Danielle Smith’s “Sovereignty Act” has parallels in history. Known as a Henry VIII act, it allows governments to pass laws without consent of Parliament. Hitler’s “Enabling Act” of 1933 is the most extreme example. The consequences were horrific. http…

 I don’t understand why Alberta and Saskatchewan feel so misunderstood and persecuted and hard-done-by all the time. Fact of life: Canada’s population is not fairly distributed across the country and it never will be. Most of our people live …

There was some beautiful stuff happening here: Just a reminder that Canada’s first ever goal in Men’s World Cup history was scored by a kid who fled a war, came to Canada as a refugee, was welcomed by Canadians, learned English, and grew up playing soc…

Hey everyone — first of all, please forgive the lack of posts these days – along with thousands of others, I have been searching for a social media platform to keep up with the day’s commentary, as Twitter continues to implode into a racist hellhole.&…

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 […]

Here’s some of the funny stuff I have collected recently.Can you find both the rabbit and the mouse?#LockdownTrivia Can you find the rabbit? pic.twitter.com/xv3bezqEVw— Abraxsys (@Abraxsys) November 24, 2022 Dogs, bruh!  https://doggo.tube/post…

I haven’t posted as much about Ukraine lately so I wanted to assemble an update now. First, this remarkable photo: His eyes say it all.A 🇺🇦boy from #Kherson who survived the #Russian occupation.📷 Hajdú D. András#StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/X…

So pending Twitter’s possible demise, I have now signed up at Mastodon and at Tribel — I’m not sure either of them can work as easily as Twitter did so we’ll see how it goes. Here are my links to these sites, if you have to find me someday soon:&…

UPDATE: Just had to share this one, too:

Joining a new social media platform feels a little undignified.

Like being notified you have to re-interview for your current job only now there’s also a swimsuit competition plus a ton of forms to fill out.

— Merlin Mann (@hotdogsladies) November 18, 2022

Time for this week’s edition of “Christ, what an asshole!” So this happened: The perfect candidate for voters whose concerns are less about healthcare and the economy than more relevant issues, like vampires and werewolves.🧛🐺 https://t.co/UEGkcPk…

The least surprising news of the day was Trump announcing he would run for president again –to the delight only of cartoonists and Maggie Haberman, I think. “Growing visibly” Maggie? What, is Little Donnie eating more donuts again?Trump is growin…

Of course dinosaurs and humans never co-existed – dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years before humans developed, and the CBC knows it, as do all paleontologists. But no scientist wants to put their job on the line with our nutty right-wing gover…

 “Does any one know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes to hours?” Here is a great thread about a great song: 47 years ago today the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior.In this thread I’m going to discuss a …

Finally … Ford blinked.

All unions who had supported @fordnation during 2022 election, came out publicly in support of education workers & against Bill 28. Ontario was on verge of general strike. @fordnation has now pledged to repeal Bill 28 (which only passed 4 days ago). 5/

— Professor Carol Campbell (@CarolCampbell4) November 7, 2022

Don’t ever tell me @fordnation is “for the people” again.

Corporations are not people. The workers are people and he proved with Bill 28 that he does not see us as people.#onted #onpoli #Ontario #FireLecce #FordFailedThePeople pic.twitter.com/XY76ecOv8R

— 🄴🄶🄶🅄 (@ohayoodesu) November 8, 2022

Finally …. Canada is finding out who the FluTruxKlan organizers actually are:

I’m so tired of hearing this testimony that “their voices weren’t being heard”.They were heard. For years and years of this pandemic. They were the loudest and most obnoxious in our communities. They just wanted their way.

— mel n | she+her | 🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@cmelissa_n) November 4, 2022

Gary Clement on the Emergencies Act inquiry. pic.twitter.com/V3E0xPpUNb

— National Post (@nationalpost) November 5, 2022

Dear Tamara Lich,

I’m sorry your dad felt persecuted for refusing to follow mandates put in place to protect others during a pandemic.

My dad died of COVID last fall. Where are your tears for him? #KuKluxKonvoy #FreeDumbConvoy

— Shxwnx Risdon (@RisdonShawna) November 5, 2022

Most of the protesters weren’t truckers, and most truckers didn’t support the protest. It wasn’t organized by truckers, and wasn’t about truckers. The only reason its right-wing propagandists like to call them truckers is so they can dress up as class warriors. https://t.co/TJqaWBu54m

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦 (@acoyne) November 4, 2022

Who among us has not threatened to shoot our parents at one time or another? https://t.co/yam8aqiV20

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦 (@acoyne) November 2, 2022

Well we did wonder how they could stay out there with no income & those trucks literally idling. Now we know. They were paid & paid well.

— Barbara Byers, C.M. (@BarbByersCLC) November 2, 2022

Finally…the US midterms are almost over:

“Voting as Fire Extinguisher,” @elguante pic.twitter.com/wxQ0cjc4fa

— Alexander Chee (@alexanderchee) November 7, 2022

Researchers have identified a new and more narrowly targeted Russian misinformation effort ahead of Tuesday’s midterms. It appears intended to not only undermine the U.S. electoral system, but also the Biden administration’s military assistance to Ukraine. https://t.co/uVe4FAbu6M

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 6, 2022

Finally…the Musk Lettuce Watch has begun:

Let the countdown begin pic.twitter.com/RQ7w3OhXcp

— Elon Musk Fondles Dogs (@chaser) November 7, 2022

Starting to suspect this is some kind of “Brewster’s Millions” situation where he secretly has only 30 days to lose all $44 billion dollars

— Joe Muto (@JoeMuto) November 8, 2022

Every Elon post is like watching Joe Pesci enter the Home Alone house

— John Frankensteiner (@JFrankensteiner) November 7, 2022

The New York Times has published a major article The Untold Story of “Russia-gate” and the Road to War in Ukraine (gift article link), and the story actually turns out to be remarkably simple — Putin wanted to get Trump elected so Trump could sup…

Just some of the funny stuff collected this week: Darn right, Mercedes. 👍🇨🇦All Canadians should write letters to our president in Winnipeg asking for that very thing.— editorsneedlovetoo (@editorsneedlov1) November 3, 2022 Elon Musk continues to demo…

Elon Musk – he will be the gift that keeps on giving, at least until he has bashed Twitter into the ground: The funniest thing about this is that Elon Musk thinks the issue is that Stephen King is balking at the $20 per month fee. pic.twitter.com/BB5r…

Likely the best video ever:    Here are some good Halloween tweets and tweet-stories I have been collecting! BOO, EH! pic.twitter.com/8ew5sWk0tz— Brittlestar (@brittlestar) October 29, 2022 Happy Halloween 💪 @TheSlyStallone pic.twitter…

I have collected a few more great twitter storiesFirst, follow this one from @ppirapokin about his Power Rangers adventure in a ramen restaurant — the tweet below is the beginning of the thread, the photo in the second tweet is one that someone else t…

Just catching up on a few of the interesting tweets saved over the week while we were away.Fascinating stuff: If 100 people lived on Earth… Amazing analysis. pic.twitter.com/q8j4SeEDLt— The Figen (@TheFigen_) October 25, 2022 128 performers in wheel…

I will be travelling over the next few days so I may not be able to put up more posts this weekTonight, I am trying to figure out the latest from Ukraine. They likely will have a few more weeks of decent weather until winter strikes, so I hope the…

What a week — we really need some great stuff right now, don’t we, and I’ve got some. But first, let’s consider the nominees for this week’s “Christ, what an asshole!” Is it Doug Ford?  First he posted a three-amigos tweet that included…

Today we said “buh-bye” to Liz Truss. The tweets were priceless: In light of Liz Truss’ resignation, I made a chart to explain UK politics for anyone confused pic.twitter.com/uBweUvQU0o— Lapis (@DegenerateThing) October 20, 2022 Liz Truss lasted…

Just a short one tonight. 

 First, about the POEC hearings:

A lot of people are looking really really bad in this inquiry and none of them are named Trudeau.

— Christopher Byrne 🇨🇦 (@CBinVAN) October 18, 2022

And some of what we are hearing is just BS:

You mean the OPP that was MIA during the occupation? That OPP?

— Deb Gartner (@deb_gartner) October 20, 2022

CSIS, on the other hand, says this:

CSIS worried convoy protests were being used as ‘recruiting ground’ for violent ‘hardened elements’ | National Post https://t.co/ZclNguxWZd

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦 (@acoyne) October 19, 2022

An interesting point here:

Example of misleading headline but then read the actual article. :p

1) GoFundMe says yes foreigners donated.
2) GFM hacked & revealed foreign national donors.
3) CSIS doesn’t define “foreign actors.” <<–Typically refers to states or non-state actors.https://t.co/QZeOnnz7aQ

— Mubin Shaikh (@MrMubinShaikh) October 19, 2022

I know what was happening to people in Ottawa during the FluTruxKlan occupation was terrible — here is an excellent list of everything the FluTruxKlan put them through.

But I think it was the border blockades that really caused the most trouble for the country as a whole — senseless, chaotic, jeopardizing the economy, shattering international relations.

This was obvious. It was also obvious when the feds began to suddenly and belatedly get engaged. The province was behind until the Windsor border blockade threatened the economy. https://t.co/Ra3Ag9LSqf

— Matt Gurney (@mattgurney) October 18, 2022

The border blockades ranged from 3 days at the Pacific Highway Crossing in Surrey BC, to 18 days at the Coutts, Alberta crossing, and included 6 days at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor Ontario and 6 days at Emerson, Manitoba. 

It was nuts, nonsensical — even if Canada had been willing to let unvaccinated truckers into the country, the United States was not, so Canadian truckers would still have needed to get vaccinations before they could cross the border.  This made it impossible to negotiate an end to the blockades. No level of government – municipal, provincial, federal – could meet the FluTruxKlan demands because they didn’t make any sense.

But nonsense never stopped the FluTruxKlan!

And it was the border blockades that really made this into an international story.

I was getting weary near the end of Mr Morris’ testimony, but I thought he did refer to the entirety of convoy blockades & protests across Cda as being national security threats.

And last March, the OPPIB did say there were threats to national security.https://t.co/3VO1TOP29Q

— Lexy Cameron (@LexyCameron) October 20, 2022

Here is the OPP report from the next day, Feb. 8, which states the situation was a potential threat to sovereignty and national security. pic.twitter.com/UuleS48lu8

— Alex Ballingall (@aballinga) October 19, 2022

For those who are calling Doug Ford a “Liberal” for backing away from the Convoy just stop.

Ford has spent the entire Pandemic switching back & forth between kicking sand at @JustinTrudeau when it’s convenient & riding his coattails to exploit JT’s popularity. 😒 #CdnPoli

— DerekZoolander85 (@dzoolander85) October 18, 2022

Doug’s decision to skip boarding the crazy train was the key to his re-election. The CPc ought to have paid attention.

— George Armstrong (@GWA1960) October 19, 2022

I almost feel sorry for the media. They are having a very hard time trying to lay the blame on Trudeau during the Inquiry into the Emergency Act. It’s so obvious that the Conservatives- Federal and Provincial- were supporting the convoy. #CdnMediaFailed

— Canteach (@canteach) October 18, 2022

Next, about the nutty events in Britain:

Turns out lunatics can’t actually run asylums.

— Charlie Brooker (@charltonbrooker) October 19, 2022

As John Gray said in the 18th century, it had become unsafe to walk the streets of London for fear of being kidnapped & forced to serve in the cabinet.

— Tim Stanley (@timothy_stanley) October 19, 2022

My son has lived through four chancellors, three home secretaries, two prime ministers and two monarchs.

He’s four months old.

— Alan McGuinness (@Alan_McGuinness) October 19, 2022

Brexit was a package of (Putin-backed) lies, impossible promises, and cynicism wrapped in fancy paper. Liz Truss is an incompetent mess, but she is also the person left holding the package. The Tories are to blame and don’t forget it.

— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) October 19, 2022

And some amazing comparisons between the British and Canadian politicians:

Jason Kenney used to compete with Doug Ford for Canada’s worst Premier Title.
Danielle Smith is competing with Liz Truss for an International Title.

— G McThink ☮ (@redsnoopy69) October 19, 2022

Liz Truss is the libertarian who’s stubborn adherence to her radical beliefs crashed the British economy. Danielle Smith is Alberta’s Liz Truss. Here’s the best definition of “libertarian” that I’ve ever seen. It’s very dangerous to hand libertarians the reins of power. pic.twitter.com/9CohEWRaOz

— Gil McGowan (@gilmcgowan) October 20, 2022

Pierre Poilievre wants a Liz Truss plan for the Canadian economy…and we can all see how that’s working out.

— Alexander🦙 (@allexander321) October 19, 2022

In commenting on the 🇬🇧UK’s Truss disaster, Mr. Coyne in yesterday’s ⁦@globeandmail⁩ put his finger rather nicely on the fallacies inherent in all contemporary populism.
Admirers of #BitCoinBoy, take note.
⁦@PierrePoilievre⁩ ⁦@CPC_HQ⁩ #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/Swc3aOXcT3

— David Hamer🇨🇦🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@DavidHamer_1951) October 19, 2022

Finally, about recent events in the Ukraine Russia War:

Putin’s decree “declaring” martial law in parts of Ukraine was another example of dictatorial sleight of hand, introducing more repressive measures across the whole of Russia. https://t.co/KQx8KCLDqM

— Euan MacDonald (@Euan_MacDonald) October 20, 2022

President Biden says Putin’s martial law in Russian-controlled Ukraine regions is his only tool “to intimidate them into capitulating,” but that the crackdown won’t break Ukrainians https://t.co/qiZY3cNmED pic.twitter.com/g30YToIIby

— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) October 20, 2022

\

You can see why that’s not a very promising starting point for negotiations.

— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 19, 2022

If there are any two politicians in Canada who always know which way the wind is blowing, it’s Justin Trudeau and Rob Ford. So today Trudeau stood behind Ford and held a straight face — didn’t even roll his eyes once — while Ford talked about ho…

Truckers convoy currently blocked by counter protesters on bicycles in Vancouver along terminal ave@CTVVancouver pic.twitter.com/j6VYQaAEwD

— Travis Prasad (@TravisPrasad) February 5, 2022

And in Edmonton:

It’s starting… across the country. And it’s getting stronger by the hour. Time for the children to go home.

— 1🍏Mar𝒵ipan (@1marzipan) February 12, 2022

As the weeks passed, the protests were spreading — the Convoy attempted to set up protests in Toronto, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Regina, though the provincial governments in these cities made sure that local police shut things down quickly, after seeing what was happening in Ottawa.

Ottawa believed that the convoy would leave in a couple of days.
By the time it was approaching Toronto, the Police knew better.
They immediately took drastic action.
e.g. Roadblocks >> difficult for vehicles to get downtown
Or to access Queen’s Park https://t.co/H3ZUYAQxbm

— Peter K Burian (@PKB_Canada) October 15, 2022

Also there were attempts to restart the border blockages:

Windsor police Chief Pam Mizuno says yesterday “6 to 7 transport trucks” were driving to Windsor from Ottawa on the 401.

“It is suspected this convoy was heading to Windsor.”

They were about 250KM away (which would be just before Woodstock) and has turned around, says Mizuno.

— Chris Ensing (@ChrisEnsingCBC) February 16, 2022

Coutts blockaders discussed blocking airport cargo terminals: private threat assessment – National | https://t.co/bcKaDFV2Ba https://t.co/AZ7R3Nowo0

— Charles Rusnell (@charlesrusnell) February 16, 2022

All in all, it began to look like an attempted coup:

This is starting to look like a slow-motion fascist coup, a January 6, 2021 where the police are letting it happen, aimed at ending the Trudeau minority government. It is the most severe attack on the legitimacy of the state and its democratic supports in our history.

— Mark Bourrie (@MarkBourrie) February 12, 2022

A pivotal moment.

Brazen calls from active & retired police/military for disobedience, the ex-RCMP command & control leadership, & evidence of ongoing intelligence failures.

We are in the midst of an attempted coup. It will be my fifth. I smell blood. #cdnpoli #5thColumn https://t.co/bHS1oNSzGe

— Dr. Jason Price (@DrJPriceTrustee) February 13, 2022

It was the Emergencies Act that turned the tide, not just in Ottawa but in the rest of the country:

I seriously believe exactly this led to the 24hr clearance at Coutts.

“That’s it, son. Bring the tractor home NOW.”

— Rugged Broad (@ruggedbroad) February 18, 2022

There were children in those trucks, and concern they were being used as human shields against police action.

Flashback: Emergencies Act enacted by the federal government includes a prohibition on bringing children to sites where the protests and blockades are happening. Cops estimated that 1 in 4 trucks parked – about 100 – had children living inside. https://t.co/P49CNVbe5V #cdnpoli

— isis wise¸.•*¨🐈‍⬛ (@IsisWise) October 16, 2022

It wasn’t just Ottawa. More important I think were the border blockades & US trade disruptions, the spreading chaos in cities as people gave up on police & tried to stop the Convoy themselves, & the need to re-establish respect for rule of law & for elected authorities.

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) October 14, 2022

All in all, it was a scary time. We need to remember what really happened:

4) psych torture & economic terrorism is being used.
5) organizers have setup supply chains in Ottawa and Nationally including comms messaging.
6) they want to over throw an elected government.
7) the office of the prime minister is under direct threat.
8) children are shields

— kris meloche (@krismeloche) February 16, 2022

Residents forced to take action themselves during convoy crisis, councillors testify | CBC News https://t.co/SIki833Eme #ottnews

— Joanne Chianello (@jchianello) October 15, 2022

This is, indeed, the original, most baffling failure. https://t.co/tbbljw98fR

— Matt Gurney (@mattgurney) October 14, 2022

This Coyne tweet from February sums it all up and is still absolutely correct

They can travel, work etc. All they have to do is get vaccinated. This is not a serious imposition in reality, even if they imagine it to be so.
That they do so imagine is sad. They deserve our empathy and understanding. They do not, however, get to set policy. https://t.co/U7fcMQxQVj

— Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦 (@acoyne) February 23, 2022

And this segues neatly into a Covid updates:

Three years ago I had no idea that there would be two sides to the debate on whether to let a deadly and disabling virus circulate around the world unmitigated.

— Mask-splaining (@masksplaining) October 15, 2022

We have now had our Moderna bivalent shot. 

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 […]