"Smith has shown no appreciation for the distinct nature of the judicial role. She believes appointments are nothing more than proxies for federal politics. It is an attitude [that] could undermine one of our main bulwarks of democracy": @emmettmacfarlane.com. open.substack.com/pub/emmettma...

Better yet, we could have an election and demand that Ottawa appoint our ‘Supreme Court Justice Elect’ to the bench, or else! www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/prairies_bc/...

From someone who clamours a lot about governments staying in their own lane, this is equivalent to jumping the middle meridian on the highway: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... #ableg #cdnpoli

“communist Ottawa” tells you all you need to know about the Alberta separatist movement

brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis

Donald Trump's America is coming for Alberta. Canada can't afford to ignore that. thetyee.ca/Opinion/2026...

At this meeting, Dennis Modry claimed that Premier Danielle Smith said she prefers the title 'Prime Minister' over 'President,' in a discussion about her possible leadership in an independent Alberta. 1/5 #abpoli #AlbertaIndependence

The doddering old fool is just threatening us with a good time. A 100% tariff on our oil, potash and so many other goods and commodities tanks the American economy pretty well overnight.

The Alberta separatists don’t want to join the US. They want to be Belarus (a nice vassal state). www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Here it comes. The US administration is intervening directly in Canada's internal politics to try and bring about the breakup of the country. This demands a forceful response.

Trump demands Carney give him his standing ovation from Davos

For no particular reason, I'm reposting this piece in The Atlantic about why America would not survive an attempt to conquer Canada. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

While the eye of Sauron may have recently averted its gaze, a good reminder it is always only one post away. There can be no more normal. No more “but my kids like Disney” vacations. No more “but it’s such a good conference”. No more appeasement.

The Prime Minister of Belgium speaks:

If I was prime minister, I’d have a few experts on abnormal psychology on speed dial to advise on foreign policy.

As previously pointed out, there is a real risk of foreign interference in the Alberta independence initiative launched by the Alberta Prosperity Project. Counsel for Sturgeon Lake First Nation has commissioned an expert opinion from Wes Wark to document this risk. 1/ #abpoli #cdnpoli #ableg

New at Can We Still Govern? "I am writing as an ordinary citizen of Minneapolis/St Paul...to share with the outside world what is really going on ─ the terror being inflicted upon a U.S. city and state by our federal government." Please read, share, help. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/dispatch-f...

Of course. A cosmetics billionaire who looks like Mr Smithers got Trump thinking about Greenland. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

R you a recent graduate with a passion for politics? Apply to this transformative internship inside Ontario's legislature. 👉🏽👉🏽https://www.olipinterns.ca/apply-to-olip ⏰Deadline: January 31st! @queenspols.bsky.social @westernupolisci.bsky.social @jlisayoung.bsky.social @matthewlebo.bsky.social

Instead of lecturing in Intro to Political Science, maybe I’ll just show mafia movies.

The Globe and Mail (Canada’s sober, establishment, slightly centre-right paper): Trump plans to treat Canada as Athens treated Melos—“the strong do what they please; the weak suffer what they must”—and Canada must regard itself as in a “national emergency.” www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/f9f7c04...

Best take I’ve heard, IRL: “This operation looks like it was designed by the same people who did the East Wing.”

Wait. What! Katherine Graham was a force in policy circles. I am very sad to read this www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

It was released four days early, but this is clearly the 2025 Alberta Festivus Report: An Airing of Grievances open.alberta.ca/dataset/2919...

Every day, I get letters demanding that the federal govt or the GG or the LG “do something” to change or save Alberta. But the only people who can “fix” Alberta are Albertans. There is no magic constitutional genie. The responsibility is on all of us.

Janet Brown’s Holiday card never disappoints!

I’ve reached the point in my end of term grading that has me trying to remember the password for my pension statement.

Political scientists like to talk about dialogue between legislatures and courts. This is more of a shouting match. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Thanks to the Treasury Board of Canada for inviting me to serve as a panelist on yesterday's CCO Day of Learning, which was broadcast to thousands of government communicators across the country. Here are 12 of my comments, which I will attempt to weave into a paper at a later date: Thread [1/13]

Canada, and the whole world, rely on U.S. flu data, which is used to produce effective vaccines As US data begins to go dark, we will see more vaccine mismatches and worse flu outbreaks macleans.ca/society/heal...

Feels like a good time to re-up this: lisayoung.substack.com/p/help-wanted

Seven new AHS CEOs have been fired and replaced by seven others who have also been fired. Recall petitions have been issued against all MLAs, as well as several non-MLAs. The Notwithstanding Clause has been used to overturn Santa. Every MLA has crossed the floor twice. Welcome to #ableg.

Danielle Smith uses notwithstanding clause to declare herself premier of B.C.

I am frustrated and enraged at the UCP and Danielle Smith, for using the most powerful constitutional hammer we have to vaporize human rights for children and their parents. I am disgusted by these Conservative MLAs. Every single one of them has taken leave of their senses and their humanity.

🎶 It’s the most wonderful time… Oh. Not those bells.

What’s up with Western Canada these days? Does ‘the West’ even exist? Next Wednesday…https://www.uregina.ca/events/2025/11/state-of-canada-series-where-is-the-west-in-canada-.html

If you have tenure at Texas A&M and aren't maliciously emailing the president a dozen times every day to ask if you can say this or you can say that, then what's the point in having tenure?

Mine’s going in today!

A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women 🧵

Yeah, we did. We ruined it for misogynists and sexual predators and office lotharios and drunks and lazy loafers who had their secretaries and assistants do their actual work.

Alberta is calling! "So far this year, Alberta has recorded nearly 2,000 cases...and the United States nearly 1,700. Canada is set to be the first Western country since the coronavirus pandemic to lose its elimination status, according to W.H.O. data." www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/w...

Kneecap to the PSE sector - TOTAL temporary resident target (TFWs plus international students) to be roughly halved, from 670K to 370K. That's minimum a $2 Billion hit to the sector. Probably more. Will work this out later

So, which 3 opposition MPs will be swayed by joining Eurovision??

Canadian academics, take note!

Canadian researchers should be aware the there is a motion before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research to force Tricouncils to hand over disaggregated peer review data on all applications: Applicant names, profiles, demographics Reviewers names, profiles, comments, and scores

"The preemptive use of the notwithstanding clause cannot be allowed to normalize. Neither should the curtailment of legislative debate become routine...We cannot take the Rule of Law for granted; if we do, it may not be there to protect our rights when we most need it." #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli

The Alberta Next exercise may have moved the needle on the Alberta Pension Plan. In the other direction! leger360.com/wp-content/u...

Remarkable!

Alberta teachers say the fight has just begun but they will obey forced-work legislation. In related news, Alberta will modify their new license plate motto to read 'Strong and Indentured' #abpoli #yyc #yeg #yql #cdnpoli www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/art...