Today's News: Conservatives talking - Ford, Poilievre and Scheer. Plus Artemis II Briefing and good news about Ayla Lucas

Conservatives talking

A lot of the news I read today was just various Conservatives talking. So here they are:

Doug Ford
Thursday in the Toronto Star

Premier Doug Ford is appealing for political “certainty” in Canada ahead of contentious trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Ford, in Texas on a trade mission to promote Ontario, stressed “it was the right move” when he called an early Ontario election last year to give his government a stronger hand against Trump.
“Again, it goes back to certainty,” the premier told the Star in a wide-ranging interview Thursday.
“It’s no different than the federal government. They have three byelections, and if they win them, then they’ll have a majority. And again, a magical word in both countries is everyone wants certainty. Everyone wants to move forward,” said Ford. That was a reference to byelections in Toronto’s University—Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest and the suburban Montreal-area riding of Terrebonne on April 13.
Prime Minister Mark Carney will secure a majority government if his Liberals win two of the three.
Should they sweep all three, the governing party would not need Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia to break a tie vote in the Commons.
“I just believe in majority governments,” said Ford, noting his Progressive Conservatives have won three in a row at Queen’s Park.
“As far as I’m concerned Prime Minister Carney is a good man. He’s a very astute business person. He’s a sharp guy,” he said, noting their relationship got off to a great start 13 months ago over breakfast at Wally’s Grill in the premier’s Etobicoke North riding.
“I’ll never forget when I met him the first time, the first words out of his mouth: ‘I’m more conservative than you.’ And I said: ‘well that sounds good.’”...
While the Tory premier — who has had his differences with federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre — insisted he was agnostic in the byelections, he expressed hope the Bloc Québécois does “absolutely not” prevail in Terrebonne....

Today's News: Do Trump and Miller and Poilievre ever get tired of losing? Plus, April Fools, Kit-Kat Kaper, The Launch! and Canada Good News

February 28:

April 1:

Will Trump ever get tired of losing?

Sent this free piece out yesterday morning, but Trump's speech confirmed it. Trump is stuck in Iran. He would like to leave, but as of now he cannot because Iran will not do what he wants. So, all he can do is babble and possibly escalate. Plus it helps Putin, so for Trump that's good.

- Phillips P. OBrien

Read on Substack

Today's News: The comedians will save us; Canada Good News; Epstein Scandal-Gate; Trans Day of Visibility

The comedians will save us all!

Anyone else notice this? Mainstream journalists have forgotten their duty to speak truth to power. It is why it is one of the rights written into the Constitution. Political cartoonists are the real and true heroes of the moment.

[image or embed]

— Mark T. Sneed (@marktsneed.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 4:01 AM

Today's News: Comments about Avi, more Danielle Smith grievance theatre, some AI madness, and Brittlestar's Sucker-Punch Spring

A random batch of news tonight:

Comments about Avi

Avi Lewis won the federal NDP leadership this weekend:

You know, I grew up in a CCF family. So part of me still wants the NDP to succeed.
But a much larger part wants Canada to survive as the United States falls into fascism. To do that, Canada needs Carney to be our Prime Minister, likely until at least 2035.
So if the NDP must fail for that to happen, then so be it.
Avi Lewis is a nice guy with a particularly solid back-story. But I think his leadership is not going to be strong enough to help Canada. He doesn't even have a seat, FFS. 

He has never even won an election - municipal, provincial, or federal.
And he says he won't be running for a federal seat any time soon - traditionally, when a seatless leader is selected, one of the party's elected members falls on their sword so the new leader can run in a safe seat.

It doesn't surprise me that Lewis can't ask any of his six remaining MPs to do that for him. I wonder if there are any safe NDP seats left in Canada now?
His policies are progressive, yes, and some are worthy of support I think. But many also strike me as insular, trite, parochial. I shake my head at his stubborn negativity toward Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with his apparent inability to appreciate how Canada's priorities have changed now because of our risky situation with Trump, with NATO, and with the Iran War.

Tom Mulcair responds to Avi Lewis’ criticism: "Mr. Lewis seems to be more intent on convincing other people that he's right and getting them to see his point of view than in dealing with the real differences that exist across Canada and he doesn't even want to run in a byelection."

- Scott Robertson

Read on Substack

James Moore: "I think Mark Carney is one of the luckiest political leaders that we've seen in this country in a long time in the fact the New Democrats keep tripping over themselves and electing people who are not electable to the broader Canadian public."

- Scott Robertson

Read on Substack

Sunday Funday: Canadians being Canadians, 'No Kings' signs, good videos, good posts, getting old(er), Trump gets trolled by Iran, Carney Hat Trick, Trump Watch, and Animal Crackers

Canadians being Canadians

View on Threads

View on Threads

People doing good - Kinew, Carney, Mamdani, Zelenskyy, Tumbler Ridge, Minneapolis, Forest and Gunther, Joe Biden and the Blue Jays

Global Village collage by Juliet O'Neill

So many times we put our focus on the people and politicians we are criticizing -- and there's a lot to criticize so much of the time, yes indeed. But today I saw a number of stories about good stuff being done, so I thought it might be worthwhile to give everyone some credit.

Wab Kinew 

Telling it like it is

View on Threads

Wab Kinew: "We're never gonna be the 51st state. We will always be the true North, strong and free."

- Scott Robertson

Read on Substack

Today's News: Greenland might be back on Trump's agenda

I am a little amused at how startled Americans are now, to learn that Greenland and Europe, plus Canada, was ready to fight back in January, to defend Greenland against Trump.

What did they think the North would do? Just roll over? 

This is truly insane, and it should be front page news across America. Denmark secretly deployed soldiers to Greenland prepared to blow up airport runways to stop a U.S. invasion.

— Mike Levin (@mikelevin.org) March 25, 2026 at 9:42 AM

Rachel Maddow reported on this in her Monday MSNOW show:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1Pk... U.S. ally prepares to defend itself against ...the United States Rachel Maddow looks at the news stories we would have trouble believing including Denmark, a U.S. ally, making preparations to defend itself and Greenland against the U.S

[image or embed]

— Canadian Curmudgeon 🍁 (@cdncurmudgeon.bsky.social) March 24, 2026 at 3:58 PM

Doom-scrolling updates: the LaGuardia crash, the predatory economy, Ayla Lucas is still in ICE jail, the Iran War

As I was doom-scrolling today, I seemed to find a lot of crazy or sad or angry stuff, or all three! This Canada Goose reference seemed apt:

View on Threads

About the LaGuardia crash
The two pilots who died are being remembered as heroes, because their handling of the immanent collision ensured that the plane didn't pinwheel or crash off the runway. They died so everyone else could live.
When I first heard about the controversy over Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau's condolence video being in English, I thought it was overblown, just a distraction. But I can understand it now -- this guy has had years to improve his French but apparently hasn't done the work, and he didn't even seem to realize that the grieving Montreal Air Canada staff and families were disrespected. They needed to hear from Rousseau in their own language, the language they speak every day.

View on Threads

Thinking About: Canada joining the European Union? Poilievre circling the drain? The Iran War as tragedy and farce?

What about Canada joining the European union?
Politico Europe reported last week Canada could join EU, French foreign minister says Half-joking comments about Canada joining the bloc have become common as Ottawa adapts to its fraying relationship with the United States.

France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot has floated the idea that Canada could one day join the European Union, using the transatlantic ally as a striking example of the bloc’s global appeal.
Speaking at the Europe 2026 conference in Berlin alongside his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, Barrot argued that the EU is increasingly attracting partners far beyond its borders as geopolitical tensions soar.
“Nine countries are formally candidates to EU accession today. Others might join them,” Barrot said. “Iceland in a few weeks or months. And maybe Canada at some point.”
Barrot’s Canada remark was not presented as a concrete policy proposal, but rather as part of a broader argument that the EU is emerging as a “third superpower” capable of balancing the rivalry between the United States and China.
Earlier on Tuesday, Finnish President Alexander Stubb suggested to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney while the pair were out running that he should “think about” joining the EU as well.
The comments come as European leaders push to strengthen the bloc’s geopolitical role amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and the U.S. war in the Middle East....
Canada has already pushed back on any suggestion of EU membership, with Carney stating there are no plans to join the bloc. “The short answer is no,” the Canadian PM said when asked about the idea at the NATO summit earlier this year. “That’s not the intent. That’s not the pathway we’re on.”
Instead, Ottawa has been pursuing closer ties short of membership, including a new strategic defense and security partnership with the EU aimed at deepening cooperation across trade, supply chains and security.
While full EU membership for Canada is unlikely in the short term, and no concrete plans to realize it are yet known to be in motion, given the increasing geopolitical turbulence it is not impossible.

Today's News: Some "what the hell?" moments, plus updates on Epstein Scandal-Gate and the Iran War

Some "What the Hell?" moments
When I saw this, I wondered what the hell had gotten into Tom Mulcair?

Tom Mulcair on Pierre Poilievre's Joe Rogan appearance: "I thought it was an outstanding piece of political communication, and it was bookended by ... frankly one of the best political speeches I've heard any Canadian political leader give on Canada-US relations in a long time."

- Scott Robertson

Read on Substack

Today I found out:

Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair's lavish public praise for Poilievre's appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast seems unlikely until you remember Mulcair joined Stephen Harper's lobby firm Wellington Advocacy in January.

— Alison Creekside (@alisoncreekside.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 2:47 AM

Sunday Funday: Actual Canadian news and tips on how to be Canadian, plus other funny stuff, Carney Hat Tricks, TrumpWatch and Animal Crackers

First, some Canadian Actual News from Brittlestar:


Next, did you know that the Canadian citizenship rules have now changed, so that people whose grandparent was Canadian can apply for Canadian citizenship now?
We're getting lots of interest too:

View on Threads

Plus I'm reading about hundreds of health care workers now moving to Canada.
I think that's great -- welcome to all, and hey, I found some good tips on becoming more Canadian:

Canadian Insults #1

Today's News: Back at it, folks - Poilievre, Ayla Lucas, the Iran War, the Coalition of the Unwilling, and Cuba

Ok, lets get back to it -- some updates and oddball posts about this week's news stories.

I thought this was pretty good -- its Trump's map of the world, as drawn by Julian Fiebach for Der Spiegel

Catching up on this week's news:

Reactions to Poilievre on Joe Rogan

While many in the Canadian media were swooning about Poilievre's appearance, some wiser heads also prevailed.

Pierre Poilievre will not rest until he has secured the support of all 75 Maxime Bernier voters.

[image or embed]

— Tabatha Southey🇨🇦 (@tabathasouthey.bsky.social) March 19, 2026 at 6:07 PM

Tonight, a short respite from politics

I must say, I am feeling discouraged tonight:

- Poilievre went on Joe Rogan and Canadian media just ate it up. Then Poilievre gave a tone-deaf statement about what a great time he had in the United States! Christ, what an asshole!
- on Thursday we found out that Ayla Lucas, a seven-year-old autistic Canadian girl, is trapped, with her mother at the ICE Gestapo facility called Ursula- the Rio Grande Valley Central Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, where she is "wrapped in a mylar space blanket, sleeping on a floor mat, subjected to 24-hour lights, noise, overcrowding" No word on what Canada might be doing to get her out.
- Danielle Smith is trying to turn MAID into Alberta's next anti-Ottawa controversy.
- Carney posted a joint statement today from Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan about "readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait", so I am worried now about whether Trump and Israel and the Gulf states are going to drag us all into their damned Iran War. On Thursday evening's The Rest Of the World post, Martinez says

...Seven nations signed Thursday. None committed forces. The joint statement is being presented in Washington as progress. Internationally, it is being read as the strongest form of “not yet” that diplomatic language allows...

So its time to take a little breather:

We don’t appreciate trees enough.

- The Culturist

Read on Substack

The Iran War is getting hotter, and Cuba is getting help: "The United States may retain its power, but its moral authority and its claim to lead the free world are gone."

The whole world is realizing that the United States is just a paper tiger now.

And we know that Trump and Hegseth and their gang of idiots: 

1. Don't know what they're doing, so they're basing their war plans on wishful thinking, and 

2. In the unlikely chance that somebody in the Pentagon actually does know what he or she is doing, there is no one in the Trump administration who is willing to listen to them. 

A Round-up of Opinion: On Carney, On Poilievre, On Canada, and On Trump

This is just a miscellaneous roundup of various comments and opinions.

On Carney:
Just for a second, I thought maybe this was true:

Carney eyes Bloc MP to complete his collection

[image or embed]

— The Beaverton (@thebeaverton.com) March 12, 2026 at 3:56 PM

This actually is true:

Éric Grenier: "The Liberals are now enjoying lead of about 11-12 points over the Conservatives -- just as a reminder they won by just about two and a half points in the last election."

- Scott Robertson

Read on Substack