Check It Out: A look at what’s been happening in Canada

By Joan Janzen

This week’s observations could be compared to the opening lines of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous sonnet. A revised version could read, “How do I love thee, fellow Canadians? Let me count the ways.” After all, everything the government does is said to be for our well-being. So, let’s have a look at what’s happening in Canada.

Under the guise of public safety, government documents show the total gun ban and compensation program could cost about $2 billion. A Canadian Taxpayer Federation (CTF) article by Gage Haubrich noted, “That’s too much money to waste on a program that isn’t going to make Canadians safer.”

The new Minister of Public Safety in charge of confiscating firearms, told MP Andrew Lawton that he didn’t know anything about the Canadian Firearms Safety Course or what safety classes and safety demands are required for Canadian gun owners.

Ryan from Northern Perspective reported police unions across the country are sick of the soft-on-crime policy. As an example, he said six of the nine people arrested in the recent seizure of 1000 pounds of drugs were already out on bail because of the failed bail system. 

The Prime Minister selected and recommended the new cabinet ministers, including the Minister of Public Safety and the Minister of Immigration. When MP Michelle Rempel asked the new Immigration Minister why the government issued over 500,000 student visas this year, she was accused of spreading misinformation. MP Rempel informed her she got the information from the government website.

When asked how many people are in the country with expired visas, the Liberal Immigration Minister wouldn’t reveal a number and said, “We have rules  in this country, and we expect people to follow those rules.” They expect the people to leave voluntarily.

Bill C-2, known as the Strong Borders Act, is currently in front of the House of Commons. The latter portion of the 140-page Bill introduces massive surveillance provisions which have nothing to do with border security. In an interview on Northern Perspective, John Carpay, a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom (JCCF), suggested the Bill be called the Strong Surveillance Act.

The proposed law would give police more power to search mail while expanding the authority of Canada Post to open people’s mail and give police and intelligence services enhanced power to access electronic information, in some cases without a warrant.

The Bill would also outlaw cash transactions greater than $10,000 to prevent money laundering, even if it’s broken down into smaller amounts. 

John Carpay said, “In this Bill, we see the first steps in criminalizing the use of cash. Once this is in the criminal code, it would be very easy for government to change the limit, and before you know it would be illegal to use $100 in cash. Cash protects our privacy. Cash is one of the pillars of a free society.” He suggested Canadians contact their MP asking them to oppose Bill C-2. “A government that knows everything about you can take everything from you,” he noted.

Ryan, the host of Northern Perspective, summarized Bill C-4, the Tax Reduction Bill. The first parts cover a temporary tax break on new homes and repealing the carbon tax legislation; however the piece on the Elections Canada Act has absolutely nothing to do with the tax bill. Ryan suggested it will remove your rights to your own personal data and remove the government’s ability to call them to account.

Meanwhile, Jay Goldberg from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) spoke on LeDrew’s 3 Minutes. He addressed the government’s claims that they are spending less and investing more. “The government can call anything investing. They split up the budget into an operating budget and a capital budget.”

He compared this to Canadians using two credit cards - one for household expenses and another for capital spending like fixing up your home. “You still have to pay both credit cards at the end of the month. It’s the same deal with the government,” he said. “We’re already spending $1 billion a week on debt interest. Debt interest is getting out of control, and pretty soon, it’s going to consume the budget.”

Nevertheless government spending is increasing. Ryan from Northern Perspective noted the Prime Minister appointed 39 parliamentary secretaries at a price tag of $760,000. He now has more people in Parliament than Trudeau had.

Unfortunately, we’re not done talking about government waste just yet. Journalist Candice Malcolm reported the Liberal government paid $20,000 to a University of Ottawa researcher to survey and compensate pedophiles about their sexual attractions to children, asking them to rank their levels of attraction to different age groups plus more. The participants were offered Amazon gift cards for taking part.

John Carpay reminded Canadians that we don’t automatically inherit our freedoms. “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance,” he advised.

The words of our national anthem become increasingly significant as the years go by. “Oh, Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”