Good morning, it’s Thursday, September 4th. In today’s news, Poilievre calls to scrap the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Xi Jinping makes global threats while Carney looks to deepen ties with China, Senators tied to CCP launch group to defend those accused of foreign interference, Hundreds of IDF reservists refuse duty after signing statement opposing war, and much more.
First time reading the daily blend? Sign up here.
Poilievre Calls to Scrap the Temporary Foreign Worker Program
Pierre Poilievre has taken what was once a fringe idea—abolishing Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)—and dragged it into the center of the national debate. In a passionate announcement, Poilievre tied together two of the most pressing crises facing young Canadians: the housing market and jobs.
“This generation cannot afford a home in Canadian history. And now the double gut punch: they have the worst employment numbers of any group of young people since the late 1990s. So you can’t get a job. And even if you did have a job, you can never buy a home,” Poilievre said.
He zeroed in on the Liberals’ expansion of the TFWP, presenting hard numbers to illustrate what he called “an unprecedented” policy failure. Tim Hortons alone has hired an “unimaginable 1,131% more” temporary foreign workers in the last four years. In the first half of 2025, Canada imported 74% more low-skilled labour than in all of 2015. The program now accounts for 2% of the entire workforce.
The Liberals had promised to cap the program at 82,000 permits, yet they issued 105,000 in just the first six months of this year. If the trend holds, over 200,000 permits will be handed out in 2025—shattering records while Canadian youth face record unemployment.
Poilievre’s solution is absolute: “Conservatives are calling on the Carney government to permanently scrap the temporary foreign worker program and to stop issuing visas for any new temporary foreign workers coming into the country. Existing permits would be wound down until the program is entirely eliminated. Canadian jobs will go to Canadian workers first.”
When reporters put the question directly to Mark Carney—“should the program be scrapped?”—his answer exposed the contrast. “That program has a role. It has to be focused in terms of its role. And it’s part of what we’re reviewing,” Carney said, in a tangle of political phrasing that gave away little. He insisted that overall immigration would decline from 7% to 5% of the population “several years from now.” But this framing is misleading: the number of annual immigrants could remain the same—or even increase—while still making up a smaller percentage of the total population years down the road, after millions more have already arrived.
Carney then pivoted away from youth unemployment and housing, emphasizing instead that business leaders he speaks to, “particularly in Quebec,” rank access to temporary foreign workers as their second biggest priority after tariffs.
The notion that Canadian youth joblessness and soaring housing costs take a back seat to the complaints of big business only underscores the widening gulf between Ottawa’s priorities and the lived reality of Canadians.
“Peace or War”: Xi Makes Global Threats While Carney Looks to Deepen Ties With China
In a bold display of military might, Chinese President Xi Jinping recently hosted a grand parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, where he declared that China is "unstoppable" and warned that the world must choose between "peace or war." The event featured advanced weaponry, including new hypersonic missiles, and was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, highlighting Beijing's deepening alliances with these authoritarian regimes.
While the parade concluded with the symbolic release of 80,000 doves to represent peace, Xi's rhetoric and the showcase of military power underscore China's increasingly assertive global posture, which has raised concerns about escalating tensions, particularly with the United States.
This aggressive stance comes at a time when Canada, under Prime Minister Mark Carney, is signaling interest in expanding trade cooperation with China, its second-largest trading partner. During a press conference on September 3, Carney emphasized that any such expansion would need to align with "Canadian values and interests," especially in light of the recent Beijing summit involving China, Russia, and North Korea. However, given China's unyielding military ambitions and its strategic partnerships with nations like Russia and North Korea—both of which have strained relations with the West—there appears to be no prudent path for Canada to deepen ties without compromising its core principles.
China's alliances and Xi's "peace or war" ultimatum signal a worldview that prioritizes dominance over collaboration, potentially exposing Canada to economic vulnerabilities, security risks, and ethical dilemmas. For instance, expanding trade could inadvertently bolster a regime that flaunts hypersonic missiles alongside leaders accused of aggression, clashing with Canada's commitments to human rights, democracy, and international stability. In this context, Ottawa's overtures risk naivety, as Beijing's actions suggest little room for value-aligned partnerships, making any expansion more of a gamble than a strategic move.
Senators Tied to Beijing Launch Group to Defend Accused of Foreign Interference
Two former senators previously flagged in national security reporting are now launching a nonprofit to “defend” Canadians accused of cooperating with Beijing. Yuen Pau Woo and Victor Oh — both named in Sam Cooper’s investigations and identified by CSIS sources as significant targets in interference probes — have unveiled Canadians United Against Modern Exclusion (CUAME).
Woo announced that CUAME’s mission is to “defend Canadians whose rights and freedoms have been compromised because of false or exaggerated claims of foreign interference, national security overreach and fear of the other.” He argues the backlash is not about disloyalty but about intolerance, saying Canadians are turning to “punish their citizens for not conforming to a rigid idea of the national interest or simply for having benign ties with foreign entities.”
But Sam Cooper’s reporting paints a darker picture. During a public announcement, he recounted a 2020 tape where Woo privately briefed the Canada Committee 100 Society, a group with links to Beijing’s United Front networks. Cooper claimed: “Senator Wu expressed his concerns about Canada’s focus on United Front groups, stating whether you belong to an organization that happens to be listed as a United Front organization should not be a litmus test, and added, I am fighting very hard against that type of litmus test.” Sinologist Charles Burton, who reviewed the full tape, concluded Woo’s words “effectively enable the legitimacy of agencies of the Chinese Communist Party in our country.”
These revelations sharpen concerns about Woo’s record. Before entering the Senate, he spent nearly a decade as President and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF), a federally funded think tank created to guide Canada’s policy on Asia. During his tenure, critics allege APF became overly accommodating to Beijing’s interests — promoting closer economic ties while minimizing warnings about Chinese espionage, political interference, and United Front activity in Canada. This pattern, they argue, laid the groundwork for Woo’s later positions in the Senate, where he opposed measures such as a foreign agent registry and stronger national security scrutiny of Beijing-linked networks.
Cooper alleges that Woo’s interventions “seemed to fulfill his taped pledge to the United Front,” noting he filed submissions undermining Canadian intelligence and echoing Chinese talking points. CSIS sources told Cooper that Woo was under investigation even as Justin Trudeau appointed him to the Senate.
Canada’s test is not to choose between civil rights and national security. It is to recognize when the language of civil rights is being weaponized to shield foreign influence.
Hundreds of IDF Reservists Sign Statement Opposing Gaza Takeover, Won't Report to Duty
As Israel’s security cabinet moves to capture Gaza City, 350 IDF reservists have signed a declaration refusing to serve, calling the operation illegal and dangerous for hostages, soldiers, and civilians. Their defiance highlights a deeper mood in Israeli society: a shift from unity after October 7 toward growing disillusionment with Netanyahu’s government, which many now see as prioritizing political survival over national security. More
CCP-Backed Hacking Operations Breach Hundreds of US Groups
Federal agencies have revealed the massive scope of Chinese state-backed hacking, led by a group called Salt Typhoon active since 2019. A new advisory shows the group has breached more than 200 US organizations and targets in 80 other nations, far more than previously known. Major telecom firms like Verizon and AT&T were compromised, allowing access to call and text data. The hacks give Beijing’s intelligence services the ability to track communications and a users movements globally. The advisory also links three Chinese tech firms to the military-backed cyber campaign, underscoring the scale of the CCP’s espionage efforts. More
Cross-Border Drug Busts:
US Announces Largest Seizure of Fentanyl and Meth Precursors From China—With a Street Value of Half a Billion Dollars - More
Border Officials Seize $43.7 Million in Cocaine at Ontario Entry Port - More
Judge Reverses Trump Admin’s Harvard $2 Billion Funding Freeze - A federal judge has ruled that the government violated the First Amendment through its efforts to combat anti-Semitism. The administration is appealing the decision. More
At Least 15 Dead, 18 Injured After Historic Tram Derails and Crashes in Lisbon - More
Hundreds of IDF Reservists Sign Statement Opposing Gaza City Takeover, Saying They Won't Report to Duty - More
Florida Plans to Become First State to Eliminate All Childhood Vaccine Mandates - More
Aftershock Hits Afghanistan as Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 1,400 - More
Musk Unveils New Tesla ‘Master Plan’ That Puts AI-Powered Robot at Core of Future Value
Tesla unveiled “Master Plan Part IV,” emphasizing AI, self-driving technology, and humanoid robots, with CEO Elon Musk projecting that the Optimus robot will eventually account for ~80% of the company’s value. The plan envisions autonomous robots performing dangerous or mundane tasks, self-driving cars reducing pollution and improving safety, and solar-plus-battery solutions powering sustainable energy.
While ambitious, the plan offers few concrete targets beyond scaling Optimus production to 1 million units annually within five years. Tesla also faces near-term pressures from slowing EV sales, narrowing margins, legal scrutiny over Autopilot, and the potential loss of lucrative carbon credits, raising questions about how it will balance long-term ambitions with immediate financial realities. More
WestJet Orders Record 67 New Jets From Boeing With Options for 25 More - More
American Eagle Shares Jump 25% After Retailer Touts 'Success' of Sydney Sweeney's Denim Campaign - More
OpenAI to Acquire Statsig in $1.1 Billion All-Stock Deal, Bringing Founder in as Applications CTO - More
New Experiment Sheds Light On the Origins of Life—Without a “Creator”
Scientists in London have recreated chemical reactions supporting Christian de Duve’s “thioester world” hypothesis, showing how amino acids and RNA could spontaneously form under early-Earth conditions. The study demonstrates a natural pathway for the first proteins and genetic molecules, offering strong evidence that life could emerge through chemistry alone—without the need for a creator or divine intervention—bridging the thioester and RNA world theories and providing new insight into the origin of life. More
JWST May Have Found the Universe’s First Pristine Galaxy - A “pristine” galaxy is made almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, largely untouched by heavier elements produced in previous generations of stars. More
Kawhi Leonard Paid $28 Million for 'No-Show Job' to Skirt Salary Cap and the NBA is Pissed
The Los Angeles Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer are under NBA investigation for allegedly paying Kawhi Leonard $28 million through a “no-show” deal with Ballmer-funded company Aspiration, to circumvent the salary cap. The agreement reportedly allowed Leonard to be paid without performing any work, and former Aspiration employees claim it was structured to benefit Leonard while keeping him with the Clippers. The team denies wrongdoing and says it welcomes the NBA probe, which follows a similar 2019 investigation into Leonard’s advisor. More
NBA All-Star Game to Feature Round Robin With 2 USA Teams and 1 World Team - More
Rampage Jackson Says Son, Raja, 'Should Go to Jail' for Brutal Wrestler Attack: 'He Dishonored My Name' - More
Canadian Comic Veronika Slowikowska Joins ‘SNL’ Cast Ahead of Season 51 - More
A Homeowner in France Took Back Her Property While Squatters Were on Vacation and Now Risks 7-Years Prison Time
On This Day in 1882, Thomas Edison’s light bulb powers up New York’s Pearl Street Station in its first major test, bringing electric light to the city on a large scale.