Juno News - Lawyers warn WHO global pandemic treaty strips Canada's sovereignty

00:00:00.000 Civil Liberties advocates are warning that Canada's recognition of the World Health Organization's

00:00:10.440 pandemic treaty threatens Canada's sovereignty and violates the constitution. The BC Conservatives

00:00:17.440 have lost their fifth MLA since last election. This time, the MLA opted to sit in the legislature

00:00:23.600 as an independent candidate. Conservative leader Pierre Polyev is calling for a hard cap to Prime

00:00:29.160 Minister Mark Carney's federal deficit spending as Liberals announce a, quote, substantial shortfall

00:00:35.100 with no target to balance the government's unreleased budget. Hello, Canada. It's Tuesday,

00:00:40.560 October 21st, and this is the True North Daily Brief. I'm Cosmin Georgia. And I'm Jeff Knight.

00:00:47.420 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know. Let's discuss the top stories of the day

00:00:52.760 and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.

00:00:58.140 Canadian constitutional advocates warn that Canada's agreement to accept the World Health

00:01:03.400 Organization's global pandemic treaty as binding will cede Canada's sovereignty to an unelected

00:01:09.940 international group and violate the country's constitution. The Justice Centre for Constitutional

00:01:16.080 Freedoms released a new report authored by journalist and researcher Nigel Hannaford outlining

00:01:22.620 how Canada's agreement to recognize the WHO's revised international health regulations as binding

00:01:29.220 could violate several sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. According to Canada's

00:01:35.280 public health website, Canada agreed to the WHO's international health regulations on June 1st,

00:01:41.420 2024. The WHO considers the regulations, quote, binding, despite its inability to enforce them.

00:01:50.140 The agreements took effect on September 19th, 2025, but have been criticized by Conservative MP

00:01:56.400 Leslyn Lewis and now the JCCF for being agreed upon without parliamentary dialogue. The agreements would

00:02:04.120 allow the WHO Director General to declare a global health emergency and issue mandates on how

00:02:11.320 Canada and member nations should respond. Once a, quote, pandemic emergency has been declared,

00:02:17.700 member states are obligated to implement the WHO's emergency measures without delay.

00:02:24.100 Alison Pejovic, a constitutional lawyer quoted in the report, warns that the agreement to treat the

00:02:30.760 WHO's edicts as binding, quote, effectively placed Canadian sovereignty on loan to an unelected

00:02:37.640 international body. Pejovic notes that in the absence of, quote, proper parliamentary enactment,

00:02:43.900 directives from Geneva would likely fail a constitutional challenge. She said the mandates

00:02:50.200 would fail as they originate outside Canada's parliamentary system and could erode charter-protected

00:02:56.320 rights such as freedom of mobility, privacy, bodily autonomy, and freedom of expression.

00:03:01.440 The JCCF is calling for Canada to follow its international partners in Germany, Austria, Italy,

00:03:08.900 the Czech Republic, and the United States to continue international cooperation while also

00:03:14.460 refusing subordination to the WHO by reversing its recognition of the organization's authority.

00:03:21.500 So this is a quite a lengthy report by the JCCF and it goes into the details of the legal and

00:03:28.760 constitutional pitfalls that accepting such an agreement with an international body would pose

00:03:36.000 for Canada and Canadians at large. The report also notes how following the WHO in the past has led

00:03:43.840 Canada to some disastrous outcomes and I think particularly during the pandemic. But aside from

00:03:51.060 the sovereignty argument, Jeff, what sorts of things did the report say about the WHO as an institution

00:03:57.840 and its effectiveness? Well, yeah, Cosmin, the report dives deep into how blindly following

00:04:03.320 WHO recommendations led Canada down some really rough paths during COVID-19. For starters, Canadian

00:04:09.680 officials often sidelined their own experts and leaned hard on WHO guidance, which justified stuff like

00:04:15.480 vaccine mandates for travel. The report calls out the WHO for pushing safe and effective shots that

00:04:21.000 weren't fully proven, leading to a now-opened vaccine injury support program for those hurt by them.

00:04:26.480 On the health front, it points to a 22% spike in deaths after the vaccine rollout, with COVID

00:04:31.960 deaths hitting a record 19,906 in 2022, despite widespread jabs, and a 15% rise in child deaths

00:04:40.140 tied to mandates and lockdowns. Mental health took a huge hit too, with 70% of kids and teens reporting

00:04:46.100 serious issues like anxiety and depression, plus surges in addiction, suicide, and opioid death that

00:04:53.200 more than doubled pre-lockdown levels. Crime shot up as well. Homicides, cybercrimes, and child

00:04:59.360 exploitation nearly doubled, and the economy got hammered with backlogs in surgeries and diagnostics

00:05:05.200 causing preventable deaths. As for the WHO itself, the report doesn't hold back, calling it a stumbling

00:05:11.960 giant that's contradictory and politically biased, especially towards China. It delayed declaring a global

00:05:17.900 emergency until January 2020, echoed China's false claim of no human-to-human transmission,

00:05:24.060 and took nearly two years to admit airborne spread. The organization pushed draconian measures like masks

00:05:30.840 and lockdowns that mirrored China's playbook, all while its virus origins probe looked more like

00:05:36.200 propaganda. Financial ties to China didn't help either, giving Beijing undue sway despite its small

00:05:41.920 funding share back then. And overall, Hannah Ford argues that the WHO's advice wasn't just flawed,

00:05:48.000 it was often the opposite of what science suggested.

00:05:53.600 The BC Conservatives have lost their fifth MLA as Amelia Bultby, critic for Citizen Services,

00:06:00.100 defected to sit as an independent on Monday, openly blaming the failed leadership of party leader

00:06:05.240 John Rustad. Almost a year to the day of being elected Bendicton Summerland MLA, Bultby made her

00:06:10.820 decision to leave the BC Conservatives public shortly after 9.30 a.m. on the steps of the

00:06:15.700 legislature. For being here, it is with the threat that I'm here to announce that I am leaving the

00:06:21.740 BC Conservative Caucus effective immediately, and I will be sitting as an independent MLA.

00:06:26.720 After announcing she would be stepping down as an independent, Bultby said she had, quote,

00:06:31.720 witnessed the unraveling of John Rustad, her former party's leader. Rumors of Bultby's dissatisfaction

00:06:37.620 with the party and her discord with Rustad have circulated widely since early fall. Earlier this

00:06:43.100 month, on October 6, Bultby posted a photo on her Facebook page and changed her profile photo on X to

00:06:49.040 an image of her sitting alongside ousted MLA Eleanor Sturko. The otherwise minor act of changing a

00:06:56.480 profile picture signaled something more significant. Just weeks earlier, on September 22, Sturko was seen

00:07:02.740 carrying her belongings out of the legislature, en route to an impromptu press conference, after

00:07:08.000 saying she too had been expelled from the BC Conservative Caucus by party leader John Rustad.

00:07:13.080 According to BC Politics reporter Rob Shaw, Rustad responded to Bultby's Monday morning announcement

00:07:18.600 by claiming his former MLA had, quote, mental health issues in the past, adding that he was, quote,

00:07:25.200 concerned about her current well-being. So, Cosmin, what does all this mean for conservative politics in BC,

00:07:30.620 and how can the BC Conservatives hope to win another election if it continues to hemorrhage members?

00:07:35.940 Just to give a bit of a recap for people who are not from British Columbia,

00:07:40.900 the BC Conservatives came essentially from nothing, from a party that was relegated to the political

00:07:49.380 backwaters for several decades. They used to have a force before the 1970s, a role in government,

00:07:57.840 etc. But in the meantime, they were essentially a fringe party until John Rustad himself was kicked

00:08:07.800 out of the BC Liberals by the former leader Kevin Rustad. And he managed to cross over and join

00:08:18.080 the fledgling BC Conservatives, which recently underwent a revamp, electing a new board, etc.

00:08:24.660 And furthermore, in the 2024 provincial election, they came near to forming government.

00:08:35.020 They were a few seats away from unseating BC NDP Premier David Eby. But since then,

00:08:42.720 the party has struggled to unite its caucus, which is divided on several major issues, including

00:08:49.740 the residential school claims, including gender identity debates, gender ideology. Not everybody

00:08:57.520 sees eye to eye. And it has caused problems for leader John Rustad. And he narrowly faced a leadership

00:09:06.420 blind ballot at the caucus meeting earlier this month. And since then, we're not really seeing

00:09:15.420 him patch together any unity from his own caucus. And this is the fifth MLA to leave. Initially,

00:09:23.800 former BC Conservative MLA Dallas Brody resigned after John Rustad cast shade on some comments she made

00:09:32.300 about the residential school grave claims. And after Dallas Brody's resignation, two other MLAs followed

00:09:41.240 behind her, including Tara Armstrong. And now with Tara Armstrong, she's created the one BC party,

00:09:47.780 which is a right wing alternative to the BC Conservatives. But then also another MLA,

00:09:54.560 Jordan Keeley resigned to sit as an independent. And more recently, John Rustad has kicked out

00:10:02.920 Eleanor Sterko, who was a former BC Conservative MLA. So now this is the fifth MLA to leave with Amelia

00:10:10.560 Boltby. And it's still up in the air where the rest of caucus stands on John Rustad's leadership.

00:10:21.140 As far as I can see from the news currently, there's no caucus meeting scheduled and John Rustad hasn't

00:10:28.340 called a caucus meeting. Ultimately, it would be up to caucus to make their own views known about

00:10:36.680 John Rustad's leadership. Conservative leader Pierre Polyev is demanding Prime Minister Mark Carney cap

00:10:46.600 federal deficit spending at $42 billion, warning that exceeding this limit will only intensify

00:10:53.100 Canada's crushing affordability crisis. The demand comes as the Liberal government signals its upcoming

00:10:59.580 budget and will feature a quote substantial shortfall with no target for balance. While Carney has

00:11:06.440 rejected the idea of austerity, he confirmed in a news conference that the deficit will be quote

00:11:11.640 bigger than it was last year. Government House leader Steve McKinnon said the Liberals intend to quote

00:11:18.100 spend less and invest more, but repeatedly declined to provide figures instead pointing to major new

00:11:25.340 spending in housing, defence and economic expansion. According to a July estimate from the C.D. Howe

00:11:31.760 Institute, the deficit could rise to over $92 billion for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, with annual deficits

00:11:40.660 averaging $78 billion over the next four years. These projections far exceed Ottawa's public forecasts.

00:11:48.440 If realized, the report warns Canada's net debt could rise to 44% of GDP by 2029. Polyev's letter dated October 20th

00:11:59.200 frames the current situation as a continuation of a decade-long pattern of Liberal overspending and

00:12:06.080 economic mismanagement. The letter said quote, people cannot afford life in Canada after 10 years of Liberal

00:12:12.880 government. You need to reverse course and join with Conservatives to restore Canada's promise

00:12:18.360 that hard work is rewarded, food and homes are affordable, streets are safe, and our economy is

00:12:24.520 self-reliant. He accuses Carney of breaking key promises made seven months ago, including pledges to

00:12:30.880 reduce the deficit and double housing construction. Instead, Polyev says deficit spending has doubled and

00:12:37.960 the housing agency is forecasting a 13% drop in construction over the next three years. At the same time,

00:12:45.280 nearly $48 billion in net investment has fled the country. Jeff, we know that the Conservatives are

00:12:51.940 unhappy about this, but what are financial experts saying about Carney's policies? And are there any

00:12:58.240 recommendations on how the government could improve the economy while also managing the budget in a better

00:13:05.780 way? Yeah, Cosmin. Financial experts such as BMO CEO Daryl White have been pretty blunt about Carney's

00:13:12.100 policies so far, saying the government's first six months haven't delivered enough on turning Canada

00:13:17.780 into an economic superpower through natural resources. White, speaking at the Toronto Global Forum, called out

00:13:24.020 the lack of progress on big projects like pipelines and removing interprovincial trade barriers, warning that

00:13:29.220 without quick action, the momentum could fizzle out, especially with US tariffs looming after the USMCA renewal next

00:13:36.340 summer. He's worried that an international capital is eyeing Canada, but won't stick around if things stay status quo,

00:13:42.740 noting that capital is not that sophisticated and flows to the easiest spots. On recommendations, White's pushing for a

00:13:50.900 little less conversation and a little more action, like greenlighting infrastructure to counter tariff hits

00:13:56.660 and attract investors. He slammed Canada's tax setup as uncompetitive. Absolutely not, he said, and suggested

00:14:03.460 Ottawa dive into tax reform right away. Cut corporate and personal rates, let businesses write off capital assets

00:14:09.940 faster, and go beyond just pausing the capital gains inclusion rate hike. Removing those interprovincial

00:14:15.860 barriers could overwhelm almost any negative impact from tariffs, turning the threat into a win-win by

00:14:22.100 boosting trade and growth. Overall, experts see this as a real chance for Carnage to deliver on promises

00:14:28.180 if he moves decisively, but the clock's ticking with the budget on the horizon.

00:14:35.780 That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in. You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by

00:14:40.820 subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify. Also, while you're at it,

00:14:45.460 make sure to hit us with a five-star rating and please leave a review.

Juno News - October 21, 2025

Lawyers warn WHO global pandemic treaty strips Canada's sovereignty

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