The #Gaza peace plan is exceptionally fragile. It may prove to be only a fleeting ceasefire, rather than an enduring end to hostilities. Yet, it is a glimmer of hope amidst profound darkness. I spoke with @chchnews.bsky.social about what it will take to sustain peace. via.maharaj.org/gzpp 🕊️

I look forward to being part of the Sport Diplomacy Conference, with athletes, diplomats, and legislators. 🗓️ Wed 08 October 📍 @globalpluralism.bsky.social 🎟️ via.maharaj.org/sptdip We will chart a course for Canada to press intl sport into the service of development, trade, and peacemaking.

Our discussions were on the future, but I felt much nostalgia at the Couchiching Conference. It was heartening to reunite with many friends, optimistic about the good we can do in the world. Jean Chrétien recounted Canada’s role creating the Intl Criminal Court and Ottawa Treaty against landmines.

Tomorrow, as we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as #OrangeShirtDay, we honour and remember the First Nations, Inuit and Métis children who suffered at the hands of government-sanctioned residential schools. Learn more at the links in our bio.

I thank @moorefound.bsky.social for convening marine conservation institutions in Vancouver, on how to press our work forward in a time of international turmoil. My @naturecanada.bsky.social colleagues and I were heartened by the deep collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.

Sport has a unique potential to project Canadian values into the international system and to draw allies to us. I look forward to joining my colleagues at the Canadian Sports Diplomacy Conference on 08 October 2025, to begin realising that potential. via.maharaj.org/csdc 🍁

PM @mark-carney.bsky.social announced his first “Projects of National Interest”, industrial initiatives granted accelerated federal approval. They are certainly in the interests of the corporations backing them. But do the benefits to Canadians outweigh the risks of reduced environmental oversight?

Nature Canada Reacts to PM Carney’s First List of “Projects of National Interests” 🗞️ Read more: https://bit.ly/42jKWDk

The ideal that to lead is to serve, is as old as civilisation itself. That we live in a time when such ideals are often sneered at, diminishes none of their power. I felt energised by my visit with Alfredo Martínez Serrano @embespcanada.bsky.social, who has spent his life serving the public good.

I had a lovely afternoon hosting a welcome luncheon for new students at @UToronto.ca #MunkSchool. L to R: Natasha Rehan; Olivia Daley; Diego Martínez; Aisha Assan-Lebbe I was impressed by their breadth of experiences and depth of commitments to vocations in public affairs. via.maharaj.org/munk 🎓

The bitterest irony of the terrible bloodshed in #Gaza is that Israelis and Palestinians desperately need one another, to endure in a region that is home to them both. Neither can survive if the other perishes This is my full radio interview on Gaza, with CBC Metro Morning. via.maharaj.org/gaza 🎙️

I spoke with David Common on @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social Metro Morning about escalating bloodshed in Gaza. Ultimately, Israelis need a democratic, peaceful, and secure Palestine, just as Palestinians need a democratic, peaceful, and secure Israel. Neither people can survive, if the other perishes.

Last year, the then-Minister of Sport declared that Canada’s sport system “is in crisis”. She created the Future of Sport in Canada Commission to remedy institutional abuse & misgovernance. I thank the Commissioners for meeting with me. Please consider taking their survey. via.maharaj.org/fscc 🐴

(1/2) Earlier this year, I joined the launch of the SINAA Conservation Agreement, with @inuittapiriit.bsky.social President Natan Obed. It will protect vast swathes of Nunavut. This will be the front line in struggles to uphold our sovereignty, as foreign powers covet Canada’s Arctic territories.

It is just as well that there are few occasions when Canadians are called to wear public honours: all the metal makes me feel like a discount Mr T. I was moved that my peers nominated me for Canada's Coronation Medal, and I thank the @rcgssgrc.bsky.social for hosting a lovely investiture ceremony.

The Oxford Union recently celebrated its 200th anniversary, as @ox.ac.uk’s debating society. Its assets are safeguarded by Trustees, who protect the institution for successive generations of #Oxford students. I am delighted to have been elected a Director of the Trust Corp. via.maharaj.org/ousl 🎓

In November, @uofguelph.bsky.social will host its tenth-anniversary Equine Industry Symposium. I have been delighted to volunteer with Guelph, to help Canada's horsepeople build common cause. This year’s theme is “Inspiring Change in Equestrian Culture”. Offer ideas at via.maharaj.org/eis10srv

(1/2) I am grateful to my colleagues from Canada’s Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Yazidi communities, for inviting me to moderate our discussion on hope, pluralism, and interfaith engagement. We met as part of the Our Whole Society gathering, at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

I enjoyed speaking with Matt Ingram, on @mark-carney.bsky.social's decision to recognise the State of Palestine. Does Mahmoud Abbas have any capacity to meet Carney's conditions? Will Benjamin Netanyahu now allow more water and food to reach Gaza's civilians, or instead tighten his grip on them?

Can Canadians of different faiths stand together, in defiance of social and political conflicts that would drive us all apart? I will moderate a discussion on fostering hope through #interfaith understanding, during the Our Whole Society conference, in Winnipeg. interfaithconversation.ca 🕊️

I have bid my final goodbye to Jumblie, the best dog in the world. He lived to nearly fifteen, an exceptionally long life for a Dalmatian. The house is too quiet without the patter of his paws. I like to think that I will still be Jumblie’s boy, and he will still be my dog, in the world to come.

Is it possible to spend a full day laying plans to confront the global withering away of biodiversity, yet smile the entire time? It is if you are meeting at Mādahòkì Farm, and you periodically slip out to pet the baby goats. madahoki.ca 🐐

My @NatureCanada.bsky.social colleagues and I were delighted that the #SpeechFromTheThrone proudly declared that nature is core to Canadian identity. Our economy will prosper and our society will thrive, only if public institutions protect our country's natural heritage. via.maharaj.org/thrnat 🍁

Life on our planet began in the seas, and the seas remain the foundation of life everywhere. Yet, too many industries are laying waste to the seas through bottom trawling, reducing them to watery deserts. I spoke with the CBC, about David Attenborough's documentary, Ocean. via.maharaj.org/ocn 🐋

I had no idea that #Chicago is such a riot of art deco architecture. Its public spaces and private buildings reflect another time, when cities constructed themselves as monuments to the ages. I am here far too briefly, to participate in the #Reddit Leadership Summit. reddit.com/u/AkaashMaha... 🐴

I am touched that my colleagues at #Reddit's r/Equestrian community nominated me to the platform's Mod Hall of Fame. I know that others have volunteered far greater time and talent to make the online world a more humane place. I thank my peers for their generosity. via.maharaj.org/rmhf 🐴

🧵 (1/2) The Canadian Interfaith Conversation welcomes the new Roman Catholic Pontiff. “We commend Pope Leo XIV for his lifelong commitment to spreading the good news of universal love and compassion, and for calling on us all to uphold one another’s dignity as members of a single human family.”

(1/2) I thank the North American assoc of Freemen of the City of London for including me in its newsletter. Originally, Freedom of the City embodied the right of mediaeval Londoners to live beyond the power of feudal lords. Today, it binds together people who share a connection through London.

I am grateful to #Reddit for featuring the r/Equestrian community in its Community Spotlight. Volunteering as an r/Equestrian Mod has enabled me to connect with horsepeople across nations, and to engage with horse cultures around the world. via.maharaj.org/rcs 🐴

Because of the Online News Act, Facebook and Instagram disallowed direct links to most Canadian publications. So I am posting links to my articles and interviews in the Canadian media at #Threads, as well as at Bluesky. It would be lovely to connect with you there. threads.com/@AkaashMaharaj 🧵

We are now entering the glorious, fleeting period in the #OttawaValley, when the days are warming but the biting insects are still dormant. The rivers around my farm are burbling, but the air is not yet buzzing. It will be about two weeks of evanescent bliss.

Canada's provinces began negotiations to end trade barriers in 1865, as separate colonies. Negotiations have dragged on for 160 years. I spoke with @Ari-Rabin.bsky.social of Global News, on dismantling interprovincial trade barriers so Canada can win the tariff war. globalnews.ca/news/1115735...

Mark Carney was elected to a minority government. But with the opposition parties diminished and in disarray, he should be able to govern as if he had a majority, for up to a year. I spoke with the National Post's @ChrisKnightfilm.bsky.social, on the coming political ballet. via.maharaj.org/min 📰

In a time of global turmoil, Canadians were certain to elect leaders who project a sense of quiet competence, over ones who define themselves as loud personalities. I spoke with @GlobalNews.ca on @Mark-Carney.bsky.social's march to victory & what happens next. via.maharaj.org/elxn2025 📰 #Elxn2025

At the launch of the election, @naturecanada.bsky.social published our Nature Platform. I am heartened that every party pledged to implement at least some of our policies. Irrespective of who is elected today, we will press the new government to keep its promises to nature. via.maharaj.org/np25 🍁

This federal election has seen some of the most dramatic swings in public sentiment in Canadian history. At its start, Shane Hewitt and I spoke about who would ride the rollercoaster, and who would be flung off. I think our conclusions stand up to subsequent events. via.maharaj.org/shn-fed 🎙️

The most widespread forms of foreign interference in Canadian elections are efforts by hostile regimes to intimidate and silence diaspora communities. I spoke with Dorsa Delara of @CityNewsToronto.bsky.social, on how Canada should respond. via.maharaj.org/forint 🗞️

I enjoyed speaking with the #CBC, on the contrast between the Conservative and Liberal election platforms. They are offering Canada radically different visions of the public good, in an effort to mobilise their supporters rather than persuade their sceptics. via.maharaj.org/platforms25 📰 #CdnPoli

I am delighted to moderate today's discussion on the federal election, with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders. 📅 Thurs, 24 April 2025 ⏰ 15h00 EDT 🔗 via.maharaj.org/cic25 How can Canada's faith communities stand together to build national unity, when politics so often trade on social division?

The snow is melting away in torrents at my farm. I am keeping my fingers crossed that spring is not playing us false, again. The past few weeks have felt like the bewitched, eternal frost in Narnia: "always winter, but never Christmas." 🌷 #SpringHasSprung

The fields and paddocks in Almonte are still blanketed by snow, but not for long. Warm weather has finally arrived, and has descended in force. I am looking forward to the long-delayed return of spring. 🌷 #SpringIsHere

During my interview with @globalnews.ca.web.brid.gy, I was astonished by how much Ottawa's newsrooms have shrunk. I am tempting the wrath of social media by writing this, but I think the withering of professional journalism is a tragedy. No free society can long survive, if its free press fails. 🇨🇦

This has been an extraordinary year for @rcgssgrc.bsky.social: • Discovered the wreck of the Quest; • @cangeo.bsky.social became Canada's top paid-circulation magazine; • High-impact expeditions and field research. I commend our staff for their stellar work. via.maharaj.org/rcgs24 📕

This woodpecker was content to gather his lunch in Ottawa’s Confederation Park, as I observed his determination. The pileated woodpecker is likely the largest woodpecker left in North America. The ivory-billed woodpecker, its larger cousin, is now classified as “probably extinct”.

Earlier this year, I was part of a discussion convened by Canada’s Privy Council Office, on “Building Democratic Resilience to Foreign Disinformation”. The DemocracyXChange has published the proceedings. I hope the government of #Canada will heed our advice. via.maharaj.org/pco-dis 🇨🇦

During Nature Canada's recent Board meeting, we spent an afternoon on the waters near St John's. The density of puffins, dolphins, and whales was moving. It was a vivd reminder of the extent of Canada's natural blessings, and of the imperative for Canadians to steward our inheritance responsibly.

Perhaps @naturecanada.bsky.social's most important initiative is #NatureOnTheHill. It brings ordinary Canadians to Parliament Hill, to make the case for protection of nature: in their local communities; across our country; and around the world. www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXFE... 🌱

When driving through Colborne, I almost always stop at the Big Apple to pick up an apple pie. Or three. On my most recent trip, I discovered that it is now home to a tribe of goats. I like to imagine that they run apple quality control. thebigapple.ca 🍎🐐

There is nothing genuinely intelligent about #ArtificialIntelligence. Yet, its risks to privacy and social cohesion are very real. I volunteered on an effort at #Reddit to restrain abuse of user information, especially by firms harvesting online data to feed AI beasts. via.maharaj.org/rd-cntnt 🤖

I remember the optimism of the early internet: it would dismantle prejudice and help the oppressed pull down their oppressors. We underestimated the ability of malicious actors to weaponise online tools for their own purposes. I hope @bsky.app will nurture our better angels. 🔗 maharaj.org/links