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Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Conservative candidate blasts Liberals for ignoring rural voters

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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Northern Saskatchewan candidate Gary Vidal is asking rural voters to consider the Liberal government’s poor record when it comes to issues important to them like rural crime when they vote in the upcoming election. 

In an interview with the Prince Albert Daily Herald, the Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River candidate, who served as an MP in the last parliament, said the Liberals have turned a blind eye to rural Canadians.

“I asked the prime minister a question on rural crime and I got an answer that was a nothing answer. I challenged (Public Safety Minister) Bill Blair on rural crime… I’ve sent letters recently to the minister of agriculture on the drought conditions and the challenges to the ranchers,” Vidal said. 

Vidal pointed to promises by Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole to connect rural communities to high-speed internet services and creating a new cabinet position dedicated solely to rural issues as evidence that his party takes the matter seriously. 

“O’Toole talked about building a digital infrastructure to connect all of Canada’s high-speed internet by 2025,” Vidal told the Prince Albert Daily Herald.

“He’s committed to appointing a minister of rural affairs to the cabinet – somebody that will sit at the cabinet table and will speak on behalf of rural Canadians. So, this is a way to get that voice to the table. He’s committed to tackling rural crime… Infrastructure funds would be set aside specifically for rural projects, rather than just urban projects.” 

Included in the recently-unveiled Conservative election platform is a series of promises dedicated to addressing rural issues. 

The platform includes implementing a national plan to tackle rural crime, improve access to rapid COVID-19 testing in rural communities and bridging the digital connectivity gap for Indigenous communities living on reserves or in remote areas. 

O’Toole’s platform builds off of recent legislation introduced by the Conservatives, including Conservative candidate Blaine Calkins’ Private Member’s Bill C-289 which would amend the criminal code to offer more protections to victims targeted because they live in rural settings. 

In June, Conservative candidate Damien Kurek similarly chastised the Liberals for being “absentees” on the issues important to rural voters. 

Half of Canadians think it’s time for another party to govern: survey

By
Caitlin Rose Morgante
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Half of Canadians think it’s time for another party to govern, regardless of whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the Trudeau government, according to a survey released today by Leger.

The survey was conducted online from August 13, 2021, to August 15, 2021, with 2,007 Canadians and 1,005 Americans, 18 years of age or older, randomly recruited from Leger Opinion’s online panel.

The survey asked respondents if they “are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, somewhat dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied with the Canadian government led by Justin Trudeau.” 51% expressed dissatisfaction.

Respondents’ opinions on “which federal party leader would make the best Prime Minister of Canada” were recorded as 28% for Trudeau, 18% for Singh and 15% for O’Toole.

When asked which political party they would vote for if the election were held today, 29% said they would vote for Trudeau’s Liberals and 24% for O’Toole’s Conservatives.

Although the Liberals have a 5% lead over the Conservatives, economist and pollster Jean-Marc Léger says “victory is far from assured.” In an editorial accompanying the survey, Léger noted that the Liberals have many hurdles to overcome and “42% of voters can change their mind.”

Léger points to three hurdles that the governing Liberals will have to overcome in order to win the election – COVID-19, the economy and the environment. 

With regards to COVID, the Leger poll shows that 24% of Canadians are worried about their safety when voting in the upcoming federal election due to the pandemic.

On the economy, the Trudeau government has created a historic deficit of over $350 billion with no plan to reduce spending or balance the books. 

Perhaps the biggest uncertainty, as Léger points out, is the performance of  Conservative leader Erin O’Toole. Léger says O’Toole “will be in the spotlight for 36 days and will have to convince Canadians that he is ready to govern.”

Trudeau prioritizes his vanity election over the crisis in Afghanistan

By
Candice Malcolm
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A humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Afghanistan, as the Taliban seized nearly all of the country. The Taliban is perhaps the most oppressive, backwards and barbaric of all the Islamist militant groups in the world. Thousands are trying to escape the country and flee the terrorist organization.

But instead of helping those in need, Justin Trudeau triggered an election. The government is too pre-occupied with campaigning to have the bandwidth to focus on saving lives and rescuing people from a war zone — and not just any old war zone, a region that Canada invested billions of dollars, sent 40,000 troops and left 158 behind.

To make matters worse, the Trudeau government says it’s too early to say whether or not they will recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government.

True North’s Candice Malcolm says Trudeau is a failed prime minister. Tune into The Candice Malcolm Show.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE CANDICE MALCOLM SHOW

Trudeau touts need for “she-covery” after “she-cession”

By
Andrew Lawton
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Liberal leader Justin Trudeau slammed the Conservatives for not talking about the “she-cession” and “she-covery” in their platform.

At a campaign stop in Markham, Ont. Tuesday, Trudeau said the Liberal plan to create a $10-a-day childcare program is the type of woman-focused policy absent from the “lengthy” Conservative platform.

“It is exactly the example of the kind of things you need to do to counter the she-cession and turn it into a she-covery,” Trudeau said. “The fact is, the Conservatives don’t talk about that in their lengthy platform. They don’t talk about feminism. They don’t talk about the impact, on women, of this (COVID-19) crisis.”

The Conservatives hit back at Trudeau’s “false” claim about their plan.

“The claim that Justin Trudeau is making is false,” a campaign spokesperson said in an email to True North. “The Conservative child care plan will provide direct benefits to parents so they can make the best choice for their own families, enabling more women to choose to participate in the workforce. Justin Trudeau’s plan is an expensive Ottawa-knows-best approach.”

The Liberal childcare plan, initially announced in the federal budget earlier this year, would earmark $30 billion to create affordable childcare spaces at an average cost of $10 per day. The Conservatives have said this will only help those fortunate enough to get one of the coveted spaces, opting instead to propose a tax credit that would give families, particularly in lower income brackets, a rebate of up to 75% of the cost of childcare.

“We will enable more women to choose to participate in the workforce,” the Conservatives’ “Securing the Future” platform says. “Canadian families are tired of Liberal promises and inaction. Our flexible and comprehensive approach will help all families right away and offer extra support to those who need it most.”

This isn’t the first time Trudeau has proclaimed the existence of a “she-cession” disproportionately affecting Canadian women. In March, Trudeau used the term to promote the need for a “feminist, intersectional recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conservative government would introduce month-long sales tax holiday

By
Caitlin Rose Morgante
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The Conservatives are promising to implement a goods and services tax (GST) holiday for the month of December, if they’re elected on September 20. 

“To help families and help our hard-hit retail stores recover… All purchases made at retail stores will be tax free for this month,” the party’s platform reads.

The GST holiday proposal comes as a part of Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s broader plan to “tackle high prices (especially home prices) and fight inflation.” 

This policy “will put $1.5 billion back into Canadians’ pockets,” said O’Toole in a Toronto press conference today.

His 160-page election platform also includes promises to lower cell phone and internet bills, lower food prices and make banking more affordable.

When asked whether the holiday will pose logistical concerns to retailers, O’Toole said that the business owners he’s heard from have been “thrilled” about the proposed policy. 

O’Toole pointed out that his policy will help traditional “brick and mortar” Canadian retailers who “are hanging on by a thread” instead of online retailers such as Amazon, which have captured plenty of sales in the past year due to lockdowns. Retail e-commerce sales increased 75% in 2020 and are set to increase another 12% in 2021. 

Director of Econ Americas and research associate with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy Fergus Hodgson told True North that “Canada needs simplified, streamlined taxation, not to mention deep fiscal austerity on the spending side. Changing tax rates for a day, week, or month only complicates matters and causes headaches for those collecting and enforcing those taxes.”

The Conservatives have also proposed a “Dine and Discover Program” which includes a one-month period where dine-in restaurant customers would receive a 50% tax rebate on food and non-alcoholic beverages purchased from Monday–Wednesday in order to aid the recovery of the hospitality industry.

Sales tax holidays are popular in the US, with 17 states holding one in 2021. Unlike O’Toole’s month-long proposal, most US sales tax holidays only last a couple of days as a part of back-to-school initiatives. 

FACT CHECK: CBC bashes Conservatives over same vaccination policy as Liberals

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
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A heavily skewed article by CBC News on Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole’s views on mandatory vaccinations for federal workers omitted the fact that the Liberals hold the exact same position when it comes to vaccine mandates. 

In the article, entitled “Erin O’Toole opposes mandatory vaccination for federal public servants, travellers,” CBC News claims that O’Toole “prefers a regular rapid testing regime to keep workplaces safe from COVID-19” over mandatory vaccinations. 

The article, however, makes no mention that the Liberal government holds the exact same position, and even stated the same caveats when unveiling its vaccine policy for the public service and federally-regulated workers last week. 

“What (Canadians) do not want is the politicization of the pandemic. Vaccines are not a political issue. To try and make them one is dangerous and irresponsible,” O’Toole told CBC News.

CBC News omitted Trudeau’s full position and only stated that the Liberals would “require vaccination across the federal public service” and that exemptions would exist “for workers with verifiable health conditions.”

CBC News’ own reporting on the Liberal announcement made no mention of exemptions based on “verifiable health conditions” and only stated that alternative testing and screening would be offered for those who are unable to be vaccinated. 

“Starting soon, all commercial air travellers and passengers on interprovincial trains and large marine vessels with overnight accommodations (such as cruise ships) will have to be vaccinated,” CBC News wrote on August 13, 2021. 

“(Transport Minister Omar Alghabra) said accommodations will be made for ‘those few who are unable to be vaccinated,’ such as testing and screening.” 

Globe and Mail columnist Robyn Urback was one of many people to criticize the discovery and anti-Conservative bias on social media. 

“This is, uh, interesting framing. The Conservative position is that federal public servants have to be vaccinated or submit to a daily rapid test. The Liberal position is that federal public servants have to be vaccinated or… we’ll figure it out later, tbd,” tweeted Urback. 

Disqualified Conservative Yukon candidate Jonas Smith to run as independent

By
Andrew Lawton
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The Yukon candidate disqualified by the Conservative Party of Canada over opposition to vaccine passports and employer vaccine mandates will be running as an independent.

Jonas Smith, a mining industry advocate and former Conservative national councillor, was removed as a candidate last week over what the Conservative party said was an “unwillingness to support public health guidelines.”

Smith said it was about his “opposition to calls for implementation of mandated workplace vaccinations and vaccine passport requirements in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Smith ran for the Conservatives in 2019, but lost to Liberal Larry Bagnell by 153 votes. With Bagnell retiring, Smith was set to seek the seat for the Conservatives again when Canadians go to the polls Sept. 20.

Sources connected to the Conservative Party of Canada tell True North the party’s National Candidate Selection Committee formally approved Smith’s disqualification on the weekend. The nomination rules allow a candidate to appeal disqualification to National Council, though Smith said this path would be fruitless.

“I have undergone some of the process available to me, but it’s clear to me that when the central campaign doesn’t want you on, then regardless of the outcome of any process, that sentiment remains,” Smith said in an interview with True North.

Smith said he’s optimistic he can win as an independent, noting that Yukon has elected members of parliament from all three major federal parties in the past.

“This is an opportunity to represent Yukoners regardless of party stripe,” he said. “I’m doing this in response to the overwhelming outpouring of encouragement for me to do so. I narrowly lost the last election and I’ve got thousands upon thousands of supporters here in the territory that want me to do this.”

Smith pointed to Jody Wilson-Raybould’s success in 2019 as an independent candidate after being kicked out of the Liberal caucus, suggesting voters respond favourably to principled politicians.

“Integrity transcends politics,” Smith said.

The Conservatives have not yet named a replacement candidate in the Yukon riding.

Free-speech advocate Rick Mehta hopes to “shed light of transparency in Nova Scotia politics”

By
Caitlin Rose Morgante
-

Free-speech advocate Rick Mehta says he is not running to win today’s provincial election but to “give Nova Scotians options.” 

The former psychology professor is running as an Atlantica Party candidate. He first rose to prominence in 2018 after being fired from Acadia University due to his “controversial” comments regarding Indigenous issues and gender politics.

In an interview with True North, Mehta said that what differentiates Atlantica from other parties is that they “look at the strength of the idea as opposed to the person who’s saying it and take a strong stance against identity politics.” 

Mehta hopes his run will “shed light on the lack of transparency in Nova Scotia politics.” 

“There is Diversity Kings County (formerly the Race Relations and Anti-Discrimination Committee) which advances policies from the UN. The policies promote division and are premised on the idea that our neighbours are racist,” said Mehta. 

He expresses similar concerns with the “Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society which acknowledges system racism in the province, citing sources such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Black Lives Matter (BLM) and other activist groups lacking credibility.”

Mehta says the reason he has always been so critical of activist groups such as TRC is because of their flawed methodology. 

“The TRC report, at its core, is using a biased sample of people, asking them leading questions, so of course you’re going to find horrible offense if that’s what you’ve done. It has nothing to do with racism as has been reported by the mainstream media,” said Mehta.

“Disparities do not imply discrimination. In a free society such as Canada, we should expect variability. The problem is that issues are often oversimplified and misrepresented by the media.”

Recently, Mehta has been frustrated with CBC, as has the rest of his party. CBC and other mainstream outlets, including CTV and Global News, have excluded Atlantica and the Green party from their reporting, stating only three Nova Scotia party leaders and not five. 

Atlantica has approached the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) “claiming numerous and ongoing breaches under the CAB Code of Ethics (2002) as described under the Journalistic Independence Code.”

They argue that these breaches have damaged the standing and campaign of the Atlantica and Green parties and “has brought into doubt the integrity of the elections results.”

Conservatives would not recognize Taliban as legitimate government

By
Harrison Faulkner
-

In stark contrast to the governing Liberals, the Conservatives say if they form government, they will refuse to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole released a statement shortly after Liberal Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau told CBC’s Power & Politics that the government will “wait and see” how the Taliban behaves before making such a determination.

“The use of force by the Taliban is completely unacceptable and that’s why today I’m announcing that a Conservative government will not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan,” O’Toole said.

O’Toole also said that a Conservative government will ensure aid provided to the Afghan people does not end up in the Taliban’s hands.

“The situation in Afghanistan is devastating and Justin Trudeau has to answer for why he abandoned these people,” O’Toole’s statement read.

Over the last week, the Taliban has effectively been able to steamroll through Afghanistan, ultimately capturing the nation’s capital, Kabul, over the weekend as the remaining US troops withdraw from the country.

The quick takeover by the terrorist forces has led to several countries, including Canada, scrambling to evacuate citizens and any diplomatic staff remaining in the country. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Monday that the government was ready to resettle thousands of Afghans “in the coming weeks.” 

Since 2013, the Taliban has been on Canada’s list of terrorist organizations, with Public Safety Canada noting its use of “terrorist tactics, including the extensive use of Improvised Explosive Devices and suicide attacks, to further its political objectives.” 

Bernier among thousands at Montreal protest against vaccine passports

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-

People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier joined thousands of Quebeckers on Saturday to march against the Quebec government’s decision to implement a sweeping vaccine passport program. 

Bernier has been a regular staple at anti-lockdown rallies in the past. Earlier this year the PPC leader was arrested while attending a similar rally in Manitoba.

“Vaccine passports are inefficient, unconstitutional and immoral. They will not prevent the spread of the virus because we now know that vaccinated people can also spread it,” Bernier told True North in an emailed statement. 

“They would create two types of citizens with different rights. I don’t want to live in a ’show-me-your-papers’ society. If that happens, whether you are vaccinated or not will be irrelevant. Everyone will lose their freedoms and suffer in a surveillance and police state.”

Earlier this month, the provincial government revealed that all Canadians and travellers in the province will be required to show proof of vaccination status by way of a digital pass. 

Under the strict regime, unvaccinated Canadians would be denied access to “non-essential” public spaces like restaurants, sporting events, bars and elsewhere. 

Following the announcement, Quebec Premier François Legault stated that he would not hold a debate in the National Assembly over his decision to force Canadians onto a vaccine passport system over fears of “conspiracy theories.” 

“Over the past 18 months, there has been an unprecedented series of attacks against our rights and freedoms, including our freedom of speech and our democratic process for adopting laws,” said Bernier.

“Mr. Legault is attacking both by dismissing opposition to his vaccine passport plan as a ‘conspiracy theory’ and by not allowing a debate on such a fundamental issue. It’s simply unconscionable. He’s acting like a typical despot.”

Event coordinator Jonathan Hamelin told CP24 that the protests would continue as long as the provincial government refuses to hold a public debate. 

Although a majority of Quebec’s opposition parties have indicated support for a vaccine passport program, they are calling on Legault to bring the matter to the legislature. 

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