Juno News - Grade 8 students in Waterloo told parents’ right to know is a “lie”

00:00:00.000 An Ontario elementary school is instructing grade eights to, quote, unlearn lies, including the

00:00:10.900 belief that parents have a right to know if they want to change their gender. Prime Minister Mark

00:00:15.640 Carney unveiled a sweeping set of protectionist trade measures and tariffs in a bid to protect

00:00:20.440 the Canadian steel industry, including a 25% tariff on products with Chinese poured steel.

00:00:26.440 An Ontario judge has given a conditional discharge to a foreign national who admitted to trying

00:00:32.020 to buy sex from a 15-year-old girl. Hello, Canada. It's Thursday, July 17th, and this is the True 0.82

00:00:37.960 North Daily Brief. I'm Isaac Lamoureux. And I'm Alex Holtem. We've got you covered with all the news

00:00:43.660 you need to know. Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear

00:00:48.360 anywhere else. Grade eight students from the Waterloo Region District School Board were

00:00:56.260 instructed to, quote, unlearn what their teacher described as lies about LGBT youth, including

00:01:02.540 the belief that, quote, parents have the right to know if a child changes their gender identity.

00:01:08.480 Documents shared with True North reveal that centennial public school students are spending

00:01:12.660 instructional time on lessons about power, identity, and privilege. These resources, which

00:01:18.540 include political concepts common in far-left discourse, were used in place of traditional

00:01:23.880 grade eight English instruction over several weeks during the 2024 school year. The materials fall

00:01:29.600 under a broader equity framework adopted by the board in recent years. They are designed around a

00:01:34.360 learning model that asks students to, quote, learn, unlearn, and relearn in an exercise that can be

00:01:41.560 described as propaganda. Propaganda is information that is often biased, misleading, or emotionally charged

00:01:48.380 and used to promote a specific political, ideological, or social agenda. The goal is to shape

00:01:54.100 opinions, influence behavior, or suppress opposing views. In the 2SLGBTQ plus slide deck, students were first

00:02:02.000 introduced to terminology such as, quote, assigned sex, gender identity, and non-standard pronouns like Z, Xers, M, and

00:02:10.200 hers. The hers has an I, not an E, by the way. One slide described using such pronouns as a way of, quote,

00:02:17.000 quote, validating that we all have the right to live our truth, presenting this as a normative value.

00:02:23.580 Next, students were directed to unlearn what the material labeled as, quote, myths, including the

00:02:29.540 belief that parents should be informed about changes in a student's gender or sexuality. The final phase

00:02:34.800 of the lesson included examples drawn from activist culture, such as the story of Jazz Jennings, who

00:02:40.660 transitioned at the age of five. So, Alex, what sort of concerns are parents raising about this, and why

00:02:46.940 are some parents opposed to these sort of lessons in schools?

00:02:50.140 Well, I think one of the things I really enjoyed about Melanie's article was the adjacent concern,

00:02:57.740 in addition to these lessons not necessarily being age-appropriate, there's an adjacent concern that

00:03:02.700 kids aren't learning what they're supposed to, which is really as simple as math, science,

00:03:08.200 and English. I think that these lessons are, you know, Marxist gobbledygook for the most part,

00:03:15.620 and I actually think that they would be inappropriate in some cases for a freshman college class,

00:03:21.260 let alone elementary, middle, or high school. So, I have two concerns running parallel to each other

00:03:27.760 when it comes to this sort of lesson plan. The first one being that teachers really shouldn't be

00:03:32.620 involved in the sexualization of children whatsoever. I think that that goes without saying.

00:03:38.380 And secondarily, or parallel to that concern is the fact that kids aren't learning basic life skills,

00:03:46.280 which includes, again, math, English, science, and financial literacy.

00:03:54.660 Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a sweeping set of protectionist trade measures and tariffs,

00:03:58.860 he says, will protect the Canadian steel industry, including new quotas on a select number of steel

00:04:04.160 imports, a 25% tariff on Chinese poured steel, and taxpayer handouts for Canadian steel companies.

00:04:11.040 Carney announced the new measures on Wednesday in Hamilton, a steel manufacturing town. Amongst the

00:04:15.760 measures, a new tariff quota was introduced in a bid to, quote, protect Canada's steel industry.

00:04:21.760 Countries without free trade agreements, such as the Canada-United States-Mexico agreement,

00:04:26.440 will now be able to export only 50% of their 2024 exports before being subject to a 50% tariff on

00:04:33.600 products exceeding net cap. For countries with a free trade agreement with Canada, the 50% tariff

00:04:38.980 will only apply once they have exported 100% of what Canada imported from those countries in the

00:04:44.620 previous year. The Prime Minister added that he wasn't sure whether or not a new trade deal with

00:04:48.860 the U.S. would include tariffs from both sides, but claimed that Canada cares about free trade.

00:04:53.120 We will continue to work constructively for a deal, but it has to be a deal that works for Canadians

00:05:01.720 and Canadian workers. And part of the reason why we don't have a deal is that deal is not yet on the

00:05:09.680 table. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed Canada's supply management policies, which

00:05:14.860 impose trade barriers and tariffs on American agriculture to protect Canadian farmers, are a

00:05:19.740 point of contention for future trade talks. Carney also announced an additional 25% tariff on steel

00:05:25.720 imports from non-U.S. countries, which contained steel melted and poured in China before the end of

00:05:31.340 July. Isaac, are the same Canadians upset about Donald Trump imposing tariffs likely to also be upset that

00:05:37.480 Carney has imposed non-retaliatory tariffs against other nations, including a now 25% on products with

00:05:43.640 Chinese steel? Yeah, Alex. So many Canadians who criticized Donald Trump's use of tariffs may also

00:05:49.200 be uneasy with Carney's new measures, especially given the perception that they are not retaliatory,

00:05:54.560 but preemptive or ideologically driven. While Carney argues that his actions are meant to stabilize

00:05:59.800 and modernize the domestic steel industry, his sweeping imposition of quotas and subsidies has

00:06:04.760 come just as his credibility on trade is facing scrutiny. Recent polling shows that Canadians are almost

00:06:12.280 evenly split on whether Carney is the right leader to negotiate international trade deals, with 45%

00:06:18.160 expressing doubt in his abilities. A key concern for these skeptics is that Carney has already made

00:06:23.700 major concessions, including dropping the digital services tax and rejecting retaliatory tariffs,

00:06:29.860 without securing tangible benefits in return from the U.S. This sense of one-sided compromise is at the

00:06:35.660 heart of criticism from opposition leaders as well. For example, Pierre Polievre and Yves-François Blanchet

00:06:41.420 have both accused Carney of abandoning tools that could have improved Canada's bargaining position.

00:06:47.300 Blanchet said that Carney, quote, made all the compromises without obtaining anything in return.

00:06:53.460 Compounding these frustrations is Carney's own acknowledgement that a tariff-free trade with

00:06:57.580 the U.S. is unlikely, despite it being a key and if not the key campaign promise he made throughout the

00:07:04.160 election. That admission, paired with new protectionist moves at home, may seem contradictory

00:07:08.880 to Canadians who voted for him in the first place. Moreover, Canadians appear increasingly skeptical of

00:07:15.800 protectionist trade strategies in general. While 63% want Ottawa to take a tougher stance with the U.S.,

00:07:22.220 that position is primarily rooted in defending key sectors, not in embracing blanket tariffs. For

00:07:27.760 instance, 61% want reduced or eliminated auto sector tariffs due to job losses and plant relocations,

00:07:34.680 and 66% oppose giving the U.S. priority access to Canadian critical minerals. For Canadians who were

00:07:41.340 initially upset about Trump's tariffs, Carney's actions might feel like a mirroring of the same

00:07:46.200 strategy, one that risks inflating prices, reducing competition, and further escalating tensions during

00:07:52.180 already fragile trade talks. In quick summary, Carney's decision to launch broad steel tariffs and

00:07:57.720 subsidies is likely to alienate both free trade proponents and those who doubt his negotiation

00:08:02.760 strategy, especially when they see it coming not in response to U.S. aggression, but as a domestic

00:08:08.300 economic maneuver at a politically sensitive time.

00:08:11.300 An Indian foreign national, Akash Kumar Narendra Kumar Kant, who admitted to trying to buy sex from

00:08:20.700 what he thought was a 15-year-old girl, was given a conditional discharge by an Ontario judge to help

00:08:26.960 him and his wife with their immigration statuses. In a decision released on June 25th, Ontario Court

00:08:32.620 Justice Paul Thomas Omara provided Kant with a conditional discharge on the basis that, quote,

00:08:37.840 A conviction would lead to severe collateral consequences such as jeopardizing his immigration

00:08:43.120 status, delaying his citizenship, and preventing him from sponsoring his wife, which would likely

00:08:48.520 result in their separation. The details of Kant's case have been tested in court and are not in

00:08:53.880 dispute. According to court documents, Kant immigrated to Canada from Kujarat, India in 2019 to pursue a

00:09:00.500 civil engineering degree. On December 13th, 2023, the Peel Regional Police Human Trafficking Unit commenced

00:09:06.720 Project Juno, an online investigation focused on individuals seeking to obtain sexual services from

00:09:12.520 persons under 18 years of age. On the very first day of the police's investigation, Kant contacted a

00:09:18.260 sex trade advertisement that was created by police on a website typically used for procuring sexual

00:09:23.580 services. Kant communicated with the undercover officer and was informed on several occasions during

00:09:28.500 the conversation that she was 15 years old. Kant continued this conversation and an agreement was made

00:09:34.060 for the purchase of, quote, girlfriend experience, which entailed both oral and vaginal intercourse 0.80

00:09:38.780 for $140. A cellular phone and $140 cash were seized from Kant upon arrest. So, Alex, what can you tell us

00:09:45.900 about the judge in this case? What were his reasons for making this decision? And has there been any other

00:09:50.940 documented cases of judges changing sentencing based on immigration status?

00:09:55.860 So, Isaac, what I can tell you about this judge is that if you were a criminal facing potential

00:10:01.520 deportation, this is the greatest judge of all time, what I can also tell you is that this is kind of

00:10:08.200 the classic example of what we consider to be a liberal activist judge. He was appointed in the

00:10:14.480 Ontario Court of Justice during the Kathleen Wynne and Justin Trudeau era, and he has made some other

00:10:20.200 fairly controversial decisions. For instance, he stayed several, which I noted in an article for True

00:10:26.140 Northwire, several large drug busts and weapons busts on account of what he considered to be

00:10:32.300 unreasonable delays on the part of Crown prosecutors. So, he has a bit of a history of being, let's just

00:10:38.960 say, a very lenient judge. Conversely, if you're the type of person who wants safe streets and a safer

00:10:44.520 country for children, and especially in this particular case, children who are potentially subject to being

00:10:51.120 sexually exploited, this is the worst judge of all time based off of this decision. That being said,

00:10:57.020 judges are bound under Canadian law and under Canadian criminal law specifically by matters of

00:11:02.800 precedent. And so, your last question as regards, have there been any other documented cases of judges

00:11:09.220 changing sentencing based on immigration status? There actually have, and this judge, his name is

00:11:15.840 Justice Paul Thomas Omara, references that in his decision. Specifically, he references R. V. Fan,

00:11:23.700 which was a case in 2013 in which a man was subject to two years in prison, which triggered an automatic

00:11:29.920 deportation order. The courts found that that was unreasonable, and the term that they use is

00:11:35.980 collateral consequences. And so, he had to factor that in when he made his decision regarding Kant.

00:11:41.660 So, we have to remember that judges are human, they're fallible, and they're also subject to the laws that

00:11:49.440 they're required to uphold. And so, while I think that the decision is completely ridiculous and, quite frankly, 0.77

00:11:55.320 disgusting, it also fits within a larger pattern in the Canadian legal framework that does give consideration 0.72

00:12:01.200 for these matters. And whether or not people think that's right or wrong is a matter, I think, for legislators and

00:12:09.980 lawmakers in Ottawa to discuss. So, I look forward to seeing if these matters are discussed during the

00:12:15.760 Standing Committee on Criminal Justice when they return from their months-long summer adjournment.

00:12:21.140 Yeah, Alex, just reading this article made me sick. I mean, immigrants should be held to a higher 1.00

00:12:26.620 standard, not a lower standard.

00:12:28.960 I tend to agree, and if I could add one more thing to that, it was really interesting in reading through

00:12:33.800 the decision. Some of the background are on Ash Kumar. One of the things that the judge noted was that he came from

00:12:40.100 a fairly wealthy and well-to-do family in Gujarat, India. So, there's almost like a little bit of subversive racism

00:12:46.400 at play here. The idea that being deported back to India, even in a very wealthy household, would somehow be a

00:12:54.520 significantly worse outcome than serving time in prison in Canada for trying to sexually exploit a child.

00:13:01.040 It says something about what the judge thinks about India itself. And there is something there that

00:13:07.500 almost seems kind of discriminatory in a sense. But yeah, we'll just leave it at that.

00:13:16.320 That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in. You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by

00:13:21.200 subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify. Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a

00:13:26.340 five-star rating and please leave a review.

00:13:31.040 That's your agenda, folks.

00:13:32.960 See you soon.

00:13:33.000 Peace out.

00:13:33.640 Bye.

00:13:34.840 Bye.

00:13:35.140 Bye.

00:13:35.700 Bye.

00:13:36.900 Bye.

00:13:37.560 Bye.

00:13:38.080 Bye.

00:13:38.660 Bye.

00:13:39.820 Bye.

00:13:40.300 Bye.

00:13:40.880 Bye.

00:13:41.560 Bye.

00:13:44.260 Bye.

00:13:44.940 Bye.

00:13:47.120 Bye.

00:13:48.780 Bye.

00:13:49.120 I'm back.

00:13:51.040 Bye.

00:13:51.160 Bye.

00:13:52.100 Bye.

00:13:52.980 Bye.

00:13:53.040 Bye.

00:13:55.480 Bye.

00:13:57.920 Bye.

00:13:58.320 Bye.

00:13:59.180 Bye.

Juno News - July 17, 2025

Grade 8 students in Waterloo told parents’ right to know is a “lie”

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript