Russian Duma votes to ban 'childfree propaganda'

In November the lower house of the Russian Parliament unanimously approved a bill banning "propaganda in favor of a childfree lifestyle."

Russia: Ban on “propaganda” in favor of child-free lifestyles | International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH):

November 14, 2024 - "Russia continues its ultra-conservative shift. Two days ago the Duma unanimously passed a bill banning the dissemination of neutral or positive information about being childfree on the Internet, in the media, films, and advertisements. This law still needs to be approved by the upper house before being sent to President Vladimir Putin for final approval. It includes significant financial penalties, which can reach up to 400,000 rubles for individuals (around $4,200) and 5 million rubles for companies (nearly $50,000). There is also the risk of administrative arrest and deportation for non-Russian citizens.

"This law is part of the ongoing ultra-conservative turn that Russia has taken in recent years.... In 2020, Russian authorities made significant revisions to the Constitution, notably adding Article 67, which states that "children are the most important priority of Russian state policy." Similarly, in November 2022, President Putin signed a decree titled 'Foundations of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values.' The decree asserts, among other things, that the country’s demographic situation is threatened by the 'destructive ideological influence' exerted on Russian citizens, propagated by 'the United States of America and other unfriendly foreign states'.... 

"The year 2024 has been declared in Russia as the 'Year of the Family'... Divorce fees have been increased eightfold, laws have been passed prohibiting 'incitement to abortion' and .. private clinics in certain regions are now refusing to perform voluntary abortions.

"The newly passed law bans the dissemination of information about the 'childfree' movement (a term used for people who consciously choose not to have children, whether for personal, economic, or environmental reasons).... Once the law comes into effect, Russian citizens will no longer be allowed to say or write anything that promotes a 'positive image of childlessness and the conscious choice not to have children, unless this choice is related to medical contraindications.'

"This legislation ... adds to a series of repressive laws aimed at restricting freedom of expression, reinforcing an environment of censorship where any opposition to the state’s pronatalist directives is gradually being criminalised, similar to the law passed on 24 November 2022, which completely bans "LGBT propaganda" and expands the 2013 ban on the dissemination of information to minors.

"FIDH is monitoring and expressing concern over this new attack on women’s rights, which is part of a global trend of regression and the rise of reactionary ideologies."

Read more: https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/lgbtqi-rights/russia-ban-on-propaganda-in-favor-of-childfree-lifestyles

Russia steps up its war on childlessness | Voice of America | November 27, 2024:

Things are starting to go "right" with the world

In his year-end review, Western Standard publisher Derek Fildebrandt celebrated a resurgent conservatism he called the "new right" which is reshaping politics and culture throughout the world. 

2025 will be the Year of the New Right | Western Standard | Derek Fildebrandt:

December 31, 2024 - "The last few years have seen political and social earthquakes across the Western world. The most obvious was the comeback election of Donald Trump in November, but there are other major events pointing toward a (mostly clear) trend for 2025.

"In Italy, Giorgia Meloni led her ironically named Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party to become that country's first woman prime minister. She is the first national leader of Europe's new right to take power in a major country.

"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's leftist coalition has fallen, and that country will have an election in February.... Elections in several eastern German states saw major gains and even outright victories for the Alternative für Deutschland, that currently sits in second place nationally.... 

"Javier Milei ran an (awesomely) insane libertarian insurgency against Argentina's kleptocratic establishment, becoming president in 2023 with a slogan of "Viva la libertad, carajo!", which translates as "Long live freedom, dammit!" He led a veritable revolution in that banana republic and made a remarkable turnaround in a breathtakingly short period of time.

"The UK saw Keir Starmer's Labour Party form a majority government.... But the Labour vote didn't increase much; it was more that the rightist vote split between the Conservatives and Nigel Farage's upstart Reform Party. The Labour government's popularity fell off a cliff almost immediately after taking power.... Britain still has more than three more years of Labour to endure, but Reform is now effectively tied with them and the Tories in a three-way race.... 

"Which brings me ... to Canada. Justin Trudeau has so thoroughly outstayed his welcome that the Liberals face electoral obliteration. Some projections even have them coming in fourth place, should current polling hold. Pierre Poilievre stands to potentially form the largest majority government in Canadian history with a new right coalition. What do I mean by 'new right'?... I'd broadly outline it as a working and middle-class, nationalist and anti-establishment coalition. It is generally free-market, but less doctrinally committed to it [than] Reaganite conservatism.... 

"2024 was the year that the tide of the culture war turned. Peaking with the madness of Black Lives Matter racialism in 2020 and gender ideology run amuck, 2024 saw the fear that held together the false social consensus of 'wokeism' crumble spectacularly. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) regimes in major corporations are dropping like flies.... 

"Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter in 2022 was perhaps the most important ingredient, allowing people to speak freely on the transformed X platform without fear of censorship. Almost as important was the radical social upheaval and loss in faith of institutions that came from lockdowns and mandates during the COVID-19 witch hunt that 'red-pilled' many normies into anti-establishment politics.... The economic and fiscal fallout from government policies during the COVID-19 era is still acutely felt....  Inflationary deficit spending by governments has driven up the cost of almost everything. Green-fad policies have added to it and are felt by many to be a 'luxury belief,' especially for young people who are realizing that they may never own a home until their parents die.

"The cross-partisan immigration consensus across the West has entirely collapsed.... Where only an (actual) 'small fringe minority' were vocally opposed to mass migration just four years ago, there is now a broad consensus that it's time to crack down.

"Faith in the legacy media has evaporated in many countries, exacerbated by the now self-evident lies that they parroted from governments during the COVID-19 years. Canada's Liberal government has managed to regulate and license the Canadian press into quasi-government employees in an effort to prop up the legacy media.... But try as Trudeau might, it has only slowed the inevitable. When Poilievre takes power sometime in 2025, he promises to defund the (English) CBC and abolish the media subsidies and regulations. This would trigger an overnight apocalypse of the remnants of the Canadian legacy media and allow fertile soil for the independent media to resume its inevitable flowering"

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/canadian/fildebrandt-2025-will-be-the-year-of-the-new-right/60652

Higher taxes coming to Canada in 2025

Happy New Year! These Canadian federal taxes are set to increase in 2025:

These are the federal taxes set to rise in 2025 | Western Standard | Western Standard News Services:

January 1, 2025 - "Canadians are facing a series of tax increases in 2025, according to a report released by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF). The hikes include higher payroll contributions, increased carbon taxes, and automatic alcohol tax adjustments.... 

"'Tax hikes will give Canadians a hangover in the new year,' said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. 'In 2025, the Trudeau government will yet again take more money out of Canadians’ pockets with payroll tax hikes and will make life more expensive by raising carbon taxes and alcohol taxes'....

"Mandatory Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Employment Insurance (EI) contributions will increase in 2025. The changes will cost workers up to $403 more annually, with federal payroll taxes totaling $5,507 for individuals earning $81,200 or more. Employers will also see their share rise to $5,938 per employee....

"The federal carbon tax is set to rise on April 1, increasing to about 21 cents per litre of gasoline, 25 cents per litre of diesel, and 18 cents per cubic metre of natural gas. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the tax will cost the average household between $133 and $477 in 2025-26, even after accounting for rebates....

"Alcohol taxes will increase by 2% on April 1 under the federal alcohol escalator tax. The automatic annual tax hike, introduced in the 2017 federal budget, has cost taxpayers more than $900 million since its implementation, according to Beer Canada. The 2025 increase is expected to add another $40.9 million to that total....

"In a move to provide some relief, the federal government announced a two-month sales tax holiday on specific items, including pre-made groceries, children’s clothing, and snacks. The holiday ... ends on Feb. 15....

"The report also highlights recent tax changes introduced in Budget 2024, such as increases in [income subject to] capital gains taxes and the implementation of a digital services tax and an online streaming tax."

Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/news/these-are-the-federal-taxes-set-to-rise-in-2025/60622

Trudeau hiking taxes again in 2025 | Canadian Taxpayers Federation | December 18, 2024:

Read full report: https://www.taxpayer.com/media/new-years-tax-changes-ctf-2025.pdf