One more sleep

Here are some good cartoons that sum up this campaign:

S

And some final words:

View on Threads

Coming around the clubhouse turn, heading for the tape.....

It's just too damned hard to act all solemn and serious right now -- I'm laughing on the outside but quivering on the inside, just waiting for Monday to be over. 

In the meantime -- here are a few posts and cartoons to enjoy!

Lead on, Big Daddy!

View on Threads

PM Mark Carney is considered as Captain Canada. Poilievre is the villain.

— Just al, Ontario (@chakula.bsky.social) April 26, 2025 at 4:19 AM

It comes down to this: the banker vs the wanker

(Illustration from Wayne Horton's substack )

We're almost at the end now, and the choice comes down to this:

Banker or wanker.

Your choice, Canada.#cdnpoli #elxn45

— Ian Morrison 🇨🇦 (@IanDMorrison) April 18, 2025

If you'd told me a few months ago that I'd be desperately hoping that a 60-year-old white male banker was going to be officially elected Canada's Prime Minister, I'd have told myself to fuck right off with that nonsense, but here we are

— Clare Blackwood (@clareblackwood.bsky.social) April 25, 2025 at 3:31 PM

Time to make fun of the Poilievre campaign!

Three days to go!

And I'm feeling deliriously hopeful (with a sliver of dread that Carney won't get the majority government Canada needs).

So I can't focus on anything serious right now, just the funny stuff.

On CBC's At Issue panel tonight, Chantal Hebert was on fire:

View on Threads

Here's the whole piece:

April 24, 2025: All the major federal parties finally release their costed platforms, what path to victory looks like for each party, could some leaders lose their own seats? www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcH5... @rosiebarton.bsky.social @acoyne.bsky.social @chebert18.bsky.social @althiaraj.bsky.social 🍁

[image or embed]

— CBC's At Issue videos (@atissuecbc.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 8:15 PM

Today's News: He just couldn't help it!

Five more days. 

All Trump needed to do was to keep quiet about Canada for just five more days. 

He just couldn't do it.

Danielle and Pierre must be simply furious:

Eight-year-olds are trying to run the world. #ElbowsUp #CanadaStrong https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trump-canada-politics-1.7516951

- Nathan Sager

Read on Substack

Today's News: Just gotta laugh...

Here's some mid-week humour, as we sit on pins and needles waiting for next Monday. 

First, Poilievre finally released his budget plan and Canada was predictably underwhelmed:

Did this one make the cut? #cdnpoli https://t.co/XnLIj7uVuJ pic.twitter.com/ZYRnclwrfT

— Keith Torrie 🇨🇦 (@ktorrie) April 22, 2025

🚨Since releasing his hilariously vacant, ChatGPT-inspired "Platform" 3 hours ago, Poilievre has lost 4% points to Carney @Polymarket, who now leads PP by 58% pts... Polievre is prolly surprised that the rest of us can read...

- Dean Blundell

Read on Substack

Carney's "Liberal Strong" plan for Canada

Now, I am no economist nor can I make an informed analysis of election platforms. 

But I'm seeing some interesting posts from knowledgeable people about the Liberal Strong platform that Carney released:

This is a massive shift in approach from the 2021 Liberal platform. Building up Canada's assets to Trump-proof the economy. Ignore those who are pretending this is similar, it's literally the inverse of 2021, in terms of spending focus. pic.twitter.com/E28PMz8x49

— Bruce Anderson (@bruceanderson) April 20, 2025

View on Threads

View on Threads

Weekend funny stuff: Some good signs, some good laughs, some little kids being cute, and Animal Crackers

Happy Easter, everyone!

pic.twitter.com/snWTyIqf1Q

— E. Jean Carroll (@ejeancarroll) April 20, 2025

Today's Heros: Universities, Pope Francis, Canadian voters

Universities
My love for my university is life-long and deep.
After I got my own degree, I spent much of my working life as an employee of my university. I had various positions over the years - writing the alumni magazine and other publications, assembling the college's course catalogue, advising students, assigning offices for faculty, working with faculty committees - it was interesting and rewarding work. 

Not only that, but my family's involvement with my university was historic - in the 30s, a time when many women never considered going to university, my mother and her three sisters all graduated from my university with degrees - two teachers, a nurse and an accountant. When I attended in due time, I met my husband there. And our children also got their first degrees there; now our daughter and daughter-in-law are on the faculty.
"Academic freedom" is a core value for my whole family.
So I am absolutely appalled by Trump's attempt to tell universities who to hire, what to teach, and what to research. 

And I am so proud that, led by Harvard, universities across the United States are now standing up to his fascism.

View on Threads

Finally, its time to vote, vote, vote...

Doesn't this feel like the longest election campaign ever? 

It's actually an average length of 37 days, it only seems like Canadians have been waiting FOREVER to get this election decided so we can get on with whatever comes next. 
The advanced polls opened on Friday and the lines were long:

All good Americans stand with Canada during their election!! Good luck Carney!! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

[image or embed]

— 🌸🌺Cindy Cardno🌺 (@cyn1422.bsky.social) April 18, 2025 at 8:37 PM

It's a lineup to vote!!! It's never been a lineup at advanced polls! That's why we do them! Wow!!!

— Catelli (@catelli.bsky.social) April 18, 2025 at 10:29 AM

Today's News: "Mark Carney made his case"

 

Tonight was the last of the federal election debates. The overall media conclusion was that nobody "lost". 

While the CBC At Issue panel discussion above was interesting, I found the Toronto Star columnists live-blog to be a detailed yet thoughtful survey of the entire debate, well worth reading. 

Here are a couple of excerpts:

Susan Delacourt
Carney made his case, despite Poilievre’s strong showing at final debate
Three leaders walked on to a stage in Montreal on Thursday night with one mission — to take the front-runner shine off Liberal Leader Mark Carney.
If there was any doubt about Carney’s lead in this election, it was dispelled within minutes after the opening of the English-language leaders’ debate.
None of it seemed to rattle Carney...

Justin Ling
Carney won the debate, and it wasn't close, says Ling
...Mark Carney won, and it wasn’t even close. He was even-tempered, he sounded prime ministerial, he rattled off plans, promises, and numbers without hesitation. He managed to turn questions about his record at Brookfield, including its use of tax havens, into a point about his experience. I think that for Canadians who are anxious and nervous about what the future holds, his performance was pretty comforting — particularly for those who may have watched him struggle in the French debate last night. He even managed to get in his favourite line about Trump: “They want to break us so they can own us.”
He was helped enormously by Jagmeet Singh, who was in fine form. ...I doubt it won him any converts tonight. Still, it may have stopped the bleeding.
And then there’s Pierre Poilievre. I think he may have excited his core supporters, but I think he looked ideological, defensive, and without any new ideas. It’s been clear that his campaign refuses to pivot or change from the strategy that they drew up long before the political ground shifted underneath them. If affordability and desire for change overcomes anxieties around this trade war and the fate of the liberal world order, Poilievre could still win this election. But I think tonight’s performance was a tactical error for Poilievre.

This was the most Important statement of the debate.

[image or embed]

— Aaron YVR (@areynaldos.bsky.social) April 18, 2025 at 1:12 AM

Today's News: Media declare the French leaders debate a draw; Carney leaps tall buildings with a single bound; Poilievre has figured out how he can undercut the Charter; and what is Carney's cat called?

Media declares the French leaders debate was a draw:

Wednesday was the first of the two leaders debates. 

View on Threads

View on Threads

View on Threads

Poilievre and his short pants boys have had two years to figure out their policies and THIS is the best they can do?

View on Threads

Today's News: California, we won't come; Americans gagging at Trump's cruelty; American universities fighting back; Send Canada the huddled masses; latest Elbows Up; Election update

I think I'll just stay in Canada, thank you:

Today, California governor Gavin Newsom decided he would try to get Canadians to visit ....

 

Nah, one way tickets to El Salvador are cheaper if you fly direct. #cdnpoli

[image or embed]

— Anonymous (@youranoncentral.bsky.social) April 15, 2025 at 4:42 PM

...ain't gonna happen, buddy: 

Weekend funny stuff: First-world problems, baseball funnies, political stuff, Animal Crackers

First world problems:

Cruel Fate, 1525: Our cow died during the night. We will surely perish. Cruel Fate, 2025: Our Keurig stopped working during the night. We will surely perish.

— Stop Illegal Ideas Hat (@kenwhite.bsky.social) April 13, 2025 at 11:27 AM

View on Threads

This is exactly true:

View on Threads

Today's News: de-bunking the Carney smear campaign

Graeme MacKay/The Hamilton Spectator

As the Conservatives get more desperate, the attempts to smear Carney get more heated. The latest is something about offshore tax havens. 

While the smears are stupid, they need to be de-bunked. To the rescue comes this great article:

“ Dear Canada: We're at the Peak of the Election "Smear Campaign" This post Letter from a Maritimer resets the narrative on Mark Carney by calmly unpacking the lies, distortions, and innuendoes being weaponized to undermine him. Please read and share open.substack.com/pub/aletterf...

[image or embed]

— Carole Paré Payne (@paros13.bsky.social) April 12, 2025 at 7:25 AM

A Letter from a Maritimer

Dear Canada: We're at the Peak of the Election "Smear Campaign"
This post resets the narrative on Mark Carney by calmly unpacking the lies, distortions, and innuendoes being weaponized to undermine him.
Canadians are the target of a massive disinformation campaign that we witnessed in real-time during the past US elections, during Brexit, during the elections in France and in Germany.
And at the centre of its crosshairs right now stands a man who represents perhaps the most credible threat to the rise of Canada’s populism: Mark Carney.
You’ve seen the memes. You’ve read the comments. “Liar.” “Globalist.” “Elitist.” Words tossed around with the same aggression that has been used against democratic politicians and leaders everywhere, making them targets of hate and harassment. This is psychological warfare.
Right now this disinformation and smear campaign against Mark Carney is in full swing. Before we all start screaming let’s remind ourselves what honour, steadiness, and public service look like.
...The smear campaign aims not to question Carney’s policies, but to destroy his character. To whisper that he is not “one of us.” That he is part of some secretive, Davos-borne cabal. The language of nationalist paranoia is being mainstreamed in Canada and it is targeted at Carney precisely because he is effective.
...Mark Carney is, by any honest measure, the most seasoned and accomplished leader Canada has today. No one else brings his combination of global economic experience, steady crisis management, moral clarity, and proven public service. To attempt to discredit him with innuendo, manufactured mistrust, or weaponized perfectionism is not just dishonest, it’s absurd!

Maritimer then analyzes all of the smears against Carney that we have heard in this campaign, from his PhD thesis to his Brookfield position. They conclude:

We owe it to ourselves, and to future generations, to evaluate each candidate not through the distorted lens of disinformation, but by their record, their competence, and their commitment to Canada’s future.
Let us meet this moment with level heads.