Poilievre leads Conservative charge against taxing unvaccinated Canadians

Harley Sims
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Some prominent Conservative Members of Parliament are finally denouncing Quebec’s move to force people to take the COVID-19 shots under threat of “significant” financial penalties, with leader Erin O’Toole still ambivalent.

“This government overreach is the direct result of Trudeau’s hateful demagoguery, targeting a minority to divide and distract from his own failures,” Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre said in a tweet on Thursday.

Poilievre referenced a video clip that had resurfaced of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau demonizing Canadians who haven’t taken the COVID shots as “misogynists and racists.” Trudeau’s comments have been condemned internationally.

Poilievre is the most prominent Conservative MP to stand against Quebec’s move to make vaccination mandatory. In speaking out against the policy, he echoed earlier statements by Conservative MPs Michael Cooper, Garnett Genuis and Jeremy Patzer. 

“Any tax targeting unvaccinated people is discriminatory and wrong. Period,” Poilievre said.

Poilievre’s stand was supported by fellow Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman.

“A tax on the unvaxxed would be legally and ethically wrong. Full stop,” Lantsman said in a Tweet.

Poilievre and Lantsman’s remarks come two days after Quebec Premier François Legault announced his government would be exacting “health-care contributions” from Quebeckers who choose not to get the COVID shots.

Legault’s move followed federal Liberal health minister Jean-Yves Duclos’s suggestion that provinces should consider making COVID vaccinations mandatory.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) came out swinging against the new fee being imposed on Quebeckers and warned that forced vaccine taxes are the wrong way to go. 

Federal CTF director Franco Terrazzano told True North that Poilievre’s comments should be much welcomed.

“We’re not going to tax our way out of a pandemic, so it’s great to see the Conservatives speaking out against this tax,” said Terrazzano. “Canadians are already overtaxed, and this could open the floodgates to a bunch of new taxes.”

“Some politicians want the unvaccinated to pay more today. But who are they going to go after tomorrow? All Canadians need to unite against this tax.”

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole mentioned the issue during a Facebook Live video later on Thursday but was less definitive in his opposition.

“I don’t like to see measures like we’re seeing in Quebec where the provinces don’t have the tools to manage COVID, going to tax people that are unvaccinated,” O’Toole said.  

“We need to get vaccination levels up – get vaccinated, they’re safe and effective. But we have to work with people to make sure they do it, and we are not a country that traditionally punishes or imposes in the way that we are seeing. It’s easy to be frustrated. It’s easy to turn a frustrated 85% of the population against 10 or 15 other per cent of the population.” 

On the provincial front, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have all said “no” to forcing vaccines on their citizens under threat of financial penalties.

British Columbia’s health minister Adrian Dix also said no to forcing the shots onto people who don’t want them.

“I can say definitively we will not be proceeding with a similar measure,” Dix told a press conference on Tuesday.

Premiers in Atlantic Canada have not ruled it out but say there are no plans yet.

The government of Quebec has not yet announced how much the financial punishment will be for those who haven’t taken the COVID shots, or when the fees will start being charged.

Quebec is only the second government in the western world to make COVID shots compulsory for all adults. Austria is scheduled to begin the policy in February, with fines of up to $4000 every three months for people unwilling to get the shots.

The Trump fever dream lives on in the minds of Canada’s Laurentian elites

Candice Malcolm
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The Trump fever dream lives on in the minds of Canada’s Laurentian elites

The pearl-clutching liberal elite in the legacy media revisit their favourite topic – accusing Donald Trump of creating every problem under the sun and pretending that everyone who supports him is a racist far-right terrorist. 

On today’s episode of Fake News Friday on The Candice Malcolm Show, Candice and True North journalist and producer Harrison Faulkner try to parse out the logic in a series of anti-Trump derangement screeds over on the Globe and Mail editorial page. 

Plus, they talk about how journalists push their agenda and wrap their opinions in news stories – by quoting so-called experts who push the woke far-left ideology. 

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LEVY: Ontario small businesses dying under lockdowns

Sue-Ann Levy
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LEVY: Ontario small businesses dying under lockdowns

Staying afloat in one of the most locked down places in North America is a battle Ontario business owners know all too well.

Determined to keep her indoor pizzeria in Toronto going, Celina Blanchard decided she needed to be creative and pivot. After three lockdowns by the province on restaurant facilities, the Lambretta Pizzeria owner said she’s much “better prepared.”

“I’ve been through this before,” she said.

So in mid-December when sales started plummeting, she opened a new takeout and delivery service in another location. This was only a few days after Premier Doug Ford had locked down Ontario for the third time.

“I just knew that I had to find a Plan B because indoor dining is not going to work right now,” she said. “Takeout and delivery is the way to go.”

Lambretta Pizzeria, 89 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON.

Over the course of the nearly 18 months that I’ve followed Blanchard’s fortunes, I’ve witnessed her fight her landlord for rent relief during the first lockdown (he finally agreed) and pressure the city last summer to get a Cafe licence in a timely manner.

“I’ve been quite vocal,” she said.

She added that last summer was great and everyone enjoyed her outdoor patio.

“We saw the energy patios provided to everyone,” she says.

But then the weather turned colder, the patios were gone and the government started pushing the vaccination passports as a condition of dining indoors. Most people followed the rules on the passports, but some decided just to order take out to avoid issues at the door. 

She thought Christmas was going to be better because a lot of Christmas parties were booked. But when Omicron hit, people called and cancelled, she said.

“All of these things came into play,” Blanchard said. “It’s been quite challenging.”

All in all her business was down 75% in 2021, But it could have been worse had she not had the benefit of the summer patio season, she says.

Celina Blanchard, owner of Lambretta Pizzeria.

Joel Gelfand’s small business isn’t far away.

Gelfand owns House of Combat, a martial arts and self-defense studio, in the north part of Toronto. He was “hardest hit” when he was forced to close his facility for the first time. At that point he didn’t qualify for government assistance, he says, so it was a “real tense time.”

He wonders why, during a pandemic, the government would allow LCBO and cannabis stores to remain open when gyms and studios like his are a great outlet for kids with anxiety.

Joel Gelfand, Owner of House of Combat

“The government is not promoting a healthy lifestyle and mental health,” he said.

After a really slow opening, they were able to conduct socially distanced training outside during the summer of 2020. When they reopened after the second lockdown during the winter of last year, they had a “nice streak” all summer.

He says that during the lockdowns, he’s tried to transfer to Zoom classes but that has required readjusting his physical technique – which really requires hands-on demonstrations.

“I enjoy my job but it’s trying,” said the father of two young boys. “It really hurts.”

House of Combat,  3537 Bathurst St, North York, ON

Julie Kwiecinski, director of Ontario affairs for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), says a recent survey showed that only 35% of their members are at normal revenues and 18.5% are actively considering bankruptcy.

She says the average COVID debt among their 38,000 members is $190,000.

Kwiecinski added that small business owners are “extremely cynical” about being permitted to open when the three-week lockdown is supposed to end on Jan. 27.

“They’ve heard this story before,” she said. 

She has a point.

Ontario has consistently lagged behind every other province when it comes to allowing restaurants to open to indoor dining and services like hairdressers and nail salons to operate at full capacity.

Doug Ford has given no indication of his plans for when the latest lockdown ends on Jan. 27.

As Kwiecinski says, every day the clock ticks with businesses left hanging is another nail in the coffin for those barely hanging on.

It’s not fair and it’s not right.

Saskatchewan premier says it is “now clear” lockdowns aren’t working

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe said this week that lockdown policies have “little or virtually no benefit” and do more harm than good now that more is known about the Omicron COVID-19 variant. 

Moe made the comments during a press conference.

“But it is now clear, at least in this Omicron wave of the pandemic, that lockdown policies can cause harm in our communities often, with little or virtually no benefit,” Moe said “They cause economic harm by taking away jobs and removing family livelihoods. They cause psychological harm by taking away social contact, most particularly for our youth.” 

“They are an infringement on the rights and freedoms that we have come to enjoy and value as Canadians. And that is why, they should only be used if absolutely necessary and only if they can clearly be shown that they are being effective and they are working and we are not seeing that as being the case today.” 

Although Saskatchewan has not gone into lockdown during the latest wave of the virus, the province still has several pandemic-related restrictions including a vaccine passport system. 

According to the Government of Saskatchewan, Canadians in the province require a COVID vaccination record to access indoor dining at restaurants, night clubs and other liquor-licensed establishments, event venues such as movie theaters and indoor fitness centres or gyms. 

As for other provinces, both Quebec and Ontario have entered into lockdowns as a way to combat COVID-19. New Brunswick has also announced it will be moving to a stage 3 lockdown on Friday, the province’s most stringent level.

“Think of it as short-term pain for long-term gain,” New Brunswick premier Blaine Higgs said. 

On Wednesday, it was revealed that Premier Moe tested positive for COVID-19 on a rapid antigen test despite receiving a COVID-19 booster shot.

According to his spokesperson Julie Leggott, Moe is not currently experiencing any symptoms. He has since entered into self-isolation. 

MPP raises doubts over Ontario saying it won’t force COVID shots

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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MPP raises doubts over Ontario saying it won’t force COVID shots

Ontario has signalled that it will not follow in the footsteps of Quebec and institute a tax on the unvaccinated, but an Ontario MPP is saying that the government’s past decisions paint a different picture. 

On Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore told reporters during a COVID-19 update that Quebec’s approach seemed “punitive” and would not be adopted in Ontario. 

“It does, in my mind, seem punitive. Only in the highest-risk settings have we mandated it, and that was in the long-term care facilities where all of us have realized the increased death rate, the increased risk of severe (COVID-19) outcomes had to be balanced by maximizing immunization and protection of those individuals,” said Moore. 

“That is as far as this government has gone in terms of mandating vaccination, and putting a penalty on those who have not been vaccinated has not been entertained by this government.”

New Blue Party of Ontario MPP Belinda Karahalios told True North that Ford has been telling Ontarians one thing and saying another behind closed doors. 

“The Ford PC government committed to not introducing a COVID-19 vaccine passport and then later admitted they spent the summer of 2021 lobbying the Trudeau government for a national COVID-19 vaccine passport until finally settling on introducing a provincial version on Ontarians,” said Karahalios.

She added, “the Ford PCs also initially made statements in the legislature saying they would support Bill 12 (mandatory COVID-19 vaccination in education and healthcare) but in response to opposition by the New Blue, the Ford PCs reversed course.”

Despite Moore’s assurances that Ontario would not force vaccination onto its citizens, the provincial government has walked back on similar promises in the past.

At the tail end of 2021, Moore also pledged not to shut down schools, but the government flip-flopped on that position as well.  After suddenly announcing that schools would indeed be shut down after New Year’s for in-person learning, the Ford government said Monday that they would resume Jan. 17. 

Currently, Ontarians are required to show vaccine passports to access basic services such as restaurants, event venues and sports arenas, among other locations. 

In Quebec, Premier François Legault announced a vaccine mandate on Tuesday which when in place would charge Quebecers an undefined health tax for refusing to get a COVID-19 shot. 

Alberta and Saskatchewan have also announced they are not considering such a mandate. 

Liberals say news of scrapping trucker vaccine mandate was “provided in error”

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Liberals say news of scrapping trucker vaccine mandate was “provided in error”

After announcing Wednesday that it would be reversing its vaccine mandate for Canadian truck drivers at the US border, the Liberal government is now saying the announcement was wrong and that the mandate is still on.

Yesterday the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) stated that the government would not follow through with its plan to mandate vaccines for truckers after warnings from industry leaders that it could lead to major supply chain issues. 

Only one day after that announcement, Liberal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos stated in a press release that the news was “provided in error,” effectively reversing the policy. 

As reported by True North, even if the Liberals were to scrap requiring vaccination for Canadian truckers, the mandate could still potentially impact 14,000 US truck drivers who frequently enter Canada. 

According to estimates by the Canadian Trucking Alliance and the American Trucking Associations, the current mandate will impact up to 26,000 drivers who regularly cross the border, and will lead to price hikes.

The Canadian Trucking Alliance President Stephen Laskowski has said that the mandate “is not a trucking issue at all. This is a supply chain issue that can have severe ripple effects throughout the entire North American economy.”

“We’ll be seeing shortages of goods in stores,” said President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Perrin Beatty.

The mandate is also expected to cause troubles and delays for fully-vaccinated truckers, according to the CBSA. 

 “As the new measures are rolled out on Jan. 15, truck drivers may experience delays at port of entry due to the modified public health measures,” a CBSA spokesperson told trucknews.com. 

“The CBSA will monitor volumes and wait times and be prepared to allocate resources and adjust staffing levels to minimize processing times and potential delays at our ports of entry. The CBSA will not compromise the health and safety of Canadians for the sake of border wait times.”

Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole came out against the mandate earlier this month calling for the government to reverse course. 

“We will be short tens of thousands of truckers if the government doesn’t very quickly address this issue,” said O’Toole. “That doesn’t mean that I don’t think people shouldn’t be vaccinated; it means we have to deal with the reality of the fact that there will be a small number of unvaccinated.”

Quebec’s tax on the unvaccinated is coercive, totalitarian, and just plain wrong

Andrew Lawton
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Quebec’s tax on the unvaccinated is coercive, totalitarian, and just plain wrong

Quebec Premier François Legault is trying to boost vaccine uptake by charging anyone who doesn’t have three doses of Covid vaccine a “health contribution.” True North’s Andrew Lawton says the policy is a backdoor vaccine mandate which targets people with lower incomes and makes bodily autonomy – which is supposed to be a fundamental freedom – a privilege you must purchase.

Also, former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu joins the show to discuss foreign interference in Canada’s political process.

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Jewish author calls Trudeau “unethical, immoral” and “evil” over comments on unvaccinated

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Jewish author calls Trudeau “unethical, immoral” and “evil” over comments on unvaccinated

A Jewish author and columnist has savaged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for calling unvaccinated Canadians “racists” and “extremists.” 

Diane Bederman, who is Canadian-born, made the comments in a column republished by the New York Orthodox Jewish outlet JewishPress. 

“Here is Justin Trudeau, a sanctimonious, self-serving, self-righteous, inept, unethical, immoral and corrupt man, who can now add evil to the list,” writes Bederman. 

“Here we are in 2022 and our leaders are scapegoating the non-vaccinated, blaming them for the continuation of the pandemic,” she wrote. ”Like other evil leaders, they divide rather than unite. They promote fear rather than courage and strength. Pit one group against another.”

In September, Trudeau was interviewed by the French-language program La semaine des 4 Julie in which he called the millions of unvaccinated Canadian men, women and children a number of derogatory terms. 

“They are extremists who don’t believe in science, they’re often misogynists, also often racists. It’s a small group that muscles in, and we have to make a choice in terms of leaders, in terms of the country. Do we tolerate these people?” said the Canadian prime minister. 

Throughout her opinion piece, Bederman made several comparisons between Trudeau’s remarks and the rhetoric of 1930’s Germany.

Bederman’s commentary also criticized New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, whose government “suggested the non-vaccinated not be allowed into grocery stores” until public outrage forced them to reverse the decision. 

“If we had remembered, as we promised NEVER FORGET, we would never have allowed our elected officials, leaders, doctors, to take away our God given rights and freedoms. We would never have allowed these people to separate us into essential and nonessential, when all life is sacred, separate us from our elderly loved ones, desperately in need of care,” Bederman continues. 

An increasing number of voices from around the world are speaking out against Trudeau’s divisive and dangerous rhetoric. 

As reported by True North, New York academic Jared McBrady penned an article accusing Trudeau of “othering” an entire segment of the population. 

“Now, some politicians are othering the “unvaccinated”,” McBrady wrote. “These politicians attempt to scapegoat and marginalize this minority group, despite knowing that vaccinated and unvaccinated persons alike can contract and spread COVID-19.” 

UK outlets talkRADIOTV and GB News also joined in on condemning the Canadian prime minister for his comments. 

Ottawa vaccine mandate still applies to nearly 14,000 US truckers

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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0
Ottawa vaccine mandate still applies to nearly 14,000 US truckers

While Ottawa has walked back requiring COVID-19 vaccination for Canadian truck drivers, border guards are still set to turn away thousands of US truckers who haven’t had their shots.

On Wednesday, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced that it would not require unvaccinated Canadian truckers to quarantine after several industry leaders warned that the mandate would wreak havoc on Canada’s supply chain. 

The reversal means that nearly 10% of Canada’s 120,000 truck drivers will get to continue delivering essential supplies across the border. However, according to the American Trucking Association (ATA), nearly half of the 28,000 US truckers who regularly enter Canada will still be turned away under the new program. 

“We want everybody to get vaccinated. We’re not anti-vax. But this is a group of folks, for whatever reason – I’m not going to point fingers – they’re not vaccinated at a high rate,” said ATA chief economist Bob Costello. 

Not only will the mandate require the CBSA to turn away essential workers, but it will also create strains on border wait times and processing for truckers who are vaccinated. 

“As the new measures are rolled out on Jan. 15, truck drivers may experience delays at port of entry due to the modified public health measures,” a CBSA spokesperson told trucknews.com. 

“The CBSA will monitor volumes and wait times and be prepared to allocate resources and adjust staffing levels to minimize processing times and potential delays at our ports of entry. The CBSA will not compromise the health and safety of Canadians for the sake of border wait times.”

Canadian trucking organizations have been warning for some time now that a vaccine mandate could have devastating effects on Canada’s economy, potentially leading to shortages of goods across the country. 

According to Canadian Trucking Alliance President Stephen Laskowski, the mandate “is not a trucking issue at all. This is a supply chain issue that can have severe ripple effects throughout the entire North American economy.”

Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole also called for an end to the mandate, urging the federal government to reverse course. 

“We will be short tens of thousands of truckers if the government doesn’t very quickly address this issue,” said O’Toole.  “That doesn’t mean that I don’t think people shouldn’t be vaccinated; it means we have to deal with the reality of the fact that there will be a small number of unvaccinated.”

Ontario first province to correct misinformation on COVID hospitalization numbers

Jonathan Bradley
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Ontario first province to correct misinformation on COVID hospitalization numbers

Ontario is the first province in Canada to update its COVID-19 reporting system to better distinguish patients hospitalized because of the virus from those who tested positive for it after coming to hospital for other reasons.

Ontario health minister Christine Elliott made the announcement on Tuesday, saying that “while this doesn’t change the serious situation in Ontario’s hospitals, it is important to share this data to provide additional context on the state of the pandemic.” 

Elliott announced 3,220 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those patients, 54% were admitted for COVID-19 and 46% came in for other reasons but tested positive for the virus upon being admitted to hospital. 

Of the people in the ICU, Elliott said 83% were admitted for COVID-19 and 17% came in for other reasons but tested positive on admittance.  

Ontario has administered about 28.7 million vaccines, and more than 141,000 doses were injected on Monday. About 88% of Ontarians five years old and up have received one dose, and 82% have two doses. 

There were 7,951 new cases of COVID-19 in Ontario announced on Monday. Fully vaccinated people in hospitals with COVID now outnumber those who are unvaccinated and those with one COVID shot. This is not, however, the case with ICUs. 

As of Monday, Ontario had 1,612 fully vaccinated people in hospital, 552 unvaccinated and 123 partially vaccinated. For ICUs, Ontario reported 138 unvaccinated people, 14 partially vaccinated and 158 fully vaccinated. 

British Columbia and Alberta have also suggested they will look at changing the ways COVID hospitalization numbers are reported. 

B.C. chief medical officer of health Bonnie Henry admitted last week that the province’s COVID-19 hospitalization numbers are unspecific when it comes to telling who is sick with the virus from who tested positive for it. She said that the province is currently counting everyone in hospitals with a positive test as a hospitalization from COVID-19. 

“We’re trying to tease apart people who are in hospital from COVID, people who are in hospital with COVID, and people who are in hospital because COVID exacerbated one of the underlying conditions,” said Henry. “It’s not easy to do that, except by going and looking at every individual chart.”

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said on Tuesday that many COVID-19 cases in Alberta’s hospitals are situations where the virus is not the primary reason for hospitalization. 

Kenney said that 40% of COVID-19 patients in Alberta hospitals and about 79% patients in ICUs are there because of the virus. 

“On the non-ICU side at least, we can expect that a significant number of COVID-related hospitalization figures are for people who are not primarily hospitalized or affected by COVID,” he said. 

Neither B.C. nor Alberta has provided a timeline for updating its reporting system.

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