Monthly Archives: April 2020
Anastasia Lin exposes Red China’s human rights abuses
Anastasia Lin exposes Red China’s human rights abuses.
Anastasia Lin won the Miss World Canada title in 2015 and was to represent Canada at the pageant to be held in China but was refused a visa by Chinese authorities and declared persona non grata.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHLTew86v48
The Liberals Contemplate A New Law to Outlaw “Misinformation” About Coronavirus
The Liberals Contemplate A New Law to Outlaw “Misinformation” About Coronavirus
The Canadian Association for Free Expression has warned from the beginning of the Coronavirus hysteria that governments would use this as an opportunity for a power grab and to curtain civil liberties.
We’ve seen people heavily fined for walking their dog in a park or kicking a soccer ball to their child in a park.
Now, the power mad elite is contemplating a law to gag discussion of the Coronavirus crisis, if the discussion contradicts the government’s party line. CBC (April 15, 2020) reports: “The federal government is considering introducing legislation to make it an offence to knowingly spread misinformation that could harm people, says Privy Council President Dominic LeBlanc. He said he has discussed the matter already with other cabinet ministers, including Justice Minister David Lametti. If the government decides to follow through, he said, it could take a while to draft legislation.”
Needless to say the NDP is supportive of restricting free speech. “
NDP MP Charlie Angus said he would support legislation to fight online misinformation.
“Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and it is about protecting the public,” he said.
“This is not a question of freedom of speech. This is a question of people who are actually actively working to spread disinformation, whether it’s through troll bot farms, whether [it’s] state operators or whether it’s really conspiracy theorist cranks who seem to get their kicks out of creating havoc.”
To his credit Conservative leader Andrew Scheer has spoken out strongly against this totalitarian power grab. “
“We’re concerned when this government starts talking about free speech issues,” Scheer told reporters at a news conference Thursday. “They’ve got a terrible history over the past few years of proposing ideas that would infringe upon free speech.”
“Any time this government starts talking about regulating what people can say and not say, we start off the conversation with a great deal of healthy skepticism,” Scheer added, pointing out that the government has changed its pandemic messaging on travel restrictions and the use of masks.”
Mr. Scheer is hinting at the fact the Sinophile government has spread a good deal of false news itself. Faithfully parroting the Red Chinese propaganda line, they early denounced any calls for a travel ban or restrictions on visitors from Red China and pooh poohed the usefulness of face masks.
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Federal government open to new law to fight pandemic misinformation
It’s one of several measures the government is considering to counter fake news about the virus online
Elizabeth Thompson · CBC News · Posted: Apr 15, 2020 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: 2 hours ago
The federal government is considering introducing legislation to make it an offence to knowingly spread misinformation that could harm people, says Privy Council President Dominic LeBlanc.
LeBlanc told CBC News he is interested in British MP Damian Collins’s call for laws to punish those responsible for spreading dangerous misinformation online about the COVID-19 pandemic.
LeBlanc said he has discussed the matter already with other cabinet ministers, including Justice Minister David Lametti. If the government decides to follow through, he said, it could take a while to draft legislation.
“Legislatures and Parliaments are meeting scarcely because of the current context of the pandemic, so it’s not a quick solution, but it’s certainly something that we would be open [to] as a government,” said LeBlanc.
NDP MP Charlie Angus said he would support legislation to fight online misinformation.
‘Cranks … creating havoc’
“Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures and it is about protecting the public,” he said.
“This is not a question of freedom of speech. This is a question of people who are actually actively working to spread disinformation, whether it’s through troll bot farms, whether [it’s] state operators or whether it’s really conspiracy theorist cranks who seem to get their kicks out of creating havoc.”
Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer criticized the idea of using legislation to curb misinformation.
“We’re concerned when this government starts talking about free speech issues,” Scheer told reporters at a news conference Thursday. “They’ve got a terrible history over the past few years of proposing ideas that would infringe upon free speech.”
“Any time this government starts talking about regulating what people can say and not say, we start off the conversation with a great deal of healthy skepticism,” Scheer added, pointing out that the government has changed its pandemic messaging on travel restrictions and the use of masks.
The comments come as governments around the world struggle to curb dangerous misinformation and disinformation circulating about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Collins, who chaired an international committee on big data, privacy and democracy in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, said at the outset of the pandemic that much of the misinformation and disinformation in circulation was promoting fake cures for COVID-19 or offering tips on how to avoid catching it.
More recently, said Collins, the misinformation has shifted to conspiracy theories about what triggered the pandemic — claims that it was cooked up in a lab, for example. A conspiracy theory claiming the disease is caused by 5G wireless signals prompted attacks on wireless towers in the U.K.
The British government has set up a rapid response team to correct false information circulating online. Collins has launched a fact-checking site called Infotagion, along with Angus and Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith, among others.
‘Maliciously’ spreading lies
Collins is calling for legislation to combat online disinformation, perhaps modelled on Germany’s laws governing online hate speech or France’s legislation countering disinformation during election campaigns.
“It’s such a serious public emergency that I think for someone to knowingly, willingly and at scale and maliciously spread this content should be an offence,” he said.
“And equally for the tech companies, if it is highlighted to [them] that someone is doing this and they don’t act against them doing it, then it should be an offence for them to have failed to act — they would have failed in their duty of care.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government set up an elaborate system to watch out for attempts to disrupt last year’s federal election through disinformation, including a committee that brought together several departments and a special group chaired by the clerk of the Privy Council to sound the alarm.
Opportunistic criminals
The Communications Security Establishment (CSE) has been monitoring what’s happening online during the pandemic, and has helped to remove fake sites set up by cybercriminals.
“Opportunistic cyber threat actors are attempting to take advantage of Canadians’ heightened levels of concern and legitimate fears around COVID-19,” said CSE spokesperson Ryan Foreman. “They are trying to spread misinformation and scam Canadians out of their money or private data.
“COVID-19 has presented cybercriminals and fraudsters with an effective lure to encourage victims to visit fake web sites, open email attachments and click on text message links. These emails typically impersonate health organizations, and can even pretend to be from the government of Canada.”
Health Canada has the lead on monitoring for misinformation. For example, it is sending compliance letters to companies it finds making false or questionable claims about COVID-19.
“It’s really the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada that have been, amongst other things, identifying as best as possible some of the more flagrant examples of misinformation, disinformation,” said LeBlanc.
Last week, the Canadian Heritage department announced $3 million in grants to eight groups across the country to combat “false and misleading COVID-19 information.”
LeBlanc admits that while the government’s previous work leading up to the election made Canadians more aware of online misinformation and disinformation, the structures that it set up were designed with an election campaign in mind.
“I think governments around the world were caught, to some extent, by surprise in terms of the rapidity by which the pandemic spread,” LeBlanc said, adding that the online misinformation emerged as quickly as the pandemic itself.
“So governments in Canada, and I say governments plural … were forced to stand up very quickly a bunch of measures. I think we’ve done, comparatively, in Canada very well.”
Angus said the speed of COVID-19’s spread left the government without a game plan. Now, he said, it should set up a team to fight misinformation about the virus.
“I think it would be reasonable to enact with the RCMP, with our security officials and some public officials, a team to monitor disinformation and have the power to shut it down so it does not interfere with the efforts of our frontline medical workers,” said Angus.
“We need to be taking all measures right now because we don’t know how long we’re going to be in this crisis.”
With files from Katie Nicholson and Jason Ho.
Elizabeth Thompson can be reached at elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca
REPORT ON “NO MORE LOCKDOWNS” PROTEST IN VANCOUVER CENSORED FROM YOU TUBE AFTER 2-MILLION VIEWS.
REPORT ON “NO MORE LOCKDOWNS” PROTEST IN VANCOUVER CENSORED FROM YOU TUBE AFTER 2-MILLION VIEWS.
Twitter threats made to videographer Dan Dicks of Press for Truth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCMEku1_jSc&feature=youtu.be
Idaho Physician Theatens to Deny Care to Coronavirus Dissidents
Officials’ comments threaten others’ health
April 5, 2020 1:00 AM
Ms. Scott,
I am sure that you are familiar with the saying “your right to throw a punch stops at my face.”
Fact: Coronavirus is deadly, and cases are present in Bonner and Kootenai counties.
Fact: Health care workers are 200-400% as likely to contract the virus.
Fact: CDC states that social distancing orders and stay at home orders will decrease the number of cases, and particularly, “flatten the curve” so that health care resources are not overwhelmed.
Fact: Models of North Idaho demonstrate that, if unmitigated, resources, particularly ICU beds and ventilators, will be overwhelmed.
Fact: Once overwhelmed, ethics committees have deemed that resources are prioritized based on profession (more specifically health care workers) followed by chance of survival, followed by age. Scarce resources are NOT allocated by political or social status, wealth or “first-served.”
Because you believe that the stay-at-home order is unlawful (which it is not, under state of emergency), and more importantly, have used your public office to encourage others to violate the order, you have put law-abiding citizens, and health care workers at increased risk of infection, hospitalization and death.
As such, your punch has reached my face. It is criminal that you would use your pubic office to threaten the health of your constituents and your local and regional health care workers. Similar to Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, the entire medical staff at Kootenai Health is aware of this reckless behavior.
I realize that the pandemic is not much of a concern to those uneducated people who believe this threat is a “hoax” or “overblown,” but I want you to know that in the unlikely but possible event that either you or Sheriff Wheeler contract the coronavirus, and in the less likely event that you will require hospitalization, and even less likely but possible event that you would require a ventilator, that I, and all of my co-workers take comfort in knowing that, because of your behavior, you have essentially relinquished your claim to any of these potentially scare resources. It’s probably for the better that a ventilator go to a health care provider anyway,
Please re-think your behavior and your actions and rescind your comments and requests. Health care providers are concerned that we have inadequate testing to know which of our patients are infected and inadequate PPE to protect ourselves through a surge. As such we would ask you to think of them/us, rather than yourself at this difficult time. You could possibly use your legislative power to help with the problem, rather than add to it.
DR. ROBERT J. BURNETT MD, FACS, FCCP
Coeur d’Alene
The views expressed in this letter are my own. They are in no way the opinions of Kootenai Health or its medical staff.
Criminal charges laid against man for spreading fake news
As Director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression, I have warned that “coronavirus” will be used as an excuse for restrictions on free speech, state bullying and restriction of our rights, Here’s an example from Soviet South Africa.
Criminal charges laid against man for spreading fake newsn
The Eastern Cape Department of Health has condemned a video doing the rounds on social media where a man is calling on citizens to refuse being tested for Covid-19.
The man, who identifies himself as Stephen Donald Birch from Cape Town says the tests are contaminated.
A criminal charge was laid against Birch on Monday morning.
The spokesperson for the Eastern Cape Department of Health Sizwe Kupelo says they condemn this video spreading fake news.
He says getting tested for the virus is the only way to flatten the curve.
The National death toll for COVID19 rose to 11 on Sunday night.
In the Western Cape, nine patients are currently receiving treatment in ICU.
On Monday, the government rolled out a massive screening and testing programme countrywide.
You Tube in Bed With Red-China Friendly WHO & Bans Content that Questions WHO Party Line
You Tube in Bed With Red-China Friendly WHO & Bans Content that Questions WHO Party Line
As civil liberties erode, Canada must not allow COVID-19 outbreak to infect the rule of law
Skip to Main ContentCBCMenu COVID-19: What you need to know
As civil liberties erode, Canada must not allow COVID-19 outbreak to infect the rule of law
Government can suppress civil liberties in the name of protecting them, but how far will it go?
Joseph Arvay, David Wu · for CBC News Opinion · Posted: Mar 26, 2020 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: March 26
This column is an opinion by Joseph Arvay QC and David Wu, lawyers at Arvay Finlay LLP in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. For more information about CBC’s Opinion section, please see the FAQ.
When the lock-downs started occurring in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei, China, quarantining more than 50 million people, many observers in Western countries thought it impossible for such Draconian measures to be implemented in the democratic West.
Only an authoritarian government could implement such liberty-infringing measures, right?
Yet the premier of Nova Scotia announced strict legal measures Sunday to enforce isolation and social distancing, measures that include fines and even potential imprisonment. He said, “a failure to follow public guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 puts our civil liberties at risk.”
That statement might have struck some as counter-intuitive or something of an oxymoron. We usually see our civil liberties as being a bulwark against state action that seeks to deprive us of our rights and freedoms, such as the right to liberty, and the freedoms to assemble in public places and associate with our friends, families and colleagues. And yet here was a provincial premier claiming that these new laws — laws that would do just that — are in effect civil libertarian measures.
Similar measures to counter COVID-19’s transmission are now in place or expected at all levels of government in Canada: federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal.
Provinces, cities crack down on social distancing rules
- 8 days ago
- 1:59
Provincial and local governments are cracking down on people who are not following social distancing or quarantine rules to try to prevent further spread of COVID-19. 1:59
This raises legitimate legal questions – how far can the state go to erode our civil liberties in the name of protecting them? And where does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,which applies to federal, provincial and municipal laws, stand in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic?
A declaration of a local, provincial, or federal emergency does not in and of itself suspend the operation of the Charter. Our fundamental Charter rights currently remain in place, and all laws and government actions aimed at tackling the pandemic still need to be compliant with the Charter.
- Trudeau leaves door open to using smartphone data to track Canadians’ compliance with pandemic rules
We have no doubt that the measures taken so far by governments – from orders in some provinces to close all non-essential businesses, to the bylaw amendments in some cities to increase fines to up to $50,000 for breaches of emergency orders – are compliant with the Charter, because none of our rights and freedoms are absolute. All can be infringed by laws that “are demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”
These various measures would strike most people as proportionate to achieve the pressing and compelling state objectives of protecting our citizens from a deadly virus. Rights and liberties must sometimes make way in the pursuit of other legitimate societal objectives, like public health.
And such rights and liberties can themselves sometimes be in conflict (for example, one’s right to liberty and association versus another’s right to life and security of the person in the current pandemic).
‘Enough is enough,’ Trudeau toughens talk on isolation
- 8 days ago
- 1:58
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toughened his language around self-isolation and social distancing while considering implementing the Emergencies Act. 1:58
How much further might the government go?
There is now much talk of social unrest. Scuffles have broken out in grocery stores that ran short of items, and on March 19 the London Daily Telegraph reported that, “Food retailers have warned that riots and civil disobedience could break out within weeks if production is unable to keep up with demand.” Meanwhile, gun and ammunition sales in Canada are rising significantly.
Desperate people sometimes take desperate measures. If the COVID-19 pandemic worsens and poses an even greater threat to our society, we can expect government measures increasingly to infringe on our civil liberties if needed to deal with unrest.
Is a total lock-down in our future? Unrestricted state spying or surveillance? Suspension of habeas corpus? Martial law?
It seems safe to say that Canadians are in uncharted territory, and that includes our governments.
Ontario closes all non-essential services to slow COVID-19 spread
- 8 days ago
- 1:51
Ontario Premier Doug Ford ordered all non-essential stores and services to close at the end of Tuesday, to slow the spread of COVID-19. 1:51
Undoubtedly the state will be accused by some of doing too much, and by others of doing too little. Both sides could potentially rely on the Charterto bolster their position.
But the reality is that the Charterwill not hamstring unprecedented government measures that are designed to tackle an unprecedented crisis, as long as such measures can be justified.
What the Chartermandates is proportionality and balance. Particular care needs to be taken not to worsen the already precarious situation of our homeless, prisoners, those seeking refugee status, sex workers, drug addicts and other vulnerable and marginalized communities.
These are, no doubt, very fearful times. But what we hope is not in the cards is a government invoking the “Notwithstanding clause” in section 33 of the Charter. That would mean that there are no restrictions on those governments that decide to enact laws that abolish our legal rights and fundamental freedoms.
That, in our opinion, would be an unnecessary overreaction and a dangerous one.
Let’s not give the COVID-19 virus that power. It is causing enough havoc; let it not infect the rule of law.
- This column is part of CBC’s Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read our FAQ.
About the Author
Joseph Arvay QC is a lawyer at Arvay Finlay LLP in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C.CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News
- 5 days ago
- 5 days ago