The Canadian military flew surveillance planes over Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa this February, skirting an official directive that it was not to do so.
A Jan. 27 directive by the Department of National Defence (DND) stated that Canadian Armed Forces equipment and personnel were to avoid the protest and that Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) planes were not to fly in the airspace directly above the demonstrations.
In an apparent effort to get around the rules, military leaders reportedly used a private defence contractor’s military plane to conduct operations.
“The amplifications provided by the RCAF through this directive did not apply to these training activities, which were contracted outside of the RCAF,” said National Defence Spokesperson Dan Le Bouthillier.
“(The directive) was issued to reduce the risk of generating a false perception of CAF (Canadian Armed Forces) activities, personnel and presence being associated with the domestic event at the time.”
Soldiers flew on a King Air aircraft which was registered in the US on five different occasions – Jan. 28, Jan. 29, Feb. 3, Feb. 10 and Feb. 11.
According to Ottawa researcher Steffan Watkins, the plane took a flight path that could indicate that it was surveilling people on the ground.
Conservative MPs have accused the Liberal government of effectively and illegally spying on Canadians.
“We know a special forces surveillance flight took place,” said Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay. “We know the government even let the health agency spy on Canadians’ liquor habits during COVID.”
“I have two questions: Who was that reconnaissance platform reporting to when it was gathering intelligence on Canadians, and what special policing authorities were granted to the Canadian Armed Forces at that time?”
CPC MP @KerryLynneFindl insists that the government used a special forces surveillance flight during the Freedom Convoy to gather intelligence on the protesters.
Defence minister Anita Anand says Findlay is misguided and that the surveillance flight was a training exercise. pic.twitter.com/9QizQo68JO
Liberal defence minister Anita Anand called Findlay’s assumptions “misguided.”
“I would like to reiterate that the assumptions underlying that question are misguided,” said Anand. ”Again, the Canadian Armed Forces flight was part of a training exercise. The exercise was planned prior to and was unrelated to the presence of the protesters and the convoy. The opposition does not seem to appreciate or like this point, but it is the truth,”
Since the story broke, DND officials have apologized that the training exercise coincided with the protests.
“The Canadian Armed Forces regrets the timing of the pre-planned CAF training exercise flight that was unrelated to, but took place at the same time as, the domestic event,” said Le Bouthillier.
Conservative Party of Quebec leader Eric Duhaime said he still wants a debate in English after two other major Quebec party leaders – including Premier Francois Legault – have refused to participate.
The planned debate by the English-language media consortium was cancelled following a snub by Quebec premier and CAQ leader Legault as well as Parti Quebecois (PQ) leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
The hosting consortium, which is made up of four anglophone legacy media outlets (CBC, CTV, Global and CJAD), had invited the leaders of Quebec’s five major parties to a debate that was set to take place on Sept. 20.
It would have been the second such debate in Quebec history. The first took place during the 2018 election campaign, and was attended by Legault and then PQ leader Jean-Francois Lisée.
Legault declined to participate in this year’s English debate, however, with spokesperson Ewan Sauves telling CBC News that “(o)ne must understand that each debate requires significant and non-negligible preparation time.”
On Twitter, St-Pierre Plamondon said that his party would not participate in the English debate because “(t)he official and common language in Quebec is French.”
He added that he would be available to take questions from anglophone journalists.
Le Parti Québécois ne participera pas au débat des chefs en anglais. La langue officielle et commune au Québec est le français. Nous serons bien évidemment disponibles pour répondre aux questions des journalistes anglophones.
— Paul St-Pierre Plamondon (@PaulPlamondon) May 13, 2022
Duhaime blasted Legault for snubbing the English debate, accusing him of being divisive and “not a statesman.”
After dividing Quebecers between essential and non-essential, vaccinated and non-vaccinated, people of faith and secular ones, François Legault now tries to divide us between anglophones and francophones.
The Conservative leader told The Canadian Press he believes that Quebecers deserve to see issues important to their community debated, including language – something that has been in the news lately with the province’s controversial Bill 96.
Duhaime also wrote a letter to Quebec Liberal leader Dominique Anglade, asking her to join him in a televised English debate even if Legault and St-Pierre Plamondon wouldn’t be there.
“I suggest that we debate anyway, you and I,” wrote Duhaime. “I understand that at least one English-language media outlet has expressed interest in organizing such an event. However, it must ensure from the outset that you and I agree to participate.”
He added that “(t)he co-spokesperson for Québec Solidaire (Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois) could also join.”
“Democracy has been put on pause in Quebec for over two years,” Duhaime wrote. “We cannot begin to eliminate opportunities to present our ideas and platforms in preparation for the October 3rd election.”
In an email to True North, Duhaime refuted Legault’s excuse that he does not have the time to do an English debate.
“It doesn’t hold up,” Duhaime wrote. “He has time to do two debates in French. It doesn’t take any longer to prepare in English.”
Duhaime added that “Mr. Legault doesn’t want to debate in English in 2022, when he wanted to in 2018 because he has had a LOT of media exposure in the last two years,including his almost daily press conferences, and the opposition has had very little.”
“He’s making an ultra-partisan calculation, on the backs of anglophones.”
It should be noted that Legault addressed Quebecers in English at multiple press conferences throughout the pandemic, including one where he announced a return to restaurant lockdowns, indoor gathering bans and a second strict, police-enforced curfew amid the Omicron wave.
Duhaime, who calls himself a Quebec nationalist, told True North that “(t)alking to English speakers in their mother tongue takes absolutely nothing away from French-speaking Quebecers.”
“The French language is our common language. No doubt about it. That being said, we can also talk to Anglos,” added Duhaime.
“Before being partisan, we all need to be democrats.”
In response to Duhaime’s invitation, Quebec Leader Dominique Anglade said that “if a consortium of English-language media is interested in holding a debate in English,” she would be “very open to participating.”
Si un consortium de médias anglophones est intéressé à tenir un débat en anglais, je suis très ouverte à y participer. Il est important de faire connaître nos idées à tous les Québécois. J’invite @francoislegault à faire face à la musique et à participer. #polqchttps://t.co/OSXhHPo89R
The Quebec general election is set to take place on Oct 3. Polls show Legault’s CAQ is expected to win an even bigger majority – this despite the government imposing some of the harshest Covid restrictions in the Western world.
Some polls show Duhaime’s Conservative Party of Quebec in second place, suggesting the party is set to make massive gains.
It should be noted that the Conservatives placed sixth in the last provincial election, earning only 1.46%.
Conservative Leadership candidate Patrick Brown has accused his rival Pierre Poilievre of supporting conspiracy theorist Pat King and King’s support for “white replacement theory.” In an email sent out to Conservatives by the Brown campaign, party member Dionne Duncan accused Poilievre of being “silent on this hate” and called on the Carleton MP to condemn “King for his support for white replacement theory,”
True North’s Andrew Lawton says Brown’s tactics will not win him the Conservative leadership and that Brown’s campaign is doing the dirty work for the left.
Plus, Andrew discusses the boring and uneventful Conservative Party debate and Conservative Leadership candidate Scott Aitchison joins the show to discuss his campaign.
Consumer confidence is now the lowest it has been in Canada since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to new survey data.
Numbers released by the Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index show confidence has tanked at 54.3%, including a 1.8% decline last week alone.
The drop is the worst single-week decline since April 2020 when provinces went into lockdown.
Rising cost of living, higher rates and the ongoing war in Ukraine are believed to be among the contributing factors.
The weekly index surveys 250 Canadians on various topics including personal finance, the economy and real estate.
39% of those polled said that their personal finances have gotten worse in the last year. Additionally, half of those surveyed said that they expect the economy to be weaker, while only 18% expected a stronger economy.
Economists recently warned Canadians that they should brace themselves for a recession and further interest rate hikes.
A survey targeting the country’s top economic minds found that most agree that Canada is headed for a recession by 2024 at the latest. A majority of those polled said it could arrive as soon as the first six months of 2023.
“(It) largely depends on how prolonged the supply-side issues will be and the escalation for the Russia-Ukraine war,” said economist Murshed Chowdhury.
New International Monetary Fund projections also reported that Canada’s expected GDP growth for this year shrank by 15% in comparison to 2021.
“Multilateral efforts to respond to the humanitarian crisis, prevent further economic fragmentation, maintain global liquidity, manage debt distress, tackle climate change, and end the pandemic are essential,” wrote the IMF.
The consumer confidence numbers also come on the heels of a recent survey showing that 43% of Canadian non-home-owners were putting off a home purchase. Last year that figure was 33%, while in 2020 it was only 20%.
“Rapid price escalation in the early months of 2022 has already raised the bar to impossible levels for many homebuyers,” said RBC senior economist Robert Hogue. “Worst-ever affordability levels could well ensue, putting buyers in a precarious spot.”
According to the RBC housing affordability measure, affordability is the worst it has been since 1990.
The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP) faced ridicule over the weekend after a campaign stunt promising to reveal a “new scandal” involving Ford and past PC candidates fell flat.
On Saturday, the OLP put out a press release teasing the revelation of a “new scandal involving sixteen Ford-Conservative candidates.” The unveiling was to be done by Scarborough-Guildwood MPP and failed OLP leadership candidate Mitzie Hunter as well as a “special guest.”
Gloves are off…from all sides. Liberals say tomorrow Scarborough-Guildwood candidate Mitzie Hunter and a special guest will ‘reveal a new Ford Conservative scandal involving sixteen Ford Conservative candidates and take media questions.’ #onpoli
Hunter made the promised reveal Sunday morning where she accused Ontario PC leader Doug Ford of being the “conductor” of a gravy train.
Hunter was surrounded by multiple props that included a train set, tin cans and big plastic buckets. There were also two large signs that read “Doug Ford’s Gravy Train.”
New: Liberal candidate Mitzie Hunter calls Doug Ford the "conductor" of a gravy train. She says his government gave out 16 patronage appointments to PC candidates who ran and lost in 2018 #onpolipic.twitter.com/2eZXQ2erOc
The Liberals claimed that 16 failed Ontario PC candidates – approximately 33% of the 48 unsuccessful PC candidates in the 2018 general election – received patronage appointments from the Ford government.
These included former Orleans PC Candidate Cameron Montgomery, who was appointed as full-time Chair of the EQAO board, and former Niagara Falls candidate Chuck McShane, who was made commissioner of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.
“Doug Ford always finds a way to look after his friends, whether they be donors, for-profit long-term care owners, or defeated Conservative candidates. Doug Ford claiming he was for the people was probably the biggest lie told in the last campaign,” said the OLP.
As for what is scandalous, Hunter said that the scandal is the fact that Doug Ford lied.
The OLP and Hunter Liberal Party were ridiculed by voters on Twitter following the announcement, with some calling it dumb and stating that they felt bad for Hunter.
This might be the dumbest announcement of this election. I’m embarrassed for Mitzie Hunter. https://t.co/ZoGWoosVVp
Another said that Hunter should apologize to journalists who woke up on a Sunday morning expecting a scandal – only to hear her “fake scandal” announcement.
The Liberals’ announcement was also called out by members of the legacy media, including Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley, who called it a “wet firecracker.”
“Anyone who bothered to tune in for the hyped news conference quickly turned back to pondering the beautiful spring weather outside,” wrote Lilley.
“The more embarrassing point was that the Liberals included people appointed to sit on boards where they are granted a per diem of $150 to attend board meetings three to four times per year,” he added.
“It shows the Liberals getting desperate.”
Meanwhile, CityNews Journalist Cynthia Mulligan said that she “didn’t see any illegal activity.”
The Ontario PC Party responded to Hunter’s announcement by calling it a “train wreck,” and proceeded to troll the OLP on Twitter.
NEW: Following yesterday's Liberal train wreck, in 30 minutes this account will be exposing secret "scandalous" footage from @StevenDelDuca's social media archive featuring a "special guest" 😉
The OLP was also caught having made a mistake on a graphic posted to Instagram containing the names of the people who received patronage appointments. They listed Ben Levitt – who ran in Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas – as the candidate of record for Niagara Centre.
When the Ontario Liberals were last in power, they saw multiple scandals including the cancellation of gas plants.
The OLP’s almost 15-year rule came to an end in 2018, where the party was reduced to just seven seats in the Ontario Legislature – enough to lose them official party status. It was the worst defeat of any ruling party in Ontario history.
The Ontario general election will take place on Jun. 2
Following the leaked US Supreme Court decision indicating the overturning of Roe v Wade, the issue of abortion is back in the spotlight in Canada. However, in Canada, there is no debate on abortion because the pro-life movement has failed miserably. Conservatives are too afraid of the issue, pro-life groups aren’t taken seriously and the left and the legacy media have successfully shifted the narrative to be about more access to abortions.
As Candice Malcolm explains, the reality is abortion is an incredibly complex issue but it often gets simplified in the media and boiled down to bumper sticker slogans.
On this episode of the Candice Malcolm Show, Candice is joined by True North contributor Sam Sey to talk about the pro-life movement in Canada, what the Roe v Wade case means for Canada and the lack of political will from Conservatives to own the debate.
On the heels of a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre has denounced “white replacement theory” after opponents accused him of supporting conspiracy theorist Pat King.
Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) contenders Jean Charest and Patrick Brown joined CPC MP Michelle Rempel Garner in a Twitter campaign to discredit Poilievre over the alleged support.
A video of King resurfaced in which he discussed “anglo-saxon replacement.”
“Here is Pat King, a leader of the convoy (Poilievre) supported, spreading the dangerous white supremacist ‘White Replacement’ conspiracy theory which was reported to have been in the Buffalo shooter’s manifest. I condemn this hate & call on Pierre to do the same,” tweeted Brown on Sunday.
In a video from August 2019, King can be heard claiming, “there’s an endgame – it’s called depopulation of the Caucasian race, or the Anglo-Saxon. And that’s what the goal is – is to depopulate the Anglo-Saxon race because they are the ones with the strongest bloodlines.”
Poilievre has since blasted attempts to politicize the massacre.
“For Patrick Brown to use this atrocity is sleazy — even for him. I supported the peaceful and law-abiding truckers who protested for their livelihoods and freedoms while simultaneously condemning any individuals who broke laws, behaved badly or blocked critical infrastructure,” said Poilievre.
Charest also condemned King’s statements on Monday.
“This is disgusting,” he wrote on Twitter. “Canadians must unanimously condemn this racism and bigotry. Conservatives must unite behind our condemnation of this hate.”
Rempel Garner also said that the theory must “be firmly denounced in every corner of every political party.”
“Pat King stood in the convoy, and Pat King stood for this. We have to purge our own tents of hate, in all forms, or Buffalo happens,” tweeted Rempel Garner.
In a letter sent out to Conservatives by the Brown campaign, party member Dionne Duncan had accused Poilievre of being “silent on this hate.”
“I am deeply, deeply concerned that Pierre has not condemned Pat King for his support for white replacement theory,” wrote Duncan.
”Pierre’s silence on warped ideologies will continue to render our party unelectable, and more importantly, allows hate to flourish in dark corners.”
Poilievre also responded to Brown’s accusations by calling him insincere about opposing COVID-19 lockdowns.
“Brown says he fought COVID lockdowns. That’s a lie. In fact, he locked down Brampton kids from arenas, harming mental health. Then snuck in & played hockey with cronies. He was such a regular, his hockey bag was already there, waiting for him. You can’t believe a word he says,” wrote Poilievre.
In response to charges by Charest that Poilievre supported “border blockades” Poilievre has stated that his support for the convoy was exclusive to peaceful protestors and not those who broke the law.
Leaders of the Freedom Convoy including Tamara Lich had distanced themselves from King even before the truckers arrived in Ottawa, stating that King spoke only for himself and that those with extremist views would not be welcome to join them.
King nonetheless made the journey to Ottawa, frequently live streaming his activities and staying until the final crackdown on Feb. 17-20.
King was denied bail after being arrested on Feb. 18 and remains in custody. He faces charges including mischief, intimidation, obstructing police, disobeying a court order, perjury and obstruction of justice.
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
When election day arrives, it appears as though Ontarians will have a choice of which poison pill to swallow: record deficits with Premier Doug Ford, Liberal leader Steven Del Duca, or NDP leader Andrea Horwath.
It’s an unfortunate consensus. The three major party leaders are promising to run record-high deficits.
But no matter what Ontario’s politicians might argue, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Just a few weeks ago, Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office (FAO), an independent government agency, declared that the province’s books would be balanced by 2023 had the Ford government simply held the line on spending.
Ford could have presented the province’s first balanced budget in almost 20 years.
Instead, he chose to ramp up his party with taxpayers’ money and abandon the fiscally responsible path made available to him.
When Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy tabled the government’s election budget in late April, it included a $19.9 billion deficit – the largest in the province’s history.
Yes, higher than the government ran in the thick of the pandemic.
With Ontario’s inflated government revenues and its unemployment rate nearing historic lows, the Ford government’s approach to fiscal management is inexcusable. Government revenue has increased by over $15 billion since the start of the pandemic. Still, somehow, Ford managed to blow through that cash windfall, and then some.
This isn’t all going to highways and hospitals. Much of the government’s spending is dubious. For example, Ford gave $300 million to Stellantis for factory upgrades despite the company having revenues exceeding $168 billion in 2021.
There was also no major tax relief in sight.
With inflation at a thirty-year high and living costs soaring, Ontarians are looking for relief. Rather than throwing billions of dollars to nearly every government department, Ford had an opportunity to offer meaningful long-term tax relief for Ontario families. Instead, he chose to go on a spending binge.
Ontario’s debt is now projected to pass $450 billion by the end of the year. Bondholders on Bay Street are going to rake in over $13 billion in interest charges alone in 2022-23. For perspective, with that same $13 billion, the Ontario government could cut the provincial portion of the HST from eight per cent to five per cent. Clearly, deficits do matter.
Budgeting is all about priorities. Ford could have prioritized the best interests of taxpayers by stopping Ontario’s deeper dive into debt and lowering taxes. Instead, he’s chosen to compete with his political opponents over who can spend the most money the fastest. And, based on the opposition’s platforms, that competition is hot.
Ford now suggests his party would take another five years to balance the books. That’s four years longer than the FAO’s sensible fiscal plan. Del Duca’s Liberals plan to spend more money but keep the same balanced-budget target. Meanwhile, Horwath’s NDP haven’t even set a balanced-budget date and would ramp up spending as well.
Clearly, Ontarians are at a restaurant where nothing on the menu is appetizing. Everything is greasy and full of carbs. Many Ontarians are likely thinking of having a glass of water and bolting from the restaurant to look for a healthier option.
But there’s still time for a better dish to make its way onto the menu. Ford, Del Duca, or Horwath could seize the moment and recognize that the elephant in the room in this election is affordability.
Importantly, affordability doesn’t mean more government programs that make taxpayers worse off. Real proposals to enhance affordability would promote lower deficits and lower taxes.
The competition for the pro-taxpayer vote is wide open.
It’s time for one of the leaders to seize the moment.
Ontario premier Doug Ford heads a Progressive Conservative (PC) government, but that hasn’t kept critics from accusing him of bringing in some pretty woke policies during his first term.
The slang term “woke” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” A variation on “awake,” the definition suggests that woke people conduct themselves in a way that is fully conscious of society’s deepening sensitivities.
Most of the accusations of wokeism against the Ford government involve education, with some accusing the PCs of wanting to introduce Critical Race Theory (CRT) and gender identity ideology into Ontario’s classrooms.
True North has compiled a list of instances where the Ford government promoted policies or used language that comes across as woke.
1. Funding for “LGBT2SQ” children – March 2022
On the “International Transgender Day of Visibility,” Ford’s associate minister of children and women’s issues Jane McKenna announced an investment of over $800,000 for the next three years aimed at developing “affirming and inclusive services and supports” for LGBT2SQ children and youth.
“Our government recognizes more needs to be done to improve outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two Spirit and queer children and youth in our child welfare system,” said McKenna.
The announcement came just days after Florida Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education law, which banned the instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten to grade three classrooms.
2. Bill 67 – March 2022
In March, Ontario PC MPPs supported the Racial Equity in the Education System Act – also known as Bill 67 – at second reading. The controversial private member’s bill had experts warning it could lead to the entrenchment of CRT in Ontario Schools.
The anti-racism bill – introduced by NDP MPP Laura Mae Lindo – would have mandated schools to put in place a plan for “anti-racism and racial equity requirements that apply to every college of applied arts and technology and every university that receives ongoing operating funds from the government.”
The bill would have also introduced “fines for persons who disrupt or attempt to disrupt proceedings of a school or class through the use of racist language or activities.”
Despite having the support of Ford’s PCs in second reading, Bill 67 did not make it to third reading. Ontario’s Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell dissolved the provincial parliament at the request of Premier Doug Ford on May 3, ahead of the Ontario election, causing the bill to die.
3. New “Equitable” Math Curriculum – June 2021
Last summer, the Ford government unveiled its new “equitable” Grade 9 math curriculum that claimed “mathematics can be subjective.” Ford had promised during the 2018 election campaign to reform Ontario’s math curriculum.
One plus one equals racist. There are five lights. Math is subjective. Welcome to Canada. pic.twitter.com/1c6hrBoL6q
“Mathematics has been used to normalize racism and marginalization of non-Eurocentric mathematical knowledges, and a decolonial, anti-racist approach to mathematics education makes visible its historical roots and social constructions,” documents supporting the new curriculum read.
Despite the government previously standing by it, Education Minister Stephen Lecce ordered the controversial wording to be removed. Lecce, who led the education ministry through some of the longest Covid school closures in Canada, has also personally been accused of being woke.
In a Nov. 2021 op-ed in the National Post, author Jamil Jivani said that Lecce was “a woke liberal in conservative clothing who has turned his back on parents.”
“Lecce offers the kind of virtue signalling that Ontarians came to expect from the previous Liberal government, and very little in terms of real solutions that would benefit children.”
4. “Pregnant Individuals” – April 2021
Ontario’s health minister Christine Elliott and other members of the Ford government referred to pregnant women as “pregnant individuals” when announcing in Apr. 2021 that the demographic was now eligible to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
As of April 23, all pregnant individuals can register for #COVID19 vaccination appointments under the “highest risk” health conditions in Phase Two of the province’s vaccine rollout. pic.twitter.com/hS6jL4E84y
The term resonates with other controversial gender-neutral terms used by progressivist Democrats in the United States, including congresswoman Cori Bush’s use of the term “birthing people.”
Canada’s chief medical officer Dr. Theresa Tam had previously used the terms “pregnant and breastfeeding people” while promoting Covid shots.
5. Sex Ed Curriculum – August 2019
After promising to repeal Kathleen Wynne’s liberal sex ed curriculum – which taught elementary school students about such concepts as gender identity, anal sex and masturbation – the Ford government released a new curriculum containing the same topics.
While some more controversial topics like gender identity were moved up to middle school, sexual orientation was moved down from grade six to grade five. Teachers were also able to continue teaching students about masturbation in grade six and anal sex in grade seven.
Parental rights advocate Tanya Granic Allen had reacted by tweeting, “(t)he radical Wynne sex-ed is still there – ALL OF IT. And gender identity is mentioned 40 times”
“This curriculum is another Doug Ford betrayal. Ford LIED to the parents.”
It should be noted, however, that the Ford government introduced a new policy making it easier for parents to “opt out” of lessons taught within the new curriculum.
Additional Wokery
In addition to his government aligning itself with elements of progressivism, Ford has praised Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on several occasions.
“I absolutely love Chrystia Freeland. She’s amazing. I’ll have her back, I’ll help her anyway we can”, said Ford back in 2020 following her appointment as Canada’s new finance minister.
In 2018, Ford campaigned as a right-of-centre populist in both the PC Party leadership race and the Ontario general election. However, some political analysts now say he has shifted to the centre.
Ahead of the election, Ford’s government also presented the most expensive budget in Ontario history, with a $19.9 billion deficit – higher than those presented by previous Liberal premier Kathleen Wynne.
The 2022 Ontario general election will take place on Jun. 2. According to 338Canada, Ford’s PCs are currently leading in the polls and are on track to win another majority government.
The city of Ottawa recently saw large freedom rallies return to the downtown core amid continuing public health restrictions and mandates, with thousands attending the Rolling Thunder bike convoy protest.
The organizers of Rolling Thunder had planned three days of programming, starting on Apr. 29 with a rally and march on Parliament Hill, and ending Sunday May 1 with a service at Ottawa’s Capital City Bikers Church.
However, people arrived Sunday morning to a church that had been vandalized with hateful graffiti that included the phrase “no heaven for fascists.”
True North’s Elie Cantin-Nantel spoke with the church’s lead pastor Rob McKee to discuss the incident, Rolling Thunder and the Freedom Convoy and how lockdowns have affected his church and the work his congregation does in the community.
