Author: jmn

Protest!

Posted by

0

There is a national protest happening in Canada this Monday, March 24!
https://truenorthhq.ca/events/

Halifax Poster (each city has its own)

About

True North HQ is a grassroots movement based in Canada, formed in response to the actions of the current U.S. administration.

The group started on social media in February 2025 and later grew when a few additional members met while gathering outside the US consulate in Toronto on March 4, 2025.  Realizing there was a lack of coordinated action, we decided to team up and fill the gap.

Our goal is to organize and promote events that unite people in peaceful, non-violent protest during this challenging time. We also aim to support others in promoting and organizing similar events in their own communities.

We are a collective of individuals and not affiliated with any political party or other organization.

Guiding Principles

Our movement stands as a unified expression of solidarity and hope, rooted in the shared values of equality, justice and fundamental human rights. As Canadians, we rise to affirm our role as global leaders and defenders of democracy, freedom and unity. 

Together, we transcend opposition and focus on supporting human rights across the globe. We gather not in anger, but in courage and commitment to a brighter and more equitable future. 

Guided by our shared principles, we stand against oppression and authoritarianism. In the face of challenges we remain steadfast in our vision; to be a beacon of unity, freedom and hope for all. 

For folks in the US – a protest is planned for April 5th!

https://handsoff2025.com

WHY WE’RE MOBILIZING

We are facing a national crisis. Our democracy, our livelihoods, and our rights are all on the line as Trump and Musk execute their illegal takeover.

  • They’re dismantling Social Security and Medicare—forcing seniors and disabled Americans to jump through hoops to access the benefits they’ve already paid into.
  • They’re handing trillions to billionaires—while forcing the rest of us to pay higher prices for food, rent, and healthcare.
  • They’re gutting protections for working people—so payday lenders, banks, and credit card companies can scam Americans with zero consequences.
  • They’re assaulting our communities and our rights—targeting veterans, kids, seniors, farmers, immigrants, transgender people, and political opponents.
  • They won’t stop there.

This is not just corruption. This is not just mismanagement. This is a hostile takeover.

So the RESISTANCE is mobilizing! 

We’re past the point where each person can turn away. We can’t just complain. We can’t say “We didn’t think he’d do THIS!”

The time is NOW to show you’re ready to fight back.

I’ve just spent the past hour scrolling through my Substack feed and posting a comment on every entry that had 1K or more viewers! My comment to Canadians:

March on March 24! With a link to the True North website!

My comment to US folks:

March on April 5! With a link to the Hands Off! website!

I will do that again tomorrow and maybe the day after. My role, I think is likely to be to inform people – to make sure people understand what’s at stake; who’s writing stuff we all should read and understand; where and how we can take action. 

Today: I’m letting you know about the national protests.

Tomorrow I’ll write my synopsis of where I think we are and what we can do about it. There are lots of terrific writers sharing their thoughts. I’ll link you to that information and that writing so you, too, understand what’s going on!

Welcome to the RESISTANCE – in Canada and in the US.

trump Isn’t Joking About Wanting To Annex Canada!

Posted by

13

Here in Canada, we know trump’s threat isn’t a joke. We’re fully aware of what’s at stake. I’ve got my fingers crossed Canadians have the stamina to keep our “Elbows Up” and sustain the boycott on US food and goods for as long as necessary, taking on the hardship the tariffs bring and supporting one another so everybody can stand against trump! 

People in Canada are beginning to realize Canada = Ukraine now – a bully pushing to take us over for spurious reasons to enlarge their territory and steal our resources and water! To eradicate our culture and social values (which by the way are a threat to theirs, as is the case with Ukraine and Russia).

I’m raging about this, have been for the better part of a year. I’m 82 – born at the end of WWII – while my personal memories are more than vague, I do remember the immediate post-war period and I carry the stories of my parents and grandparents about what happened in the years immediately before my birth. I need to be passing on those stories so younger people who shrug at the political situation, want to turn away and let things slide, understand how they will pay for this for the rest of their lives and their children’s lives and their grandchildren’s lives until the 7th generation!

In Canada some of us do understand what’s at stake! Now we need to help the rest of us understand the costs.

Just so we’re clear, this is not a Trump-only phenomenon. Yesterday, when asked if the U.S. still considers Canada a “close ally,” White House press secretary Katherine Leavitt said that Canada would “benefit greatly” from joining the United States and pointed to its high cost of living as a reason for surrendering sovereignty. 

“Benefit greatly!” – at what cost? We completely lose our values, our identity, our freedom! Canadians don’t see any benefit to being cast into this trump chaos where the privileged few get the goodies and the rest of us are left to fight over the dregs! That’s “benefit greatly”?

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sounded a similar theme, noting that “Canada is gonna have to work with us to really integrate their economy, and as the president said, they should consider the amazing advantages of being the 51st state.”

“Amazing advantages of being the 51st state!” Really! Here’s where I take out my piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and put the headings “Advantages” and “Disadvantages” at the top on each side. I haven’t done that exercise yet. I’ll share it when I do. I welcome any suggestions for what should be on each list!

I can’t begin to tell you how angry I am. I’m tired of being the “mouse” in this “cat-and-mouse” game. I hate this feeling of powerlessness. I have power – I’ve begun using it by boycotting US goods when I’m shopping. But NOW is the time to take on the education of my fellow Canadians. I need to take back my power by shouting from the rooftops about what’s we’d be “buying” were we to succumb to trump’s inducements to become part of the US.

We need to face the fact that WE ARE AT WAR right now. This is what it looks like – the threats, the escalating tariffs, the attacks on our economy…

We need to look to Ukraine for moral support, for the example of resistance and independence we’re going to need going forward.

I’m a RAGING GRANNY!

Please join me by helping your friends and neighbours understand what’s at stake.

“Bubbles/Balloons ?” Finished

Posted by

4

I didn’t think I’d ever manage to finish this piece! It seems like I started it forever ago – I began on Jan 16 with a couple of inset circle blocks. Three days later I had the layout pretty much established and I couldn’t go any further (trump was sworn into office the day after that, and all hell broke loose…).

I picked it up two weeks ago and edge stitched the appliqué circles and then was stuck again – should I also use decorative stitching around the large inset circles or leave them unembellished?

Three days ago I decided to try some embellishment – sat at the machine and immediately broke the needle (!), then didn’t like the particular stitching I started. It took close to an hour to remove what I’d done.

The next day I tried again and managed to embroider the large, lower-left circle, both inside and outside; stuck again. Yesterday, I was determined to get the rest done! I actually did.

Today, I added the binding. I’d chosen the black fabric with the small circles to tie the whole together and hoping a dark binding would lighten the piece (not as much as I’d hoped it would).

Now I’m looking for a name for it – something that highlights the bright circular shapes. Any ideas?

What’s At Stake

Posted by

1

Yesterday, an article in the New York Times by Matina Stevie-Gridneff lays out what’s been transpiring over the past two months. To see the extent of the “demands” and the timeline is informative. We all know bits and pieces of the bullying but this piece is a good synopsis; I recommend reading it! (A gift article)

Today is International Women’s Day! Women in Canada have an important role to play in this absurd war we’re engaged in. In a great many families it’s we women who decide how the bulk of our $$$ are spent. We’re in a position to impact the US economy in a significant way based on our purchasing power.

For example, yesterday, I automatically went to Amazon.ca to make a small purchase – I stopped myself. I am refusing to buy from Amazon! I dropped my Washington Post subscription when Bezos kissed trump’s ass. For the moment, I’m hanging on to my subscription to The Atlantic because the reporting/journalism in that publication has substance and refuses to kowtow to the administration. I’m on the fence regarding The New York Times – their opinion writers are still reporting with information that’s important for people to have, but a lot of the other stuff isn’t worth my time; they’re definitely not contributing to the resistance in a significant way.

I was looking for a couple of bras the other day – there are Canadian companies that source their manufacturing from other than the US (it’s pretty difficult finding ones that manage to produce goods in this country). And of course, I check country of origin when grocery shopping. My boycott list is still pretty short, but I know I’ll be adding companies to my “stay-away” list over the next months (maybe years) as I need to shop for other commodities.

Fabric – that’s in interesting category! I’ve been checking country of origin on the fabrics I’ve looked at, as well as whether they come directly to Canada bypassing the US completely. At my local shop, down the street, the fabrics are woven and printed in Asia and come directly into Vancouver (although it’s likely the cotton used is grown in the US). I don’t have to feel guilty making purchases there. Same with the sewing machines and notions – for the most part they bypass the US.

Truth is, I hate shopping! I’ve been an online shopper for a relatively long time. But I can see my shopping habits will have to change as this conflict continues/escalates. Even if the tariffs prove to be short-lived – I don’t believe that’s going to be the case, however – I feel committed to shopping Canadian going forward! I hope you do, too.

The AI Bot

Posted by

2

I’ve just had what I think was my first encounter with a customer service AI Bot! I’ve dealt with AI Chat Bots when I’ve contacted customer service and that little “Chat” pop-up shows up at the bottom or side of my screen. I always ask to talk to a “human” – that usually gets me to an actual person. But this “chat” was different.

I was reading an article by a young Canadian woman – an influencer – who was discussing being able to buy Canadian-made clothing instead of garments made in the US, and she gave several links to companies which she disclosed would pay her a small amount if we clicked on them.

I wasn’t concerned about the fact that she was a paid influencer – I was curious to see the made-in-Canada pants she was describing. So I clicked on her link and got to the page where I saw them:

Obviously made in a soft “micromodal” fabric (some bamboo in the rib knit (the cuffs), some fullness at the top, tapered legs, comfortable fit at the natural waist.

Interesting – I checked out the size info – I’m interested in whether it’s remotely possible that I can fit my size XXL waist and size S bum in a single pair of pants. At the bottom of the size info page is a “contact us” link so I click on it. In the message box I wrote:

How do I pick a size when my waist is XXL and my hip is S?

Here’s the answer I got:

Thank you for reaching out! I understand it can be a bit tricky when your measurements vary like that. We recommend checking out our general size chart, which you can view here: (a link to the size guide info pop-up).

If you’re still in doubt, please feel free to reply with your complete measurements (bust, waist, and hips) for the specific garment you are interested in, and we’d be happy to check with our production team to help you find the best size.

Looking forward to helping you feel confidently comfortable in your (company name) pieces 😊

Could be a person, could be an AI Bot. I carry on.

My bust is large: 38” – 40”; My waist is xxl: 35” – 37”; My hip is small: 38” – 40”
I was looking at the dressy sweatpant (and gave the link to the pants)

I get a reply back – too fast for it to have been from a person, who would have needed to have taken time first to read my note, then write the response (or to find one of the stock replies – which this is):

Thanks for sharing your measurements! Based on the information provided, I would recommend trying the Dressy Sweatpant in size XXL to ensure a comfortable fit around the waist. The design should accommodate your bust and hips comfortably as well.

If you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out!

Now it’s confirmed I’m dealing with an AI Bot – it’s the “design should accommodate your bust and hips comfortably as well.” My bust has no relevance to the fit of a pair of pants! A person would not have made that comment.

I reach out one more time – curious what the AI Bot will reply:

And what do I do with all that excess fabric in the bum?

I loved the response that followed:

I understand that extra fabric in certain areas can be a bit frustrating. Our pieces are crafted to feel both comfortable and stylish, but I understand everyone’s body is unique. If you’re finding that the fit isn’t exactly right for you in the bum area, you might consider having the garment adjusted by a trusted tailor. They could help modify the fit to achieve the look and comfort you’re after, ensuring that all the right areas flatter you perfectly.

If there’s anything else I can help with, just let me know 😊

I knew before I started the conversation that I can’t buy pants that fit from this manufacturer. I can’t buy pants from any manufacturer which is why I’ve made my own for almost 50 years! At that point I stop.

But I get one more note from the company asking me to rate my conversation. I answer:

The AI Bot was a bit dumb! Didn’t understand a bust measurement was of no use in fitting pants! And completely unsympathetic with my problem – large waist and small bum!

Oh well – I won’t be buying the pants although I’ll look for a similar pattern and adjust it to fit my size. Your pants just won’t fit!

And I get one final note – this time it may be from an actual human – it’s signed (which none of the earlier responses were).

I’m really sorry to hear that you felt the fit of our pants wasn’t right for you and that our initial advice didn’t address your concerns appropriately. I truly understand how challenging it can be when your body measurements don’t seem to match a single size – and I regret that our sizing guidance didn’t provide the clarity and sympathy you were looking for.

Your feedback is very important, and I will make sure it’s passed along so that we can work on improving how we assist with these unique proportions in the future. I hope that when you’re ready to explore more options, we can help you find something that feels just right.

Thank you for giving us a chance, and please know we’re here if you ever need anything else 😊

With gratitude,
Carolina

So while a person may have actually read and responded to me this last time, it still feels like a stock answer.

That’s the end of the conversation – time for me to delete it all and forget about it.

I just thought to myself “this is what we’re going to be facing more and more – bland, generic, responses to our questions when we’re looking for customer service. Much cheaper to program some AI Bot than paying a person to actually interact with customers.”

Too bad I’m not buying anything from Lands End (I’m not buying anything from any US company, if I can help it) – I always call them rather than order online because their operators are so chatty and interesting. You can have a real conversation about where they live, what the weather is like there, how long they’ve been working for Lands End. I’ve made a friend by the time my order is completed. Feels satisfying.

This AI Bot? No way!

From Another Canadian

Posted by

1

It seems more and more of us are using our blogs to express what we’re experiencing these days. Here’s another piece of writing with some good links to why each of us needs to be reading labels and speaking out with our $$$!

Serious “Food” for Thought

What If…

Posted by

7

I happened across a chilling analysis of trump’s threats to build an empire! https://substack.com/home/post/p-156454364

donald trump has been talking a lot about re-taking the Panama Canal, buying Greenland (while not ruling out an invasion), and making Canada the 51st State. He looks as though he will make good on his promise to take military action in Mexico after he signed an executive order designating certain cartels as terrorist organisations. Many outlets and pundits have declared that these talking points are either bluster, impossible, or mere diversions. My assessment is that they are not.

trump doesn’t really joke; he says outlandish things to see what sort of reaction he gets. In this case, with all of these proposals, Republicans responded with support and the American public barely noticed because “that’s just trump being trump.” In truth, trump rarely drops an idea, even a bad one. He was intent on buying Greenland during his first term and never let the idea go. Thus, when he talks about acquiring new territory for the US, or using military force in Mexico, he is serious.

…he is clearly laying the groundwork for, and removing barriers to an aggressive expansionistic policy over the next two years. What comes next is likely to be a mix of four strategies: Lebensraum, Anschluss, the hybrid Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, and “Wag the Dog” (but with a distinctly internet age twist). The following is a brief discussion of what each of these four operations would look like.

The rest of the analysis lays out four goals that trump has already floated: a major military incursion into Mexico on the pretext of curtailing the flow of drugs into the US, as well as stopping the flow of migrants from Central and South America; the takeover of the Panama Canal either through coercion or outright military means; the annexation of Greenland either by purchase or military means; and finally the annexation of Canada either by “persuasion” or a military incursion.

Then the article lays out how each of these four goals could be accomplished – the threats, the cyber disinformation attacks (which would create chaos in each jurisdiction), the showcasing of “Quislings” who are solidly behind the idea of annexation and stand before the world proclaiming how much better off the subjugated citizens would be and their desire to be subsumed by the US. And finally the military actions if the “voluntary” tactics don’t work.

By the time we get here, Trump would have already taken back the Panama Canal and found a way to annex Greenland. Trump has long set his sights on making Canada a part of the US. The Republican Party would prefer it to be a territory, with no say in the US government. “The Canadians, they are going to elect two Democrat senators; we don’t want that. Territory status isn’t too bad,” according to Representative Byron Donalds.

Canadian support for being a part of the US runs around 20% at best, and triggered increased feelings of nationalism in the other 78%. Most Canadian leaders (outside of Alberta) are taking a “F*** You” attitude towards Trump’s threats of tariffs. Politicians there are engaged in competitive outbidding to see who can be the most hostile to Trump, his tariffs, and attempts to make the Canada part of the US. Only Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has shown receptiveness to treating the Trump administration, and its punitive tariffs, with kid gloves.

If Trump has successfully acquired the Panama Canal and Greenland via some combination of threats, coercion, or military force, his eye will turn to bringing Canada into the fold. By this time, the US has discarded NATO, Congress has been cowed, the military brass tamed and staffed with yes men. He believes that he is coming from a position of military strength: Canada and NATO cannot possibly hope to stop a US invasion.

Sounds crazy, right? But it’s not unimaginable given the shameful display of “power” that happened in the Oval Office yesterday (Mar 1 2025), the attempted humiliation of President Zelenskyy in front of a televised international audience. We got to see “the real” trump and vance on display!

(Reuters: Ukraine July 21 2022) This is Ukraine – can Canada be next?

At this point, if Canada has failed to give in to demands and economic blackmail, they and NATO will be given an ultimatum presented as a fait accompli: you will let US troops in. You cannot stop us by conventional means. The three options to NATO at this point are to allow us to annex Canada, fight a conventional war they cannot hope to win, or to use nuclear weapons against the United States and engage in mutually assured destruction. At the same time, the public in NATO countries will have been subjected to a barrage of disinformation for months, and support for a futile (and bloody) conventional war or a nuclear exchange will be low.

This will likely be the thought process of the Trump administration if they have made it this far. The problem with this thinking is that like most historical US leaders, they’re not prepared to deal with an insurgency. And Canada is no exception.

Imagine a country with the population and GDP of California, with a land area larger than the United States, having no say in its own governance. Now imagine it has been invaded, and that getting military-style weapons from the country that invaded them is ridiculously easy. Imagine that the country doing the invading doesn’t have the troops or the resources to lock things down adequately.

On top of that, unlike Iraq, there is a clear and mostly coherent sense of nationalism in Canada (they’re still very proud of burning the White House down in the War of 1812.) There’s also the matter of people who would come from other countries, including the US, to participate in an insurgency in Canada.

Russia assured their people in 2022 that Ukrainians were just like them and wanted to re-join the old Soviet Empire. It didn’t work out like that. If anything, Canadians are less enthusiastic about being a part of the US than Ukrainians were about being part of Russia. It’s hard to see this turning out well for the US in the long run.

My immediate reaction – Fantasyland! But I have a niggling feeling that these scenarios are not impossible. My anger at trump and his cat-and-mouse nonsense over “tariffs” has grown because I can sense what’s described in this Substack piece becoming a reality. I’m not fear-mongering here. I’m just trying to increase awareness of the bigger agenda that for the moment is obscured by the tariffs. The tariffs are the opening salvo in trump’s game. What I don’t think he understands is the extent the tariffs themselves will be detrimental to the US economy. Nor has he figured in the impact individual Canadian’s boycotting US goods can have overall.

We need to be serious in our efforts to buy Canadian, to work hard at buying local, to refuse to spend our $$$ with US companies as much as we can to make the lives of Americans, who are also pawns in this game, as difficult as possible. Our best hope for side-stepping an impending onslaught is for the American people to fight back themselves. For them (especially Republican supporters of trump) to become so angry they take action to curtail his (and musk’s) power. Our best allies are those disaffected American’s who wrench back control for themselves.

In the meantime, there are difficult days and weeks and months ahead. We can overcome dismay and despair by reaching out to one another, by supporting one another, and by taking those small personal actions that collectively can have an impact. Stand strong!

Houston Update

Posted by

0

Today’s editorial from The Coast

It appears premier Tim Houston is about to do something he’s had quite a bit of practice with recently: walk back sweeping changes that his government sought to pass. First, Houston withdrew widely-panned changes to the Auditor General Act that would have given the province the power to fire Nova Scotia’s top watchdog without cause and keep her reports out of the public eye. (The Coast’s Lauren Phillips dove into the story last week—take the time to read her report if you haven’t already.) Yesterday, Houston relented on his government’s plan to limit access to reporters at Province House by scrapping scrums in favour of pre-vetted interviews across the street. After pressure from CBC News, AllNovaScotia and other outlets, the premier will now scrum without a moderator, at the legislature and with opposition members present.
The main thing I’ll be keeping my eye on, though, is a comment Houston made during question period this week. Last week, the governing Tories tabled a massive bill that would, among other things, amend the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The changes would allow departments to refuse access requests from the public that they deemed “trivial, frivolous or vexatious,” and require applicants to include “sufficient particulars” in their requests—changes that Nova Scotia’s outgoing freedom of information commissioner, Tricia Ralph, said “poses risk to access rights to Nova Scotians.” She’s right.
https://newsletter.thecoast.ca/p/black-on-screen?_bhlid=c06439d43308ecc090df5e6e5f68e6d6401a70e3&utm_campaign=black-on-screen&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_source=newsletter.thecoast.ca

So it looks like when we fight back against these authoritarian moves of The Honourable Tim Houston, he caves. That means we need to keep alert to these autocratic decisions, the obfuscation of detail necessary for the public to understand the basis for his decisions, and openly express our opposition to what it is he’s proposing. We need to be loud enough to force a walk-back!

How Autocracy Creeps In

Posted by

6

Last week I wrote the following (I “published” it – you may have received it before I deleted it, I could not get the formatting right!):

For many months I’ve been more and more uncomfortable with the decisions being made by NS Premier Tim Houston. I was not, I am not, a Houston supporter, but I was willing to give him an opportunity to “fix” health care, while believing it was difficult, if not impossible, given the complexity of the problems. There are other aspects of NS life also needing serious government decision-making besides health care – housing, for example, unban development, transportation, the economy, interprovincial trade…. The list goes on and on.

Nova Scotia is no different than other provinces. These are the problems facing every Canadian province and likely every US state! So it’s been interesting watching Houston as he “tackles” these problems. What’s become more and more worrisome is the secrecy, the lack of transparency, that’s becoming the norm over the decisions being made in my province. We’re also seeing executive overreach in some of the moves being made by Houston!

My concerns were confirmed today in an article by Michael MacDonald: ‘Control-mania’: Nova Scotia premier accused of executive overreach with new bill in the Canadian Press.

Attempts by governments to reduce public scrutiny and stifle criticism are becoming increasingly common, said Tom Urbaniak, a political science professor at Cape Breton University. “This populist movement that we’re seeing across the democratic world weakens institutions that can provide objective information in favour of spin and propaganda,” he said in an interview.

“We’re seeing a significant scaling back of the access to information regime in Nova Scotia,” he said. “It will make it much easier for the executive, the cabinet, to decide whether a request is too broad or frivolous or vexatious.”

Last week Houston refused to respond to questions from the press. He’s curtailed full debate of many issues in the legislature.

Slowly, but surely, in many small, often unnoticed ways, the pubic right to accurate information about decisions being made by our provincial government are being limited.

Our auditor general has called out the current Conservative government over a variety of spending decisions and indiscretions. Houston’s latest move has been to include a provision in a new omnibus bill that allows the firing of the auditor general without cause effectively undermining that important oversight should information detrimental or embarrassing to the government be made public!

“The ability to remove the auditor general without cause, combined with the ability to control our public reporting, impacts the independence, integrity and objectivity of the office,” Adair (our current auditor general) told a news conference.

“These changes could mean any report the government doesn’t like wouldn’t be made public.”

Such secrecy ensures the NS public doesn’t learn about what could be a growing number of questionable, perhaps detrimental, decisions this government is planning – we simply won’t know what’s really happening as our government moves forward.

This is how autocracy creeps up on us.

A few days ago pubic response forced Houston to rescind the bill which included unilaterally being able to get rid of the Auditor General without cause!

Today, in The Coast Daily, Julie, the editor echoes what’s been rattling around in my head!

Good morning Halifax,

The PC Party of Nova Scotia’s latest message to its supporters asking for money is bone-chilling—and if you were slightly concerned that this government is trying to uproot democracy, clearly your concerns are valid. 

In a fundraising letter last week, MLA Leah Martin—obviously towing the party line—wrote to supporters:

“Will you pitch in here right now to help us withstand NDP attacks, overpower the special interests and professional protesters, bypass the media when we need to and stay on track with our plan to make it happen for Nova Scotia?” 

Ummm, make what happen for Nova Scotia? Fascism?

This narrative that the media is the enemy is untrue, cowardly and a kick in the teeth to voters. Citizens have a right to know the policies and activities of their government, and the media has the right to ask tough questions about those policies and activities. 

But premier Tim Houston has completely limited the media’s access to elected officials, allowing them to only answer questions during times organized by the government in a room they control across the street from the legislature. It gives big “we’re scared of scrums” energy to me—bitching out of the way politicians in Nova Scotia have answered questions for literally ever.

So, to review: This government was elected based on YOUR votes and now they want YOU to pay for them to ensure YOU don’t know what they’re doing.

I don’t know where Houston is getting his audacity. It can’t be from the confidence people have in him, because most people voted for nobody. It can’t be from feeling powerful, because his trips to meet with Trump’s underlings had zero impact on tariff decisions. It can’t be from feeling popular, because he had to walk back his auditor general bill after being so unanimously publicly criticized. 

Where then? 🕵️

Hope your day makes more sense than all of this!

– Julie

I have no idea what I can do about this personally, except to copy this post and send it along to the premier! He needs to know people are watching and aren’t happy with his attempts to hide what he’s doing. He needs to understand the citizens of NS deserve to be informed about the basis for decisions he’s putting forth.

I sure don’t like how this is beginning to look – small potatoes in comparison to what’s going on in the US, but hints of Autocracy are here, nevertheless!

Feb 27 2025

I sent a note with a copy of this blog entry to The Honourable Tim Houston, last evening. I’ll eventually get a form reply. No guarantee any actual person will read the piece. JMN

“Let’s Get To Work“

Posted by

0

That’s Charlie Angus talking. The MP from Timmons.

His latest is important reading:

https://open.substack.com/pub/charlieangus/p/no-return-to-normal?r=cgren&utm_medium=ios

Time for Canadians of all persuasion to get in the conversation – listen to what each has to say, agree on the best course of action in these chaotic times.

I keep reading some good US thinkers mentioning the 2026 mid-term elections – well there’s a wee homunculus at the back of my mind whispering “Don’t count on it! Remember what trump said before the 2024 election? ‘No more elections!’” I don’t think 2026 is a certainty folks.

Then what?

For us in Canada doesn’t change anything either way. We can’t hang around waiting for the US to decide to come grab the water and minerals. Gotta plan! Gotta look ahead and act together.

What’s happening is real. We need to plan a way forward for ourselves.