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Wednesday, July 9, 2025

O’Toole let “liberal advisors” exclude Leslyn Lewis from shadow cabinet: Stockwell Day

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Former cabinet minister and leader of the Canadian Alliance Stockwell Day lamented Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole’s decision to exclude MP Leslyn Lewis from the party’s shadow cabinet. 

Day made the comment on his personal Twitter account, calling O’Toole’s emission of Lewis a “heart breaking move” and accused the Conservative leader of allowing “liberal advisors to slap Leslyn Lewis.” 

Lewis, who was first elected to office during the 2021 federal election, was starkly missing from the shadow cabinet list unveiled by the Conservative Party of Canada.

In a tweet following the cabinet’s unveiling, Lewis congratulated her colleagues for their new portfolios. 

“Looking forward to working with each one of you on your portfolios as we advocate for a better, stronger, more united Canada,” tweeted Lewis. 

Other rookie MPs like Mellissa Lanstman and Michelle Ferriere were handed critic portfolios, while Lewis was not.

As one of the contenders for the party’s 2020 leadership race, Lewis finished third place behind O’Toole’s main opponent Peter Mackay. 

At the time, O’Toole heaped praise on Lewis and her candidacy which he described as a “historic moment” for the party. 

“The candidacy of Dr. Leslyn Lewis is a historic moment for our party. A business leader, a lawyer, an activist, a mother, and, yes, because she is a woman of colour. Her candidacy is celebrated and honoured by me and should be celebrated by every member of our Party,” tweeted O’Toole. 

“I look forward to working with Dr. Lewis and all members of our Party who are active in the Black and other communities to take back Canada!”

Although O’Toole has not yet addressed why he kept Lewis out of a critic position, he recently admonished Conservative MPs like Lewis who have spoken out against mandatory vaccination. 

Tillsonburg volunteers dedicated to restoring World War II aircraft

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A group of volunteers in Tillsonburg, Ontario is dedicated to restoring World War II planes so that they can return to the skies. 

According to the Brantford Expositor, the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association has spent 50 days worth of repairs including 10,000 parts to restore a Harvard training plane. 

“It’s iconic. For the people who stayed at home during the war, and in the ’50s, here in Canada, this is the war they saw. They saw Harvards flying,” said the association’s chief technical officer Shane Clayton. 

The association, which is made up of volunteers, has been working on restoring historical Canadian aircrafts since 1985. 

As for the Harvard, it was a single-engine aircraft that was employed in the training of over 130,000 pilots as part of the British Commonwealth flight training effort. 

According to Clayton, the effort “was Canada’s largest single contribution to the Second World War because it was not only Canadian pilots, but British pilots, American pilots, guys from New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Jamaica, India … they all come here.”

The plane was in commission for training from 1939 to 1965. To date, the association houses eight of the Harvard aircraft making it the largest collection in North America. 

“They were very hard aircraft to operate. But, once you mastered it, you could basically fly anything,” said Clayton. 

“They are basically built like a brick outhouse. They’re made to take the damage from pilots beating (them up).”

Fewer than 100 of the aircraft can be found in Canada today and according to Clayton, 40 to 50 of them are suitable to fly. 

Historically, Southwestern Ontario saw over 20 flying schools during World War II. 

To fly on a Harvard, it could cost $600 an hour and the association funds its efforts to repair and maintain the planes by donations from the community or plane rides offered to the public. 

Anyone interested in supporting the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association can visit the organization’s website and make a donation, buy a membership or check out their merchandise. 

The association will also fly three of its planes over the cenotaph at Old City Hall in Toronto this Remembrance Day. 

“The thing with us is, basically every time you fly, it’s Remembrance Day,” said Clayton. 

Canada’s PCR testing is a sham

By
Andrew Lawton
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Even with a vaccine mandate for air passengers and the US limiting entry at the land border to the fully vaccinated, the Canadian government is still demanding costly PCR tests for travelling Canadians returning home. True North’s Andrew Lawton was nearly stranded abroad last week after a false positive on a $150 government-approved test.

Also, Conservative MPs opposing vaccine mandates have been excluded from Erin O’Toole’s shadow cabinet, plus a BC doctor diagnoses a patient with a bad case of “climate change.”

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Leslyn Lewis overlooked by Erin O’Toole as shadow cabinet pick

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has excluded Leslyn Lewis from the party’s shadow cabinet despite making glowing remarks about the newly-elected MP and former leadership contender in the past. 

Lewis’ name was starkly missing from the newly revealed shadow cabinet list released by the Conservative Party of Canada on Monday.

It is clear that Lewis’ political inexperience was not behind the exclusion, since newly elected MPs such as Melissa Lantsman and Michelle Ferreri were handed critic portfolios by O’Toole. 

Despite not appearing in the shadow cabinet, Lewis congratulated her colleagues on Twitter for receiving their portfolios. 

In 2020, Lewis was one of the main contenders for the Conservative Party’s leadership race, eventually landing in third place. 

Ahead of the leadership race, O’Toole commended Lewis’ candidacy as a “historic moment for our party.” 

“The candidacy of Dr. Leslyn Lewis is a historic moment for our party. A business leader, a lawyer, an activist, a mother, and, yes, because she is a woman of colour. Her candidacy is celebrated and honoured by me and should be celebrated by every member of our Party,” tweeted O’Toole. 

“I look forward to working with Dr. Lewis and all members of our Party who are active in the Black and other communities to take back Canada!” 

O’Toole has yet to address why Lewis was overlooked for a critic position. 

Recently, O’Toole criticized comments by Conservative MPs who were opposed to mandatory vaccination as “not appropriate.” Lewis has recently spoken out about vaccine mandates and has questioned the need to vaccinate children.

“Never have Canadian children been used as shields for adults,” tweeted Lewis on Oct 22. 

“Parents question vaccinating kids 5-12 without long-term data, a low risk of fatality, & cautions echoed around the world, when treatment neither prevents transmitting or getting the virus.” 

“I don’t think that helps in our public discourse. I’ve tried consistently for a year not to politicize questions about vaccines; to try and find ways to answer questions and reduce hesitancy,” said O’Toole. 

Where does O’Toole stand on vaccine mandates?

By
Candice Malcolm
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Does anyone know what Erin O’Toole’s position is on mandatory vaccines? Anyone?

The Conservative leader has flip-flopped so many times on this issue many Canadians are left wondering where O’Toole stands when it comes to forcing people to get vaccinated. It is still unclear what O’Toole believes in and where his convictions lie since his answers keep changing on a daily basis.

On this episode of The Candice Malcolm Show, Candice goes over the last few weeks to try to understand what O’Toole’s position is on vaccine mandates, in particular mandating vaccines for MPs to enter parliament.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

CPC treatment of suspended councillor criticized as act of “desperation and not strength”

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The Conservative Party’s ongoing investigation into suspended national councillor Bert Chen is a sign of “desperation and not strength,” according to one veteran political activist.

Scott Hayward, the co-founder of pro-life political action group RightNow, which has worked to nominate and elect a number of Conservative candidates, says it’s clear Erin O’Toole’s leadership team is feeling uneasy.

As revealed in a letter obtained by True North, lawyers representing the Conservatives have launched an inquisition into Chen’s conduct and are demanding he turn over extensive amounts of private communications including text messages, emails, written notes and records of phone calls.

A majority of national council members, including a proxy voting on behalf of O’Toole, voted to suspend Chen for 60 days at a meeting last month.

Hayward, whose team supported a number of pro-life Conservative candidates in September’s election, says O’Toole can’t afford to alienate Conservative supporters.

“It seems that the list of allies for Erin O’Toole and the leadership team around him is starting to grow rather thin; such an overly aggressive move suggests that the leadership team is approaching this from a position of desperation and not strength,” Hayward told True North.

“This is not the response of a team that is in a position of strength. Clearly Erin O’Toole is the nominal leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and the letter from the party’s legal counsel to Mr. Chen regarding his petition is evidence of that fact.” 

Hayward is an active member of the Conservative Party. RightNow succeeded in passing several policy proposals at the party’s latest national policy convention. 

According to Hayward, the actions taken by the party and its national council against Chen do not reflect the grassroots membership, who Hayward claims largely support a leadership change. 

“From the thousands of Conservative Party of Canada members I have personally spoken with in all regions of the country (who are door-knockers, EDA board members, donors to the party), most within the party are supportive of Mr. Chen’s petition and would warmly welcome a leadership race and change,” said Hayward in an emailed statement. 

Chen’s petition, which was initiated shortly after Conservative Leader O’Toole was handed a resounding defeat by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has since received over 5,400 signatures. 

A dueling petition in support of him staying on as leader has only garnered 2,308 signatures.  

Prisoners, convicts free to be unvaccinated: Correctional Service

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

The federal government is not requiring imprisoned convicts and criminals to be vaccinated against COVID-19 while demanding proof of vaccination from law-abiding Canadians. 

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the Correctional Service of Canada stated that inmates in federal prisons are free to remain unvaccinated if they wish but visitors must show proof of vaccination by January 24, 2021. 

“Inmates are not required to get the COVID-19 vaccine and must consent to being vaccinated,” Correctional Service spokesperson Marie-Pier Lécuyer.

“We continue to emphasize the importance of getting vaccinated.”

The federal department also noted that it is dedicating resources so that prisoners can be properly informed on the COVID-19 vaccine. 

“Staff continue to engage with inmates by providing educational materials to answer their questions or concerns so that they can make informed decisions,” said Lécuyer. 

“To date 80% of inmates are fully vaccinated and 85% have received at least one dose.”

In comparison, vaccination rates among the inmate population is considerably lower than the general population which includes 84% of Canadians who are fully vaccinated and 88% who have received at least one shot. 

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, prisoners were being released en masse to stop the spread of the virus. 

According to a Statistics Canada report, 16% of inmates were released from prison over the course of the year in 2020. 

Additionally, dangerous offenders in the justice system were being let go by judges who were concerned that inmates could catch COVID-19 in cramped and confined prisons. 

Letter details witch hunt by Conservatives into anti-O’Toole national councilor

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

True North has obtained a copy of the letter sent to suspended National Council member Bert Chen by lawyers representing the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). 

The letter details a wide and sweeping inquisition into Chen’s private affairs and associations centred around his petition to oust Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole. 

On November 5, 2021, lawyers demanded that Chen surrender a vast array of private communications including emails, texts, phone records, online messages or handwritten notes.

“Please provide us with a complete record of each contact or communication you had with any Party member, Party activist, interest group or interested person regarding the petition you generated following the 2021 general election,” CPC lawyers demanded. 

Lawyers with the CPC were specifically interested in “any written materials, whether emails, texts, digital posts or hard copy writings, in your possession or control, that you have retained, and to the extent that the contacts or communications were via phone contacts, please provide copies of your mobile phone records that log the calls you placed or received.” 

At the heart of the Conservative’s aggressive interrogation of Chen are concerns about growing opposition to O’Toole’s leadership. Soon after O’Toole lost the 2021 election, Chen launched a petition to recall O’Toole as Conservative leader.

“Erin O’Toole has betrayed the principles that the Conservative Party is founded on,” Chen wrote. 

To date, the petition has received 5,452 signatures, while a petition in support of O’Toole remaining on as leader has only received 2,308 signatures. 

In October, Chen was suspended from the party’s National Council after a vote on his conduct. 

According to the letter, Conservative Party brass also seem to be interested in what media outlets or journalists Chen has contacted about his petition. 

“Please provide a complete record of each contact or communication you had with any member of the media (taking the widest description of “media”, to include bloggers, influencers or others who broadcast or promote content on any digital channel), since September 13, 2021 and to provide the substance or content of each such contact or communication.” 

Additionally, lawyers are also looking into any “special interest, pressure, advocacy or public interest group” Chen was in contact with regarding the petition. In the letter, Chen is also advised that his Conservative Party email address will be combed through and investigated.

Doctors say children’s mental health nearing crisis level in Alberta

By
Jonathan Bradley
-

Worsening mental health indicators among children in Alberta are leading some doctors to call it a crisis.

Doctors told the Edmonton Journal on Sunday that diagnoses and severity of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders have increased by at least 20% in the last four months, and some of them worry the worst is coming soon. 

While COVID-19 restrictions are looser than they were one year ago, mental health issues are being fuelled by return-to-school stress, less socializing, more screen time and fear about the pandemic. 

Youth psychologist at Koru Family Psychology Dr. Caroline Buzanko said 80% of her clients are reporting anxiety, up from 40% in April. 

Buzanko said in her interactions with patients, she finds they are more fearful in most situations. She described a recent experience where a patient went to Disney World for her 18th birthday. 

“She was mortified that someone would get sick before they went,” she said. “(Youth) are on edge all the time worrying about what will happen.” 

Medical director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Calgary Health Region Dr. Chris Wilkes has found a 200% increase in emergency room visits for youth under 18 for anxiety, depression and eating disorders in the last eight months.

“We’ll probably see a worsening or high level of (demand for) mental health services for some time to come,” said Wilkes. “We have a crisis in terms of a demand on our services that is outstripping our resources.”             

Psychiatrist at Misericordia Community Hospital Dr. Rena LaFrance attributes the problem to children absorbing the fourth wave anxieties of their parents, more deaths in the news and uncertainty about them catching COVID-19. 

Children under 11 years old who cannot be vaccinated are experiencing anxiety because they feel they are not fully protected, according to LaFrance. 

“There’s been fear about bringing it home to their parents and grandparents,” she said.

As reported by True North’s Candice Malcolm, COVID-19 poses a very small risk to children. According to Health Canada’s comprehensive database on COVID-19, only 2% of those hospitalized for COVID-19 are among those under 20.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 17 COVID-related deaths in Canada among children and teenagers — 0.1% of all COVID deaths in Canada. The COVID case-fatality rate for Canadians under the age of 20, therefore, is 0.002%.

Despite the limited risk to children, politicians in Canada, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have continued to push for vaccinations for children aged 5-11. 

China enacts new law to crack down on and surveil Christians

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

Human rights watchdogs are worried that the Chinese communist regime is ramping up its crackdown on Christians throughout the communist country. 

Recently, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) raised the alarm about new measures adopted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The new authoritarian laws titled the Measures on the Management of Religious Clergy include demanding sanctioned churches to pledge full support to the CCP and a ban on house churches. 

“The new Measures expand an invasive and comprehensive system of control and surveillance on clergy,” a USCIRF report reads. 

“Article 3 of the Measures requires clergy — among other demands — to support the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) rule, the Chinese socialist political system, and the CCP’s ‘sinicization of religion’ policy, effectively imposing a political test to ensure clergies’ loyalty to the CCP.”

The laws are an attempt to tighten control of China’s five sanctioned religious groups which include the Buddhist Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Islamic Association of China, the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.

All other religious activity outside of those bodies will now be banned and is punishable by the state. 

Certain articles in the law describe “illegal religious activities” and “foreign infiltration using religion.”

“These vague provisions could be used as a broad pretext to crack down on independent religious groups, ethnoreligious minority groups, and religious groups with perceived foreign connections,” USCIRF warned.

According to the group China Aid, the new measures are designed to target those practicing their religions privately who already face scrutiny and arrest from government officials. 

In its report, the USCIRF notes that the CCP have “detained and arrested scores of underground Catholic priests” since the law was enacted earlier this year. 

“House churches across China are seeing an increased harassment from church raids, crackdown on their activities, to the detention of their leaders,” said Chinese Christian rights advocate Gina Goh. 

“Beijing seeks to intimidate the leaders in hopes that the churches will dissolve due to fear. Their plot will not succeed, thanks to the resiliency of the Chinese house church. They survived the Cultural Revolution, and they will survive Xi’s era as well.”

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