for the purpose of occupying a public work or residing, camping or sleeping thereon.” Aka, no camping allowed! pic.twitter.com/yCUxj3mt4o
When asked about the necessity of the enhanced security measures, a spokesperson for the Parliamentary Protective Service told True North that “our focus is on ensuring members of the general public has a safe event on Canada Day.”
Chief Justice of Canada Richard Wagner had previously called for increased security around the Supreme Court of Canada.
“I hope the recent events in January (the Freedom Convoy) will bring authorities to consider the Supreme Court of Canada as an important building that must be protected,” said Wagner.
Due to increasing threats by OPS, the city of Ottawa and local provocateurs, the Freedom Family Picnic featuring James Topp has been moved from the Supreme Court to Strathcona Park for everyone’s safety and enjoyment. The afternoon/evening events will remain downtown. #CanadaDaypic.twitter.com/9re0IDDK47
— Live From The Shed (@livewiththeshed) June 28, 2022
The family picnic featuring James Topp that was set to take place in front of the Supreme Court is being moved to Strathcona Park, located in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood next to downtown.
There are still plans for a march and dance party to take place downtown.
Police will be restricting access to downtown Ottawa on Canada Day, as well as the days leading up to and after.
Police will be restricting access to Ottawa’s downtown core ahead of planned freedom rallies for the arrival of Veteran James Topp and Canada Day, with the City setting up a “Motor Vehicle Control Zone.” Enforcement will begin on June 29th at 8am and will end on July 4th at 6am. pic.twitter.com/nJDV9zkLbC
Vehicles that are “taking part in any form of demonstration, event, protest or rally” will be prohibited in the city’s “motor vehicle control zone”. Ottawa mayor Jim Watson also warned that there will be no tolerance for any illegal activity.
This will mark the third year of freedom events in downtown Ottawa for Canada Day. Similar rallies were held in 2020 in front of Parliament and in 2021 in front of the Supreme Court. No arrests or charges were laid as a result of the celebrations.
The Trudeau government has decided to release the documents it used to justify invoking the Emergencies Act to the Public Order Emergency Commission on Tuesday after claiming for weeks that they were protected under cabinet confidence.
According to a press release on the commission’s website, this is the fourth time since Confederation where a public inquiry was given access to cabinet secrets.
“This exceptional step recognizes the fundamental importance of the Commission’s work and how critical these documents are in inquiring into why the Government declared a public order emergency,” said Commission counsel co-lead Shantona Chaudhury and Jeffrey Leon.
“On behalf of Commissioner (Paul) Rouleau, we took the position that Cabinet documents must be released to facilitate the Commission’s examination and assessment of the basis for the Government’s decision to declare the emergency and fulfil the Commission’s mandate.”
The Trudeau government is expected to produce the documents shortly, which will then be submitted as evidence to the inquiry.
“It is in the public interest that this Public Inquiry be fully informed of the circumstances that led to Cabinet’s decision to declare the emergency and adopt the measures,” said Chaudry and Leon.
“We appreciate that the Government has acknowledged this and cooperated by making this voluntary disclosure. This is an important step in moving the Commission’s work forward.”
In May, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino refused to commit to waiving cabinet confidentiality despite claiming that the commission would be as transparent as possible.
“We will be there to work with Judge Rouleau to ensure that there is transparency and most importantly, to be sure that he has the information that he needs to validate and to review very, you know, with great scrutiny,” said Mendicino at the time.
Conservatives have accused the Liberals of a mock trial on their use of the unprecedented powers.
“The Liberal government is doing everything in their power to ensure this inquiry is unsubstantial and fails to hold them accountable,” said a statement by Conservative public safety critic Raquel Dancho.
Freedom Convoy fundraiser and organizer Tamara Lich was arrested in her hometown of Medicine Hat, Alberta last night on a Canada-wide warrant at the behest of Ottawa police, on allegations she violated her bail conditions. Within the next week, Lich will be transported back to Ottawa. Police have not yet said what bail conditions Lich supposedly breached. True North’s Andrew Lawton says the state continues to throw the book at her to dissuade others from taking the principled stands for liberty Lich has through the convoy and since.
Convoy lawyer Keith Wilson joins The Andrew Lawton Show live to discuss.
Canadians have been subjected to severe restrictions on our personal liberties and many would argue, egregious infringements on Charter rights over the past few years. Can Canadians rely on the Supreme Court of Canada to protect their Charter rights and freedoms or has the highest court in Canada been compromised by its progressive agenda?
Being subjected to vaccine mandates and being locked down by the state have inspired lawyers and constitutional advocates to raise the alarm and voice their concern over the erosion of liberties and rights in Canada. One of those lawyers is Queen’s University Law Professor Dr. Bruce Pardy.
Bruce Pardy is one of Canada’s leading legal minds and has been one of the loudest constitutional advocates in Canada over the last two years. Professor Pardy is also the Executive Director of Rights Probe, an organization launched with the intention of promoting a stringer understanding of the constitutional legal system and promoting a classical liberal conception of individual rights and the rule of law.
On this episode of the Rupa Subramanya Show, Rupa and Bruce discuss the politics that drive Canada’s Supreme Court, the likelihood that the Supreme Court will protect Canadian Charter rights if the court is to hear challenges on mandates and other restrictions and a discussion about the advocacy work that Bruce and his colleagues are doing on behalf of Canadians.
