Three months after a violent terrorist attack on a Coastal GasLink work camp near Houston, B.C., the RCMP has yet to announce any leads or arrests – this despite witnesses coming forward and a team of 40 RCMP investigators assigned to the case.
In February, a mob of approximately 20 masked people reportedly attacked security guards with axes, smashed their vehicles’ windows and destroyed heavy equipment at a natural gas pipeline site in a remote corner of the province.
Police reported the roadway had been blocked with “downed trees, tar covered stumps, wire, boards with spikes in them, and fires had been lit throughout the debris.”
As police worked their way through the debris and traps, several people allegedly threw smoke bombs and flaming sticks at the police, injuring one officer.
Police say they found several pieces of heavy equipment that had been smashed, burned and destroyed, including a work trailer that had its wall ripped off.
Within hours of the attack, the RCMP announced a team of 40 investigators to look into the case. The RCMP also released a series of videos on Feb. 22 asking for the public’s help in identifying the assailants.
According to the National Post, Coastal GasLink also published a lengthy witness account on Feb. 20 from a security worker identified only as “Trevor.”
“I heard smashes on the back tailgate and when I looked in my mirror I could see one of them was holding an axe,” Trevor said.
“This was not a peaceful interaction. This was violence.”
“You know, we’re just people out here trying to make a living and do a job. We have families … we have kids. You know, to have this terrifying event where people are trying to come at you with an axe, and throwing axes through your window and trying to start a truck on fire, well … we just want to do our job, and work and go home to our families at the end of the day.”
As reported by True North, days after the attack, an Antifa-affiliated website praised the terror attack.
An anonymous submission to the far-left extremist website Montreal Counter-Information nonetheless called for others to launch similar assaults against the pipeline and its workers.
“As anarchist individuals living in the North who are supportive of struggles in defence of the land and against ongoing colonization by Canada and its corporate interests we declare our support for this action and encourage others to do so,” the post reads.
“May others continue this fight, take action against (Coastal GasLink), Canada and on-going colonization where they stand and draw inspiration and courage from this action as we do.”
This was not the first time far-left eco-terrorists have perpetuated violence in the name of saving the environment. Earlier in May, eco-terrorists destroyed two vehicles at the home of Conservative Minister and current RBC executive Michael Fortier. Montreal police believe the incident is the latest in a series of attacks against Royal Bank of Canada and its executives over the organization’s funding of the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline.
Conservative leadership candidate Roman Baber has announced that if he is elected prime minister, he would fire Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam over her management of the pandemic on his first day in office.
“On September 2, 2020, Dr. Theresa Tam told Canadians to wear a mask during intimacy. That day, she lost any credibility she had left, but Justin Trudeau and many Conservatives are still afraid to challenge her. Not me,” Baber wrote in an email to party members.
“As Prime Minister, I will fire Dr. Tam on my first day in office!”
In addition to firing Dr. Tam, the former Ontario MPP also committed to withdrawing Canada’s participation in the World Health Organization’s pandemic treaty, as well as ending all of the federal government’s mandates and “establishing a Judicial Inquiry to investigate Public Health decisions and the influence of foreign interests, pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists on pandemic decision-making.”
Baber has been a vocal critic of Canada’s pandemic response.
In 2021, Baber was removed from the Progressive Conservative caucus after he opposed the Ontario government’s lockdowns.
Leading up to his ejection from caucus, Baber wrote an open letter to Premier Doug Ford calling for an end to lockdowns. Baber claimed the lockdowns had led to a spike in suicides, bankruptcies and divorces.
Baber has also been a vocal critic of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s handling of the Freedom Convoy.
In an appearance on CBC News’s Power and Politics in April, Baber said Trudeau’s invocation of the Emergencies Act was groundless.
“There was absolutely no necessity in the declaration of an emergency or riot police against bystanders on the Hill. That was unacceptable. No one regretfully actually discussed the issue at dispute which are the mandates. You shouldn’t force someone to choose between their ability to put food on the table and potentially making healthcare choices that they didn’t want to make,” said Baber.
Baber was an early supporter of the Freedom Convoy. On Jan. 26, he tweeted that he supported “truckers and their legal right to peaceful protest. They’re not just standing up for their ability to earn a living. They’re standing up to Justin Trudeau and for our democracy.”
The Conservatives’ new leader will be announced on Sept. 10 following mail-in voting.
The Canadian Airport Council has slammed federal Covid mandates as the cause of ongoing chaos with air travel, saying the measures quadruple the amount of time it takes a passenger to board.
Comments by the council’s interim president Monette Pasher poked a hole in the Trudeau government’s claims about air travel delays plaguing airports throughout Canada.
“We’re seeing that we clearly cannot have these public health requirements and testing at our borders as we get back to regular travel,” said Pasher.
The council has called for the federal government to ditch random testing and medical questions to help reduce delays. According to Pasher, these additional requirements quadruple the amount of time it takes before a passenger can board a flight.
“Getting back to regular travel with these health protocols and testing in place, the two can’t coexist without a significant pressure and strain on our system,” said Pasher.
Conservative MPs blasted Liberal Health Minister Omar Alghabra in the House of Commons for making Canada the strictest country when it comes to pandemic travel restrictions at a time when most nations around the world are doing away with such stringent measures.
In Canada, millions of unvaccinated Canadians are still not permitted to board a domestic or international flight.
“We have massive lineups at airport security. Passengers are being held on the tarmac, and there are missed connections, costly delays and outdated COVID testing,” said Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman on Monday. “Many Canadians still cannot even travel. The reason, according to the minister, is that Canadians have forgotten how to travel and that they are out of practice.”
“Is the minister going to take responsibility for his government’s failure, or will he continue to blame Canadian travellers?”
Alghabra characterized Lantsman’s claims as misinformation.
“It is not a surprise that a Conservative member of Parliament would repackage and misinform Canadians about what I said,” he responded. “Having said that, it is really important to acknowledge the good news today, which is that more and more Canadians are travelling. That is good news.”
“We are seeing that the surge for the demand to travel is putting a lot of pressure on our airports and our security systems. We are making sure that we increase resources. We are working with airports. We are working with airlines to address this issue. This is a priority.”
Ottawa Police Service (OPS) interim chief Steve Bell has told parliamentarians his force did not request the Trudeau government invoke the Emergencies Act before cracking down on Freedom Convoy protests in February.
Bell made the revelation during a Commons house affairs committee meeting on Tuesday when questioned by Conservative MP Andrew Scheer.
Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell confirms that the Ottawa Police never requested the Trudeau government to invoke the Emergencies Act. #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/2iscUxyWOS
“Did the Ottawa police make a request to the federal government to invoke the Emergencies Measures Act? Yes or no?” asked Scheer.
“So, we were involved in conversations with our partners and the political ministries,” Bell answered. “We didn’t make a direct request for the Emergencies Act.”
Bell’s statement comes only days after RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki also told the inquiry tasked with investigating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of emergency powers that the federal policing agency made no such request.
“No, there was never a question of requesting the Emergencies Act,” said Lucki last week.
On Thursday, during a study on the rise of ideologically motivated violent extremism at the House of Commons Public Safety committee, Conservative MP @DaneLloydMP grilled security officials for failing to investigate the 30 church burnings that occurred last year. #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/IV5g85oHVP
Since Trudeau invoked the act in February, members of the Liberal government – including Trudeau himself – have repeatedly tried to justify the decision by claiming that law enforcement called on the government to invoke emergency powers.
“When illegal blockades hurt workers and endangered public safety, police were clear that they needed tools not held by any federal, provincial or territorial law,” Trudeau said on Apr. 27. “It was only after we got advice from law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act.”
“We had to invoke the Emergencies Act and we did so on the basis of non-partisan professional advice from law enforcement,” said public safety minister Marco Mendicino.
The claim is one among many in a growing list of debunked accusations flung at the Freedom Convoy by the Liberal government.
Accusations that the convoy was foreign funded have also been refuted by executives with funding platforms and the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC).
“It was their own money. It wasn’t cash that funded terrorism or was in any way money laundering,” said FINTRAC deputy director of intelligence Barry MacKillop.
During a Feb. 18 press conference during the crackdown on the Freedom Convoy, Bell said that powers granted under the Emergencies Act, plus Ontario and Ottawa states of emergency and existing laws had all been used to conduct operations.
“Without these authorities, we wouldn’t have been able to do the work we are doing today,” he said.
Conservative MP and leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis has launched a petition calling on the Trudeau government to decline signing the World Health Organization (WHO)’s pandemic treaty.
The International Treaty on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response was proposed by the WHO in 2021 as an “international pandemic instrument” to increase collaboration between governments at all levels.
Lewis warns that the treaty, which includes 190 countries, “would be legally binding.”
“It defines and classifies what is considered a pandemic and would give the W.H.O. legal power over Canada’s pandemic response, including the ability to force lockdowns and dictate which drugs or vaccines can be used,” her campaign website reads.
With the WHO meeting next week about this, people are telling CBC to have me back on. I'd rather they ask the PM on & ask why he is signing a pandemic treaty before reviewing our own COVID response. Sign my petition demanding Canada not join this treaty. https://t.co/u2outJNNbmhttps://t.co/Xpc8V5X32apic.twitter.com/XqeYKe1mUi
Government officials and the WHO will be meeting this month to discuss the treaty’s details. The WHO expects countries to sign the document by May 2024.
Lewis’s petition calls on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “ensure that Canada retain its healthcare sovereignty.” It also includes a call to prevent unelected WHO bureaucrats from wielding “decision-making power over Canada’s pandemic response.”
Additionally, Lewis is demanding “a review of Canada’s COVID-19 response (and to) develop our own national pandemic strategy, and invest in our own healthcare system.”
According to the Council of the European Union, the treaty would align international responses to pandemics under a single umbrella.
“Neither individual governments nor the global community can entirely prevent pandemics,” the council writes. “But the international community needs to be much better prepared and better aligned in responding to possible future pandemics across the entire cycle of detection, alarm and response.
“The instrument would set out the objectives and fundamental principles in order to structure the necessary collective action to fight pandemics.”
Lewis and other critics have blasted the treaty as an attack on healthcare sovereignty. There have also been concerns about the WHO’s reliability and its connections to the Chinese government.
“The treaty could potentially affect our healthcare sovereignty,” Lewis told CBC last month. ”Canada needs its own pandemic plan. We need to put one in place for future pandemics. All these things need to be done by our own country. We cannot relinquish that responsibility to global organizations like the WHO.”
Early in the pandemic, the WHO claimed that COVID-19 was not transmissible between humans despite the Chinese government having knowledge that it was. China has also used its influence to have Taiwan barred from the organization.
Conservative Party leadership candidate Scott Aitchison says Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and a beacon of freedom that Canada needs to recognize. He joined True North’s Andrew Lawton at the Canada Strong and Free Conference to discuss his views on Taiwan, the “One China” policy, and Canada’s role on the world stage. He also shared his thoughts on Huawei, Israel, and the carbon tax.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) has announced a legal win for three British Columbia pastors ticketed for defying lockdown orders during the pandemic.
A total of 24 tickets – adding up to $55,200 – against Pastors John Koopman of the Chilliwack Free Reformed Church, James Butler of the Free Grace Baptist Church and Timothy Champ of the Valley Heights Community Church, have been dropped by the B.C. Crown.
The pastors were fined following their non-compliance with provincial government restrictions imposed on Nov. 2020, which banned in-person religious services. The JCCF said their clients were ticketed by police despite their strict adherence to safety precautions.
Police began ticketing the churches in Dec. 2020, with the fines continuing to roll in until mid-2021, when the B.C. government began lifting restrictions.
In total, Koopman received 23 tickets totalling $52,900, while Butler received 25 tickets totalling $57,500, and Champ received 18 tickets totalling $41,400.
The recent victory amounted to seven tickets dropped against Koopman, 11 against Butler and six against Champ, for a total of 24. The JCCF said there remains over 20 outstanding tickets issued against pastors and churches in B.C.’s Fraser Valley.
“The Justice Centre will vigorously defend pastors and churches against these charges in future appearances in Provincial Court,” said the legal charity, adding that over four dozen tickets against B.C. churches they represent have now been dropped.
“All levels of government, including politicians, health officials and law enforcement, have the duty to respect the constitutional rights and freedoms of Canadians. In response to Covid, there has been a serious failure of government officials and authorities in BC to respect the Charter freedoms of BC residents,” said JCCF lawyer Marty Moore.
Moore added that “BC discriminated against houses of worship, prohibiting them from meeting for worship regardless of the safety measures they implemented.”
While the B.C. government never shut down retail businesses during the first lockdown in the spring of 2020, it did impose restrictions on places of worship that were stricter than other provinces.
Provincial politicians across Canada imposed restrictions on places of worship which some have said encroached on religious freedom – however many of those restrictions were capacity limits, including Alberta’s 15% capacity mandate, and not full closures as was the case in B.C.
True North spoke to two northern B.C. pastors in December – Simon Lievaart of Bethel Reformed Church in Smithers and Andrew Simpson of the Heritage Free Presbyterian Church in Prince George – who defied public health orders including vaccine passports after the B.C. government imposed singular restrictions on the Northern Health region.
Other pastors across Canada also defied public health restrictions, including Pastor James Coates of Gracelife Church and Pastor Artur Pawlowski of the Cave of Adullam congregation in Alberta.
In Ontario, Pastors Henry Hildebrandt of the Church of God in Aylmer, Aaron Rock of the Harvest Bible Church in Windsor and Jacob Reaume of the Trinity Bible Chapel in Waterloo opted not to comply with restrictions imposed by the Ford government.
Throughout the pandemic, the JCCF has been representing people who were charged with breaking government Covid rules. The organization also represented the Freedom Convoy earlier this year.
Politicians and pundits are all talking about cryptocurrency — some are calling it “magic internet money” and alleging that it’s a risky investment. Meanwhile others, such as Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre, claim crypto will enable Canadians to “opt out of inflation.” Who’s telling the truth?
As the Canadian economy becomes more uncertain, Canadians want to know what the future holds for decentralized digital currencies.
On this episode of the Candice Malcolm Show, Candice is joined by Matt Spoke, the founder and CEO of Moves, a financial app for gig workers.
Candice and Matt discuss the future of cryptocurrencies in Canada, the ongoing debate among conservatives surrounding the value of Bitcoin and why governments around the world are planning to create their own digital currencies.
Florida mom Tiffany Justice said it was the Covid pandemic that “pulled back the curtain” and exposed to concerned parents all that’s wrong with public education in America.
In an exclusive interview with True North, the former school-trustee-turned-co-founder of an organization called Moms for Liberty said that when classes moved to online learning, she and other parents discovered how much “parental rights were being ignored.”
Suddenly parents all over the United States had a common fight – whether it was against forced vaccinations of young students, quarantines and masking mandates or the influence of critical race theory and social emotional learning.
Justice and another Florida mom, Tina Descovich, founded Moms for Liberty when they realized that parents didn’t know how to “advocate” or “organize.
‘It was time for parents to have a voice,” she said.
Both women were school trustees in their respective districts – Justice in Florida’s Vero Beach – from 2016 to 2020. Both found the state of the education system to be truly “eye opening.”
Justice, who has four children – aged 17, 14, 12 and 10 – said she discovered that the first priority of school districts is to use tax dollars to protect themselves.
She said she saw the rampant inflation of grades (or social promotion) to produce higher graduation rates and make it appear that education officials were much more successful than they are at teaching kids.
“Then they like to celebrate themselves when they don’t have any reason to,” she said during a lengthy Zoom interview from her Florida home.
She said that she saw the introduction of social-emotional learning and Critical Race Theory in schools – both of which, she said, were created to provide an “excuse for educational failure.”
“They (school boards) would rather find an excuse, and that’s why you see all this alphabet soup,” she said, referring to the plethora of acronyms identity studies and social justice brings with it.
She noted – in terms of the school districts’ priorities – that when she was first elected, her kids’ school had rats in the cafeteria.
As of this week, Moms for Liberty has 187 chapters in 36 states, totalling 85,000 members.
Justice said that when their members walk into a school board meeting with their “Moms for Liberty” shirts on, school staff and administrators know they mean business. She said they recognize their members are aware of student performance in their districts, literacy rates and how the budget is being spent.
And they know, she said, that teachers unions behave like the Kindergarten through Grade 12 “cartels.” Although Justice said she’s been called every name in the book from homophobe to racist, bigot, white supremacist and “domestic terrorist,” she said the things they are fighting for are not “partisan issues.”
“We are joyful warriors … we’re going to fight like hell with a smile on our faces,” she said. “Parents are very concerned about how their kids are doing in school… the idea that they can no longer trust the schools they send their children to is very unsettling.”
Although harmful gender ideology has spread across the US, Justice suggests it is far worse in Canada.
She said she has come to know the lengths activists are going in Canada to spread gender ideology after connecting with Chris Elston – known on Twitter as @BillboardChris – a dad in British Columbia who has been avidly trying to expose the harms of gender indoctrination.
Justice called Elston a “national treasure” and called it an “understatement” to say parental rights are under attack in Canada.
“I don’t know if (Canadian) parents have any rights to their children anymore,” she said. “And it doesn’t seem that any of your media is covering any of the harms of gender ideology and gender indoctrination.”
She said she was shocked to hear about the passing of Bill C-4 (the federal bill to ban conversion therapy), the results of which could potentially hold parents accountable for not affirming a gender transition by their own kids.
She said it’s maddening to think that school officials and medical professionals would encourage a child in middle school to “lead a double life” and be forced to decide as young as age 11 whether they want to procreate as an adult.
“Truth is, this (pressure to transition as a child) can leave them with no ability to have a satisfying intimate sexual relationship,” Justice said.
“This is sterilizing children.”
Justice added she felt many Americans didn’t realize how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau behaved until the trucker convoy hit Ottawa last February.
“I think Americans are very naive as to how tyrannical the Canadian government has become,” she said.
Justice said she’s had plenty of Canadian moms reach out to her to set up chapters, but that for now all she can offer is advice. She said Canadian parents interested in taking on the school system should trust themselves and start meeting together to build relationships and pick each other up.
“I think Canadians are going to have to get together and start organizing,” she said. “If parents rise up against these things, the government will have no choice but to listen.”
“The government has been so oppressive, but I promise you nothing is going to change unless you try.”
Several key pieces of testimony have poked holes in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s justification for using the Emergencies Act to quash peaceful freedom convoy protestors in February.
Throughout the protests, the Liberals and legacy media made a number of claims about the convoy ranging from extremist involvement, foreign funding and millionaires bankrolling the movement. To date, all of these claims have been called into question by law enforcement officials and fundraising executives.
Several Trudeau cabinet ministers claimed in February that foreign extremists were funding the convoy to undermine Canada’s democracy. Among these ministers was public safety minister Marco Mendicino who stated – without evidence – that many of the donations had “been raised from abroad.” Minister of emergency preparedness Bill Blair also claimed that “foreign entities” were behind the protests.
Media outlets including the Toronto Star and the CBC also published articles falsely suggesting that the convoy was foreign-funded. The CBC was forced to retract a story that claimed that support for the convoy had come mainly from abroad.
Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed also compared the convoy donations to “terrorist financing” and called on terrorist-funding watchdogs to investigate fundraising platforms.
True North has listed nine instances where officials have categorically disputed the Liberal government’s claims about the Freedom Convoy.
No wealthy foreign donors
During a Commons finance committee on Mar. 17, GoFundMe president Juan Benitex dismissed claims that foreign millionaires had bankrolled the Freedom Convoy. According to Benitez, his platform “did not discover” any large donors that would have raised red flags suggesting foreign influence.
“Were there any large donors that would have stuck out, that would have raised red flags in terms of perhaps trying to influence the outcome of this protest?” Conservative MP Ed Fast asked during the testimony.
“We did not discover that, no,” said Benitez. “As we reviewed the donations we did not identify significant donations or patterns that were there.”
GoFundMe’s general counsel, Kim Wilford, also confirmed that the largest donation was $30,000 and came from Canada.
RCMP saw no evidence of terrorist financing
RCMP Director of Financial Crime Denis Beaudoin says there was no evidence of terrorist activity in donations to the freedom convoy.
FINTRAC, GoFundMe and GiveSendGo have also disputed Trudeau's claims that the convoy was funded by terrorists and foreign powers. #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/otuOHvPNIQ
Despite the Liberal government treating convoy donations as terrorist financing and money laundering, a chief RCMP official stated that the federal policing force saw no evidence of terrorist involvement in the convoy’s funding.
RCMP Director of Financial Crime Denis Beaudoin told parliamentarians during a Mar. 7 Commons finance committee meeting that terrorist activity wasn’t on their radar.
“FINTRAC was before our committee,” said Conservative MP Philip Lawrence to Beaudoin. “They had some interesting testimony on the flow of the money into the crowdfunding and into the protests – that they did not see any evidence of terrorist activity. Did you see any evidence of terrorist activity in the funding of these illegal protests and blockades?”
“I have not,” said Beaudoin.
Convoy was funded by Canadians, not foreigners
Despite claims that the Freedom Convoy was a foreign-funded campaign, the president of GoFundMe Juan Benitez says, "88% of donated funds originated in Canada and 86% of donors were from Canada." #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/nO6MwSRELh
According to executives with the crowdfunding platforms GoFundMe and GiveSendGo, the vast majority of funds donated to the Freedom Convoy were from Canadians and not foreign sources.
“Our records show 88% of donated funds originated in Canada and 86% of donors were from Canada,” GoFundMe president Juan Benitez told the Commons public safety committee on Mar. 3.
GiveSendGo executives also said that 63% of the funds donated to their platform were from Canada.
“Most of the donations were under a hundred dollars,” said GiveSendGo co-founder Jacob Wells during the same meeting. “It’s pretty consistent across the board.”
FINTRAC official says fed-up people, not terrorists, funded convoy
The Deputy Director of Intelligence for Canada's financial intel agency (FINTRAC) Barry MacKillop says many donations to the freedom convoy were not funding terrorism or money laundering.
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) deputy director of intelligence Barry MacKillop also shut down claims that money raised for the Freedom Convoy constituted terrorist financing.
According to MacKillop, the funds came from the pockets of Canadians who were fed up with COVID-19 measures.
“It was their own money. It wasn’t cash that funded terrorism or was in any way money laundering,” MacKillop told the Commons finance committee on Feb. 24.
“These were people who supported the cause before it was declared illegal. There were people around the world who were fed up with Covid and were upset and saw the demonstrations. I believe they just wanted to support the cause.”
Foreign extremists not involved in supporting convoy
The Trudeau government claims there is foreign extremist funding behind the freedom convoy, but CPC MP @DaneLIoydMP says the financial intelligence agency of Canada (FINTRAC) has said otherwise. #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/tMeMmmXTWr
In another testimony before the Commons public safety committee on Feb. 10, MacKillop told MPs that there were no signs that what was happening in Ottawa was a form of ideologically motivated violent extremism.
“The money… what’s happening in Ottawa has not been identified to my knowledge as ideologically motivated violent extremism,” said MacKillop.
No firearms discovered during crackdown
After several attempts by CPC MP @DaneLIoydMP to get a clear answer, Ottawa Police Interim Chief Steve Bell finally admits there were no firearms found at the freedom convoy protest in Ottawa. #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/CXAHy2P4yu
On Mar. 24 Ottawa Police’s interim chief Steve Bell told parliamentarians before the Commons public safety committee that no loaded firearms were discovered when police moved in to arrest the truckers and their supporters.
“It’s just a clear question, interim chief. Were weapons found? Were loaded firearms found? Yes or no?” asked Conservative MP Dane Lloyd.
“No, not relating to any charges at this point,” said Bell.
Prior to Bell’s admission, several media outlets spread the story that loaded firearms were found at the protest. Most recently, freelance reporter Justin Ling published an article in the Toronto Star alleging the same.
Arson attempt not linked to convoy
Now that Ottawa Police has come out and said there's no evidence that the Feb. 6 residential building arson attempt was connected to the #FreedomConvoy2022 protest I have compiled every time a Liberal/NDP MP falsely smeared protestors as arsonists in the House of Commons #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/rvpPTM7nGr
The Ottawa Police Service officially disputed claims by MPs and the media that the Feb. 6 attempted arson at a residential building was connected to the Freedom Convoy protests.
Numerous Liberal and NDP politicians including NDP leader Jagmeet Singh spread the false claim that convoy participants were involved in attempting to burn down the building with residents still inside.
“(Protesters) have harassed employees of local businesses, so much so that businesses have had to close for three weeks. There was an attempted arson and the doors were handcuffed shut so that if a fire started, people would be burned alive inside the building,” said Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell on Feb. 19.
According to statements by Ottawa police, neither of the suspects were involved in any way to the protests.
Law enforcement didn’t request use of Emergencies Act
On Thursday, during a study on the rise of ideologically motivated violent extremism at the House of Commons Public Safety committee, Conservative MP @DaneLloydMP grilled security officials for failing to investigate the 30 church burnings that occurred last year. #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/IV5g85oHVP
Contrary to claims made by Liberal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, police didn’t request for the federal government to invoke the Emergencies Act to deal with Freedom Convoy protestors.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki told Senator Vernon White that there was “never a question” to resort to emergency powers.
“No, there was never a question of requesting the Emergencies Act,” said Lucki.
Mendicino claimed on several occasions that such a request was made by police and the Liberal government cited it while trying to justify Trudeau’s unprecedented invocation.
“It was only after we got advice from law enforcement that we invoked the Emergencies Act,” said Mendicino.
Mendicino’s claim was further discredited by Interim Ottawa Police Chief Steve Bell in May who also said that the city’s police force did not request the government use the act.
Woman who danced on war monument not affiliated with convoy
The woman who was caught dancing on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier while Freedom Convoy protests were taking place admitted that she was not in any way associated with the convoy truckers.
“There was no admitted association to the Freedom Convoy truckers,” said Ottawa Police Service spokesperson Carole Macpherson.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident “desecration” on Jan. 31 and linked it to the Freedom Convoy.
“I know you’re wondering about what you saw in our capital this weekend,” Trudeau read from a prepared statement. “Freedom of expression, assembly and association are cornerstones of democracy, but Nazi symbolism, racist imagery, and desecration of war memorials are not.”
