OTTAWA—Canada next week will reveal the breadth of the emergency spending it has made during the pandemic and lay the groundwork for future stimulus and social measures, like a national childcare program, government sources told Reuters.
Canada did not release a budget for this fiscal year, which began in April, because of the economic uncertainty created by COVID-19, but in July projected a $343.2 billion deficit, the largest since World War II.
Looks like my writing in the pages of the Sun is being targeted by the federal Liberal government. The Prime Minister and Health Minister are speaking out to let you, dear reader, know that I’m fake and I’m dangerous. Better watch out.
The other week I began reporting on COVID-19 statistics released by the Alberta government. Health experts around the world had been warning people that those with underlying conditions were particularly vulnerable to the virus.
Despite having markedly lower COVID-19 death rates than most G7 nations, Canada is on track to record 20,000 COVID-19 cases a day across all age groups by the end of December. A growing chorus of pundits are calling for the federal government to compel the provinces to adopt a more stringent pandemic response. The idea is that invoking greater federal control – particularly as we enter the winter months – could help stem the rising second wave.
There is a narrative setting in, pushed by much of the media and opportunistic politicians, and it goes a little something like this:
‘The COVID-19 crisis shows the importance of government authority, since government action is what will get us through it. Government was there every step of the way, providing financial support to families and businesses, providing resources in the healthcare system, imposing restrictions for your own good, and keeping our society functional during this time.’
This narrative will be very compelling for many, and will feel truthful to many Canadians.
It is also completely wrong, and quite dangerous.
A slew of measures introduced by the federal government to control online content creates a framework that could be used for censorship, critics warn.
Recommendations in a June 2019 report by the Liberal-dominated justice and human rights standing committee titled “Taking Action to End Online Hate” included “a national database to retain and analyze hate crime and hate incident data.” The report also recommended a “civil remedy,” such as putting hate speech back in the domain of human rights tribunals.
And Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has stated that stronger regulation is coming.
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre took to social media this week with repeated messages to “#StopTheGreatReset.”
He says he’s simply criticizing comments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made in a speech at the United Nations and an associated World Economic Forum document, but the terminology of a “Great Reset” has been co-opted by fringe groups who falsely claim a group of global elites are using the pandemic to benefit themselves and their friends.
Her problem is she either meant what she said about Israel, or she didn’t listen to the question she was asked before responding.
This started in question period last Thursday.
Freeland was asked by Conservative MP Michael Chong to explain why Canada has, for the second year in a row, voted for an anti-Israel resolution regularly passed by the United Nations General Assembly.
Former Ambassador to China Defends Comments on Meng Wanzhou Extradition Case
…When questioned if he had received gifts from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during his tenure as the ambassador, McCallum said he had “not received a penny” as “ambassador, as MP, or post-ambassador” from Beijing.
According to a 2018 Globe and Mail article, McCallum accepted over $73,000 in trips to China sponsored by the Chinese regime or pro-Beijing business groups between 2008 and 2015 during his time as a member of Parliament.
The Broadcasting Act Blunder series has focused for the past two days on inaccurate claims from Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault that the bill contains significant economic thresholds as a guardrail against over-regulation and excludes news from its ambit. As I noted, the bill does no such thing, though the CRTC will be able to establish regulatory exemptions once it conducts extensive hearings on implementing the legislation should it pass.
Many politicians are pushing for more lockdown measures while promising to help businesses cope by introducing more spending programs.
Prime Minister Trudeau says the provinces won’t have to choose between people’s health and the economy because the federal government will step in – but can the Government of Canada run out of money?
Privy Council Clerk Ian Shugart told the finance committee he’s confident document redactions were made on a non-partisan, professional basis by public servants.
Some world leaders, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apparently among them, think that the COVID-19 crisis offers an “opportunity” to “re-imagine” or “reshape” national economies, and tie them to broad international schemes. High in the list of such schemes is, in their words, “ending the carbon economy.” In other words, killing off oil and gas.
In a weak moment, I have allowed myself to imagine how Trudeau could earn, if not the right, then at least the acceptance of the Canadian public, for his grand international visions. The speech that follows is entirely imaginary, which at least places it in the same realm as some of the schemes we have been hearing about.
