People think the sound of the death of a democracy is loud. Dramatic. The sound of bombs going off. Gunfire. Screams, protests, warfare. But no.

This. One. Hit. Different. Thank you, Team Canada ❤️

I just love when a bunch of multi-millionaire hockey players who wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of Trump making good on his threats decide to tell fans to "be respectful" and not boo the American anthem. Yet they never seem to spend any time calling Trump's actions disrespectful.

Canadians in the coming days will need to find ways, big and small, to push back against America and fight for our sovereignty. One small way I will be doing that? No longer standing for the American anthem at events. I will not rise for the anthem of a country that seeks to shove me down.

Not only has Trump said 25% tariffs are coming Tuesday and Canada can do nothing to stop it; but he has now said if we retaliate in any way, the tariffs will go up. This is a hostage situation at this point. Trump's America is a rogue state at this point and is no friend to Canada. This. Is. War.

I haven't posted about Trump's tariff threat in recent days because he and his supporters have said so many conflicting things about their plan that we simply can't know what tomorrow will look like. Today is either the last day before a 25% tariff, or part of a holding pattern. And so we wait.

The Ontario election officially launches tomorrow. Checking in: who would you vote for, and why? Doug Ford - Progressive Conservative Bonnie Crombie - Liberal Marit Stiles - NDP Mike Schreiner - Green Or - other

Doug Ford will call a snap Ontario election next week. He is positioning himself as the one who will fight for Ontario and Canada against Trump. It's difficult to say how much his recent strength on that point will override his abysmal record on healthcare, education, and other local concerns.

Trump has indicated he is eyeing Feb 1 as the implementation date for a 25% tariff on Canadian goods. I'm left wondering why we didn't diversify our economy/trade relations more after the first Trump administration. Regardless, we need to do it now.

Donald Trump will not be imposing any tariffs today, per Reuters. He is expected to lay out his "trade vision", but no tariffs, at least not yet. And so we wait.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly has endorsed Mark Carney for the Liberal leadership. Joly and her circle likely do not believe Chrystia Freeland will be able to distance herself enough from PM Trudeau's policies to be competitive in an election. That is very possibly true.

BC, like many other provinces, is tightening its belt in advance of possible tariffs and the recession those might cause. Public servants have been notified that new mission letters are coming, and those letters will likely indicate more cautious spending on programs going forward.

Mark Carney will announce his leadership bid at an event in Edmonton tomorrow (January 16).

The premiers and prime minister are meeting today in Ottawa to discuss the Trump tariff threat. The premiers of the Territories just spoke at a media scrum and indicated Canada has been too complacent for too long in its reliance on the US. Should be more self-reliant and building our own capacity.

So far, no Liberal cabinet ministers have announced any intentions to bid for the party's leadership. Mark Carney is expected to announce a leadership bid this coming week. Carney speaks fluent French, is from the West, and of course has an impressive pedigree, particularly in economics.

The list of most powerful passports is out. Canada ranks 7th, with visa-free access to 188 countries. 1st - Singapore (195 countries); last - Afghanistan (26). USA in 9th (186). Interestingly, Canada's passport ranked 2nd in 2014; we aren't gaining visa-free access as quickly as some other nations.

Canada's economy added 91,000 jobs in December - significantly more than expected. Some good news in advance of this month's presidential inauguration, and the uncertainty it brings for Canada's economy.

Canada's Parliament is prorogued until March 24. Far from anti-democratic in principle, prorogation is a legitimate tool available to the government of the day. It can be seen as problematic if used to escape accountability in the House, but it remains a constitutionally valid action.