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Friday, May 2, 2025

Trudeau called out for mask theatrics on US trip

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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While attending the Summits of the Americas in Los Angeles, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was slammed on social media over his double standards when it came to wearing a mask. 

Photos from the prime minister’s trip show him wearing a mask in certain settings while being completely maskless in other similar settings. 

Several prominent figures including Conservative leadership candidate and MP Pierre Poilievre accused Trudeau of engaging in political theatre and inconsistency while abroad. 

Poilievre referenced a photo of Trudeau and Chilean President Gabriel Boric shaking hands while wearing masks and another photo where they are being served by a bartender who is masked while they are not. 

“Same city. Same day. Same guest. Different Covid theatre. Trudeau virtue signals when cameras are on but proves he’s a phony when te think they aren’t watching,” tweeted Poilievre. 

Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason also agreed with Poilievre in response to the tweet which he called “hard to argue with.” 

The conservative advocacy group Canada Proud also called out Trudeau for not wearing a mask while attending a meeting with fellow delegates at the summit.

“Hey Trudeau, where’s your mask? Is there no pandemic in California?” tweeted Canada Proud. 

Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen raised the issue in the House of Commons also after accusing the prime minister of flaunting his personal freedoms abroad while maintaining extreme Covid mandates on Canadians. 

“The prime minister has jetted off on another international trip. No airport line ups for him and I bet we’re going to see more pictures of him with his mask off having a great time. He flaunts the personal freedoms he’s enjoying abroad while back here Canadians are suffering under his out of date restrictions,” said Bergen.  

Additionally, researcher Dr. Eli David took to Twitter to slam Trudeau for being maskless abroad but a “mask-fanatic” in Canada. 

While at the summit, Trudeau was asked why he wears a mask inconsistently by a reporter and he evaded answering the question directly.

“Your government continues to support mask mandates in the House of Commons and in federally regulated placed like airports but it appears that you wear a mask inconsistently and depending on different situations,” said the reporter. “Do you still believe that a mask mandate should still be in place? And if so, in what types of situations?” 

“First of all, I understand how tired everyone is of the pandemic, of the different rules and restrictions we have to go through but most people understand, this pandemic is not over yet,” said Trudeau. “We continue to see our hospitals filled with people suffering tremendous consequences. We continue to see more spreads. We continue to run the risk of new variants every step of the way.”

Risk of digital ID being “harmful to privacy” says former federal watchdog

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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The former privacy commissioner of Canada warned that while digital identity could make access to government programs easier, it could cause harm to the privacy of Canadians depending on how it’s designed. 

Daniel Therrien made the comments while testifying before the House of Commons information and ethics committee on Jun. 2. 

“There’s a lot of interest in the concept of digital IDs and having access to them. Could you explain how such a technology could potentially strengthen privacy security? Canadians have questions about how all that could potentially work,” asked Liberal MP Ya’ara Saks. 

“Digital ID, like all technologies, can be helpful and privacy protective or harmful to privacy depending on how it is designed. It is certainly conceivable that digital ID could enhance the verification process and the authentication process, allowing citizens to have access to services,” responded Therrien. 

“It is certainly possible that digital ID would lead to the data being available to many players or actors, corporate or governmental, that should not have access to all of this data, but it doesn’t have to be designed that way.”

Therrien pointed to Estonia as a model for adopting digital identity although noted that it was “a very small country with a very small population.” 

In Estonia, all Estonians have a state-issued digital identity called the “eID.” The identification program has been in place for nearly 20 years 

“e-ID and the ecosystem around it is part of any citizen’s daily transactions in the public and private sectors. People use their e-IDs to pay bills, vote online, sign contracts, shop, access their health information, and much more,” writes the e-Estonia website. 

“Much more than just a legal photo ID, the mandatory national card also provides digital access to all of Estonia’s secure e-services.”

There has been increased interest at all governmental levels to implement “digital ID” here in Canada. As exclusively reported by True North, the federal government announced that it worked with airlines and other stakeholders to implement “digital identity documents” for air travel. 

“While four air carriers confirmed their intent to implement innovative identity management solutions in the short to medium term, no specific immediate change has been identified for the (Secure Air Travel Regulations),” the statement claimed.

Critics have warned that the privacy downsides of digital identity outweigh the positive benefits such as ease of access. 

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Trudeau announced the nomination of Philippe Dufresne as Privacy Commissioner of Canada. 

Nova Scotia Civil Liberties Association wants public inquiry into province’s pandemic response

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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The Nova Scotia Civil Liberties Association (NSCLA) wants a public inquiry into the provincial government’s Covid-19 response, including the implementation of vaccine mandates and other restrictions imposed on Nova Scotians.

The NSCLA argues that “Canadian society is predicated on certain institutional features” and that Canadians “historically opt for promotion and appointment based on merit.”

The civil liberties group believes that a public inquiry is needed because general crises, such as the pandemic, presented “a particularly challenging condition that threaten those features.”

The NSCLA wants the public inquiry to analyze the cost-benefit of the approach taken by the Nova Scotia government to mitigate Covid-19, in comparison to “broad-based pre-pandemic recommendations from national or international bodies, such as the WHO pandemic response plan.” 

The civil liberties group also wants to see the extent to which the government failed to assess the impacts that vaccine mandates, lockdowns, limits on travel and other restrictions had on vulnerable communities.

The public inquiry requested by the NSCLA would also seek for the evidence behind decisions to close businesses, limit gatherings, restrict the provincial border and impose vaccine mandates. The NSCLA cites potential charter violations, economic impacts, over 300 COVID-related deaths and the fact the state of emergency was renewed 51 times as basis for a public inquiry.  

The NSCLA also wants the inquiry to look into “the deviations in political process and their justification”, as restrictions being adopted by decree rather than through the legislative process – as well as the costs and impacts of the measures adopted throughout the pandemic.

Nova Scotia, along with the rest of Atlantic Canada, had implemented the controversial “Covid-Zero” approach in the early stages of the pandemic. The approach used strict public health measures to suppress cases of Covid-19 and aimed to have zero cases. 

The approach was ultimately abandoned by many provinces due to high vaccination rates in Canada. The approach was also used by Australia and New Zealand, and continues to be used by China and North Korea.

As part of its “Covid-Zero” regime, Nova Scotia imposed strict restrictions on interprovincial travel and even called in the military while reporting only 96 new Covid cases.

In Apr. 2021, Nova Scotia’s then Liberal Premier Iain Rankin put the province into one of the strictest lockdowns in Canada, that included the closure of schools and most retail businesses, a ban on social gatherings as well as limits on outdoor recreation.

The government also imposed outdoor mask mandates, attempted to ban people from moving to the province and also prevented people from travelling to funerals while offering limited exceptions for those wanting to go to Nova Scotia to visit a dying loved one.

The Nova Scotia government also faced controversy after it obtained a court injunction to ban anti-lockdown protests after a rally against Rakin’s lockdown had been planned. 

The province also issued an order banning people from gathering along highways, as the Freedom Convoy was headed to Ottawa.

Rankin’s Liberals were voted out in Aug. 2021, and replaced with a Progressive Conservative government led by Tim Houston.

Nova Scotia has had seven public inquiries since its Inquiries Act passed in 1989. There is also an ongoing public inquiry into the Apr. 2020 Portapique mass shooting that saw 22 people killed.

Some have also called for a public inquiry into the federal government’s pandemic response, an idea that is supported by the majority of Canadians.

Trudeau is wrong. Self-defence is a right.

By
Andrew Lawton
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in an American radio interview that Canadians don’t have a right to use firearms for self-defence, blaming American rhetoric for making Canadians think they have rights he claims they don’t. While firearms ownership in Canada is not a legal right, self-defence is. Moreover, Canadians can use firearms to defend themselves. Criminal lawyer Sam Goldstein joins the show to fact check Trudeau.

Also, CBC is misleading Canadians about Freedom Convoy fundraiser Tamara Lich and Trudeau’s caught another case of the Covid.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Patrick Brown will not run for Conservatives if Pierre Poilievre wins leadership

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate Patrick Brown has ruled out running for a seat with the federal Conservatives should opponent Pierre Poilievre become leader. 

If the race “got to a point where it looked like Pierre was going to win,” Brown said he would return to municipal politics and continue on his role as mayor of Brampton, Ontario.

“I continue to believe that we can win this leadership. I continue to believe that we can beat Pierre Poilievre and make sure that we actually have the capacity to defeat Justin Trudeau in the next election,” said Brown. 

Brown has until the middle of August to file his nomination papers to be a candidate in Brampton’s fall mayoral race. Meanwhile, the Conservatives will not select their new leader until September 10. 

As for other candidates, Brown said he would “be happy” to run under either Jean Charest and Leslyn Lewis in the next election.

Brown claimed he has signed up 150,000 members to support him in the leadership race. Poilievre’s campaign claims to have sold over 311,000 new members, though this figure was mocked as “Pierreinflation” by Charest, who is not releasing his membership numbers, in a CTV interview. Other campaigns have yet to release how many memberships they’ve acquired. 

Last week, Brown lost two endorsements from Conservative MPs Kyle Seeback and Dan Muys. 

The pair had originally endorsed Brown but then reversed course and threw their support behind Poilievre. 

“I believe there’s one candidate – one my constituents support – who can unite conservatives & Canadians to become our next PM,” Seeback said. 

Initially Seeback was serving as Brown’s caucus chair but in a statement to True North he said that “the divisive nature of this campaign is not good for conservatives and it’s time for conservatives to unite.”

Muys also cited divisiveness as a reason behind his switch to Poilievre.

“(Seeback) is right. Over the past month, I’ve been helping (Ontario) PC candidate in my spare time and haven’t been engaged in the (Conservative) leadership. I am increasingly concerned about the divisiveness. Let’s unify behind Pierre Poilievre,” tweeted Muys.

A Brown campaign spokesperson brushed off the lost endorsements.

“(An) endorsement from anyone and two bucks gets you a cup of coffee and one vote. We just lost two votes, we’ll make them up somewhere else,” Chisholm Pothier said.

FUREY: Trudeau’s commitment to villainize the unvaccinated

By
Anthony Furey
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Travellers are experiencing long delays as a result of the Trudeau government’s vaccine mandates and travel restrictions. Despite calls from travel groups and airlines, the government refuses to drop the mandates.

This week, the Trudeau government announced it would drop mandatory random testing for travellers until the end of the month. As Anthony Furey explains, this will do nothing to solve the crises in our airports.

Anthony says Justin Trudeau just can’t drop the mandates because he’s fully committed to the villainization of the unvaccinated.

LEVY: Another Ontario teacher cancelled for pushing back against critical race theory

By
Sue-Ann Levy
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All 29-year-old teacher Chanel Pfahl did was make a comment on a private Facebook feed that kids should not be indoctrinated about Critical Race Theory (CRT).

She suggested instead that teachers should focus on “modelling kindness” and speak out against “any form of discrimination.”

She also shared a YouTube video of a speech given by the black UK minister of equalities Kemi Badenoch, in which she outlines her government’s decision not to teach CRT.

That was in February 2021 and Pfahl – who taught for a French Catholic school board in Barrie – was subjected to backlash within 10 minutes of posting her thoughts. She was investigated and put on leave for a week without pay.

She was ordered not to communicate with parents.

“It was like I was a criminal,” she said.

In recent months, Pfahl has applied for some supply teaching jobs but despite the great need for supply teachers, she’s never heard back. 

Fast forward to March 2022 when the science, French and English teacher learned she was being investigated by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) for the same comments. 

After only four years, Pfahl is now taking a break from teaching to deal with some serious health issues and awaiting her OCT hearing.

In April, she posted a very insightful story on Substack — a new website for writers of all political stripes. In her piece, Pfahl writes about her tumultuous experience and her decision to not back down in her opposition to CRT.

“I am not exactly thrilled about being ostracized for voicing my dissenting opinions, losing so-called friends, and potentially even sacrificing the career I love. But the reality is that we each have a decision to make regarding our own participation and complicity in allowing this tragic drift away from our once free country,” she writes.

In recent months, she’s applied for some supply teaching jobs but despite the great need for supply teachers, she’s never heard back. 

“I feel like I’ve been canceled,” she told True North recently.

Pfahl’s situation is yet another example of the shameless efforts to cancel educators and school board administrators who dare speak out against the dangerous infiltration of the woke agenda in Ontario’s school system.

She’s been sidelined – just as 20-year Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) teacher Carolyn Burjoski was in January – for saying what is on the minds of the silent majority. 

Burjoski was cancelled four minutes into her presentation to the Waterloo public school trustees about highly sexualized books in elementary school libraries, sent home and labelled “transphobic” by the board chairman, Scott Piatkowski.

Burjoski has slapped Piatkowski and the Waterloo school board with a $1.7-million defamation suit.

Earlier this week, the woke trustees on the WRDSB – led by Piatkowski – were at it again.

The board’s only black trustee, Mike Ramsay, faced a lynch mob following a code of conduct complaint for allegedly tweeting my stories and those of other conservative writers.

Removed from most board meetings until the end of the current term (Sept. 30), the report on Ramsay was kept secret and he was not permitted to speak in his own defence at a special board meeting.

Trustee Linda Stone quit the Durham District School Board a few weeks ago after being harassed for months for daring to question the board’s proposed Human Rights policy — specifically their curiously open-ended definition of white supremacy.

At the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, woke trustees, including the radical trans trustee Lyra Evans, have been gunning for their colleague Donna Blackburn for some time now. 

Blackburn recently tried to move a motion asking for board officials to work better with the Ottawa police to deal with the uptick in school violence. She was mocked, bullied and called “racist.”

It remains to be seen who’ll be next on the woke firing line for simply echoing the concerns of the silent majority.

Meanwhile Pfahl continues to have an active presence on Twitter – insisting that she doesn’t say anything controversial.

“I just really feel people should stop being scared to say what’s right,”  she said. 

“Nothing I have said has been discriminatory or hateful.”

BC school district bans parents from “youth pride dance” for K-12

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Surrey School District has banned parents and guardians from a youth pride dance intended for  K-12 aged children. 

A flyer published by the City of Surrey promoting the “Youth Pride Dance” explicitly restricts parents from attending, citing so-called “privacy and safety” concerns for LGBTQ+ youth. 

“For participant privacy and safety, parents or guardians are not permitted in the event,” the flier states. 

The city-sponsored event is being advertised as a way for children to explore the LGBTQ+ community and is enticing kids to attend for snacks and prizes. 

“Join us for a fun, inclusive and welcoming dance for youth ages 13 to 18! Dance, play games, explore the history of LGBTQ2S+ in Surrey, enjoy snacks, and win prizes for creative outfits. LGBTQ2S+ and allies welcome,” an event description explains. 

Hosts include Surrey Schools and Youth for a Change. 

The “Youth Pride Dance” is among several LGBTQ+ events for children across Canada this month.

In partnership with Durham Pride, Toronto Pride and the Durham Children’s Aid Society, the Pickering Public Library hosted a “drag queen story time” for kids aged 0-12.

The event description says that the event is an “interactive storytelling and dance performance” where the stories that are read “encourage children [to] celebrate our differences”. A photo booth and face painting area were also set up for the drag performers to interact with the children.

In Dorval, QC, another “drag queen story hour” is taking place for young children.

“June is Pride Month. Come meet and listen to the magnificent, one-and-only drag queen Barbada, who will enthrall you with her wonderful stories.” reads the Dorval public library’s website.

Radical gender and woke ideology at school boards in Canada have parents increasingly concerned. 

Earlier this week, the only black six-term trustee on the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) Mike Ramsay was cancelled by woke school board trustees for questioning some of the board’s decisions. 

Ramsay, who shared True North stories about woke ideology at the WRDSB, was sanctioned by fellow trustees due to an anonymous complaint. 

WRDSB Chairman Scott Piatkowski is currently the subject of a $1.7 million defamation lawsuit filed by 20-year teacher Carolyn Burjoski after Piatkowski shut down her presentation regarding her concerns about overly sexualized books in elementary schools.

Burjoski alleges she was called “transphobic” because of her presentation. 

“In publishing these false and defamatory statements, Piatkowski and WRDSB ought to have known that such statements would ferment hatred, ridicule and contempt for Burjoski,” the claim states.

Transport minister cites faulty data to justify travel mandates

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Liberal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra cited a study that predated the Omicron variant and relied on people to self-report their mask use to justify maintaining Covid-19 mandates. 

In a tweet on Thursday, Alghabra claimed that mandatory masking made it 83% less likely to get Covid-19. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study referenced in the minister’s tweet was based on data from Feb. to Dec. 2021 and was titled Effectiveness of Face Mask or Respirator Use in Indoor Public Settings for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. 

Critics of the study included Dr. Vinay Prasad who said it was “not fit for the scientific record.”

“What (the CDC is) publishing is not true. I have less credibility in them. I really doubt them. That’s not good. I’m a scientist. It’s true for a lot of people, they’re killing their credibility in this political environment and you push on issues that are politically charge. I worry what’s going to happen,” said Dr. Prasad. 

Soon after the study was published, the CDC adjusted its guidance on mask use. 

According to critics of the study, the report itself had eight limitations in its findings. One of the main issues highlighted is that it didn’t account for other preventative measures such as physical distancing or handwashing. 

Researchers also noted that the study did not include the general population, but instead was restricted to those who were seeking out tests and were willing to participate in a phone interview.

Additionally, the report relied on data that predated the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible and less severe than previous variants. The report also had issues differentiating between types of cloth masks.

“Data collection occurred before the expansion of the (Omicron) variant, which is more transmissible than earlier variants… Face mask or respirator use was self-reported, which could introduce social desirability bias,” researchers said. 

The study also found that wearing cloth masks, which is a common practice among travellers “was associated with lower adjusted odds of a positive test compared with never wearing a face covering but was not statistically significant.”

Unlike Canada, the US dropped mask requirements for airlines in April. Currently masking on a flight within the country is optional. Similarly face masks are no longer required for passengers flying to major EU countries like Germany, Italy, Spain and others. 

In addition to mandatory masks, the Trudeau government has refused to drop its vaccine mandates for travellers.

Despite calls from travel associations, airlines and opposition politicians, the government extended the measures until at least Jun. 30. Ongoing Covid restrictions have caused chaos at Canada’s airports, with some travellers waiting for hours in long lineups.

Quebec teacher says he’s done drag queen story hours since 2016

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
-

An elementary school teacher in Quebec who is taking part in a drag queen story hour this weekend says he has been doing similar events since 2016. 

Thirty-seven year-old Sebastien Potvin, who goes by the drag name “Barbada de Barbades,” will be performing for two audiences at the Dorval Library near Montreal Saturday. 

Potvin, who works as an elementary school music teacher on the south shore of Montreal, also performs at drag on television, at brunches and at gay cabaret bars. 

“June is Pride Month. Come meet and listen to the magnificent, one-and-only drag queen Barbada, who will enthrall you with her wonderful stories.” reads the public library’s website.

“We invite anyone and everyone to put on some fancy clothes and attend this inspiring activity that encourages openness to differences, acceptance, and fun!”

The fully booked “family” event sponsored by the Friends of the Dorval Library will be in both French and English. 

True North reached out to Potvin with questions regarding his drag shows for children but he did not respond in time of publication.

According to Potvin’s website, his drag queen story hours are targeted to kids three to six years old, but “younger children are welcome.”

Potvin says he usually starts off his story hours “with a grand entrance,” followed by an explanation of what a drag queen is and why has chosen to be one. He then “asks the children to introduce themselves by saying their name or a made-up name.”

Potvin says he enjoys reading stories that contain “superb colourful, touching and funny stories about openness, acceptance and self-esteem.”

In a 2019 video from the Pointe au Tremble library published on Youtube, Potvin read to children a story called “Deux garçons et un secret” (two boys and a secret), which touches on the topic of homosexuality. 

In addition to doing drag queen story hours across the province, Potvin has also been the host of a Radio-Canada children’s music show.

In his show Barbada, Potvin is joined by a “company of stuffed animals, but also of artists who will deliver a special performance for the children according to the theme of each episode.”

Potvin also appeared in a Radio-Canada video where he explained the “LGBTQI2A+” acronym to children. In the same video, he shared how he once questioned his sexual orientation and encouraged kids to ask people their preferred pronouns and use gender-neutral language.

“LGBTQI2A+ is a term to bring all of this (sexual orientations, genders, gender identities and gender expressions) togeather,” said Potvin, adding that the term is meant to show “that it’s not always just black and just white.”

“When I was young, I was questioning. I have sometimes wondered about my sexual orientation or even, at times, my gender identity.”

Potvin also said that “if you see someone in front of you and you’re not sure of their gender identity. You’re not sure if they prefer us to say ‘he’ or ‘she’. Just ask, but do not judge.” 

He added that it has happened at times that people were not sure if he was a man or a woman.

In an interview with Le Devoir, which described him as part of “a new generation of flamboyant teachers, sometimes with strong opinions, who break the mold,” Potvin defended doing drag performances while also being a teacher.

“We have to stop thinking that teachers are just teachers,” said Potvin, adding that “we have the right to have a life outside of work.” 

“For a long time, our profession was seen as a vocation, but that is no longer the case. It’s a job like any other.” 

Potvin also said he feels supported by his school administration, and hopes to encourage respect for others, for differences and for self acceptance.

As for discussing his drag with students, Potvin says “if they have heard about Barbada and they ask me about it, I tell them the truth.”

Drag queen children’s events have been popping up around Canada, the United States, and even Europe for the month of June, dubbed as LGBTQ “pride month”. 

Much controversy has however arisen out of the events, with some claiming they are not age appropriate and others going as far as saying they are a form of grooming. 

True North’s Harrison Faulkner attended a drag queen story hour at a Pickering, Ontario library Wednesday, where drag queens danced in front of young children. 

Last week, a drag event for kids in Dallas, Texas also caused outrage, after drag queens were seen dancing in front of kids and even taking money from them, while a neon light with the phrase “It’s Not Gonna Lick Itself” lit in the background.

Some have since called for legislation that would make drag-themed children’s events illegal.

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