Green Party deputy leader jailed for contempt

Green Party deputy leader sentenced to 60 days for role in Fairy Creek protests | Victoria Times-Colonist | Roxanne Egan-Elliott

April 24, 2024 - "An old-growth logging protester and deputy leader of the federal Green Party has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for her role in the Fairy Creek protests. Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, was convicted in January of seven counts of criminal contempt for breaching an injunction covering the Fairy Creek area and breaching her bail conditions for incidents spanning from May 2021 to January 2022.

"Davidson was initially arrested after blocking a road by chaining herself to a gate in the Fairy Creek injunction area. She was released on condition that she not return to the area. The subsequent offences involved returning to the injunction area, ignoring the terms of her house arrest. 

"Davidson, 38, was sentenced in Nanaimo Wednesday to 60 days in jail, minus 12 days for time served pre-trial, and 75 hours of community service.... Green Party Leader Elizabeth May ... who sat next to Davidson’s parents during the hearing, said she was horrified by the length of the sentence.

"Davidson was appointed deputy leader of the Green Party in early 2022 by then interim leader Amita Kuttner and reappointed by May when she replaced Kuttner.

"More than 1,100 arrests were made in the Fairy Creek protests, making it the largest act of civil disobedience in Canada."
Read more: https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/green-party-deputy-leader-sentenced-to-60-days-for-role-in-fairy-creek-protests-8648322

Green Party’s May distraught over deputy leader’s logging protest conviction, jail time | Western Standard | Shaun Polczer:

April 25, 2024 - "Angela Davidson — also known as ‘Rainbow Eyes’ — was convicted in January of seven counts of criminal contempt for breaching a court injunction and bail conditions for a series of protests at the Fairy Creek logging camp on Vancouver Island in the spring of 2021. On Wednesday she was sentenced to 60 days and 75 hours of community service for her role in the protests near Port Renfrew that saw more than 1,000 people arrested at the Teal Cedar Products logging camp where it had licences to cut old-growth timber.

"After her initial charge, Davidson was subsequently arrested six more times for returning to the area when she had been ordered not to and for breaching the terms of her house arrest.....

"In response to the sentence, May accused the courts of protecting corporate profits over the public interest. In a statement she said the party stands 'in solidarity with our brave deputy leader Rainbow Eyes who is to lose her freedom for the "crime" of trying to protect the old growth forest the provincial government had said it would protect from logging — and then did nothing.'”
Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/bc/green-partys-may-distraught-over-deputy-leaders-logging-protest-conviction-jail-time/54097

Rainbow Eyes is a rabble rouser to watch | rabble.ca News | September 2, 2022:

Tech sector warns of harm from Liberals' Budget

Industry leaders are warning that the Liberals' Budget 2024 could cause "irreparable harm" to the tech sector in Canada.

Tech sector slams Liberals’ capital gains tax hike as “irreparable harm” | True North | Isaac Lamoreux: 

April 17, 2024 - "The Liberal government’s 2024 federal budget has sent shockwaves through Canada’s tech sector, with sweeping increases to capital gains taxes being the main cause for concern. Leaders within the industry are voicing criticism at the Liberals, suggesting that further taxation could drive businesses and talent south of the border. The budget, delivered by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, raises the inclusion rate for capital gains tax from 50% to 66% for individuals on amounts exceeding $250,000. The amendments to the Income Tax Act will come into effect on June 25, 2024. The Liberals expect to make $19.4 billion over the next five years from [the move].... 

"Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators, explained in his organization’s response to the budget that the best way for the government to boost its revenue is to drive economic growth and productivity gains by helping Canada’s innovators. 'We hope that Minister Freeland and the Liberal government will listen to innovators and adjust this proposed tax hike before they do irreparable harm to the Canadian innovation economy,' he said....

"Local entrepreneur Boris Wertz ... felt that the Liberals had 'lost their plot on innovation and entrepreneurship.' His biggest concerns were 'trying to pick winners (e.g. superclusters); proposing very rigid AI regulations; dramatic increase of number of public sector employees; (and) increasing capital gain rate.' The budget promises to invest $2.4 billion in AI support, $5.1 million of which will be dedicated toward the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act — ensuring that AI is 'safe and non-discriminatory,' according to the Liberal government.... 

"Kim Furlong, CEO of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, said that her organization is 'baffled' by the Liberals’ decision to increase the capital gains tax. 'This measure, which effectively taxes innovation and risk-taking, will significantly dampen Canada’s entrepreneurial spirit, stifle economic growth in critical sectors of our economy, and impact job creation. Such policy change undermines Canada’s position to attract the talent needed to grow and scale companies here,' she said. 'CVCA will work tirelessly to reverse this decision,' said Furlong.

"The founder of a venture capital firm, Christian Lassonde, said that Canada is desperate for new investment dollars. 'What does this government do? Punish investing. You can’t make this stuff up,' he wrote in a post to X.

"President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Dan Kelly, said that the capital gains tax changes will demotivate Canadians from starting businesses in the first place. 'Several sectors of Canada’s (small and medium enterprises) community will be hit with higher capital gain taxes on business sales above $2.25 million, including restaurants, hotels, doctors’ offices, insurance brokers, real estate firms, recreation and arts and recreation firms,' said Kelly in a post to X.

"Armon Shokravi, co-founder of a software development business, explained in a post to X that the tax changes, of an inclusion rate from 50 to 66%, would increase the net capital gains tax from 27% to 36%, compared to the United States, who have a tax rate of 20%. 'In my conversations with Canadian entrepreneurs, it’s clear: They’re feeling less motivated to build businesses here when moving just a bit south could mean saving a lot more,' he said..... 

"Independent MP Kevin Vuong shared a text message from a local business owner. The former founder, who works in the tech sector, said that they and their partner sat down last night and began the process of moving to the United States. 'We’re leaving to a country that celebrates entrepreneurs and innovation,' they said. 'The world is too competitive for talent and Canada is not competitive anymore.'

Read more: https://tnc.news/2024/04/17/liberals-capital-gains-tax-hike-irreparable-harm/

Budget 2024 picks a fight with Canadian tech | BetaKit Podcast | April 22, 2024: 

Foreign-funded serial blockader avoids deportation

Thanks to au unidentified Liberal cabinet minister, foreign-funded eco-activist and serial blockader Muhammad Zain Ul Haq aka Zain Haq avoided being deported from Canada this week. 

Trudeau government intervenes at last minute to save serial blockader from deportation | National Post | Tristin Hopper: 

April 23, 2024 - "For years, every time a port, highway, work site or rail line was blockaded by B.C. activists, there was a good chance Zain Haq was not too far away. A Pakistani national who first came to Canada in 2019 on a study permit, he’s been arrested at least 10 times [and] convicted of mischief charges, and has been pretty open about his role in leading a foreign-funded 'rebellion' against the Canadian government. And now, after a years-long effort by the Canada Border Services Agency to secure Haq’s deportation, the 23-year-old’s removal was stayed at the 11th hour, potentially due to the intervention of the Trudeau government.... 

Shaun Polczer, Western Standard, April 22, 2024.

"Haq had been scheduled for deportation by no later than Monday, April 22 — and a last-minute appeal had already been rejected by a federal judge. But on Friday, Haq received a cryptic call from the office of .. the Liberal MP for his riding ... telling him to stay by his phone. He was soon contacted by a CBSA case officer telling him he could stay in the country. 

"Haq’s lawyer, Randall Cohn, told Glacier [Media] that he suspected someone in the federal cabinet was 'listening and paying attention to the timing and decided to step in.'

"Haq wasn’t facing deportation because of his arrests or conviction.... Rather it was due to violations of his study permit. Haq was away from class for long periods, and at one point was put on academic probation by Simon Fraser University.

"Over the last five years, Haq has been at the centre of two of the province’s most extreme environmental groups: Extinction Rebellion and Save Old Growth, of which he’s a co-founder. Between them, the groups have been the singular cause of activist-led disruptions throughout the Lower Mainland through their chosen tactics of blockading roads, bridges and other infrastructure. They also both carry demands that cannot feasibly be met. Extinction Rebellion demands the immediate abandonment of all fossil fuels. Save Old Growth demands the immediate suspension of all old-growth logging.... The 'no old growth' demand, in particular, has been denounced by B.C. First Nations who say it ignores Indigenous land-use rights....

"A mischief case brought against him in 2023 detailed Haq’s central role in extended closures of bridges, intersections and — in October 2021 — a two-hour blockade of Vancouver International Airport. In July of that year, court documents said that Haq helped organize a road closure that 'interfered with emergency vehicles trying to access St. Paul’s Hospital.' 'Mr. Haq has shown disdain for the rule of law and he has publicly encouraged others to break the law while publicly celebrating his arrest,' read a 2023 decision convicting Haq of mischief. Although prosecutors sought a 60-day jail sentence, Haq was instead given 61 days of house arrest....

"Haq has routinely acknowledged he was breaking Canadian law and threatened to continue doing it until his demands were met. 'Every single day we will be disrupting the highways in multiple locations, both on the Island and in Vancouver,' he warned British Columbians at the start of the 2022 summer travel season.... In a 2020 Extinction Rebellion statement, he was quoted as saying 'occupying private and public spaces is an essential step towards truly understanding what a democracy looks like.' He added, 'it is impossible to frighten people who have declared a non-violent rebellion against the government.'

"He’s even admitted that his actions were foreign funded. In a 2022 New York Times interview, he said he’d received $170,000 from the California-based Climate Emergency Fund....

"Haq’s wife ... has applied to sponsor Haq for permanent residency, the CBC reported. However, it remains unclear how long he may be able to stay in Canada."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/first-reading-trudeau-government-intervenes-at-last-minute-to-save-serial-blockader-from-deportation

Zain Haq speaks before being sentenced to prison | The Georgia Straight | February 18, 2022: 

Student stabbed in eye with flagpole at Yale

Jewish Yale student journalist stabbed in the eye with Palestinian flag during protest | New York Post | Ronny Reyes:

April 21, 2024 - "A Jewish Yale University student journalist reporting on an anti-Israeli protest at the Ivy League school Saturday night was stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag – while her assailant has gone unpunished.

"Sahar Tartak, the editor-in-chief of the Yale Free Press, was covering the protest – which saw hundreds of students camping at the campus in support of Palestinians – when she was suddenly surrounded by demonstrators. Tartak said she and a friend were singled out for wearing Hasidic Jewish attire as the crowd formed a blockade around them to interfere with their filming.

“'There’s hundreds of people taunting me and waving the middle finger at me, and then this person waves a Palestinian flag in my face and jabs it in my eye,' Tartak told The Post. 'When I tried to yell and go after him, the protesters got in a line and stopped me,' she added.

"Tartak, who was shopping for an eyepatch when speaking with The Post, said she tried to report the assault to campus police but that they told her there was nothing they could do. Instead, she just got an ambulance ride to the hospital to get her eye checked out....

"Stop Antisemitism, a nonprofit watchdog group, has shared an image Tartak took of the demonstrator who jabbed her in the eye, asking the public to help identify him. Yale officials said the university’s police department is investigating the assault and that the school tolerates no violence on its campus."

Read more: https://nypost.com/2024/04/21/us-news/jewish-yale-student-stabbed-in-the-eye-with-palestinian-flag-during-protest/

Photo courtesy New York Post.

Jewish Yale student jabbed in eye with flag pole by anti-Israel protesters | Jerusalem Post - Michael Starr: 

April 21, 2024 - "Tartak reported the assault to campus police, but she is unaware of any action taken besides calling an ambulance for her. She was discharged from the hospital and will not suffer permanent damage. Mentally, however, Tartak said, she was in an 'awful' state. Returning to campus has become a daunting prospect, as she says, 'All these students know who I am'....

"Tartak said that she told officers that they should disband the encampment, but they responded that they needed authorization. Tartak noted that the police were outnumbered, with only 7 officers to police hundreds of activists. 

"Yalies for Palestine and American Muslims for Palestine Connecticut said on social media that they had succeeded on Saturday because no arrests had been made during their protests, which began on Friday in response to attempts to remove a similar encampment at Columbia University."

Read more: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-798092

60% of dentists reject Canada Dental Care plan

The head of the Canadian Dental Association says that more than 60% of dentists surveyed have said they will not participate in the Trudeau government's recently unveiled Canada Dental Care program.

60 Percent of Dentists Won’t Take Part in ‘Complex’ $13B Federal Care Plan, Association Says | Epoch Times | Chris Tomlinson:

April 19, 2024 - "Over 60 percent of dentists would not participate in the federal government’s $13 billion Canada Dental Care Plan, the head of the Canadian Dental Association told MPs.... Aaron Burry, CEO of the Dental Association, testified before the House Finance Committee on April 18, telling the committee a recent survey of 4,000 dentists found '61 percent of dentists said [they] will not participate in the program.'

“'Without the support of oral health providers this program will not succeed and the millions of patients signing up for the program will not be able to find a dentist,' he said, as first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter. He said that the dental association was not negotiating with the federal government regarding the plan but was testifying in order to provide advice about what the structure of the plan should be.

"He said dentists were concerned about the program’s extensive terms and conditions, fee schedules not being aligned with provincial rates, and overall bureaucratic demands. 'It is a complex government program. It involves more complex authorization processes we believe will disrupt patient care,' he said.

"Mr. Burry noted that the plan 'does not provide free dental care,' and only covers a portion of the usual fees, creating confusion among dentists on the boundaries of coverage.... '[D]entists don’t know how coordination of benefits with provincial programs is going to work. We also don’t know exactly what level of services will be preauthorized to meet patient needs. We just don’t know,' he said.

"Private insurance company Sunlife is the administrator of the program, which is currently only available to seniors. Children under 18 will become eligible to apply in June, while those aged 18 to 64 will need to wait until 2025.... To be eligible for the program, a household must earn less than $90,000 a year, not have access to dental insurance, be a Canadian resident for tax purposes, and have filed a tax return for the previous year....

"When it was initially proposed, the Dental Care Plan was expected to cost around $6 billion over five years but the costs were later adjusted to $13 billion, more than double the initial estimate....

"Health Minister Mark Holland announced this week that the government would be looking into tweaking the plan to make it more attractive to dentists and get more of them to sign up but noted at least 5,000 dentists have signed on so far.

"The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association has also voiced criticism of the plan, particularly the reimbursement guide which would pay significantly less to a private hygiene clinic as opposed to a dentist’s office. According to the association, that would mean that some provinces would see as much as a 20 percent difference in reimbursement rates."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/dentists-wary-of-complex-13b-federal-care-plan-says-dental-association-ceo-5632820

Dentists hesitant to join Canadian Dental Plan, cite "contracts with unknown terms and conditions" | Global News | April 15, 2024:

Alleged Coutts ringleaders convicted of mischief

Coutts Three Verdict: A Warning to Protesters Who Act as Liaison with Police | Frontier Centre for Public Policy | Ray McGinnis, Senior Fellow:

April 19, 2024 - "Twelve jurors have found the Coutts Three guilty of mischief over $5,000 at a courthouse in Lethbridge, Alberta. Marco Van Huigenbois, Alex Van Herk and George Janzen will appear again in court on July 22 for sentencing. Van Huigenbois, Van Herk and Janzen were each protesting at the Coutts Blockade in 2022. A blockade of Alberta Highway 4 began on January 29, 2022, blocking traffic, on and off, on Alberta Highway 4 near the Coutts-Sweetgrass Canada-USA border crossing. The protests were in support of the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa. Protests began due to the vaccine mandates for truckers entering Canada, and lockdowns that bankrupted 120,000 small businesses.... 

"On the day of February 14, 2022, the three men spoke to Coutts protesters after a cache of weapons had been displayed by the RCMP. These were in connection with the arrest of the Coutts Four. Van Huigenbos and others persuaded the protesters to leave Coutts, which they did by February 15, 2022.

"During the trial numbers of RCMP officers conceded that the Coutts Three were helpful in their interactions with the law. As well, there didn’t seem to be any truth to the suggestion that Van Huigenbos, Van Herk and Janzen were leaders of the protest. RCMP officer Greg Tulloch testified that there were a number of 'factions' within the larger protest group. These factions had strong disagreements about how to proceed with the protest. The Crown contended the Coutts Three were the leaders of the protest.... 

"Tulloch recalled how Van Huigenbos and Janzen assisted him in getting past the 'vehicle blockade to enter Coutts at a time during the protest when access to Coutts from the north via the AB-4 highway was blocked.' Tulloch also testified that Janzen and Van Huigenbos helped with handling RCMP negotiations with the protesters. Tulloch gave credit to these two 'being able to help move vehicles at times to open lanes on the AB-4 highway to facilitate the flow of traffic in both directions.' During cross examination ... Tulloch stated that he noticed two of the defendants assisting RCMP with reopening the highway in both directions. Honner said in summary, '[Marco Van Huigenbos and George Janzen] didn’t close the road, they opened it.'

"Mark Wielgosz, an RCMP officer for over twenty years, worked as a liaison between law enforcement and protesters at the Coutts blockade. Taking the stand, he concurred that there was sharp disagreement among the Coutts protesters and the path forward with their demonstration. Rebel News video clips 'submitted by both the Crown and defence teams captured these disagreements as demonstrators congregated in the Smuggler’s Saloon, a location where many of the protesters met to discuss and debate their demonstration.' Wielgosz made several attempts to name the leaders of the protest in his role as a RCMP liaison with the protesters, but was unsuccessful....

"Canada’s Criminal Code defines mischief as follows in Section 430:

"Robert Kraychik reported that 'RCMP Superintendent Gordon Corbett … cried (no comment on the sincerity of this emoting) while testifying about a female RCMP officer that was startled by the movement of a tractor with a large blade during the Coutts blockade/protest.' This was the climax of the trial. A tractor moving some distance away from an officer in rural Alberta, with blades....

"No evidence was presented in the trial that Van Huigenbos, Van Herk and Janzen destroyed or damaged property. Officers testified they couldn’t identify who the protest leaders were. They testified the defendants assisted with opening traffic lanes, and winding down the protest.

"By volunteering to liaise with the RCMP, the Crown depicted the Coutts Three as the protest leaders. Who will choose to volunteer at any future peaceful, non-violent, protest to act as a liaison with the policing authorities? Knowing of the verdict handed down on April 16, 2024, in Lethbridge?"

Read more: https://fcpp.org/2024/04/19/coutts-three-verdict-a-warning-to-protesters-who-act-as-liaison-with-police/

Coutts Three hold steadfast in beliefs after guilty verdict delivered | Rebel News | April 19, 2024:

Budget 2024 shows Liberals' fiscal irresponsibility

Spending, taxes, and debt will all increase under the Liberals' Budget 2024; the only thing expected to decline is Canadians' standard of living. 

Federal budget’s scale of spending and debt reveal a government lacking self-control | Fraser Institute | Jake Fuss & Grady Munro:

April 16, 2024 - "Time and time again, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland have emphasized the importance of being fiscally responsible with federal finances. Unfortunately, this year’s federal budget ensures once again their rhetoric rings hollow due to their ongoing mismanagement of federal finances. This mismanagement is rooted in the government’s insatiable appetite for new and expanded programs or services, which has endured for nine years and will continue for the foreseeable future. 

"The budget introduces billions of dollars in additional spending for a national school food program, housing initiatives and artificial intelligence. As such, program spending (total spending minus debt interest costs) is now expected to be $77.2 billion higher over the next four years than the government forecasted last spring. In 2024/25 alone, federal program spending will reach a projected $483.6 billion—an increase of $16.1 billion compared to the previous budget’s estimates.... The Trudeau government has already recorded the five (2018 to 2022) highest levels of federal program spending per person in Canadian history (inflation-adjusted).... This is despite recent polling data that shows the majority of Canadians (59 per cent) think the Trudeau government is spending too much. Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of Canadians are also concerned about the size of the federal deficit.

"As it has done nine times before, the Trudeau government will borrow to fund some of its spending spree, resulting in a projected budget deficit of $39.8 billion this year, which is $4.8 billion higher than previously forecasted. And it doesn’t intend to stop borrowing, with annual deficits exceeding $20 billion planned for the subsequent four years.... Simply put, there’s no plan for a return to balanced budgets any time soon. As a result, federal debt (net debt minus non-financial assets) is expected to climb $156.2 billion from now until April 2029....

"Growing federal debt leads to higher debt interest costs, all else equal, which eat up taxpayer dollars that could otherwise have provided services or tax relief for Canadians. For context, the government now spends more ($54.1 billion) on debt interest as on health-care transfers to the provinces ($52.1 billion). Accumulating debt today also increases the tax burden on future generations of Canadians who are ultimately responsible for paying off this debt. Research suggests this effect could be disproportionate, with future generations needing to pay back a dollar borrowed today with more than one dollar in future taxes....

"But again, it didn’t have to be this way.... [H]ad the government simply limited the growth in annual program spending to 0.3 per cent for two years, it could have balanced the budget by 2026/27.... Instead, the government chose to increase annual program spending by an average of 4.4 per cent over the next two years and kick the debt problem down the road for another government to solve.

"Yet for all this spending and debt, living standards have not improved for Canadians. In fact, inflation-adjusted GDP per person was actually lower at the end of 2023 than it was nine years prior in 2014. And going forward, the OECD predicts Canada will record the lowest growth rates in per-person GDP up to 2060 of any industrialized country....

"The combination of tax hikes and scale of spending and debt in this year’s federal budget demonstrate the Trudeau government has no interest in being fiscally responsible or improving living standards for Canadians. Instead of showing restraint, the government chose to repeat its mistakes and lead federal finances down an increasingly perilous path."

Read more: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/blogs/federal-budgets-scale-of-spending-and-debt-reveal-a-government-lacking-self-control

Debt Dilemma: Unpacking Canada's 2024 Budget | KelownaNow | April 17, 2024: 

 

Toronto protest organizers want police defunded

Protest organizers have accused Toronto police of trying "to criminalize and intimidate pro-Palestinian protesters off the streets," calling for an independent civilian investigation and for the police to be defunded. 

Organizers of pro-Palestinian rally in Toronto accuse officers of police brutality, call for independent investigation | CP24 | Codi Wilson:

April 1, 2024 - "Organizers of a pro-Palestinian rally in Toronto are calling for an 'independent civilian investigation' into what they allege was police brutality at a demonstration this past weekend. The demonstration, which occurred downtown on Saturday evening, led to three protesters being charged.... [P]olice alleged that ... protesters 'became aggressive and assaultive' toward officers.... But at a news conference on Monday morning, the organizers of the rally accused the officers of using excessive force in their interactions with protesters.

"'In the last two weeks we have seen dramatic escalations and violence at the hands of the Toronto Police Service. These escalations are in an attempt to criminalize and intimidate pro-Palestinian protesters off the streets,' Dalia Awwad, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement – Toronto, told reporters. 'We are here today reaffirming our calls to defund the police because the police do not keep us safe… We are also calling for an independent civilian investigation of what took place and what’s more, we are affirming that these are the people’s streets and we will continue to come out and we will continue to mobilize.' The Palestinian Youth Movement – Toronto also shared videos of the demonstration on social media, where officers can be seen pushing protesters.

"In a statement released over the weekend, the Toronto Police Service said ... that their presence this weekend is consistent with what they have done with past demonstrations, adding the Mounted Unit was on standby for crowd control. 'The fundamental difference lies in demonstrators’ refusal to adhere to police directives despite clear forewarning,' Const. Stephanie Sayer wrote. A spokesperson for Toronto police told CP24 on Sunday that they did not receive any reports of injuries at the demonstration but added that formal complaints can be made through the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD)."

Read more: https://www.cp24.com/news/organizers-of-pro-palestinian-rally-in-toronto-accuse-officers-of-police-brutality-call-for-independent-investigation-1.6829106

LILLEY UNLEASHED: Pro-Hamas protests have no place on Canadian city streets | Toronto Sun | April 8, 2024:

Do councillors support pro-Hamas groups that rejoice in Oct. 7 terror attacks? | Toronto Sun | Brian Lilley

April 10, 2024 - "Mayor Olivia Chow says she won’t condemn six councillors who criticized the Toronto Police Service’s handling of a recent pro-Hamas rally. Neither will the six councillors who signed the letter answer questions put to them by The Toronto Sun, detailing the links between the groups organizing the protests and support for terrorism.... On Monday, I wrote to Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, and Councillors Gord Perks, Aljandro Bravo, Paula Fletcher, Amber Morley and Lily Cheng, and presented them with information about Samidoun and the Palestinian Youth Movement, two of the main organizers of the rallies ... presenting the six councillors with details of the ties between these groups and banned terrorist groups in Canada.... 

"Samidoun is a group which shows up at protests across Toronto with a large banner reading 'Long Live the Resistance.' The banner features an image of an AK-47 rifle firing bullets, with the butt of the rifle painted as the Palestinian flag.... The group’s Canadian-based international coordinator, Charlotte Kates, states explicitly that she supports Palestinian armed resistance in all forms and encourages everyone else to do the same. Samidoun has direct ties, visible on their website, to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a group listed as a terrorist entity by the Government of Canada since 2003....

"The Palestinian Youth Movement has spent years promoting members of Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and other terrorist groups as heroes. Immediately after the Oct. 7 terror attack by Hamas, the PYM began organizing rallies in support of 'the resistance,' including here in Toronto. Shatha Mahmoud, an organizer with PYM Toronto, gave an interview saying resistance is justified days after the brutal attack Hamas launched on Israel.

"After presenting the information to the councillors, I asked them if they supported Samidoun or the Palestinian Youth Movement, or if allowing groups that endorse banned terrorist groups to march through our streets is a good idea. I asked the councillors if they would denounce the groups for their support of terrorist organizations.... No response.... 

"We should be into condemning and distancing ourselves from groups that support, embrace and rejoice in terrorist attacks like Samidoun and the Palestinian Youth Movement have done. These are not groups that councillors or any elected official should be supporting in any way or be seen next to. Nor should these groups be given free rein on our streets."

Read more: https://torontosun.com/opinion/lilley-do-councillors-support-pro-hamas-groups-which-rejoice-in-oct-7-terror-attacks 

Governor-General's symposium promoted Bill C63

Canada's Governor-General is officially non-partisan and apolitical, but hosted a symposium where Liberal cabinet minister Arif Virani promoted his Online Harms Bill C-63 to a selected group of influencers. 

‘NON-PARTISAN, APOLITICAL’: Governor General hosts event in support of Online Harms bill | Western Standard | Jen Hodgson:

April 16, 2024 - "Governor General Mary Simon’s office insists she is 'non-partisan and apolitical' after she personally hosted a symposium in support of the Trudeau Liberals' Online Harms bill. The guest list was limited to Attorney General Arif Virani and supporters of internet regulation, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. No opposition members or critics of Bill C-63: An Act To Enact The Online Harms Act were invited.... 

Read thread on X.

"Simon’s office would not disclose the names of all invitees or explain why others were excluded from the April 11 event. Nor did Rideau Hall justify the pro-government event. 

"Further, it refused to release any video or audio recordings of the conference or a transcript of speakers’ remarks. 

"Some guests did include former CTV News anchor Lisa LaFlamme, Le Devoir columnist Emilie Nicolas, former Global News reporter Rachel Gilmore, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, gender activist Fae Johnstone and Ottawa school trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth....

"Simon supported the bill publicly on her social media as well. 'Let’s transform these conversations into action,' the governor general posted to Twitter ('X'). 'Help us create a safer online world.' Virani on social media confirmed Simon’s private conference was intended to support Bill C-63. 'We know online harms have real world consequences,' Virani wrote. 'With industry experts at the Governor General’s symposium we discussed this and our Online Harms Act.'

"Bill C-63 would require that Facebook, YouTube and other social media platforms 'mitigate the risk that users will be exposed to harmful comment' with compliance monitored by a five-member Digital Safety Commission. The bill would also appoint a federal ombudsman to 'provide support to users of social media services.” The proposal follows a failed 2021 measure C-36 An Act To Amend The Criminal Code that went further in granting a 'digital safety commissioner' powers to block websites containing legal content deemed hurtful. Hate speech is already prohibited under 1970 amendments to the Criminal Code."
Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/non-partisan-apolitical-governor-general-hosts-event-in-support-of-online-harms-bill/53842

The Governor General deserves better, but we deserve impartiality  | Macdonald-Laurier Institute | Philippe Lagassé for Inside Policy:

April 16, 2024 - "As well-intentioned as the Governor General’s symposium was, she should never have hosted it in this context, a conclusion that’s reinforced by the Minister of Justice publicly tying the event to bill C-63. As soon as the government tabled the bill, Her Excellency should have understood that the symposium was no longer appropriate and would present a risk to her office’s impartiality.... As the King’s vice-regal representative, the Governor General performs core constitutional functions. These demand that the Governor General not only act impartially but be perceived to be impartial. This isn’t just good form, it’s a fundamental part of the job....

"Turning back to the symposium, it’s important to clarify why it undermined her impartiality, or at least perceptions of it.... A full-on violation of constitutional norms isn’t the standard here. Instead, we should be asking why the Minister of Justice was even there, and why the Governor General decided to host the symposium, considering how contentious Bill C-63 has been already. Hosting the event allowed Her Excellency to get pulled into the partisan fray, a predictable outcome that she shouldn’t have risked.

"Those who participated in the symposium will counter that it was the Minister of Justice who made the connection with Bill C-63, not the Governor General. Her Excellency’s motives, and the importance of the cause addressed by the symposium, shouldn’t be impugned by a careless, partisan tweet. Alas, partisans are going to partisan and politicians are going to politick. This is precisely why vice-regal representatives should avoid wading into politically charged topics.... Defenders of the symposium offer another argument: as the sovereign’s representative, the Governor General should address important social problems that affect Canadians.... This is a fair point, though Governors General need to be careful about what causes they take up.... Anything that’s the subject of notable partisan and parliamentary debate, is ideologically fraught, or might be fought over during an election should raise red flags.

"Thankfully for the Governor General, the controversy surrounding her symposium hasn’t extended beyond the Ottawa bubble yet. She should keep it that way by abandoning her 'We Deserve Better' campaign while partisans battle it out over Bill C-63 and the courts review the Online Harms Act if it becomes law. This isn’t because the Governor General doesn’t deserve better; she does, as do all those who suffer online abuse. It’s because Canadians deserve impartiality from the Governor General, both real and perceived."

Philippe Lagassé is an associate professor at Carleton University. He’s the co-editor of Canada and the Crown: Essays on Constitutional Monarchy (2014) and The Crown and Parliament (2015).
Read more: https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/the-governor-general-deserves-better-but-we-deserve-impartiality-philippe-lagasse-for-inside-policy/

Toronto cops say agitators inciting protest violence

Pro-Palestinian protesters breaking the law, assaulting officers 'will be arrested': Toronto police | National Post:

April  5, 2024 - " Toronto Police have warned pro-Palestinian protesters to behave, saying agitators are escalating tensions on Toronto streets in the wake of multiple arrests at a downtown demonstration last Saturday. 

"Police have said that, during Saturday’s protest, they seized a truck to lay a charge of stunt driving, and that protesters then 'became aggressive and assaultive' toward officers. They said one woman threw horse manure at officers while another 'intentionally used a flagpole to "spear" at an officer.' Organizers of the rally later accused the officers of using excessive force.

"Lauren Pogue, deputy chief of Community Safety Command, told a news conference at police headquarters on Friday that two people were arrested Saturday for assaulting police officers with weapons, and a third arrest was made this week for spitting on an officer, while a fourth person was being sought for striking a police horse.

"Pogue said police have not changed the way they are responding to protests, but that they will not hesitate to respond to violence directed against their officers. 

"'If they’re going to break the law, if they’re going to assault our police officers or assault our police horses, there will be consequences and people will be arrested,' she said. 

"She also said police were aware of a number of 'agitators' who were present at multiple demonstrations in Toronto and who were stirring up violence."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/toronto-police-violent-pro-palestinian-protesters-will-be-arrested

Toronto police warn of more arrests as pro-Palestinian protests become more violent } Global News | April 5, 2024:

Canada's Conservatives open 20-point lead

The latest Abacus poll, conducted after the carbon tax increase on April 1, shows Canada's Conservative Party has opened up a 20-point lead over the governing Liberals. 

New survey says Conservatives open up big lead over Liberals since carbon tax increase | Westerm Standard | Shaun Polczer

April 12, 2024 - "[T]he CPC [Conservative Party of Canada] has opened its biggest lead yet over the Trudeau government. If an election were held today, the Pierre Poilievre-led party would gather 44% of the vote compared to 24% for the Liberals. That’s up three points from March 31, while the Liberal tally is up one.... 

"The NDP, at 17% is down 2% while the Bloc Québécois at 6% — 29% in Quebec — is down one point. At 5%, the Green Party gained a single point while the People’s Party lost a point to settle at 3%.

"According to Abacus Data, all of the interviews were done following the increase in the federal carbon tax on April 1 and in the midst of several pre-budget announcements by Trudeau and his various cabinet cohorts. 'Controlling for the independent effect of each of these is difficult but the before/after nature at least allows us to understand what has happened,'said Abacus Data CEO & Founder David Coletto. 'This 20-point lead is the largest we have ever measured for the Conservatives'.... 

"Conservatives are ahead everywhere except Quebec, where they are now statistically tied with the Liberals and BQ. Regionally, the Conservatives are well ahead in the Prairies, lead by 25 in BC and 19 in Ontario. In Atlantic Canada, the Conservatives are 18 points ahead of the Liberals....

Courtesy Abacus Data.

"Abacus said the carbon tax increase on April 1 has not yet had any noticeable impact on Liberal support, but may have helped the Conservatives. \We will need a few more weeks of data to know this for sure. This means that political harm of the carbon tax may have run its course and things can't get too much worse for the Liberals.'”

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/canadian/new-survey-says-conservatives-open-up-big-lead-over-liberals-since-carbon-tax-increase/53785

Read poll: https://abacusdata.ca/conservative-open-up-largest-lead-yet/ 

A brief guide to the Libertarian POTUS race

April 14, 2024 - With the U.S. Libertarian Party (LP) national convention just six weeks away, here is a quick look at the leading candidates for the LP presidential nomination. It has not been easy to find: unlike each of the past three POTUS elections, when online libertarians wrote about it extensively, there has been little written on this year's race; and most of that little has been devoted to someone who is not even a declared candidate. 

Wikipedia has a page on the 2024 party primaries with vote results, but little else. Per that source, only the following seven candidates have received 1% or more of the popular vote in Libertarian state primaries or caucuses. Note that all primary and caucus votes are non-binding, and the nominee will be determined solely by a free vote of the convention delegates    

Here are the 10 Libertarian candidates in the 2024 NC Presidential Primary | FOX Carolina:

March 5, 2024 "The Libertarian Party as a whole promotes the protection of civil liberties over government programs or intervention in almost all matters.... Below is a breakdown of the candidates....

"Charles Ballay is a doctor who has practiced in Texas and Louisiana. He grew up in New Orleans and said the diverse ethnic and cultural communities there shaped his perspectives. Key pillars of Ballay’s platform are reducing the national debt, reforming the tax code, implementing merit-based immigration, allowing state-level drug policy decisions, and simplifying healthcare regulations. Click here for more information.... 

"Jacob Hornberger is a Texas native who opened a law firm in Dallas and taught law and economics at the University of Dallas. He previously ran for the Libertarian presidential nomination in 2000 and 2020. Hornberger wants to abolish numerous government organizations including the CIA, the FBI, the NSA and the IRS. He wants to repeal programs like Social Security and Medicare, and believes in open borders. Click here for more information.... 

"Lars Mapstead is a tech entrepreneur who grew up in California. He co-created FriendFinder Networks, a group of adult entertainment and online dating websites, which was later purchased by Penthouse Media Group. His slogan is to 'unrig the system' by creating a voters’ bill of rights, shutting down the Federal Reserve, reducing federal healthcare spending and regulations, and limiting presidential powers. Mapstead, who has dealt with addiction in his own life, believes the country should be focused on a path of rehabilitation rather than criminalization for drug offenses. Click here for more information.... 

"Chase Oliver is a Libertarian activist living in Atlanta. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2022, receiving enough votes to force Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock into a runoff race. He believes in abolishing the death penalty, simplifying the country’s immigration system and ending mandatory minimum sentencing. If elected, Oliver said he would immediately remove all federal laws criminalizing cannabis and de-schedule it. He is pro-choice and believes in protecting bodily autonomy but also wants to prevent federal funding from going toward abortions. Click here for more information.... 

"Michael Rectenwald is an author and former professor at New York University. Rectenwald, who argues the country’s two-party system is totalitarianism, used the slogan 'Rec the Regime.' He believes in abolishing government agencies like the IRS, the FBI, the CIA, the Department of Education, ATF and TSA. He opposes emergency mandates issued during the COVID-19 pandemic and would seek to investigate all agencies involved in the response. He wants to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion criteria for federal jobs. [Note: Rectenwald has been endorsed by the LP Mises caucus, by far the largest party caucus.] Click here for more information.... 

"Joshua Smith is a veteran from California and former vice chair of the Libertarian National Committee. Smith believes in eliminating the Federal Reserve, all federal income taxes, the ATF, and the Department of Education. He describes the federal response to the COVID-19 pandemic as “tyranny” and calls for an investigation into members of the task force. Smith is pro-life and believes the government has a responsibility to protect the unborn. Click here for more information.... 

"Mike ter Maat is a former police officer from Florida and economist. He has a three-point plan for ending the Federal Reserve. He also wants to strengthen border protections while eliminating aid money sent overseas. The former officer advocates for private-sector policing organizations, arguing competition for government contracts could reform law enforcement. He calls for a complete separation of church and state and has expressed concerns about government use of artificial intelligence. Click here for more about Mike ter Maat’s campaign." 

Read more: https://www.foxcarolina.com/2024/02/29/here-are-10-libertarian-candidates-2024-nc-primary-election/

Trudeau Liberals' Net Zero policies will harm future generations

Trudeau carbon tax hike will hurt future generations | Fraser Institute | Kenneth T. Green, Senior Fellow: 

March 21, 2024 - "Despite calls from seven of Canada’s premiers ... to scrap the upcoming carbon tax hike, ... Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has doubled down as he tries to convince Canadians this tax, ... set to rise from $65 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to $80 per tonne on April 1, will really be good for them. Speaking with reporters in Calgary (not coincidentally Premier Danielle Smith’s backyard), the prime minister said, 'My job is not to be popular. My job is to do the right things for Canada now and do the right things for Canadians a generation from now' to 'deliver that better future one generation from now, two generations from now.'

"But Trudeau’s argument that somehow GHG reductions, which might stem from Canada’s carbon tax, will yield appreciable benefits of any kind — economic or environmental — now or in the future is nonsense.... 

"Canada’s share of global GHG emissions is slowly declining and small relative to the world’s larger emitters, particularly China. Indeed, in 2021 Canada’s emissions comprised 1.5% of global GHG emissions compared to 26% for China (in 2018). And since 2005, emissions from China increased by a staggering 71.7%. It’s absurd to think that, even if Canada could drive its GHG emissions to zero, there would be any measurable impact on the global climate. And no impact on climate means no improved environmental benefits for future generations.

"Economically, the prime minister’s argument is even less compelling.... According to a study published by the Fraser Institute, implementing a $170 carbon tax would shrink Canada’s economy by 1.8% and produce significant job losses and reduced real income in every province....

"Trudeau government policies, including the carbon tax and imposition of federal bills C-48 (which bans large oil tankers carrying crude oil off British Columbia’s north coast, limiting access to Asian markets) and C-69 (which introduces subjective criteria including the 'social impact' of energy investment into the evaluation process of major energy projects), combined with impending regulations such as GHG emission caps, are contributing to a collapse in business investment and ultimately economic stagnation in Canada. Per-person gross domestic product (GDP) — a broad measure of living standards — ... stood in 2014 at $58,162, which is $51 higher than at the end of 2023 (inflation-adjusted). In other words, living standards for Canadians have declined.

"Capital investment, which contributes to economic growth and higher living standards, is also declining. A 2021 Fraser Institute study showed that the growth rate of overall capital expenditures in Canada slowed substantially from 2005 to 2019 and the growth rate from 2015 to 2019 was lower than in virtually any other period since 1970.... [F]rom 2010 to 2019, Canada’s investment growth rate dropped substantially below that of the United States and many other developed countries. Corporate investment in Canada as a share of total investment was also the lowest among a set of developed countries from 2005 to 2019.

"Far from delivering environmental or economic benefits for Canadians 'one generation from now' or 'two generations from now,' Trudeau’s policies have thrown serious shadows over the future economic prospects of Canadians, who will find themselves less well-off and less economically capable of adapting to predicted climate risks, whether manmade or natural."

Read more: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/article/federal-carbon-tax-hike-will-hurt-future-generations

Estimated Impacts of a $170 Carbon Tax in Canada | Fraser Institute | March 21, 2021:

Cannabis possession decriminalized in Germany

Germany becomes biggest E.U. country to legalize marijuana possession | Washington Post | Sammy Westfall:

April 1, 2024 - German cannabis campaigners and aficionados lit celebratory joints at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate at midnight early Monday, gathering for a legal “smoke-in” to mark the nation’s newly liberalized law on marijuana coming into effect. Germany’s government passed legislation allowing adults to possess small amounts of the drug, making it the largest European Union country to legalize possession for recreational use. 

"The purchase and sale of cannabis is still prohibited and can lead to fines and imprisonment. Adults can now carry up to 25 grams (nearly an ounce) of marijuana and keep up to 50 grams at home. They can also grow up to three plants for personal use under the law that was passed by Germany’s federal council last month and took effect Monday.

"Adults who don’t want to grow their own plants ... can join 'cannabis clubs' starting in July. They are licensed nonprofit growing cooperatives capped at 500 members who must 'actively participate in the cultivation' to access the club’s cannabis. 'The law does not provide for passive membership that is aimed solely at purchasing cannabis,” the Bundesrat, effectively Germany’s upper house, said in its announcement of the law.

"Marijuana has slightly more restrictions for young adults between ages 18 and 21, and it is still illegal for minors....

"Though the amounts permitted in Germany are relatively small — adults are allowed to possess up to three ounces of cannabis flower in New York, for example — the new law still makes Germany one of the most lenient countries on marijuana in the European Union."

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/01/germany-marijuana-legal-possession-cannabis/

Germany partially decriminalises cannabis | BBC News | April 1, 2024:

PM denies reading election interference briefings

Testifying at Canada's Foreign Interference Commission, Prime Minister Trudeau denied seeing evidence of foreign interference, saying he doesn't read briefings – contradicting his chief of staff, who has repeatedly claimed he reads them all.

Trudeau claims he didn't read documents, Telford swears he did | Toronto Sun | Brian Lilley: 

April 10, 2024 - "Facing memo after memo, briefing note after briefing note, Justin Trudeau told the Foreign Interference Commission time and again that he didn’t read the documents....

“'The best way to convey information to me is to receive a direct briefing from my national security adviser and intelligence adviser,' Trudeau told the commission. 'The only way to guarantee to make sure that I receive the necessary information is to give me an in-person briefing or over a secure line, if necessary.' That answer allowed Trudeau to brush away any knowledge of briefing documents by saying that he never saw them and that those briefing him verbally never raised these very key issues. 

"It seems highly implausible that all of Trudeau’s top advisers would brief him on a key national security or foreign interference event and not tell him the key parts of those briefings, but that is what he wants you to believe. As for Trudeau not reading the documents, that’s not what his Chief of Staff Katie Telford said when testifying about foreign interference before the Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee on April 14, 2023. 

"'Everything the prime minister receives, he spends a lot of time with and most definitely reads. I can confirm that if they are documents that he received, he absolutely read them,' Telford told the committee. She actually made that claim, that Trudeau reads all his briefings, more than once. Now, on the stand, Trudeau wants us to believe he didn’t read key documents so he can’t possibly remember details or comment...

"There were two other main issues with Trudeau’s testimony on Wednesday: His lack of curiosity in following up once he was briefed and his claim that he couldn’t act because CSIS didn’t make recommendations.

"Trudeau was briefed regarding concerns CSIS raised about Han Dong’s nomination on Sept. 30, 2019.... Asked if he followed up on the allegations, Trudeau said he believes the party may have, but beyond that, suggested that Elections Canada was the responsible body. CSIS brought him information about the Chinese government interfering in the nomination of a Liberal candidate who won the election, and Trudeau didn’t bother ordering any further investigation.

"He also tried to imply that CSIS didn’t offer any recommendations, so there was no need to act, and yet he has previously, and defiantly, said that it is up to political parties and not security agencies to decide who can run in a democracy.

"Trudeau spent a good part of his testimony extolling the virtues of his government and how they had created the tools, the processes, the panels to root out foreign interference. The testimony over the past two weeks shows that often what Trudeau set up failed to flag foreign interference and when it was reported to him, he ignored it."

Read more: https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/trudeau-claims-he-didnt-read-documents-telford-swears-he-did

Trudeau outlines how he received security briefings | PUBLIC INQUIRY | CTV News | April 10, 2024:

Pfizer-sponsored study finds no benefit in Paxlovid

Pfizer-sponsored study of "patients who are at standard risk for severe Covid-19 or who are fully vaccinated and have at least one risk factor for severe Covid-19" concludes that the efficacy of Pfizer's anti-Covid drug, Paxlovid, "has not been established." 

Pfizer and a Corruption Too Deep to Fix | Epoch Times | Jeffrey A. Tucker: 

April 8, 2024 - "[T]he COVID medication Paxlovid ... was approved under 'emergency use' in December 2021, and trumpeted by [Anthony] Fauci, President Biden, and the rest of the usual crowd. It was 90 percent effective, they said! The White House authorized $11 billion and more to pay for it, and dispatched the whole army of media mavens to push this thing. The White House was able to claim it was free, if you had insurance but even that would last only for so long. Eventually, the consumer had to pay and it was nearly $1,500 for 20 pills....

"Paxlovid was greeted with all the usual hosannas from the drug company as echoed by big media. The drug is 89 percent effective, they kept saying. The governments of Canada, the United States, and the UK all celebrated and showered Pfizer with multiple rounds of billions of dollars.

"But even from the outset, it seems there were many reports of rebounds. The drug would reduce symptoms for a few days even to the point of generating a negative test but then COVID would come back. This happened often enough that pharma skeptics grew deeply suspicious of it, especially because of such a very long run of patented failings in this realm.... 

"Biden, for example, seems to have gotten COVID four times after being treated repeatedly with Paxlovid. So too with Biden’s wife. The same happened with Fauci himself. Most every prominent person reported something similar. But that did not stop the gravy train from running, with the entire medical professional rallying around this drug.

"From the outset, The Epoch Times was reporting skeptically about it, the only media venue to do so. More and more doubts emerged, not in official circles but online in alternative media.

"Now we come to the kicker. Pfizer itself has finally published its randomized placebo-controlled trial of several hundred individuals with the Delta variant, which would have been two and a half years ago. The title of the results as published in the New England Journal of Medicine: 'Nirmatrelvir for Vaccinated or Unvaccinated Adult Outpatients with Covid-19.' Notice the absence of the word Paxlovid, making it all the more difficult for regular people to find. Nirmatrelvir is the clinical name.

"And the conclusion: 'Nirmatrelvir–ritonavir was not associated with a significantly shorter time to sustained alleviation of Covid-19 symptoms than placebo, and the usefulness of nirmatrelvir–ritonavir in patients who are not at high risk for severe Covid-19 has not been established.'

"In other words: this drug does not work. At all. It is no better than nothing. It is not useful. Countless billions later and this is what we have, a completely useless thing. At best.... 

"You will notice that you have not seen this reported in any mainstream media, even though it appears in the top medicine journal in the United States. That’s because the mainstream media is entirely in the pay of pharma. The conspiracy is out in the open, and all official channels are implicated. There seems to be zero accountability or appeal. It’s no wonder that RFK, Jr., is calling for racketeering investigations to be made against the whole industry and its industrial partners. This is aggressive robbery and fraud. Very few people even know to care because they are not being told the brutal facts of the case.

"One also wonders how it is that Pfizer held onto this study for two years before releasing it.

"Why would Pfizer choose just now to announce that its wonder drug is actually useless? My own theory: its accounting ledgers are showing that the drug’s period of high profitability is at an end. There’s no more high-margin profits associated with it. Might as well retire it. With a complicit legacy media, it has no egg on its face. It can just chalk up its wild Paxlovid push as profitable and done, like a seasonal beer or a pumpkin-spice latte. There is essentially no downside to moving onward to other products in its arsenal.

"But think about what this means for this company and for the system that protects it. What does this say about the vaccine? What does it mean for the whole network of protection, from regulators to journals to media? They are all in on the game. And how deep and wide is this game?"

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/pfizer-and-a-corruption-too-deep-to-fix-5624319

Read study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2309003

Paxlovid does not lower risk of long-term COVID-19 symptoms, UCSF study shows | ABC7 News Bay Area | January 4, 2024: 

NY AG wages lawfare against anti-immigration site

New York Attorney General Letitia James is using the same lawfare tactics she has used against Donald Trump to shut down anti-immigration website VDARE.

Letitia James’s Offensive Against VDARE is Harrowing for Free Speech | The American Conservative | | Christopher Brunet:

April 3, 2024 - "After spending several years hauling the former President Donald Trump through court in an attempt to puncture his bottom line, New York’s Attorney General Letitia James is now employing the same lawfare tactics against VDARE, an anti-immigration website. This appears to be a war, not of laws, but of ideology, where the stakes are nothing less than the foundational principles of free speech and dissent.

Watch video on X.

“'I launched VDARE.com on Christmas Eve 1999,' wrote Peter Brimelow, VDARE’s founder and editor, on Friday. 'So it is perhaps appropriate that, on Good Friday 2024, the anniversary of Christ’s death, I must announce VDARE.com’s crucifixion by New York State’s communist Attorney General Letitia James.'

"VDARE has not been charged with any crime, yet has 'fought NYAG Letitia James, at a cost of up to $1 million, for nearly three years.' An onslaught of onerous subpoenas marks not a quest for justice but an orchestrated attempt to financially and morally bankrupt those who dare resist the liberal creed. 

"Letitia James’s electoral platform was built on this very promise: she vowed to 'shine a bright light into every dark corner of [Donald Trump’s] real estate dealings,' just like she promised to 'take tougher legal action on organizations that engage in…online hate speech against protected classes.' Except, James cannot actually take legal action against VDARE for their 'hate speech against protected classes' because everything that VDARE writes is protected by the pesky First Amendment. So she has been digging for a reason, any reason, to bring them both down, desperately searching for anything that could be construed as a misstep.... 

"After years of aimless fishing expeditions, what James has latched onto is VDARE’s real estate dealings, just as she latched onto Trump’s real estate dealings. In 2020, the VDARE foundation bought a castle for $1.4 million in West Virginia to use as a conference space because hotels kept canceling their meetings. (Similarly, VDARE can’t get any bank to enable credit card donations.) They needed a cancel-proof event space. VDARE is hardly the first charitable organization to buy a nice conference space. The American Institute for Economic Research has its own mansion, and the Aspen Institute has its own ski resort. And who can forget Black Lives Matter buying a $6 million dollar mansion to use for parties?

"The legal case against VDARE’s castle now appears to hinge on whether or not the founders of VDARE use it as their personal dwelling. In December, President of the VDARE foundation Lydia Brimelow (Peter Brimelow’s wife) denied she lived there: 'It’s not our home. It’s our office,' she said.... 'It is not our home. We do not live here. We have a house with our family, which is not this house.' One month later, New York trial court judge Sabrina Kraus ruled that the Brimelows 'paid rent to live in the cottage [on castle grounds]...and Lydia Brimelow signed the document as both landlord and tenant.' (Per Brimelow, his family was paying independently determined rent to the VDARE Foundation, a distinct 501(c)(3) charity, in a transaction that had been carefully reviewed by VDARE’s lawyers.)...

"As part of this investigation, Letitia James is demanding that VDARE hand over 40 gigabytes of emails which 'could in fact reveal the names of [our] pseudonymous writers, as well as our donors.' VDARE’s donors and writers wish to remain anonymous because they will lose their jobs — or worse — if their identities are linked to what they support online. While the court has ostensibly extended a courtesy by permitting VDARE to redact their names from these emails, the estimated fees for such redactions are projected to come to $150,000. This presents VDARE with a stark dilemma: incur a hefty $150,000 expense to protect the anonymity of its donors and writers, or risk revealing their identities. The lesson here is that if your speech falls outside the Overton window, the state of New York will aggressively attempt to bankrupt and/or doxx you."

"In this crucial moment, when the principles of free speech are under direct threat, the silence from prominent conservative outlets is deafening. The American Conservative is not afraid to stand up for free speech, but where is Con Inc.? Crickets. Fox News, Ben Shapiro, National Review, and the MAGAverse, among others, must recognize the slippery slope they tread by allowing VDARE to face this battle alone. Today’s targeting of VDARE sets a precedent for the suppression of any form of dissent tomorrow.... The absence of solidarity today not only betrays a lack of genuine commitment to free speech but also risks validating a future where such 'lawfare' becomes a standard tactic to silence opposition, leaving no voice safe from suppression."

Read more: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/letitia-jamess-offensive-against-vdare-is-harrowing-for-free-speech/

RFK Jr. says Democrats weaponized Jan. 6 riot

Independent POTUS candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tried to issue an even-handed statement on the January 6 2021 riot and its aftermath, calling Donald Trump's belief that he won the 2020 election "delusional," but also accusing the Biden administration of "weaponizing" the Department of Justice. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Undercuts Democrats on January 6: ‘Little Evidence of a True Insurrection’ | Breitbart | Joel B. Pollaks:

April 5, 2024 - "Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a statement on the January 6 prosecutions Friday, saying that while violent rioters deserved to be punished, many prosecutions of non-violent protesters were excessive.... Kennedy’s statement reads as follows:

"January 6 is one of the most polarizing topics on the political landscape. I am listening to people of diverse viewpoints on it in order to make sense of the event and what followed. I want to hear every side.

"It is quite clear that many of the January 6 protestors broke the law in what may have started as a protest but turned into a riot. Because it happened with the encouragement of President Trump, and in the context of his delusion that the election was stolen from him, many people see it not as a riot but as an insurrection.

"I have not examined the evidence in detail, but reasonable people, including Trump opponents, tell me there is little evidence of a true insurrection. They observe that the protestors carried no weapons, had no plans or ability to seize the reins of government, and that Trump himself had urged them to protest 'peacefully.'

"Like many reasonable Americans, I am concerned about the possibility that political objectives motivated the vigor of the prosecution of the J6 defendants, their long sentences, and their harsh treatment. That would fit a disturbing pattern of the weaponization of government agencies — the DoJ, the IRS, the SEC, the FBI, etc. — against political opponents.

"One can, as I do, oppose Donald Trump and all he stands for, and still be disturbed by the weaponization of government against him.

"As President, I will appoint a special counsel — an individual respected by all sides — to investigate whether prosecutorial discretion was abused for political ends in this case, and I will right any wrongs that we discover. Without the impartial rule of law, there is no true democracy or moral governance. That’s why John Adams, a staunch patriot, defended the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre in court. If we betray justice in pursuit of an ideal, that betrayal will corrupt anything we accomplish.

"Both establishment parties are using J6 to pour fuel on the fire of America’s divisions. Each side claims that a victory by their opponents means the end of democracy. Then, anything is justified to stop them. We run the risk of destroying democracy in order to save it.

"Instead of demonizing our opponents as apocalyptic threats to democracy, let’s focus on the issues and priorities of how they will govern, and defeat them at the ballot box rather than through legal maneuvers and dirty tricks. Presidents Trump and Biden both presided over the continued worsening of our national debt, chronic disease epidemic, government corruption, erosion of civil liberties, and foreign military entanglements. Maybe it is because the establishment parties differ very little on these key issues that they campaign on the demonization of their opponents and all who support them instead."

Read more: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/04/05/robert-f-kennedy-jr-undercuts-democrats-on-january-6-little-evidence-of-a-true-insurrection-riot/

I did a search on "Robert Kennedy January 6" looking for video to illustrate the article, and this is the only one I could find: an MSNBC video entitled, "Calls grow for RFK Jr. to drop out after remarks sympathetic to Jan. 6 rioters." Despite its title, the video does not discuss, quote from, or even mention, Kennedy's remarks.    

Schools closing to protect children from eclipse

This Monday, hundreds of schools across North America are closing ostensibly to protect children from sustaining lifelong injuries by looking at the sun during the solar eclipse.. 

Lock Up Your Kids: The Eclipse Is Coming! | The Free Press | Rupa Subramanya:

April 5, 2024 - "On Monday, April 8, hundreds of schools across North America, from Texas to Ontario, are closing in order to protect pupils from sustaining lifelong injuries — from the sun. Just after 11 a.m. local time, a complete solar eclipse will begin over the Pacific coast of Mexico. Its “path of totality”—the areas where the sun will be entirely blotted out—will pass through 13 U.S. states, before ending off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. In these regions, schools face a dilemma: Is the eclipse a learning opportunity for kids—or a threat?

“'The solar eclipse offers a rare educational occasion,' Natalie Jameson, an educator in Canada’s Prince Edward Island, admitted last month. 'But prioritizing safety is crucial.' And so, classes in her district will end two hours early to ensure 'students will be home safely' before the start of the eclipse. The decision, her department added, was made 'out of an abundance of caution.' The same decision was made by Ontario’s Waterloo District, even though it initially opted to remain open.... But after the elementary teachers’ union criticized the decision, with its president arguing 'it’s naive to assume students won’t look directly at the sun,' the school board announced it would cancel class after all.

"Educators in America, meanwhile, are singing from the same hymn sheet. 'You obviously cannot look at the sun when this is happening,' a rep for Perry Township Schools in Indianapolis told local news. Instead, she told me, the school district is 'having an e-learning day due to safety reasons.... A superintendent in upstate New York echoed these reasons when he explained why classes in the Schoharie Central School District would be canceled on Monday: 'It really is out of an abundance of caution.'

"Abundance of caution. You hear this phrase a lot in our era of absurd safetyism, which is reshaping modern childhood. An abundance of caution is the reason kids no longer spend time alone or play outside, depriving them of some of life’s most fulfilling experiences. To be clear: when you look at an eclipse, your instinct to squint may not kick in — which can damage your eyes — but cases of blindness are vanishingly rare, and there are simple precautions that can be taken....

"Many of the scientists also believe the eclipse should be treated as a learning opportunity for kids. Ilana Macdonald, an astrophysicist at Ontario’s Eclipse Task Force, said the event is a way 'to incite wonder and amazement about the world. And yet they’re focusing more on the negatives and the dangerous aspects of it,' she said of schools that are closing.... Michael Kirk, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, agrees, calling the eclipse 'a once in a lifetime experience.' 'You will tell your grandchildren about this. You will remember it for the rest of your life,' he said, noting that the next total eclipse visible in America won’t happen until 2044....

"I spoke to Lola McAdam, 13, whose Ottawa school district has opted to close on April 8 to 'ensure safety' for students. 'I probably would rather have been with my friends,' she told me. 'It would have been cooler than being stuck at home.' Suzanne Hancock, Lola’s mother, said she still has fond memories of the total solar eclipse in 1979, when she was 7 years old. Her school remained open, and the students made pinhole projectors together so they could safely watch the event. Suzanne wishes her daughter had a similar opportunity.... 'That experience and adventure has been robbed from today’s students just like during the Covid-19 pandemic,' she concluded.... 

"Lenore Skenazy, founder of the Free-Range Kids project — which promotes 'a commonsense approach to parenting in these overprotective times' — says there are many examples of silly safetyism in schools.... 'We have a culture that sees childhood through the lens of risk and danger,' Skenazy said. And it’s not just schools. Up until 2011, an eight-year-old could travel unaccompanied on Amtrak—and then the minimum age was raised to 13. The reason for the change? An Amtrak spokesperson cited an 'abundance of concern.' 

"Skenazy said she dislikes these empty words. 'An "abundance of caution" turns out to be excess caution,' she said. And if we stop kids from taking solo train rides, or bringing old plates to school, or collectively experiencing a spectacular, celestial event, Skenazy believes we are effectively giving them something much worse: 'An abundance of distrust.'”

Read more: https://www.thefp.com/p/school-safetyism-classes-closed-solar-eclipse?utm_source=tfptwitter

Rupa Subramanya is a reporter for The Free Press. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @rupasubramanya.

Lies About Solar Eclipses You Should Never Believe | Grunge | April 1, 2024: 

CCP interference cost Conservatives up to 9 seats in 2021, ex-leader says

Former leader Erin O'Toole believes that Canada's Conservative Party lost five to nine seats in the 2021 election due to a CCP-orchestrated disinformation campaign targeting Conservative candidates on Chinese-language social media.

Foreign interference cost Conservative Party up to 9 seats in 2021, O'Toole tells inquiry | CBC News | Peter Zimonjic:

April 03, 2024 - "Former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole told the Foreign Interference Commission inquiry Wednesday that he believes his party lost five to nine seats because of a foreign misinformation campaign aimed at Conservative candidates in B.C. and Ontario, and at his party more generally. O'Toole also told the commission he might have continued as leader after losing the 2021 federal election had it not been for Beijing's misinformation efforts.... 

"'The small number of seats would not have impacted the minority government that Canada has right now, but the difference of two, three, five seats may have allowed me more of a moral justification to remain as leader,' he said. O'Toole told the commission that winning two fewer seats than the party did in the 2019 election made it very difficult for him to make that case.

"Speaking in Toronto on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed O'Toole's suggestion that foreign interference cost the Conservatives seats as something coming from 'someone who lost an election … trying to look for reasons other than themselves.'

"Commission counsel cited policy promises in the 2021 Conservative platform explaining how it would approach China and asked O'Toole if those pledges might explain why his party lost those five to nine seats. The platform promised to recognize the Uyghur genocide, ban imports manufactured with forced and enslaved Uyghur labour and ban Chinese mobile giant Huawei from Canada's 5G infrastructure. O'Toole dismissed the suggestion.... 

"'In recent years there's been a ramping up of foreign interference operations and that's why I don't think some of those seats were turned because we had a more traditional, or a more aggressive, foreign policy posture with respect to China,' O'Toole said. 'I think a lot of people did not vote because they were intimidated.'

"Commission counsel also asked O'Toole about a Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force assessment that was prepared a week before the 2021 federal election detailing possible foreign interference threats. That document said the Rapid Response Mechanism Canada (RRM Canada), which monitors foreign state-sponsored disinformation, had observed what might have been a Chinese Communist Party campaign to discourage people from voting Conservative. 'This was not raised to our attention,' O'Toole said. 

"O'Toole was also asked about another RRM document dated around the same time that cited media outlets in Fujian province reporting a Conservative government in Canada would pursue 'greater political cooperation with Taiwan.' 'No, we were not informed of that,' O'Toole said. 'In fact we were raising instances of foreign interference that we witnessed and the SITE committee tended to downplay them. We were given the impression that there were no concerns about foreign interference.'

"The former leader said Mandarin and Cantonese-speaking campaign workers in B.C. noticed that social media platforms and chat groups in China were spreading disinformation about his party and candidates, and the party reported their concerns to SITE. O'Toole said that the reports from the field that he remembers most clearly involved Kenny Chiu, then the Conservative MP for the B.C. riding of Steveston—Richmond East.

"'The level and volume and tone of misinformation towards Mr. Chiu was horrendous,' O'Toole said. 'He was fearful for his own well being and that of his family and it was a personal attack of a racially motivated nature, suggesting he was a race traitor.' O'Toole said his party heard nothing back from SITE....

"Chiu told the commission Wednesday that he'd hoped David Johnston, appointed by Prime Minister Trudeau as special rapporteur on foreign interference, would talk to him. He said Johnston never met with him."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/otoole-foreign-interference-inquiry-1.7161989

Erin O'Toole alleges foreign interference may have cost him his job | CBC News: The National | April 3, 2024: