Stephen Harper condemns Hamas attack on Israel as Trudeau remains silent

https://tnc.news/2021/05/11/stephen-harper-condemns-hamas-attack-on-israel-as-trudeau-remains-silent/

Former prime minister Stephen Harper has condemned the terrorist group Hamas for launching hundreds of rockets at Israel in a new wave of aggression.

Harper took to Twitter Tuesday to condemn the unprovoked attacks on Israel which have resulted in multiple civilian deaths.

HORRIFIC SCENES OUT OF ISRAEL OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS AS CIVILIANS SHELTER FROM A BARRAGE OF TERRORIST ESCALATION. ATTACKS ON THE STATE OF ISRAEL ARE ATTACKS ON US ALL AND MUST BE IMMEDIATELY CONDEMNED BY INTERNATIONAL LEADERS. I PRAY FOR THE SAFETY OF EVERYONE IN THE REGION.

— Stephen Harper (@stephenharper) May 11, 2021

“Horrific scenes out of Israel over the last 24 hours as civilians shelter from a barrage of terrorist escalation,” he said.

“Attacks on the State of Israel are attacks on us all and must be immediately condemned by international leaders. I pray for the safety of everyone in the region.”

On Monday, Hamas began firing rockets into Israel from its the Gaza strip. At least five Israelis have thus far killed, with Israel retaliating with airstrikes that have killed at least 15 Hamas militants.

The rocket attacks began after weeks of clashes between Israeli police, Palestinian groups and Jewish groups over control of a disputed neighbourhod in Jerusalem.

INTERCEPTED:

TERRORISTS RECENTLY FIRED ANOTHER BARRAGE OF ROCKETS FROM GAZA TOWARD THE ISRAELI CITY OF ASHKELON.

WE INTERCEPTED THE ROCKETS WITH THE IRON DOME AERIAL DEFENSE SYSTEM, AND ARE NOW STRIKING HAMAS TERROR TARGETS.

While Harper condemns the attacks on Israel, the current Liberal government has remained quiet as the situation escalates.

As of Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had not made any public statements on the rocket attacks or previous clashes in Jerusalem.

Conservative leader Erin O’Toole condemned the “frightening” attacks in a statement Tuesday.

“Canada’s Conservatives strongly condemn the frightening campaign of rocket attacks by Hamas,” O’Toole said. “These terrorist attacks are indiscriminately targeting civilians and have already taken innocent lives. They must end immediately.”

CANADA’S CONSERVATIVES STRONGLY CONDEMN THE FRIGHTENING CAMPAIGN OF ROCKET ATTACKS BY HAMAS. THESE TERRORIST ATTACKS ARE INDISCRIMINATELY TARGETING CIVILIANS AND HAVE ALREADY TAKEN INNOCENT LIVES. THEY MUST END IMMEDIATELY. READ MY FULL STATEMENT:

— Erin O'Toole (@erinotoole) May 11, 2021

While Trudeau has remained silent, Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau did issue a statement on the clashes in Jerusalem on Saturday, calling for both sides to back down.

Garneau noted his government is concerned that Israel’s claim to the disputed neighbourhood may undermine the possibility of a two-state solution.

“Canada is following the situation in Jerusalem closely. We call for immediate de-escalation of tensions and for all sides to avoid any unilateral actions,” he said.

“Canada is committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel.”

Halt to non-emergency surgeries in Ontario creates 3.5 year backlog

https://tnc.news/2021/05/11/halt-to-non-emergency-surgeries-in-ontario-creates-3-5-year-backlog/

Ontario’s decision to halt non-emergency surgeries earlier this year has resulted in a backlog that could last years and cost taxpayers an additional $1.3 billion in extra costs.

In a report released Monday by the Financial Accountability Office (FAO) of Ontario, the independent organization determines that by September there will be a backlog of 419,000 elective surgeries and 2.5 diagnostic million procedures.

At the current rate, it will take 3.5 years to end the backlog.

“For context, in 2019, Ontario hospitals completed 649,300 elective surgeries and 4.3 million non-emergent diagnostic procedures,” the report reads.

“This means that the surgical and diagnostic backlog is expected to reach nearly two-thirds of total annual volume for all elective surgeries and non-emergent diagnostic procedures in a normal year.”

In April, Ontario hospitals were instructed to stop all non-emergency surgeries as the province faced a surge of COVID-19 cases.

The FAO estimates the cost to clear the backlog will be $1.3 billion, more than double the $610 million originally budgeted for by the Ford government.

The president of think-tank SecondStreet.org Colin Craig says the FAO report exposes the dire situation in Ontarian healthcare and the need for reform.

“The numbers from Ontario are quite staggering – both in terms of the volume of surgeries that were postponed and the estimate that it will take 3.5 years to clear the backlog. This past September the Ford government told us they had no idea how big the backlog was. Fortunately, they now seem to have an estimate.”

Craig notes that other countries addressed the backlog for procedures by making use of private health services which are not available to Ontarians.

“The big question is – will the Ford government relax its iron grip on health care in the province? Countries with shorter waiting lists than Canada give patients a choice – use the public health care system or pay out-of-pocket at a private clinic,” he said.

“If the Ontario government followed suit and allowed patients to use non-government clinics, they could reduce their backlog faster as some patients choose to pay out-of-pocket.”

TYRANTS: Our public health officials have become drunk with power

https://www.rebelnews.com/tyrants_public_health_officials_drunk_with_power

On yesterday's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, guest host David Menzies had some strong words for Canada's public health tyrants who have kept us locked-down for over a year now — or as he calls them, doc-tators.

How is it that these unelected, unaccountable health bureaucrats are able to wield such vast powers over the rest of us, shuttering churches, gyms, restaurants, and other small businesses? These people are becoming drunk with power, and when the dust settles on COVID-19, there will be a lot of explaining to do.

B.C. Supreme Court sets Meng Wanzhou's final court dates

https://www.rebelnews.com/bc_supreme_court_sets_meng_wanzhous_final_court_dates

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has set June 29 and 30 for a hearing on whether to admit new evidence in the trial of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou.

The court originally expected to hear final arguments this month.

According to a report from CTV News,

The court also confirmed that the final leg of hearings in the extradition case will begin Aug. 3, although that date could be pushed back a week if the evidence is admitted.

That hearing is expected to take up to three weeks and will cover arguments over whether Meng was subjected to an abuse of process, the remedy related to that alleged abuse, and the actual committal hearing to determine if she should be extradited to the United States.

The South China Morning Post added that Meng’s lawyers say the material is “copious”.

Meng is the chief financial officer of Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications company, which has also been designated a National Security Threat by the U.S. Federal Communication Commission.

In 2018, Meng was arrested in Canada on charges of fraud and conspiracy, after the U.S. alleged that she and Huawei misled the bank of HSBC in connection with possible violations of American trade sanctions against Iran.

Just nine days later, Communist China vindictively snatched up and detained two Canadian civilians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who are still suffering in cells while Meng lives a life of luxury in Vancouver.

Federal employees working from home bill taxpayer thousands for desk, foot mats

https://tnc.news/2021/05/12/federal-employees-working-from-home-bill-taxpayer-thousands-for-desk-foot-mats/

Federal employees spent $36.3 million on new office equipment for working at home, with some employees billing taxpayers thousands for single pieces of furniture, the government says.

First reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, in an Inquiry of the Ministry tabled this week, cabinet released data showing how some of the $36.3 million was spent.

One unidentified manager in the Department of Agriculture spent $2,815 on a single desk. A manager in the Department of Indigenous Services spent $1,160 on an “ergonomic work chair.”

“This is a lot of money. People lose sight of these items but it all adds up,” Conservative MP Kerry Diotte, who requested the data, told Blacklock’s.

Various departments spent staggering amounts on equipment. The Department of Agriculture spent $179,925 on headsets and the Department of Finance spent $3,029 on “anti-fatigue mats.”

“When you start looking at expenditures like a $2,800 adjustable desk, that really hits home,” Diotte said.

“We all know what desks cost.”

During the beginning months of the pandemic, the vast majority of federal employees were made to work from home.

Federal employees received over $1.1 billion in paid leave 2020, with 94,000 federal employees also receiving 6.64% pay hikes as part of new tentative agreements with PSAC.

Last year, the Department of Public Works offered federal employees the choice of a new work chair or $500 to buy their own.

Should human rights laws protect against anti-conservative discrimination?

https://tnc.news/2021/05/12/should-human-rights-laws-protect-against-anti-conservative-discrimination/

Human rights laws in Canada protect against discrimination based on almost every identity imaginable, except there are no robust protections for political beliefs. Queen’s University law professor Bruce Pardy says in the era of cancel culture and anti-conservative discrimination, if we’re going to insist on maintaining human rights laws, we should add protection for people who suffer harm because of their political beliefs. He joined The Andrew Lawton Show to explain.

Majority of Canadians support freedom of speech over Bill C-10: poll

https://tnc.news/2021/05/12/majority-of-canadians-support-freedom-of-speech-over-bill-c-10-poll/

A new poll by Public Square Research and Maru/Blue reveals that an overwhelming majority of Canadians would choose defending their right to freedom of expression over Bill C-10’s goal to promote Canadian content on social media platforms.

According to news outlet The Hub, 73% of Canadians chose free speech when asked to pick between the bill and their rights.

The Liberal government has been recently reeling from a public outcry over the law, which was drafted with the purpose of modernizing Canada’s Broadcasting Act to meet the current digital landscape of media.

Opposition to the bill reached its highest after Liberal members of the House of Commons heritage committee voted to strip an amendment from the legislation which served to protect the content posted by ordinary social media users from regulation by the CRTC.

Experts like University of Ottawa Law Professor and Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law Michael Geist have argued that Bill C-10 is the “most anti-Internet” legislation in Canada’s history.

Further, the former vice-chair of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission called the government’s internet regulation bill a “national embarrassment.”

Additionally, the poll found that 72% of Canadians had no knowledge of the legislation or were barely aware of it.

Of those who knew about the law, 38% were very unsupportive of it and an additional 15% said they were somewhat unsupportive. On the other hand, 11% were very supportive of Bill C-10 and 20% were somewhat supportive.

The poll surveyed 1,508 Canadians online over the weekend of April 30, 2021.

Conservative members of the heritage committee have pushed for Minister Guilbeault to appear before the committee to answer questions regarding the bill while also requesting a legislative review by the Justice Ministry to ensure that the law complies with Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Guilbeault recently claimed that Canada’s cultural community is supportive of the bill. As revealed by True North, Guilbeault cited several organizations which have received government funding as supporters of the law without revealing the conflict of interest.

Among the groups cited by Guilbeault was the League of Canadian Poets, to which his ministry awarded $67,088 between 2016 and 2018.

Data show rural violent crimes are up in BC’s Okanagan: RCMP

https://tnc.news/2021/05/12/data-show-rural-violent-crimes-are-up-in-bcs-okanagan-rcmp/

BC’s Okanagan is experiencing a surge in violent rural crime, newly released RCMP statistics show.

According to Penticton RCMP detachment Supt. Brian Hunter, an increase in violent crimes such as assaults and threats have been especially concerning.

“It’s concerning, the level of violence happening in the community,” Hunter told the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen board last week.

Violent crimes specifically in rural areas have increased by 10%, with a greater increase of 18% in the city region.

Meanwhile, the incident rate of uttering threats has also jumped by 63% in comparison to last year. Break and enters were also higher this year by 24%.

According to Hunter, the “pandemic effect” and the region’s homelessness issues have contributed to the worrying increase.

A high quantity of calls were found to be related to a controversial homeless winter shelter located on Winnipeg St in Penticton, BC. According to the RCMP, police responded to 290 calls at the shelter in the first quarter of 2021.

In April, Conservative MP Blaine Calkins introduced a bill to the House of Commons to address the issue of rural crime.

Bill C-289 hopes to alter the Criminal Code to add as an aggravating circumstance evidence that a crime was directed at somebody who was “vulnerable because of their remoteness from emergency services and, for the purposes of some offences, the fact that a person carried, used or threatened to use a weapon or an imitation of a weapon.”

“Rural Canadians too often don’t feel safe in their own homes. Many have been victimized so often they’ve given up reporting property crime. It is often difficult for people to get affordable insurance if they can get it at all,” said Calkins in the House of Commons.

“My constituents are tired of being victims, they’re tired of the revolving door of the justice system, and of crime not being taken seriously. They are losing faith in the justice system, because too often it puts criminals before victims and their families.”