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Washington Post
16-06-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
51st state? Bring it on, these Canadians say.
CALGARY, Alberta — As President Donald Trump visits western Canada for this week's Group of Seven economic summit, a passionate minority is thrilled by his talk of making them part of a 51st state. Across most of Canada, Trump's annexation talk has caused outrage. His antagonism has stirred displays of flag-waving patriotism that are unusual here. In downtown Calgary, shops that sell maple syrup and other Canadian souvenirs have seen a surge in purchases of Canadian-flag lapel pins. A bookstore says 'Proudly Canadian' in its window. But the U.S. president's expansionist designs have also galvanized a 'Make Alberta Great Again' movement, which has gained traction among some in western Canada long frustrated by a Liberal government that they say stifles the oil and gas industry that drives their economy. For them, Trump's 51st-state talk is not a provocation, but a chance for lower taxes, Second Amendment gun rights and a shot at the American Dream. At the Red Deer Curling Center, about 90 miles north of Calgary, hundreds of Albertans gathered Saturday to discuss their frustrations with Ottawa at an event hosted by the right-wing media company Rebel News. Several in the crowd wore black or red Make Alberta Great Again caps, and provincial flags flew from their trucks in the packed parking lot. Most cheered as a speaker standing in front of a black curtain that partially covered the rink's scoreboard made the case for forming a 51st state. Jacob Fraser, selling bags of Resistance Coffee at the event, said he was 'excited' when Trump began talking about annexing all or part of Canada. The 37-year-old sees joining the United States as an opportunity to gain more freedom of speech, more gun rights and more opportunities to pursue his own businesses. 'We're very much intertwined with the States, and as Albertans, especially, we're very much more compatible with the American perspectives than the current Canadian perspective,' he said. 'For me and a lot of my social groups, it's a hopeful moment and an exciting time in history.' Nationwide, that's clearly a minority view. Backlash to Trump, who was set to arrive here Sunday night, helped fuel Prime Minister Mark Carney's victory in late April — a stunning comeback by his Liberal Party over the Conservatives, who had a healthy lead before Trump's taunts. About 15 percent of all Canadians supported joining the United States as of a January poll by YouGov. That percentage was slightly larger in the prairie provinces, including Alberta — 'Canada's Texas' — where some say they have more in common with Republicans in the U.S. than with their compatriots in the rest of the country. Albertans who support joining the U.S. are a faction of a broader group of western Canadians who are alienated by Canada's government. They have made their presence visible with billboards and blue-rubber bracelets that say 'AB USA.' Shawn Harvey, a 52-year-old oil-field-tanker driver who lives in Edmonton, flaunted his support for joining the U.S. with a red, white and blue hockey jersey emblazoned with the number 51 and Trump's slogan 'Drill Baby Drill.' He has talked to immigration attorneys about attempting to seek political asylum in the U.S., and he is ready to make a deal with any liberal Americans who are considering a move to Canada to seek refuge from the second Trump administration. 'I'll trade places with them any day,' Harvey said during an interview in Edmonton at Montana's, a Canadian barbecue restaurant chain with antlers hanging on the walls. 'I'll burn my Canadian passport right in front of them, and I'll go there. No problem.' Feelings of discontent and alienation have long ebbed and flowed in the western prairie provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, home to natural resources such as crude oil, natural gas, potash and uranium. They rose after the 2019 federal elections, in which then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals were shut out here but won enough seats in the rest of the country to form the government. In this year's elections, the Liberals won just 28 percent of the vote in Alberta. Whether Carney, who was raised in Edmonton, can placate prairie voters will pose an early test for the new prime minister. He has tried to mollify the disquiet, promising to make Canada 'the world's leading energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy.' Alberta could hold a referendum as soon as next year to ask voters whether they support separating from Canada. Polls show limited support for separatism, but the provincial government recently passed a law that makes it much easier for citizens to initiate a referendum on constitutional matters. Such a separation would be 'very unlikely,' said Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary. And even if separation was approved, it would not necessarily lead to becoming part of the United States. Even many of the Canadians who support an independent Alberta are skeptical of attempting to join the U.S. 'Why go from one master to another master?' said Art Matsui, a 68-year-old resident of Calgary, who began to support Alberta independence in 2020 because he disagreed with the Canadian government's pandemic policies. Chances of the U.S. annexing Canada or one of its provinces are small. Both countries have constitutional barriers to such a move and limited political appetite to overcome those obstacles. Other provinces would be likely to block Alberta from leaving Canada, and in the U.S., Congress would have to pass a law to admit any new state. Ardent supporters of secession insist, however, that a split between Alberta and the rest of Canada is inevitable. They see joining the U.S. as the best step to address the economic and security challenges that a split could create. 'So why don't we just join the United States now?' said Peter Downing, an Edmonton-area separatist who previously led a political party called Wexit, a portmanteau of 'western' and 'exit.' More than four years before Trump told Trudeau that he wanted to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, Downing bought a giant billboard on the road to the province's legislative assembly that asked, 'Should Alberta join the U.S.?' The billboard featured a giant image of Trump's face. After Trump lost his reelection bid in 2020, Downing began to make inroads with conservatives in the U.S., even paying a visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he said he missed a run-in with Trump by only a few minutes. How Trump became fixated on annexing Canada remains unclear. A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to detail the president's thinking, told The Washington Post in March that the 51st-state concept sprang spontaneously into Trump's mind, that it is a serious proposal, and that it is motivated by his belief that annexation would benefit Americans and Canadians alike. After Trump floated the idea, Downing put up another huge billboard that pictured Trump visiting with Alberta's Conservative Premier Danielle Smith at Mar-a-Lago. 'Tell Danielle! Let's Join the United States,' it said. The billboard featured a link for a website that laid out arguments for Alberta to join the U.S., which included lower taxes as well as national security. Smith ultimately said she opposed any effort to join the U.S. — or to separate from Canada. Trump's visit is likely to intensify the debate, even as it strengthens the backlash among most Canadians to his policies. Protests of Trump's visit have been planned, and some of his critics say he should not be allowed to enter the country because felons are often inadmissible to Canada. In grocery stores, stickers on products note that they were made in Canada, a sign of how some Canadians are boycotting U.S. goods and travel. Sales of T-shirts that say 'Canadian' and other products have surged at Local Laundry, a Calgary clothing store that manufactures its products domestically. The business has grown 100 percent year over year and is on track to do its best year ever, said Connor Curran, the company's founder. 'It hit us a like a tsunami,' Curran said. 'People coming from all over the country wanting to support Canadian-made.' Calgary-based Process Color Print, which manufactures flags, has experienced the growing polarization of debate. The company saw a surge in sales of Canadian flags in February following Trump's comments. Many people in the city are just hanging the flags in their windows or directly on their houses because they don't have flagpoles, said Candice Mauro, the company's president. 'Our business is so booming,' Mauro said. She said it has been difficult to keep up with customer demand, and employees in the flag division are working overtime. In the weeks since April's elections, Mauro said, she has seen a 30 percent jump in flag sales. But this time, the demand is for the ultramarine Alberta provincial flag.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The word 'family' has caused controversy for this Ontario school board. Here's why
The Waterloo Region District School Board has been talking a lot about the word "family" this month. The board has released two separate statements so far in June after media reports and rumours circulated online that teachers were being taught the word "family" is racist. It stems from a professional development day training session in November 2023 when teachers from Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School near Baden, Ont., discussed several words and what they meant to students, the school board says. Screengrabs from a presentation called "Dismantling Whiteness at W-O: Words Matter" have appeared on alternative media sites such as Juno News and Rebel News. The photo of a slide show presentation shows that the word family has been "identified as harmful by our racialized students." The Juno News headline reads: "School board trains staff that the term 'family' is harmful, racist." In a video report, which was posted to YouTube on June 6, Rebel News senior editor Tamara Ugolini was critical of the board. "When someone's telling you that the term 'family' is rooted in white supremacy and to dismantle the family unit because it's rooted in patriarchy, you can tell them where to go," Ugolini says on the video. Maedith Radlein, chair of the Waterloo Region District School Board, says the training materials reprinted by those media outlets were shared out of context "and interpreted incorrectly." "That screenshot was interpreted to mean that what was being said was that we are against family. That screenshot was, in fact, part of a larger presentation that was a discussion about language," Radlein told CBC K-W's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris on Wednesday. Radlein says people have been emailing board staff and trustees and "are, of course, very upset because if that was indeed a message it would be something to be very concerned about." "I would like to unequivocally state that that is not our message. We value families and we work with them every day as we seek to help their students achieve and enjoy their school experience," she said. LISTEN | : 2 statements The school board issued its first statement on June 6, stating they were aware of the media reports and wanted to clarify and provide context around what had been reported. "The session explored how different communities may experience public institutions differently, and how educators can be thoughtful and inclusive in their communication," the statement said. "These discussions are part of our ongoing commitment to human rights, equity and learning." The second statement was released June 10. It was a letter to the community from Radlein in which she noted "the word 'family' and what it represents is integral to all we do." The alternative media reports say the training was offered by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation (OSSTF). Dave VandenBerg, president of OSSTF District 24, said in an email to CBC News that the slides in the Juno News post were not from a presentation created by the teacher's union. "All staff meetings include time for OSSTF. It seems that the inclusion of OSSTF time at the end of the meeting was misunderstood to mean that OSSTF created the presentation," he said. CBC News has requested information from the school board about who created the presentation but have not yet received a response. Reports linked to parental rights movement: Researcher Lisa Gasson-Gardner is an assistant professor of religious studies at Mount Royal University in Calgary and researches new religious movements. She says the messaging in the reporting of this story by alternative media outlets appears to be linked to the parental rights movement. "Folks who are concerned about critical race theory are also concerned about parents having rights, are also concerned about gender ideology," she said. Gasson-Gardner says grassroots groups who are part of this movement know how to communicate. They say things that "seem obviously true," like parents should be informed about what their children are learning about in school, but then there's an underlying message the average reader may miss. "Consider that, when we say, 'Oh, we want to have a neutral classroom or a politics-free classroom,' what is neutral that we don't talk about?" she said. Gasson-Gardner says parental rights groups are good at mobilizing and she's seen evidence they've worked to get people elected to school boards in Alberta and Ontario. That's why she says it's important to understand who the people are who run for these positions, especially with Ontario municipal elections set for October 2026. "If you care about education, you have to pay attention to what's happening," she said. Aim to create 'moral panic' Carmen Celestini is a full-time lecturer of religious studies at the University of Waterloo. She says there are also groups who are attempting to create "moral panic" around critical race theory in education. Critical race theory is the idea that racial bias is inherent in certain systems, including legal and social institutions. She says the arguments being made in the reports by alternative media are similar to anti-critical race theory posts in the U.S. They "believe that [critical race theory] is an attack on national values and beliefs. Those values are expressed in their beliefs and values with little concern for others," Celestini said. "The school board should respond and be transparent in addressing issues such as this," Celestini said. "Yet, those who believe these negative narratives most likely have distrust in the institutions such as education and legacy media, so the board will not be converting the mindset of those who believe this, but will engage those who may have heard about this." Board 'meeting the needs of all students' Radlein said the training session on language took place on a professional development day and they looked at a number of words. Family was one of the words. "The message was that the word family does not mean the same thing to everybody," Radlein said. Radlein said school board staff need to educate themselves and be aware of where they may be assuming something about students or have an unconscious bias. She says this isn't the first time the board has been a target for people who don't agree with their philosophies. "I certainly think that the initiatives that our board does around truth and reconciliation, around equity, about gender identification and orientation, I certainly think that that is a lightning rod for many groups that have differing opinions," Radlein said. "I cannot speak as to why this is happening, but I do know that we are a board that is known for our commitment to meeting the needs of all students, to welcoming everybody, no matter who they are. And some people may not agree with that approach."
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Tommy Robinson to walk free early after court notes 'change in attitude'
Tommy Robinson , the UK's far-right activist, known for his role in various 'anti-Islam' campaigns, is set to be released from prison within the next week. On May 20, the London High Court decided to release him early, citing that he had shown a 'change in attitude'. Robinson, 42, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was an author and appeared in various videos for the Canadian website Rebel News . Robinson was jailed for 18 months in October 2024 after admitting to multiple breaches of a 2021 injunction. The injunction prohibited him from repeating false allegations against Syrian refugee Jamal Hijazi, who had sued Robinson for libel. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Portable Air Conditioners Without External Units Are a Game-Changer in the Philippines Air Condition | Search Ads Search Now Undo His sentence comprised a 14-month punitive component and a four-month coercive component. The coercive part could be lifted if Robinson demonstrated compliance with the injunction. In May 2025, Robinson applied to purge his contempt, assuring the court he would adhere to the injunction moving forward. Although the judge noted an absence of remorse, he acknowledged Robinson's change in attitude and commitment to compliance. Consequently, the court reduced his sentence by four months. Live Events Robinson has been active in far-right politics for many years. He was a member of the British National Party (BNP). In 2012, he was the joint vice-chairman of the British Freedom Party (BFP). He co-founded the English Defence League (EDL) in 2009 and led it until October 2013. In 2015, he became involved with the development of Pegida UK, a now-defunct British chapter of the German Pegida. In 2018, he also served as a political advisor to Gerard Batten, then-leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP). Robinson's breaches included promoting a libellous film titled "Silenced" and repeating the false claims in interviews and public demonstrations. His attempts to challenge his sentence and prison conditions were previously rejected.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WARMINGTON: Company Carney formerly chaired lists apartment on Isle of Man as HQ
First Bermuda, then the Cayman Islands, and now the Isle of Man. Brookfield, the company that Liberal Leader Mark Carney chaired from 2020 until January of 2025, has corporate offices set up in these countries which are known for their favourable tax avoidance loopholes. No. 4 Belgravia Rd., Unit 5, in the village of Onchan on the Isle of Man, may look like a regular residential apartment dwelling. It's a small apartment on a tiny island known as an international tax haven that's listed as the headquarters for Brookfield IOM. But it has multiple uses. In addition to it being registered as the headquarters of Brookfield IOM, it's also on the United Kingdom's business registry as the home of a man named Leslie Commins who the British government indicates was born in 1937. On Linkedin, it lists Commins as 'managing director at Brookfield IOM Ltd.' Attempts to reach Commins have been unsuccessful, but Brookfield did respond to questions about this address to The Toronto Sun. 'Brookfield and its affiliates are committed to adhering to all applicable tax rules in Canada and all other jurisdictions in which we do business,' a spokesperson said in a statement. 'Our asset management business, like all of our peers, offers customized investment vehicles to our clients, who are based all over the world, to help meet their legitimate objective of ensuring there is no double taxation.' The statement added 'our global portfolio of investee companies pay all applicable taxes in their local jurisdictions, and the after-tax distributions that our clients receive are subject to applicable taxes in their home jurisdictions.' Rebel News's Ezra Levant and Lincoln Jay travelled Friday to the address on the island that sits between England and Ireland in the Irish sea and rang the doorbell where they could see both Commins name listed on the directory and the name 'Brookfield.' A neighbour in a different unit told Levant that Commins was her landlord. But the trillion-dollar asset management company, Brookfield — which Carney led until vying successfully to replace Justin Trudeau — says these locations are 'adhering to all applicable tax rules.' The Liberal leader — a favourite in polls to win Monday's election — said, after a similar address for Brookfield was found to be a bike shop in Bermuda and one called Ugland House in George Town on the Cayman Islands — an address for 18,000 corporate registered titles — 'their arrangements follow the rules' of Canada and the countries they are registered in. Carney's campaign responded to questions about the Isle of Man apartment, saying 'Mr. Carney has always followed the rules and adhered to the highest standards of integrity in his career in business and finance.' The Liberal Party added 'it's not surprising that Rebel News, a registered third-party advocacy group, is bringing forward baseless allegations to malign this experience and make up for Pierre Poilievre's absence of any experience outside of partisan politics. While Pierre Poilievre and his mentor continue to focus on divisive attacks, we're bringing forward a positive vision to fight back against President Trump, protect workers and businesses, and build Canada strong.' However, Levant merely reported what is registered with the U.K government as an office for Brookfield onthe Isle of Man. That followed reporting by CTV News journalist Judy Trinh about tax havens as well as extensive coverage by the Toronto Sun's Brian Lilley focusing on the hypocrisy of the strategy and how Carney was chair of Brookfield when it moved it's headquarters from Toronto to New York. Carney during the campaign, however, said it is a 'priority' if re-elected 'to ensure our companies are paying their fair share of taxes' but also said places with lower tax rates ensure maximum benefit for pensioners on their retirement funds. In a release this month, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said these off-shore set ups helped Brookfield avoid billions of tax responsibility. 'For years, the ultra-rich have exploited offshore tax loopholes to avoid paying their fair share — leaving working families to cover the shortfall,' Singh said on April 4. 'New Democrats will close these loopholes.' Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also said on the campaign 'we will close these tax havens' and create a 'name and shame publication to expose all the wealthy multinational corporations that are dodging taxes and are refusing to pay their fair share.' It's not the only tax controversy Carney faces as voters head to the polls on Monday. The Journal de Montreal reported Saturday Brookfield is 'in litigation against the Canada Revenue Agency' in a tax avoidance allegation of $183-milion' that dated back to 2012 before Carney was chair. But even though the PM was chair during the legal dispute, he is no longer connected with Brookfield and has been reported to have renounced his English and Irish citizenships. There is also much interest in what Carney will replace the dropped consumer tax on gas with if he forms a government. It seems while Canadians are expected to pay income and carbon taxes, there are corporations who have found ways to avoid paying their share. The NDP in a news release said 'under Mark Carney's leadership, Brookfield Asset Management avoided $5.3 billion in taxes between 2021 and 2024.' Said Singh: 'Mark Carney helped run one of Canada's top tax dodgers.' If he wins Monday, Carney will head a government which is in the business of catching tax dodgers. LILLEY: Carney is all in for Canada, just not for paying taxes LILLEY: Mark Carney avoids taxes but expects you to pay your 'fair share'
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rebel News owner Ezra Levant was 'mentor' to Poilievre, says author
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has documented historic ties to Rebel News owner Ezra Levant, the media personality at the epicentre of a controversy that has engulfed Canada's Leaders' Debates Commission. After facing criticism for allowing right-wing media activists to dominate the post-French debate press conference, the commission cancelled Thursday's post-debate question-and-answer session citing undefined security concerns. The commission's decision Thursday came amid tensions between Levant — a political activist behind two entities registered with Elections Canada as third-party advocacy groups — and some journalists covering the English debate on-site. The controversy that flowed around Levant and his right-wing Rebel News online media employees partly overshadowed the central event of the evening. The federal leaders English-debate was a pivotal moment for Poilievre who was seeking to grab the momentum and polling lead away from Liberal Leader Mark Carney as the campaign headed into its final week. "On the most important night of the most important campaign of Poilievre's life, Ezra Levant showed up," said Mark Bourrie, author of a recently published book on Poilievre, Ripper, in an interview with CBC News. "If things hadn't derailed, [Ezra] would have probably been dominating the questions himself that night and that would have been really something, to have this come full circle after 25 years." Levant declined a request for comment from CBC News. CBC News asked the Conservative Party if Poilievre still considered Levant a friend and if there had been any discussions or coordination between the two around election communications. "No. Your insinuations are false. Conservatives are focused on our own campaign to bring home Canada's promise, lower the cost of living, axe taxes, build homes and make Canadians safe, for a change," said the statement. Worked to get Levant elected In his book, Bourrie writes that Poilievre became part of a "historically important clique" at the University of Calgary that "became a large part of the core of the modern Conservative movement." This group included people like former Alberta premier Alberta Jason Kenney, law professor Benjamin Perrin and journalist Ezra Levant. Poilievre and Levant would end up working closely together, including by co-authoring a Calgary Herald op-ed in 2002. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during the English debate on Thursday. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press) Bourrie said that Poilievre was in his early 20s when he joined a team that included Levant behind a push to have Stockwell Day lead the newly minted Canadian Alliance — a party with Western populist roots that eventually merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to become today's Conservative Party. Day won the leadership of the new party in 2000, defeating Preston Manning, who founded the Reform Party. Day soon lost the 2000 federal election to Jean Chretien's Liberals and resigned his post in 2001. But Poilievre and Levant had their sights on another goal. Poilievre began campaigning to help Levant — then a young lawyer in his late 20s — become the Canadian Alliance candidate in the riding of Calgary Southwest, which Manning held but would soon vacate on his retirement in January 2002. Poilievre helped purge the Calgary Southwest riding association of Manning supporters to pave the way for Levant to win the riding's nomination and become the next likely MP, wrote Bourrie. But they wouldn't leave anything to chance. "Poilievre was working for Ezra… Poilievre was his media manager. Poilievre was the one putting together TV commercials, billboard ads. They spent a lot of money," said Bourrie. One TV commercial featured Poilievre and his current campaign manager Jenni Byrne, with Stockwell Day's grandchild, posing as an Alberta family. This ad, along with details of Poilievre's work for Levant in the riding nomination campaign, is also recounted by a second book, Pierre Poilievre: A political life, written by current Conservative candidate Andrew Lawton. Despite running about 80 radio and television ads, renting billboards and spending reportedly over $100,000, Levant would never get a chance to represent the riding, even after securing the nomination in February 2002. Stephen Harper would become Canadian Alliance leader that year, force Levant aside, and take the riding for himself in a May 2002 by-election. Historian Mark Bourrie recently authored a book about Pierre Poilievre called, Ripper. (Courtesy of Mark Bourrie) Bourrie said Levant and Poilievre's paths diverged at this point —Poilievre would stay in the electoral political game while Levant would become an influential player in the right-wing media sphere. But during this era, as a Western-based conservative movement turned into a national political force, Levant became a "mentor and somebody who opened opportunities" for Poilievre, said Bourrie. "Poilievre got to go from basically a college politician to running a real campaign, making big decisions, spending money," he said. "That must have helped him to really move ahead of people his age and his generation of political people. He's a staffer ... and soon after, runs and he wins. He obviously earned his spurs on that." A quarter of a century later, Levant and Poilievre's paths again crossed in Montreal. But this time, Bourrie said it was Levant campaigning through his registered third-party advocacy entity, ForCanada, paying for a truck to flash messages attacking Carney while rolling around the debate venue.
