The Andrew Lawton Show – Details, episodes & analysis

With rampant inflation and a rising cost of living, Canadians can't catch a break. While life is getting more expensive in pretty much everywhere, government is the big beneficiary. A new report from the Fraser Institute breaks down how Canadians are spending more on taxes than they are on food, clothing, and shelter combined. True North's Andrew Lawton discusses with Kris Sims of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Also, critical theory has taken over Canadian schools, in large part because of a leftward shift in teacher training programs, a new essay charges. James Pew joins the show to talk about his piece "Transforming Children" in this month's C2C Journal. Plus, Andrew makes a big announcement, so you don't want to miss this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Canadians are turning on the immigration system, with recent polling showing Canadians think immigration rates are too high. This is Justin Trudeau's fault, True North's Andrew Lawton says. By setting arbitrary targets and making virtue signalling the goal over a sensible, measured approach to immigration, Trudeau has let the system get out of control. Can it be fixed? Also, the federal government has given the health minister, right now Mark Holland, the right to override Health Canada and unilaterally ban some products based on harm concerns – with no need for study or legislation. David Clement of the Consumer Choice Center says Canadians should be concerned about this consolidation of power in one person's hands. He joins the show to explain why. Plus, leaders around the world are condemning the sham election in Venezuela that Nicolas Maduro claims re-elected him. Ana Rizo of the Ladies of Liberty Alliance joins to discuss what's happening and why it matters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in an interview this week that he likes young people more than older folks because they aren't set in their ways, while acknowledging that the youth who supported him in 2015 are now in their late 20s and can't afford homes. But he said it would have been even worse without him. True North's Andrew Lawton says it doesn't seem like that, and Canadians definitely aren't buying it. Also, Canada is getting dragged for not committing to spending two per cent of its GDP on defence, as is required of NATO allies. What is that figure and why does it matter? Retired vice-admiral Mark Norman joins the show to discuss. Plus, Canada has become a net importer of electricity for the first time as consumers face increased prices. This is all because of a flawed "decarbonized" energy strategy, researcher Philip Cross says. He joins the show to explain why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has had nothing to say about Rebel News journalist David Menzies’ arrest, which took place while he was questioning her on her way into a Richmond Hill event. Freeland’s silence is particularly curious given how she’s taken up the press freedom cause in the past, even co-hosting a media freedom conference with her then-counterpart in the United Kingdom. True North’s Andrew Lawton says the hypocrisy is brazen but shouldn’t be all that surprising. Plus, Rebel News founder Ezra Levant joins the show to explain why Rebel is suing Freeland and the RCMP. Plus, while people are starting to talk about the housing and employment challenges being exacerbated by immigration, no one is willing to talk about mass immigration’s cultural effects. With the Canadian consensus on immigration eroding, Macdonald-Laurier Institute domestic policy director Aaron Wudrick says we need a grown-up conversation about immigration. He joins the show to discuss what that should look like. Also, the agenda for next week’s World Economic Forum annual meeting has sessions about the next pandemic, the future of free speech, and several about accelerating the “transition” away from oil and gas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rebel News reporter David Menzies was arrested for “assaulting a police officer” while he was attempting to question Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland at a Richmond Hill, Ont. event yesterday. While he was released without charges, the incident was a brutal overreach given the video footage shows no assault. The police were effectively serving to protect Freeland from uncomfortable questions, True North’s Andrew Lawton says. Menzies joins the show to explain what went down and why he’s now suing Freeland and the police. Also, the Canadian Military Journal, the official publication of the Canadian Armed Forces, devoted a whole issue to attacking the military for being rooted in “patriarchy” and “white supremacy.” Veteran and author Tom Marazzo and Veterans 4 Freedom president Drew MacGillivray join the show to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The same Toronto Police Service whose horses trampled an Indigenous woman during the Freedom Convoy protests saw some of its officers serving coffee to anti-Israel protesters who blocked a bridge in a Jewish neighbourhood on the weekend. Toronto police chief Myron Demkiw has apologized and launched a “thorough review” of the day’s events. True North’s Andrew Lawton says the police have clearly picked a side, which should make Toronto Jews very nervous. He discusses with lawyer Ari Goldkind. Also, the federal government has spent nearly half a million dollars on awards ceremonies for its own employees over the last 10 years. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s Kris Sims joins with the latest. Plus, True North is returning to Davos – not as Klaus Schwab’s invited guests, but as journalists. Except the World Economic Forum has barred us from getting into any of the official venues. Andrew explains why it isn’t going to stop him or his colleagues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis has sponsored a petition calling on Canada to withdraw from the United Nations and the World Health Organization, saying Canada’s membership in these bodies has undermined the “health rights and freedom of Canadians.” Liberal and NDP MPs have accused Lewis and the Conservatives of being dangerous conspiracy theorists as a result. What do you think? True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Also, the British Columbia Supreme Court has ruled that it would violate drug users’ constitutional rights to keep them away from playgrounds. This comes as a new report from the Macdonald-Laurier institute exposes how so-called safe supply policies have failed. The report’s author, National Post columnist Adam Zivo, joins the show to discuss. Plus, is civility dead? Author Alexandra Hudson calls for a return of civility to bridge the widening political divide in her new book “The Soul of Civility” and comes on to share her thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harvard president Claudine Gay has resigned after countless examples of plagiarism were exposed by independent journalists. Now that she’s out, the media is blaming it all on conservatives, with one commentator going so far as to say exposing Gay’s plagiarism was an “attack on diversity.” True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Plus, starting this year, Saskatchewan isn’t collecting the carbon tax on fuel and home heating as it protests the federal government’s exemption for Atlantic Canadians and their home heating oil. Saskatchewan Crown Corporations Minister Dustin Duncan joins The Andrew Lawton Show to discuss. Also, the Federal Court has ruled that Rebel News’ lawn signs promoting Ezra Levant’s book “The Libranos” were illegal. Levant weighs in on what this means for free speech and political discourse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Trudeau is starting off 2024 defiant. In one of his year-end interviews with the legacy media, Trudeau said his declining popularity in the polls has nothing to do with him. He has been steadfast in his commitment to lead the Liberals into the next election. Do you think he’ll be able to hold onto his leadership all year? True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Also, Saskatchewan is no longer collecting the carbon tax on natural gas and electrical heat in protest of the federal government’s carbon tax exemption on home heating oil, mostly benefitting Atlantic Canadians. Plus, SecondStreet.org’s Colin Craig joins the show to discuss how wait times in Canadian hospitals are getting worse and what Canada can do to address this glaring issue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The year 2023 has come and gone – and it was a busy one for True North journalists. In this edition of The Andrew Lawton Show, the last of the year, Andrew checks in with True North journalists Sue-Ann Levy, Rachel Emmanuel, and Cosmin Dzsurdzsa on their favourite stories from the year past. They discuss the re-election of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, the Million Person March for parental rights, the tragic suicide of Toronto principal Richard Bilkszto, and the London Public Library's embrace of censorship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices