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Toronto Sun
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
JAY GOLDBERG: Trudeau's censorship czar retakes the helm
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. Photo by PATRICK DOYLE / THE CANADIAN PRESS Prime Minister Mark Carney should repeal the Justin Trudeau government's dangerous censorship law before it comes into full force. 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 Sadly, with Steven Guilbeault appointed as the man responsible for overseeing the Canadian identity ministry, Carney appears prepared to double down on the censorship drive of the Trudeau years instead. Why the pessimism? Guilbeault is the author of the Trudeau government's censorship law, otherwise known as the Online Streaming Act. Most Canadians remember Guilbeault for his tour of duty as Minister of the Environment, when he militantly pushed annual carbon tax hikes down Canadian taxpayers' throats. But Guilbeault first earned his chops as minister of Canadian Heritage from 2019 to 2021, when he authored the Online Streaming Act. Guilbeault left the heritage portfolio before the bill was passed into law. But now Guilbeault is back in the same role, responsible for starting to implement the very law he authored — a law that is all about government control. 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. The Online Streaming Act gives the federal government broad powers to control major elements of the internet. It forces online streaming providers, like Amazon Prime and Netflix, to follow Canadian content rules formerly reserved for broadcasters, meaning online streaming services will be required to push a minimum amount of Canadian content to viewers or risk losing their ability to operate in Canada. What kind of government control will this look like? Testifying before a Senate committee back in 2022, former Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) chief Ian Scott warned that this would likely entail forcing streaming providers to manipulate their algorithms to push Canadian content on unsuspecting viewers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Guilbeault is quite literally trying to manipulate what Canadians can see online. Having the government manipulate what Canadians can or cannot see online is an affront to democracy. The government should never be in a position to help dictate the content Canadians see. That's the kind of approach taken by totalitarian regimes. It's not an approach that should be taken by a liberal democracy. Consumers should be free to stream whatever content they want, free from government interference. Pierre Trudeau, as prime minister, once said it was important for the government to stay out of the bedrooms of the nation. Guilbeault wants there to be an exception when folks click on Netflix. On top of all of this, the Online Streaming Act is costing streamers big time and threatens to drive providers out of the marketplace. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Streamers of a certain size are forced, under the law, to provide 5% of their streaming revenue to the government, with that money then sent to specific local media funds. These extra costs will do one of two things: They will drive streamers out of the Canadian marketplace altogether or, at a minimum, they will drive up streaming costs for Canadians. There are already streaming providers, like Hulu, that deliberately are not in the Canadian market, likely because of pre-existing overregulation. This new law could drive things from bad to worse. There may be streaming providers that decide their Canadian profits simply aren't worth having to manipulate their algorithms, produce more Canadian content, and pay what amounts to a tax to fill the coffers of government media funds. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Canadians shouldn't be shocked if a streaming provider or two chooses to exit the Canadian marketplace rather than comply with all of the punitive elements of the Online Streaming Act once it fully comes into force. A lack of competition in the streaming space is precisely what Canadian consumers don't need. But it's what may very well happen thanks to Ottawa's zest for government control. If Carney is smart, he'll ignore Guilbeault's penchant for government control and seriously re-examine this damaging law that was passed during the final years of the Trudeau regime. Carney has tacked to the centre on some issues and hasn't been afraid to abandon unpopular Trudeau-era policies like the consumer carbon tax and the capital gains tax hike. Carney should do so again when it comes to the Online Streaming Act. He should look to repeal the legislation and declare that the Carney government has no interest in controlling what Canadians can see online. Jay Goldberg is the Canadian affairs manager at the Consumer Choice Center Tennis World Sunshine Girls Sports Basketball
Winnipeg Free Press
15-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Building up Team Canada': Manitoba, Ontario vow to reduce trade barriers
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Ontario Premier Doug Ford signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday to reduce interprovincial trade barriers and improve labour mobility between the two provinces. It's the third such agreement Ontario has signed with other provinces signalling their intention to work together amid tariffs imposed by the United States. 'We're knocking down trade barriers and we're building up Team Canada,' Kinew said at a news conference with Ford in Toronto. The document is short on details but long on ambition and turning a trade war launched by the U.S. into an opportunity for Canada, the premiers said. 'We know our country has been threatened,' said Kinew. 'I think we've got a real window of opportunity now to do nation-building projects that have just been ideas for the past number of years. Now we can get shovels in the ground with people being able to work right across Canada.' LAURA PROCTOR / THE CANADIAN PRESS Premier Doug Ford (left) and Premier Wab Kinew said they're optimistic more provinces will get on board with interprovincial free trade as the premiers meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon on June 2. LAURA PROCTOR / THE CANADIAN PRESS Premier Doug Ford (left) and Premier Wab Kinew said they're optimistic more provinces will get on board with interprovincial free trade as the premiers meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon on June 2. Getting rid of trade barriers and freeing up labour mobility between the provinces requires trust, the Kinew said. 'We trust that somebody who gets a red seal in Ontario, a professional designation in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick — we trust that they're going to be able to do great job if they come to Manitoba and we can guarantee that you can trust us as well, too — that when we send our tradespeople, our engineers, we send our best to go work on a project in Ontario, they're going to be able to get the job done right.' The value of interprovincial trade between Ontario and Manitoba in 2021 was $19.5 billion. Ford and Kinew said they're optimistic more provinces will get on board with interprovincial free trade as the premiers meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Saskatoon on June 2. Carney has said he wants a national free trade deal in place by Canada Day. 'I think we're all going to come on board — by July 1, hopefully,' Ford said. Ontario and Manitoba are close geographically, but premiers Doug Ford and Wab Kinew may be even closer. 'The day I met him, I fell in love with the guy,' Ford said at a news conference Wednesday in Toronto. There, the two premiers signed a memorandum of understanding to tear down trade barriers between their provinces. 'Premier Kinew isn't just a champion for Manitoba, he's a champion for Canada and a great partner for Ontario,' Ford said. wfpsummary: Ontario and Manitoba are close geographically, but premiers Doug Ford and Wab Kinew may be even closer. 'The day I met him, I fell in love with the guy,' Ford said at a news conference Wednesday in Toronto. There, the two premiers signed a memorandum of understanding to tear down trade barriers between their provinces. 'Premier Kinew isn't just a champion for Manitoba, he's a champion for Canada and a great partner for Ontario,' Ford said. 'He's similar to me,' Ford told reporters. 'He doesn't care about the political stripes… He's talking like a conservative… People blame me for talking like a Liberal,' Ford quipped. 'We're in the same boat, buddy.' Kinew returned the praise. 'When I go to the hockey rinks and farmers markets in Manitoba, people are talking about the job you're doing with Team Canada and people are so so proud and happy to see the rallying-around-the-flag effect right now. I'm very glad to be here to represent the people of Manitoba,' Kinew told Ford. Ford also said he'd like to see the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets make it to the final round of the NHL playoffs. 'Wouldn't that be a thing if we both met at the Stanley Cup?' Ford promised that if the Leafs were knocked out and the Jets continued playing, he'd be cheering them on in Winnipeg 'with my buddy.' — Carol Sanders After years of talk about interprovincial free trade, Ford and Kinew have an opportunity to take the lead and make it happen, said Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce chairman and Little Brown Jug Brewing Co. founder, Kevin Selch. 'We could have always made ourselves more prosperous by doing these things to integrate our economy and we chose not to until we have this external force,' Selch said. He hopes the deal signed Wednesday is 'ambitious' and leads to better access for Manitoba brewers on Ontario liquor store shelves, noting Manitoba Liquor Marts have given 'really good access' to Ontario breweries. Regulated professions and government employees are waiting for details about labour mobility. Red flags were raised in other provinces about professionals being allowed to start practising before they're registered with the local provincial licensing body. 'The concern around that approach is that the local provincial authority then doesn't have jurisdiction over the person, so they can start providing their services but wouldn't be subject to the complaints and discipline process because they're not yet licensed with that organization,' said Mike Gregoire, CEO and registrar of Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba. He said his organization does not have those concerns. 'We've been tracking it and keeping open communications with the government to make sure our voice is heard in this regard.' Manitoba pharmacists say their profession has a nationally standardized education so labour mobility isn't an issue. Losing pharmacists to other provinces remains a threat, though, board member Marianna Pozdirca said at the legislature Wednesday. 'Because the scope of what pharmacists can do is much greater in other provinces, we get concerned about Manitoba graduates moving to other provinces because they can actually practise their full education there,' Pozdirca said. In question period, Liberal MLA Cindy Lamoureux asked Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara why Manitoba doesn't allow pharmacists to expand their practice to include things like prescribing contraceptives, as is the case in B.C. Asagwara said the province wants to expand pharmacists' scope of practise and ensure 'Manitobans have greater access to primary care with pharmacists.' The Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union wants to see increased trade across the provinces president Kyle Ross said 'There's definitely going to be some opportunities. We're hopeful that it helps Manitoba's economy grow. We believe that we have to find other ways than just dealing with the United States. We want to ensure that workers in Manitoba are protected and our public services are protected.' Carol SandersLegislature reporter Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol. Every piece of reporting Carol produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Over 800 special ballots 'mistakenly' kept in B.C. riding, Elections Canada says
OTTAWA – Over 800 special ballots cast during the recent federal election were mistakenly kept at the office of a returning officer in B.C., Elections Canada says. The agency says all registered political parties have been informed that 822 special ballots cast by electors in 74 electoral districts across the country were left with the returning officer in the riding of Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam. Elections Canada says the ballots should have been returned to its headquarters by April 28 at 6 p.m. to allow them to be counted. A person enters a polling station in the Vancouver East riding on federal election day in Vancouver on Monday, April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns Over 500 of the ballots mistakenly left in Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam were for the electoral district of Port Moody—Coquitlam. Others were for ridings across the country, including Halifax, Nepean and Vancouver Centre. Elections Canada says an initial analysis shows that the outcomes in those 74 districts were not affected by the mislaid ballots. The agency says its initial analysis showed that the problem was caused by 'human error' and 'a failure to comply with the written procedures.' Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault has asked for a complete review of the controls in place to ensure that a similar situation does not happen again, Elections Canada says. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up 'My commitment to candidates, political parties and Canadians is that when issues related to the delivery of an election arise, we take all necessary steps to resolve them,' Perrault said in a news release. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian women's futsal team celebrates CONCACAF triumph in first-ever outing
When Esther Brossard found out Canada was launching a women's futsal team, the 18-year-old wrote to newly appointed coach Alexandre Da Rocha to put her hand up. 'She said 'I just want to tell you I've played futsal. I think I'm pretty good at it and I think if you have a camp, I'd be happy to a participate in it,'' said Da Rocha. 'I knew who she was. She was part of my list already. But I thought the way she did it (showed) she wanted to be there.' Brossard made the team and repaid Da Rocha's faith by helping Canada win the inaugural CONCACAF W Futsal Championship on the weekend in Guatemala. Captain Lea Palacio-Tellier holds up the trophy as Canada celebrates winning the inaugural CONCACAF W Futsal Championship, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, in a May 4, 2025, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-CONCACAF, Victor Straffon, *MANDATORY CREDIT* Brossard led the nine-team tournament with eight goals as Canada booked its ticket to the first-ever FIFA Futsal Women's World Cup by defeating Mexico in a penalty shootout in Saturday's semifinal in Guatemala City. Then the Canadian women dispatched Panama 8-2 in Sunday's final with Brossard scoring three goals. 'She grew a lot in these two weeks, I'm going to be honest. As a player, but also a person … I was very proud of her. Very proud,' said Da Rocha. 'The whole tournament was an incredible adventure,' said Brossard. Brossard was just happy to be invited to the selection camp, becoming the youngest player on the squad. Asked if she thought she would make the team, Brossard answered 'Not at all. Because there's a lot of great players across Canada.' Futsal is a five-a-side indoor soccer game played in two 20-minute halves. Like hockey, teams can make changes on the fly. Brossard took up futsal in high school, joining a local club at the age of 15 and playing over the winter. A sophomore at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, the Montreal native also plays outdoors and earned an invitation to camp with the Canadian under-20 team in February as a training player ahead of the 2025 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Qualifiers. The 16-team FIFA Futsal World Cup is slated for Nov. 21 to Dec. 7 in the Philippines. Da Rocha hopes his side will get some games in Europe before the tournament. The Canadian performance in Guatemala is especially impressive given that Da Rocha's team has not played any international games prior to the competition. 'So that gave us maybe a little slower start in the first game,' said Da Rocha, referencing Canada's 3-2 loss to Costa Rica which was followed by four straight wins. 'But this team just grew so much throughout those five games we had in six days. They bonded so well. They committed to what they had to do, showed so much resilience and character. 'This is by far my greatest accomplishment, not just because of the results but the way that people conducted themselves throughout the whole time. I mean we got so much positive feedback from everyone — CONCACAF, from the referees, even the hotel staff. We just had a classy team.' Canada advanced to the semifinals after beating the United States 3-1 to finish runner-up to Costa Rica at 2-1-0 in Group B. Panama downed Costa Rica 3-1 in the other semifinal. The Canada-Mexico semifinal Saturday went to a shootout after finishing tied 4-4 after two five-minute periods of extra time. Mexico scored three unanswered goals in the first half before Canada answered with four of its own in the first four minutes of the second half. Trailing 4-3, Mexico tied the game with 1.8 seconds remaining on a goal with its net empty. Canada captain Léa Palacio-Tellier won the tournament's Best Goalkeeper Award. Canada also received the Fair Play Award. Da Rocha, a former coach of the Quebec's women's futsal team and assistant coach with the Canadian men's futsal side, was tasked with assembling the national team. Named coach on Jan. 31, Da Rocha held talent evaluation camps in several provinces before holding a final selection camp in late May. Female futsal players have long campaigned for a FIFA championship. In 2022, the International Women's Futsal Players Association condemned FIFAs 'public neglect towards women futsal players.' Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up FIFA held the first Futsal Men's World Cup in 1989 with the 2028 edition featuring 24 teams. Defending champion Brazil has won six of the 10 tournaments to date, finishing runner-up once and third twice. Canada has not participated since being one of the 16 invited countries for the inaugural men's tournament, failing to advance out of the first round after losing to Argentina and Belgium before downing Japan. There have been eight editions of the CONCACAF Men's Futsal Championship with Canada participating in four of them. Canada's best showing was making the quarterfinals, in both 2021 and 2024. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2025
Global News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Global News
In Canada's federal election, the 1st polls have closed
The first polls in Canada's federal election have closed in Newfoundland and Labrador as millions of Canadians cast their ballot in the 2025 federal general election. To watch as the live results of the election roll in, click here. Newfoundland and Labrador was the first province where polls closed on Monday at 8:30 p.m. local time (7 p.m. Eastern or 4 p.m. Pacific time). View image in full screen Election workers count special ballots, ballots cast by Canadians outside their ridings, at the Elections Canada Distribution Centre on the day of the federal election, in Ottawa, on Monday, April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Polls will close in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia shortly after, at 8:30 p.m. Atlantic Time (7:30 p.m. Eastern/ 4:30 p.m. Pacific). Story continues below advertisement In Quebec, most of Ontario and Nunavut — which follow Eastern Standard Time — polls will close at 9:30 p.m. Eastern or 6:30 p.m. Pacific. View image in full screen A person walks into a polling station on the day of the federal election in Ottawa on Monday, April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Manitoba and the parts of Nunavut northwestern Ontario that follow Central Time will see polls close at 8:30 p.m. (9:30 p.m. Eastern or 6:30 p.m. Pacific). Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and part of Nunavut will see polls close at 7:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. Eastern or 6:30 p.m. Pacific). Polls will close last in British Columbia and Yukon, at 7 p.m. local time (10 p.m. Eastern). The federal election was punctuated by record-breaking early voter turnout in addition to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats and his repeated attacks on the country's sovereignty with calls to make Canada the 51st state as recently as Monday. Story continues below advertisement Liberal Leader Mark Carney, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and Green Party co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault spent the past month traversing the country vying for votes. The Liberal party held a four-point lead heading into Monday, according an Ipsos poll done exclusively for Global News that was released Sunday. Preliminary estimates released by Elections Canada on Tuesday showed 7.3 million voters cast their ballots at advance polls during the Easter long weekend, a 25-per cent increase from the 5.8 million early votes in the 2021 federal election. Ordinarily, vote counting does not begin until polls close. However, election law in Canada allows the chief electoral officer to make exceptions, on the request of district returning officers, to start counting advance ballots up to one hour before polls close. Due to the high number of advance ballots cast in advanced polls, Elections Canada received special dispensation to allow for counting of advance votes to begin up to two hours before polls close. This will take place in only some ridings and the returning officers would have to request permission and receive permission from the chief electoral officer. Story continues below advertisement Elections Canada said special exception has already been granted for the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton, where 91 candidates including Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are on the ballot. The larger-than-usual size of the ballots means it could take poll workers longer to count the votes. Advance vote counting in that riding will be allowed to begin six hours before polls close in an effort to have results from there in a timely fashion.
