True North Centre for Public Policy

The True North Centre for Public Policy is a Canadian media outlet that simultaneously describes itself as a "media company", an "advocacy organization" and as a "registered charity with the government of Canada."[1][2] It operates a digital media arm known simply as True North.[3][4]

"True North Canada" redirects here. For the sports ownership group, see True North Sports & Entertainment. For the online publication based in Montreal, see The True North Times.
True North Centre for Public Policy
PredecessorIndependent Immigration Aid Association
HeadquartersCalgary, Alberta
Editor-in-chief
Candice Malcolm
Websitetnc.news

History

In 1994, the Independent Immigration Aid Association was started with the goal of helping immigrants from the United Kingdom settle in British Columbia.[2][5] According to Daniel Brown, a former director of the charity, a new board of directors took control of the charity in 2017 and renamed it the True North Centre for Public Policy.[2] Control was handed off to three people:[2]

Nejatian's wife, Candice Malcolm, describes herself as the "founder and Editor-In-Chief" of True North.[7][8]

When the immigration-focused charity was transformed into a media and research organization, the change was scrutinized in the Canadian legal field.[9] True North's filings with Canada Revenue Agency state that the organization runs "ongoing programs" that provide "support and assistance to UK immigrants to the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the rest of British Columbia", that it has "new programs" dedicated to "research on immigration and integration", and that 100% of True North's programs put emphasis on "immigrant aid".[2] However, the last available return filed with CRA was in 2017, and no new filings from the charity have been published since 2018.[2]

In 2023, True North's website published a video featuring presenter Harrison Faulkner, in which Faulkner claimed that the Canadian government was hiding the true cause of the 2023 Canadian wildfires.[6]

Election debate access

During the 2019 federal election in Canada, True North was initially denied press access to the leaders' debate on the grounds that it was not a news outlet, but an advocacy organization.[10] True North argued that the decision to bar them was "unfair and arbitrary."[11]

True North contested this decision to bar them, and brought the Leader's Debates Commission to court.[10] The federal judge, Justice Russell Zinn, ruled in favour of True North, and forced the government to allow them to attend the debate and ask questions as journalists.[10] The same year, Toula Drimonis described True North as "Fake news" in her editorial in Cult MTL.[12]

Notable employees

In 2019, Canadian columnist Lindsay Shepherd joined True North as an investigative journalist.[13]

In July 2021, Canadian conservative writer and political columnist Sue Ann Levy announced she was joining True North.[14]

References
  1. Loriggio, Paola (7 October 2019). "Right-wing outlets win legal battle to attend the leaders' debate". CBC. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  2. "Right-Wing Media Outlet Accredited For Leaders' Debate is Also Registered as a Charity for Immigrants". PressProgress. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. "Contact True North". Retrieved 16 September 2021. True North is a Canadian digital media platform
  4. "The Origins Of True North Canada, Which Its "Founder" Hides". Canuck Law. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  5. "Federal Corporation Information - 264326-0 - Online Filing Centre - Corporations Canada - Corporations - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada". www.ic.gc.ca. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  6. "Far-Right Website 'True North' is Spreading Deceptive Information About Canadian Wildfires". Press Progress. 2023-06-12. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  7. Dec 3, iPolitics Published on; 2021 2:30am (2021-12-03). "The Rebel to Rabble Review: Treetop activists and RCMP 'horror'". iPolitics. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  8. "Candice Malcolm". Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  9. "Interesting article by Press Progress on the True North Centre for Public Policy". Canadian Charity Law. 2019-10-19. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  10. "Two right-wing media outlets win legal battle to attend the leaders' debate". nationalpost. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  11. "Conservative media company fights federal debate ban". torontosun. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  12. Drimonis, Toula (2019-10-17). "Stop sharing fake news". Cult MTL. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  13. Fiore, James Di (2019-12-02). "Blackballed: The Lindsay Shepherd Interview". BlackBall Media. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
  14. Candice Malcolm (2021-07-08). "True North's newest contributor: Sue-Ann Levy". Retrieved 2021-07-23.
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