Charles Smith

Import costs driving Canada food inflation, BOC research says Bank of Canada research suggests the acceleration in food inflation last year was almost entirely due to rising import costs. Read here now

Oh, look—the Bank of Canada points to import costs, largely to do with our depreciated dollar, as one of the biggest drivers of food price inflation in the last year.
But don't worry—Poilievre will dismiss this when presented with these facts, and insist it's still imaginary taxes.

Given the state of the world, how is this not a celebration headline?

Would have loved to hear it! Hope it went well.

Smith demands more say in Alberta judicial appointments, threatens to withhold federal funding Premier proposes a committee that includes Alberta appointees to help assess and recommend candidates to justice ministers

Honestly, Carney's one word response should be simple: no. Also, what are "Alberta’s distinct legal traditions?"

When we talk about authoritarianism, it’s not just Donald Trump.

Musk owns X
Bezos owns Twitch
Zuckerberg owns Instagram and Facebook
Larry Ellison controls TikTok

Billionaires increasingly control what we see, hear and read.

Fascist Aesthetics Has Come Back with MAGA Politics What is most revealing about the MAGA aesthetic is its studied ugliness. On one side stands the grotesque excess of beauty-pageant femininity, plastic smiles, puffy lips, lacquered beach-wave hair, sh...

A fascinating analysis of MAGA's fascist aesthetic.

Canada should keep options open on acquiring nuclear weapons, former top soldier says Retired general Wayne Eyre says the question of whether to develop a nuclear deterrent is not an immediate concern

Give your head a shake. This is the opposite of what a democracy should be advocating.

In fairness, the Conservative Party of Canada passed an anti-DEI motion this weekend at the convention

Opinion: A warmer Poilievre, but frozen in time At the Conservative convention, Mr. Poilievre’s criticism of Liberals was capped with a theme of hope and optimism

Um, raises hand, ugh, pretty sure not everyone.

“The best part of being Conservative is that eventually everyone admits that we were right all along,” he said."

I'm always amazed the way Conservatives rehabilitate their worst leaders. Mulroney left office disgraced and destroyed his party. Yet today Conservatives hold him up as one of the great elites of the 20th century. We're seeing the same thing today on Harper.

Hahahhaha.

Crowsnest Pass town latest Alberta community to lose bank branch — a trend seen across Canada | CBC News The loss of retail banking service locations is not unique to one bank or to Alberta or to small towns. The Canadian Bankers Association says the number of bank branches is down nationwide: about six ...

Canadian banks closed 561 branches & 900 ATMs in 4 years, while population grew 7%.

Those same banks made $70 billion profit last year alone.

We need postal banking & credit unions freed to provide all banking services.

Public options for banking now!

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The job of political parties in democratic politics is to have a determinate policy and then to campaign to form government so as to implement that policy.

Using the fig leaf of (internal) democracy to avoid having a policy on the most decisive issue is the opposite of how parties serve democracy.

Amid a wave of Canada-wide unity, Alberta’s separatism movement pushes back Alberta separatists are taking their message on the road, campaigning across the province for an independence referendum

After reading this and reading about the new policy direction from the CPC there is a clear anti-immigration thread linking these two right and far-right movements. I'm convinced a doubling down on multiculturalism, anti-racism, and openness is a way to defeat both movements.

This one weird trick could stop US women from voting | Arwa Mahdawi The Save Act – which would do the opposite of its title – could have a huge impact on the midterm elections

This one weird trick could stop US women from voting | Arwa Mahdawi

Smith’s double speak is going to lead Alberta into some seriously troubled waters.

Thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Minneapolis in protest of federal immigration enforcement for the second consecutive Friday.

📷️: Aaron Lavinsky

PACK YOUR BAGS TRAITORS !!https://bsky.app/profile/greenpeaceca.bsky.social/post/3mdntf5m3dk2t

Bondi directed federal agents to arrest four journalists.

Georgia Fort, Don Lemon, Jamael Lundy, and Trahern Crews.

All Black. All doing their jobs.

First Nations in Alberta sounding alarm over foreign interference First Nation chiefs say they have “legitimate concerns that Elections Alberta is ill-equipped to deal with potential foreign interference."

Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, the Blackfoot Confederacy, and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation say they have 'legitimate concerns that Elections Alberta is ill-equipped to deal with the potential of foreign interference in the referendum.' www.aptnnews.ca?p=282869

Alberta: destination separation Podcast Episode · West of Centre · 2026-01-23 · 41m

I found Kathleen Petty's interview with head of the Alberta Prosperity Project, Mitch Sylvestre pretty eye-opening. The APP's white christian nationalism is pretty clear, although Sylvestre tries to downplay it, which is unconvincing. Petty's interview is great in challenging him.

Let’s try this one in foreign correspondent voice:

State Security Forces Arrest Journalist Who Covered Protests Against Regime Official

Anyway congrats to our Free Speech Champions(tm) who helped usher in the most censorious American government since the Palmer Raids

First Nations leaders urge Albertans to oppose separation Chiefs say allowing separatist petition to proceed is a direct violation of treaty agreements and the Constitution

“The prosperity separatists talk about, it’s all built on their own illusions,” said Sunchild First Nation and Treaty 6 Grand Chief Joey Pete, speaking at the press conference. “How do we continue to support our provincial government when they don’t even respect us or treaty?”

Ted Morton: The Charter is gutting the provinces and the data proves it

Pretty sure it's the provinces and their constant invocation of the Notwithstanding Clause that is gutting the Charter and not the other way around.

I believe the technical term for this is "The Tail Wagging the Dog"

There have been so many shameful words and deeds offered in the last weeks by this president and this administration that you lose sight of the sedimentary layers of disgrace and instability. Small horrors are obliterated by fresh hell.

Anyone vaguely recall Trump's utterances about the Reiners?

Smith defends Alberta separatists after Eby’s ‘treason’ remarks Alberta Premier says she doesn’t want to demonize or marginalize people when they have legitimate grievances

Her far right base drive the UCPs extreme right politics. She could stop this if she had the political courage. But she has none.

How Trump has turbocharged a Canadian province’s quest for independence | Lisa Young At the very moment Canada needs to be united, Alberta has put the question of independence back on the table, says political science professor Lisa Young

Great insight from @jlisayoung.bsky.social on Alberta separation.

“Just as Russia intervened to bolster support for Brexit, we can expect some US interests to lend support to the Alberta secessionists.”