Justin Trudeau is at the United Nations this week, calling on countries to ramp up their efforts to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and also making a pitch for other countries to follow in Canada’s footsteps by imposing a carbon tax. True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Also, the Tamara Lich’s and Chris Barber’s criminal mischief trial is wrapping up its third week today, with only three of the 22 scheduled witnesses having testified. Journalist and filmmaker Trish Wood joins the sh...
Sep 21, 2023•47 min
A series of demonstrations and marches are underway across the country as parents advocate for their right to educate their children as they see fit. The 1 Million March 4 Children has been met with large counter-protests, spearheaded by union groups and joined by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. True North’s Harrison Faulkner and Elie Cantin-Nantel join The Andrew Lawton Show to for a report on the Toronto and Ottawa scenes. While it’s no secret that wokism has taken over academia, the extent to which...
Sep 20, 2023•49 min
The reason for last week’s chilly reception to Justin Trudeau in India has been made clearer as Trudeau levelled an accusation that the Indian government was involved in the June killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C. India has rejected the accusation outright, and Canada and India have each expelled one of the other’s senior diplomats. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses with columnist and podcaster Rupa Subramanya. Also, the federal government’s amnesty period for the g...
Sep 19, 2023•45 min
As parental rights advocates plan a nation-wide series of protests on Wednesday, labour leaders have been mobilizing to counter-protest what they say is organized “hate.” A Zoom planning call with more than 100 union activists was leaked on the weekend, showing revealing the extent to which some workers in the education sector want to stop Million Person March “dead in its tracks.” True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Plus, Justin Trudeau has summoned grocery store executives to Ottawa to wag h...
Sep 18, 2023•45 min
Pierre Poilievre spoke for less than a minute on a Westjet flight full of Conservative convention-goers four days ago, and his critics haven’t let up. Four days later, CTV is trying to solicit interviews with passengers on the flight, Westjet’s flight attendant union has denounced Poilievre and the airline and demanded apologies from both, and Jann Arden has launched a boycott. True North’s Andrew Lawton says this is a taste of what the next election will look like. Also, a new grassroots organi...
Sep 14, 2023•42 min
True North’s Andrew Lawton was barred from covering the Liberal caucus retreat in his own city of London, Ontario. True North received no response to its requests for accreditation, and yesterday Andrew was turned away at the media registration desk, without so much as a reason for the rejection. In this episode, Andrew discusses. Then, Professor Ross McKitrick on how the federal government’s “energy efficiency” plan is making the housing crisis worse. Plus, a sit-down with Conservative deputy l...
Sep 13, 2023•41 min
Justin Trudeau is on his way back from India after yet another blunder-filled trip to one of Canada’s best allies. From pulling away from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handshake to skipping out on a dinner, Trudeau showed literal interest in playing nice with Modi and India. In response, Modi excluded Trudeau from a video montage of G20 dignitaries arriving. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses with Carleton professor Vivek Dehejia. Plus, a sit-down with MP and former Conservative leader...
Sep 12, 2023•46 min
Nearly 3,000 Conservatives descended on Quebec City this weekend for the Conservative Party of Canada convention. They were joined by a handful of Liberal cabinet ministers – Steven Guilbeault, Pablo Rodriguez, and Marci Ien, who came along to express their dislike for the Conservatives, who are trouncing them in the polls right now. True North’s Andrew Lawton breaks down what happened at the convention. Plus, our new Monday regular Kris Sims of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation joins the show t...
Sep 11, 2023•46 min
Tom Marazzo wanted to help out behind the scenes of the Freedom Convoy, but ended up becoming one of its faces and ultimately had a seat at the negotiating table with officials from the City of Ottawa. Tom Marazzo testified before the Public Order Emergency Commission last year, but now is telling his story in full in a new book, The People's Emergency Act. Marazzo joins True North's Andrew Lawton to talk about the ins, outs, ups and downs of the movement that he says both enriched and challenge...
Sep 08, 2023•36 min
On day two of the criminal trial of Freedom Convoy organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, Ottawa Police Service Inspector Lucas Russell testified that he was under orders to give “not one inch” to the protesters, even while there were discussions underway to shrink the protest’s footprint to mitigate the disruption to downtown Ottawa residents. True North’s Andrew Lawton says this means law enforcement and government officials were effectively choosing to keep the status quo they claimed to fi...
Sep 06, 2023•46 min
Nearly 20 months after the Freedom Convoy arrived in Ottawa, its two most prominent organizers, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, are standing trial. The 16-day mischief trial began today. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses what this means for freedom and justice before speaking with Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms president John Carpay. Plus, kids are back to school today and the media thinks climate change and AI are “top of mind” for them. Is that true for your kids? Learn more about...
Sep 05, 2023•36 min
Across the country, more and more parents are seeking education options for their kids outside of public schools. For some this is private schooling, perhaps a charter school for those in places such as Alberta, or even home schooling. This edition of The Andrew Lawton Show shines a light on school choice – what options do parents have, and why are they making the choices they are? Joining Andrew to discuss are the Fraser Institute’s director of education policy, Paige MacPherson, Alberta liaiso...
Sep 01, 2023•33 min
Despite us living in a post-pandemic world, there seem to be a growing number of places eyeing a return of masks, and Covid Zero fanatics pushing for another cycle of boosters, restrictions and paranoia. True North’s Andrew Lawton says they can try, but people aren’t going to go along with it again. Also, Whistle Stop Cafe owner Chris Scott has been acquitted on charges of breaching the last round of Covid restrictions. And new Alberta court ruling means some Covid fines will be refunded, but is...
Aug 30, 2023•34 min
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted that Canada was the “best country in the world.” While this might not be a shocking comment from Canada’s prime minister, it’s a departure from past comments Trudeau has made. Five years ago, he explicitly said Canada wasn’t the best country in the world – but could be. He’s also said that Canada is a perpetrator of genocide against Indigenous women and girls. True North’s Andrew Lawton wonders how now of all times Trudeau can say things are great....
Aug 29, 2023•32 min
People of different faith groups and political perspectives may disagree on a lot, but they are coming together to protect children. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and people of no religion at all, have banded together to speak out against gender ideology being foisted on young children in Canadian schools. Dr. Bahira Abdulsalam of Hands Off Our Kids and Kamel el-Cheikh, organizer of the upcoming Million Person March, join True North’s Andrew Lawton to discuss how such a diverse coali...
Aug 25, 2023•47 min
Renowned psychologist and bestselling author Jordan Peterson lost his court challenge against Ontario’s college of psychologists today. The college sought to force Peterson into training on how to conduct himself on social media as a condition of remaining a licensed psychologist. Peterson took the matter to an Ontario court, which ruled today that the condition doesn’t actually hinder his right to freedom of expression. Canadian Constitution Foundation lawyer Josh Dehaas joins the Andrew Lawton...
Aug 23, 2023•44 min
Former Liberal environment minister Catherine McKenna has accused the Conservatives and those who oppose carbon taxes of being “arsonists” as wildfires sweep across the Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Current Liberal ministers have criticized the Conservatives for wanting to “making pollution free.” If carbon taxes are the answer to forest fires, why did these fires happen in the first place, True North’s Andrew Lawton asks. Also, Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz joins the...
Aug 22, 2023•38 min
Drugs and addiction have reached a crisis level in Canada, with overdose deaths on the rise and seemingly no community immune to the problem. This is in spite of a continued expansion of "harm reduction," a policy involving a range of interventions, from supervised drug use sites to the distribution of so-called "safe supply" of drugs. But is safe supply actually safe, and is harm reduction reducing harm? In this edition of The Andrew Lawton Show, True North's Andrew Lawton discusses with Nation...
Aug 18, 2023•38 min
At a press conference in Prince Edward Island, a reporter asked Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre if he’s trying to “court the far-right vote,” citing unnamed “experts” who say he is. Poilievre dismissed the question as a “CBC smear job” and refused to answer. Is this the right approach? True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Also, Manitoba man needed a gas-powered vehicle to bail him out after his electric pickup truck failed to charge on a road trip. Dalbir Bala joins the show to talk about ...
Aug 16, 2023•30 min
The media has accused Pierre Poilievre of “embracing conspiracy theories” after vowing to reject the “globalist Davos elites” if he becomes prime minister. Poilievre has repeatedly said his ministers will be barred from attending the World Economic Forum’s events, though the Canadian Press this week quoted “experts” who said such a commitment is conspiratorial. Some journalists and academics have gone so far as to accuse Poilievre of antisemitism for using the word “globalist.” Independent journ...
Aug 15, 2023•40 min
Whether it's government regulation, cancel culture, Big Tech crackdowns, or even self-censorship, there's no denying free speech is under attack. In "The End of Free Speech in Canada," independent filmmaker Aaron Gunn shines a light on the all-out assault underway on our most fundamental freedom. In this edition of The Andrew Lawton Show, Andrew talks about the legal, moral, and cultural state of play for free speech in Canada with Gunn and Canadian Constitution Foundation litigation director Ch...
Aug 11, 2023•46 min
The Liberal government is planning on ramping up its target number of immigrants to Canada to 500,000 by 2025 (though the actual number will be higher when asylum seekers and other entry programs are taken into consideration.) New polling shows more than two-thirds of Canadians think this will negatively impact the cost of housing, though the federal government is refusing to budge. There are economic reasons Canadians are souring on Canada’s ambitious immigration targets, but anyone who raises ...
Aug 09, 2023•44 min
Days after asking for privacy for his family following his separation from Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, Justin Trudeau posted a pink-clad photo of him and his son at a Barbie screening, with the captain that they are “Team Barbie.” Is this Trudeau letting his inner Barbie shine or an elaborate trolling to invite criticism from the right? True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in on this, as well as the Conservatives’ new ad promoting Pierre Poilievre as a family man. Also, the same news publishers who de...
Aug 08, 2023•43 min
One of the most high-profile men felled during the #MeToo era was Kevin Spacey. After a slew of allegations of sexual misconduct, Spacey was fired from "House of Cards," replaced in "All the Money in the World," and has vanished from Hollywood. Six years later, Spacey has emerged victorious in every legal challenge he's faced over the allegations. Journalists Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney covered Spacey's most recent fight, a United Kingdom criminal trial, through the hit podcast series Kevi...
Aug 04, 2023•35 min
After years of speculation about their marital status, Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Grégoire today announced their separation after 18 years of marriage, asking for privacy to protect their children. Should Canadians care? True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Also, after years of campaigning on housing-related policies, Trudeau now says housing isn’t really a federal responsibility so, in other words, it’s not his problem. True North’s Andrew Lawton says this is a convenient way out of having...
Aug 02, 2023•30 min
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland touted her green bona fides by telling Canadians she doesn’t have a car because she bikes, walks or takes the subway everywhere. Except as a cabinet minister, Freeland has a chauffeured limo, and she regularly flies back and forth between Toronto and Ottawa – often multiple times per week. Even so, she’s accused those who point this out of “misinformation.” Also, is political polarization worse than ever? A new report from the Public Policy Forum, written by fr...
Aug 01, 2023•50 min
With the passage of bills C-18 and C-11, Justin Trudeau’s government has employed a massive takeover of the internet. While they claim they’re trying to protect Canadian content and save Canadian media, these bills are actually harmful to Canadian publishers and independent journalists – and by extension to the users seeking out their content. In this special edition of The Andrew Lawton Show, Andrew looks at critiques of C-18 from the right and the left with Kris Sims from the Canadian Taxpayer...
Jul 28, 2023•59 min
Justin Trudeau has made a change to almost every single position in his cabinet, while keeping Chrystia Freeland as finance minister and Steven Guilbeault as environment minister, among a few other people. Marco Mendicino and David Lametti are among those out of cabinet altogether, while Bill Blair has been promoted to defense minister. Most importantly, Trudeau himself remains in power, so will anything change? True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s Aaron Wu...
Jul 26, 2023•42 min
Several prominent cabinet ministers have announced they will not be seeking re-election ahead of a major cabinet shuffle by Justin Trudeau. Among those not running again are Omar Alghabra, Carolyn Bennett and Joyce Murray. David Lametti is also reported to be out of cabinet. Do you think this is a shake-up to get rid of underperformers, or a sign of a Liberal government in disarray? True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Plus, key economic indicators show Canada is lagging on standard of living, ...
Jul 25, 2023•39 min
The modern left leaves no room for debate or dissent – especially on gender issues. This is how Stuart Parker, a literal communist activist who’s been in the trenches on a variety of left-wing causes for decades, wound up getting denounced by his (former) friends. Parker, the president of the socialist Los Altos Institute in British Columbia, was cancelled for criticizing radical gender ideology. He’s still very much a leftist, but has written an essay for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s Insid...
Jul 21, 2023•47 min
