Nathan Cullen: "It's dangerous, I guess all of these conversations that we're having as we try to keep this beautiful country together, when you play too close with those that are interested in not keeping it together, there is so many unintended consequences."

Lisa Raitt says the US pausing the Permanent Joint Board on Defence is a nothingburger : "Various agencies show up. They have one day of meetings. Then letters are written to the prime minister and the president talking about what they accomplished in that day. That's it."

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."

David Eby has some harsh words for Danielle Smith on separatism: "Bluntly, we cannot have bad behaviour decide who gets engaged with by the federal government. We need to hold this country together. We need to fight for this country every single chance we get."

David Eby: "This country cannot work if separatists, separatist premiers, others get all of the attention of the federal government. And those provinces where we're standing squarely behind Canada, where we're fighting for Canada -- we're left out of the discussion."

David Eby: "I will not be using my time with the Prime Minister to advocate for Alberta's projects because they are getting a lot of time with the Prime Minister right now."

David Eby: "The message I have for the Prime Minister is a pretty straightforward one: British Columbia backs Canada, and we need Ottawa to back British Columbia … We just need to see that same level of support that Alberta has seen from the Prime Minister right here in British Columbia."

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."

PM Carney on the last time the Permanent Joint Board on Defence met: "The last time, to my knowledge, is the end of 2024. It's supposed to meet biannually, but it hasn't met since then. It has a long heritage, but I wouldn't overplay the importance of this."

PM Carney on US pausing participation in the Permanent Joint Board on Defence: "This is the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall that Canada has reached its NATO defence spending target ... But Canada is acting. It's clear. There's no doubt about it."

Scott Reid on the $20M a year cost of storing Ontario's delisted US booze stockpile: "This is a symbol of defiance."

Anita Anand on Taiwan: "We have strong people-to-people ties with Taiwan, we have strong economic ties with Taiwan, and we also operate under the One China policy. We'll continue to be true to that policy, but make sure that we are always supporting those strong ties around the world."

Anita Anand defends renewing Canada-China relations amid threats of foreign interference: "It's a limited resolution of trade tensions, much different from some of the free trade negotiations that we have ongoing."

"This strikes me as odd only because if a Canadian citizen died in Ukraine, would you be asking Moscow to investigate?" -- Scott McLean questions Anita Anand on Israel leading the investigation into the death of a Canadian killed by an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon

Anita Anand defends Canada's sanctions on Israeli settlers

"We are concerned about nuclear proliferation, especially when countries are not party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty." -- Scott McLean presses Anita Anand on Israel possessing a nuclear weapon

McLean: Do you believe that Israel's decision to bomb Iran was defensive? Anand: We have expressed our concerns relating to international law

Anita Anand on military spending: "There is a commitment to security and defence specifically given the changing geopolitical environment. We are seeing the Russian threat move further and further north towards the Arctic Circle."

McLean: Have you received clear assurances from Washington that the US has no plans, now or in the future to annex or invade Canada? Anand: That is not something that is on the table in terms of our discussions at all ... this is a relationship we will continue to grow.

McLean: I just wonder if there was real preparation going on [for a US invasion or annexation?] Anand: Our focus militarily is really on the Canadian Arctic.

Al Jazeera: "Canada. A country with the world's longest coastline, vast Arctic frontiers, immense natural resources and a nearly 9000 km border with the US. For decades, that border was seen as Canada's greatest strategic advantage. Today, some see it as its greatest vulnerability."

Former Trump advisor says Canada signing trade deals with China is fine — as long as Canada doesn't call the United States untrustworthy or admit it's trying to diversify away from the US.

Former Trump advisor on Washington's view of Canada diversifying away from the US: "If you're going after the president directly, if you're calling the United States untrustworthy and that's the urgency for negotiating new deals, how would you feel about that message?"

Ukrainian Ambassador to Canada Andrii Plakhotniuk on drone deal with Canada: "President Zelensky mentioned this a couple of days ago, and certainly it sends a clear message to the outside world that Canada is considered to be one of our most reliable friends and partners."

Justin Ling on the lack of a Liberal BC pipeline advocate: "I'm told that Gregor Robertson joined a caucus call this week, basically made clear he was extremely unhappy with the final deal with Danielle Smith ... he was notoriously missing from a big LNG announcement on the West Coast."

Ian Bailey on David Eby's reaction to a pipeline: "Mr. Carney is going to have to find some way to do the work that his government has done with Alberta with BC. This pipeline [is] not going through Narnia or something, it's going through the province of BC, so they have to work this out."

Dominic LeBlanc on US trade talks: "The Mexicans are beginning a formal technical conversation. We'll get to that point as well, but ... we're not prepared to concede a whole bunch of things to find that there's another list of things that we're supposed to give the United States."

Dominic LeBlanc defends Liberals' commitment to climate change amid plans for a new pipeline: "I understand that people tend to focus on one particular project, but I think we've got to be careful to put it in a context of a government that's doing a great deal, including in renewable energy."

Dominic LeBlanc says national unity not the driving force behind MOU: "The Alberta economy and the natural resource economy of Western Canada is important to the whole country ... the whole country has an interest in a growing, competitive economy in Alberta."

Pierre Poilievre gave a speech two weeks ago in the House of Commons praising the virtues of a free-market economy over a government-controlled economy. Here he is celebrating a state-owned oil company building a state-owned pipeline.

Charlie Angus on impact of Canadian boycott of US travel: "Many tourist locations are talking about drops of 50% ... There's areas where the losses have been as high as 80%. We're not bragging as Canadians. We're doing something to defend our sovereignty and put the pressure on MAGA."

👀

Greg MacEachern highlights the noticeable absence of a federalist voice from the federal Conservatives on Alberta separatism

It’s really a winning argument; just say “it could have been more.” Why settle for 5 million barrels when it could have been 15 million. Why not 90 million? Think of all the free money we would have it it was 150 million! Why stop there? 500 million!! Fantasy land. #abpoli #cdnpoli

Fred DeLorey on the Alberta pipeline announcement: "It's very, very hard to be a Conservative messaging on this right now. It's like 'Mark Carney, the day he's elected, should have grabbed a shovel and started digging that pipeline. Why didn't he get it done then?'"

Mike Le Couteur and Michelle Rempel Garner clash over Canada's record oil production

Michelle Rempel Garner on Alberta MOU: "No province in Canada should have to be treated like this by its federal government ... Liberals have a caucus problem on their hand and they're putting that ahead of Canada's best interest when it means moving at speed to build up critical infrastructure."

Michelle Rempel Garner on Alberta pipeline timeline: "I think what's happening here is Mark Carney has a very divided Liberal caucus. I'm not even sure he has the support of cabinet to move the pipeline forward."

Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed defends Ottawa-Alberta MOU: "If you listen to what Avi Lewis said, and you listen to Pierre Poilievre, one is saying we've gone too far, one is saying we're not doing enough. This is, I believe, the just right approach, dealing with where we are in this moment."

BC Premier David Eby on Ottawa-Alberta MOU: “As a country, it's time to stop rewarding bad behaviour. It cannot be the case that the projects that get prioritized in Canada are those where a Premier threatens to leave the country."

PM Carney: "I was almost born in Alberta."

Danielle Smith: "Today is a good day for Alberta, and it's a good day for Canada. I'm happy to share with Albertans that we'll be signing an agreement today that clearly sets out a pathway to the construction of a new oil pipeline to Asian markets commencing as early as September 1, 2027."

PM Carney: "Today is also about building trust in a Canada that works. A Canada rooted in cooperative federalism where we build together, pragmatically and ambitiously, to achieve our shared ambitions."

just another day of videos failing to upload to bluesky

Steve Paikin: "Asymmetrical federalism means not every single province is treated exactly the same way. That's just the way we've governed this country ever since 1867 ... This is one of the most difficult, decentralized countries to govern in the entire world because of the separation of powers."

A deflating red balloon spewing whatever racist gibberish is stuck in his brain

Robert Fife on separatists taking over the UCP: "Where's the Margaret Thatcher in Premier Danielle Smith? We don't see it. She says she's an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, well the Iron Lady would have just told these people, 'Get lost.'"

James Moore: "This is a political problem for [Danielle Smith] and her continued leadership of the party that she crafted by bringing people into the party that are now commanding. But her political problem should not be a national unity problem."

Randy Boissonnault: "You cannot sit down with the feds and negotiate a new deal that will make Albertans more prosperous and Canada stronger on a Monday and then put a referendum question on the ballot on Friday. The Premier needs to pick a lane."

Corey Hogan: "I do think that federalist leaders such as Premier [Smith] who states she is a federalist leader need to be forceful about these matters and need to take leadership stances and say you know this country matters a lot."