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Thursday, July 17, 2025

HOUSAKOS: Canadians should listen to voices of the Cuban people

By
Senator Leo Housakos
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On July 11 and 12 of this year, more than 187,000 Cubans gathered across the island to demand freedom and democracy in Cuba. If Canadians are friends of the Cuban people, then we should listen to their voices. It is time for Canada to lead an international effort to publicly condemn and take action against gross human rights violations perpetrated by the Cuban regime against peaceful protestors.  

It is unacceptable that the Trudeau government has neglected to take a firm stand in the face of arbitrary arrests, appalling police surveillance, torture and politically motivated imprisonment perpetrated against dissident artists, journalists and activists in Cuba. 

In 2016, one year after taking office, Justin Trudeau said that he reaffirmed “our commitment – as individuals and as a country – to the protection and promotion of human rights worldwide.” However, the actual record of Trudeau’s government has not matched its rhetoric. 

Canada must now rise to this historic moment and rethink its foreign policy towards Cuba, understanding that Cubans deserve to live in a democracy.  

I recently met on Parliament Hill with a group of Cuban-Canadians. They expressed to me the need for an urgent change in Canadian foreign policy because Canadian tourism and investment are helping to prop up Cuba’s one-party state, as well as the entire repressive regime. Their views gave me a better understanding of the role Canada should play at a time when the Cuban people are demanding to live in freedom and democracy. 

During our exchanges, I was asked a question worthy of reflection: “If you knew that your Cuban vacation was helping to strengthen the system that persecutes and sends innocent artists and journalists to jail, would you still travel to Cuba?” 

Canada, the number one source of tourism to and investment in the island, should reflect on how it is helping to strengthen the Cuban regime. Canadians should be aware that there is no possible way to spend or invest money in Cuba without enriching and sustaining the Cuban government. 

The Cuban military, through its holding company the Enterprise Administration Group (GAESA), controls an important part of the Cuban tourism economy. It operates hotels, financial institutions, import/export companies, transportation and more. According to Bloomberg, it is estimated that in 2015 GAESA dominated between 50% and 80% of business revenues in Cuba. 

Contrary to what the Cuban regime claims, the money Canadians spend in Cuba does not contribute to improving the lives of Cubans; instead, it bankrolls the regime’s repression. 

Global Fire Power states that Cuba has the sixth-largest paramilitary force in the world, which is mobilized to monitor and repress human rights activists, journalists, artists and critics. Meanwhile, a physician on the island with two specialties earns $310 CAD monthly, a salary much lower than the $357 CAD monthly earned by a deputy correctional officer without a high school education.

Further, Cuba’s tourism revenues are disproportionately invested in business and hotel construction, not in education, public health or social assistance programs. While the Cuban military invests in its plans to build 90,000 hotel rooms by 2030, the people suffer from a lack of food, medications and oxygen in hospitals — and Cuba is undergoing the worst wave of COVID-19 to date. At the same time, people are suffering from a lack of ambulances, supposedly due to a lack of fuel; yet the regime has ample resources to mobilize its paramilitary forces in convoys of trucks, vans and buses, equipping them to arbitrarily detain thousands of peaceful demonstrators in the aftermath of the July 11 protests.  

With all of this in mind, I encourage Canadians to ask themselves why we should spend our money in a country whose government uses it not to improve the lives of its people, but to repress them and cling to power for decades.

Canadians are known worldwide as defenders of universal human rights. As a senator who champions freedom and democracy around the world, I am committed to raising awareness among my fellow Canadians about the moral and ethical implications of spending our money in Cuba, which is a beautiful island that is governed by a political regime that preys on the people’s rights. 

Here in Canada, the Conservatives publicly support the pro-democracy movement in Cuba and condemn the regime’s brutal repression of its people. 

That is why the Conservative Platform explicitly says that a new Conservative Government will: “Support the Cuban People in their push for the democracy and freedom they deserve”. 

We understand that for a peaceful, democratic movement to succeed in Cuba, Canada’s solidarity and support are required. The Cuban people deserve our support and I believe we must be prepared to provide it. 

Liberals refuse to support Taiwan in Pacific trade partnership bid

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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The Liberal government is refusing to offer support for Taiwan to join a Trans-Pacific trade agreement, recent reports reveal. 

According to the Globe and Mail, both China and Taiwan have simultaneously applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The Trudeau government has decided to not support neither countries’ efforts.

“All decisions are made by consensus, and any country that joins CPTPP must meet and comply with the high standard rules and ambitious market access commitments of the CPTPP,” Global Affairs spokesperson Lama Khodr told the outlet. 

The move seems to follow the Liberals’ reluctance to stand up to China by siding with Taiwan, which the Communist Party of China has territorial ambitions over. 

A public consultation by Ottawa on who Canadians believe should be admitted to the partnership found that Taiwan was the second choice to be included in the partnership following Thailand. 

Despite the support, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has repeatedly snubbed Taiwan on the international stage. 

Reports from earlier this year revealed that the Liberal government tried to prevent Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen from being awarded the Halifax International Security Forum’s 2020 John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service. 

Despite the interference attempt, President Tsai was issued the award after public outrage. 

Additional former Liberal foreign affairs minister François-Philippe Champagne refused to thank Taiwan directly last year for medical supply donations while thanking China for their own donations. 

In recent months, China has increased its hostile activities in the area after flying 28 Chinese military aircrafts near Taiwan’s air defence zone.

The show of force by China was one of the largest in recent history to enter the area. 

The planes included four H-6 nuclear bombers and six J-11 fighter jets. 

O’Toole has uphill battle regaining trust of social conservatives

By
Andrew Lawton
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Erin O’Toole’s mid-campaign reversal of his previous support of conscience rights for healthcare practitioners compromises one of the two promises he made to social conservatives in an effort to win the Conservative leadership just one year ago. Pro-life writer and activist Jonathon Van Maren joined The Andrew Lawton Show to weigh in on social conservatives’ place in O’Toole’s Conservative party.

CBC admits to pushing out fake news about a Conservative MP

By
Candice Malcolm
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It’s Fake News Friday on the Candice Malcolm Show! In today’s episode, Candice discusses how CBC cooks up fake news and how they got caught this time. The CBC ombudsman was forced to admit its article was “manufactured” “bent” “inaccurate” “sensationalized” and that “CBC failed to meet standards”. Plus, Candice discusses a concerted effort by the legacy media to paint conservatives as racist and tells you why you should never trust the media’s “take aways” or advice to conservatives after elections.

Taxpayers group blasts Liberals over first quarter deficit figures

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Recent figures by the federal government’s fiscal monitor states that the Trudeau government ran a deficit of $48.5 billion between April and July of this year.

According to Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) Alberta Director Kevin Lacey, Canadians can expect the Liberals to continue spending taxpayer funds while not addressing the government’s growing debt and deficit issues.

“With the Liberals, it’s just more borrowing after more borrowing. They talk big about how much they can spend but we never hear a peep about balancing the budget or finding savings within government,” said Lacey in an emailed statement. 

“During the pandemic, families across Canada have had to cut back, control their own spending and live within their means. The Liberal government did the exact opposite, they ran out and spent money they didn’t have.” 

The findings show how COVID-19 program spending declined about $58.1 billion from the same period last year when the Liberals ran a deficit of $148.6 billion. 

Additionally, public debt charges grew by $7.8 billion which was a $1 billion jump from the year prior. 

“The Liberals told Canadians they would balance the budget by 2019, but they missed that by a country mile, now the Parliamentary budget officer projects we won’t hit a balanced budget for nearly five decades. Liberals owe it to Canadians to provide a realistic plan for how they plan to balance the budget, that won’t take 50 years, and start chipping away at the $1-trillion dollar federal debt,” Lacey told True North. 

Despite the government’s ballooning COVID-19 spending, Canada’s private sector took a toll during the pandemic while government jobs and pay raises surged.

According to a CTF report from earlier this month, 312,825 federal workers received a pay raise between 2020 and 2021. 

“Canadians have experienced a tale of two pandemics: one full of private sector pain, the other full of bureaucrat pay increases,” CTF Federal Director Franco Terrazzano said. 

“We need politicians and bureaucrats to help shoulder the burden because it can’t just be struggling families and businesses forced to pay back the $1-trillion federal debt.”

The PPC isn’t to blame for the Liberal win

By
Andrew Lawton
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The People’s Party of Canada tripled its vote share from the 2019 election, and is facing accusations of being a “spoiler” in a number of Conservative ridings. True North’s Andrew Lawton says the PPC support was much broader than just traditional Conservative voters, so this narrative doesn’t hold up. Also, Conservative activist and former campaign manager Fraser Macdonald joins to discuss his petition supporting Erin O’Toole’s continued leadership of the Conservatives. Plus, the perils of identity politics.

Former finance minister says O’Toole’s leftward shift alienated Conservatives

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Former finance minister Joe Oliver wrote in the Financial Post on Friday that Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole’s campaign strategy to woo Liberal and progressive voters failed to materialize results and alienated the Conservative base. 

The op-ed comes at a time when the Conservative party is gearing up for a showdown over whether O’Toole should stay on as party leader despite his abysmal performance. 

“The sad evidence is that O’Toole’s move to the centre did not attract new voters, yet it alienated the right-wing and yielded ground to Maxime Bernier’s People’s party,” wrote Oliver.

“There is an economic and cultural route to broaden the appeal of Conservative values and policies: bring the public to you, rather than mimic the left-wing’s latest faddish ideals and retreaded socialist truths. That is what leadership is all about.”

As observed by True North founder Candice Malcolm, the legacy media has been coming out in support of O’Toole’s liberal-lite brand after he lost the election and handed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau another minority government. 

In his op-ed, Oliver echoed these remarks noting how both progressives within the party and the media constantly try to push the Conservatives leftwards. 

“Every progressive, and most of the mainstream commentariat, endlessly proclaim that the only road to victory for Conservatives is to embrace the values and policies of the centre-left,” wrote Oliver. 

“These priorities run counter to conservative values, and they are not the issues that fire up the Conservative base or persuade swing voters, who have plenty of big government, environmental alarmist parties to choose from.”

Several prominent Conservatives have criticized O’Toole for failing to win what some have described as a “winnable election.” 

Most recently, Conservative MP Chris Warkentin told reporters that flip-flopping on key positions such as gun control cost the Conservatives the election. 

“It was when our party leader started to waffle on some of the policies that we had brought forward and hadn’t been clear that I believe that Canadians became uncertain and unwilling to continue to look to our party as an alternative,” Warkentin told Town & Country news. 

“I believe that that was the beginning of polls shifting back in favour of the Liberals.”

As reported by True North, prior to election day O’Toole walked back on promises such as defunding the CBC, letting members vote freely and the carbon tax, among others. 

O’Toole was weak and dishonest to run as a progressive

By
Candice Malcolm
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Erin O’Toole misrepresented who he was to Conservative members. During the CPC leadership race, he promised he was “true blue” – a real and principled conservative. But once the campaign started, he revealed his true colours: he ran as a weak-willed Red Tory who refused to stand his ground or defend Canada.

Instead of running as a law and order conservative, he capitulated to Trudeau on so-called assault weapons while turning a blind eye to the real crime problem in this country: illegal guns, gang violence and Canada’s revolving-door prison system. 

Instead of running as a fiscal conservative, he faltered and reversed course on carbon taxes, ultimately saying Trudeau’s carbon tax was here to stay.

O’Toole did this time and time again, and flip-flopped on many of the major issues.  

In today’s episode of the Candice Malcolm Show, Candice discusses how O’Toole came across as weak, indecisive and out of touch. He missed the golden opportunities to hit Trudeau on his weakest issues, and that’s why he lost the election.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

Erin O’Toole’s centrist pivot didn’t work

By
Andrew Lawton
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Conservative leader Erin O’Toole gambled on a centrist strategy being the key to dethroning Justin Trudeau, but it didn’t work. A Conservative Party of Canada national councillor has initiated a petition to recall O’Toole, which has been signed by thousands of Conservative members and activists. True North’s Andrew Lawton lays out a few critical flip flops from the campaign.

Also, Canadian Center for Bio-Ethical Reform spokesperson Jonathon Van Maren joins the show to discuss the social conservative effect in Monday’s election.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE ANDREW LAWTON SHOW

Liberal internet bills would make Canada “most censored” democratic nation, advocates warn

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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An internet freedom advocacy group from Vancouver launched a petition calling for the government to not re-introduce Bill C-10 and Bill C-36 – two bills which critics warn would infringe on the free speech rights of Canadians online. 

According to the non-profit organization Open Media, Liberal Minister of Canadian Heritage Steven Guilbeault’s plan is meant to trick Canadians. 

“Liberals are poised to push forward with their harmful internet censorship plans,” Open Media Campaign Director Matthew Hatfield wrote in a message to donors. 

“Our newly-elected government is cynically taking advantage of our political fatigue and frustration with the internet to try to trick the public.”

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the group went on to say that the bills would make “Canada’s internet one of the most censored and surveilled in the democratic world.” 

Earlier this year, the Liberals failed in a hamfisted attempt to rush Bill C-10 and Bill C-36 through parliament.

Although the Liberals claim that Bill C-10 is meant to update Canada’s Broadcasting Act to modern digital realities, critics have accused the government of using the law to regulate the content Canadians post on the internet on a daily basis. 

Two former commissioners with the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which would be in charge of implementing the law, have come out against the bill which one of them described as “authoritarian.” 

In an attempt to deflect criticism of his anti-free speech bill, Guilbeault accused opponents concerned about C-10’s implications on Charter rights “extremists.”

Meanwhile Bill C-36 which seeks to revive the controversial Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, would make Canadians liable for up to $70,000 in fines or house arrest for posting illegal content that promotes “detestation and vilification.”

 

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