Juno News - Carney blocked cabinet minister from talking to media

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 1.00

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 0.63

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. 1.00

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 1.00

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 1.00

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 1.00

00:11:33.360 interference in Canada's last election in 2025, of course. Chinese interference is nothing new. 0.92

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, 0.53

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 0.97

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 0.96

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

00:15:02.480 stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify. Also, while you're

00:15:08.880 at it, make sure to hit us with a five-star rating and please leave a review.

Juno News - December 15, 2025

Carney blocked cabinet minister from talking to media

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