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...

They came for the teachers. You know the rest, #abpoli

But preemptively invoking the notwithstanding clause is to cede the moral high ground right from the start. The government would be admitting that it does not believe it had earnestly bargained in good faith, and failed to reach an agreement despite that. 3/

If the govt can just dictate the terms of a contract—skipping past binding arbitration and legislating away recourse rights—and the public accepts that, well, then what reason would govt have to bargain in good faith with any public sector employees going forward? Dark day indeed. Not acceptable.

What's the hurry? In just 6 years, the UCP has been responsible for nearly half of all time allocation motions in Alberta history. They're promising to do it again today, this time ramming through a bill that removes Charter rights in a matter of hours.

Edgy Notwithstanding-Eve vibes tonight. If the government goes through with it, the next few days are going to be a lot.

Looking ahead to next week and the prospect that the UCP will introduce back-to-work legislation to end the teachers' strike... Rumour has it they are considering invoking both time allocation and the notwithstanding clause. Here's why that's doubly dubious.+

The president announces an arbitrary price hike on Americans because his feelings are hurt by an ad accurately quoting Ronald Reagan’s criticism of tariffs

David King delineates the choice Albertans face. An education system that fosters community & solidarity Or an education system that favours individual freedom/liberty But you must make this choice assuming the veil of poverty - not wealth What say you now? #abpoli #ableg

There will be fine print at print at the bottom of the new license plates: * Some exceptions may apply. See Alberta.ca for details.

This is probably the best thing I've read on Calgary's new mayor and his path from "ideological jackassery" to top job. ("Has Farkas actually changed??" has been a BIG talker here lately.) If you're interested in Alberta, new Hub staffer Falice Chin is as sharp as it gets. thehub.ca/2025/10/22/w...

Fun fact about Calgary's new City Council: there are as many councillors-elect named Mike/Myke as there are women.

This season of American politics is so badly overwritten.

Calgary city council will go from 5 women (including the mayor) to 2.

For the past year, I've been doing an embedded "ethnographic" study of Calgary's election. As a consequence, I've mostly kept quiet about it. It'll still be months before I have qualitative results to share, but in the meantime, here are some results from our pre-election survey. #yyccc #yycvote

💯

Those of you standing in long lines for municipal elections in Alberta today: 1) stay in line; your voice matters 2) the long lines are a direct consequence of the conspiracy-driven policy changes brought forward by the UCP government (and not your beleaguered election workers); be kind

Got so annoyed while waiting to vote that I wrote a substack post. open.substack.com/pub/lisayoun...

Our polling places need (1) democracy sausages and (2) complimentary dog sitting. Preferably not co-located. (In addition to more staff and smoother processes). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democra...

Meh-election??? 1:30 in Ward 1

I’ve jumped through all the hoops required to book a COVID shot (a month from now). At no point did I have to demonstrate that I had ‘reserved’ a shot back in stage 1 of the process. What was the point of that exercise, exactly??

Next level administrative burden stimpunks.org/glossary/adm...