Today's News: Canadian politics, plus fake news and good news, Pope Leo on AI, and a few funny bits

More about that damned Referendum Lite

On Monday, Carney said this:
and also this:

In the Toronto Star, Susan Delacourt writes

Outside Alberta, a political consensus is emerging — not just on how the Alberta referendum should turn out, but on whether it should be held at all....
Premiers like Doug Ford and B.C.’s David Eby have been crystal clear in recent days that they think this referendum — asking Albertans whether there should be another referendum on independence — is a bad idea....
But it was Mark Carney who went all the way out there on Monday, calling it a “dangerous bluff.” This third and most powerful voice meant that Smith’s referendum is getting blowback from a Liberal, a Conservative and a New Democrat.
Carney occasionally reminds us he’s new to the political game and — I mean this in a good way — his comments on the Alberta referendum were not standard political fare. Last Friday, his initial remarks on the subject were more guarded. Clearly, after a weekend of reflection, the prime minister decided to say what was on his mind.
“Is it helpful to ask this fundamental question? No. It’s not helpful, of course it’s not. Is it the democratic will of Albertans? Did they vote for this in the last provincial election? No, they didn’t. It wasn’t on the ballot paper. It wasn’t in the mandates of, or platforms, of any of the governing party and the official opposition,” Carney told reporters.
Many of us have been wondering whether Carney sees parallels to the Brexit vote, which took place in the U.K. while he was governor of the Bank of England.
Yes, as a matter of fact he does, and on Monday he put that right on the line, too.
“I saw firsthand what happened in the United Kingdom when the view was, ‘Vote for this. It will be soft and then we’ll negotiate, etc.’
“They’re still, 10 years later, trying to undo what people didn’t think they were voting for but what they ended up having.”
I applauded this answer as refreshing and considered candour...
The most persuasive arguments for the cause of unity may come not from politicians, but from the private sector, which can lay out the case for why Alberta separatism is a bad business proposition.
You hear some of this already from the corporate sector, pointedly noting that Alberta shouldn’t be risking the instability that drives away investment precisely when this province needs it, in the midst of Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war with Canada....

On Tuesday the Western Premiers met. 

Wab Kinew schooled Danielle Smith and Canada is here for it!

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The other thing that pisses me off about this Referendum Lite is that now we all have to talk about it until October, when we should be spending the summer and fall talking about strengthening the economy and helping Canadians.

Some in the Liberal caucus are feeling restless 

In Routine Proceedings, Dale Smith writes words of wisdom

...Carney was also asked about the fourteen members of his caucus that sent him a letter about his environmental backsliding, and to this, Carney basically swatted the question away saying he has 160 other members of caucus who are just fine with his moves. This, however, starts to sound a wee bit arrogant for a party leader who has been patting himself on the back for listening to his caucus more than his predecessor did. You can pretty much guarantee that it’s not just these fourteen, but there are plenty more members of caucus who aren’t quite as willing to stick their necks out just yet but are similarly unhappy. They also learned a lot of lessons about pushing back against a leader when they started organising against Justin Trudeau in caucus, so the lessons are fresh, and Carney should remember that. As well, he’s betrayed the “Value(s)” he campaigned on and wrote a book about, so he’s already on thin ice with his voters on this issue. He may want to show a bit more contrition than this particular combative stance....

And Dale Smith wrote this before Tuesday's Guilbeault news:

Steven Guilbeault to announce resignation as member of Parliament on Wednesday https://www.europesays.com/canada/62511/ Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault speaks to reporters ahead of a Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa…

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— canada-news.bsky.social (@canada-news.bsky.social) May 26, 2026 at 8:20 PM

Lots of reaction on social media, pro and con Guilbeault

Liberalism is about balance, moderation, and looking after the economy, social programs and climate action all at once. Steven Guilbeault seems to be a single-minded eco-activist. Progress isn't good enough. Only perfection will do. In his next endeavour, he'll do well, but he's not a Liberal imo.

— Kate in SK 🍁 (@vitamink8.bsky.social) May 26, 2026 at 8:07 PM

Guilbeault did absolutely nothing to incentivize investment in renewables and doesn't seem to see them as a relevant or appealing element of an environmental strategy. Canada's wind power investment languished under his watch, while Texas' soared and continue to soar.

— Nick P (@npilon.bsky.social) May 26, 2026 at 8:58 AM

Mulcair discusses both issues:


But at least Carney seems to have this Question Period thing down pat now:

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Next up, Caroline Mulroney as CPC leader? If it looks like this is actually happening, we can expect an extinction burst from Poilievre over the summer and fall:

Doug Ford is in trouble and so is Pierre Poilievre. Watch Mulroney's daughter set the stage to take down PP.

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— Charlie Angus (@charlieangus104.bsky.social) May 25, 2026 at 5:22 PM

Canada fake news

🚨“Fact check: Ads on Trump’s Truth Social link to Carney deepfake” Geez, why are Canadians so frustrated with the United States? These Canadians are really mean to us. (Pete Hoekstra - Maybe) 🤦🏽‍♂️ www.cbc.ca/player/play/... ❤️🍁🇨🇦TEAM CANADA FOREVER🇨🇦🍁❤️ ❤️🍁🇨🇦VIVE LE CANADA 🇨🇦🍁❤️

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— 🍁🇨🇦Team Canada Forever🇨🇦🍁 (@teamcanadaforever.bsky.social) May 25, 2026 at 5:59 PM

Canada good news 

Here's a news story that isn't surprising in the least. 

In Semafor, Gulf reporter Kelsey Warner writes

In the early days of Operation Epic Fury, as Gulf states absorbed hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles, the US faced a crisis helping its citizens evacuate from the region. Improvising, American diplomats in Abu Dhabi phoned a friend: Canada.
No formal agreement exists between the US and Canada to cooperate on consular services, so a plan was hastily arranged for the Canadian embassy to serve as a pickup point for handing out new and renewed US passports so citizens could evacuate. That US foreign service members turned to their Canadian counterparts is surprising, given the two countries’ strained relationship under the Trump administration, which has levied tariffs while the president has repeatedly called for making the longtime ally “the 51st state.”
But the Canadian embassy “did not hesitate. The answer was an immediate yes,” a senior State Department official told Semafor, asking not to be named because the information isn’t public.
“We were kind of stuck,” the official added. “We had all these passports arriving by FedEx from the print facility in the United States” but “we didn’t have a location to give them out.”...
US consular staff set up at the Canadian embassy’s check-in counter in a lobby attached to Abu Dhabi Mall. Americans were contacted individually to pick up their passport there....
The ad hoc arrangement with Canada underscores just how unprepared the US State Department was for dealing with the ripple effects set off by Operation Epic Fury. The official I spoke to acknowledged “it must have been frustrating and maybe a little scary” for some, waiting for their passports and for more clarity from their government.
Close to 1,000 Americans were ultimately placed on State Department charter flights out of the UAE (onboard wifi password on one: Freedom1776), and thousands more left on commercial airlines. Still more chose to stay put in the UAE as missile defense systems intercepted the vast majority of projectiles....

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Pope Leo's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas 

I am seeing commentary all over about Pope Leo's impressive encyclical.

The Pope and Anthropic’s co-founder just stood together at the Vatican. They released the first official Catholic teaching on AI. A full encyclical called Magnifica Humanitas. Two hour ceremony. The biggest religious response to AI in history. The Pope’s main line was simple and direct. AI needs to be disarmed. He compared it to nuclear weapons. Said the church spent decades pushing for nuclear disarmament because the technology was too dangerous in too few hands. He says AI is now in that same category. The Pope chose the name Leo XIV deliberately. The last Pope named Leo was Leo XIII in 1891 who wrote the church’s response to the industrial revolution. Same name. Same signal. He sees AI as the new industrial revolution. Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah told the Pope on stage that their own research team keeps finding things inside their AI models that mirror joy, satisfaction, fear, grief, and unease. Then he said this. These models are made from us. From our words. Even the people building them do not fully understand what is happening inside. He also admitted publicly that every AI lab including his own faces commercial and competitive pressure that can conflict with doing the right thing. His solution was that the labs need outside critics with no skin in the game who will call them out when they fail. The Pope’s closing line was this. This technology should serve human flourishing and human dignity, not control consciences. When the Vatican writes a formal letter about your industry and the person building the technology stands next to the Pope to release it, something has genuinely shifted. Video source: disclosetv

- Opinion AI

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I just read all 245 paragraphs of the Pope’s encyclical on AI. Here are 8 fantastic ideas (even if you aren't religious). The Pope just released a major document on artificial intelligence. It's called Magnifica Humanitas. Cards on the table, I’m not a Catholic. I am Christian though. But even if you aren’t, good thinking is good thinking. And this is some of the clearest writing on AI I've read all year. So I read all 245 paragraphs. Here's what stood out. 1) We don't get to opt out of this moment The encyclical refuses to treat AI as "merely yet another theme to be studied or a crisis to be managed." It's already here. The toothpaste is out of the tube (my words, not his..).Pretending it’s not happening or that it's someone else's problem is not a responsible option. 2) We are building something. The only question is what. This is the heart of the whole document. The Pope uses two images from the Bible. Babel: a tower built on pride and efficiency that ends in confusion. And Jerusalem: a city rebuilt "piece by piece" through shared responsibility. "The primary choice is not between a 'yes' or 'no' to  technology, but rather between constructing Babel or rebuilding Jerusalem." We will build something, but what will we build? 3) Technology is never neutral. "Technology is never neutral, because it takes on the characteristics of those who devise, finance, regulate and use it." I've said this for years, borrowing from Neil Postman. Good to see it stated so plainly. 4) AI is "cultivated," not "built (and we don’t really understand it) Even the people who design these systems have "only a limited understanding" of how they actually work. Nobody is fully in control. That should make all of us a little more humble. 5) Don't confuse this "intelligence" with yours. AI systems "merely imitate certain functions of human intelligence." They "do not undergo experiences, do not possess a body, do not feel joy or pain." They can simulate empathy without having any. The word "intelligence" may smuggle in ideas that simply aren’t true. 6) "Having more" is not "being more." Progress without moral growth produces "an increase in means without a growth in humanity." More capability does not automatically mean a better life. Having more is not an automatic good. 7) Watch who holds the power. AI "tends to amplify the power of those who already possess economic resources, expertise and access to data." A small number of private actors increasingly set the rules. That concerns everyone, believer or not. 8) A civilisation is judged by its care, not its power. Here’s my favourite line in the whole document: "The quality of a civilization is measured not by the power of its means, but by the care it is able to offer, by its ability to recognize the other as a face not merely as a function." Wow. And readily applicable to the classroom. Overall, I thought this was a magnificent read. It’s tough, dense, but incredibly valuable. I commend it to you regardless of your faith position. I’ve included a link in the comments below. Tell me this - which of these ideas resonated with you most strongly? Let me know!

- Paul Matthews

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An excerpt from Pope Leo XIV's encyclical this morning. The full text can be read here: www.vatican.va/content/leo-...

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— derek guy (@dieworkwear.bsky.social) May 25, 2026 at 12:32 PM

Pope Leo even quoted Tolkein

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Pope Leo has read his Tolkein. The "Palantir" was the magic all-seeing-stone which the evil Sauron used to spy on all his enemies and bend their minds to his will. He could decide what to show, and what to conceal from his enemies, both from the past and future. Thiel knows exactly what he is doing.

— Dan Murphy (@dan-murphy.bsky.social) May 25, 2026 at 9:28 AM

I told Morning Joe that today was the realization of Peter Thiel’s worst fear — that the “woke American pope,” in his words, would take on Silicon Valley and challenge it to build an artificial intelligence in the service of humanity. Here’s the problem for Thiel. Leo deals in a currency he doesn’t understand. There's no ballot that removes him, no impeachment, no indictment, no deportation order, no tariff that touches him. His authority comes from somewhere Thiel has no instrument to reach.

- Christopher Hale

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And it may be that Pope Leo has spoken up just in time.

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Finally, a couple of funny news bits

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Why did Trump go to the hospital for such a long time today?

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And to encourage the boys on Wednesday night:

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