Nov 25 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Canadian Armed Forces has found no evidence that “Dakov,” a pseudonym for a man who attempted to join a U.S.-based white supremacist organization, is a member of the military. The Star reported on Oct. 22 that the Department of National Defence was investigating claims that a man who claimed to be a recruit was […]
Nov 21 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — A prominent Conservative MP is taking aim at Justin Trudeau, suggesting the prime minister has endorsed a global initiative that has also become the target of baseless conspiracy theories on social media. Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre has been posting messages to social media and on his constituency website about a “Great Reset,” which he […]
Nov 12 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Celina Caesar-Chavannes says her decision to leave politics had little to do with the SNC-Lavalin scandal, and a lot to do with the preceding three years of Liberal politics in Ottawa. Because the former Whitby MP’s decision to leave government happened against the backdrop of the scandal that rocked the Liberal government in 2019, Caesar-Chavannes […]
Oct 30 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Whoever wins Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election, Canada is faced with the possibility of prolonged civil unrest and uncertainty in the U.S., its most important economic and security partner, experts say. “It’s a very tricky situation (for the Canadian government),” said Christopher Sands, the director of the Wilson Centre’s Canada Institute. Sands said should there be […]
Oct 29 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — As the Canadian government mulled regulations for internet and tech giants, Facebook sought to recruit from within the federal public service for a high-paying policy job. Facebook Canada’s Kevin Chan emailed a senior official at Canadian Heritage in February to ask if there were “promising senior analysts” within the public service that might want to […]
Oct 22 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Canadian Armed Forces has launched an internal probe into suggestions that one of its members belongs to a neo-Nazi extremist group and attempted to join militant white supremacists in the U.S. In leaked audio recordings obtained by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the unidentified man — who goes by the name “Dakov” — claims […]
Oct 18 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto.com — Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole took a shot at Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government management of pandemic restrictions Saturday while praising Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s less restrictive approach to managing the spread of COVID-19. Appearing with Kenney at the United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting this weekend, O’Toole thanked the premier for Alberta’s pandemic response — […]
Oct 16 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Welland Tribune — The Canadian Armed Forces is continuing a crack down on extremism and racism within its ranks, with the navy and Air Force issuing orders against “hateful conduct” on Friday. The navy and Air Force directives follow orders issued by army commander Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre last month, as CAF leadership attempt to grapple with high-profile incidents […]
Oct 15 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — The Bank of Canada is pushing back against Conservative questions about its independence from the federal government, saying its inflation target — not politics — is guiding its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The central bank was pulled into the pandemic political fray Thursday when Conservative finance critic Pierre Poilievre suggested the bank was enabling […]
Sep 29 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Erin O’Toole would like you to know he has some thoughts about China. The new Conservative leader has made a point of repeatedly mentioning the communist regime in Beijing, both during his party’s leadership race and after his victory.
Sep 22 2020 — Alex Boutilier — St. Catharines Standard — Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says his COVID-19 diagnosis is a reminder of the need for “vigilance” as regions across Canada enter the pandemic’s second wave. Speaking to the Star on Tuesday from self-isolation in his Ottawa home, O’Toole said he recognizes that politics needs to be done differently during the global health crisis — even […]
Sep 21 2020 — Alex Boutilier — St. Catharines Standard — Peter MacKay has publicly endorsed the former executive director of Maxime Bernier’s far-right People’s Party of Canada in the race for a seat on Halifax’s municipal council. In a video message posted on Twitter last week, MacKay endorsed Clinton Desveaux in his bid represent Dartmouth South-Eastern Passage. Desveaux worked with Bernier after he split from […]
Sep 5 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Welland Tribune — —Erin O’Toole is already putting his stamp on the Conservatives, filling senior ranks with loyalists and repositioning the party to take on a leftward lurching Liberal party. The Conservatives announced late Thursday that TD Bank Group Vice President James Dodds will head up the Conservative Fund, a powerful board that controls the party’s purse strings. […]
Sep 1 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — COVID-19 scammers are changing tactics as the pandemic stretches on, offering their Canadian targets “help” with previous pandemic data breaches. Scott Jones, the head of the Canadian Cyber Centre, said criminals are using “far more effective” lures to convince Canadians to hand over personal and sensitive information, like banking credentials. Jones told the Star that […]
Aug 29 2020 — Alex Boutilier — Toronto Star — Erin O’Toole and Conservative operator Fred DeLorey huddled over a beer in the corner of the Christmas party as well-connected Tories mixed and mingled around them. Dec. 12 had been quite a day.