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National Post
18 minutes ago
- National Post
Michael A. Sachs: Why I'm moving my family to the United States
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Motorists line-up to enter the United States from Canada at the Peace Arch border crossing between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., on July 2. Photo by Jason Payne/PNG After 30 years as a proud Canadian citizen, a die-hard Canucks fan and someone who has deeply loved this country, I've made the hardest decision of my life: I have moved my family of four to the United States. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. 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 I want to be clear that this decision wasn't made lightly and I never imagined leaving our community, our family and our friends. And yet, here we are. The decision comes after years of watching the country I love erode into something unrecognizable. It's now painfully clear to my family and to many of my fellow Canadians, especially Jewish-Canadians, that the Canada we once believed in no longer exists. British Columbia, my former home, has become unaffordable for young, working families. This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays) By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again Groceries, gas, housing and taxes are all sources of mounting stress for families and are proving to be an impediment for those looking to move here. Home-ownership is now a distant dream for many young British Columbians, as rent consumes nearly half of many household incomes. What have we received in return? A crumbling health-care system that can't offer timely, basic care, or even a family doctor. Emergency rooms that, if not closed entirely, are overwhelmed, leading to long wait times. And wait lists for surgeries that span tens of months. People are dying while waiting for treatment in a system that was once the pride of our nation. And now, in B.C., a 10-year-old with a rare disease has heartlessly been denied her much-needed treatment. The Canadian promise of quality health care for all is now becoming a calculation where bureaucrats make cold life-or-death decisions based on dollars and cents. Meanwhile, our cities are in crisis. People are literally burning the Canadian flag while calling for the death of Canada, hate rallies openly threaten and intimidate Jewish communities, gangsters shoot each other in the streets and the drug crisis continues to get worse. We are having to step over people on the streets who are passed out from overdoses, shielding our children from open-air drug use, violent outbursts and the chaos that has been normalized by our government. The fentanyl epidemic continues to destroy lives and paralyze our communities. Our justice system has followed suit, captured by ideology while law-abiding citizens pay the price. Terrorist leaders walk free while repeat offenders are released again and again. Police work hard to build cases, only to be undermined by Crown prosecutors. Violent acts go unpunished, victims are forgotten and public safety has been reduced to a slogan. We're told to be 'understanding' and 'compassionate' toward those committing harm, a message that's not only tone-deaf, but dangerous. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But for me, there is an additional calculation — that of a Jewish father. Nothing has been more devastating to watch than our federal and provincial governments' response, or lack thereof, to the wave of antisemitism since October 7. Canada's Jewish community expected solidarity and instead got silence and gaslighting. Synagogues have been vandalized, Jewish schools shot at, Jewish teachers intimidated, Jewish employees abused in their workplaces and union members treated like second-class citizens. Rallies glorifying terrorism have been allowed to take place in our neighbourhoods and at our places of worship while Jewish students have had to fight for their basic rights in public schools, including my own children. I have received multiple death threats over the last few years for advocating for my community. For my family, the luxury of patience has run out and our confidence in Canada's political leadership is gone. I thus finally made the decision to accept a career opportunity in the U.S. I had always dreamed of raising my children in Canada, giving them the same safe, enriching childhood I was lucky to have. I haven't stood on the sidelines — I've contributed, engaged and fought for our shared Canadian values. I can no longer ask my children to stay in a place where their safety is uncertain, their dignity is disposable and their future is compromised. I know the U.S. is not perfect, but we need to prioritize our own safety, and Canada has failed us. 'None is too many' was Canada's infamous Second World War policy toward the Jewish people. And now, it's four more. Michael A. Sachs is an influential Jewish community leader, strategist, writer and advocate for Jewish life and combating antisemitism.
National Post
2 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
'Epstein files' explained: Why Trump is under pressure from his base
Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy American financier, died in 2019 before he faced trial for sex offenses Photo by STEPHANIE KEITH / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File A perceived lack of transparency over the U.S. investigations into notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has carved a rare chasm between President Donald Trump and his typically loyal Republican base. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. 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 As Trump struggles to quell his supporters' obsessions with the case — one long surrounded by conspiracy theories — AFP outlines its history and why it has caused so much outrage. Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy American financier, was first charged with sex offenses in 2006 after the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police that he had molested their daughter at his Florida home. He avoided federal charges — which could have seen him face life in prison — due to a controversial plea deal with prosecutors that saw him jailed for just under 13 months. In July 2019, he was arrested again in New York and charged with trafficking dozens of teenage girls and engaging in sex acts with them in exchange for money. Prosecutors said he worked with employees and associates to ensure a 'steady supply of minor victims to abuse.' Epstein pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. On August 10, 2019, while in custody awaiting trial, authorities said he was found dead in his prison cell after hanging himself. A separate case against Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022 for helping him abuse girls, detailed Epstein's connections with high-profile figures like Britain's Prince Andrew and former US president Bill Clinton. Both have denied any wrongdoing. Some people believe that authorities are concealing details about the Epstein case to protect rich and powerful elites who associated with him, including Trump. Those ideas have gripped Trump's 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) movement — but demands for more transparency have crossed the political aisle. One key theory centers on a rumored client list of individuals who committed sex offenses alongside Epstein. The Trump administration has insisted that no such list exists. Skeptics also allege suspicious circumstances in Epstein's death such as the security cameras around his cell apparently malfunctioning on the night he died, alongside other irregularities.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
'Canada is a joke': Indian engineer spared from jail after trying to buy 'girlfriend experience' from 15-year-old because...
An Indian man in Canada arrested for trying to buy sex from a 15-year-old but no charge was pressed against him. An Indian engineer in Canada, Akashkumar Narendrakumar Khant, who admitted to trying to buy sex from a 15-year-old girl, was given a conditional discharge by an Ontario judge, Canada's National Post reported -- sparking major outrage on social media with many people finding it difficult to understand any logic behind the verdict. The judge granted a conditional release to the Indian man to help him and his wife with their immigration status, as a conviction would lead delay in getting Canadian citizenship, and the judge said since they are not citizens, the man should not be punished according to the law that's applicable to citizens. In a decision on June 25, Ontario Court Justice Paul Thomas O'Marra said, '...a conviction would lead to severe collateral consequences, such as jeopardizing his immigration status, delaying his citizenship, and preventing him from sponsoring his wife, which would likely result in their separation.' National Post reported that the conditional discharge includes three months of house arrest during which he can go shopping fr three hours every Sunday, attend religious services, medical appointments, and travel to and from work. Who is Akashkumar Khant ? What is the case? Khant immigrated to Canada from Gujarat, India, in 2019 to pursue a civil engineering degree. He got married in 2023 and his wife is in Canada on a work visa. In 2023, Khant contacted a sex trade advertisement that was created by the police to catch such offenders. During the conversation, the undercover police officer told Khant repeatedly that she was a 15-year-old girl. Khant was not discouraged but he hinted that if he got along with the 15-year-old well, then he would see her quite often. Then he purchased 'girlfriend experience" for $140 which included both oral and vaginal intercourse. When Khant reached the designated room, he was immediately arrested. The judge also noted Khant's above-average IQ, his first-time offender status, his modest and reserved nature and also his agreeing to take therapy. Canada's Aecon Group issued a statement distancing itself from accused Akashkumar and said he has not worked for Aecon dating back to before this particular incident took place.
National Post
6 hours ago
- Politics
- National Post
Canada's minister of health is an unknown to most, but Liberals call her the 'godmother'
MONTREAL – Marjorie Michel never wanted to run for office. She didn't want to come out of the shadows, she said. Article content To most Canadians, she's a complete unknown. In Montreal, though, she just replaced Justin Trudeau as the MP for Papineau. And in Ottawa, she was recently appointed as minister of health. Yet since the April 28 election, she has remained almost invisible, trying to acclimate to a life she knows well, but never imagined for herself. Article content Article content Behind the scenes, Michel is praised for being 'direct,' serious, organized, calm, pragmatic and 'blunt.' And in Montreal's Haitian community and in Quebec's Liberal circles, she's known as a heavyweight, and called a 'pioneer.' Several people spoken to for this story referred to her as the 'godmother' of the Liberal Party in Quebec. Article content Article content 'When you are a staffer, you're there to advise, you're there to protect, but you're not there to make decisions, either. So, you often have to live with advice you've given that isn't taken,' she tells National Post, in French. Article content But it's a life she grew up with. She's the daughter of a former prime minister of Haiti: Smarck Michel held the post for a year from 1994 to 1995, appointed by the country's first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide when Aristide returned to power after being deposed by a coup d'état. Article content Marjorie Michel had worked in Haitian politics, too. But the political instability and the country's inability to embrace a peaceful democracy became too much. In even their upscale Port-au-Prince neighbourhood, kidnappings were common. Article content Article content 'It was a very tense situation because there were kidnappings of people we knew,' said Marjorie Michel's daughter, Maxim Kernisant. 'So, it was very, very anxiety-provoking. And I know that my sister was also having panic attacks; she didn't want to go to school anymore. It had really become unbearable.' Article content One morning, in 1999, Marjorie Michel told her two daughters they wouldn't be going to school. That's when she decided to leave Haiti. Article content They settled in Montreal in 2000. She lived alone with her two daughters in a tiny apartment in the Outremont neighbourhood, with a limited salary, and a teenager attending a French private school in the city. Money was tight, but education and security were Michel's priorities for her family.
Vancouver Sun
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Despite calls for change, Poilievre's campaign manager keeps an advisory role, firm on party payroll
OTTAWA — As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre faces calls to make changes following his April election loss, the manager who ran that campaign remains an advisor, but is taking a less visible role, at least for now. Jenni Byrne's future with the party has been a source of discussion among MPs and other Conservative supporters, frustrated by the party's loss to Prime Minister Mark Carney and decisions made by the campaign in a race that became defined by which leader Canadians trusted to go toe-to-toe with U.S. President Donald Trump. Parting ways with Byrne, a longtime Conservative organizer who ran the party's 2025 campaign, is something that has been conveyed to Poilievre, according to several sources who spoke to National Post. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. So far, Poilievre has shown no sign of being willing to do so, telling reporters before his first post-campaign caucus meeting back in April that, 'e xcluding is never the way to broaden a team,' even as some MPs and insiders pointed fingers at Byrne for operational and internal decisions they felt were mistakes. He conveyed the same sentiment to the caucus. Since the election, confusion has swirled as to whether Byrne, who worked as a top advisor to Poilievre since his 2022 leadership campaign, would remain in her role. She was not present around Parliament Hill before the House of Commons broke for summer and was absent from certain internal calls and meetings, including a recent national council meeting when members discussed the upcoming leadership review, which is set to take place in Calgary in January. A Conservative source, who spoke on a not-for-attribution basis because they were not authorized to discuss these matters publicly, said the lack of clarity around Byrne's role in the party has been creating tensions amongst caucus members, party members — and even big party donors who are wondering if their generous donations are being used to pay for Byrne's services. However, the Conservative party confirmed on Tuesday that Byrne has not gone anywhere. 'Jenni Byrne is still an advisor to the Conservative Party of Canada and Pierre Poilievre,' Sarah Fischer said in a brief statement, adding that she remains the leader's proxy at national council meetings. A spokesperson for Byrne's lobbying firm, Jenni Byrne + Associates, also confirmed that it remains a contractor for the party. 'The arrangement with the Conservative Party of Canada was always through JB+A — never personally with Jenni. This was the case before the election and continues to be the case post-election,' said the spokesperson, who declined to provide their name because they do not usually comment about their clients. Byrne did not respond to a request for comment on why the contract she has with the party is with her firm and not directly with her. Two sources close to Byrne's thinking said she is still working in an advisory capacity with the party and with Poilievre but has been spending more time in Toronto and dedicating more hours to her lobbying firm ever since the Conservatives lost the election. 'There's nothing to announce because nothing's really changed,' said one of them, who added there is currently 'no bad blood' with either Poilievre or his wife Anaida, who campaigned with her husband daily and has taken an active role within the party. Sources told National Post that Byrne is spending time on more focused issues, such as Poilievre's upcoming byelection in the rural Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, set for Aug.18, as well as his upcoming leadership review. That review will be a crucial test for Poilievre, who will be the first Conservative leader to undergo such a review, given that his two predecessors either stepped down or were ousted by caucus before having the opportunity to do so. One Conservative MP, who spoke on condition of anonymity, called for Byrne to be removed, pointing to widespread dissatisfaction over how the party handled the nomination of its candidates, with dozens disqualified from running and others appointed last-minute in ridings across Ontario. The MP said there is an expectation that Poilievre demonstrates that he has changed, particularly when it comes to his tone and approach. While no formal election review has been triggered, Poilievre has been making calls, including to conservative and right-wing influencers, and speaking with candidates and MPs about what they want done, according to sources. Among the concerns expressed about the campaign have been the lack of visibility of candidates who ran for the party. Some Conservative insiders have noted that since the race, efforts have not gone unnoticed to give some of the newest Conservative MPs speaking time in the House of Commons. Poilievre himself also recently gave his first English interview to CBC , the public broadcaster he has vowed to cut public funding. At least two sources also expressed caution about parting ways with Byrne, given her skills as an organizer and the larger issue that Poilievre has, which is to demonstrate change and present himself as an alternative to Carney. Public opinion polls suggest Carney is enjoying a high level of support among Canadians and advancing Conservative-friendly ideas, such as getting major infrastructure projects built, such as pipelines. On Monday, National Post asked Poilievre if he was considering any changes to his team or his approach since the election. He said 'every election comes with lessons' and proceeded to explain how he needs to reach even more Canadians with his message. 'Our mission is to give people back control of their lives, to make this a country where anyone who works hard gets a good life and that homes are affordable, streets are safe, immigration works for Canada first. Those are going to be the things we focus on,' he said. 'At the same time, we have to ask how we can reach more people with that message. We ended up getting a tremendous result… but 41 per cent might not be enough in the future. So, we have to ask how we can expand even beyond that number,' he said. Poilievre added: 'We also need to present ourselves as a government in waiting so that when the time comes, Canadians can feel confident in choosing us to lead the country forward.' National Post staylor@ calevesque@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here .
