Millions of dollars in donations. Thousands of big rigs. Countless supporters lining highways and overpasses. The trucker convoy hasn’t even made it to Ottawa yet and it’s already making an impact, advocating against Justin Trudeau’s vaccine mandate for truckers. True North’s Andrew Lawton says the convoy is doing more to stand up to mandates than any of the opposition parties represented in Parliament have.
The Council Office and the Prime Minister’s Office both would not comment on The Truckers for Freedom convoy or what security measures, if any, would be put in place upon the arrival of the convoy.
In an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics, Alghabra said the government is not interested in alternatives like rapid testing for unvaccinated truckers. He said truckers and the wider industry have had months to prepare for the new regulations and drivers must now get the shot or stop driving over the border.
h/t Mauser 98
OTTAWA — A new poll suggests the Conservatives are back within striking distance of the Liberals after a slump in support late last year amid internal grumbling about the party’s election loss.
Canada has vital stake in Ukraine outcome but ‘no currency or heft’, experts say
OTTAWA — Canada shouldn’t let Washington and Moscow alone decide the future of Europe as the threat of war between Russia and Ukraine escalates, say experts.
As Vladimir Putin slowly builds toward upending the stalemate on the Ukrainian border, Royal Military College and Queen’s University professor Christian Leuprecht says Canada needs to make its voice heard.
Conservative MPs fiercely opposed to the federal government’s new vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers have slammed what they call Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “vaccine vendetta,” saying that the policy will disrupt the country’s supply chains.
Freedom rallies and the Truckers for Freedom Convoy both took place over the weekend, and saw tens of thousands of Canadians voicing their opposition to vaccine mandates, forced vaccines and other heavy-handed public health restrictions.
COVID-19 contributed to the biggest annual reduction in life expectancy on record in Canada in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, Statistics Canada said in preliminary findings released on Monday.
While COVID was the third-leading cause of deaths in 2020, Statscan said the impact from the pandemic also likely contributed indirectly with a rise in deaths due to factors such as delayed medical procedures and increased drug-use.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says how Canada will respond to continued Russian threats against Ukraine will be on the agenda for a three-day virtual cabinet retreat set to get underway Monday.
The federal cabinet is meeting as tensions remain high over a potential Russian incursion into Ukraine. NATO officials announced earlier in the day that additional forces from the military alliance are being put on standby to deploy into eastern Europe as part of a bid to deter Russia.
Ontario’s new reopening roadmap has no projected end for mask mandates or vaccine passports. In Alberta, Premier Jason Kenney has not said anything more specific than “soon” when asked how long he plans to keep vaccine passports and mask mandates in place. True North’s Andrew Lawton says it’s clear there’s no exit strategy for pandemic restrictions in most of Canada, which is bad news for those of us unwilling to adopt the new normal.
Between 2014 and 2016, donations from non-Canadian sources increased from $53 million to $535 million– an increase of one thousand percent.
The Conservative opposition requested that the Lobbying Commissioner investigate whether Liberal fundraisers had used donations to the Trudeau Foundation to gain influence with government. The Canadian Lobbying Act says financial donors are prohibited from lobbying a federal government.
Many aspects of Canada’s pandemic response have been nonsensical and burdensome. As we learn more about Omicron and what works to limit spread and hospitalizations (spoiler alert: it’s still largely vaccines ), we must focus on swiftly restoring the freedoms that have been so easily waved away. The time for pondering whether granting freedom is selfish is over. Individual liberties are an essential part of what it means to be Canadian and the longer we infringe upon them, the further we move away from what our society stands for.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has an “open invitation” to visit Moscow to meet with Russian officials, an offer first extended in December, says Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday, Stepanov said the Russian government would welcome the meeting.
“Your excellency Joly had the chance to chat with [Foreign] Minister [Sergei] Lavrov on the margins of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe meeting last December in Stockholm and expressed her interest to come to Moscow for consultations at some point and my minister extended the official invitation,” he said.
Lloyd Alter, who teaches sustainable design at Ryerson University’s School of Interior Design, is the author of the book, “Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle: Why Individual Climate Action Matters More Than Ever.” In the book, he argues that the climate impact of actions such as driving less or limiting red meat consumption can go a long way.
The U.S. mandate, announced in October, requires all essential foreign travelers, including truck drivers, who cross U.S. land borders to be fully vaccinated. Essential nonresident travelers had been able to enter the U.S. during the pandemic regardless of their vaccination status, in part so as not to disrupt trade and to give them more time to get vaccinated.
