Juno News - August 19, 2025


Doug Ford urges Poilievre to back Carney on tariffs


Episode Stats

Length

11 minutes

Words per Minute

155.88293

Word Count

1,827

Sentence Count

99

Hate Speech Sentences

1


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Ontario Premier Doug Ford advises Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre to put differences aside
00:00:09.500 and help Prime Minister Mark Carney's agenda as part of a, quote,
00:00:13.020 Team Canada approach against U.S. tariffs.
00:00:15.940 A transgender festival on Vancouver Island was cancelled after anti-Israel activists
00:00:21.720 demanded the organizers take a stance on the Middle Eastern conflict.
00:00:25.940 The Air Canada strike is set to continue despite the Liberal government declaring the protest illegal.
00:00:32.380 Hello Canada, it's Tuesday, August 19th, and this is the True North Daily Brief.
00:00:36.740 I'm Isaac Lamoureux.
00:00:38.080 And I'm Geoff Knight.
00:00:39.000 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.
00:00:41.640 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.
00:00:51.020 Ontario Premier Doug Ford called on Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre
00:00:54.340 to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney after praising Carney's handling of U.S. trade relations.
00:01:00.520 Ford said, quote, work with the Prime Minister in reply to a reporter asking if he had any message for the Conservative leader.
00:01:07.000 Premier, today is Pierre Poilievre's by-election.
00:01:10.260 If he gets elected, I'm wondering, what's your advice to him going into the fall sitting of the Parliament?
00:01:15.620 Work with the Prime Minister.
00:01:17.560 How so?
00:01:18.120 Let's team Canada.
00:01:19.220 You know, let's put our political stripes aside and start working together collectively on large infrastructure projects,
00:01:26.480 on other areas that he can cooperate with the government.
00:01:30.840 Trade tensions with the U.S. dominated the questions posed to their Premier minutes after his meeting with the Prime Minister concluded.
00:01:37.840 Ford was asked if he would be taking a trip down to Washington, D.C. anytime soon, to which he replied, quote,
00:01:43.420 not likely.
00:01:44.680 Ford used the bulk of his remarks to praise Carney's approach in dealing with Washington.
00:01:49.020 He said, quote,
00:01:49.920 he's doing an incredible job.
00:01:51.360 He's working collaboratively with 12 other Premiers and myself as Team Canada.
00:01:55.680 I challenge anyone.
00:01:57.080 Try to deal with Donald Trump.
00:01:58.900 While Ford said, quote,
00:02:00.040 nothing happens immediately from such meetings,
00:02:02.460 he stressed that both Ottawa and Queen's Park were reliant on cutting regulatory burdens,
00:02:07.480 supporting domestic industries,
00:02:09.120 and keeping Canada competitive as trade tensions escalate.
00:02:12.380 So, Jeff, many online have been very critical of Ford this year.
00:02:16.720 What are some other examples of Canadians complaining that he isn't conservative?
00:02:21.200 Yeah, Isaac, many Canadians online are criticizing Ontario Premier Doug Ford this year,
00:02:25.340 especially with his praise for Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney amid U.S. trade tensions.
00:02:30.100 Critics on platforms like X have pointed to Ford's $51.5 billion education budget for 2024-25
00:02:36.980 and his $100 billion Highway 401 tunnel feasibility study,
00:02:41.320 arguing he spent more than almost any other Premier contradicting conservative fiscal restraint.
00:02:47.480 Another grievance is Ford's handling of the Greenbelt land swap,
00:02:50.920 where 7,400 acres were removed for development despite public backlash,
00:02:56.160 which is seen as favoring developer cronies over conservative values of limited government.
00:03:00.460 The National Conservative v. Ford dispute during the 2025 federal election has fueled complaints,
00:03:06.360 with Toronto MP Leslyn Lewis accusing Ford of undermining Pierre Polyev's campaign by not endorsing him,
00:03:12.820 leading some to label Ford as a liberal hype man.
00:03:16.100 Online voices also decry Ford's retention of the carbon tax framework,
00:03:19.880 despite opposing cap-and-trade,
00:03:22.040 and his reluctance to cut taxes aggressively,
00:03:24.640 with ex-users arguing he's drifted from the small governance ethos Polyev champions,
00:03:29.420 especially after Ford's call for cooperation with Carney.
00:03:35.620 A Vancouver Island festival celebrating transgender ideology has been cancelled
00:03:40.580 following demands from activists that organizers take a public stance on the war in Gaza.
00:03:45.800 TransFest, scheduled for August 16th, was promoted as a celebration of transgender identities and music.
00:03:52.840 In a statement posted to Instagram,
00:03:54.660 organizers said the event was called off after the municipality of Sanek revoked permits amid growing controversy.
00:04:02.080 Organizers wrote,
00:04:03.240 quote,
00:04:03.840 Sadly, a small group of dedicated pro-Palestinian activists have decided to demand that TransFest take a stand on the war in Gaza.
00:04:11.740 They added that founder Francis Reilly, quote,
00:04:14.620 refused to capitulate to their demands.
00:04:17.360 Public comments on TransFest's Instagram page identified Aaron Dever,
00:04:21.840 one of the festival's sponsors, as a source of contention for being a Zionist.
00:04:26.640 Dever is the founder and inaugural chair of transgender studies at the University of Victoria,
00:04:31.460 past president of the Jewish Federation of Victoria and Vancouver Island,
00:04:35.360 and a former board member of Hillel, BC.
00:04:37.800 Several commenters argued that Dever's past relationship in Jewish community organizations tied to Zionism
00:04:43.980 clashed with the festival's values.
00:04:46.640 So, Isaac, what other instances in recent years do we have of anti-Israel activists
00:04:51.020 pushing their weight around in the pride movement?
00:04:53.820 Yeah, Jeff, in recent years there have been multiple instances where anti-Israel activists
00:04:58.060 have injected the Israel-Palestine conflict into pride events and LGBTQ spaces.
00:05:02.800 For example, the cancellation of TransFest on Vancouver Island, as you mentioned,
00:05:07.680 is only the latest example of anti-Israel activists inserting the Gaza conflict into LGBTQ events.
00:05:15.180 Similar disputes have repeatedly surfaced at pride parades and queer spaces across Canada,
00:05:19.980 where Jewish participants and groups with ties to Israel have faced protests,
00:05:24.100 exclusion, and even violence.
00:05:26.200 In Montreal, this summer's pride parade saw a violent escalation.
00:05:31.180 A woman was arrested after throwing nettle extract,
00:05:34.240 a liquid described by police as smelling like urine,
00:05:37.460 at Jewish groups GAVA and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
00:05:41.600 Pride organizers initially banned the Jewish groups from marching,
00:05:44.640 accusing them of spreading hateful discourse,
00:05:47.100 only reversing their decision after pressure from MPs.
00:05:50.260 In Toronto, anti-Israel activists have disrupted the pride parade for three consecutive years.
00:05:56.920 Protesters wearing keffias and waving banners likening their cause to an intifada blockaded the march,
00:06:03.380 forcing police to briefly halt the parade.
00:06:06.080 Some protesters used imagery directly associated with Hamas propaganda,
00:06:10.720 and Green Party leader Elizabeth May was spotted carrying a watermelon symbol,
00:06:14.740 a motif commonly used in anti-Israel demonstrations.
00:06:17.640 These disruptions have also affected corporate backing.
00:06:21.420 Five major brands, including Google, Adidas, and Home Depot,
00:06:25.100 pulled sponsorships from Toronto Pride this year,
00:06:27.500 with Jewish groups pointing to the Pride Toronto's past anti-Israel statements
00:06:31.260 and decisions as reasons for the decline in support.
00:06:34.980 Outside of parades, the world's oldest gay-friendly bookstore,
00:06:38.360 Glad Day in Toronto, hosted a drag queen-led event that openly glorified Hamas
00:06:43.480 and spread disinformation denying sexual violence during the October 7th, 2023 massacre.
00:06:49.760 The event highlighted the growing Queers for Palestine movement,
00:06:53.020 despite Gaza ranking among the worst, if not the worst, region in the world for LGBTQ rights.
00:06:59.120 Taken together, these incidents show a clear pattern.
00:07:02.920 Anti-Israel activists have repeatedly used Pride platforms to advance their cause,
00:07:06.820 often at the expense of Jewish LGBTQ groups,
00:07:10.560 and sometimes even undermining the unifying purpose of the Pride events themselves.
00:07:18.360 After Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government declared the Air Canada flight attendant strike illegal,
00:07:24.860 Canadian Union of Public Employees national leaders claim they are willing to face arrest
00:07:29.020 and charges to continue the protest and demand compensation for unpaid work.
00:07:33.980 Liberal Jobs Minister Patti Hajdu announced she was invoking Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code
00:07:39.860 to direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board to intervene.
00:07:43.760 The board is an independent administrative tribunal,
00:07:46.280 which interprets and applies labour laws in such disputes.
00:07:49.500 During a press conference in Ottawa on Saturday,
00:07:51.800 Hajdu said she asked the board to, quote,
00:07:53.980 assist the parties in reaching a settlement by imposing final and binding arbitration
00:07:58.700 and to extend the terms of the existing collective agreement,
00:08:01.660 previously struck with CUPE's involvement.
00:08:03.920 The union representing 10,000 flight attendants at Air Canada, in a briefing note,
00:08:08.160 said its members voted 99.7% in favour of strike action.
00:08:13.000 The union, on behalf of the flight attendants,
00:08:15.220 demands to be paid for tasks such as reporting for duty,
00:08:18.140 getting dressed in uniform on-site,
00:08:20.040 and performing duties such as critical safety-related duties.
00:08:23.220 The Canada Industrial Relations Board ordered the union and its officers
00:08:27.000 to immediately cease all activities that declare or authorise an unlawful strike.
00:08:31.560 Individual attendants have been directed to return to work,
00:08:34.220 and CUPE leadership has been ordered to call a halt to the strike publicly.
00:08:38.280 Hajdu said, quote,
00:08:39.440 My job as Minister of Labour isn't to take sides during labour disputes.
00:08:43.380 It's to give the parties the tools that they need to reach a fair and timely agreement
00:08:46.980 while keeping the best interests of Canadians at heart.
00:08:50.320 And that's why I intervened today.
00:08:52.020 Hajdu said the intervention was necessary,
00:08:55.020 as both parties were, quote,
00:08:56.500 nowhere close to reaching a collective agreement
00:08:58.920 after two days of Air Canada flights being grounded.
00:09:02.120 Air Canada offered a 38% compensation increase over four years,
00:09:06.160 including partial ground pay and wage increases,
00:09:08.740 though CUPE rejected the offer.
00:09:10.920 During a press conference at Pearson Airport,
00:09:12.940 CUPE National President Mark Hancock said the union was willing to be arrested,
00:09:17.200 face fines, and go to court to continue the strike.
00:09:20.120 There's no limit.
00:09:22.120 We're going to stay strong.
00:09:24.000 We're going to stay committed to making sure that those workers
00:09:26.480 can do the job that they love doing
00:09:28.920 and actually be able to afford a roof over their heads,
00:09:33.600 to afford caring for their families.
00:09:37.120 And if it means folks like me going to jail, then so be it.
00:09:42.300 If it means our union being fined, then so be it.
00:09:46.340 We're looking for a solution here.
00:09:49.040 Our members want a solution here.
00:09:51.020 But that solution has to be found at a bargaining table.
00:09:54.840 So, Jeff, opposition parties seem to be rarely actually united on this one.
00:09:59.560 But what are politicians saying about this?
00:10:02.300 Yeah, Isaac, opposition parties like the Conservatives and MDP
00:10:05.700 appear to be united in criticizing the Liberal government's handling
00:10:09.080 of the Air Canada flight attendant strike,
00:10:10.980 with politicians voicing their concerns over labour rights and government intervention.
00:10:15.580 Conservative leader Pierre Polyev has slammed Prime Minister Mark Carney's administration,
00:10:20.020 calling the use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code
00:10:23.020 an overreach that tramples workers' rights,
00:10:25.920 arguing it prioritizes corporate interests over fair negotiation.
00:10:29.900 NDP leader Merit Stiles, in a letter to Premier Doug Ford in a statement on August 17th,
00:10:35.360 urged the federal government to reverse the back-to-work order,
00:10:37.960 accusing Jobs Minister Patti Hajdu of union-busting
00:10:41.460 and betraying collective bargaining principles.
00:10:44.340 She emphasized,
00:10:45.620 working people deserve respect for their labour, not legislated silence.
00:10:50.180 Stiles further criticized the imposed arbitration as undemocratic,
00:10:54.140 noting the 99.7% strike vote and called for a fair deal at the bargaining table,
00:10:59.760 echoing CUPE National President Mark Hancock's resolve to face arrests.
00:11:04.320 Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet has joined the chorus,
00:11:08.920 labelling the decision a federal attack on Quebec workers at Air Canada,
00:11:13.020 demanding regional labour autonomy.
00:11:15.280 This unity reflects a shared narrative that the Liberal intervention,
00:11:18.680 despite Hajdu's claims of neutrality,
00:11:20.820 undermines labour rights,
00:11:22.020 with opposition figures leveraging the strike to challenge Carney's leadership amid economic tensions.
00:11:27.200 That's it for today, folks.
00:11:31.760 Thanks for tuning in.
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