July 26, 2024

More layoffs could be coming to Global News as parent flirts with bankruptcy

Reported by Shaun Polczer in the Western Standard
18 Jul 2024

It wasn’t their first rodeo, but it could be the last Calgary Stampede parade for Calgary’s local Global news outlet.

In an exclusive interview with an insider who is no longer employed with the company whose identity is being withheld, staffers were warned by company brass on a company-wide conference call Wednesday to expect more ‘changes’ — including job cuts — when the company hits its debt wall at the end of August.

“There were comments made. I don't know if this was just a manager misspeaking, but it was the comment was made along the lines of, ‘you know, this Stampede, it might be our last,” they said.

For a fresh take on current events, I recommend subscribing to the Western Standard. This independent news source offers unique insights that other media outlets often overlook.

Another valuable source is the Niagara Independent, which provides perspectives not found elsewhere.

Keep an eye on the National Post, known for printing stories its counterparts shy away from. Surprisingly, even tracking CBC News can be enlightening. Despite the usual government narratives, you'll find stories that resonate with conservative viewpoints. Some CBC reporters challenge their superiors to push the boundaries of what's “acceptable”. THE REST OF THE STORY

•   •   •   •   •

Marxists have infiltrated our governments and many major businesses and industries with their “woke” ideology. It is not surprising as our colleges and universities have become indoctrination cantres for woke ideology. Big business restricts hires to people with degrees.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is the opposite of its promises. Able, competent, and skilled employees find advancement within the organization blocked by hires who bring nothing to the table besides a warm (and incompetent) body. They either become a resentful employee, diminishing their value to the organization, or quit and move on to an organization that values merit.

The DEI emphasis on race, skin colour, sexual orientation, disabilities, and other measures excludes millions of their counterparts who prefer to act as captains of their destiny. DEI is divisive, not inclusive.

Chorus Entertainment is grappling with serious financial issues, and while DEI is not the sole cause, it's undeniably a contributing factor. The company's survival hinges on retaining its skilled workforce and delivering a superior product for refinancing. However, the decisions of DEI executives have led Chorus down a damaging path, ensuring that Chorus will DIE.

•   •   •   •  •

For a fresh take on current events, I recommend subscribing to the Western Standard. This independent news source offers unique insights that other media outlets often overlook.

Another valuable source is the Niagara Independent, which provides perspectives not found elsewhere.

Keep an eye on the National Post, known for printing stories its counterparts shy away from. Surprisingly, even tracking CBC News can be enlightening. Despite the usual government narratives, you'll find stories that resonate with conservative viewpoints. Some CBC reporters challenge their superiors to push the boundaries of what's “acceptable”. 

July 24, 2024

Trump’s VP pick Vance, is a Freedom Convoy supporter, Trudeau critic 

Should Donald Trump win the presidential election, it looks increasingly likely he will, his VP pick J.D. Vance is familiar with Canada and the particular and peculiar relationship created between our nations over the past century and a half.

There is less possibility of arbitrary trade decisions that will harm Canada. When Trump took action to curtain aluminum and steel imports from Canada in 2018, he had cause for doing so.

Unscrupulous brokers in Canada were buying low-quality aluminum and steel from foreign nations and exporting it to the US as if it were of trade agreement quality.

Trudeau had been warned to take action to stop the practice, or sanctions would follow. He did not act. The ‘outrage’ Trudeau and Freeland expressed when tariffs were announced was a coverup for its dereliction of duty.

Americans and Canadians are sick and tired of watching their dream of liberty and independence eroded by inflation and taxation. Trudeau believes he can rule us with the absolute powers of King Charles III, forgetting that Charles’ arrogance resulted in the American War of Independence.

Central planning does not work. It has been tried by many nations, all of which have ultimately failed. Our nations prospered when our people were free to follow their dream of improving their lives and those of their children and grandchildren.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that imposition of the War Measures Act in response to the Truckers’ protest in February, 2022 was an unlawful violation of our Charter freedoms and rights. Trudeau’s handlers have not apologized or offered to compensate those who were harmed. This begs for a class action response to ensure that similar government overreach will not recur in future.

Trudeau and Freeland have passed legislation increasing the spending cap for their government by one trillion dollars. They are already spending more on servicing our debt than they are on our broken health care system. Their aim is to destroy Canada financially. They will put us into debt so deep that when they are turfed from office we cannot recover. That is a despicable scorched earth policy.  

     
Today, our freedoms are being suffocated by the ever-growing web of bureaucratic regulations that dictate every aspect of our lives. Governments at all levels are piling on regulations, disregarding the principle that regulations cannot expand the law they are based on. The rule that regulations do not have the same power as the law they are based on has been forgotten. This erosion of our freedoms and rights is a cause for alarm.
    

Regulations are not reviewed by parliament, the legislature, or the council that passed the law or bylaw, which is ludicrous. This lack of oversight needs to be addressed. Legislators presume that bureaucrats are ethical, honest and moral when they love the power given them to make their own lives easier. The lack of accountability is stunning. It's time for the public to demand transparency and accountability in the regulatory process to ensure our freedoms are not eroded by unchecked bureaucratic power. Politicians must be required to answer to the people who elected them. Nothing less is acceptable in a free democracy.

July 17, 2024

Quebec attracts record $13 billion in foreign direct investment

 t's surprising how little things change. The federal government is shoveling money into projects in Ontario and Quebec. At the same time, the rest of the country is ignored and prevented from investing in its natural resources and expanding its processing capabilities.

 The Quebec Government invested $2.9 billion in the project, and the federal government invested $4.4 billion. That totals a $7.3 billion government investment in a $7 billion project. The Northvolt investment was $0.

Last August, Ottawa and Quebec announced an investment of more than $640 million for a new Ford EV plant in Bécancour, Quebec and will each invest $322 million in a $1.2 billion project (55%).
    

The federal government has agreed to give Volkswagen up to $13 billion in subsidies over the next decade as part of a deal to ensure the automaker builds its electric-vehicle battery plant in southern Ontario. Ottawa's contract follows promises to remain competitive with the U.S. and convince electric vehicle battery producers to set up their plants in Canada. But the price tag is raising eyebrows. 

According to the deal's details, federal production support for the plant is expected to range from $8 billion to $13 billion over 10 years. Ottawa also offers Volkswagen about $700 million in capital expense grants through its Strategic Innovation Fund.

Both Manitoba and Newfoundland have major hydro-electrical generating capacities that Ottawa ignores.

This is a high-risk investment of our money. No one wants to discuss the weak links in promoting electric vehicles. (1) The electrical grid cannot handle an influx of electric cars. Electrical grids must be rebuilt to handle the increased demand by recharging stations. (2) Battery technology is evolving rapidly, and older EV batteries are unavailable at any price. (3) Canadians don’t want EVs. (4) Cold weather severely affects EV battery performance. (5) There are long stretches of Canada where charging stations are unavailable. Addressing that problem takes us back to problem (1) above.

Volkswagen delayed the ID.7 EV launch in the US and Canada, citing changing market dynamics (Reuters May 22, 2024). Global automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Mercedes, are rethinking their EV plans as the sector struggles with slowing demand. Instead, they are focusing on higher-margin hybrids and gasoline-powered models.

The handwriting is on the wall. Despite mountains of publicity and huge government subsidies, Canadians don’t want to be forced into buying EVs. I’ve considered a hybrid, as several automakers produce reliable hybrids. However, a few years later, I could find myself with a two-ton boat anchor as I could not replace the battery for less than the cost of a used gas-engine vehicle.

By then, bureaucrats will have passed regulations making disposing of my useless EV prohibitively expensive. We can’t win against ideologues lacking real-world experience and common sense.   

Polls show youth now hate Trudeau more than ever

In the wake of a budget deliberately tailored towards salvaging plummeting youth support, a series of Angus Reid Institute polls show that young people now hate the Trudeau government more than ever. NATIONAL POST

     Once again, this is not a surprise. Trudeau, from the outset of his time in office, has ignored the electorate. He appears to fancy himself as a socialist dictator bent on managing Canadians rather than serving them.

     We are a post-national nation in Trudeau’s mind. The budget is comprised of an offering of candy intended to lure Canadians into voting for – more candy.

     Kitchen table economics tells us that Trudeau and Freeland are lying again. They have no intention of spending prudently and living within their means. When our month-end bills roll in, we have less and less to work with. As mortgages come up for renewal, people are forced to sell their homes as they cannot manage the higher interest rates the market now demands.

     That throws conventional wisdom into the trash. Most people invest in a home as retirement security. If they lose that security and are forced to compete for the very high rental cost of a much smaller space, anger results. The cost of the candy is prohibitive.

     The federal government now spends more on servicing the debt than it does on a badly broken healthcare system.

     Centralized control and planning do not work. Dozens of nations have tried it and failed. Trudeau ignores our constitution and the clear division between federal and provincial jurisdictions, among other things.

     Trudeau’s inner circle’s arrogant and stubborn insistence that they can remake Canada into their vision of our society has turned on them. They have no credibility with the public, have lost our trust, and will not recover. Trudeau the actor, will exit stage left without applause or an encore.

July 15, 2024

Liberals used federal spokesmen

to ‘correct’ Canadians’ thinking

     It’s now out in the open. The Trudeau – Freeland duo will not tolerate any criticism of their “core mandate”. They believe they can rule us in the style of King George III, forgetting that his reign led to the American Revolution.

     The federal government has no mandate to govern. It has a duty to serve Canada and its people.
      The oath for members of Parliament has stood the same since confederation; according to Section IX.128 of the Constitution Act, 1867:
      "Every member of the Senate and the House of Commons of Canada shall before taking his seat therein take and subscribe before the Governor General or some Person authorized by him, and every Member of a Legislative Council or Legislative Assembly of any Province shall before the Lieutenant Governor of the Province or some Person authorized by him, the Oath of Allegiance contained in the Fifth Schedule to the Act:
      I, [name], do swear, that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III.

     For those parliamentarians whose religion prohibits the swearing of oaths, there exists a compromise affirmation, first instituted in 1905:
     I, [name], do solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare the taking of an oath is according to my religious belief unlawful, and I do also solemnly, sincerely and truly affirm and declare that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III.

     Don’t bother berating me that our MPs should not swear allegiance to a foreign monarch. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, and the King or Queen of the day is our Head of State and Head of our Military (Armed Forces). The monarch wears many hats, and when he or she leaves Great Britain, it is as the monarch in the right of Canada.

     Great Britain has no written constitution other than the Magna Carta, which is over 800 years old. Changes since are recorded as common law precedents. Canada has a constitution based on the unwritten British model with lessons from the American Constitution, which was passed into law 88 years before our constitution was created.     

     The monarchy is our executive branch of government. The judiciary is independent of the executive branch and must be politically neutral. Our Parliament is the legislative branch. We must not shift powers from one branch to another without risking our democracy.

     Every Prime Minister, starting with Mackenzie King in 1941, has looked for ways to circumvent the monarchy, convinced that they should exercise the absolute power of a king. That has led us directly to the current situation, where our government is trying to gaslight us into obedience while ignoring its constitutional duties.

     Very few of us will agree to swear allegiance to an appointed Prime Minister. By convention, the political party leader with the most seats in our Parliament following a general election is appointed Prime Minister. Results have been mixed with a few bad prime ministers, the odd good ones, and the majority easily influencing pedestrians.

     The Supreme Court of Canada declared that imposing the War Measures Act in relation to the Trucker’s protest in January 2023 violated our constitutional freedoms and rights. Nevertheless, persecution of anyone involved in the protest has continued unabated. That is an unlawful abuse of power by the federal government.

     There is a sound reason why Trudeau’s popularity is underwater. He cannot be a tyrant and expect Canadians to support his actions. Singh and the NDP are complicit in continuing to support Trudeau.

     Trudeau’s principal secretary and confidant is Katie Telford, and her ally and long-time Trudeau friend Gerald Butts. Neither are elected or accountable to anyone. They are running our government.

     Trudeau and Freeland are heavily involved in the World Economic Forum (WEF), which is not in Canada’s interest. The WEF's objective is to remove sovereignty from member nations, creating a ‘world order’ without member nation representation. Trudeau and Freeland are committing treason and belong in prison.  The WEF is funded by meddling billionaires, including George Soros, who dream of world domination. Economic subjugation is less messy than an armed takeover but equally effective.
    

Consider the wide range of public positions adopted by Trudeau. When he gets a script from Telford/Butts, he immerses himself in how the character should respond. He can appear grave and serious and shed a tear to convey how badly his character feels. Compare that to a different script, and he appears between heavily made-up transvestites, sticking out his tongue at the surrounding crowd. He is an empty suit controlled by his handlers.
    

Canadians have caught on and do not trust anything he says; they watch for what he does instead. What his handlers present to us is the destruction of Canada and contempt for the people his government is sworn to protect and serve. Canada will not survive another four years of the Trudeau regime. A change in government is imperative and cannot happen soon enough

*****************************************************.

     A report by Treasury Board President Anita Anand’s department says government spokespeople must “correct” Canadians’ thinking, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. 

The board had earlier championed 4,600 federal spokespeople as defenders of “the heart of our democracy.” On Tuesday, in its report, the treasury board did not comment on its claim. 
    

“Today communicators are working in a media environment where the public’s trust in government is eroded through misinformation and disinformation,” said the annual report. 
   

  “This trust lies at the heart of our democracy.”
    

“Achieving our core mandate is more complex, challenging and important than it has ever been. The communications community must therefore be empowered to play a role in the decision-making process.”
    

 “In our current world of increasingly fragmented and polarized public discourse the work of communications specialists will be key in preserving the integrity of our democracy,” it said without giving examples.
    

 “We have worked to inform, correct facts, raise awareness, mobilize individuals and communities and encourage people to participate,” said the report.
    

“We have done so in a challenging environment marked by misinformation and a growing distrust of government and democratic institutions.”
    

The Communications Community Office is best known for hosting an annual Awards Of Excellence banquet to honour spokespeople. Past nominees for “achievements” in communications included the Canadian Human Rights Commission for publishing an annual report.
    

A March 28 Access To Information memo from the Department of Public Safety noted “growing evidence” that Canadians distrust the federal government. 
    

“There has been growing evidence there has been an erosion of trust in democratic institutions,” said the memo.
    

A separate 2023 ethics report to the clerk of the Privy Council also documented “decreasing confidence in Canada’s democracy” since the pandemic. 
    

“Measures of decreasing confidence in Canada’s democracy are cause for concern,” said the report. 
    

“Citizens rightfully expect publicly funded institutions to deliver services effectively and efficiently.”
    

 “The pandemic dramatically changed how the public service works, impacted citizens’ trust in public institutions, increased their expectations and diminished their overall satisfaction with government services,” it said, citing no examples. 
    

It acknowledged a “lack of consequences and accountability” for corrupt or incompetent managers. “There is a perceived lack of accountability or a ‘double standard’ between senior leadership and employees when it comes to compliance and enforcement of the Value And Ethics Code For The Public Sector,” it said. FOLLOW LINK.

July 8, 2024

Alberta University encampment removals likely violated protesters' constitutional rights, legal experts say

We have the right to flail our arms about, but our right extends only to the point where we touch another person, impinging on his/her right not to be molested.
 

The legal scholars quoted are extremists and a disgrace to their profession. The institutions they defend no longer allow unfettered debate and discourse on issues. They have lists of words and phrases that must not be uttered lest they lose their Marxist grip on the institutions they command.

Palestinian support groups are not protesters. They openly support a terrorist group determined to destroy Israel and all Western democracies. It is reminiscent of the groups who protested’ in support of Ernesto Che Guevara in the late 1950s, naively ignorant of who and what Guevara was – a Marxist zealot intent on spreading Marxism throughout the world.

Palestinian support groups are violating the rights of tens of thousands of students who have paid for an education and are prevented from attending classes, holding commencement exercises, and enjoying the unfettered right to voice and debate their opinions and beliefs with their peers.

The concept that any identifiable group has special freedoms and rights simply because they exist is ridiculous. Everyone is equal before and under the law. Gay exhibitionists are a tiny minority of the group but manage to embarrass the majority and outrage others. Men, claiming to have “transitioned” to become women, insist that we accept that they are women. That is ludicrous. They have no right or power to infringe on our right to think for ourselves. Whenever some group tries to shut down honest debate, their motives are suspect. That includes governments.   
    

Our colleges and universities have transformed into industrial, donor-backed commercial operations. They raise tuition fees without justification and fail to deliver an education. Most, but not all, tenured professors deliver Marxist propaganda instead of an education.
    

Rather than producing students capable of outstanding achievements, they indoctrinate them to the concepts of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI), which does the opposite, reducing students to the level of the lowest common denominator. Welcome to the Marxist world of eternal serfdom.

  
The countermove is to stop all forms of public funding for colleges and universities, including the generous support for “studies,” most of which have no economic or social value.
    

Fund the students. Let them find the college or university that delivers the education they pay for, and let the Ivy League monstrosities wither as they should.    

Liberals introduce legislation amending

Elections Act as part of agreement with NDP 

The Liberals introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at expanding voting access and targeting electoral interference and the spread of disinformation. Bill C-65 introduces a suite of amendments to the Canada Elections Act as part of the Liberals' political pact with the NDP.

But it delays two key aspects of that agreement: spreading the official election day over three days and allowing voters to vote at any polling station in their riding. See Darren Major’s CBC report HERE.

Elections Canada already has the technology to allow voting at any poll within the electoral district. It also has the technology to allow voting at an electoral district office for any electoral district in Canada.
    

Extending Election Day to three days is nonsense. Advance polling has proven to be popular and works well.
    

It is important to ensure that those casting ballots are Canadian citizens. Elections Canada needs a citizenship database to prevent abuse. Immigration and citizenship have the records. A birth certificate is ample proof for people born here.
    

Language is important. Those who cannot communicate in English or French are unlikely to be citizens as that is a requirement for citizenship.
    

Polling in long-term care facilities, hospitals, senior centers, and similar facilities has been a long-standing problem. Assistance for individuals must be provided by Elections Canada staff. Currently, political party operatives are allowed to ‘assist’ individuals which must be prohibited. Assistance must be politically neutral.
    

Dual citizens who cannot prove that they have resided in Canada for over six months during three of the past five years must not be allowed to vote. These citizens of convenience who continuously live abroad cannot be allowed to influence our elections.
    

The process of allowing voter “A” to vouch for voter “B” on the spot at an election poll must be eliminated. There is a very high risk of abuse.
    

Elections Canada's efforts to allow homeless people to vote are questionable. While some are victims of our unaffordable housing crises, most have decided to drop out of social responsibilities or have become victims of substance abuse.
     

“LeBlanc said the intention is for parliamentarians to "ensure that this legislation can be in place as quickly as possible”.
    

Canadians don’t care what parliamentarians want. Our voting system has to be politically neutral to win back the confidence of Canadians. Political operatives cannot be allowed to tell Elections Canada what they want. They must heed the advice provided by Elections Canada. Otherwise, the neutrality of Elections Canada is a sham.

Israel's war cabinet meets as European

allies caution against military escalation

Our world has gone starkers – stark raving mad.

Iran is by far the world’s largest exporter of terrorism and manipulates attacks by its many proxies including:
    

in Bahrain - Al-Ashtar Brigades,
   

in Iraq - Kata’ib Hezbollah, Badr Organization, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, Hezbollah Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kata’ib Sayyed al-Shuhada,
    

in Lebanon – Hezbollah,
    

In Gaza – Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad,
    

in Syria - Fatemiyoun Brigade, Zainabiyoun Brigade, Quwat al-Ridha and Baqir Brigade,
    

in Yemin - Houthi movement.
    

Iran foments instability throughout the Middle East. Iran considers Israel to be ‘the Little Satan’ and the USA ‘the Great Satan’. Iran has pitted itself against the USA.
    

Iran is the classic bully in world terrorism and will not cease its activities without a very strong show of force that hurts it badly at home and abroad. We cannot appease a bully.
    

The hand-wringings of politicians who have never engaged in a serious war are useless. U.S. President Biden’s record on foreign affairs is a disaster. Prime Minister Trudeau’s record is even worse – he is so detached from Canadians he has no concept of what our views on Israel are.
    

Iraq has decreed that there may be no criticism of its terrorist regime with onerous penalties for speaking out. Women suffer most. Iranians want a regime change and a return to normalcy. We are abandoning them with speeches about appeasement. We can have peace in the middle ease and a lasting peace elsewhere, but not until Iraq is stripped of its profitable oil sales, arms making and exports, and nuclear capabilities. A nuclear armed Iraq is a nightmare the world cannot accept.
    

Israel needs to destroy Iran’s weapons factories, nuclear facilities, offshore oil loading terminal, block its harbour to prevent further oil shipments, set fire to oil tankers in the area, and sink Iran’s spy ship in the Red Sea. Israel’s allies need to stand solidly behind the Iranian people and Israel. Until Iraq is cut off from its oil export income, there will be no peace in the Middle East or elsewhere.
    

Protesters in the U.S. are burning U.S. flags and shouting ‘death to America’! Both the U.S. and Canada are riddled with military-aged illegal immigrants from enemy nations. We don’t know where they are let alone what their motives are. They are well enough funded to be able to mount protests at will and are leading uninformed young people in their disruptive protests. Despite dire warnings from our intelligence agencies are unheeded by our governments. That is unacceptable.    
    

Finally, there are no civilians in Gaza. That is a hoax. Residents and hostages are prisoners of war held to protect Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters. Hamas ignores Geneva Conventions on the treatment of Prisoners of War, abuses prisoners and confiscates aid provided to its hostages. Iraq is treating us as the fools we are.

Another view, from Thomson Reuters HERE.

Eight years after B.C. declared public health

emergency, the toxic drug crisis rages on

These people are staring at a solution but are blinded by ideology.

They are careening down a dead-end street at high speed. The results are predictable and inevitable.

Drug addiction is a disease. Addicts do not behave normally. Their only goal is to secure more drugs to satisfy their craving for another high. They will cheat, lie, steal, and commit murder if required. An addict without drugs or the means to access drugs is the only risk drug dealers face.

They can be killed by a customer to access their supply.

The first part of a solution is to ban the sale of high thc cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, opioids, and crystal-meth. These are the most popular street drugs in Canada.

It is almost impossible to track down the costs of the BC mitigation program, but it appears to be about $147 million. That will buy a huge quantity of clean variations of these drugs, which the government could market at a fraction of current street prices. There can be no coercion. Any addict must be able to access a two-day supply by appearing at an outlet.

Those caught dealing in banned drugs must face a penalty of life in prison which is appropriate for those who attempt to murder addicts.

Drug dealers will flee to less stringent jurisdictions. Once addicts realize they don’t have to risk fentanyl-dosed drugs and death, they will become more open to treatment. We will still have to respond to overdoses and save people from themselves, but responders have new tools to use in dealing with the addicts they save.

There is no ideal solution. If the objective is to save lives, the supply of low-cost safe drugs has potential the current system does not.

Also, see Darryl Greer’s commentary from CBC and Canadian Press HERE

Canadian MPs will earn world's

second-highest salary for elected officials

What is galling about the pay raises is that they are not linked to reality. Parliament is a mess. It has created an economy that is riddled with growing debt out great grandchildren will inherit. It does not represent the people of Canada which is the cornerstone of a free democracy.

Every dime our government spends has been seized from taxpayers. Criminals rule our streets and Canadians are afraid to venture out after dark and in many places are afraid to venture out in daylight. Toronto police are advising resident to leave their car key fobs on the porch so criminals will not break into the house to get the keys. “All they want is your car.” That is stark raving madness.

We are losing hundreds of people to fentanyl overdoses every year and instead of cracking down on criminals, are unsuccessfully trying to ‘save’ addicts from their disease.

Our health care system is in shambles. People are dying while on waiting lists for common medical procedures.

Our civil service is unlawfully politicized as is our justice system. Citizens protecting their families and property are arrested for violating the rights of criminals preying on them. Those who violate our laws have no rights. They must not be charter protected. We are living in an Orwellian nightmare.

Violent criminals cannot be granted bail. They have to be held in custody and seen by a judge within 90 days of arrest. The judge will decide if they can be granted bail or held to appear before a jury withing the next 90 days.  

Comparing the salaries of elected officials to the private sector is inappropriate and offensive. Those who toil in the private sector, excluding the giant enterprises that fund politicians, are held accountable for their decisions and productivity. If they fail to produce or make costly errors, they are dismissed for cause which is usually the end of their career.

Canadians are not stupid. We recognize government propaganda, supported by a bought and paid for media for what it is – prepacked lies intended to entice us into obedience. Politicians should be paid no more than 75% of private sector salaries. That is the price for shunning accountability. We are currently paying a premium for career politicians who would not last 90 days in the private sector. All they care about is re-election. They don’t care about you and I. This farce must end.

Israel's war in Gaza is just,

Hamas must surrender or be eliminated

I invite you to take time to review former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s piece, linked below. It is a thoughtful analysis of the Israel – Hamas war.

There are no civilians or hostages in Gaza. They are all prisoners of war, held in captivity to protect Hamas fighters from assault. They are held in violation of the Geneva conventions on prisoners of war.
 

The Palestinian Liberty Organization (PLO) has no standing as a state or nation and thus cannot make representations to the international court.

Hamas accuses Israel of the occupation of its lands but cannot prove its ownership. Claiming and owning are not the same thing.

Palestinians are a creation of the Russian KGB and did not exist until July 1968, 19 years after Israel was declared a nation. The Muslim Brotherhood created Hamas in December 1987, 38 years after Israel was recognized as a nation.

I recall watching in horror as the PLO was elected the government of Gaza in January, 2005. Trucks filled with armed troops patrolled the streets during the election which is not part of a free, democratic election. Nevertheless, United Nations observers declared the election valid.

In January 2006 the Palestinian territories held what turned out to be their last parliamentary elections. Hamas won a bare plurality of votes (44 percent to the more moderate Fatah party’s 41 percent) but given the electoral system, a strong majority of seats (74 to 45).

Neither party was keen on sharing power. Fighting broke out between the two. When a unity government was finally formed in June 2007, Hamas broke the deal, started murdering Fatah members and took total control of the Gaza Strip. Those who weren’t killed fled to the West Bank, and the territories have remained split ever since.

Middle east politics is a complicated strife between heavily armed tribal tyrants with a tenuous grip on power and no compunction about murdering those they regard as potential enemies. 

Stephen Harper’s editorial in the National Post, Feb. 18. Is worth reading. HERE

Damning report on DEI training

'Divisive, counter-productive, and unnecessary’

We have reached the ultimate stage of absurdity where some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, while others are not held responsible for what they are doing today.
    

Governments have become monolithic, totalitarian, and unresponsive to the needs of the people they are sworn to serve and entrenched in governance of an era where we had very little or no national debt and individuals thrived in an open free-enterprise democracy.

Like many who reach the age of majority well before they acquire maturity, our governments are spending wildly with money we don’t have. The federal debt load for the fiscal year 2023 is measured in trillions, about $1.2 trillion and shows no signs of growing smaller. The federal government is still projecting deficits and with increasing interest rates is now paying more on interest costs than it is spending on healthcare.

Money spent on servicing a growing debt leaves less available for core programs that Canadians depend on.

As young people mature, they gain wisdom from the mistakes they make. No one learns from success. Our governments, federal and provincial, seem incapable of maturing and gleefully repeat the errors they make.

The federal government is growing at a far faster pace than the private sector. That is particularly troubling as the consumers of wealth are outpacing the producers of wealth.

Canada is not alone in facing a likely financial meltdown. A depression is now inevitable. Many nations are starting to make the hard decisions required to avert insolvency and restore democracy. Sadly, Canada is not amongst them.

• •     •

The Aristotle Foundation released a damning new report authored by Wilfrid Laurier University, Ontario associate professor David Haskell that examines existing research to determine whether diversity, equity, and inclusion training actually leads to better outcomes and less bigotry. HERE

Government side of the House of

Commons has no common sense

Coverage for basic pharmacare is estimated to cost $3.5 billion annually. Comprehensive coverage is estimated at $15.3 billion annually.

The government has also proposed a national dental care program to be effective in 2024 at an estimated cost of $13 billion. However, the plan is not universal since it covers those with incomes under $90,000 per year and seniors 72 years and older. It excludes anyone with private dental coverage. Covering the 4.4 million Canadians excluded will drive costs up substantially.

Successive federal governments have presided over the collapse of our health care systems in Canada. They use the Canada Health Act as an excuse to prevent competition in the health care delivery field but the platoons of bureaucrats operating provincial healthcare delivery are not held accountable for errors or bad decisions.

Health care delivery is a provincial jurisdiction. Trudeau and Singh do not have constitutional authority to interfere and stifle healthcare delivery innovation and accountability. Provincial governments employ healthcare delivery personnel. The federal government is out of its driving lane.

The federal government is shirking its responsibilities to provide health care for indigenous people, military personnel, prison inmates, and many others. It is required to maintain military hospitals across the nation to serve those under its care. They have all been turned over to the provinces with the excuse that maintaining military hospital was too expensive. Running provincial hospitals is also too expensive. There is no net gain.

It gets worse – much worse

The federal debt has doubled from $619.3 billion in 2015-16, the first year of Trudeau's government, to $1.2 trillion in 2022-23. It's expected to climb to $1.4 trillion by 2028-29.

With interest rates at a 20-year high, the cost of borrowing has spiked from $20.3 billion in 2020-21 to $46.5 billion in 2022-23. Carrying costs to the federal treasury are projected to reach $60.7 billion in 2028-29.
 

Money spent on debt servicing means less money available to maintain core services. We are on a runaway roller-coaster ride to a depression. Finance Minister Chrystia  Freeland’s assurances that our economy is stable is fiction. Small business bankruptcies are rising rapidly, and small business is the engine of employment in Canada.

Inflation is not under control. Rising costs of living are driving Canadians into poverty. Trudeau’s ever-increasing carbon taxes see to that. The costs of everything we buy or use increases in step with carbon tax increases.
 

Trudeau, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, and their advisors live in a fantasy world detached from reality. They ignore the needs of the people they are sworn to serve. Their concept of leadership is to tax and regulate us rather than serve us. They do not have the common sense or capacity to make tough decisions to qualify as true leaders. Their claims to be victims of circumstance beyond their control is repugnant.

That is precisely the position we find ourselves in but unlike the government we do our best to cope with the situation we face. We can’t avoid responsibility for our welfare or those of our families.

• • • • •

David Thurton’s reported CBC News on Feb. 07 that NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday he warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a recent closed-door meeting that there will be "repercussions" if the government misses the March 1 deadline for tabling pharmacare legislation.

Singh meets with Trudeau occasionally to discuss the terms of the supply and confidence agreement between their two parties, which sees New Democrats support the government on key votes in the House of Commons in exchange for movement on policy priorities. Singh described the Monday meeting as "tough."

"I made it clear to the PM that we expect legislation, and we expect the government to take steps to go beyond that, and we expect that by the first of March," Singh told reporters on Parliament Hill.

"I put him on notice ... If not, there will be repercussions." Full Report

DEI is a subversive attack on free democracies worldwide

“Diversity—through the lenses of race, ethnicity, ability, gender, sexual orientation, and beyond—can help to strengthen organizations, as studies have shown time and again. Quite simply, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is used to describe three values that many organizations today strive to embody to help meet the needs of people from all walks of life. The focus is on diversity, equity, and inclusion in business and society.”

There are many explanations of exactly what DEI means and the above is as good as any I have found. It is Marxist rubbish designed to replace the value of individuals for the measure of the lowest common denominator. There is no nation that has adopted this version of communism that has done so successfully. Ultimately, the population shares in a common misery under totalitarian rule. It is a living example of a clutch of elitists being more equal than others.

The totalitarian core thrives in riches, protected by a well-paid army and subservient police force. There is no justice system to protect citizens. Those considered enemies are imprisoned and tortured or murdered. People are encouraged to report one another for alleged threats to the elitists in return for favours. The result is massive distrust within society which makes it more manageable.

People of every imaginable combination of ethnicity and belief have not just thrived but excelled in every imaginable endeavour from the arts to zoology in free democracies. Those who understand the value of arduous work, adherence to principles, and a belief that they can succeed if they apply themselves excel in their chosen professions.

Our media loves to regale us with ‘firsts’ – the first person of colour to fill a given position, for example. What rubbish! It is really a belated and grudging acceptance of reality by those in power.

One common trait of those who stive to better themselves is an ability for self-criticism. They understand their limitations. Many have spent a lifetime fighting against hidden barriers successfully, improving themselves and society.

We meet them regularly without recognizing their achievements. Whether its is a medical professional engaged in our treatment, or an electrician, plumber or carpenter who takes pride in their profession does their work accordingly, they are successful. We all benefit.

Envy is a corrosive emotion that eventually consumes those who envy. They are unwilling to expend the effort and sacrifice required to succeed and turn to the blame game. It is best described as an opportunity missed because it arrives in overalls and looks like work. Those with the determination and grit to succeed embrace the opportunity.

Currently, I watch with amusement DEI proponents blame white males and colonialism for all the ills of society. Our society is continually evolving. As we discover that truisms of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are flawed, we discard them and strive to do better. An outstanding example is government rule as opposed to government service. Every four years of so we are inundated for three to six months of intense communications from political parties telling us how they plan to improve our lives if we only give them the power to do so.

For the next 42 to 45 months good luck with communicating with any elected person. Those who do succeed find the elected person has little of no interest in solving problems. Their focus is on getting re-elected to retain the benefits of elected office.

Wash, rinse, repeat. What we find is that the party elected to power does as it pleases and ignores election period promises. We find that changes over the period between elections are exceedingly small and rarely to our benefit. Currently we find our situation is more precarious with each passing month.

Canada belongs to Canadians, and we decide what powers we are willing to allow our civic, provincial, and federal governments to have. Political parties strive to control us through legislation and regulations and m, and access to our incomes so they can tax us into oblivion. They are succeeding.

Ignoring or shunning politics is no longer an option. Either we demand accountability that long ago fled the halls of power or succumb to totalitarianism in place of democratic governance. We are too far down the road to Marxism to remain complacent.
 

If you wish to make a contribution to offset the costs of media subscriptions and mailings, please send a bank e-transfer to jbfeldsted@gmail.com or mail to J. Feldsted 420 - 60 Whellams Lane Winnipeg, MB R2G 2G7.

The greatest hoax ever, part two

This is the grandest hoax ever perpetrated by Iran. There is no country or nation of Palestine. There are no civilians in Gaza. They are prisoners of war held as human shields to protect Hamas terrorists.
     

There are no hostages. They too are prisoners of war held as bargaining chips in violation of the Geneva conference on the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs).
     

There was once a Palestinian territory ruled first by the Roman Empire and later by the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire. Following WWI, Great Britain and France were determined to ensure the demise of the Ottomans and seized control over the territory, splitting the area in two with each controlling half.
     

In 1917 the British established a homeland for Jews in Israel, roughly parallelling the ancient nation of Judea. The Balfore Declaration was messy and vague which has resulted in controversy.
     

Following WWII, neither Britain nor France wanted to continue responsibility for the Palestinian territory. WWII had bankrupted them. They had cartographers draft up nations much as we know them today.
     

Difficulties arose as the Palestinian territories had always been tribal, ruled by strongman, and the new nations all had a mix of tribes who did not get along. In most cases the majority won out and minor tribes were absorbed and usually mistreated.
     

In 1926, radical elements from Egypt formed the Muslim Brotherhood, declaring that Iran would never allow itself to be conquered. Islamist in orientation, it advocated a return to the Quran and the Hadith as guidelines for a healthy modern Islamic society. The Brotherhood spread rapidly throughout Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, and North Africa. Although figures of Brotherhood membership are variable, it is estimated that at its height in the late 1940s it may have had some 500,000 members.
    

 The brotherhood remains active throughout the world, and has evolved into a sophisticated spy network for Iran.    
     

The Muslim Brotherhood gradually grew more and more militant and created a military wing that sought to overthrow various Middle East governments. This led to more dispersal of Brotherhood members from the Middle East to Western and European nations.
    

 In 1941, the Grand Mufti (religious leader) of tribes in the Middle East visited Hitler with the objective of forming an alliance with Germany and Italy based on their mutual hatred of Jews. Hitler refused an alliance as premature. He was inclined to view Arabs as inferior rather then as allies, refusing to shake the Mufti’s hand or to drink coffee with him.
      

Hitler provided the Mufti with a budget of 750,000 Reichsmark per month to foment a jihad (holy war) in the territory. Hitler had already formed an alliance with Muslim Brotherhood radicals who suited his purposes as the Brotherhood was ardently anti-western. The concept of jihad disruptions in host nations continues today.  
     

Palestinians are a creation of the Russian KGB and its agent, Yassir Arafat. Arafat was head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), and Palestinians came in to being when the PLO issued its Charter in July 1968.
          

In 1952 the Brotherhood was forced underground by the Egyptian government. In 1954, Egypt sentenced numerous Brotherhood members to death and imprisoned many others. Many members fled to various nations, including the USA, Canada and most European nations.
      

Ultimately the Brotherhood created Hamas in December 1987. Hamas is dedicated to the extermination of all non-Islamic people worldwide. It is significant that Hamas was able to start pro-Palestinian protests in various nations before news of the October 6, 2023 terrorist massacre had been distributed through the media. The Brotherhood is well funded by billionaires’ intent on creating a new world order and the Brotherhood is adept at keeping us fighting with one another.
     

The notion that groups of visible minorities cannot succeed without Marxist efforts to impose an artificial equality of numbers rather than hiring and promoting based on merit is rubbish.
     

People of every ethnic background and religion have thrived in a free democracy and are successful in every endeavour. From the arts to philosophy to politics to science and zoology, people representing minority groups have exhibited their ability to excel at their chosen profession.
     

Perhaps the hoax could be laid to rest if the entire membership of one of our university Palestinian protests were rounded up, loaded on a military transport and left to fend for themselves in President Bashar al-Assad’s Syria where women have no rights, gays are routinely hanged or murdered, and all, young and old must adopt Islam or perish. Women accused of infidelity are routinely stoned to death. Sharia law is unforgiving. See Goldstein

The greatest hoax ever, part one

Government & media lie #1 - The Jews Occupy Palestine
There is no country or nation called Palestine. There was once a region of the Middle East referred to as Palestine, ruled first by the Romans and later by the Ottomans, and following WWI, by the British and French. Various Arab tribes and following WWII Arab Nations occupied what had been the Palestinian region. There were no Palestinians – they had not been invented yet.

Government & media lie #2 – There are Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Gaza is not a democracy. Gaza is controlled by Hamas terrorists who hold the population as human shields to protect their fighters from enemies. They are prisoners of war.

Government and media lie #3 – Israel violates the Rules of War.
Israel goes to extraordinary lengths to minimize non-combatant casualties which include the prisoners of war held by Hamas. Hamas violates the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war (PoWs).

Government and media lie #4 – Palestinians are in need of humanitarian aid.
The Geneva Convention on PoWs requires that if captured, they are to be sent back to their side as soon as possible. The Convention's 143 articles require that POWs be treated humanely, adequately housed, and receive sufficient food, clothing, and medical care. That is not happening in Gaza. Captives are abused and murdered. Hamas is not a nation and cannot be held to account.

Government and media lie #5 – Hamas has captured hostages.
Hamas ‘hostages’ are prisoners of war. They are held to protect Hamas terrorists and mistreated by Hamas in violation of the Geneva Convention. Hamas refuses to allow any neutral party to visit PoWs to verify their reasonable treatment.

Government and media lie #6 – Cease-fires are working.
Cease-fires work for Hamas, which can move PoWs around to make it harder for the IDF to find and release. Hamas also sets up ambushes for IDF troops.

Government and media lie #7 - Women and children are being killed by the IDF.
This is a breathtaking double standard and outright fiction. Various Iranian terrorist factions in Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank are raining rockets into Israel and those not intercepted by the IDF kill people indiscriminately, including women and children.

Government and Media lie #8 - the Red Cross is an honest broker.
During the 1982 IDF invasion of Southern Lebanon, designed to drive the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) out of the area, the Red Cross (aka the Red Crescent in some Arab states) was caught transmitting information on IDF positions and armaments to Hezbollah.

Government and media lie #9 – Palestinians have been around forever.
Palestinians are an invention of the Russian KGB under the direction of its chef agent, Yasser Arafat.
Palestinians were created by the PLO when it released its Charter in July 1964 – nearly 60 years ago and included clauses calling for the genocide of all residents if Israel. PLO supporters are advocating the genocide of Jews. What free democracy would even consider, let alone support genocide?
Do an search of the name Yasser Arafat to get an idea of his terrorist involvement.

Government and media lie #10 – Palestinians are victims of Western Nations' aggression.
The gambit is to convince us that we should be ashamed of ourselves for mistreating Palestinians and owe them a debt. World geopolitical strife has played a part, but there are many players, primarily enemies of Western Nations. The geopolitical wars rage on and power balances are shifting. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are working together in a new axis of evil.

We are engaged in a battle between good and evil, with evil represented by Iran and its terrorist proxies. The young people parading in our streets screaming that we must free Palestine are woefully (and deliberately) ignorant of the history of the Middle East.

The Muslim Brotherhood, formed in 1926 is the worldwide intelligence arm of Iran, and long ago inserted itself in all aspects of Western democracies. Its aim is world domination. It is well-funded by billionaires bent on the destruction of democracies. The Brotherhood has grown increasingly militant and is the creator of Hamas.

In 1941 the Grand Mufti (Islamic Chief Cleric) met with various Nazi luminaries, including Hitler. His objective was to ally with Germany and Italy in their mutual hatred of Jews.

Hitler had a plan to extend the Holocaust to the Middle East and had allied with Arab nationalists. This is perhaps why Hitler met with the Mufti and provided him a budget of 750,000 Reichsmarks per month to foment a jihad in Palestine. The alliance did not alter Hitler’s racist views toward Arabs reflected in his refusal to shake the Mufti’s hand or drink coffee with him.

Take note – Hitler’s funding was aimed at creating a Jihad (Holy War) to disrupt nations in the region, specifically Israel. This disruption continues unabated in dozens of nations today.

Protests favouring Palestinians are turning against Christians, disrupting holiday shoppers and bypasses while turning on and attacking police officers trying to keep the peace. It is an expected extension of the hoax but saddening. Many people been taken in by unrelenting Iraqi propaganda. Iraq aims to keep us fractured and fighting one another instead of standing together to confront the evil it represents.

We never see references to the Muslim Brotherhood in any Western media. That is disgusting since it is active in most nations including Canada. We have a terrorist faction active in our population fomenting hatred of Jews. The Brotherhood is unwelcome in most Arab states as it is uncontrollable. Iran provided Hamas with about 60,000 fighters trained from infancy to delight in killing Jews and that led to the barbaric massacre of some 1,100 Israelis and the capture of hostages (prisoners of war) on October 6, 2023. In one day, we reverted to the Stone Age of 12,000 years ago.

Our safety and security as a nation have been compromised. It can happen here. I will write further on the Islamic Brotherhood soon. It is too complex to fully cover here.

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