From LifeSiteNews

By AnthonyMurdoch

In the first year of COVID lockdowns Canada’s small-to-medium-sized businesses, many of which are family-run, lost a combined $60 billion in gross profit, according to recently released statistics. 

On February 18 Statistics Canada released a report regarding “Borrowing, repayments and bankruptcies” from Ottawa’s Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program, finding that businesses with less than $1.5 million in annual expenses “experienced a drop in gross profit, totaling a loss of nearly $60 billion” from 2019 to 2020. 

The CEBA program was struck in March of 2020 to give out businesses affected by COVID lockdowns interest-free loans of up to $60,000. The loans came with strings attached, however, and had to be paid back by a certain date to only have to pay a partial amount back.   

The report noted that the COVID lockdowns, which were imposed by all provincial governments as well as mandated by the federal government for the agencies it ran, from 2020 to most of 2021, were “most challenging for client-facing industries.

Businesses that reported the biggest declines in gross profit were “client-facing ones, such as food service and drinking places, hotels, and offices of dentists and physicians,” noted the report. Many of these are family-run businesses. 

When it comes to bankruptcies, the report noted that they rose sharply from about mid-2022 to early 2024, notably coming after businesses had to start repaying the CEBA loans, which came due on January 18, 2024.  

COVID vaccine mandates, as well as lockdowns, which came from provincial governments with the support of the federal government, split Canadian society. The mRNA shots have been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children. 

In many provinces, such as Alberta, small and medium-sized businesses also fought back via lawsuits against their governments and health agencies, which put in place COVID rules.  

LifeSiteNews reported last November, that a class-action lawsuit on behalf of dozens of Canadian business owners in Alberta who faced massive losses or permanent closures due to COVID mandates, was given the go-ahead to proceed by a judge. 

As a result of COVID dictates, many Canadians fought back, most notably in the form of the 2023 Freedom Convoy, which saw thousands of Canadians from coast to coast come to Ottawa to demand an end to COVID mandates in all forms. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government enacted the never-before-used Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, 2022. 

As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Freedom Convoy’s two main leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber face a possible 10-year prison sentence. LifeSiteNews reported extensively on their trial, the verdict of which will be released on March 12.  

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Monday’s debate saw candidates Chrystia Freeland, Mark Carney and others accuse U.S. President Donald Trump of being the nation’s biggest threat while also restating their commitment to fighting ‘climate change.’

The first debate among Liberal leadership hopefuls Monday night saw the candidates focus heavily on bashing U.S. President Donald Trump, with all in the running also pledging their commitment to fighting “climate change.”

The French language debate, held in Montreal, saw frontrunner Mark Carney, former Finance Minister Chyrstia Freeland, and the two other lesser-known candidates, former House leader Karina Gould and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis, debate for two hours on a variety of topics, with Trump-bashing taking center stage. Freeland and Carney in particular, both of whom have ties to the globalist World Economic Forum, claimed Trump is the biggest threat Canada has faced in decades. 

When asked about Trump’s ongoing threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on all Canadian goods at the start of March, Carney said, “Today’s Trump is very different from the Trump of the past,” asserting he is “more aggressive” than ever and that “he wants our country.”

Carney, who has a history of pushing the climate change narrative, was asked about his recent comments suggesting he would use emergency powers to combat Trump’s tariff threats by green-lighting energy projects in an attempt to make Canada less dependent on its neighbor to the south.

In response, Carney, whose proficiency in French seemed weaker than the others, appeared to hold back on committing to the building of pipelines from Alberta to Eastern Canada, but saying that such a project could be “possible.”   

“70% of our oil comes from the U.S., our neighbor. No longer our friend, of course,” he added. 

For Freeland’s part, she claimed that “Trump represents the greatest threat to Canada since World War II,” later boasting that she is the “only” one who could take on Trump via negotiation. 

All the candidates said they “completely agree” that Trump is Canada’s largest “threat,” and all took turns bashing their biggest political rival, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, labeling him incompetent.  

The leadership candidates also all agreed that “fighting” climate change was a priority but did not elaborate on what they would do differently than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whom they all praised for his “climate” leadership. Carney and Freeland, both of whom have long supported carbon taxes, vowed to eliminate the consumer carbon tax despite standing by it for years.      

In addition to their ties to the WEF, both Freeland and Carney have a history of promoting or endorsing anti-life and anti-family agendas, including abortion and LGBT-related efforts.

Freeland is known by many as being the finance minister responsible for freezing the bank accounts of the 2022 Freedom Convoy participants and donors, actions Carney endorsed at the time.

Carney also recently admitted to being a “globalist” and an “elitist,” but defended the labels as positives.

The Liberal Party of Canada will choose its next leader, who will automatically become prime minister, on March 9, after Trudeau announced that he plans to step down as Liberal Party leader once a new leader has been chosen.

With respect to Trump, he has mentioned multiple times that he desires to annex Canada and turn it into a state. 

Trump’s talk of taking over Canada by economic force comes at the same time he has threatened to impose massive tariffs on the nation. 

Canada was given a 30-day reprieve from 25 percent tariffs by Trump at the end of January after Trudeau promised in a call to increase border security and crack down on fentanyl at the border. However, Trump has imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum products.