(0:00 - 0:10) Good evening, I'm Will Dove and these are the top stories for Wednesday, March 26th. I figured a Carney scandal would surface before the election. I just didn't expect it this soon. (0:12 - 3:02) Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has demanded answers regarding Prime Minister Mark Carney's meeting with Chinese central bank officials in October 2024, which resulted in a 1.96 billion yuan, 276 million Canadian dollar loan for Brookfield Assets Management, while Carney was serving as economic advisor to then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. During a statement on Tuesday, Poilievre questioned the nature of these secret talks with the deputy governor of the Chinese central bank. After Justin Trudeau named Mark Carney his economic advisor, giving him massive power over public policy in Canada. Mr. Carney went over for meetings in Beijing, where he just had secret talks with the deputy governor of the Chinese central bank. Two weeks later, Brookfield got a quarter billion dollar loan. What did they talk about? What did Mr. Carney in his role as Trudeau's economic advisor offer of China? Why would he be having secret meetings with top government controlled bankers about getting a quarter billion dollar loan while he was supposed to be acting in Canada's interest as the Prime Minister's economic advisor? Why would he be collaborating with a hostile foreign regime that we have since learned executed four Canadians and took numerous Canadians hostage for a lengthy period of time? And given that Mr. Carney knows that he still owns massive financial interests in Brookfield, which owes a quarter billion dollars to a Chinese state controlled bank, how do we know he's not going to act against our interests in favor of his financial interests? Poilievre characterized China as a hostile foreign regime and suggested it would be difficult for Carney to stand up to foreign interference when he is so financially compromised, describing him as a weak, out-of-touch leader so terribly compromised and conflicted whose interests go against our national interests. This controversy adds to existing concerns about Carney's business dealings. As chairman of Brookfield, Carney invested billions in fossil fuels and pipelines while simultaneously advocating for net zero environmental policies as a senior advisor to the Trudeau government. He has also been a vocal proponent of the Chinese yuan replacing the US dollar as the preferred global currency since at least 2019, stating at a March 10, 2024 conference in China that it is good that the Chinese currency has become the global reserve currency. (3:03 - 4:20) Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has also criticized Carney, blaming his policies as governor of the Bank of England for being corrosive to the British economy and claiming he was fixated on net zero to the detriment of economic growth. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was aware that President Donald Trump likely wanted to reopen the Canada-US-Mexico agreement before their first post-election phone call on November 6, 2024, according to a briefing note obtained through Access to Information. The document revealed that Canadian officials prepared Trudeau for a range of potential scenarios, including the possibility that Trump might seek to revisit some Kuzma outcomes or even the entire agreement, rather than waiting for the formal 2026 review. Canada's preference was to keep any review narrow and targeted as possible. The briefing note suggested talking points for Trudeau, including congratulating Trump on his historic election win and praising his amazing campaign. It also recommended that Trudeau express interest in working together on trade and economic issues, including Kuzma, protecting pipelines and transmission lines, and strengthening supply chains to reduce dependence on hostile states. (4:20 - 4:57) Just weeks after this call, on November 25, Trump first threatened to impose steep tariffs on Canada, linking the duties to fentanyl crossing the border, despite US government data showing the volume of fentanyl from Canada is minimal. The Annual Threat Assessment Report, released on March 26, 2025, does not mention Canada in its section about illicit drugs and fentanyl. Despite multiple conversations between the leaders and Trudeau's visit to Mar-a-Lago, Canada was hit with 25% across-the-board tariffs earlier this month, with a lower 10% levy on Canadian energy. (4:58 - 6:29) These duties were partially paused days later. Trump also imposed 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the US, including from Canada. Experts suggest these measures are meant to destabilize Canada economically ahead of the Kuzma's mandatory review, similar to tactics used during the first Trump administration, when he threatened automotive tariffs during trade negotiations in 2018. While likely true, these assertions don't tell the whole story of the real reason for the tariffs, as those of you who watched my recent interview with Brett Oland will know. An Ottawa police officer has been found guilty of discreditable conduct after investigating potential links between COVID-19 vaccinations and infant deaths. Constable Helen Grus, a detective with the Ottawa Police Service's Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, was ruled guilty yesterday in a decision under the Police Service Act. Grus allegedly conducted a self-initiated and unauthorized investigation between June 2020 and January 2022, accessing nine child or infant death cases and contacting the father of a deceased baby to ask about the mother's COVID vaccination status. She pled not guilty to the charges. Her lawyer, Bath-Shéba van den Berg, argued during hearings that Grus was not guilty because she took reasonable steps after noticing a doubling or tripling of infant deaths following the implementation of COVID vaccinations. (6:31 - 7:43) Van den Berg maintained that Grus saw it as her duty to investigate criminal negligence on the part of the government. Prosecutors countered that Grus acted improperly by accessing infant death cases without investigative responsibility and failing to record her involvement. They also claimed she interfered in an investigation by contacting a parent without the lead investigator's consent. Hearing officer Renwick wrote in his decision that while Gruss was motivated by a perceived increase in infant deaths since COVID-19 vaccinations began, she applied her own personal views on the risks and dangers of vaccination policy and allowed her personal beliefs and opinions to seep into her professional responsibilities. Grus was suspended with pay in February 2022 after calling the father of a deceased infant. Her lawyer indicated that Grus plans to appeal the ruling, stating, this decision runs contrary to the role of the Ottawa Police Service to preserve life and sends a strong message to Canadians that public officials are above the law. A penalty hearing will be held to determine punishment for Grus. For the facts of this case and the persecution of Detective Grus, see my recent interview, The Death of Justice.