Political Shipwreck 🇨🇦
Where news meets rational thinking
Good morning, It’s Friday, April 4th. In today’s news, Freedom Convoy faces lawfare while Palestinian protestors block campuses, Carney says Canada will impose matching tariffs on U.S. autos, Jagmeet Singh turns his campaign into a circus, Carney says he won’t repeal anti-pipeline Bill C-69, and much more.
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Two Protests, Two Realities: Freedom Convoy Faces Lawfare, Palestinian Protestors Block Campuses
On the same day that Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber were found guilty of mischief for leading a peaceful protest, Palestine demonstrators physically blocked access to classrooms at McGill University, disrupted lectures, intimidated faculty, and forced class cancellations. While the Freedom Convoy was condemned, criminalized, and suppressed through emergency wartime legislation, the Palestinian activists consistently face no arrests, receive police supervision, and during prior protests even have law enforcement delivering them Tim Hortons.
This unsettling contrast reveals a dangerous double standard in Canada’s treatment of protest movements. The Freedom Convoy, which notably lowered crime rates in Ottawa and remained peaceful throughout, was met with frozen bank accounts, tear gas, and violent beatings. Meanwhile, ongoing protests involving Palestinian activists—some tied to foreign governments like Iran—have been protected by public institutions, despite years of disruption and escalating rhetoric including calls to “globalize the intifada.”
The term “intifada” is not benign. The Second Intifada (2000–2005) resulted in over 4,000 deaths, involving suicide bombings, civilian bus attacks, and widespread violence. If activists in Canada chant for globalizing that movement and refuse to denounce the associated violence, we are left to assume they are willing to justify the same forms of violence internationally.
This article isn’t about the Israel-Palestine conflict. That battle is nearly 10,000 kilometres away. It’s hard enough trying to keep your head above water in a country that feels like it’s slipping away more and more every day. Some may respond: “But this is genocide! This is the worst violence since the Holocaust!” Fine. Let’s take that claim at face value. Even if that were undeniably true — does that justify destabilizing and attacking a country on the other side of the planet? Would it have justified Jewish refugees violently rising up against the Western nations that took them in during WWII?
Of course not.
Here’s what’s actually happening: these movements operate on what’s called a motte and bailey strategy. It’s a rhetorical tactic where activists push an extreme position (the “bailey”), and when challenged, retreat to a safe, defensible one (the “motte”). In practice, they’ll chant for global uprisings, glorify martyrs, and call for revolution — but when you push back, they say, “We just want Canada to divest from Israeli companies.” It’s manipulative. It exploits the compassionate instincts of Western democracies. And our institutions are too weak, too afraid, or too compromised to call it out.
Fundamentally, the cornerstone of any functioning democracy is the equal application of the law. Either the treatment of the Freedom Convoy was fair and should apply equally to all disruptive protestors, or it was an unjust and authoritarian overreach. As long as Canada applies justice selectively—persecuting peaceful dissent while tolerating violent or extremist disruption—we cannot pretend to be a free, democratic nation governed by the rule of law.
Carney Says Canada to Impose Matching Tariffs on US Autos
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Canada will impose a 25% tariff on US vehicle imports in response to Trump’s auto tariffs, which took effect on April 3. While Canada was excluded from Trump’s broader “reciprocal” tariff plan, it remains subject to US duties on steel, aluminium, and other goods due to American concerns over border security and drug trafficking.
Carney called these tariffs "unjustified" but said Canada's countermeasure is designed to target non-USMCA-compliant vehicles and the non-Canadian content of USMCA-compliant cars. Unlike Trump’s tariffs, Canada’s response will not apply to auto parts or content from Mexico.
The Canadian government estimates that these counter-tariffs will generate around $8 billion in revenue, which will be distributed to impacted workers and businesses. Additionally, Ottawa is developing a plan to provide financial relief to Canadian car manufacturers that maintain production and investment within the country.
What This Means for Canadians
Higher Car Prices: If you’re buying a vehicle imported from the US, it will cost more. Approximately 50% of vehicles sold in Canada are imported from the US, though not all will be subject to tariffs.
Impact on Auto Jobs: While Carney promises to reinvest tariff revenue into the industry, manufacturers will face higher costs, which will lead to job losses and factory slowdowns—reports suggest 160,000 jobs will be lost in the auto sector in the second quarter.
Rising Trade Tensions: The Canada-US economic relationship is getting rockier. While Carney claims he’s making progress with Trump, this reciprocal trade war would suggest otherwise.
Unfortunately, there is no good short-term solution. However, going shot-for-shot with a guy who has a much bigger stick is not going to work out well for Canadians. With these new tariffs, if you’re in the auto industry or looking to buy a car, brace yourself because this could hit hard. Source
Canada’s Election Is Becoming a Circus—And Jagmeet Singh Is the Ringmaster
Canadian politics has officially gone off the rails. What used to be a platform for serious ideas is now a carnival of confusion, and Jagmeet Singh is proudly leading the circus.
Singh recently brought an adult content creator onto the NDP campaign trail. She filmed videos on the campaign bus, posted selfies with Singh, and encouraged other creators to “get on the bus.” In one of her pinned TikToks, she walks viewers through how to perform a self-abortion at home, saying, “This medication stops your progestin so that the pregnancy does not keep developing into a demon.” You don’t have to be religious, pro-life, or even conservative to recognize that a society which talks about pregnancy as if it's demonic is on the edge of collapse.
Between posting about “human rights,” she also promotes links to her adult content with captions like “Want to see me swallow 8 inches?” And somehow, this is who the NDP thought should help inspire the next generation of voters. Unfortunately, it gets worse. Singh also met with “pups,” individuals who participate in puppy play—an adult fetish where people wear dog costumes and mimic canine behaviour.
We debated whether to even write about this. Ordinarily, what consenting adults do in private is their own business. But this isn’t private. This is a federal party leader—who has spent the last several years propping up the Trudeau Liberals while they destroyed the country—now campaigning alongside delusional individuals under the guise of inclusion and progress.
Past generations endured famine, global wars, and pandemics with resolve. Today, our great moral battle is whether or not to admit that mental illness exists—and worse, whether we should glamorize it. We’ve reached a point where we’ve “normalized” the abnormal. And now, a major political party sees this as a viable campaign strategy.
There is no law we’d advocate to prevent this kind of public decline. But we do advocate for a cultural course correction. The youth deserve real role models to rise to—not avatars of confusion to sink with. This is especially critical since the NDP’s primary outreach is to young voters.
In a healthy democracy, the best conservative competes against the best liberal and the best socialist. But after years of the NDP-Liberal coalition, Canada is no longer a competitive political arena—it’s a shipwreck of unserious leaders, captained by clowns, and sinking fast.
Mark Carney Says He Will Not Repeal Anti-Pipeline Bill C-69
Mark Carney has confirmed he won’t repeal Bill C-69—the controversial “no more pipelines” law—despite pledging to support energy projects using federal emergency powers. His refusal keeps burdensome Trudeau-era restrictions in place, directly contradicting his claim to support “one project, one approval.” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called him out for breaking private promises and warned that this decision will strangle major energy projects and isolate Alberta and Saskatchewan from global markets. More
Tiny Thought: Carney has now made it clear that he won’t scrap the oil and gas emissions cap or Bill C-69. That means he’s not the leader Canada needs to unlock its energy and economic potential.
Quebec Government Tables Bill to Combat Election Disinformation and Interference—Raising Free Speech Concerns - More
France's Macron Calls for European Companies to Suspend Investment in US After Tariffs - More
Hungary, a Founding Member of the ICC, to Withdraw From Court Amid Netanyahu Visit - More
Hundreds of Thousands of Palestinians Flee After Israel Seizes Rafah as Part of New 'Security Zone' - More
New UK Internet Policing Law Targets US Websites - More
UK Court Rules that US President Donald Trump Must Pay $821,000 Legal Bill Over ‘Steele Dossier’ Lawsuit - More
Trumps Trade War Rattles Global Economy
Trump’s sweeping new tariffs have sent global markets into a tailspin, with Wall Street suffering its worst single-day drop since 2020. The Dow plunged nearly 1,700 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also tanked. International markets followed suit, with sharp declines in Europe and Asia. The tariffs, which impose at least a 10% tax on nearly all imports, have sparked fears of a global trade war, causing the US dollar to weaken and gold prices to surge.
Analysts warn that the tariffs could push the US and global economies into recession, with JPMorgan estimating a $660 billion tax hike on Americans and a 2% inflation surge. Oil prices also plummeted as markets braced for economic slowdown. Despite the market chaos, Trump insists his policies will ultimately boost the economy, but experts warn this could be a repeat of the 1930s tariff disaster that worsened the Great Depression… But only time will tell. More
Apple Loses $311 Billion in Market Value as Trump Tariffs Threaten China-Heavy Supply Chain - More
There are Now 76 Canadians On Forbes’ Billionaire List - Changpeng Zhao, a Chinese-Canadian coder who in 2017 founded the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, tops the list with a $62.9 billion net worth, good for 24th in the world. More
No Brains, No Pain: Scientists Aim to Grow ‘Spare’ Human Bodies in the Lab For Medical Miracles
Stanford researchers have proposed "bodyoids"—lab-grown human bodies created from stem cells but engineered without consciousness. These entities could revolutionize medicine by providing an endless supply of transplant organs, reducing reliance on animal testing, and advancing personalized treatments. Scientists believe bodyoids could eliminate immune rejection issues and improve drug testing, but ethical concerns loom large. Critics worry about the implications of creating human-like forms without awareness, raising questions about consent, identity, and bioethics. While still theoretical, the rapid advancement of stem cell and artificial womb technologies suggests that bodyoids may soon become a reality, requiring urgent policy and ethical discussions. More
Scientists Drilled The Bottom of Great Blue Hole Off the Coast of Belize and Uncovered 5,700 Years of History - The sample suggests the Caribbean has had a stormy past—but the worst could be yet to come. More
Study: Your Brain Starts Eating Itself During a Marathon
A new study published in Nature Metabolism reveals that running marathons causes the brain to consume its own myelin, a fatty tissue essential for brain cell communication, as an energy source. The research found that after running a marathon, key brain regions showed decreased levels of myelin, particularly those linked to motor and emotional control. While these changes were temporary and reversed within two months, the study highlights the brain's vulnerability to energy shortages during intense physical exertion. The effects were minimal overall but could pose risks for athletes with conditions like ALS. Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term impact of marathons on the brain. More
Kanye West Says Wife Bianca Censori Left Him After Trying to Get Him Committed - More
Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin Scores Goal No. 892, Now Within Hat Trick of Breaking Gretzky’s Record - More
Raiders Sign Geno Smith to 2-year, $75 Million Extension - More
Penguins, Seals and Other Wildlife Only Inhabitants of 2 Islands Hit with Trump Tariffs
TikToker in Indonesia Gets Almost 3 Years in Prison for Telling Picture of Jesus That He Needed a Haircut
On This Day in 1949 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty was signed in Washington, DC.
What does Singh care? He propped up Trudeau long enough to get his pension. He clearly has never cared about looking like a fool.
Re the protests: If you read the judge's determination, what really screwed Lich and Barber was the horn honking. Without that, they may have not been found guilty of mischief. The judge seemed to apply the law, which, on the face of it, seemed to be done correctly even though it's not the outcome I would have wanted. The problem that the convoy faced that the uni protests don't is that the convoy disrupted people's enjoyment of their personal property (mischief). Because the uni protests are on campus, it's a different thing.
One may argue that the law needs wider application or that "mischief" is a stupid charge or whatever, but given that this is the country we live in, with the laws we have, you can see why there is the disparity.