The Andrew Lawton Show

An increasing number of young Canadians can’t afford to buy a home, but Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says not to worry: a lifetime of renting can give “more freedom” and make people feel “liberated,” calling home ownership an outdated concept. True North’s Andrew Lawton says it’s a convenient way to avoid solving the housing crisis, and also markedly similar to the controversial “own nothing and be...

The federal government unveiled its latest budget yesterday and, surprise surprise, it’s full of big spending with no plan to balance the budget. But the Liberals did find room to shovel more money to CBC and over a billion dollars to “combat hate.” True North’s Andrew Lawton unpacks it with Franco Terrazzano of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and Catherine Swift of the Coalition of Concerned Ma...

Canada’s Governor General is supposed to be apolitical and above partisanship, but Her Excellency Mary Simon opted to convene a panel about the dangers of “online harms” while the federal government is championing a controversial law that uses such harms as a pretext to regulate internet speech. The panel had no critics of the legislation, but plenty of people championing it. True North’s Andrew L...

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh may not know how to negotiate but apparently he can read polls, now saying that carbon taxes aren’t the only option to fight climate change. Justin Trudeau says he’s “confused” about Singh’s position now, which has previously been unequivocal support, even as resistance to the tax swells across Canada. True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in. Also, Kris Sims from the Canadian...

It’s the third and final day of the Canada Strong and Free Network’s flagship conference in Ottawa and True North’s Andrew Lawton Show is once again live from the exhibit hall. In today’s show, Andrew speaks to former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott about freedom, conservatism, and why the right has to articulate its own position on climate and the environment instead of accepting the left’s...

Across the country, communities are being hollowed out and overrun by tent cities and increasing homeless populations. What has gone so wrong? True North’s Andrew Lawton catches up with former Toronto mayoral candidate Anthony Furey to discuss on the margins of the Canada Strong and Free Network’s annual conference, the flagship event for the country’s conservative movement. Also on the show, form...

Canada's flagship conservative conference, hosted by the Canada Strong and Free Network, kicks off today in Ottawa, with a roster of speakers including former British prime minister Boris Johnson, former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. True North is broadcasting live from the convention all week. In today's kickoff episode, True North's Andrew Lawto...

A report from the “sustainable economy” firm Corporate Knights says Justin Trudeau’s government pledged to spend $48.6 billion on climate change over the last nine years but has ‘only’ spent $34.3 billion, calling for the government to “follow through” on its commitments. True North’s Andrew Lawton says encouraging the government to throw more money at the weather isn’t going to change anything. A...

Saskatchewan has just expanded its provincial firearms office, putting public safety and protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners front and centre as the federal government continues to curtail lawful gun ownership in this country. Saskatchewan’s approach has been celebrated by firearms advocates – Andrew welcomes to the show the province’s firearms commissioner, Robert Freberg, and chief f...

Three NDP MPs – including longtime party stalwart Charlie Angus – have announced today they aren’t seeking re-election, with Angus acknowledging the beginning of a new “political era.” True North’s Andrew Lawton says it’s no surprise, as the latest polling shows Conservatives could make serious gains even in NDP ridings, including Angus’. The public inquiry into foreign interference is underway, v...

Justin Trudeau has said what many Canadians had already figured out – that his government’s record on immigration has led to a “massive spike” that is “far beyond what Canada has been able to absorb.” The Conservatives have yet to provide their own target for immigration, except to say that it needs to be tied to housing, jobs, and healthcare. True North’s Andrew Lawton says Trudeau’s flip flop is...

Thousands of Canadians gathered across the country yesterday to protest the latest hike to the carbon tax. This increase makes almost everything more expensive while Canadians are already grappling with a rising cost of living, but the federal government has been unflinching. Justin Trudeau says premiers are to blame for making “political hay” instead of coming up with their own alternative carbon...

As the Liberal government faces criticism over its so-called online harms bill, an adviser to Justin Trudeau has written an op-ed defending the bill and calling concerns about its effect on free speech “rage farming.” True North’s Andrew Lawton sets the record straight, then speaks with Canadian Constitution Foundation litigation director Christine Van Geyn about why people should be worried about...

Liberal member of Parliament has once again apologized for comparing Pierre Poilievre to Nazis, after previously apologizing for comparing Poilievre to Nazis. The apology rings hollow when it’s clear Hardie actually views the Conservatives this way, True North’s Andrew Lawton says. Also, the federal government continues to defend its carbon tax – which is set to increase once again on Monday. Econ...

The gun “buyback” the Liberals announced four years ago, which was supposed to be completed by 2022, has so far racked up $42 million in costs without even confiscating a single gun. Even so, the government is still committed to this approach, which is squarely aimed at registered and legally-owned firearms, and not those overwhelmingly used in gun crime. True North’s Andrew Lawton says it’s bad n...

The Liberals are pushing to bump back the fixed election date by a week. They say it’s so the election doesn’t fall on Diwali, a Hindu holiday, but it conveniently delays the election enough so that dozens of MPs first elected in 2019 will be eligible for their gold-plated MP pensions. The government says this is purely coincidental, but True North’s Andrew Lawton is less convinced. What do you th...

Mounting protests at Jewish businesses, institutions, and even neighbourhoods combined with the acceptability of virulently anti-Israel language reveal that antisemitism is the new normal in Canada, although many argue the only thing that’s changed is its visibility. While many in the federal government have condemned the most extreme examples of antisemitism on display, they feed into antisemitis...

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Justin Trudeau has just one day to scrap the impending carbon tax hike before the Conservatives will force a motion of non-confidence in Trudeau’s government. Poilievre says he’s willing to fight a “carbon tax election.” While the motion has little chance of succeeding, True North’s Andrew Lawton says Trudeau shouldn’t be afraid to defend the carbon tax at...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a Radio-Canada interviewer that he thinks about quitting his job daily, noting that it is "boring" or "challenging" depending on whose translation of the interview you believe. In either case, Trudeau is trying to play the victim and make Canadians feel sorry for him, True North's Andrew Lawton says. Meanwhile, he continues to gaslight Canadians about the carbon...

Seven of ten provincial premiers have called on the federal government to scrap its planned carbon tax increase, although Justin Trudeau continues to double down. With Trudeau’s government paying no heed to calls from his provincial counterparts and the cash-strapped Canadians they represent, Trudeau is making it clear it’s his way or the highway. True North’s Andrew Lawton discusses Colin Craig o...

A new poll finds that just under half of Canadians think the federal government’s plan to regulate internet speech will make online platforms safer. But a majority agree with the government’s bolstering of sentences for hate speech. True North’s Andrew Lawton says it’s clear from the last few years that many Canadians simply don’t support free speech, which may make this catastrophic bill a politi...

Canada’s state broadcaster, CBC, was whining about its budget while simultaneously paying out upwards of $15 million in bonuses in 2023, new documents reveal. News like this will make the call to defund CBC a much easier sell for Canadians, True North’s Andrew Lawton says. He discusses with Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Franco Terrazzano. Also, despite the RCMP making the explosiv...

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on his supporters to help him put pressure on Liberal and NDP MPs by writing letters to them, phoning their offices, and even organizing protests to oppose the carbon tax and its scheduled April 1 increase. Do you agree with the tactic? True North’s Andrew Lawton weighs in with Canadian Taxpayers Federation Alberta director Kris Sims. Also, CBC didn’t ha...

Polls have consistently put the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre in firm majority territory, with some showing the Liberals almost in third place behind the NDP. The Liberals have responded by embracing their favourite pastime – importing American political fights. Justin Trudeau’s and the Liberal party’s attacks on the Conservatives are increasingly about Donald Trump, True North’s Andrew Law...

Despite dozens of recommendations from the Public Order Emergencies Commission on reforms to the Emergencies Act, the federal Liberal government is only committing to engaging in further consultations with provinces, Indigenous groups, and other stakeholders, before entertaining changes. True North’s Andrew Lawton says that after the Federal Court finding that the government’s use of the act was u...