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Saturday, May 3, 2025

200 bottles of in-flight wine and beer during Trudeau’s 2020 international trip

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Government data pertaining to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s private Can Force One jet reveals passengers on his February 2020 Europe and Africa tour imbibed nearly 200 bottles of wine and beer.

The alcohol alone cost taxpayers $1,414 over the course of the journey. In total Trudeau’s flight consumed 95 bottles of wine and 93 bottles of beer.

Two of the flights saw alcohol receipts surpass $800 dollars. 

During a trip to France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Trudeau’s cabin drank 43 bottles of wine and 35 cans of beer while a flight to Japan for the G20 summit saw 57 bottles of wine and 35 cans of beer consumed. 

Trudeau’s international trips are often accompanied by a hefty number of staffers and reporters. 

Other elite members of Trudeau’s cabin such as former foreign affairs minister Marc Garneau also took part in their own partying. 

Additional federal flight data shows during a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Challenger flight to the Artic Council in Iceland last year, Garneau and his five guests drank four bottles of wine together. 

Yesterday, the National Post revealed that Governor General Mary Simon billed taxpayers nearly $100,000 in catering fees for a week-long trip to Dubai. 

Passengers on Simon’s RCAF CC-150 Polaris aircraft dined like kings and queens to the tune of $93,117.89. 

Additionally, Simon’s trip used up 146,872 litres of fuel costing $248,127.02 in refuelling expenses. 

A day after the expenses were revealed, Rideau Hall said that Simon shared the public’s concerns about the hefty catering bills. 

“The Governor General shares the public’s concern in regards to expenses and looks forward to further clarity from responsible departments such as (Department of National Defence) and (Global Affairs Canada),” spokesperson Natalie Babin said. 

The fees included “cost of food, non-alcoholic beverages and associated fees, including catering handling and delivery, storage, cleaning and disposal of international waste, airport taxes, administrative fees, security charges, and local taxes.”

FUREY: Trudeau’s online censorship bill charges ahead

By
Anthony Furey
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This week, the Trudeau government quietly passed its controversial online censorship bill without any discussion or debate through committee.

C-11 seeks to expand federal regulatory powers to the online realm and would expand government regulation to user-generated content. Critics of the bill have called the law an overreach and violation of Canadians’ right to freedom of expression.

As Anthony Furey explains, C-11 will likely pass the House of Commons with the support of the NDP and it will be up to the Senate to put a stop to this radical piece of legislation.

Justin Trudeau can’t stop making us CRINGE

By
Harrison Faulkner
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Before catching Covid in California, Justin Trudeau appeared in a ridiculously cringeworthy video with California governor Gavin Newsom to jointly evangelize on the importance of fighting climate change. Conveniently for Trudeau, catching Covid would allow him to avoid having to face parliament during a week that would see him suspend the vaccine mandate for domestic travellers and slip through his online internet legislation.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh found himself in a “dilemma” this week because he needed to update his playlist for Pride month. To do that, he asked Canadians to send him some “queer artists” to listen to.

Plus, a Canadian recruiter made herself viral for all the wrong reasons when she wildly ranted about her anger toward supporters of the Freedom Convoy and discussed how Human Resources workers would conspire to ruin their professional lives. In a perfect twist of fate, it appears this woman has paid the price for not being careful about what she put on social media.

To wrap up the week, Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra takes home the Ratio of the Week Award for his attempt on Twitter to tell us that wait times at Pearson Airport were coming down.

Tune into Ratio’d with Harrison Faulkner!

A list of International destinations unvaccinated Canadians can travel to

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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The Trudeau government will be suspending some of its vaccine mandates on Jun. 20, including its mandate for domestic and outbound flights – allowing unvaccinated Canadians to travel this summer.

Millions of Canadians who had chosen not to take Covid shots were previously banned from flying within and out of Canada, preventing them from leaving the country.   

With much of the world moving on from the pandemic, many countries are accepting unvaccinated foreign tourists. A number of these countries also do not require a pre-entry negative Covid test. 

True North has compiled a list of countries that unvaccinated Canadians will be able to travel to come Jun. 20. 

The list has been separated into two categories: countries that allow the unvaccinated to enter without a negative Covid test, and those that do require testing.

Countries without testing requirements:

For those looking for a Caribbean getaway; Aruba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Grenada and Jamaica allow unvaccinated individuals to enter without a negative test. Mexico also doesn’t require unvaccinated tourists to get a pre-departure test.

As for European destinations; Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the US Virgin Islands no longer have vaccine or test entry requirements.

Other countries that have removed vaccine and testing requirements for tourists include Argentina, Chile, Congo, Costa Rica, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Vietnam. 

Countries with testing requirements:

Caribbean destinations that allow unvaccinated tourists but with a negative Covid-19 test include; the Bahamas, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, St. Barthélemy, St. Lucia, and St. Marten.

France, Malta, Portugal, and Spain are among the European countries that allow unvaccinated tourists if a negative test is provided. Similar rules apply to the following Central and South American nations: Belize, Colombia, Nicaragua and Peru. 

Other countries that allow Covid negative unvaccinated tourists include Egypt, India, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.

It should be noted that testing requirements vary by country, and it is essential that anyone hoping to travel to one of these countries check specific entry requirements.

Countries with vaccine mandates: 

While many popular travel destinations are now welcoming the unvaccinated, some are still requiring foreigners to be vaccinated, including the United States. The Trudeau government is also continuing to ban unvaccinated foreign nationals from entering Canada.

Returning to Canada: 

Unvaccinated Canadians should note that they will be required to produce a negative Covid-19 test before returning to Canada. Tests permitted include antigen tests done within one day before departure or a molecular test done within 72 hours of a person’s planned return. More information can be found on the Government of Canada’s website.

A mandatory 14-day quarantine also remains in place for unvaccinated Canadians who return from international travel, along with additional testing on arrival and day eight of quarantining.

Additional info:

Some countries listed do require travel insurance that covers Covid-19 treatments. Travellers may also be required to fill out government special forms before their departure. – verifying details is crucial. 

There are additional destinations that did not make it onto this list that also accept unvaccinated Canadian tourists.

Feds refusing to compensate lost salaries of unvaccinated federal workers

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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The Trudeau government is refusing to repay the lost salaries of civil servants who were suspended for declining to get the Covid-19 vaccine now that the federal mandate has been lifted. 

Without hesitation, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc immediately shut down reporters who asked whether unvaccinated workers would be compensated. 

“Absolutely not,” said LeBlanc before leaving the press conference. 

The announcement came just as the Liberal government announced a change to its pandemic protocol.

As of June 20, unvaccinated Canadians will be able to board a train or a plane to travel domestically and internationally. 

Additionally, unvaccinated federal workers will be able to return to their jobs. The move came after mounting pressure from the public and industry groups surrounding airport delays and cancellations. 

Nearly 2,000 federal employees were suspended from their job without leave for not being fully vaccinated, according to the Treasury Board of Canada. 

Several major unions including the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) have launched grievance actions on behalf of the impacted employees. 

“With all due respect to Minister LeBlanc, our policy grievances on behalf of workers on leave without pay are a legal issue, not a political one, so we’ll leave the rhetoric to the lawyers on this one,” said PSAC President Chris Aylward. 

According to CAPE President Greg Phillips, his union will also seek paid compensation for lost salaries of workers. 

“CAPE has filed several individual grievances for employees put on leave without pay due to the mandatory vaccination mandate, and we will seek reimbursement of their lost salary, wherever possible,” said Phillips.

“We are disappointed to hear of minister’s Leblanc comment, nonetheless we will pursue this matter before the Federal Public Section Labour Relations and Employment Board to obtain a decision.”

PIPSC has accused the government of not respecting the rights of its workers by launching a review of its vaccination policy. 

“We are confident in our rights, the government did not respect its policy by not carrying out the appropriate review in the allotted time,” said a PIPSC spokesperson. 

Michelle Rempel Garner quits Patrick Brown campaign as she mulls UCP leadership bid

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Longtime Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner has stepped back from her role as national co-chair of Patrick Brown’s Conservative Party of Canada leadership campaign and is mulling a bid for Alberta’s United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership. 

In a thread posted to Twitter on Jun 15, Rempel Garner announced that she would be shifting her focus from the federal Conservative leadership to the UCP leadership race.

Rempel Garner says she has been encouraged to run in the UCP leadership race and is seriously considering running. 

“In recent weeks, I have been encouraged to seek the leadership of the United Conservative Party. This is not a decision that should be taken lightly by anyone,” she wrote. 

“Alberta is – and always has been – my top priority. Today, I can confirm that I am giving a provincial leadership bid serious consideration. I owe it to Albertans to give this critical decision my full and complete attention.”

Rempel Garner says that her focus is on stopping the Trudeau government, which is “hostile to Alberta’s interests,” and stopping the Alberta NDP from forming government in Alberta’s 2023 general election.

Instead, Rempel Garner insisted Alberta needs a leader that sees the province as an exciting, compassionate, and inclusive place while embracing freedom and human rights. 

The Patrick Brown campaign has been shedding support from federal MPs in recent weeks.

Despite the Brown campaign claiming to have signed up over 150,000 new Conservative members, Brown lost the endorsements of Dufferin—Caledon MP Kyle Seeback and Flamborough—Glanbrook MP Dan Muys to rival Pierre Poilievre.

The sole MP to support Brown’s campaign is Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte MP Doug Shipley. 

The number of candidates running for the UCP leadership continues to grow.

Frontrunners for the UCP leadership include former leader of Alberta’s Wildrose party and radio host Danielle Smith, prominent Jason Kenney critic Brian Jean, and former finance minister Travis Toews.

Other candidates who have thrown their names into contention include former Kenney cabinet minister Leela Aheer, children’s services minister Rebecca Schulz, UCP MP Todd Loewen, and transportation minister Rajan Sawhney.

The UCP leadership campaign will be much shorter than the federal Conservative leadership race, as the deadline to enter the race is July 20th, while ballots will be mailed out on Sept 3, and UCP members will select a new UCP leader on Oct 6.

CBC to allow journalists who signed an anti-Israel letter to cover Middle East affairs

By
Noah Jarvis
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The CBC has overturned a policy forbidding journalists who signed an anti-Israel letter from being able to cover issues relating to the Middle East and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. 

According to Honest Reporting Canada (HRC), one of the signatories of the May 14 letter, Sara Jabakhanji, entitled: “An open letter to Canadian newsrooms on covering Israel-Palestine,” wrote an article concerning the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The May 14 letter proposed that Canadian newsrooms abandon a neutral view when covering the Middle East affairs, insisting newsrooms adopt a pro-Palestine, anti-Israel position instead.

The letter claims that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) escalated violence against Palestinians and indiscriminately bombed the Hamas-controlled Gaza strip, despite the IDF only targetting terrorists and terrorist equipment. 

In a June 1, 2021 statement, the Head of Public Affairs at CBC Chuck Thompson made clear that journalists who have taken a public stance in favour of the Palestinian cause will not be able to cover Middle Eastern affairs – as their bias compromises the integrity of the story. 

“By adding their names, the CBC journalists who signed the open letter have taken a public stand on this story. That has created the perception of a conflict of interest among some members of our audience,” the CBC statement read.

“We will provide oversight and ensure editorial distance between those who signed the letter and our daily coverage for the near future. This is standard.” 

In total, 33 CBC employees signed the letter, four choosing to remain anonymous. 

Despite these employees being barred from writing stories concerning Middle Eastern affairs, Sara Jabakhanji, a signatory of the letter,  published an article on Apr 22 alleging the LCBO committed ‘an act of erasure’ by covering the word ‘Palestine’ on a wine bottle.

HRC flagged another violation on May 20, when the CBC published a podcast about an Israeli court decision hosted by Tamara Khandacker, who signed the anti-Israel letter while working at the Globe and Mail. The podcast’s producer Adrien Cheung also signed the letter.

Thus far, these two CBC publications did not cite any pro-Israel sources, instead opting to exclusively cite pro-Palestinian sources alleging Israel to be an “apartheid state.”

In response to an HRC request for comment, the CBC announced that they have backed down from sanctioning anti-Israel journalists from covering Middle Eastern issues, saying that nobody was banned “eternally.”

“…CBC News ensured, for a certain time, editorial distance between reporters who had signed the letter and coverage related to the specific stance taken in that letter. This doesn’t mean that we banned anyone from covering the Middle East eternally,” the CBC said.

Federal panel cites failed Biden “Disinformation Board” as bad policy

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Earlier this month Canadian federal appointees on an online safety panel pointed to US President Joe Biden’s failed attempt to launch a “Disinformation Governance Board” as an example of a government plan to regulate speech which was toppled by public outcry. 

The “Expert Advisory Group on Online Safety” held a session about so-called “disinformation” on Jun. 3. 

A summary of the meeting – which is under strict secrecy rules prohibiting the identification of speakers – singled out the proposed board as a reason why the government should not be in the business of defining what “disinformation” is in legislation.  

“Most experts expressed extreme caution against defining disinformation in legislation. Experts argued that the very process of defining disinformation in legislation is problematic for a number of reasons,” the summary read.

“Experts pointed to the troubled attempts in the United States to address disinformation through a Disinformation Board as an example of how Government-created definitions of disinformation cannot withstand public scrutiny.” 

The group was assembled by the Liberal government to draft online hate legislation. 

Last month, Biden’s handpicked “disinformation expert” indefinitely paused the US’ disinformation board after facing widespread public backlash. 

“With the Board’s work paused and its future uncertain, I have decided to leave to return to my work in the public sphere. It is deeply disappointing that mischaracterizations of the Board became a distraction from the Department’s vital work,” wrote Nina Jankowicz. 

The board was repeatedly likened to the fictional “Ministry of Truth” from the popular dystopian novel by George Orwell “1984.” 

Jankowicz’s own partisan views became central to the debate surrounding the controversial proposal after she stated that verified Twitter users should be allowed to edit other users’ tweets they find misleading and for promoting debunked claims about former president Donald Trump. 

When it was first announced, the Biden administration floated the board as a way to combat foreign disinformation. 

“It was never about censorship or policing speech in any manner. It was designed to ensure we fulfill our mission to protect the homeland, while protecting core Constitutional rights. However, false attacks have become a significant distraction from the Department’s vitally important work to combat disinformation that threatens the safety and security of the American people,” said a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson. 

Western Standard cancels planned Calgary Conservative leadership debate

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

Independent news outlet the Western Standard is cancelling a planned Conservative leadership debate in Calgary after a prominent candidate would not confirm their attendance.

Western Standard president Derek Fildebrandt made the announcement Tuesday afternoon, claiming that the sixth candidate’s non-attendance makes the debate not financially viable.

While Fildebrandt would not reveal the identity of the candidate whose non-attendance is responsible for the debate’s cancellation, he did say, “it wouldn’t be all that difficult to find out.”

Many on social media have since claimed Fildebrandt was referring to Pierre Poilievre, the current front-runner. 

Poilievre is also the only leadership candidate that has not publicly agreed to a third debate organized by the party. In addition, Poilievre would not confirm his attendance at the Independent Press Gallery debate in May, contributing to its cancellation.

Fildebrandt said that the outlet had not yet publicly announced the debate, which would have taken place on Jul. 9, because they were awaiting confirmation from the sixth candidate, which they say “was key to ticket sales.”

The Western Standard debate “would have focused on Western issues,  and — I believe — have been of great importance to Westerners in general, and conservatives more broadly,” said Fildebrandt.

While the Conservative Party of Canada did hold its official English debate in Edmonton, it lacked questions on western issues.

Fildebrandt also promised that unlike the debate moderated by Clark, the Western Standard debate would have not had the infamous “sad trombone,” referring to a buzzer Clark used whenever candidates attacked other candidates by name or mentioned prime minister Trudeau. 

Following Fildebrandt’s announcement, some leadership candidates took to social media to share their disappointment with the news. 

Jean Charest mentioned that two debates have been cancelled due to a particular candidate’s unwillingness to attend. He added that the next Conservative leader “must have the courage to stand up and defend the interests of Western Canadians.”

The Independent Press Gallery also cancelled their debate due to lack of confirmation from candidates.

Meanwhile, Patrick Brown said he had been “looking forward, as were four other candidates, to a robust conversation about our Party’s future”. 

Brown was the only candidate that did not attend the first leadership debate – organized by the Canada Strong and Free Network. Brown also did not agree to participate in a planned debate by the Independent Press Gallery.

Filderbrant says the Western Standard will now explore financially viable alternative formats that would not require ticket sales to offset costs. 

True North reached out to the Poilievre campaign for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.

Trudeau government says it’s “transitioning” to new definition of “fully vaccinated”

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

The government is in the process of coming up with a new definition for “fully vaccinated,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos says.

Duclos said the government is “transitioning” to a new approach, though was scant on details about when a change will be coming.

Citing Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam, Duclos said that “although two doses still protects significantly well against severe disease and death, two doses are not enough now to protect against infection and transmission.”

Cabinet ministers discussed their intentions to change the definition Tuesday while announcing the end of federal vaccine mandates for domestic and outbound fights, trains as well as for civil servants.

The controversial mandates that have been in place since Oct. 2021 will end Monday, Jun. 20. 

“That is why we are transitioning now to an ‘up-to-date’ vaccination definition of what it means to be adequately protected against COVID-19.” 

Duclos added that he will be working closely with provinces and territories in the coming weeks and months to significantly increase the booster uptake, adding that the “rate of boosters in Canada is too low.”

As of May 30, 55.50% of Canadians aged 12 and older have received third doses of Covid-19 vaccines, while approximately 35% of those over the age of 70 have gotten fourth shots.

Tam previously told parliament that two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine offered only 20% protection against the Omicron variant, while three doses offered 60% protection.

She also told the media last Friday that she had recommended that language used to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations rely on “up to date” vaccine regimens rather than a set number of doses.

“(A) mandate is a policy decision that takes into account many different factors and it’s up to the policymakers at this time to make that difficult decision. But I would always be going with recommending ‘up to date,’” said Tam.

While the federal vaccine mandates are ending next week, the Trudeau government said Tuesday that they would be re-implemented in the future if necessary. The government also said future vaccine mandates would rely on an up-to-date definition of “fully vaccinated”.

“With what Dr. Tam said last Friday, it would not be possible to return to a two-dose (vaccine) mandate… measures would have to rely on, starting now, a vaccination definition that is up-to-date,” said Duclos in French.

European countries have already changed their definition of “fully vaccinated” to include booster doses. After making the change, governments invalidated the vaccine passports of eligible double-vaccinated citizens who had refused to take a booster shot. 

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