National
Trudeau government introduces bill that could strip pro-life pregnancy centers of charity status
From LifeSiteNews
Trudeau’s Department of Finance announced new legislation to amend the Income Tax Act and Income Tax Regulations to protect ‘reproductive freedom,’ a euphemism for abortion, by preventing the so-called ‘abuse of charitable status.’
The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has brought forth legislation that could see pro-life pregnancy centers stripped of their charitable tax status.
In a press release Tuesday, Canada’s Department of Finance announced new legislation to amend the Income Tax Act and Income Tax Regulations to protect “reproductive freedom by preventing abuse of charitable status.” The euphemistic term “reproductive freedom” refers to the so-called freedom to have an abortion or engage in other anti-life practices. The bill was tabled by Trudeau’s Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien.
The finance department said the new law will “require registered charities that provide services, advice, or information in respect of the prevention, preservation, or termination of pregnancy” to disclose where they “do not provide specific services, including abortions or birth control.”
“Under this legislation, a registered charity that provides reproductive health services would need to disclose if, at a minimum, it does not provide the contact information for an abortion services provider and a birth control service provider,” says the finance department.
In effect, the bill would mandate that registered charities disclose whether or not they offer abortion or birth control services or if they provide contact information to those who do, with the department of finance clarifying that “[w]here a charity fails to meet the requirements specified in the legislation, the Minister of National Revenue would be permitted to revoke its registration.”
Pro-life group rips proposed law
“Stripping pro-life charities of their charitable status jeopardizes the very existence of these crucial organizations,” Jeff Gunnarson, National President of Campaign Life Coalition, told LifeSiteNews.
“They would be forced to close, leaving the women and babies they serve without the support they need.”
CLC noted that the vast majority of pro-life pregnancy centres already disclose that they “don’t commit or refer for abortions.”
“This proposed legislation puts them under unfair scrutiny and perpetuates misinformation from abortion-activist organizations, which falsely claim that they aren’t transparent,” said CLC.
Gunnarson said to LifeSiteNews that with the proposed legislation, “the Liberal party is once again reaffirming that it is not the party of ‘choice’ but the party of abortion as the only choice.”
“We call on opposition parties to unite to oppose this legislation. It must not pass. Lives depend on it.”
CLC’s Director of Communications Pete Baklinski also chimed in about the planned changes, saying the Trudeau government “wants to take down Canada’s pro-life pregnancy resource centers.”
“When the Liberals introduce this legislation, opposition parties must unite and vote non-confidence and trigger an election,” he observed on X.
Justin Trudeau wants to take down Canada's pro-life pregnancy resource centres.
When the Liberals introduce this legislation, opposition parties must unite and vote non-confidence and trigger an election.
The Liberal government needs to fall over this heinous legislation.… https://t.co/ZkRqXh9EzD
— Pro-life Canadian Man (@PeteBaklinski) October 29, 2024
“The Liberal government needs to fall over this heinous legislation.”
CLC also called on the Conservative Party under its leader Pierre Poilievre to “fulfill his promise to, as he said, ‘stand up against attempts by the government to attack organizations that help pregnant women.’”
“This is a crucial promise for pro-life pregnancy care centres that do such great work for mothers and children and which are now under attack by Mr. Trudeau for their life-affirming work,” noted CLC.
According to CLC, abortion has killed over four million preborn babies in Canada since its legalization in 1969. That is roughly equivalent to the population of Alberta.
Business
Bank of Canada admits ‘significant’ number of citizens would resist digital dollar
From LifeSiteNews
A significant number’ of Canadians are suspicious of government overreach and would resist any measures by the government or central bank to create digital forms of official money.
A Bank of Canada study has found that Canadians are very wary of a government-backed digital currency, concluding that “significant number” of citizens would resist the implementation of such a system.
The study, conducted by the Bank of Canada, found that a “significant number” of Canadians are suspicious of government overreach, and would resist any measures by the government or central bank to create digital forms of official money.
According to results from the BOC’s report titled The Consumer Value Proposition For A Hypothetical Digital Canadian Dollar, “cash remains an important method of payment” for Canadians and “[c]ertain groups may strongly resist a digital dollar if they conflate its launch with the end of cash issuance.”
The BOC noted that not only would a “significant number” of Canadians “reject” digital money, but that for some “mindset segments, their lack of interest in a hypothetical digital Canadian dollar was heavily influenced by perceptions of government overreach.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews in September, the BOC has already said that plans to create a digital “dollar,” also known as a central bank digital currency (CBDC), have been shelved.
The shelving came after the BOC had already forged ahead and filed a trademark for a digital currency, as LifeSiteNews previously reported.
Officials from Canada’s central bank said that a digital currency, or electronic “loonie,” will no longer be considered after years of investigating bringing one to market.
However, that does not mean the BOC is still not researching or exploring other options when it comes to digital money. As noted by researchers, despite there being some “interest” in a “hypothetical digital Canadian dollar,” that “interest does not necessarily translate to adoption.”
“Most participants felt well served by current means of payment,” noted the study, adding, “Individuals who support the issuance of a hypothetical digital Canadian dollar did not imagine themselves using it regularly.”
Those most enthusiastic about a government-backed version of Bitcoin were teenagers and young adults. Those older remained especially skeptical.
“They were skeptical of the need for this new form of money and of its reliability,” read the report, which also noted, “They did not trust that concepts were secure or that their personal information would be kept private.”
Given the results from the report, the bank concluded that “[b]road early adoption” of a digital dollar “is unlikely given that available payment methods meet the needs of most users.”
“Financially vulnerable segments often have the most to gain from this payment method but are most resistant to adoption. Important considerations for appeal and adoption potential include universal merchant acceptance, low costs, easy access, simplified online payments, shared payment features, budgeting tools and customizable security and privacy settings,” it noted.
Digital currencies have been touted as the future by some government officials, but, as LifeSiteNews has reported before, many experts warn that such technology would restrict freedom and could be used as a “control tool” against citizens, similar to China’s pervasive social credit system.
Most Canadians do not want a digital dollar, as previously reported by LifeSiteNews. A public survey launched by the BOC to gauge Canadians’ taste for a digital dollar revealed that an overwhelming majority of citizens want to “leave cash alone” and not proceed with a digital iteration of the national currency.
The BOC last August admitted that the creation of a CBDC is not even necessary, as many people rely on cash to pay for things. The bank concluded that the introduction of a digital currency would only be feasible if consumers demanded its release.
In August, LifeSiteNews also reported that the Conservative Party is looking to gather support for a bill that would outright ban the federal government from ever creating a digital currency and make it so that cash is kept as the preferred means of settling debts.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre promised that if he is elected prime minister, he would stop any implementation of a “digital currency” or a compulsory “digital ID” system.
Prominent opponents of CBDCs have been strongly advocating that citizens use cash whenever possible and boycott businesses that do not accept cash payments as a means of slowing down the imposition of CBDCs.
Economy
Gas prices plummet in BC thanks to TMX pipeline expansion
From Resource Works
By more than doubling capacity and cutting down the costs, the benefits of the TMX expansion are keeping more money in consumer pockets.
Just months after the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project was completed last year, Canadians, especially British Columbians, are experiencing the benefits promised by this once-maligned but invaluable piece of infrastructure. As prices fall when people gas up their cars, the effects are evident for all to see.
This drop in gasoline prices is a welcome new reality for consumers across B.C. and a long-overdue relief given the painful inflation of the past few years.
TMX has helped broaden Canadian oil’s access to world markets like never before, improve supply chains, and boost regional fuel supplies—all of which are helping keep money in the pockets of the middle class.
When TMX was approaching the finish line after the new year, it was praised for promising to ease long-standing capacity issues and help eliminate less efficient, pricier methods of shipping oil. By mid-May, TMX was completed and in full swing, with early data suggesting that gas prices in Vancouver were slackening compared to other cities in Canada.
Kent Fellows, an assistant professor of Economics and the Director of Graduate Programs for the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, noted that wholesale prices in Vancouver fell by roughly 28 cents per litre compared to the typically lower prices in Edmonton, thanks to the expanded capacity of TMX. Consequently, the actual price at the gas pump in the Lower Mainland fell too, providing relief to a part of Canada that traditionally suffers from high fuel costs.
In large part due to limited pipeline capacity, Vancouver’s gas prices have been higher than the rest of the country. From at least 2008 to this year, TMX’s capacity was unable to accommodate demand, leading to the generational issue of “apportionment,” which meant rationing pipeline space to manage excess demand.
Under the apportionment regime, customers received less fuel than they requested, which increased costs. With the expansion of TMX now complete, the pipeline’s capacity has more than doubled from 350,000 barrels per day to 890,000, effectively neutralizing the apportionment problem for now.
Since May, TMX has operated at 80 percent capacity, with no apportionment affecting customers or consumers.
Before the TMX expansion was completed, a litre of gas in Vancouver cost 45 cents more than a litre in Edmonton. By August, it was just 17 cents—a remarkable drop that underscores why it’s crucial to expand B.C.’s capacity to move energy sources like oil without the need for costly alternatives, allowing consumers to enjoy savings at the pump.
More than doubling TMX’s capacity has rapidly reshaped B.C.’s energy landscape. Despite tensions in the Middle East, per-litre gas prices in Vancouver have fallen from about $2.30 per litre to $1.54 this month. Even when there was a slight disruption in October, the price only rose to about $1.80, far below its earlier peaks.
As Kent Fellows noted, the only real change during this entire timeline has been the completion of the TMX expansion, and the benefits extend far beyond the province’s shores.
With TMX moving over 500,000 barrels more per day than it did previously, Canadian oil is now far more plentiful on the international market. Tankers routinely depart Burrard Inlet loaded with oil bound for destinations in South Korea and Japan.
In this uncertain world, where oil markets remain volatile, TMX serves as a stabilizing force for both Canada and the world. People in B.C. can rest easier with TMX acting as a barrier against sharp shifts in supply and demand.
For critics who argue that the $31 billion invested in the project is short-sighted, the benefits for everyday people are becoming increasingly evident in a province where families have endured high gas prices for years.
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