General
Starting December 26th, Canadians travelling to the United States by air, land, or sea will no longer be able to opt out of having their photo taken at the border. The new rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, will make facial biometrics mandatory for all non-US citizens when entering or exiting the country. […]
General
On October 1st 2022, the Government of Canada removed all COVID-19 border measures such as required proof of vaccination, random testing, and mandatory isolation for high-risk travelers. For the first time since early 2020, the Canadian border is operating under “normal” conditions. For example: Americans interested in visiting Canada no longer need to download the […]
General
As of April 1st 2022, the Canadian border will no longer require a pre-arrival negative COVID-19 test from fully vaccinated travellers entering or returning to the country. Previously, a rapid antigen test or a PCR test indicating a person does not have COVID was required by border authorities. This rule change should encourage Canadians to […]
General
After being closed for nearly 19 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on November 8th 2021 the United States land border officially opened to all fully vaccinated Canadians. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced they will be staffing their border at pre-pandemic levels, but warns that wait times may be longer than in […]
General
On August 9th 2021, Canada opened its border to all fully vaccinated Americans allowing tourists from the United States to visit the country once again. The US border remains closed to Canadians, however, and American authorities recently extended the border closure until September 21st citing COVID-19 transmission rates south of the border as well as […]
General
Most Canadians are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Consequently, Canadians are starting to think about international travel again, and are beginning to research possible vacation destinations. This leads to the question, which countries can a fully vaccinated Canadian visit? As of July 2021, Canadian citizens who have received two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, or […]
There are dozens of good posts I could share, but here’s a few I liked – by the way, most are NSFW because that’s the way Canadians feel about Trump and his stupid tarrifs.
“Not a chance in hell…”
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I’m Canadian. As far as the new tariffs from the US cunt go, I don’t give a fuck. If you are a Canadian business and are still depending on US customers, get busy. Lot’s of choices now. If you are a US business being hurt by these tariffs, Fuck Off back to the US!
— Paul L. (@paul9876.bsky.social) July 20, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Paul Krugman says the tariffs show “how to lose friends and influence nothing”
… these latest actions confirm what most people around the world, from the European Commission to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard, have already figured out: a deal with Donald Trump lasts only until he feels like breaking it.
The immediate economic impact of these tariffs will be limited. As far as I can tell, the highly integrated North American auto industry, which sprawls across both our northern and southern borders, won’t be directly affected. But the auto industry, like business in general, has been put on notice that the huge flows of goods and services that cross those borders every day may be cut off whenever Trump has a temper tantrum.
And this really is a temper tantrum, in the sense that there’s no strategy here. The new tariffs will hurt American consumers, and nobody expects them to extract any concessions from Canadians who are only getting more outraged at the United States.
Canada should be, and used to be, America’s greatest friend in the world. We share essential political and moral values with our northern neighbor. For the most part we even share a common language, eh? And Canadians viewed us very favorably until Trump began his tariffs and threats. Now we’re viewed less favorably than China…
In his substack on Tuesday, Dean Blundell suggests three reasons for the sudden tariff decision:
…So why now? Three reasons, and none of them are about dairy.
First, distraction. American service members are coming home in flag-draped coffins from Jordan and the Gulf…. It is a grinding, unwinnable mess of Trump’s own escalation, and nothing changes the channel like a good old-fashioned social brawl with Canada. We’re the shiny object. We’re the “look over there.”
Second, division. Ambassador Hoekstra spent this week dangling Alberta and Saskatchewan as America’s “preferred energy partners” — a transparent attempt to pit provinces against each other, to crack the coast-to-coast unity Carney described. It won’t work. If eighteen months of this has taught Trump anything, it should be that threatening Canada is the single greatest national unity project in our history. Alberta oil workers and Quebec dairy farmers and Ontario auto workers all know exactly who the problem is, and it isn’t each other.Third, it’s a warning shot. Canada has spent a year and a half doing the rational thing: diversifying. Twenty-plus new partnerships. New markets, new friends, new leverage of our own. That terrifies this administration, because their entire playbook depends on us having nowhere else to go. These tariffs are a message: stay in your lane, keep selling to us on our terms, and don’t you dare build a future that doesn’t run through Washington. To which the only appropriate Canadian response is: watch us.
Here’s what Trump and his people still don’t understand, because they’ve never understood anything about this country: the boycott was never a government program. It was never a Carney thing. It’s a Canada thing. Ordinary people turning bottles around in the liquor store to check the label. Grocery carts full of anything-but-American. Cancelled Florida vacations. Provinces pulling U.S. booze off shelves entirely. That was the response to the last round of tariffs and the “51st state” garbage. This round? Canadians are going to double down so hard that American exporters will be begging Congress to make it stop. Elbows up isn’t a slogan anymore. It’s muscle memory.Here’s the punchline, and you already know it: these tariffs don’t take effect for 30 days.
Thirty days. The standard Trump escalation window. The exact runway he always builds himself so he can strut, threaten, watch the markets gag, watch American consumers scream about prices, watch the lawsuits pile up — Section 338 is going to get shredded in court, just like the Supreme Court already shredded his emergency tariffs in February — and then “graciously” announce a pause, a deal, a framework, a beautiful letter from Mark. Trump Always Chickens Out…
In The Globe and Mail, Andrew Coyne just throws his hands up in the air and says “whatever!”
…[Carney] has tried making concessions before, [gift link] like eliminating the digital services tax, or the recent revisions to the Gordie Howe Bridge agreement. And he has tried taking a harder line, like the 25-per-cent retaliatory tariff he imposed on U.S. cars. The response from the Trump administration is always the same. More tariffs. More demands. No concessions.
The combination of approaches exposes Mark Carney to conflicting criticisms. When he’s tough he’s derided as confrontational. When he’s conciliatory he’s dismissed as weak. And when the Trump administration responds in the same belligerent way to either approach, he’s called a failure.
There’s a reason neither strategy has worked. It’s because nothing can. There is no appeasing Mr. Trump, and there is no deterring him. Appeasement and deterrence each depend on the same premise, that we are dealing with a rational actor on the other side: one with a predictable or at least understandable set of responses to any given action. But Mr. Trump does not behave according to any rational calculus.
It isn’t just that he has no understanding of policy, nor any knowledge of history to guide him; or that he conforms to none of the norms of custom, morality or law. It is that, even understood as a wholly self-involved, self-serving bundle of id, one whose only motive is self-aggrandizement and self-enrichment, Mr. Trump is incomprehensible. His actions make no sense even in terms of rational self-interest. It’s all just random impulses, fleeting grudges, synaptic burps, based on who spoke to him last, what he saw on TV or what he had for breakfast, for all I know.
But there’s an upside to all this. If there’s nothing we can do – if we lose no matter what – then we might as well do what we want. When nothing you can do will improve your fortunes, when the outcome is the same regardless of which option you choose, the stakes converge on zero.
The President will do what he will do. Nothing we can do will change that. So we might as well not try. There’s liberation in that.
Now Americans seem to be shocked SHOCKED! that Canada is fed up and doesn’t like them anymore
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I’m thinking Michigan officials will be upset at this decision, but at some point Americans will need to realize Canada isn’t going to give them individual hall passes anymore
Canada will celebrate the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge this week, the federal minister of infrastructure’s office said Tuesday — but there will not be a celebration with the United States.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/…
— JeffTrnka (@jefftrnka.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 6:28 PM
As for that 51st State stuff
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More on the tariffs
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And why does it take so damned long for all off us to start singing from the same hymnal?
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Today’s Wildfire Update
These leaders are right
First Nations Leaders in Northwestern Ontario are calling for an immediate public inquiry into the province’s emergency response and handling of the wildfires that have destroyed Collins First Nation and Whitewater First Nation over the course of a week.
www.aptnnews.ca?p=291878— APTN News (@aptnnews.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 5:16 PM
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Hi all — our power is out and my phone power is limited. So I may not be able to post until tomorrow. In the meantime
Canada wildland fire information system mapHeroes of the flamesSome courageous people.
Chance Paavola
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Here is a fascinating interview from the National Post with Chief Helen Paavola:
…Namaygoosisagagun …
First, a few more posts about those wildfires:
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This is priceless!From Kier AtkinsonTweet of the day…… – Cole BennettRead on Substack
Feeling exactly the same way here.
Thanks for the reminder.[i…
Dali – Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War)
Just some cartoons and comments on the week – and the Dali painting seemed appropriate…Canadian wildfires
The Toronto Star has an interactive wildfire map [gift link] showi…
In Canadian news today, the wildfires are so terrible right now.
And we aren’t the only ones fighting this battle.
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Here in Saskatoon we don’t have smoke (yet) but lots of people east of us are in the soup right now.
Entire commu…
A recent poll that showed Poilievre had narrowed the gap between him and Carney – now he’s only 6 points behind, instead of 9.The thing is, this isn’t going to stand up.
Not after Lethbridge Liberace and all the fallout this week.
And I don’t know how …
Anyone who read DC Comics in their youth will likely remember their “Bizarro World” issues.A useful concept, as it turns out — too many people seem to be living in Bizarro World now, where up is down, monsters are electable, “socialists” are ene…
Hey, lots of news since Saturday!
Gordie Howe Bridge update
CTV reports:
Prime Minister Mark Carney is defending the deal brokered between Canada and the United States to open the delayed Gordie Howe International Bridge and insists the profits sp…
Cartoon by Mick O’Hara
Anyone else forswunk?
[exhausted from work, heat, lack of sleep, etc.]
It’s a gorgeous word from the 1300s, to which I have added my own riff with ‘foreswunk’: exhausted before you even begin. – Susie DentRead on Substack
I th…
Canada v Poilievre: laugh of the week
That white satin cowboy suit seemed to be the final blow to his credibility with Canadian media.
Robert Fife on the latest round of Conservative infighting: “This party is falling apart before our very eyes.”[imag…
“Lecturing countries from afar is satisfying but ineffective.”
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“This isn’t just Flavour of the Month”
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“We are calibrating engagement”
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I’m reading some pointless carping about Carney visiting “Prince Bonesaw” in Saudi Arabia because I guess this is still a thing.
Paul Wells has a more useful comment about the Saudi Arabia trip. He concludes:
…What’s bracing, if not unnerving, about asking the world to take a bet on Canada is that ultimately it will be the world’s decision. Sooner or later everyone visits Jeddah, even a Canadian prime minister. They all make a pitch. Carney’s visit generated a lot of interest this week in Jeddah. Soon we will see how many zeros come at the end of that.
Also, I enjoy Carney’s sense of humour:
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On a side note, can you imagine how weak and divided Canada would be now if Poilievre had won in 2025?
This is the kind of poor judgement he shows when he has a national stage:
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Busy day today so a shorter blog piece tonight!First, some good news and funny posts about Canada and Carney
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Here’s how you hold an impromptu press conference.
youtu.be/IMiPkgUoxDQ?…[image or embed]— anita72.bsky.social (@a…
So Poilievre went to Calgary and it didn’t go very well:
The Canadian media is constantly, desperately trying to prop Poilievre up at this serious policy thinker but fortunately he regularly intervenes to make clear that he’ll never surpass his true F…
The world is laughing at Trump
And at FIFAWorld Cup Stories – #ETTD Everything Trump Touches Dies
Incredible to watch Monday’s US v Belgium game and realize Trump has done it again
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In The Globe and Mail…
Our World Cup journey is over[image or embed]— Justin McElroy 🇨🇦 (@jmcelroy.bsky.social) July 4, 2026 at 1:02 PM
The boys did good
Canada’s World Cup Journey Ends in Houston. What a Ride It Has Been. 🍁
By Annie Koshy
A 0-3 defeat to Morocco today in…
A few good cartoons:
…I’m old enough to remember the Bicentennial, and the year-long buzz of good feeling that accompanied it, even in a country reeling from inflation, Vietnam and Watergate.
Yet this year’s semi-quincentennial finds the United States in a much darker mood: sour, divided and doubting itself as it has on few occasions in its history. …There’s no mystery why this is the case. Donald Trump is not only easily the worst president of all time, he is the worst it is possible to imagine, a leader whose instinct in every situation is to say and do, not only the wrong thing, but the worst possible thing.
If it were only the incompetence, or the corruption, or the baseless attacks on America’s allies and the truckling to its foes, or the disdain for civil liberties and disregard for the rule of law, or the assaults, literal and figurative, on women and minorities, or the fiscal profligacy or the economic illiteracy – if it were only all of these, it would still not match, in its depressive effect on Americans, his mounting attempt to destroy American democracy, the better to install himself as a kind of king, around whom all of the country is expected to revolve.
The anniversary is a case in point. In his cartoonish vanity, Mr. Trump has done everything he can to make the celebration of the country a celebration of himself, and thus to make it impossible for those disinclined to celebrate the latter to celebrate the former. In the most patriotic county on earth, he has succeeded in discrediting patriotism. He has polluted the Fourth of July.br>
Canada represents the opposite paradox. Objectively, we have a great deal to be gloomy about. We are beset by crises on every front. ..And Canadians’ response to all this? We’re more than bullish. We’re positively beaming. Forty-seven per cent of Canadians now say the country is on the right track, up from 26 per cent two years ago. Eighty-four per cent say they’re proud to be Canadian, including 82 per cent in Alberta and 81 per cent in Quebec.Pride in Canadian institutions is similarly up across the board…
We have our own divisions, God knows, but nothing like as toxic or as entrenched as they have become in the United States. It is hard to escape the impression that, for many of Mr. Trump’s supporters, the primary if not only factor in their support is the anxiety he arouses in his, and their, opponents. They are prepared to bring the country down, if necessary, to “own the libs.”It helps, in the end, to have a common enemy. Nothing has done greater service to Canadian pride and patriotism in recent times than the second coming of Mr. Trump, in all his malevolence. Whatever else we might disagree on, we can all agree we don’t want him. That we can still agree on that is a thing worth celebrating in itself.
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Because if Donald Trump has demonstrated anything, it’s that he’ll honour his agreements when given what he wants.
Honest to Zeus, guys…— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) July 3, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Maggie Haberman talks about Carney
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Interesting chart here
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TrumpWatch– every week I collect posts about the world’s most anticipated event.
– appearance of livestock parasites
– the return of vanquished diseases
– mysterious lesions appear on his body
– the local waters are changing colors
– dangerous weather threatens his eventsFolks… I think he’s being smited. 😳
— Judge You Harshly 🦋✌️🤟🖖🌈 (@judgeyouharshly.bsky.social) July 3, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Trump to deliver speech in 105 degree heat on July 4. Anyone else rooting for the heat?! 😀
— Dean Obeidallah (@deanobeidallah.bsky.social) July 3, 2026 at 5:41 AM
The entire city is on edge right now.
It’s 96 degrees, we’re interrupted every 5 min by the sound of low-flying fighter jets, and the president has managed to ruin July 4th.
Quietly muttering to myself: “just wait until IT happens. Everyone will be so happy when IT happens. It’ll be incredible…”
— Dave Karpf (@davekarpf.bsky.social) July 3, 2026 at 10:23 AM
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SMDH
— Miaganga (@miaganga.bsky.social) June 22, 2026 at 6:44 PM
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World Cup Stories
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What a game that was!
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I hadn’t realized that growing grass for a World Cup stadium is an art:
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Hey, look, Messi is great and clearly the greatest of all-time at soccer, but Serena won a grand slam while she was pregnant.
— Charlotte Clymer (@charlotteclymer.bsky.social) July 3, 2026 at 5:11 PM
When July 1 happens on a Wednesday, Canadians usually take the Thursday and Friday off too, so we engineer a five-day weekend to kick off the summer.
This year, that break did not happen for PM Carney.
Wow!
Canada and British Columbia Sign Coo…
Thanks Carney!
And this time he waited until the pancake was set before he flipped it – I think he’s taken some lessons!
Heads up, Stampeded — PM Carney now appears to have some pancake game![image or embed]— davidakin (@davidakin.bsky.social) Ju…
This cartoon is an oldie but a goodie — hope you are also enjoying just kicking back and swatting those annoying mosquitos!Brittlestar explains Canada Day to Americans:
I feel like Canada has survived a frightening year, and now we have to gear up f…
What a game that was on Sunday afternoon!
Here are some posts I found about it:
Canada scores in stoppage time to reach World Cup last 16. How far can the co-hosts go? www.nytimes.com/athletic/740…
‘Oh Canada’ WE SALUTE YOU. It was Carney. I hope …
I’m putting this right at the top so its easy to find when I want to read it again
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Moving on
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Yes, it’s going to be an awful fire season, but this is still impressive to watch
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I was today years old when I heard about Masting:
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Its all in how you look at it
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Pope Leo – morality is more than just sex
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Here’s a little math
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Some useful Netflix codes – I haven’t tried these yet
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And some useful free websites
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Next, some funny posts
First, I was so happy today to see that PM Carney has a plan for renovating 24 Sussex Drive. Tod Maffin made an interesting Short about the building and the plan:
Carney says he will not live at 24 Sussex himself. “I may not look like it, but …
I’m not too energetic tonight, so here are a few good cartoons I’ve seen lately:Three boat cartoons:And some remarks: View on Threads
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Next, here is Carney’s press conference today
TLDW (too long d…
Some good commentaries today: In her substack, Joanne Pettis writes Maybe I’m the Fruitcake! Seeking Balance in a Siloed World
So, I read a lot of articles and posts that support my worldview on things.
Trump bad; Mandami good
Poilievre bad; C…
Starting December 26th, Canadians travelling to the United States by air, land, or sea will no longer be able to opt out of having their photo taken at the border. The new rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, will make facial biometrics mandatory for all non-US citizens when entering or exiting the country. […]
On October 1st 2022, the Government of Canada removed all COVID-19 border measures such as required proof of vaccination, random testing, and mandatory isolation for high-risk travelers. For the first time since early 2020, the Canadian border is operating under “normal” conditions. For example: Americans interested in visiting Canada no longer need to download the […]
As of April 1st 2022, the Canadian border will no longer require a pre-arrival negative COVID-19 test from fully vaccinated travellers entering or returning to the country. Previously, a rapid antigen test or a PCR test indicating a person does not have COVID was required by border authorities. This rule change should encourage Canadians to […]
After being closed for nearly 19 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on November 8th 2021 the United States land border officially opened to all fully vaccinated Canadians. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced they will be staffing their border at pre-pandemic levels, but warns that wait times may be longer than in […]
On August 9th 2021, Canada opened its border to all fully vaccinated Americans allowing tourists from the United States to visit the country once again. The US border remains closed to Canadians, however, and American authorities recently extended the border closure until September 21st citing COVID-19 transmission rates south of the border as well as […]
Most Canadians are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Consequently, Canadians are starting to think about international travel again, and are beginning to research possible vacation destinations. This leads to the question, which countries can a fully vaccinated Canadian visit? As of July 2021, Canadian citizens who have received two doses of the Pfizer, Moderna, or […]