Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says Canadians will have to wait until after this fall’s federal election to find out whether Chinese tech giant Huawei can provide equipment for the country’s next-generation 5G wireless network.
Goodale tells The Canadian Press that Canada needs more information from the United States about the nature of the potential security threat posed by the state-owned company.
Goodale says that’s not likely to happen before campaigning begins for the Oct. 21 election, which is expected to get underway sometime in early September.
Wednesday, July 31, 2019
CHINA'S MILITARY BUILDUP ON HONG KONG'S BORDER
Massive anti-Beijing protests which have gripped Hong Kong over the past month, and have become increasingly violent as both an overwhelmed local police force and counter-protesters have hit back with force, are threatening to escalate on a larger geopolitical scale after the White House weighed in this week.
With China fast losing patience, there are new reports of a significant build-up of Chinese security forces on Hong Kong's border
SPORTS RULING RE XY CHROMOSOME ATHLETES
CAPE TOWN — Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya will not defend her 800-metres title at the World Championships in September after the Swiss Federal Tribunal reversed a ruling that temporarily lifted the IAAF’s testosterone regulations imposed on her, a spokesman for the athlete said on Tuesday.
Semenya is appealing the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) ruling that supported regulations introduced by the sport’s governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
These say that XY chromosome athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) can race in distances from 400m to a mile only if they take medication to reach a reduced testosterone level.
Semenya is appealing the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) ruling that supported regulations introduced by the sport’s governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
These say that XY chromosome athletes with differences in sexual development (DSDs) can race in distances from 400m to a mile only if they take medication to reach a reduced testosterone level.
CAPITAL ONE SECURITY BREACH: 106M EXPOSED
A massive security breach at credit card giant Capital One Financial has compromised the personal data of roughly 106 million people, including six million Canadians, and left approximately 1 million social insurance numbers exposed.
The breach, announced by Capital One Financial late Monday, involves an alleged hacker and is among the largest security breaches in Canadian history.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
INCREASING THREAT FROM IT INSIDERS
The Governor of the Bank of Canada confessed last year that he was losing sleep over the threat of cyberattacks. In practical terms, the lead bank is obligated to keep secrets and prevent inside leaks of the direction in which it is intending to move interest rates – valuable data for crooks who wanted to bet against the market.
In June, the banker’s nightmare came true, with the news that data on 2.7 million Desjardins customers and 173,000 businesses had been hacked and sold on the Dark Web. The culprit was not a foreign power or Mafia gang, but an insider – a long-time, trusted manager in the IT department.
Exporting a database is child’s play for an IT professional who fully understands technology. He or she can always find a way to disable protections and transfer files.
In June, the banker’s nightmare came true, with the news that data on 2.7 million Desjardins customers and 173,000 businesses had been hacked and sold on the Dark Web. The culprit was not a foreign power or Mafia gang, but an insider – a long-time, trusted manager in the IT department.
Exporting a database is child’s play for an IT professional who fully understands technology. He or she can always find a way to disable protections and transfer files.
EXPENSE CLAIMS ON TAXPAYERS LASTS LIFETIME
For two decades, concerns have been circulating in government over the usefulness and transparency of a program that allows former governors general to make expense claims on the public dime for the rest of their lives, according to a briefing note prepared last fall for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Documents obtained through an access-to-information request to the Privy Council Office also disclose for the first time the internal guidelines for the program — guidelines which were only established in 2012, despite the program existing since 1979. The documents confirm that each former governor general is allowed to claim up to $206,000 per year, an amount not publicly released but reported by the National Post last year based on confidential sources.
The expenses are on top of the $143,000 annual pension (rising over time) that goes to every former governor general, and on top of the multi-million dollar start-up grant each one gets to create a charitable organization.
Documents obtained through an access-to-information request to the Privy Council Office also disclose for the first time the internal guidelines for the program — guidelines which were only established in 2012, despite the program existing since 1979. The documents confirm that each former governor general is allowed to claim up to $206,000 per year, an amount not publicly released but reported by the National Post last year based on confidential sources.
The expenses are on top of the $143,000 annual pension (rising over time) that goes to every former governor general, and on top of the multi-million dollar start-up grant each one gets to create a charitable organization.
BC HUMAN SMUGGLER PLEADS GUILTY
A Vancouver man accused of being involved in an elaborate operation that may have helped smuggle hundreds of Chinese migrants across the Canada-U.S. border by exploiting lax oversight at an international park pleaded guilty to several offences Monday, just before his trial was set to begin.
Michael Kong, 62, wore a red jumpsuit and leg shackles and when B.C. provincial court Judge Patrick Doherty asked whether he was pleading guilty to four of the seven counts of human smuggling of which he’d been accused, he answered, “Yes.”
Michael Kong, 62, wore a red jumpsuit and leg shackles and when B.C. provincial court Judge Patrick Doherty asked whether he was pleading guilty to four of the seven counts of human smuggling of which he’d been accused, he answered, “Yes.”
Monday, July 29, 2019
BEING THE VOICE OF ANIMALS IN COURT
A retired Toronto lawyer has gone to court in a bid to secure the right for advocates to speak up on behalf of animals in legal settings.
The case began earlier this year when Sandra Schnurr filed a notice of application against five retail giants selling glue traps, or devices commonly used to catch rodents.
“Obviously the court is unable to obtain the point of view of those most directly affected in the instant case, for the self-evident reason that rats and mice…cannot come to court and speak for themselves,” she said. “The applicants, who are dedicated to advocating for these voiceless creatures, are the next best choice.”
The case began earlier this year when Sandra Schnurr filed a notice of application against five retail giants selling glue traps, or devices commonly used to catch rodents.
“Obviously the court is unable to obtain the point of view of those most directly affected in the instant case, for the self-evident reason that rats and mice…cannot come to court and speak for themselves,” she said. “The applicants, who are dedicated to advocating for these voiceless creatures, are the next best choice.”
QUEBEC GOV'T'S GREEN FUND A BOONDOGGLE
Quebec’s green fund was created in 2006 as a way of collecting billions in revenues — in large part from the province’s version of a carbon tax — and redistributing the money towards initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But the so-called green fund has been widely criticized as a boondoggle. Instead of promoting projects with strict greenhouse gas emission targets, the fund became a buffet for the pet projects of various ministers, Charette said.
But the so-called green fund has been widely criticized as a boondoggle. Instead of promoting projects with strict greenhouse gas emission targets, the fund became a buffet for the pet projects of various ministers, Charette said.
Since its inception, almost $5.5 billion has been poured into the fund. And from the beginning, the program has been mismanaged, according to several reports from the province’s auditor general.
ROBOT DETECTING IMAGES OF CHILD PORN
Every 12 hours, a Canadian robot called “Arachnid” detects 10,824 new images of child pornography on the internet.
The Canadian Center for Child Protection (CCPE), the organization behind Arachnid, is urging technology companies to do more to reduce accessibility to images of child pornography online.
The robot was named Arachnid because it weaves its way through cyber space to detect images and videos of child pornography through digital fingerprints. When the content is detected, the robot sends a warning to the host requesting immediate removal.
But not all hosts comply, CCPE spokesperson René Morin told La Presse canadienne.
The Canadian Center for Child Protection (CCPE), the organization behind Arachnid, is urging technology companies to do more to reduce accessibility to images of child pornography online.
The robot was named Arachnid because it weaves its way through cyber space to detect images and videos of child pornography through digital fingerprints. When the content is detected, the robot sends a warning to the host requesting immediate removal.
But not all hosts comply, CCPE spokesperson René Morin told La Presse canadienne.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
TRUDEAU EXPERIENCES DEFICITS DIFFERENTLY
Goldstein: According to the finance department’s Fiscal Monitor released Friday, the Trudeau government recorded a $1.4 billion deficit for the first two months of the current fiscal year of 2019-20, on its way to a $19.8 billion deficit for 2019-20, according to Trudeau’s March 19 budget.
In any event, having abandoned his broken 2015 election promise to balance the budget this year, Trudeau now says that if he wins the October election, he’ll record deficits every year for the four-year term of his second electoral mandate.
In any event, having abandoned his broken 2015 election promise to balance the budget this year, Trudeau now says that if he wins the October election, he’ll record deficits every year for the four-year term of his second electoral mandate.
The Liberals have an election to buy in October by bribing us with our own money, so anything could happen.
Friday, July 26, 2019
DRUGS IN THE SNOWGLOBES
Australian police say about $1 million worth of methamphetamine was found hidden as the liquid in souvenir snow globes sent from Canada.
Australian Border Force officers in Sydney stopped the illicit load at the border in a shipment of 15 snow globes that arrived by air this week, but would not say from where in Canada it originated.
The shipment was X-rayed and then subjected to further examination, the agency said. The liquid inside was field-tested and gave a positive result for methamphetamine. All told, there was 7.5 litres of liquid methamphetamine.
Australian Border Force officers in Sydney stopped the illicit load at the border in a shipment of 15 snow globes that arrived by air this week, but would not say from where in Canada it originated.
The shipment was X-rayed and then subjected to further examination, the agency said. The liquid inside was field-tested and gave a positive result for methamphetamine. All told, there was 7.5 litres of liquid methamphetamine.
LIBERAL GOV'T'S DEPARTMENT OF IRVING
Irving’s president briefed top federal officials on the company’s plans to sue Postmedia after the news organization asked questions about potential problems with the multi-billion dollar Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship program, according to newly released documents.
The Liberal government has tried to distance itself from Irving’s actions, with procurement minister Carla Qualtrough saying she wished the firm hadn’t threatened Postmedia with legal action in March after the government shared with it a reporter’s questions about potential problems with welds on the new vessels.
But documents obtained by Postmedia show Irving briefed Qualtrough’s top officials at Procurement Canada, including Deputy Minister Bill Matthews, as well as bureaucrats at the Department of National Defence, about the company’s legal strategy a little more than an hour after Irving’s lawyer threatened the news organization with a lawsuit.
The Liberal government has tried to distance itself from Irving’s actions, with procurement minister Carla Qualtrough saying she wished the firm hadn’t threatened Postmedia with legal action in March after the government shared with it a reporter’s questions about potential problems with welds on the new vessels.
But documents obtained by Postmedia show Irving briefed Qualtrough’s top officials at Procurement Canada, including Deputy Minister Bill Matthews, as well as bureaucrats at the Department of National Defence, about the company’s legal strategy a little more than an hour after Irving’s lawyer threatened the news organization with a lawsuit.
BC JUDGE OVERTURNS FARMER'S WILL
Nahar and Nihal Litt were farmers from India who came to B.C. and achieved the Canadian dream, building a future for their six children and accumulating a family fortune worth $9 million.
When the couple died in 2016, their will stipulated that their four daughters — Jasbinder Grewal, Mohinder Litt-Grewal, Amarjit Litt, and Inderjit Sidhu — receive $150,000 each, collectively less than seven per cent of the estate, while sons Terry Litt and Kasar Litt receive 93 per cent, or $4.2 million each.
Last week, the will was overturned in B.C. Supreme Court, a case that is notable because of the glaring disparity between the amounts given to the daughters compared to sons, and the overall value of the estate, said Trevor Todd, the plaintiffs’ lawyer.
When the couple died in 2016, their will stipulated that their four daughters — Jasbinder Grewal, Mohinder Litt-Grewal, Amarjit Litt, and Inderjit Sidhu — receive $150,000 each, collectively less than seven per cent of the estate, while sons Terry Litt and Kasar Litt receive 93 per cent, or $4.2 million each.
Last week, the will was overturned in B.C. Supreme Court, a case that is notable because of the glaring disparity between the amounts given to the daughters compared to sons, and the overall value of the estate, said Trevor Todd, the plaintiffs’ lawyer.
LIBERALS' CHINA POLICY: SIT AROUND & WAIT
Here’s how the committee describes itself: “The Committee on the Present Danger is committed to educating policymakers and the American people about the mortal threat posed by the Communist Chinese Party and recommending and advocating for essential policy course-corrections aimed at defeating PRC aggression and keeping the United States and Free World strong and safe.”
Anybody familiar with China’s near-constant pressure tactics against Canada probably read the above and thought “Hmm, we could do with something like that up here.”
We certainly could. That’s one of the biggest problems with Canada’s current conflict with China and our stumbling response: There doesn’t seem to be any unifying principles, any actual goals or desired outcomes.
There does seem to be a pattern though, and it goes something like this: China does something bad to us. We acknowledge it’s bad and then… well, then we sit around and wait for another week or so until China does the next bad thing to us.
Anybody familiar with China’s near-constant pressure tactics against Canada probably read the above and thought “Hmm, we could do with something like that up here.”
We certainly could. That’s one of the biggest problems with Canada’s current conflict with China and our stumbling response: There doesn’t seem to be any unifying principles, any actual goals or desired outcomes.
There does seem to be a pattern though, and it goes something like this: China does something bad to us. We acknowledge it’s bad and then… well, then we sit around and wait for another week or so until China does the next bad thing to us.
EDC STAFF CLEARED IN CORRUPTION CLAIM
Export Development Canada says an independent review has cleared its personnel of any wrongdoing after a claim that its staff turned a blind eye to bribery and corruption in a 2011 transaction involving SNC-Lavalin.
The Crown corporation launched a three-month probe after CBC News reported allegations by an unnamed SNC-Lavalin insider stating it was well known within the engineering firm that "technical fees" in its proposals included cash earmarked for local consultants or agents.
The source alleged these technical fees can amount to millions of dollars and should have been detected by EDC personnel as they evaluated SNC-Lavalin's application for support on a project in Africa.
EDC, which acts as a credit agency for Canadian firms looking to do business abroad, provided SNC-Lavalin with between $250 million and $500 million worth of "political risk insurance" for its deal to work on the Matala Dam in Angola.
NO DECISION ON NEW SURF CLAM LICENCE HOLDER
Ottawa announced a year ago that it would choose a new licence holder for 25 per cent of the Arctic surf clam quota in the spring of 2019, to begin harvesting clams in January 2020. That has not happened, and the office of Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson now says there is no timeline on the process. It seems unlikely any such process could take place before the October election.
The Arctic surf clam fishery became a source of controversy last year after former fisheries minister Dominic LeBlanc announced he was awarding one quarter of the existing quota to a group of First Nations from all four Atlantic provinces and Quebec. The move was meant to give Indigenous communities a foothold in the lucrative fishery, and to end Clearwater’s longstanding monopoly.
It was later revealed that the Liberals had connections to the winning bidder, including a cousin of LeBlanc’s wife who was involved with Five Nations. Ultimately, the federal ethics commissioner found that LeBlanc broke conflict-of-interest rules when he awarded the licence, because of the family connection. The licence was cancelled in July 2018, with no reason given; LeBlanc was removed from fisheries to become minister of intergovernmental affairs.
The Arctic surf clam fishery became a source of controversy last year after former fisheries minister Dominic LeBlanc announced he was awarding one quarter of the existing quota to a group of First Nations from all four Atlantic provinces and Quebec. The move was meant to give Indigenous communities a foothold in the lucrative fishery, and to end Clearwater’s longstanding monopoly.
It was later revealed that the Liberals had connections to the winning bidder, including a cousin of LeBlanc’s wife who was involved with Five Nations. Ultimately, the federal ethics commissioner found that LeBlanc broke conflict-of-interest rules when he awarded the licence, because of the family connection. The licence was cancelled in July 2018, with no reason given; LeBlanc was removed from fisheries to become minister of intergovernmental affairs.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
SIGNS OF A FEDERAL ELECTION
Billboards pleading western Canadians to vote out liberal MPs were put up in key battlegrounds ahead of the federal election.
A federal Liberal candidate in the southern Interior of B.C. says there's no political motive in having a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed from her campaign car.
A federal Liberal candidate in the southern Interior of B.C. says there's no political motive in having a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed from her campaign car.
JUDGE: IMPAIRED DRIVING LAWS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
An Ontario judge has raised colonialism, racism and the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women as reasons for declaring part of Canada’s impaired driving laws are unconstitutional, arguing it’s unjust to give a criminal record to a 22-year-old Indigenous woman caught with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit.
Justice Paul Burstein’s decision, released July 16, runs in stark contrast to how governments of all stripes have addressed impaired driving, which has been to steadily ratchet up the penalties and restrict the possible defences.
Burstein concluded that the requirement for a criminal conviction (including a $1,000 mandatory fine) for being found guilty of a first impaired driving offence violates the Charter’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
Justice Paul Burstein’s decision, released July 16, runs in stark contrast to how governments of all stripes have addressed impaired driving, which has been to steadily ratchet up the penalties and restrict the possible defences.
Burstein concluded that the requirement for a criminal conviction (including a $1,000 mandatory fine) for being found guilty of a first impaired driving offence violates the Charter’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
SELF-SERVING LIBERALS
The Liberals are set to announce within weeks the start of a contest to allow a third shipbuilder to enter the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
"To date, Quebec's Davie shipyard has been blocked because of political considerations. It is good to see that political interests are being set aside to allow Canada to engage Davie to help deliver vessels.”
Both Duclos and Lightbound are Liberals who won their seats by single-digit margins in the generally solidly-blue region of Quebec City, where Davie shipyard is located, and one source with direct knowledge of the situation stressed they and the government have been facing questions about whether they are doing enough to support the shipbuilder.
OMAR: FEAR WHITE MEN MORE THAN TERRORISTS
Until recently, this Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) interview on Al Jazeera has been mostly ignored. Now, it has resurfaced. The reason? Some of her remarks were extremely controversial. In a mere 10 minutes, the Democratic congresswoman said that "there is no question" that President Trump is a racist and she said that Americans should be "more fearful of white men" than of radical Islamist terrorists.
"Is Donald Trump a racist in your view?" Al Jazeera's Mehdir Hasan asked Omar.
"I think there isn't a debate about whether Trump is a racist," she answered. "I think he fits into every ism."
MUELLER TESTIMONY BACKFIRES
Democrats are reeling after a horrendous day for their party on Capitol Hill with former Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony unraveling their case against President Donald Trump, all while Republicans seek to capitalize on the serious missteps by a group of committee leaders and Democrat leadership in the House.
The bad day for the Democrats was shown in no better way than that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was a whopping 48 minutes late to a planned 5:00 p.m. press conference after Mueller’s testimony, where she was flanked by the chairmen of the two committees before which Mueller testified and a third who has helped the investigation.
During the press conference, a babbling Pelosi struggled to explain for more than 20 minutes what the public learned from Mueller’s oftentimes incoherent testimony
The bad day for the Democrats was shown in no better way than that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was a whopping 48 minutes late to a planned 5:00 p.m. press conference after Mueller’s testimony, where she was flanked by the chairmen of the two committees before which Mueller testified and a third who has helped the investigation.
During the press conference, a babbling Pelosi struggled to explain for more than 20 minutes what the public learned from Mueller’s oftentimes incoherent testimony
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
IT'S NOT A DISNEY BISON
A large bison meandering around a grassy hillside nearby had abruptly changed course. It was now thundering toward the group of people, headed straight for a girl. Onlookers gasped. Wordless shrieks mixed with shouts of “Oh, my God!”
In seconds, the powerful animal had reached the child, who was trying in vain to outrun it. With a swift toss of its head, the charging bison catapulted her high into the sky like a rag doll, flipping her head over heels before gravity sent her tumbling to the ground.
Of all the wildlife that roams Yellowstone, bison are responsible for injuring more visitors than any other animal, officials said. The largest land-dwelling mammals in North America “can be aggressive, are agile, and can run up to 30 miles per hour,” which is three times as fast as humans, according to the Park Service. Males, or bulls, can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand six feet tall.
In seconds, the powerful animal had reached the child, who was trying in vain to outrun it. With a swift toss of its head, the charging bison catapulted her high into the sky like a rag doll, flipping her head over heels before gravity sent her tumbling to the ground.
Of all the wildlife that roams Yellowstone, bison are responsible for injuring more visitors than any other animal, officials said. The largest land-dwelling mammals in North America “can be aggressive, are agile, and can run up to 30 miles per hour,” which is three times as fast as humans, according to the Park Service. Males, or bulls, can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand six feet tall.
SIGNALLING FOR ANOTHER GOV'T BAILOUT
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. drew a rare lecture on Monday from its largest shareholder, the pension fund Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, as its stock dipped to 14-year lows on more expected losses and writedowns.
In a statement, the Caisse warned SNC’s board to take “decisive and timely action” after the Montreal engineering and construction firm told shareholders it will lose money for a third consecutive quarter, announced a $1.9 billion write-down and proposed its second restructuring initiative this year.
“The deterioration of SNC-Lavalin’s performance … is a cause of growing concern for la Caisse,” the pension fund said in a statement, adding that “the current unacceptable trend of the business” must be reversed.
In a statement, the Caisse warned SNC’s board to take “decisive and timely action” after the Montreal engineering and construction firm told shareholders it will lose money for a third consecutive quarter, announced a $1.9 billion write-down and proposed its second restructuring initiative this year.
“The deterioration of SNC-Lavalin’s performance … is a cause of growing concern for la Caisse,” the pension fund said in a statement, adding that “the current unacceptable trend of the business” must be reversed.
WORDS HAVE BECOME OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
"We live in a truly odd time where nobody can be fired for actually being inept at their job but everyone can be fired for a clumsy social media post." -Dennis Miller
Though if you're a Democrat governor, wearing blackface back in medical school and making self-incriminating comments about "post-birth abortion" aren't necessarily career-ending.
But for everyone else, Big Boss has the power to deprive you of your livelihood if your politically incorrect views (whether online or off) are deemed "to bring the organisation into disrepute". Workers in the Age of Woke are expected to follow their leaders and commit to Diversity-Inclusivity-Equity and #SocialResponsibility - or risk opprobrium. And sacking.
JUSTICE MINISTER SWATS BACK AT ONTARIO AG
The Ontario government's rejection of shared responsibility for legal aid is an "excuse for spending cuts" that will leave many of the province's most vulnerable at greater risk, federal Justice Minister David Lametti said Tuesday.
Lametti's letter comes after Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey recently wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly and asked him to instruct his ministers to reply to the province's requests to fill what he says is a funding gap of $25 million.
The number of refugee claims in Ontario has soared by nearly 160 per cent since 2013, Downey said, connecting the increase to the Trudeau government's immigration policies.
"Because of their decision to increase the service need, we think they need to increase the service resources," Downey said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
Lametti's letter comes after Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey recently wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directly and asked him to instruct his ministers to reply to the province's requests to fill what he says is a funding gap of $25 million.
The number of refugee claims in Ontario has soared by nearly 160 per cent since 2013, Downey said, connecting the increase to the Trudeau government's immigration policies.
"Because of their decision to increase the service need, we think they need to increase the service resources," Downey said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.
BUTTS EXPERIENCED LAVSCAM DIFFERENTLY
Goldstein: The Liberals say it’s no big deal Gerald Butts, who resigned on Feb. 18 as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s principal secretary at the height of the Lavscam scandal, is back in the Liberal fold.
Nor that Trudeau’s closest friend and top political adviser — whom Trudeau told the Liberal caucus after his 2015 election victory speaks for him — will be taking on a key role in the Oct. 21 election campaign.
Does that mean Trudeau and Co. won’t make it an issue if, say, Ontario Premier Doug Ford brings back his former chief of staff, Dean French, into the Progressive Conservative fold five months from now? Doubt it.
Nor that Trudeau’s closest friend and top political adviser — whom Trudeau told the Liberal caucus after his 2015 election victory speaks for him — will be taking on a key role in the Oct. 21 election campaign.
Does that mean Trudeau and Co. won’t make it an issue if, say, Ontario Premier Doug Ford brings back his former chief of staff, Dean French, into the Progressive Conservative fold five months from now? Doubt it.
CANADA-WIDE MANHUNT FOR MURDER SUSPECTS
RCMP have launched a nationwide manhunt for the two teenagers deemed suspects in a double homicide and one other death in northern British Columbia.
According to the RCMP, 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky are suspects in the deaths of Sydney, Australia native Lucas Fowler and his girlfriend Chynna Deese of Charlotte, N.C. The identity of the third victim, a man, has yet to be revealed to the public.
The bodies of Fowler and Deese, who had been on a road trip together in Fowler’s blue van, were found on a remote stretch of highway near the Liard Hot Springs on July 15. McLeod and Schmegelsky’s burned-out truck and the unidentified man’s body were found four days later near Dease Lake, B.C., more than 470 kilometres away from the first crime scene.
According to the RCMP, 19-year-old Kam McLeod and 18-year-old Bryer Schmegelsky are suspects in the deaths of Sydney, Australia native Lucas Fowler and his girlfriend Chynna Deese of Charlotte, N.C. The identity of the third victim, a man, has yet to be revealed to the public.
The bodies of Fowler and Deese, who had been on a road trip together in Fowler’s blue van, were found on a remote stretch of highway near the Liard Hot Springs on July 15. McLeod and Schmegelsky’s burned-out truck and the unidentified man’s body were found four days later near Dease Lake, B.C., more than 470 kilometres away from the first crime scene.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
QUESTIONING STATSCAN DATA RE HATE CRIMES
“I would put the confirmed hoax rate at about 15% – cases that definitely unraveled and were provably debunked,” explains Reilly. “5% result in convictions and the rest are ambiguous.” He suggests the Canadian figures could likely be similar.
If we’re going to have a national conversation about hate crimes every year, we’re going to have to get better data. Or, at the very least, let Canadians know the facts behind the numbers we’re discussing so they can determine their usefulness.
Could the real number of hate crimes happening be significantly higher? Certainly. Or could we be overrun with hoaxes? That’s also possible. Given what we’re working with, we just don’t know.
If we’re going to have a national conversation about hate crimes every year, we’re going to have to get better data. Or, at the very least, let Canadians know the facts behind the numbers we’re discussing so they can determine their usefulness.
Could the real number of hate crimes happening be significantly higher? Certainly. Or could we be overrun with hoaxes? That’s also possible. Given what we’re working with, we just don’t know.
GUNS MISSING FROM RCMP & MILITARY
One of the arguments gun control advocates will make for calling for an outright ban on handguns or certain rifles is that if regular citizens don’t have these firearms in their homes, they can’t be lost or stolen to be used in a crime.
Newly-released documents from the RCMP and other federal departments and agencies show that if the risk of lost and stolen guns is an issue, then we better think of taking guns from the Mounties, maybe even the military.
Firearms researcher Dennis Young obtained a list of the number of guns lost or stolen by police or public agencies from 2005 through 2019 and the numbers might shock you.
A total of 640 firearms were reported lost in that time frame, another 173 were reported stolen.
Newly-released documents from the RCMP and other federal departments and agencies show that if the risk of lost and stolen guns is an issue, then we better think of taking guns from the Mounties, maybe even the military.
Firearms researcher Dennis Young obtained a list of the number of guns lost or stolen by police or public agencies from 2005 through 2019 and the numbers might shock you.
A total of 640 firearms were reported lost in that time frame, another 173 were reported stolen.
UK'S SHIPPING PROTECTION PLAN
Britain announced plans Monday to develop and deploy a Europe-led “maritime protection mission” to safeguard shipping in the vital Strait of Hormuz in light of Iran’s seizure of a British-flagged tanker in the waterway last week.
Briefing Parliament on the budding crisis, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt accused Iran of “an act of state piracy” that must be met with a coordinated international reaction.
Iranian officials have suggested the Stena Impero was seized and taken to an Iranian port in response to Britain’s role in seizing an Iranian oil tanker two weeks earlier off the coast of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located on the southern tip of Spain.
Briefing Parliament on the budding crisis, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt accused Iran of “an act of state piracy” that must be met with a coordinated international reaction.
Iranian officials have suggested the Stena Impero was seized and taken to an Iranian port in response to Britain’s role in seizing an Iranian oil tanker two weeks earlier off the coast of Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located on the southern tip of Spain.
TWO LEFTIES SPAT; IT'S TRUMP'S FAULT
So what you have here are two Democrats getting into a public argument over the number of items one has in the grocery store express lane; two people of color who do not support Trump creating a public spectacle of themselves; two lefties who might have told each other to “go back” — meaning go back to the end of the line or something, and who does our faker-than-fake news media blame for all of this…?
You guessed it…
This, too, is President Trump’s fault.
On top of blaming Trump, most news outlets failed to mention the fact that Thomas now admits she lied, that this was all a big, fat hoax.S TRUMP
THE DUPLICITOUS JAMES COMEY
Former FBI Director James Comey has been under investigation for misleading President Trump - telling him in private that he wasn't the target of an ongoing FBI probe, while refusing to admit to this in public.
According to RealClearInvestigations' Paul Sperry, "Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz will file a report in September which contains evidence that Comey was misleading the president" while conducting an active investigation against him.
According to RealClearInvestigations' Paul Sperry, "Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz will file a report in September which contains evidence that Comey was misleading the president" while conducting an active investigation against him.
CALGARIANS SUBSIDIZING MILLIONAIRES
The City of Calgary and the ownership group behind the Calgary Flames have agreed to a proposed deal that would see the two organizations split the cost of a $550-million new arena equally.
The tentative deal comes as the city plans to cut $60 million from its operating budget, and is reviewing different service reductions that could be done going forward.
More than 100 protesters rallied at city hall Monday morning to urge council to reconsider cuts that would impact low-income Calgarians, but the group wasn't allowed to speak.
Those cuts would come from a different part of the budget than the money that would be used for a new arena, and property taxes won't be increased.
The tentative deal comes as the city plans to cut $60 million from its operating budget, and is reviewing different service reductions that could be done going forward.
More than 100 protesters rallied at city hall Monday morning to urge council to reconsider cuts that would impact low-income Calgarians, but the group wasn't allowed to speak.
Those cuts would come from a different part of the budget than the money that would be used for a new arena, and property taxes won't be increased.
Monday, July 22, 2019
BREAKING MURDER RECORDS IN MEXICO
MEXICO CITY — Murders in Mexico jumped in the first half of the year to the highest on record, according to official data, underscoring the vast challenges President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador faces in reducing violence in the cartel-ravaged country.
There were 14,603 murders from January to June, versus the 13,985 homicides registered in the first six months of 2018, according to data posted over the weekend on the website of Mexico’s national public security office.
Mexico is on course to surpass the 29,111 murders of last year, an all-time high.
There were 14,603 murders from January to June, versus the 13,985 homicides registered in the first six months of 2018, according to data posted over the weekend on the website of Mexico’s national public security office.
Mexico is on course to surpass the 29,111 murders of last year, an all-time high.
SNC LAVALIN SHARES FALL 44% IN 2019
Struggling construction and engineering firm SNC-Lavalin Group Inc on Monday withdrew its forecast for 2019, citing significantly lower results as it considers options for its resources unit and exits fixed-price contracts.
SNC’s shares, which have fallen more than 44 per cent in 2019, fell nearly 8 per cent in morning trade.
Montreal-based SNC has been facing a trial in Canada over fraud and corruption charges related to allegations that former executives paid bribes to win contracts in Libya under Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, which fell in 2011. The company’s unsuccessful attempts to reach a settlement led to a political scandal engulfing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
SNC’s shares, which have fallen more than 44 per cent in 2019, fell nearly 8 per cent in morning trade.
Montreal-based SNC has been facing a trial in Canada over fraud and corruption charges related to allegations that former executives paid bribes to win contracts in Libya under Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, which fell in 2011. The company’s unsuccessful attempts to reach a settlement led to a political scandal engulfing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
YOU DESTROYED YOUR OWN REPUTATION MR FRENCH
Premier Doug Ford's former chief of staff has dropped a libel lawsuit against a former Progressive Conservative legislator, with his lawyer saying his departure from the government made the legal action pointless.
Dean French's lawyer Gavin Tighe confirmed Monday that the suit launched against Randy Hillier, who is now an independent legislator, has been dropped.
He alleged that the Hillier tried to "destroy" French's reputation after being kicked out of the government caucus in March.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
TRUDEAU'S BROKEN PROMISES; WHERE'S THE APOLOGY?
Marin: These were the Trudeau Liberals platform issues, the ones packaged by political parties to galvanize support with fresh ideas and positive reforms. We’re exactly three months away from the federal election on Oct. 21 and all of these key promises have been unkept.
The promises were not even close to being met. In fact, most were abandoned within months of Trudeau assuming power.
What we’ve seen a lot are apologies and cringeworthy tears accompanying them — apologies for things that happened under the watch of a government well before he was born. It makes for good theatre and our part-time substitute teacher cherishes every moment.
The promises were not even close to being met. In fact, most were abandoned within months of Trudeau assuming power.
What we’ve seen a lot are apologies and cringeworthy tears accompanying them — apologies for things that happened under the watch of a government well before he was born. It makes for good theatre and our part-time substitute teacher cherishes every moment.
HOW DID HE GET THE JOB IN THE FIRST PLACE?
A federal labour board has upheld the 2015 firing of a Canada Revenue Agency employee who worked next to the Calgary airport and wrote frequent Twitter and Facebook posts that “appeared to glorify the Boston Marathon terror bombing, celebrate the deaths of NATO military personnel, and cheer the downing of aircraft.”
Following the investigation, the CRA revoked A.B.’s “reliability status,” a basic security clearance. There is no mention of how A.B. had been able to get a low-level security clearance in the first place, which requires a requires a 5-year background check.
As his job required that security clearance, the loss of it caused him to be terminated. A.B. filed five grievances to the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board over this, arguing he was unfairly fired and had experienced racial and religious discrimination.
Following the investigation, the CRA revoked A.B.’s “reliability status,” a basic security clearance. There is no mention of how A.B. had been able to get a low-level security clearance in the first place, which requires a requires a 5-year background check.
As his job required that security clearance, the loss of it caused him to be terminated. A.B. filed five grievances to the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board over this, arguing he was unfairly fired and had experienced racial and religious discrimination.
A HUMAN RIGHT TO CROTCH-GROOMING
Murphy: In British Columbia, there is at the present moment 16 “human rights” complaints, launched by a single person who asserts the status of “trans woman” against (mainly immigrant) female cosmeticians who — from religious sensibilities, reasons of safety, or simple personal preference — refused that person’s demand for a Brazilian waxing of their male genitals.
Do we really want to call this a human rights case? To insist, for example, that a woman perform a waxing on a penis and testicles in her own home, when she doesn’t wish to, doesn’t know how and has religious objections as well? Really? Do we think the formulators of the UN Declaration of Human Rights were careless when they left out the human right to crotch grooming?
I seriously wonder — seriously — if this story somehow made it to the ears of an incarcerated and tortured North Korean, how he would respond to the invocation of human rights law to cover such a matter?
Do we really want to call this a human rights case? To insist, for example, that a woman perform a waxing on a penis and testicles in her own home, when she doesn’t wish to, doesn’t know how and has religious objections as well? Really? Do we think the formulators of the UN Declaration of Human Rights were careless when they left out the human right to crotch grooming?
I seriously wonder — seriously — if this story somehow made it to the ears of an incarcerated and tortured North Korean, how he would respond to the invocation of human rights law to cover such a matter?
THE WEASEL RETURNS
Gerald Butts, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s best friend and closest political advisor, is returning to the Liberal fold as a senior political strategist for the Oct. 21 federal election.
This according to a CBC report on Saturday.
With respect, it’s hard to believe Butts was ever out of the Liberal fold, from the moment he resigned as Trudeau’s all-powerful principal secretary on Monday, Feb. 18, at the height of the Lavscam scandal.
The butt-kissing CBC version of the same story: " His return is also a significant part of the Liberal band getting back together in the hopes of recording a follow-up to their smashing breakthrough in 2015"
This according to a CBC report on Saturday.
With respect, it’s hard to believe Butts was ever out of the Liberal fold, from the moment he resigned as Trudeau’s all-powerful principal secretary on Monday, Feb. 18, at the height of the Lavscam scandal.
The butt-kissing CBC version of the same story: " His return is also a significant part of the Liberal band getting back together in the hopes of recording a follow-up to their smashing breakthrough in 2015"
RULING ON TURN OFF THE TAPS BILL
A Calgary judge has denied British Columbia's attempt to block Alberta legislation that would allow that province to stop oil shipments to the coast.
In a decision released Friday on the so-called Turn Off the Taps bill, Queen's Bench Justice Robert Hall said that B.C. doesn't have the right to take Alberta to court in Alberta over legislation passed by the Alberta legislature.
"The only parties with standing to bring this action in this court are the (Attorney General of Alberta) and the (Attorney General of Canada)," Hall wrote in his decision.
Friday, July 19, 2019
NAMING THE SEX OFFENDER'S ASSOCIATES
As the Jeffrey Epstein case continues to unfold, a laundry list of celebrities, business magnates and socialites who have flown anywhere near the registered sex offender's orbit are now tainted with pedo-polonium. Many of them, such as Bill Clinton, Ehud Barak, and Victoria's Secret boss Les Wexner have sought to distance themselves from Epstein and his activities - however their attempts have fallen on deaf ears considering their extensive ties to the pedophile.
ONTARIO'S IRRATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM
The architecture of Ontario’s public education system is a wonder to behold. The province has four types of publicly funded school boards, but only one is accessible to anyone — and all of them are straying from their core mandate.
Ontario has a Catholic school system, but it’s not just for Catholics. School boards looking for more students and the grants they bring can and do accept non-Catholics. French school boards accept large numbers of people not legally entitled to French education, for the same reasons.
One might think the primary job of the English public school boards would to offer instruction in English, since that is the mother tongue of nearly 70 per cent of the Ontario population. Instead, English instruction is falling into disfavour. In Ottawa, more than half the elementary students in the public school board are enrolled in French immersion.
Ontario has a Catholic school system, but it’s not just for Catholics. School boards looking for more students and the grants they bring can and do accept non-Catholics. French school boards accept large numbers of people not legally entitled to French education, for the same reasons.
One might think the primary job of the English public school boards would to offer instruction in English, since that is the mother tongue of nearly 70 per cent of the Ontario population. Instead, English instruction is falling into disfavour. In Ottawa, more than half the elementary students in the public school board are enrolled in French immersion.
TRIBUNAL HELD OVER BRAZILIAN WAXING
A B.C. Human Rights Tribunal hearing devolved into repeated outbursts and name-calling this week as it considered a transgender woman’s complaint that a home-based salon discriminated against her by denying her a Brazilian wax.
At one point, the complainant compared the business owner to a neo-Nazi. The lawyer for the business owner accused the complainant of engaging in “half-truths and fabrications.” Tribunal adjudicator Devyn Cousineau frequently had to interject to maintain decorum and to keep the hearing from careening off course.
At one point, the complainant compared the business owner to a neo-Nazi. The lawyer for the business owner accused the complainant of engaging in “half-truths and fabrications.” Tribunal adjudicator Devyn Cousineau frequently had to interject to maintain decorum and to keep the hearing from careening off course.
The complaint heard Wednesday is one of more than a dozen filed by Yaniv, who describes herself as a digital marketing expert and LGBTQ activist. All allege she was the subject of discrimination by salons. A few complaints have been settled without hearing or withdrawn.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
SANCTIMONIOUS AND TWO-FACED
But just as Omar’s virtues may not be quite as impeccable as they appear, Trudeau’s virtues don’t always hold up under close scrutiny, either. Responding to Trump’s cunningly devised attack on the Squad by claiming it’s “not how we do things in Canada,” and that a “Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian,” is hard to square with Trudeau’s near silence on the recently-adopted Quebec law, aimed almost entirely at Muslim women who wear hijabs and niqabs. Because she covers her head as her religious piety requires, Ilhan Omar would be prohibited from teaching public school in Quebec. So that, too, is “how we do things in Canada.”
Trudeau is already too susceptible to basking in the flattery that well-to-do American liberals like to shower upon him, and the liberal American style has become so prevalent in Canada that it’s becoming commonplace to imagine that Trudeau is somehow obliged to “speak out” about the gross excesses of the American right at every opportunity.
But that’s not his job. It is up to Americans to get Trump sorted. The United States is a democracy, and on Tuesday, for the first time in a century, the U.S Congress voted an official rebuke of President Trump’s ugly commentary.
Trudeau is already too susceptible to basking in the flattery that well-to-do American liberals like to shower upon him, and the liberal American style has become so prevalent in Canada that it’s becoming commonplace to imagine that Trudeau is somehow obliged to “speak out” about the gross excesses of the American right at every opportunity.
But that’s not his job. It is up to Americans to get Trump sorted. The United States is a democracy, and on Tuesday, for the first time in a century, the U.S Congress voted an official rebuke of President Trump’s ugly commentary.
MOHAWKS SEEK $150M FOR SYSTEMIC DISCRIMINATION
A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges Mohawk residents of an Ontario island face “systemic discrimination” as they are forced to go through a border crossing to access the rest of Canada.
The lawsuit alleges the Canada Border Services Agency and the Attorney General of Canada have turned a blind eye to illegal searches, seizures and detention inflicted on members of the Akwesasne reserve living on Cornwall Island.
A statement of claim says everyone going to the Canadian mainland from Cornwall Island must go through a port of entry, a unique arrangement it says is both “inconvenient and disruptive” for residents travelling domestically.
The lawsuit alleges the Canada Border Services Agency and the Attorney General of Canada have turned a blind eye to illegal searches, seizures and detention inflicted on members of the Akwesasne reserve living on Cornwall Island.
A statement of claim says everyone going to the Canadian mainland from Cornwall Island must go through a port of entry, a unique arrangement it says is both “inconvenient and disruptive” for residents travelling domestically.
STATE- SPONSORED ECONOMIC ESPIONAGE
The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) told Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan in October 2016 that “foreign state actors” are adapting their methods to hide their involvement with — and in some cases, control over — Canadian businesses.
In a speech to the Economic Club of Canada last December, CSIS Director David Vigneault told the crowd that the agency has seen state-sponsored economic espionage “across many sectors of our economy.”
“Hostile foreign intelligence services or people who are working with the tacit or explicit support of foreign states gather political, economic, commercial, or military information through clandestine means here in Canada,” Vigneault’s speech read.
In a speech to the Economic Club of Canada last December, CSIS Director David Vigneault told the crowd that the agency has seen state-sponsored economic espionage “across many sectors of our economy.”
“Hostile foreign intelligence services or people who are working with the tacit or explicit support of foreign states gather political, economic, commercial, or military information through clandestine means here in Canada,” Vigneault’s speech read.
EXTREMELY CONFIDENT IN THEIR OWN VIRTUE
Writing in an American context Joseph Epstein perfectly described the modern
Canadian Liberal mentality in a 1985 article entitled “True Virtue” in the New York Times Magazine.
He called them “people who are extremely confident about their own virtue and whose spectacular confidence nicely feeds their general feeling of superiority … if only you will give them the opportunity to demonstrate it … I think of them as ‘virtucrats’, for they are empowered by the unfaltering sense of their own virtue.”
He described a virtucrat as anyone “who is certain that his or her political views are not merely correct, but deeply, morally righteous in the bargain.”
Canadian Liberal mentality in a 1985 article entitled “True Virtue” in the New York Times Magazine.
He called them “people who are extremely confident about their own virtue and whose spectacular confidence nicely feeds their general feeling of superiority … if only you will give them the opportunity to demonstrate it … I think of them as ‘virtucrats’, for they are empowered by the unfaltering sense of their own virtue.”
He described a virtucrat as anyone “who is certain that his or her political views are not merely correct, but deeply, morally righteous in the bargain.”
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
EL CHAPO SENTENCE: LIFE IN PRISON PLUS 30 YEARS
A federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y., has sentenced drug kingpin Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán to a term of life in prison plus 30 years for his role in leading Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. A life sentence was mandatory; U.S. prosecutors had asked that three decades be added onto Guzman's punishment.
One of the only suspenseful questions that remained Wednesday was whether Guzmán, who did not speak during his long trial, would speak in court in what's expected to be his last public appearance before heading to the Supermax prison in Florence, Colo.
"Guzmán told U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan before he was sentenced Wednesday that he was denied a fair trial," The Associated Press reports, adding, "He said Cogan failed to thoroughly investigate claims of juror misconduct in the case."
One of the only suspenseful questions that remained Wednesday was whether Guzmán, who did not speak during his long trial, would speak in court in what's expected to be his last public appearance before heading to the Supermax prison in Florence, Colo.
"Guzmán told U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan before he was sentenced Wednesday that he was denied a fair trial," The Associated Press reports, adding, "He said Cogan failed to thoroughly investigate claims of juror misconduct in the case."
CHINA's HAND ON CANADIAN DRAGON BOAT PADDLE
A Falun Gong practitioner says the CEO of Ottawa’s dragon-boat festival ordered him to take off a T-shirt advertising the Chinese spiritual group, citing in part China’s sponsorship of the popular event.
John Brooman also threatened to have other Falun Gong practitioners removed from the public park in which the festival took place last month if they didn’t leave voluntarily, says Gerry Smith, a retired Nortel Networks employee.
His allegations are the latest indication of Beijing’s low-profile campaign to influence Canadian society, even as the two countries remain locked in a tense diplomatic stand-off.
John Brooman also threatened to have other Falun Gong practitioners removed from the public park in which the festival took place last month if they didn’t leave voluntarily, says Gerry Smith, a retired Nortel Networks employee.
His allegations are the latest indication of Beijing’s low-profile campaign to influence Canadian society, even as the two countries remain locked in a tense diplomatic stand-off.
NRC KILLER ESCAPES, FLEES COUNTRY
Turns out this was a long-distance getaway.
The 47-year-old — found not criminally responsible for what police alleged was first-degree murder — managed to not only escape the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, but the country, too.
“He boarded an international flight on the same day he was reported missing,” Toronto Police said in a statement issued Tuesday night.
The 47-year-old — found not criminally responsible for what police alleged was first-degree murder — managed to not only escape the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, but the country, too.
“He boarded an international flight on the same day he was reported missing,” Toronto Police said in a statement issued Tuesday night.
MILITARY STABBER IS COLLEGE BOUND
Fresh off his big win at the Ontario Court of Appeal this week, college-bound military stabber Ayanle Hassan Ali has another annual hearing Wednesday before the Ontario Review Board.
Found not criminally responsible for his 2016 stabbing frenzy at a Canadian Forces recruiting centre, Ali is already cleared to attend classes at Mohawk College across the street from his Hamilton psychiatric hospital without supervision — a privilege challenged by the Crown but just upheld by Ontario’s top court.
What further freedoms will his legal team be asking for now, just 15 months after he was found not criminally responsible for his crime.
Found not criminally responsible for his 2016 stabbing frenzy at a Canadian Forces recruiting centre, Ali is already cleared to attend classes at Mohawk College across the street from his Hamilton psychiatric hospital without supervision — a privilege challenged by the Crown but just upheld by Ontario’s top court.
What further freedoms will his legal team be asking for now, just 15 months after he was found not criminally responsible for his crime.
CANADA'S ELECTION GAG LAW
Robson: See, we’re in the “pre-election” period. Which might sound like there isn’t an election but is instead double-speak for it having started before it did. The “ins” are scurrying about handing out even more vote-buying money than usual and the “outs” are putting out even angrier press releases than usual (not about vote-buying, about them not being the ones doing it). And the “election gag law” that clears all you rubbish citizens out of the politicians’ way once the writ is dropped is already kicking in.
You can still discuss issues until the campaign starts. But not politicians. And not loudly. Before presuming to speak up, you must register, reveal details of all your donors, then stick to tight spending limits anyway.
The government may be out parading their virtue at the Global Conference for Media Freedom. But at home they’re cracking down on “hate” speech despite the principles of liberty and practical arguments against censorship. Basically if it bugs them, they’ll nail you for saying it. And come to think of it, a lot bugs them, including shooting your mouth off during an election or near one. Who do you think you are?
You can still discuss issues until the campaign starts. But not politicians. And not loudly. Before presuming to speak up, you must register, reveal details of all your donors, then stick to tight spending limits anyway.
The government may be out parading their virtue at the Global Conference for Media Freedom. But at home they’re cracking down on “hate” speech despite the principles of liberty and practical arguments against censorship. Basically if it bugs them, they’ll nail you for saying it. And come to think of it, a lot bugs them, including shooting your mouth off during an election or near one. Who do you think you are?
MAY'S GREEN DREAMS FOR OIL & ELECTRICITY
Andrew Scheer talks about an energy corridor. So do I, but his corridor is for pipelines and mine is an electricity grid that’s running 100 per cent on renewable energy. So there’s a lot of work to be done because we actually have gaps in our electricity grid: Quebec Hydro basically stops at Moncton, N.B., but it could reach all of Atlantic Canada.
So you start looking at the pieces to make sure we have to have an efficient electricity grid running on 100 per cent renewables. That isn’t done essentially only by regulation.
And for Western Canada, there’s an existing infrastructure that meets the needs of a domestic market. But we’ve been so conditioned by everybody in politics and in Alberta saying we have to get our oil to market. Well, there’s a market, and it’s Canada. Of course, our plan is not music to their ears in Alberta because the Greens are talking about quite a dramatic reduction in our use of fossil fuels. But Alberta has the best potential of any province for solar energy. It has enormous potential for wind power. And so replacing coal in Alberta with wind and solar is totally doable, and good for their economy. In the meantime, over time, bitumen can become the feedstock for a petrochemical industry instead of burning it.
So you start looking at the pieces to make sure we have to have an efficient electricity grid running on 100 per cent renewables. That isn’t done essentially only by regulation.
And for Western Canada, there’s an existing infrastructure that meets the needs of a domestic market. But we’ve been so conditioned by everybody in politics and in Alberta saying we have to get our oil to market. Well, there’s a market, and it’s Canada. Of course, our plan is not music to their ears in Alberta because the Greens are talking about quite a dramatic reduction in our use of fossil fuels. But Alberta has the best potential of any province for solar energy. It has enormous potential for wind power. And so replacing coal in Alberta with wind and solar is totally doable, and good for their economy. In the meantime, over time, bitumen can become the feedstock for a petrochemical industry instead of burning it.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
UK POLICE CRACKDOWN ON FORCED MARRIAGES
Police across the UK began the first ever national crackdown on forced marriage at a number of airports on Monday as latest figures show a spike in children being trafficked abroad to marry family members or acquaintances.
The most common destinations are seen as India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Somalia and Bangladesh.
A number of support charities have joined police alongside social and health services in working with the Border Force for Operation Limelight.
The most common destinations are seen as India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Somalia and Bangladesh.
A number of support charities have joined police alongside social and health services in working with the Border Force for Operation Limelight.
LIBERALS SPEND $3.33BILLION BUYING VOTES
Since the House of Commons adjourned on June 21st, 2019, the federal government has given away billions of Canadian taxpayers dollars prior to the official beginning of the federal election (the writ period).
True North has pored over federal government funding announcements from the period of June 21 – July 12 to tally the total amount of money spent by the government in the pre-writ period.
In total, the Trudeau Liberals have given out over $3.33 billion of taxpayers’ dollars over 161 different funding announcements.
True North has pored over federal government funding announcements from the period of June 21 – July 12 to tally the total amount of money spent by the government in the pre-writ period.
In total, the Trudeau Liberals have given out over $3.33 billion of taxpayers’ dollars over 161 different funding announcements.
MYSTERIOUS FRI/MON FLU AFFECTING TEACHERS
Why are we not firing teachers in Ontario?
Those teachers and education workers, who are taking Fridays and Mondays off and saying they are sick.
Some of them likely are sick, but Toronto Sun columnist Sue-Ann Levy reported that, “in June, as many as 21% of teachers were off sick on a Friday or a Monday.
PM's PROMISES MADE; PROMISES UNDELIVERED
Four years ago the Liberals came to power in part, based on promises that they’ve since broken, or thanks to pledges for progress that has yet to materialize.
From Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s troubled trips and ethical scandals, to reneged vows to balance the books and reform Canada’s electoral process, the last four years have not been without missteps. With Liberals heading to your doorsteps this summer seeking a second term, here are the ways that “real change” wasn’t delivered.
Monday, July 15, 2019
WAR ZONES IN SWEDEN
In 2017, a Swedish police report, "Utsatta områden 2017" ("Vulnerable Areas 2017") showed that there are 61 such areas -- also known as no-go zones -- in Sweden. They encompass 200 criminal networks, consisting of an estimated 5,000 criminals. Most of the inhabitants are non-Western immigrants and their descendants.
In March, the Swedish National Forensic Centre estimated that since 2012, the number of shootings classified as murder or attempted murder had increased by almost 100 percent.
In March, the Swedish National Forensic Centre estimated that since 2012, the number of shootings classified as murder or attempted murder had increased by almost 100 percent.
IRAN UNDETERRED BY EU SANCTIONS
As the "tanker wars" continue Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned his British counterpart Jeremy Hunt in a telephone call on Saturday that Iran plans to continue its oil exports "under any conditions".
Zarif also repeated Iranian demands for the UK to release the Grace 1 oil tanker, seized over a week ago after it was boarded by Royal Marines off Gibraltar. It had been carrying 2 million barrels of Iranian oil and was alleged to have been bound for Syria, in violation of EU sanctions; however, Tehran has accused the UK of fundamentally doing the United States' bidding.
Crew members of the Grace 1 were being interviewed and questioned as to the nature of the voyage, and whether they intended to violate EU sanctions on Syria — which it appears they were given the ship had gone all the way around the south of Africa from the gulf instead of the usual route of the Suez canal, something which had raised suspicions.
CHINESE RESEARCHER ESCORTED FROM LAB
A researcher with ties to China was recently escorted out of the National Microbiology Lab (NML) in Winnipeg amidst an RCMP investigation into what's being described as a possible "policy breach."
Dr. Xiangguo Qiu, her husband Keding Cheng and an unknown number of her students from China were removed from Canada's only level-4 lab on July 5, CBC News has learned. The students didn't speak much English and kept to themselves in a group.
A Level 4 virology facility is a lab equipped to work with the most serious and deadly human and animal diseases. That makes the Arlington Street lab one of only a handful in North America capable of handling pathogens requiring the highest level of containment, such as Ebola.
CFIA FLAGS 900 CONTAMINATED FOODS FROM CHINA
Canadian inspectors intercepted nearly 900 food products from China over concerns about faulty labels, unmentioned allergens and harmful contaminants that included glass and metal between 2017 and early 2019, according to internal federal records.
The document provides an inside look at imports from China that caught the attention of officials for appearing to fall short of Canadian standards — from gum balls with "extraneous" metal, to three-minute chow mein that contained an insect, to spicy octopus feet flagged for a "non-specific hazard."
Its release comes at a time of significant public interest in Canada about cross-border food inspections, especially those involving China.
Sunday, July 14, 2019
ALBERTA COMPANY TURNS TRASH INTO DIESEL
Corbella: The saying that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure has never been more true.
In what is being described as “game-changing technology that will save the world and its climate,” Cielo Waste Solutions Corp., an Alberta company located just 25 kilometres south of Calgary in Aldersyde, has developed a revolutionary technology to convert all sorts of garbage into gold — or at least transportation-grade diesel, jet fuel and naphtha fuel.
In what is being described as “game-changing technology that will save the world and its climate,” Cielo Waste Solutions Corp., an Alberta company located just 25 kilometres south of Calgary in Aldersyde, has developed a revolutionary technology to convert all sorts of garbage into gold — or at least transportation-grade diesel, jet fuel and naphtha fuel.
RECRUITING THOSE WHO OPPOSE YOUR POLICIES
Braid: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that an anti-pipeline activist is running for the Liberals because “one of the important things for us is to make sure we are listening to the voices of Canadians, the preoccupations of Canadians.”
But Trudeau didn’t need to recruit Steven Guilbeault to find out what he thinks. The Quebec militant has been clear for all the years he was involved in Greenpeace and Equiterre, the Quebec environmental group.
He opposes any and all pipelines.
But Trudeau didn’t need to recruit Steven Guilbeault to find out what he thinks. The Quebec militant has been clear for all the years he was involved in Greenpeace and Equiterre, the Quebec environmental group.
He opposes any and all pipelines.
THE DESPERATE, ATTENTION-SEEKING AOC
"When these women tell me that they were put into a cell," she said, "and that their sink was not working, and we tested the sink ourselves and the sink was not working, and they were told to drink out of a toilet bowl -- I believed them."
There is one minor problem with that accusation: it's not true. The toilets in those centers are purposefully designed not to contain water. They only fill when they're flushed. AOC has to know this too, but she repeats this malicious lie nonetheless and even pretends to believe the women who (supposedly, let's be honest about that too) told it to her.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
BLACK VESTS' DEMANDS IN FRANCE
Hundreds of migrants and others associated with the so-called “Black Vests” group stormed the Pantheon in Paris demanding the French state grant them residency papers and free housing.
The incident took place on Friday afternoon and saw the protesters chant various slogans demanding that the government of French president Emmanuel Macron acquiesce to their demands, BFMTV reports.
The group La Chapelle Debout! took to Twitter to take responsibility for the incident and demanded a meeting with French prime minister Edouard Philippe, writing, “papers and freedom for all!”
The incident took place on Friday afternoon and saw the protesters chant various slogans demanding that the government of French president Emmanuel Macron acquiesce to their demands, BFMTV reports.
The group La Chapelle Debout! took to Twitter to take responsibility for the incident and demanded a meeting with French prime minister Edouard Philippe, writing, “papers and freedom for all!”
HOW YA GONNA KEEP 'EM DOWN ON THE FARM?
The Liberal government is launching a new three-year immigration experiment that aims to help fill labour shortages in Canada’s agri-food sector
This new pilot program, which is to begin in 2020, aims to attract and retain migrant workers by giving them an opportunity to become permanent residents.
Currently, migrant farm workers who come to Canada through the program for seasonal agricultural workers are only given limited-term work permits and do not have a pathway to permanent residency.
Under this new pilot, temporary foreign farm workers will be able to apply for permanent residency after 12 months and, if they’re approved, will also be allowed to bring their families to Canada.
This new pilot program, which is to begin in 2020, aims to attract and retain migrant workers by giving them an opportunity to become permanent residents.
Currently, migrant farm workers who come to Canada through the program for seasonal agricultural workers are only given limited-term work permits and do not have a pathway to permanent residency.
Under this new pilot, temporary foreign farm workers will be able to apply for permanent residency after 12 months and, if they’re approved, will also be allowed to bring their families to Canada.
QUEBEC LIBERAL CANDIDATE AN ANTI-PIPELINE ACTIVIST
Trudeau is obviously playing to Quebec anti-pipeline sentiment and the will of the province’s national assembly.
Two days before heading to Calgary for Stampede, he held hands high with anti-pipeline activist Steven Guilbeault, the Liberals’ new candidate in the Montreal riding of Laurier.
Guilbeault worked for Greenpeace and founded a Quebec advocacy group, Equiterre. He is a flat-out opponent of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
Two days before heading to Calgary for Stampede, he held hands high with anti-pipeline activist Steven Guilbeault, the Liberals’ new candidate in the Montreal riding of Laurier.
Guilbeault worked for Greenpeace and founded a Quebec advocacy group, Equiterre. He is a flat-out opponent of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
LIBEL SUIT AGAINST O'REGAN RETURNS
A noted veterans activist can proceed with his defamation suit against the former minister of veterans affairs after Ontario's top court ruled Friday that a deputy judge in small claims court had no authority to throw out the claim without a hearing on its merits.
In its decision, the Court of Appeal ordered the $25,000 libel suit Sean Bruyea brought against Seamus O'Regan back to small claims court for trial.
"If the government is so confident that they did not personally attack and defame me, then please let the case go to trial," Bruyea said after the ruling.
Friday, July 12, 2019
CONVOLUTED LOGIC OF OSSTF
The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation has found an entirely new argument in its campaign against larger classes and fewer teachers. The issue is about more than just students and teachers, the union says. It’s about the economy. If Ontario cuts education, “everyone will pay more,” the union claims in a tagline for its new ad campaign.
The notion that the more government spends on some things, the less it will have to spend overall is certainly an attractive one and it drew former premier Dalton McGuinty like a fly to economic theory. If only government could save enough by spending more, the budget would balance itself. We all know how that turned out.
Ontario’s hefty deficit is the big piece of context that both the conference board and the union ignore. The provincial government doesn’t have that luxury. It wants larger high school classes as part of its attempt to balance the budget over five years. Naturally, the union will oppose anything that reduces its membership. The fight will start when school resumes this fall and it promises to be ugly and emotional.
The notion that the more government spends on some things, the less it will have to spend overall is certainly an attractive one and it drew former premier Dalton McGuinty like a fly to economic theory. If only government could save enough by spending more, the budget would balance itself. We all know how that turned out.
Ontario’s hefty deficit is the big piece of context that both the conference board and the union ignore. The provincial government doesn’t have that luxury. It wants larger high school classes as part of its attempt to balance the budget over five years. Naturally, the union will oppose anything that reduces its membership. The fight will start when school resumes this fall and it promises to be ugly and emotional.
NEUTERED INVERTEBRATES ON OTTAWA'S COUNCIL
Cries of “shame” howled from the public gallery Thursday after the majority of city council refused to reconsider a decision that allows the owner of the Château Laurier to build a controversial addition to the historic hotel.
PREMIER LEGAULT: HYPOCRITE EXTRAORDINAIRE
Lilley: So I asked Quebec Premier Francois Legault, why is a pipeline not socially acceptable to his province but taking equalization payments generated by oil in Alberta and Saskatchewan socially acceptable.
Legault’s long and rambling answer can be summed up as him saying that the current system allows equalization and he wishes his province didn’t have to take it.
He never did say why the oil is unacceptable but the oil money is.
Legault’s long and rambling answer can be summed up as him saying that the current system allows equalization and he wishes his province didn’t have to take it.
He never did say why the oil is unacceptable but the oil money is.
Thursday, July 11, 2019
FRAUD STEMS FROM DESJARDINS DATA BREACH
The Ottawa Police Service charged three Montreal residents after they attempted to open bank accounts with fraudulent identification in Ottawa last week.
A police press release said the three accused arrived in Ottawa from Montreal on July 5, where they attempted to open bank accounts using forged government identification. On July 6, employees at a TD Bank in the west end contacted the police due to suspicious activity.
The release said officers investigated and all three were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, along with several other related charges.
A police press release said the three accused arrived in Ottawa from Montreal on July 5, where they attempted to open bank accounts using forged government identification. On July 6, employees at a TD Bank in the west end contacted the police due to suspicious activity.
The release said officers investigated and all three were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, along with several other related charges.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and its Quebec equivalent have launched an investigation after a data breach at Desjardins Group that affected nearly three million members. The probes will examine whether Desjardins was in compliance with federal and provincial laws around personal information protection.
DUCEPPE FAMILY SUES SENIORS' RESIDENCE
The family of former Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe is seeking $1.14 million from the luxury seniors’ residence where their 93-year-old mother perished after being trapped in a courtyard during a false fire alarm last January.
Helene Rowley Hotte Duceppe died of hypothermia on Jan. 20, on a morning when it was a bitter minus 35 degrees outside and snowing.
The three-page letter says the death could have been avoided and alleges irresponsibility, negligence and carelessness on the part of the residence.
Helene Rowley Hotte Duceppe died of hypothermia on Jan. 20, on a morning when it was a bitter minus 35 degrees outside and snowing.
The three-page letter says the death could have been avoided and alleges irresponsibility, negligence and carelessness on the part of the residence.
EXPLAINING ETHICS TO LIBERAL MP VANDENBELD
Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion has found a Liberal MP broke ethics rules when she endorsed her husband's city council bid, but recommended that no sanction be imposed as a result.
Dion found that Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld "attempted to use her position to influence voters' decisions to further the private interests of a family member" when she sent a robocall to her constituents calling on them to vote for her husband in his campaign to snag an Ottawa city council seat. She also sent letters and engaged in door-to-door canvassing on his behalf, the commissioner's ruling stated.
BRITAIN FENDS OFF IRANIAN SHIPS
Three Iranian vessels tried to block a BP-operated tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz but backed off when confronted by a Royal Navy warship, the UK government said on Thursday.
Britain urged Iran to “de-escalate the situation in the region” after the British Heritage, a Suezmax oil tanker operated by BP (BP.L) under an Isle of Man flag, was approached.
“HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away,” a British government spokesman said in a statement.
Britain urged Iran to “de-escalate the situation in the region” after the British Heritage, a Suezmax oil tanker operated by BP (BP.L) under an Isle of Man flag, was approached.
“HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away,” a British government spokesman said in a statement.
ELECTION INTEGRITY IN HANDS OF LIBERALS
With the federal election set to kick off in September, the government has put the final touches on its plan to respond to any large-scale attack on the integrity of the election, such as the hacking into emails of political parties or sophisticated attempts at spreading false information.
It’s called the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol, and it has now been published as a cabinet directive. The directive sets out instructions on how public servants should operate during the campaign, a time when the government is in “caretaker” mode and politicians are to stay relatively hands-off.
The plan centres around a five-person panel that will convene regularly during the campaign.
The panel is made up of the most senior public servants responsible for national security: the Clerk of the Privy Council, the National Security and Intelligence Advisor, and the deputy ministers of the justice department, the public safety department, and the global affairs department.
It’s called the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol, and it has now been published as a cabinet directive. The directive sets out instructions on how public servants should operate during the campaign, a time when the government is in “caretaker” mode and politicians are to stay relatively hands-off.
The plan centres around a five-person panel that will convene regularly during the campaign.
The panel is made up of the most senior public servants responsible for national security: the Clerk of the Privy Council, the National Security and Intelligence Advisor, and the deputy ministers of the justice department, the public safety department, and the global affairs department.
MCCALLUM & CHRETIEN WILLING TO COLLUDE
The only reason John McCallum, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former (fired) Liberal ambassador to China, cannot be accused of secretly attempting to collude with the Chinese government to re-elect the Liberals is he didn’t do it secretly.
Instead, in an interview, McCallum reportedly urged China to play nice with Canada leading up to the Oct. 21 election, to help the Trudeau Liberals win, saying he had conveyed this to former contacts in China’s foreign affairs ministry.
“Anything that is more negative against Canada will help the Conservatives (who) are much less friendly to China than the Liberals” McCallum told the South China Morning Post in an interview in Hong Kong.
“Anything that is more negative against Canada will help the Conservatives (who) are much less friendly to China than the Liberals” McCallum told the South China Morning Post in an interview in Hong Kong.
150 EMPLOYEES FIRED IN BENEFITS FRAUD SCHEME
In what could be one of the largest and longest-lasting benefits fraud schemes ever discovered in Canada, a Toronto geriatric hospital has dismissed approximately 150 employees for falsely claiming as much as $5 million in benefits over an eight-year period.
As in previous scams of comparable size, such as the one discovered last year at the Toronto Transit Commission, this one involved misuse of prescription coverage for orthotics, knee braces, and compression stockings, but also physiotherapy.
Typically, a group of criminals know people in credentialed professions who are willing to participate in these schemes in exchange for cash, said Gary Askin, a former Waterloo Region police officer and now assistant vice president, fraud risk management at Sun Life, a large insurance provider. They seek out generous benefit plans, and often have a “predatory” recruiter among staff who can help employees rationalize the fraud. Basically, this is a con, he said, and when it goes bust, the providers are holding cash, and the paper trail points to the employee.
As in previous scams of comparable size, such as the one discovered last year at the Toronto Transit Commission, this one involved misuse of prescription coverage for orthotics, knee braces, and compression stockings, but also physiotherapy.
Typically, a group of criminals know people in credentialed professions who are willing to participate in these schemes in exchange for cash, said Gary Askin, a former Waterloo Region police officer and now assistant vice president, fraud risk management at Sun Life, a large insurance provider. They seek out generous benefit plans, and often have a “predatory” recruiter among staff who can help employees rationalize the fraud. Basically, this is a con, he said, and when it goes bust, the providers are holding cash, and the paper trail points to the employee.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
IMPROVING PROFITS AT BOMBARDIER: LAY OFF 550
Bombardier Inc. is laying off half of the 1,100 workers at its Thunder Bay, Ont., railway car plant, according to a federal government source.
Two major contracts in Ontario — for the Toronto Transit Commission streetcars and Metrolinx GO Transit rail cars — are slated to halt by the end of the year.
“We’re going to have an empty plant in 2020,” local union president Dominic Pasqualino said Tuesday. “We want to keep the wheels turning. But it’s getting close.”
The regional transit agency has also given Bombardier the option to slow down production of the 63 remaining rail cars slated for completion by year’s end.
Two major contracts in Ontario — for the Toronto Transit Commission streetcars and Metrolinx GO Transit rail cars — are slated to halt by the end of the year.
“We’re going to have an empty plant in 2020,” local union president Dominic Pasqualino said Tuesday. “We want to keep the wheels turning. But it’s getting close.”
The regional transit agency has also given Bombardier the option to slow down production of the 63 remaining rail cars slated for completion by year’s end.
QUESTIONING CRA's SECURITY
For two months, Sarah Johnson has tried to find out who filed a phony tax return in her name, how the thief managed to steal her identity, and why it was so easy to defraud the federal government.
The thief made off with a $9,178.22 tax return after convincing the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to change Johnson’s address and bank account number.
Somehow, the thief was able to answer the security questions the agency uses to affirm a taxpayer’s identity over the phone.
The thief made off with a $9,178.22 tax return after convincing the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to change Johnson’s address and bank account number.
Somehow, the thief was able to answer the security questions the agency uses to affirm a taxpayer’s identity over the phone.
LT-GEN WYNNYK RESIGNS
The Canadian military’s second-in-command has announced his surprise resignation — and is reportedly linking the decision to an aborted attempt to reinstate Vice-Admiral Mark Norman into the position.
Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk’s decision to leave the Canadian Forces, effective Aug. 9, represents the latest blow to the military, whose senior leadership has been in a state of perpetual upheaval since Norman was suspended in January 2017.
The move is likely to put added pressure on the chief of the defense staff, Gen. Jon Vance, who some have accused of contributing to Norman’s two-year legal ordeal by suspending the popular naval officer upon learning the RCMP was investigating him in 2017.
Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk’s decision to leave the Canadian Forces, effective Aug. 9, represents the latest blow to the military, whose senior leadership has been in a state of perpetual upheaval since Norman was suspended in January 2017.
The move is likely to put added pressure on the chief of the defense staff, Gen. Jon Vance, who some have accused of contributing to Norman’s two-year legal ordeal by suspending the popular naval officer upon learning the RCMP was investigating him in 2017.
YOUR CAR IS COLLECTING DATA ABOUT YOU
A Vancouver organization that has spent years studying how cars monitor personal activity is hoping for legal changes to protect personal data.
The Freedom of Information and Privacy Association filed a complaint on Tuesday with the federal privacy commissioner, asking for an investigation of the gathering of drivers’ personal information by their vehicle.
The complaint was filed along with an update of the group’s 2015 “Connected Car” report, which evaluated privacy policies of 36 manufacturers to find what data they collected, how it was used, and why.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
CBSA MUST CLEAR DEPORTATION BACKLOG
The Canada Border Services Agency has ramped up deportations of failed refugee claimants and other foreign nationals and permanent residents who have lost the right to stay in Canada, amid concerns about the ability of Canada’s asylum system to respond quickly to spikes in refugee claims.
Removals from Canada have dropped significantly in the last several years, from more than 19,000 people in 2012-13 to around 8,000 in recent years. But that number climbed to roughly 9,500 people in 2018-19, following an internal effort to speed up the pace of deportations.
Despite the overall increase, the numbers remain low for removals of failed irregular asylum seekers — those who enter Canada from the U.S. between official border crossings, but who are unsuccessful in claiming refugee status — even though Ottawa has said it is prioritizing their removal.
Removals from Canada have dropped significantly in the last several years, from more than 19,000 people in 2012-13 to around 8,000 in recent years. But that number climbed to roughly 9,500 people in 2018-19, following an internal effort to speed up the pace of deportations.
Despite the overall increase, the numbers remain low for removals of failed irregular asylum seekers — those who enter Canada from the U.S. between official border crossings, but who are unsuccessful in claiming refugee status — even though Ottawa has said it is prioritizing their removal.
TORONTO CHURCH CANCELS PALESTINIAN EVENT
A downtown Toronto church has cancelled a youth scholarship event hosted by the Palestinian Youth Movement that was condemned as “the open glorification of terrorists and murderers.”
The Ghassan Kanafani Resistance Arts Scholarship launch party was cancelled after complaints from members of the Jewish community and a decision by the directors of Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church that the event was “inconsistent with church policy.”
Ghassan Kanafani, who the PYM calls a “heroic novelist,” was a noted Palestinian writer but is better known to the wider world for his involvement in the Lod airport massacre near Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1972, during which 26 civilians were killed, including a Canadian, and 80 people injured.
The Ghassan Kanafani Resistance Arts Scholarship launch party was cancelled after complaints from members of the Jewish community and a decision by the directors of Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church that the event was “inconsistent with church policy.”
Ghassan Kanafani, who the PYM calls a “heroic novelist,” was a noted Palestinian writer but is better known to the wider world for his involvement in the Lod airport massacre near Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1972, during which 26 civilians were killed, including a Canadian, and 80 people injured.
I SUSPECT THE DEATH IS TEMPORARY
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the extradition bill that sparked the territory’s biggest political crisis in decades was dead, admitting that the government’s work on the bill had been a “total failure.”
The bill, which would have allowed people in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China to face trial, sparked huge and at times violent street protests and plunged the former British colony into turmoil.
In mid-June, Lam responded to huge protests by suspending the bill, but on Tuesday she said “there are still lingering doubts about the government’s sincerity or worries whether the government will restart the process in the legislative council.”
The bill, which would have allowed people in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China to face trial, sparked huge and at times violent street protests and plunged the former British colony into turmoil.
In mid-June, Lam responded to huge protests by suspending the bill, but on Tuesday she said “there are still lingering doubts about the government’s sincerity or worries whether the government will restart the process in the legislative council.”
RCMP SETTLEMENT SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE
Three years after settling a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit with female officers for $100 million, the RCMP has reached a second settlement — for about another $100 million — for women who worked for the force in non-policing roles.
The settlement was announced Monday morning by Klein Lawyers LLP, the same Vancouver law firm that handled the first settlement in 2016. The latest pact is subject to approval by a federal court.
The settlement was announced Monday morning by Klein Lawyers LLP, the same Vancouver law firm that handled the first settlement in 2016. The latest pact is subject to approval by a federal court.
Monday, July 8, 2019
NATO NARRATIVE NONSENSE
Consumers of the print or electronic output of the League of Copy Typists and their Instructors are expected to believe many impossible things and believe them, not just before breakfast, but all day too.
Putin kills his enemies by using spectacular methods that can easily be traced back to Russia and preferably when he’s staging some high-profile event like the Olympics or World Cup.
Russian submarines only fool around in the waterways of neutral countries whose elites want to get into NATO, never in NATO ones.
Poison is smeared on the front doorknob. This requires the roof of the house to be replaced.
Putin kills his enemies by using spectacular methods that can easily be traced back to Russia and preferably when he’s staging some high-profile event like the Olympics or World Cup.
Russian submarines only fool around in the waterways of neutral countries whose elites want to get into NATO, never in NATO ones.
Poison is smeared on the front doorknob. This requires the roof of the house to be replaced.
ICE TO DEPORT 1 MILLION ILLEGAL ALIENS FROM USA
Acting United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ken Cuccinelli says the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is ready to deport about a million illegal aliens who remain in the country despite having final orders for deportation.
During an interview with CBS News on Sunday, Cuccinelli said despite a delay of mass deportations by President Trump two weeks ago, ICE agents are ready to detain and deport the roughly one million illegal aliens who have been ordered deported from the country.
During an interview with CBS News on Sunday, Cuccinelli said despite a delay of mass deportations by President Trump two weeks ago, ICE agents are ready to detain and deport the roughly one million illegal aliens who have been ordered deported from the country.
OUSTED MPP HILLIER OPINES ON FORD'S FUTURE
“(Ford) came into office with a truckload of old scores to settle, grudges and axes to grind. Public office is not for the advancement of your own personal vendettas.”
Like the sudden shrinking of Toronto city council, for instance — Ford had been a councillor — about which nothing was discussed during the campaign. Or buck-a-beer or new provincial slogans, or pulling a new OPP commissioner out of a hat.
Hillier is convinced the Ford government was being led by a trio of backroom operators, principally chief of staff Dean French, with whom he had a rather bitter public dispute. Hillier blamed French and other top insiders for trying to turn caucus members into trained seals who were required to clap, cheer and tweet enthusiastically on command.
Like the sudden shrinking of Toronto city council, for instance — Ford had been a councillor — about which nothing was discussed during the campaign. Or buck-a-beer or new provincial slogans, or pulling a new OPP commissioner out of a hat.
Hillier is convinced the Ford government was being led by a trio of backroom operators, principally chief of staff Dean French, with whom he had a rather bitter public dispute. Hillier blamed French and other top insiders for trying to turn caucus members into trained seals who were required to clap, cheer and tweet enthusiastically on command.
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