Whistleblower Advocacy Sounds the Alarm: Corruption Runs Wild Without Real Protections

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7 months ago

11 minute read

Dan Knight

Survey Exposes Glaring Gaps in Justice and Support for Whistleblowers in Ontario

Let’s be clear: whistleblowers are the unsung heroes standing between a functioning democracy and total government rot. But according to a new survey by the Whistleblowing Canada Research Society, Ontario’s legal system is failing them spectacularly. Funded by The Law Foundation of Ontario, the study surveyed lawyers who handle whistleblower cases. What it found should outrage every Canadian.

Whistleblowers face a gauntlet of obstacles—from legal and financial ruin to retaliation that destroys their careers and lives. The report paints a picture of a system designed to silence truth-tellers and protect the powerful.

The Findings: Whistleblowers Left in the Cold

No Legal or Financial Safety Net:
Whistleblowers risk everything to expose corruption, but when the lawsuits hit, they’re left on their own. The survey highlights the lack of publicly funded legal support, leaving courageous individuals to fend for themselves against deep-pocketed corporations or government lawyers.
Culture of Fear:
Want to speak up? Be prepared to lose your job, your reputation, and maybe even your family. Toxic workplace cultures and a cowardly “see no evil” mindset keep most people quiet.
Lawyers Aren’t Ready:
Shockingly, many legal professionals don’t even understand the laws meant to protect whistleblowers. The result? A justice system ill-equipped to handle cases where the stakes are the highest.

The Bright Spot: Not All Lawyers Are Afraid

Out of the 147 lawyers surveyed, 40 have stepped up, agreeing to take whistleblower cases and join a new directory on Whistleblowing Canada’s website. These are the legal warriors ready to fight for justice, but let’s be honest—40 lawyers in all of Ontario? That’s just a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.

Pamela Forward’s Warning

“This survey research underscores the gaps and barriers hindering whistleblowers from playing their vital role in society,” said Pamela Forward, President of Whistleblowing Canada Research Society.

Translation? If we don’t fix this broken system, corruption wins.

Why This Matters: The Whistleblower Cases That Expose the Rot of Corruption

Over the past three years, whistleblowers have been at the center of some of Canada’s biggest scandals. Each one reveals the price of speaking out—and the lengths to which our so-called leaders will go to hide their dirty laundry.

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC):
This scandal emerged in early 2023, when whistleblowers within SDTC—a federal green fund intended to support sustainable technologies—raised alarms about rampant financial mismanagement. Senior executives were accused of approving large grants to companies with which they had personal ties, bypassing established funding protocols meant to ensure fairness and accountability. Investigations revealed that millions of taxpayer dollars had been misallocated, with some funds allegedly diverted for personal or non-environmental uses. CEO Leah Lawrence resigned in November 2023 amid mounting public and political pressure. By mid-2024, the fallout led to the dissolution of SDTC as an independent entity, marking a significant failure in oversight of a key federal initiative aimed at combating climate change.

ArriveCAN Contracting Fraud:
The $54 million ArriveCAN app, ostensibly developed to streamline Canada’s pandemic-era border protocols, became a lightning rod for controversy after whistleblowers exposed irregularities in its procurement process. Investigations revealed that GCStrategies, a consulting firm with ties to Liberal-affiliated individuals, acted as a middleman for contracts worth millions. The firm outsourced much of the app’s development to smaller subcontractors while retaining a significant cut of the funds. Critics questioned why the federal government didn’t rely on in-house developers, who could have completed the app for a fraction of the cost. The revelations sparked investigations by the RCMP and parliamentary committees, with whistleblowers alleging that government officials ignored proper oversight to steer contracts toward preferred vendors. Public outrage continues as investigations remain unresolved.

Chinese Election Interference:
In late 2022, a whistleblower within the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) leaked explosive documents detailing Beijing’s covert interference in Canada’s federal elections. According to the classified intelligence, the Chinese government funneled money to at least 11 candidates in the 2019 election and executed disinformation campaigns to influence voter behavior. These efforts were allegedly coordinated by China’s Ministry of State Security and the United Front Work Department, with the goal of securing a Liberal minority government while undermining Conservative candidates perceived as critical of Beijing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was briefed on the interference but reportedly took no substantive action, sparking accusations that his government prioritized political convenience over national security. Further leaks in 2023 outlined similar interference in the 2021 election, leading to a public inquiry headed by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue. The whistleblower’s disclosures have intensified scrutiny on the Trudeau government’s handling of foreign interference.

Public Sector Integrity Commission’s Incompetence:
The Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, created to provide whistleblowers with a safe avenue to report misconduct in federal workplaces, has become emblematic of bureaucratic failure. As of October 2024, the office faced an overwhelming backlog, with some cases languishing for up to three years without resolution. Whistleblowers have reported losing faith in the system, with delays often leaving them exposed to retaliation while their allegations go unaddressed. Commissioner Harriet Solloway admitted that resource constraints and poor internal management have exacerbated the backlog, effectively rendering the office incapable of fulfilling its mandate. Critics argue that this dysfunction discourages whistleblowing and emboldens bad actors within the federal government.

SNC-Lavalin’s Never-Ending Fallout:
The SNC-Lavalin affair, though originating in 2019, continues to cast a long shadow over Canadian politics. At its core, the scandal involved allegations that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office improperly pressured then-Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould to secure a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) for SNC-Lavalin, a Quebec-based engineering giant accused of bribery and fraud. Whistleblowers exposed the extent of political interference, leading to Wilson-Raybould’s

Trudeau’s Corruption and NDP Complicity: Laurentian Elites Are Selling Out Accountability

The Trudeau government’s corruption isn’t just a headline—it’s a pattern. A federal green fund turned into a slush fund, shady app contracts funneled to Liberal insiders, Chinese interference in our elections swept under the rug—it’s one scandal after another. And every time, Trudeau shrugs, dodges questions, and tells Canadians to trust him. Trust him? After yesterday’s non-confidence vote, it’s clear he doesn’t need Canadians’ trust as long as he has Jagmeet Singh and the NDP propping up his government.

Let’s not mince words: the NDP just sold out Canada’s integrity. Singh and his party could have stood for whistleblowers, accountability, and democracy. Instead, they chose to keep Trudeau’s corrupt regime afloat, betraying every Canadian who hoped for real leadership. It’s a disgrace, and it proves the NDP has become nothing more than a branch office of the Liberal Party.

The Real Takeaway

The Laurentian elites love to preach about transparency and fairness, but when whistleblowers come forward to expose the rot, those same elites close ranks. Why? Because the system works for them. Corruption is fine—as long as it benefits the right people. And make no mistake, in Trudeau’s Canada, “the right people” are his donors, his insiders, and anyone who helps him cling to power.

What about the people who risk everything to speak the truth? They’re treated like enemies of the state. Retaliation, ruined careers, and endless delays—this is how whistleblowers are punished for defending democracy.

If we don’t demand better, Canada’s message is clear: there’s no price for corruption, and there’s no reward for bravery. This isn’t just about Trudeau’s scandals or the NDP’s betrayal; it’s about whether we believe in the principles that make a free society work—truth, accountability, and justice.

Whistleblowers shouldn’t be punished—they should be celebrated. They’re the last line of defense in a government that has forgotten its duty to the people. It’s time to stop the rot, call out Trudeau’s corruption for what it is, and hold accountable every single person and party enabling it.

Canada deserves better than Trudeau’s Laurentian cronies and the NDP lackeys who keep them in power.

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Dallas mayor invites NYers to first ‘sanctuary city from socialism’

Published on July 5, 2025

Todayville

From The Center Square

By Bethany Blankley

After the self-described socialist Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary for mayor in New York, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson invited New Yorkers and others to move to Dallas.

Mamdani has vowed to implement a wide range of tax increases on corporations and property and to “shift the tax burden” to “richer and whiter neighborhoods.”

New York businesses and individuals have already been relocating to states like Texas, which has no corporate or personal income taxes.

Johnson, a Black mayor and former Democrat, switched parties to become a Republican in 2023 after opposing a city council tax hike, The Center Square reported.

“Dear Concerned New York City Resident or Business Owner: Don’t panic,” Johnson said. “Just move to Dallas, where we strongly support our police, value our partners in the business community, embrace free markets, shun excessive regulation, and protect the American Dream!”

Fortune 500 companies and others in recent years continue to relocate their headquarters to Dallas; it’s also home to the new Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE). The TXSE will provide an alternative to the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq and there are already more finance professionals in Texas than in New York, TXSE Group Inc. founder and CEO James Lee argues.

From 2020-2023, the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington MSA reported the greatest percentage of growth in the country of 34%, The Center Square reported.

Johnson on Thursday continued his invitation to New Yorkers and others living in “socialist” sanctuary cities, saying on social media, “If your city is (or is about to be) a sanctuary for criminals, mayhem, job-killing regulations, and failed socialist experiments, I have a modest invitation for you: MOVE TO DALLAS. You can call us the nation’s first official ‘Sanctuary City from Socialism.’”

“We value free enterprise, law and order, and our first responders. Common sense and the American Dream still reside here. We have all your big-city comforts and conveniences without the suffocating vice grip of government bureaucrats.”

As many Democratic-led cities joined a movement to defund their police departments, Johnson prioritized police funding and supporting law and order.

“Back in the 1800s, people moving to Texas for greater opportunities would etch ‘GTT’ for ‘Gone to Texas’ on their doors moving to the Mexican colony of Tejas,” Johnson continued, referring to Americans who moved to the Mexican colony of Tejas to acquire land grants from the Mexican government.

“If you’re a New Yorker heading to Dallas, maybe try ‘GTD’ to let fellow lovers of law and order know where you’ve gone,” Johnson said.

Modern-day GTT movers, including a large number of New Yorkers, cite high personal income taxes, high property taxes, high costs of living, high crime, and other factors as their reasons for leaving their states and moving to Texas, according to multiple reports over the last few years.

In response to Johnson’s invitation, Gov. Greg Abbott said, “Dallas is the first self-declared “Sanctuary City from Socialism. The State of Texas will provide whatever support is needed to fulfill that mission.”

The governor has already been doing this by signing pro-business bills into law and awarding Texas Enterprise Grants to businesses that relocate or expand operations in Texas, many of which are doing so in the Dallas area.

“Texas truly is the Best State for Business and stands as a model for the nation,” Abbott said. “Freedom is a magnet, and Texas offers entrepreneurs and hardworking Texans the freedom to succeed. When choosing where to relocate or expand their businesses, more innovative industry leaders recognize the competitive advantages found only in Texas. The nation’s leading CEOs continually cite our pro-growth economic policies – with no corporate income tax and no personal income tax – along with our young, skilled, diverse, and growing workforce, easy access to global markets, robust infrastructure, and predictable business-friendly regulations.”

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National dental program likely more costly than advertised

Published on July 4, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Matthew Lau

At the beginning of June, the Canadian Dental Care Plan expanded to include all eligible adults. To be eligible, you must: not have access to dental insurance, have filed your 2024 tax return in Canada, have an adjusted family net income under $90,000, and be a Canadian resident for tax purposes.

As a result, millions more Canadians will be able to access certain dental services at reduced—or no—out-of-pocket costs, as government shoves the costs onto the backs of taxpayers. The first half of the proposition, accessing services at reduced or no out-of-pocket costs, is always popular; the second half, paying higher taxes, is less so.

A Leger poll conducted in 2022 found 72 per cent of Canadians supported a national dental program for Canadians with family incomes up to $90,000—but when asked whether they would support the program if it’s paid for by an increase in the sales tax, support fell to 42 per cent. The taxpayer burden is considerable; when first announced two years ago, the estimated price tag was $13 billion over five years, and then $4.4 billion ongoing.

Already, there are signs the final cost to taxpayers will far exceed these estimates. Dr. Maneesh Jain, the immediate past-president of the Ontario Dental Association, has pointed out that according to Health Canada the average patient saved more than $850 in out-of-pocket costs in the program’s first year. However, the Trudeau government’s initial projections in the 2023 federal budget amounted to $280 per eligible Canadian per year.

Not all eligible Canadians will necessarily access dental services every year, but the massive gap between $850 and $280 suggests the initial price tag may well have understated taxpayer costs—a habit of the federal government, which over the past decade has routinely spent above its initial projections and consistently revises its spending estimates higher with each fiscal update.

To make matters worse there are also significant administrative costs. According to a story in Canadian Affairs, “Dental associations across Canada are flagging concerns with the plan’s structure and sustainability. They say the Canadian Dental Care Plan imposes significant administrative burdens on dentists, and that the majority of eligible patients are being denied care for complex dental treatments.”

Determining eligibility and coverage is a huge burden. Canadians must first apply through the government portal, then wait weeks for Sun Life (the insurer selected by the federal government) to confirm their eligibility and coverage. Unless dentists refuse to provide treatment until they have that confirmation, they or their staff must sometimes chase down patients after the fact for any co-pay or fees not covered.

Moreover, family income determines coverage eligibility, but even if patients are enrolled in the government program, dentists may not be able to access this information quickly. This leaves dentists in what Dr. Hans Herchen, president of the Alberta Dental Association, describes as the “very awkward spot” of having to verify their patients’ family income.

Dentists must also try to explain the program, which features high rejection rates, to patients. According to Dr. Anita Gartner, president of the British Columbia Dental Association, more than half of applications for complex treatment are rejected without explanation. This reduces trust in the government program.

Finally, the program creates “moral hazard” where people are encouraged to take riskier behaviour because they do not bear the full costs. For example, while we can significantly curtail tooth decay by diligent toothbrushing and flossing, people might be encouraged to neglect these activities if their dental services are paid by taxpayers instead of out-of-pocket. It’s a principle of basic economics that socializing costs will encourage people to incur higher costs than is really appropriate (see Canada’s health-care system).

At a projected ongoing cost of $4.4 billion to taxpayers, the newly expanded national dental program is already not cheap. Alas, not only may the true taxpayer cost be much higher than this initial projection, but like many other government initiatives, the dental program already seems to be more costly than initially advertised.