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Friday, July 25, 2025

Defence department scrubs webpage saying employer-mandated vaccines are unlawful

By
Andrew Lawton
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The Department of National Defence (DND) has quietly edited a webpage telling employees that mandatory vaccines are not “supported under Canadian law.”

As previously reported by True North, the frequently asked questions page for Canadian Armed Forces members and civilian staff of the department said, until recently, that vaccination against COVID-19 was a personal choice and could not legally be compelled by an employer. The page also offered unvaccinated employees guidance on how to report and deal with “stigmatization” from vaccinated colleagues.

Last week, the department overhauled the page, telling employees of the federal government’s August directive mandating vaccination.

“In light of the announcement made Friday, August 13, 2021, the Government of Canada intends to require COVID-19 vaccinations for federal public service employees and Canadian Armed Forces members,” the page now says.

While the page does tell employees that religious and medical exemptions will be requested, it says this will only apply to “few,” who will instead be subject to unspecified “accommodation or alternative measures.”

“The health and safety of all public service employees remains a priority for DND. As such, DND has a duty to ensure the health and safety of its employees in the workplace,” the page says. “Vaccines are the best way to bring this pandemic to an end, by protecting employees and their communities by reducing the risk of COVID-19.”

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has promised to mandate vaccination for federal employees and those working in federally regulated sectors, though he has not yet articulated what the “consequences” for non-compliance will be. 

A Department of National Defence spokesperson told True North in a statement the vaccine mandate, which its website previously said was unlawful, is “anchored in public health authorities’ recommendations to ensure health and safety in the workplace.”

“We are in the process of updating our websites to reflect the latest information, and have already posted an update at the top of every relevant page while we work to update the details,” the statement said.

“We are examining our policies and authorities, and looking at what modifications may need to be made. We are also working closely with our counterparts at (the) Treasury Board Secretariat to ensure we apply any direction in line with our colleagues in all departments.”

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole has said he would not mandate vaccination for federal workers, but would give them an option between vaccination or regular rapid testing, a plan Trudeau has derided as “irresponsible” and “dangerous.”

LEVY: It’s gravy train season in Toronto!

By
Sue-Ann Levy
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Toronto mayor John Tory wrote a letter to federal political leaders begging for more bags of cash – this is in addition to the millions the Trudeau government has already given to the city.

Toronto city council has a track record of spending without an eye to the bottom line. They have no problem with spending with impunity and begging with impunity.

True North contributor Sue-Ann Levy says someone needs to remind Toronto city council there is only one taxpayer.

Trudeau dodges questions on breaking gathering limits during packed campaign stop

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau ignored questions from reporters on whether or not his campaign appearance at a Mississauga restaurant on Friday broke Ontario’s COVID-19 indoor gathering limits. 

The incident occurred at a local Syrian bakery, Nafisa Middle Eastern Cuisine.

“There are more than 25 people in this fairly tight and crowded space and provincial law in Ontario currently limits indoor gatherings to 25 people. Are you breaking the spirit if not the letter of the law to hold a party event and lecture the premier of Ontario on vaccine passports?” asked a reporter. 

“Canadians are facing a really important choice right now. Cutting over the past number of months, Canadians saw what kind of big decisions, big choices, their government had to make to keep people safe, to make sure we got through this pandemic better than most other countries around the world,” Trudeau responded. 

“And our ability to do that and to continue to do that is what’s at stake here in this election. The Conservatives have made it very clear they’re not even going to tell their candidates to get vaccinated. It’s not how we get through this pandemic.”

During the same campaign stop, Trudeau admitted that not all Liberal candidates have been fully vaccinated when further questioned on his policy that every individual running under the party banner must have received the vaccine.

This isn’t the first time the Liberal campaign has violated Ontario’s COVID protocols. The Liberal campaign kickoff event in Cobourg, Ont. at the start of the election appeared to violate Ontario’s strict guidelines on outdoor gatherings.

“Every single Liberal candidate agrees fully with our approach on this. We have ensured that all our candidates have been vaccinated or are getting vaccinated. I believe there’s a couple who are about to get their second dose now, but we take very, very seriously the responsibility we all have if we’re getting out there going door to door to keep Canadians safe, and we absolutely will do that,” said Trudeau. 

As exclusively reported on by True North, Trudeau is currently fielding a candidate in Calgary Nose Hill who has made controversial claims regarding vaccinations in the past. 

Liberal candidate Jessica Dale-Walker suggested in tweets last year that early COVID-19 vaccine takers were “guinea pigs” and “entitled.”

Dale-Walker also claimed that Conservatives should be forced to pay $20,000 so that they can receive their COVID-19 vaccinations because they are capitalists. 

The legacy media rushes to defend the Liberals

By
Candice Malcolm
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It’s Fake News Friday on The Candice Malcolm Show! Candice Malcolm calls out the legacy media for pushing out misinformation and making fraudulent claims.

This week, the Canadian Press addressed Chrystia Freeland’s “manipulated media” fiasco but instead of fact-checking the Liberals’ false claims, they decided to fact-check Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole’s support for public health care.

Unsurprisingly, when Maryam Monsef called the Taliban “our brothers,” many legacy media journalists rushed to defend her.

Plus, the Toronto Star runs a pathological message on its front page, targeting unvaccinated Canadians.

Tune into The Candice Malcolm Show!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

Trudeau avoids question on Afghanistan evacuations, makes a dig at Harper instead

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau avoided answering a direct question about individuals in Afghanistan left behind by Canada as it ends its evacuations, and instead chided former prime minister Stephen Harper’s handling of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2015. 

Trudeau made the remarks on Friday while at a campaign stop in Mississauga at the local Syrian bakery, Nafisa Middle Eastern Cuisine. 

“We’re hearing reports about Canadian citizens in Afghanistan who feel particularly abandoned by your government. Will you prioritize getting them out of Afghanistan now that resources are becoming scarcer and it’s becoming so much harder now over refugee applications?” asked CTV reporter Glen McGregor. 

“I think a lot of Canadians can’t help but reflect on this situation in this election when we are pledging to welcome tens of thousands of Afghan refugees fleeing terrible violence to what we lived through in 2015, when the Conservative government at the time was not stepping up to welcome Syrian refugees,” said Trudeau.

Despite Trudeau’s claims, the Harper government accepted tens of thousands of refugees not only from Syria but also from Iraq. 

Through the former Conservative government’s efforts, 20,000 Iraqi refugees and approximately 2,500 Syrian refugees were settled in Canada. Additionally, at the time the Conservatives were pledging to accept an additional 10,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria if re-elected.  

Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole recently addressed Canada’s botched Afghanistan evacuation mission in a statement on the matter following a deadly terror attack that killed dozens trying to flee the country earlier this week.  

“Like all Canadians, I have been watching with dread as the crisis has unfolded in Afghanistan. The time we had to rescue our brave staff, supporters, and allies has run out. I’ve watched with a growing sense of apprehension and disappointment,” O’Toole said. 

“We should be extending our hand to offer assistance wherever we can. As a country, we were caught unprepared for the evacuation, but we can’t be for the aftermath. How we react now, how we help the people who helped us at this dire moment: This is a question of who we are as a country and as a people.”

Alberta community reports dramatic drop in rural crime

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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In the rural community of Innisfail, Alberta, RCMP are reporting a dramatic drop in crime, giving hope to local residents who have had to suffer from frequent burglaries and other incidents common in remote communities. 

According to the latest data reported by Mountain View Today news, crime rates are down across the board when compared to the same time last year. 

Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk reported to the town council that assaults, robberies, homicides and sexual assaults were down 43% in the area. Meanwhile, property crimes like break and enters, vehicle theft and fraud have also decreased by 63% since 2020. 

“Property crimes in Alberta have seen a downward trend but ours were extremely and considerably higher than the average. It is the totality of everybody, working with the town and the community police officers and working with the (local) community,” said Matechuk.

According to Matechuk, police presence and visibility has played a contributing role to the lowered crime rates. 

“We just have to continue what we are doing. We’ve got a lot of feedback from the community saying that they see us around a lot more, and visibility is huge. It is a big deterrent,” Matechuk told Mountain View Today. 

“We just want to maintain these reductions. It is difficult to do and we will just continue to do what we are doing and try to keep our visibility maintained with the community.”

Other communities, including Strathcona County, have also reported some promising reductions in rural crime rates as a result of proactive police patrols. 

Local Conservative Party candidate for Red Deer–Mountain View, Earl Dreeshen, seconded a private members bill while in the House of Commons earlier this year as a step towards addressing rural crime federally.

The bill, C-458, would amend the Criminal Code so judges can consider the fact that a perpetrator specifically targeted a victim because of their remote location when sentencing a criminal. 

Latest poll places Conservatives in the lead over the Liberals

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

A recent election poll by Mainstreet Research indicates that the Conservatives are surging ahead past the Liberals when it comes to Canadians’ 2021 voting intentions.

According to the poll commissioned by iPolitics, 37% of Canadians would cast their ballot for a Conservative Party candidate as of August 27th, while 31.4% would vote for a Liberal Party candidate. 

1,619 Canadians were surveyed between August 24 to August 26 – a poll of similar size would have a margin of error of +/- 2.43% 19 times out of 20.

The latest poll comes as Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau’s campaign struggles to take off in its early weeks. 

While on the election trail, Trudeau has had to deal with the ongoing Afghanistan crisis and numerous gaffes including Liberal candidate Maryam Monsef referencing the Taliban as “our brothers.” 

Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole began to turn his poll numbers around last week, and since then the Conservatives have either been outpolling or matching the Liberals in popularity.

The Mainstreet Research survey also showed a slight bump for the NDP which is now sitting at 18.5%, while both the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party have seen a decline in popularity with polling results at 5.4% and 2.6% respectively.

Meanwhile, the fledgling People’s Party of Canada has also received a boost in the polls and is now sitting at 4.3% federal voting intention nationwide. 

‘Cowboy from Dubai’ Tariq Elnaga on his Maverick campaign

By
Andrew Lawton
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Tariq Elnaga went to the Calgary Stampede while vacationing in Alberta from his native United Arab Emirates. He fell in love with the west then sold his home and moved to Canada. A decade later, Elnaga says western Canada is getting a raw deal from Ottawa, and he wants to be part of the solution. Banff—Airdrie Maverick candidate Tariq Elnaga joined True North’s The Andrew Lawton Show to share his story and talk about his campaign to be a member of parliament.

Watch the latest episode of The Andrew Lawton Show.

Erin O’Toole rejects Chinese ambassador’s claim that Canada-China bond is “stable”

By
Andrew Lawton
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Conservative leader Erin O’Toole says the Chinese communist regime is to blame for unstable Canada-China relations, hitting back at criticism from a Chinese official that the Conservatives are unfairly targeting China for political reasons.

China’s ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu said in a Hill Times interview he is opposed to politicians who are “hyping up issues related to China or smearing China.”

“Some people put their personal political interests above the interests of the Canadian people as a whole and hype issues related to China,” Cong said when pressed on whether he was referring to the Conservatives.

“So facts have proved that the stable and healthy China-Canada relationship serves the common interest of the two countries and the two peoples. So I think those people should reflect on the facts and the benefits we…receive from the relationship between our two countries.”

Speaking to reporters Friday morning in Corner Brook, Nfld., O’Toole said this is not an accurate representation of Canada’s relationship with China.

“Two of our citizens, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, are approaching a thousand days in prison as diplomatic pawns. I would not suggest the relationship right now between Canada and China is stable,” he said.

The Chinese regime has previously accused Justin Trudeau of being an American “running dog” – a Chinese pejorative for a lackey – at the expense of the Canada-China relationship.

O’Toole was quick to point out this decline has happened under Trudeau’s watch.

“I would suggest Mr. Trudeau has been completely offside for six years with respect to our interests, with respect to trade, with respect to Huawei, with respect to human rights,” he said.

“We need a serious prime minister that will stand up for our interests, our citizens, and our security. Getting the balance right, having a serious position with respect to China, is just one of the many reasons we need change in Canada.”

O’Toole noted it was the Conservatives who moved to recognize China’s genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province on the House of Commons. The February motion, introduced by Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong, passed unanimously, though the Liberal caucus was largely absent from the vote. Global Affairs Minister Marc Garneau attended to log an abstention “on behalf of the government of Canada.”

After the motion passed, Cong said Canada was “interfering in (China’s) domestic affairs.” China later sanctioned Chong and members of the House of Commons subcommittee on international human rights.

Erin O’Toole says there are “risks of foreign interference” in election

By
Andrew Lawton
-

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole does not believe Justin Trudeau’s government has done enough to safeguard the Sept. 20 election against foreign interference.

At a press conference Thursday, O’Toole did not specify where he thinks Canadian democracy is vulnerable, but said Canada is not equipped to deal with “bad actors.”

“I do think there’s risks of foreign interference, particularly with what we’ve seen happen in other democracies – allies of Canada,” he said. “We’ve seen interference from bad actors and I feel that Mr. Trudeau hasn’t been doing enough in this situation.”

The Conservative platform proposes the creation of a “permanent task force to address foreign interference,” with a mandate to address disinformation and influence operations online and offline, as well as to address “threats from foreign actors against Canadian residents, including recently reported operations against diaspora communities in Canada.”

O’Toole addressed this in his response Thursday, singling out Chinese-Canadians he says are being “observed and tracked by agents of the Communist Party of China.”

“We need to be serious and protect our institutions, protect our democracy,” O’Toole said.

Ahead of the 2019 election, the Canadian government took an aggressive approach to combat disinformation, though these efforts were largely disbanded after the election.

The Canadian Security Establishment, Canada’s top cybersecurity agency, said in a July report that influence campaigns against voters posed a significant threat to the integrity of Canadian elections.

“State actors may use threats, bribery or blackmail to affect the voting behaviour of individuals inside or outside of communities,” the report said. “Individuals may be threatened or fear reprisal for themselves or their loved ones in Canada or abroad if they fail to comply with publicly supporting a particular candidate or contributing funds to the foreign state’s preferred party.”

Reports have found that foreign actors did inject themselves into political discourse during the 2019 Canadian election, though it’s not clear if a particular party or politician benefitted from this interference.

With the 2021 election called in the midst of a pandemic, questions have been raised about what safeguards are in place to protect against fraud in mail-in ballots, which are expected to be used more heavily than in typical elections this year.

The July CSE report actually warned against the possibility of unsubstantiated fraud allegations sowing discord in the election results. 

Elections Canada insists mail-in voting is safe, with “several integrity features,” including identification and address verification before a ballot is issued, and the allowance of scrutineers at the facility where ballots are received and counted.

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