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Sunday, May 11, 2025

72% of parents worried about feeding families: poll

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A new Ipsos poll shows that 72% of Canadian households with kids are concerned about feeding their families due to the soaring cost of living driven by inflation. 

Inflation reached a four-decade high last month with Statistics Canada reporting a rate of 7.7% on the consumer price index.

According to the Ipsos poll commissioned by Global News, 72% of parents said that they struggled to put food on the table. 

On the other hand, 57% of households with no kids reported struggling with the same thing. 

“Younger Canadians are looking at a situation that they haven’t seen in their lifetime,” said vice-president of public affairs at Ipsos Gregory Jack. 

“You can see why all of this is kind of piling on all at the same time. This is a unique period in Canadian history. I mean, we haven’t had inflation this high in over 30 years.”

80% of households with children also said that they believe interest rates will accelerate beyond what they can deal with. Meanwhile, 92% of families believed that inflation will continue to make life less affordable. 

When it comes to being able to afford a family summer holiday, 69% of those with kids said they might have to pass on their plans for this year while 52% of households without children reported the same. 

“People who are a little bit more vulnerable or maybe have less money to combat the cost of inflation, this is a really stressful period … People are asking for raises and looking for their employer to help them through this difficult period,” said Jack. 

As for salaries, 79% of Canadians are worried that what they’re making won’t keep up with the inflation rate. 

According to recent data by the Fraser Institute, the Canadian government performed among the worst during the Covid-19 pandemic when it comes to debt accumulation.

Out of 33 developed countries, Canada took on the second-highest amount of debt. Additionally, the report found that debt accumulation did not translate into economic performance. 

Scott Aitchison would recognize Taiwan as prime minister

By
Noah Jarvis
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Conservative leadership candidate Scott Aitchison says if he’s elected prime minister, his government would establish official diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Currently, Canada’s official position on Taiwan mirrors the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) One China policy, which does not recognize the island nation as a legitimate sovereign nation and denies official government-to-government relations. 

Under the One China policy,  Canada does not have an official diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, though Canada still facilitates billions of dollars of trade with Taiwan.

The Pierre Trudeau government changed Canada’s position of recognizing Taiwan, to the recognition of China in 1970.

Aitchison believes Canada’s current approach to dealing with Communist China hasn’t worked.

“For the better part of 50 years, Canada’s and Western foreign policy was premised on the basis that increased trade and prosperity with China would lead to greater adherence to human rights and liberalization of communism’s harsh edges,” said Aitchison. “We were wrong.”

According to Aitchison, recognition of Taiwan and the establishment of diplomatic ties would strengthen the defence of freedom and democracy in the Asia-Pacific and around the world.

“Taiwan is an independent and sovereign country, a beacon of openness, democracy, respect for human rights, and a case study in the benefits of a market-based economy open to trading with the world,” said Aitchison. “It is time for Canada to finally recognize this reality.”

In taking steps to advance Taiwan’s position on the world stage, Aitchison promises to include Taiwan in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and help Taiwan join international organizations like INTERPOL and the World Health Organization (WHO). 

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the risk that China will increase their hostility and eventually invade Taiwan has been heightened. 

Over the past few months, the CCP has increased its hostility towards Taiwan and has breached Taiwan’s air defence identification zone on an almost daily basis, breaching the zone 29 times on Jun 22 alone. 

Aitchison’s campaign has come out with a series of foreign policy propositions that would increase Canada’s profile on the world stage, taking more rigid stances on key foreign relations issues.

Along with his commitments to Taiwan, Aitchison has also come out in strong defence of Israel, pledging to help counter Iran’s ongoing threats and move the Canadian embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital of Jerusalem. 

Canada’s relationship with China has been strained ever since Beijing arrested Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Micheal Spavor on phony espionage charges in retaliation for Canada apprehending Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. 

BONOKOSKI: The Trudeau government’s entitled, outrageous and expensive behaviour

By
Mark Bonokoski
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau never lets a double standard stand in the way of his Good Time Charlie dependencies.

He’s addicted to them.

“The prime minister thinks he’s entitled to his entitlements,” said the Conservatives’  Candice Bergen, stirring up the ghost of major former Liberal trough-lover David Dingwall.

“He spares no expense when he wants to be pampered and showered with luxury.”

There was, for example, the trip on which Bergen was lamenting — his dress-up blunderland stumble in February 2018 when he went to India and dazzled all with his traditional Indian dancing.

That embarrassing little costume party cost taxpayers $1.5 million.

And to think the Liberals ran the Conservatives’ Bev Oda out of town for having a $16 glass of orange juice for breakfast at London’s posh and therefore expense Savoy Hotel.

More recently, of course, there was Trudeau, Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland and 58 guests blowing $57,401.56 in catering fees while roaming around in London, Riga, Berlin, Warsaw in March.

That’s nearly a thousand bucks each. What kind of airplane sandwich costs a thousand bucks?

And whose money was that again? Well, it was the Canadian taxpayer, bien sur. It’s always the taxpayer.

And how about the newly Trudeau-appointed Governor General (GG) Mary Simon and her guests blowing nearly $100,000 of taxpayer money on a private government jet’s catering bill during their flights to and from the Middle East from March 16 to 24?

Are we talking watercress and vintage wine?

But hold your horses here because the military now says Mary Simon’s office had no role in the decisions related to a controversial catering bill for a recent official trip and to back off because steps were taken to minimize the cost of in-flight food services.

In a statement, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence said the catering tab for Gov. Gen. Mary Simon’s trip to the Middle East in March came in $12,750 lower than originally quoted in documents released.

The answer to a Conservative MP’s order paper inquiry revealed more than $93,000 for in-flight meals spent during an eight-day working trip that included stops in London, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait.

The military now says the actual tab came to $80,367, and to judge that as a $12,000 saving.

It was so much easier when the PM wore native East Indian clothing and pranced around a stage doing a costume imitation of a state-wise Bhamakalapam dance in order to assess the amount of financial damage to the taxpayers’ purse.

What is troubling, and therefore worrisome, is the nonchalance of those responsible for such outrageous and expensive behaviour and the fact that no one in the elite Liberal circle has taken a fall.

Nineteen bottles of wine and 15 cans of beer were served onboard the GG’s military aircraft, according to the answer to an order paper question from Conservative MP Scot Davidson.

Defence Minister Anita Anand laughingly told CBC News that “fiscal responsibility is critical.”

“I believe deeply in the importance of prudence,” said Anand. “I don’t have comment on that specific issue that you’re raising, but I will say that across the board, I believe in fiscal responsibility.”

In Question Period the day before, Conservative MP Michael Barrett took aim at the Liberal government over the catering bill.

He pointed to media reports of Canadians unable to afford groceries or air conditioning due to inflation and accused the government of operating with a sense of entitlement.

“What we’re asking from this government is to take a reality check,” said Barrett. 

“When will they put their entitlements aside and put Canadians first?”

Yes, there’s that word again.

Entitlements.

Inflation rises to 7.7%, biggest increase since 1983

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Inflation in Canada rose to 7.7% in May 2022, making it the biggest increase since Jan. 1983.

According to Statistics Canada, gasoline, hotel rates and cars are among the largest contributors to the increase in May. 

Energy prices have increased by 34.8% compared to last year. The price of gasoline has increased by 48.0% compared to a year earlier. 

Excluding gasoline, the Consumer Price Index has risen by 6.3%, following a 5.8% rise in April. 

The cost of food has risen by 9.7%, while the cost of services saw a 5.2% increase.

Meanwhile, the price of traveller accommodation rose by 40.2%, while restaurant prices have increased by 6.8%.

The historically-high inflation rate puts additional pressure on the Bank of Canada to deliver even more aggressive interest rate hikes. According to Bloomberg News, interest rates are expected to reach as high as 3.5% by the end of this year.

Conservative Party interim leader Candice Bergen reacted to the news by stating that “Canadians need relief from the cost-of-living crisis.”

Meanwhile, Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre called for the end of “inflationary deficits.”

Poilievre has also called on Trudeau to suspend the gas tax for the summer so that Canadians can have financial relief.

In recent months, Poilievre has been highly critical of the BoC. The Carleton MP has accused the BoC’s governor Tiff Macklem of being an “ATM” for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s deficit spending and fuelling inflation. Poilievre has pledged to fire Macklem if he’s elected prime minister. 

Scott Aitchison also reacted to the news by saying “families are struggling to pay the bills. Enough is enough.”

Meanwhile, Roman Baber blamed Trudeau’s unwillingness to develop natural resources on the high fuel prices that are causing inflation.

Last week, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland unveiled the federal government’s plan to address the historically-high inflation rates. While touting “fiscal restraint,” Freeland continued to tack on government spending by announcing $8.9 billion in measures to “tackle affordability.” 

In response, Scotiabank economists decried the Trudeau government’s lack of action in reducing government spending. In its report, Scotiabank argued that the burden of lowering inflation is falling on the private sector as the federal government continues to spend at high levels.

RCMP Commissioner used mass shooting to aid Liberal gun control laws: report

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

A new report casts shade on the political independence of the RCMP after it was alleged that Commissioner Brenda Lucki promised Liberal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and the Prime Minister’s Office to use a mass shooting towards implementing gun control measures. 

According to the Halifax Examiner, Lucki “made a promise” to Blair in the midst of the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting. Soon after Lucki pressured her officers to release information regarding the weapons used by the killer. 

Notes by RCMP officers responding to the shooting reveal that Lucki was not happy with the way law enforcement responded to the incident in relation to the guns used by the shooter, Gabriel Wortman. 

“The Commissioner was obviously upset. She did not raise her voice but her choice of words was indicative of her overall dissatisfaction with our work. The Commissioner accused us (me) of disrespecting her by not following her instructions. I was and remain confused over this,” wrote RCMP Support Services officer Darren Campbell. 

“The Commissioner said she told Comms to tell us at H Division to include specific info about the firearms used by [the killer]….However I said we couldn’t because to do so would jeopardize ongoing efforts to advance the U.S. side of the case as well as the Canadian components of the investigation.”

Campbell was among the officers who responded to media requests about the shooting. Unlike some of his peers, he refused to reveal details about the investigation.

“The Commissioner said she had promised the Minister of Public Safety and the Prime Minister’s Office that the RCMP (we) would release this information. I tried to explain there was no intent to disrespect anyone however we could not release this information at this time,” Campbell wrote. 

“The Commissioner then said that we didn’t understand, that this was tied to pending gun control legislation that would make officers and the public safer. She was very upset and at one point Deputy Commissioner (Brian) Brennan tried to get things calmed down but that had little effect. Some in the room were reduced to tears and emotional over this belittling reprimand.”

Soon after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau banned numerous firearms using an order in council in May 2020. Last month, Trudeau also tabled Bill C-21 which would further restrict the rights of law-abiding firearm owners. 

At the time there was also confusion about the death toll of the shooting. On separate occasions, Lucki claimed that there were 13 victims, 14 victims and 17 victims. 

The inconsistency of victim count was brought up by then-RCMP Nova Scotia spokesperson Lia Scanlan in an email. 

“Can I make a request that we stop changing the number of victims? Please allow us to lead the release of information. It looks fragmented and inconsistent. I spoke with the Commanding Officer tonight and we will be updating this tomorrow,” wrote Scanlan. 

Eventually, the RCMP claimed that there were 19 victims on Apr. 20, 2020 with the final count only being revealed a day later totalling 22 victims. 

Canada ranks second for highest debt accumulated since 2019

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

A new study by the Fraser Institute has ranked Canada as having the second-highest spike in debt accumulation from 2019 to 2021 out of 33 other developed nations. 

Canada sat only behind Japan for the amount of debt increase relative to gross domestic product. 

According to Fraser Institute economist Tegan Hill, despite the serious amount of debt taken on by governments in Canada, the economy actually underperformed. 

“Despite Canada’s comparatively high debt accumulation during the pandemic, which many argued would result in strong economic performance, we actually underperformed most of our peers,” said Hill in a press release. 

The study relied on data provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which stated during that period, Canada’s gross debt-to-GDP retio spiked by nearly a quarter from 87.2% in 2019 to 112.1% in 2021. 

Although governments heaped on debt, economic growth lagged behind.

When it comes to how much the economy actually grew, Canada came in 23rd out of the same countries with an inflation-adjusted growth of -5.2%. 

“It’s interesting to note that despite the borrowing by Canadian governments, particularly Ottawa, our recession in 2020 was deeper and our recovery in 2021 weaker than most other industrialized countries,” said Hill. 

“Clearly, Canada’s significant debt-financed spending didn’t translate into a comparatively strong economy during the pandemic.”

Canada’s record on unemployment was also lacklustre with Canada reporting the third-highest rate totalling in at 9.6% in 2020. 

Meanwhile, the United States economy fared much better despite also taking on a large amount of debt. 

Canada’s neighbours to the south outperformed Canada on both economic growth and unemployment. 

“For the United States, real GDP growth fell in the middle in both years, ranking 15th highest in 2020 and 13th highest in 2021,” the report states. 

According to an April 2022 report by the IMF, Canada’s GDP forecast projected that the economy would only grow by 3.9% – 15% lower than the 2021 projection. 

Beverley McLachlin to stay on Hong Kong court despite civil liberties violations

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

Former Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin says she will remain on a Hong Kong court despite ongoing civil liberties violations by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Hong Kong Court of Appeal was created in 1997 under an agreement between China and the United Kingdom. It contains 10 non-permanent foreign judges, including McLachlin.

In an interview with CBC News, McLachlin claimed that “the court is completely independent and functioning in the way I am used (to), in Canada, the courts functioning.” 

Two British judges resigned from the court this year over concerns with the controversial national security law. The latter criminalizes what the government considers acts of terrorism, subversion, collusion and secession from China – including speech.  

However, McLachlin believes resigning from the court would send “the wrong signal.”

“What Hong Kong needs, and the bar tells us they need, is that court to remain in place, to remain independent and to remain strong,” she said. 

McLachlin claimed the Hong Kong government is “technically” independent from China’s Communist government, and “so far they have committed to supporting an independent court. So we’ll see what happens.”

She would also not denounce the CCP’s national security law, saying she may eventually have to make a ruling on the law, and hopes the government would respect the decision from that ruling.

“I don’t see myself sitting on a court whose rulings are not respected,” McLachlin added.

The Macdonald Laurier Institute (MLI) does not however support McLachlin continuing to serve on the court.  

MLI Senior Fellow and Foreign Program Director, Shuvaloy Majumdar told True North that “Justice McLachlin’s continued tenure in Hong Kong serves as an endorsement of Beijing’s betrayal of the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”

“She should stop abusing the privilege of having served Canada’s highest court, allowing its credibility to be exploited by an authoritarian life-time ruler, and stand for the rights of Hongkongers by stepping down without delay,” he added.

Trudeau’s Bill C-11 is a gateway to censorship

By
Andrew Lawton
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The Liberal government claims its internet regulation bill C-11 is simply an effort to “modernize” broadcast standards but the bill will give the government sweeping power to control online content. A new report from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation produced in collaboration with internet law expert Michael Geist warns C-11 gives Canada controls over the internet akin to those in authoritarian dictatorships. The CTF’s Jay Goldberg joins to discuss. The Liberals aren’t just going after your tweets, but also your plastic straws. Business advocate Catherine Swift joins to explain why Trudeau’s single-use plastics ban is bad news.

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FUREY: Liberals are no longer able to handle basics of government

By
Anthony Furey
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The crazy lines at passport offices across Canada is a sign that the Liberal government is no longer able to manage the very basics of their responsibilities to Canadian citizens.

It’s not often Canadians have to interact with the federal government but one of the most basic services the feds are responsible for is issuing passports.

As Anthony Furey explains, the international junkets and climate conferences mean absolutely nothing if the Liberals can’t manage the basic functions of running a federal government – such as managing the passport offices.

Justin Trudeau’s authoritarian rule of Canada (Ft. Rav Arora)

By
Rupa Subramanya
-

For many people around the world, Canada is a beacon of freedom and a shining example of democracy, but under Justin Trudeau’s rule, many now see Canada as an authoritarian country.

Over the past two years, Canadians have been stripped of their Charter rights. Unvaccinated Canadians have been locked away from leaving the country and from seeing family members, people were forced to stay home in order to “save lives”, businesses were forced to shut their doors, church gatherings were limited by order of the state and now the government is seeking power to control what you and can and cannot see and say on the internet.

How have the past two years changed the international reputation of Canada?

On this episode of The Rupa Subramanya Show, Rupa is joined by freelance writer Rav Arora to discuss his controversial column in the New York Post titled, Once a liberal democracy, Canada is now an authoritarian state. In his column, Rav questions whether he would have more personal liberty in his home country of India compared to Canada under Trudeau. He also writes about how Trudeau’s heavy-handed crackdown on unvaccinated Canadians has shifted the international reputation of the country.

On the show, Rupa and Rav discuss the challenges unvaccinated Canadians have faced, the comparisons between Canada and India and why despite the last two tumultuous years, they both still have optimism for the future of Canada.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE RUPA SUBRAMANYA SHOW

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