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Thursday, May 15, 2025

Trudeau’s former finance minister slams government’s economic policies

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Former Liberal finance minister Bill Morneau has criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s post-pandemic economic policies, saying “nothing else is solvable” if Ottawa keeps ignoring its lack of competitiveness.

Morneau – who was ousted on the heels of the WE Charity scandal in 2020 – admitted in a speech to the C.D. Howe Institute on Wednesday that he is more worried about Canada’s economy today than he was when he first became finance minister in 2015. 

“When I look at politics in Canada today – from the perspective of a former insider – I have to confess that I’m much more worried about our economic prospects today, in 2022, than I was seven years ago,” said Morneau.

“So much time and energy was spent on finding ways to redistribute Canada’s wealth that there was little attention given to the importance of increasing our collective prosperity.”

Morneau cited the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) latest figures that show Canada’s GDP growth far behind other developed nations. 

OECD statistics project that Canada will only have a 0.7% GDP per capita growth from 2020 to 2030, making the country dead last in comparison to other advanced economies. 

“There is no real sense of urgency in Ottawa about our lack of competitiveness,” said Morneau. “It’s not that this is one of the big problems facing Canada’s economy, it’s that this is our fundamental problem. Nothing else is solvable if we don’t put this issue first.”

After resigning from his post last year, Morneau unsuccessfully joined the race to become the OECD’s next secretary-general. Although the former finance minister was no longer in government, taxpayers were billed for expenses related to his leadership bid. 

Morneau did not mention current finance minister Chrystia Freeland by name in his recent speech but did say that current “political incentives” run against long term economic solutions. 

“We have to stop thinking about policy in terms of short-term wins, and refocus our efforts on long-term solutions. I know that all of the political incentives run counter to this,” said Morneau. 

Morneau also took a shot at populist campaigns that undermine institutions like the Bank of Canada. Conservative MP and leadership contender Pierre Poilievre has been a vocal critic of the bank, which he accuses of overprinting money. 

“Canada is a country with political institutions that are, in many cases, the envy of the world. Yet there are politicians – who absolutely do know better – who are not only taking those institutions for granted, they’re willing to actively undermine them if it gives them the slightest political advantage,” said Morneau. 

Trudeau’s Wokest Week (Ft. Andrew Lawton)

By
Candice Malcolm
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It’s only Thursday, but this has been Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wokest week ever.

Trudeau began the week by imposing a sweeping ban on handguns in Canada, which specifically targets law-abiding firearms owners. The next day, the Trudeau government decriminalized the possession of heroin, fentanyl and other hard drugs in British Columbia. Finally, Trudeau extended Covid travel restrictions and refuses to acknowledge that the pandemic is over.

On this episode of The Candice Malcolm Show, Candice is joined by True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss Trudeau’s extremely woke week. They also discuss whether decriminalization of hard drugs is the right approach to combat the drug crisis in Canada.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

Alberta Medical Association worries about children’s mental health after supporting lockdowns

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Source: Pixaby

After calling for lockdowns as recently as September, the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) is now sharing concerns about the impact pandemic restrictions have had on the mental health of the province’s children and youth.

A survey by the AMA saw 77% of Alberta parents of teens 15 and older say that their children’s mental health had worsened during the pandemic.

The survey also saw 70% of parents of children six to 14 – and half of parents of children under six  – say that their kids now have worse mental health.

AMA president Vesta Michelle Warren said she wasn’t surprised by the findings. 

“We’ve been seeing it clinically,” she explained “The mental health concerns in all ages has really escalated throughout the pandemic.” 

“The study itself showed, the older the child was, the more likely they were to have had a negative impact on their mental health throughout the course of the pandemic.”

Warren also said she’s been told by pediatricians that “they really see the internet, social media and this ubiquitous use of computers — whether it be a cell phone or iPad or computer itself — as really being one of the big problems with respect to the mental health issues that we’re seeing right now.” 

According to Warren, another issue has been the difficulty of accessing mental health resources. 

“It’s gotten worse for sure to try and link people in it and especially to get them linked in a timely fashion,” she said. 

With Warren and the AMA now raising the alarm over the impact of the pandemic on mental health, it perhaps comes as a surprise that they supported government-imposed lockdowns – identified as a key factor in the worsening of mental health not only for children and youth but also for adults.

Last September, when Alberta was dealing with a fourth wave driven by the Delta variant, the AMA had joined those calling for a “fire break” lockdown to slow the spread of the virus.

Then AMA president Paul Boucher had said “(i)t is now life and death.”

 “Albertans are tired and have been doing their part since this all started, and we do not make these statements lightly,” he added. “These are indeed desperate times and we are disheartened that it has come to this. We need government to institute clear, decisive actions to immediately save our health-care system from collapse and protect Albertans.”

Meanwhile, Warren signed a letter in Nov. 2020 along with hundreds of other doctors calling on the Alberta government to impose a second lockdown – something premier Jason Kenney ended up doing the following month.

While Alberta did not go to the same lengths as Ontario and Quebec in terms of severity, its restrictions did close many businesses, ban gatherings and limit capacity at places of worship – including jailing pastors who defied public health orders. 

The Albera government also limited children’s sports and shuttered schools on several occasions during the pandemic, including earlier this year when it delayed the return to school after Christmas break over the Omicron variant.

The findings of AMA’s survey are similar to those of Toronto’s SickKids hospital, which had found that 70.2% of children six to 18 and 66.1% of preschool-aged children two to five years old had reported a deterioration in mental health.

McMaster Children’s Hospital had also saw a 90% increase in children’s eating disorder referrals, while the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) found that the early days of the pandemic had led to one in four young people contemplating suicide.

Ohio urges US feds to place Canada on religious freedom watch list

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Ohio is calling on the US government to add Canada to a Special Watch List for countries that violate the rights of their citizens. 

The state’s legislature adopted a bill on Wednesday requesting the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recognize its northern neighbour as a country that abuses religious liberty. 

The resolution – titled “Urge addition of Canada to religious freedom Special Watch List” – had as its main sponsors Republican state representatives Reggie Stoltzfus and Timothy E. Ginter.

“Indeed Ohio is not alone in valuing freedom,” the bill states. “The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that ‘Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms,’ which include the ‘freedom of conscience and religion.’ The arrests and actions described below, taken to enforce overly burdensome and unjustified orders, however, do not seem to live up to this praiseworthy statement.”

The bill goes on to cite the “abuses of religious liberty that have gone on throughout the Provinces of Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

Among the abuses cited include the arrests of pastors James Coates, Arthur and David Pawloski and Tobias Tissen. 

“All of the Canadian provinces have at times prohibited religious gatherings outright, or have limited the size of religious gatherings, and many provinces still have severe size limitations on religious gatherings either held indoors or outdoors, punishable by harassment, fines, and jail time of faith leaders, thus limiting the parishioners’ or members’ ability to attend the assembly of their choice, and generally limiting religious liberty,” the bill continues. 

As the resolution explains, the USCIRF contemplates policy responses by the US government to foreign countries found to have severely violated religious freedoms. 

The following countries are currently cited on the Special Watch List: Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Laos, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Venezuela. 

“We, the members of the House of Representatives of the 134th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, urge the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to take whatever action is necessary to address and rectify the situation, described in this resolution, and consider adding Canada to the Special Watch List,” the resolution states. 

Stoltzfus and Ginter are not the only US politicians who have cited Canada for religious freedom violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Republican Senator Josh Hawley also urged the USCIRF to investigate “systemic” violations of Charter rights. 

“I am troubled that our Canadian neighbors are effectively being forced to gather in secret, undisclosed locations to exercise their basic freedom to worship,” wrote Hawley in a letter to Commission Chair Nadine Maenza.

Canada advocate Faytene Grasseschi on tour to get more people involved with internal politics

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Canada advocate and talk show host Faytene Grasseschi is currently on a national tour with the goal of getting more people involved with internal party politics. True North’s Elie Cantin-Nantel caught up with her at the Canada Strong and Free networking conference.

According to Grasseschi, only 0.2% of Canadians (81,389 people) voted for Justin Trudeau in the 2013 Liberal leadership race, meanwhile 0.05% of the population (21,900 people) enabled Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau the ability to create a coalition.

Grasseschi is hoping to be able to increase participation in internal politics so more Canadians have a say about their elected officials.

Learn more about Grasseschi’s national tour.

Visits by new clients to food banks have tripled in some cities

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Rising grocery prices are resulting in three times the number of Canadians visiting food banks in some areas, according to the CEO of Daily Bread Food Bank. 

Neil Hetherington said that Toronto has seen a spike of nearly 100,000 visitors, up from 60,000 who accessed its services before the pandemic. 

“We expect that number to rise to about 225,000 client visits per month,” he said. “People are in need in the city, and we need to do something about it.” 

Other jurisdictions including Charlottetown and Calgary have also seen a spike. For example, the Upper Room Hospitality Ministry in PEI saw a 60% increase since April 2021.

Meanwhile in Calgary, 75% of food bank deliveries were to new clients to the program. 

Food prices across Canada have skyrocketed, with Statistics Canada reporting an increase of 9.7% since April of last year. Meanwhile, inflation reached a three-decade high at 6.8%.

“We committed as a country that we would reduce poverty by 50 per cent by 2030. We’re not on track to be able to do that and this inflation has exacerbated that situation,” said Hetherington.

“We know the answers to these social problems. We know the levers to pull. We know the impact that they’re going to have. We just need to have the political will and courage and leadership to be able to make that difference.” 

The 2022 Canada Food Price Report found that the average Canadian family of four would pay $1000 more for food this year. 

“It’s important for consumers to understand that food prices have been going up for some time, and there’s no turning back,” said project lead Sylvain Charlebois. “Our relationship with food is changing, and so will our food budgets. Showing up at the grocery store knowing what you should be paying will help.”

The most affected provinces are believed to be Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Saskatchewan. 

“COVID-19 is still here,” said report analyst Alyssa Gerhardt. “The food supply chain will continue to grapple with the cost of sanitation and PPE, high transportation costs and reduced maritime transport capacity, as well as decreased efficiency and disruptions due to closures.”

Report slams 40-week wait for veterans disability benefits

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Disabled veterans and injured RCMP officers are waiting far too long to receive federal support, a new auditor general report reveals. 

According to Karen Hogan there’s a “broad range” of problems with the way the government delivers disability benefits and other supports. 

“These audits point to longstanding problems and barriers across a broad range of government activity,” Hogan said on Tuesday. “These barriers are unacceptable whether faced by Indigenous and Black offenders, or by low income individuals and veterans accessing benefits.”

Veterans Affairs Canada was particularly singled out by Hogan in her report for ineffective management and an inability to reduce wait times. 

“Implementation of initiatives was slow,” the report reads. “Data to measure improvements was lacking. Both the funding and almost half of the employees on the team responsible for processing applications were temporary.” 

The report found that veterans have to struggle with long delays and wait times to receive any support for themselves or their families.

“As a result, veterans waited too long to receive benefits to support their physical and mental health and their families’ overall well-being.”

Findings include veterans having to wait over 40 weeks to receive a decision on their first applications for disability. Other applications saw an average processing time of 16 weeks. 

Additionally, women, injured RCMP officers and francophones were on average waiting longer than others for benefits. 

“I’m left with the conclusion that the government failed to meet a promise that it made to our veterans: that it would take care of them if they were injured in service,” said Hogan. “This has a real consequence on the well-being of our veterans and their families.”

The auditor general has recommended that Veterans Affairs overhaul its system to fix the issue. Additionally, better resource planning was also advised in order to reduce the backlog. 

According to Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay there are 10,600 applications currently in the system that have yet to be dealt with. 

“The report is a snapshot of a point in time and we’ve made some real tangible progress since the audit period ended,” he claimed. 

“No, everything is not all right. It’s so important that we keep on this track. Is it enough? No, but we have to make sure that we continue on this track and put this backlog where it should be.”

Westjet and travel & tourism leaders tell Trudeau to end travel restrictions

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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The CEO of Westjet and the Canadian Travel & Tourism Roundtable have joined those calling on the Trudeau government to drop its travel mandates and restrictions.

On Tuesday, the Trudeau government extended the measures until at least Jun. 30, making the announcement a day after voting down a Conservative motion to bring them to an end.

At a Wednesday press conference in Ottawa, the Travel & Tourism Roundtable, which is made up of industry leaders, called on the government to remove remaining border Covid restrictions by Jun. 15.

Hotel Association of Canada president and CEO Susie Grynol said that “travel volumes are increasing but Covid restrictions and requirements continue to linger,” adding that this is “creating congestion at our airports and contributing to a poor impression of Canada.”

She also said that restrictions add “uncertainty, frustration and anxiety to the traveller experience” and hurt local tourism operators and hotels. Grynol said she believes that Canada should follow other countries including Italy, the United Kingdom and Switzerland in fully opening up travel.

Interim president and CEO of the National Airlines Association of Canada Suzanne Acton-Gervais agreed.

“Canadians are eager to return to travel,” she said, adding that “part of welcoming travellers back is ensuring that their experience is predictable, timely and enjoyable, with clear service standards and performance metrics similar to other nations.”

“It is time for the government of Canada to revisit COVID-19 pandemic restrictions placed on air travel, in line with the growing list of over 50 countries that have removed barriers to travel all together.”

Meanwhile, vice-president and general manager of American Express Global Business Travel Patrick Doyle said that Covid restrictions “are contributing to loss and postponement of business travel, conferences and events across the country.” 

“Just as our sector is starting to get back on its feet, the last thing we need is another setback.” 

Doyle said that the situation at Toronto’s Pearson airport is troubling given Pearson is the first impression many travellers get when they arrive in Canada.

“…With those long delays we are sending the wrong message, we’re telling them Canada is not open for business,” he said.

Interim president and CEO of the Canadian Airports Council, Monette Pasher reiterated her previous statement that regular travel and public health protocols cannot coexist. 

Saying that pandemic restrictions are taking up to four times longer for passengers to get through customs, Pasher also called on the federal government to remove on-site mandatory random testing, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) duplicate health check questions and vaccine mandates for border service and air transport security employees.

Westjet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech has also called on Trudeu’s mandates to end. 

In a tweet posted Tuesday, he said that the vaccine mandate for air passengers and employees should be dropped, adding that “as vaccines are not preventing the spreading of the virus since omicron, there is no more logic to maintain it.”

Von Hoensbroech also said that ending the mandates would “relax some of the operational challenges” at airports.

In another tweet, Von Hoensbroech shared a picture of himself maskless on a European plane, and highlighted that masks were not required. He also previously said Canada should “rethink” mandatory masking on flights.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also demanded last week that the Trudeau government drop its Covid travel restrictions.

Trudeau doubled down on his travel mandates and restrictions when asked for comment on industry leaders’ demands, saying that “we’re still in a pandemic.” 

“We are still at risk, particularly at risk as fall approaches, of new variants,” Trudeau told CTV  “We need to make sure we do everything we can to keep Canadians safe.”

Ontario Party commits to private healthcare options

By
Andrew Lawton
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Millions of Ontarians will cast their ballots tomorrow in the Ontario provincial election. One of the biggest concerns amongst voters is the province’s over-burdened healthcare system. While many Canadians pride themselves on “free healthcare”, the Ontario Party says the time for healthcare reform is now. Ontario Party leader Derek Sloan joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss why Ontarians need more, and better, healthcare options. Plus, Derek outlines the Ontario Party’s plan to expand the province’s energy sector.

Watch The Andrew Lawton Show.

CRTC confirms internet bill C-11 will regulate user content

By
Noah Jarvis
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The chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)  has confirmed that the Trudeau government’s Bill C-11 would crack down on user content – contrary to the government’s own testimony. 

Testifying at a Canadian heritage committee hearing on Tuesday, CRTC chair Ian Scott said, “[Section] 4.2 allows the CRTC to prescribe by regulation user uploaded content subject to very explicit criteria. That is also in the Act.”

Section 4.2 of the bill allows the CRTC to issue regulations on social media companies that could affect the reach of content – favouring some content over others.

Commission general counsel Rachelle Frenette attempted to clarify the regulatory powers the CRTC would have but ended up further obfuscating the commission’s powers. 

“The commission could, for example, issue certain rules with respect to discoverability, could perhaps issue rules…to respond to certain concerns on accessibility.”

This witness testimony before the Canadian heritage committee appears to contradict statements made by heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez had made assurances that the issues in previous versions of the bill were “fixed” and that corporations were the bill’s targets, not individuals.

“We made it very clear in the Online Streaming Act that this does not apply to what individual Canadians and creators post online,” he said.  

“No users, no online creators will be regulated. No digital-first creators, no influencers, no cat videos. Only the companies themselves will have new responsibilities.”

While there has been debate over how much power would be delegated to the CRTC if the Trudeau government passes Bill C-11, testimony suggests the legislation’s broad language allows the CRTC to exert control far beyond the scope described by the government.

YouTuber Justin Tomchuk told the heritage committee that Bill C-11– as it stands – would potentially destroy his YouTube channels, as a vast majority of his audience is international. 

“The social media platforms cannot allow Canadian content to enjoy heightened exposure to Canadians without detracting exposure internationally, as it creates an uneven playing field on the platform,” Tomchuk said. “Less Canadian content will be shown globally as a result.”

YouTube has also warned that Bill C-11 places content uploaded by creators under the purview of CRTC regulation – again, despite the Trudeau government’s claims.

YouTube Canada’s head of government affairs Janette Patell said that the bill “provides the CRTC the discretion to regulate user-generated content like a fan doing a cover song or someone making cooking videos in their kitchen or doing how-to-fix-a-bike videos.” 

University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist criticized the government for portraying the bill’s effects as harmless and avoiding its potential problems.

“When the government isn’t misleading about the scope of the bill, it would seemingly prefer to shift the debate to the implications of CRTC regulatory power on user content, with (CRTC chair) Scott seeking to portray it as harmless,” he said.  

“However, those who are expert in the area have identified risks to Canadian creators with the approach, particularly with respect to content downgraded in algorithms outside of Canada.”

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