After years of woke land acknowledgments, some Canadian homeowners may soon be evicted



Liberals and others keen to signal their adherence to post-colonial theory for years started their meetings and conferences in Canada with land acknowledgments, thanking the descendants of those warring semi-nomadic, Stone Age peoples present at the time of European civilization's exportation to North America "for allowing us to meet and learn together on their territory."

Owing to a consequential court ruling on Aug. 7, some Canadians in Richmond, British Columbia, might ultimately have to acknowledge that their land is no longer legally their own — and get packing.

'The judge doesn't seem to have fully considered the panic her judgment would cause.'

Members of the Cowichan Tribes, an Indian band in B.C. comprising around 5,500 souls, brought a legal action several years ago against the Canadian federal government, the Province of British Columbia, the City of Richmond, and other parties, seeking a declaration of aboriginal title to 1,846 acres of land in Richmond.

After a 513-day trial with hearings spanning over 11 years, Justice Barbara Young of the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that:

  • the Cowichan have aboriginal title to the land in question;
  • the Crown grants of basic property ownership in the area, "and the Crown vesting of the soil and freehold interest in certain highway lands in the Cowichan Title Lands, unjustifiably infringe the Cowichan's Aboriginal title";
  • "Canada and Richmond’s fee simple titles and interests in the Cowichan Title Lands are defective and invalid"; and
  • members of the Indian band have a right to fish the south arm of the Fraser River for food.

While the judge did not order restitution, she tasked the federal and provincial governments with negotiating "in good faith towards reconciliation of Canada's fee simple interests in the area with Cowichan Aboriginal title."

This decision — which has been appealed by the province, the City of Richmond, and a pair of other Indian bands — could have major implications for those landowners in the area as well as for similar land disputes across the country.

RELATED: Ashes and accountability in the aftermath of Canada's unmarked Indian graves sham

BC Premier David Eby. Photographer: David Kawai/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Dwight Newman, a professor of law at the University of Saskatchewan and author behind the Law for Breakfast Substack, told Blaze News that the full implications are "not yet certain."

"The 'Supreme Court' in B.C. is a confusingly named trial-level court, and the decision is being appealed. If appellate courts maintained the same thing, it would directly mean that some City of Richmond land and some federal land in the city would be owned by the Cowichan," said Newman. "Indirectly, though, the decision implied that private property within aboriginal title areas was also vulnerable. That has widespread implications in areas where treaties have not resolved land claims, which differs in different parts of Canada."

While the Cowichan plaintiffs successfully sought a declaration that the land ownership titles held by Canada, the city, and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority were invalid, they did not seek the same declaration with respect to privately owned lands.

The Times Colonist reported that the court did, however, indicate that the Crown's granting of private property ownership rights needs to be resolved through negotiation, litigation, or purchase.

Newman told Blaze News that while the plaintiffs in the case have "tried to give the impression" that they would not evict residents from the disputed territory, "if the law from this decision were maintained, it would be possible for them to pursue a claim against private residents too. Private residents might have some different defenses, but we don't know how that plays out."

When asked what could change for non-Indian homeowners on the affected parcel of land, Newman said, "The fact I can't give you an answer with any certainty is maybe the most concerning part. This could all play out in various ways."

"That's an uncomfortable situation for non-indigenous homeowners," continued Newman. "The judge doesn't seem to have fully considered the panic her judgment would cause."

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie noted in a recent letter to homeowners in the area that the decision "could negatively affect the title" of their properties — echoing the judge's statement that "a declaration of Aboriginal title may give rise to some uncertainty for the fee simple title holders and it may have consequences for their interests in land."

Referring to the map contained within the B.C. court's ruling highlighting the Indian band's territorial claim, Brodie wrote, "For those whose property is in the area outlined in black, the Court has declared aboriginal title to your property which may compromise the status and validity of your ownership — this was mandated without any prior notice to the landowners. The entire area outlined in green is claimed on appeal by the Cowichan First Nations."

"I believe it is one of the most consequential rulings in the history of the country," the mayor told CTV News on Sunday, adding that it potentially "undermines the entire land system that we have in this province, and for much of the country itself."

Brodie noted further that the homeowners in the area are "just starting to wake up to what is going on."

Blaze News has reached out to the Cowichan Tribes and to Brodie's office for comment.

John Rustad, leader of the Conservative Party of B.C., asked the province's leftist premier, David Eby, in an Oct. 19 letter to "immediately pause all negotiations between the Province of British Columbia and First Nations until the Supreme Court of Canada has provided clarity."

Rustad emphasized that continuing negotiations, especially in the absence of clarity about the property rights of landowners in the affected area, "risks compounding the harm and further deepening public division."

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'51st state': Trump teases annexation again after Canada quickly caves on major tax



President Donald Trump threatened U.S.-Canada trade talks on Friday over the northern nation's digital services tax, which required foreign and domestic large businesses such as Netflix, Amazon.com's Prime Video, and Spotify to pay a levy of 3% on revenue earned from offering online services to users in Canada.

"We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country," Trump noted in a Truth Social post.

"They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also," continued the president. "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately."

'Canada is a very tough country to deal with.'

Canada — the top buyer of American goods, importing $349.4 billion last year, and 75.9% of whose total exports went to the U.S. — made abundantly clear that it wasn't too attached to the tax, which the Parliamentary Budget Office estimated would increase federal government revenues by over $5.2 billion over five years.

Within hours of Trump's post, the Department of Finance Canada announced that it was rescinding the digital services tax to advance broader trade negotiations with the United States.

Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne noted that "rescinding the DST will allow the negotiations to make vital progress and reinforce our work to create jobs and build prosperity for all Canadians."

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick thanked Canada on Monday for removing the tax, noting that it was "intended to stifle American innovation and would have been a deal breaker for any trade deal with America."

RELATED: Canada's solution to reliance on US? Increasing commitments in Europe

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

"In our negotiations on a new economic and security relationship between Canada and the United States, Canada's new government will always be guided by the overall contribution of any possible agreement to the best interests of Canadian workers and businesses," said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. "Today’s announcement will support a resumption of negotiations toward the July 21, 2025, timeline set out at this month’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis."

The Canadian Liberal Party under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first promised the tax ahead of the 2019 federal election, saying it would "make sure that multinational tech giants pay corporate tax on the revenue they generate in Canada," even though critics indicated that Canadian consumers would end up paying the taxes.

The Digital Services Tax Act went into force on June 28, 2024, prompting condemnation stateside as well as an official complaint under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement from former U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

John Dickerman, vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based Business Council of Canada, suggested to Canadian state media days after Trump's re-election that the tax was likely doomed.

"The first Trump administration ... was very clear on digital services taxes. They believed that digital services taxes were a very clear indication that a country was specifically targeting the U.S. and targeting U.S. companies. It will be a 'with us and against us' scenario," said Dickerman. "I think there will be very little room for negotiation on DST."

Trump leaned on Canada to axe the tax just in the nick of time. The first payments were due on Monday and retroactive to 2022, meaning a number of American corporations were on the hook for billions of dollars.

The Canadian government indicated that Carney and Trump have agreed to resume negotiations "with a view towards agreeing on a deal by July 21, 2025."

"Canada is a very tough country to deal with, I will say that," Trump told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures." "Hopefully we'll be fine with Canada. I love Canada. Frankly, Canada should be the 51st state."

Blaze News has reached out to the White House for comment.

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World Economic Forum regular Mark Carney's win energizes Canadian secessionists in Alberta



In addition to unlawfully declaring martial law to crush a peaceful protest, Canada's Liberal government has in recent years overseen a historic growth of the federal deficit, numerous tax hikes, an unprecedented influx of immigrants, a spike in illegal immigration, rising crime, unanswered church burnings, a worsening housing crisis, coercive medicine, the rise of state-facilitated suicide as a leading cause of death nationally, and the alienation of the western provinces.

The socioeconomic situation is apparently so dire, a recent government report detailing the nation's "downward social mobility" noted that some residents may soon have to turn to foraging and hunting to meet basic food needs.

Canadians — not so much those in the 18-to-34 age bracket who largely voted Conservative, but those over the age of 55 — decided in the federal election Monday to award the same Liberal government another four years. They may have done so at the risk of ultimately losing one or a couple of provinces.

'Large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government.'

The success of the Liberals — now under the leadership of Mark Carney, the self-identified "European" World Economic Forum regular who all but guaranteed British economic decline while governor of the Bank of England — has breathed new life into the Alberta secessionist movement.

Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party of Canada and a former leader of the opposition in the House of Commons, noted ahead of the election, "On account of the mismanagement of national affairs for the past decade by the Liberal government, and its consistent failure to address those issues of greatest concern to Western Canadians, large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government, no matter who leads it."

"The support for Western secession is therefore growing, unabated and even fueled by Liberal promises to reverse many of their previous positions. Such promises of expediency simply don't ring true in the West," continued Manning. "Who, except the most politically naive, would believe Mark Carney's promises to reverse the Liberal positions on everything from east-west pipelines to identity politics and climate change, when standing behind him is a cabinet of 23 MPs who, just a month ago, were advocating for the very opposite and have done so for years?"

The former opposition leader noted further that while the bottom-up support for western secession is currently centered on the oil-rich prairie provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, "it has the potential to spread to most of B.C., Manitoba, and the adjacent territories depending on how it is organized and led."

A day after the federal election, Alberta lawmakers introduced legislation that would make it easier to start a referendum, including one on separating from Canada, reported CityNews.

The bill lowers the threshold for a citizen-led referendum from 20% of eligible voters to 10% and affords campaigners 120 days rather than 90 days to secure signatures.

'Now is the time to end the abusive and toxic relationship with Ottawa.'

"I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada," said Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. "However, there is a citizen referenda process that if citizens want to put a question on a ballot and get enough of their fellow citizens to sign that petition, then those questions will be put forward. Again, I don't want to prejudge what a question might be."

While Smith is apparently not a separatist, Alberta — home to the fourth-largest proven oil reserves in the world — has its fair share who might vote to leave.

When pollsters from the Angus Reid Institute asked Albertans whether they would vote to leave Canada if the Liberals were to form the next government, 30% of respondents said yes. Notably, even more Saskatchewan respondents — 33% — expressed interest in leaving the federation behind.

Cameron Davies, the leader of the Republican Party of Alberta, formerly the Buffalo Party of Alberta, is reportedly planning hundreds of town halls to seize upon this discontent and to promote secession.

"After decades of attempts at reconciliation with the rest of Canada, now is the time to end the abusive and toxic relationship with Ottawa and the east that we find ourselves in today," Davies told CityNews.

Davies, a former organizer for Smith's party who also spent five years in the U.S. Marine Corps, told Ricochet, "I am shocked, actually, by the number of people that I've had conversations with — at town halls, coffee meetings, dinner parties — that have said, 'I've never thought myself a separatist, but I think that might be our only choice left.'"

"In the last couple dozen events that we've conducted — low-key organizing, having interesting meetings with diverse groups across the province — the party's membership has exploded by an additional 8,000 in the last three and a half weeks. And that's without a lot of effort," added Davies.

While the future of Davies' party is uncertain, it's abundantly clear from Monday's election results that there's no love lost for the Carney Liberals in Alberta.

With 172 seats required for a majority, the Liberal Party came out on top with 169 seats and 49.3% of the vote. Conservatives, lead by Pierre Poilievre, lagged behind by nearly 480,000 votes, netting 144 seats and 42% of the total vote.

'Threatening to leave the country because you don’t get your desired electoral outcome is counterproductive and unpatriotic.'

Urban hives and regions heavily reliant on the government for jobs or welfare apparently skewed Liberal. Rural, industrial, and younger areas of the country appear to have picked the Conservatives.

The Conservatives netted 91.9% of the vote in Alberta, the province with the youngest population. The Liberals alternatively brought in a measly 5.4%.

Premier Smith said in a statement Tuesday, "A large majority of Albertans are deeply frustrated that the same government that overtly attacked our provincial economy almost unabated for the past 10 years has been returned to government."

"In the weeks and months ahead, Albertans will have an opportunity to discuss our province's future, assess various options for strengthening and protecting our province against future hostile acts from Ottawa, and to ultimately choose a path forward," added Smith.

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney recently blasted those considering the path forward that leads Alberta out of Canada, telling reporters, "Threatening to leave the country because you don’t get your desired electoral outcome is counterproductive and unpatriotic. And I don't think it's something that should be thrown around."

"Nor should central Canadian political elites be dismissive of the very legitimate grievances that people in the West and Alberta have about the attacks on our energy industry," added Kenney.

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Canadian transvestite cancels US music tour because of America's reality-affirming visa policy



Canadian singer Bells Larsen, a woman who pretends to be a man, announced Friday that she canceled all of the American shows on her spring tour, blaming the Trump administration's requirement that visa applicants state their actual sex on their applications.

The female singer, who planned to exclusively play in blue states, indicated that she received an email last week from the American Federation of Musicians "stating that I am no longer able to apply for a Visa because US Immigration now only recognizes identification that corresponds with one's assigned sex at birth."

Contrary to Larsen's suggestion, which was uncritically embraced by leftists online — including the United Musicians and Allied Workers union — the singer is entirely capable of applying for a visa. However, to do so successfully would require her acknowledgment that she is indeed a woman.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order rejecting gender ideology and instructing the government to recognize only two sexes, male and female.

The president directed Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to "implement changes to require that government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder's sex."

'I truly don't know which phrasing holds more truth.'

Rubio gave guidance in February instructing all visa-issuing posts to ensure that the sex listed on an issued visa corresponds to the visa holder's immutable biological classification as either male or female.

The guidance noted that:

generally, the sex listed on the foreign passport should be considered as prima facie evidence of the applicant's sex as defined in the E.O. However, there may be instances when a consular officer becomes aware that the sex listed on the foreign passport may not be the applicant's sex as defined in the E.O. In such cases, the adjudicator should confirm the applicant's sex as defined in the E.O., indicate that sex on the visa, and add a case note documenting any discrepancy between the passport and the visa to prevent issues at the [point of entry].

Canadian passports are unreliable when it comes to evidencing an applicant's sex because Canadian passport holders can request a gender identifier for the opposite sex and even for "another gender" besides male or female.

The request form winks at this unreliability, notifying Canadians that the sex identifier on their travel document "may not be universally accepted for entry or exit by border authorities of another country."

Larsen apparently failed to read the fine print.

"To put it super plainly, because I'm trans (and have an M on my passport), I can't tour in the States," wrote the female singer. "I hesitate to include a 'right now' or an 'anymore' at the end of my previous sentence, because — in this sociopolitical climate — I truly don't know which phrasing holds more truth."

Larsen suggested that her announcement was somehow ironic because her new album is about her adoption of a male persona following elective mastectomies and testosterone therapy, adding, "This new policy has crushed my dreams."

'President Trump promised the American people a revolution of common sense.'

After doing her best to use the manufactured controversy to promote herself, Larsen implored her fellow Canadians to vote in the upcoming federal election in which conservative populist Pierre Poilievre seeks to unseat as prime minister the self-identified "European" World Economic Forum frequenter Mark Carney.

Earlier this month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it was updating its policy manual to clarify that it recognizes only two biological sexes, male and female.

"President Trump promised the American people a revolution of common sense, and that includes making sure that the policy of the U.S. government agrees with simple biological reality," Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "Proper management of our immigration system is a matter of national security, not a place to promote and coddle an ideology that permanently harms children and robs real women of their dignity, safety, and well-being."

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Trump cracks jokes as Trudeau's leftist government apparently begins to disintegrate



"Sunny ways, my friends. Sunny ways," Justin Trudeau told his countrymen when elected Canada's prime minister in 2015. "This is what positive politics can do."

It appears that dark days are ahead for the leftist prime minister. After nine years marked by personal scandals, tax hikes, an unprecedented influx of immigrants, a spike in illegal immigration, rising crime, unanswered church burnings, a housing crisis, coercive medicine, and the rise of state-facilitated suicide as a leading cause of death nationally, Trudeau now faces a disapproval rating of 68% and a Canadian dollar trading at a five-year low. Although Trudeau has survived multiple no-confidence votes in recent months with the help of socialist New Democrat Party and Bloc Québécois lawmakers, his Cabinet has begun to disintegrate before his eyes.

Just weeks after Trudeau's foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly effectively auditioned for his job in the pages of the New York Times, Trudeau's deputy and finance minister Chrystia Freeland called it quits.

Freeland, a former journalist who did her best to alienate President-elect Donald Trump during his first term with passive-aggressive commentary, noted in a public letter to Trudeau that his alleged desire for her to migrate to a different role in his Cabinet was the last straw.

'The government of Canada itself is spiraling out of control.'

"To be effective, a Minister must speak on behalf of the Prime Minister and with his full confidence," wrote Freeland. "In making your decision, you made clear that I no longer credibly enjoy that confidence and possess the authority that comes with it."

Although Freeland was on board with Trudeau's unlawful decision to use martial law in 2022 to crush the peaceful trucker protests and cosigned his various other controversial decisions, she suggested that in recent weeks they have been "at odds about the best path forward for Canada" and condemned his "costly political gimmicks."

Built into Freeland's letter was an apparent pitch for a new national direction, signaling the outgoing Cabinet minister's possible interest in competing against Joly, former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, and other ambitious liberals for Trudeau's position.

Freeland noted further that while she was resigning her Cabinet position, she would keep her seat in Parliament and run again in the next federal election.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre stated at a press conference Monday, "The government of Canada itself is spiraling out of control right before our eyes and at the very worst time."

'I can say we're not united.'

"Justin Trudeau has lost control and yet he clings to power. We cannot accept this kind of chaos, division, weakness, while we are staring down the barrel of a 25% tariff from our biggest trading partner and closest ally, which, by the way, is headed by a newly elected president with a strong and fresh mandate — a man who can spot weakness from a mile away," added Poilievre. "Ms. Freeland has been Mr. Trudeau's most trusted minister now for a decade — for nine years. She knows him better than anyone, and she knows that he's out of control."

Trump, who has done little to conceal his dislike for Freeland over the years, noted on Truth Social, "The Great State of Canada is stunned as the Finance Minister resigns, or was fired, from her position by Governor Justin Trudeau. Her behavior was totally toxic, and not at all conducive to making deals which are good for the very unhappy citizens of Canada. She will not be missed!"

Shortly after Freeland threw in the towel, Trudeau appointed his safety minister, Dominic LeBlanc, to the role of finance minister.

Hours after Freeland's resignation Monday, the Trudeau Liberal government released its fall economic statement, which proved to be more bad news. Despite Freeland's promise of fiscal responsibility and "guardrails" earlier this year, the Liberal government overshot its deficit target by over $20 billion, ending up with a federal deficit of $61.9 billion for 2023-24.

Following Freeland's shock resignation and the deficit announcement, members of Trudeau's Liberal Party of Canada held a mutinous caucus meeting, with numerous parliamentarians urging the prime minister to step down, reported Canadian state media.

"I can say we're not united," Liberal parliamentarian Chad Collins told reporters after the caucus meeting. "There's still a number of our members who think we need a change in leadership and I'm one of them."

"I think the only path forward for us is to choose a new leader and present a new plan to Canadians with a different vision," added Collins.

Wayne Long, another Liberal parliamentarian, suggested that one-third of the sitting members of Trudeau's party want him to resign, one-third are fence-sitters, and the remainder are loyalists.

Trudeau reportedly noted at a Christmas party Monday for Liberal donors that it had "not been an easy day" but otherwise remained mum on the topic of his abandonment.

Trudeau's day was likely made worse by his party's third federal by-election loss in recent months after Conservative Tamara Janset beat out a Liberal for a federal swing seat in British Columbia by a landslide. Polls indicate that in the event of a snap election, the Liberal Party will similarly be demolished at the ballot box nationwide.

A December 8 Ipsos poll indicated the Conservative Party of Canada would easily defeat Trudeau's Liberal Party. The CPC was leading in the polls with 44%. The NDP and the Liberal Party are both tied for second place with 21% each.

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