A Canadian Christmas Carol

SADDLE UP COWBOYS!

Whole lot of Conservative MLA's apparently not on side with this, and apparently it's not quite clear what "professionally incapacitated" here means. Their bylaws reference "incapacitation:, but in legal terms, that's generally a specific thing. I'm sure this is going to get even more spicy.

I am not a lawyer, but it sure seems like the BC Conservatives are trying to get rid of Rustad by using a clause in their constitution meant for a situation where the leader is, you know, in a coma or something

The BC Conservative Party just announced they have removed John Rustad as their party leader. Comes hours after Rustad said he was staying on despite 20 MLAs calling for his removal, arguing there was no mechanism for the party to turf him as leader after winning his leadership review.

No surprise, but Carney's Liberals are down *fifteen points* in Metro Vancouver in just the last month. Alongside Quebec, the Lower Mainland is what led Carney to victory in the last election. angusreid.org/carney-smith...

A few weeks ago, we put out an episode with @jmcelroy.bsky.social where we talked a lot about how the Rest of Canada tends to ignore or misunderstand BC. And the last few weeks of federal politics seem like a perfect encapsulation of that. hatchetmedia.substack.com/p/visions-of...

It’s amazing how much BC is being pushed to the fringes right now. The Carney gov’t has been negotiating with Alberta & Sask on pipelines, without BC. All while Saskatchewan’s potash monopolist chooses the US over BC. vancouversun.com/opinion/colu...

Really excited about The North State this week. Now that the dust has settled on Budget 2025, I felt now was the time to really dive into it. I had three great journalists on a panel, @karynpugliese.bsky.social, @arshy.bsky.social and @ianagp.bsky.social, to discuss the budget and coverage. #cdnpoli

Not only was it great to be on @youcaughtscott.com's show - but this dude ↪️ @arshy.bsky.social ↩️ and I used to work at ... 🤔...a podcasting company.. 😎 together. Reunited and it feels so goood🎵🎶 + I learned a cowload from @iangp.bsky.social about the #military also. #cdnpoli #indigenous #climate

BLOODY HELL

And please listen to our episode with Stewart Bell from @globalnews.ca about how the Indian government has been blackmailing everyday Canadians. open.substack.com/pub/hatchetm...

I’m honestly shocked that this story from @globalnews.ca has flown under the radar. Confirmation that Amit Shah, the second-most powerful man in the Indian government, was directly involved in the assassinations on Canadian soil. globalnews.ca/news/1151469...

This budget is further confirmation that Mark Carney is Stephen Harper’s political heir.

This week on The North State, I’ve got budgets on the mind. Not the federal budget, but how the hell independent journalists get paid. I sat down with @arshy.bsky.social of The Hatchet and then @nicolefroio.bsky.social of @theflytrapmedia.com to get the ins and outs of paying for news. #cdnnews

"Despite his prior sexual assault conviction, previous breach of bail conditions and Century’s link to the latest sexual assault charges, Holland was granted bail in August and continues to work at the nightclub."

NEW: I went on The Hatchet to speak to @arshy.bsky.social about Danielle Smith’s culture war. open.substack.com/pub/hatchetm...

Sign the petition in the thread. NIMBY groups are gathering again to defeat retail in neighbourhoods. Just saw a letter from “no more noise” objecting. It’s a city. Stop sterilizing it. Biz/cafes/even bars in neighbourhoods work in humane cities around the world.

Great piece from Dale. In my opinion, we're going to jail enormous numbers of innocent people because the feds and the provinces refuse to fix the delays in the justice system.

Really loved this conversation, please give it a listen!

Absolute banger of an episode of The Hatchet. @arshy.bsky.social interviews @nolore.bsky.social about the (mostly designed) decline of Canada. If you’re mad as hell, this is likely why: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t...

This is such a ridiculous and irresponsible accusation to hurl at a news organization that’s dedicated resources to specifically covering the rise in political violence in the US, even before the Minnesota shootings. www.reuters.com/investigates...

I felt like it struck just the right tone: unflinching without being shrill, and grounded in facts without shying away from the feelings that the awful things discussed of course raise in people. I recommend it to any Canadian, from those who follow hockey avidly to those who have always avoided it.

This podcast docuseries about the dark side of Canadian hockey is something I learned a lot from when it aired in 2023. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the game, but it helped me to contextualize the game within these awful cultural trappings that aren’t discussed nearly enough.

With the hockey players’ trial for sexual assault coming to a head today, I’m sharing this great conversation from @arshy.bsky.social and the Hatchet podcast. I think you should listen to it. hatchetmedia.substack.com/p/hockeys-re...

This is a must read article from Andrea Werhun. The culture of sexual abuse in hockey must stop. This weeks' episode of The Hatchet features @arshy.bsky.social interviewing Andrea about this piece and the case. Believe women, and believe survivors. www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/7cc3109...

Happy to provide sharp political insights like this on request. (Thanks to @arshy.bsky.social for indulging my take here) wealthsimple-tldr-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/wak...

On Canada-US relations, Carney’s tactics are exactly the opposite of what he campaigned on. No retaliation on increased steel/aluminum tariffs. Capitulation to the false fentanyl narrative with his border bill. Now killing the DST the night before it was going into force.

Oh right also ICYMI Modi had a government agent monitoring Singh and it was very likely there was an assassination plot against him

This is coming a day after we learned the Indian government was likely planning to assassinate the head of a major political party in Canada. Grotesque and pathetic move by the Carney government.

India is stating that they didn't target any Pakistani military targets, so maybe we can avoid a billion deaths and global famine. But can't be emphasized enough that this is the only thing that matters right now. Deescalating this conflict is an existential question.

This is the only thing that matters right now. If India is attacking within Pakistan itself (and not just Pakistani-controlled Kashmir) this is completely unprecedented conflict between two nuclear powers.

If you’re in Toronto, come join us at the Hatchet’s election watch party! We’ll be at the Dock Ellis (near Dundas & Ossington) from 7pm onwards. Everyone is welcome!

Are you in Toronto and looking for somewhere to watch the election results roll in this Monday? Come drop by the Dock Ellis near Dundas/Osssington for The Hatchet's election night watch party!

I was really excited to discover that @arshy.bsky.social is doing another deep dive, following Canadian money around. That's the good stuff. Check out The Hatchet. hatchetmedia.substack.com/p/the-canadi...

On 🍎ORCHARDCAST🍎 ep63 @readtheorchard.org joins The Hatchet's @arshy.bsky.social + @notquitecorn.bsky.social to ask if the NDP can halt its fade into electoral obscurity: www.readtheorchard.org/p/can-the-nd... harbingermedianetwork.com 🔶

What is Brookfield? @arshy.bsky.social tells us it is a company that almost defies description. "Brookfield has been a financial universe unto itself, operating by a different set of cosmic laws + fundamental forces than other corps." New mini-series 🐙 hatchetmedia.substack.com/p/the-canadi...

NEW: I did my first Substack live today with @arshy.bsky.social and @notquitecorn.bsky.social of The Hatchet. We talked about the long-term decline of the federal NDP. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY7c...

This podcast from @arshy.bsky.social speaks to some questions we probably all have. With America as a hostile nation, how does our military feel? open.substack.com/pub/hatchetm...

This Wag the Doug reunion on The Hatchet was very welcome. It’s a great episode. On a selfish note, I miss working on that show! Great work @arshy.bsky.social @notquitecorn.bsky.social @allisonsmith52.bsky.social @goldsbie.bsky.social hatchetmedia.substack.com/p/hair-of-th...

Pleased to hear @goldsbie.bsky.social & @allisonsmith52.bsky.social on The Hatchet Losing Wag the Doug left a hole in my news diet & my required cynicism intake, especially this month. I have been dying to know what they thought. tinyurl.com/yc4vtwcc #cdnmedia #onpoli #cdnpoli @arshy.bsky.social

A leaked report shows that Vancouver's mayor wants to make Vancouver a 'sunset community' where Native people aren't welcome. He has a plan to deport Indigenous residents of the city to their "home communities". www.bcafn.ca/news/regiona...

Doug Ford when asked if Lutnick will back off steel/alum tariffs: "He has to bounce it off the president, but I'm pretty confident he will pull back. I'm not speaking for them. I'm not speaking for the president." Adds Canada will respond dollar-for-dollar if new tariffs go in.

Ford said Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc will also be in the meeting with Lutnick tomorrow in Washington. (I haven't immediately confirmed this with LeBlanc's office)

Does this imply that Doug Ford is going down to Washington to renegotiate USMCA? First, he’s not Prime Minister. Second, the US is already violating USMCA as it stands. What’s the strategy here?

VANDU is holding a press conference today calling on province to stop the expansion of involuntary care. Instead, they want detox services expanded and a peer led sobering centre in the DTES.

This is stupid. So what was the point of that Ontario election we just had, if Ford is gonna instantly cave?

walking past the "canadian-owned and operated!" sign on the local grocery store, feeling my heart swell that i'm further enriching a *canadian* billionaire

This is a real danger, and something I spoke to @niigaanwewidam.bsky.social about last week. hatchetmedia.substack.com/p/will-recon...