Juno News - December 15, 2025


Carney blocked cabinet minister from talking to media


Episode Stats

Length

15 minutes

Words per Minute

161.89456

Word Count

2,469

Sentence Count

94

Hate Speech Sentences

10


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Prime Minister Mark Carney blocked another cabinet minister from interacting with reporters,
00:00:09.740 making it the second day he stopped his government from speaking to the media.
00:00:14.260 Sublimbs are calling for immigration reform after 14 extortion suspects delayed deportation
00:00:18.860 through the asylum claim system. A Canadian Armed Forces member was arrested and charged
00:00:23.900 with alleged foreign interference. Hello Canada, it's Monday, December 15th,
00:00:28.160 and this is the True North Daily Brief. I'm Isaac Lamoureux. And I'm Willie Tamten.
00:00:32.340 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know. Let's discuss the top stories of the day
00:00:36.840 and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.
00:00:43.480 Prime Minister Mark Carney personally blocked a fellow cabinet minister from speaking to reporters
00:00:48.380 on Parliament Hill on Thursday, fueling ongoing concerns that his government is actively stifling
00:00:53.540 media transparency. CBC journalist Kate McKenna posted a video on Acts showing Prime Minister
00:00:59.180 Mark Carney stepping in as newly appointed Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Mark Miller
00:01:04.480 was responding to reporters' questions outside the House of Commons.
00:01:08.540 Miller had been asked about allegations of wrongdoing involving the head of a national museum
00:01:29.640 when the Prime Minister approached and ushered him away, effectively ending the scrum.
00:01:34.360 McKenna noted it was the second consecutive day Carney had stopped one of his MPs
00:01:38.460 from engaging with the press. The incident came just days after Miller was returned to Cabinet
00:01:43.240 following the resignation of Stephen Guibault. Carney appointed the Montreal MP as Minister
00:01:47.740 of Canadian Identity and Culture in a shuffle last week, restoring him to Cabinet after he had
00:01:52.580 been dropped earlier this year when Carney formed the government.
00:01:56.000 Miller is a long-time ally of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and has previously held senior
00:02:00.240 portfolios including immigration, Crown Indigenous Relations, and Indigenous Services.
00:02:05.300 Miller has faced scrutiny for past comments touching on religious expression. So,
00:02:10.080 Waleed, what are some other examples of the Carney government stifling the media and lacking
00:02:14.180 transparency?
00:02:14.860 Well, first of all, this is a trend we've saw happen two days in a row and, of course,
00:02:19.360 the Parliamentary Press Gallery reporters have noticed this strategy of pulling away ministers
00:02:25.120 and colleagues from engaging with the media and these scrums, which are very essential,
00:02:29.300 as you know, Isaac, because this is a time when reporters have a chance to dictate the agenda
00:02:33.740 of topics. You know, they get to ask questions that they find to be relevant to the platforms
00:02:38.180 and audiences or their own agendas, of course, in the case of state media. But most importantly,
00:02:43.060 this is the opportunity to have some sort of a recourse away from the talking points of the
00:02:49.880 government and into the topic points of the public interest. But in terms of Mark Carney,
00:02:54.560 we all know about his incoming Bill C-9, which is looking to attack religious freedom under the
00:03:02.680 guise and the belief that the Bible, along with other religious texts, refrain from condemning
00:03:09.040 or preserving society from hatred in certain contexts, of course. I guess this whole bill is
00:03:15.300 around the notion of combating hate under the guise of Canada receiving more and more immigrants
00:03:21.960 from around the world and seeing a rise to hate crimes and hatred on social media. And fortunately,
00:03:28.840 with that reality, and it's true, Isaac, there actually is an epidemic of hatred in different
00:03:34.820 spheres of society and sectarianism, specifically from minority religious communities against other
00:03:39.920 minority religious communities. I know in the case of Sikhs and Hindus, Muslims and Jews, there is a lot
00:03:45.240 of fractured social degradation that's going on in the country, thanks to the mass migration regime.
00:03:51.520 But this Bill C-9 is essentially taking away fundamental religious freedoms and religious
00:03:56.800 preface away from, for example, Catholics and Christians of all kinds, because they believe
00:04:04.960 the government, that is, that the text that is within the Bible itself incites hatred or is hateful
00:04:11.680 in its belief system. So, and that's, of course, the work of Mark Miller right now. He's the one who will
00:04:17.040 be overseeing this as the Canadian culture minister, of course. And not only that, but
00:04:22.320 while he was testifying at the Justice Committee, or while he was speaking at the Justice Committee,
00:04:26.720 he was, you know, proudly claiming that the Bible has hateful verses and that he put a very close
00:04:33.920 focus. But on the topic of free expression, C-9 is only the latest dose of threat to free speech in
00:04:39.840 Canada. We also know about C-11 and C-18. C-18, which removes social media platforms from being able to
00:04:46.400 post news channels and their content on their platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook.
00:04:52.080 And of course, C-11 is where the CRTC, the government broadcasting regulatory body, gets to have a
00:04:57.760 greater influence over promoting Canadian content on algorithms like Netflix and YouTube. So again,
00:05:04.320 the government's getting its tentacles closer and more integrated inside of the private social media
00:05:10.560 field, news media, and of course, the public discourse, even as it regards to religion.
00:05:20.080 Conservatives are demanding urgent reforms to Canada's refugee system after reports revealed that
00:05:25.120 14 suspected members of an alleged extortion ring filed refugee claims, effectively blocking their
00:05:31.120 immediate deportation. The message from the opposition is clear, they must be kicked out. The Canada
00:05:36.080 Border Services Agency has run into a roadblock in its efforts to deport 14 immigrant suspects
00:05:42.560 accused of extortion, as reported by Global News' Stuart Bell. BC's Extortion Task Force flagged the
00:05:49.120 individuals to the CBSA for investigation. However, all of the suspects claimed refugee status, which
00:05:55.280 delays deportation. The CBSA must now wait for the Immigration and Refugee Board to decide on the
00:06:00.640 legitimacy of their asylum claims. BC's Extortion Task Force, a multi-police agency investigative team,
00:06:07.280 was launched in September to, quote, strengthen investigations into the extortion threats targeting
00:06:12.720 families and businesses in the South Asian community. As CBSA spokesperson declined to confirm the
00:06:18.000 suspect's country of origin, according to the article, the alleged crimes could be a factor in the IRB's
00:06:24.400 determination of their asylum claims. Conservative leader Priya Paliyev weighed in on Thursday,
00:06:29.280 saying the individuals should be charged, convicted, and deported. He said on X, quote,
00:06:34.160 no more loopholes, no more excuses. Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel-Garner similarly
00:06:40.560 spoke out about the incident, saying liberals struck down an amendment to Bill C-12 that would have,
00:06:47.280 quote, stopped non-citizens convicted of serious crimes from making bogus asylum claims. So, Isaac,
00:06:54.000 what are the experts saying about this case? How can the system be reformed to stop criminals
00:06:58.480 from exploiting Canada's immigration system? Yeah, Waleed, immigration lawyers and enforcement
00:07:04.080 experts say this case exposes a structural weakness that has been building for years,
00:07:08.640 that being that Canada's asylum system is being used as a delay mechanism rather than as a protection
00:07:14.560 tool. Once someone files a refugee claim, deportation is effectively frozen, even when police have flagged
00:07:20.800 serious criminal activity, and the system offers multiple layers of appeals that can stretch on for
00:07:25.520 years. Sergio Carras, one of the country's most outspoken immigration lawyers, argues this isn't
00:07:31.360 an accident, but the result of outdated legislation and lax enforcement. He says the Immigration and
00:07:37.600 Refugee Protection Act was written more than two decades ago and has never been meaningfully updated
00:07:42.320 to reflect modern realities like organized crime, mass migration pressures, or systemic abuse of legal
00:07:48.320 recourse. In practice, that means individuals who pose a public safety risk can remain in Canada while
00:07:53.200 their cases wind through a massive backlog. Carras and others point to the Immigration and Refugee
00:07:58.640 Board's caseload, now well into the hundreds of thousands, as a key reason criminals can exploit the
00:08:03.840 system. Even when a claim is ultimately rejected, rejected claimants can pursue judicial reviews,
00:08:09.200 humanitarian applications, and other legal avenues that further delay removal. Experts say this creates
00:08:15.120 a perverse incentive. Filing a claim becomes a tactical move to buy time, not a genuine plea for
00:08:20.240 protection. On reform, there's growing consensus among critics that access to the refugee system
00:08:25.360 needs clearer guardrails. One proposal is barring individuals charged with serious criminal offenses
00:08:30.320 from entering the asylum process at all. Another is automatically terminating refugee claims when a
00:08:35.760 claimant is convicted of a serious crime or when credible evidence suggests they pose a danger to
00:08:40.240 the public. Experts also argue that enforcement needs to be faster and more decisive. Carras has repeatedly
00:08:46.000 called for giving immigration authorities broader administrative powers to remove non-citizens
00:08:50.240 who violate the conditions of their stay, rather than routing every case through lengthy tribunals
00:08:55.280 and federal courts. He points to the United States as an example where overstaying visas can trigger
00:09:00.640 multi-year bans on future applications and even financial penalties. There's also criticism of what
00:09:05.760 lawyers describe as a culture of leniency within the broader justice system, where sentencing decisions are
00:09:10.960 sometimes influenced by a desire to avoid immigration consequences that experts warn sends a message
00:09:16.880 that immigration status can function as a shield, undermining both public safety and confidence in
00:09:21.520 the asylum system. But ultimately, specialists say reform comes down to political will. Tightening the
00:09:26.720 law would almost certainly invite charter challenges, but critics argue public safety has to come first.
00:09:31.840 Without legislative changes, they warn that Canada will continue rewarding delay tactics, leaving
00:09:36.880 communities exposed while the system grinds on. And experts, in short, are not surprised by this case
00:09:42.320 because they see it as a predictable outcome of a system that prioritizes process over protection. And
00:09:47.840 they say until parliament rewrites the rules, criminals will keep finding ways to exploit them.
00:09:55.120 A member of the Canadian Armed Forces has been arrested and charged after a major national security
00:10:00.480 investigation revealed alleged foreign influence, shaking the foundations of Canada's military.
00:10:06.000 National Defence said on Thursday that Master Warrant Officer Matthew Robar, a member of the Canadian
00:10:10.880 Forces Intelligence Command, was arrested on Wednesday by the Canadian Forces National
00:10:15.600 Investigation Service with assistance from the RCMP's integrated national security and enforcement team
00:10:21.680 in the central region. Robar faces multiple charges under the National Defence Act, the Criminal Code,
00:10:26.800 and the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act. These include one count of communicating
00:10:31.840 special operational information and one count of breach of trust in respect of safeguarded information,
00:10:37.280 both linked to alleged foreign interference. He is also charged with two counts related to the
00:10:42.160 improper storage of firearms, three counts of conduct to the prejudice of good order and discipline,
00:10:47.440 and one count of feigning disease. According to National Defence, the investigation began in 2024,
00:10:53.680 focusing on the alleged unauthorized disclosure of safeguarded information to a foreign entity.
00:10:58.880 The department said the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command cooperated fully with investigators
00:11:03.440 throughout the probe. Brigadier General Vanessa Hanrahan, the Canadian Forces Provost Marshal,
00:11:08.720 says the case highlights the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
00:11:12.560 So, Walid, has there been other action taken by the government to protect Canada from foreign
00:11:17.040 interference since reports that China and India have played a significant role in interfering with
00:11:22.160 Canada's democracy was released in the last few years?
00:11:24.800 Well, if I can express myself here, Isaac, I would say there would be a lack of action,
00:11:28.560 frankly. And I think one very important case to highlight is the case of Joe Tay and Chinese
00:11:33.360 interference in Canada's last election in 2025, of course. Chinese interference is nothing new.
00:11:38.400 It's happened over multiple elections, especially in the last couple few. But in the case of the
00:11:43.520 recent defection of MP, conservative former MP, Michael Ma, who now became the second MP in a little bit
00:11:50.400 over a month to switch from conservatives to liberals by crossing the floor. All of a sudden,
00:11:56.160 this was someone who ran against Peter Yen, a liberal candidate that made comments suggesting that
00:12:03.280 a conservative candidate in another writing, in this case, Joe Tay, a Hong Kong dissident,
00:12:08.720 should be turned over to the Chinese police for a bounty. After much media and public scrutiny,
00:12:14.400 he eventually was forced to resign from his position as a liberal candidate on record. And of course,
00:12:20.720 the conservatives managed to get the win in that case, only to have their candidate eventually,
00:12:25.760 months later, switch over to become a liberal. So again, the important story here is that it seems
00:12:31.360 like even though the CCP were perhaps relying behind a linked candidate in the case of Peter Yen,
00:12:38.560 they still got the party win through the opposition candidate. So that's a very important thing to
00:12:44.800 consider. Of course, Canadian security agencies have mentioned very clearly that there is a specific
00:12:52.000 threat against diaspora members. In the case of Joe Tay, coming from the Chinese Hong Kong diaspora,
00:12:59.600 the consulates active across Canada are the ones that would be receiving him and his detention and
00:13:07.200 operating and offering a bounty exchange to people that would be willing to assist in that operation.
00:13:13.360 Of course, we can turn to India, where we have the case of the whole Sikh diaspora and the Kalistani
00:13:19.520 issue and the extortion gangs that we discussed earlier in this episode, relative to the Bishno gang,
00:13:24.880 which operates more primarily in the Indian rich regions of both British Columbia, and indeed in
00:13:31.200 Ontario, of course, where the Indian diaspora makes up significant number, specifically from those that
00:13:36.640 originate from the Punjab Sikh dominated region of India. And again, this is just displaying the kind
00:13:43.600 of map we have in terms of the ripe environment for foreign influence. It seems that Canada's security
00:13:50.000 agencies are indeed aware of the issues, but the government doesn't seem to have the full list of
00:13:58.560 solutions to adapt to the situation that we're in today. And primarily, the number one solution,
00:14:03.600 as we discussed in the previous story, is discussing how exactly we deal with immigration. In the case
00:14:08.640 of 14 extortionists being able to get led off the hook, at least temporarily, from a deportation order
00:14:14.800 by using Canada's overly sympathetic and perhaps even socially suicidal asylum and refugee system to
00:14:23.040 delay deportation, which is something I consider the leader of Peter Paliyev and immigration critic
00:14:28.160 Michelle Loppergarner has called to change. That is one of the perhaps most important things to take
00:14:34.960 a more serious approach to these diaspora criminals that are looking to operate against other members
00:14:42.080 of the same diaspora in Canada and eventually create this playground effect on Canada where other
00:14:47.760 biblical, religious and sectarian conflicts can thrive in a country where unfortunately most people
00:14:54.320 are not aware of the details in history. That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in. You can
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