Freedom Feature

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Shawn Whatley, MD, is the past President of the Ontario Medical Association and a physician leader with experience in emergency medicine and primary care. You may find more of his work and a great podcast at: https://shawnwhatley.com/ Dr. Whatley spoke with Barry about why there needs to be a discussion of morality in health care. Dr. Whatley’s recent book is When Politics Comes Before Patients: Why and How Canadian Medicare is Failing, (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0888903111/ref=as_sl_pc_as_ss_li_til?tag=shawnwhatleym-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=c719af966f5ebdda609811588b05e9d6&creativeASIN=0888903111) ha Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Constitutional lawyer Samuel Bachand chats with Barry some of his recent constitutional cases he is working on. Mr. Bachand is the Justice Centre For Constitutional Freedom’s Director of French Canada. Samuel is a frequent speaker on current issues affecting fundamental freedoms: proposed legislation, court cases, government programmes and decisions. He is passionate about expressive and political freedoms, and believes that modern forms of censorship are clear signs of the – reversible – decline of Western civilization.   Samuel spent the first years of his career at Woods LLP, the foremost litigation boutique in Montreal and, prior to joining CJLC, worked at Prévost Fortin D'Aoust with one of Canada's leading constitutional litigators. He has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 2011 and the Law Society of Upper Canada (Ontario) since 2012. He is a law graduate from Osgoode Hall Law School and from Université de Montréal where he taught from 2012 to 2020 as a law lecturer.  Nota bene : the Justice Centre operates in French under the name CJLC – Centre juridique pour les libertés constitutionnelles (see the French-language webpage at www.cjlc.ca). The CJLC is not a separate entity from the Justice Centre. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Shawn Whatley, MD, is the past President of the Ontario Medical Association and a physician leader with experience in emergency medicine and primary care. You may find more of his work and a great podcast at: https://shawnwhatley.com/ Dr. Whatley spoke with Barry about why the right must talk about the morality of gender-affirming care, assisted suicide. Why are we so reluctant to speak about morality in these very serious issues? Dr. Whatley’s recent book, When Politics Comes Before Patients: Why and How Canadian Medicare is Failing, (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0888903111/ref=as_sl_pc_as_ss_li_til?tag=shawnwhatleym-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=c719af966f5ebdda609811588b05e9d6&creativeASIN=0888903111) has this to say, “Successive governments, regardless of political stripe, know all too well that Canada's system of health care is one of the defining characteristics of "being a Canadian", and any changes deemed harmful will have them thrown out of power. Thus, decades of cuts around the margins, centralized control, federal/provincial infighting, and government oversight has left doctors and hospitals with little input on how your health dollars are allocated and spent. Citizens are being left to languish in pain for months, sometimes years, because the current cost and delivery system is programmed for the benefit of governments staying in power. That was not what was intended. Medicare should be about delivering high-quality and timely healthcare value for Canadians.” Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Charles Ficner, a retired federal government employee, has learned the lessons of history and what made Canada one of the most successful countries in the Western World. This is Part Two of his interview with Barry. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Augustine College: Faith Seeking Understanding – Interview with Todd Anderson Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Todd Anderson, Principal of Augustine College shares with Barry the mission and focus of the College to train young people how to think logically in deciphering truth in our age of chaos. Young people need to be grounded in understanding the principles that our society is based upon. “From the Greeks in the West, from the early stages, in our literature courses all the way up to the modern period, whether it is in philosophy, science, or the history of art or music – we cover all these pieces from a Christian perspective. The goal is not to say that this tradition doesn’t have its problems or its concerns but it is to say these are the best things we have produced as a society and they are fundamentally Christian, or have a Christian ethos in them…. We are thinking through what has framed and shaped society,” and how can students use that as they launch themselves into their careers. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

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Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Charles Ficner, a retired federal government employee, has learned the lessons of history and what made Canada one of the most successful countries in the Western World. In a 2017 writing (https://ontariolandowners.ca/persons-property-charles-ficner/) he observes, “The Core Principle that persons matter above everything else is at the root of Western Civilization. It has been confirmed, reconfirmed and firmly established as the foundation of our system of government and law. Whenever it was set aside it became impossible for persons to live together in a civil and civilized way.” “Government’s primary job is not to command, but to protect each and every citizen,” Mr. Ficner points out, “It must ensure that no person, no corporation, no institution and no official undermines the inalienable rights of any person. When those who hold public offices use the government’s power in any way that harms any citizen’s rights, their acts and commands have no legitimacy at all.” Charles shares with Barry the extraordinary currents of thought in the history of the West that remains relevant to us today. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Andre Schutten, of ARPA Canada https://arpacanada.ca/ shares with Barry why we ought to be concerned about the government’s Bill C-11 that is now making its way through the House of Commons as the government has forced closure on debate. Canadians must be aware of what is coming to the regulation of the internet. Do we really want the government to tell us what "narrative” is appropriate? Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ As if we didn't already know but now we have evidence of Canadian media gone "Woke"! David Rozado and Aaron Wudrick recently conducted a study on Canadian news media and obtained clear evidence of a “Northern Awokening: How social justice and woke language have infiltrated Canadian News Media.” Barry discussed the study with Aaron Wudrick, one of the study authors, a lawyer and the Director of MacDonald -Laurier Institute's Domestic Policy Program. (https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/cm-expert/aaron-wudrick/) You may read the study at: https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/northern-awokening-how-social-justice-and-woke-language-have-infiltrated-canadian-news-media/ And their op-ed at: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/measuring-the-canadian-news-medias-great-awokening Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ This is part two of a two-part interview with law professor Bruce Pardy, who is the executive director of Rights Probe - www.rightsprobe.org. Prof. Pardy shares with Barry the distinctions between the two slates of Bencher Candidates for the Law Society of Ontario. The Bencher Election campaign for the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) is now under way and it is a doozy! The stakes could not be higher for the over 55,000 Ontario lawyers. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ The Bencher Election campaign for the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) is now under way and it is a doozy! The stakes could not be higher for the over 55,000 Ontario lawyers. In 2019 an uprising occurred among the Ontario lawyers that saw a slate of 22 benchers elected with the aim of stoping the LSO's policy of imposing a "Statement of Principles" upon the legal profession. This policy would have required lawyers to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in their practice. Opposition quickly arose because of its attack on free speech. Not only were lawyers expected to carryout the policy, but they had to believe in it. One lawyer noted, "While the LSO has the mandate to regulate lawyers, it has no mandate to regulate t Lawyers play an essential role in our society; that role, however, does not include becoming state agents that parrot state-sponsored speech." 22 of the STOPSOP were elected as benchers in 2019 and eventually the SOP was stopped as promised. The benchers are up for election again in 2023 and this time there are two opposing camps - one called the "FULLSTOP" slate of 35 lawyers seeking to become "Benchers"; the other group is called the "Good Governance Coalition" slate of 45 lawyers. The choice could not be starker. The FullStop group wants to "Stop Bloat" - reducing the LSO budget, annual fees, and bureaucratic interference in the practice of law; "Stop Creep" - restore the LSO to its core mandate of regulating competence and integrity; "Stop Woke" - Remove social engineering, group identity politics, and "woke" ideological agendas from the LSO. The Good Governance Coalition - wants to "return competent, representative leadership" to the LSO. In other words, it wants to get back to the agenda of the pre-2019 program that caused the FullStop group to come into existence. Barry chats with law professor Bruce Pardy, who is the executive director of Rights Probe - www.rightsprobe.org. Prof. Pardy shares with Barry concerns he raised in a recent article stating - "It threatens not just lawyers but professionals of all kinds, as well as every Canadian who might someday need their services: embrace our politics or risk losing your licence." This is Part One of a Two Part interview. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ A group of Canadian young people have decided to speak out about “woke culture.” What motivates them? Are they hateful young people or are they just exercising their freedom of speech? Barry sat down with Nick Alexander and Monty Walker who are part of Save Canada and asked why they, as young people, are so passionate about freedom of speech. In the end you will hear firsthand that these two young men know what they stand for and are encouraging other young people to take a stand for all Canadians. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Dr. Don Hutchinson, Principal at Ansero Services, shares with Barry the federal government’s continued discrimination against Christian charities who do not share the government’s ideological commitments. The governments “Community Services Recovery Fund” is only open to those groups that are willing to agree with government’s views on such matters as abortion. Yet again the Trudeau government is demanding ideological conformity. The Canada Summer Jobs issue in 2018 got a lot of attention for the same government interference in freedom of religion and conscience. The government has not changed. And, with this new program the government’s heavy hand is seen yet again. Dr. Hutchinson shares with Barry the latest in the ongoing government campaign against pro-life Christian charities. This is part one of a two-part interview. Dr. Hutchinson blogs at: http://www.donhutchinson.ca/ His blog entry on this matter is found here: http://www.donhutchinson.ca/canada-community-services-recovery-fund%e2%80%95another-discriminatory-attestation-requirement/ Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Law Professor Bruce Pardy, the executive director of Rights Probe (https://www.rightsprobe.org/), continues his interview with Barry sharing his thoughts on the Rouleau Report. This is part two of a two part interview. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

ROULEAU REPORT: Not Surprising Yet Shocking - Interview With Tom Marazzo Part One Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Tom Marazzo shares with Barry W. Bussey his thoughts on The Rouleau Report that exonerated Prime Minister Trudeau in invoking the Emergencies Act. Marazzo was one of the organizers in the Trucker Freedom Convoy. This is part two of an extend conversation with Tom. You can find more about Tom and his new book at: https://tommarazzo.ca/ Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Tom Marazzo shares with Barry W. Bussey his thoughts on The Rouleau Report that exonerated Prime Minister Trudeau in invoking the Emergencies Act. Marazzo was one of the organizers in the Trucker Freedom Convoy. This is part one of an extend conversation with Tom. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Barry W. Bussey shares thoughts on the release of the Rouleau Report from the Public Order Emergency Commission that was set up to review the circumstances of the federal government's invocation of the Emergencies Act.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Barry shares a few thoughts on the first anniversary of the invocation of the Emergencies Act against the Trucker Freedom Convoy 2022 protest in Ottawa.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ "A Canadian culture that no longer values freedom as much as we value conformity,” says author James Forbes who was interviewed by Barry W. Bussey on Freedom Feature. “At least the way that a lot of people were talking, and the way governments were talking. It was, “you need to conform to these measures, or you are a bad person.” Today we do not seem to have [freedom] front of mind. We see the consequences of what that can be. Wee have a state that says, “You have to conform.” “It’s not to a religious doctrine these days but it is to a secular set of beliefs and practices,” says Forbes, “And in order to avoid being persecuted by the state or by your neighbours you have to make sure you’re performing all of these practices and adhering to all of these orthodox sort of beliefs as determined by whatever the issue of the day may be.” Forbes observes that “You have to have a culture that values freedom in order to keep your freedoms. I think we can see that with the Covid Pandemic of the past two years. Maybe we are not a culture anymore, or at least we are losing some of that culture that values freedom. We are entering unchartered waters. We don’t exactly know what this is going to look like as Canada becomes post Christian. And, so, what does this mean for liberty? What does this mean for the values that we stood for all this time?” Great questions. Great conversation. See James book, Protestant Liberty: Religion and the Making of Canadian Liberalism, 1828–1878 “James Forbes argues that the origins of Canadian liberalism were firmly rooted in the British tradition of Protestantism and were based on the premise of guarding against the advance of supposedly illiberal faiths, especially Catholicism. After the union of Upper Canada with predominantly French-Catholic Lower Canada in 1840, this Protestant ideal of liberty came into conflict with a more neutral alternative that sought to strip liberalism of its religious associations in order to appeal to Catholic voters and allies. In a decisive break from their Protestant heritage, these liberals redefined their ideology in secular-materialist terms by emphasizing free trade and private property over faith and culture. In tracing how the Confederation generation competed to establish a unifying vision for the nation, Protestant Liberty reveals religion and religious differences at the centre of this story.” Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ John Carpay the President of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms talks about key cases that JCCF is involved with protecting Canadians against the overreach of government. John presents common sense insights of evaluating our current situation. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Jeffrey Tucker joins Barry Bussey again to discuss the latest state of affairs in the pandemic aftermath. Despite a year having passed since the Trucker Freedom Convoy 2022 in Ottawa residual effects of the pandemic remain as unvaccinated Canadians are still not permitted to travel to the United States. Tucker notes that it is particularly embarrassing that the restriction remains. He points out that it is a power play with a lot of vested industrial interests who, in concert with the administrative state, are keeping the emergency declaration operative. Tucker also shared the importance for citizens not to be lulled to sleep just because the administrative state has relaxed its pandemic lockdowns. At any moment the vested interests can reimpose measures that take away freedom. Every citizen has a responsibility to be on guard and ensure that governments are held accountable for their actions. The conversation ends on a hope note for citizens to take courage and not give up but to use the window of opportunity we currently have to stand our ground for freedom against the big tech, pharma, and bureaucrats who seek to impose their will on citizens. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

The War On Truth - Interview With Lawyer Michael Alexander and Drs. Mark Trozzi, Charles Hoffe, Crystal Luchkiw, Patrick Phillips Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Those physicians who were not convinced of the efficacy of the COVID 19 vaccine and spoke out about it they are shunned by their medical regulatory bodies. So much so that they have had their medical licenses suspended and are facing expulsion from the practice of medicine. On this program Michael Alexander explains what is at stake for his physician clients. His clients join us for a very lively discussion about their respective state of affairs and what it means for Canadian society. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Marko Kolic shares his struggle with losing his employment working for the Federal Government. Marko is a very religious man, and he shares how his faith got him through. He holds no punches in saying that the demonization of the unvaccinated by government was itself evil. He encourages everyone of faith to hang in there. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ David Ripley pastors the Grace Christian Fellowship (https://www.crestongracefellowship.org/) in Creston, British Columbia, Canada. During the COVID-19 Pandemic he kept his church open as a place of prayer and reflection. He called the Mayor, the fire chief and the RCMP and all agreed that his understanding of the Provincial Health Order allowed him to open his church for this limited purpose. However, later he was fined $2,300 for violating the Provincial Health Order. After 12 preliminary court appearances by his JCCF lawyers (www.jccf.ca) the Crown directed a stay of proceedings on the charges in late 2022. Pastor Ripley shares with Barry his experience and the exciting news that attendance has increased as a result. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.

Beat the censors, sign-up for our newsletter: https://firstfreedoms.ca/call_to_action_pages/stay_informed/ Paige Thombs is a PhD student in the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria. She is also an Osgoode Hall Visiting Scholar in Toronto. Paige is Barry’s guest on this installment of Freedom Feature. Her research looks at how religious identity shapes legal practice. Paige describes herself as “very left-leaning and openly gay” and one who “very much believes in religious freedom”. She does not see her “rights as a gay person being in conflict with” a Christian’s rights. She asks, “is there no space where these two sets of rights can exist in tandem?” She is interested in the intersection of religion and law over the last 50 years. As a non-lawyer she sees that the legal profession, especially in the last ten years, has been keen to appreciate lawyers’ personal characteristics such as gender, and sexual orientation but ignores what a lawyers’ faith perspective may bring to the law. Paige sees a shift in Charter rights and human rights law that concerns her. She observes that rights are supposed to run side by side with no right getting more attention or privilege than another. “It just doesn’t seem to exist that way.” While she admits that her rights as a woman and as a gay person has improved her life she is bothered about where it is leading. “I have become increasingly uncomfortable by the idea that my rights are now at the top of the heap over and above the rights of many others. I don’t want my rights to overshadow somebody else’s rights – like a person who might be conservative and religious. There has to be a way for these two sets of values to coexist.” Despite their different views on religion Paige and Barry have a very engaging and enlightening conversation about the state of openness in Canadian society and in universities for conservative thought. Returning to university after being out for 23 years and Paige expected university to be even more open to new ideas and discussion. Unfortunately, she found it to be opposite. Indeed, “there is not a lot of space for what would be considered unpopular opinions. By unpopular opinions I mean those considered conservative in nature. There is no space for that.” How to live together despite our differences is a theme of this very interesting discussion. Please note the views expressed by the individual(s) in this video are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or principles of the First Freedoms Foundation.