Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had no choice. The public service made him do it.
That was his story and he was sticking to it, all throughout his 90-minute testimony before the House of Commons finance committee concerning the WE Charity scandal.
Friday, July 31, 2020
MANIPULATING GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS TO FAVOUR WE CHARITY
At least 180 workers were paid to manipulate Google’s search algorithm to promote positive stories on WE Charity and co-founder Craig Kielburger in 2018 and 2019, though who hired them is unclear.
According to three experts, the Google manipulation campaign that was used to boost the visibility of two positive stories about WE, while burying any potential negative coverage, is “highly unethical.”
According to three experts, the Google manipulation campaign that was used to boost the visibility of two positive stories about WE, while burying any potential negative coverage, is “highly unethical.”
In two different micro job offers posted to Microworkers.com and provided to National Post by digital strategy consultant Alexander Thorburn-Winsor, an anonymous employer offered on each occasion to pay at least 90 different workers between $0.15 and $0.18 to try to manipulate Google search results in WE’s favour.
$10M FOR NON-EXISTANT OR INCOMPLETE STUDIES. WILL LIBERALS INVESTIGATE?
Canada’s federal government paid $10.5 million through a program to climate change researchers for studies that were never completed, along with other work that was barely read, Blacklock’s Reporter reports.
“In 2017 and 2018 seven projects were funded for which researchers did not provide reports. Hence, their status is unknown,” said an Evaluation Of The Aquatic Climate Change Adaptation Services Program. “Under the current funding requirements there are no consequences if funded researchers do not submit reports, or reports are delayed.”
According to Blacklock’s, since 2017, the program, which is “the only federal program that advances research in the areas of aquatic climate change science,” cost $10.5 million, along with an extra $3.5 million in ongoing yearly spending.
Thursday, July 30, 2020
THE GLIB PERFORMANCE OF THE KIELBURGERS
Watching the glib performance of the Kielburger brothers before a House of Commons committee on Tuesday left me wondering whether I was the only one who felt cheated. Conned, not as in white-collar crime, but witnessing how a couple of handsome young men could fool so many in so short a time.
I wondered how Iqbal Masih, the murdered 12-year-old Pakistani Christian slave, would say about their performance. After all, it was Masih’s murder on Easter Sunday in Pakistan on April 16, 1995, that triggered the path taken by Craig Kielburger.
WE CHARITY WORKERS FILL THE SEATS AT MORNEAU PARTY
Several former employees of WE Charity have told CBC News they felt pressured to attend a holiday party Bill Morneau held in his downtown Toronto riding in December 2018 and claimed they were not told by their supervisors that the party would be hosted by the federal finance minister and MP for Toronto Centre.
"None of us wanted to go," said a former employee, whom CBC News has agreed to refer to as Robin.
Robin is one of three former WE Charity employees who allege co-founder Marc Kielburger's chief of staff, Jackie Pilon, repeatedly asked them to attend the event on Dec. 13, 2018, even after they told her they'd rather not.
Robin claims Pilon asked them to go after work to "fill the room" and that Pilon described the celebration as though it were a "WE event or a Craig Kielburger event," referring to Kielburger's brother and WE co-founder Craig Kielburger."[She] kind of kept dancing around any details. … It was framed as though this was an event centred around Craig, and Bill Morneau would just happen to be there."
Under federal income tax law, registered charities can't use their resources to support political parties or candidates, but it's unclear whether the holiday party would qualify as a political function without knowing whether party donations were collected at the event, for example.
"None of us wanted to go," said a former employee, whom CBC News has agreed to refer to as Robin.
Robin is one of three former WE Charity employees who allege co-founder Marc Kielburger's chief of staff, Jackie Pilon, repeatedly asked them to attend the event on Dec. 13, 2018, even after they told her they'd rather not.
Robin claims Pilon asked them to go after work to "fill the room" and that Pilon described the celebration as though it were a "WE event or a Craig Kielburger event," referring to Kielburger's brother and WE co-founder Craig Kielburger."[She] kind of kept dancing around any details. … It was framed as though this was an event centred around Craig, and Bill Morneau would just happen to be there."
Under federal income tax law, registered charities can't use their resources to support political parties or candidates, but it's unclear whether the holiday party would qualify as a political function without knowing whether party donations were collected at the event, for example.
USED & EXPLOITED BY WE CHARITY
A mental health advocate and professional speaker from North Preston, N.S., who wasn't paid for his speech at a 2017 Halifax WE Day event said he feels "used and exploited" after he learned that members of the Trudeau family were paid to speak at their events.
Simmonds said when he was asked to speak about mental health and well-being at the event, he jumped at the opportunity. But when it came time to discuss compensation, the charity told hin that they didn't pay their speakers.
He said he hasn't spoken to any representatives of the WE Charity, but he did send them an invoice Wednesday.
Simmonds said when he was asked to speak about mental health and well-being at the event, he jumped at the opportunity. But when it came time to discuss compensation, the charity told hin that they didn't pay their speakers.
He said he hasn't spoken to any representatives of the WE Charity, but he did send them an invoice Wednesday.
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
SACRIFICING FLOOD VICTIMS IN CHINA
The massive flooding taking place in China continues, for some reason, this story has been widely ignored by mainstream media. It is important because China's massive Three Gorges Dam is in peril. If the dam fails there will be a staggering loss of lives and property. The Three Gorges Dam is around one and a half miles long and just over 600 feet tall. About 400 million people live downstream of the dam and apparently, no plans have been made for their evacuation.
WE HAS A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT TRUE CHARITY
Corbella: While it’s correct that many international charities invite donors and potential donors to see the work they are doing in foreign lands, to describe what WE does as “similar” to other international aid agencies is to defame those other aid agencies.
Most international aid charities require that donors who want to see their work overseas pay the entire cost of their travel, plus the cost of the charity staff member travelling with them. As one acquaintance who works for a major, highly reputable international aid agency told me, donors pay “100 per cent of their own travel costs. Period.”
Clearly, WE Charity — and its complicated web of affiliated profit and not-for-profit entities — doesn’t do this. Morneau didn’t pay for his family trip because the trip was a gift from the WE Charity to arguably the second most powerful politician in the country, someone whose fingers are literally regulating the flow of taxpayer money.
PUBLIC PRESSURE FORCES AN ENQUIRY INTO NOVA SCOTIA MASS SHOOTING
HALIFAX — Bowing to public pressure, the federal and Nova Scotia governments agreed Tuesday to scuttle their plans for a joint review into the April mass shooting that claimed 22 lives and instead establish a more rigorous and transparent public inquiry.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair made the announcement late in the day after five Liberal MPs from Nova Scotia broke ranks and openly challenged their own government's decision, which was announced only last week.
Earlier in the day, Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey forced Blair's hand by issuing a statement saying he would support a more comprehensive federal-provincial public inquiry if Ottawa agreed to go along.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
KIELBURGERS CLAIM NO PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT GIVEN TO WE CHARITY
OTTAWA — The co-founders of WE Charity argued Tuesday the organization wasn’t plucked to run a student-volunteer program because of any close ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, laying out details about how much the endeavour would likely cost and why the charity used a seemingly complicated structure to manage it all.
Brothers Craig and Marc Kielburger opened four hours of testimony at the House of Commons finance committee by saying they regret not realizing how the deal to have WE run the Canada Student Service Grant would be perceived given Trudeau’s ties to the group.
As the afternoon wore on, the back-and-forth turned rocky with opposition MPs and the brothers talking over each other, and the Kielburgers slamming what they called inaccuracies meant to drag their organization over the coals for political purposes.
WE's MOMENT OF GLORY POTENTIALLY FATAL
Rex Murphy: One of the truly oddest items in this ever exfoliating WE story, one that came from far out in left field, was the news that Craig Kielburger, the lead progressive gospeller and co-founder of the embattled corporation, was named to the Leaders’ Debate Commission for the past election.
Where did that outré notion come from, and what precisely was Craig Kielburger going to bring to the deliberations of that sometimes controversial group? Over the past few weeks all have learned that WE has many fingers in many pies, but it is truly hard to see how a real estate and “voluntourism” entity has any expertise to lend to setting up political debates.
WE CHARITY MUST BE CLAIRVOYANT
WE Charity began working on Ottawa’s student volunteer grant program weeks before the federal cabinet approved the deal, newly released documents reveal.
A copy of the contribution agreement between the government and the charity showed that WE officially began working on the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) on May 5.
Federal cabinet met to discuss the program — and ultimately approve WE Charity — on May 22.
A copy of the contribution agreement between the government and the charity showed that WE officially began working on the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) on May 5.
Federal cabinet met to discuss the program — and ultimately approve WE Charity — on May 22.
GUTLESS LIBERALS
With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yet again on the defensive dealing with the fallout from the We Charity controversy, some Liberal MPs are “upset,” “outraged,” and “disappointed,” describing the scandal a “systemic error” where it appears no cabinet minister was willing to take the risk of telling the prime minister that he should recuse himself from the contract discussion because of his family ties.
“So essentially what it is, is that nobody calls out the prime minister,” said a Liberal MP who spoke to The Hill Times on a not-for-attribution basis in order to offer his candid opinion. “Because everybody in that [cabinet] room is dependent on him for their job. So is it a system issue? It is truly a systemic error. In other eras, we’ve had three or four or five people who didn’t give a rat’s ass whether they were a cabinet minister, [or in other positions], who called things the way they saw, you know. [Late] John Crosbie [in Brian Mulroney’s cabinet], kind of a classic example, Don Macdonald [Pierre Trudeau cabinet] would be another example. These are the kind of people who gave you their unvarnished advice.”
The MP said he does not know anyone in the current cabinet who would offer his or her blunt advice and call out Mr. Trudeau when they saw anything inappropriate at the cabinet table. Other MPs and senior Liberals interviewed said that, over the years and because of the ever-increasing tight control from “The Centre,” cabinet ministers and MPs, with some rare exceptions, have become afraid of calling out the leader as this is seen as a “career limiting move.”
“So essentially what it is, is that nobody calls out the prime minister,” said a Liberal MP who spoke to The Hill Times on a not-for-attribution basis in order to offer his candid opinion. “Because everybody in that [cabinet] room is dependent on him for their job. So is it a system issue? It is truly a systemic error. In other eras, we’ve had three or four or five people who didn’t give a rat’s ass whether they were a cabinet minister, [or in other positions], who called things the way they saw, you know. [Late] John Crosbie [in Brian Mulroney’s cabinet], kind of a classic example, Don Macdonald [Pierre Trudeau cabinet] would be another example. These are the kind of people who gave you their unvarnished advice.”
The MP said he does not know anyone in the current cabinet who would offer his or her blunt advice and call out Mr. Trudeau when they saw anything inappropriate at the cabinet table. Other MPs and senior Liberals interviewed said that, over the years and because of the ever-increasing tight control from “The Centre,” cabinet ministers and MPs, with some rare exceptions, have become afraid of calling out the leader as this is seen as a “career limiting move.”
Monday, July 27, 2020
FORMER WE CHARITY CHAIR TO TESTIFY
The former chair of WE Charity’s Canadian board of directors says she resigned from her position after “concerning developments” at the organization – and that her exit was not part of a routine process.
Michelle Douglas’s comments come after the charity said its board turnover earlier this year was part of a long-planned change, stemming from a 2019 review.
“My resignation as the chair of the board of directors of WE charity was as a result of concerning developments,” Ms. Douglas told The Globe and Mail Sunday.
“I did not resign in the ordinary course of matters.”
Michelle Douglas’s comments come after the charity said its board turnover earlier this year was part of a long-planned change, stemming from a 2019 review.
“My resignation as the chair of the board of directors of WE charity was as a result of concerning developments,” Ms. Douglas told The Globe and Mail Sunday.
“I did not resign in the ordinary course of matters.”
45 YEARS SINCE HOFFA DISAPPEARANCE
“TG—2 p.m.—Red Fox.”
And with that final scribble in his day planner Teamster chieftain Jimmy Hoffa vanished into history and became one of America’s premier myths.
On July 30, 1975 — 45 years ago this Wednesday — the labour leader who at one time could shut down all trucking in the United States with a phone call disappeared.
THE PRIVILEGED LIFE OF BILL MORNEAU
Do finance ministers have to disclose financial wealth?
Yes. The trouble with Morneau is, there is so much of it, and a history of transparency failure. He blamed the villa episode on an oversight. In October, 2015, soon after winning his riding of Toronto Centre, he resigned as executive chairman to become finance minister. “I suspect all my assets will go into a blind trust,” he told CBC at the time. This suspicion would later prove dramatically wrong, at least temporarily, until the politics of his vast wealth got too hot.
Yes. The trouble with Morneau is, there is so much of it, and a history of transparency failure. He blamed the villa episode on an oversight. In October, 2015, soon after winning his riding of Toronto Centre, he resigned as executive chairman to become finance minister. “I suspect all my assets will go into a blind trust,” he told CBC at the time. This suspicion would later prove dramatically wrong, at least temporarily, until the politics of his vast wealth got too hot.
VANITY MOTIVATES GOVERNMENT SPENDING
To most people the wasteful spending of governments cannot be a surprise. Politicians do not pay the financial costs or reap the financial benefits of their spending; the benefits they receive are instead in the form of public exaltation. This is the vanity problem with government spending: that a main motivation for the spending is not to deliver anything of practical use or to produce economic benefits to the public but rather to generate acclaim for those doing the spending.
Sunday, July 26, 2020
TOO ENTITLED FOR RULES
During his blackface scandal last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the “layers of privilege” he grew up with blinded him to the fact that donning blackface was racist.
We’d argue Trudeau’s latest conflict-of-interest scandal in the WE Charity controversy — the third one he’s being investigated for by the ethics commissioner — stems from the same problem.
That is, that Trudeau, who grew up as the son of a former prime minister, is an elitist who believes he is privileged, and thus entitled to ignore the standards of ethical-political conduct that apply to lesser mortals.
We’d argue Trudeau’s latest conflict-of-interest scandal in the WE Charity controversy — the third one he’s being investigated for by the ethics commissioner — stems from the same problem.
That is, that Trudeau, who grew up as the son of a former prime minister, is an elitist who believes he is privileged, and thus entitled to ignore the standards of ethical-political conduct that apply to lesser mortals.
THE INDIA-CHINA BORDER PROBLEMS
So disconnected are Indians from the on-the-ground realities of China that they think all of China is a bubble and a backwater communist tyranny. The fact that Indians are among the most bigoted people, and their ruling class neurotic, paranoid, and close-minded must be taken into account when evaluating India’s border problems with China.
In his speech about the recent Chinese incursion into India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there had been no such incursion. Very quickly India’s media and society proceeded to ignore the horrendous and glaring contradiction between Modi’s words and the scores of dead Indian soldiers.
The most important job of the Indian government is to protect its borders, but for all intents and purposes, Modi does not think that Indians need to know what is happening. It is clear that despite all the chest-thumping, India cannot afford a war with China.
In his speech about the recent Chinese incursion into India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said there had been no such incursion. Very quickly India’s media and society proceeded to ignore the horrendous and glaring contradiction between Modi’s words and the scores of dead Indian soldiers.
The most important job of the Indian government is to protect its borders, but for all intents and purposes, Modi does not think that Indians need to know what is happening. It is clear that despite all the chest-thumping, India cannot afford a war with China.
PROTESTS ERUPT ACROSS AMERICA
Saturday BLM protests unfolded across the country on Saturday, with tensions flaring in major cities including Portland, Seattle, Chicago and Louisville, Kentucky.
In Seattle, the police department - which on Friday announced that they would effectively not be enforcing the law due to a City Council ban on the use of non-lethal crowd control measures - declared a riot, citing "ongoing damage and public safety risks," according to USA Today. 16 protesters were arrested by Seattle PD for assaulting officers, obstruction and failure to disperse. One officer was hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive, while the crowd launched mortars and rocks at the police.
In Seattle, the police department - which on Friday announced that they would effectively not be enforcing the law due to a City Council ban on the use of non-lethal crowd control measures - declared a riot, citing "ongoing damage and public safety risks," according to USA Today. 16 protesters were arrested by Seattle PD for assaulting officers, obstruction and failure to disperse. One officer was hospitalized with a leg injury caused by an explosive, while the crowd launched mortars and rocks at the police.
ARSONIST OF NANTES CATHEDRAL CONFESSES
An arson investigation was launched almost immediately after the two-hour battle by firefighters to save the Nantes Cathedral , and shortly afterwards a Rwandan immigrant — who was a volunteer at the cathedral and had been responsible for locking up the building the night before — was held and questioned by police. The man was released without charge shortly afterwards.
But now the same — named only as ‘Emmanuel’ in French newspapers — 39-year-old man has been rearrested and has confessed, Le Figaro reports, to arson. The man, who came to France as a refugee from Rwanda in 2015 or 2016 and was looked after by the church after his arrival, told a magistrate after presenting himself to the police to confess on Saturday night that he lit three fires. Two were in organs, and one was in an electrical control panel.
But now the same — named only as ‘Emmanuel’ in French newspapers — 39-year-old man has been rearrested and has confessed, Le Figaro reports, to arson. The man, who came to France as a refugee from Rwanda in 2015 or 2016 and was looked after by the church after his arrival, told a magistrate after presenting himself to the police to confess on Saturday night that he lit three fires. Two were in organs, and one was in an electrical control panel.
Saturday, July 25, 2020
INCEL'S RESENTMENT & DELUSION
Alexander Stavropoulos is a grey, throbbing muscle of resentment and delusion.
The 26-year-old Sudbury man’s problem is eternal. It has vexed us ever since man chased woolly mammoths across the tundra armed with just a spear.
Stavropoulos, it seems, can’t get laid.
And that makes him furious. After all, why wouldn’t a winsome young woman want to have sex with him?
The 26-year-old Sudbury man’s problem is eternal. It has vexed us ever since man chased woolly mammoths across the tundra armed with just a spear.
Stavropoulos, it seems, can’t get laid.
And that makes him furious. After all, why wouldn’t a winsome young woman want to have sex with him?
GOV'T REVIEW SHOWS DISRESPECT FOR NOVA SCOTIANS
The federal-provincial review of the worst mass shooting in Canadian history will have no power to subpoena evidence or compel testimony. Announced Thursday in Halifax, it is required to hold no public hearings, but will conduct its work in camera. It is explicitly ordered to keep secret “all documents and information collected, received and/or considered … during its work.” It is not mandated to consider whether Nova Scotia, where the faith of many in the Mounties was shaken by the April rampage, should continue using the RCMP as its rural and small-town police force.
This adds up to a disgusting abdication of accountability and responsibility.
The Portapique calamity left 23 people dead, including 21 civilians, one RCMP officer, and the lone gunman. For 13 hours, police fetishist Gabriel Wortman ranged across a wide swath of Nova Scotia, shooting acquaintances and strangers at will.
This adds up to a disgusting abdication of accountability and responsibility.
The Portapique calamity left 23 people dead, including 21 civilians, one RCMP officer, and the lone gunman. For 13 hours, police fetishist Gabriel Wortman ranged across a wide swath of Nova Scotia, shooting acquaintances and strangers at will.
The RCMP response was slow, chaotic, and ineffective. The Mounties failed to use a provincial alert system designed to protect citizens from this sort of event. They failed to set up a secondary perimeter around the original crime scene. They failed to enlist nearby municipal police to block highways the gunman used. The officers who did respond were ill-equipped, inexperienced, and ill-trained.
CHINA LEVERAGES CORONAVIRUS
China Global Television Network (CGTN) issued a nearly six-minute video entitled “Can COVID-19 beat populism?” in which the Chinese Communist Party-run network leverages the coronavirus as “another straw on the camel’s back to expose [Trump’s] hollow politics.”
In addition to attacking President Trump, the video also went after China-skeptic political leaders such as Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro and Britain’s Boris Johnson.
The video confirms Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s insistence that China has leveraged coronavirus to its benefit.
RCMP WATCHDOG'S YIPPING IGNORED
The head of the RCMP's independent watchdog says the national police force isn't listening to the recommendations her agency has made over the past few years regarding Mounties' behaviour on wellness calls.
Earlier this week, Michelaine Lahaie, chair of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC), issued a statement citing a "general pattern of concern" about the RCMP's "unreasonable use of force" during wellness and mental health calls.
The head of the union representing RCMP officers said the union supports oversight but insisted that Mounties rarely engage in improper uses of force.
"Complaints against members of the RCMP need to be investigated fully, fairly, transparently and resolved in a timely and effective manner," said Brian Sauvé, president of the National Police Federation.
According to the RCMP's figures, officers respond to roughly 2.8 million calls for service each year and, on average, 2,215 of those encounters involve the use of force, or what's known as "police intervention" — less than one per cent of the total.
Earlier this week, Michelaine Lahaie, chair of the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP (CRCC), issued a statement citing a "general pattern of concern" about the RCMP's "unreasonable use of force" during wellness and mental health calls.
The head of the union representing RCMP officers said the union supports oversight but insisted that Mounties rarely engage in improper uses of force.
"Complaints against members of the RCMP need to be investigated fully, fairly, transparently and resolved in a timely and effective manner," said Brian Sauvé, president of the National Police Federation.
According to the RCMP's figures, officers respond to roughly 2.8 million calls for service each year and, on average, 2,215 of those encounters involve the use of force, or what's known as "police intervention" — less than one per cent of the total.
"THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE REAL CHANGE"
Part of WE Charity’s overseas trips allow people from North America to “step into the shoes of Maasai warriors” in Kenya, or “experience a shamanic ceremony and get hands–on weapons training” in Ecuador.
The trips, offered through WE’s for profit arm ME to WE, cost over US$4,000.
But the sort of “voluntourism” trips that WE and other charities run have been greeted with some skepticism in the not-for-profit sector.
Friday, July 24, 2020
BLM LOSER TARGETS 2 YEAR OLD CHILD
Clark County is reviewing potential charges against a man who allegedly knelt on a two-year-old child’s neck in an image posted to social media on Tuesday.
Isaiah Jackson was arrested on a probation violation after investigation of a photo posted online, allegedly depicting the 20-year-old Clark County resident kneeling on the neck of a crying toddler — whose hands are held behind his back by an off-screen individual. The image is an apparent mimicry of the alleged killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, with the caption “Blm now mf.”
Isaiah Jackson was arrested on a probation violation after investigation of a photo posted online, allegedly depicting the 20-year-old Clark County resident kneeling on the neck of a crying toddler — whose hands are held behind his back by an off-screen individual. The image is an apparent mimicry of the alleged killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin, with the caption “Blm now mf.”
ACADEMIC FREEDOM DEAD IN AUSTRALIA
On 2 May 2018, Professor Peter Ridd was sacked by James Cook University for serious misconduct. It all started when he called-out his colleague Terry Hughes for falsely claiming healthy inshore coral reefs were dead from climate change and deteriorating water quality.
Ignoring the first censure in April 2016, Professor Ridd went on television in August 2017 and explained in an interview with Alan Jones and Peta Credlin why so much said and written about the Great Barrier Reef, including by scientists at the Australian Institution of Marine Science, is ‘untrustworthy’.
It is a fact that the Australian Institute of Marine Science refuses to release 15 years of coral growth data – because it contradicts the claims of high-profile activists that coral growth rates are in decline. They are not. But the false claims are central to their fundraising strategy. Never mind the truth.
Ignoring the first censure in April 2016, Professor Ridd went on television in August 2017 and explained in an interview with Alan Jones and Peta Credlin why so much said and written about the Great Barrier Reef, including by scientists at the Australian Institution of Marine Science, is ‘untrustworthy’.
It is a fact that the Australian Institute of Marine Science refuses to release 15 years of coral growth data – because it contradicts the claims of high-profile activists that coral growth rates are in decline. They are not. But the false claims are central to their fundraising strategy. Never mind the truth.
WATCH YOUR BACK BARDISH CHAGGER
I don’t know if she’s realized it yet but Bardish Chagger is being set up for a big fall.
The junior minister in Justin Trudeau’s government has been called out by both backbench MPs and Finance Minister Bill Morneau as the person behind the problematic WE contract.
“I was not the minister responsible. As I outlined in my prepared remarks that was Minister Chagger,” Morneau told members of the finance committee Wednesday.
The junior minister in Justin Trudeau’s government has been called out by both backbench MPs and Finance Minister Bill Morneau as the person behind the problematic WE contract.
“I was not the minister responsible. As I outlined in my prepared remarks that was Minister Chagger,” Morneau told members of the finance committee Wednesday.
Thursday, July 23, 2020
SAFE THIRD COUNTRY AGREEMENT STRUCK DOWN
A federal judge has struck down a key agreement on refugees between Canada and the United States, but gave Ottawa six months of breathing room to respond to the landmark decision.
In a keenly awaited ruling, Federal Court Justice Ann Marie McDonald said Wednesday that elements of the law underpinning the Safe Third Country Agreement violate the constitutional guarantee of life, liberty and security.
Canadian refugee advocates have vigorously fought the deal, arguing the U.S. is not always a safe country for people fleeing persecution.
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
THE BRAZEN UNMITIGATED GALL OF BILL MORNEAU
Finance Minister Bill Morneau has revealed that his family took two trips in 2017 that WE Charity paid for in part—one his wife and daughter took to Kenya, and one to Ecuador which he attended with his family—and that his wife has made two $50,000 donations to the organization in recent years.
The admission of further close ties to WE Charity came at the beginning of his testimony before the House of Commons Finance Committee as part of the ongoing study into the controversial decision to grant WE Charity a deal to administer a $912-million student grant program.
Morneau said that after reviewing his personal records, he found documentation that shows his family paid expenses including flight and hotel costs totaling approximately $52,000, but to his “surprise” there were outstanding expenses for aspects of the trip that his family had not paid for. Morneau said that after an assistant reached out to WE to ask for the total amount of expenses incurred, he wrote a $41,366 cheque Wednesday to the organization to cover the outstanding amount.
The admission of further close ties to WE Charity came at the beginning of his testimony before the House of Commons Finance Committee as part of the ongoing study into the controversial decision to grant WE Charity a deal to administer a $912-million student grant program.
Morneau said that after reviewing his personal records, he found documentation that shows his family paid expenses including flight and hotel costs totaling approximately $52,000, but to his “surprise” there were outstanding expenses for aspects of the trip that his family had not paid for. Morneau said that after an assistant reached out to WE to ask for the total amount of expenses incurred, he wrote a $41,366 cheque Wednesday to the organization to cover the outstanding amount.
EUROPEAN UNITY IS A PIOUS FANTASY
For as long as I can remember, late night bust-ups have been par for the course at European Union meetings.
Even so, this week’s Brussels summit to rescue the EU’s pandemic-blighted economy was in a class of its own.
At last, just after dawn yesterday, a visibly exhausted Charles Michel, President of the European Council , appeared before the cameras.
‘We did it!’ he declared. ‘Europe is strong! Europe is united!’ Strong? United?
Well, let’s see. To cut a long story short, on top of signing off on a new €1 trillion seven year budget, the EU eventually agreed to hand out an astonishing €390 billion in grants to recession-haunted countries such as Italy and Spain, as well as a further €360 billion in low-interest loans.
TRUMP CLOSES CHINA's CONSULATE IN HOUSTON
The Chinese government on Wednesday threatened retaliatory “countermeasures” after U.S. officials abruptly ordered the closure of Beijing’s consulate in Houston.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the Trump administration ordered the closure in an “unprecedented escalation,” and promised to “react with firm countermeasures” if the move is not rescinded.
State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Denmark, said the closure was ordered “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information.”
“The United States will not tolerate [China’s] violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated the [its] unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior,” she said. “President Trump insists on fairness and reciprocity in U.S.-China relations.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the Trump administration ordered the closure in an “unprecedented escalation,” and promised to “react with firm countermeasures” if the move is not rescinded.
State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus, traveling with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Denmark, said the closure was ordered “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information.”
“The United States will not tolerate [China’s] violations of our sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated the [its] unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior,” she said. “President Trump insists on fairness and reciprocity in U.S.-China relations.”
SACRIFICE YOUR $3.8B VANITY PROJECT MR. TORY
Toronto: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Toronto Mayor John Tory to drop his demands for a $1.4-billion bailout from federal and provincial governments and instead cut waste such as an uncompetitive construction bidding process and a multi-billion dollar park.
“We have a simple solution for Mayor Tory’s $1.4-billion budget quandary: he should abandon his plan to build a $3.8-billion floating park,” said Jasmine Moulton, the CTF’s Ontario Director. “There are far more pressing priorities in the city right now, and the mayor shouldn’t be taking more money out of taxpayers’ pockets when instead he could redirect funding from his pet project.”
Tory repeated calls for funding from the provincial and federal governments Tuesday morning. He cited the city’s projected deficit of $1.4 billion for this year, referring to a newly released report that will be considered by the executive committee next week.
$439M PAID TIME OFF WORK TO PUBLIC SERVANTS
More than a quarter of all federal public servants were granted paid time off work during the first 11 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, at an estimated cost of $439 million.
The "other leave with pay" provision, also known by its pay code 699, is approved at the discretion of management when employees are unable to report to work for reasons beyond their control. It is separate from vacation or sick pay.
Between March 15 and May 31 of this year, a total of 76,804 employees took this leave, according to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
That's 27 per cent of all federal public workers.
INCREASING STENCH OF LIBERALS & WE CHARITY
“It is absolutely shocking that the government would say that they provided a grant to We Charity when in fact they provided the grant or funds to WE Charity Foundation — a shell corporation with no assets, no history, no record of charitable work.”
Blumberg said if WE Charity Foundation had been unable to complete the student volunteer program the government would have had little recourse to recover any funds.
“It is close to useless to obtain an indemnity from a charity with no assets,” he said. “I can understand why WE Charity would want this agreement with any potential exposure to be in the name of WE Charity Foundation, but I cannot understand, if the government was protecting the interests of Canadian taxpayers or citizens, why the government would either agree to this or incorrectly state who the correct party is to this very important agreement.”
Blumberg said if WE Charity Foundation had been unable to complete the student volunteer program the government would have had little recourse to recover any funds.
“It is close to useless to obtain an indemnity from a charity with no assets,” he said. “I can understand why WE Charity would want this agreement with any potential exposure to be in the name of WE Charity Foundation, but I cannot understand, if the government was protecting the interests of Canadian taxpayers or citizens, why the government would either agree to this or incorrectly state who the correct party is to this very important agreement.”
QUESTIONING THE ACTIONS OF SECRET SQUIRRELS
This month the Federal Court released a scathing judgment calling for a comprehensive review of the “systemic, governance and cultural shortcomings and failures that resulted in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service [CSIS] engaging in operational activity that it has conceded was illegal.” This decision highlights, once again, the problem of secret law: the development of and reliance upon confidential legal opinions known only to Justice Department lawyers and the agencies they advise.
NO DIFFERENCE OF OPINION ALLOWED
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has removed a Cambridge, Ont., legislator from the Progressive Conservative caucus for voting against a controversial government bill.
Ford issued a statement today saying Belinda Karahalios will no longer sit as a member of the Progressive Conservative caucus.
Karahalios voted against a government bill that grants it powers to extend or amend some emergency orders a month at a time, for up to two years.
JUSTIN'S CHOICE
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette has created a toxic environment at Rideau Hall by verbally harassing employees to the point where some have been reduced to tears or have left the office altogether, sources tell CBC News.
Four members of Payette's communications team have departed during the pandemic period alone. A fifth person is leaving this week and another two have taken leaves of absence. It's just the latest wave of staff to quietly transfer out of the small office in response to mistreatment during Payette's mandate, multiple sources said.
"This has gone from being one of the most collegial and enjoyable work environments for many of the staff to being a house of horrors," said one government source. "It's bullying and harassment at its worst."
LIBERALS' SNAIL-SPEED RESPONSE TIME
A little-known medical unit within Canadian Forces Intelligence Command briefed Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan about the COVID-19 crisis on January 17, 2020, the government confirmed in a document presented to Parliament this week.
While the minister was briefed in mid-January about the new virus, the government's incident response group — led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and composed of cabinet ministers and other senior governmental officials — didn't meet to discuss COVID-19 until 10 days later, on January 27. By this time Western intelligence agencies had already known for weeks that there was a new virus ripping through Hubei province and beyond.
While the minister was briefed in mid-January about the new virus, the government's incident response group — led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and composed of cabinet ministers and other senior governmental officials — didn't meet to discuss COVID-19 until 10 days later, on January 27. By this time Western intelligence agencies had already known for weeks that there was a new virus ripping through Hubei province and beyond.
"Canada, for reasons that go unexplained, missed the opportunity to do proper risk assessments, to seize the opportunity of early warning and to get the response planning into gear," Wark said.
"We lost a crucial period of time to take preparations before COVID-19 seriously struck in Canada. I think we have to assume that the wasted time cost Canada enormously in terms of lives and, as economists say in a bloody-minded way, treasure."
"We lost a crucial period of time to take preparations before COVID-19 seriously struck in Canada. I think we have to assume that the wasted time cost Canada enormously in terms of lives and, as economists say in a bloody-minded way, treasure."
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
LIBERALS STILL DOING BUSINESS WITH CHINA
Diane Francis: Would you buy anything from a company that kidnapped two of your employees? Or one that ignored laws and broke contracts worth billions of dollars? Of course not. But that’s exactly what Ottawa is doing.
The latest contract is not simply about X-ray equipment or software programs in embassies and consulates. It is about letting China provide front-line protection for all our diplomatic posts.
Nuctech will install equipment that will scan all the belongings of anyone entering into, or working at, our foreign missions, potentially providing a mother lode of data for Chinese intelligence agencies. This contract could potentially turn Canada’s diplomatic missions into listening posts for the aggressive and ruthless regime in Beijing.
This malpractice on the part of our government is disturbing on a number of levels. Indeed, why would any Canadian government entertain bids from a hostile state-owned corporation to provide strategic infrastructure?
FREELAND'S BLATHER
Rex Murphy: Well, now we know. Freeland has spoken, at a press briefing on Friday. The prime minister has her full confidence. So he’s good for now.
Still, is it not just a little bit strange? In most parliamentary democracies (and before COVID-19, Canada was one), it is not the rule that subsidiary or secondary ministers get either called up, or volunteer, to express confidence in the first minister. To deploy a homely analogy, the deputy rarely gets to rate the sheriff.
However, we’re in a strange new world, and when there’s a crisis or a potential scandal in government, second-shelf ministers get to pass judgment on the guy who occupies the first shelf.
There was another strange moment in Freeland’s briefing. The deputy prime minister was asked about how the cabinet came to give its approval to the noted real-estate and humanitarian WE organization. She came back with the following: “In terms of how the situation was discussed, I think all Canadians knew the prime minister and his family had been involved with WE. There are many Canadians across the country who have had connections with WE.”
LIBERALS' CONTRACT NOT SHORT ON STUPIDITY
The bottom line is that Nuctech, viewed by the U.S. security establishment as the “Huawei of airport security”, has won five contracts supplying sensitive equipment to the Canadian government (Global News reported on Friday that it has also secured four border security and customs warehouse contracts valued at $6.5 million to supply the Canadian Border Services Agency).
Nuctech is wholly owned by a government that we know spies on us. If it is not our enemy, it is certainly not our friend.
The contracts were won on price alone, under-cutting local companies that are employing Canadians in good jobs at a time of high unemployment. It seems highly likely that the low bidding price was subsidized by the Chinese government as part of a deliberate strategy to buy market share and put western competitors out of business.
Nuctech is wholly owned by a government that we know spies on us. If it is not our enemy, it is certainly not our friend.
The contracts were won on price alone, under-cutting local companies that are employing Canadians in good jobs at a time of high unemployment. It seems highly likely that the low bidding price was subsidized by the Chinese government as part of a deliberate strategy to buy market share and put western competitors out of business.
TRUCKER FACES CHARGES OVER ACTIVIST's DEATH
A truck driver has been charged in the death of an animal rights activist who was killed outside of a slaughterhouse in Burlington last month.
Halton Regional Police say there is no evidence to suggest the driver acted intentionally when the truck he was driving struck 65-year-old Regan Russell on June 19 outside Fearman’s Pork Plant on Harvester Rd.
Russell, a long-time animal rights activist, was giving water to pigs that were en route to the slaughterhouse when she was struck and killed.
Halton Regional Police say there is no evidence to suggest the driver acted intentionally when the truck he was driving struck 65-year-old Regan Russell on June 19 outside Fearman’s Pork Plant on Harvester Rd.
Russell, a long-time animal rights activist, was giving water to pigs that were en route to the slaughterhouse when she was struck and killed.
Monday, July 20, 2020
LIBERALS COMFORTABLE WITH PM's CORRUPTION
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said today Liberal MPs should push for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's resignation as he faces his third ethics investigation — this time for his handling of the multi-million dollar WE Charity student grants contract.
Scheer said that if Liberal backbenchers don't call for Trudeau's departure now, they'll be complicit in his alleged "corruption."
"If they allow him to continue, if they don't demand that he resign, then they are telling Canadians that they are comfortable with his corruption," Scheer told reporters during a press conference on Parliament Hill.
UK COVID 19 VACCINE SHOWS PROMISE
Scientists at Oxford University say their experimental coronavirus vaccine has been shown in an early trial to prompt a protective immune response in hundreds of people who got the shot.
British researchers first began testing the vaccine in April in about 1,000 people, half of whom got the experimental vaccine. Such early trials are designed to evaluate safety and see what kind of immune response was provoked, but can't tell if the vaccine truly protects.
In research published Monday in the journal Lancet, scientists said that they found their experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a dual immune response in people aged 18 to 55 that lasted at least two months after they were immunized.
British researchers first began testing the vaccine in April in about 1,000 people, half of whom got the experimental vaccine. Such early trials are designed to evaluate safety and see what kind of immune response was provoked, but can't tell if the vaccine truly protects.
In research published Monday in the journal Lancet, scientists said that they found their experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a dual immune response in people aged 18 to 55 that lasted at least two months after they were immunized.
THE GOSPEL OF WE
Sharday Mosurinjohn, a Queen’s University assistant professor in School of Religion, and Emma Funnell-Kononuk, a graduate student and elementary school teacher who has been involved with WE events, have been studying its spiritual aspects. They describe it a “new secular spiritual movement,” or NSSM, which deliberately connects it to the category of “new religious movements,” an academic sociological concept popularly known in the context of cults and “alternative spiritualities” that arose in the post-war “seeking culture.”
They argue WE meets all five proposed criteria proposed to define new religious movements: a claim to esoteric knowledge, loose organization, charismatic leadership, and “ecstatic or transfiguring experience.” The latter can be seen in the WE Day arena shows.
They argue WE meets all five proposed criteria proposed to define new religious movements: a claim to esoteric knowledge, loose organization, charismatic leadership, and “ecstatic or transfiguring experience.” The latter can be seen in the WE Day arena shows.
EU MEMBERS REJECT €5B BREXIT RESERVE FUND
EU MEMBER-STATES like Sweden are revolting against Brussels’ plan to protect itself from the economic impact of a no-deal Brexit crisis at this weekend’s summit.
Brussels has demanded EU countries fund a €5 billion Brexit reserve fund to protect countries most at risk of economic turmoil after the UK leaves the bloc. However, according to RTE, Sweden has voiced fierce opposition to the plans at the European Union summit in Brussels this weekend. Europe Editor Tony Connelly said that EU member-states are furious at the additional funding demand because “Brexit has nothing to do with the pandemic”.
Sunday, July 19, 2020
CHINA CRAVES THE BANDMASTER ROLE
CHINA has claimed the UK is "dancing to USA's tune" on the Huawei ban from Britain's 5G network.
The Communist country's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, today claimed the move was a "dark day" for Britain in an interview that also saw him dismiss clips of shackled prisoners.
Appearing on the Andrew Marr show, Mr Liu suggested the UK's approach to China was actually being directed by the White House.
The Communist country's ambassador to the UK, Liu Xiaoming, today claimed the move was a "dark day" for Britain in an interview that also saw him dismiss clips of shackled prisoners.
Appearing on the Andrew Marr show, Mr Liu suggested the UK's approach to China was actually being directed by the White House.
SHAMELESS FREELAND STANDS BY HER MAN
I think that his leadership throughout this crisis has been exemplary. He has really, I think, shown Canadians a path through a very difficult situation. I think the personal messages he's been offering to Canadians have been really, really important.
We, as a government, have taken some really difficult decisions led by the prime minister that have been so important to our country. You know, among them the fact that a 14-day quarantine has been imposed for people coming into the country. That's something that I know a lot of people initially wondered about, but I think we all now appreciate how valuable it's been.
And probably most important of all has been the tremendous economic support that our government has provided to Canadians to get through that crisis. That took real courage to put that support in place, and it was the prime minister who was the leader of all of that.
That's why he has my full support. That's why it's a privilege for me to work in his cabinet under his leadership.
We, as a government, have taken some really difficult decisions led by the prime minister that have been so important to our country. You know, among them the fact that a 14-day quarantine has been imposed for people coming into the country. That's something that I know a lot of people initially wondered about, but I think we all now appreciate how valuable it's been.
And probably most important of all has been the tremendous economic support that our government has provided to Canadians to get through that crisis. That took real courage to put that support in place, and it was the prime minister who was the leader of all of that.
That's why he has my full support. That's why it's a privilege for me to work in his cabinet under his leadership.
WE ORGANIZATION SHOULD REGISTER AS LOBBYIST
The WE organization is coming under new scrutiny over questions as to whether it should have officially registered to lobby the federal government before it pitched two separate programs to the Trudeau government last April.
WE is not listed in the federal lobbying registry. On Friday, Conservative MPs Pierre Poilievre and Michael Barrett wrote the federal commissioner of lobbying, Nancy Bélanger, asking her to investigate if WE had possibly broken the Lobbying Act.
At issue are revelations by a senior bureaucrat at Thursday’s Finance committee meeting that WE sent two “unsolicited” proposals to the federal government. Rachel Wernick, senior assistant deputy minister at the Department of Employment and Social Development Canada, testified that WE first sent a pitch to the government on April 9, proposing the creation of a “social entrepreneurship” program. WE’s second proposal, sent April 22, eventually turned into the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), which the Trudeau government asked WE Charity to implement.
WE is not listed in the federal lobbying registry. On Friday, Conservative MPs Pierre Poilievre and Michael Barrett wrote the federal commissioner of lobbying, Nancy Bélanger, asking her to investigate if WE had possibly broken the Lobbying Act.
At issue are revelations by a senior bureaucrat at Thursday’s Finance committee meeting that WE sent two “unsolicited” proposals to the federal government. Rachel Wernick, senior assistant deputy minister at the Department of Employment and Social Development Canada, testified that WE first sent a pitch to the government on April 9, proposing the creation of a “social entrepreneurship” program. WE’s second proposal, sent April 22, eventually turned into the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG), which the Trudeau government asked WE Charity to implement.
LIBERALS PANICKING OVER HOC WE INQUIRY
The House of Commons ethics committee has punted a decision on whether it should launch its own probe of the WE Charity scandal to next week after Liberal MPs filibustered through part of the four-hour meeting.
Conservative MPs said today the committee must launch its own parallel investigation into how the contract to administer the $912-million summer student grants program was awarded to WE, a charity with close personal ties to Trudeau and his family.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett, the party's ethics critic, said the government's "shifting narrative" on who was responsible for putting WE forward for the deal — and how much the charity was set to be paid for administering the program — makes a probe necessary.
Youth Minister Bardish Chagger said yesterday at Commons finance committee that WE stood to receive $43.5 million if it could sign up up tens of thousands of students for volunteer opportunities. That's more than double the $19.5 million the government initially said it had earmarked for WE.
Conservative MPs said today the committee must launch its own parallel investigation into how the contract to administer the $912-million summer student grants program was awarded to WE, a charity with close personal ties to Trudeau and his family.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett, the party's ethics critic, said the government's "shifting narrative" on who was responsible for putting WE forward for the deal — and how much the charity was set to be paid for administering the program — makes a probe necessary.
Youth Minister Bardish Chagger said yesterday at Commons finance committee that WE stood to receive $43.5 million if it could sign up up tens of thousands of students for volunteer opportunities. That's more than double the $19.5 million the government initially said it had earmarked for WE.
THUNDERBIRD BECOMES WALKING EAGLE
Two Canadians claiming to have developed unprecedented utility-grade wind farm turbines told investors their technology was so hot their company could be the next Google, Amazon or Facebook.
There was a lot of wind behind their turbines, but not in a good way. Their claims were false and the men, including the company’s Toronto-area president, were siphoning off investor funds to enrich themselves, U.S. authorities allege.
The snappy slogan of Thunderbird Power is: “For us, Power is a Breeze.”
Such conceit is easy if, as U.S. federal authorities allege, there is no need to have a successful product before making out-sized claims and selling investments in it.
There was a lot of wind behind their turbines, but not in a good way. Their claims were false and the men, including the company’s Toronto-area president, were siphoning off investor funds to enrich themselves, U.S. authorities allege.
The snappy slogan of Thunderbird Power is: “For us, Power is a Breeze.”
Such conceit is easy if, as U.S. federal authorities allege, there is no need to have a successful product before making out-sized claims and selling investments in it.
POLITICIANS SILENT AS TORONTO GUN CRIME SKYROCKETS
Street checks, a key method of police intelligence gathering in order to combat increasing gang violence, were never supposed to be abandoned permanently.
The Liberal government of then Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne was supposed to introduce a new provincial regulation to govern the practice, but the one it produced in 2017 was so unrealistic — the judge who reviewed it described it as unworkable — that police checks were never revived.
We hear a lot of rhetoric from politicians today about defunding the police, addressing systemic racism in policing and funding long-term social programs to address the root causes of gun violence.
But we hear little — except for predictable lamentations when a particularly horrific shooting occurs — about what they plan to do now to address the steadily increasing gun violence on our streets in the absence of street checks.
The Liberal government of then Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne was supposed to introduce a new provincial regulation to govern the practice, but the one it produced in 2017 was so unrealistic — the judge who reviewed it described it as unworkable — that police checks were never revived.
We hear a lot of rhetoric from politicians today about defunding the police, addressing systemic racism in policing and funding long-term social programs to address the root causes of gun violence.
But we hear little — except for predictable lamentations when a particularly horrific shooting occurs — about what they plan to do now to address the steadily increasing gun violence on our streets in the absence of street checks.
PELOSI: PORTLAND VIOLENCE IS FREE SPEECH
Democrat-run Portland has given complete license to Black Lives Matter and Antifa, allowing increasingly violent protests that cause tens of millions of dollars in damage. When the mob eventually began to attack federal property and stated their intention to overthrow the U.S. system, the Department of Homeland Security sent in Customs and Border Patrol officers to arrest people violating the law. Antifa and the mob called what was happening “fascist.” It was to be expected that Portland’s mayor would echo this, but it’s disgusting that Nancy Pelosi, the most powerful woman in America, misrepresented the violence as “free speech” and called federal police Trump’s “stormtroopers”.
Friday, July 17, 2020
CAPTAIN SIR TOM MOORE KNIGHTED BY QUEEN
While other investitures due to be held at Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in June and July were postponed, a special exception was made for Sir Tom, who raised more than £32M for National Health service charities.
The unprecedented personal ceremony was staged in Windsor Castle's quadrangle on Friday, with Sir Tom's daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benjie and granddaughter Georgia watching.
Ahead of the event, 100 year old Sir Tom tweeted that he was "raring to go", for what he said would be a "very special day" for him, and thanked everyone for their well wishes.
The unprecedented personal ceremony was staged in Windsor Castle's quadrangle on Friday, with Sir Tom's daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benjie and granddaughter Georgia watching.
Ahead of the event, 100 year old Sir Tom tweeted that he was "raring to go", for what he said would be a "very special day" for him, and thanked everyone for their well wishes.
RUSSIA ATTEMPTS THEFT OF VACCINE RESEARCH
Russian cyber spies are trying to steal research into coronavirus vaccines and treatments from Britain, the US and Canada, the three countries claimed on Thursday.
The attack is ongoing, with British cyber experts working to defend research institutes, laboratories and other targets in the UK, according to a branch of the spy agency GCHQ.
The NCSC, which is the lead organisation in responding to cyber attacks on the UK, released an advisory that set out details of how the Russian cyber spies are allegedly attempting to steal highly valuable research into treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 from universities, pharmaceuticals and research institutes involved in the coronavirus response.
The attack is ongoing, with British cyber experts working to defend research institutes, laboratories and other targets in the UK, according to a branch of the spy agency GCHQ.
The NCSC, which is the lead organisation in responding to cyber attacks on the UK, released an advisory that set out details of how the Russian cyber spies are allegedly attempting to steal highly valuable research into treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 from universities, pharmaceuticals and research institutes involved in the coronavirus response.
LIBERALS WILL NOT TREAT CHINA AS THE ENEMY
Diane Francis: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a weak, naive leader who has bungled most foreign policy files. He has neglected the military, damaged the energy and resource sectors, and concentrated on converting the country into a Polar Bear park and bribing dictatorships in Africa to get a useless seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Instead, Canada should have — as Australia has done — outed China’s behaviour as equivalent to acts of war, then joined the trade gang-up with the United States. It should have more fully joined forces with the military-intelligence alliance Five Eyes, which include Canada, the U.S., Britain, New Zealand and Australia. All these others have all bluntly lambasted China for its Hong Kong and other abuses, and banned Huawei as a security and economic threat.
But not Canada. Trudeau listens to Canada’s ruling elite — China whisperers from the Liberal party, banks, insurance companies, and Quebec business community — who do business there and counsel appeasement.
Instead, Canada should have — as Australia has done — outed China’s behaviour as equivalent to acts of war, then joined the trade gang-up with the United States. It should have more fully joined forces with the military-intelligence alliance Five Eyes, which include Canada, the U.S., Britain, New Zealand and Australia. All these others have all bluntly lambasted China for its Hong Kong and other abuses, and banned Huawei as a security and economic threat.
But not Canada. Trudeau listens to Canada’s ruling elite — China whisperers from the Liberal party, banks, insurance companies, and Quebec business community — who do business there and counsel appeasement.
CHINESE SECURITY IN CANADIAN EMBASSIES
The government of Canada has awarded an estimated $6.8 million contract to a state-owned Chinese company to supply security equipment for 170 embassies, consulates and high commissions around the globe.
The contract for conveyor-style X-ray machines was awarded to Beijing-based Nuctech Company, a company owned by the Chinese government and founded by the son of former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Hu Jintao.
A security industry source said that the X-ray machines are stand-alone systems that would not be connected to embassy networks. But he said he is concerned that there will now be “significant pieces of Chinese technology sitting in every embassy”. The contract includes delivery, installation, operator training and software.
The contract for conveyor-style X-ray machines was awarded to Beijing-based Nuctech Company, a company owned by the Chinese government and founded by the son of former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Hu Jintao.
A security industry source said that the X-ray machines are stand-alone systems that would not be connected to embassy networks. But he said he is concerned that there will now be “significant pieces of Chinese technology sitting in every embassy”. The contract includes delivery, installation, operator training and software.
WE CHARITY MASSIVE TORONTO LAND HOLDINGS
Why does WE own so much real estate? Why is their structure so complex? So many more questions for WE Charity even as they continue to be vague with answers.
Watch as Brian Lilley explains what he has been reporting on and why we need answers from this charity.
Watch as Brian Lilley explains what he has been reporting on and why we need answers from this charity.
THE SOUND OF SLITHERING LIBERALS
The only way that you can possibly believe that it was the public service and the public service alone who came up with the idea of giving WE Charity a nearly $1-billion sole-sourced contract is if you plug your ears and ignore Thursday’s testimony at the House of Commons finance committee.
Sure, Bardish Chagger, minister for diversity and inclusion and youth, tried to claim it was all the idea of the civil service.
She even named Rachel Wernick — a top bureaucrat at Employment and Social Development Canada — as the person who made the decision to pick WE Charity.
Yet Wernick says WE pitched ministers before she had heard of the idea.
Sure, Bardish Chagger, minister for diversity and inclusion and youth, tried to claim it was all the idea of the civil service.
She even named Rachel Wernick — a top bureaucrat at Employment and Social Development Canada — as the person who made the decision to pick WE Charity.
Yet Wernick says WE pitched ministers before she had heard of the idea.
NO CULTURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN OTTAWA
Chris Selley: OK, many conclude, so let’s at least give the Conflict of Interest Act some teeth! Some legislative dentures might be worth a try — though they’re by no means universally appreciated. When the Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee reviewed the Conflict of Interest Act in 2014, some witnesses argued for doing away with financial penalties altogether, on the theory “the strongest sanctions the Commissioner has at her disposal are her moral authority and the power of condemnation.” The current maximum fine of $500 may well be the worst of both worlds: Not only does it offer no deterrent, it brings the law itself into disrepute.
Thursday, July 16, 2020
TEACHING HARD LESSONS TO LEFTISTS
The Police Tribune released a body cam video (warning: explicit violence) of a Michigan deputy emptying her magazine (after clearing a malfunction) into Sean Ernest Ruis shortly after the unarmed suspect stabbed a senior citizen and then came after the deputy with a knife and a screwdriver. The deputy fortunately did not heed Joe Biden's advice to shoot the unarmed man in his leg, as depicted here: "Instead of standing there and teaching a cop, when there's an unarmed person coming at them with a knife or something, you shoot them in the leg instead of in the heart is a very different thing." This is why she did not, as Black Lives Matter puts it, "oink her last" and why her family will not be getting a folded flag.
METROPOLITAN LIBERAL GROUPTHINK AT BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation’s head of editorial standards has admitted that BBC news failed to reflect the wider nation’s concerns over immigration and the rise of Euroscepticism, with editors instead succumbing to metropolitan liberal “groupthink”.
Speaking to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee on Tuesday, David Jordan, who has been the BBC’s Director of Editorial Policy and Standards since 2007, admitted that the BBC has failed to ensure that news teams “leave their prejudices at the door”.
Last month saw the rise of the ‘Defund the BBC’ — a homage to the far-left Black Lives Matter call to ‘defund’ the police — Twitter campaign after the BBC described a weekend of violence by BLM activists that left 27 London police injured as “largely peaceful”.
Speaking to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee on Tuesday, David Jordan, who has been the BBC’s Director of Editorial Policy and Standards since 2007, admitted that the BBC has failed to ensure that news teams “leave their prejudices at the door”.
Last month saw the rise of the ‘Defund the BBC’ — a homage to the far-left Black Lives Matter call to ‘defund’ the police — Twitter campaign after the BBC described a weekend of violence by BLM activists that left 27 London police injured as “largely peaceful”.
INVESTMENTS IN BLACK COMMUNITY IN NC
North Carolina’s Asheville City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to pass a repentant measure that formally apologizes to black residents and moves to issue reparations in the form of investments in certain areas of the community through the creation of the Community Reparations Commission.
The resolution, which passed 7-0, does not include cash payments made directly to black residents but does call on the city to form the Community Reparations Commission, which would hear from community leaders and groups who would, in turn, make recommendations on where funds should be directed.
The resolution, which passed 7-0, does not include cash payments made directly to black residents but does call on the city to form the Community Reparations Commission, which would hear from community leaders and groups who would, in turn, make recommendations on where funds should be directed.
INVESTIGATION BEGINS RE LIBERALS' WE CHOICE
A parliamentary committee will begin its probe today into the federal government's decision to task the WE Charity — which has ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's family — with administering a $900-million summer student grant program.
The House of Commons finance committee voted last week to hold four three-hour meetings this month to "examine how much the government spent in awarding the $912 million sole-source contract to WE Charity."
That motion called on Clerk of the Privy Council Ian Shugart, Minister of Diversity Bardish Chagger, a senior deputy minister from Employment and Social Development Canada and a representative from Volunteer Canada to appear before the committee.
The democratic reform advocacy group Democracy Watch, meanwhile, has asked Dion to investigate Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who also has ties to WE Charity through his family, and to look into whether Trudeau or anyone operating on his behalf — such as his chief of staff, Katie Telford — tried to influence the public service to undertake the contract with WE Charity.
The House of Commons finance committee voted last week to hold four three-hour meetings this month to "examine how much the government spent in awarding the $912 million sole-source contract to WE Charity."
That motion called on Clerk of the Privy Council Ian Shugart, Minister of Diversity Bardish Chagger, a senior deputy minister from Employment and Social Development Canada and a representative from Volunteer Canada to appear before the committee.
The democratic reform advocacy group Democracy Watch, meanwhile, has asked Dion to investigate Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who also has ties to WE Charity through his family, and to look into whether Trudeau or anyone operating on his behalf — such as his chief of staff, Katie Telford — tried to influence the public service to undertake the contract with WE Charity.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
7 SHIPS BURN IN IRAN'S PORT
At least seven ships caught fire Wednesday at the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr in Iran, the Tasnim news agency reported.
The news agency didn’t say what started the blaze. There were no reports of injuries.
The incident was the latest in string of mysterious fires and blasts to rock the country. Several of the recent disasters have struck sensitive Iranian sites, leading to speculation that they could be part of a sabotage campaign engineered by Israel.
The news agency didn’t say what started the blaze. There were no reports of injuries.
The incident was the latest in string of mysterious fires and blasts to rock the country. Several of the recent disasters have struck sensitive Iranian sites, leading to speculation that they could be part of a sabotage campaign engineered by Israel.
KIELBURGERS' COMPLICATED CORPORATE STRUCTURE
Brian Lilley: Yet, despite all the stories about good works performed in places like Kenya and Ecuador, all the WE Days with their celebrity speakers and thousands of screaming school kids, most of us know little about the WE universe and how it operates. That was brought home just over a week ago when WE Charity revealed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s family had been paid to speak at WE Day events.
The money didn’t come from WE Charity though, it came from ME to WE. If you don’t know the difference you aren’t alone.
I’ve been spending the last week trying to peel back the layers to discover what is WE, ME to WE, WE Charity, WE Education for Children Limited, ME to WE Asset Holdings Inc, WE Villages, WE Schools, the ME to WE Foundation and the WE Charity Foundation.
The money didn’t come from WE Charity though, it came from ME to WE. If you don’t know the difference you aren’t alone.
I’ve been spending the last week trying to peel back the layers to discover what is WE, ME to WE, WE Charity, WE Education for Children Limited, ME to WE Asset Holdings Inc, WE Villages, WE Schools, the ME to WE Foundation and the WE Charity Foundation.
TRUDEAU GOV'T SPENT $1.8M ON WE CHARITY EVENT
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked WE Charity to host a 2017 Canada Day event on Parliament Hill, the organization’s co-founder said, for which the government paid $1.18 million. And Trudeau’s mother, who had been receiving fees for making public appearances at WE events at the time, was a speaker at the event.
Last Friday, National Post asked WE organization to confirm whether Trudeau’s mother had been paid for her WE Day appearance on Parliament Hill. Five days later, the organization had neither confirmed nor denied the payment, nor did the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“It would be entirely unacceptable for Canadian tax dollars to be used to pay a speaking fee for the mother of the prime minister at an event where she was appearing with him. It’s an unbelievable revelation in a series of unbelievable revelations,” said Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett.
Last Friday, National Post asked WE organization to confirm whether Trudeau’s mother had been paid for her WE Day appearance on Parliament Hill. Five days later, the organization had neither confirmed nor denied the payment, nor did the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“It would be entirely unacceptable for Canadian tax dollars to be used to pay a speaking fee for the mother of the prime minister at an event where she was appearing with him. It’s an unbelievable revelation in a series of unbelievable revelations,” said Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett.
ASSUME YOU'RE BEING SPIED ON
Kislenko, who also handled Canadian national security cases as a senior immigration officer, warned that businesses will need to take extreme precautions to continue conducting business in Hong Kong.
The primary change will be to ensure that none of their employees being sent to visit have any history of making pro-democracy or anti-China statements. One such tweet or Facebook post could be enough to be found in violation of the new law.
“Be really careful about who’s representing your company and be well aware you’re very likely, if not absolutely assuredly, under surveillance,” he said. “This is a country that knows exactly what’s going on all the time and monitors everyone all the time.”
The primary change will be to ensure that none of their employees being sent to visit have any history of making pro-democracy or anti-China statements. One such tweet or Facebook post could be enough to be found in violation of the new law.
“Be really careful about who’s representing your company and be well aware you’re very likely, if not absolutely assuredly, under surveillance,” he said. “This is a country that knows exactly what’s going on all the time and monitors everyone all the time.”
TRUDEAU'S BLIND SPOT ON ETHICAL MATTERS
The former parliamentary ethics watchdog who found Prime Minister Justin Trudeau guilty of violating the Conflict of Interest Act for vacationing on a private island owned by the Aga Khan says the prime minister may have a "blind spot" when it comes to ethical matters.
"One doesn't continue to do the same thing twice," Mary Dawson told CBC News Network's Power & Politics today. "There seems to be a little bit of a blind spot or something there."
Today, NDP MP Charlie Angus wrote Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion again to say that all MPs were warned of the potential for a conflict of interest in April when they were asked to identify organizations that "were ready and willing to hire students who had been displaced because of the COVID crisis."
"If MP offices were made aware of the conflict of interest obligations regarding the the recommendations for small projects, how it it possible that such obligations were not explained to the prime minister and finance minister as they made their decisions over such a massive outlay of funds?" Angus asked in the letter.
"One doesn't continue to do the same thing twice," Mary Dawson told CBC News Network's Power & Politics today. "There seems to be a little bit of a blind spot or something there."
Today, NDP MP Charlie Angus wrote Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion again to say that all MPs were warned of the potential for a conflict of interest in April when they were asked to identify organizations that "were ready and willing to hire students who had been displaced because of the COVID crisis."
"If MP offices were made aware of the conflict of interest obligations regarding the the recommendations for small projects, how it it possible that such obligations were not explained to the prime minister and finance minister as they made their decisions over such a massive outlay of funds?" Angus asked in the letter.
21,000 TRAVELLERS BREAKING QUARANTINE RULES
Police have been notified for follow-up in more than 21,000 cases where travellers arriving in Canada either couldn't be reached or showed "indication of non-compliance" with the mandatory 14-day quarantine rules.
Of the 21,422 referrals from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to the RCMP, nearly 1,500 were identified as "priority cases" for physical check-ups.
The RCMP and PHAC both confirmed the figures to CTV News -- though few punishments have been doled out to any suspected rule-breakers.
TWO WEEKS HAS 26 FLIGHTS WITH COVID 19 ABOARD
Within the last two weeks -- the 14-day window believed by scientists to be the incubation period of COVID-19 -- at least 26 flights have arrived in Canadian airports with confirmed cases of the virus onboard.
According to the federal government, COVID-19 cases have been reported among passengers on 10 domestic flights and 16 international flights since June 29. It advises the list is not exhaustive and is based on information from “provincial and territorial health authorities, international health authorities and public websites.”
The affected international flights arrived in Canadian airports from Mexico City, Cancun, Zurich, Paris, Addis Ababa, Islamabad, Lahore, Qatar, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Detroit, and three flights from Charlotte, N.C.
According to the federal government, COVID-19 cases have been reported among passengers on 10 domestic flights and 16 international flights since June 29. It advises the list is not exhaustive and is based on information from “provincial and territorial health authorities, international health authorities and public websites.”
The affected international flights arrived in Canadian airports from Mexico City, Cancun, Zurich, Paris, Addis Ababa, Islamabad, Lahore, Qatar, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Detroit, and three flights from Charlotte, N.C.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
MAXWELL PLEADS NOT GUILTY; DENIED BAIL
A federal judge on Tuesday denied bail for Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite accused of facilitating the sexual abuse of young girls in the mid-1990s by her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, the now-dead investor.
Maxwell, who will remain in jail pending trial, pleaded not guilty at the bail hearing in Manhattan federal court, where her lawyer had sought her release on a $5 million release bond.
Maxwell poses “a substantial risk of flight,” said Judge Alison Nathan.
“The risk is simply too great” for Maxwell to be released on bail, Nathan said.
UK BANS HUAWEI FROM 5G NETWORK
Months after approving some limited involvement by the Chinese technology giant Huawei in constructing the U.K.'s next-generation wireless data network, British regulators reversed course Tuesday.
Beginning in January, U.K. regulators will implement a ban on telecom operators buying Huawei equipment. Existing Huawei 5G equipment will need to be removed from the U.K.'s 5G network by 2027.
Beginning in January, U.K. regulators will implement a ban on telecom operators buying Huawei equipment. Existing Huawei 5G equipment will need to be removed from the U.K.'s 5G network by 2027.
The decision comes after relations between the U.K. and China declined sharply over China's actions in Hong Kong, and in the face of a potential rebellion by parliamentarians from the U.K.'s ruling Conservative party who are concerned about the security implications of Chinese involvement in the 5G rollout.
ALL IN THE TRUDEAU FAMILY
The federal government awarded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s half-brother a $12,430 contract last year to speak and take part in a cryptocurrency conference in Switzerland.
Kyle Kemper says he was asked to be the “champion speaker” at the Crypto Valley Blockchain Conference in Zug, Switzerland, because of his expertise, and that the contract had nothing to do with his family. Mr. Kemper was previously the executive director of the Blockchain Association of Canada and he wrote a book called The Unified Wallet: Unlocking the Digital Golden Age.
NDP MP Charlie Angus said he sees two issues with Mr. Kemper’s speaking gig in Switzerland – one is his connection to the Prime Minister, and the other is that the government hasn’t taken a position on the technology.
“Once again it’s an example of the Prime Minister’s close family benefiting from their relationship to Justin Trudeau,” Mr. Angus said.
“It becomes even more questionable when he’s speaking on behalf of a technology he’s promoting that Canada has not formally taken a position on,” Mr. Angus added.
Kyle Kemper says he was asked to be the “champion speaker” at the Crypto Valley Blockchain Conference in Zug, Switzerland, because of his expertise, and that the contract had nothing to do with his family. Mr. Kemper was previously the executive director of the Blockchain Association of Canada and he wrote a book called The Unified Wallet: Unlocking the Digital Golden Age.
NDP MP Charlie Angus said he sees two issues with Mr. Kemper’s speaking gig in Switzerland – one is his connection to the Prime Minister, and the other is that the government hasn’t taken a position on the technology.
“Once again it’s an example of the Prime Minister’s close family benefiting from their relationship to Justin Trudeau,” Mr. Angus said.
“It becomes even more questionable when he’s speaking on behalf of a technology he’s promoting that Canada has not formally taken a position on,” Mr. Angus added.
TRUDEAU'S POLICY STATEMENT SHORT ON DETAILS
The hope is that the federal wage subsidy will shoulder a large part of the payroll of any company that is still losing a big chunk of its revenue compared to last year, allowing firms to reopen and bring back their workers even if they’re still constrained due to pandemic rules.
But how much of their payrolls will be covered by this extension? How much money does a company have to be losing in order to qualify? And what about companies that are hoping to hire back minimum-wage workers, but can’t find any because they’re collecting the more lucrative Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)?
Without those answers, companies won’t know if it’s worth their time and effort to reopen on Friday as the premier hopes, says Perrin Beatty, the president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
But how much of their payrolls will be covered by this extension? How much money does a company have to be losing in order to qualify? And what about companies that are hoping to hire back minimum-wage workers, but can’t find any because they’re collecting the more lucrative Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)?
Without those answers, companies won’t know if it’s worth their time and effort to reopen on Friday as the premier hopes, says Perrin Beatty, the president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Monday, July 13, 2020
STAGE 3 ON FRIDAY17th, FOR MOST OF ONTARIO
Almost all businesses and public spaces across Ontario can reopen in Stage 3 starting this Friday with the exception of Toronto and neighbouring regions, Premier Doug Ford is announcing Monday.
Dine-in restaurants and bars can get back in business with limits on capacity and other public health measures in place such as mandatory seating of patrons when eating or drinking, government documents say.
Among the other enterprises that can reopen their doors with strict conditions include casinos, bingo halls, convention centres and meeting places, gyms, fitness centres, concerts and live shows, movie theatres, real estate open houses, sporting and race events, and tours.
Dine-in restaurants and bars can get back in business with limits on capacity and other public health measures in place such as mandatory seating of patrons when eating or drinking, government documents say.
Among the other enterprises that can reopen their doors with strict conditions include casinos, bingo halls, convention centres and meeting places, gyms, fitness centres, concerts and live shows, movie theatres, real estate open houses, sporting and race events, and tours.
ANOTHER WORTHLESS APOLOGY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologized for not recusing himself from the government’s decision to have WE Charity manage a $900-million student-aid program, saying his family’s longtime involvement with the organization should have kept him out of the discussions.
The surprise apology marked a sharp about-face for the prime minister after weeks of trying to defend the controversial, sole-sourced contract with WE, and follows revelations his wife, brother and mother had been paid a combined $300,000 for appearing at WE events over the years.
THE WOKE ACCUSE RAPE VICTIMS OF RACISM
In Norway, Unni Wikan, a female professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, insists that "Norwegian women must take their share of responsibility for these rapes," because Muslim men found their manner of dress provocative. So much for the feminist claim that women are free to dress as seductively as they want -- and woe to the man who misinterprets this, unless he is from a racial or religious minority group.
Professor Wikan's conclusion was not that Muslim men living in the West need to adjust to Western norms, but the exact opposite: "Norwegian women must realize that we live in a Multicultural society and adapt themselves to it."
Professor Wikan's conclusion was not that Muslim men living in the West need to adjust to Western norms, but the exact opposite: "Norwegian women must realize that we live in a Multicultural society and adapt themselves to it."
Sunday, July 12, 2020
MERITLESS LAWSUIT DISMISSED; BILLS TO BE PAID
A Stanford professor who sued a critic and a scientific journal for $10 million — then dropped the suit — has been ordered to pay the defendants’ legal fees based on a statute “designed to provide for early dismissal of meritless lawsuits filed against people for the exercise of First Amendment rights.”
Mark Jacobson, who studies renewable energy at Stanford, sued in September 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for defamation over a 2017 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that critiqued a 2015 article he had written in the same journal. He sued PNAS and the first author of the paper, Christopher Clack, an executive at a firm that analyzes renewable energy.
Jacobson could be on the hook for more than $600,000, the total of what the plaintiffs have told the court were their legal costs
Mark Jacobson, who studies renewable energy at Stanford, sued in September 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for defamation over a 2017 paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that critiqued a 2015 article he had written in the same journal. He sued PNAS and the first author of the paper, Christopher Clack, an executive at a firm that analyzes renewable energy.
Jacobson could be on the hook for more than $600,000, the total of what the plaintiffs have told the court were their legal costs
FLOODING CONTINUES IN CHINA, JAPAN & INDIA
Eyes are still on the Three Gorges Dam as a rare flooding event spreads across Asia. Bridges that have stood for 500 years have succumbed.
Pity the poor people of Wuhan, the flood waters released from the Three Gorges Dam have arrived. That dam and all upstream dams have opened the flood gates, and cities as far downstream as Wuhan are flooding.
According to the South China Morning Post, 19,380,000 people have been affected by flooding across China as of July 3rd. Chriss Street says “a record 16.8 inches falling between Sunday and Monday morning, and inflows running at 40 acre-feet per second after, CMA on July 4 issued an 80-percent risk of thundershowers for each of the next 11 days.”
PM HELPS HIS FRIENDS WITH TAXPAYERS' MONEY
Brian Lilley: “WE works for Trudeau and Trudeau for them,” Conservative MP Candice Bergen tweeted in response to the video.
With all the close connections, all the coziness, the sentiment expressed by Bergen will only become more widespread. Since 2017, WE has received more than $5 million in grants and contributions from the Trudeau government.
And all of that was before the now cancelled $912 million sole-sourced contract Trudeau announced at the end of June.
With the PM’s family being paid, the Finance Minister’s daughter working for WE and his whole family being involved with them, with the PM’s Chief of Staff and a cabinet minister having started a charity specifically to support WE, how did they not see that they would have a conflict of interest?
And all of that was before the now cancelled $912 million sole-sourced contract Trudeau announced at the end of June.
With the PM’s family being paid, the Finance Minister’s daughter working for WE and his whole family being involved with them, with the PM’s Chief of Staff and a cabinet minister having started a charity specifically to support WE, how did they not see that they would have a conflict of interest?
THE PURITY OF LIBERAL MOTIVES
And here is the disconnect that causes most of Trudeau’s blunders.
I think he truly believes he does cooperate. Fully.
In his own sophomoric mind, he’s not conniving to suppress the truth (although by his actions that is exactly what he is doing). When he imagines himself (which in his narcissistic way must be several times a day), he sees himself, breastplate gleaming in the sun, as our most “transparent and accountable” prime minister, ever.
To Liberals, particularly in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, the WE scandal no more proves that Trudeau is corrupt than the Kokanee grope proves he is a sexist or his multiple blackface antics prove his is a bigot.
I think he truly believes he does cooperate. Fully.
In his own sophomoric mind, he’s not conniving to suppress the truth (although by his actions that is exactly what he is doing). When he imagines himself (which in his narcissistic way must be several times a day), he sees himself, breastplate gleaming in the sun, as our most “transparent and accountable” prime minister, ever.
To Liberals, particularly in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, the WE scandal no more proves that Trudeau is corrupt than the Kokanee grope proves he is a sexist or his multiple blackface antics prove his is a bigot.
They’re sure he’s none of those things and there are enough of them to keep re-electing him.
Saturday, July 11, 2020
HAMILTON MOBSTER GUNNED DOWN
Reputed Hamilton mob boss Pat Musitano was shot dead in a Burlington parking lot Friday afternoon — barely a year after narrowly surviving another attempt on his life.
But months before that shooting, journalist and longtime Mafia observer James Dubro told the Toronto Sun he believed Pat Musitano’s days were numbered.
“His career has been very violent and undiplomatic, even for a Mafia boss,” Dubro said. “He’s been a marked man and has been finished as an effective ‘Ndrangheta cell leader in Hamilton and the GTA for some time.”
But months before that shooting, journalist and longtime Mafia observer James Dubro told the Toronto Sun he believed Pat Musitano’s days were numbered.
“His career has been very violent and undiplomatic, even for a Mafia boss,” Dubro said. “He’s been a marked man and has been finished as an effective ‘Ndrangheta cell leader in Hamilton and the GTA for some time.”
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