Top Canadian Blogs and News Sites
0
comments
Wars and rumours of war, plus some Canada news, and predictions of a sad World Cup
Posted May 20, 2026 by Anonymous
It seems like its been a while since I’ve updated on today’s wars, so here are a few recent posts and comments that I found illuminating:
Iran War update
Tonight the New York Times is reporting that the US and Israel thought back in February that they could end the war in a few days by replacing Iran’s leadership with a cooperative stooge, easy peasy.
What were they smoking?
…It turns out that the United States and Israel [gift link] went into the conflict with a particular and very surprising someone in mind: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former Iranian president known for his hard-line, anti-Israel and anti-American views.
But the audacious plan, developed by the Israelis and which Mr. Ahmadinejad had been consulted about, quickly went awry, according to the U.S. officials who were briefed on it.
Mr. Ahmadinejad was injured on the war’s first day by an Israeli strike at his home in Tehran that had been designed to free him from house arrest, the American officials and an associate of Mr. Ahmadinejad said. He survived the strike, they said, but after the near miss he became disillusioned with the regime change plan.
He has not been seen publicly since then and his current whereabouts and condition are unknown….
… Israel envisioned the war unfolding in several phases, starting with air assaults by the United States and Israel plus the killing of Iran’s supreme leaders and the mobilization of Kurds to fight Iranian forces, according to two Israeli defense officials familiar with the operational planning.Then, the Israeli plan foresaw a combination of influence campaigns carried out by Israel and the Kurdish invasion creating political instability in Iran and a sense that the regime was losing control. In a third stage, the regime, under intense political pressure and the weight of damage to key infrastructure like electricity, would collapse, allowing for what the Israelis referred to as an “alternative government” to be established.
Other than the air campaign and the killing of the supreme leader, little of the plan played out as the Israelis had hoped, and much of it appears in retrospect to have profoundly misjudged Iran’s resilience and the capacity of the United States and Israel to exert their will…
The Iran War “strategy” looks even crazier: The @nytimes reports that the US plan was to put Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in as leader — yes, the same Ahmadinejad who was both extremist and a bit crazy. I interviewed Ahmadinejad when he was Iran’s president and can’t imagine the why the…
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) May 19, 2026
In his Rest of the World Report, Rudy Martinez writes:
…Trump planned a major military strike on Iran for Tuesday and called it off Monday evening without having previously disclosed it was planned. The Gulf allies who intervened say they are close to a deal. The Pakistani mediator says both sides keep changing the goalposts. Brent crude is at $111.00. The next two to three days will determine whether this was a turning point or another delay.
And this happened on Tuesday:
BREAKING: It took eight tries, but the Senate has finally voted to advance a resolution to limit Donald Trump’s war on Iran.
The measure passed 50-47 after Senator Bill Cassidy flipped and joined Democrats just days after losing his primary.— Jerry Whitney (@theharpoonman.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 10:53 PM
I think Trump wants to get out of Iran but he doesn’t know how to just declare victory and leave.
Ukraine War update
In his weekend newsletter about Ukraine, Phillips O’Brien writes about recent war events:
…I still argue as I have for a while that the Ukrainian attacks will be more important in shaping the course of the war. Russian civilian crime attacks do not seem to be cracking Ukrainian resistance, indeed they might be strengthening it. However, Ukrainian attacks on Russian strategic industries continue to reduce Russian fuel exports—which is doubly important now as the US has made sure oil prices are abnormally high.
I am sure there are those in Ukraine who feel so angry with the Russians deliberately killing civilians that they would believe it justified if Ukraine struck back similarly. And at this point, if the Ukrainians did, they might receive little condemnation. However, the Ukrainians are still refusing to make criminal attacks in favor of effective strategic ones.
This contrast helps explain why the war has developed as it has and why Ukraine is starting to take the initiative.
Fighting smart is usually better than fighting brutally.
I thought this remark from Carney is also worthwhile to note, that Ukraine will win and that Canada will be on the right side of history.
Canada should always be grateful to Chrystia Freeland for leading Canada’s (and the West’s) patriotic and vigorous sanctions response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when she was Finance minister.
PM Carney: “There’s lots of cooperation [with the US]. But we will also be cooperating with other partners and diversifying our defence cooperation as a member of NATO and in critical areas such as Ukraine … Ukraine is going to triumph and we’re going to be on the right side of history for that.”
— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Rumours of War
Here are some more updates on the disputes Trump is having here and there and everywhere
With Canada
About that “Board of Defense”
About that “Board of Defense”
With Greenland
About that “special envoy”
View on Threads
With Cuba
This story may or may not be true, and it may or may not matter.
🇨🇺🇺🇸 Axios: Cuba has acquired 300+ military drones from Russia and Iran and has discussed using them to attack Guantanamo Bay, US naval vessels, and Key West.
CIA Director Ratcliffe flew to Havana to personally warn Cuba against hostilities.
— Savchenko Volodymyr (@savchenkoua.bsky.social) May 17, 2026 at 9:07 AM
HMMMMMMMM
— bryptid (cryptid evolving) (@bradicality.bsky.social) May 17, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Genuinely fascinated by latest phenomenon of Marc Caputo being the outlet for INTELLIGENCE leaks, as with his Cuba drone story. Note it is effectively single-sourced–to a senior US official sharing classified intel.
www.axios.com/2026/05/17/u…
— emptywheel (@emptywheel.bsky.social) May 18, 2026 at 6:38 AM
Since there is news about a possible drone threat from Cuba, with Havana allegedly acquiring 300 military drones from Russia and Iran, re-upping my post from a Russian Telegram blogger from 4 months ago outlining such a scenario. t.me/rybar/77101
— Samuel Bendett (@sambendett.bsky.social) May 17, 2026 at 10:19 AM
With South America
Bolivia isn’t working out so well
View on Threads
With Everyone Else
This is the least surprising thing I read about Trump’s visit to China:
And some Canada news
BC is rightly concerned about Carney making deals with Alberta, without prior consultation with BC.
It seems to me this is how a separatist movement gets born – when a group of people feel ignored, unappreciated, unrewarded. British Columbia makes an extraordinary contribution to Canada, but it seems to be too easy for central and eastern Canada to take them for granted.
I remember when I was visiting Toronto and I realized that when I talked about “the coast” people always thought I meant the Atlantic provinces. That I was talking about BC never occurred to them at all, I guess because everything after Lake Superior is just “out west”.
Anyway, Carney is set to meet with Eby on Wednesday, so we’ll see what happens, keeping the following comments in mind:
Nathan Cullen: “For those that have somehow this equation that a single project is a determination of whether our country is functioning or not, that’s insane. And you can’t negotiate with someone who puts a gun to your head and expect good outcomes.”
— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Some investment good news
View on Threads
View on Threads
View on Threads
View on Threads
Here’s a good one – the Mayor of Montreal gave a Habs jersey to Macron
View on Threads
Its sad news for Saskatchewan that the Snowbirds will be grounded at the end of this year:
Canada’s Snowbirds jets grounded until 2030s as replacement aircraft identified – CTV News
https://www.newsbeep.com/547572/
Canada’s Snowbirds jets grounded until 2030s as replacement aircraft identified CTV NewsHere is where you can see the final…
— newsbeep.bsky.social (@newsbeep.bsky.social) May 19, 2026 at 5:05 PM
One of the great things about going to Riders games was that the jets from Moose Jaw would do a flyover of the stadium.
Here’s an airshow the Snowbirds did in 2016:
And here is their 2026 schedule.
Finally, just three weeks until the World Cup starts, and Toronto Star Europe reporter Allan Woods is reporting on its “ugly face” now:
Iran wants guarantees of beefed-up protection [gift link] behind enemy lines and no political questions from prying journalists.
Senegal wants visas for a handful of officials from its national sporting federation who have been denied entry to the U.S.
Ghana wants fans of its national squad, the Black Stars, to promise they’ll return home, keeping the country in Donald Trump’s good graces.
And a vast number of Canadians want nothing at all to do with their southern neighbours — not their travel hot spots, not their bourbon and wine, and certainly not their World Cup matches, even if they will feature the best soccer players on the planet.Welcome to the ugly face of the beautiful game’s marquee event — World Cup 2026 — set to open in Canada, Mexico and the United States on June 11.
It’s a far cry from what the co-hosts, under the banner of United 2026 and the slogan of “Unity. Certainty. Opportunity,” promised when their bid was picked by FIFA, soccer’s governing body, in 2018.
The anticipated kumbaya ambience has turned into something of a dark cloud.
“I think it’s going to be a fairly sad World Cup,” said Ronan Evain, the French head of Football Supporters Europe….
Maybe it will turn out to be a good thing that people in Toronto can drink in the bars until 4 am from June 11 to July 19, while the World Cup is on.
comments
Olé Olé Olé! Habs win it in overtime. Plus, more about the Alberta voter ID app scandal
Posted May 19, 2026 by Anonymous
What an outstanding win
Alex Newhook is from St. John’s, NFLD, by the way, and he scored the game-winner against Tampa in Game 7 of that series too.
Great interview here with Dobeš – the interviewer notes they have already played 14 tough games and Dobeš says “I could play 14 more!”
View on Threads
The fans in Montreal:
View on Threads
The Sabres are a great team – I was touched to find out they play the Canadian national anthem at all their games just because so many Canadians come over to watch. And here’s another example of respect:
View on Threads
This old tweet is still true:
❄️ 🏍️ 🚁
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger.bsky.social) May 18, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Now, on to the Hurricanes.
In other news, while we’ve been watching hockey, that Alberta voter-data scandal has been widening by the day.
First, we got a major story on Monday in Press Progress by editor Luke LeBrun:
Alberta Separatist Group’s Controversial Voter ID App Has Links to US Ambassador, MAGA Influencers and Wealthy Michigan Republicans
Donald Trump’s top envoy to Canada says he was unaware a voter identification app that he previously endorsed and promoted was used by an Alberta separatist group at the centre of a major Canadian political scandal.US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, who is also personally acquainted with both the app’s founder and the founder’s wealthy step-father, denies any knowledge of the app’s use by Alberta separatists to identify the names and addresses of supporters of a potential referendum on the province separating from Canada.
“I was not aware of the relationship,” Ambassador Hoekstra told PressProgress about the apparent collaboration between an Alberta separatist group called the Centurion Project and a Michigan-based right-wing political group called 10xVotes.
David Parker, a far-right separatist organizer, cites 10xVotes as his inspiration for launching the Centurion Project and claims the American group has been quietly working with him behind-the-scenes for over a year.
The issue of foreign support of Alberta separatist groups has been an open question since the US State Department confirmed earlier this year that Trump administration officials have held multiple meetings with Alberta separatist leaders.
The Centurion Project is currently under investigation by Elections Alberta, Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner and the RCMP into how the group obtained private data about nearly three million Albertans allegedly sourced from the province’s official list of electors. The massive data breach is being described as potentially one of the “most significant privacy incidents” in Canadian history.
… In his statement to PressProgress, the US ambassador acknowledged having promoted the 10xVotes app in his earlier role but flatly denied any personal involvement or financial stake in the voter identification tool.…The app has been publicly endorsed by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones of the website Infowars. The app was also showcased on an episode of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s podcast….
The story has lots of denials on the record, but LeBrun also traces a complex web of relationships from Alberta to Michigan.
And on a side not, apparently David Parker has now left Canada for Texas.
Second, we also got the news on Monday about the Pentagon kiboshing a Canada-US defense panel:
comments
Tabarnak!!! Plus, Sunday Funday with funny-odd and funny-haha posts, Hating AI, Carney Hat Trick, TrumpWatch, and Animal Crackers
Posted May 17, 2026 by Anonymous
Oh, tabarnak! The Habs lose tonight – On to Monday!
The video low-lights of Saturday’s game are here. I’m not posting the clip because I don’t really want to watch it again.
This is a pretty good game review on the Raw NHL website, from Sab…
comments
The Carney and Smith announcement, plus a note on Trump’s crazy language
Posted May 16, 2026 by Anonymous
It was a big announcement today in Alberta:Canada and Alberta Strike Landmark Implementation Agreement on Energy, Emissions, and Export Diversification
By Annie Koshy
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a landmark …
comments
Today’s News: Habs Rule (almost)! Plus a round-up of comments on the Alberta separatist referendum, and a smattering of Trump/China
Posted May 15, 2026 by Anonymous
Habs Rule (almost)!
Montreal wins 6-3 over Buffalo, and will be going home with hopes to take it all on Saturday night’s game 6
Montreal will be rocking!
They stick together don’t they
View on Threads
Some additional detail about that …
comments
Some good Venn diagrams, plus some good news updates
Posted May 14, 2026 by Anonymous
Starting with a few Venn diagrams:The Artemis II astronauts met with Carney on Thursday
The group includes Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialists Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, together with their Canadian capcom (…
comments
Today’s News: We just need the next 2 out of 3. Plus Trump leaves for China, and some “Strait of Hormuz Blues”
Posted May 13, 2026 by Anonymous
Next two out of three
A crazy game and unfortunate loss, Sabres 3 to Canadiens 2:
At Sportsnet, Eric Engels writes:
In a game the Montreal Canadiens lost by one goal, it would be easy to suggest the puck bouncing off the stanchion by the Bel…
comments
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – from Habs Rule to America Chaos
Posted May 12, 2026 by Anonymous
For some reason I am seeing a lot of just two kinds of posts. Positive ones about the Habs victory on Sunday, and negative ones about Trump’s America causing chaos in the world. So they seem to fall into a sort of oddball “two cities” theme, …
comments
Sunday Funday: Funny posts about Canada, ETTD, sports, academics, and more, plus Carney hat-trick TrumpWatch, Animal Crackers
Posted May 10, 2026 by Anonymous
First, good items about Canada Todd Maffin does a “heritage minute” about Heritage Minutes
All of the Minutes are saved here: https://www.historicacanada.ca/productions/minutes This is my favourite:
Heaven does exist and it is in Canada ❤…
comments
Good for the Habs! Plus today’s Canada news – from Obama to a pink Barbie Jeep
Posted May 9, 2026 by Anonymous
Habs win!So the series is tied as they head to Montreal for the next two games.
When it got to 4-1, that was really the end for Buffalo View on Threads
View on Threads
View on Threads
View on Threads
Some Canada new…
comments
Today’s News: Poilievre Put-downs, Responding to Wexit, China gives Trump the finger, and a Hantavirus Cruise Ship Update
Posted May 8, 2026 by Anonymous
Poilievre Put-downs
I think I need to start a regular feature about the comments and cartoons I see on our opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. I must admit, I seldom actually follow much of what he talks about, so I rely on these social media zingers to keep up with what he is doing. Enjoy!
From MP Peter Schiefke:
@globalnews.ca Liberal MP turns to poetry to poke at Pierre Poilievre in House of Commons
He keeps showing up with awful people:
This is all #propaganda and #foreign #interference in our politics by #American #MAGA. And what #Canadians are #supporting these #farright #Trump #MAGATS #Poilievre #Smith
open.substack.com/pub/charliea…
— Nandana (@nandanainthegarden.bsky.social) May 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM
So many people and institutions are out to make Pierre Poilievre fail, I expect there’s a searchlight shining over Ottawa tonight, with a truck instead of a bat symbol in it, calling for support.
Pierre, please, we all know you won’t change, you can’t change. #CdnPoli 🇨🇦
— Doug Johnson 🇨🇦 (@smikooman.bsky.social) May 7, 2026 at 6:47 PM
The disgusting thing about Poilievre isn’t his stupidity, it’s his belief that everyone else is stupid.
— Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦 (@emmettmacfarlane.com) May 3, 2026 at 11:28 AM
Poilievre: “Some people accuse me of being a fighter…”
And the crowd goes mild.
His numbers are dropping, even inside his own party, yet his strategy is still:
blame Trudeau, rage endlessly, and vote against grocery transparency while pretending to fight grocery prices.Photo credit: CBC
— Save the CBC 🇨🇦✌️ (@savethecbc.bsky.social) May 7, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Trump militant Mike Pompeo is getting the red carpet treatment from Canada’s right wing. Along with Pete Hoekstra. They will be joined by Poilievre and Danielle Smith at a conference in Ottawa.
We need to pay attention to the MAGA attempt to undermine our country.
youtu.be/7Ghl-XJBvvk?…— Charlie Angus (@charlieangus104.bsky.social) May 7, 2026 at 6:28 AM
We see photo after photo too:
Pierre Poilievre, working hard to expand the Conservative Party base at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Ottawa. Conference vision: “It is time to step into the arena with courage, big ideas for the future and an unshakeable commitment to our principles.” #CdnPoli 🇨🇦
— Doug Johnson 🇨🇦 (@smikooman.bsky.social) May 7, 2026 at 6:33 PM
And his greatest hit:
Here’s some more news that we didn’t need:
The Trump administration has seized $120M USD owned by the Canadian pension fund earmarked for a wind development — and demanding the pension-backed company invest in fossil fuels instead.
— Canada’s National Observer (@nationalobserver.com) May 7, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Can’t wait to see how Poilievre tries to make this not really matter. 🤪
— BernardoVerda 🤔 (@bernardoverda.bsky.social) May 7, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Responding to Wexit
Speaking of Alberta separatism – AKA #Wexit – this is a fascinating interview:
View on Threads
In a substack post in early April, Arlene Dickenson describes what Alberta means to her. I think it gives us all something to use when we are replying to Wexit talk:
… Alberta isn’t like the other provinces and I mean that as the highest compliment. I’ve had homes in four of our nation’s provinces and offices in six of them, so I think I can compare. All of our provinces and territories are beautiful and unique. But there’s a directness here, a refusal to apologize for ambition or effort and a faith in individual initiative that runs so deep it feels geological.
We sit on the energy that’s kept this country warm and moving for a century. Our agriculture feeds people around the globe who’ll never know who we are. Our entrepreneurs have built industries from open fields and stubborn optimism. Our small towns have produced doctors, engineers, teachers, and people who went out and served and contributed to the world beyond our borders. This isn’t a place that needs to be explained or justified. It’s a place that simply produces.
That heritage has given us something rare which is a legitimate claim to be taken seriously by the rest of Canada. But that claim is only as strong as the integrity with which we make it. And right now, I worry that we’re borrowing the wrong language from the wrong neighbours to make it. We’ve moved from feeling like victims of Ottawa to feeling a moral superiority over the rest of the country, as if we alone pay for everything Canada enjoys. Neither are right or who we are.
Something’s been seeping across the border that isn’t oil, grain or trade. It’s a particular kind of politics that’s loud, binary, contemptuous of nuance and it’s been settling into our public conversation like smoke into curtains. You can smell it, and it’s not pleasant.
The language of American grievance hasn’t ever belonged to us….
When I hear Albertans use the phrases, the tones, the entire emotional register of the partisan politics imported from the south, I feel something I can only describe as grief. Because it doesn’t fit and it’s not us. And more importantly, it doesn’t help us at all. The American experiment is struggling under the weight of that kind of politics right now. Why on earth would we import it?…
Tonight’s At Issue panel touched on the separatism issue as well. Andrew Coyne was particularly vivid.
TL,DW (too long, didn’t watch) They talk about possibilities for Alberta pipelines, and whether this could quell Wexit. Coyne makes a good point that holding separation referendums, whether in Quebec or in Alberta, are a “mug’s game”-a pointless gamble- that is trying to hold the country by its throat.
Then they chat about whether governments should subsidize industries like the Honda EV battery plant- as though there could ever be a Canadian government that wouldn’t support our major industries. Finally, they talk about whether teenagers should be banned from social media. I believe this is another unworkable idea because younger teens from grade 7 up all have to use their phones today for everything from homework assignments to calling for Ubers from basketball practices.
The Alberta voter data leak story is getting bigger by the day. Former premier Jason Kenney has jumped into the story now:
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney is not happy with the separatists.
— FuzzyWuzzy in Toronto🇨🇦 (@fuzzywuzzyto.bsky.social) May 5, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Following up on Scrimshaw’s point yesterday, it may be true that the Alberta separatists have shot themselves in the foot, not just by stealing the voter data, but also taking such a cavalier attitude toward the private data of the Albertans they are trying to recruit to their cause.
View on Threads
View on Threads
In his Globe and Mail column, Andrew Coyne connects the dots: (gift link)
…The scandal – which long predates the present farce – is that we ever allowed the idea to take root that the fate of the entire country could be decided by the vote of half the population in one province – that a bunch of people could help themselves to the territory of Canada, merely by holding a vote on it. Or, even worse, could threaten to do so, not because that is what they sincerely desired, but as a means of blackmailing their fellow Canadians.
… because of this abject policy of national self-negation, this willingness to legitimize the illegitimate, to tolerate what is intolerable under the constitutions of virtually every other democratic country on Earth, we now face the prospect of secession referendums in not one but two provinces, Alberta and Quebec (for the third time!), more or less simultaneously.
…. to engage in all this self-destructive nonsense at the precise moment when the President of the United States is threatening to annex the country, backed by overtures to the separatists in at least one province as part of an explicit divide-and-conquer strategy – I don’t think scandal is even the word.
China gives Trump the finger
In his Rest Of The World Report on Thursday night, Rudy Martinez talks about what China is now doing to break US sanctions on Iranian Oil. He concludes:
…China has told its companies to ignore US sanctions. The legal instrument it used to do so allows Chinese firms to sue anyone who complies with American law. Trump arrives in Beijing in seven days needing a successful summit. China is negotiating from a position of strength on Iran, on trade, and now on the sanctions architecture that underpins US foreign policy globally. The war that began February 28 has not only disrupted global energy markets — it has given America’s principal strategic rival the opportunity, the justification, and the legal framework to openly defy American economic power. That is the story underneath the story.
Trump is supposed to go to China in just seven days. Personally, I think he’s going to find an excuse to cancel his trip. Also because he doesn’t have the stamina anymore to make that long a trip.
Why are both of Trump’s hands covered in makeup?
This new bruising comes as Trump made an unscheduled visit to the “dentist” last weekend, which fueled even more speculation and questions surrounding his health.
@sarahmatthews1.bsky.social reacts.
— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) May 6, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Hantavirus Cruise Ship Update
View on Threads
And a WHO update thread from epidemiologist @titanjibk. Here are a few of her posts:
View on Threads
View on Threads
View on Threads
comments
Today’s News: Some comments worth sharing on Iran, Alberta, ICE and rich bros, plus some updates on Canada good news, that hantavirus cruise ship and Epstein-gate. Finally, DAMN!
Posted May 7, 2026 by Anonymous
Some comments worth sharing
Black Cloud Six on the Iran War
A great piece here from Black Cloud Six, on how the American way of war is failing again. This is how he begins:
….Generally speaking, American employment of military power is characterized…
comments
Today’s News: Go Habs Go! Welcoming our new Governor General. And marking Red Dress Day
Posted May 6, 2026 by Anonymous
Go Habs Go!
We’re all getting set for Wednesday night!
The Montreal Canadiens are set to start their series against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. To win this series, the Habs will need Cole Caufield to step up and be an X-factor.
thesickpodcast.com…
comments
“May the Force be with you” and all the other stuff happening around Star Wars Day: Carney in Armenia, the PBO assessment, ICE on Canadians, Iran War, Met Gala, Star Wars, Kent State, Gordon Lightfoot, Habs Rule!
Posted May 5, 2026 by Anonymous
I hadn’t realized so much was happening in the first few days of May: Carney is in Armenia
View on Threads
Carney’s speech:
TL,DW: DRM News reports “Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addresses the European Political Community Summit in …
comments
Sunday Funday: Sports Update, Wrapping up the Royal Visit, a bunch of good and funny posts. Plus NSFW, Getting Old(er), Carney Hat-Trick, TrumpWatch and Animal Crackers
Posted May 3, 2026 by Anonymous
Go Habs! Go Raptors!But win or lose, you both do Canada proud.Sports UpdateOutstanding!
RJ BARRETT
“CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?”[image or embed]— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) May 1, 2026 at 8:29 PMCanadians were really touched on Tuesday night when …
comments
Good reads: Dale Smith, John Ivison, Maggie Helwig, Tod Maffin, Paul Krugman, IFLOZ, James, Katharine Wilkinson, Sherman Alexie, Cole Haddon
Posted May 2, 2026 by Anonymous
Norman Rockwell’s tribute to Carl Spitzweg’s The BookwormGood reads about politics
Now that Carney has a majority, the Liberals were able to take control of Parliamentary Committees for the first time in seven years. And they immediately took awa…
comments
Just a series of events – both unfortunate and fortunate: Alberta separatism, Jamel Jivani, Avi Lewis, Trump, Charles and Camilla, the DSRB, and Mr. Rogers
Posted May 1, 2026 by Anonymous
Today I found news all from all over.
To begin, here are some pretty unfortunate events.
First, Alberta separatists have just shown us all that their basic nature is deceit and underhandedness.
View on Threads
View on Threads
The response from the Alberta Separatists was…well, unfortunate.
In an article in the National Observer, Jeremy Appel writes
…On Thursday, [Centurion Project founder David Parker] again insisted he had done nothing wrong.
“Look everyone! I found names and addresses in a nefarious document called a phone book! Call the cops,” he posted on Twitter.Phone books, which were last distributed in Edmonton in 2010, didn’t contain voter information for “the entire population of Alberta,” [Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt] noted. People could also exempt themselves from being listed in them.
Bratt said Parker’s flippant attitude toward the election authorities is emblematic of the right-wing populist mentality that “you can’t believe anybody.”
“The only people you can trust are the ones who go to separatist rallies,” he explained.
In a Thursday afternoon statement to the CBC, the Centurion Project said that it has “shut down the app until we can ensure that the dataset is compliant with Alberta and federal privacy laws,” and intends to co-operate with Elections Alberta…
In The Line, Jen Gerson writes “I Tried To Warn Them”
Her article describes how a source leaked the stolen Voters List story to her in March, she checked it out and found that yes, indeed, they had a copy of the Alberta voters list. So she alerted Elections Alberta, which did an apparently-cursory investigation -“nothing to see here, move along move along”. So now, today, the news of the breach is finally out.
Gerson concludes:
….I’m glad that the injunction was granted. With the list taken down, I feel comfortable reporting on the topic. But boy-o, does Elections Alberta have some explaining to do. I probably wouldn’t have written about my involvement in any of this at all except that the, shall we say, truncated timeline of events they offered today really pissed me right off.
Because it seems to me that if they had simply taken this complaint seriously enough to investigate properly a month ago, they could have received that very same court injunction before the breach came out in the media. And that’s before we begin to ask how many additional people gained access to all that personal data over the last 30 days.The Centurion Project is an exponential exercise. Once that data is in the wild, it’s not possible to re-home it. The injunction demanded that both the Centurion Project and the Republic Party identify every single person and entity who had access to that information, along with contact information. And all I can say is — good luck, guys. If my source was able to gain access to the partial file with a burner account, I highly doubt these guys even have that information to turn over.
We simply have to operate under the assumption that basically anyone in the province, no matter how unhinged, may now have nearly universal access to the personal information of everybody who lives here, and that there’s not a damn thing any of us can do about it.
Next, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani went to Washington again, to “help” Canada negotiate with the Americans.
Federal conservatives keep trying to pretend they are part of Carney’s team.
They’re not.
They’re not.
Why is Jamil Jivani in Washington during active CUSMA talks?
Last time he tried to “help negotiate,” even Pierre Poilievre said he speaks for himself.
So who’s he speaking for now? And why?
r.pebmac.ca/https://www….
— Save the CBC 🇨🇦✌️ (@savethecbc.bsky.social) April 29, 2026 at 4:05 PM
Next, it sounds like Avi doesn’t want to give Canadians a chance to vote against him.
Just monumentally dumb. And apparently didn’t learn a single gods damned lesson from Singh’s failures, and the fact that he was rendered irrelevant for his first year as leader when he didn’t have a seat.
I’m sure that he thinks he’s special and it won’t happen to him, and yet…— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) April 30, 2026 at 2:47 PM
In American news, Putin has apparently issued new marching orders to Trump.
View on Threads
And I expect Trump would be happy to follow along with everything Putin says, if he could only remember which war Putin was talking about — after he finished with Putin, he did a press conference where he confuse Ukraine with Iran.
I Fucking Love Australia writes:
….Picture the scene. Putin rings up. They have a chat. Trump emerges from the call, walks straight to a press scrum, and proceeds to describe Iran’s military destruction at length while insisting he’s talking about Ukraine. Jared is there. Jared just nods. Nobody in that room has the cognitive function or moral spine to lean over and say “Donald mate, that’s the wrong war.”
Ukraine is the one who has cards
Russia’s about out and Trump can’t save them
much as he will try
Trump no longer has the cards to threaten Ukraine
Republicans stopped weapons, Europe stepped up, and Ukraine built their ownPutin and Netanyahu will both be replaced soon
Trump should follow— JustmeAnybody (@justmeanybody.bsky.social) April 30, 2026 at 10:12 PM
Trump has lost his mind. For reals!
View on Threads
Now for the fortunate events.
I was today years old when I found out there is a Canadian Cross of Sacrifice at Arlington National Cemetery. It’s for the Americans who joined Canadian units in WW 1, WW 2 and Korea.
Here are two photos of the cross that I found in BlueSky posts:
From Red 5 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇨🇦🇩🇪🇪🇺🇬🇱 @courageconquers.bsky.social
And a close-up from Rob, I guess. @somewhatrob.bsky.social
King Charles visited the memorial on Thursday while he was there for the Royal Visit (as his mother also did, in 1957):
View on Threads
Also, here’s a bit of a heart-warmer.
Queen Camilla brought along a special gift for the New York Public Library:
View on Threads
View on Threads
On Threads, Sandral Graham writes
Winnie-the-Pooh was inspired by a real-life black bear named Winnie, purchased in 1914 by Canadian veterinarian Lt. Harry Colebourn in White River, Ontario, while en route to WWI training. Named after his hometown of Winnipeg, the bear became the mascot for the Fort Garry Horse regiment before being donated to the London Zoo, where she inspired A.A. Milne’s stories.
Another fortunate event is that Canada is hosting the new multinational Defence, Security and Resilience Bank (DSRB):
Hey, Carney is wearing his Edmonton Oilers tie! Sad that the Oilers lost tonight and they’re out of the playoffs for this year. But we still have hope for Montreal!
On a side note, this isn’t new but isn’t this great?
comments
Zingers – from Carney, from Jeremy Hansen, from Calgarians, from Charlotte Clymer, from King Charles, from Gavin Newsom, and the 8647 meme
Posted April 30, 2026 by Anonymous
The news today was pretty grim – Iran War blockages until summer so the world economy is toast. But there were some pretty good “zingers” today too!
Carney in the House
“a premier who picks up my phone call” Ouch!
Pierre Poilievre: This Liberal P…
comments
Today’s News: King Charles’ US Visit, Carney’s Spring Economic Update. And hooray for the Buffalo Sabres!
Posted April 29, 2026 by Anonymous
King Charles’ US Visit
Irony dies as King Charles speaks to Congress:
TL,DW: It was a good speech, apparently written at least partly by Charles himself. And both Democrats and Republicans enthusiastically applauded its themes of democracy, rule of…
comments
Today’s News: Carney’s anniversary, Canada Strong Fund, Iran War update, Funny responses to the WHCA dinner, and some Canada Good News. Plus a quip
Posted April 28, 2026 by Anonymous
Carney’s anniversary
Its been a year since Carney was elected, so he is doing interviews and here’s a good one:
TL,DW (too long, didn’t watch): Its a good interview covering a wide range of topics – the Sovereign Wealth Fund, the Iran War, the need to…
comments
Sunday Funday: Catching up with the news about Iran and Ukraine, plus lots of fun posts, Getting Old(er), NSFW, Carney Hat Trick, TrumpWatch, and Animal Crackers
Posted April 26, 2026 by Anonymous
We had quite a year this week. Sunny and warm, then windy, then a foot of snow! Anyway, it looks like its all over now – we might actually get some Spring around here soon — so here are my Sunday Funday posts.But first, a short d…
comments
Noted in passing: Maritimer and Arlene Dickinson on Poilievre; Andrew Coyne and IFLOZ on America; Black Cloud Six, Philippe Lagassé, and Shankar Narayan on Canadian defense
Posted April 25, 2026 by Anonymous
I have said for years the secret of Trump’s appeal is that his followers worship him as The Golden Calf – because he has no philosophy of his own, he can just reflect his followers’ own grandiose autocracy combined with racist superiority. And they lov…
comments
Today’s News: Watching the Dunning-Kruger Effect in real time. Plus an Epstein-gate Update
Posted April 24, 2026 by Anonymous
The Dunning-Kruger effect is when incompetent people do not have enough knowledge to know that they are incompetent, nor do they recognize competency in others. They don’t know what they don’t know.
Right now, we’re seeing the Dunning-Kruger Effect in …
comments
Today’s News: Thinking about Canada beyond CUSMA. Plus some Canada Good News
Posted April 23, 2026 by Anonymous
I think Canada needs to understand that the CUSMA negotiations are likely doomed.
Trump no longer has the mental capacity to handle “the art of the deal” – as Iran and the rest of the world are now finding out. And Trump will always blame his vic…
comments
Today’s News: Renewing CUSMA without losing our minds or our souls
Posted April 22, 2026 by Anonymous
Its getting real now, isn’t it.
I mean Canada’s attempt to renew CUSMA so we don’t lose our minds or our souls doing it, so Trump will get a win without Canada getting a loss. And Mexico, too.
Carney has now set up an Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. …
Interesting Fact of the Month
Did you know visiting Canada with a DUI is difficult? If a US citizen has a DUI or DWI they could be denied entry at the Canadian border! Even a misdemeanor for reckless driving, or a traffic ticket for impaired driving, can prevent an American from entering Canada. In order to enter Canada with DUI charges many people hire an immigration lawyer. Going to Canada from USA with other criminal convictions like theft or assault can also be challenging.
Did you know visiting Canada with a DUI is difficult? If a US citizen has a DUI or DWI they could be denied entry at the Canadian border! Even a misdemeanor for reckless driving, or a traffic ticket for impaired driving, can prevent an American from entering Canada. In order to enter Canada with DUI charges many people hire an immigration lawyer. Going to Canada from USA with other criminal convictions like theft or assault can also be challenging.
