Pierre Poilievre think it's a ‘scam.' But this protest highlights the flaws in our democracy
Taylor C. Noakes is an independent journalist and public historian. He is a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow him on BlueSky: @taylornoakes.bsky.social
Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
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Toronto Sun
11 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Montreal Pride chair resigns amid backlash for barring Jewish LGBTQ2+ group from parade
In a statement Monday, the organization said Bernard Truong informed the board of directors he was stepping down 'for personal reasons.' Published Aug 04, 2025 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 2 minute read A huge crowd gathered for the Montreal Pride Parade in 2023. The 2025 edition of the parade happens Aug. 10. Peter Mccabe/The Canadian Press The chairman of the board of Montreal Pride resigned Monday as the organization continued to face mounting criticism for banning a Jewish LGBTQ2+ group from its annual parade. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In a statement, the organization said Bernard Truong informed the board of directors he was stepping down 'for personal reasons.' His resignation came as the group faced national backlash for excluding Ga'ava, a Jewish LGBTQ2+ organization, from the event. In response to his resignation, the board said it 'quickly convened' to ensure a smooth transition and appointed Marlot Marleau as the new chair. 'This change within the board has no impact on the activities of the Montreal Pride Festival, which are currently underway,' the statement reads. 'All teams, staff and volunteers remain deeply committed to delivering a unifying festival, true to its mission of amplifying the voices of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and creating inclusive, safe and meaningful spaces.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The organization insisted the leadership change was unrelated to the controversy over the barring of Ga'ava from the parade. 'No, Truong's resignation is not related to that,' said Michael Grégoire from the festival's press relations team when asked about the timing. 'Bernard Truong is leaving the board of directors for personal reasons.' As of Monday afternoon, the board of directors webpage had been removed from Montreal Pride's website. According to his LinkedIn profile, Truong works as a senior director at Desjardins. On Friday, five federal MPs signed a joint letter condemning the decision to exclude Ga'ava, calling it 'profoundly hurtful' and urging organizers to reverse it. 'Ga'ava has long provided a vital space for queer Jews to express both their sexual and religious identities with pride,' the MPs wrote. 'Its exclusion sends a message that Jewish identity is not welcome in LGBTQ+ spaces.' Fierté Montréal has since confirmed the group was barred from marching after a complaint led the event's ombudsperson to intervene. Carlos Godoy, Ga'ava's president, told The Gazette that organizers accused the group of hate speech for labelling its critics 'pro-terror' and 'pro-Hamas.' He called the charge 'outlandish and ludicrous.' The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs was also reportedly excluded, although Fierté Montréal organizers have not publicly acknowledged that decision. Opinion Columnists Toronto & GTA NHL Wrestling
Toronto Star
17 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Pierre Poilievre thinks it's a ‘scam.' But this protest highlights the flaws in our democracy
Conservative Party of Canada candidate Pierre Poilievre speaks during the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection candidate forum in Camrose, Alta. on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Jason Franson/ The Canadian Press flag wire: false flag sponsored: false article_type: Opinion : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false : Taylor C. Noakes is an independent journalist and public historian. He is a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow him on BlueSky: @ Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Toronto Sun
18 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
LILLEY: Carney has failed to deliver on what he promised Canadians
He promised that he knew Trump and how to deal with him, so far, Mark Carney hasn't lived up to the hype. Get the latest from Brian Lilley straight to your inbox Prime Minister Mark Carney fans himself while he marches in the Vancouver Pride Parade in Vancouver, on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025. Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS / THE CANADIAN PRESS How did Canada get to this point? We went from being a trade priority, close to a deal with Washington to not having a deal and not being a priority. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Friday came and went and there was no trade deal with Donald Trump. Mark Carney's point man on Canada-U.S. relations, Dominic LeBlanc left Washington for Moncton, New Brunswick, a clear sign that talks were not continuing in a serious way. The Americans don't take weekends off if things are going well. Last weekend, Trump was announcing a trade deal with the European Union from his golf course in Scotland, while his top trade negotiator Jamieson Greer was in Sweden for talks with China. This past week in Washington, Canadian officials may have been in the American capital, but they weren't meeting with top American officials. People like Greer were busy elsewhere and we were relegated. Meanwhile, Carney couldn't get Trump to return his phone call. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We haven't spoken to Canada today. He's called and we'll see,' Trump said last Thursday when asked about talks with Canada. On Sunday, LeBlanc told CBS's Face the Nation that Carney still hadn't spoken with Trump, but he expected they would in the coming days. This is really bad for Carney, both in terms of what it means economically for Canada but also compared to what he promised voters. 'I know the president, I've dealt with the president in the past in my previous roles when he was in his first term, and I know how to negotiate,' Carney said during the Liberal leadership race that made him PM. Other countries are getting deals, and we are getting higher tariffs, but it didn't have to be this way. When Premier Doug Ford went to Washington for meetings in March, he heard directly from Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick that Canada was a priority. They told Ford the April 2 tariffs would come into place and then the Americans would seek to negotiate deals, and Canada was at the top of the list. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. LeBlanc was in that meeting, so was Carney's now Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. Though maybe Champagne didn't hear the message because according to several who are privy to what happened in the room, Champagne was busy trying to explain to the Americans how wrong they were and had to be reined in. RECOMMENDED VIDEO In early June, talk of a deal coming shortly, before the G7 in Kananaskis was rampant. Officials in Ottawa didn't deny talks of a deal happening quickly, in fact, they fed into that idea. The deal didn't happen before the G7 but while Carney and Trump were holding a media availability at the start of the summit, Trump said a deal could still be reached quickly, perhaps even that day. A deal didn't happen in Kananaskis either and one hasn't happened since. So much for Mark Carney being the 'Trump whisperer' as CNN described him, or Carney knowing how to get a deal with Trump. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Right now, his knowledge of President Trump seems weak, his negotiating skills appear absent. I know many Canadians, across all political stripes simply hate Trump and appear willing to cheer on anyone who stands against him. My email inbox and social media feeds are regularly filled with people saying you can't negotiate with a lunatic, meaning Trump, and no one can get a deal with him. Well, Keir Starmer the British PM got a deal. European Union President Ursula von der Leyen got a deal with Trump, one that includes buying billions of dollars' worth of liquefied natural gas that the Europeans asked us to sell them and that the Liberal government said there was no business case for. Mark Carney told Canadians he was the man with the plan, the man with the experience to deliver, but so far, he's failing. Read More Celebrity Sunshine Girls Sex Files Relationships Columnists
