National
Ontario city councillor could face thousands in legal fees after opposing ‘pride’ flag, drag shows
Pickering City Councillor Lisa Robinson
From LifeSiteNews
Pickering City Councillor Lisa Robinson could be ‘on the hook for over $20,000 in legal fees, and possibly $50,000 more if she loses’ her legal battle.
An Ontario city councillor who opposed the LGBT agenda was in court last Wednesday, when she was told she faces the possibility of being on the hook for more than $20,000 in legal fees and another $50,000 if she is not successful in her case against the against the Pickering City Council.
As noted in a legal update sent to LifeSiteNews by one of her advocates, former Conservative Party of Canada MP Derek Sloan, a judge required Pickering City Councillor Lisa Robinson and the “other side to settle on costs during the day” in court.
As noted by Sloan, “While Lisa made a reasonable offer, the other side — even though enough trial had passed to know their case is certainly not a slam dunk, they stuck to their claim for $50,000 in costs — if they win.”
“It could be they have instructions to stick it to Lisa, even if it means losing more on their side if they lose. It’s only taxpayer money after all,” he added.
Robinson is under two judicial reviews because of two integrity commissioner reports against her along with sanctions made to her from her city council.
She had applied for the judicial reviews earlier in the year. One was against the City of Pickering and the other against Principles Integrity, which investigated her after complaints were made and then said she needed disciplinary measures. Robinson is looking to have the court toss out the report and penalties that were brought against her.
Both reviews are now combined and are being overseen by three superior court judges in an Oshawa divisional court. The judges have yet to present their full findings.
LifeSiteNews reported last year that Robinson, who is a single mother, was given a 60-day pay suspension after an investigation into allegations that she advocated for “homophobic” and “transphobic” motions.
On October 23, 2023, the Pickering City Council unanimously voted to suspend Robinson’s pay over her motions opposing LGBT ideology.
Robinson came under fire after a May 15, 2023, meeting at the Durham District School Board during which she announced that she intended to propose motions banning drag queen shows and pride parades if children were present and forbidding flying the “Pride” flag on city premises.
Robinson had advocated for separate washrooms and change rooms for both men and women while having a universal space for both genders to use, citing safety concerns from the community over the situation.
Sloan noted that Robinson could be “on the hook for over $20,000 in legal fees, and possibly $50,000 more if she loses.”
Councillor’s lawyer says city trying to censor her
Robinson’s lawyer, Michael Alexander, noted as per Sloan that “all of this is clearly an attempt just to censor Lisa, and handcuff her ability to do her job.”
Sloan noted that Alexander in court made the main arguments regarding freedom of expression.
“He argued that we have a fundamental right in this country to express a minority or dissenting opinion on any issue, especially on matters of public importance that relate to government,” Sloan said.
Sloan pointed out that Alexander said, “Look what they’re doing here is saying we get a right to penalize you because we find your motions disagreeable, or offensive or they don’t jive with our own opinions and views.”
“That is clearly forbidden in Canada and I’m trying to get legal recognition for that fact.”
Sloan noted that Alexander has observed that “all of this is clearly an attempt just to censor Lisa and handcuff her ability to do her job. Many people have told me this is just a way to punish her for standing up for her beliefs.”
National
Conservatives say Singh won’t help topple Trudeau government until after he qualifies for pension in late February
From LifeSiteNews
Conservatives remain skeptical about attempts to oust the current government in early 2025.
New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh says he will bring forth a motion to topple Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government after the new year.
In a Friday statement on social media, Singh wrote, “No matter who is leading the Liberal Party, this government’s time is up.”
“We will put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons.”
Singh argued that the Trudeau Liberals “don’t deserve another chance” in governing Canada and that “Canadians can come together and build a country where we take better care of each other.”
“A country where we create good jobs. Stand up to the threats of Trump’s tariffs,” he said, adding, “and where everyone has a chance to succeed. I will be working hard to build a movement that can win in the next election.”
Singh’s sudden promise to topple to Trudeau government comes after now-former Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland resigned suddenly earlier this week. Her resignation sent shockwaves through Ottawa’s inner political circles and increased calls from all parties, Liberals included, for Trudeau to step down.
Freeland resigned after Trudeau asked her to step down as finance minister and move into a different position.
Her public resignation letter blasted Trudeau’s economic direction and apparent lack of willingness to work as a team player with the nation’s premiers.
MPs will not return to parliament until January 27, meaning a vote of non-confidence, which already has the support of the Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois, could happen any time after that date.
It should be noted Singh’s NDP had in place a confidence agreement with the Liberals that was discarded in September. However, that did not stop the party from propping up Trudeau.
Speculation has been that Singh is waiting until the end of February to pull the full support of Trudeau so that he can qualify for this government MP pension. Since 2021, when the Liberals won a minority government, Singh’s NDP has voted confidence in Trudeau 286 times.
Conservative leader calls for emergency recall of Parliament to force confidence vote
Reaction to Singh’s promise to topple the Liberals was met with tepid response from political pundits, MPs, and others.
“Will believe it when I see it,” Alberta political commentator Cory Morgan wrote.
Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader Pierre Poilievre was not buying Singh’s sudden reversal of support for Trudeau, noting he won’t do so until he gets his pension.
“Now that Parliament is closed and there is no chance to introduce any motion for months — until after you get your pension. You did the same stunt in September, claiming you’d no longer prop Trudeau up,” Poilievre wrote on X.
“Then you went back on your word and voted 8 times AGAINST AN ELECTION & for your boss Trudeau. Just 11 days ago you voted against a non-confidence motion filled with your own words. Had you voted the other way, we’d be almost half-way through the election now. Only common sense Conservatives can and will replace this costly NDP-Liberal clown show.”
He also asked the Governor General to “urgently reconvene parliament” and require a “non-confidence vote.”
Canadian freedom lawyer Eva Chipiuk observed on X that the NDP has “kept this government in power well past its best before date, now they want to be congratulated for solving the problem they created in the first place.”
“I hope people see through your hypocrisy and get engaged so we can be rid of useless and self interest elected officials once and for all,” she added.
The most recent polls show a Conservative government under Poilievre would win a super majority were an election held today.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Liberals were hoping to delay the 2025 federal election by a few days in what many see as a stunt to secure pensions for MPs who are projected to lose their seats. Approximately 80 MPs would qualify for pensions should they sit as MPs until at least October 27, 2025, which is the newly proposed election date. The date as it stands now is set for October 20.
National
Canadian town appeals ruling that forces them to pay LGBT group over ‘pride’ flag dispute
From LifeSiteNews
The irony of the ruling is that Emo’s town hall doesn’t even have a flagpole
A Canadian town has announced it will seek a “judicial review” regarding a decision that saw it being mandated by a tribunal to pay an LGBT group thousands of dollars because it refused to cave to activists’ demands by declaring June “Pride Month” and flying the related rainbow flag.
In a media statement Thursday, the town of Emo, Ontario, said it has “decided to seek judicial review of the decision of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. As the matter is proceeding to the Divisional Court, we will not be commenting further at this time.”
The town noted that it wished “to state that it made a Declaration of Equality in 2022, which remains in effect today.”
“The Township recognizes the dignity and worth of all people, as well as the barriers of discrimination and disadvantage faced by human rights protected groups, including members of the LGBTQ2+ community,” said the town in its 2022 declaration.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, last month Mayor Harold McQuaker of Emo, Ontario, was ordered by an Ontario Human Rights Tribunal to pay local LGBT activist group Borderland Pride $5,000 for refusing to celebrate the LGBT agenda during the month of June. The town was also ordered to pay $10,000.
Specifically, the mayor and town had refused to cave to demands to fly the LGBT “Pride flag” and declare the month of June to be “Pride Month.”
After the mayor refused to pay, his bank account appears to have been garnished to pay for damages ordered against him by the tribunal.
McQuaker had publicly protested the tribunal’s orders, calling them a form of “extortion.” In a vulgar Facebook post, Borderland Pride claimed they were successful in forcing money from the mayor via the garnishing of his bank funds.
“Sure, sex is great, but have you ever garnished your mayor’s bank account after he publicly refused to comply with a Tribunal’s order to pay damages?” wrote the group on Facebook.
McQuaker previously had told the Toronto Sun, “I utterly refuse to pay the $5,000 because that’s extortion” and said he would not undergo the Ontario Human Rights Commission re-education course.
Ontario adjudicator Karen Dawson wrote in her decision against McQuaker that “$15,000 is an appropriate level of compensation for Borderland Pride’s injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect.”
The irony of the ruling is that Emo’s town hall doesn’t even have a flagpole.
Emo is not the only town in Canada that has recently banned the flying of “Pride” flags from municipal buildings.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, residents of the Canadian town of Barrhead, Alberta, recently voted in a solid majority to pass a bylaw that will in effect ban pro-LGBT “Pride” themed designs from being displayed on public infrastructure, including such flags on government buildings and rainbow painted crosswalks.
Residents in the Alberta town of Westlock likewise passed a bylaw that bans all non-governmental flags from municipal buildings and mandates that crosswalks only be painted in the standard white-striped pattern.
The LGBT indoctrination in Canadian cities and towns via “Pride month,” which often includes flags and painted crosswalks, has been described by LifeSiteNews columnist Jonathon Van Maren as “not a ‘celebration of Pride,’” but as “an assertion of ownership, a declaration of dominance” over “public spaces.”
Van Maren recently observed celebrated the Emo mayor, writing, “Harold McQuaker isn’t having any of it (LGBT activists demands). And we need more like him.”
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