(LifeSiteNews) — A journalist working for a news outlet whose owner received millions from the Trudeau government in taxpayer bailouts called for harsher action to be taken against political dissenters.
A journalist with the Winnipeg Free Press, an outlet whose owner, FP Newspapers Inc., received $6.2 million in taxpayer funds from the Trudeau government during COVID, told the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) that “it’s not just enough to freeze bank accounts” of those who “harass” public officials.
The journalist made the statement about an event last week in which a group of citizens heckled and shouted their displeasure at New Democrat Party Leader Jagmeet Singh when he visited a small Ontario town during a campaign stop.
Likening the heckling and protesting of an actively sitting politician to harassment, the journalist stated that more punitive measures need to be taken against those who engage in such behavior so Canadian society can build a system that “promotes healthy dialogue.”
However, during the anti-COVID mandate Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa earlier this year, it was Singh, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who refused to engage in a dialogue with the protesters despite repeated requests. In fact, instead of engaging in respectful conversation with protesters, Singh and Trudeau opted to promulgate a narrative that those demonstrating against the government were “insurrectionists,” “racists,” and “misogynists,” with Singh even falsely accusing them of committing an arson attack that was unrelated to the protest.
These unsubstantiated statements led Trudeau to invoke the never-before-used Emergencies Act, giving his government the power to freeze the private bank accounts of protesters without a court order, and deploy the national police force to physically end the non-violent demonstration against his government.
Since the protest was forcibly ended, Singh and Trudeau have formed a de facto “coalition” government, with Singh promising to support every action taken by Trudeau with the intention of securing him as prime minister until 2025.
Despite Singh pledging support to Trudeau after the use of the Emergencies Act, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said the move was an “unjustifiable” violation of civil rights, and has launched legal action against the Trudeau government.
The Trudeau government is also facing another lawsuit in federal court in September for an alleged violation of civil liberties regarding its still-active vaccine mandate for air, rail and sea travel within the country.
Brian A. Peckford, one of the plaintiffs in the case, is a former Newfoundland premier and the last living drafter of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms found within the Canadian Constitution, a document that contains the precise laws Peckford says Trudeau has violated.