00:00:00.000Quebec announced it will be jailing inmates according to their anatomical sex instead of
00:00:10.280an inmate's preferred gender identity. Reports of Iranian officials seeking refuge in Canada
00:00:16.600sparks outrage and calls for deportations. Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced
00:00:21.480new retaliatory tariffs against American steel. Hello Canada, it's Friday, June 20th,
00:00:28.020and this is the True North Daily Brief. I'm Cosmin Gerja. And I'm Clayton Demain. We've got you
00:00:33.380covered with all the news you need to know. Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True
00:00:38.480North exclusives you won't hear anywhere else. Quebec will now house transgender inmates in
00:00:47.320provincial jails according to their anatomical sex under a new directive the province says is meant
00:00:54.000to improve safety and fairness in detention facilities. Public Security Minister Francois
00:01:00.960Bonardel announced on Wednesday that the change will apply across all provincial correctional
00:01:06.980institutions. Bonardel said, quote, with this new orientation, the Quebec government is ensuring
00:01:13.140equity in the treatment of all inmates in Quebec. Safety must always come first for the benefit of
00:01:19.060correctional correctional officers, our fellow citizens and incarcerated people. Under the previous
00:01:24.980policy, transgender inmates could request placement in a facility matching their gender identity.
00:01:31.480The government says this allowed for requests by inmates who had not undergone total gender
00:01:36.520surgery and created complications for inmates safety and reintegration. The change follows Muhammad
00:01:42.580al-Balouz being sentenced to life in prison in 2023 with no chance of parole for 25 years after
00:01:50.200murdering his wife and two children. The mother was stabbed 23 times in the incident. He subsequently
00:01:56.020began identifying as a woman and was held at a women's detention center before eventually being
00:02:01.340transferred to a men's prison. According to the government, the new approach will still include
00:02:06.660case-by-case evaluations upon intake to determine how best to ensure the safety of all inmates. The
00:02:13.740province said that despite the stricter placement criteria, accommodations will still be made for
00:02:20.240transgender inmates where appropriate. Quebec's Minister of Public Security added that transgender
00:02:26.000inmates were previously sometimes isolated from the general population in their living area
00:02:32.300and during social reintegration programs and services. According to the Ministry, correctional
00:02:38.220officers will be provided training and best practice guides to inform them about sexual and gender
00:02:44.180diversity and LGBTQ rights. Quebec's correctional system houses individuals awaiting trial or serving
00:02:51.160sentences under two years. Longer sentences fall under federal jurisdiction. As of June 13th, there were six
00:02:58.240self-identified transgender inmates in provincial custody representing about 0.1% of the inmate
00:03:05.040population. Federal correctional policy still allows for inmate placement based on gender identity,
00:03:11.200not anatomical sex. Quebec's new rules apply only to provincial jails under its jurisdiction.
00:03:17.220There are several women's groups in Canada that have been outspoken against the presence of biological
00:03:23.800males who claim to be transgender women being allowed into women's prisons. And this is happening at the
00:03:31.440federal level as well. It's not just the provincial level. The federal government is in charge of prisons
00:03:38.300across the country. And there are several inmates who are currently housed in men's prisons at that level.
00:03:46.040But this seems to be a positive step, at least for Quebec. Is this going to satisfy women who are concerned
00:03:53.480about this issue? And is it a step in the right direction that might translate other provinces following
00:04:00.860suit or the federal government doing so? Yeah, Cosmin. So this move is absolutely going to be viewed by
00:04:07.180many of those women's rights advocates who are opposed to trans identifying males in female prisons
00:04:13.520as a step in the right direction. Though obviously, it's not entirely what a lot of those activists
00:04:19.880are wanting. Simply having breasts from hormone therapy, for example, will not be enough to be
00:04:26.400considered an anatomical sex as according to this law. So I'm sure this will satisfy a lot of activists
00:04:36.400as a key argument against males in female prisons is that they still have male genitals and are more
00:04:42.800likely and capable of, you know, sexually abusing other inmates. But that isn't the only reason people
00:04:49.660take issue with transgender males entering women jails. Another point that is often brought up
00:04:54.640is the likelihood for male inmates to be violent and the higher likelihood that males are violent in
00:05:00.520general, and the average strength differences between people who went through male puberty and
00:05:06.300those who haven't. This new law is a sure way to curve those concerns of people who are worried that
00:05:12.280some individuals lie about their gender identity to have a safer environment in prison only to victimize
00:05:18.280other inmates. I'd wager most males who are simply pretending to believe they are women are likely not
00:05:25.620going to want to remove their genitals for the ruse.
00:05:31.820Israeli media reports alleging that senior Iranian regime officials are attempting to seek asylum in
00:05:38.420Canada in the wake of Israeli military strikes have ignited a storm of criticism, sparking calls for
00:05:44.760deportations from conservative leader Pierre Polyev. Laura Sellier, the host of Middle East Now on I-24 News
00:05:51.900English, announced Tuesday that top Iranian officials were reportedly fleeing Iran and seeking asylum in
00:05:59.440Canada as Israel carries out offensive strikes. Casey Babb, a senior fellow at the McDonnell-Laurier
00:06:06.020Institute, suggested senior Iranian officials may be attempting to do so as, quote,
00:06:11.360their former colleagues have already made it to Canada. Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus
00:06:17.760echoed Babs' analysis and alleged that Canada has become, quote, maybe one of the worst places in the
00:06:23.980West for Jews and that Canada has, quote, no political will to actually defend itself. Polyev called for their
00:06:31.320immediate deportations on X, saying, quote, thugs from the Iranian regime hiding in Canada must be deported
00:06:38.180and we must stop any more from entering our country now that they are fleeing defeat in the Middle East.
00:06:44.640As True North reported in January, Iranian Canadians have been sounding the alarm about Canada giving safe
00:06:51.260haven to regime officials. Salman Seema, a survivor of torture and a staunch advocate for a free Iran,
00:06:58.160told True North that hundreds of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members have been reported in Canada
00:07:04.420re-traumatizing many members of Iran's refugee diaspora. He said that the Canadian government
00:07:10.960needs to do more to ensure human rights violators and dictatorship officials do not have a haven in
00:07:17.080Canada. Seema added that Canadians who side with the Islamic regime and protest Israel's attack on
00:07:23.520Iranian officials are no friends of the Iranian people. As reported by True North, the PS-752 flight
00:07:30.820shot down over Tehran in 2020 killed 176, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
00:07:39.160Rebecca Purdy, a senior spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency, told True North that
00:07:45.200several factors affect the ability to remove a person from Canada, which stand in the way of immediate
00:07:52.560deportations, including subsequent applications an individual can make, such as the pre-removal risk
00:07:59.300assessment applications. She said that, quote, most of the data the agency has on the Islamic
00:08:05.380Revolutionary Guard Corps and Islamic regime asylum claims comes from data reported as of June 6,
00:08:12.8402025, before Israel began bombing Iran. According to the report, the agency had reviewed 17,800 applicants
00:08:21.680for potential inadmissibility in connection with the Iranian regime. As of that date, 20 senior officials
00:08:28.780of the Islamic regime in Iran have been found inadmissible to Canada by the CBSA. The CBSA further
00:08:36.120explained that 19 senior officials were already in Canada, with one having been deported so far and
00:08:43.340another being denied entry. So, Cosmin, there's a lot of talk online about the Iranian-Israeli conflict
00:08:49.660and what that means in terms of national defense and security concerns for the Western world at large.
00:08:56.580How much of a security threat is Iran and their pro-regime expatriates to Canada?
00:09:03.240Well, it's a national security threat from many perspectives, including intelligence gathering.
00:09:09.860We know that there are Islamic regime officials already in Canada. They have family members in
00:09:16.600Canada, and they have associates within Canada, and who knows how much information is being passed on to
00:09:22.980the Iranian government. And on top of that, the government refuses to enforce its foreign agent registry,
00:09:30.660which would not solve this problem, but it would at least create a resource where people are required to register
00:09:40.400when they're acting on behalf of foreign governments. And if there's Iranian agents within Canada,
00:09:46.740the Canadian public deserves to know that. But the added issue is the fact that it's just such a stain
00:09:54.180on Canada's reputation. We allow war criminals to roam freely in this country. And this isn't the first
00:10:03.800time. It might be news right now. But Canada has a history of allowing people who were involved in
00:10:11.340heinous activities in war in other countries, even in World War Two, we know that the Canadian government
00:10:18.460continues to hide the names of former SS members, particularly those who were involved in the Ukrainian
00:10:29.900branch of the SS that was associated with Nazi Germany from the public. They don't want to be culpable
00:10:38.980for the amount of individuals who made it to Canada and continue to live freely. And it's not just as far
00:10:45.980back as World War Two. There was a story in 2020, an individual by the name of Bill Horace, who was a ex-Liberian
00:10:57.220warlord accused of massacres and recruiting child soldiers. He was murdered in his home in London, Ontario,
00:11:05.460in June 2020. Now, this individual was allowed to live freely. He wasn't charged for any of the suspected crimes he
00:11:16.460committed while in Liberia. And there are other cases as well. For example, currently Hassan Diab, who is a
00:11:24.460sociology professor at the University of Ottawa, was convicted in absentia in a Paris court of a suspected terrorist attack,
00:11:34.460terrorist attack in the 1980s, where a synagogue was bombed, and it killed four people. Now, Diab denies
00:11:43.460being involved in that. But this is the case where we have people who are suspected of committing crimes,
00:11:49.460terrorism, war crimes in other countries, continuing to live a life as free individuals in Canada. Now, I'm sure the
00:11:59.460Canadian government is aware of allegations against these people. I mean, they have to be but they decide
00:12:06.460to not do anything or investigate further, or potentially remove these individuals so that they
00:12:12.460can face prosecution where these crimes were alleged to have been committed.
00:12:18.460Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new retaliatory tariff rate for steel imports as Canadian negotiators
00:12:27.460aim to reach a trade deal with US counterparts in the next 30 days. Carney gave a press conference on
00:12:33.460Thursday outlining the status of negotiations and announcing the new measures which are scheduled to
00:12:39.460be reviewed in 30 days and extended if a deal isn't reached within the month. Carney said, quote,
00:12:45.460We will take the time we need to negotiate the best deal for Canada, but no longer. In parallel, we are ensuring
00:12:52.460the workers and industries are protected from the unjust US tariffs. Canada will adjust or back off from the
00:12:58.460counter tariffs on July 21st pending the results. Carney also announced his intention to implement reciprocal
00:13:04.460procurement rules by June 30th limiting access to federal procurement of steel and aluminum to only
00:13:12.460Canadian producers or tariff-free trading partners. The new tariff rate quota of 100% of 2024 levels on
00:13:20.460imports of steel products from non-free trade agreement partners was also announced. The government will create
00:13:26.460two stakeholder task forces, one for steel and another for aluminum, to convene committees to monitor trade and
00:13:33.460market trends supporting government decision making. The final announcement from Carney's press remarks
00:13:39.460included a $10 billion large enterprise tariff loan facility which eligible large businesses can use to access
00:13:46.460liquidity when struggling. When Carney was asked about his goal in the near future, the Prime Minister said, quote,
00:13:53.460We need to have ready access to US markets for Canadian companies, not have our hand tied in terms of our dealings with the
00:14:00.460rest of the world. The American tariffs first came on March 4th after brief delays due to increased attention to
00:14:06.460border security related matters amounting to a 25% across the board on Canadian products and 10% on energy and critical
00:14:14.460minerals. Canada then responded in turn with 25% tariffs on around $30 billion worth of American goods. On the one hand, you had the
00:14:23.460Carney government essentially exempt a large portion of the retaliatory tariffs of the goods swept up by the
00:14:32.460retaliatory tariffs introduced by Canada by him and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before him. But now he's
00:14:39.460introduced this new, or rather he's upped the quota on this new steel tariff, given this 30 day timeline to reach this deal. Now that was
00:14:49.460Now that was actually announced earlier when he met with Trump at the G7. Trump was questioned how long this
00:14:57.460deal would take and they both essentially agreed that it's going to be a 30 day timeline before there's any
00:15:02.460answers as to what it might look like. So, Clayton, how is this announcement, this new, I guess, increase to the steel
00:15:11.460tariffs going to affect negotiations with the United States and potentially determine the new trade deal?
00:15:21.460Well, other than Carney's tariff hike being vague, not defining how much the counter tariffs will rise beyond the
00:15:27.460current 25%, the indication that Carney would be willing to back off counter tariffs could indicate to the US that
00:15:34.460Canada is ready and willing to make a deal like other countries faced with tariff threats. But dropping those tariffs are conditional,
00:15:42.460so it's still a signal that Canada is going to retaliate towards Trump's increasing tariffs. But so far, after more than a month in
00:15:50.460power, we've seen the elbows up Prime Minister take increasing blows from Trump and not much fighting back. He has, however, increased diplomatic and
00:16:00.460economic ties with other countries outside of Canada, however, so maybe that'll play a role in the US if
00:16:06.460they think that Canada can just export to other countries. But the tit for tat dollar for dollar tariff
00:16:12.460plan is always going to disproportionately harm Canada, who relies on exporting to the US at a far greater rate than the
00:16:20.460US economy relies on exports to Canada. Bloc Quebecois leader Francois Blanchet called out Carney just on Wednesday saying
00:16:28.460that he's flip flopped on the counter tariff issue, just like you were mentioning at the top there that
00:16:34.460he's quietly removed these counter tariffs during the election. And he also criticized Carney for being
00:16:42.460a candidate who said he was, you know, there for the crisis. The crisis seems to be unsolvable at this point. And
00:16:50.460Carney said that there was going to be a deal between the two countries by the G7 and we're now past the G7.
00:16:56.460That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in. You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to the Daily Brief on iTunes and Spotify. Also, while you're at it, make sure to hit us with a five star rating and please leave a review.