A very special Canada Day episode of Alberta Unbound, with award-winning spoken word poet Nonso Morah - on growing up Nigerian-Canadian in rural Alberta - and on confronting Alberta’s rising anti-immigrant rhetoric. With a great poetic performance! https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/alberta-unbound/id1511810939?i=1000715153278 #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #Nigeria #CanadaDay #yeg
The irony of such a multicultural celebration of national unity taking place at the foot of the Alberta Legislature Building wasn’t lost on people. But Edmontonians - of every possible description - showed up for pancakes and patriotism. Forget the separatist, anti-immigrant sentiment wafting from the legislature. Today was a delicious defiant celebration of diversity and love of country. #ableg #abpoli #yeg #Edmonton #CanadaDay
Each year, Edmonton’s amazing Ismaili community hosts a huge Canada Day pancake breakfast at the Alberta legislature grounds. And every year, I join the volunteers to serve pancakes. Despite on and off rain, there was a great turn-out this morning. #ableg #CanadaDay #yeg #Edmonton #cdnpoli
News of Canada rescinding the Digital Services Tax raises a choice that Canadians did not previously explore: Should we move on from American Online Platforms?
In the earlier years of the internet, observers point out that it began decentralized. There was an honest spirit of exploration collaboration. And, we as a country, grew up the internet. We went with the trend of centralization or cloud infrastructure. At the time, there was very little reason for Canadians to question where this infrastructure was based out of, nor if there was a need for systems that were specifically focused on Canada.
But, the World should have taken note that the Cambridge Analytica scandal that broke out in 2018 marked a tectonic shift in how power could be channeled through these centralized systems. There were allegations that the scandal itself, primarily involving Meta and Facebook, was used to manipulate, create, and enhance violence in countries like Myanmar and Ethiopia.
To this day, no one served jail time for the scandal. We the World, must decide if that outcome - intended by existing systems - is satisfactory.
From Trump’s comments of the trade talks with Canada, they betray the President’s primary objective: protect American Online Platforms.
For Canada - like any other modern democracy - people have to make choices. American digital companies are making their profits by gathering all of our private data. It’s this data, and the use of it, that gives Cambridge Analytica meaning.
Canadian PM Mark Carney is doing his job to create some stability for Canadian markets.
We, as members of the World, should consider if we want to keep feeding the beasts of Information Operations - the Metas, the Blueskies, the Twitters, the Microsofts. Are they just doing business wherever they happen to be loaded up into someone’s computer? Or are they also responsible for violence, death, and global mischief and mayhem?
I’d suggest both can be true.
Are you okay with that?
#SocialMedia #Canada #TradeWar
- #AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli
techcrunch.com/2018/04/10/myanmar-facebook-zuckerberg-senate-hearing-genocide/
www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/03/meta-faces-18bn-lawsuit-over-claims-it-inflamed-violence-in-ethiopia
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/23/israeli-military-gaza-war-microsoft
Axworthy: "A pattern is now set: Trump harrumphs, we comply. What else will we quietly surrender? Cultural industries? Environmental standards, Agriculture security, Arctic sovereignty? Wait till Stephen Miller whispers in the presidential ear that Canadian immigration policy supports diversity."
"Forget any dreams of a more sovereign, self-directed Canada. We’re doubling down on the corporate coziness and U.S. dependency that’s defined our last half-century."
WOW!
The Court of King's Bench of Alberta has granted an injunction to BLOCK the UCP's denial of gender-affirming care!
AI data centres pushed by US billionaires are on the rise everywhere. The Elon Musk playbook shows how they’ll get their way.
Inspired by a town built on the scrap wood from railway cars, South Memphis is not willing to be railroaded by Musk into accepting pollution that is harming people in their community.
Read my new story at The Mix.
#environmentalracism #AIdatacentres #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #climate #pollution #methane #musk #memphis #blacklivesmatter
Scorcher from Climenhaga today!! The comments are always gold!!
This afternoon, I rose in the Senate to speak to Bill C-5, particularly the Building Canada Act. In this speech I tried to contextualize my concerns about what this bill, which fast-tracks "projects of national interest" could mean for environmental protection, Indigenous rights, and project certainty. And I tell Albertans bluntly that no one will build a pipeline in the shadow of separatist threats. https://youtu.be/vsYGr8O3BAM?si=8WqtMch1DpluIwSG #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli #C5 #C69 #ableg #Alberta
This afternoon, I rose in the Senate to speak to Bill C-5, particularly the Building Canada Act. In this speech I tried to contextualize my concerns about what this bill, which fast-tracks "projects of national interest" could mean for environmental protection, Indigenous rights, and project certainty. And I tell Albertans bluntly that no one will build a pipeline in the shadow of separatist threats. https://youtu.be/vsYGr8O3BAM?si=8WqtMch1DpluIwSG #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli #C5 #C69 #ableg #abpoli #Alberta
Danielle Smith's Alberta Government doesn't care if your community burns to the ground.
"On Monday, the regulator confirmed the removal of the limit and said it was responding to direction from the provincial government."
After 3 examples of that happening in Canada (2 in Alberta), it is a reasonable conclusion.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-flaring-1.7569189
TBH, I fear we've just handed over the keys to a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“Trust us, they say. Give us and the other politicians in our cabinets unfettered discretion to decide in secret which projects are in the national interest, where free-fire special economic zones should be established, and which corporations we should accept as trusted partners in exploiting Canada’s natural wealth.”
Did he knock on a single door?
Probably safe to say the NDP and UCP hold their seats in Edmonton-Strathcona and Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. Looks like NDP leader Naheed Nenshi is sitting at 80+% support as votes roll in! The NDP has slipped a tiny bit in Edmonton-Ellerslie, but they should hold that one too. #ableg
On the eve of war. A photographic essay.
#photography #streetphotography #protest #war #peace #G7Summit #Calgary #Alberta #ableg #cdnpoli #water #coal #Indigenous
