Canada Archives - The Virginia Star

Canada Scrambles to Secure Border After Trump Threatens Massive Tariff

December 2, 2024 Daily Caller News Foundation

The Canadian government made clear its beefing up its border security apparatus after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose sweeping tariffs against Canada and Mexico if the flow of illegal immigration and drugs are not reined in.

Trump in November announced on social media that he would impose a 25% tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico unless both countries do more to limit the level of illicit drugs and illegal immigration entering into the United States. In response, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the president-elect at his residence in Mar-a-Largo and his government has detailed what more it’s doing to bolster immigration enforcement.

U.S. Steelmakers Back Trump’s Tariff Plans amid Steep Foreign Competition

December 2, 2024 Daily Caller News Foundation

Some U.S. steelmakers are supporting President-elect Donald Trump’s proposals to place tariffs on China, Mexico and other countries, according to The Wall Street Journal.

American steel companies are calling for Trump to reintroduce tariffs on steel from the U.K., Japan and the EU amid concerns of foreign competitors being involved in unfair market practices, according to The WSJ. Some U.S. steel executives were supportive of steel tariffs under the previous Trump administration, with some steelmakers saying the tariffs helped to boost profits, The WSJ reported.

Music Spotlight: Robby Johnson

November 9, 2024 Bethany Bowman

Robby Johnson is a Canadian transplant who has fallen in love with country music. Hear his latest single, “Road I’m On.”

Music Spotlight: Madeline Merlo

October 12, 2024 Bethany Bowman

I met Madeline Merlo at the 2024 CMT Next Women of Country event in Nashville in January. As is the norm, the women perform an acoustic set, and I specifically remember Merlo’s introspective song, “Make Up.”

Since 2021, U.S. Has Seen Greatest Number of Canadian Illegal Border Crossers in History

September 12, 2024 The Center Square

People crossing the U.S. Northern border

by Bethany Blankley The greatest number of Canadians who’ve illegally entered the U.S. or attempted to illegally enter in recorded U.S. history has been reported under the Biden-Harris administration and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration. Since fiscal 2021 through July 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 150,701 Canadians illegally…

Northern Border Sector Continues to Break Records in Apprehensions

September 2, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

The busiest U.S. Customs and Border Protection sector at the northern border continues to break records in apprehensions with foreign nationals coming from 85 countries to Canada to illegally enter the U.S.

In less than 10 months, Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended 15,000 foreign nationals from 85 countries who all illegally entered the U.S. through Canada, the greatest volume reported in this time period in recorded history.

Canada Officials Express Alarm About Terrorism Threats and Its Impact on U.S-Canada Border.

August 29, 2024August 29, 2024 The Center Square

Illegal immigrants arrested at U.S.-Canada Border

In addition to members of Congress expressing alarm about national security threats at the U.S.-Canada border, members of the Conservative Party of Canada are blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government for being responsible for creating them.

A Canadian House of Commons hearing was held Wednesday to investigate how the Trudeau government granted citizenship to a member of ISIS who allegedly plotted a terrorist attack against Canadians.

Censorship Noose Tightens Across West with Biden White House, Trudeau’s Canada, EU Bureaucrat Moves

July 19, 2024 Just the News

When the Supreme Court reversed a preliminary injunction against several federal agencies and officials for “coerc[ing] or significantly encourag[ing] a platform’s content-moderation decisions,” the ideologically hybrid majority concluded that well-documented federal pressure to censor government-disfavored narratives was unlikely to recur.

Justice Samuel Alito, joined by justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, scolded his colleagues for their perceived credulity. The high court just provided “an attractive model for future officials who want to control what the people say, hear, and think,” he wrote.

Immigration Takes Center Stage in Contested Montana U.S. Senate Race

June 25, 2024June 25, 2024 The Center Square

Montana has one of the longest shares of the U.S. border with Canada of any state.

Canada Lawmakers Helped Foreign Powers Influence Elections, Report Alleges

June 12, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc

The Canadian Parliament’s National Security Committee implicated multiple parliament members of “semi-witting or witting” cooperation with foreign powers to influence elections, according to a recent report.

The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) supported their findings with 4,000 documents totaling 33,000 pages. Their findings allege “pervasive and sophisticated foreign interference” in Canadian politics, including allegations that multiple unnamed parliament members worked with foreign actors to influence elections and campaigns in 2019 and 2021.

Music Spotlight: Nicolette and The Nobodies

April 24, 2024 Bethany Bowman

I’ll confess. Sometimes I get so many emails I can’t read them all. The downside to that is I am sure I have missed several great artists. But thankfully, I did open Taran’s Smith email when she pitched Nicolette & the Nobodies to me.

Commentary: Obama’s CIA Asked Foreign Intel Agencies to Spy on Trump Campaign

March 1, 2024 RealClearWire

The revelation that the U.S. intelligence community, under the Obama administration, sought the assistance of the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance to surveil Donald Trump’s associates before the 2016 election is a chilling reminder of the lengths to which the Deep State will go to protect its interests and challenge its adversaries. (The Five Eyes countries are the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.) This bombshell, reported by a team of independent journalists, exposes a dark chapter in American political history, where foreign intelligence services were reportedly mobilized against a presidential candidate.

The alleged operation against Trump and his associates, which predates the official start of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation, is a stark example of political weaponization of intelligence. The involvement of foreign allies in surveilling American citizens under the pretext of national security raises serious questions about the integrity of our democratic processes and the autonomy of our nation’s intelligence operations.

Illegal Northern Border Crossings in Last Three Months Smashed Figures for Whole Previous Years

January 28, 2024January 27, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Illegal migrant crossings at the U.S.-Canadian border in the last three months exceeded the total number of crossings in both fiscal years 2021 and 2022 combined, according to federal data updated Friday.

Border Patrol recorded 3,846 encounters of migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally from Canada between October and December, according to the data. There were a total of 3,154 encounters of illegal migrants at the northern border in both fiscal years 2021 and 2022.

Commentary: 100 Canadian Churches Torched or Damaged Following Indian Residential School Graves Hoax

January 28, 2024January 27, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

To its credit, the London-based tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail recently carried a story most corporate news outlets have been avoiding: The Indian Residential School Graves hoax.

The paper, whose article titles are characteristically long and descriptive, leaves little mystery in the scandalous story’s headline: “Nearly ONE HUNDRED churches across Canada have been torched or damaged after activists lied that 200 indigenous children were buried under Catholic schools.”

Vehicle Explodes at Niagara Falls Bridge Connecting U.S. and Canada, FBI Says

November 22, 2023 Just the News

A vehicle exploded Wednesday, causing the Rainbow Bridge connecting the United States and Canada near Niagara Falls to close, the FBI said.

More than 300,000 Illegal Aliens Entered U.S. through Southwest Border in September Alone

October 24, 2023 The Center Square

More than 300,000 people illegally entered the U.S. through the southwest border in September, according to newly released U.S. Customs and Border Protection data and gotaway data first reported by The Center Square.

Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations agents apprehended 269,735 people last month and Border Patrol agents reported at least 33,203 known gotaways, bringing the total to 302,938.

736 Known or Suspected Terrorists Apprehended at U.S. Border in Fiscal 2023

October 23, 2023 The Center Square

There were 736 known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) apprehended at the northern and southern borders in fiscal 2023.

The Center Square initially reported 659 were apprehended for the fiscal year, as of Sept. 15, 2023. The fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

Academics: Allowing Kids to Opt Out of Drag Storytime Is a ‘Dangerous Setback’ for Gay Rights

June 27, 2023June 26, 2023 Admin

A pair of academics affiliated with York University in Canada believe that allowing parents to opt out their children from drag storytime events is a “dangerous setback for 2SLGBTQ+ human rights education.”

Writing in the Toronto Star, Beyhan Farhadi, a fellow at York’s Institute for Research on Digital Literacies, and “community educator”/York M.Ed student Joy Henderson say the Toronto School Board’s decision to allow opt-outs from the “family-friendly” activity “sends a message that [queer] rights are debatable.”

‘Anti-Capitalist’ Cafe Closes Down After a Year Due to a Lack of Capital

May 15, 2023 Admin

The Anarchist, a Canadian coffee shop dedicated to fighting capitalism, is going out of business on May 30, about one year after its opening due to a lack of capital, according to its owner. The café sold coffee and tea alongside books and merchandise promoting radical leftist ideas, and was ardently anti-capitalist. The business was unable to obtain enough capital to stay in business during a slow winter season, the cafe’s owner, Gabriel Sims-Fewer, wrote in an online announcement about the closure.

Parents of Student Urging Pro-Catholic Teachings Suspended from Their Teaching Positions, Under Investigation

May 13, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

The parents of internationally known Ontario high school student Josh Alexander have been suspended from their teaching posts in another board and placed under investigation over what appears to be their son’s outspoken views against his Catholic school board’s cave to the LGBTQ agenda.

“From the beginning, I understood the consequences my actions may have and I was willing to take that stand and face the consequences,” Alexander told The Epoch Times, according to a report Thursday.

Music Spotlight: SACHA

March 4, 2023 Bethany Bowman

One thing I have learned while writing my blog is that there is a lot more to Canadian country music than Shania Twain. The Canadians love their country music and have given us Tenille Arts and Tenille Towns, Lindsey Ell, Terri Clark, Brett Kissel, Manny Blu, Kimberly Dawn, Tebey, and country rocker, Cory Marks to name a few.

Therefore, When I heard Sacha sing at a writers’ round recently, I was not a bit surprised to find out that she was from Ontario, Canada. Now living in Nashville, I met up with her at CMT’s Next Women of Country and scheduled an interview.

Eastern Washington Legislators Urge Biden to Lift Vaccine Mandate for Border Travel

October 4, 2022October 3, 2022 The Center Square

Two U.S. Representatives from Eastern Washington have signed onto a letter that urges the Biden Administration to drop all vaccine requirements for people entering the United States from Canada.

Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Spokane, and Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, say the decision to send the letter follows Canada lifting vaccine mandates for international travelers entering the country despite Biden’s refusal to follow suit.

Ten Dead, 15 Wounded in Canadian Mass Stabbing Spree, Suspects at Large

September 5, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

Canadian authorities on Sunday said 10 people have died and at least 15 more have been hospitalized following an apparent stabbing spree in Saskatchewan.

“There could be more injured,” said Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commanding Officer Rhonda Blackmore.

Americans Could See Grocery Store Prices Skyrocket Even Higher: Report

June 13, 2022June 12, 2022 Admin

Food prices in the U.S. may get worse in the coming months as European Union countries predict a dismal wheat harvest on top of the loss in Ukraine’s wheat exports, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The EU may produce 5% less wheat than 2021 because of dry weather, agriculture consulting firm Strategie Grains told the WSJ.

Commentary: The Gathering Storm in the West

February 22, 2022February 21, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

Canada is now governed by absurdism, and it is symptomatic of an ailing Western elite.

Liberal Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week invoked martial law to arrest and financially destroy truckers on the charge that their largely peaceful protests are “dismantling the Canadian economy” that had already been dismantled for two years under some of the most draconian lockdowns in the world. The trucker “sect,” Trudeau added, is guilty of felonious “unacceptable views.” But his rhetoric still cannot square the circle of demonizing vital workers while conceding he cannot run his country without them.

Commentary: In Trudeau’s Canada, a Pastor Is Imprisoned for Talking to Truckers

February 21, 2022February 20, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

“In an unjust society the only place for a just man is in prison,” said the writer Henry David Thoreau. That is increasingly true in Canada, where critics of its COVID restrictions can be thrown in jail for peaceful protests. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau is unleashing powers meant for terrorists on the truckers. His mandates already damaged their livelihoods, but now his treatment of the truckers as a group akin to ISIS threatens to wipe them out completely. Meanwhile, a Calgary pastor who merely preached to the truckers finds himself in solitary confinement on a phony charge of incitement, according to his lawyer.

The condition of religious freedom in America is pretty dismal, but it appears to be even worse in Canada. This imprisoned pastor, Artur Pawlowski, didn’t urge the truckers to violence. On the contrary, he explicitly disavowed violence. “May God help us all, because we don’t fight with guns and swords,” he said to truckers gathered for a freedom convoy rally. “We don’t fight with Tasers and the police vehicles. We don’t. We just want to go back and work hard and achieve something and provide for our families. We just want to be left alone.”

Media Wage Harassment Campaign Against Freedom Convoy Donors Doxxed In GiveSendGo Hack

February 21, 2022February 20, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

Media outlets are continuing to message small-dollar donors to the Freedom Convoy whose identities were leaked to the public after a hack of crowdfunding site GiveSendGo.

The personal information of roughly 90,000 donors to the Freedom Convoy, a group of truckers and hackers protesting Canada’s vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions, was leaked after hackers breached GiveSendGo late Sunday. The leaked data included names, email handles, IP addresses and zip codes, and was provided to “journalists and researchers” by Distributed Denial of Secrets, an activist group hosting the information.

Canadian Father Loses Custody of Children Due to Being Unvaccinated

February 8, 2022February 7, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

In New Brunswick, Canada, a father of three lost custody of his children after a single judge ruled that his unvaccinated status was a danger to his children.

According to USA Today, the concerned father presented evidence to the judge that pointed out possible harmful effects of the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine, as proof that his concerns about taking the vaccine were valid. But Justice Nathalie Godbout, of the Court of Queen’s Bench, ruled against him by simply deferring to “public health officials” as being superior to his own research.

White House Plans to Reopen Borders with Canada and Mexico to Vaccinated Travelers

October 14, 2021October 13, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden administration plans to reopen the land borders with Canada and Mexico to vaccinated travelers, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to enter the U.S. for non-essential purposes including visiting family or tourism starting in November, according to The Washington Post. Anyone planning to cross the border for non-essential or essential travel is required to be vaccinated in January.

Commentary: The Left Can Finally Admit What It Wants

October 7, 2021 Admin

I remember a staggering conversation with my high school lunch table in the early 2000s. Everyone agreed with one kid’s statement that there was nothing special about living in America: Life in Canada, or anywhere else, would be identical except for maybe the weather.

At the time, I wondered what was going to happen to America when all these kids grew up. What happens when America’s young adults, far from having any intellectual commitment to freedom, don’t even understand what life would be like without it?

Chinese Student Studying in Canada Targeted for Criticizing the Chinese Communist Party, Experts Say Students in America Face the Same Threat

October 6, 2021October 5, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

A Chinese student attending a Canadian university is currently facing repercussions from the Chinese government for his criticism of the regime on Twitter.

Experts tell Campus Reform that the same thing has happened in the United States.

Music Spotlight: Tebey

June 27, 2021June 27, 2021 Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Until I started writing this column, I had no idea of Canadian musicians’ influence on the country music industry. Country music is as big in Canada as it is in America. Tebey is a prime example.

Music Spotlight: Brett Kissel

March 30, 2021March 29, 2021 Bethany Bowman

If there were ever a darling of the Canadian Country Airwaves, it would be Brett Kissel. Not only has the 30-year-old won numerous Canadian Country Music Association Awards, but he also has three number one hits and numerous top-tens on Canadian Radio.

But the main reason I wanted to interview him was because his music really is that good. His songs are all over the spectrum sonically but they resonate with the listeners.

Kissel admits that absolutely no one in his family is musical. “Not a grandpa, not a dad, an uncle, an auntie, nobody ever played music, period.”

The fact that he picked up a guitar, the fact that he can sing, the fact that he can write songs, and the fact that he moved to Nashville and made a go of it, is nothing short of remarkable.

Commentary: The Keystone Cancellation and Biden’s Climate Cronyism

January 24, 2021January 23, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Among many executive actions signed on Inauguration Day to sweep Trump policies out the door along with the man himself, President Biden rescinded approval for the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Keystone XL, according to Biden’s top climate policy adviser Gina McCarthy, “was not consistent with addressing the climate crisis to the depth and scope that we are planning to address it.”

Keystone XL has now played the role of political football for a full decade, and Americans can be forgiven for having forgotten the project’s details.

Music Spotlight: Cole Bradley

November 18, 2020November 17, 2020 Bethany Bowman

Country singer and songwriter, Cole Bradley, is a rising star in the North American music scene.

Even though his parents weren’t musical, Bradley’s grandparents were and he started singing at age five. One of his first memories was singing along to Garth Brooks in the back of his Mom’s Toyota.

USPS Worker Caught Fleeing to Canada with Undelivered Ballots

November 8, 2020November 7, 2020 Virginia Star Staff

A U.S. Postal Service carrier was caught allegedly trying to cross the Canadian border with undelivered mail, including several absentee ballots, according to The Buffalo News.

Brandon Wilson was stopped while crossing Peace Bridge from New York into Canada at around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, The Buffalo News reported.

Trump Trade Deals with Canada, Mexico, South Korea and Japan: His ‘Keep America First’ Promise, Isolates China

October 4, 2018October 3, 2018 Admin

by Natalia Castro Everyone knew the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was a bad deal. President Obama knew. Hillary Clinton knew. President Trump knew. But only President Trump was willing to use our leverage to push our neighbors to the negotiating table and work out a strong, better…

Trump Proves Tariffs, Threat to Leave NAFTA Were Key Leverage to Negotiating USMCA, Puts Dems in Tight Spot

October 3, 2018October 2, 2018 Admin

by Robert Romano They said it couldn’t be done. Once again, President Donald Trump is racing circles around his critics and showing that his tariff policy and the threat of leaving NAFTA altogether were most effective inducements to trade concessions, having resulted in the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or the USMCA. The…

WINNING: Trump Scores NAFTA Deal After Last-Minute Negotiations with Canada

October 2, 2018October 2, 2018 Admin

by Hanna Bogorowski U.S. President Donald Trump came closer to fulfilling a campaign promise late Sunday night as he reached a revamped trade deal with Canada and Mexico that will rework the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) after months of negotiations. Hours before Sunday’s midnight deadline proposed by the U.S.,…

Commentary: President Trump’s Pro-American Worker Push Makes Labor Day a Time to Celebrate

September 1, 2018 Admin

by Jeffery Rendall Perhaps it’s fitting heading into Labor Day weekend that we should talk about jobs – not necessarily how many Americans have them versus those that don’t and are still searching, but how conditions are improving in the employment market and who’s reaping the benefits. First came…

Police Raid Anti-Pipeline Site, Destroy Their Camp And Send Them Straight To Jail

August 18, 2018August 17, 2018 Admin

by Jason Hopkins Law enforcement ended a lingering standoff with an anti-pipeline camp site, arresting five protesters and destroying all the makeshift homes that were built. Intense opposition has centered around the Trans Mountain pipeline project, an expansion proposal that will ultimately stretch from Alberta to British Columbia’s west coast.…

US Lawmakers Warn Trump Tariffs Threaten Local Newspapers

July 18, 2018July 17, 2018 Admin

About a dozen members of Congress warned Tuesday that newspapers in their home states are in danger of reducing news coverage, laying off workers or going out of business if the United States maintains recently imposed tariffs on Canadian newsprint. The Trump administration ordered the tariffs in response to a…

Trump and Environmentalists Are On The Same Wave Length On This One Huge Issue

July 2, 2018July 1, 2018 Admin

by Chris White President Donald Trump and activists at the Sierra Club apparently have at least one issue in common: neither one of them like the decades-old free trade agreement the U.S signed with Canada and Mexico. Trump’s agenda prioritizing American manufacturing jobs over those in Canada and elsewhere is placing…

Kudlow: Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau Betrayed Us, ‘Stabbed Us In The Back’

June 11, 2018July 18, 2018 Admin

by Robert Donachie White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “stabbed” the U.S. “in the back” when he announced his nation will impose retaliatory tariffs against America. President Donald Trump, Trudeau and other leaders of the G7 nations — Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy and…