U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was increasing tariffs on Canada by an additional 10% &#8220;above what they&#8217;re paying now,&#8221; as he reacted again to an ad by Canada&#8217;s Ontario province, a day after it was aired during the World Series broadcast.
Trump on Thursday ended trade talks with Ottawa over the tariff-related ad, which Trump said was misleading.
Trump announced the higher tariffs in a Truth Social post on Saturday referencing the ad, which features a video of former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican icon, saying that tariffs cause trade wars and economic disaster. The ad had already been running for some days before Trump first reacted to it on Thursday night.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday that after discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario would pause the U.S. ad campaign on Monday so that trade talks could resume.
The advertisement aired Friday during the broadcast for Game 1 of Major League Baseball&#8217;s World Series, in which the Toronto Blue Jays are facing off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD,” Trump posted.
“Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,” he wrote.
Trump posted the message while he was aboard Air Force One on his way to Malaysia, the first stop on a trip through East Asia that will largely focus on trade issues.
The U.S. Commerce Department, the White House and the office of the Canadian prime minister did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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It was not clear what goods would be affected by Trump&#8217;s newly announced tariffs. The majority of Canadian exports to the U.S. are exempt from tariffs because of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that was signed during Trump&#8217;s first term.
The Trump administration in August imposed a 35% tariff on Canadian goods not covered by the USMCA. But Canada&#8217;s economy has suffered from sector tariffs of 50% imposed this year by Trump on steel and aluminum from all countries.
Carney said on Friday that Canada stood ready to resume trade talks with the United States. Trump and Carney will both be at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia, but he told reporters on Air Force One he has no plans to meet with the Canadian leader.
The Canadian prime minister had removed most of Canada&#8217;s retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports imposed by his predecessor, but White House adviser Kevin Hassett said on Friday that Trump was frustrated with Canada and trade talks have not been going well.
The ad by the Ontario government has a voiceover of Reagan criticizing tariffs on foreign goods while saying they cause job losses and trade wars. The video uses five complete sentences from the five-minute weekly address, spliced together out of sequence.
The ad does not mention that Reagan was using the address to explain that tariffs imposed on Japan by his administration should be seen as a sadly unavoidable exception to his basic belief in free trade as the key to prosperity.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward, Valerie Volcovici and Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sergio Non)

US-POLITICS-TRUMP

Trump Sets 10% Hike In Tariffs On Canada After ‘Fake’ Ad That Aired During World Series

Canada

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Mark Carney

Ontario

World

The liberal Canadian premier who launched a $75 million anti-tariff ad campaign in the United States featuring former President Ronald Reagan will yank the effort after pressure from President Donald Trump.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday afternoon that he would pause the ad campaign put out by his administration targeting Americans starting on Monday. That announcement came after Trump on Thursday said he had ended all trade talks with Canada over the ad, calling it an effort to influence American politics.
“Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses,” Ford posted on X. “We&#8217;ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels. I&#8217;ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games.”
Ford said he would “pause [the] U.S. advertising campaign effective Monday so that trade talks can resume” after speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Our intention was always to initiate a conversation about the kind of economy that Americans want to build and the impact of tariffs on workers and businesses. We&#8217;ve achieved our goal, having reached U.S. audiences at the highest levels. I&#8217;ve directed my team to keep putting our…
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) <a href="https://twitter.com/fordnation/status/1981789712516858293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Ontario’s ad featured clips from an April 25, 1987, radio address Reagan gave on free and fair trade. The ad campaign aired in the United States during a playoff baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. Game 1 of the World Series takes place Friday night, featuring the Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.
Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.
Watch our new ad. <a href="https://t.co/SgIVC1cqMJ">pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ</a>
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) <a href="https://twitter.com/fordnation/status/1978779503213052337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump on Thursday said that the ad manipulated Reagan’s words.
“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts. TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Trump’s post followed a statement from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute saying that it was pursuing potential legal options over Ontario’s use of the audio. The foundation encouraged people to watch Reagan’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t5QK03KXPc&amp;t=181s">full remarks</a> on its YouTube channel.

CANADA-G7-SUMMIT-DIPLOMACY

Canada Caves: Ontario To Yank ‘Fake’ Reagan Ad After Pressure From Trump

Free Trade

Politics

Tariffs

World Series

President Donald Trump ended “all trade negotiations” with Canada on Thursday after Ontario’s government recently launched a $75 million anti-tariff ad campaign targeting Americans and featuring former President Ronald Reagan.
The ad campaign aired in the United States during a playoff baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners. Game 1 of the World Series takes place Friday night, featuring the Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It is set to air on major networks across the United States and was developed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his provincial administration. Trump responded to the campaign by accusing Canada of trying to interfere with American politics and abruptly ending trade talks. 
“The Ronald Reagan Foundation has just announced that Canada has fraudulently used an advertisement, which is FAKE, featuring Ronald Reagan speaking negatively about Tariffs,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The ad was for $75,000,000. They only did this to interfere with the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, and other courts. TARIFFS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY, AND ECONOMY, OF THE U.S.A. Based on their egregious behavior, ALL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH CANADA ARE HEREBY TERMINATED.”
Trump’s post followed a statement from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute saying that it was pursuing potential legal options over Ontario’s use of the audio. 
“The ad misrepresents the Presidential Radio Address, and the Government of Ontario did not seek or receive permission to use and edit the remarks,” the foundation said. “We encourage you to watch President Reagan’s unedited video on our YouTube channel.” 
The audio used for the ad came from an April 25, 1987, radio address Reagan gave on free and fair trade. The foundation posted a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t5QK03KXPc&amp;t=181s">link</a> to the full speech on its YouTube channel. Ford’s <a href="https://x.com/fordnation/status/1978779503213052337">ad</a> pulls audio from the speech. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
It’s official: Ontario’s new advertising campaign in the U.S. has launched.
Using every tool we have, we’ll never stop making the case against American tariffs on Canada. The way to prosperity is by working together.
Watch our new ad. <a href="https://t.co/SgIVC1cqMJ">pic.twitter.com/SgIVC1cqMJ</a>
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) <a href="https://twitter.com/fordnation/status/1978779503213052337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;When someone says let&#8217;s impose tariffs on foreign imports, it looks like they&#8217;re doing the patriotic thing by protecting American products and jobs,&#8221; Reagan said in the ad. “High tariffs inevitably lead to retaliation by foreign countries and the triggering of fierce trade wars. Then the worst happens. Markets shrink and collapse, businesses and industry shut down, and millions of people lose their jobs.”
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A Ford spokesman <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-trade-negotiations-tariffs-ontario-ad-9.6951469" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the audio was pulled from the public domain.  
&#8220;Reagan knew and spoke directly to Americans that tariffs hurt the U.S. economy, workers and families. He was a strong supporter of free and fair trade between Canada and America,&#8221; the spokesman said. 
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on Trump’s tariffs on November 5. Trump on Friday again praised his tariffs, saying that they were making the country prosperous. 
“THE UNITED STATES IS WEALTHY, POWERFUL, AND NATIONALLY SECURE AGAIN, ALL BECAUSE OF TARIFFS! THE MOST IMPORTANT CASE EVER IS IN THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT,” he wrote on Truth Social.
On Friday, Ford said Ontario would pause its ad campaign effective Monday &#8220;so that trade talks can resume.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;ve directed my team to keep putting our message in front of Americans over the weekend so that we can air our commercial during the first two World Series games,&#8221; he said.

Trump Pulls Plug On Canada Trade Talks Over ‘Fake’ Ad Featuring Ronald Reagan

Economy

Executive

Ronald Reagan

Canada backed down from its threat to impose a 25% surcharge on electricity coming into the Unites States after President Donald Trump said he would double tariffs on Canada&#8217;s steel and aluminum products.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday that he had agreed to suspend the electricity import surcharge after speaking with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, which the two called a &#8220;productive conversation&#8221; in a joint statement.
Ford and Lutnick said they plan to meet on Thursday to discuss renewing the trade deal between the United States, Canada, and Mexico that Trump signed during his first term ahead of April 2, when the United States plans to impose <a href="https://x.com/fordnation/status/1899531171622522925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reciprocal tariffs</a> on almost every country.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trump ripped Canada in a post on Truth Social, saying new 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum would take effect Wednesday morning.
Ontario supplies electricity to Minnesota, New York, and Michigan. Trump said he would declare a national emergency for the areas Ontario is targeting with the electricity surcharge.
“Why would our Country allow another Country to supply us with electricity, even for a small area? Who made these decisions, and why? And can you imagine Canada stooping so low as to use ELECTRICITY, that so affects the life of innocent people, as a bargaining chip and threat? They will pay a financial price for this so big that it will be read about in History Books for many years to come!” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114144501101999196">posted</a>.
He also threatened to “substantially increase” tariffs on Canadian cars next month unless Canada drops its “other egregious, long time Tariffs.” He demanded Canada drop its “Anti-American Farmer Tariff” on various U.S. dairy products, which he said has “long been considered outrageous.”
Trump said Canada pays “very little” for national security and relies on the United States for military protection.
“We are subsidizing Canada to the tune of more than 200 Billion Dollars a year. WHY??? This cannot continue,” Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114144217763824399">said</a>.
Trump said the &#8220;only thing that makes sense&#8221; is for Canada to become &#8220;our cherished Fifty First State.&#8221; The president added that the country&#8217;s &#8220;brilliant anthem, &#8216;O Canada'&#8221; can continue to play representing a &#8220;great and powerful state.&#8221;
Previously, Ford had vowed to maintain an aggressive approach.
“I will not hesitate to increase this charge. If the United States escalates, I will not hesitate to shut the electricity off completely,” Ford said at a news conference in Toronto.
Mark Carney, who was just elected on Sunday to replace Justin Trudeau as party leader and Canada’s prime minister also said Canada would keep tariffs in place until Americans “show us respect.”
“President Trump’s latest tariffs are an attack on Canadian workers, families, and businesses,” Carney posted on X.
“My government will ensure our response has maximum impact in the US and minimal impact here in Canada, while supporting the workers impacted. My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade,” Carney said.
Trump has imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China to pressure them to stop the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl into the United States.

President Trump Swears In Howard Lutnick As Commerce Secretary

Canada Backs Down On Electricity Surcharge After Trump Tariff Threats

Commerce Department

Howard Lutnick

Trump Administration

<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus-jordan-peterson?utm_campaign=peterson&amp;utm_medium=paid&amp;utm_source=bing&amp;utm_content=na_subscriptions&amp;cid=peterson&amp;mid=b&amp;xid=0&amp;utm_term=Jordan%20Peterson%20Daily%20Wire&amp;utm_campaign=&amp;utm_source=bing&amp;utm_medium=ppc&amp;hsa_acc=6411461344&amp;hsa_cam=440230234&amp;hsa_grp=1327112046299949&amp;hsa_ad=&amp;hsa_src=o&amp;hsa_tgt=kwd-82945323862515:loc-190&amp;hsa_kw=Jordan%20Peterson%20Daily%20Wire&amp;hsa_mt=e&amp;hsa_net=adwords&amp;hsa_ver=3&amp;msclkid=249a547e8dc51278bad737cade4b0e13&amp;_gl=1*1941l1r*_ga*MjY0NDcyNDU3LjE2ODA4OTUyNjA.*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTY4Nzg3OTQyNS4zNjkuMS4xNjg3ODgxMjYyLjEyLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is confronting a Canadian regulator in court over a demand that he undergo &#8220;remedial&#8221; social media training or face losing his psychologist license.
In November, the College of Psychologists of Ontario levied accusations that Peterson “may have lacked professionalism” in some of his social media posts. The government-backed regulator, which governs the psychology profession in the province, ordered Peterson to undergo “social media communications retraining,” that includes “coaching” for his Twitter commentary, or potentially have his license suspended.
The best-selling author and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daily Wire+</a> host blasted the effort to remove his license and accused the regulator of trying to suppress free speech.
Peterson also said he would not participate in the process.
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BREAKING: the Ontario College of Psychologists @CPOntario has demanded that I submit myself to mandatory social-media communication retraining with their experts for, among other crimes, retweeting <a href="https://twitter.com/PierrePoilievre?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PierrePoilievre</a> and criticizing <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustinTrudeau</a> and his political allies.
&mdash; Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1610307938438053888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
On Wednesday, Peterson got his day in court.
Peterson has accused the regulator of going after him repeatedly since 2017, when his public profile began to grow. He now has a huge audience of 15 million followers across YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
“I was never investigated for anything for the 20 years I practiced prior to my emergence on the public scene,” Peterson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dr-jordan-peterson-lashes-out-at-canadas-commissars-after-board-threatens-his-medical-license" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Peterson&#8217;s legal team asked a three-judge panel in a packed Toronto court to overturn the regulator&#8217;s decision requiring him to undergo the remedial training.
“Tweeting on topics of socio-political interest is, in this day and age, a core aspect of free expression,” his legal team argued, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/06/21/in-a-toronto-court-jordan-peterson-fights-for-his-right-to-tweet-his-mind.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to court documents. “The decision must therefore be set aside.”
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Peterson himself did not attend the day-long court hearing.
Some of Peterson&#8217;s offenses, according to the regulator, include retweeting Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre’s criticism of Trudeau, criticizing a former senior Trudeau aide, and expressing opposition to the idea of the Ottawa police taking custody of the children of Trucker Convoy protesters.
Other supposed offenses do not involve direct criticism of the Canadian government, such as Peterson saying on Joe Rogan’s podcast that accepting radical gender theory is a sign of “civilizations collapsing,” calling climate change models unreliable, and criticizing Sports Illustrated for putting a plus-sized swimsuit model on the cover.
Peterson also previously criticized a Canadian law that criminalized using the incorrect pronouns for trans-identifying people.
His legal team argued that the regulator took Peterson&#8217;s social media comments out of context.
“Some were sarcastic jokes; others were made in salty exchanges; and others needed to be read together with Dr. Peterson’s fuller explanations of them. Many of the comments were made on Twitter, which is an environment that does not allow for nuanced exposition.”
Attorneys for the College of Psychologists counter-argued that the regulator is not &#8220;meaningfully&#8221; limiting Peterson&#8217;s freedom of expression and said the remedial training is not punitive.
“Members are required to uphold the standards and ethics of the profession and they remain subject to the regulation of their professional body for as long as they remain members,” the psychology regulator&#8217;s legal team <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2023/06/21/in-a-toronto-court-jordan-peterson-fights-for-his-right-to-tweet-his-mind.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>.
The Canadian Constitution Foundation appeared in court on Wednesday to voice support for Peterson.
The Foundation said it <a href="https://theccf.ca/dr-jordan-peterson-hearing-today/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">argued</a> that “professional regulators may not regulate off-duty conduct unless they can establish a clear nexus between that specific conduct and the legitimate interest of the profession.&#8221; Regulators also have a &#8220;heightened duty&#8221; to make sure they protect freedom of expression, the Foundation argued.
In January, Peterson wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sounding the alarm on the danger of the Canadian government going after political critics.
“I simply cannot resign myself to the fact that in my lifetime I am required to resort to a public letter to the leader of my country to point out that political criticism has now become such a crime in Canada that if professionals dare engage in such activity, government-appointed commissars will threaten their livelihood and present them with the spectacle of denouncement and political disgrace,” Peterson wrote.
“There is simply and utterly no excuse whatsoever for such a state of affairs in a free country,” he added.
The court has reserved its decision, according to multiple outlets.

Jordan Peterson

Jordan Peterson Battles Canadian Regulator In Court Over Threat To Strip His Psychologist License

Social Issues

This article was originally published by the <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/my-critics-have-weaponized-the-college-of-psychologists-disciplinary-process-for-political-reasons">National Post</a> in Canada.
The practice of psychology in Ontario, and in many other North American and western jurisdictions, is subject to regulation by “professional colleges” — essentially governmental organizations with a mandate to protect the public from misconduct on the part of physicians, lawyers, social workers, dentists, pharmacists, teachers, architects and many others, including (and most relevant to me) clinical psychologists.
Anyone anywhere in the world can levy a complaint to these regulatory bodies for any reason, regardless of whether the complainant has had any direct contact with the professional in question. The respective colleges have the responsibility to determine whether each complaint is serious and credible enough to warrant further investigation. Complaints can be deemed vexatious or frivolous and dispensed with. When the college decides to move forward, it is a serious move, essentially equivalent to a lawsuit. The <a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/ontario-college-of-psychologists-jordan-peterson-social-media">Ontario College of Psychologists</a> in fact recommends legal counsel under such conditions.
The Ontario College of Psychologists has levied a multitude of such lawsuits against me since my rise to public prominence six years ago (although none at all in the 20 years or so I practised as a psychologist before that). These have multiplied as of late, and now number more than a dozen. This may seem like a lot (and “where there’s smoke there’s fire,” or so people think), but I might point out that it is difficult to communicate with as many people as I do and to say anything of substance without rubbing at least a few of them the wrong way now and then.
For my crimes, I have been sentenced to a course of mandatory social media communication training with the college’s so-called experts (although social media communication training is not a scientific and certainly not a clinical specialty of any standing). I am to do this at my own expense (some hundreds of dollars per hour) and for a length of time that is to be determined only by those retraining me and profiting from doing so. How will this be determined? When those very re-educators — those experts — have convinced themselves that I have learned my lesson and will behave properly in the future.
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It&#39;s worse than you think in Canada <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a>. Regulated professionals are now terrified into silence by their respective colleges. This means they are no longer able to say what they believe to be true. And who needs that from their lawyers, physicians &#8212; or psychologists? <a href="https://t.co/sWvIPVHU0e">https://t.co/sWvIPVHU0e</a>
&mdash; Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1610360115693060096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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If I agree to this, then I must admit that I have been unprofessional in my conduct, and to have that noted publicly, even as the college insists that I am not required to admit to any wrongdoing. If I refuse — and I have (of course) refused — the next step is a mandatory public disciplinary session/inquiry and the possible suspension of my clinical licence (all of which will be also announced publicly).
I should also point out that the steps already taken constitute the second most serious possible response to my transgressions on the part of the college. I have been placed in the category of repeat offender, with high risk of further repetition.
What exactly have I done that is so seriously unprofessional that I am now a danger not only to any new potential clients but to the public itself? It is hard to tell with some of the complaints (one involved the submission of the entire transcript of a three-hour discussion on the Joe Rogan podcast), but here are some examples that might produce some reasonable concern among Canadians who care about such niceties as freedom of belief, conscience and speech:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">I retweeted a comment made by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre about the unnecessary severity of the COVID lockdowns;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">I criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">I criticized Justin Trudeau’s former chief of staff, Gerald Butts;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">I criticized an Ottawa city councillor; and</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">I made a joke about the prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.</li>
</ul>
I did all that “disrespectfully,” by the way, in a “horrific” manner that spread “misinformation”; that was “threatening” and “harassing”; that was “embarrassing to the profession.” I am also (these are separate offenses) sexist, transphobic, incapable of the requisite body positivity in relationship to morbid obesity and, unforgivably of all, a climate change denialist.
Every single one of these accusations (and now accepted evidence of my professional misconduct) is independent of my clinical practice — which, by the way, has been suspended since 2017, when my rising notoriety or fame made continuing as a private therapist practically and ethically impossible. Every single accusation is not only independent of my clinical practice, but explicitly political — and not only that: unidirectionally explicitly political. Every single thing I have been sentenced to correction for saying is insufficiently Leftist, politically. I’m simply too classically liberal — or, even more unforgivably — conservative.
For criticizing our prime minister and his cronies and peers, for retweeting Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the official Opposition in Canada, and for holding and for daring to express reprehensible political views, I have now been convicted by the College of Psychologists of “harming” people in some manner serious enough to justify my forced re-education. Now that I have refused, I will definitely face further exceptionally public, demanding, time-consuming and expensive disciplinary action, including the suspension of my licence. This, despite the fact that none of the people whose complaints are being currently pursued were ever clients of mine, or even knew clients of mine, or even knew or were acquainted with any of the people they claim I am harming. This, despite the fact (and please attend to this) that half the people who levied such complaints falsely claimed that they had in fact been or currently are clients of mine.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
To clarify: it&#39;s been decided: I either submit to social media communication retraining or face a disciplinary hearing and possible suspension of my clinical license and the right to represent myself as a psychologist <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a> @CPOntario <a href="https://t.co/qmsje8flyN">https://t.co/qmsje8flyN</a>
&mdash; Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) <a href="https://twitter.com/jordanbpeterson/status/1610391120403468292?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2023</a></blockquote>
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It may be of some interest to note that I wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week, informing him of this situation. Here is the letter, for public consideration — which by necessity repeats some of what I have just covered in this introduction:
<blockquote>Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:
I thought it my duty to inform you and your office of the following proceedings against me. 
The Ontario College of Psychologists, the provincial government-mandated and supported professional body charged with regulating the practice of clinical psychology, is requiring that I undergo a lengthy course of “media training” so that I “more appropriately” conduct my online communication. This is occurring, by the way, despite my 20 years as a research psychologist at Harvard University and the University of Toronto (with an unblemished behavioural reputation), my extensive clinical experience and my history of bringing psychological knowledge to people around the world.
Some 15-million people currently follow me on three main social media platforms, and the overwhelming majority of them appear to regard my words and the particular manner in which I formulate them as interesting, helpful and productive — some real evidence to the contrary with regard to the college’s accusations. 
I have rejected this forced re-education request, and will in consequence soon be required to appear in front of an in-person “disciplinary hearing” to bring me into line — with the threat of the revocation of my clinical licence, and the public exposure and implied disgrace that would accompany that, hanging over my head. 
It may be of interest to you to note that all of the complaints against me: (1) were brought by people with whom I had zero clinical contact; (2) have nothing whatsoever to do with my function as a clinical psychologist (except in the broadest possible public sense); and, most importantly with regard to this letter, (3) that half of them involve nothing more than political criticisms of you or the people around you (with all the remainder being complaints generated because I dared state some essentially conservative philosophical beliefs). 
As the enclosed documentation indicates, I am being investigated and disciplined for, among a few other reasons not germane to my present communication with you:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">retweeting Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s official Opposition;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">criticizing you, your former chief of staff Gerald Butts, New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern and an Ottawa city councillor; and</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">objecting to the Ottawa police threatening to apprehend the children of the trucker convoy protesters.</li>
</ul>
I am not suggesting or even presuming that you or any of the people associated with you had anything directly to do with this. However, the fact that it is happening (and that physicians and lawyers have become as terrified as psychologists now are of their own regulatory bodies) is something that has definitely happened on your watch, as a consequence of your own conduct and the increasingly compulsion-based and ideologically pure policies that you have promoted and legislated.
I simply cannot resign myself to the fact that in my lifetime I am required to resort to a public letter to the leader of my country to point out that political criticism has now become such a crime in Canada that if professionals dare engage in such activity, government-appointed commissars will threaten their livelihood and present them with the spectacle of denouncement and political disgrace.
There is simply and utterly no excuse whatsoever for such a state of affairs in a free country. 
Jordan B Peterson, PhD, C. Psych (for now)
Professor emeritus, University of Toronto</blockquote>
Why should Canadians who read this care? Perhaps those reading in this country (and elsewhere) might ask themselves the following questions — and in all seriousness, painful as it might be do so; requiring as it does the almost unbelievable admission that something has gone dreadfully wrong in our lovely country:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What makes you think that something similar won’t happen to you, or to someone you know and respect or even love?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What makes you think you are going to continue to be able to communicate honestly with your physicians, lawyers and psychologists (and representatives of many other regulated professions) if they are now so terrified of their regulatory boards that they can no longer tell you the truth?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What are your children going to be taught when all their teachers (that’s a regulated profession, too) are so afraid of the woke mob that they swallow all the ideological lies that are now required of pedagogues — regardless if they believe what they are saying?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Where are we going to be if we allow criticism of the public figures charged with the privilege of our governance to be grounds for the demolition of not only the critic’s reputation but their very livelihood?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How far are we willing to go down this road, without forthright resistance?</li>
</ul>
In any case: I’m not complying. I’m not submitting to re-education. I am not admitting that my viewpoints — many of which have, by the way, been entirely justified by the facts that have emerged since the complaints were levied — were either wrong or unprofessional. I’m going to say what I have to say, and let the chips fall where they will. I have done nothing to compromise those in my care; quite the contrary — I have served all my clients and the millions of people I am communicating with to the best of my ability and in good faith, and that’s that.
And to the College of Psychologists, I issue this challenge: I am absolutely willing to make every single word of this legal battle fully public, so that the issue of my professional competence and my right to say what I have to say and stand by my words can be fought in full daylight. I would and could post all the correspondence with and accusations levied by those who complained about me and the college itself public, and will do so, if the college agrees. But I can’t, on legal grounds justified in normal times but rendered specious by the dominion of the politically correct and radical. I can’t, because of this, and because it is not in the interest of the college or the complainants they are sheltering and abetting to allow it. They’ll cite confidentiality concerns for their refusal, because it’s 100 percent OK for them to come after me publicly while they and those who complained hide cravenly and cowardly behind a wall of self-serving and self-protective silence.
And this of course does little but embolden those who have learned to weaponize college disciplinary processes, and to give the accuser and his or her lackeys the upper hand, practically and legally. And such weaponization risks placing all our once justly trusted institutions firmly in the hands of those willing and able to manipulate them for reasons both political and personal.
The sad and sorry state of this once-great Dominion at the dawn of 2023 … and it’s still going to get worse before it gets better.
<a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson</a> is a clinical psychologist and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1998 he served as assistant and then associate professor of psychology at Harvard. He is the international bestselling author of Maps of Meaning, 12 Rules For Life, and Beyond Order. You can now <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/the-jordan-b-peterson-podcast">listen</a> to or <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/watch/jordan-peterson">watch</a> his popular lectures on DailyWire+.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

JP_FOR_DW_GDWOODMAN045

Jordan Peterson: I Will Risk My Licence To Escape Social Media Re-Education

Justin Trudeau

Readers Pass

Rising <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hockey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ice hockey</a> star Eli Palfreyman collapsed after playing a game with his team in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ontario" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ontario</a>, and was later pronounced dead after being transported to the hospital. He was 20 years-old.
The 2nd year player with the Ayr Centennials of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League took to the ice Tuesday with his team at the Ayr Farmers Mutual Global Invitational tournament game at the North Dumfries Community Complex, <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2022/09/01/canadian-hockey-star-eli-palfreyman-dead-collapsing-tournament-game-ayr-centennials/?adid=social-twa">TMZ</a> reported.
During the tournament’s first intermission, Palfreyman was in the locker room with his teammates and collapsed,  where &#8220;members of the community assisted the individual until emergency services attended,&#8221; the outlet noted.
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Rising junior ice hockey star Eli Palfreyman died after he collapsed during a preseason tournament game in Ontario on Tuesday. <a href="https://t.co/he3Wf2rGad">https://t.co/he3Wf2rGad</a>
&mdash; TMZ (@TMZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/1565373761217503235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Waterloo Regional Police officers then responded to the scene after receiving a medical emergency call. Palfreyman was then transported to Cambridge Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
An official cause of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/death">death</a> has yet to be released.
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❤️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RIP17?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RIP17</a> ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/FEOlFl0yWQ">pic.twitter.com/FEOlFl0yWQ</a>
&mdash; Ayr Centennials (@AyrCentennials) <a href="https://twitter.com/AyrCentennials/status/1565028155211096067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The Ayr Centennials’ official Twitter account on Wednesday posted a message about Palfreyman showing two different images of his jersey. It captioned the post, &#8220;#RIP17.&#8221;
The team also released a statement obtained by the outlet that read, &#8220;Thank you all for the outpouring of love for our beloved captain and beautiful young man Eli.&#8221;
&#8220;Words cannot describe how much it means to his family/Cens family,&#8221; the statement added. &#8220;We are all broken but feel your arms around us #RIP17 .&#8221;
Eli had recently been named captain of the team for the new season and a video on Instagram showed just how excited he was. In the video, we hear Palfreymann call it an &#8220;honor&#8221; and more to be named captain as he shared his hope for the upcoming season of hockey with his team.
WATCH:
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The caption next to the post read, &#8220;Cool moment inside the [ayrcentennials] locker room last night with [lilkawalec] presenting [eli.palfreyman] with the captain jersey! Palfreyman will lead the Cens into the 2022-23 GOJHL season.&#8221;
The junior hockey league also announced that it has postponed all games scheduled for this week “out of respect for Eli and his family,&#8221; the outlet noted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-nba-player-caleb-swanigan-dead-at-25">Former NBA Player Caleb Swanigan Dead At 25</a>

Hockey Image-2

Rising Hockey Star Collapses And Dies After Game At Age 20

Death

Hockey

Sports

A top <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canadas-justin-trudeau-mocked-over-new-haircut-draws-comparison-to-dumb-and-dumber/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canadian politician</a> swallowed a bee while speaking to reporters Friday, and went right on waxing about health care policy.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was taking questions from reporters in Dundalk when the insect flew into his mouth and went down the hatch, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-swallows-bee-1.6549613?cmp=DM_Display_PopularNow_CBCToronto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CBC</a>. The voluble politician laughed it off – after trying in vain to expel the honeymaker.
&#8220;Holy Christ, I just swallowed a bee,&#8221; Ford said as he coughed violently.
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Doug Ford swallows bee during live news conference<a href="https://t.co/SPPkAvmjqF">https://t.co/SPPkAvmjqF</a> <a href="https://t.co/SQVxkQoEGH">pic.twitter.com/SQVxkQoEGH</a>
&mdash; CP24 (@CP24) <a href="https://twitter.com/CP24/status/1558133274815373312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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He took a long pull from a water bottle and then quipped: &#8220;This is going to be played over and over again.&#8221;
As the audience watched with concern, Ford seemed to be in discomfort.
&#8220;Sorry guys. The little bugger got away in there,&#8221; he said.
When someone asked if he was okay to resume his speech, Ford said he was.
 &#8220;I&#8217;m OK. It&#8217;s buzzing in there,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Man, he went right down the hatch.&#8221;
Ford finally recovered and resumed his speech about health care, saying he will “get creative” in considering how it can be delivered, including potential further privatization.
After winding down, Ford still had the bee in his belly and on his mind.
&#8220;This is a good one … I can&#8217;t remember what we were talking about. I&#8217;ll be rushing to the hospital to get this bee out of here,&#8221; he said.
The bee &#8220;is working hard building a hive down there,&#8221; he added as the news conference ended. &#8220;That sucker is still buzzing away.&#8221;
The 57-year-old Ford, who was elected in 2018, is the older brother of the late Rob Ford, the colorful onetime mayor of Toronto who battled crack cocaine and alcohol addiction before dying of cancer in 2016.

Screen Shot 2022-08-12 at 3.37.01 PM

WATCH: Politician Swallows Bee While Speaking To Reporters

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said on Friday he was declaring a state of emergency in his province. Ford stated, &#8220;Today, I’m using my authority as Premier of Ontario to declare a state of emergency in our province, and I will convene Cabinet to use legal authorities to urgently enact orders that will make crystal clear it is illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people and services along critical infrastructure.”
Before Ford’s announcement, protesters had opened a lane for Canada-bound traffic at Ambassador Bridge, CBC reported.
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Protesters open one lane for Canada-bound traffic at Ambassador Bridge. Protesters say move is a show of their good faith ahead of an expected announcement on the blockade by the Ontario premier, and a court hearing on an injunction application. <a href="https://t.co/0wSPYJshnE">https://t.co/0wSPYJshnE</a>
&mdash; CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCAlerts/status/1492155887615725572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Ford began by defending the actions of the government during the coronavirus pandemic, saying, “Faced with an unprecedented threat to our health and safety; faced with the very real prospect of patients being turned away from overwhelmed hospitals; faced with consequences of inaction, this virus has consistently forced us to make decisions that no one wanted to make. Looking at where we are right now and how far we’ve come pushing Omicron back, there’s no doubt these were the right decisions. There’s no doubt they protected our hospitals from collapse and saved lives.”
He tried to assuage the public, asserting, “Today, we’re on track to very soon almost remove almost all restrictions for businesses as part of our reopening plan.”
“People are frustrated, they’re scared, they’re angry,” he said. After lauding Canada’s “right to free speech,” he continued, “But, with all rights, these are not without reasonable limits. Our economy in Ontario is built on trade, especially with our partners in the United States. The Ambassador Bridge in Windsor alone sees more than $700 million of two-way trade every single day.”
After stating that jobs were at risk, he said, “We are now two weeks into the siege of Ottawa. I call it a siege because that’s what it is; it’s an illegal occupation; this is no longer a protest. With a protest you peacefully make your point and you go back home.” After referencing the truckers and protesters who had left, he told the remaining truckers and protesters, “Please go home. &#8230;. It’s time to leave.”
Ford stated, “To the very small groups who have chosen to take a different path, to those who’ve chosen to take a city of one million people hostage for the past two weeks, to those who have attempted to disrupt our way of life by targeting our lifeline for food, fuel, and goods across our borders, to those trying to force a political agenda through disruption, intimidation, and chaos, my message to you is this: your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the right of hundreds of thousands of workers to make their living. It does not outweigh our right to get food across our borders.”
“So let me be as clear as I can,” he threatened. “There will be consequences for these actions and they will be severe. We’ve already started by going after the money funding the illegal occupation.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NTZvqqbshWM?start=1044" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Doug Ford

Ontario, Canada, Premier Declares State Of Emergency

Freedom Convoy

When armed police entered the sanctuary of the Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario, last month to evict its parishioners and lock their building, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt had a Bible verse ready to read to them.
Hildebrandt and his church had been publicly tussling for some time with the Ontario government over a <a href="https://covid-19.ontario.ca/zones-and-restrictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">provincial order</a> restricting even outdoor religious gatherings to 10 people. Both congregants and media were therefore present on May 16 to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/may-god-help-us-ontario-christians-pray-for-police-as-they-kick-them-out-of-church-lock-doors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">record</a> when law enforcement showed up during the service with a court order to shut them down.
As the officers made their way toward the front of the church, Hildebrandt read from the <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel%203&amp;version=KJV" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">third chapter</a> of the Book of Daniel, which recounts the story of three Jewish men named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The men, who had been raised in the courts of Babylon, refused to bow before a golden image erected by King Nebuchadnezzar, who decreed that anyone who failed to worship it would be thrown into a fiery furnace.
Reading their response to the arrogant king as his congregation cheered, Hildebrandt directed the words to the officers before praying for them: &#8220;If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.&#8221;
Before God supernaturally delivered them, an enraged Nebuchadnezzar ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tightly bound and tossed into a furnace that had been heated to seven times its normal strength.
&#8220;We Have Had Real Issues&#8221;
The Church of God and its pastors face $183,000 in steadily mounting fines for continuing to congregate. After they were forced out of their building, they began to meet outside. As news of their situation spread internationally, the number of outdoor congregants swelled by the hundreds, and the church was recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ontario-fines-church-66k-for-holding-outdoor-services-after-police-lock-building" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fined</a> $66,000 on top of the $117,000 initially slapped on them.
&#8220;We have had real issues here,&#8221; Hildebrandt told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The government does not want to allow us to gather as the people of God, as the Bible would teach us to do.&#8221;
For the past 14 months, Hildebrandt explained, his church has had &#8220;constant run-ins with the government&#8221; as police have hounded them relentlessly regarding the 10-person limit in Ontario, which has <a href="https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-US&amp;mid=%2Fm%2F05kr_&amp;gl=US&amp;ceid=US%3Aen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">seen</a> 8,931 COVID-19 deaths out of a population of more than 14 million as of Thursday.
&#8220;We&#8217;re doing everything that is within our power to shut [Hildebrandt] down,&#8221; Aylmer Police Chief Zvonko Horvat <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/aylmer-church-doors-locked-1.6028000" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> the CBC. As an officer flung a court summons at Hildebrandt&#8217;s feet in January, he <a href="https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/police-officer-rebukes-aylmer-pastor-who-invoked-god-while-being-charged" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>, “God’s not giving us the problems right now. You are.&#8221; When Ontario Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas finally mandated that Hildebrandt&#8217;s church be locked in May, the judge said he &#8220;hoped his ruling would be an example for the church and others who are considering breaking Ontario laws.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/premier-of-canadian-province-jailing-pastors-caught-violating-own-covid-19-rules-24-times-during-one-dinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Premier Of Canadian Province Jailing Pastors Caught Violating Own COVID-19 Rules 24 Times During One Dinner</a>
&#8220;I think we have somewhat become the lightning rod because we&#8217;re right by the main highway as you come into town and because they dealt with us from last year regarding the drive-in services,&#8221; Hildebrandt said, referencing a <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7625972/church-of-god-aylmer-court-order/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">previous battle</a> with the province. &#8220;I would say that maybe they have no choice but to single us out because we have been openly defying them, not meaning to cause any trouble, but because we were determined that we are going to do what the Bible tells us to do.&#8221;
A small town of approximately 7,500 people, Aylmer lies just north of Lake Erie, about a two-hour drive from both Toronto and Detroit. After migrating to Mexico during the first half of the 20th century, many Canadian Mennonites began to move back to Canada during the 1970s, for which reason towns such as Aylmer have a sizable population of the German-speaking sect. As Hildebrandt describes it, the Church of God is &#8220;just an evangelical Bible-believing church,&#8221; but many of its members are from the Mennonite tradition and follow its customs.
&#8220;They Definitely Have Singled Out Christianity&#8221;
Hildebrandt&#8217;s church and the tiny town of Aylmer have received international attention since their building was locked, but he notes that mainstream Canadian media are not particularly sympathetic.
&#8220;Of course the mainstream media is very much against us,&#8221; he said, though he commended conservative outlet <a href="https://www.rebelnews.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rebel News</a> in particular for &#8220;telling the story like it is&#8221; about church lockdowns. &#8220;But generally speaking, especially the media that is owned by the government is on the government&#8217;s side.&#8221;
Hildebrandt discerned that provincial governments across Canada have seemingly targeted Christians. &#8220;I would say that they have been especially hard on churches because I would have thought that they should have at least given the churches the same liberty as they would have given a Walmart or Costco or the liquor store or the donut shop,&#8221; he reflected. &#8220;But when they don&#8217;t do that, it would seem to me that they definitely have singled out Christianity or have put a lot of pressure on acting as if meeting with the people on Sunday is not a big deal.&#8221;
Conducting church services virtually is not sustainable long-term, Hildebrandt explained. &#8220;In order for us to feed our souls, in order for us to gather and to get that healing that we need from being together, you don&#8217;t do that virtually. You can&#8217;t properly do it. You can do that for a week or two, but not on an ongoing basis.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/health-official-slaps-fines-criminal-charges-against-church-elders-for-refusing-to-let-him-disrupt-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Saskatchewan Health Official Slaps Fines, Criminal Charges Against Church Elders For Refusing To Let Him Disrupt Service</a>
Hildebrandt is being represented in court by Lisa Bildy, an attorney with the Calgary-based <a href="https://rumble.com/vibccf-the-government-war-on-worship.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms</a>. &#8220;Although most churches have been either following the rules, or quietly flying under the radar, there are a number of churches that have become targets for enforcement that has escalated dramatically over the last few months,&#8221; Bildy told The Daily Wire. &#8220;That&#8217;s in no small part due to vigilante citizens, corporate media, and police who are quite happy to take down a church or an anti-lockdown protest, but say not a word of criticism when a politically favorable rally or event takes place.&#8221;
&#8220;Liberty was already on life support in Canada before the pandemic hit,&#8221; Bildy continued. &#8220;Canada’s been on a steady march toward a collectivist and authoritarian mindset over the course of a decade, and the events of the last year have made the culture shift undeniable. Group rights are in. Individual rights are out. In part, that is a reaction to what is perceived as distasteful, rugged individualism in the United States. Our national identity is largely centered around not being American.&#8221;
&#8220;Our Country Is Slipping&#8221;
Regarding allegations that he is simply stirring up controversy to promote his own ministry, Hildebrandt said the issues his congregation is facing are much larger than himself and his church. He pointed to the other pastors and churches in Canada who have been punished for gathering during the pandemic, such as the Church of God Restoration in Hanover, Manitoba, which potentially faces <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-enforcement-bulletin-june-8-2021-1.6057529" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$1 million in fines</a>.
Hildebrandt recounted how he traveled to Edmonton, Alberta, to support <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-pastor-and-lawyer-defiant-after-canadian-police-raid-barricade-church-at-dawn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pastor James Coates</a> when he was jailed for 35 days in a maximum-security prison for refusing to suspend services. He mentioned <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nazi-cowards-calgary-police-arrest-polish-pastor-who-refused-to-allow-police-health-officials-to-disrupt-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pastor Artur Pawlowski</a> of Calgary, who was arrested on his way home from church in the middle of a busy highway and tossed into a police van. He brought up <a href="https://www.rebelnews.com/post_jail_interview_pastor_tim_stephens_on_his_arrest_his_church_and_his_faith" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pastor Tim Stephens</a>, also from Calgary, who was imprisoned until his legal counsel argued that he was arrested illegally. Hildebrandt also went to Toronto to encourage <a href="https://nowtoronto.com/news/how-did-adamson-barbecue-guy-become-a-martyr-for-anti-lockdown-crowd" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adam Skelley</a>, who was billed around $180,000 after police shut down his small business.
&#8220;This is about our God-given freedom,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s not about me or our church.&#8221;
Hildebrandt said he is grateful to the many Americans who have turned their attention to the ordeals of Canadian Christians. &#8220;My message [for Americans] is please pray for us, that the Lord would help us; that we would stand and remain standing and that many more will join. And we thank the Americans, every single one of them who is sending messages and prayers.&#8221;
&#8220;We thank them for it and we ask that they would please continue praying for us, as our country is slipping on a slippery slope,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And it&#8217;s very, very, very alarming — not just for Christianity, but generally speaking — that our God-given freedoms can be taken away with the turning of a hand or somebody just making up a rule, and then that our God-given freedom is gone like that is very alarming.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nazi-cowards-calgary-police-arrest-polish-pastor-who-refused-to-allow-police-health-officials-to-disrupt-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Nazi Cowards’: Calgary Police Arrest Polish Pastor Who Refused To Allow Police, Health Officials To Disrupt Service</a>
Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Hildebrandt ultimately trusts God to deliver his church, whose attendance has doubled amid the controversy. &#8220;People are hungry, people are thirsty, they want to hear the Word of God, and we are determined to go on,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This Friday, we are back in court. We presently have fines of $183,000 facing us for the services that we have had, and I hear that there&#8217;s more fines coming this Friday.&#8221;
The church has since started a <a href="https://www.givesendgo.com/G24NM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">crowdfund</a> to help offset its exorbitant legal fees.
&#8220;So we are praying that the Lord would just somehow work it out where things can deescalate; where we can freely meet again, as we should be able to in Canada, seeing that we have religious freedom,&#8221; he added.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/were-not-ready-pastor-andrew-brunson-predicts-worsening-religious-persecution-in-u-s-regardless-of-election-outcome" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘We’re Not Ready’: Pastor Andrew Brunson Predicts Worsening Religious Persecution In U.S. Regardless Of Election Outcome</a>

Henry Hildebrandt

‘Our Country Is Slipping’: Pastor Whose Church Was Locked By Police Warns Of Growing State Tyranny

Christianity

COVID

Religion

A small church in Ontario, Canada, and its pastors are facing fines nearing $200,000 for continuing to hold services in defiance of a provincial lockdown order that limits both indoor and outdoor religious gatherings to 10 people.
<a href="https://www.churchofgod.net/aylmer-on/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Church of God</a> in Aylmer, Ontario, was fined an additional $66,000 on Monday for holding multiple services outside after armed police locked them out of their church building last month to prevent them from gathering, according to <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7907679/aylmer-church-god-fines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Global News</a>.
The church has since started a <a href="https://www.givesendgo.com/G24NM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">crowdfund</a> to help offset its exorbitant legal fees.
Crown attorney Lisa Brost argued in court that the church should not even be permitted to appeal having their building locked until all the fines against them were paid in full. Lisa Bildy, who is the church&#8217;s attorney, argued that it was unfair that the “burden of all of this enforcement has fallen to the church without any evidence whatsoever that their continuing to meet has caused any outbreaks or illness, let alone death, over the last year.”
“Was there an order? Yes. Did the church have knowledge of it? Yes. Did they breach it? Yes,” Bildy said.
“They met outside in open air rather than inside their church, but still that is a breach of these draconian and unprecedented restrictions imposed on the citizens of Ontario,&#8221; she added.
In addition to the $117,000 fine they <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/may-god-help-us-ontario-christians-pray-for-police-as-they-kick-them-out-of-church-lock-doors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">faced</a> last month when their doors were locked, the church faces a $35,000 fine, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt faces a $20,000 fine, Assistant Pastor Peter Wall faces a $6,000 fine, and they face $5,000 in legal costs.
Hildebrandt gave an update on his congregation&#8217;s predicament in a video Wednesday, explaining he believes the judge dispensing the hefty fines &#8220;is between a rock and a hard place&#8221; because of orders issued by health officials.
Hildebrandt went on to say good is coming from the ordeal, such as increased attendance. &#8220;I wish that all of us would look with open eyes to see what is happening. A revival has begun, an awakening is taking place, and God is using these things to kick out lukewarm Christianity &#8230; In the Book of Revelation it mentions, first, God wishes that we were rather cold or hot but not in between, and that is what God is accomplishing.&#8221;
&#8220;No wonder the Bible says do not stop gathering, do not stop gathering,&#8221; Hildebrandt continued, recounting the number of conversions that have taken place since the government first targeted them. &#8220;And we all realize right now we&#8217;re living a lie. What we&#8217;re being told, what is being advertised there by Dr. Fauci and others who are in big trouble — and we will hear more about that later — but how could we follow those people? We need to follow the Word of God and we&#8217;re doing that[.]&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Court imposes $66k fine for outdoor church service in Canada" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/g4McY1seSEo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
According to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/may-god-help-us-ontario-christians-pray-for-police-as-they-kick-them-out-of-church-lock-doors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video</a> of the incident, armed police officers interrupted the Church of God’s worship service on May 16 while congregants sang hymns. As they entered the sanctuary to order them to vacate, Hildebrandt read from the third chapter of the Book of Daniel, which recounts how God saved three of Daniel’s friends who were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a golden image set up by the king of Babylon.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/can-religious-liberty-survive-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can Religious Liberty Survive COVID-19 And The New Gnostics?</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tensions-are-escalating-ontario-congregation-charged-for-meeting-outdoors-after-police-lock-church" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Tensions Are Escalating’: Ontario Congregation Charged For Meeting Outdoors After Police Lock Church</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nazi-cowards-calgary-police-arrest-polish-pastor-who-refused-to-allow-police-health-officials-to-disrupt-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Nazi Cowards’: Calgary Police Arrest Polish Pastor Who Refused To Allow Police, Health Officials To Disrupt Service</a>

Canada court and steeple

Ontario Fines Church $66k For Holding Outdoor Services After Police Lock Building

A Christian congregation in Ontario, Canada, has been charged with violating lockdown rules by holding several outdoor services with more than 10 people after police locked them out of their church building.
The Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario, many of the members of which are from the Mennonite tradition, held two services on May 16 and May 23, in violation of the <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/reopening-ontario" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reopening Ontario Act</a>, which limits even outdoor gatherings to 10 people.
They were forced to meet outdoors after police locked the doors of their church upon the order of Ontario Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas, who alleged the church had turned the small town of Aylmer into &#8220;a cauldron of hostility.&#8221; No cases of COVID-19 have been traced to the house of worship.
According to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/may-god-help-us-ontario-christians-pray-for-police-as-they-kick-them-out-of-church-lock-doors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video</a> of the incident, police officers interrupted the Church of God&#8217;s worship service earlier this month while congregants sang hymns. As the armed officers entered the sanctuary to order them to vacate, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt read from the third chapter of the Book of Daniel, which recounts how God saved three of Daniel’s friends who were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a golden image set up by the king of Babylon.
“It is important that people retain the right to choose for themselves whether a situation presents a danger to their health,&#8221; Hildebrandt <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/ontario-church-charged-for-holding-outdoor-services.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> The Christian Post. &#8220;We offer drive-in, online, in-person services to accommodate all those seeking for spiritual fellowship.&#8221;
Hildebrandt said he and his church “acknowledge Christ as our king and do not recognize the authority of the state as it pertains to the services and functions of the church as prescribed by the Word of God.”
“When the state commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands, we will obey God rather than men,&#8221; Hildebrandt continued. &#8220;The supremacy of God is written into our Constitution, and we acknowledge that his sovereignty supersedes that of earthly government.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/may-god-help-us-ontario-christians-pray-for-police-as-they-kick-them-out-of-church-lock-doors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘May God Help Us’: Ontario Christians Pray For Police As They Kick Them Out Of Church, Lock Doors</a>
During a recent interview with <a href="https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/qa-aylmer-police-chief-on-escalating-tension-with-church-of-god" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The London Free Press</a>, Aylmer Police Chief Zvonko Horvat said that &#8220;tensions are escalating&#8221; regarding the backlash his police force has received from their actions against the Church of God. &#8220;Obviously, we don’t want to see anybody get hurt and, certainly, it is a concern for me and my officers.&#8221;
Horvat also said he has no sympathy for those at the Church of God who say the strict provincial lockdowns are an attack on their religious liberty.
&#8220;I absolutely do not [have sympathy],&#8221; said Hovart. &#8220;There are certain things that governments take a position on for the betterment of the community and the safety of the community and, in actual fact, they are not prohibited from having service, so it’s not a total shutdown of religious services. These are restrictions in terms of the number of people (for in-person service) based on expert opinion during this pandemic. They are allowed to do a drive-in service where they can worship and pray &#8230; so I’m not sympathetic at all toward their cause. It’s more defiance than anything else.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/can-religious-liberty-survive-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can Religious Liberty Survive COVID-19?</a>

Santa Fe, New Mexico

‘Tensions Are Escalating’: Ontario Congregation Charged For Meeting Outdoors After Police Lock Church

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