Hudson Bay trade route gains momentum as Canada seeks to bypass US tariffs

https://www.westernstandard.news/alberta/hudson-bay-trade-route-gains-momentum-as-canada-seeks-to-bypass-us-tariffs/61969

Amid rising trade tensions with the US, the federal and Manitoba governments are pouring millions of dollars into establishing the Hudson’s Bay as a viable alternative trade route to president Donal Trump’s tariff threats.

On Monday, the Manitoba government committed $36.4 million to upgrade infrastructure at the Arctic Gateway Group (AGG)-operated Port of Churchill, while the federal government pledged $43 million to support operations and maintenance of the Hudson Bay Railway.

The announcements are part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on US trade routes, particularly as Washington ramps up protectionist policies.

That’s because Churchill is presently the world’s only deep water Arctic port. A full-blown Hudson Bay corridor could eventually become a vital gateway for Canadian commodities, including critical minerals, fertilizer, and even oil and natural gas, to reach global markets without relying on the US. Continue…

Trump Takes the Gloves Off, Orders GSA to Cancel “Every Single Media Contract”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/trump-takes-gloves-orders-gsa-terminate-every-single/

President Trump is on a roll!

Trump on Thursday ordered the General Services Administration (GSA) to cancel “every single media contract” funded by the agency.

Contracts for Politico, BBC, Bloomberg and Politico Pro were canceled. Politico Pro costs $10,000 per year!

Axios reported: Continue…

BREAKING: Musk Says His DOGE Team Uncovered $100 BILLION in Medicare and Medicaid Waste After Gaining Access to the System

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/breaking-musk-exposes-shocking-100-billion-waste-medicare/

In a bombshell revelation that could shake the foundations of American healthcare, Elon Musk, leading the charge under President Trump’s newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has uncovered what he describes as a staggering “$100B of taxpayer money” wasted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

On Wednesday, Musk’s team, along with two senior veterans from the agency, has been meticulously reviewing the CMS’s payment and contracting systems, which are crucial for managing health insurance for approximately one in every four Americans, according to far-left USA Today.

“CMS has two senior Agency veterans – one focused on policy and one focused on operations – who are leading the collaboration with DOGE, including ensuring appropriate access to CMS systems and technology,” the agency said in a statement to Reuters.

The DOGE team was granted read-only access to the system.

Their mission, as outlined by Andrew G. Nixon, the HHS director of communications, is to identify “opportunities for more effective and efficient use of resources” in alignment with President Trump’s efficiency agenda.

However, the narrative has quickly escalated from efficiency to accusations of rampant waste and potential fraud.

“This is where the big money fraud is happening,” Musk tweeted on Wednesday in response to a post suggesting that aides using DOGE are searching the Medicare agency payment systems for fraud.

However, the most explosive claim came later on Thursday night when Musk tweeted, “They wasted $100B of taxpayer money!” Continue…

New Jersey Climate Lawsuit Dismissed with Prejudice: Court Rejects Baseless Claims Against Oil Giants Causing Climate Change

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/new-jersey-climate-lawsuit-dismissed-prejudice-court-rejects/

A New Jersey lawsuit accusing major oil companies of contributing to climate change has been dismissed.

The lawsuit, spearheaded by New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin in 2022, targeted industry behemoths like ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute.

It alleged that their operations exacerbated climate-related damages across the state.

According to the lawsuit: Continue…

DEVELOPING: Massive Search Underway After US Aircraft Carrying 10 People Vanishes Midair Over Alaska

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/developing-massive-search-underway-after-us-aircraft-carrying/

A Bering Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan with 10 people on board, including nine passengers and one pilot, has disappeared from radar screens while flying over western Alaska.

The aircraft was en route from Unalakleet to Nome when contact was lost around 4 p.m. local time.

The flight departed Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., and communication was lost less than an hour later.

“On February 6, 2025, at 4:00pm, AST was contacted by AKRCC in reference to an overdue aircraft,” the Alaska Department of Public Safety said on its website.

The announcement continued, “It was reported that a Bering Air Caravan had gone missing while en route from Unalakleet to Nome, with 9 passengers and 1 pilot on board. SAR crews are working to get to the last known coordinates.”

Authorities are working to determine the plane’s last known coordinates.

Due to hazardous winter weather and limited visibility, aerial search efforts have been constrained.

Ground search teams from Nome and White Mountain have been deployed, and residents are advised against forming their own search parties due to the perilous conditions.

According to Nome Volunteer Fire Department: Continue…

Joe Rogan Calls Out Bernie Sanders Over Criticism of Trump: ‘Wildest F***ing Gaslighting I Think I’ve Ever Seen’ (VIDEO)

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/joe-rogan-calls-bernie-sanders-criticism-trump-wildest/

Joe Rogan used to be a Bernie Sanders supporter, but it looks like that is changing.

During a new episode of his podcast featuring guest Bret Weinstein, Rogan called out Bernie for his criticism of Trump with regards to the media and the CBS News case. Bernie claimed that Trump is trying to silence independent media.

Rogan correctly notes that CBS News edited their 60 Minutes interview of Kamala Harris in order to help her in the 2024 election.

Weinstein then pointed out the connection between the Soros family and politicians like Bernie Sanders and others on the left.

Partial transcript via the Vigilant Fox on Twitter/X: Continue…

TECH DYSTOPIA: Google Drops Pledge Not To Use AI for Weapons or Mass Surveillance Systems

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/tech-dystopia-google-drops-pledge-not-use-ai/

We live in a world where AI is already widely used in a variety of weapons systems by a number of countries.

Drones and UAVs are a perfect example, with AI selecting and engaging targets without human intervention, as well as Loitering Munitions (kamikaze drones) identifying and engaging targets. In development are also ‘swarming technologies’, in which multiple AI-controlled drones operate in coordination.

But there’s much more: Missile Defense Systems use AI for automatic detection and engagement of incoming missiles or aircraft; AI-Enabled Targeting Systems that identify targets in conflict zones; autonomous Naval Systems (unmanned ships), and even DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution (ACE) Program in which AI can pilot an actual F-16 in flight.

On top of it all, there are AI-enhanced logistics and Decision Support optimizing resource allocation and tactical decisions.

So, it would make no sense, really, for a top-tier player in the AI landscape, like Google, to be opting to remain out of this ongoing revolution in weapons and surveillance systems.

Gizmodo reported: Continue…

USAID Accused of Funneling $260 Million to Organizations Linked to George Soros’s Open Society Foundations

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/george-soross-open-society-foundations-receive-260-million/

Billionaire philanthropist George Soros, through his network of organizations, received a staggering $260 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

USAID has been accused of funneling funds to entities connected with Soros’ Open Society Foundations, which are known for advocating for radical and regime changes globally.

The narrative around this funding has been traced back through several documents and reports.

In 2018, Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, filed a lawsuit against the State Department and USAID, seeking records on funding to Soros’s organizations in Albania.

On March 14, 2017, Judicial Watch sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and six Senators calling “on the secretary to investigate the relations between USAID and the Soros Foundations and how U.S. tax dollars are being used by the State Department and the USAID to support left-of-center political groups who seek to impose left-leaning policies in countries such as Macedonia and Albania”, the senators wrote.

In the same year, The Heritage Foundation claimed that during the Obama administration, USAID partnered with Soros-funded groups to promote policies that were controversial even within the U.S., without clear alignment to national security interests.

These claims have been echoed in more recent times, with allegations that USAID funding under the Biden administration continued to flow towards causes aligned with Soros’ vision, such as diversity, equity, and inclusion programs abroad.

Mike Gonzalez, the Angeles T. Arredondo E Pluribus Unum Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, wrote: Continue…

Acting USAID Director Marco Rubio to Retain Only 294 Employees from a Workforce of 14,000: Report

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/acting-usaid-director-marco-rubio-retain-only-294/

Acting USAID Director and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly downsizing the bureaucratic agency, retaining only 294 of the agency’s 14,000 employees worldwide. This move cuts 97% of USAID’s staff

An internal document shared by former USAID assistant administrator for global health Atul Gawande reveals the specifics of these cuts: Continue…

DEVELOPING: Four Dead After US Military-Contracted Plane Crashes in Remote Area in Philippines

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/developing-four-dead-after-us-military-contracted-plane/

A tragic incident occurred Thursday when a US military-contracted plane met a catastrophic end in a remote rice field in the southern Philippines, claiming the lives of all four crew members on board.

The aircraft, identified as a Beech King Air 300 with registration number N349CA, was confirmed by U.S. Embassy spokesperson Kanishka Gangopadhyay as being under contract with the U.S. military.

Tim Ambolodto, head of the Maguindanao Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, reported that the bodies recovered appeared to be foreigners.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that one U.S. service member and three defense contractors were killed on the tragedy. The identities of the victims have not yet been released.

According to the press release: Continue…

Appointed as British Ambassador to the US, Controversial Lord Peter Mandelson Tells Reporter to ‘F*ck Off’ When Questioned About His Connection to Jeffrey Epstein

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/appointed-as-british-ambassador-us-controversial-lord-peter/

The Jeffrey Epstein curse is a real thing – just ask Prince Andrew or – even better – Ghislaine Maxwell.

Once someone is marked in the public eye as an Epstein friend or client, it becomes very difficult to cleanse their reputation.

Take, for instance, the very controversial Lord Peter Mandelson, the man chosen by failing UK Prime Minster Keir Starmer to be the next ambassador to the US: no matter how much time has passed, or how he has tried to whitewash his biography, there’s just no way his connection to Epstein is going to be memory-holed, even if ‘Petey’ throws tantrums when confronted with it.

It has arisen today that Lord Mandelson told a journalist very unceremoniously to ‘f*ck off’ when asked about his relationship with the late pedophile ‘financier’.

The Telegraph reported: Continue…

Trump Announces He Will Sign Executive Order to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias (VIDEO)

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/02/trump-announces-he-will-sign-executive-order-eradicate/

Wonderful news!

President Trump on Thursday announced that he will be signing an Executive Order to make Attorney General Pam Bondi the head of a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias.

“To confront such weaponization and religious persecution today I’m signing an Executive Order to make our attorney general who’s a great person — the head of a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias,” Trump said.

“It’s about time,” he added. Continue…

NATO Troops To Defend Greenland? Report Says Europe Mulls Options To Deter Trump

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/nato-troops-defend-greenland-report-says-europeans-discuss-ways-deter-trump

New reports say that European countries are actually discussing sending troops to Greenland in order to deter President Donald Trump after he said taking control of it is an "absolute necessity" while warning of the potential for China or other US global rivals to obtain the island's mineral wealth.

Trump has never yet ruled out the use of military force to take it, and earlier this week NATO chief Mark Rutte offered a compromise of letting NATO secure the vast Arctic territory instead. This as Denmark’s prime minister insisted has remained firm in insisting that Greenland is not for sale.

"I will never support the idea of fighting allies. But of course, if the U.S. puts tough terms on Europe, we need a collective and robust response," PM Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters in Brussels when EU leaders gathered for defense talks Monday.

On Friday The Telegraph reports on the most extreme (and we must admit, a highly dubious) scenario as follows:

Nato countries discussed deploying troops to Greenland in response to Donald Trump threatening to use the US military to seize the Danish island.

Germany was among dozens of European allies understood to have held informal talks over “what Nato troops would do” if the US president followed through on his threats, diplomatic sources told The Telegraph.

Questions were even raised over whether Article 5, the Western military alliance’s mutual defense clause, could be invoked in the event of an American invasion of a fellow Nato member state.

Certainly Putin would sit back and grab the popcorn, and without doubt the Kremlin is enjoying this unusual and entertaining example of inter-NATO angst and disunity. Continue…

Iran Inaugurates First-Ever Drone Carrier Warship In Persian Gulf

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/iran-inaugurates-first-ever-drone-carrier-warship-persian-gulf

Iran on Thursday unveiled and inaugurated its first ever drone-carrier warship, which features a 180-meter long runway for UAVS, and which is capable of carry several helicopters.

Manned by the elite paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s navy (IRGC), the vessel is dubbed Shahid Bagheri, and is further capable of launching cruise missiles.

Iran on Thursday unveiled and inaugurated its first ever drone-carrier warship, which features a 180-meter long runway for UAVS, and which is capable of carry several helicopters.

Manned by the elite paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s navy (IRGC), the vessel is dubbed Shahid Bagheri, and is further capable of launching cruise missiles. Continue…

Ukraine Launches New Offensive In Kursk, Marks 6 Months Of Holding Russian Territory

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraine-launches-new-offensive-kursk-marking-6-months-holding-russian-territory

Ukraine launched a fresh offensive on Russian territory in the Kursk region, Russia's military confirmed Thursday, which marks six months since Kiev forces first crossed the border in a risky gambit to take and control territory inside Russian borders.

The defense ministry announced Russian troops had "foiled an attempted counter-offensive by the Ukrainian armed forces." Kremlin officials have condemned the Ukrainian operation as a big distraction from the front lines in the Donbass, where Moscow is clearly winning.

What's clear is that Zelensky sees Kursk as a big (and perhaps lone) bargaining chip. Ukraine has little leverage in what's expected to be an upcoming negotiated peace settlement, so it looks to be trying to grab on to all it can, amid Trump pressure to engage in discussions with Moscow. Continue…

Decades-Long Chinese Influence In Panama Begins To Unravel

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/decades-long-chinese-influence-panama-begins-unravel

About 10 years ago, Louis Sola’s family maritime business was given a concession to build a marina and cruise port on Amador, a causeway located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.

“This would have been the very first cruise port in the Pacific,” Sola, who now serves as the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission chairman, said.

Everything changed in 2017 when Panama signed on with the Chinese regime’s Belt and Road Initiative. The initiative required the Panamanian government to recognize Taiwan as part of China—much to the surprise and concern of the United States, which has positioned itself as an ally of Taiwan.

Panama then rescinded the concession on the land where the Sola family had planned to spend $30 million on a cruise port.

Instead, Panama nationalized the project, gave a concession to a Chinese company, and paid it $300 million to build the cruise port.

Additionally, the land that would have been used to build a marina was designated as an embassy of the People’s Republic of China.

Eventually, the Solas got the land back, and U.S. and domestic pressure ended the Chinese regime’s plans of building an embassy at Amador.

In the most recent blow to China, Panama’s president announced on Feb. 2 that it will not renew its Belt and Road agreement with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—a significant win for President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign.

Beijing’s Influence Continue…

State Of Emergency Declared In Santorini After Quake Swarms Shake Island

Greek authorities declared a state of emergency in Santorini following days of "intense" earthquake swarms rattling the island. The strongest quake, registering a magnitude of 5.2, struck on Wednesday.

Santorini has declared a state of emergency due to the seismic activity (over 7,700 registered since Jan 26th).

Authorities have warned of a high landslide risk in parts of the island, prompting school closures and the dispatch of rescue teams. Residents have been advised to… pic.twitter.com/ta5BTf023b

— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) February 6, 2025

Vasilis Karastathis, director of the Geodynamic Institute, told local media outlet ERT News that "seismicity continues at the same pace as in previous days, intense." Continue…

Dr. Denis Rancourt: Flawed Models Were Used in Studies Claiming Childhood Vaccines Save Millions of Lives

https://lionessofjudah.substack.com/p/dr-denis-rancourt-flawed-models-were

A new paper by all-cause mortality expert Denis Rancourt challenges claims that childhood vaccines have saved millions of lives, citing flawed models and unreliable data.

A new paper by all-cause mortality expert Denis Rancourt challenges claims that childhood vaccines have saved millions of lives, citing flawed models and unreliable data.

Vaccine efficacy models rely on untested assumptions, ignore real-world complexities and are often based on industry-funded trials with skewed results.

Rancourt argues vaccine campaigns in low-income countries divert resources from addressing root causes of child mortality, like malnutrition and poor living conditions.

The paper suggests vaccine rollouts may have contributed to 100 million infant deaths globally since 1974, based on slowed declines in infant mortality rates.

Rancourt calls for greater transparency in vaccine research, questioning the influence of pharmaceutical companies on public health policies.

Public health agencies and medical journals have long touted childhood vaccines as a miracle of modern medicine, claiming they have saved millions of lives globally. But a groundbreaking paper by Denis Rancourt, Ph.D., published by the Canadian nonprofit Correlation, reveals that these claims are built on shaky foundations.

Rancourt, an expert in all-cause mortality, argues that the models used to support these assertions are riddled with flawed assumptions, unreliable data, and a disregard for real-world complexities.

The paper, released this week, challenges the narrative that vaccines are universally beneficial, exposing how profit-driven pharmaceutical companies and public health agencies have oversimplified the science to push mass vaccination programs. Rancourt’s findings suggest that these programs may not only fail to save lives but could also be contributing to increased infant and child mortality in some cases.

The flawed foundations of vaccine claims Continue…

Global Affairs Canada a top funder of state-funded British Broadcasting Corporation, mostly for foreign DEI projects

https://tnc.news/2025/02/06/gac-top-funder-bbc-foreign-dei-projects/

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is listed as a major contributor to the charity wing of the UK’s BBC in 2023-2024, money that was primarily used for DEI initiatives in Africa.

According to the charity wing — BBC Media Action — GAC handed out $1,623,711 in taxpayer money to the BBC’s charity group.

Though BBC Media Action noted that GAC provided more than $1.6 million in funding for the fiscal year of 2023-2024, only one BBC Media Action project was shown on GAC’s website during that year – and it cost just over $1.5 million.

GAC records show most of that money was allocated to a gender equality initiative in East Africa called “Broadcasting for Change: Empowering Young Women Through Media in Tanzania.” The feds originally budgeted $2,120,000 for the program that year but only transferred $1,536,981.

The website says the program funded a nationally recognized youth radio show, ‘Niambie,’ that was focused on “transforming young women and men’s attitudes towards gender equality.”

According to the feds, the project was expected to “strengthen the production of gender-sensitive and gender-transformative media that supports the social, economic and political rights of young women and girls.”

It also aimed to increase “supportive attitudes” by Tanzanian youth towards young women’s participation in society and to increase the use of social services that support the social, economic and political rights of young women and girls.

When asked about the other amount – nearly $100,000 in unaccounted-for apparent spending – GAC asked True North for an indefinite extension to the deadline provided to give a response. Continue…

Former CHRC chief sues MP Melissa Lantsman, Ezra Levant and Jewish advocacy group for defamation

https://tnc.news/2025/02/07/former-chrc-chief-sues-lantsman-levant-cija/

A man who was briefly appointed to be Canada’s chief human rights commissioner last summer before resigning over accusations of antisemitism and support for terrorist entities is now suing those who made the claims against him.

Birju Dattani, the former head of the Yukon territory’s human rights commission, was appointed to the role of Canada’s chief human rights commissioner last June but held the position for just days before stepping down.

Dattani’s appointment was marred by strong criticism over comments and activities from his past that many called antisemitic.

He resigned four days after his official role as commissioner began and a third-party investigation was launched into accusations of his past support for terrorist organizations.

The report was later made public and found no validity to the allegations of terrorist support, sympathy, antisemitism or bias against Jewish people.

“Despite the report’s unequivocal conclusion on these points, the vicious public attacks by a number of groups and individuals persisted in the following days and weeks,” said Dattani at a press conference on Parliament Hill Thursday.

“I have launched defamation lawsuits against those who spearheaded a targeted attack against me this past summer: Conservative Member of Parliament Melissa Lantsman, right-wing media personality Ezra Levant and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).” Continue…

Feb 7 - Is Netanyahu Above Trump in Occult Hierarchy?

https://henrymakow.com/2025/02/feb-7—is-netanyahu-above-tru.html

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Canadians believe Mark Carney would be better than Pierre Poilievre in dealing with Trump, rigged poll finds

Globe-alists use "polls" to promote their POV. There is no way Mark Carnage, a globalist, would get along with Zionist Trumpstein.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-mark-carney-pierre-poilievre-trump-tariffs-poll/

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Continue…

Canada’s Global Affairs office touts Trudeau’s ‘feminist inclusive, intersectional’ foreign policy

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/canadas-global-affairs-office-touts-trudeaus-feminist-inclusive-intersectional-foreign-policy/

A viral video shows a Canadian diplomat explaining that 'Our feminist foreign policy applies across all our international efforts, including diplomacy, trade, security, and development.'

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) says it has promoted an “inclusive, intersectional, transformative” foreign “feminist” policy for as long as Justin Trudeau has been prime minister.

In a viral video circulating online, a GAC spokesperson can be heard saying its official policy takes “into account the diverse experiences of me, women and non-binary people facing various forms of discrimination and exclusion.”

“Our feminist foreign policy applies across all our international efforts, including diplomacy, trade, security, and development,” the woman said.

According to the spokesperson, GAC also uses “segregated data” with the goal being to identify “areas of segregation.”

“This comes from a place of humility,” she added.

GAC, which deals with Canadian foreign trade as well as diplomatic relations and consular services, also takes charge of Canada’s global humanitarian and international development.

Shortly after the video went viral about the GAC spokesperson talking about foreign “feminist” policy, Conservative Party of Canada MP Shuv Majumdar said it appeared the organization had wiped its database, or hidden it, from public view.

As of press time, the database does not show any records of GAC contracts. Despite this, a web archive of the database can be accessed here. According to GAC, it is having “technical difficulties’ with its database “project browser.” Continue…

Netanyahu Gives Trump a Golden Pager Gift at White House Meeting

https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2025/02/07/netanyahu-gives-trump-a-golden-pager-gift-at-white-house-meeting/

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented U.S. President Donald Trump with a golden pager during their meeting at the White House on Tuesday. The gift references the clandestine operation that decimated the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon.

In the operation, Israel targeted pagers carried by members of the group causing them to explode.

The gift “symbolizes the Prime Minister’s decision that led to a turning point in the war and the starting point for breaking the will of the terrorist organization Hezbollah,” Netanyahu’s office said, according to the Times of Israel.

The operation “expresses the power, technological superiority and cunning of Israel against its enemies,” according to the PMO. Continue…

HOT LIPS: Trudeau trashes Trump on hot mic over ‘51st State’ at economic summit

https://www.westernstandard.news/canadian/hot-lips-trudeau-trashes-trump-on-hot-mic-over-51st-state-at-economic-summit/62012

Retaliation could only be a heartbeat away following candid comments from the ‘51st Governor’

It’s Deja vu all over again.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earned the ‘Wrath of Donald’ during Trump’s first term by making off colour comments overheard by reporters at a G7 summit.

But on Friday, the PM was caught red-handed — or lipped — once more after making candid remarks over Trump’s desire to make Canada the 51st State over a hot mic piped directly to a room full of of attentive reporters.

“I suggest that not only does the Trump administration know how many critical minerals we have but that may be even why they keep talking about absorbing us and making us the 51st state,” he was overheard saying following a press briefing at a Toronto gathering of Canadian company executives, industry and union leaders. Continue…

‘RUTHLESS’: Trudeau says he can do what he wants on his way out of the PMO

https://www.westernstandard.news/news/ruthless-trudeau-says-he-can-do-what-he-wants-on-his-way-out-of-the-pmo/62013

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaking at a Black History Month reception in Ottawa this week bragged he can be “ruthless” about doing as he pleases in his last days in office.

Trudeau on January 6 announced his “intention to resign” as prime minister. However, he refused to call an election to let Canadians decide their next leader.

Instead, he prorogued Parliament for nearly three months to give the Liberal party time to scramble to organize a leadership race. The winner of that contest, which will be held March 9, will become Canada’s de facto prime minister — even if an unelected Liberal wins, like Mark Carney.

Meanwhile, Parliament remains prorogued until March 24.

Trudeau appearing alongside Diversity Minister Kamal Khera at a reception for black Canadians said he believes “anti-black” racism is still a problem in Canada, as is cognitive bias against black people.

Canada has played a role in discrimination against its black community, and has a responsibility to “right wrongs,” said Trudeau.

“Of course, as we all know, there’s so much work that needs to be done,” he said, referring to his government’s co-sponsoring of the UN Second International Decade for People of African Descent.

The program, put forward in former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s 2024 Fall Economic Statement, of which she abruptly resigned the same day and it was never voted on on Parliament, costs more than $312 million.

“I have to admit my friends, I’m a little bit emotional tonight,” Trudeau told the crowd.

“One of the things that comes with knowing you are on a countdown clock until your last day, means you get to be really ruthless about the things you want to do and don’t want to do.”

“And let me tell you, if I am here tonight with you all, it’s because man-oh-man did I want to see you guys to celebrate one last Black History Month as prime minister.”