Liberal immigration minister Sean Fraser has introduced the government’s 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan, announcing that Canada will increase immigration to 1.14% of the Canadian population by 2024, or approximately 451,000 people.
In comparison, Canada accepted more than 405,000 new permanent residents in 2021, the most in a single year in Canadian history.
The ministry said that it would develop a long-term focus on economic growth, with about 60% of admissions in the economic class.
“We are focused on economic recovery, and immigration is the key to getting there,” said Fraser in a press release on Monday. “Setting bold new immigration targets, as outlined in the 2022-2024 Levels Plan, will further help bring the immeasurable contribution of immigrants to our communities and across all sectors of the economy.”
Statistics Canada reported that unfilled jobs surpassed one million in November. This number represents 6% of all jobs, a vacancy rate that is up from as low as 3% in December 2020.
Immigration accounts for close to 100% of labour force growth, according to the press release. It went on to say that with 5 million Canadians set to retire by the end of this decade, the worker to retiree ratio would drop to 3:1.
About 39% of Canadians said that Canada’s current immigration levels are too high, according to a poll done by the Angus Reid Institute last June.
The poll suggested 22% of Canadians believe the number of people the Liberals wanted to immigrate to Canada was “far too many” and that the “number should be way lower.” An additional 17% called the target “too many.”
In addition, 34% of respondents said that immigration targets were “about right.” About 13% of them wanted to raise levels, 8% claimed the targets were “too few” and 5% responded that “the number should be way higher.”
A soldier who has served in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) for 28 years is marching from Vancouver to Ottawa in solidarity with the Freedom Convoy and working Canadians against overbearing government COVID policies.
“About a week and a half ago, I was in complete and utter despair not knowing what I can do or how I can make a difference,” James Topp told True North. “Then there was finally a group of people banding together to do something, and it inspired me in a way I’ve never felt before.”
“Then I came up with this idea. I’m going to walk across the country. In protest.”
“Because the alternative was self-destruction. Honestly.”
Topp said he will be at the Terry Fox statue at BC Place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 6am and will depart at 715. He said he plans to march 40km that day and to complete the 4395km journey in four months, arriving at the National War Memorial in Ottawa no later than June 20.
His announcements and preparation videos can be found on his website, Canadamarches.ca. The site also includes his “Open Letter to Higher,” where he spells out the beliefs and positions that have led him to his march.
“If I am to be punished for what I have said and done then I accept that,” the letter reads. “While I lament what has happened to this country and the direction that our society is going, as it becomes enslaved by the technology that has the potential to uplift us, I go to the gulag with the ability to hold my head up and look at myself in the mirror. I will rest easy in prison or leave this earth with peace of mind.”
Speaking with True North on Friday as Ottawa police moved in on the Freedom Convoy, Topp said that crackdowns on peaceful protests have only strengthened his resolve.
“I am marching into this for real, and I am not afraid anymore,” he said.
Topp said that like many working Canadians, he has been hit hard by government mandates during the pandemic and that the last two years have been difficult. As a current member of the Canadian Army Reserve as well as a civilian worker with the RCMP, he says he is also twice out of a job.
Both the CAF and the RCMP now require their members to be fully vaccinated against COVID or risk being terminated.
“This is a government policy that has affected me negatively,” he said, adding he is under orders not to discuss certain aspects of his situation, including his military career. “I was in utter despair. I said everything in (my) video.”
Topp first announced his intention to walk to Ottawa on Feb. 12, when he made the decision to appear in full uniform at the Pacific Border Crossing protest in Surrey. For that, he said, he is currently facing an investigation by the CAF and severe career consequences.
“Anybody can stand there and beak off,” he told True North. “But the uniform was the only mechanism I had available to me with the strength of the convictions I now have to get the message out there to people to start doing something.”
“I took my uniform, got in my car, drove down to Surrey – the level of sheer terror I experienced was right up there with jumping out of an airplane.”
“I walked out with that uniform on into that protest specifically looking for someone from the press to talk to.”
Topp appeared in a number of videos over the weekend, declaring his intention to march to Ottawa and his desire to see everyone come together to oppose what has been happening in Canada. He said the support he received has been overwhelming.
“There are 73-year-old veterans who have reached out to me on that canadamarches.ca website, and they want to come with me,” he said. “I can’t even express what that means in words.”
As a lifelong soldier, Topp said he sees himself as a guardian and that he hopes to speak to politicians in Ottawa about what they are doing to the country he has served and working Canadians have built.
“So if we are in a house, and I am the guardian, and inside this house now, we have a spoiled child – a spoiled, entitled child,” he said. “And I’m not just talking about one person. I’m talking about a number of people running around inside the house, knocking stuff over, breaking windows, writing on the walls with crayon, and we as guardians are just watching this with our hands in our pockets.”
“And now, the child has gotten ahold of a box of matches,” he said. “As the guardians, I feel we have to sit that child down and have a talk about who built that house.”
Topp stated that his march was peaceful and that he wants to raise awareness.
When asked how people can help him, Topp insisted he wanted no money. Any donations, he said, could go to Woundedwarriors.ca.
“Working people have given me all of this,” he said, opening his arms. “They’ve built everything I have. I can’t ask them for any more.”
Topp said that if people wanted to give him a place to stay as he’s passing through town, though, he would appreciate it. He also said he could use some help with the technical side of things, like coming up with a live map of his progress.
Topp said that what was originally going to be a one-man journey has grown considerably, but he’s still a little unsure about who will actually be in Vancouver on Sunday when he sets out.
As for the march itself, he says he intends to average 20-40 km a day, carrying everything he needs on his back.
“I’ve got survival skills – I’ve been in the jungle, the arctic, the desert, the forest – I have full confidence in my abilities,” he said. “That part’s easy.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ordered the arrest of political dissidents, the freezing of their bank accounts and a complete shut down of downtown Ottawa to end a peaceful, non-violent protest.
As the legacy media continue their smear campaign against the freedom convoy, the government is using taxpayer funded Parliament Hill police to guard journalists in the streets, despite no acts of violence being reported against journalists during the protest.
Candice Malcolm is joined by True North Producer Harrison Faulkner to discuss the worst legacy media takes of the week and to discuss the latest developments out of Ottawa.
Civil liberties and legal rights groups are expressing outrage after Ottawa Police threatened members of the media with arrest for reporting on the ongoing crackdown of peaceful protesters calling for an end to COVID-19 mandates.
On Friday, the official Ottawa Police Twitter account warned that media attending the protest zone would be “subject to arrest.”
“All media who are attending the area, please keep a distance and stay out of police operations for your safety. Anyone found within areas undergoing enforcement may be subject to arrest,” tweeted Ottawa Police.
All media who are attending the area, please keep a distance and stay out of police operations for your safety. Anyone found within areas undergoing enforcement may be subject to arrest. There will be a media availability later today at 474 Elgin Street. #ottnews
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) slammed the announcement, saying such actions run contrary to law.
“Warning journalists about safety risks in the protest zone is reasonable. Threatening them with arrest for doing their jobs is not. Time and time again, Canadian courts have ruled against exclusion zones and other limits on the press,” wrote the CCLA.
The CCLA had announced Thursday that they would be taking the Trudeau government to court over its implementation of the Emergencies Act, saying the necessary legal threshold for the legislation had not been met.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) also condemned announcements by Ottawa Police over law enforcement’s handling of the Ottawa protests on Friday, sending a cease-and-desist letter to Interim chief Steve Bell.
Bell announced Thursday that 100 checkpoints had been established throughout Ottawa and that those hoping to join any protest would be barred from entering the downtown area.
“The secured area includes almost 100 checkpoints that will have police presence to ensure that those seeking entry to that secure area for an unlawful reason, such as joining a protest, cannot enter the downtown core,” said Bell during a press conference.
The JCCF condemned police actions in a press release, reminding Bell that the Charter of Rights – to which the Emergencies Act is supposed to be bound – guarantees peaceful assembly.
“The Charter ensures that Canadians are free to peacefully assemble, to express their ideas, to gather to discuss them and communicate them widely to other people, including vigorous political dissent. These activities are basic forms of individual liberty,” the JCCF wrote.
“They are essential to the basic functioning of a democratic society like Canada. In Canada, people are free to discuss matters of public policy, to protest and to criticize governments.”
True North is on the ground in Ottawa as police continue their crackdown on the Freedom Convoy protests.
Police have commenced a massive operation to clear downtown Ottawa of peaceful protesters who are calling for an end to COVID-19 mandates.
Yesterday afternoon, police arrested Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber after all protestors were ordered to disperse from the area or face arrest earlier this week.
A notice distributed to demonstrators on Wednesday warned them to “leave the area now.”
“Anyone blocking streets, or assisting others in the blocking (of) streets, are committing a criminal offence and you may be arrested,” Ottawa Police said.
“You must immediately cease further unlawful activity or you will face charges.”
I’m watching on four feeds. The crowd outside the Westin is calm and peaceful. There are children there. The police better be damn careful. pic.twitter.com/mtRg5lK7eu
Lich has since been charged with counselling to commit mischief, while Barber has been charged with counselling to commit mischief, counselling to commit the offence of disobeying a court order and counselling to commit the offence of obstructing police.
Both have been scheduled to appear in court on Friday.
True North fellow Andrew Lawton is on the ground reporting on the arrests as they happen.
Law enforcement has employed heavily armoured forces using tactical gear, military-grade vehicles and dozens of tow trucks to clear the area.
Police have cordoned off much of the downtown area and have set up 100 checkpoints throughout the city to control who can enter or leave the designated red zone.
Justin Trudeau said Charter rights are not under threat from the Emergencies Act. Ottawa police are threatening to arrest reporters who don’t “keep a distance.” Freedom of the press is a Charter right. pic.twitter.com/3Cr27lBh8r
Even journalists have been threatened with arrest. According to Fox News contributor Sara A. Carter, reporters were told that their information and plates were being recorded by the Ministry of Transportation.
“Ministry of Transportation has pulled some drivers plates and CVORs. Many drivers received emails this morning stating their commercial vehicle was being used in contravention of the law,” tweeted Carter.
#FreedomConvoy UPDATE: police threatening to arrest journalists that film them the “Ministry of Transportation has pulled some drivers plates and CVORs. Many drivers received emails this morning stating their commercial vehicle was being used in contravention of the law”
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the unprecedented decision to invoke the Emergencies Act to deal with the Ottawa protests. The Act gives the government powers to declare protests unlawful and to freeze the bank accounts of those who attend.
The House of Commons was expected to debate the implementation of the Act on Friday, but the Liberal government has reportedly cancelled the debate over the ongoing police action.
The Freedom Convoy entered its 27th day on Friday.
A Parliamentary debate over the unprecedented use of the Emergencies Act has been cancelled, due to the ongoing police raid in downtown Ottawa.
Liberal Speaker of the House Anthony Rota announced the Friday meetings in the House of Commons and the Senate over the Trudeau government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to the ongoing freedom convoy that were scheduled would be axed.
At this moment, there is no indication whether further meetings will be cancelled or postponed. According to the government, a vote on the matter is still expected to be held early next week – after the police operation will likely be over.
The #HoC will not sit today, Friday, February 18. A police operation is expected in the downtown core of Ottawa. Given these exceptional circumstances, and following discussion with all recognized party leadership, the sitting today is cancelled. https://t.co/MnjVU13dUy
Rota said the cancellation is a result of an impending police operation, which is set to take place by Parliament Hill and around Ottawa’s downtown core.
“As per the Parliamentary Protective Service’s (PPS) most recent email notification, a police operation is expected to take place on Wellington Street and other locations in the downtown core of Ottawa. Given these exceptional circumstances, and following discussion with all recognized party leadership, the sitting today is cancelled.,” wrote Rota Friday.
On Friday morning, there were reports and rumours of police preparing to move in on the convoy protesters.
Police are moving in today in some form. We’re already getting rumours of and seeing footage of small operations on the outskirts of the protest zone, and House of Commons has suspended today’s sitting due to anticipated police action in front of Parliament Hill.
Liberal House Leader Mark Holland insists the cancellation of the debate is not a measure to restrict debate. Instead, he states, it is to maintain safety.
“MPs from all sides in the House are engaged in a historic debate. Those who want to speak will do so,” Holland tweeted Friday.
“Today’s pause in the debate will not affect the outcome. The House will do its work, and MPs will vote early next week on the Emergencies Act motion.”
On Friday, Ottawa Police tweeted a warning to convoy protesters to immediately leave.
“You must leave. You must cease further unlawful activity and immediately remove your vehicle and/or property from all unlawful protest sites. Anyone within the unlawful protest site may be arrested.”
The police service also warned members of the media to “keep a distance and stay out of police operations for your safety” or else they may be arrested as well.
Justin Trudeau said Charter rights are not under threat from the Emergencies Act. Ottawa police are threatening to arrest reporters who don’t “keep a distance.” Freedom of the press is a Charter right. pic.twitter.com/3Cr27lBh8r
On Thursday, Ottawa Police Service secured a perimeter around downtown Ottawa and arrested a number of protesters, including two key organizers – Tamara Lich and Chris Barber.
Despite the arrests and increased police presence, convoy protesters remain committed to the cause.
Shortly after Barber’s arrest and before her own, Lich urged supporters to “hold the line.”
With the Freedom Convoy’s fundraiser on GiveSendGo hacked on Sunday and the list of its donors illegally leaked online, politicians and legacy media have been doxxing and shaming everyone they can find who donated their own money to support the grassroots freedom movement.
I never thought that free speech would have sunk to such a low in Canada that it feels as if the Communist Party has taken over – that people would actually feel targeted and bullied for supporting an important and extremely valid cause.
To give one example, an Etobicoke man reached out to me Wednesday after his name was shared with some nefarious types for donating a mere $10 to the Freedom Convoy.
The man – who didn’t want his name used for obvious reasons – had received a vulgar e-mail at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, out of the blue. He said he was “very unsettled” when he went to bed, and he woke up exhausted.
The email from someone by the name of FruitBussy – a handle accompanied by an extremely vulgar bio – informed my contact that “supporting crime is never a good idea, especially on a platform run by deranged dimwits.”
The email’s recipient remains understandably shaken.
“It is very distressing what my country and my countrymen have become,” he said. “I am ashamed of my fellow Canadians.”
He is 100% right.
Not only was the GiveSendGo fundraising platform hacked, but someone under the Twitter handle @WatcherToronto has been sharing the lists of donors for the past 48 hours, together with members of our “objective” media and some politicians.
The anonymous tweeter has repeatedly used the hashtags #RamRanchResistance, #FluTruxKlanGoHome, #KKKonvoy and #Clownvoy. Judging from his tweets, he is clearly enjoying his doxxing activities, saying no laws were broken, no one was libelled and the information is all public.
There’s no doubt this is sick and appalling, and it makes me angry to think how far things have gone. But mainstream media on the Trudeau payroll – many of whom are publishing the names and/or contacting the donors – are as much at fault for doing Trudeau’s bidding.
They should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.
The doxxing that is going on has clearly been enabled by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s implementation of the Emergencies Act on Monday, which is seeing the bank accounts of convoy donors frozen with a court order.
And it’s clearly all about protecting Trudeau, who is looking more and more each day like a supreme dictator.
I blame Trudeau for setting the tone with his vile talk, and even more, his autocratic actions against the Freedom Convoy. His failure to understand or entertain their concerns speaks to his absolute disdain for ordinary and working-class Canadians.
Ditto for mayors Jim Watson in Ottawa and John Tory in Toronto – self-serving, virtue-signaling Liberals both.
And we can’t forget Premier Doug Ford either, once a man of the people who alone among premiers openly supported Trudeau’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act.
I also blame those Canadians who have swallowed the Liberal party line hook, line and sinker – the uninformed, entitled and intellectually lazy voters with ‘head in the sand syndrome’ who can’t or refuse to understand the long-term ramifications of what is happening.
Perhaps one day in the not-too-distant future, Canadians will get it when their favourite charity is targeted by the government of our supreme dictator.
Until then, and as my Etobicoke contact stated so eloquently, Canada has been overtaken by “wretched, disgusting fascists.”
On Day 26 of the Truckers for Freedom Convoy, two protest organizers were arrested by Ottawa Police, downtown Ottawa was closed off behind checkpoints and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland announced that the government had frozen the accounts of Canadian citizens who donated to the convoy.
Two convoy organizers had been arrested as of this article’s publication.
Chris Barber and Tamara Lich were filmed being taken into police custody today.
According to the Freedom Convoy’s Twitter page, charges against Chris Barber include “counselling to commit mischief, obstruction, and counselling to commit obstruction,” while Tamara Lich is being charged only with “counselling to commit mischief.”
Update on Chris Barber and Tamara Lich arrests.
Chris Barber has been charged with: *counselling to commit mischief *obstruction *counselling to commit obstruction
Tamara Lich has been charged with: *counselling to commit mischief
Here an Ottawa police car hauls away an arrested protester through a large crowd.
Crowd chants “freedom” while The Final Countdown blasts and police drive away the person they arrested. They walked into a crowd and plucked him out seemingly deliberately. No idea why or who. pic.twitter.com/RrnyFp9r04
Despite organizer arrests, convoy protesters are still out in the evening as the snow comes down. Chicken wings on the menu in the mess tent. pic.twitter.com/AeBYJETnq9
Ottawa Police closed off the downtown core today and set up checkpoints around the city.
This is traffic in Ottawa now. Tons of road closures including major routes like Portage Bridge, Alexandra Bridge, Sir John A Macdonald Pkwy and Queen Elizabeth Driveway.
Among the major routes shut down by police include Portage Bridge, Alexandra Bridge, Sir John A Macdonald Pkwy and Queen Elizabeth Driveway.
Interim Ottawa Police chief Steve Bell outlined his plan.
“(W)e have introduced a secure area.The secured area includes the area from Bronson Avenue to the canal and from the Queensway to Parliament Hill,” Bell said.
“The secured area includes almost 100 checkpoints that will have police presence to ensure that those seeking entry to that secured area for an unlawful reason such as joining a protest cannot enter the downtown core.”
Interim Ottawa Police Chief says a "secured area" is being created downtown with almost 100 police checkpoints, and that those attempting to enter for "an unlawful reasons such as joining a protest" will be turned away. pic.twitter.com/75EiL5pOEP
In a press conference today, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked whether individuals who had donated to the Freedom Convoy had had their credit cards and bank accounts frozen.
“The names of both individuals and entities as well as crypto wallets have been shared by the RCMP with financial institutions and accounts have been frozen and more accounts will be frozen,” Freeland responded.
Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland: "The names of both individuals and entities as well as crypto wallets have been shared by the RCMP with financial institutions and accounts have been frozen and more accounts will be frozen." pic.twitter.com/iA69DbRJl1
British Columbia RCMP are investigating after 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.
One officer was also reportedly injured after someone threw smoke bombs and blazing sticks of wood at police.
Just after midnight in the early hours of Thursday morning, RCMP in Houston BC say they were called to the Marten Forest Service Road deep in the woods at a worksite managed by Coastal GasLink.
It was initially reported that some natural gas pipeline employees were trapped, but it was later discovered that all had managed to safely leave the area.
At the 41 kilometre mark of the service road, police report 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.”
Police reported that as they worked their way through the debris and traps, several people threw smoke bombs and flaming sticks at the police, injuring one officer.
About 60 kilometres down the service road, 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.
A statement by Coastal GasLink on Thursday said that “approximately 20 masked and violent attackers wearing camouflage surrounded and attacked Coastal GasLink workers in a highly planned and dangerous unprovoked assault.”
“This coordinated and criminal attack from multiple directions threatened the lives of several workers. In one of the most concerning acts, an attempt was made to set a vehicle on fire while workers were inside.”
“The attackers also wielded axes, swinging them at vehicles and through a truck’s window. Flare guns were also fired at workers. Workers fled the site for their own safety and remain shaken by this violent incident. Fortunately, there were no physical injuries to Coastal GasLink workers.”
RCMP Chief Superintendent Warren Brown called the incident “a very troubling escalation in violent criminal activity that could have resulted in serious injury or death.”
“This was a calculated and organized violent attack that left its victims shaken and a multimillion dollar path of destruction,” said Brown. “While we respect everyone’s right to peacefully protest in Canada, we cannot tolerate this type of extreme violence and intimidation. Our investigators will work tirelessly to identify the culprits and hold them accountable for their actions.”
Coastal GasLink LNG Pipeline sites in northern BC have repeatedly been subject to vandalism and protests, with numerous arrests by RCMP.
The Morice River pad where these attacks took place was formerly the site of a blockade that lasted 59 days.
“Our work is lawful, authorized, fully permitted and has the unprecedented support of local and Indigenous communities and agreements in place with all 20 elected First Nation councils across the 670 km route,” Coastal GasLink stated on Thursday, adding that the project is almost 60% complete.
OTTAWA–As police move to secure a perimeter around downtown Ottawa and arrest two key convoy organizer, many of the truckers protesting in front of Parliament Hill are planning to stay in place.
Police arrested Freedom Convoy fundraising spokespeople Chris Barber and Tamara Lich Thursday, several hours apart. True North cannot confirm whether they were charged or are still in police custody.
As news of the arrest made its way among the protesters, many seemed unfazed.
“I’m not surprised,” one trucker told True North. “I bet he (Barber) wasn’t either.”
One organizer told True North the arrests were likely to embolden the truckers.
“They want to demoralize us,” the organizer said. “It won’t work.”
Shortly after Barber’s arrest and before her own, Lich urged supporters to “hold the line.”
It’s a phrase that’s become a rallying cry for protesters in recent days as police ramp up enforcement efforts.
There were at least two other arrests Thursday afternoon.
One man was arrested after several complaints to the police by supporters of the convoy, who told True North he was often aggressive towards other demonstrators, including allegedly spitting on them. Convoy protesters applauded as police subdued him after a short struggle and carried him into a police car.
The protesters then thanked police for removing him.
Police have just taken down a man who was in the crowd. He appeared to be vigorously resisting the arrest. The main speaker says he was reported to police by the protesters because he was not “being safe.” pic.twitter.com/TgBocWpzTB
A speaker up on the convoy site’s flatbed stage implored the crowd to give the police space, and said the man had been arrested because he was “not being safe.”
Another man was arrested after a large group of police entered a crowd of demonstrators. Police on the scene were tight-lipped about why they were making the arrest.
Thursday morning, Ottawa police established a “secure area” covering most of the city’s downtown. Police have said they intend to question anyone entering the area to ensure they have a “lawful” reason for doing so. They maintain under the federal government’s emergency declaration that joining the protest is illegal.
Inside the secure area, protesters continued to be in high spirits, dancing, barbecuing, and hot tubbing well into the evening – despite sleet and forecasts of 30cm of snow overnight.
