Juno News - Protecting firearm rights in Canada

00:00:00.000 A video from 2023 was released showing a man in Surrey, British Columbia, slashing another

00:00:10.020 man's throat and pledging allegiance to the terrorist group ISIS.

00:00:14.720 Prosecutors will not appeal the acquittal of five former World Junior hockey players

00:00:19.160 accused of sexually assaulting a woman in London, Ontario hotel room.

00:00:24.700 Accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ontario hotel room.

00:00:28.980 Advocacy groups are warning that the Liberal government's firearms ban and confiscation

00:00:33.440 program undermines the rights of law-abiding citizens, threatens free societies, and will

00:00:38.260 waste billions in taxpayer dollars.

00:00:40.620 Hello Canada, it's Monday, August 25th, and this is the True North Daily Brief.

00:00:44.780 I'm Isaac Lamoureux.

00:00:46.080 And I'm Wally Tam-Tam.

00:00:47.320 We've got you covered with all the news you need to know.

00:00:49.680 Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else.

00:00:58.620 Police have released a 2023 video of a man slashing a bus rider's throat in Surrey,

00:01:04.700 British Columbia, just minutes before calling 911 and pledging allegiance to ISIS.

00:01:10.600 The video was previously shown in court during the trial of Abdul Aziz Kawam, 30 years old,

00:01:16.080 for attempted murder and terrorism-related offenses.

00:01:18.940 Global News obtained the video surveillance footage entered as evidence at Kawam's B.C.

00:01:24.020 Supreme Court trial in Westminster.

00:01:25.660 In the video, Kawam is seen assaulting a man with a knife at a bus stop near Frazier Highway

00:01:31.020 and 156th Street before boarding a bus and slashing another passenger in the throat on April 1st, 2023.

00:01:38.800 Security video from inside the bus shows Kawam walking onto the vehicle, followed, a few seconds

00:01:44.680 later, by his victim.

00:01:46.220 Both stood near the rear exit doors of the bus and rode together in silence for approximately

00:01:50.600 three minutes, not speaking or interacting.

00:01:54.000 Kawam then suddenly pulled out a large knife and slashed at the victim's neck three times,

00:01:59.080 intending to kill him, according to admissions submitted at trial.

00:02:03.520 As bus passengers are heard screaming in the video, the victim used his body to push Kawam

00:02:09.120 out of the bus while still managing to hold on to his coffee.

00:02:12.660 Oren Bick, General Counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, said,

00:02:17.140 quote, he was bleeding out of his neck and he still managed to throw his attacker off

00:02:21.860 the bus.

00:02:22.860 True North was present in New Westminster's B.C.

00:02:25.600 Supreme Court when Kawam was deemed guilty in his judge-only trial.

00:02:29.920 So, Waleed, it seems like we didn't hear about ISIS for a while, but it seems to be making 1.00

00:02:34.280 a comeback in the news lately.

00:02:36.100 What is going on?

00:02:37.600 Well, Isaac, globally speaking, there is a resurgence of ISIS since certain events have

00:02:42.340 been happening in Syria, but to bring it to Canada, there's been an exceptionally high 0.92

00:02:46.620 level of ISIS activity happening in Canada in recent years.

00:02:49.980 I mean, I'll give you a few examples.

00:02:51.820 Firstly, we've had a situation recently that was exposed in an article of ours last week.

00:02:58.320 Eight ISIS women, or we can call them ISIS brides, got taxpayer-funded luxury hotel services. 1.00

00:03:05.360 At least $170,000 were billed to the taxpayer to cover their business-class flights, hotel

00:03:13.560 rooms, wine, and snacks.

00:03:16.680 So, these women were brought back to Canada, along with their children, in three separate

00:03:21.600 operations between 2022 and 2023, after spending years in Kurdish-run detention camps following

00:03:27.480 the collapse of ISIS.

00:03:28.480 And, of course, ever since their arrival in Montreal Airport, they've been given hotel

00:03:34.460 stays, purchases of 10-bits, Doritos, other snacks while at the hotels, even wine.

00:03:41.360 It's insane.

00:03:42.880 Of course, there are a few high-profile cases we know about in British Columbia, Kimberly Pullman,

00:03:48.320 who is facing terrorism charges, and who could become the first ever woman in Canadian history

00:03:53.000 to face or be charged and convicted with terrorism.

00:03:57.020 We also have a situation of a lady named Umayma Chouai of Montreal, who was given a ridiculously

00:04:04.260 low sentence of one day in jail.

00:04:07.580 This was after being held 400 days in pre-custody.

00:04:11.000 And, of course, the judge allowed that to be counted towards the consequence enabling a

00:04:16.460 one-day sentence.

00:04:18.680 Insane stuff.

00:04:20.020 So, absolutely, we've seen that.

00:04:22.280 And here's one more story, actually.

00:04:23.880 A convicted ISIS sniper was given 12 years for kidnapping on behalf of ISIS.

00:04:31.580 And conservative public safety critic Frank Caputo raised concerns when that man, I think

00:04:38.500 his name is Hussein Burhat, was found, apparently, to be in minimum security prison.

00:04:46.280 So, if we actually do put a sentence on these individuals, they're receiving minimal prison

00:04:52.080 time, very laxed conditions, almost similar to that of an attached apartment or townhouse

00:05:01.240 kind of experience.

00:05:02.760 It's insane.

00:05:04.300 Something has to change with this.

00:05:05.800 But, of course, these are only a few stories, and there's much more out there, Isaac.

00:05:09.580 Prosecutors will not appeal the acquittal of five former World Junior hockey players accused

00:05:18.580 of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ontario hotel room in 2018.

00:05:22.580 On July 24th, Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carossia found Michael McLeod, Carter

00:05:31.400 Hart, Alex Fermentin, Dylan Dubé, and Kyle Foote not guilty after a two-month trial.

00:05:39.520 The judge ruled the testimony of the sole complainant and the Crown's key witness was,

00:05:45.500 quote, neither reliable nor credible.

00:05:48.800 She also noted evidence that showed, quote, certainly no violence occurred, and that one

00:05:55.320 of the accused had not engaged in any activity of a sexual nature.

00:05:59.500 The trial was marked by several unusual developments, including large protests outside the London

00:06:05.460 courthouse and the discharge of two juries before proceeding by judge alone.

00:06:11.140 Defense lawyers argued the complainant instigated sexual activity and later sought monetary gain.

00:06:18.700 Two videos presented as evidence in court appeared to show the complainant consenting.

00:06:23.700 In one video, Sikkim had seen smiling and describing the encounter as consensual before complaining

00:06:29.000 to the camera, quote, being too sober.

00:06:32.520 The Ministry of the Attorney General had 30 days to file an appeal.

00:06:36.920 On Thursday, Fermentin's lawyer, Dan Brown, confirmed the Crown will not challenge the

00:06:42.580 acquittals.

00:06:43.800 In a written statement, Brown said, quote, while no police investigation is perfect, the

00:06:48.560 London police got it right seven years ago by deciding it would be a mistake to charge

00:06:53.420 Alex.

00:06:54.800 The evidence always demonstrated that he did not commit a sexual assault.

00:07:00.420 However, political and media pressure brought this allegation back into the spotlight in

00:07:06.600 2022, and the Crown Attorney knowingly forged ahead.

00:07:11.340 So, Isaac, what's been the buzz around this case?

00:07:14.440 Were people outraged that this case went on for as long as it did?

00:07:18.300 Yeah, Waleed, the Hockey Canada trial has been one of the most polarizing and closely followed

00:07:23.480 court cases in recent memory of hockey or professional sports altogether.

00:07:28.080 And the public response has reflected that.

00:07:31.200 From the start of the proceedings in London, Ontario, large crowds of demonstrators were

00:07:35.980 a constant presence outside the courtroom.

00:07:38.780 Supporters of the complainant gathered under the banner of the Me Too movement, carrying

00:07:42.820 signs reading, I believe you EM and chanting, what do we want justice?

00:07:47.160 When do we want it now?

00:07:48.700 And on the other side, counter protesters aligned with the Him Too movement carried placards declaring

00:07:53.760 five careers ruined and EM cheated. 0.86

00:07:57.460 And the credibility of the complainant, referred to as EM under the publication ban, as you

00:08:01.900 mentioned, became the focal point of the trial.

00:08:05.440 Defence lawyers repeatedly questioned her testimony, pointing to the inconsistencies you mentioned

00:08:10.260 briefly and highlighting the two videos presented in court that appeared to show her consenting

00:08:15.000 to the encounter.

00:08:15.600 Lawyers also argued that she had financial motives, given her $3.5 million civil lawsuit

00:08:21.120 against Hockey Canada that was settled in 2022, a settlement Justice Kurocha described

00:08:26.260 as among the quickest she had ever seen.

00:08:28.840 But the acquittals did not resolve the matter.

00:08:31.160 In the professional hockey world, the National Hockey League announced it would conduct its own

00:08:35.800 investigation and declared the players ineligible to return in the meantime.

00:08:39.380 And in a public statement, the NHL described the allegations as very disturbing and said

00:08:44.960 that even if not determined to have been criminal, the behaviour at issue was unacceptable.

00:08:48.820 So in a way, the NHL is acting like courts of their own there.

00:08:52.460 And I just want to remind people that the complainant will remain anonymous for life while

00:08:56.460 these hockey players have lost millions of dollars in lost revenue and will forever be

00:09:00.620 tarnished in their careers and personal lives, despite every single one of them being found

00:09:05.540 not guilty.

00:09:06.260 So that just leaves me with the question, if a complainant is left anonymous to be protected,

00:09:11.440 then why aren't the defendants as well?

00:09:13.580 Absolutely.

00:09:14.180 And I must say, on the case of this hockey trial, I mean, these are people that have very,

00:09:19.120 very short careers.

00:09:20.480 The time off the ice and the time dealt with this case will be a time that will create irreparable

00:09:25.320 damage on their careers.

00:09:27.080 Of course, a lot of money lost, reputation, and possible Olympic or NHL dreams down the drain

00:09:33.760 because of a false accusation.

00:09:36.260 Chris Sims, the Alberta director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, and Rod Galtaka, the president

00:09:43.880 of the Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights, discussed the liberal gun ban this week on

00:09:49.140 Juneau News.

00:09:50.200 On Wednesday, Sims said, quote,

00:09:52.560 A lot of folks in the media keep calling this thing a buyback.

00:09:56.680 It is not a buyback.

00:09:58.120 I did not purchase my gun from the government.

00:10:00.640 This is a confiscation of private property which was legally obtained, and now they've

00:10:05.840 changed the rules.

00:10:07.520 The federal government claimed the newly prohibited models would affect roughly 140,000 firearms

00:10:13.280 across Canada.

00:10:14.220 However, Galtaka noted the government can't know the exact tally or their location because

00:10:20.200 the, quote, overwhelming majority of these firearms are unregistered.

00:10:25.260 Based on available figures, he expects the number to be closer to half a million, possibly

00:10:30.220 surpassing one million.

00:10:32.340 There are roughly 2.5 million lawful gun owners in Canada, including licenses for both restricted

00:10:38.360 and non-restricted firearms.

00:10:41.340 Canada already has a tightly regulated firearm system, which the CCFR supports, including

00:10:47.200 daily criminal record checks, storage requirements, and transportation laws.

00:10:52.440 Galtaka stressed that gun ownership is not just a hobby.

00:10:55.440 He said, quote,

00:10:56.760 At the worst moment in your life when no one is there to help you, this sport shooting or

00:11:00.960 hunting tool can save your life.

00:11:02.960 You are not a slave.

00:11:04.180 You are a citizen.

00:11:04.980 You are entrusted with a variety of responsibilities, just like you are entrusted with a driver's

00:11:10.520 license.

00:11:11.120 We do not ban cars.

00:11:12.860 I don't like, there's so many analogies floating around all the time, right?

00:11:15.920 I've heard them all and I've heard them ad nauseum, so it's, you know, but we'll just use this

00:11:19.640 one for now.

00:11:20.700 I guess I'm talking to myself to not get annoyed with them, but, you know, everyone is entrusted

00:11:25.680 with a driver's license and there's no criminal background check required.

00:11:29.720 But yet the odd person drives drunk, wipes an entire family out, and that's real.

00:11:36.360 But the first reaction of the government or the public isn't like, you know, obviously

00:11:41.800 people shouldn't own cars or they should only go to and from specific places with permission 0.96

00:11:46.760 of the government.

00:11:47.520 Of course not.

00:11:48.260 They're like, these people broke the rules, throw them in jail.

00:11:51.160 The federal government introduced a firearms confiscation program in 2020 through an order

00:11:55.220 in council protecting thousands of legal firearms.

00:11:57.820 So, Waleed, how much money has the liberal government spent on these anti-gun programs

00:12:02.340 like the firearms bans and the buyback program and how successful has it been?

00:12:07.320 Yeah, Isaac, there's a few dimensions to this.

00:12:10.040 First of all, in terms of success, I don't think it's been successful at all because the

00:12:15.440 goal stated was public safety.

00:12:18.020 Toronto Police Association president said that the Caesars will not make a dent in the violence

00:12:23.540 plaguing Canada's largest city.

00:12:25.040 He said, quote, in the city of Toronto, which is the focal point for a lot of the conversation

00:12:30.000 around gun violence, it will have little to zero impact on firearm crime we're seeing

00:12:34.440 in the city.

00:12:35.100 It is a small number of gang or organized crime members involved in firearm violence in

00:12:39.740 the city, and it is not legal gun owners.

00:12:42.980 And as Chris Sims said, this is a gun confiscation targeted towards legal gun owners.

00:12:49.020 Now, in terms of cost, that is something we don't have a perfect number on, but my estimates

00:12:54.400 here say close to $2 billion.

00:12:56.860 The program was initially projected to cost, and this was the rifle assault style, quote,

00:13:01.980 unquote, whatever that means.

00:13:04.660 Then, the program was projected to cost around $742.5 million.

00:13:11.880 However, according to a liberal government briefing from all the way back in 2019, which was revealed

00:13:19.100 by the gun blog, costs were estimated to balloon to $1.8 billion.

00:13:25.300 So, in terms of cost, it's been bloated, and in terms of success, as police chiefs have said,

00:13:32.180 it's been very limited, of course.

00:13:33.760 So, I would say overall, it's been an unsuccessful, or rather, a failed policy.

00:13:39.460 Yeah, well, I'll just add a few things.

00:13:41.560 We've seen this cost rise by hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars every year, and

00:13:45.660 Rod Giltaka of the CCFR, he actually predicts that the total cost in the end will be $10 billion.

00:13:52.320 And remember, this $742 million or whatever number that we're citing, it's costed already,

00:13:58.200 is on like consultation and stuff.

00:13:59.400 They haven't even confiscated a single gun.

00:14:01.760 And then one last reminder, every police association over the last several years, when they're citing

00:14:06.240 crimes that are being committed, it's in the 90th plus percentile of guns that are being

00:14:11.640 found at crime scenes, are not even from Canada.

00:14:15.280 They're smuggled in from other countries.

00:14:16.920 So, this ban does absolutely nothing to combat those crimes.

00:14:22.960 That's it for today, folks.

00:14:24.200 Thanks for tuning in.

00:14:25.080 You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on

00:14:28.880 iTunes and Spotify.

00:14:30.340 Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a five-star rating, and please leave a review.

00:14:34.380 You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on the

Juno News - August 25, 2025

Protecting firearm rights in Canada

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