The Ontario government is refusing to say how many taxpayer-funded hours its lawyers have spent fighting to keep Premier Doug Ford's mandate letters secret, despite being ordered to release the figure to CBC Toronto by the province's privacy commissioner.
In an order last month, an adjudicator with the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) determined that information was not protected by attorney-client privilege as the Ministry of the Attorney General had argued, and told the government to release the total number of hours Crown counsel spent working to keep the letters from the public from July 2018 to July 2021.
The province instead filed an appeal to Ontario's Divisional Court on Friday — as it did three years ago when the IPC ordered it to disclose the actual letters.
Wednesday, August 31, 2022
THE TRUDEAU GOVERNMENT'S HYPOCRITICAL STANCE
Rex Murphy: Does not financing an anti-Semite, with government money, in the hundreds of thousands, call for the virtuous voices of the Liberal front bench to offer at least some public condemnation, on something of the scale they have offered regarding a lone foul-mouthed protester in Alberta?
Could it be that in the imperial halls of our present government, the attitude of “the Jews are used to it” serves as a screen for lassitude toward antisemitism? That a foul word against a cabinet minister calls out the trumpets, but subsidies to an antisemitic “anti-racism” consultant requires no flood of denunciation at all? Requires that ministers remain quiet? Back-benchers mute? By the way — is there not one backbencher in the Liberal caucus who has any idea of spine?
DARING TO QUESTION COVID MANDATES
On this episode of The Rupa Subramanya Show, Rupa is joined by Dr. Neil Rau, an Infectious Diseases Specialist and Medical Microbiologist at Halton Health to get an expert opinion on the mandates that crippled Canada’s economy and changed the fabric of our society.
Rupa and Dr. Rau look at several universities in Ontario that are still requiring masking and vaccine mandates in order for students returning to school in just a few weeks. Despite the fact that Ontario Public Health is not planning to mandate boosters, the universities are doubling down.
In addition, Dr. Rau talks about his own experience being called an “antivaxxer” for questioning whether additional vaccine doses would improve case numbers and for advocating for the role that natural immunity could play in ending the pandemic.
Rupa and Dr. Rau look at several universities in Ontario that are still requiring masking and vaccine mandates in order for students returning to school in just a few weeks. Despite the fact that Ontario Public Health is not planning to mandate boosters, the universities are doubling down.
In addition, Dr. Rau talks about his own experience being called an “antivaxxer” for questioning whether additional vaccine doses would improve case numbers and for advocating for the role that natural immunity could play in ending the pandemic.
MIKHAIL GORBACHEV DIES
Mikhail Gorbachev -- the last leader of the former Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991 -- has died at the age of 91.
Gorbachev died after a long illness, Russian state news agencies reported.
"Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev died this evening after a severe and prolonged illness," the Central Clinical Hospital said, according to RIA Novosti Tuesday.
The man credited with introducing key political and economic reforms to the USSR and helping to end the Cold War had been in failing health for some time.
Gorbachev died after a long illness, Russian state news agencies reported.
"Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev died this evening after a severe and prolonged illness," the Central Clinical Hospital said, according to RIA Novosti Tuesday.
The man credited with introducing key political and economic reforms to the USSR and helping to end the Cold War had been in failing health for some time.
Tuesday, August 30, 2022
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT LAUNCHED RE CRA DATA BREACH
OTTAWA — Hackers fraudulently applied for COVID-19 financial benefits on behalf of 12,700 unsuspecting Canadians after a cyber attack on Canada Revenue Agency’s online system in 2020, court documents reveal.
Thousands of Canadians were stunned to find out in the summer of 2020 that their credentials to login to sensitive online government services like CRA’s MyCRA portal had been compromised by hackers.
The government initially thought that 5,500 CRA accounts had been potentially compromised through two cyber attacks. Both were tied to “credential stuffing” incidents in which hackers try to login to websites illegally on victims’ behalf using troves of stolen credentials.
One month after the CRA hack, the government admitted that forensic analysis revealed “suspicious activities” on 48,500 accounts, nearly 10 times more than first suspected.
Thousands of Canadians were stunned to find out in the summer of 2020 that their credentials to login to sensitive online government services like CRA’s MyCRA portal had been compromised by hackers.
The government initially thought that 5,500 CRA accounts had been potentially compromised through two cyber attacks. Both were tied to “credential stuffing” incidents in which hackers try to login to websites illegally on victims’ behalf using troves of stolen credentials.
One month after the CRA hack, the government admitted that forensic analysis revealed “suspicious activities” on 48,500 accounts, nearly 10 times more than first suspected.
ENBRIDGE LINE 5 DISPUTE NOW IN WISCONSIN
WASHINGTON — For the second time in a year, the federal government is invoking a little-known 1977 energy treaty between Canada and the United States in an effort to prevent a federal court from shutting down the Line 5 pipeline.
This time, it's in Wisconsin, where Line 5 skirts the southwestern shores of Lake Superior before crossing into neighbouring Michigan, the state that wants the pipeline halted for fear of an ecological catastrophe in the Great Lakes.
"The economic and energy disruption and damage to Canada and the U.S. from a Line 5 shutdown would be widespread and significant," Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement.
That impact would include a spike in energy prices, including the propane that's used to heat homes across much of the U.S. Midwest, as well as gasoline prices, which tested new highs across the continent throughout much of an inflation-ravaged summer.
This time, it's in Wisconsin, where Line 5 skirts the southwestern shores of Lake Superior before crossing into neighbouring Michigan, the state that wants the pipeline halted for fear of an ecological catastrophe in the Great Lakes.
"The economic and energy disruption and damage to Canada and the U.S. from a Line 5 shutdown would be widespread and significant," Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement.
That impact would include a spike in energy prices, including the propane that's used to heat homes across much of the U.S. Midwest, as well as gasoline prices, which tested new highs across the continent throughout much of an inflation-ravaged summer.
CRACKS IN CANADA'S SHIPBREAKING REGULATIONS
Canada has no federal shipbreaking rules. The industry here is small, but key in countries like Turkey, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which feed the recycled steel back into their economies.
Canadian owners used to send their old vessels overseas, but towing has become expensive and environmental rules now limit some exports.
Transport Canada says countrywide regulations are under consideration. But in the meantime, it also lists a total of 47,321 Canadian-registered vessels, — including 3,054 large ships, over 100 gross tonnage — that at some point will all need to be scrapped.
Canadian owners used to send their old vessels overseas, but towing has become expensive and environmental rules now limit some exports.
Transport Canada says countrywide regulations are under consideration. But in the meantime, it also lists a total of 47,321 Canadian-registered vessels, — including 3,054 large ships, over 100 gross tonnage — that at some point will all need to be scrapped.
CBSA ADVISES TRAVELLERS TO IGNORE QUARANTINE ORDERS
Up until recently, a persistent glitch with ArriveCAN was that it kept ordering Canadians into quarantine despite the fact that they filled out their ArriveCAN details correctly and had crossed the border without incident.
One result is that the CBSA had been sending out emails openly telling Canadians to ignore their automated quarantine orders. Or, as an official email put it, “some travellers, despite having submitted all the required information and their proof of vaccination, have received automated quarantine notifications when they should not.”
Back in January, when CTV journalist Oriol Salvador reported being barraged with automated quarantine orders despite having completed everything asked of him by the government, he was similarly told by a Health Canada agent to “just ignore them.”
One result is that the CBSA had been sending out emails openly telling Canadians to ignore their automated quarantine orders. Or, as an official email put it, “some travellers, despite having submitted all the required information and their proof of vaccination, have received automated quarantine notifications when they should not.”
Back in January, when CTV journalist Oriol Salvador reported being barraged with automated quarantine orders despite having completed everything asked of him by the government, he was similarly told by a Health Canada agent to “just ignore them.”
THE NECESSITY OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
Civil disobedience demands a persistent, tenacious and continuous struggle – marches and demonstrations every day or every week, with ever increasing numbers of people pressing upon the bulging sidewalks of our streets. As repression from the State increases, the masses of peaceful people do not back down, but keep coming back, stronger and more determined than ever to defeat the tyranny.
Second, the individual and collective actions of the civil disobedience must embarrass and inconvenience the governing tyranny. The occasional, even massive march of the people and their occasional gathering in prominent promenades with slogans and speeches do not accomplish this essential goal.
Second, the individual and collective actions of the civil disobedience must embarrass and inconvenience the governing tyranny. The occasional, even massive march of the people and their occasional gathering in prominent promenades with slogans and speeches do not accomplish this essential goal.
Earlier this year, the civil disobedience that constituted Canada’s peaceful Trucker’s Freedom Convoy unsettled, inconvenienced, embarrassed and disoriented the governing tyranny. Canada’s petty, tyrant prime minister responded by unleashing brutal police force against peaceful protesters and imprisoning the movement’s leaders.
Monday, August 29, 2022
A STRANGE WAY TO CRIPPLE RUSSIA'S ECONOMY
In response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine, US President Joe Biden vowed to isolate and "cripple" the Russian economy. However, Moscow has been able to maintain its economic strength, in part by exporting over $1 billion per month in wood, metals, food and other goods to the US.
More than 3,600 ships from Russia have arrived at US ports since February 24, according to statistics cited by the Associated Press. While that is nearly half of the shipments over the same period compared to last year, it still amounts to over $6 billion in imports.
More than 3,600 ships from Russia have arrived at US ports since February 24, according to statistics cited by the Associated Press. While that is nearly half of the shipments over the same period compared to last year, it still amounts to over $6 billion in imports.
Sunday, August 28, 2022
REPORT ON NS MASS KILLING DELAYED TO 2023
The Mass Casualty Commision’s final report into Nova Scotia’s mass shooting will be delayed by five months, now to be filed by March 31, 2023
Ed Ratushny, Canada’s foremost expert on public inquiries, says that the inquiry has run over time and over budget because it is not following the normal rules.
“They seem to have tried to experiment by taking a different approach to their role that has resulted in delay, extreme cost and the weakening, if not the complete loss of public confidence and trust.”
The public inquiry that as of May cost taxpayers $26 million has already been hampered by delays. Public proceedings that were originally slated for late October 2021 were delayed twice before starting in late February.
Ed Ratushny, Canada’s foremost expert on public inquiries, says that the inquiry has run over time and over budget because it is not following the normal rules.
“They seem to have tried to experiment by taking a different approach to their role that has resulted in delay, extreme cost and the weakening, if not the complete loss of public confidence and trust.”
The public inquiry that as of May cost taxpayers $26 million has already been hampered by delays. Public proceedings that were originally slated for late October 2021 were delayed twice before starting in late February.
A SUMMARY OF FAUCI's DISASTROUS COVID FAILURES
News that Dr. Anthony Fauci is finally leaving his post after what seemed like an endless reign at the helm of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases should be a time for celebration.
But it’s not.
Fauci has caused such tremendous damage throughout the past few years that it’s almost impossible to comprehend.
In nearly every area of life in the United States, as well as in many other parts of the world, Fauci’s influence has been a key contributor to massive amounts of human suffering.
But it’s not.
Fauci has caused such tremendous damage throughout the past few years that it’s almost impossible to comprehend.
In nearly every area of life in the United States, as well as in many other parts of the world, Fauci’s influence has been a key contributor to massive amounts of human suffering.
PROTESTING VACCINE MANDATE AT WESTERN UNIVERSITY
LONDON, Ont. — A protest against Western University's COVID-19 vaccine mandate drew hundreds of people to the southwestern Ontario campus on Saturday for what an event organizer called the beginning of the push to overturn the controversial policy.
Demonstrators marched around campus and listened to speakers denounce the London, Ont., university's decision to mandate at least three vaccine doses for staff, students and some visitors.
Organizer Kendra Hancock said she hoped the demonstration would lead to public negotiations and further student consultation over the university's rules, which also include mandatory masking in classrooms.
An addendum to Western’s policy, posted on the university website, lays out several categories of “visitors” the mandate applies to, including guest lecturers, convocation attendees, contractors, and performers. Donors and prospective donors are also excluded from the mandate, meaning they do not need to be vaccinated or show proof of vaccination to attend campus like most others do.
Demonstrators marched around campus and listened to speakers denounce the London, Ont., university's decision to mandate at least three vaccine doses for staff, students and some visitors.
Organizer Kendra Hancock said she hoped the demonstration would lead to public negotiations and further student consultation over the university's rules, which also include mandatory masking in classrooms.
CONSTITUTIONAL SHENANIGANS IN AUSTRALIA A WARNING TO CANADA
I’ve sometimes observed in the past that the Canadian press does not follow political affairs in Canada’s sister Dominions as closely as we ought. But I don’t think I have ever felt this as strongly as I do now — thanks to this month’s controversy in Australia over incredible constitutional shenanigans perpetrated by Scott Morrison, the country’s Liberal prime minister from 2018 until May of this year. A couple of weeks ago, it was revealed that PM Morrison had, on a series of occasions between March 2020 and May 2021, asked the governor general to appoint him co-minister for several portfolios, including health, finance, and resources.
What’s extraordinary about this is that the appointments were carried out in secret and never gazetted; even the person who was pretty sure he was Australia’s (only) finance minister throughout the period, Mathias Cormann, was never told. Morrison says he had a need to centralize power during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he did use his position as secret co-minister of resources to thwart a controversial offshore oil project that the department was going to wave through.
What’s extraordinary about this is that the appointments were carried out in secret and never gazetted; even the person who was pretty sure he was Australia’s (only) finance minister throughout the period, Mathias Cormann, was never told. Morrison says he had a need to centralize power during the COVID-19 pandemic, but he did use his position as secret co-minister of resources to thwart a controversial offshore oil project that the department was going to wave through.
Saturday, August 27, 2022
GET 0UT OF THE WAY OF LNG PRODUCTION, PM
Rex Murphy: An online story from one of our broadcasters contained an incredible sentence. For — the sentence made sense. Hence, it was incredible.
Here it is: “One economist suggested Europe should drop its focus on climate change and instead prioritize keeping their countries warm and their lights on in the coming months.”
What! Drop the focus on climate change! Europe! Green Germany! This lone economist must be a new Luther at the doors of the Wittenberg Cathedral.
ANXIOUS PEOPLE ARE COMPLIANT
Neil Oliver:…what they want are uneducated, unhealthy, unhappy, fearful people who are made compliant by their circumstances….’
Friday, August 26, 2022
GOVERNMENT PRIDE AWARDS
When the federal public service isn’t busy enforcing the ArriveCan app or giving money to antisemites, they’re busy congratulating themselves for wasting our money on woke pride initiatives. These include valuable initiatives such as, “Corrections Canada painting the stairs at a penitentiary the colours of the rainbow” and “Agriculture Canada adding pronouns to email signatures.”
Thank God the public service is working so hard for us!
Thank God the public service is working so hard for us!
TRUDEAU MISSES A GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
It could well represent one of the biggest missed opportunities in Canadian history: An embattled Europe is clamouring for natural gas, and one of the world’s biggest producers of the stuff can’t sell it to them.
The economic hit is overwhelming: At current prices, even just one Canadian port exporting liquid natural gas could be adding nine figures to the Canadian GDP each day. Politically, Canada could be helping to deal a body blow to Russian hegemony over Western European energy. Instead, on both fronts, Ottawa appears content to watch from the sidelines.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is currently on a mad dash to secure alternate sources of gas before the onset of winter. In Toronto on Tuesday, Scholz said “Canada is our partner of choice” in transitioning away from Russian energy, adding “we hope that Canadian LNG will play a major role in this.”
The invitation was pooh pooh’ed almost immediately by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said there has “never been a strong business case” for moving Canadian LNG to Europe.
WHISTLE-BLOWING LAWS A SYMBOLIC MEASURE
Canada has had whistleblowing laws since 2007, when the federal government’s Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA) came into force. All provinces have followed suit, most adopting modified versions of the PSDPA.
But there is no evidence that any of these laws work. A recent study by the International Bar Association’s legal policy and research unit ranked the PSDPA as one of the worst in the world. The private sector has no law at all.
As a former Canadian Forces naval officer and government manager who blew the whistle at Transport Canada in 2006 about marine safety regulations, I know this puts the public at risk.
Thursday, August 25, 2022
SEVEN DEAD DOCTORS IN 14 DAYS
Have you ever heard of seven doctors dead in a 14-day period (from July 13-July 28)? How about five dead doctors in a few days, in one town (Toronto)? How about 14 dead doctors in the past 9 months? And all these dead doctors were YOUNG.
And then there’s the dramatic explosion of cancer. Rare cancers. Fast growing cancers. Stage 4 cancers. And these victims all just happen to be recently vaccinated.
Does this seem normal to you? Have you ever seen this before in your lifetime? The government knows what’s happening. The CDC knows. The life insurance companies know- they’re panicking. The funeral homes know. The honest doctors know- they’re just afraid of losing their license if they go public. Big Pharma knows- the deaths and injuries were in the vaccine trial data that they tried to keep secret for 75 years.
And then there’s the dramatic explosion of cancer. Rare cancers. Fast growing cancers. Stage 4 cancers. And these victims all just happen to be recently vaccinated.
Does this seem normal to you? Have you ever seen this before in your lifetime? The government knows what’s happening. The CDC knows. The life insurance companies know- they’re panicking. The funeral homes know. The honest doctors know- they’re just afraid of losing their license if they go public. Big Pharma knows- the deaths and injuries were in the vaccine trial data that they tried to keep secret for 75 years.
CANADIAN WORKERS TO PAY FOR BoC GOVERNOR'S MISTAKES
For an institution that continues to claim it’s independent and apolitical, the Bank of Canada sure keeps doing not-so-independent and apolitical things. In the latest news, BoC Governor Tiff Macklem gave insider advice to business leaders not to raise workers’ wages.
At a July event hosted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Macklem said of inflation, “Don’t build that into longer term contracts. Don’t build that into wage contracts. It is going to take some time, but you can be confident that inflation will come down.”
In the bank’s fight against inflation, the BoC seems to have decided workers should pay the heftiest price. Similar to how, during the pandemic, its choice to sustain near-zero interest rates and extend quantitative easing (QE) boosted assets owned by wealthier Canadians at the expense of those who rely on income.
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
LIBERALS' RESPONSE TIME TO RACIST COMMENTS
It took longer than it should have, but the Trudeau government has finally fired a not-for-profit hired to do anti-racism training over racist comments.
How did this group and Marouf get funding in the first place?
How could Hussen end up being quoted in an April press release with Marouf when a simple search would have turned up many of his vile comments?
LONGTERM DYSFUNCTION AT NS RCMP
HALIFAX — Most of Nova Scotia's senior RCMP staff believed there were "dysfunctions" at their division prior to the 2020 mass shootings and felt abandoned by their superiors in the aftermath, according to a consultant's report prepared last year.
The Sept. 30, 2021, summary of a "wellness assessment" of the staff was released publicly on Monday at the inquiry investigating the mass shooting. It says most of the 24 senior officers and civilian leaders interviewed last summer had complained about deficiencies in the Nova Scotia Mounties’ operational capacity before the shootings.
"Almost all spoke at length about the RCMP’s ... major dysfunctions which they said had been allowed to exist over many years," the report says.
Monday, August 22, 2022
GREEN POLICE TRAINED IN ATTACKS ON ECOLOGY
A senior minister in France has demanded that the country create 3,000 ‘green police’ posts in the face of global warming.
Gérald Darmanin, who serves as France’s Minister of the Interior, has announced that he aims to create 3,000 posts for new “green police” officials, a move that he has deemed necessary in the face to tackle climate change.
News of the potential creation of these new posts in France follows calls from European Union bigwigs for the creation of a bloc-wide “Civil Protection Force” to fight the effects of climate change under the control of Brussels, a move slammed by some as an attempt by Eurocrats to hoard even more power.
Gérald Darmanin, who serves as France’s Minister of the Interior, has announced that he aims to create 3,000 posts for new “green police” officials, a move that he has deemed necessary in the face to tackle climate change.
News of the potential creation of these new posts in France follows calls from European Union bigwigs for the creation of a bloc-wide “Civil Protection Force” to fight the effects of climate change under the control of Brussels, a move slammed by some as an attempt by Eurocrats to hoard even more power.
URGING U OF TORONTO TO RESCIND BOOSTER MANDATE
The Democracy Fund (TDF) is representing a group of concerned university students and parents who may soon be taking the University of Toronto to court for recently announcing a new booster mandate that will be implemented for all students living in residence this fall.
On July 28, U of T announced the reinstatement of their Covid vaccine mandate requiring students to have both shots and at least one booster dose before moving into residence. The university is still going ahead with the mandate despite the lack of recommendations from public health officials.
“The right to bodily autonomy, medical privacy and equal treatment under the law are fundamental rights in our democracy,” said TDF Senior Litigator Mark Joseph in a letter to U of T urging them to rescind the booster mandate or to otherwise accommodate affected individuals.
On July 28, U of T announced the reinstatement of their Covid vaccine mandate requiring students to have both shots and at least one booster dose before moving into residence. The university is still going ahead with the mandate despite the lack of recommendations from public health officials.
“The right to bodily autonomy, medical privacy and equal treatment under the law are fundamental rights in our democracy,” said TDF Senior Litigator Mark Joseph in a letter to U of T urging them to rescind the booster mandate or to otherwise accommodate affected individuals.
Sunday, August 21, 2022
LIBERAL CLAIMS RE FREEDOM CONVOY OFFICIALLY QUASHED
Several key pieces of testimony have poked holes in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s justification for using the Emergencies Act to quash peaceful freedom convoy protestors in February.
True North has listed seven instances where officials have categorically disputed the Liberal government’s claims about the Freedom Convoy.
True North has listed seven instances where officials have categorically disputed the Liberal government’s claims about the Freedom Convoy.
LAFLAMME'S FRAGMENTARY MEMORY BANK
Lilley: “They were giddy,” said one former colleague of LaFlamme and her executive producer Rosa Hwang as they were working on the story.
“They wanted their own ‘Me Too’ story and were determined to get it,” said another co-worker of the pair.
While they got the story, the result wasn’t everything they had hoped for. Brown sued CTV for $8 million in a lawsuit that stretched on for years.
“They wanted their own ‘Me Too’ story and were determined to get it,” said another co-worker of the pair.
While they got the story, the result wasn’t everything they had hoped for. Brown sued CTV for $8 million in a lawsuit that stretched on for years.
REPATRIATING A NISGA'A TOTEM POLE
Delegates from the Nisga’a First Nation are in Scotland this week to discuss repatriating a memorial totem pole it says was stolen nearly a century ago.
The Nisga’a totem pole, also known as the Ni’isjoohl memorial pole, was hand-carved in the 1860s. It depicts the story of Ts’wawit, a warrior who was next in line to be chief before he was killed in a conflict with a neighbouring nation.
The nation said the pole was taken in 1929 without its consent by ethnographer Marius Barbeau while members were away from their villages for the annual hunting and food harvesting season, and it was later sold it to the museum in Scotland.
A FOUL-MOUTHED ANTI-RACIST WORTHY OF THE LIBERAL GOVERNMENT
Rex Murphy: Even people like myself who, occasionally, criticize the present government are united in praise of their unquestioned strengths and virtues. On some things they are really good. Efficiency, for example. Once they decide to overlook something, it’s overlooked. They waste no time whatsoever on second thoughts.
A less stalwart and confident government having obviously decided that the epic clog-up at Pearson airport, earning rare headlines as “the worst in all the world” wasn’t — you know — really, a big problem, might have had distracting second thoughts. Might have changed their minds and set about a full-bore, all-speed-ahead, we’re-on-this-and-nothing-is-going-to-stop-us till it’s fixed.
On what is dubiously termed “anti-hate” they are at their most efficient. Liberals might be purblind mice on some subjects but they are eagle-eyed when it comes to hate-thought, hate-speech and in their conviction that Canada is a burrow of “systemic racism.” And so when they move on this they move with a cheetah’s impulsion.
SHE LOST ME HERE
To actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Canada needs a national plan that provides low cost, readily available alternatives to high carbon consumer products and practices. That should include things like rapidly building public transit, beefing up Canada’s electric grid to allow for the electrification of vehicles, and looking for ways to make high energy intensive things — like ice rinks — use less energy.
Saturday, August 20, 2022
DYNAMIC ENTRY ON OBSESSIVE COLLECTOR OF RCMP GEAR
At 6:30 a.m. on May 7, 2020, Thwing was in bed, listening to the radio, about to start his day.
"All I heard was one — pardon the expression — one hell of a bang, and smashing glass and things. And my house alarm."
SWAT team members in commando gear bashed down his side door and rushed into his house and his bedroom, rifles drawn. His home security camera captured seven officers, though Thwing says he remembers closer to a dozen.
"All I heard was one — pardon the expression — one hell of a bang, and smashing glass and things. And my house alarm."
SWAT team members in commando gear bashed down his side door and rushed into his house and his bedroom, rifles drawn. His home security camera captured seven officers, though Thwing says he remembers closer to a dozen.
TRANSPORT MINISTER DENIES ARRIVECAN APP IS CAUSING DELAYS
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says there is “no evidence” the ArriveCAN app has caused “any problems” at Canada’s borders.
In fact, without the app, Alghabra said the processing of arrivals “would take longer.”
“ArriveCAN is not contributing to the congestion. In fact, ArriveCAN is a useful tool that helps verify the vaccination status of an individual before arriving at our borders,” he said at a committee meeting.
In fact, without the app, Alghabra said the processing of arrivals “would take longer.”
“ArriveCAN is not contributing to the congestion. In fact, ArriveCAN is a useful tool that helps verify the vaccination status of an individual before arriving at our borders,” he said at a committee meeting.
FREEING CATHOLIC CHURCH FROM $25MILLION OBLIGATIONS
OTTAWA — Canada agreed to "forever discharge" Catholic entities from their promise to raise $25 million for residential school survivors and also picked up their legal bill, a final release document shows.
The residential schools settlement obligated the 48 Catholic entities involved to pay $79 million, which was broken into three parts, including making "best efforts" to raise $25 million for residential school survivors.
There was a disagreement between Ottawa and the Catholic entities about one part of their obligations.
At issue was whether lawyers for both sides had struck a deal freeing the church groups from all their financial commitments — including the $25 million for survivors — in exchange for a payment of $1.2 million, or only had an agreement covering a more narrow part of their financial responsibilities.
Friday, August 19, 2022
$1MILLION IN COVID FINES TOSSED OUT BY COURTS
The Democracy Fund (TDF) has announced that its lawyers have successfully defeated a cumulative $1 million in Covid–related fines faced by 14 different clients.
In a Thursday news release, the law advocacy organization revealed that in the last two weeks $56,000 in fines faced by British Columbians have been defeated and a whopping $950,000 in Ontario has also been thrown out.
The Ontario fines were for three tickets citing the Quarantine Act and the Reopening Ontario Act sent to business owners.
In a Thursday news release, the law advocacy organization revealed that in the last two weeks $56,000 in fines faced by British Columbians have been defeated and a whopping $950,000 in Ontario has also been thrown out.
The Ontario fines were for three tickets citing the Quarantine Act and the Reopening Ontario Act sent to business owners.
CATHOLIC CHURCH PROTECTING ITS OWN
MONTREAL — There is not enough evidence to open a formal church investigation into sexual assault allegations against Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Pope Francis said Thursday.
F., one of the cardinal's accusers, wrote a letter to Pope Francis in January 2021 regarding Ouellet and was informed that the Pope appointed Father Jacques Servais to investigate her allegations.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See press office. said that Servais looked into the matter and found "no grounds to open an investigation." Bruni said that following consultations, "Pope Francis declares that there are insufficient elements to open a canonical investigation for sexual assault by Cardinal Ouellet against the person F."
DARING TO CHALLENGE THE GREEN NARRATIVE IN BC
B.C. Liberal leader Kevin Falcon has removed longtime MLA John Rustad from the party caucus after Rustad boosted a social media post casting doubt on climate change science and urging people to "celebrate CO2."
In posts on both Facebook and Twitter, Rustad, the MLA for the Nechako Lakes riding west of Prince George, shared a graphic and post arguing that people had been "hoodwinked" by climate change science and they should be glad CO2 is being emitted into the atmosphere.
RACISM FROM THE ANTI-RACISM CONSULTANT
The federal diversity minister says he's taking action over "disturbing" tweets by a senior consultant on an anti-racism project that received $133,000 from his department.
Ahmed Hussen has asked Canadian Heritage to “look closely at the situation" after what he called “unacceptable behaviour” by Laith Marouf, a senior consultant involved in the government-funded project to combat racism in broadcasting.
One tweet from Marouf said: “You know all those loud mouthed bags of human feces, aka the Jewish White Supremacists; when we liberate Palestine and they have to go back to where they come from, they will return to being low voiced bitches of thier (sic) Christian/Secular White Supremacist Masters.”
Ahmed Hussen has asked Canadian Heritage to “look closely at the situation" after what he called “unacceptable behaviour” by Laith Marouf, a senior consultant involved in the government-funded project to combat racism in broadcasting.
One tweet from Marouf said: “You know all those loud mouthed bags of human feces, aka the Jewish White Supremacists; when we liberate Palestine and they have to go back to where they come from, they will return to being low voiced bitches of thier (sic) Christian/Secular White Supremacist Masters.”
JUDGE SIDES WITH ENBRIDGE IN LINE 5 DISPUTE
WASHINGTON — The international dispute over Line 5 belongs in federal court, a Michigan judge declared Thursday, dealing a critical blow to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's bid to shut down the controversial cross-border oil and gas pipeline.
It's the second time in nine months that District Court Judge Janet Neff has ruled in favour of pipeline owner Enbridge Inc., which wanted the dispute elevated to the federal level.
The first decision last November prompted Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel — believing her only path to victory to be in state court — to abandon the original case, turning instead to a separate, dormant, nearly identical circuit court case to try again.
Thursday, August 18, 2022
GREEN FACISTS
This is not the environmentalism of previous generations, and this new zealotry does not negate or diminish the common sense concern for the environment that most reasonable people share. But this new breed of intolerant, fanatical environmentalism, manifested in the movement to avert a “climate crisis,” is perhaps the most virulent and dangerous expression of fascism in America today. If left unchecked, this fascistic climate change movement will destroy freedom and prosperity while it destroys the planet it purportedly wants to save.
WARNINGS ABOUT PUTIN WERE IGNORED
The war in Ukraine has exposed the truth about Russia. Those who refused to see that Putin’s state has imperialist tendencies today have to face the fact that in Russia, the demons of the 19th and 20th centuries were revived: nationalism, colonialism, and totalitarianism. But the war in Ukraine has also exposed the truth about Europe. Many European leaders allowed themselves to be lured by Vladimir Putin and today are in a shock.
The return of Russian imperialism should come as no surprise. Russia had been rebuilding its position slowly for almost two decades right under the eye of the West. Meanwhile, the West went for a geopolitical slumber instead of maintaining reasonable vigilance. It preferred not to see the increasing problem rather than face it in advance.
DOCTOR CHARGED WITH 4 COUNTS OF MURDER
An eastern Ontario doctor accused of killing a patient last year was charged Wednesday with three more counts of first-degree murder.
Ontario Provincial Police said the new charges against Dr. Brian Nadler relate to the deaths of 80-year-old Claire Briere, 79-year-old Lorraine Lalande and 93-year-old Judith Lungulescu.
Nadler, 35, was initially charged with first-degree murder in March 2021 in the death of 89-year-old Albert Poidinger at the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital.
Ontario Provincial Police said the new charges against Dr. Brian Nadler relate to the deaths of 80-year-old Claire Briere, 79-year-old Lorraine Lalande and 93-year-old Judith Lungulescu.
Nadler, 35, was initially charged with first-degree murder in March 2021 in the death of 89-year-old Albert Poidinger at the Hawkesbury and District General Hospital.
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
CANADA'S INFERNO OF INCIVILITY
Years from now, what I will remember most about the pandemic is not a virus but our response to it. We have become an intolerant, contemptful, rude and savage society, more inclined to cut off our relationships at the knees than to massage the joints a little to keep them moving. We threaten instead of persuade, mandate instead of respect, and gaslight, scapegoat, and insult our targets into submission.
Seared into my memory are the bold, black letters on the front page of The Toronto Star last August: “I have no empathy left for the willfully unvaccinated. Let them die.” These words are, unfortunately, more aligned with today’s rules of behavior than an exception to them. Online and off, we are becoming a crude, insensitive, and morally bankrupt society being slowly engulfed, it seems, by an inferno of incivility.
Our own prime minister fuels the flames, modeling the very sort of hate speech his Bill C-36 is supposed to extinguish. He masterfully turned what should have been a campaign killer into a successful campaign promise — don’t think you are getting on a “plane” or “train” next to the vaccinated (i.e., the pure, acceptable citizens). Instead of electing someone who might have led us up and out of this swamp of incivility, we wanted a leader who would vindicate our rage and whose indefensible malevolence could be a model for our own.
Seared into my memory are the bold, black letters on the front page of The Toronto Star last August: “I have no empathy left for the willfully unvaccinated. Let them die.” These words are, unfortunately, more aligned with today’s rules of behavior than an exception to them. Online and off, we are becoming a crude, insensitive, and morally bankrupt society being slowly engulfed, it seems, by an inferno of incivility.
Our own prime minister fuels the flames, modeling the very sort of hate speech his Bill C-36 is supposed to extinguish. He masterfully turned what should have been a campaign killer into a successful campaign promise — don’t think you are getting on a “plane” or “train” next to the vaccinated (i.e., the pure, acceptable citizens). Instead of electing someone who might have led us up and out of this swamp of incivility, we wanted a leader who would vindicate our rage and whose indefensible malevolence could be a model for our own.
TRUDEAU AFRAID TO NAME THE THREAT TO RUSHDIE
Rex Murphy: Joe Biden for example expressed presidential thanks to “Rushdie and all those who stand for freedom of expression.” Our prime minister placed a similar stress on the horrible event: “The cowardly attack on Salman Rushdie is a strike on the freedom of expression that our world relies on.” The same emphasis on the cardinal value of freedom of speech and expression may be found in the statements of many other leaders.
I have no doubts that the expressions of sympathy were absolutely genuine. I am far less impressed by the — to me — new found reverence for freedom of expression. Especially since so many leaders, including Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau were rather stringent, laconic even, in its exercise.
So in all this reverential talk about “freedom of expression” why was that freedom not deployed to make the very necessary point that Rushdie’s life has been in danger because fundamentalist Islamists have been calling for his murder, and offering a huge reward for his death, for over 30 years. That is the most egregious and particular factor — the central fact of the villainous onslaught.
I have no doubts that the expressions of sympathy were absolutely genuine. I am far less impressed by the — to me — new found reverence for freedom of expression. Especially since so many leaders, including Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau were rather stringent, laconic even, in its exercise.
So in all this reverential talk about “freedom of expression” why was that freedom not deployed to make the very necessary point that Rushdie’s life has been in danger because fundamentalist Islamists have been calling for his murder, and offering a huge reward for his death, for over 30 years. That is the most egregious and particular factor — the central fact of the villainous onslaught.
CARDINAL OUELLET ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT
MONTREAL — Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet, once considered a front-runner to become pope, has been accused of sexual assault and is among a list of clergy members and diocesan staff named in a class-action lawsuit against the archdiocese of Quebec.
The lawsuit involving Ouellet is one of two introductory applications for class action brought by Montreal-based law firm Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats. The two class actions had recently been authorized by a Quebec judge, and the law firm had 90 days to submit the introductory documents detailing the alleged crimes.
Lawyer Justin Wee said Tuesday in an interview it's "inevitable" that the class actions his law firm filed will lead to more people coming forward against the church in the coming weeks.
In the first lawsuit, in which Ouellet is named, 101 alleged victims have accused about 88 priests or diocesan staff of sexual assault. The archdiocese of Quebec said in a statement on Tuesday it was aware of the allegations, but it declined to comment.
EXPOSING THE CYA MANOEUVERS AT NS MASS SHOOTING INQUIRY
The federal deputy justice minister has defended his department's lawyers after a former Supreme Court judge raised "serious concerns" about the advice they gave to a high-ranking RCMP officer in the Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry, including not to talk about certain evidence unless specifically asked.
Thomas Cromwell, the director of legal counsel for the public inquiry into the April 2020 massacre, wrote to Department of Justice lawyer Lori Ward two weeks ago about Chief Supt. Chris Leather's testimony last month.
Leather, who was the head of criminal operations in Nova Scotia at the time of the shootings, has testified he received a call from RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki on the evening of April 22, 2020, shortly after the killings. He said Lucki asked him to send her details about the guns used by the shooter, and he did send her a list for internal purposes only.
But Leather's call and email correspondence with Lucki didn't come up in a July 6 interview with inquiry lawyers. Leather testified on July 28 that lawyers with the federal Department of Justice, including Ward, told him to not "proactively disclose" his conversation and emails with Lucki.
Thomas Cromwell, the director of legal counsel for the public inquiry into the April 2020 massacre, wrote to Department of Justice lawyer Lori Ward two weeks ago about Chief Supt. Chris Leather's testimony last month.
Leather, who was the head of criminal operations in Nova Scotia at the time of the shootings, has testified he received a call from RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki on the evening of April 22, 2020, shortly after the killings. He said Lucki asked him to send her details about the guns used by the shooter, and he did send her a list for internal purposes only.
But Leather's call and email correspondence with Lucki didn't come up in a July 6 interview with inquiry lawyers. Leather testified on July 28 that lawyers with the federal Department of Justice, including Ward, told him to not "proactively disclose" his conversation and emails with Lucki.
RUSSIAN PLAYER IN CANADIAN OIL & GAS
A Russian energy billionaire was able to buy a majority stake in a Canadian oil and gas company without any regulatory scrutiny, despite a longstanding battle in a U.S. federal court over his alleged role in schemes involving international money-laundering, kickbacks and a disgraced former Ukrainian prime minister, Global News has learned.
Igor Makarov, who acquired 21 per cent of Calgary-based Spartan Delta last year, has been accused by American authorities of paying at least $28.5 million in kickbacks to former Ukrainian prime minister Pavel Lazarenko in 1996 for exclusive rights to sell gas in Ukraine.
While there is nothing illegal about Makarov’s Spartan Delta’s purchase, the complex international transactions expose regulatory gaps between federal and provincial agencies and the lack of vetting of foreign investors.
Igor Makarov, who acquired 21 per cent of Calgary-based Spartan Delta last year, has been accused by American authorities of paying at least $28.5 million in kickbacks to former Ukrainian prime minister Pavel Lazarenko in 1996 for exclusive rights to sell gas in Ukraine.
While there is nothing illegal about Makarov’s Spartan Delta’s purchase, the complex international transactions expose regulatory gaps between federal and provincial agencies and the lack of vetting of foreign investors.
Tuesday, August 16, 2022
TRUDEAU'S PROPAGANDA OUTLET FACT-CHECKS INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM
What do you do if you are Justin Trudeau and an independent journalist exposes your flawed Covid response? You deploy the “fact-checkers” at Press Progress to discredit that reporting and the journalist, of course! That’s exactly what happened this week when Press Progress jumped at the chance to protect Trudeau by labelling Rupa Subramanya’s bombshell report as “misleading.”
CRIMINAL JUSTICE HAS A CREDIBILITY PROBLEM
The FBI raid on Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home has brought intense focus on America’s criminal justice system. It’s not a pretty sight, and Canadians ought not be complacent.
The U.S. Department of Justice is not in the custom of commenting upon ongoing criminal investigations, but an unusually chatty attorney general, Merrick Garland, held a press conference on the Trump raid, saying that he had asked the court to unseal the search warrant and the record of property seized due to “substantial public interest.”
Law enforcement influenced by public interest, public opinion and inevitably political considerations loses credibility. The Trump-Garland matter will bring American criminal justice into further disrepute, except among those who have been paying close attention over recent decades, for whom further disrepute is not possible.
The U.S. Department of Justice is not in the custom of commenting upon ongoing criminal investigations, but an unusually chatty attorney general, Merrick Garland, held a press conference on the Trump raid, saying that he had asked the court to unseal the search warrant and the record of property seized due to “substantial public interest.”
Law enforcement influenced by public interest, public opinion and inevitably political considerations loses credibility. The Trump-Garland matter will bring American criminal justice into further disrepute, except among those who have been paying close attention over recent decades, for whom further disrepute is not possible.
MAJOR INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS TURN AWAY FROM CANADA
Right now our oil and gas industry provides about $110 billion per year. If oil and gas revenues fall due to climate change concerns, what’s going to replace that kind of cash flow and wealth creation, Bruce asked, then answered, “Hydrogen is going to be a big part of that.”
But only if pipelines can be built, he added. Four of the five big markets for hydrogen — South Korea, Japan, China and California — can be accessed from our West Coast ports.
But major international investors no longer trust they can put their money into Canadian projects like pipelines due to uncertainty around our ever-changing and more complex regulatory processes, Bruce said. “This is what drives everybody crazy because they just don’t see a stable playing field that they can tackle.”
Monday, August 15, 2022
I WAS AS GULLIBLE AS THE NEXT CHUMP
Neil Oliver: "It's hard to tell yourself you've been taken for a fool, but open your eyes"
THE BOER: A DUTCH FARMER REBELLION
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, under the influence of the World Economic Forum, announced his goal to reach net-zero nitrogen emissions in 2019. This policy will force farmers to reduce livestock and food production to reduce nitrogen emissions. As the massive protests grew in June 2022, Rebel News sent two reporters to cover the story. Now, in this feature production, we tell the story of The Boer: A Dutch Farmer Rebellion.
VICTORIA, BC, BANS FOSSIL-FUEL-HEATED HOME CONSTRUCTION
Victoria councillors have banned the construction of homes that rely on fossil fuels like natural gas for heating after the year 2025.
This week, city councillors touted its “zero carbon” policy, which will require all future developments to be heated using renewable energy only.
This week, city councillors touted its “zero carbon” policy, which will require all future developments to be heated using renewable energy only.
$75,000 COVERAGE FOR GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE
The federal government has worked out a proposal with unions to update the Public Service Health Care Plan which will now include up to $75,000 in coverage for “gender-affirming care.”
A federal news release on the plan claims that the updates carry “no additional cost to taxpayers” and was “cost-neutral.”
“For the first time, coverage would be available for gender affirmation, placing the Government of Canada as a leader in modernized employee health care benefits.”
A federal news release on the plan claims that the updates carry “no additional cost to taxpayers” and was “cost-neutral.”
“For the first time, coverage would be available for gender affirmation, placing the Government of Canada as a leader in modernized employee health care benefits.”
NO ONE WANTS TO WORK FOR LOW WAGES
In the same way, McCartin said, tropes about today’s labour shortages in industries like trucking, health care and the service industry get linked to the idea that people don’t want to work. “But that sidesteps the key issue, which is that a lot of jobs, for the amount of wear and tear and the hard labour involved — they just don’t pay enough,” he said. “Very often what this kind of rhetoric, whether it’s people don’t want to work or there’s a labour shortage, what that often speaks to is that wages simply aren’t attractive enough for workers.”
GERMANY HAS SUCCUMBED TO TRANS-MANIA
In 2019, for instance, the city of Hanover mandated the use of gender-neutral language in all official communication, from emails to brochures and posters. And it pioneered the use of what is known as the ‘gender star’ – an asterisk placed inside a noun to indicate that it refers to men, women and nonbinary people alike (such as, Bürger*innen, meaning ‘citizens’). It is a linguistic absurdity.
Following the pattern established in the Anglo-American world, Germany’s language police are doing their best to prevent free and open discussion of trans politics and practices. A few months ago, a group of gender-critical scholars who questioned the claims of transgender ideologues were compared to Holocaust deniers in the media. This weaponisation of the memory of the Holocaust to discredit opponents has now become standard practice in the German public sphere.
Following the pattern established in the Anglo-American world, Germany’s language police are doing their best to prevent free and open discussion of trans politics and practices. A few months ago, a group of gender-critical scholars who questioned the claims of transgender ideologues were compared to Holocaust deniers in the media. This weaponisation of the memory of the Holocaust to discredit opponents has now become standard practice in the German public sphere.
ECO-ALARMISTS ARE WRONG
Foretellings of the End of Days are collapsing all the time. We have ‘five years to save the world’, said the Ecologist – in 2007. We have ‘10 years to save the world’, said the UN – in 1989. We have ‘four years to save the world’, said NASA scientist and climate expert Jim Hansen – in 2009. The end of the world just never comes. And yet instead of reflecting on the holes in their fact-lite apocalypticism, the Poundshop Nostradamuses simply tweak the date of doom. So in 2018 we were told that actually we have 12 years to save the world. Anyone fancy getting together in 2030 to celebrate yet another failed apocalypse? We could do it at the coral-rich Great Barrier Reef.
Sunday, August 14, 2022
COVID RESTRICTIONS PUT THE BOOTS TO FAMILY BUSINESSES
New figures by the Department of Industry reveal that family-owned businesses were especially hurt by government Covid restrictions and closures.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the number of businesses owned by couples or family members fell by 14% in 2021. Data was reported by the department in the SME Profile: Ownership Demographic Statistics document.
Before the pandemic 62% of all small and medium businesses in Canada were family-owned but by 2021 that figure crashed down to 48%.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the number of businesses owned by couples or family members fell by 14% in 2021. Data was reported by the department in the SME Profile: Ownership Demographic Statistics document.
Before the pandemic 62% of all small and medium businesses in Canada were family-owned but by 2021 that figure crashed down to 48%.
FEDERAL LIBERALS EXCEEDING THEIR AUTHORITY
Rex Murphy: Now on to the much bigger stuff. Out of the great, stuffy, infertile Ottawa bubble recently came the edict that farmers must cut down on emissions from fertilizer, which means cutting down on fertilizer. After which debate? By what power?
What is the legal or constitutional status of this decree? I already know there was no prior consultation with western premiers or their agricultural ministers. It came as a fixed target, not up for discussion. It was a federal order.
Can a national government tell its citizens how they should farm, decide on their fertilizer requirements, potentially savaging the occupations and lives of those people?
ONE-TIME EXEMPTION TO ARRIVECAN RULES
Travelers coming into Canada by the land border can benefit from a one-time exemption if they forget to submit their information through the ArriveCan application.
The federal government discreetly made the change in May for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and extended it to all foreign nationals, including American citizens, at the end of the month of July, confirmed the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Friday.
The federal government has faced massive backlash from various stakeholders for its use of ArriveCan in recent months.
The Canadian American Business Council, who recently launched an ad campaign to urge the government to “travel like it’s 2019, has described it as an “cumbersome issue-plagued app (that) has no public health purpose” and “creates unnecessary delays for travelers”.
The federal government discreetly made the change in May for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and extended it to all foreign nationals, including American citizens, at the end of the month of July, confirmed the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Friday.
The federal government has faced massive backlash from various stakeholders for its use of ArriveCan in recent months.
The Canadian American Business Council, who recently launched an ad campaign to urge the government to “travel like it’s 2019, has described it as an “cumbersome issue-plagued app (that) has no public health purpose” and “creates unnecessary delays for travelers”.
RUSHDIE RECOVERING
MAYVILLE, N.Y. - "The Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie was taken off a ventilator and able to talk Saturday, a day after he was stabbed as he prepared to give a lecture in upstate New York.
Rushdie remained hospitalized with serious injuries, but fellow author Aatish Taseer tweeted in the evening that he was "off the ventilator and talking (and joking)." Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie, confirmed that information without offering further details.
Rushdie remained hospitalized with serious injuries, but fellow author Aatish Taseer tweeted in the evening that he was "off the ventilator and talking (and joking)." Rushdie's agent, Andrew Wylie, confirmed that information without offering further details.
Saturday, August 13, 2022
THE RESURGENCE OF RURAL CANADA
Rural residents know water, forests and rocks are quintessentially Canadian and their abundance means they can be exploited for our collective benefit. Anyone who worries Canada will ever run out of them has never flown over or driven through the Canadian Shield. The overly-protective and economically-damaging attitude of city-dwellers who want to preserve every living thing is exemplified by the hysteria that greeted a plan by Longueuil, Que., to cull an over-abundant deer population. The reality is rural residents understand the poet Alfred Tennyson was right to describe nature as “red in tooth and claw.”
PRIVATE CORPORATIONS' ROLE IN ONTARIO HEALTHCARE
Ontario's Health Minister Sylvia Jones says Ontarians should not be afraid of innovation.
"We've done it well in the province of Ontario and I want to continue to encourage that innovation because it means at the end of the day, people are going to get better service. I don't want the status quo."
The minister's comments come as the government says it's considering various ways to deal with health-care staff shortages that have led to emergency departments across the province closing for hours or days at a time.
However, Jones did not rule out — when asked — more of a role for private corporations to deliver public services, which already happens to some degree in Ontario's system.
"We've done it well in the province of Ontario and I want to continue to encourage that innovation because it means at the end of the day, people are going to get better service. I don't want the status quo."
The minister's comments come as the government says it's considering various ways to deal with health-care staff shortages that have led to emergency departments across the province closing for hours or days at a time.
However, Jones did not rule out — when asked — more of a role for private corporations to deliver public services, which already happens to some degree in Ontario's system.
SALMAN RUSHDIE STABBED
CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. Salman Rushdie, whose novel "The Satanic Verses" drew death threats from Iran's leader in the 1980s, was stabbed in the neck and abdomen Friday by a man who rushed the stage as the author was about to give a lecture in western New York.
A bloodied Rushdie, 75, was flown to a hospital and underwent surgery. His agent, Andrew Wylie, said the writer was on a ventilator Friday evening, with a damaged liver, severed nerves in an arm and an eye he was likely to lose.
Rushdie has been a prominent spokesman for free expression and liberal causes, and the literary world recoiled at what Ian McEwan, a novelist and Rushdie's friend, described as "an assault on freedom of thought and speech."
"Salman has been an inspirational defender of persecuted writers and journalists across the world," McEwan said in a statement. "He is a fiery and generous spirit, a man of immense talent and courage and he will not be deterred."
A bloodied Rushdie, 75, was flown to a hospital and underwent surgery. His agent, Andrew Wylie, said the writer was on a ventilator Friday evening, with a damaged liver, severed nerves in an arm and an eye he was likely to lose.
Rushdie has been a prominent spokesman for free expression and liberal causes, and the literary world recoiled at what Ian McEwan, a novelist and Rushdie's friend, described as "an assault on freedom of thought and speech."
"Salman has been an inspirational defender of persecuted writers and journalists across the world," McEwan said in a statement. "He is a fiery and generous spirit, a man of immense talent and courage and he will not be deterred."
HYPERVENTILITATING PEARL-CLUTCHERS REACTING TO CONVOY
OTTAWA — Two days before the Emergencies Act was invoked last February to quell anti-government convoy protests, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned cabinet ministers that international partners were concerned Canada wasn't able to control the situation.
The warning is contained in heavily redacted summaries of three meetings of the government’s incident response group and one meeting of the full cabinet, which were released through the Federal Court as part of a challenge of the government’s use of the act.
Friday, August 12, 2022
UKRAINE HAMMERS RUSSIA'S AIRFORCE JETS
Russia appeared to suffer its biggest loss of aircraft in a single day since the Second World War as fresh analysis of explosions at an airbase in occupied Crimea contradicted Moscow’s claim that no jets had been destroyed.
A review of satellite images revealed at least 10 planes had been destroyed or seriously damaged by the series of blasts that rocked the Saki airbase in Novofedorivka on Tuesday afternoon.
Military analysts predicted the full extent of the damage sustained by Russia’s air force was still yet to be learned, with some suggesting Moscow could have lost as many as 20 jets in the attack.
THE TWISTED LOGIC OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
ODESA, Ukraine — Amnesty International released a report last week insinuating that the Ukrainian military is committing war crimes by operating near civilian infrastructure. The report was widely condemned by human rights activists, journalists and international law experts for being misleading, inaccurate and sloppily argued. Speaking as someone who has spent over two months reporting from Ukraine, I found the report appalling.
Amnesty International’s central claim is that the Ukrainian army is breaking international humanitarian law by operating in populated areas and basing itself in civilian buildings, thereby turning civilian objects into military targets and causing civilian deaths. The report alleges that, between April and May, Amnesty International’s investigators found evidence of this behaviour in 19 towns and villages in the Donbas, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv regions.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
TRUDEAU'S COVID POLICIES BASED ON POLITICAL SCIENCE
Lilley: We’ve known from the beginning that Justin Trudeau’s COVID policies were too often about political science rather than medical science. Now, thanks to a lawsuit challenging his demand that anyone travelling by air be vaccinated, we have the proof.
The Trudeau government had been publicly opposed to any kind of vaccine mandate for months before their change of stance in August 2021. Trudeau himself had described such policies as “extreme measures that could have real divisive impacts on community and country” and had said this is not how Canada operates in interviews.
The Trudeau government had been publicly opposed to any kind of vaccine mandate for months before their change of stance in August 2021. Trudeau himself had described such policies as “extreme measures that could have real divisive impacts on community and country” and had said this is not how Canada operates in interviews.
Then just before the election call on August 15, the Liberals announced a vaccine mandate for federal workers and anyone who wanted to get on a plane or train to cross the country.
REQUIRING THE CBC TO PRACTICE WHAT IT PREACHES
Diversity quotas are coming to the CBC’s programming budget in 2023, thanks to a decision by Canada’s broadcast regulator to give itself the green light to intrude on journalistic independence — as long as it’s in the name of identity politics.
New requirements imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) mandate the CBC to dedicate at least 30 per cent of its spending on independent English programming (television shows and documentaries commissioned by the network) to producers who self-identify as Indigenous, official language minorities, visible minorities, disabled or LGBT. This will rise to 35 per cent in 2026.
The CRTC is also requiring that the CBC track the identities of new hires and promotions of staff. Demographics of showrunners, producers, directors, writers, cinematographers and editors will have to be tallied. Community groups for the above identities will also have to be consulted for programming feedback. If the CBC doesn’t appeal this decision successfully, it will be bound by the new conditions for five years, ending in 2027.
New requirements imposed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) mandate the CBC to dedicate at least 30 per cent of its spending on independent English programming (television shows and documentaries commissioned by the network) to producers who self-identify as Indigenous, official language minorities, visible minorities, disabled or LGBT. This will rise to 35 per cent in 2026.
The CRTC is also requiring that the CBC track the identities of new hires and promotions of staff. Demographics of showrunners, producers, directors, writers, cinematographers and editors will have to be tallied. Community groups for the above identities will also have to be consulted for programming feedback. If the CBC doesn’t appeal this decision successfully, it will be bound by the new conditions for five years, ending in 2027.
TAKING OFF THE ROSE COLOURED GLASSES
If you spend any time on social media, it’s likely that you’ve seen this graphic compiled by columnist Stephen Lautens that assembles 11 international indices which feature Canada near the top spot. “Canada is broken? I don’t think so. Neither does the world,” reads a caption.
Naturally, it only tells a partial picture. While Canada may dominate abstract indices such as “quality of life” and “peace,” there are plenty of far more empirical indicators in which we measurably rank as among the worst in the developed world.
There’s plenty to like about Canada, but below is a not-at-all comprehensive list of all the ways in which we are indeed very broken.
Naturally, it only tells a partial picture. While Canada may dominate abstract indices such as “quality of life” and “peace,” there are plenty of far more empirical indicators in which we measurably rank as among the worst in the developed world.
There’s plenty to like about Canada, but below is a not-at-all comprehensive list of all the ways in which we are indeed very broken.
GENEROUS CANADIAN TAXPAYERS
Government documents acquired by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) reveal that 114,443 employees received a salary of more than $100,000 in 2021. The number of employees receiving six-figure salaries increased by 45,426 during the pandemic.
The CTF is calling on the federal government to release a sunshine list similar to the Ontario government’s, in which salaries of public sector employees are publicly disclosed.
“We’re not all in this together,” said Federal Director of the CTF Franco Terrazzano.
“It’s not fair to ask the Canadians who lost their job or took a pay cut during the pandemic to pay higher taxes so the federal government can add thousands of highly paid bureaucrats.”
The CTF is calling on the federal government to release a sunshine list similar to the Ontario government’s, in which salaries of public sector employees are publicly disclosed.
“We’re not all in this together,” said Federal Director of the CTF Franco Terrazzano.
“It’s not fair to ask the Canadians who lost their job or took a pay cut during the pandemic to pay higher taxes so the federal government can add thousands of highly paid bureaucrats.”
PERHAPS A BARCODE TATOO?
A report published last week on revamping the Government of Canada’s digital infrastructure states that the next step to making services more convenient is to introduce a federal “Digital Identity Program.”
Citing the pandemic, the report outlines how a federal framework would also be integrated with provincial digital identities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for government services to be accessible and flexible in the digital age. The next step in making services more convenient to access is a federal Digital Identity Program, integrated with pre-existing provincial platforms,” the report explained.
Citing the pandemic, the report outlines how a federal framework would also be integrated with provincial digital identities.
“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for government services to be accessible and flexible in the digital age. The next step in making services more convenient to access is a federal Digital Identity Program, integrated with pre-existing provincial platforms,” the report explained.
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
MAINTAINING COVID JAB POLICIES AS EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS CLOSE
Ontario hospitals are upholding their mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies for employees as staff shortages mount to a “crisis” with more emergency departments temporarily closing over the weekend.
The province dropped the vaccine mandate at hospitals in March, but dozens kept their own policies in place, which ultimately led to the termination of members who refused to get vaccinated. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said these organizations are at liberty to “choose” to implement their own vaccination policies.
CTV News Toronto asked more than a dozen of those hospitals if they are considering lifting their mandates as the province faces a staffing “crisis,” as Ontario Health Executive Vice-President Dr. Chris Simpson described the current situation last week.
In each response, hospitals said that dropping their vaccination policies was not currently under consideration.
The province dropped the vaccine mandate at hospitals in March, but dozens kept their own policies in place, which ultimately led to the termination of members who refused to get vaccinated. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said these organizations are at liberty to “choose” to implement their own vaccination policies.
CTV News Toronto asked more than a dozen of those hospitals if they are considering lifting their mandates as the province faces a staffing “crisis,” as Ontario Health Executive Vice-President Dr. Chris Simpson described the current situation last week.
In each response, hospitals said that dropping their vaccination policies was not currently under consideration.
OTTAWA POLICE DETECTIVE FACES MISCONDUCT CHARGES
An Ottawa police officer is facing misconduct charges for allegedly inserting herself into child death investigations looking for connections to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Investigators with the Ottawa Police Service’s professional standards unit allege Const. Helen Grus committed discreditable conduct when she took on a private investigative project to find the vaccination status of parents whose infants or children had died.
Grus is a detective with the sexual assault and child abuse unit but she has been suspended since Feb. 4, 2022.
ANOTHER OF DR. FAUCI'S FALLACIES
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s recent comments on menstrual irregularities met with serious rebuttal from gynecologists, who say COVID-19 vaccines should not have been injected into pregnant women without adequate safety testing.
“Well, the menstrual thing is something that seems to be quite transient and temporary, that’s one of the points,” Fauci said in an appearance on Fox News on July 25, upon being asked about the effect of vaccines on menstrual cycles.
Dr. Christiane Northrup MD, a former fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, remarked to The Epoch Times on Fauci’s comments: “Unfortunately the menstrual problems we are seeing are far from transient and temporary. Many women have been bleeding daily or having heavy, irregular, painful periods for an entire year. And some of these are well past menopause. Something is way off here. ”
“Well, the menstrual thing is something that seems to be quite transient and temporary, that’s one of the points,” Fauci said in an appearance on Fox News on July 25, upon being asked about the effect of vaccines on menstrual cycles.
Dr. Christiane Northrup MD, a former fellow in the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, remarked to The Epoch Times on Fauci’s comments: “Unfortunately the menstrual problems we are seeing are far from transient and temporary. Many women have been bleeding daily or having heavy, irregular, painful periods for an entire year. And some of these are well past menopause. Something is way off here. ”
EXPECT CROP YIELDS & FOOD PRODUCTION TO PLUMMET
In a recent poll, 72% of farmers said that crop yields and food production will plummet should the Trudeau government’s 30% fertilizer emission targets be implemented.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) policy analyst Taylor Brown has called Nitrogen an “essential element” for the success of Canada’s agricultural sector.
“While the government of Canada’s objective is to set a national target to reduce emissions, the primary method to achieve this is not to establish a mandatory reduction in fertilizer use,” said Brown.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) policy analyst Taylor Brown has called Nitrogen an “essential element” for the success of Canada’s agricultural sector.
“While the government of Canada’s objective is to set a national target to reduce emissions, the primary method to achieve this is not to establish a mandatory reduction in fertilizer use,” said Brown.
ONGOING COURT CHALLENGE OF TRUDEAU'S TRAVEL MANDATE
On Part 2 of this special two-part episode of The Rupa Subramanya Show, Rupa, Shawn Rickard, Karl Harrison and Sam Presvelos continue their conversation about their ongoing court challenge of Justin Trudeau’s travel mandate.
Last week, Rupa broke a bombshell story that proves the vaccine mandate imposed on Canadians was not based on science as the government claimed, but rather on politics.
An ongoing court challenge to the travel vaccine mandate has exposed the inner working of Covid Recovery – a government coordinated panel that was tasked with implementing the mandate. Not only did Rupa’s report highlight the fact that not a single member of the Covid Recovery panel have a science or medical degree, but the group was panicking to have scientific and medical justification for the mandate they imposed on Canadians that was never given to them.
Last week, Rupa broke a bombshell story that proves the vaccine mandate imposed on Canadians was not based on science as the government claimed, but rather on politics.
An ongoing court challenge to the travel vaccine mandate has exposed the inner working of Covid Recovery – a government coordinated panel that was tasked with implementing the mandate. Not only did Rupa’s report highlight the fact that not a single member of the Covid Recovery panel have a science or medical degree, but the group was panicking to have scientific and medical justification for the mandate they imposed on Canadians that was never given to them.
THE SENEGAL DIPLOMAT
MONTREAL — The detention and alleged beating of a Senegalese diplomat by Quebec police last week occurred while a bailiff was attempting to seize property at her residence in connection with a court judgment against her.
Quebec’s rental board in June ordered Oumou Kalsoum Sall to pay a former landlord more than $45,000 for damage to a furnished home she occupied from Nov. 1, 2018, to Oct. 31, 2020. The tribunal found that she caused flooding that led to structural damage and that her use of the property forced its owner, Michel Lemay, to replace most of his furniture. “The pictures speak for themselves,” Anne A. Laverdure, an administrative judge, wrote in her ruling. “The furniture is full of cockroaches. Pieces of furniture are scratched and scuffed. Some are missing. Everything is dirty.”
Christia Freeland jumps in and condemns police brutality in the matter.
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
VACCINE MANDATES TRIAL DOCUMENTS PUBLISHED
The Federal Court is proactively making documents submitted during a trial on the vaccine mandate for air travel publicly available after journalist Rupa Subramanya’s exclusive report on how the government body in charge of crafting mandates had no members with a medical background.
In her report, Subramanya laid out how the shadowy Covid Recovery government panel was composed of political appointees and not actual scientists.
Among them was director-general Jennifer Little whose educational background included a bachelor’s degree in literature. Only one individual, Monique St.-Laurent had any semblance of training in public health.
FREELAND CLAIMS TO SUPPORT TRUCKERS
Six months ago, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland froze the bank accounts and suspended the licenses of truckers protesting her government’s vaccine mandates. Now, she’s bragging about all the work she and Trudeau have done to “keep our trucking industry strong.” True North’s Andrew Lawton debunks the myth of Liberal support for essential workers.
RCMP COVERTLY ACCESSING ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
The RCMP has deployed spyware to access the encrypted communications of targets as far back as 2002, a senior Mountie said Monday afternoon.
Mark Flynn, the RCMP’s assistant commissioner responsible for National Security and Protective Policing, told MPs that between 2002 and 2015, the Mounties deployed “Canadian-made technology” in order to covertly access electronic information.
“As encryption started to be used by targets that we had judicial authorization to intercept, and we were unable to hear the audio, hear the phone calls or see the messages they were sending, that is when we developed the tool and technique to make it possible to intercept those communications,” Flynn said.
Mark Flynn, the RCMP’s assistant commissioner responsible for National Security and Protective Policing, told MPs that between 2002 and 2015, the Mounties deployed “Canadian-made technology” in order to covertly access electronic information.
“As encryption started to be used by targets that we had judicial authorization to intercept, and we were unable to hear the audio, hear the phone calls or see the messages they were sending, that is when we developed the tool and technique to make it possible to intercept those communications,” Flynn said.
BC MLA FACING RECALL FROM ANTI MANDATE CROWD
An NDP MLA from B.C.'s Southern Interior is facing a recall petition spearheaded by constituents who are frustrated by the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The target of the campaign, Harwinder Sandhu, a nurse who represents the Vernon-Monashee riding, told CTV News she stands by the province's efforts to protect the public during the global health crisis.
"I will not be intimidated by a small group of extreme activists that do not represent the vast majority of people in Vernon-Monashee," Sandhu wrote in a statement.
The target of the campaign, Harwinder Sandhu, a nurse who represents the Vernon-Monashee riding, told CTV News she stands by the province's efforts to protect the public during the global health crisis.
"I will not be intimidated by a small group of extreme activists that do not represent the vast majority of people in Vernon-Monashee," Sandhu wrote in a statement.
Monday, August 8, 2022
ONTARIO NURSES LEAVING FOR USA JOBS
Nurse Linda Li is one of many in her profession who are so fed up with deteriorating working conditions in Ontario, they’ve taken their badly-needed skills to the United States.
She moved to Texas in January after spending about seven years practising in-home care, full nursing, and intensive care duties at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga.
The breaking point for Li was watching re-assigned doctors filling in and performing some nursing tasks — while earning 10 times what she was paid.
She moved to Texas in January after spending about seven years practising in-home care, full nursing, and intensive care duties at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga.
The breaking point for Li was watching re-assigned doctors filling in and performing some nursing tasks — while earning 10 times what she was paid.
Sunday, August 7, 2022
A 40% INCREASE IN ALL-CAUSE DEATH
Three physician whistle-blowers have released real data from the USA DOD, drawn from the clinical diagnosis codes.
EXPECTING TRUDEAU'S GOVERNMENT TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT
The Canadian federal budget is on track to be balanced – but it won’t happen until 2041.
That’s the warning from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), a taxpayer advocacy group known for exposing the dangers of high government spending and rapidly increasing debt.
“Taking another two decades to balance the budget is too long and even that target won’t be met if interest rates tick up, the economy doesn’t grow every single year or politicians can’t find the willpower to say no to new spending,” said the federal director of the CTF Franco Terrazzano.
That’s the warning from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), a taxpayer advocacy group known for exposing the dangers of high government spending and rapidly increasing debt.
“Taking another two decades to balance the budget is too long and even that target won’t be met if interest rates tick up, the economy doesn’t grow every single year or politicians can’t find the willpower to say no to new spending,” said the federal director of the CTF Franco Terrazzano.
CANCELLED TEACHER CONTINUES FIGHT AGAINST SCHOOL BOARD
Former Waterloo Region District School Board teacher Carolyn Bujorski has accused the board and its chairman Scott Piatkowski of trying to “gaslight” the community into thinking she is using her $1.7-million defamation lawsuit to silence them.
Burjoski filed her $1.7-million defamation suit against the board and Piatkowski in early May alleging they made widespread claims she was “transphobic” and had used “hate speech” during a January presentation to the board.
In a video posted this week on her website – www.cancelledteacher.com – Bujorski calls the board’s statement of defense nothing short of ironic considering she was ejected from a board meeting in January and called transphobic simply for questioning the age appropriateness of board materials pertaining to gender ideology.
In a video posted this week on her website – www.cancelledteacher.com – Bujorski calls the board’s statement of defense nothing short of ironic considering she was ejected from a board meeting in January and called transphobic simply for questioning the age appropriateness of board materials pertaining to gender ideology.
On June 21, she filed a second lawsuit in which she asks the Superior Court to conduct a judicial review of Piatkowski’s decision to end her presentation prematurely amid claims it violated the Human Rights Code.
THERE'S LIFE IN THE OLD DOG YET
Neil Oliver, ‘…governments and the would be powerful want us to think Magna Carta and the truths it contains do not matter anymore…’
DATA THEFT & GOVERNMENT POWER
What’s the most valuable commodity in the world? Grain, coffee, precious metals? No. Data are now the world’s single most valuable commodity. A commodity, as you know, is something that is bought and sold. That means data are being bought and sold. To be more specific, your data are being bought and sold.
China recently got a taste of its own medicine. A country synonymous with hacking found itself hacked. In the first week of July, a hacker stole the data of a billion Chinese citizens and offered to sell it all for a cool $200,000. Everything has its price, including data. Of course, the Chinese people aren’t the only ones who need to worry about their data being misused and abused.
In the United States, according to Bennett Cyphers, a technologist who focuses on consumer privacy and state legislation, data brokers have formed an unholy alliance with the country’s military, intelligence communities, and law enforcement agencies. This immense, highly secretive partnership was established for one reason and one reason only—to surveil the actions and activities of U.S. citizens.
China recently got a taste of its own medicine. A country synonymous with hacking found itself hacked. In the first week of July, a hacker stole the data of a billion Chinese citizens and offered to sell it all for a cool $200,000. Everything has its price, including data. Of course, the Chinese people aren’t the only ones who need to worry about their data being misused and abused.
In the United States, according to Bennett Cyphers, a technologist who focuses on consumer privacy and state legislation, data brokers have formed an unholy alliance with the country’s military, intelligence communities, and law enforcement agencies. This immense, highly secretive partnership was established for one reason and one reason only—to surveil the actions and activities of U.S. citizens.
AMANDA TODD ONLINE ABUSER GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. — A Dutch man accused of tormenting British Columbia teen Amanda Todd via online threats has been found guilty of all charges he faced in connection with the case, a jury ruled on Saturday.
Aydin Coban was accused of extortion, harassment, communication with a young person to commit a sexual offence and possession and distribution of child pornography. The jury presiding over his trial in the B.C. Supreme Court handed down its unanimous verdict one day after deliberations got underway.
Todd was 15 when she died by suicide in 2012 after posting a video that described being tormented by an online harasser.
Saturday, August 6, 2022
TEXAS GOVERNOR CALLS BS ON NYC MAYOR
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said his state has started busing illegal immigrants straight to New York, as he seeks to make other communities share a little bit of the struggles his state has faced with the Biden migrant surge.
The Republican governor has shipped thousands of migrants to the District of Columbia over the last four months, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams had complained that some of them were spilling over into his city. But Mr. Abbott said this is the first busload that Texas has been sent straight to the Big Apple.
“In addition to Washington, D.C., New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city,” Mr. Abbott said Friday. “I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns.
The Republican governor has shipped thousands of migrants to the District of Columbia over the last four months, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams had complained that some of them were spilling over into his city. But Mr. Abbott said this is the first busload that Texas has been sent straight to the Big Apple.
“In addition to Washington, D.C., New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city,” Mr. Abbott said Friday. “I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns.
TRUDEAU'S VAINGLORIOUS PERFORMANCE DURING POPE'S VISIT
Pope Francis came on what he called a “pilgrimage of penance.” The prime minister came with pride and pretense. The contrast was evident at the Citadelle of Quebec City
Pope Francis was confined to his wheelchair. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, tall, fit, strong, towered over him. But it was clear who the smaller man was.
The protocol arrangements had assigned the Governor General to speak on behalf of Canada, not the prime minister. After all, it was at her residence. But Trudeau demanded to have his say. And so he did.
Pope Francis was confined to his wheelchair. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, tall, fit, strong, towered over him. But it was clear who the smaller man was.
The protocol arrangements had assigned the Governor General to speak on behalf of Canada, not the prime minister. After all, it was at her residence. But Trudeau demanded to have his say. And so he did.
THE INCREDIBLY INCOMPETENT MELANIE JOLY
Not all cabinet positions are created equal, and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly’s is one that literally deals with life and death on a daily basis. There’s little room for error, let alone the displays of gross incompetence, dysfunction and/or bad judgment we’ve seen as of late. The job is simply too important. The stakes are too high.
In June, we learned a foreign affairs staffer was sent to attend a garden party at Russia’s embassy in Ottawa. What followed was a chaotic flurry of finger-pointing between Joly’s office and Global Affairs staffers about who knew what and when. The public never did get a satisfactory answer.
Now we have another round of “did she know or didn’t she”— this time with lives on the line. The Globe and Mail reports that, in the weeks leading up to the Russian invasion, Canada abandoned its Ukrainian embassy staff as Canadians rushed to evacuate themselves and their pets. Even more appalling, diplomats had seen intelligence reports that Ukrainian staffers were likely on Russian kill lists.
In June, we learned a foreign affairs staffer was sent to attend a garden party at Russia’s embassy in Ottawa. What followed was a chaotic flurry of finger-pointing between Joly’s office and Global Affairs staffers about who knew what and when. The public never did get a satisfactory answer.
Now we have another round of “did she know or didn’t she”— this time with lives on the line. The Globe and Mail reports that, in the weeks leading up to the Russian invasion, Canada abandoned its Ukrainian embassy staff as Canadians rushed to evacuate themselves and their pets. Even more appalling, diplomats had seen intelligence reports that Ukrainian staffers were likely on Russian kill lists.
Friday, August 5, 2022
A FORM OF COLLECTIVE DEMENTIA
In this episode, Rex Murphy and Jordan Peterson discuss the strange times in current Canadian politics, the perpetual scandals of Justin Trudeau, media censorship and the appalling Bill C-11, fascism on the Left, Zoom parliament, and much more. Thanks for watching.
Thursday, August 4, 2022
CANADA- THE COUNTRY OF THE LONG WAIT
A few days ago my wife and I brought her mother, who was suffering from a serious leg infection, to the local ER. We were worried about the possibility of gangrene, which an acquaintance some years back had contracted under similar circumstances, resulting in the amputation of his leg. As expected, the ER was jam-packed, and it soon became clear that my mother-in-law would have to wait at least six and even twelve hours before she could be seen. No triage had been performed to determine rank of urgency. Meanwhile, a youngish man in a wheelchair, doubled over and clutching his chest, was bitterly complaining that he had suffered a heart attack. But he too would have to wait before being attended to — assuming he would still be alive by then.
This is publicly funded “single-payer” Medicare, the pride of the Canadian medical system, though in reality, an institutional atrocity equaled only, perhaps, by the British National Health Service (NHS). Even our doctors are suffering, six having died suddenly within a period of days, apparently following the mandated fourth jab (though the likely cause of death was strenuously and predictably denied by hospital administrations). What are they waiting for, we might ask, to recognize the folly of failed medical policy? After all, the Grim Reaper is no slouch.
This is publicly funded “single-payer” Medicare, the pride of the Canadian medical system, though in reality, an institutional atrocity equaled only, perhaps, by the British National Health Service (NHS). Even our doctors are suffering, six having died suddenly within a period of days, apparently following the mandated fourth jab (though the likely cause of death was strenuously and predictably denied by hospital administrations). What are they waiting for, we might ask, to recognize the folly of failed medical policy? After all, the Grim Reaper is no slouch.
ARRIVECAN APP DESTROYING BORDER ECONOMY
By the mid-summer of 2022, a lot of tourism businesses near the Canadian border started to notice something: Where is everybody?
Pandemic restrictions are lifted, but there aren’t nearly as many Americans blowing money at Niagara Falls casinos. In May 2020, just before COVID started, almost a million people crossed the border near Buffalo, N.Y. In May 2022, it was about half a million.
If you ask basically any politician whose constituency is near the U.S./Canadian border, they know exactly what to blame for all this: The ArriveCAN app.
FREELAND BLOWING HOT AIR
Canada has a “political responsibility” to step up as Russia strangles flows of natural gas to European allies — and that includes a role for Ottawa in advancing a potential East Coast LNG plant, says Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Speaking with journalists from Saint John, N.B., on Wednesday, Freeland was asked about whether Canada should be doing more to supply European countries with LNG — liquefied natural gas — as those countries rapidly scale back their dependence on Russian fuel following its invasion in Ukraine.
On whether she backed a plant in Saint John specifically, though, Freeland did not say.
“I think this is not the moment to pick specific projects,” she said.
Speaking with journalists from Saint John, N.B., on Wednesday, Freeland was asked about whether Canada should be doing more to supply European countries with LNG — liquefied natural gas — as those countries rapidly scale back their dependence on Russian fuel following its invasion in Ukraine.
On whether she backed a plant in Saint John specifically, though, Freeland did not say.
“I think this is not the moment to pick specific projects,” she said.
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
WHAT TRUDEAU'S FERTILIZER REDUCTION PLAN WILL MEAN
Justin Trudeau demonstrates a total lack of practical understanding of how our food is produced, where it comes from and how it gets into the Provigo down the block. He acts as if it is magically produced in the back of the store and just appears as needed on the shelves.
Another sign of Trudeau’s disconnect from the real world (and an indication that nothing matters to him as much as the cult of climate alarmism) is that he has proclaimed his new fertilizer-reduction regulation in the middle of the worst food inflation Canadian consumers have faced in 40 years.
No fertilizer means lower yields, less food and higher prices.
Another sign of Trudeau’s disconnect from the real world (and an indication that nothing matters to him as much as the cult of climate alarmism) is that he has proclaimed his new fertilizer-reduction regulation in the middle of the worst food inflation Canadian consumers have faced in 40 years.
No fertilizer means lower yields, less food and higher prices.
ICED TERRORIST CHIEF'S INFINITE BLOODLUST
Al-Qaida chieftain Ayman al-Zawahiri’s bloodlust knew no bounds. It was limitless.
Even as a U.S. drone turned the maniacal monster into a grease spot on a filthy Kabul street this past weekend, his fanaticism never wavered for a moment.
The mastermind of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 that killed almost 3,000 men, women and children in New York City, a farmer’s field in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon was finally taken off the board.
OF TRUCK CONVOYS & THE PM's JET
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s month of feverish jet travel consumed roughly enough fossil fuel to power a good-sized convoy of trucks.
In July, as calculated by the National Post’s Bryan Passifiume, there were only 11 days where Trudeau was not travelling aboard the official prime ministerial jet.
In 20 trips — almost all of which were for photo ops or goodwill visits — Trudeau logged 26,238 kilometres of jet travel. This included a 5,500-km flight to spend six hours at the Calgary Stampede, and a 62-km hop between Penticton and Kelowna in order to avoid rush hour traffic.
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
COURT DOCUMENTS REVEAL CANADA'S TRAVEL BAN HAD NO SCIENTIFIC BASIS
On August 13, 2021, the Canadian government announced that anyone who hadn’t been vaccinated against Covid would soon be barred from planes and trains. In many cases, The Backward could no longer travel between provinces or leave the country. If you lived in Winnipeg and wanted to visit your mother on her deathbed in London or Hong Kong or, perhaps, Quebec City, you’d better get jabbed—or resign yourself to never seeing your mother again.
Jennifer Little, the director-general of COVID Recovery, the secretive government panel that crafted the mandate, called it “one of the strongest vaccination mandates for travelers in the world.”
Harrison and Rickard wanted to expose the truth behind the mandate: that it was driven by politics, not science. They believed they had a right to refuse a vaccine about which they had come to have doubts. They said they were doing this for all Canadians, even those who thought they were wrong.
“What I have personally struggled with and have found to be the most unconscionable and objectionable aspects of how this pandemic has been managed,” Rickard said in his affidavit, “is the unnecessary hateful, vindictive and divisive behavior that I have witnessed from neighbors, friends, family members, colleagues and our government. The words and action of our government, which has entrenched policies based on vaccination status, without reflecting the risk of those unvaccinated, is far from the warm, caring, and thoughtful Canada I remember living in.”
Jennifer Little, the director-general of COVID Recovery, the secretive government panel that crafted the mandate, called it “one of the strongest vaccination mandates for travelers in the world.”
Harrison and Rickard wanted to expose the truth behind the mandate: that it was driven by politics, not science. They believed they had a right to refuse a vaccine about which they had come to have doubts. They said they were doing this for all Canadians, even those who thought they were wrong.
“What I have personally struggled with and have found to be the most unconscionable and objectionable aspects of how this pandemic has been managed,” Rickard said in his affidavit, “is the unnecessary hateful, vindictive and divisive behavior that I have witnessed from neighbors, friends, family members, colleagues and our government. The words and action of our government, which has entrenched policies based on vaccination status, without reflecting the risk of those unvaccinated, is far from the warm, caring, and thoughtful Canada I remember living in.”
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