Green Party deputy leader jailed for contempt

Green Party deputy leader sentenced to 60 days for role in Fairy Creek protests | Victoria Times-Colonist | Roxanne Egan-Elliott

April 24, 2024 - "An old-growth logging protester and deputy leader of the federal Green Party has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for her role in the Fairy Creek protests. Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, was convicted in January of seven counts of criminal contempt for breaching an injunction covering the Fairy Creek area and breaching her bail conditions for incidents spanning from May 2021 to January 2022.

"Davidson was initially arrested after blocking a road by chaining herself to a gate in the Fairy Creek injunction area. She was released on condition that she not return to the area. The subsequent offences involved returning to the injunction area, ignoring the terms of her house arrest. 

"Davidson, 38, was sentenced in Nanaimo Wednesday to 60 days in jail, minus 12 days for time served pre-trial, and 75 hours of community service.... Green Party Leader Elizabeth May ... who sat next to Davidson’s parents during the hearing, said she was horrified by the length of the sentence.

"Davidson was appointed deputy leader of the Green Party in early 2022 by then interim leader Amita Kuttner and reappointed by May when she replaced Kuttner.

"More than 1,100 arrests were made in the Fairy Creek protests, making it the largest act of civil disobedience in Canada."
Read more: https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/green-party-deputy-leader-sentenced-to-60-days-for-role-in-fairy-creek-protests-8648322

Green Party’s May distraught over deputy leader’s logging protest conviction, jail time | Western Standard | Shaun Polczer:

April 25, 2024 - "Angela Davidson — also known as ‘Rainbow Eyes’ — was convicted in January of seven counts of criminal contempt for breaching a court injunction and bail conditions for a series of protests at the Fairy Creek logging camp on Vancouver Island in the spring of 2021. On Wednesday she was sentenced to 60 days and 75 hours of community service for her role in the protests near Port Renfrew that saw more than 1,000 people arrested at the Teal Cedar Products logging camp where it had licences to cut old-growth timber.

"After her initial charge, Davidson was subsequently arrested six more times for returning to the area when she had been ordered not to and for breaching the terms of her house arrest.....

"In response to the sentence, May accused the courts of protecting corporate profits over the public interest. In a statement she said the party stands 'in solidarity with our brave deputy leader Rainbow Eyes who is to lose her freedom for the "crime" of trying to protect the old growth forest the provincial government had said it would protect from logging — and then did nothing.'”
Read more: https://www.westernstandard.news/bc/green-partys-may-distraught-over-deputy-leaders-logging-protest-conviction-jail-time/54097

Rainbow Eyes is a rabble rouser to watch | rabble.ca News | September 2, 2022:

Tech sector warns of harm from Liberals' Budget

Industry leaders are warning that the Liberals' Budget 2024 could cause "irreparable harm" to the tech sector in Canada.

Tech sector slams Liberals’ capital gains tax hike as “irreparable harm” | True North | Isaac Lamoreux: 

April 17, 2024 - "The Liberal government’s 2024 federal budget has sent shockwaves through Canada’s tech sector, with sweeping increases to capital gains taxes being the main cause for concern. Leaders within the industry are voicing criticism at the Liberals, suggesting that further taxation could drive businesses and talent south of the border. The budget, delivered by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, raises the inclusion rate for capital gains tax from 50% to 66% for individuals on amounts exceeding $250,000. The amendments to the Income Tax Act will come into effect on June 25, 2024. The Liberals expect to make $19.4 billion over the next five years from [the move].... 

"Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Innovators, explained in his organization’s response to the budget that the best way for the government to boost its revenue is to drive economic growth and productivity gains by helping Canada’s innovators. 'We hope that Minister Freeland and the Liberal government will listen to innovators and adjust this proposed tax hike before they do irreparable harm to the Canadian innovation economy,' he said....

"Local entrepreneur Boris Wertz ... felt that the Liberals had 'lost their plot on innovation and entrepreneurship.' His biggest concerns were 'trying to pick winners (e.g. superclusters); proposing very rigid AI regulations; dramatic increase of number of public sector employees; (and) increasing capital gain rate.' The budget promises to invest $2.4 billion in AI support, $5.1 million of which will be dedicated toward the Artificial Intelligence and Data Act — ensuring that AI is 'safe and non-discriminatory,' according to the Liberal government.... 

"Kim Furlong, CEO of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, said that her organization is 'baffled' by the Liberals’ decision to increase the capital gains tax. 'This measure, which effectively taxes innovation and risk-taking, will significantly dampen Canada’s entrepreneurial spirit, stifle economic growth in critical sectors of our economy, and impact job creation. Such policy change undermines Canada’s position to attract the talent needed to grow and scale companies here,' she said. 'CVCA will work tirelessly to reverse this decision,' said Furlong.

"The founder of a venture capital firm, Christian Lassonde, said that Canada is desperate for new investment dollars. 'What does this government do? Punish investing. You can’t make this stuff up,' he wrote in a post to X.

"President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Dan Kelly, said that the capital gains tax changes will demotivate Canadians from starting businesses in the first place. 'Several sectors of Canada’s (small and medium enterprises) community will be hit with higher capital gain taxes on business sales above $2.25 million, including restaurants, hotels, doctors’ offices, insurance brokers, real estate firms, recreation and arts and recreation firms,' said Kelly in a post to X.

"Armon Shokravi, co-founder of a software development business, explained in a post to X that the tax changes, of an inclusion rate from 50 to 66%, would increase the net capital gains tax from 27% to 36%, compared to the United States, who have a tax rate of 20%. 'In my conversations with Canadian entrepreneurs, it’s clear: They’re feeling less motivated to build businesses here when moving just a bit south could mean saving a lot more,' he said..... 

"Independent MP Kevin Vuong shared a text message from a local business owner. The former founder, who works in the tech sector, said that they and their partner sat down last night and began the process of moving to the United States. 'We’re leaving to a country that celebrates entrepreneurs and innovation,' they said. 'The world is too competitive for talent and Canada is not competitive anymore.'

Read more: https://tnc.news/2024/04/17/liberals-capital-gains-tax-hike-irreparable-harm/

Budget 2024 picks a fight with Canadian tech | BetaKit Podcast | April 22, 2024: 

Foreign-funded serial blockader avoids deportation

Thanks to au unidentified Liberal cabinet minister, foreign-funded eco-activist and serial blockader Muhammad Zain Ul Haq aka Zain Haq avoided being deported from Canada this week. 

Trudeau government intervenes at last minute to save serial blockader from deportation | National Post | Tristin Hopper: 

April 23, 2024 - "For years, every time a port, highway, work site or rail line was blockaded by B.C. activists, there was a good chance Zain Haq was not too far away. A Pakistani national who first came to Canada in 2019 on a study permit, he’s been arrested at least 10 times [and] convicted of mischief charges, and has been pretty open about his role in leading a foreign-funded 'rebellion' against the Canadian government. And now, after a years-long effort by the Canada Border Services Agency to secure Haq’s deportation, the 23-year-old’s removal was stayed at the 11th hour, potentially due to the intervention of the Trudeau government.... 

Shaun Polczer, Western Standard, April 22, 2024.

"Haq had been scheduled for deportation by no later than Monday, April 22 — and a last-minute appeal had already been rejected by a federal judge. But on Friday, Haq received a cryptic call from the office of .. the Liberal MP for his riding ... telling him to stay by his phone. He was soon contacted by a CBSA case officer telling him he could stay in the country. 

"Haq’s lawyer, Randall Cohn, told Glacier [Media] that he suspected someone in the federal cabinet was 'listening and paying attention to the timing and decided to step in.'

"Haq wasn’t facing deportation because of his arrests or conviction.... Rather it was due to violations of his study permit. Haq was away from class for long periods, and at one point was put on academic probation by Simon Fraser University.

"Over the last five years, Haq has been at the centre of two of the province’s most extreme environmental groups: Extinction Rebellion and Save Old Growth, of which he’s a co-founder. Between them, the groups have been the singular cause of activist-led disruptions throughout the Lower Mainland through their chosen tactics of blockading roads, bridges and other infrastructure. They also both carry demands that cannot feasibly be met. Extinction Rebellion demands the immediate abandonment of all fossil fuels. Save Old Growth demands the immediate suspension of all old-growth logging.... The 'no old growth' demand, in particular, has been denounced by B.C. First Nations who say it ignores Indigenous land-use rights....

"A mischief case brought against him in 2023 detailed Haq’s central role in extended closures of bridges, intersections and — in October 2021 — a two-hour blockade of Vancouver International Airport. In July of that year, court documents said that Haq helped organize a road closure that 'interfered with emergency vehicles trying to access St. Paul’s Hospital.' 'Mr. Haq has shown disdain for the rule of law and he has publicly encouraged others to break the law while publicly celebrating his arrest,' read a 2023 decision convicting Haq of mischief. Although prosecutors sought a 60-day jail sentence, Haq was instead given 61 days of house arrest....

"Haq has routinely acknowledged he was breaking Canadian law and threatened to continue doing it until his demands were met. 'Every single day we will be disrupting the highways in multiple locations, both on the Island and in Vancouver,' he warned British Columbians at the start of the 2022 summer travel season.... In a 2020 Extinction Rebellion statement, he was quoted as saying 'occupying private and public spaces is an essential step towards truly understanding what a democracy looks like.' He added, 'it is impossible to frighten people who have declared a non-violent rebellion against the government.'

"He’s even admitted that his actions were foreign funded. In a 2022 New York Times interview, he said he’d received $170,000 from the California-based Climate Emergency Fund....

"Haq’s wife ... has applied to sponsor Haq for permanent residency, the CBC reported. However, it remains unclear how long he may be able to stay in Canada."

Read more: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/first-reading-trudeau-government-intervenes-at-last-minute-to-save-serial-blockader-from-deportation

Zain Haq speaks before being sentenced to prison | The Georgia Straight | February 18, 2022: 

Student stabbed in eye with flagpole at Yale

Jewish Yale student journalist stabbed in the eye with Palestinian flag during protest | New York Post | Ronny Reyes:

April 21, 2024 - "A Jewish Yale University student journalist reporting on an anti-Israeli protest at the Ivy League school Saturday night was stabbed in the eye with a Palestinian flag – while her assailant has gone unpunished.

"Sahar Tartak, the editor-in-chief of the Yale Free Press, was covering the protest – which saw hundreds of students camping at the campus in support of Palestinians – when she was suddenly surrounded by demonstrators. Tartak said she and a friend were singled out for wearing Hasidic Jewish attire as the crowd formed a blockade around them to interfere with their filming.

“'There’s hundreds of people taunting me and waving the middle finger at me, and then this person waves a Palestinian flag in my face and jabs it in my eye,' Tartak told The Post. 'When I tried to yell and go after him, the protesters got in a line and stopped me,' she added.

"Tartak, who was shopping for an eyepatch when speaking with The Post, said she tried to report the assault to campus police but that they told her there was nothing they could do. Instead, she just got an ambulance ride to the hospital to get her eye checked out....

"Stop Antisemitism, a nonprofit watchdog group, has shared an image Tartak took of the demonstrator who jabbed her in the eye, asking the public to help identify him. Yale officials said the university’s police department is investigating the assault and that the school tolerates no violence on its campus."

Read more: https://nypost.com/2024/04/21/us-news/jewish-yale-student-stabbed-in-the-eye-with-palestinian-flag-during-protest/

Photo courtesy New York Post.

Jewish Yale student jabbed in eye with flag pole by anti-Israel protesters | Jerusalem Post - Michael Starr: 

April 21, 2024 - "Tartak reported the assault to campus police, but she is unaware of any action taken besides calling an ambulance for her. She was discharged from the hospital and will not suffer permanent damage. Mentally, however, Tartak said, she was in an 'awful' state. Returning to campus has become a daunting prospect, as she says, 'All these students know who I am'....

"Tartak said that she told officers that they should disband the encampment, but they responded that they needed authorization. Tartak noted that the police were outnumbered, with only 7 officers to police hundreds of activists. 

"Yalies for Palestine and American Muslims for Palestine Connecticut said on social media that they had succeeded on Saturday because no arrests had been made during their protests, which began on Friday in response to attempts to remove a similar encampment at Columbia University."

Read more: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-798092

60% of dentists reject Canada Dental Care plan

The head of the Canadian Dental Association says that more than 60% of dentists surveyed have said they will not participate in the Trudeau government's recently unveiled Canada Dental Care program.

60 Percent of Dentists Won’t Take Part in ‘Complex’ $13B Federal Care Plan, Association Says | Epoch Times | Chris Tomlinson:

April 19, 2024 - "Over 60 percent of dentists would not participate in the federal government’s $13 billion Canada Dental Care Plan, the head of the Canadian Dental Association told MPs.... Aaron Burry, CEO of the Dental Association, testified before the House Finance Committee on April 18, telling the committee a recent survey of 4,000 dentists found '61 percent of dentists said [they] will not participate in the program.'

“'Without the support of oral health providers this program will not succeed and the millions of patients signing up for the program will not be able to find a dentist,' he said, as first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter. He said that the dental association was not negotiating with the federal government regarding the plan but was testifying in order to provide advice about what the structure of the plan should be.

"He said dentists were concerned about the program’s extensive terms and conditions, fee schedules not being aligned with provincial rates, and overall bureaucratic demands. 'It is a complex government program. It involves more complex authorization processes we believe will disrupt patient care,' he said.

"Mr. Burry noted that the plan 'does not provide free dental care,' and only covers a portion of the usual fees, creating confusion among dentists on the boundaries of coverage.... '[D]entists don’t know how coordination of benefits with provincial programs is going to work. We also don’t know exactly what level of services will be preauthorized to meet patient needs. We just don’t know,' he said.

"Private insurance company Sunlife is the administrator of the program, which is currently only available to seniors. Children under 18 will become eligible to apply in June, while those aged 18 to 64 will need to wait until 2025.... To be eligible for the program, a household must earn less than $90,000 a year, not have access to dental insurance, be a Canadian resident for tax purposes, and have filed a tax return for the previous year....

"When it was initially proposed, the Dental Care Plan was expected to cost around $6 billion over five years but the costs were later adjusted to $13 billion, more than double the initial estimate....

"Health Minister Mark Holland announced this week that the government would be looking into tweaking the plan to make it more attractive to dentists and get more of them to sign up but noted at least 5,000 dentists have signed on so far.

"The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association has also voiced criticism of the plan, particularly the reimbursement guide which would pay significantly less to a private hygiene clinic as opposed to a dentist’s office. According to the association, that would mean that some provinces would see as much as a 20 percent difference in reimbursement rates."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/dentists-wary-of-complex-13b-federal-care-plan-says-dental-association-ceo-5632820

Dentists hesitant to join Canadian Dental Plan, cite "contracts with unknown terms and conditions" | Global News | April 15, 2024:

Alleged Coutts ringleaders convicted of mischief

Coutts Three Verdict: A Warning to Protesters Who Act as Liaison with Police | Frontier Centre for Public Policy | Ray McGinnis, Senior Fellow:

April 19, 2024 - "Twelve jurors have found the Coutts Three guilty of mischief over $5,000 at a courthouse in Lethbridge, Alberta. Marco Van Huigenbois, Alex Van Herk and George Janzen will appear again in court on July 22 for sentencing. Van Huigenbois, Van Herk and Janzen were each protesting at the Coutts Blockade in 2022. A blockade of Alberta Highway 4 began on January 29, 2022, blocking traffic, on and off, on Alberta Highway 4 near the Coutts-Sweetgrass Canada-USA border crossing. The protests were in support of the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa. Protests began due to the vaccine mandates for truckers entering Canada, and lockdowns that bankrupted 120,000 small businesses.... 

"On the day of February 14, 2022, the three men spoke to Coutts protesters after a cache of weapons had been displayed by the RCMP. These were in connection with the arrest of the Coutts Four. Van Huigenbos and others persuaded the protesters to leave Coutts, which they did by February 15, 2022.

"During the trial numbers of RCMP officers conceded that the Coutts Three were helpful in their interactions with the law. As well, there didn’t seem to be any truth to the suggestion that Van Huigenbos, Van Herk and Janzen were leaders of the protest. RCMP officer Greg Tulloch testified that there were a number of 'factions' within the larger protest group. These factions had strong disagreements about how to proceed with the protest. The Crown contended the Coutts Three were the leaders of the protest.... 

"Tulloch recalled how Van Huigenbos and Janzen assisted him in getting past the 'vehicle blockade to enter Coutts at a time during the protest when access to Coutts from the north via the AB-4 highway was blocked.' Tulloch also testified that Janzen and Van Huigenbos helped with handling RCMP negotiations with the protesters. Tulloch gave credit to these two 'being able to help move vehicles at times to open lanes on the AB-4 highway to facilitate the flow of traffic in both directions.' During cross examination ... Tulloch stated that he noticed two of the defendants assisting RCMP with reopening the highway in both directions. Honner said in summary, '[Marco Van Huigenbos and George Janzen] didn’t close the road, they opened it.'

"Mark Wielgosz, an RCMP officer for over twenty years, worked as a liaison between law enforcement and protesters at the Coutts blockade. Taking the stand, he concurred that there was sharp disagreement among the Coutts protesters and the path forward with their demonstration. Rebel News video clips 'submitted by both the Crown and defence teams captured these disagreements as demonstrators congregated in the Smuggler’s Saloon, a location where many of the protesters met to discuss and debate their demonstration.' Wielgosz made several attempts to name the leaders of the protest in his role as a RCMP liaison with the protesters, but was unsuccessful....

"Canada’s Criminal Code defines mischief as follows in Section 430:

"Robert Kraychik reported that 'RCMP Superintendent Gordon Corbett … cried (no comment on the sincerity of this emoting) while testifying about a female RCMP officer that was startled by the movement of a tractor with a large blade during the Coutts blockade/protest.' This was the climax of the trial. A tractor moving some distance away from an officer in rural Alberta, with blades....

"No evidence was presented in the trial that Van Huigenbos, Van Herk and Janzen destroyed or damaged property. Officers testified they couldn’t identify who the protest leaders were. They testified the defendants assisted with opening traffic lanes, and winding down the protest.

"By volunteering to liaise with the RCMP, the Crown depicted the Coutts Three as the protest leaders. Who will choose to volunteer at any future peaceful, non-violent, protest to act as a liaison with the policing authorities? Knowing of the verdict handed down on April 16, 2024, in Lethbridge?"

Read more: https://fcpp.org/2024/04/19/coutts-three-verdict-a-warning-to-protesters-who-act-as-liaison-with-police/

Coutts Three hold steadfast in beliefs after guilty verdict delivered | Rebel News | April 19, 2024:

Budget 2024 shows Liberals' fiscal irresponsibility

Spending, taxes, and debt will all increase under the Liberals' Budget 2024; the only thing expected to decline is Canadians' standard of living. 

Federal budget’s scale of spending and debt reveal a government lacking self-control | Fraser Institute | Jake Fuss & Grady Munro:

April 16, 2024 - "Time and time again, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland have emphasized the importance of being fiscally responsible with federal finances. Unfortunately, this year’s federal budget ensures once again their rhetoric rings hollow due to their ongoing mismanagement of federal finances. This mismanagement is rooted in the government’s insatiable appetite for new and expanded programs or services, which has endured for nine years and will continue for the foreseeable future. 

"The budget introduces billions of dollars in additional spending for a national school food program, housing initiatives and artificial intelligence. As such, program spending (total spending minus debt interest costs) is now expected to be $77.2 billion higher over the next four years than the government forecasted last spring. In 2024/25 alone, federal program spending will reach a projected $483.6 billion—an increase of $16.1 billion compared to the previous budget’s estimates.... The Trudeau government has already recorded the five (2018 to 2022) highest levels of federal program spending per person in Canadian history (inflation-adjusted).... This is despite recent polling data that shows the majority of Canadians (59 per cent) think the Trudeau government is spending too much. Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of Canadians are also concerned about the size of the federal deficit.

"As it has done nine times before, the Trudeau government will borrow to fund some of its spending spree, resulting in a projected budget deficit of $39.8 billion this year, which is $4.8 billion higher than previously forecasted. And it doesn’t intend to stop borrowing, with annual deficits exceeding $20 billion planned for the subsequent four years.... Simply put, there’s no plan for a return to balanced budgets any time soon. As a result, federal debt (net debt minus non-financial assets) is expected to climb $156.2 billion from now until April 2029....

"Growing federal debt leads to higher debt interest costs, all else equal, which eat up taxpayer dollars that could otherwise have provided services or tax relief for Canadians. For context, the government now spends more ($54.1 billion) on debt interest as on health-care transfers to the provinces ($52.1 billion). Accumulating debt today also increases the tax burden on future generations of Canadians who are ultimately responsible for paying off this debt. Research suggests this effect could be disproportionate, with future generations needing to pay back a dollar borrowed today with more than one dollar in future taxes....

"But again, it didn’t have to be this way.... [H]ad the government simply limited the growth in annual program spending to 0.3 per cent for two years, it could have balanced the budget by 2026/27.... Instead, the government chose to increase annual program spending by an average of 4.4 per cent over the next two years and kick the debt problem down the road for another government to solve.

"Yet for all this spending and debt, living standards have not improved for Canadians. In fact, inflation-adjusted GDP per person was actually lower at the end of 2023 than it was nine years prior in 2014. And going forward, the OECD predicts Canada will record the lowest growth rates in per-person GDP up to 2060 of any industrialized country....

"The combination of tax hikes and scale of spending and debt in this year’s federal budget demonstrate the Trudeau government has no interest in being fiscally responsible or improving living standards for Canadians. Instead of showing restraint, the government chose to repeat its mistakes and lead federal finances down an increasingly perilous path."

Read more: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/blogs/federal-budgets-scale-of-spending-and-debt-reveal-a-government-lacking-self-control

Debt Dilemma: Unpacking Canada's 2024 Budget | KelownaNow | April 17, 2024: