I have long been a critic of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who has devastated free speech in that country while assuming sweeping authoritarian powers. Now, his administration has blocked the citizenship of Maria Kartasheva because she has a conviction in Russia. The crime? Free speech. Kartasheva was convicted in Russia for criticizing the war in Ukraine. She was literally pulled out of a citizenship ceremony by Canadian officials and now fears deportation and incarceration in Russia.
It is essential that we spread the word on Kartasheva’s situation to put pressure on the government to make sure that she is not deported and to finish its review of the case to move forward with her citizenship.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada yanked the citizenship application after learning of the conviction under Putin’s draconian laws. She was charged with the wartime offense of disseminating “deliberately false information” about Russia forces.
She has not lived in Russia since 2019 and has lived in Ottawa as a tech worker. She is also the co-founder of a grassroots activist group for democracy in Russia. In other words, she is everything that you would want in a new citizen. Indeed, unlike Trudeau, she knows the value of free speech and how easily it is lost to government agencies.
Notably, the charge was based on two blog posts that Kartasheva wrote and published in Canada.
She expressed disgust at reports in March 2022 that Russian troops had killed Ukrainians in the town of Bucha. Not only did she write the blogs while living in Canada, she notified Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada about the charges and supplied the underlying papers to the government.
Nevertheless, her citizenship ceremony was scheduled only to have an official block her from becoming a citizen.
Oh, but it gets even worse.
According to a press report, Kartasheva “was arrested in absentia by a judge sanctioned by Canada, and then convicted and sentenced to eight years in jail by a Moscow court that is also under Canadian sanctions.”
That brings us to the final and most chilling aspect of this drama. The Canadian government informed Kartasheva that her conviction in Russia aligns with a Criminal Code offense in Canada relating to false information.
That’s right. Canada is concerned because it also has criminalized speech and Kartasheva has used free speech to spread what her government considered false or misleading information.
For example, Section 372(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada makes it unlawful for any person to convey, cause, or procure to be conveyed false information with the intent to alarm or injure anyone.
The government cracked down on Internet speech despite opposition from the public and pushed 2021 Bill C-36 to impose $70,000 fines for legal content deemed “likely to foment detestation or vilification.”
So this brave woman made it all the way to the West to live in freedom only to find that Canada also puts people in jail for voicing dissenting or opposing viewpoints. The problem is not that Kartasheva is fundamentally different from most Canadians. The problem is that Canada is legally not that different from Russia on free speech.
Reprehensible and absurd, but that’s modern Canada, eh (or any other country that decided it was at any point better off sticking with Britain) I actually think the era of Obamas and Trudeaus and their ACTUAL cronyism and fascism is beginning to wind down, but another poster quoted Churchill regarding fascism the other day, and this is likely a beginning of the end, not the end itself. It’ll likely get worse before better, but I’m sure many see the stirrings, too.
Vote your little behinds off this year. We do not have to end up like this, and Biden has very nearly said voters are next – being either pro(dem ruled) America or pro insurrection (anyone that opposes dem ruled America) are your options to the DNC. Their cards are very squarely on the table, and just remember his actual approval is 30% or less in spite of their authoritarian chicanery. I’m sure Trudeau’s is even lower, but Canadians are not permitted to say such things out loud.
Churchill said “end of the beginning” not ‘beginning of the end.”
Churchill literally said both, but he affirmed the former, if not the latter.
Patton said, “Forward ho!”
@Shane
Yes, he did, thank you. I’m not sure we’re at the end of the beginning yet, but the shoots are definitely sprouting.
James,
Well said.
Yea, we’re allowed to say such things out loud. Really. But to your point, Trudeau was last elected with 31% of the vote vs the Conservatives getting 34%. In a parliamentary system, two parties may link up to form a governement and that’s what happened. The far left NDP linked up with the Liberals and we this little piece of feces got to remain in 24 Sussex. Unfortunately, we do not have an Electoral College type establishment that would prevent this.
@canuck
I know, I was being hyperbolic. The fact that any speech could be prosecutable is not ‘free speech’, so it might as well be so. It’s a shame, Canada is a beautiful country that deserves better.
Thanks. Hopefully, wiser voices will prevail, but as of now, I hear nothing.
“It’s time to stop talkin’ and start chalkin’!”
– Chick Hearn, Sportscaster, L.A. Lakers
Dear Prof Turley,
Notwithstanding Trudeau and Oh Canada!, I think one would be hard pressed to find a more fractured, corrupt and destabilizing ‘democratic country’ in the world today. It’s a low-down crying shame .. . and mores the pity.
[truth is; most countries probably look upon Biden with the same revulsion, dread and fear many here do domestically. .. except in Russia where they ‘celebrate’ Biden’s abject economic incompetence.]
‘Free speech’, the apple of your eye, and the ‘shining city on the hill’ (‘democracy’) has been reduced to scripted Biden campaign mumbles on the unique evils of insurrectionist Trump and his MAGA minions. An existential threat to ‘freedom’ worse than Hitler Nazi Germany, to hear Biden tell it.
Our vaunted ‘free press’ is a wholly owned subsidiary of 3 or 4 or 1 giant global conglomerate managed by well-paid-placed ‘fact checkers’, ‘terms of service’ agreements and ‘disinformation review boards.’
*Oh Canada! https://www.politico.com/news/2023/09/24/nazi-linked-veteran-ovation-zelenkyy-canada-visit-00117857
She told the truth about the lies concerning Bucha.
Only telling the truth is a crime to the corrupt western government’s nowadays.
James, dogsnowden and Shakdi are all Tom/Estovir, our resident puppeteer.
Every day one can find these puppets posting in blocks to amplify Tom/Estovir’s twisted spin.
Jonathan: Oh Jonathan! As usual you making sweeping generalizations about Canadian PM Justin Trudeau who you claim is “assuming sweeping authoritarian powers” in the deportation issue involving Russian immigrant Kartasheva. What you ignore is that Canadian and US immigration laws are similar. US immigration laws provide an applicant can be denied citizenship bases on crimes committed in another country, unless the applicant can clearly show they were convicted due to political prosecution (See 8 CFR 316.10 b(2)(i)(iv), et. al.).
Without more facts I think you are jumping to conclusions about Kartashev’s case. She will go through the normal CA immigration process. Trudeau has no more power to make any “sweeping” decisions re Kartesheva than Pres. Biden would have in similar circumstances. Trying to weaponize this case for political purposes serves no legitimate interest in discussing what is going on in Canada!
Dennis, you know very well why Turley posted this, rage.
As a Canadian, I assure you, Turdeau (sic) arrogates to himself dictatorial powers when it’s possible – the illegal enactment of the Emergencies Act to end the Truckers Convoy protest being the glaring example.
I will be looking up the facts on this issue and making my voice heard at my Member of Parliament’s office to correct this travesty.
And yet John Lennon was allowed to immigrate to the United states.
Most nations highly disfavor placing any weight on trials in absentia, for alleged crimes committed while outside of the country trying them.
Dennis – Turley is pointing our absurd behavior of Canada on a matter of free speech.
Something that is a core value of Prof. Turley.
Something that was once a core Value of Canada.
Something that is supposed to be a core value of the US.
Discussing nations punishing people for speech is ALWAYS int he interests of this blog.
Once upon a time it was the pinnacle of the freedoms that the United States stood for, that we advocated for the entire world.
Shame on you for your efforts to weaken or destroy those principles.
As has been previously noted; Canada has gone over to the dark side. I doubt if there is a rescue plan. Living less than 20 miles from the Canadian border I can say that we may need a wall across our northern border soon since there are thousands of open land with no fence, no check points and we are seeing an increase of illegals attempting to cross and I am beginning to wonder if they are not the remnants of the sane adult Canadians trying to escape Trudeau.
The Democrats are accusing Trump of wanting to do what Trudeau has and is doing…..all the while wanting to do the same thing Trudeau has done and is doing.
Any question that the Democrats and the likes of Trudeau are the real threats to democracy within our Republic?
Ain’t the Constitution a noble thing written by Men who had an absolute clear understanding of the temptation for government to overstep its bounds and place within a just and civilized society?
We do not have to look far for such proof when Learned Men such as Professor Turley remind us of it.
Very shortly we shall see if there are nine such people sitting on the Bench of the US Supreme Court.
Let’s all hope and pray that there are and we can see some yet more curbing of the Democrat attack on our civil liberties.
If we do then perhaps there can be a peaceful revolution take place where we see the Federal Government’s every growing interference with our lives be restrained and further disgraced for what. it is….tyranny by law.
That Russian Lady is welcome at my humble abode should she want to sneak south and escape from the clutch of the Canadian Government.
We need Legal Immigrants like her instead of the millions sneaking into the Country via the southern border who far too often care not to stand for such principles as did this nice Lady!
So the Russian government criminally charged and convicted Ms. Kartasheva for something that she wrote that was critical of Russia (while legally in Canada) and PM Trudeau’s government is ok with pulling her citizenship application ? Sounds like Volodymyr Zelenskky to the rescue ! If this is true, Canada has officially fallen……
𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟓 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐰 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚
As Congress considers sweeping changes to immigration law, nearly all the debate has centered on the problem of illegal immigration. Little discussed are the many concerns of legal immigrants, the estimated 3 million to 4 million who are, as it’s so often been put –“already standing in line.”
The current system of legal immigration dates to 1965. It marked a radical break with previous policy and has led to profound demographic changes in America. But that’s not how the law was seen when it was passed — at the height of the civil rights movement, at a time when ideals of freedom, democracy and equality had seized the nation. Against this backdrop, the manner in which the United States decided which foreigners could and could not enter the country had become an increasing embarrassment.
By: Jennifer Ludden – All Things Considered ~ September 27, 2018
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5391395
We should have stuck with the purported “embarrassment”, instead of caving in to the demoncrat party, as now, a few decades later, the destruction is more than underway.
90% white no longer.
The end is near, the entire history of the world predicts this every time.
I don’t think that this is a staged hoax where Justin will swoop in and save the day. One only has to go back and reasses what happened to the truckers protest in Canada. Arrests and frozen bank accounts and a variety of other repressive actions. Mr Trudeau is very serious about his dictatorial powers.
In the Roman Republic it was occasional necessary to inactivate the 2 ConsuIs and appoint a Dictator, usually for a period of 6 -12 months when a crisis, almost always an external military threat, appeared to overwhelm the republic. The key was a limited time and the dictator post term could still be liable for certain acts under their dictatorial term. The republic, of course, fell because of the propensity for the Senate to use the Dictator too often and any strong man, during the periods of civil wars, could assume dictatorial powers by a chastened and malleable Senate. Julius Caesar is, of course, often blamed for the fall of the Republic but Marius and then Sulla had done the same thing in the prior 50-60 years.
A certain improvement of the Republic over our present system is that the Censors and others reviewed all Consular act and contracts and Consuls could be sued post office and even imprisoned for illegal acts. One can argue the chaos of making all office holders totally responsible for their acts in office and prosecuting them post term and maybe eliminate or modify the pardon powers of the president.
Desirable though it might be, the present political situation makes post term prosecution of office holders almost a non starter. Our only practical choice is complete transparency both public and private. The recent release of the donors to Media Matters needs to become a common happenstance without the need of a biased media to research it. Your own personal finances all your own but once you step out of your personal financial circle and donate, it should be public record.
Cicero condemned to death and executed a man without trial while a Consul and that was the charge the second Triumvir used against him and thus resulted in Cicero’s own execution. Thats the other side of the coin. Whatever you do can, in turn, be used against you. Real transparency can make the difference. If you know that your own acts will be used against you, that moderate your behavior.
Too many people, public and private, do not fear reprisal or justice for their acts.
GEB, the hoax theory only vilifies Trudeau as a con man. On the other hand, if you’re right, the people of Canada deserve to be slaves and freedom lovers should flee the country. Sadly, I don’t know that you’re wrong.
GEB, as a fan of Ancient Rome I really enjoyed your comment. However, to compare Cicero to Catiline is a bit of a stretch. Catiline was trying to over throw the government and Cicero was trying to save a republic.
Of course in usual fashion the mobs, see ANTIFA, BLM, Free Palestine, DEMOCRATS and the media, ended up throwing feces on Cicero, one of the ancient world’s greatest thinkers and a truly giant of the times.
Catalina wanted to run for consul, not overthrow the republic. Cicero (like our Democrats with Trump) resorted to illegal means (and was denounced only by Caesar in the Senate) to keep him off the ballot. He deserved what he got.
Shane, you have it backwards, Cicero was fighting the dictator(Biden)and was exiled (like Trump) for his troubles. This is tongue in cheek as I, as a Cicero fan and not a fan of Trump, would never compare the great Roman orator with DJT. But I would align the Catilines with the Democrats.
I wouldn’t visit Canada if you gave me free airfare, hotel and expense account. Canada is gone.
Of course we have virtue signaling fools in his country that couldn’t wait to leave American dollars in Havana the moment Obama said it was ok to travel there.
Maria Kartasheva, Pussy Riot, and Other Russo-via-Canadian Refuseniks,
can just get to Mexico City, take the Train or Chicken-Bus to the Frontera,
and walk into the Unites States with the tens of thousands that do already.
It’s like -No Biggie- these days. In fact I hear Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will have to gain entry into the United States the same way, the next time He comes to visit.
Come One, Come All, … A.O.C. Welcomes You!
The cynic in me can’t help but suspect that this is a staged hoax. At the last moment, Trudeau will swoop in with his amnesty powers and rescue her in front of all the adoring television cameras in the world. If it was a total setup, it wouldn’t surprise me. Trudeau is that big a narcissist.
Somehow it is comforting to learn that other countries have a judicial system as politicized and corrupt as our own. The DC circuit doesn’t look so bad now.
Sorry Edward, I don’t find it comforting at all and in fact I find it worrisome that the march of fascism is gaining ground daily.
And this would be why research needs to be done before one votes. Many countries have been overtaken by voting. Look at the current protests in the USA and who the protests are being stoked by. Just research before making the vote–who do you feel is the best candidate, what is their background, why are they running for office.
How is this “two-bit, tinhorn dictator” still prime minister of our neighbor to the north? Is there no effective opposition party?
The same can be said of Biden, who is totally biased and ineffectual.
Absolutely an abomination!!!!! Trudeau should be charged and put in jail.
“Canada also puts people in jail for voicing dissenting or opposing viewpoints.”
Canada used to be the final destination for those fleeing slavery. How far they have fallen.
We have hundreds of American citizens rotting in jail for exercising their right to free speech. Jake Lang has been incarcerated for 1000 days with no trial. The fact that Turley can write this post with a straight face ON JANUARY 6 just shows that he is part of the problem.
Government blocked civil… citizen rights, due to Democrat conviction for criticizing the Democratic count.
First time I’ve heard the definition of “free speech” include attempting to beat policemen with a baseball bat.
First time I’ve heard assaulting police officers with a baseball bat defined as free speech. Releasing him before the Supreme Court rules on his defense motions poses a risk to the public that he won’t “free speech” others if released.
That’s very interesting. The ruling regime wants to show other western governments are just as bad or worse, while covering up their own crimes.
Alas for Canada. Their PM is a tyrant – we might as well say so
The saddest part of this situation other than the oppression of this woman, is that US Democrats look at what Trudeau has done to free speech, expression and thought and salivate – wanting the same or worse for any dissenters in this country.