Truckers protesting Trudeau’s vaccine mandate at US-Canada border

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Truckers protesting Trudeau’s vaccine mandate at US-Canada border

Defiant Canadian truckers are protesting the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate today after the federal government flip-flopped on reversing the policy last week.

A rolling protest by a transport convoy at the Manitoba border crossing has already led to major delays for travellers hoping to cross into the US. 

@TissenTobias

According to one driver, trucks are blocking all lanes at the border as they slowly follow a circular route along Hwy. 75 while blasting horns in opposition to the federal government. 

“Truck drivers are circling MB-75 between Emerson Duty Free and the Commercial Inspection station blocking all lanes heading south to the United States and Northbound traffic coming from the USA,” Jamie Throp told Global News. 

On Friday, industry leaders blasted the federal government for its confusing messaging after Liberal health minister Jean Yves-Duclos announced a prior reversal of the policy had been “provided in error” and that unvaccinated essential workers would indeed be turned away at the border. 

Private Motor Truck Council of Canada President Mike Millian has stated that the Liberal government’s incompetence around the issue has caused sector-wide “mass confusion.” 

“With the news circulating on the 13th, and no clarification or correction in messaging… many carriers then dispatched some unvaccinated drivers into the U.S. to cover loads that needed to be delivered,” said Millian.

“This 16-hour period of silence has thrown many drivers’ lives into upheaval and will leave some having to quarantine at home for 14 days as a result of an erroneous message from government officials.”

The Liberal mandate will impact up to 26,000 Canadian and US truck drivers who regularly transport essential goods across the international border, potentially causing nation-wide goods shortages and a strain on the already fragile supply chain.  

“We already have a fractured supply chain, and if we damage that, the supplies that we need for our own health and safety – we’re going to see a shortage,” said Millian.

Despite warnings that the mandate could have devastating effects on Canada’s economy, Duclos has insisted that barring unvaccinated truckers who were once considered essential workers is the “right thing to do.” 

Aaron Gunn announces new political initiative in British Columbia

Jonathan Bradley
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Aaron Gunn announces new political initiative in British Columbia

Commentator and aspiring politician Aaron Gunn has launched a new political group called Common Sense BC. 

“For too long here in British Columbia, there has been no real political party and no real political leaders standing up for the everyday, hard-working citizens of this province,” said Gunn in his announcement on Facebook Tuesday. 

He added there has been no “substantive debate” or “bold new ideas” for years in B.C. politics. 

Gunn was barred from running for the B.C. Liberal leadership in October by the party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee over “diversity concerns.” While expressing his disappointment on Twitter, he said the ban signified “the rot and corruption of that party had reached the point of no return.”  

“Today, it became clear that conservatives, and all British Columbians who believe in common sense and freedom of speech, are no longer welcome in today’s BC Liberal party,” he said. 

Gunn had promised at the time to create a new political alternative and “that British Columbians could hold their head up high and vote for with pride.” 

“(Common Sense BC) is step one of turning that process into a reality,” he said Tuesday. 

The platform of Common Sense BC mirrors the one Gunn had put forward as a potential candidate for the B.C. Liberal leadership. Gunn will serve as executive director, Angelo Isidorou as communications director and Connor Gibson as campaign director. 

Gunn said Common Sense BC is not a political party at the moment but that there are a few options on what he plans on doing with it. 

He said more announcements will be made in the coming days and weeks. 

Justice Centre taking legal action against Quebec for taxing unvaccinated

Joseph Bielmeier
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Justice Centre taking legal action against Quebec for taxing unvaccinated

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) has announced they will take legal action against Quebec’s plan to implement a “health tax” against those who choose not to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

The JCCF says the province’s plan to tax the unvaccinated violates Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“The proposed Quebec ‘health tax’ is an egregious violation of the Charter rights of Quebecers and an affront to equality which Canada was, in times past, known for,” said JCCF President John Carpay.

The JCCF argues that every individual has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law without discrimination.

“This is a blatant attack on a minority of society. Historically persecution of a minority through taxation has paved the way for further and worse measures.  We will fight this discriminatory and unscientific tax in court and defend the right to bodily autonomy of Quebecers and all Canadians. This injustice has no place in Canada,” said Carpay.

Quebec currently has 78.3 % of its population double-vaccinated with over 85% having at least one dose.

Although Quebec premier François Legault did not indicate when the tax would be implemented, he did indicate that the amount would be “significant”. 

Quebec is not the only government to tax unvaccinated people, as several European countries have brought in similar policies. Austria announced anyone unvaccinated over the age of 13 would have to pay 3,600 euros – or the equivalent of $4000 – every three months. The policy is set to come into effect in February. 

Other countries have made fees specific to age groups. Greece and Italy have both implemented fines for those over the age of 60 who choose not to get the COVID shots. In Greece, this amounts to 100 euros monthly. In Italy, those who refuse to pay a fine of 600-1500 euros also risk losing their salaries.

Earlier in January, Quebec was also the first province in Canada to announce they would be moving to a three-dose vaccine passport. The new “health tax” would fall along the same lines as the vaccine passport and would have to be paid by those who choose not to receive three doses of the recommended COVID-19 vaccines.

The JCCF are not the only ones speaking out against the province’s “health tax”. As previously reported by True North, The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has also condemned any financial penalties targeting unvaccinated Canadians.

“Premier Legault is taking the unprecedented step of taxing Canadians based on their personal medical choices,” said Cara Zwibel, a CCLA lawyer and spokesperson.

“This is a divisive measure that will end up punishing and alienating those who may be in most need of public health supports and services,”

Zwibel claims that many unvaccinated people face barriers to accessing health care because of previous negative experiences from within the system.

Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre has also denounced the new policy, claiming it was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s rhetoric that encouraged the Quebec government. In a tweet on Thursday Poilievre stated, “(t)his government overreach is the direct result of Trudeau’s hateful demagoguery, targeting a minority to divide and distract from his own failures,”

Although Trudeau has not endorsed the “health tax”, he has made references to unvaccinated Canadians as “extremists, misogynists, and racists”.

Conservative MPs Michael Cooper, Garnett Genuis and Jeremy Patzer have also condemned the “health tax” while Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole seems hesitant to do so thus far.

Alberta establishes first tuition-free classical education charter school

Jonathan Bradley
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Alberta establishes first tuition-free classical education charter school

The Alberta Ministry of Education has approved its first tuition-free public charter school focused on classical education. 

The ministry announced Tuesday that the Calgary Classical Academy will offer classes from kindergarten to Grade 6 starting in the 2022/2023 school year, with middle and high school classes to be offered soon after. 

According to the ministry’s press release, the Calgary Classical Academy will consist of a liberal arts education emphasizing “the knowledge, virtues and habits befitting free citizens.” 

As a tuition-free charter school, it will be “the first public non-denominational classical education program in Canada.” 

Students attending the school will “benefit from a knowledge-rich curriculum that is highly integrated across grade levels and disciplines.” Students will study classic works of literature, philosophy, arts and sciences from around the world “so that they may benefit from the wisdom of the past and preserve and build upon it for posterity.”

“A classical education prepares young people for both citizenship and the workforce, but more importantly, its purpose is to cultivate virtue, a sense of wonder, intellectual integrity and a love of wisdom,” said Calgary Classical Academy superintendent-designate John Picard.  

Alberta education minister Adriana LaGrange said the government is committed to letting parents choose the type of education that is best for their children. 

“Our government is proud to maintain this long and successful tradition of supporting school choice, which is why we introduced the Choice in Education Act,” said LaGrange. “I’m very pleased that Calgary parents will now have an additional option of sending their children to a new charter school that offers a classical education program unique to Alberta.”

The ministry added that the Calgary Classical Academy has begun recruiting teachers and will soon be accepting applications for students. Consultations to find a building for the school are reportedly ongoing. 

A report from the Association for Reformed Political Action Canada published in February 2021 called on provincial education systems to be more diverse. 

The report argued that provinces should make it easier for parents to opt for private and home schools and should not have to pay for the public system if their children do not use it. 

FUREY: Trudeau’s vaccine mandate for truckers will be a disaster

Anthony Furey
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FUREY: Trudeau’s vaccine mandate for truckers will be a disaster

The Liberal government is moving ahead with their vaccine mandate for truckers entering Canada despite multiple warnings from experts that this policy will cause significant problems. Trucking and logistics experts warn that continued supply chain bottlenecks will lead to empty shelves and delayed surgeries.

Why does Justin Trudeau insist on moving forward with these disastrous pandemic policies?

Anthony Furey discusses in his latest video.

Trucking industry in chaos due to incompetent federal messaging

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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0
Trucking industry in chaos due to incompetent federal messaging

The head of a major Canadian trucking organization says that the federal government’s messaging on vaccine mandates for truck drivers has created a state of chaos across the industry. 

According to President of the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada Mike Millian, unvaccinated truckers already en route to the US with goods should be granted an exemption from the order. 

Millian said the Liberals’ “flip flopping” and lack of clarity has created “mass confusion” across the sector. 

“With the news circulating on the 13th, and no clarification or correction in messaging… many carriers then dispatched some unvaccinated drivers into the U.S. to cover loads that needed to be delivered,” said Millian. 

On Thursday, Federal Liberal health minister Jean Yves-Duclos effectively reversed a prior reversal on requiring essential truck drivers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, saying that the earlier announcement had been “provided in error.”

Media reports had indicated Wednesday that the Liberals were backing down on the mandate after facing pressure from trucking organizations who warned that the mandate could severely impact Canada’s supply chain and lead to a shortage of goods across the country. 

The Liberal mandate is set to take up to 26,000 US and Canadian truck drivers off their cross-border routes. 

“If the message provided late Wednesday was made in error, why did it take officials over 16 hours to release a statement correcting the error?” asked Millian.

“This 16-hour period of silence has thrown many drivers’ lives into upheaval and will leave some having to quarantine at home for 14 days as a result of an erroneous message from government officials.”

With the mandate in effect, truckers who are not vaccinated along with their transport goods will be turned away from the border if they can’t prove they’ve received at least two COVID-19 vaccines. 

“We already have a fractured supply chain, and if we damage that, the supplies that we need for our own health and safety – we’re going to see a shortage,” said Millian.

Canadian Trucking Alliance President Stephen Laskowski echoed Millian’s remarks, saying that the mandate will “definitely have a negative impact” on how goods are brought to market. 

“There isn’t one aspect of the supply chain that won’t be impacted by this measure,” Laskowski said. 

How independent media outlets are beating the naysayers

Andrew Lawton
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How independent media outlets are beating the naysayers

The bulk of Canadian mainstream media outlets have moved to subsidy models through which government funding has become essential to their survival. Canada is home to a number of scrappy independent start-ups, who are not only challenging mainstream narratives, but also innovating new media business models. In this edition of The Andrew Lawton Show, Andrew shines a light on the independent media landscape in Canada through a lengthy discussion with Western Standard publisher Derek Fildebrandt, Rebel News chief reporter Sheila Gunn Reid, and Roberto Wakerell-Cruz, Canadian editor for The Post Millennial.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Ontario city backs down, allows woman to fly F*CK TRUDEAU flag

Harley Sims
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Ontario city backs down, allows woman to fly F*CK TRUDEAU flag

The City of Port Colborne has backed away from ordering a woman to remove a popular anti-Trudeau flag from the front of her home.

The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) made the announcement Thursday, calling it “a victory for freedom of expression.” The constitutional rights charity had been working with lawyers and the homeowner since November to challenge the city’s order.

“The city of Port Colborne was wrong to ever issue this order, which violated Melissa’s right to freedom of expression,” said CCF lawyer and spokesperson Christine Van Geyn. “We are pleased that the city has acquiesced under threat of legal action, but no Canadian should ever need to threaten to go to court in order to exercise the rights they are guaranteed under our constitution.”

Melissa, a working mother, said she had originally flown the “F*CK TRUDEAU” flag as a protest against the results of the Sep. 2021 federal election.

The “*” in “F*CK TRUDEAU” is represented by a maple leaf.

Port Colborne residents complained about the flag when it was first displayed, and in November the city sent Melissa a bylaw order requiring her to remove it. Melissa filed notice and paid $260 to challenge the order but was initially told her appeal would not be heard.

The CCF, which agreed to support Melissa’s fight against the order, called flying the flag a constitutional freedom.

“Like every citizen of Canada, Melissa has a Charter-protected right to express her political views,” Van Geyn said. “She is flying a flag on her own property, expressing a political sentiment that frankly is not even that uncommon. If her flag bothers some people at Port Colborne city hall, I suggest they drive down a different street instead of trying to tell Melissa what she can and cannot say.”

On Thursday, the City of Port Colborne rescinded the order and refunded Melissa’s $260 fee.

“I am so happy that the city of Port Colborne has backed down on their attempts to silence me,” Melissa said. “I’m proud to continue to be able to express my political views, which is my right as a Canadian.”

F*CK TRUDEAU swag – including bumper stickers, mugs, hoodies and hats – has become a common sight in many parts of Canada. The online marketplace Etsy.com offers a wide selection of these products.

Radical anarchist producing CBC documentary on BC pipeline protests

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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0
Radical anarchist producing CBC documentary on BC pipeline protests

CBC has solicited the work of a radical anarchist activist to produce a documentary on the ongoing protests targeting BC natural gas pipelines. 

According to a tweet, Franklin López has recently become involved in the CBC production Yintah, which centres on so-called Wet’suwet’en resistance to the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern BC. 

“Well the cat’s out of the bag, our film Yintah is a CBC production,” tweeted López on Dec. 6, 2021. López’s Twitter account has since been set to ‘protected’ status although his Instagram account also identifies him as the “Producer/Editor” of the documentary.

López has been a staple figure in the Canadian anti-authority far-left for years and is the founder of the multimedia company sub.Media. Recently, the Western Standard also identified López as a “hardcore anarcho-socialist.” 

The company’s productions include various short films and documentaries on an amalgam of anarchist and anti-authority topics. Videos with titles such as “Oil Pipelines Are Easy To Shut Down” and “How to Paralyze a Country” are commonly featured on sub.Media’s Vimeo channel. 

The content is also a go-to resource for extremist Antifa websites that endorse criminal and violent tactics to achieve their ends. One of those websites, Montreal Counter-Information, linked to sub.Media’s video on how to shut down critical infrastructure such as pipelines. 

As exclusively reported by True North, the extremist Montreal Counter-Information has in the past called for attacks against police, said that looting is legitimate and instructed supporters on how to make Molotov cocktails. 

“Now that the cages are chock full and that people slowly die behind bars, what could happen if the (prison) guards’ cars would unfortunately meet with a screwdriver/hammer/firestarter? If the people who lock up and stand guard, already under constant pressure, were hit and beaten while going back home?” wrote an anonymous April 13, 2021, post on Montreal Counter-Information. 

In fact, López’s content has been featured numerous times on the violent extremist website. 

When True North confronted CBC with these facts and asked whether taxpayer funds were going into an anarchist activist’s pockets, CBC Head of Public Affairs Chuck Thompson claimed that López was being paid by CBC’s production partners.

“For over 20 years, Frank López has publicly identified as an anarchist filmmaker,” Thompson told True North. “Regarding his specific roles on this particular film, he is an editor and also one of the producers. Accordingly, Mr. Lopez is being paid for his work by our production partners.”

When asked follow-up questions about the identities of those production partners and whether CBC was aware of López’s troubling connections, Thompson said the following: “You have our response, we have nothing more to add.” 

In the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s 2019 Public Report, “anarchist and anti-authority violence” was classified as a national security threat and an example of “Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism” alongside ethno-nationalist violence, violent misogyny and anti-LGBTQ violence. 

Recent protests targeting pipeline sites in northern BC have resulted in heavy equipment sabotage and hundreds of workers being stranded without food due to illegal blockades. 

The issue of far-left infiltration into Canada’s public broadcaster recently reared its head after former CBC producer Tara Henley revealed that she left the Crown corporation due to the organization’s “radical political agenda.” 

The CBC is funded by Canadian taxpayers to the tune of $1.2 billion. 

Experts say mandatory masks harmful for young children

Jonathan Bradley
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0
Experts say mandatory masks harmful for young children

Various experts are speaking out against mandatory masks for children five years old and under despite many Canadian jurisdictions recommending or requiring them for young kids. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said clearly that children five years old and under should not be required to wear masks “based on the safety and overall interest of the child and the capacity to appropriately use a mask with minimal assistance.” 

Despite this advice, Health Canada has told children two years old and up to wear them. 

“Remember, superheroes wear masks too,” the government website says. 

Kindergarten students at schools in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) were ordered to wear masks starting in September. A memo issued by the TDSB in August informed parents of the policy even though it goes against the Ontario government’s own guidelines, which require only students in Grade 1 and up to wear masks. 

Durham District School Board trustees followed suit by voting on Jan. 5 to make masks mandatory for kindergarten students when in-person learning resumes on Jan. 17. 

“I just feel very strongly that we need to be proactive with this and protect students and staff the best we can with the masking,” said Pickering trustee Chris Braney. 

University of California San Francisco epidemiology and biostatistics professor Vinay Prasad told True North that it is wrong for Health Canada to recommend children two years old and up wear masks. 

“I think it is a bad policy choice,” said Prasad. “There is no credible evidence to show that this policy will slow the spread of the virus in the short term or long term.” 

Prasad added that masks for young children might make it difficult for them to communicate and cause them to miss out on seeing the facial expressions of their classmates. 

University of Toronto psychology professor Todd Cunningham told True North that requiring children five years old and under to wear masks could negatively affect those with language processing challenges. 

“For this small group of students, they would be at a disadvantage by not seeing their educators’ mouths,” said Cunningham. “(With) other students who might have more of a hesitancy with speaking, the mask might act as a barrier to allowing them or promoting them to speak out loud.” 

Cunningham said these disruptions to speech are a risk factor for language development for younger students, as teachers should be encouraging them to produce and listen to regular speech. He said that teachers should better explain phonetic sounds to mitigate these risks.

Prasad added that in times of crisis, it is reasonable to try ideas without solid evidence, but he gives that practice a six-month grace period. 

“When you enter year two, you have to show what you’re recommending works,” he said. “They simply have never done that for masking young children.” 

The WHO and UNICEF said in 2020 that children five years old and under should not have to wear masks. The organizations argued that young children are less susceptible to COVID-19 and unlikely to spread it to other people. 

“According to the limited available evidence, young children may have lower susceptibility to infection compared to adults, however available data suggests that this may vary by age among children,” they said. 

Children 0 to 11 years old represent 1,343 of the 97,940 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Canada, or about 1%. Meanwhile, children 0 to 11 years old represent 14 of the 30,194 COVID-19 deaths in Canada, totalling less than 0.01%. 

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