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  Alberta’s referendum is over. Sort of. The radioactive fallout will linger. In this fresh, frank episode of Alberta Unbound, I gather Shannon Phillips, Anne McClellan and Ken Boessenkool, three fierce and funny political analysts, from across the ideological spectrum, to talk about what comes next for Alberta’s political players, and for the province. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1IdU31czmoIVpdy6sbSRSg?si=g6itmpQFRQGSLMLnQiYDuw&utm_source=copy-link #cdnpoli #Alberta #Canada #ableg #a...

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  Tuesday evening, I appeared on CTV’s political talk show, Alberta Prime Time, to discuss some of the “reasoning” - if it can be called that - behind Alberta’s referendum(s). Here’s that conversation. https://youtu.be/tu96ZynJE0c?si=WHD6FlylY0fJd-8p #ableg #abpoli #Alberta #notothenine #cdnpoli

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  My final pre-referendum podcast - a powerful and poignant conversation with leaders from Alberta’s Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese communities about their love for Canada, their love for Alberta, and their extraordinary, creative efforts to motivate and educate voters, to prepare them to vote on these poisonous, convoluted, questions. I was moved to tears by their passion and they frustration. If you need a little inspiration to vote yourself, or hope to get through these tough few days, please...

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  Got up very early to chat with CBC’s Matt Galloway about Alberta’s referendum madness. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-63-the-current/clip/16243416-will-alberta-better-staying-leaving-canada

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  The news from CFB Wainwright seems increasingly grim. Dear God. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/livestory/cfb-wainwright-fire-live-updates-9.7385537

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  Well. That was a thing. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7388800

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  RE: https://mstdn.ca/@Paulatics/117407302645777705 I think my fellow Mastodonians may find this of interest.

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  RE: https://mstdn.ca/@Paulatics/117407302645777705 If you would prefer to read the transcript of my speech on Bill C-22, Canada’s controversial “lawful access” legislation, you can read it here. (Or watch below.) https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/simons-paula/interventions/705280/31#hID

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  We began debate on C-22, the controversial lawful access bill today. I have a lot of concerns about the threat this legislation poses for our civil liberties, our privacy rights, and our online safety. Among other things, it compels companies to collect hoards of metadata on every Canadian - and then draw a treasure map to help the bad guys find it. Listen and let me know what you think. https://youtu.be/zMkMYeB2EyM?si=QdWQidlNTopcvSHG #cdnpoli #Canada #lawfulaccess #C22

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  Alberta doesn’t have an immigration crisis - but it surely faces an economic crisis, if the government succeeds in chasing immigrants and investors away with its racist referendum questions. In the Senate last night, I rose to denounce the scapegoating of migrants, to tell some hard truths, and to laud the economic and social value of newcomers to Alberta, especially for rural renewal. I hope you will share and boost my remarks so that more people can hear them before they vote. https://youtu.be...

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  Today is a national day of mourning. Flags on Parliament Hill are at half mast. The Senate sitting today was very short - with only statements on the tragedy of Tumbler Ridge - and the double child homicide in Kitigan Zibi, Quebec. Two small communities facing unimaginable sorrow. So many children lost. As Canadians, we grieve together - even as we struggle to understand.

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  With so (so) much talk about Alberta separatism. But what about a counter factual? Suppose Rupert’s Land had never joined Canada in the first place? I explored that idea in this essay 8 years ago. It seems apt to share it again here - as we prepare for Truth and Reconciliation Day. It offers a useful reminder that Alberta didn’t enter Confederation the way that BC or Newfoundland or PEI did, and that our history is radically different than the Upper/Lower Canada paradigm. But I don’t think my co...

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  Why does Alberta have so many different “No” campaigns? Why is there no one big group opposing the referendum questions? I get the answers from political strategist Stephen Carter of Alberta’s Voice, poli sci prof Jared Wesley of Lead, Not Leave, and human rights lawyer Avnish Nanda of Our Alberta Advantage. An urgent must-listen of a podcast for #cdnpoli and #abpoli folks, as we go behind the scenes of the final push. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hSEeUhFqqgpKaFO6ANYe7?si=bP3gmY6vSYG3Pnoc8G...

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  The CBC has just posted a transcript of my recent interview with As It Happens, calling on the government to quit using X. I’m attaching a couple of screen shots here; since they are a bit unwieldy for alt text, I’ll attach a link to the full transcript below. #CBC #cdnpoli #Twitter #X #Grok #CSAM #yeg

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  Excited and proud to be joining this great panel tonight to discuss the meaning of the noxious nine referendum questions, and how to mobilize around them. If you’re in Edmonton, come join us! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/referendum-teach-in-tickets-1997805759807 #yeg #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #Alberta #Canada #notothenine

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  Alberta Unbound is available on every major podcast app - and can always be streamed from my Senate webpage. https://senatorpaulasimons.ca/en/media/alberta-unbound/

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  Delighted to share episode 3 of the Kreisel Lecture series - a powerful conversation with Canadian authors Richard Van Camp, Shani Mootoo and Lise Gaboury-Diallo. https://open.spotify.com/episode/0BU0ksBRTRYDIlHraUUNlE?si=R4jId20zT4eXpJmVdmzSFQ&utm_source=copy-link #AlbertaUnbound #ualberta #yeg #Alberta #canlit #Canada

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  Happy Canada Day! A message to Canadians - especially my fellow Albertans.

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  A very special episode of Alberta Unbound for you! This year marked the 20th anniversary of the University of Alberta’s Kreisel Lecture, named for the great Edmonton author and academic, Henry Kreisel. Normally, CBC Radio’s flagship doc program IDEAS broadcasts the annual literary lecture. But this year, IDEAS opted not to do so - which means WE have the honouring of sharing the podcast with you. . This year’s special anniversary lecture featured three remarkable authors - Richard Van Camp, Sh...

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  I am really disturbed at the way the Senate is being “pressured” to pass complex, important and deeply flawed legislation without proper study and debate. Bill C-16 is just the latest example. Under the cover of protecting victims, the government is rolling back important constitutional protections. Few people have noticed. So I’m telling you. https://youtu.be/vhfJqlJdc3A?si=EWWI9vtR6zJD8zjd #BillC16 #cdnpoli #SenCa #femicide #coercivecontrol #Jordan

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  Tonight, I sent my public Facebook page into hibernation. I am leaving up as an archive of my work in the Senate and my work as a journalist. But I no longer find it fun or useful to post there - and my algorithm sends me is a never ending stream of racist, transphobic and smutty posts. That - plus the standard chronic abuse from trolls, which had always been there - and I’m done. Tomorrow I delete my Senate Instagram account too. Ah well. It was fun while it lasted. #Meta #Facebook

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  For those of you tooting in real time -- you can, if you are keen, use this link to watch the live stream of the special Senate Committee of the Whole on Bill C-62, the bill which would delay the inclusion of mental illness as a grounds to receive MAID. Senators will be questioning the ministers of health and justice on this difficult issue. https://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony #SenCa #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli #Canada #MAID

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  As many of you will know, I’ve been campaigning for more than a year to get the Govt of Canada off X. This week’s Grok nonsense pushed me over the edge - and I said a very bad word! https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/01/07/get-the-fk-off-there-mps-senators-call-on-government-to-abandon-x-twitter-following-wave-of-grok-porn/487023/ #cdnpoli #X #Grok

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  https://albertareferendumb2026.ca/#top #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli (I didn’t make this. But I’m delighted to share it. I hope others will too.)

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  RE: https://mstdn.ca/@Paulatics/116444287287689324 This story just gets darker and weirder. AI slopaganda combined with foreign interference and good old fashioned greed. Are Dutch YouTube influencers sabotaging Alberta politics and Canadian unity just for lols and cash? Or are they themselves being manipulated by someone with a malicious political agenda? #cdnpoli #Canada #Alberta #separatism #abpoli

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  Disturbing story on the intersection of AI and foreign interference in Alberta’s separation campaign. It raises many troubling questions. Who is paying for AI slop disinformation? And who is consuming it? And how on earth can those on the No side compete? #ableg #abpoli #Alberta @thetyee https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/04/21/Dishonest-Online-Campaign-Support-Alberta-Separatism/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial

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  A new and timely Alberta Unbound - playwright and author @martychan on Alberta’s noxious Bill 28, book bans and the racism renaissance. This is - I guarantee - a delightful listen, because Marty is a delightful story-teller. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/alberta-unbound/id1511810939?i=1000761098829 #AlbertaUnbound #ableg #abpoli #bookbans #cdnpoli

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  Bill C-9 sets out to address the very real threat of hate and hate crimes in Canada. But striking the balance between protecting our safety and protecting of civil liberties isn’t easy. I dig into some messy questions and painful histories here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mtaZjAmQZxE&si=vGRpVw3B3rgxNzMY #cdnpoli #Alberta

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  Why yes. I did give a speech in the Senate about the joy of sex. A speech about sex and libraries, and the dangers of trying to censor what our teens can read and watch and do online. In a world full of digital risk, we need to teach our kids media literacy, and sexual literacy too. https://youtu.be/mEsf_qQzvpg?si=dCTTLIW5dBDjanVs #ableg #abpoli #Bill28 #porn #bookbans #cdnpoli #BillS209 #SenateofCanada #AI

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  A must-read for every Canadian - most especially those with American work or student visas. Powerful testimony about the soul-stripping consequences of being caught up in the American for-profit immigration detention system. Thank you, Ms. Mooney, for bearing witness - and leveraging your privilege to speak for those without voice. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney #Canada #ICE #cdnpoli