🇨🇦 Canada Scrambles to Patch Up Its Military

Defence Minister David McGuinty, meeting with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in Washington, confirmed Canada is now scrambling to rebuild, rearm, and finally invest in its long-neglected military.

🔊 McGuinty emphasized Canada’s commitment to NORAD and modernizing joint defense systems with the U.S. — a partnership now under strain as Trump’s “America First” forces Ottawa to face uncomfortable truths.

For decades, Canada coasted under America’s security umbrella, assuming Washington would always foot the bill. But in 2025, that illusion has collapsed.

The Canadian Army is buckling under:
• chronic recruitment shortages
• broken procurement pipelines
• outdated kit & crumbling infrastructure

Only 45% of Canada’s air fleet and 46% of the naval fleet are considered “combat-ready,” according to a damning report in 19FortyFive.

Canada is now paying the price for decades of neglect — and scrambling to prove it can still pull its weight.

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦💊 Tylenol, Autism, and Ottawa’s Rush to Dismiss

Health Canada has wasted no time dismissing Donald Trump’s claim that acetaminophen (Tylenol) use during pregnancy may increase autism risk. Within hours, officials declared there is “no conclusive evidence” of a link, calling the drug safe when used as directed.

But here’s the issue: while Ottawa insists the science is settled, families around the world have launched lawsuits precisely on this point. In the U.S., federal courts have been flooded with cases alleging prenatal Tylenol exposure contributed to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. Several studies have raised red flags, suggesting correlations that regulators continue to brush aside. “Not conclusive” doesn’t mean “not possible.”

Instead of caution, Canadians were told by Health Canada to carry on as usual. The same department reassures us its advice is based on “robust assessments” — the same language that was used for opioids, Vioxx, and countless other drugs later proven dangerous after years of denial. Millions of Canadians may have already used Tylenol in pregnancy; the stakes could not be higher.

Trump’s blunt warning — “Don’t take Tylenol. Fight like hell not to take it.” — rattled the medical establishment, but it struck a chord with parents who feel their concerns have been ignored. Health Canada, in lockstep with Big Pharma and international regulators, seems more concerned with protecting corporate liability than protecting families.

It is no coincidence that Trump’s comments also came with a call to revisit the vaccine-autism debate, another area where dissent is silenced. Whether one agrees with him or not, the fact remains: Ottawa’s reflex is always to defend multinational corporations first, and investigate later.

Canadians deserve transparency, not top-down decrees. If there’s even a shred of credible evidence, parents should hear it, not be told the science is closed. History shows that when governments rush to say “safe,” it often means they have much more to hide.

#Canada #USA

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦💊 Look what Canadian state media was saying about Tylenol use during pregnancy just 5 years ago!

"a growing body of evidence suggest that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen might alter fetal development"

Today? they're "debunking" Trumps claims! INSANE!

#USA #Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 New Brunswick Psychiatric Facility Under Fire

A scathing report by Ombudswoman Marie-France Pelletier has exposed disturbing practices at the Restigouche Health Centre in northern N.B.

The report detailed patients restrained for hours — sometimes left in their own urine and feces — and others locked in seclusion rooms without the ability to contact staff.

🔹 Vitalité Health Network, which runs the hospital, has apologized, admitting the incidents violated its own recovery-focused philosophy of care.
🔹 The Ombudswoman found staff used restraints without proper medical authorization, directly against policy.
🔹 Pelletier issued 21 recommendations and promised annual updates to ensure compliance.
🔹 Both Vitalité and Horizon Health Networks have accepted all recommendations and pledged reforms.

Progressive Conservative MLA Kris Austin said reading the report felt like a “punch to the gut.”
Green Party Leader David Coon blamed political neglect: “When parties go shopping for votes, the mentally ill are not a target audience for them.”

Officials insist reforms are underway, but for families and patients, the revelations reopen painful questions about dignity, leadership, and the treatment of society’s most vulnerable.

#NewBrunswick

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🇨🇦📮 Nationwide Strike: Canada Post Workers Walk Out

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) has launched a cross-country strike effective immediately after the Liberal government cleared the way for sweeping reforms at Canada Post.

Minister Joël Lightbound announced:
• An end to home delivery for 4 million addresses
• Lifting the moratorium on closing nearly 4,000 rural post offices
• Non-urgent mail shifted from air to ground to save $20M annually

The government argues Canada Post is “effectively insolvent,” set to lose $1.5B this year — but workers call it an attack on jobs, communities, and an essential service.

CUPW says it’s “outraged and appalled,” accusing Ottawa of dismantling a public institution Canadians — especially in rural and Indigenous areas — rely on.

Canada Post has 45 days to present a cost-savings plan. Until then, the mail stops here.

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Quebec Teen Shot Dead by Police: 1,300 Mourn at Funeral

Fifteen-year-old Nooran Rezayi was laid to rest today as more than 1,300 family members, friends, and community members gathered in Brossard to pray and grieve.

🔹 Nooran’s cousin described him as “always smiling, always kind.”
🔹 Youth attending the funeral cried out “Justice for Nooran” as prayers were said.
🔹 His coffin was carried to Saint-Hubert cemetery after Muslim funeral rites.

The Quebec police watchdog (BEI) says Longueuil officers responded Sunday to a 911 call about “armed people.” Within seconds of arriving, an officer fatally shot Nooran.

Key fact: No weapon was found on the boy. The only firearm recovered was the officer’s service weapon.

Eyewitnesses say the shooting happened almost immediately, with little to no interaction. The officer who pulled the trigger is now on leave.

The family’s lawyer says Nooran had only his school bag with books.
Community leaders are calling the death “unforgivable” and demanding answers.

The BEI has 15 investigators on the case, but outrage and disbelief are spreading: “How does a child end up in a coffin for carrying nothing more than his backpack?”

#Quebec

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🇶🇦 Most-Wanted Fugitive Caught in Qatar

After three years on the run, notorious B.C. fugitive Rabih Alkhalil has been arrested in Qatar, RCMP confirmed Thursday.

Alkhalil, 38, convicted in two 2012 murders in Toronto and Vancouver, escaped the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam back in July 2022 with the help of men posing as contractors. His breakout — involving a white Econoline van and disguises — became one of the country’s most infamous prison escapes.

🔹 RCMP say Alkhalil was living under an alias in Qatar until his arrest this month.
🔹 Qatari authorities played a “critical” role, acting swiftly after years of joint intelligence sharing.
🔹 Extradition could prove tricky: Canada has no formal treaty with Qatar, meaning Ottawa must rely on diplomacy, international conventions, or concessions to bring him back.

Immigration lawyer Richard Kurland warned Canada is going “cap in hand” to Doha, while criminologist Yvon Dandurand noted UN agreements could help grease the wheels.

Meanwhile, three alleged accomplices in his 2022 escape have been charged. One, John Potvin, was recently arrested in Spain after taunting police on Instagram with comments like: “I get it, you miss me.”

RCMP called the international hunt “one of the most complex fugitive investigations” in Canadian history. Now the focus shifts to whether Canada can secure Alkhalil’s return — and how long it will take.

👉 Should Canada be forced to negotiate deals and make concessions just to get its most violent fugitives back?

#BC

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🇨🇦🇺🇸 Carney government quietly dropped more U.S. counter-tariffs than advertised

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has been caught quietly walking back its tough talk on U.S. tariffs. While Carney publicly claimed in August that Canada would only remove counter-tariffs on goods “specifically covered under CUSMA,” an order-in-council published days later tells a different story. With the exception of sectoral tariffs on steel, aluminum, and autos, all Canadian retaliatory tariffs have been dropped. In other words, Canada’s policy is not reciprocal — it’s softer than advertised.

Trade lawyer William Pellerin said the move looks like politics, a bid by Ottawa to make the announcement appear “quid pro quo” with Washington, when in reality Canada gave away more than it got. The decision means that even if American goods crossing the border aren’t compliant with CUSMA rules, they’re no longer facing Canadian counter-tariffs.

The government insists this is about advancing trade negotiations with the U.S. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s office defended the approach as necessary to “protect Canadian workers and industries” while keeping talks alive. But critics say the concession smacks of weakness. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has accused Carney of handing Trump “generous concessions” without extracting meaningful wins, mocking the prime minister’s “elbows up” rhetoric by pointing out that “his elbows have mysteriously gone missing.”

Supporters of the policy argue the dropped tariffs were of little value anyway. Most goods crossing the border are already CUSMA-compliant, and enforcing extra counter-tariffs would have required more bureaucracy for minimal gain. Pellerin called the decision an “exercise in bureaucratic restraint,” noting that the cost of enforcement likely outweighed any revenue Canada could have collected.

But to ordinary Canadians, the optics are clear: at a time of strained relations and escalating American tariffs, Ottawa blinked first. Instead of showing resolve, the Carney government quietly pulled back — raising questions about whether Canada is negotiating from strength or folding under pressure. For a government elected on promises of sovereignty and toughness at the bargaining table, this looks less like strategy and more like capitulation.

#Canada #USA

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🇨🇦📮 Canada Post Meltdown: Strike, Reforms & Delays

Any hope of a quick end to Canada Post’s nationwide strike collapsed Friday after the Crown corporation abruptly cancelled plans to present its latest contract offer to workers.

Instead, Canada Post says it is “reassessing” in light of the federal government’s bombshell reforms announced Thursday — ending home delivery for millions, closing rural outlets, and admitting the company is effectively bankrupt with projected $1.5B losses this year.

Key points:
• Canada Post had promised a new offer Friday but now says it will present a “revised” one later.
• CUPW is demanding a 19% raise, while Canada Post’s last offer was 13%.
• The union has vowed to fight Ottawa’s reforms, calling them a “direct assault on our public post office and good, unionized jobs.”
• Talks have dragged on for 18 months, with pressure mounting as the holiday season looms.
• Last year, a strike and lockout lasted more than a month before Ottawa ordered workers back.

Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu is urging both sides to keep negotiating: “Canadians depend on them to get this right.”

Behind the headlines, this fight is bigger than contracts. It’s about whether a once-iconic public institution survives in the age of Amazon, private couriers, and government austerity.

Do Canadians still want a national postal service? Is Ottawa preparing to quietly dismantle it piece by piece?

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

Alberta considers new law allowing it to ignore international agreements signed by Canada

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is taking direct aim at Ottawa’s habit of signing international deals without ever asking the provinces. In a new mandate letter, Smith confirmed her government will introduce legislation that allows Alberta to ignore international agreements signed by Canada when they intrude on areas of provincial jurisdiction like health care and the environment.

For Smith, this is about more than paperwork—it’s about sovereignty. Ottawa has repeatedly tied Canadians to global commitments, like the World Health Organization’s Pandemic Agreement, without consulting the very provinces forced to implement them. Alberta’s message is blunt: international treaties are not automatically binding here unless Alberta passes its own law to enforce them.

Critics dismiss this as political theatre, but the reality is clear. For decades, Ottawa has signed sweeping accords abroad, then dropped the costs, restrictions, and bureaucracy on provinces back home. Alberta is following the same path Quebec carved out long ago—formally asserting that globalist agreements do not override provincial authority.

The move strikes at a deeper question: who governs Alberta—its own elected representatives, or distant bureaucrats in Ottawa and Geneva? Smith is betting Albertans want the power to decide for themselves.

#Alberta

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🚨🇨🇦 Ottawa’s Fiscal Mirage Exposed

Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer just dropped a bombshell: the federal deficit is set to hit $68.5 billion next year, with debt climbing past 43% of GDP. Servicing that debt? It will swallow nearly 1 in every 7 tax dollars — money that could go to health care, infrastructure, or lowering your tax bill.

Let’s cut through the spin: Ottawa isn’t running a fiscal plan. It’s running a Ponzi scheme with your children’s future. The watchdog’s report doesn’t even factor in new spending promises, NATO demands, or the billions earmarked for bailouts and foreign commitments.

Meanwhile, everyday Canadians face record food inflation, soaring mortgage renewals, and collapsing services. Families are told to “tighten belts,” while the government burns billions on carbon taxes, global climate funds, and endless foreign aid.

The political class calls this “responsible stewardship.” In reality, it’s outsourcing sovereignty to Washington, Brussels, and Davos — draining national wealth while preaching “global responsibility.”

At home, it could mean rising taxes, fewer services, and a generation shackled to debt. Abroad, it means Canada showing up as the dutiful donor at global summits while neglecting its own people.

The fiscal watchdog has said the quiet part out loud: this isn’t sustainable. Canada is on a path where debt becomes destiny.

The question now: who will finally call Ottawa’s bluff?

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦 Quebec Adoption Story Raises Eyebrows

Reports are circulating on social media that three gay men in a polyamorous relationship in Quebec have adopted a 3-year-old girl through the province’s Youth Protection Services.

The trio — identified online as Jonathan Bidarc, Eric LeBlanc, and Justin Maher — allegedly waited years before being approved as adoptive parents. They told followers that Quebec authorities “learned we are a little different because we’re three, but we’re not different from any other family.” They described the child in one word: “perfect.”

#Quebec

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🇨🇦🪪Digital ID Debate Reaches Canada

While in the UK, Prime Minister Mark Carney was pressed on whether Canada would follow Britain’s move toward a mandatory digital ID system. His answer? “We don’t have current plans.”

But here’s the catch:
• The UK has already rolled out a framework where residents are expected to hold digital IDs, justified under “immigration and efficiency.”
• Carney insists Canada already has “plenty of ID systems” and doesn’t need a new one — for now.
• The language — “no current plans” — leaves the door wide open for the future.

This is the globalist playbook: centralize identification, track citizens, and slowly erode privacy under the banner of modernization. What starts in London, Brussels, or Washington rarely stays there.

Canada’s strength has always been local communities, free citizens, and independent institutions. Digital ID schemes risk turning that into a surveillance society where access to services, work, and even travel could be switched on or off with a QR code.

The question Canadians should ask: if the government doesn’t plan to introduce it today… what about tomorrow?

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦🇬🇱 Canada & Greenland: Holding the Line in the Arctic Against American Imperialism?

Donald Trump has once again revived his obsession with “getting” Greenland — talking as if an entire nation is a real estate deal. For Greenlanders, it’s a fresh reminder of how Washington treats smaller nations: as pawns on a board, not peoples with sovereignty.

But Greenland’s answer remains firm: “We are not for sale.” With Denmark, it’s building security and capacity in the Arctic. And it’s looking west — not to the U.S., but to Canada — as its closest neighbour and natural partner.

The truth is, the Arctic is changing fast. Melting ice is opening shipping routes. Global powers are watching closely. And while Washington rattles on about bases and minerals, Canada and Greenland share something deeper — Inuit ancestry, family ties, and a lived history of the North.

Even Canada’s ambassador, Carolyn Bennett, admitted: “This isn’t foreign affairs, this is family.” That matters. Because the choice is clear: either the Arctic becomes another stage for great-power land grabs, or Canada and Greenland act together to defend sovereignty, culture, and real security.

Trump’s bluster may make headlines, but it only proves one thing: in the new world taking shape, those who treat nations like real estate transactions will find themselves left behind.

#Canada #Greenland #Denmark #USA

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦📮 Canada Post Crisis Deepens

The standoff between Canada Post and its 55,000 striking workers shows no signs of ending — and now the Crown corporation is denying that Ottawa’s sweeping reforms have given it leverage at the bargaining table.

Last week, the Liberal government announced drastic measures: ending home delivery, closing rural outlets, and demanding a cost-saving plan within 45 days. Ottawa insists these steps are necessary to stop Canada Post from “bleeding” $1.5 billion this year.

But union negotiator Jim Gallant says the reforms aren’t Ottawa’s idea at all — they came directly from Canada Post management. “Canadians should decide what Canada Post is and how it goes through the future,” he told CBC, dismissing talk of insolvency as a political ploy: “Are the RCMP insolvent? Are the Armed Forces insolvent?”

Meanwhile, small-town leaders warn of devastating fallout. Nancy Peckford, mayor of North Grenville, Ont., says losing her community’s post office would be a severe blow: “It’s not just about mail — it’s a hub where people connect.”

With reform plans colliding head-on with worker demands and community needs, the strike is fast becoming a test of whether Canada Post will remain a true public service — or be reshaped into something very different.

#Canada

🍁 Maple Chronicles

🇨🇦✈️ Passport Kiosks Crash, Chaos at Canadian Airports

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) confirmed Sunday that a nationwide outage has hit passport inspection kiosks at major airports including Toronto's Pearson, Montreal's Trudeau, Calgary, and Vancouver.

The agency says the glitch was triggered during “routine systems maintenance,” forcing thousands of travellers into long manual customs lines. CBSA insists safety and identity checks are still intact, but passengers are bracing for chaos if the problem extends into Monday.

This marks the third Canada-wide kiosk failure in 2025 — with similar breakdowns in April and June.

Frustrated passengers are already reporting missed flights and confusion. “A technical glitch is causing a lot of frustration,” one traveller in Calgary said after missing two flights before finally making it home.

Airports are urging patience, but the bigger question looms: how many “glitches” before Canadians demand answers about why critical border infrastructure keeps failing?

#Ontario #Quebec #BC #Alberta

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🇨🇦 Ontario’s Liberal Party has begun the process of selecting a new leader after Bonnie Crombie announced she will step down.

Crombie, who took the leadership in 2023, confirmed she would vacate the role once a successor is chosen. The move comes after she secured just 57 per cent support in a leadership review earlier this month, a result that exposed divisions within the party.

On Sunday, the Ontario Liberal Party’s Executive Council approved the creation of a Leadership Vote Committee to guide the process. The committee will consult with members, study best practices, and provide recommendations on how the contest should be structured.

“This is an exciting moment for our Party,” OLP President Kathryn McGarry said, stressing the opportunity to “rebuild and renew” ahead of the next provincial election.

In the coming weeks, members will receive a survey to give feedback on how the vote should be conducted. The responses will shape the rules and process for the contest.

The committee is chaired by OLP Treasurer Gabriel Sékaly and includes senior party officials Kathryn McGarry, David Farrow, Jonathan Espie, Mandy Moore, Tim Shortill, Sean Torrie, and Simon Tunstall.

Party officials say the process is an “important milestone” in preparing to present a stronger, more unified alternative to Ontarians in the next provincial campaign.

#Ontario

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