Liberal candidate rolls eyes over two Michaels at debate

Jonathan Bradley
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Liberal candidate rolls eyes over two Michaels at debate

The Liberal candidate for Don Valley West Rob Oliphant rolled his eyes when Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, the two Canadian citizens detained in China, were brought up at a local candidates’ debate on Monday. 

During the debate, the Conservative candidate for Don Valley West Yvonne Robertson said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has failed Canadians, and it is time for change. Robertson brought up how Oliphant serves as the parliamentary secretary for the minister of foreign affairs and plays an important role in Canada-China relations.

“He is the number two gentleman on the file,” said Robertson. “And not once tonight did he mention Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who have been detained for 1,008 days.” 

In response, Oliphant rolled his eyes as she scolded him for not mentioning Kovrig and Spavor. 

Kovrig and Spavor were arrested and charged by Chinese authorities on trumped-up charges in 2018. Their detention has been viewed as retaliation against Canada for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou’s arrest, and it has been cited as an instance of hostage diplomacy. 

Robertson said people in Don Valley West travel abroad for business all the time. These people are losing confidence in Global Affairs Canada, and Canada’s reputation on the world stage is eroding because of Trudeau’s poor leadership, according to her. 

“So I’m going to ask you all, September 20th, please vote for change,” she said. “Vote Conservative.” 

Oliphant could not be reached for comment in time for publication. 

Oliphant was involved with a Canadian delegation that went to China in 2019 to push for these two Canadians to be released. However, both Canadians remain in a Chinese prison.

In August, Michael Spavor was convicted by a Chinese court of espionage and sentenced to 11 years in prison. The Chinese court also ordered Spavor to be deported, though it is not clear if the Canadian will be deported prior to or after his sentence is served.

Ex-federal scientists collaborated on virus research with high-ranking Chinese officer

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Ex-federal scientists collaborated on virus research with high-ranking Chinese officer

A new report reveals that disgraced scientists who worked at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg collaborated on infectious disease research with a high-ranking officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

According to the Globe and Mail, PLA Major-General Chen Wei worked in tandem with ex-federal scientist Xiangguo Qiu on two Ebola-related papers in 2016 and 2020. 

The papers did not identify Chen’s ties to the Chinese military or his role as the PLA’s top virologist, referencing him only as a PhD holder with the Academy of Military Science. 

In response to questions about whether it was common for high-ranking military officers from foreign nations to collaborate with high-security clearance Canadian researchers, the Public Health Agency of Canada stood by the benefit of working with China. 

“While the (National Microbiology Lab) does not have institutional agreements with the Chinese military, Canada’s scientists have collaborated with Chinese scientists to contribute to the global public health fight against deadly diseases, such as Ebola,” PHAC spokesperson Anne Génier told the Globe. 

“These collaborations have yielded vaccine and treatment candidates for diseases, as documented in peer-reviewed journals.”

PHAC has also refused to state whether Chen ever visited the Level 4 facility which houses samples of some of the world’s deadliest and most infectious viruses. 

“All visitors including researchers collaborating with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) must adhere to Government of Canada and PHAC security protocols, procedures and policies and must be escorted by an employee with a Secret clearance at all times,” PHAC spokesman Mark Johnson said last week. 

Qiu is currently the subject of an RCMP investigation along with her biologist husband Keding Chang. The two are accused of sharing Ebola and Henipah virus strains with China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. The pair were fired from the lab in January, 17 months after being removed from the facility by police and stripped of their security clearances under a cloud of secrecy.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has refused to disclose classified files to opposition parties related to the pair’s firing claiming that it could jeopardize national security. 

Maxime Bernier opens door for post-election leadership review

Andrew Lawton
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Maxime Bernier opens door for post-election leadership review

People’s Party of Canada founder and leader Maxime Bernier says his party’s members deserve to have a say as to whether he deserves to stay on as leader after next week’s election.

In an interview on True North’s The Andrew Lawton Show, Bernier said it’s a “good time” for his leadership to be reevaluated internally, though he was clear that he wishes to continue leading the party he founded two years ago after leaving the Conservative Party of Canada.

“I believe that after the election I’m ready to ask the question to our members, if they want me as their leader or not,” Bernier said. “It will be a good time to do that.”

Bernier pointed out the PPC platform is based on his platform in the 2017 Conservative leadership race, in which he received 49% of the points, narrowly losing to Andrew Scheer.

“It was easier for us to build a party with ideas,” Bernier said. “That platform was very well-received by Conservative members at that time, and now it’s well-received (by) a lot of Canadians.”

The PPC received 1.6% of the votes cast in the 2019 election, winning no seats for Bernier or any of the party’s candidates.

Opinion polls in this election have pegged PPC support at as high as 9% nationally.

While the party has held member conventions, it has never elected Bernier as leader or formally voted on his leadership.

In a financial disclosure published after the 2019 election, the PPC said it started paying Bernier an annual salary of $104,000 after he lost his Beauce seat in the House of Commons. As a member of parliament, Bernier was making $185,800 each year.

Critics have previously charged the PPC with being the “party of Max,” as independent candidate in Banff–Airdrie Derek Sloan put it in an interview with the Western Standard.

“It’s kind of the party of Max, in the sense of, they’ve had three or so years to come up with a constitution and a leadership review and all of this, and they haven’t,” Sloan said. “There’s not a lot of democratic opportunity there.”

After Sloan was kicked out of the Conservative caucus earlier this year, Bernier said he invited him to join the PPC, but he declined, opting to start his own party, which did not materialize in time for the election.

“We are the only option,” Bernier said in his interview with True North.

Majority of Canadians think flag should be raised from half-mast: poll

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Majority of Canadians think flag should be raised from half-mast: poll

A recent poll has discovered that a majority of Canadians want the Canadian flag to be raised from half-mast after flying in that position since May, marking the residential school announcements made earlier this year. 

The survey, which was conducted by Maru Public Opinion, found that almost two-thirds believed that it was time to raise the flag. 

In total, 63% of Canadians said they favoured raising the Canadian flag on October 1, while only 41% thought that it should remain at half-mast. 

When broken down provincially, support for raising the flag was highest in Alberta with 71% supporting the decision, followed by Manitoba and Saskatchewan which received 69% support and Atlantic Canada where 63% of residents supported raising the flag. 

Meanwhile, Quebec had only 56% of people saying that it was time to raise the flag and in BC only 55% supported the move. 

“The majority of people in every part of this country and in every demographic says that it’s time to move on,” Maru pollster John Wright said. 

The online poll was conducted on September 13, 2021 and included 1,514 Canadian adults. 

Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau has committed to keeping the flags half-mast until an agreement is reached with Indigenous leaders. 

“So when we decided to bring down … those flags to half-mast, we made the commitment that we would not raise them again until we have worked enough with Indigenous communities and leadership to make a clear determination that it was time to raise them again and continue the hard work of reconciliation,” Trudeau said earlier this month.

The national conversation on whether the flag should be raised was prompted following questions posed by True North Fellow Andrew Lawton to Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole. 

In response to an inquiry from Lawton on whether the national flag should be returned to its original position, O’Toole announced that Canada should be proud to raise the flag. 

“I do think we should be proud to put our flag back up,” O’Toole said in August.

“It’s not a time to tear down Canada. It’s a time to recommit to build it to be the country we know it can be. Reconciliation is very important and should be important to all Canadians. I think to recommit to Canada, you have to be proud of Canada. You can’t cancel the one day a year that you commit to your country. You need to use that day to recommit to the path of reconciliation.”

Barack Obama endorses Justin Trudeau, calls him “effective leader”

Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Former US president Barack Obama endorsed Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau for the 2021 election in a Twitter post on Thursday afternoon. 

In the tweet, Obama referred to Trudeau as an “effective leader” and a “strong voice” for democracy. 

Obama made a similar endorsement during the 2019 election. 

“I was proud to work with Justin Trudeau as President. He’s a hard-working, effective leader who takes on big issues like climate change. The world needs his progressive leadership now, and I hope our neighbors to the north support him for another term,” said Obama at the time. 

In response, Trudeau thanked the former president saying they were “working hard to keep our progress going.” 

For the short period before January 2016 when both Obama and Trudeau were in office at the same time, Canada’s mainstream media fawned over the pair. 

Reports over the years by CBC News referred to their relationship as a “bromance” and “Just 2 regular guys.” 

Other outlets including CTV News hailed the friendship referring to the pair as “amigos.”

At the time of Obama’s first endorsement, several people questioned whether it was a form of foreign interference. 

Additionally, during the 2019 election, Liberal Party Candidate Marc Miller was questioned by critics after having flown to New York City to woo donors at a campaign fundraiser. 

According to a Candidate Campaign Return filed by Miller at the time, 28 donors were listed with Quebec residences despite the fundraiser being held in the US. In addition, the exact amounts each donor paid were not disclosed. 

As reported by True North founder Candice Malcolm, former Clinton Foundation advisor Justin Cooper was one of the key organizers behind the Liberal Party event. 

When questioned on the matter, Miller refused to provide further information and claimed that the New York fundraiser followed Elections Canada guidelines. 

Pierre Poilievre: The Liberal Party has been taken over by radical leftists

Candice Malcolm
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On this episode of The Candice Malcolm Show, Candice is joined by longtime Conservative MP, former Finance critic and candidate for Carleton Pierre Poilievre.

Pierre has been ringing the alarm bell about the threat of hyperinflation for months and his predictions are starting to come true.

He breaks down the dire economic situation in Canada under Trudeau, including the inflation rate that just an 18-year-high, and makes the case for a free market recovery.

Pierre doesn’t mince words in his criticism of Trudeau and his central bankers as well as a scathing assessment of the government-funded legacy media. He saves his fiercest words for the Liberal party, who he says have been “taken over by radical leftists who have a state-driven ideology where the government takes over every aspect of our lives.”

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Maxime Bernier says election is referendum on vaccine mandates

Andrew Lawton
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Maxime Bernier says election is referendum on vaccine mandates

In an exclusive interview with True North’s Andrew Lawton, People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier says Monday’s election is a referendum on vaccine passports and vaccine mandates, which is how he explains the PPC’s rise in the polls.

In the interview, Bernier also takes aim at the mainstream media over not covering the PPC fairly or at all.

Watch the full episode of The Andrew Lawton Show.

Rosemary Barton throws Justin Trudeau softball questions in biased interview

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Rosemary Barton throws Justin Trudeau softball questions in biased interview

CBC’s vaunted interview of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau by Rosemary Barton was chock full of softball questions based on Liberal-friendly premises.

Barton’s interview with Trudeau, part of CBC’s Canada Votes: Face to Face with the Leader series, aired Monday night.

In contrast to Barton’s interview of Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, in which she appeared to incorporate Liberal talking points into her questions, the segment featuring Trudeau was much friendlier and less aggressive. 

While O’Toole was grilled mostly on issues rated as more important to Liberal voters, issues that rank high on Conservative voters’ radars like economic recovery, inflation and government spending were largely ignored by Barton while talking to Trudeau.

According to an exclusive poll commissioned by True North, Liberals ranked climate change, COVID-19 and the environment as their top issues this election. 

Instead of being questioned about his numerous ethics investigations, accusations from female former caucus members of being a fake feminist and the WE Charity scandal, Trudeau was asked mostly about how Canada is systemically racist, as well as other questions about diversity and the environment.

“What I want to know is, what do you as a leader plan to do to ensure that Canadians from all walks of life feel safe and protected? Just seeing some of the things that have been happening during your campaign stops, it just really worries me,” asked one audience member.

In response, Trudeau implied that Canada was racist and that Canadians “have to accept” that. 

Another person asked Trudeau what he would do to address the “growing income inequity” problem in Canada. Inequity is a concept endorsed by the far-left and Liberals based on equality of outcome, meaning that people should receive the same pay and salary regardless of their ability to perform. 

Instead of pressing on Trudeau’s response to the question, as Barton did to O’Toole when during his own appearance, Barton did not interfere as Trudeau laid out LIberal spending promises. 

Notably, Trudeau has pledged CBC/Radio-Canada an additional $400 million in spending should he be elected in 2021. 

As revealed in a True North montage comparison of Trudeau’s interview and O’Toole’s, Barton’s tone and demeanour was much more amicable towards Trudeau than it was to O’Toole. As noted on social media, Barton’s interview with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was also noticeably more aggressive than Trudeau’s.

BREAKING: Jason Kenney announces lockdowns, restrictions and vaccine passport

Harrison Faulkner
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BREAKING: Jason Kenney announces lockdowns, restrictions and vaccine passport

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has reversed his long-standing objection to vaccine passports, announcing a proof-of-vaccination system for businesses while declaring a “state of public health emergency.”

At a Wednesday evening press conference, Kenney said a range of restrictions would be going into place after midnight, just a few hours later.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro said indoor social gatherings for unvaccinated Albertans are prohibited, while vaccinated households can gather with members of just one other household or two individuals who live alone.

A social distancing mandate will also go into effect, joining the province-wide mask mandate Alberta imposed last week. Employers will also be required to have all staff work from home, unless their in-person attendance is operationally essential.

As of Sept. 20, a ban on indoor dining will go into place, unless individual restaurants agree to adopt a vaccine passport program and allow only those who are vaccinated to be admitted.

Other restrictions include capacity limits on retail and entertainment venues. 

The government is calling the vaccine program a “restrictions exemptions program,” in an attempt to present it as a choice available for businesses rather than a mandate.

The new restrictions impacting businesses will only be enforced if businesses refuse to adopt the province’s vaccine passport. 

On July 12, Kenney told reporters at the Calgary Stampede that Alberta will not be implementing a vaccine passport system citing the fact that such a program would likely contravene several laws that protect medical freedom and the protection of private information in the province. 

“We’ve been very clear from the beginning that we will not facilitate or accept vaccine passports,” he said in July. “These folks who are concerned about mandatory vaccines have nothing to be concerned about, and there will be no vaccine passports in Alberta.”

In his remarks Wednesday, Kenney apologized for insisting on remaining opening as COVID-19  cases in Alberta rose.

“It is now clear that we were wrong, and for that I apologize,” he said. 

Kenney went on to defend his flip-flop by saying that he was only ever against vaccine passports because of privacy concerns. 

Jason Kenney had previously been one of the only provincial leaders in Canada to stand firmly against vaccine passports. He promised Albertans that he would not cooperate with the federal government on a vaccine passport program and that Alberta would not recognize any attempt by the federal government to mandate one. 

Vaccine passports have been announced and in some cases are already in use in most other provinces.

Mainstream media is starting to regret ignoring the People’s Party

Andrew Lawton
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Mainstream media is starting to regret ignoring the People’s Party

After spending a few days on the road covering the Conservative campaign, last weekend True North’s Andrew Lawton became the first and only journalist in the election so far to follow the People’s Party of Canada campaign tour. Andrew followed PPC leader Maxime Bernier on a swing through Alberta, reporting on the PPC’s message and events, as well as the unique coalition of supporters behind the upstart party that’s been polling in the double digits – significantly above its 2019 vote share.

In this episode, Andrew unpacks what’s behind the PPC’s rise and sits down with PPC leader Maxime Bernier as well as Banff–Airdrie PPC candidate Nadine Wellwood.

Next episode, we’ll spotlight the western-focused Maverick Party.

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