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Sunday, July 27, 2025

After pushing COVID booster shots for months, government now says wait  

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Credit: Pexels

Despite pushing COVID-19 booster shots for months, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is now advising Canadians to delay getting the shots by three months if they’ve been infected with the Omicron variant. 

According to the NACI’s recommended interval breakdown, those who have been infected with Omicron are being asked to wait “3 months after symptom onset or positive test (if asymptomatic) and provided it is at least 6 months from completing the primary series.” 

Federal and provincial public health authorities have been pushing Canadians to get their third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since September, when eligibility was first opened up to seniors and other vulnerable populations. 

Pick up on booster vaccinations has been relatively low, however. Recent Ottawa figures show that only 45% of adults had received their third dose in the nation’s capital, and Ottawa currently has the third-highest rate of boosters administered in all of Ontario. 

Eastern Ontario Health Unit reported only 34% of eligible adults had received a third dose, with 33.7% in Renfrew County. 

Polls reveal that Canadians are largely against the prospect of mandatory booster shots, with a survey from September suggesting a majority of 52% opposed to businesses forcing their employees into a third vaccine. 

In Ontario, the Liberal opposition has demanded that the province’s vaccine passport program require three doses for anybody to be considered fully vaccinated – something the Quebec government has already announced.

“In essence, this is my call out to Doug Ford to say given all of the lessons that we have learned during this pandemic – lessons that I would have hoped that Doug Ford himself would have learned – this is not the time to be weak, and this is not the time to be half-hearted,” Ontario Liberal Party leader Del Duca said.

“We need real responsible and competent leadership at this moment to make sure that as the reopening happens and school starts and as the restrictions start to get lifted, that we are positioned to make sure again that we don’t have to go backwards.”

On Thursday, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Kieran Moore announced that with the waning efficacy of two doses, it was time to “reassess the value” of the province’s vaccine passport system.

Politicians are afraid of the freedom convoy

By
Andrew Lawton
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As public health restrictions get rolled back, politicians and the media are denying that the freedom convoy, which is still going strong in Ottawa and cities across the country, is having an effect. In this episode of the show, True North’s Andrew Lawton talks about the moving goalposts of the convoy’s opponents, and the importance of strong conservative leadership from the Conservative Party of Canada. Also, Andrew shares an interview with lawyer Keith Wilson, retained by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms to represent the freedom convoy’s organizers, regarding efforts to get GoFundMe to unfreeze donations made to the convoy.

Since the interview was recorded, GoFundMe has removed the campaign altogether and said it will release no further donations.

Kenney setting a date to end vaccine passports – with strings attached

By
Harley Sims
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Facing a possible revolt in his own caucus and a stand-off with dozens of farmers and truckers blockading the Coutts border crossing, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced Friday that he would be cancelling Alberta’s version of the vaccine passport – eventually, and with strings attached.

“Early next week, the COVID cabinet committee will approve a plan for the careful lifting of public health measures beginning with the Restriction Exemption Program,” Kenney said in a video posted online.

Kenney said a firm date for the suspension of the Restriction Exemption Program (REP) would be announced “early next week” and that a plan to stop almost all public health measures against COVID-19 would be announced later this month – but only “as long as we see a trend of declining pressure on our hospitals.” 

Kenney added that the COVID shots and mandates had been “very effective at limiting transmission and infection” of earlier variants of COVID-19 and that the REP had been a success.

“We introduced this proof of vaccination program reluctantly to avoid a catastrophe in our hospitals during the Delta wave in September when Alberta and Saskatchewan were hit hardest because we had the lowest level of vaccination in Canada. When the REP was introduced, vaccines were still very effective at limiting transmission and infection.”

“The REP also led to a major increase in Alberta’s vaccination rates, which honestly has saved many lives and helped us to avoid cancelling thousands more surgeries during both the Delta and Omicron waves, so, the Restriction Exemption Program has done its job,” Kenney said.

But, Kenney said, the shots were waning in their efficacy partly because some Albertans hadn’t gotten a booster shot.

“Most Albertans got their last vaccine shot – typically their second shot – last summer, and they have not yet received the more recently available booster shots. Let me be clear – vaccines are still tremendously powerful at preventing severe outcomes like hospitalization and death,”

Kenney defended his vaccine passport program system, saying that it only applied to discretionary events and not to essential work such as trucking.

“The REP applied to discretionary social activities which were higher risks of transmission. We did not apply it – we DID NOT apply it – to essential low risk work activities, like, well, for example, driving a truck. And the REP in Alberta has allowed for a negative test option for discretionary activities like going to a nightclub or a casino or an NHL game,” Kenney said.

Kenney’s announcement comes three days after Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced that “government restrictions on your rights and freedoms will be ending and ending very soon.”

To date, Moe and Kenney are the only premiers who have announced that ends are coming to their provinces’ COVID restrictions.

A new poll by the Angus Reid Institute found that 54% of Canadians agreed or strongly agreed that restrictions should be ended and for people who are at risk to self-isolate. All regions except for Atlantic Canada reported majority support.

Protests opposing vaccine mandates and other restrictions continue in Ottawa, in addition to weekend protests planned for major cities across Canada. 

The Ottawa Temper Tantrums Continue

By
Candice Malcolm
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It’s Fake News Friday on The Candice Malcolm Show. 

On today’s show, Candice highlights and analyzes the temper tantrums coming from Ottawa journalists, bureaucrats and Liberal politicians, and contrasts it with the real story on the ground. 

The peaceful, happy, positive and patriot Freedom Rally continues — unscathed by the smears coming from elites. 

There couldn’t be a starker contrast between the positive nature of the protests versus the increasingly deranged hateful legacy media coverage of it. Journalists are doing Trudeau’s dirty work, and it’s all backfiring on them.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MACLOLM SHOW

Liberal MP compares freedom convoy funding to “terrorist financing”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed compared the funds raised for the Truckers for Freedom Convoy to “terrorist financing” on Friday. 

Noormohamed made the comment while answering questions about forcing fundraising platform GoFundMe to testify before a parliamentary committee. 

“It’s important to ensure the funds aren’t being used to promote violence, extremism, anti-semitism and other forms of hate. I’m not stopping there: I moved a motion, passed unanimously, to get FINTRAC (Canada’s money laundering & terrorist financing watchdog) to appear as well,” tweeted Noormohammed.

When asked why it was necessary to reveal the identities of those who donated to the convoy, Noormohamed replied, “for the same reason we track terrorist financing.” 

On Thursday, the Commons committee on public safety and national security voted to call on GoFundMe officials to appear before MPs “as soon as possible.”

The motion, crafted by NDP MP Alistair MacGregor, wants to know how the company will “ensure the funds are not being used to promote extremism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism and other forms of hate, which have been expressed among prominent organizers for the truck convoy currently in Ottawa.”

The Freedom Convoy’s GoFundMe campaign has so far raised just under $10.1 million, which organizers say will be put towards covering the costs incurred by the truckers while the rest will be donated to various veterans groups. 

On Wednesday, GoFundMe froze the truckers’ funds, claiming there remained unanswered questions regarding its distribution. So far, $1 million of the money raised has been released to organizers and their lawyers. 

True North has learned that Noormahamed himself is no stranger to financial controversy. During the 2021 federal election, it was discovered that the then Vancouver Granville candidate had flipped over 20 properties since 2005. 

Critics accused Noormohamed of profiteering off the market while housing remains unaffordable for a wide majority of Canadians, especially with the Liberal platform squarely opposed to house-flipping.

It is estimated that Noormohamed made $4.9 million from his activities after selling homes that he owned for less than a year. 

Recap of Day 12 of Truckers for Freedom Convoy across Canada

By
Harrison Faulkner
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On Day 12 of the Truckers for Freedom Convoy, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remained in hiding, the Coutts border blockade decided to stay put and truckers arrived in Canada’s biggest cities to blast horns all weekend long. 

The ongoing border blockade and standoff between truckers and RCMP in Coutts, Alberta was shaken up today when Rebel News initially reported that the truckers had decided to relocate their convoy to Edmonton. 

The truckers reversed the decision after a vote, however, deciding they were going to stay and maintain their ongoing blockade of the Canada – Montana border crossing. 

Chad Williamson, the lawyer representing the truckers in Coutts, explained to Rebel News that tensions with the RCMP had cooled down significantly. 

“There’s different levels of government that we are dealing with,” Williamson said. “We will continue to be in touch with the Department of Justice and members of the RCMP to monitor what is happening with this decision.” 

Williamson went on to remind viewers that just because the situation had calmed down, “that is not to say that the situation isn’t tenuous at best.” 

He finished by reiterating the calls of truckers all over Canada and the world, saying that he hopes their protests result in the lifting of mandates and a return to the freedom that we have all been asking for. 

In Ottawa, the truckers and their supporters remained on Wellington Street today to continue their ongoing and peaceful protests against the federal government’s vaccine mandates and other COVID restrictions. 

Supporters were seen playing hockey in front of the Supreme Court this morning.

A few of the players stopped to talk with True North to discuss how they felt about the Ottawa police contemplating the need for the military. 

“Call in the military just so we can have some more street hockey players?” one protestor responded. “We need a shift change is all we need.”

When asked about how they felt about the response they’d received from Ottawa officials, another protester said, “just come down here. What I saw was the exact opposite of what I was being told on the news.”

“They were telling stories about guys stealing food from the homeless (but) there’s a guy with a flat bed down there that can’t handle the amount of food that people are donating to him.”

Another trucker speaking to True North said that “(the military) is with us. It’s too nice. People are smiling; people are happy.”

A couple from Alberta in Ottawa since the start of the protest told True North, “(t)his is the most Canadian protest you could ever imagine. Everyone is friendly and full of love.”

The ongoing protests in Ottawa have inspired similar protests in Canada’s provincial capitals including Quebec City and Ontario. 

Protestors and truckers began arriving tonight in Quebec City to get set up for Saturday. 

In response to the Freedom Convoy’s recently frozen GoFundMe page, lawyers from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms were dispatched to Ottawa to represent the organizers and help them free up the donated money. 

Here is the statement from the JCCF. 

The lawyers held a press conference with the organizers to explain how they will proceed in defending the freedom convoy. 

Co-organizer Tamara Lich spoke to reporters, saying “(t)his protest began because of the federal government’s restrictions on trucker freedoms. Our movement has grown in Canada and across the world because common people are tired of the mandates and restrictions on their own lives.” 

MPs opposed to the trucker convoy vowed to summon GoFundMe officials to testify in front of the House of Commons Public Safety and National Security Committee. 

According to CTV News, the MPs want to hear how GoFundMe plans to ensure that the funds are “not being used to promote extremism, white supremacy, anti-Semitism and other forms of hate, which have been expressed among prominent organizers for the truck convoy currently in Ottawa.”

True North will continue to bring you daily coverage of the trucker protests across Canada.  

The GoFundMe in support of the truckers remained frozen at $10,094,900.

Justice Centre lawyers in Ottawa representing Freedom Convoy truckers 

By
Jonathan Bradley
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The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) is now representing the Freedom Convoy organizers and has a team of lawyers on the ground in Ottawa to provide legal assistance. 

JCCF constitutional lawyer Keith Wilson gave a press conference on Thursday in the nation’s capital alongside convoy organizers.  

According to one of the organizers of the convoy’s GoFundMe Tamara Lich, accountants and lawyers working for the convoy have been communicating with GoFundMe, who said it stopped the truck convoy’s crowdfunding page on Wednesday “to ensure it complies with (their) terms of service and applicable laws and regulations.” 

Lich said they are hoping to have the recent suspension on their account lifted soon. 

Wilson said that most of the money is being held by GoFundMe because they were “bombarded with an orchestrated social media campaign to try and shut it down.” He said that all of the legal and accounting requirements have been met. 

“Once we reach the point where GoFundMe has released the funds, the corporate lawyer experts on the team as well as the accountants are currently refining the process for truckers and others who have been involved with the convoy to be reimbursed,” said Wilson. 

The funds raised by the GofundMe at the time of the suspension had reached almost $10.1 million.

“I want to thank all Canadians from the bottom of my heart for our quest to restore our freedoms,” Lich said. 

Lich had begun the press conference by reiterating the purpose of the freedom convoy.

“We are calling on all levels of government in Canada to end all COVID mandates and restrictions,” said convoy co-organizer Tamara Lich. “We will continue our protest until we see a clear plan for their elimination.” 

Lich said that so far, no one from the Canadian, Ontario or Ottawa governments has spoken with them.  She said that the governments are instead using the media to portray the truckers as “racists, misogynists and even terrorists.” 

Lich said that as a Métis woman, she is offended by these allegations. She added that the truckers are “average, peace-loving and law-abiding citizens from all walks of life who are fed up with being disrespected and bullied by our government.” 

The protest entered its twelfth day on Thursday. 

The scene on the ground was peaceful on the eleventh day, with protestors singing and dancing for most of the day while free food and coffee was served up at every block on the closed stretch of Wellington Street. 

FUREY: Leaders fail when they lack authenticity

By
Anthony Furey
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The most successful politicians are conviction politicians – they don’t back down. They lead and do not follow.

For Erin O’Toole, his constant flip-flopping and lack of authenticity ultimately led to his own caucus ousting him as leader of the Conservatives.

Anthony Furey discusses the importance of authenticity for the next Conservative leader.

FAULKNER: Truckers for Freedom convoy stands their ground in Ottawa

By
Harrison Faulkner
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True North’s Harrison Faulkner spoke with protesters at the #TruckersforFreedom convoy in the nation’s capital to hear their thoughts on the Ottawa police considering calling in the military to disband the protest.

Harrison also spoke with the Conservative MP John Barlow to get his thoughts on this historic protest.

Quebec premier open to meeting with Quebec freedom convoy

By
Elie Cantin-Nantel
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Quebec Premier François Legault said on Tuesday that he is open to meeting with organizers of a provincial freedom convoy now making its way to Quebec City.

Legault made the comments at a press conference on Tuesday, where he also announced that his government would abandon its controversial plan to tax the unvaccinated. 

“I am always available to meet people who are in good faith to try to see how we can help them answer their questions, their concerns,” said Legault in French.

Like the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, organizers of the Quebec provincial convoy are calling for an end to all COVID-19 restrictions and mandates. 

Le Journal De Québec reports that the provincial convoy will have starting points in various parts of the province. The truckers will link up on Saturday in front of the provincial legislature in Quebec City.

Credit: Le Journal De Québec

Convoy organizers are envisioning a family-friendly protest, with stuffed animals, inflatable toys and opportunities for children to have their pictures taken in a truck.

However, there are concerns from Quebec City’s hospitality industry over the protest, as the event coincides with the start of the world famous Quebec Winter Carnival. Those festivities begin tomorrow and will last until Feb 13.

Quebec currently has some of the strictest COVID restrictions and vaccine mandates in the world. Despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, businesses like gyms, spas, and bars are currently shut down as per government lockdown orders.

A strict police-enforced curfew from 10pm to 5am was also imposed earlier this year, but Legault opted to lift it early amid widespread backlash. 

Unvaccinated Quebecers are banned from almost all “non-essential” activities as well as places of worship, government-run stores that sell alcohol & cannabis and big box stores including Walmart and Costco.

In agreeing to meet with the convoy organizers, Legault shows a marked contrast with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who once again on Thursday ruled out meeting with protesters in Ottawa. 

In fact, Trudeau has spent the last week demonizing the peaceful truckers and their supporters who  have made their way to the nation’s capital to demand governments restore their freedoms.

Before they had even arrived in Ottawa, Trudeau had referred to convoy protesters as a “fringe minority” that holds “unacceptable views.” During a press conference on Monday, Trudeau doubled down repeatedly, calling them “tin foil hats” using “hateful rhetoric” and “racist imagery.” 

Despite Trudeau’s animosity towards the protesters, a new Angus Reid poll found the majority of Canadians now support the lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions.

More protests against restrictions and mandates are expected this weekend across Canada, with those organizing them saying they will not stop until all COVID-19 measures are lifted.

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