Just as it looked like things were starting to (albeit slowly) get back to normal, governments are using their omicron fears to justify more restrictions, more lockdowns, and more vaccine mandates. The Czech Republic has implemented mandatory vaccination for everyone over the age of 60. Germany is also contemplating a sweeping vaccine mandate. In Canada, travel restrictions that only just started being eased are being reimposed. True North’s Andrew Lawton predicts Canadians won’t tolerate another lockdown.
Also on the show, a teen-led lawsuit calling on the government to lower the voting age from 18, plus People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier joins to discuss his performance in the PPC’s first leadership review.
An Ontario union has voted overwhelmingly and without debate to allow black employees two extra days of mental health leave to deal with the impact of “anti-black racism.”
True North had previously reported that the Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees (AMAPCEO) was considering the motion for its annual conference.
The chairperson of AMAPCEO’s black caucus, Elaine Spencer, claimed this coverage “demonized” black employees and provided all the more reason to give her members special consideration.
“Many of our members have volunteered their time to combat the anti-racism struggle in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) and that has led to burnout, a tremendous amount of re-lived traumas and exhaustion,” she said.
The motion was pushed through with no debate and no indication of the vote tally after considerable discussion ensued in response to a similar black caucus motion.
A source, who preferred to remain anonymous, says the two extra days is in addition to three days of compassionate leave already afforded to all union members.
AMAPCEO represents 14,000 professionals, technical support workers, analysts, consultants and managers in the Ontario Public Service (OPS).
A tape of the proceedings obtained by True North shows that several attendees tried to suggest that every minority group is deserving of equity initiatives. The suggestion came in response to a separate motion calling for special programs for black employees intended to “address disparities in career advancement,” pay inequities and career development opportunities.
One member voiced concern that singling out black individuals limits the ability of all groups to move forward–and that these initiatives should be “extended to all equity groups.”
“Just to recognize one group may open up more issues,” said another member.
“I do stand with every marginalized community … we have to understand that Muslims are marginalized (as well as) Asians, Native Canadians,..,” added a third member.
When one attendee amended the motion to put its focus on all equity-seeking groups, Spencer became agitated. She suggested that if the word “black” is taken out, the union might as well strike down its black caucus altogether.
“In 2021 for us not to understand the disproportionate treatment and experiences of black employees within the OPS and then to suggest we broaden it…” Spencer said. “We are not equity-seeking; we are equity-denied.”:
Spencer insisted they were there specifically to address issues of black underrepresentation (at the OPS) and that everyone has the right to put forward resolutions specific to the needs of their own caucus.
“Everything we are experiencing has been at a disproportionate level in the OPS,” Spencer said. “…Especially because of how we’ve been demonized in the media we must strike this (amendment) down.”
The amendment to extend the motion to include other groups failed, and the motion passed as originally proposed. The conference moderator indicated 140 members voted against the amendment but did not say who voted for it.
Efforts to reach Spencer for comment were unsuccessful.
According to the Sunshine list, Spencer made $106,000 in 2020 as a senior policy advisor with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.
The union leadership told those attending the conference the motion for two extra days leave would be placed on the list of priorities for collective bargaining. They affirmed they would most assuredly support it.
What is the purpose of the Official Opposition in a Parliamentary system? You don’t need a degree in political science to know that the job is to “oppose” the government.
That’s it. That’s the job. Oppose the government, hold them in check, and in the case of our federal Conservative opposition party, stop the Liberal government from pushing the country ever-further to the Left.
So while it may seem heart-warming to see the entire lower chamber standing in unison to approve a bill (then giving themselves a two-minute standing ovation, hand-gladding, cheering and jumping for joy), in fact, it betrays the principles of our system of government.
Especially when, just a few months ago, Conservative MPs provided legitimate reasons as to why this specific bill, as is, ought not to be passed into law.
I’m talking about Bill C-4, formerly known as Bill C-6, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), which received unanimous consent last Wednesday to skip the vote in the House of Commons and go straight to the Senate for a rubber stamp.
For context, this is the third time this bill has been introduced by the Liberal government. In previous attempts, it was opposed by 63 MPs – who presented a compelling opposition.
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis launched a campaign called “Fix the Definition” arguing that because of the vague wording in the bill, it “would needlessly criminalize normal conversations between children and their parents, teachers, counsellors, and mentors about gender and sexual behaviours.”
Genuis stressed that “all politicians oppose conversation therapy in principle” and agreed that “coercive, degrading actions that seek to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity should be banned.”
His point was simply that the definition the Liberal government used for conversion therapy was too broad and too vague. It could, therefore “open the door for law enforcement to tap into private family communications to investigate discussions that might fit the bill’s broad definition of conversion therapy.”
This seems like a typical Liberal wedge issue, and typical government overreach. Trudeau and company clearly devised a bill that, on the surface, seems reasonable. The conversion therapy camps portrayed in American movies from the 1990s were cruel and intolerant.
The reality is that these places don’t exist in 2021 in Canada – aside from in the minds of the Leftist elite. The bill appears to have been designed in part to trap the Conservatives who, out of principle, don’t want laws banning free speech and free association.
If a struggling teenager wants to go to see a qualified therapist, talk an issue over with family or speak to a member of his or her faith community, he or she should freely be able to do so.
Instead, for political gain, the Liberals have confused parts of the issue and have trapped the Conservatives into defending a bill named after a practice that is universally deplored. And, no surprise, much of the media quickly adapted the simplistic and dishonest Liberal narrative on this issue.
Regardless, it is the job of the Conservative opposition to explain all of this to Canadians, to push back against dishonest members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, and to stand up to the cynical and radically ideological Liberal government.
Instead, as we saw, the Conservatives caved. They approved the bill, with no amendments or new definitions.
Not only did Conservatives cave, they were the ones who introduced the motion to fast-track this bill, and they are the ones who were literally jumping for joy and dancing in celebration in the House of Commons.
(It should be noted that Genuis was not in the House during this spectacle. Coincidentally, according to his social media, he was in Europe on government business.)
This is worse than a flip-flop – although it is yet another flip-flop to add to CPC Leader Erin O’Toole’s long list of them – it’s a betrayal to conservative principles and to the very purpose of our Westminster system that was designed to facilitate disagreement and debate.
Should Bill C-4 have been a hill to die on for Conservative MPs? Probably not.
But the underlying principles – defending free speech and freedom of association, pushing back against the latest potentially harmful leftist trend, and acting as an Official Opposition by opposing Liberal overreach – must be defended, otherwise, what’s the point of being a Conservative?
People’s Party of Canada (PPC) Leader Maxime Bernier had his leadership confirmed on Sunday, concluding the review process launched last month.
PPC members were asked to vote whether they supported Bernier remaining as leader.
There were 15,454 members who voted, and the leadership review had a voter participation rate of 57.5%. Bernier received the support of 95.6% of members.
“I am extremely proud to know I have the support of the vast majority of our members,” Bernier said. “I believe this vote signals a strong unity within our party around the principles and policies that I have been defending since its founding.”
Bernier said the PPC has grown much over the last three years but that the party is just getting started. He stated he has huge plans for the PPC in the next Canadian election and that he is excited to start working with this new mandate.
The leadership review was conducted online in partnership with third-party firm Simply Voting. The process took place between Nov. 12 and Dec. 3. All PPC members with active memberships on Sept. 20 were permitted to vote.
Bernier said in an interview with True North journalism fellow Andrew Lawton that he felt it was time to have a leadership review because the PPC had lost the last two elections.
“I’m very pleased,” he said. “It was a good result, and now we’re ready for the future.”
Bernier added he believes it is important for him to win a seat in the next election. He was unsure about where he is going to run, but he plans on choosing a riding where there is a high probability of him winning.
The 2021 election saw the PPC triple its vote share from 2019. Despite winning about 5% of the popular vote, the PPC did not win any seats. The party faced accusations of being a “spoiler” in select Conservative ridings.
Public health officials across Canada have encouraged the public and the media to stop fixating so heavily on COVID case counts, but that hasn’t stopped many from continuing to freak out every time there’s an increase in cases.
In his latest video, Anthony Furey explains why Ontario hitting 1,000 cases just isn’t the big deal it used to be.
The federal government is putting on a masterclass about how to increase the cost of living. It’s doing everything from raising taxes during the middle of a pandemic to massive government borrowing and money printing. Now the question is: will any politician do anything to fight inflation?
The latest report from Statistics Canada shows prices jumping 4.7% over the year. That’s the highest annual price increase in nearly two decades.
A main driver of this inflation is soaring energy prices.
“Energy prices were up 25.5% year over year in October, primarily driven by an increase in gasoline prices,” reports Statistics Canada.
Making it more expensive to fuel your car and heat your home is the goal of the federal carbon tax, which has increased twice during the pandemic. In April, the carbon tax will increase again, this time to 11 cents per litre of gasoline.
Carbon tax hikes don’t stop there. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he will increase his carbon tax to nearly 40 cents per litre by 2030 and impose a second carbon tax through fuel regulations that could add an extra 11 cents to the per-litre pump price.
What has the Official Opposition said about rising gas prices?
Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole wants to impose two carbon taxes of his own that will soak a family for $20 every time they fuel up their minivan.
Canadian politicians could immediately provide relief at the pumps. South Korea just reduced its gas taxes by 20%. India is providing relief too.
“The reduction in excise duty on petrol and diesel will also boost consumption and keep inflation low, thus helping the poor and middle classes,” reads the Indian government’s news release.
Canadians are even facing higher taxes every time they pick up a six-pack or a bottle of wine. The feds have hiked alcohol taxes twice during the pandemic and are getting ready to increase taxes again next April. Taxes now account for about half of the price of beer, 65% of the price of wine and more than three-quarters of the price of spirits.
Another source of higher prices is the government’s printing press, which has been on overdrive during the pandemic. When the government prints more dollars, the dollars in your salary and savings account buy less.
The central bank has created $370 billion during the pandemic by purchasing financial assets such as government debt. That 300% growth in the Bank of Canada’s assets far outpaces the growth that occurred during the recessions of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. In fact, it far outstrips the growth from the beginning of 2008 to the beginning of the pandemic.
What is the central bank buying with its freshly printed dollars? Government of Canada debt makes up 85% of the assets the Bank of Canada buys. That means the government is financing a good chunk of its deficits by devaluing your money.
The obvious first step to rein in this inflation tax would be to stop creating so much government debt for the Bank of Canada to purchase in the first place.
But every federal party leader just spent the last election promising more government borrowing. The Liberal Party, Conservative Party and New Democratic Party promised to increase spending by $78 billion, $51 billion and $214 billion respectively.
Families are getting soaked by higher prices while politicians are asleep at the wheel. The government needs to cut taxes and stop borrowing, but politicians want to raise taxes and spend billions more. It’s time for politicians to wake up from their slumber and provide Canadians with a concrete plan to stop these rising prices.
Over the past two years, governments have launched “unprecedented attacks” on civil liberties, a new declaration from Canada’s legal community maintains. The Free North Declaration calls on lawyers to restore freedom and the rule of law or “risk losing it for good.” One of the signatories, D. Jared Brown, is a bencher with the Law Society of Ontario. He joined The Andrew Lawton Show to explain why Canadians must reject the “new normal.”
A former member of the Conservative Party of Canada’s national council is accusing the organization of an “indefensible attempt” to silence thousands of party members who want Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole to face a prompt leadership review.
Former CPC National Councilor Marilyn Elliott wrote a letter to the national council on Friday to challenge party president Robert Batherson’s assertion that a petition initiated by Senator Denise Batters is out of order.
Batters launched the petition in November, calling for O’Toole to face a leadership review in six months rather than wait for a planned vote at the 2023 Conservative convention that could trigger a new leadership race.
The Conservative constitution states a referendum on any matter can be launched if 5% of party members in five provinces sign a petition calling on the party to poll the membership on the topic.
Batters blamed O’Toole for the Conservatives’ failure to form government in the recent election, alleging he “flip-flopped on policies core to our party within the same week, the same day, and even within the same sentence.”
O’Toole removed Batters from the national caucus the following day.
Her petition has received more than 6,300 signatures as of Friday.
Batherson issued a letter in response to the petition.
“The question you are proposing to ask in a referendum does not adhere to the constitution of the Conservative Party of Canada,” said Batherson. “Your petition is not in order as it does not adhere to sections 7, 10, and 12 of the constitution.”
Batherson claimed that under Article 10.8 of the constitution, a leadership selection process can be initiated when the leader dies or retires, resigns, or more than 50% of votes cast at a national convention are in favour of removing the leader.
Elliott said she felt compelled to write a letter to Batherson after reading his correspondence to Batters.
“Your response comes as both surprising and disturbing,” said Elliott. “Frankly, it encapsulates the idiom ‘Just because someone says it is so, doesn’t mean it is so.’”
She said the position Batherson takes in his letter, which she assumes is on behalf of the national council, is an “indefensible attempt to thwart a complaint petition and silence the thousands of requests for a referendum of the party membership.”
Batherson said in an interview with True North on Friday that Elliott is an opinionated person.
“She’s never been shy in sharing those opinions,” said Batherson. “I’m happy to hear any opinions Marilyn Elliott has.”
He said the national council takes into consideration any concerns that are brought forward, but they have to adhere to the constitution. He added the Conservatives are not holding a leadership review for O’Toole in the next six months because the constitution states national conventions where people can vote on leadership are held every two years.
According to Elliott, Batherson’s interpretation of the constitution is narrow, exclusive and incapable of respecting the wishes of party members. She said it is no wonder why politicians and political parties have been accused of elitism.
“Your interpretation begs the question of whether the party is fearful of the results of such a petition,” she said. “Your actions likely constitute, at best, an overreaching of authority for which the petition process was precisely entrenched in the constitution.”
Batherson said the Conservatives need to focus on unity to ensure they win.
“When Conservatives are divided and when Conservatives are attacking other Conservatives, that’s a great day for the Liberals,” he said.
Truckers are raising the alarm over how vaccine mandates could drastically impact supply chains when the industry already faces a shortage of drivers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced that cross-border truck drivers will have to be vaccinated beginning in January 2022. US President Joe Biden has brought in a similar policy, requiring the employees of large trucking outfits and other companies to be vaccinated or submit to regular COVID-19 testing.
Stephen Laskowski, President and Chief Executive of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), spoke out against the policy Friday.
“We know that there already is disruption in the supply chain; this is going to intensify it,” said Laskowski. “This is not a trucking issue. This is a Canada-U.S. economic issue.”
Approximately 70% of US-Canada trade moves by truck, Laskowski noted.
The CTA represents over 4,500 truck drivers. According to the organization, up to 20% of Canadian truck drivers and up to 40% of US truck drivers would be affected by the mandate
According to Lakowski, the Canadian trucking industry is already short 18,000 drivers.
In the US, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and other groups have taken President Biden’s mandate to court with some success.
In November, the US appeals court ordered a temporary stay to the mandate after finding that “all else equal, a 28 year-old trucker spending the bulk of his workday in the solitude of his cab is simply less vulnerable to COVID-19 than a 62-year-old prison janitor.”
Following the decision, the Justice Department has taken the matter to another court asking for the temporary stay to be thrown out.
ATA President and CEO Chris Spear offers a similar warning about the mandate.
“Given the nature of our industry and makeup of our workforce, (it) could have devastating impacts on the supply chain and the economy,” Spear said.
Others, including the President of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Perrin Beatty, have also warned that the mandates will mean emptier shelves.
“We’ll be seeing shortages of goods in stores,” said Beatty.
Throughout the pandemic, truckers have been considered essential workers and have been allowed to cross the border regardless of their vaccination status.
A CBC News article on the illegal pipeline protests and blockades dogging the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline in British Columbia is full of inaccuracies and left-wing bias.
The article, presented as an explainer on how the illegal blockades allegedly help keep “emissions in the ground,” is not based on scientific fact, but rather is full of baseless environmentalist guesswork.
Its reporter makes no mention that the ongoing blockades and disruptions at the northern B.C. site have been declared illegal by a court of law.
In 2020, the B.C. Supreme Court granted Coastal GasLink an injunction against the protestors, who claim to represent a small band of unelected Wet’suwet’en First Nation chiefs.
Justice Marguerite Church affirmed that Coastal GasLink had the necessary authorizations from all 20 elected First Nations councils along the pipeline’s route and was legally allowed to continue construction.
“There is a public interest in upholding the rule of law and restraining illegal behaviour and protecting of the right of the public, including the plaintiff, to access on Crown roads,” wrote Marguerite in the ruling.
On reducing emissions, the entire premise of the article hinges on a single report by the biased Indigenous Environmental Network. The Commissioner of the Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns J. Stephens Allennotes the group has received funding from the foreign Polaris Institute USA for “organizing on dirty fuels and pipelines.”
The CBC article goes on to make the outlandish claim that by illegally protesting and blockading, activists have been able to prevent nearly 1.6 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the environment.
This figure is entirely based on estimates of how much greenhouse gas each pipeline would theoretically omit. It does not take into consideration the significant global emissions that LNG would help reduce by ending global reliance on dirty fuels like coal.
Coastal GasLink has found that the natural gas pipeline would reduce global emissions by up to 62% by supplanting coal-fired facilities in China and elsewhere in Asia.
Additionally, while protesting can hamper the speed of the project’s completion, it does nothing to reduce global demand for oil and gas imported from authoritarian countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia. This demand is expected to grow in 2022.
The CBC article also paints RCMP raids as violent and involving “excessive police force” despite them being entirely legal and within the authority of the Mounties to enforce. False claims of police brutality have been a common propaganda tactic by the far left to inflame tensions against law enforcement.
