Trusting democracy by amending federal Bill C-5 (Part 1) Today we talk about the democratic principles at stake when Parliament reviews Bill C-5. On Wednesday we will explore possible amendments.

FYI, open.substack.com/pub/engageme...

Netanyahu and Khamenei want this war. Yet Iranians and Israelis have no reason to fight | Opinion ***

For those who don’t subscribe to Haaretz newspaper, this link may be behind a paywall but try it anyway in case the editors decided to make this one available to all. It is an important read from an Iranian writing in the leading sane and humanist newspaper in Israel www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025...

Parfait comme souvenir de Marc, Alexandrine.

Investing in people and in social goods: smart and moral economics for PM Carney's "major projects" push The first ministers have called for "dual use" projects in the North and Arctic. Why should this notion not be put at the centre of the discussion of all nation-building and major projects?

The focus this week of the Pledge for Canada's website/newsletter is the criteria for nation-building major projects. Today's is "Investing in people and in social goods: smart and moral economics for PM Carney's 'major projects' push" engagementcanadapledge.substack.com/p/investing-...

An election of great consequence Une élection d'une grande importance

… of the Ethelo digital democracy platform, of the Spanish city of Barcelona, and of a proposal by Sean Luo for a publicly funded, de-corporatized national social media platform called (at the moment) the Great Canadian Shield.

open.substack.com/pub/engageme...

An election of great consequence Une élection d'une grande importance

…as well as from Charles Taylor (in the New Yorker), Martin Patriquin (in The Logic), and Melissa Butcher (in The Conversation).

Plus profiling of Elbows Up Climate letter from Canadian mayors to Canadian federal party leaders, …

open.substack.com/pub/engageme...

An election of great consequence Une élection d'une grande importance

Posted today, the final newsletter from the Pledge for Canada until after the election on April 28.

Featuring pieces by Substack contributors Rachel Gilmore, Dan Gardner, Robert Reich, Shannon Litzenberger, and Timothy Snyder…

open.substack.com/pub/engageme...

On Premier Smith’s courting of election influencing from Trump: a question first of morality but also of criminal law The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada denies she engaged in any wrongdoing under the Canada Elections Act. It is a different matter under the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act.

On the efforts of the Premier of Alberta to court Trump’s election interference, an article I have written fyi:

open.substack.com/pub/craigmar...

Canadians contemplate our future as the US goes further and further off the rails Les Canadiens s'interrogent sur leur avenir alors que les États-Unis dérapent de plus en plus.

A newsletter for the Pledge for Canada went out early this morning, FYI.

engagementcanadapledge.substack.com/p/canadians-...

Marisa Kabas (@marisakabas.bsky.social) independent journalist / writer of www.thehandbasket.co 💌: MKwrites4000@proton.me signal: marisakabas.04

And here is Marisa Kabas herself on Bluesky: marisakabas.bsky.social Do follow her. This kind of independent investigative journalism is so important right now, and very brave journalism given the deepening repression in the US. Here is her report from yesterday: www.thehandbasket.co/p/trump-fent...

An Age of Authoritarianism and Aggression WMD enters the US-Canada equation; introducing a series of notes on our crisis times

...>They also suspect that it will be used domestically as justification for rounding up homeless encampments and deporting drug users who are not citizens."

Read some more analysis of the implications of this in my full post.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

"The EO may be published as early as next week, the [DoS] source tells me, but the timeline isn’t confirmed. The source speculates the purpose is a combination of designating fentanyl cartels as terrorist organizations and creating justification for conducting military op[s] in Mexico and Canada. >

An Age of Authoritarianism and Aggression WMD enters the US-Canada equation; introducing a series of notes on our crisis times

...(alongside adding further terminological weaponry for actions the Trump admin may yet try to take in the US itself — as the words “terrorism” and ”invasion” have already been used).

Kabas reports the Department of State source as saying the following: [see next]

substack.com/home/post/p-...

An Age of Authoritarianism and Aggression WMD enters the US-Canada equation; introducing a series of notes on our crisis times

This revelation came out yesterday from investigative journalist Marisa Kabas, via source at US Dept of State. The source is leaking the document because of the profound concerns it raises about creation of a pretext for using military force agst Mexico and/or Canada ..

substack.com/home/post/p-...

An Age of Authoritarianism and Aggression WMD enters the US-Canada equation; introducing a series of notes on our crisis times

Just posted, “An Age of Authoritarianism and Aggression,” which you can click to read below.

The lead image is of a draft Executive Order circulating in the US administration. It would have Trump designate fentanyl as a Weapon of Mass Destruction.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

This is *tens of thousands* of warrantless searches every year by border agents who have essentially unfettered discretion to decide who enters and who doesn’t. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/w...

CANADA'S FUTURE L'AVENIR DU CANADA

Please consider adding your views to the discussion on « Canada’s Future » on the Substack site of the Pledge for Canada.

open.substack.com/pub/engageme...

Rubio Attacks Zelensky, Firmly Defending Trump and Vance Facing a wave of criticism from his former Senate colleagues, Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed the complaints lobbed by President Trump and Vice President JD Vance against Ukraine’s leader.

Koolaid. Colour: Rubio red.

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/u...

Transcript of Trump outburst during meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House. Draw your own conclusions.

The War Trump Chooses That wasn't Trump against Zelens'kyi. It was Americans against reason

Highly recommend from Tim Snyder today:

substack.com/home/post/p-...

Reading the ruins of history for the world's future under Trump A reflection on Trump's public assault on Ukraine's Zelenskyy, February 2025, in light of Hitler's tirade against Austria's von Schuschnigg, February 1938

Reading the ruins of history for the world's future under Trump:

A reflection on Trump's public assault on Ukraine's Zelenskyy, February 2025, in light of Hitler's tirade against Austria's von Schuschnigg, February 1938

substack.com/home/post/p-...

Michael Ignatieff has recently come to Substack: substack.com/@michaeligna...

This is a terrific development at the moment in which we -- Canadians, the world -- find ourselves. Spread the word, follow, subscribe and recommend.

#AltGov: the secret network of federal workers resisting Doge from the inside Government employees fight the Trump administration’s chaos by organizing and publishing information on Bluesky

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

The needle on my OAHFA-meter (Optimism and Hope for America) just spiked as I was reading this Guardian report.

Savvy digital resistance that could blossom into wider societal capacity and coordination.

Remembering when US-Canada cooperation was key to winning a global war against fascism and aggression Se souvenir de l'époque où la coopération entre les États-Unis et le Canada était essentielle pour gagner une guerre mondiale contre le fascisme et l'agression

engagementcanadapledge.substack.com/p/rememberin...

A brief detour to remember another age of fighting fascism and aggression On the lessons of Roosevelt Campobello International Park for the Trump and Putin epoch

substack.com/home/post/p-...

MAGA is trying to destroy Keith Kellogg — the White House's own pick for Ukrainian envoy — for being too pro-Ukrainian. www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

Craig Scott on Substack It is time for us all to truly become familiar with two definitions as we watch the grotesque mafioso behaviour of Trump, Musk and their morally bankrupt minions towards Ukraine and its President — an...

Big Lies + Psychopathic leaders + Despotic drives = Dark Ages ahead. Keeping the light depends on people waking up and resistance — allied with folks and leaders around the world. @charlieangus104.bsky.social

substack.com/@craigmartin...

A four-minute video from Member of Parliament Charlie Angus with messages to Governor of Texas and Trump. Video is embedded as YouTube four-minute clip in this Pledge for Canada post: engagementcanadapledge.substack.com/.../charlie... You can watch it direct without going to YouTube.

Canadian MP Charlie Angus:

“We will never, ever, ever, kiss the ring of that gangster from Mar-A-Lago."

It gets more and more disgusting every day. The Trump reality is pretty much as feared, but worse than I could have imagined in detail. My thoughts on the the headspace we need to be in: substack.com/home/post/p-...