Immigration in Dangerous Times - "We had whistles, they had guns"

There was an interesting discussion in the the Comments to yesterday's post about immigration and its importance to Canada. So I thought I would look around for some recent discussions about immigration and its impact in Canada.

First, I hate to admit it, but I think our immigrant policies and practices are inextricably bound up now with what is now happening in Trump's America.
Canada cannot welcoming and kind to desperate people when our Safe Third Countries agreement forces us to send them back into the maelstrom that is now the United States.
And we cannot be reasonable and measured in reducing our immigration targets when landscapers and home care workers and waitresses are being labelled as vicious criminals in the United States and thrown into for-profit concentration camps, then flown to who-knows-where.
Its a crime against humanity.
Today the Toronto Star published an article by senior immigration reporter Nicholas Keung about a new Amnesty International report "We had whistles, they had guns". Its about what has been happening with the ICE Gestapo in the United States and whether Canada should continue the so-called Safe Third Party agreement.
Answers: yes, it's terrible, and no, we shouldn't.

Cartoons & Comments, plus more Signs of the Apocalypse & Trade War Dispatches

Some good cartoons and comments:

About Bill C-39

About Trump at the UN

Say a prayer to the Baseball Gods! Plus comparing Carney and Trump at the UN, and comments on the BC snap election

This post is mainly about Canada politics. 

But first, I have to ask the Baseball Gods to bless the Blue Jays on Wednesday and let them win their double-header against Baltimore. The first game starts at 1:30 pm and the second at 6:30 pm. They are almost eliminated now, unless we get an improbable combination of Blue Jays wins plus lots of other teams losing. But if the Jays lose on Wednesday, its over.

I'll never forget seeing a woman at Fenway holding up her little "Believe" sign in the bottom of the ninth with two out, when Boston was on the cusp of being swept by the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. One of the greatest comebacks in sport history, and the Sox went on to win eight straight games and the World Series. 

So yes, I still BELIEVE! 

Carney at the United Nations
Carney didn't speak to the General Assembly because he couldn't fly into New York in time. But he did hold a press conference on Wednesday -- and I guess he really is a cat whisperer!

Catching up with Canada's News, plus Signs of the Apocalypse and Trade War Dispatches

First, on a side note, I'm going to try not to use Instagram and Threads embeds anymore because they aren't working on Blogger for some readers - thanks for your patience everyone. I will use Bluesky and Substack plus Threads screenshots  - and my own inimitable ramblings! At some point, I might switch to Word Press or post on Substack myself, provided my blogging style can be used there.

Moving on to Canada's News:

Cartoon by David Parkins / The Globe and Mail

Parliament returns
This is the kind of fire I want to see every day from the Liberals:

Steven MacKinnon “I hope this session of Parliament, Mr. Speaker, we won’t see this pattern re-emerge - call it the ‘blame Canada pattern,’ the ‘hissy-fit brigade.’ We are in a trade war. We did not provoke this trade war.”

[image or embed]

— Liberals🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@saynotobs.bsky.social) September 21, 2026 at 8:18 PM

The Building Canada Strong act, Bill C-39 was introduced on Monday

Feds move to fast-track approvals across entire regions, not just single projects #cdnpoli #ipolitics

[image or embed]

— iPolitics (@ipolitics.bsky.social) September 21, 2026 at 5:25 PM

Sunday Funday: Trade War Dispatches, Interesting Posts, Funny Posts, Carney Hat-Trick, TrumpWatch, Animal Crackers

Dispatches from the Canada-US Trade War
I believe Shannon Proudfoot must have been living in my kitchen for the past month:

[gift link] ...There was another one-liner making the rounds about the Canadian reaction to Donald Trump’s imperial hostility. That one I knew to be true in my bone marrow: “Canadians have two modes – ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘You’re about to be sorry.’”
...I assume many Canadians experienced something like the weird cocktail of emotions that buzzed through me that weekend. There was dread, to be sure, because whatever came next would not be good. But there was also a strange relief that bordered on elation: Someone was about to punch me in the face, and I was grinning at them with savage glee in my eyes.
Brightest, on top of it all, was the same feeling that had made me tear up every time I’d heard O Canada over the past 18 months: a patriotic pride so quietly fierce that it sneaked up on me with an almost physical presence.
...“There’s a sense that if you’ve already been given a couple of black eyes and been bopped on the nose, then it’s like, ‘Fine, hit me again. Do your worst.’”
Within a few days, fresh polls showed that between 70 and 85 per cent of Canadians supported the government walking away from the trade talks.
On the Trans-Canada Highway just west of Sudbury, someone had taken red spray paint to an unused billboard, which in early August shouted “FUCK CARNEY” at westbound drivers. By the day after the Prime Minister’s press conference, someone had gone back to the billboard with more red paint. Now it said “THANK FUCK 4 CARNEY.”...
...Over a few days at the end of summer, Ipsos ran a qualitative research panel... the overall sentiment could be summed up with a weapons-grade hoser phrase: Just keep givin’ ‘er.
“Exactly what our leaders are doing. Standing up to a bully and making it hurt,” wrote a 62-year-old man from British Columbia. “I’m willing to suffer a bit to make things better long term.”
“They need to stick to their commitment of dollar for dollar retaliation,” a 65-year-old man from Ontario said. “Seems to be the only way to deal with the orange bully is to stand up to him, instead of making concessions in hopes of getting anything in return.”
A 57-year-old woman in Ontario responded, “As long as we don’t give up, I’m in.”
Canadians know full well that we are so much smaller – and that in their eyes, that’s a hilarious weakness. And we have no idea what’s going to happen next, much less how this ends.
We can be certain that we will all be sorry about all of this to some degree, because in the circular firing squad stupidity of a trade war, everyone loses.
But Canadians have decided – at least for now – that he’s going to be sorry too, because that is who we are, even if they don’t get it. In the words of our Tragically Hip, it’d be better for us if you don’t understand.

View on Threads

Finishing the week: Comments about the Gathering Storm, plus more Trade War Dispatches

About the Gathering Storm

Everyone is still talking about Carney's trip to the European Parliament, but we're also starting to move on toward what will likely be a more fractious fall parliamentary sitting. 

The Globe and Mail reports:

Prime Minister Mark Carney promised sweeping new economic legislation and a punishing pace this fall as his caucus met in Ottawa ahead of Parliament’s return on Monday....
Mr. Carney said the legislation – which he called the Building Canada Strong Act – is the next phase of his government’s promise to speed up infrastructure and other projects.
...Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon told reporters the bill will include changes to the Canada Labour Code, measures to improve supply chains, and the next steps in the government’s promise to reduce regulatory reviews for all projects to one year...
A promise of faster assessments was one of several Mr. Carney made earlier this week to hundreds of executives at the global investment summit in Toronto. He also announced a major new tax deduction to spur investment and a plan to open up four major airports to private investment...

I suspect some of this will be controversial, and might even be changed before it gets passed. But I would also expect that Carney wants it done and proclaimed before Christmas. 

Before I share other comments, I wanted to expand on a comment of my own, that I made on my post last night.

First, I suspect that I will end up agreeing with some of the criticism we will be hearing in the next month about Carney's proposed legislation - in particular, I don't like the idea that a single minister would have the authority to end a strike, and I don't understand how unions could still retain the right to strike if they are required to submit to binding arbitration before a strike vote could even be taken. 

In particular, I know there are long-standing grievances, like the flight attendants' pay issues, that will only be recognized as problematic and resolved when unions retain the right to strike. 

But second, I am old now - I've seen a lot over the years and I think I have a wider perspective on Canadian issues.

When I was growing up, women couldn't have their own bank accounts. Nobody ever paid any attention to the environmental costs of building anything, much less ever consulted with Indigenous communities about anything. Unions were mainly for the working classes, and "professionals" thought themselves too white-collar for collective bargaining.
In fits and starts, sometimes one step back then two steps forward, Canada has advanced well beyond such outdated beliefs and practices. We're not going back, now or never. 

But these are dangerous times. 

There has never been such a time in my life, when Canadian sovereignty has been so perilous, so endangered by a madman with an army who has neither principles nor prudence.

Yes, all of Canada's issues about labour rights and economic development and consultation do need discussion and yes, they will get dealt with, like we've done for the last 60+ years. 

But maybe not right now.
Not when Canada is facing such a risky time.
Canada is now in The Gathering Storm. We need a leader like Carney with a single-minded focus on our sovereignty.
I believe that everything in Canadian society must now mobilize to this focus too - union legislation, environment, business, development, all of it.
Someday we might be able to argue "Whither Canada?" again - improving labour fairness, economic consultation, greater environmental protection, and so forth.
But we need to get through the next two+ years intact.

Today's News: Save us Big Daddy! plus more Signs of the Apocalypse and Trade War Dispatches

Cartoon by Theo Moudakis

Remember during the April 2025 campaign, when someone at a Mark Carney event called out "Lead us Big Daddy!" and Carney laughed. Well, I've thought of that a number of times. Because its what Carney is doing.
Today PM Carney gave his much-anticipated speech to the European Parliament and got a standing ovation. 

He is an incredible speechwriter - he always grounds his major topics in a meaningful and easily-understood snippet of Canadian history that gives him a framework to make his points. His speeches are gracious and respectful while also educating us about international political economy. 

Plus he's a born teacher - and I am from a family of teachers to that is high praise from me.


And the press conference after


That whooshing sound you heard Thursday morning was Canadians giving a huge sigh of relief. We might be safe now from annexation. We're not alone anymore.

View on Threads

An historic day for Canada

David Parkins/The Globe and Mail 

What an invite!

The EU just invited Canada to become its first Associate Member! 🇪🇺🇨🇦

[image or embed]

— Brexit Bin 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 (@brexitbin.bsky.social) September 16, 2026 at 4:26 AM

Here's what it means - really!


And here is how Damian Boeselager, EU parliament member from Germany, welcomed PM Carney

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Damian Boeselager (@damian.boeselager)

Now seriously... 

Today's News: If you can't lead and won't follow, then get out of Carney's way

Cartoon by Theo Moudakis 

 Carney is moving at top speed and expecting Canada to keep up.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bloomberg Podcasts (@bloombergpodcasts)

Tuesday was the second day of Carney's investment summit, and Carney also told Canada about his plans to add private capital to our biggest airports, so we will have enough money to enlarge other needed airports around the country.

Catching up with the news: Carney's summit, Europe dreams, Dispatches from the trade war, and Sally Field at the Emmys

We nasty!

Carney's national investment summit

Today's news was full of the investment summit. Here is the CBC coverage

Sunday Funday: Documenting the Decline and Fall, plus Interesting Posts, Funny Posts, Getting Old(er), Carney Hat-Trick, TrumpWatch, and Animal Crackers

Credit to the great Beetle Moses 

Finally its the weekend after a long week, so its time to relax....Oops, feels like summer's over already

Documenting the Decline and Fall 

People are giving up on the United States now:

View on Threads

Finishing the week: some bright notes on a sad day, a widening war in the gulf, and today's Trade War Dispatches

Some bright notes on 9/11 

A standing ovation for Chretien

This glorious old man! 92 years old and still on the ramparts for Canada.

- Joanne Pettis 🇨🇦

Read on Substack

Carney's presentation

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mark Carney (@markjcarney)

Today's News: Canadian military restructure & allies, Poilievre boots it, doom and gloom for America, 9/11 memories, Trade War update, and Trudeau's latest

Here are some of today's news -- this isn't everything, of course, like I'm not including anything on the AI sky-is-falling scare that I don't understand anyway - but I've gathered up some interesting posts.

Canada military restructure and alliances

#Ottawa - The #Canadian military officially restructured a section of the army on Thursday to serve as its main fighting force in a major war, marking the latest in an ongoing drive to prepare for large-scale combat including the defence of #Canada itself 🇨🇦 #Cdnmilitary share.google/NfTvsTEzk6Ty...

[image or embed]

— StacesCases2 🇨🇦 📎 (@stacescases2.bsky.social) September 11, 2026 at 12:07 AM

The CBC reports:

..."This is a big change," Maj.-Gen. Wade Rutland, commander of the new 1st Canadian Division, said in an interview.
"This is not an exercise in restructuring the deck chairs. We're doing this in order to be more agile, more lethal, more relevant to defend Canada."
Rutland said the threat environment has changed and the world is returning to large-scale combat operations with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, like the ones in Ukraine.
"We realized that we needed to stand up what we call a war fighting division, which will bring together thousands of troops able to integrate air, cyber, space effects and actually contribute as a really trusted ally into that likely future fight," he said.
It's part of a series of structural changes ordered by Lt.-Gen. Michael Wright, who laid out his plan to modernize the army in a 2025 document titled Inflection Point.
Alongside the manoeuvre division, the army is setting up a support division, which will be run out of Kingston, Ont.
The army also is standing up a "defence of Canada" division based out of Montreal, to be known as the 2nd Canadian Division. It's made up largely of part-time soldiers and will focus on national emergencies and domestic defence....

I'm looking forward to reporting from Black Cloud Six and Wesley Wark to analyze these changes.

How about some laughs?

I'm out of outrage tonight.
So here are some cartoons and some funny-good posts:

Today's News: "Nobody in this country is in the stands. 40 million of us are on the ice."

graphic by Don DeLeski 

I was hoping PM Carney would give us another Forward Guidance video as Canada fights back against Trump's tariff war, and on Tuesday morning here it was. 

I'm calling it his "Everyone Over The Boards" speech:

Reactions and comments:

Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov on Raging Moderates podcast - "You kind of can't hate Trump enough"