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Source: National Post (Politics)

U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht has been forced to find new venues for the first leg of his Canadian tour after all six were cancelled. As of Thursday afternoon, he's found a replacement for three thus far.

U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht is continuing his Canadian tour in spite of having to find new venues for all six shows.

The City of Vaughan, Ont., where Feucht was to have finished the first leg of the

Let Us Worship: Revive in 25

tour on Sunday afternoon at the Dufferin District Park, confirmed to National Post that it had cancelled the special event permit “on the basis of health and safety as well as community standards and well-being.”

Municipalities and venue management offered similar justification for cancelling Feucht’s shows at five other venues in recent days.

While Feucht describes himself as a musician, missionary, author and activist, his religious and political views — including his stance on abortion, gender, and the LGBT community — have made him a polarizing figure. He’s also been closely aligned with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and is an ardent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration.

The cancellation began in Halifax earlier this week, where Feucht was scheduled to play at the

York Redoubt National Historic Site

until his permit was pulled by Parks Canada, which cited “heightened public safety concerns.”

“Due to evolving safety and security considerations based on confirmation of planned protests, input from law enforcement, and the security challenges with the configuration of York Redoubt, Parks Canada has reassessed the conditions of the permit and potential impacts to community members, visitors, concert attendees and event organizers,” the agency wrote in statement to National Post.

The show did proceed, albeit 70 kilometres northeast from its original site, when a farmer in Shubenacadie opened up his field. A video shared to Feucht’s social media channels show farm equipment knocking down tall grass to make space for parking.

“They can cancel our permits across Canada but they cannot steal our joy,” Feucht

posted to X

along with a video of people dancing to music in the field.

“See you tomorrow PEI and Moncton!”

The City of Charlottetown, also citing

“evolving public safety and security concerns,”

had already cancelled a Thursday morning show scheduled for Confederation Landing. Feucht, however, had already secured a new location at the home of the

Faithworks Centre Church

, a Christian church in North Wiltshire, just outside the island’s capital.

A day earlier, the city had initially said there was little it could do

“from a legal standpoint,”

but made it clear they stand with the “2SLGBTQ+ community” as it began Pride Fest 2025 celebrations this week.

P.E.I. Liberal MP Sean Casey had also called for the show to be cancelled.

“While I fully respect the right to freedom of expression, I do not believe this event reflects the values of inclusivity and respect that define the City of Charlottetown or the Government of Canada,”

he wrote on Facebook.

Feucht’s Thursday show at Moncton’s Riverfront Park was also cancelled the day prior after the city deemed it didn’t comply with its facilities’ code of conduct and represented a

“potential risks to the safety and security of community members, event attendees, and organizers.”

Feucht’s social media plea for “any bold pastors/churches” willing to host the evening concert was answered by

Bar None Camp

in Taxis River, almost 200 kilometres northwest of Moncton in the middle of the province.

Also axed on Wednesday were Feucht’s scheduled performances in Quebec City and at the Jacques-Cartier Park North in Gatineau, overseen by the National Capital Commission, which cited “concerns about public safety and security” in a statement to National Post.

Amy Hamm: No MAGA beliefs allowed at Parks Canada historic sites

Meanwhile, François Moisan, Quebec City’s director of public relations, specified in an email to National Post that the contract to perform at ExpoCité on Friday evening was cancelled because “the presence of a controversial artist was not mentioned when the contract was signed.”

Feucht hasn’t publicly stated if he will seek out new venues to replace the remaining cancelled concerts, but did issue a statement on social media following the P.E.I. show.

“Here’s the hard truth: If I had shown up with purple hair and a dress, claiming to be a woman, the government wouldn’t have said a word,” he wrote. “But to publicly profess deeply held Christian beliefs is to be labelled an extremist — and to have a free worship event classified as a public safety risk.”

He went on to explain that his Let Us Worship movement was created in response to COVID-19 policies, which in Canada, “were among the most oppressive in the world.”

“The pandemic may be over, but the anti-Christian bias remains.”

The second leg of the tour is scheduled to return to Western Canada in late August with consecutive shows in Winnipeg (20th), Saskatoon (21st), Edmonton (22nd), West Kelowna (23rd) and Abbotsford (24th).

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A federal memo reveals Ottawa knew ending EV rebates would hurt sales and investment as automakers urge government to restore incentives.

OTTAWA

— An internal government document reveals there was awareness among some officials that Ottawa ending its electric vehicle subsidies in January would lead to
an “immediate” hit to EV sales and market uncertainty, as it
coincided with the United States’ rollback of its own electrification programs. 

The undated document prepared earlier this year by the deputy minister for innovation, science, and economic development, comes as automakers press Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government

to reverse course on ambitious electric vehicle mandates

as sales have sharply declined in recent months.

“While many of Canada’s (electric vehicle) and battery manufacturing projects continue to progress as planned, the slowdown in growth has contributed to delays, modifications, or scaling back of planned investments,” says the partially redacted document, released to National Post under federal access-to-information legislation.

Elsewhere, it said that, without the EV subsidies, consumers would be drawn “to more affordable internal combustion and hybrid options.”

The previous Liberal government had mandated that 20 per cent of all passenger car sales be zero-emission by 2026 and 100 per cent by 2035.

It outlines how

slowing sales have been impacting electric vehicle

and battery manufacturing projects in Ontario and Quebec, for which the federal government and some provinces had pledged billions of dollars in support.

“In the long-term these impacts on their own are unlikely to jeopardize the prosperity of the automotive sector in Canada, but they depend on the electrification plans of the manufacturer and the health of the sector overall, including on the impact of potential U.S. policies and tariffs.”

The mandates imposed under previous prime minister Justin Trudeau require

20 per cent of all passenger car sales next year to be zero-emission

(electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen-powered) and 100 per cent by 2035. In the first quarter of this year,

Statistics Canada recorded zero-emission vehicle sales

in Canada representing 8.7 per cent of new vehicle registrations, down 23 per cent from the previous year.

Ottawa has faced scrutiny for its messaging after the rebate for consumers ended in January. It has said that work is underway for a new incentive, with no timeline announced.

“What do you think that creates in the marketplace?” said

Tim Reuss, president and CEO of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, which represents car and truck dealers across the country. 

“Well, everybody holds off on buying a car because they know that some incentive is coming, right? So we’re starting to feel that … that is just not very helpful.”

Automakers say what they consider unrealistic targets pile extra pressure onto the sector amid a trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has

taken direct aim at Canada’s auto sector

.

The government document also assesses the impact of Trump’s decisions to scrap previous U.S. electric vehicle policies, such as the 2030 mandate introduced under his predecessor, former president Joe Biden, as well as subsidies for battery-electric vehicles.

The document warned the timelines for achieving price parity between battery-electric vehicles and traditional ones “could further shift” as a result of Trump’s policies.

It also touched on the impact that axing consumer incentives would have on the situation in both Canada and the U.S.

“Recent executive orders issued by President Trump, which intend to eliminate consumer supports for (battery electric vehicles), combined with the pause of Canada’s incentives for zero-emission vehicles (iZEV) program have added uncertainty to the market,” it reads.

“In particular, the intended removal of consumer supports in both countries will have an immediate negative impact on sales growth in 2025 as these initiatives make the price of (battery electric vehicles) competitive to their internal combustion counterparts,” it says elsewhere in the document.

The document warned the timelines for achieving price parity between battery-electric vehicles and traditional ones “could further shift” as a result of Trump’s policies.

A statement from Industry Minister Melanie Joly’s office said it is working with the sector in response to the challenges. “With unjustified US tariffs putting the entire industry at risk, the government recognizes the sector’s concerns and is continuing to engage meaningfully with industry stakeholders to address and alleviate these challenges,” the ministry wrote.

The federal government announced back in January that it was hitting “pause” on its $5,000 rebate program more than two months earlier than scheduled, saying the funding for that program had dried up.

It had launched the incentive in 2019 as a way to bring down the price of electric vehicles, which proponents of the policy say is needed to encourage more widespread adoption, blaming the abrupt cancellation for the drop in sales.

Brian Kingston, p

resident and CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, which represents Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, said while the industry wants the EV mandate gone, it also needs clarity on what the government intends to do when it comes to reintroducing a new rebate. 

“The lack of clarity is further damaging sales,” he said.

“If you are bringing it back, you have to announce it with a very defined timeline, and you can’t say that we’re going to bring the … program back in six months. Because unfortunately, that means you then delay the purchase of these vehicles for another six months.”

“We are looking at ways to reintroduce a purchase incentive worth up to $5,000 that supports Canadian workers, strengthens our domestic supply chains, and reflects the times we are in,” wrote Ministry of Transport spokesperson Laura Scaffidi in an email.

National Post

staylor@postmedia.com

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Alivea Goncalves, sister of victim Kaylee Goncalves, speaks at the sentencing hearing of Bryan Kohberger at the Ada County Courthouse on July 23, 2025 in Boise, Idaho.

The sister of one of the victims of Bryan Kohberger, who killed four University of Idaho students, read her impact statement in court before he was

sentenced to life

in prison on Wednesday.

“Don’t ever try to convince yourself you mattered just because someone finally said your name out loud,” said Alivea Goncalves, as she tore into Kohberger.

Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Ethan Chapin were all stabbed to death while they slept in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 13, 2022. Six weeks later, police arrested Kohberger at his family home in Pennsylvania. He was a 28-year-old Washington State University graduate student at the time.

A

white Hyundai Elantra sedan

, the same kind that Kohberger drove, was captured on video near the students’ Moscow home. But DNA played the most crucial role in linking him to the scene.

Bryan Kohberger appears at the Ada County Courthouse, for his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho, for stabbing four University of Idaho students to death nearly three years ago.

Police were able to

take a sample from a knife sheath

left behind. They sent it to a lab to be analyzed and used a public ancestry database to search for matches. They discovered cousin matches and then narrowed it down,

WPBF 25 reported

. They relied on public records and online tools like Ancestry.com. Authorities eventually honed in on the Kohberger family.

Police tested items that were thrown out in the family’s trash, which matched the DNA profile found on the knife sheath. This link

reportedly

gave authorities what they needed in order to arrest Kohberger.

Further testing revealed that Kohberger was a “statistical match” to DNA left on the sheath, prosecutors said,

per CNN

. His DNA was also found under one of the victim’s fingernails,

CNN reported

.

In July, Kohberger, now 30, took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

An empty lot stands on Monday, June 30, 2025, at the site where four University of Idaho students were killed in November 2022 inside a house in Moscow, Idaho.

The deal led to

disappointment among some of the family members of the victims

, and even got the attention of U.S. President Donald Trump. Ahead of the sentencing hearing, Trump urged the judge to make Kohberger explain his motive.

“These were vicious murders, with so many questions left unanswered. While Life Imprisonment is tough, it’s certainly better than receiving the Death Penalty but, before Sentencing, I hope the Judge makes Kohberger, at a minimum, explain why he did these horrible murders,”

wrote Trump on July 21 in a post

on his social media platform Truth Social.

“There are no explanations, there is no NOTHING. People were shocked that he was able to plea bargain, but the Judge should make him explain what happened.”

At the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, when asked by the judge if he would like to make a statement, Kohberger said: “I respectfully decline.” Instead, the families and friends of the victims addressed Kohberger.

While many were moved to tears while they spoke, only feet away from Kohberger, one woman — the sister of Goncalves — stood out and made headlines for her fearless and scathing remarks.

Alivea Goncalves addressed the 30-year-old killer directly and without hesitation.

“You didn’t win. You just exposed yourself as the coward you are. You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else. Constantly scolding, turning your nose up to grammar mistakes, nitpicking and criticizing others,” she said.

“You act like none can ever understand your mind. But the truth is you’re basic.”

She also said that Kaylee and her best friend, Mogen, would have been kind to him if he had approached him in public. She described the girls as all of the things Kohberger could never be: “loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave and powerful.”

Read her full statement to Kohberger:

I’m not here today to speak in grief. I’m here to speak in truth, because the truth is my sister Kaylee and her best friend Maddie were not yours to take.

They were not yours to study, to stalk or to silence. They were two pieces of a whole, the perfect yin and yang. They are everything that you could never be: loved, accepted, vibrant, accomplished, brave and powerful.

Because the truth about Kaylee and Maddie is they would have been kind to you. If you had approached them in their everyday lives, they would have given you directions, thanked you for the compliment, or awkwardly giggled to make your own words less uncomfortable for you.

In a world that rejected you, they would have shown mercy.

Because the truth is I’m angry. Every day I’m angry. I’m left shouting at the inside of my own head everything I wish I could say to you. The truth about me is when I heard the news, I didn’t cry. I listened for them. I promised them I would, that I would fight for them, that I would show up no matter what it cost me. I swore I’d never let them feel alone.

Because you see, I’ve always been their heavy weight. I’ve always been the one to fight the battles they didn’t feel ready to fight themselves. All it ever took was a call and they know I would handle it for them, no matter the time, no matter the cost.

They could wave their white flag because they knew I would never back down. Not for them, and not even death could change that. Somewhere along the line, I started to think about what I would say to them if I was given just one more last chance. If I could gather enough heartbreak or love or sacrifice or whatever it took to get just one message across.

What would I say?

Throughout this entire process, I’ve written my feelings down at every moment, my wishes, my love, my denial, my anger. And as one final act of love, I’d planned to read these thoughts, even jarring and discombobulating and not even making sense. Because for me, that was true love as bare and as naked as it could be, not laced in pretty words or dressed for the occasion, but written through bleary eyes at 2 a.m. with clenched fists angry at this reality.

My true final act of love was to continue on without them for them. That dream to read aloud my love to them, to bring meaning through pain, was the latest blow in realizing you don’t deserve it and Kaylee and Maddie don’t need it.

Kaylee and Maddie have always known my love, and they would never ask me to prove it by further victimizing myself to a defendant who has shown no guilt, no remorse, no apprehension. They would say to me, “Why would you give the satisfaction of showing vulnerability now? You promised that you would never back down.”

And for that clarity, I’m thankful.

I won’t stand here and give you want you want. I won’t offer you tears. I won’t offer you trembling. Disappointments like you thrive on pain, on fear and on the illusion of power. And I won’t feed your beast.

Instead, I will call you what you are: sociopath, psychopath, murderer. I will ask the questions that reverberate violently in my own head so loudly that I can’t think straight, most any day. Some of these might be familiar. So, sit up straight when I talk to you.

How was your life right before you murdered my sisters?

Did you prepare for the crime before leaving your apartment?

Please detail what you were thinking and feeling at this time.

Why did you choose my sisters?

Before making your move, did you approach my sisters?

Detail what you were thinking and feeling.

Before leaving their home, is there anything else you did?

How does it feel to know the only thing you failed more miserably at than being a murderer is trying to be a rapper?

Did you recently start shaving or manually pulling out your eyebrows?

Why November 13th?

Did you truly think your Amazon purchase was untraceable because you used a gift card?

How do you find it enjoyable to stargaze with such a severe case of visual snow?

Where is the murder weapon, the clothes you wore that night?

What did you bring into the house with you?

What was the second weapon you used on Kaylee?

What were Kaylee’s last words?

Please describe, in detail, the level of anxiety you must have felt when you heard the bearcat pull up to your family home on December 30, 2022.

Which do you regret more: returning to the crime scene five hours later or never, ever going back to Moscow, not even once after stalking them there for months?

If you were really smart, do you think you’d be here right now?

What’s it like needing this much attention just to feel real?

You’re terrified of being ordinary, aren’t you?

Do you feel anything at all, or are you exactly what you always feared? Nothing.

If you’re so powerful, then why are you still hiding? Defendant, you see, I’m here today as me, but who are you?

Let’s try to take off your mask and see. You didn’t create devastation. You revealed it, and it’s in yourself. And that darkness you carry, that emptiness, you’ll sit with it long after this is over. That is your sentence, and it was written on the wall long before you ever pled guilty.

You didn’t win. You just exposed yourself as the coward you are. You’re a delusional, pathetic, hypochondriac loser who thought you were so much smarter than everybody else. Constantly scolding, turning your nose up to grammar mistakes, nitpicking and criticizing others.

You wanted so badly to be different, to be special, to be better, to be deep, to be mysterious. You found yourself thinking you were better than everyone else, and you thought you could figure out the human psyche and see through it, all while tweaked out on heroin. Lurking in the shadows made you feel powerful because no one ever paid you any attention in the light.

You thought you were exceptional all because of a grade on a paper.

You thought you were elite because your online IQ test from 2010 told you so. All of that effort seem important, it’s desperate.

There is a name for your condition, though your inflated ego just didn’t allow you to see it: wannabe.

You act like none can ever understand your mind. But the truth is you’re basic. You’re textbook case of insecurity disguised as control. Your patterns are predictable. Your motives are shallow. You are not profound. You’re pathetic.

You aren’t special or deep, not mysterious or exceptional. Don’t ever get it twisted again.

No one is scared of you today. No one is intimidated by you. No one is impressed by you. No one thinks that you are important. You orchestrated this like you thought you were God. Now look at you, begging a courtroom for scraps.

You spent months preparing and still all it took was my sister and a sheath.

You worked so hard to seem dangerous, but real control doesn’t have to prove itself.

The truth is, the scariest part about you is how painfully average you turned out to be. The truth is, you’re as dumb as they come, stupid, clumsy, slow, sloppy, weak, dirty.

Let me be very clear. Don’t ever try to convince yourself you mattered just because someone finally said your name out loud.

I see through you.

You want the truth. Here’s the one you’ll hate the most, if you hadn’t attacked them in their sleep, in the middle of the night, like a pedophile, Kaylee would have kicked your f–king ass.

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to reporters on the last day of the premiers' meeting in Huntsville, Ont., on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians can expect his government to table bail reform legislation in the fall, and premiers will be holding him to his word.

At the closing press conference of the Council of the Federation on Wednesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who is ending his term as chair, said Carney heard from premiers that they need “real bail reform that keeps criminals behind bars and keeps our communities safe.”

“We will be holding him accountable on bail reform,” insisted Ford.

Carney vowed in the last election, which saw the Liberals elected to a fourth term,

to “toughen the Criminal Code

and make bail laws stricter for violent and organized crime, home invasions, car stealings and human trafficking,” especially for repeat offenders.

The need to restrict access to bail to curb car theft and home invasions has been raised consistently by premiers and police chiefs, particularly in Ontario, but Liberals have truly made it a priority

after they lost seats in the Greater Toronto Area due to crime issues.

Carney spent Monday evening and part of the day Tuesday with the premiers during their summer retreat in Ontario’s cottage country. He said last week bail reform would be one of the elements on the agenda and that legislation on it would be coming in the fall.

Ford said Wednesday that while he has “a great deal of respect” for Carney and believes the prime minister is going to “get it done,” the federal government’s last attempt at bail reform was “kind of pokey-pokey” and he wants a “full-fledged bail reform” this time around.

In 2019, former Justice Minister David Lametti passed Bill C-75, which was meant to address delays in the criminal justice system and help reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous and vulnerable populations, including people with addictions, in prisons.

Three years later, Lametti passed Bill C-5, which removed mandatory minimum sentences for certain offences related to firearms and drugs, and allowed for more conditional sentences, and established alternative measures for simple drug possession offences.

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives have vowed to repeal both laws, which they say have contributed to a “catch-and-release” bail system which lets criminals back on the streets.

Lametti, a close friend of Carney since university, is now acting as his principal secretary.

In an attempt to respond to the criticism, the federal government presented some amendments to the Criminal Code’s bail regime, that were passed in 2024, to address serious repeat violent offenders and address risks posed by intimate partner violence.

But the premiers said they want to see mandatory minimum sentences restored and much stiffer penalties for repeat offenders and criminals involved in drug trafficking.

“We have to toughen up,” said Ford. “We can’t release people the next day after they kick people’s doors in, put guns to people’s head, terrorize the neighbourhood, terrorize families … and then they go to some weak-kneed judge that lets them out.”

“We need mandatory sentences. You steal cars, you break into people’s homes, there has to be a penalty, or they just keep repeating and repeating the offence,” Ford added.

“People are just fed up. I’ve never seen people more frustrated, ever.”

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe insisted on the need to “greatly stiffen the sentence” for criminals who are bringing in “poisonous drugs into our communities across Canada.”

“Drugs are very much the scourge of many of the social problems … that we’re having,” he said Wednesday. “It has changed over the last decade, and we need to change the Criminal Court of Canada to address the changes that we’re seeing in our communities.”

“If there was a Criminal Code of Saskatchewan, we would have made those changes already,” he said.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said he wants to make sure that any future bail reform from the federal government will act further to prevent intimate partner violence.

“It’s been an ongoing piece of work for us, but at the end of the day, in terms of the criminal justice system, we do look to the federal government for assistance,” he said.

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said she was “encouraged” to hear from Carney that his government is working on that piece on legislation now and that it is “in the works.” She said is was also her hope that legislative changes be introduced in the fall session.

“The ball is in the federal government’s court.”

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Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra.

A Canadian Jewish group is calling on its supporters to urge the Ontario government to address antisemitism within schools after a federal report found nearly half of incidents reported to administrators were not investigated.

“Jewish children are being harassed, excluded and dehumanized — sometimes by their classmates, sometimes by their teachers,” the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

“That’s why CIJA has called on the Government of Ontario to implement real, tangible reforms. If nothing changes and school boards fail in their mandate to deliver safe schools, the Minister must stay true to his commitment and step in.”

The report, which was commissioned by the Office of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism and

published this month

in Canadian Jewish Studies, found 781 antisemitic incidents in elementary schools and high schools were reported between Oct. 7, 2023 and January 2025. The report found that 49 per cent of the incidents “were not investigated.”

The most troubling episodes

highlighted

in the report, authored by University of Toronto professor Robert Brym, included a teacher telling a six-year-old Jewish girl with one Jewish parent that she was “half human.” Others reported hearing comments such as “Jews are vermin,” “Jews are cheap,” and “F–k you, Jews.”

Josh Landau, CIJA’s director of government relations overseeing Ontario, called on the provincial government to ensure all school boards across the province adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

The non-legally binding

definition

has been adopted by several provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, as well as the federal government and dozens of foreign countries. It deems comments comparing Jews or Israel to Nazi Germany as antisemitic, along with classic tropes alluding to Jewish control of banks and the media. Critics

argue

the defnition can curtail legitimate criticism of Israel and can be weaponized to censor Palestinian advocates.

In a written comment, Landau told National Post on Wednesday that IHRA remained “the consensus definition,” yet “Ontario’s school system lacks a clear, shared definition of antisemitism.” The CIJA executive said the provincial government needs to be more proactive as opposed to “this fragmented, inconsistent approach (which) puts students at risk of hate and violence.”

“Without the proper tools or understanding, this has proven to be problematic for individual school boards to navigate,” he said.

The Canadian Jewish group is also asking the province to create a “standardized hate reporting system” and to streamline the release of its Holocaust education curriculum. The latter was

delayed

after the Ford government appointed supervisors to oversee some of the largest school boards in the province in early July, including the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).

CIJA’s public appeal comes just days after it sent a letter to Education Minister Paul Calandra and Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Graham McGregor on July 18 advocating the need for a “joint strategy to address antisemitism within Ontario public schools.”

The letter, which was also authored by Landau and publicized on Wednesday morning, refers extensively to last week’s Ontario public school antisemitism report. The report found 10 per cent of Jewish students had “directly experienced” an antisemitic incident between the October 7 Hamas attacks and January 2025 and that over 40 per cent of encounters “involved Nazi salutes, glorification of (Adolph) Hitler, or similar expressions of hate.”

On Wednesday, Calandra told the Post in a written statement that he was “deeply concerned, angry and frustrated with the findings of a recent report on antisemitism in Ontario schools” and he pledged to intervene if school leaders fail to uphold standards.

“Schools must be a safe place for every student to learn in a respectful and supportive environment. I expect school boards across the province to focus on student achievement and creating supportive classrooms, free of discrimination in any form, absent of divisive politics that leave students feeling unsafe, parents frustrated and angry, and teachers who simply want to teach but unable to do so,” the Conservative MPP said.

“If boards are unable to succeed in their main mandate ‚ student achievement — by delivering safe schools, then I will step in.”

The minister of citizenship and multiculturalism reiterated

Calandra’s statement and directed the Post to the Education Minister’s statement published on X.

Deborah Lyons, Canada’s special envoy on antisemitism, told National Post in a written statement last week that the report’s findings demonstrated the “need to seriously consider antisemitism education, not just Holocaust education.”

“Something has gone terribly wrong with our promises of ‘Never Again’ when over 40 per cent of the incidents in this study involved Nazi salutes, Holocaust denial, and overt verbal hate such as ‘Hitler should have finished the job,’” said the former Canadian ambassador to Israel.

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Tamara Lich and Chris Barber arrive at the Ottawa Courthouse in Ottawa on Nov. 3, 2023.

On Wednesday a sentencing hearing began for Freedom Convoy protest leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, after the two were found guilty of mischief. Here’s what to know about them, and what happens next.

Who are Tamara Lich and Chris Barber?

Lich and Barber were key figures behind the convoy protest, sometimes referred to as the Freedom Convoy, that occupied downtown Ottawa for three weeks beginning in late January 2022. The protests followed the end of vaccine mandate exemptions for cross-border truckers. Protesters called for the repeal of all COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.

Both are from Saskatchewan. Lich had previously been involved with Canada’s Yellow Vest protests in Medicine Hat, Alta., and elsewhere, and the United We Roll truckers convoy and protest in Ottawa in 2019, which was in favour of pipelines and against carbon taxes.

Barber is a trucker and owns his own company, CB Trucking Limited, based in Swift Current, Sask.

When were they arrested?

Lich and Barber were arrested in Ottawa on Feb. 17, 2022, shortly after the government of Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act for the first time ever, bringing an end to the protest. (Last year, a Federal Court judge ruled that the response was unconstitutional and unjustifiable.) The convoy was cleared out of Ottawa’s downtown core in a three-day police operation that began on Feb. 18.

What were the charges?

At first, Lich was charged with counselling to commit mischief, and Barber with counselling to commit mischief, counselling to disobey a court order, counselling to obstruct police, and mischief that interferes with the use and enjoyment of property.

However, a month after their arrest the Crown submitted a relaid information sheet from Ottawa police, and the two were jointly accused of mischief, counselling mischief, obstructing police, counselling to obstruct police, counselling intimidation, and intimidation by blocking and obstructing one or more highways.

Were they found guilty?

On April 3, 2025, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey found both Lich and Barber guilty of mischief because the court ruled they routinely encouraged people to join or remain at the protest, despite knowing the negative effects it was having on downtown residents and businesses.

Barber also was found guilty of counselling others to disobey a court order for telling people to ignore a judge’s injunction directing convoy participants to stop honking their truck horns. (Lich was not charged with that offence.)

They were both acquitted of intimidation and counselling intimidation, with the judge noting that their repeated calls to remain peaceful meant there was no menace or violence intended. They were also acquitted of obstructing police and counselling to obstruct police.

What penalty is the Crown seeking?

The Crown is seeking a prison sentence of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber. Two days have been set aside for the parties to present their sentencing submissions.

What did Pierre Poilievre say about this?

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has posted and shared several posts on social media criticizing the Crown’s sentencing proposals. In one post on X on Monday he said: “Let’s get this straight: while rampant violent offenders are released hours after their most recent charges & antisemitic rioters vandalize businesses, terrorize daycares & block traffic without consequences, the Crown wants 7 years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich & Barber. How is this justice?”

Barber responded with a post that said: “Thank you, Pierre, we’ve been waiting so long for elected officials to speak up.”

Lich posted a longer message, also thanking Poilievre for his support and adding: “There is a fine line between politics and the judiciary, as there should be, and I have long understood the uncomfortable position elected officials find themselves in when it comes to commenting on cases that are before the court. In our case, the double standard and the vindictive nature from the prosecution office has become too obvious to ignore and will set a precedent going forward that will affect all Canadians who choose to peacefully protest or deter them from exercising their Charter Right to peacefully assemble.”

With files from The Canadian Press

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Johnny Noviello entered the U.S. on a legal visa in 1988 and became a permanent resident in 1991. His arrest by ICE came in 2025, wherein he was issued a notice to appear in court and faced a removability charge.

A Canadian who died in ICE custody is documented to have had health concerns, according to a

report made public by the U.S. government agency

today. While in custody, the 49-year-old was prescribed medication for seizures and hypertension, and recommended to undergo mental health evaluation after he was reported to be feeling “sad and depressed, and refused to go to the medical clinic for an evaluation.”

Here’s what we know about the report and the timeline from when

Johnny Noviello was arrested and later found dead

.

Why was the Canadian man arrested by ICE?

Johnny Noviello entered the U.S. on a legal visa in 1988 and became a permanent resident in 1991. In 2023, he was convicted on the charges of drug trafficking, racketeering and the unlawful use of two-way communication device used to facilitate commission of crime. He was sentenced to prison for 12 months.

His arrest by ICE came in 2025, wherein he was issued a notice to appear and faced a removability charge.

What does the ICE report say about the health of the Canadian who died in custody?

The 49-year-old was pronounced dead late in June after being found unresponsive in a detention centre in Miami. Respecting the family’s privacy,

Global Affairs minister Anita Anand

had said at that time “further details will not be provided at this time.”

The report released today highlighted health concerns that the officials flagged before he died. Here’s what we know about the timeline since his arrest:

May 15:

Noviello was arrested and detained.

May 16:

The 49-year-old underwent a routine health inspection. A registered nurse completed the medical intake screening and noted the diagnosis of “hypertension and seizure disorder, slightly elevated blood pressure, high body mass index, and his reported medication list and sent a provider referral” for him. He was prescribed medication.

May 19:

A behavioural health provider recommended “a medical provider evaluate him then refer him to mental health if needed.”

May 30:

As per the documentation, the Canadian man is said to have refused a health history and a physical exam.

June 8:

He was reported to be feeling sad and depressed and is said to have refused a health evaluation at a medical clinic.

June 9:

Noviello reportedly maintained poor personal hygiene and stated he had not eaten in “a while.” Documentation revealed his vitals to be normal, and that there was discussion with him around the importance of self-hygiene and proper diet.

June 23:
Noviello was found unresponsive and declared dead

.

The report by ICE comes as prominent politicians noted the death of the Canadian, and with U.S. ambassador Pete Hoekstra confirming faith in ICE’s “commitment to transparency”.

“My team is following the death of a Canadian citizen while in @ICEgov custody. We will keep the Canadian government informed as ICE completes its investigation,”

Hoekstra had posted online

a few days after Noviello’s death. “I trust in ICE’s commitment to transparency and to providing a safe environment for all individuals in its care.”

There are 55 Canadians currently detained by ICE, the U.S. agency reported on the figures on July 19.

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks to the media after signing a memorandum of understanding with Alberta and Saskatchewan during the 2025 summer meetings of Canada's Premiers at Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville, Ont., on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he stayed up late, talking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and “solving all the world’s problems” on Monday night.

Canadian premiers are in Ontario’s cottage country in the Muskoka region this week for a three-day summit that is coming to an end today. Carney attended the meeting on Tuesday at the

Deerhurst Resort

to update the premiers on trade negotiations with the United States,

according to the prime minister’s office

. They also discussed Canadian wildfires and other major projects that were to be completed in the country.

At a news conference on Tuesday,

Ford told reporters

that he hosted Carney at

his cottage
the previous evening. 

“So, full disclosure, prime minister stayed at my place. We had dinner. We’re up till 12:30 at night, chatting in front of the fireplace, solving all the world’s problems,” said Ford.

Quebec Premier François Legault, who was also at the press conference, interjected. “And you got a very nice small chalet,” he said, winking and smiling.

“Yeah, yeah, I have a little shack, down the street there,” said Ford. “And you know what it is? I’m just telling you — and I haven’t known him for long — the prime minister is just the most humble person you’d ever want to meet.”

Ford proceeded to praise Carney and his accomplishments, saying that the prime minister had impressive roles at institutions like Brookfield, Bloomberg, the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England.

“He has never said that in the entire time I’ve known him,” said Ford. “He doesn’t do that. He’s very humble. He listens. He’s a smart business person.”

Ford said he would tell business owners to “hand over” the keys to their business to Carney because he’s “business-minded.”

“He has his hands full because of the last 10 years of what has happened in our country. He’s playing cleanup right now and we’re going to be there to support him. But he’s a very good man. He’s off to a good start. He’s an honest man, too. He just wants the best for for Canada,” said Ford.

“He’s given it everything he possibly can. And I think that’s a consensus around the table. He’s trying. He’s a very smart, shrewd businessman.”

Ford also hosted the premiers and their families for dinner at his Port Sydney cottage on Monday evening,

Muskoka Today

and

Global News

reported.

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New Canadians take their citizenship oath in a ceremony in Calgary for Canada Day, July 1, 2025.

Most Canadians believe the country is admitting too many immigrants and many do not trust the newcomers, new polling shows.

The national Leger poll conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies and the Metropolis Institute found that 62 per cent of people think that the country is currently admitting too many immigrants. That’s an increase of four percentage points since pollsters last asked the question in March 2025, and more than double the number of people who felt that way six years ago. In the most recent poll, only 20 per cent disagreed and 19 per cent said they don’t know.

The poll also asked Canadians if they think immigrants can be trusted. Only 42 per cent of Canadians said immigrants can be trusted and that number drops to 36 per cent when it comes to refugees. The poll found that 20 per cent of respondents think immigrants cannot be trusted and 23 per cent said refugees cannot be trusted.

“While most observers attribute the persistent concern with the numbers of refugees to economic concerns and housing challenges, the survey looks at the extent to which Canadians trust immigrants and refugees and finds that amongst those Canadians who feel that there are too many immigrants, the level of trust in refugees is especially low,” says an analysis published alongside the poll. It found that of the people who think there are too many people coming to Canada, only 32 per cent trust immigrants, while 28 per cent said they can’t be trusted. Only 24 per cent trust refugees, while 32 per cent said they cannot be trusted.

“This may imply that concerns over domestic intergroup tensions may be a more important factor in concern with levels than has been previously acknowledged,” the analysis says.

Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies and the Metropolis Institute, said that he wanted to investigate what is driving the pushback on immigration levels, besides economic and housing concerns.

“We’re trying to probe here whether Canadians do have security concerns that are also driving some of the reticence or hesitation about immigration right now. My conclusion is that that is the case,” said Jedwab. “The point of the survey is, there is an issue that we need to pay attention to. If there is a security concern associated with migration right now, it requires some attention and a need to reassure Canadians that our government and the responsible departments are taking care of those issues, are paying attention to those issues if and when they arrive, or where and when they may arise.”

The poll found that 57 per cent of immigrants also agree that there are too many immigrants, while 60 per cent of non-immigrants feel that way. Non-white people surveyed feel the strongest, with 61 per cent agreeing that there are too many immigrants, compared to 58 per cent of white people.

“That polarization is not based on whether you are yourself an immigrant or you are a minority, it’s not. It’s transcending that,” said Jedwab. “So the trust issue is a critical factor. It’s just not defined by, as I said, your status as an immigrant or non-immigrant or as a minority. Those groups of people are making observations to the same extent across those markers of identity.”

Refugees are more likely to be trusted by non-immigrants (38 per cent) than immigrants (33 per cent). White people are also more likely to trust refugees (37 per cent) than non-white people (33 per cent). They are most likely to not be trusted by non-white people (28 per cent) compared to 22 per cent of white people, 22 per cent of immigrants and 23 per cent of non-immigrants. Immigrants, however, are more likely to be trusted by other immigrants and non-white people (both at 53 per cent) than by non-immigrants and white people (40 per cent for each).

“The actual trust issues seem to be really one that transcends those categories. It’s not polarized in the way some people envision it to be polarized. It’s a lot more complex than that,” said Jedwab.

“We’re seeing the degree of trust expressed in refugees as especially low. And particularly amongst those people who think there are too many immigrants, the trust of refugees is low, lower than it is normally.”

The view that there are too many immigrants entering Canada has been constantly held by at least half of Canadians since February 2024, when 50 per cent of those polled expressed that view. Even then, that was an unusually high figure. In March 2019, just 35 per cent of those polled said there were too many immigrants coming to Canada.

“Whether you’re born in Canada or not born in Canada, or whether you’re a minority or not, this issue around trust, and the perceptions around the global instability, is affecting our perspectives around migration.” said Jedwab.

Across all age groups, the majority of people feel that there are too many immigrants coming into the country, but young people are less likely to feel that way. More than half (55 per cent) of those aged 18 to 34 think there are too many immigrants, compared to 65 per cent of 35 to 54 year olds and 63 per cent of those aged 55 and older.

In Atlantic Canada, 71 per cent of respondents agreed that there were too many newcomers. In Quebec and Ontario, 63 per cent agreed, while in Alberta 65 per cent said they feel that way. Fifty-four per cent of respondents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan agreed. In British Columbia, 52 per cent of respondents said there are too many immigrants.

“It is important that we properly understand what the factors are underlying the reticence about immigration. So that’s where the importance … is in trying to establish what the concerns are, how significant those concerns are, where those concerns are coming from. And then, on that basis, to determine how best to address them rather than dismissing them,” said Jedwab.

The online survey of 1,580 Canadian adults was conducted by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between June 20 and 22. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1,580 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

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Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin.

OTTAWA — Automakers calling on Ottawa to roll back its electric-vehicle mandate say their case has so far failed to sway Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, who appears “committed” to keeping it in place.

Rising pressure over the EV issue is part of the central tension facing Prime Minister Mark Carney, which is how much to adjust the Liberals’ climate policies to address concerns coming from industry and premiers, amid a time of economic uncertainty.

Longstanding demands from the

auto industry and its associations to scrap the electric vehicle mandate

have grown louder in recent weeks, as they point to falling EV sales and struggles in the trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has taken direct aim at Canada’s auto sector.

Several provincial leaders at the meeting of premiers in Huntsville, Ont., have called on Carney’s government to back off the mandate, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who said it should be scrapped because companies will not be able to meet the targets.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has also called for its removal as part of a suite of changes she wants to see to the Liberals’ federal climate policies.

Under the mandate,

which the Liberals formalized in 2023

, all new vehicle sales in Canada must be zero-emission by 2035, starting with a target of reaching 20 per cent by 2026 and then increasing to 60 per cent by 2030.

It was introduced as a way to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, which, next to the oil and gas sector, is a major contributor to Canadian carbon emissions.

Since its introduction, the mandate has been challenged by a

dramatic drop in sales from 2024

, which proponents attribute to Ottawa’s decision earlier in the year to halt its purchase incentive, which it has committed to reintroduce, but with no firm timeline.

Dabrusin, whom Carney appointed to the role back in May, has been meeting with the industry to discuss the matter, given that it falls within her portfolio. It followed a sit-down the

prime minister had with the CEOs of automakers

Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, where they discussed the ongoing trade war with the U.S.

Brian Kingston, CEO and president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association, which represents the three major automakers, attended the meeting with Carney earlier in the month. The association also recently met with Dabrusin.

He says while the government recognizes there is a challenge with EV sales and meeting the current targets, what remains unclear is what it intends to do next.

“Minister Dabrusin and Environment Canada seem to be committed to having an (electric vehicle) mandate in place, and we continue to make the case to them that there are no changes that you could make to this mandate that will solve the current situation that we’re in,” he told National Post, on a call while he attended the premiers meeting in Ontario’s cottage country.

Any changes the government might consider would take time to implement, he said, adding that there was “deep frustration” within the industry as it must decide how to meet the upcoming targets, with one option being to restrict sales of internal combustion engine vehicles.

“This is urgent,” Kingston said. “This isn’t a tomorrow problem.”

Under the policy, companies could earn credits either by selling zero-emission vehicles, which include plug-in hybrids or ones powered by hydrogen, purchasing credits from another electric vehicle maker, or spending money on building out charging infrastructure.

Should they fail to meet the targets, they could face penalties under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

“The environment minister does not want to scrap the mandate— that was made very clear to us, and that is extremely problematic for the industry. That option cannot be off the table. It is the most effective and fastest way to address this current problem,” Kingston said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Dabrusin said the policy was implemented to give Canadians access “to affordable zero-emission vehicles to fight climate change with Canadian innovation.”

“The standard is currently in place, and we are continuing to meaningfully engage with industry and explore flexibility to make sure that our measures reflect (the) times we are in,” spokesperson Jenna Ghassabeh wrote.

Flavio Vlope, president of the

Association of Automotive Component Manufac

turers, who was also at the premiers’ gathering, said he had spoken to around half a dozen ministers regarding the mandate and that the government was consulting “heavily” with industry.

With the environment minister not appearing to entertain the question of scrapping the targets, he said the “pressure is on” Dabrusin’s department to make them “mean something.”

“Because right now, all they mean is a setup for failure,” he said.

“There are lots of ways to help the industry here move along the immutable march to electrification, but as currently configured, all it does is punish them, and nobody needs religion right now.”

He added that any change to the mandate would ultimately need Carney’s approval.

“The prime minister is a student of math, and this should be a very easy case to make,” Volpe said. “Ministers, including the minister responsible, are more in the weeds with other stakeholders.”

“The challenge for them is to make a distinction between which stakeholders employ Canadians in sustainable jobs and which ones are just fans of (electric vehicles).”

Earlier this month, Clean Energy Canada, a climate policy program based out of Simon Fraser University,

released a statement, defending the policy

as being meant for consumers and not industry.

It said that any adjustments the government may consider making should be to “near-term” targets of the policy, while keeping the overall goal, and be coupled with an incentive package to help more Canadians afford these vehicles.

Tim Reuss, president of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association, said there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach that would work when it comes to a mandate, and was encouraged by what he says was “considerable progress” in getting Carney and the Prime Minister’s Office to understand the position of the industry.

“There’s an understanding that something needs to be changed,” he said.

“However, that message does not seem to have fully reached the (environment) minister just yet, because there is still a sense of, ‘no we have to meet our zero-emission target goals’.”

National Post

staylor@postmedia.com

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