(0:00 - 0:37) Good evening, I'm Will Dove and these are the top stories for Friday, May 9th. Newly uncovered documents reveal that Canada's top public health officials, including Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam, signed legally enforceable non-disclosure agreements in 2020 designed to prevent the release of COVID-19 information that could embarrass the Minister, the Cabinet or the Government of Canada. The oaths, obtained through access to information requests, specifically targeted details surrounding the procurement of $8 billion worth of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and other pharmaceutical companies. (0:38 - 1:12) Officials were warned that disclosing contract terms or supply negotiations could jeopardize Canada's supplier relations and harm federal-provincial-territorial collaboration. Internal emails show Vaccine Supply Task Force member Alan Tom raised concerns about the NDAs, writing in June 2020, The insistence on layering additional confidentiality agreements atop existing public service codes creates unnecessary legal risks for civil servants. Despite these objections, 29 senior officials signed the pledges. (1:13 - 1:43) The secrecy measures coincided with Canada granting vaccine manufacturers full immunity from liability for adverse effects, while taxpayers footed the bill for injuries through the Vaccine Injury Support Program. To date, VISP has paid $11.2 million in claims linked to myocarditis, blood clots and menstrual irregularities, with 1,928 claims still under review. Members of Parliament attempting to scrutinize vaccine contracts faced blanket refusals. (1:44 - 2:20) Conservative health critic Stephen Ellis stated this week, These NDAs were a political tool to hide failures in procurement and rollout. Recent data from the Public Health Agency of Canada adds fuel to critics' claims, showing 42.5% of COVID-19 hospitalizations between January 2022 and March 2023 involved patients who contracted the virus after being admitted for unrelated conditions. More likely is that these patients were misdiagnosed with COVID due to the improper use of the PCR test in order to inflate COVID numbers. (2:20 - 3:47) A separate Statistics Canada report noted a 12.4% increase in deaths from ill-defined or unknown causes during 2021-2022 compared to pre-pandemic averages, with researchers acknowledging this category often includes undiagnosed vaccine-related complications. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation reversed its ban on a controversial billboard criticizing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, conceding days before the federal election that the sign did not promote hatred. Retired HVAC technician George Katerberg erected the billboard along Highway 17 near Thessalon in March 2024, featuring images of Justin Trudeau, Chrystia Freeland, Premier Doug Ford, Public Health Officer Theresa Tam, then-NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, and former U.S. Health Adviser Anthony Fauci. The message accused them of having knowingly lied about safety and stopping transmission, while demanding accountability. Authorities initially ordered the billboard's removal, claiming its two-hammer design, inspired by Pink Floyd's The Wall album art, represented white supremacist ideology. Katerberg replaced the hammers with a plain Canadian flag, but the ministry again blocked the modified version in June 2024, asserting it might promote hatred or contempt for the officials depicted. (3:48 - 4:24) This triggered a constitutional challenge backed by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. In court filings, Katerberg argued the billboard targeted politicians' professional conduct rather than an identifiable group, stating, The sign does not promote violence. It calls for accountability from those who imposed harmful mandates. On April 23, six days before the election, the ministry abruptly reversed course, admitting the display fell within free speech protections. I knew there was nothing wrong with my sign, Katerberg remarked after the victory. It was about giving Canadians courage to speak out. (4:26 - 4:37) Constitutional lawyer Chris Fleury emphasized the precedent. Public officials must tolerate criticism of their pandemic decisions. This case reaffirms that charter rights override bureaucratic overreach. (4:38 - 6:04) The billboard is now cleared for display as federal parties grapple with lingering anger over lockdowns and vaccine policies. An article published today at Armstrong Economics shows the growing impact of tariffs and Canada's reliance on the U.S. as our top trading partner. Canadian exports to the United States are beginning to decrease in light of the trade war. Statistics Canada announced that exports to the United States, Canada's largest trading partner, declined 6.6% during the first month of tariffs, while imports from the United States fell 2.9%. March 2025 was the second-highest recorded monthly increase in non-U.S. trade for Canada. Exports to nations outside the U.S. rose 24.8%. Overall exports in March 2025 reached $69.9 billion, a slight decrease from February's $70.04 billion posting, yet volume rose by 1.8%. The United Kingdom has been purchasing unwrought gold exports from Canada this year, totaling $2,100,000,000 in January, $1,640,000,000 in February, and $1,640,000,000 this March. Canada's crude oil sea exports doubled on an annual basis to 8 million barrels this month. (6:05 - 7:42) The United Kingdom and the Netherlands imported 69% of all crude oil exports to Europe. Hong Kong also increased its crude imports from Canada in March. Overall merchandise trade exports declined 0.2% for the month, with imports falling 1.5%. The trade deficit fell to $506 million, notably less than the prior month's $1.4 billion deficit, as Canada is seeking buyers. Economist Martin Armstrong, who authored the article, says that Canada cannot fully rely on trade outside the U.S. March saw a 6.6% monthly decline in exports to the U.S., which is bad news for Canadian businesses. Trade with the U.S. for March was still strong at $140.5 billion, notably due to an increase in pharmaceuticals and medicines ahead of forthcoming industry-specific tariffs. Autos also saw an uptick ahead of industry-specific tariffs, posting a 7.7% export increase for the month. Iron and steel products, already subject to a 25% tariff, fell 9%, while aluminum alloys and unwrought aluminum rose 4.4%. The S&P Global Manufacturing PMI for Canada reached 39.1 in April 2025. Canadian manufacturing has not seen such a contraction since early COVID months, when the global economy came to a standstill. Imposed and proposed U.S. tariffs are stifling demand as purchasers do not know what to expect. (7:44 - 7:49) I'm Will Dove, and those are the top stories for today, Friday, May 9th.