Nancy's Notes

Freedom Isn’t What You Think It Is — And We’re Running Out of Time

Last night, something happened that really disturbed me. A post I had made, about the re-energizing of the “51st state” conversation and the growing influence of American politics on Canadian sovereignty, was seen by thousands. It was shared over 1,500 times.

And then, without warning, it was gone. Deleted. For everyone who shared it? Also gone. I contacted Facebook. No flagged content. No community violations. Yet the post had disappeared, like it had never existed.

Apparently, a grandma living on the Canadian prairies, tapping away on her laptop, is now considered a threat. Are those Pierre Polievre supporting empire-building politicians south of the border really that fragile?

But people began to give me a crash course in something called shadow banning. This is done not by hackers from some villain’s lair, but by tech giants and political billionaires who once proudly sat at Donald Trump’s inauguration. And that’s when it hit me: this is what real loss of freedom looks like. Not masks. Not vaccines. Not temporary closures. This.

We need to have an honest conversation about freedom. Too many people were fed a steady diet of outrage, convincing them that being asked to protect others during a pandemic was some kind of tyranny. Spoiler: it wasn’t. You weren’t in a gulag. You weren’t denied your voice. You weren’t stripped of your right to criticize every step of the way, often loudly, rudely, and inaccurately.

Real loss of freedom? It’s when your words are silenced for political convenience. When a young lady wearing a t-shirt supporting trans rights is removed under threat of arrest from a Pierre Poilievre rally. It’s when women lose the right to control their bodies. It’s when governments dictate who you can love, what books you can read, and what parts of your history you’re allowed to know. It’s when social media platforms, those we trusted to connect us, quietly decide who gets to exist online.

That’s not fearmongering. That’s now. And when I look at how fast “freedom” in the U.S. was twisted into a tool of hate, censorship, and fear, I know exactly what’s at stake if we let the same forces take hold here.

Let’s be absolutely clear: I’m not talking about the fake “freedom” paraded in a cloud of diesel fumes and angry slogans. I’m talking about real freedom, the kind that a Liberal government under Mark Carney would actually fight to protect: Freedom to speak your mind without government interference. Freedom to make your own medical decisions without political meddling. Freedom to live your life, love who you love, and build your future without asking permission. Freedom to vote in real, open elections, not ones rigged by billionaires and bots.

The version Pierre Poilievre and the convoy crowd are peddling. That’s not freedom. That’s marketing for a world where only the angriest voices survive, and the rest of us get shoved out of the conversation. Freedom is not convenience. Freedom is not cruelty. Freedom is not the right to endanger others just because you’re feeling inconvenienced.

Real freedom is fragile. Real freedom is responsibility. Real freedom is being able to live your truth, even when it threatens someone else’s power. Real freedom is the spirit behind the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, not just for the loudest, the angriest, or the wealthiest, but for every single one of us.

Maybe that post removal last night wasn’t a defeat. Maybe it was the best thing that could have happened. Because it reminded me, and should remind you, that freedom isn’t comfortable.
It’s messy. It’s loud. It’s stubborn. And sometimes the recognition of losing can be from something as simple as a Facebook post. Freedom isn’t honking your horn until you get your way. It’s standing your ground when someone with power tells you to sit down and shut up. And frankly, this may be the single most important reason I am doing this. To have people recognize that slippery slope on freedom loss is squickly turning into a landslide in the US.

And when even a prairie grandma becomes “too dangerous to tolerate,” you know exactly who’s afraid of the truth, and why. Just imagine how scared they’ll be when millions of Canadians stand up and vote for real leadership. There is only one person on that ballot who understands that freedom isn’t a tantrum, it’s a responsibility. Only Mark Carney can provide the direction, the protection, and the future we deserve.

So let them ban. Let them censor. Let them throw every dirty trick they have. We’re still here. We’re still fighting. And we know exactly what, and who, is worth fighting for.

Our freedom isn’t a slogan. It’s our future. It’s not for sale. Mark Carney knows what real freedom means, and he will stand up for these Rights and Freedoms when it matters most.
Not just when it’s easy. Not just when it’s popular. But when it’s necessary.

I posted this early this morning-it had been shared 1550 and suddenly it’s gone. No word from Facebook nothing. Something nefarious-I have been banning people by the hour. Someone complained?

If you want to know who Donald Trump wants running Canada, look no further, because he just made it crystal clear.

The “51st state” comment? That wasn’t a slip. It was a message, strategic, intentional, and deliberately revived. And it didn’t come out yesterday, it came last week, when Trump’s press secretary, Carolyn Leavitt (yes, the one with the smug, deadpan delivery of a Stepford intern), made sure to remind us that the Trump–Carney phone call never really went away.

This wasn’t a leak. It was a move because Trump needs a win. He told the world he’d fix Putin in 24 hours, that he’d solve the Middle East in a week, and he had “a great relationship” with Xi Jinping. And what has he delivered? Nothing but chaos and campaign hats. He needs an easy victory. Something symbolic. Something he can frame as dominance.
Enter: Canada. To Trump, we’re low-hanging fruit. And he wants someone sitting in the Prime Minister’s Office who will let him pluck that fruit without a fuss. That someone is Pierre Poilievre.

Let’s not kid ourselves. Trump sees Poilievre as manageable, a smart-mouth lightweight with a desperate need to win and a flexible relationship with facts. Poilievre doesn’t intimidate Trump. He excites him because he’s someone who’ll trade sovereignty for applause.

Now let’s talk about the man Trump doesn’t want to deal with: Mark Carney. Carney is no pushover. He has run not one, but two central banks. He’s stared down financial crises. He’s negotiated at the global table. And here’s what really matters: he can’t be manipulated. Trump sees that, and it makes him nervous. Because Carney plays chess. Trump plays checkers, blindfolded, with a marker.

But here’s where the contrast gets really real.

Mark Carney faced the press yesterday, and it was not pretty. He stood there, took the questions, and didn’t flinch. He didn’t dodge, didn’t hide, didn’t throw out talking points or disappear behind a staffer. It was uncomfortable. It was raw. And he showed up anyway.

Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre continues to run his campaign like a high-security bunker.
He controls messaging with the same clenched fist Stephen Harper once did, and let’s not pretend we don’t remember how that went. Conservative candidates across the country are refusing to speak to the media. Why? Because they’ve been told not to. This isn’t speculation, this is happening in real time. Today. In 2025. This is how it works when messaging is centralized, and democracy is optional. This is how it worked under Harper. It’s how it would work under Poilievre. And honestly? It annoys the hell out of me to turn on my TV and see that ad. You know the one. Stephen Harper, staring down the camera, said: I employed two people who are running in this election: Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre. Only one of them I’d hire again. And every time I see it, I want to yell at the screen: Then why didn’t you promote Pierre? Why did you sideline him for a decade? Because what Stephen Harper did do was nominate Mark Carney for the Order of Canada. And now we’re supposed to believe Carney isn’t qualified, but Pierre is?

It’s gaslighting at scale. And a disturbing number of people are buying it.

So I want to speak directly to a specific group here:

If you’re undecided but leaning Liberal, does this shift anything for you?
This question isn’t for the forever-Poilievre crowd, and it’s not for people like me who are already solidly in Carney’s corner. This is for those of you still sitting on the edge of the diving board.

Do you see it now? The media manipulation. The foreign influence. The fear Trump has of a smart Canadian leader who won’t kiss his ring? Because this isn’t about a phrase. It’s about who’s holding the pins, and who’s holding the strings. Donald Trump doesn’t want Mark Carney leading Canada. And frankly, that tells me everything I need to know.

So ask yourself this: do you want the Prime Minister who Donald Trump can control, or the one he’s terrified of? Because I’ll tell you right now: If Trump wants a puppet, he hopes we pick Pierre. But if Canada wants a Prime Minister, we better pick Mark.

Three days. Eyes wide open. Don’t let the curtain close on this country.

TOSS-UP NATION: How One Vote Could Break the Gridlock or Hand It Over. We need all Liberals to read this and act. The Conservative machine is out in force on the internet today with disinformation/misinformation.

Let’s get one thing straight: this isn’t a debate about polling accuracy. Polls are imperfect. We know that. But they’re also a snapshot of something real. A moment in time that shows us where the winds are shifting, and where we, as voters, still have time to grab the wheel. And what that snapshot shows us right now is a Canada on the edge of a coin toss.

I’ve talked a lot about the ridings that are in play, those so-called “toss-ups” where the margins are razor-thin and the outcome hinges on a few hundred ballots. Maybe even fewer. These are the ridings where one conversation, one decision, one vote, perhaps yours, could shift the entire national outcome.

Let me start with one that hits close to home: Central Newfoundland. That’s where my big sis and her family live. That riding? It’s literally tied, 48% to 48%, with a few percent sitting with the NDP. You can’t get tighter than that. One kitchen-table conversation could tip it. And it’s not just there. What’s really surprising, and hopeful, is where the toss-ups are this time.

They’re not just in Ontario and Quebec. They’re in Manitoba, British Columbia, and Alberta. Yes, Alberta, the place so many say is already decided before the polls even close. Well, not this time. This time, Alberta and BC may be holding some cards.

Alberta Toss-ups are Calgary Centre, Calgary Confederation, Edmonton Gateway, Edmonton Northwest, Edmonton Riverbend, Edmonton West and Edmonton Southeast.

BC Toss-ups are Kelowna, Mission–Matsqui–Abbotsford, Saanich, South Surrey–White Rock, Abbotsford–South Langley, Cloverdale–Langley City, Langley Township–Fraser Heights, Pitt Meadows–Maple Ridge, Richmond Centre–Marpole, Richmond East–Steveston and then there is Esquimalt–Saanich, a true three-way knife fight between Libs, Cons, and NDP, where strategic voting could crown a winner.

And don’t forget — these toss-ups aren’t confined to the West. There are close races in nearly every province. If you haven’t checked your riding yet, now’s the time.

These aren’t hypotheticals. They’re real. And we can make a difference. I know because I saw it happen. Last weekend, a family member, a lifelong oil & gas guy in Alberta, swimming in Conservative signage and separatist-adjacent chatter, reached out to me. He wanted information. Not a lecture, not a guilt trip, just the facts. I gave him what I had: local candidates, federal leaders, straight-up comparisons. A few hours later, he sent me a photo of his ballot. He had voted. Liberal. In Edmonton Centre. That wasn’t pressure. That was information, respect, and someone trusting him to decide.

So here’s my ask: We can take just one of these toss-ups. Talk to someone. Send a link. Offer the truth, calmly. That ripple matters. Because if this country’s future comes down to 500 votes in 20 ridings, we could each have made a difference.

And if you need one last reason? The Trumpster’s back, after weeks of silence, he emerged yesterday to recycle his old “51st State” garbage. Because when the MAGA machine starts breaking down, it needs something soft to punch. And let’s face it, we’re a lot easier to bully than Beijing.

But here’s the thing: Trump’s insults don’t scare Mark Carney. Carney stood toe-to-toe with Wall Street, central bankers, the IMF, and yes, Trump’s White House. And unlike some other party leaders, he’s not auditioning to be Trump’s northern mascot. So vote like your country’s sovereignty is on the line, because it is.

Vote like you’re choosing someone who can stare down chaos and not blink. Because if we don’t put a serious adult in the room, Trump’s already got the playbook, the puppets, and the pen

Budget Reality Check: One Plan Adds Up. The Other Just Adds Photos. This isn’t a popularity contest. It’s a budget.
And five days from now, we’re not just voting for personalities, we’re voting for the people who will be in charge of your tax dollars, your cost of living, your national defence, and your kid’s future. So let’s stop pretending every platform is equal just because it has a logo on the front. One party has released a fully costed, detailed plan. The other gave us 30 pages, half of which are glamour shots of a guy who thinks “common sense” is a substitute for economics. This isn’t about who you like. It’s about who’s telling the truth, with numbers. Let’s skip the slogans and get straight to the receipts. Not what the bots are repeating. Just the real math.

So I’ve been running both platforms through a fiscal filter by consulting with finance folks and a political scientist, because I care deeply about policy, and I also believe in peer review.

And here’s the headline: Only one of these platforms is remotely ready to govern. Only one has a roadmap. The other? It’s a collage of slogans with a few bar graphs and a lot of Poilievre’s face.

This isn’t about partisanship. This is about math.

The fiscal breakdown-clean and clear.

Let’s start with transparency and structure Liberals (Carney): 72 pages, fully costed, with a complete fiscal annex reviewed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. It outlines multi-year projections, fiscal anchors, and targeted investments with identified revenue sources. Conservatives (Poilievre): 30 pages. Roughly half is photography. There is no line-by-line costing, no third-party review (PBO) and no formal budget plan. The phrase “trust me” is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Revenue Measures (Money In) Liberals: Introduce a 0.5% annual tax on wealth over $20 million, crack down on offshore tax havens, apply a tax on foreign homebuyers, close corporate loopholes, and maintain carbon pricing (which funds rebates and transition projects). Conservatives: Repeal carbon tax. Cut CBC. Talk vaguely about “economic growth” and “efficiencies.” No new revenue streams identified. Just vibes.

Spending Committments (Money Out) Liberals: Heavy investment in housing (land access, trades training, incentives), climate infrastructure, clean tech, military upgrades, health care, and a national child care system, all with associated costs and timelines. Conservatives: Promise tax cuts. Cancel clean fuel regulations. Mention housing, but offer no build targets. Say they’ll bring jobs home — but have no plan to do it. No costing = no clarity.

Fiscal anchor and Path to Balance. Liberals: Maintain a debt-to-GDP anchor. Deficits shrink gradually over four years, with targeted economic growth strategies to protect long-term stability. Economists note the risks but say the structure is sound, especially with global instability in mind. Conservatives: Claim they will “balance the budget,” but offer no schedule, no breakdown, and no anchor. Political scientists call this a “narrative device,” not a plan. If there’s a balance strategy, it’s hiding behind the camera that took all those portraits.

I kept those details non partisan but I need to change things up. Those were just facts and now I am going to sound a little snarky. But someone has to say it. Let’s talk about that Conservative “budget.” And I use that word generously. It’s less a fiscal plan and more an Instagram reel in PDF form. There are more pictures of Pierre (not kidding-go look at it) than there are defined costed commitments. Honestly, the only balance in the document is between smirking poses and empty platitudes.

And look, I’m trying to take this seriously. I wanted to be non-partisan totally on this topic. Well at least I was for the detail part of this post but when a platform shows up with less math than a game of Monopoly and expects to be handed the country’s books, I have questions.

Like: Where exactly is the money coming from in the Conservative platform? How do you cancel billions in revenue (carbon tax) and promise new spending without explaining a single offset? Are they running a government or entering a photo contest? That “you can’t spend a dollar without bringing in a dollar” line? It sounds like the kind of thing someone says just before cutting child care and selling off public broadcasting, while somehow still finding $20 billion for boutique tax breaks.

And here’s the brutal truth: even if you support some of the ideas in the Conservative platform, say on housing, they will not happen. Not because they’re bad ideas (though some certainly are), but because they aren’t funded. Without investment, without a fiscal path, and without real revenue, they simply cannot be implemented. And when that reality hits? The excuse will be, let me guess… “the lost Liberal decade.”

Dear God. You can’t run a G7 economy like it’s a checkout line at Dollarama. Fiscal policy is not just a matter of saying “no.” It’s about understanding where the country needs to invest to grow, in people, in productivity, in sovereignty, and yes, in survival. Because we’re not just paying for today, we’re preparing for what’s coming. Climate. Conflict. Competitiveness. You don’t slash your way through that. You build for it. And building costs money, but at least the Liberals tell us how they’ll pay for it. Even if we don’t like the cost.

This isn’t about Left vs Right, It’s about Real vs Reckless

Whether you support the Liberals or not, they’ve given us a detailed plan with costing, timelines, and trade-offs. It’s transparent. It’s measurable. It’s open to scrutiny. The Conservatives? They’re asking for power, but haven’t shown how they’d use it, fund it, or safeguard it. You don’t get to show up for a job interview without a resumé. And right now, the Poilievre platform looks like it was written in the Uber on the way to the press conference.

So here’s the deal: Five days. One country. Two visions. And only one of them bothered to bring the calculator. “This isn’t about who you like. It’s about who’s prepared to govern — and who’s hoping you won’t read the fine print.”

Let’s call this ‘Give me a reason.’ Trump Is Coming for Canada. Who Do You Want at the Helm, the Global Strategist or the Guy with a YouTube Channel?

Let’s get back to the core of this election. We’ve spent the last few weeks focused, rightly, on domestic challenges like housing, affordability, and health care.

But it’s time to widen the lens again. Because this election isn’t just about what’s happening inside Canada, it’s about what’s coming at Canada from the outside. And at the centre of that storm is our increasingly unpredictable, estranged sibling next door: the United States.

Trump is coming. Whether it’s tariffs, trade extortion, soft annexation, or the dismantling of NATO, the danger is real. And while he keeps quiet (which should scare us more than when he screams), his press secretary, Carolyn Leavitt, just told CBC “the idea of Canada becoming the 51st state hasn’t gone away.”

This isn’t a conspiracy theory. This is a flashing red light.

And yet here we are, acting like tariffs were just a 2018 problem, like softwood lumber and cross-border supply chains won’t be back on the table before the ink dries on our next Parliament. They will. And with Trump in office, Canada is a target, not a partner.

So, who do you trust to handle that? Because I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what Pierre Poilievre brings to that table! Can anyone name one global accomplishment? Twenty years in Parliament, and not a single international negotiation, not one NATO file, not one moment where global peers looked to him as a leader. And please, don’t let Poilievre’s first real experience of international peer leadership be with Donald Trump or J.D. Vance. That’s not diplomacy. That’s walking into the lion’s den wearing a blood sausage neck scarf.

Meanwhile, Poilievre throws around the notwithstanding clause like a chew toy, flirting with the erosion of Charter rights the same way Trump is bulldozing judicial independence in the U.S. You can’t tell me that’s not a slippery slope, because we’re watching the Americans fall down it in real time.

But here’s the kicker. Unlike Poilievre, Mark Carney has already earned Trump’s respect. They know each other. Trump may not like Carney, but he respects him. Because Carney has walked into G7 rooms, IMF briefings, and global summits, and held his ground. He’s a heavyweight. He’s been Governor of the Bank of Canada and Governor of the Bank of England. He chaired the Financial Stability Board during the 2008 crisis and has sat at the table with the world’s most volatile leaders, and walked away with deals, not drama.

So yes, this started with tariffs. But it’s about much more: It’s about NATO and our role in global security. It’s about border sovereignty and cross-border trade. It’s about energy, food security, AI, and digital infrastructure, which are the real assets of a modern nation. And yes, it’s about the man in the White House, and whether the man in Ottawa knows how to handle him.

Ask yourself: what are the guiding principles that shape your decisions for this election? Mine are simple: Hire based on expertise, not slogans. Trust the person who’s proven they can handle crisis. Don’t give the keys to someone who’s never driven the car, especially when there’s a snowstorm coming.

Because make no mistake: Trump was never just coming for the White House. He’s coming for us. And I don’t want to wake up one day to find our Prime Minister smiling politely as Trump puts Canada on the auction block, while his press secretary tweets about how “grateful we should be to join the family.”

That’s not sovereignty. That’s not leadership. That’s colonization by handshake.

So unless someone can give me ONE solid international accomplishment from Pierre Poilievre, I’m going with the guy who’s already been tested, and knows how to say “No” when it matters most.

Because Trump doesn’t need to use tanks to take us over — just someone weak enough to let him in.

The platform! Before you compare, remember this: Carney’s is the only fully costed platform on the table. The Conservatives haven’t released one, so stop grading him against a ghost. AND let’s get one other thing straight: this IS a big platform with a big price tag. And thank God for that. Because you can’t fix a broken housing market, rebuild a hollowed-out military, or defend against Trump’s tariffs with budget line edits and a toonie’s worth of duct tape. You have to invest. That’s not reckless, that’s reality.

Every serious businessperson knows you spend to grow. And every serious voter should be asking: Who actually has a plan to grow anything? Only one party has released a full, costed platform. Just one. The rest? They’re waiting in the weeds, ready to take potshots at the numbers — but not bold enough to put out numbers of their own.

So here we are. If you’re going to judge, judge the only plan on the table. The only one that tells you not just what gets built, but what it costs to build it.

Let’s talk military. Mark Carney is putting $31 billion on the table over four years to rebuild, rearm, and actually equip the people we ask to put their lives on the line. New submarines, Arctic patrols, aerial drones, radar systems, and yes, new boots. If you know, you know. (And if you don’t — ask someone who’s served what their toes look like after a winter ruck march.) This isn’t abstract for me. My son is wearing that uniform. And it shouldn’t take a war or a scandal for us to realize he and his peers deserve better than broken barracks and bureaucracy.

Next housing. This plan revives the federal government’s role in construction, with Build Canada Homes leading the charge. It’s the most ambitious housing strategy since the Second World War: 500,000 homes per year, cuts to development fees, revived rental incentives, and bulk pre-fab builds to bring costs down. For those chirping that it’s government overreach… we’re in a market that’s pricing people out of their own cities. Yoga-stretching around the issue won’t build a single roofline. And if you’re wondering why I care? I live in Alberta. I’ve watched a generation of skilled trades get squeezed between rising materials and vanishing margins. My youngest is finishing university and asking the same question so many are: How am I supposed to start my life if I can’t afford to live in it?

And then there is oil and gas. The attacks I get on this one are laughable. Apparently, I hate the industry, despite the fact that my husband has been an O&G consultant for decades. This platform includes infrastructure to bring oil and gas to tidewater, full stop. So let’s stop treating Mark Carney like he’s the Grim Reaper of pipelines. He’s proposing energy corridors that include oil, natural gas, renewables, transmission lines, and yes, critical minerals. It’s a pragmatic, 21st-century approach — not a fantasyland of slogans and rage memes.

Now, the fiscal plan. Here’s what matters: Capital investment is prioritized. Homes, roads, ports, factories, military equipment, all in. Public service is capped, not gutted. EI payments come faster, digital services improve, and you stop getting bounced between five departments like it’s a bureaucratic game of pinball. Debt-to-GDP goes down. Operating balance by 2028. Child care, pharmacare, and dental care stay. The math is there, and so is the discipline. This is not reckless. This is nation-building. This is the kind of spending you do when you want your country to survive a hostile global economy (oh should I mention Trump here) with a bit more than a smile and a spreadsheet.

And yet, this week, you’ll hear the opposite. You’ll see ads calling this plan “dangerous.” You’ll see bots shrieking “tax hike!” without a calculator in sight. You’ll see TikToks from the same folks who haven’t released a single costed proposal and whose entire pitch so far could be summed up as “shut it all down.”

So here’s my final word: I don’t post because I’m trying to win arguments. I post because I believe people deserve real information. I’ve been attacked for allegedly not caring about the next generation of homebuyers, meanwhile I’m watching my son try to rent a closet for the price of a mortgage. I’ve been attacked for not caring about oil and gas while living with a man who’s consulted in that field longer than most of these critics have had a driver’s license. If you care about this country, you pay attention. If you care about the people in it, you ask questions. And if you care about your future, you demand answers that come with a cost estimate, not just a catchphrase.

Because in politics, like in finance, anyone promising you everything for nothing isn’t making a budget. They’re making a scam look patriotic.

ALBERTA: THE SWING IS REAL. THE CLOCK IS TICKING. This isn’t my usual kind of post. No jokes. No fire and brimstone. Just straight-up voter intel from deep inside the numbers -because the narrative is shifting, fast. You know those pretty colours on 338Canada? They’re not just polling numbers. They’re built from a stew of public polls, regional trends, past elections, and a dash of modelling from founder Philippe J. Fournier. They assign confidence like this: Safe = 99.9%+, Likely = 90–99%, Leaning = 70–90% Toss-Up = anything under that. Last week? Alberta had eight Liberal-favouring ridings. Today? Four of those are sliding. Hard. Here are the ‘odds of winning stats’ Edmonton West dropped from 63% to 28%, Calgary McKnight? Down. Edmonton Centre? Down. Calgary Centre and Confederation? Now tilting, Conservative. And no, Easter weekend polling gaps don’t explain this away. This is a warning. Not because the game is lost, but because this is the moment it starts slipping if we don’t act. If you’re in Alberta, this is the time to stop assuming, start talking, and get every single progressive voter you know ready. Make sure they understand that the path to holding back the blue wave doesn’t just run through Ontario and BC, it runs through us. Right now. If you’re in another province? Pay attention. What’s happening here could hit you next. Polls don’t vote. People do. But if we sit this one out? We’re going to wake up in a Canada we don’t recognize — and it won’t be a polling model’s fault. It’ll be ours.

This morning I saw the lines—real, long, determined lines of people voting. And I felt something I hadn’t felt in a while: hope, heartbreak, and a gut-punch reminder that democracy still means something. Even here. Even now. This weekend, like many others across Canada, my family will come together. There will be laughter, probably too much food, and at least one heated discussion where someone storms out to walk off a mood. And underneath it all—this steady awareness that we are still lucky. Not in the smug, patriotic bumper-sticker way. But in the way that says: we still live in a country where we get to choose. Where we get to vote. I know that sounds cheesy. Cliché. Maybe even a bit hokey. But it’s true. This morning, I saw the photos on social media and experienced lines out the door when the polls opened. People showed up early to cast a ballot in this election, some of them for the first time. It stopped me cold. Because for all the cynicism, the noise, and the manipulation, there’s something about people choosing to vote that still feels deeply human. I live in rural Alberta. I know most people in the line I was in would not be voting the way I did. But I still felt this strange mix of hope and heartbreak seeing them there. Because at least they were voting. At least they were showing up. And I think-especially right now-that still means something. We are at a crossroads in this country. And that isn’t dramatic. That’s just where we are. And the divide isn’t just about left versus right, or who cuts what taxes. It’s deeper than that. It’s about whether we still believe in Canada. It’s messy, imperfect, pluralistic-or whether we retreat into something smaller. Something meaner. Something more American. I haven’t talked much lately about the 51st state rhetoric, or Alberta sovereignty, or any of the independence fantasies that keep bubbling up in this province. Not because it’s gone away. It’s just been drowned out by other noise—housing, inflation, disinformation, culture wars. But it’s still there, under the surface. And honestly? I’m feeling it again. Stronger than I have in weeks. I feel it when I hear people talk like Canada is the problem. When they fantasize about breaking it up instead of fixing what’s broken. I feel it when I see politicians weaponize anger instead of offering vision. And I especially feel it when I think about the people in my life—family, friends, strangers online—who seem convinced that freedom means getting your way and nothing else. And I come from a background shaped by both world wars and ongoing military service today. I was raised to believe in responsibility. In showing up. In defending not just borders, but principles. That doesn’t mean I think Canada is flawless. It means I believe it’s worth fighting for. I also think about new Canadians-the way they talk about voting here for the first time. The way they dress up to go to the polls. The way they describe it as a privilege, a joy, a moment they never thought they’d get. And I wonder when we stopped feeling that way. When did we trade that pride in for indifference-or worse, for resentment? We’ve been handed something precious. Post Second World War, Canada was left with an incredible gift: peace, resources, stability, and room to grow. And sure, we’ve made mistakes. We’ve forgotten who we are sometimes. But that doesn’t mean we burn it all down and start over in someone else’s image. It means we remember what’s worth saving. And I’ll say this too—because it’s part of the story. We talk a lot about housing and affordability, and I get it. I really do. But I also think we’ve warped what “success” looks like. I grew up in a solid middle class family. Three-bedroom house. One bathroom for five people. And we were proud. It wasn’t 6,000 square feet and a granite kitchen. It was a home. A life. A shared space with expectations grounded in community-not entitlement. I’m not saying young people shouldn’t want to own a home. I’m saying the system has broken down not because we’ve lost our values, but because we’ve forgotten how to value the things that matter. Like voting. Like compassion. So maybe this is all a little ranty. A little too long. But I needed to get it down. Because this long weekend, when you’re sitting around the table, smiling at your kids/grandkids or in my case, my very first grandchild—maybe take a second and remember that none of this is guaranteed. None of it is permanent. Democracy isn’t some background noise. It’s a decision. One we make every time we show up. And yeah, maybe it’s a little sad that it takes a crisis for people to remember that. But here we are—lined up outside polling stations, still trying. Still choosing. Still stubborn enough to believe we can do better. That’s Canada, isn’t it? Not perfect. Not always polite. But still showing up-even when the weather sucks, even when the system feels rigged, even when your neighbour’s voting the opposite of you and you still nod hello. So let’s vote. Let’s fight. Let’s hold the line. Let’s not let apathy do what no foreign enemy ever could. We’ve been handed something rare. Let’s not give it back. I always have that memory of the many times I heard my father say “When you’re born in Canada you’ve already won the lottery.” 

Debate Night Debrief: Rage, Restraint, and Red Flags, and let’s be honest: nobody changed their mind tonight. But a lot got revealed. Pierre Poilievre didn’t answer a single question without boomeranging it back at Mark Carney — even if the question came from the moderator, Blanchet, or a stray fruit fly in the studio. His fixation was surgical. Like a chatbot programmed to say “the last 10 years” on repeat, and I counted that at least 20 times. He said “Trudeau” less than usual (someone clearly told him to tone it down), but the strategy was the same: blame, deflect, repeat. He’s not here to lead. He’s here to litigate a decade he wasn’t trusted to shape. Meanwhile, Mark Carney stayed calm, clear, and policy-focused. His answers weren’t rhetorical fluff – they had content. Even when pressed on the Brookfield issue, he stuck to the line that it was pre-politics, private-sector, and fully disclosed. Did he hit every note? No. But he didn’t lose anyone, and he made his point stick: when Trump comes knocking, you want someone at the table who’s already been there. He didn’t dominate the room — he dignified it. And in this climate, that’s rare. Plus he dropped the night’s cleanest cut: “I know it may be hard, Mr. Poilievre. You spent years arguing against Justin Trudeau and the carbon tax — and they’re both gone.” Jagmeet Singh showed up swinging. Figuratively. Dressed for political war. And he held his ground. The problem? He might have shown up too late. People who’ve moved to strategic voting may not come back. But this was one of his strongest performances. He fought like a leader. The problem is, his voters are playing golf. And then there was Yves-François Blanchet, who spent so much time reminding us he’s a Quebecer that he forgot he’s also supposed to be in a federal debate. His separatist edge wasn’t just grating — it was borderline nihilistic. Even hardline Quebecers know now isn’t the time to burn bridges while the global house is on fire. Blanchet still hasn’t read the room. Or the century. This wasn’t a debate: it was a slow-motion collision between ego, evasion, and existential dread, and let’s be blunt: the moderators lost control. Questions got bulldozed, time limits ignored, and follow-ups were rarer than facts in a Rebel News comment section. When you’re refereeing four egos and an election, you have to own the room. This felt more like they borrowed it for the evening. When the moderators whisper, the spin machine roars.

Now let’s talk about what should chill every Canadian to the bone: Pierre Poilievre’s casual willingness to abuse the Notwithstanding Clause. He floated using it to override sentencing laws — not for an emergency, not during a war, but to overrule court decisions he doesn’t like. That’s not criminal justice reform-that’s constitutional vandalism. The Charter isn’t a suggestion box. Once you normalize the Notwithstanding Clause for political convenience, you open the floodgates. One clause away from any right being up for grabs — from union protections to reproductive freedoms. We don’t need a prime minister who governs like he’s on a Reddit forum called ‘Abolish Rights for Fun.’ And then there is the Trump factor which frankly is the factor that needs to be of the biggest concern to all Canadians. Carney didn’t let it slide. He hammered the stakes: Trump’s return, tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, NATO at risk, and an American president who thinks Canada is a discount warehouse for his imperial whims. Poilievre has no plan. He talks tough but lacks a diplomatic record or global respect. Canadians need to ask: if Trump pulls the pin, do we want someone who knows the wiring -or someone holding a match? This isn’t about liking Carney. It’s about surviving Trump.

And then there was the chaos after the cameras. The debate ended, but the circus continued. A media scrum devolved into farce after Rebel News and True North threw a tantrum about their place in line. The debate commission backed down and cancelled the scrum. That’s a problem. These aren’t real news organizations – they’re outrage factories. And when you let propagandists bully their way into legitimacy, you’re playing straight from the Trump 2016–2024 handbook. This wasn’t just bad optics. It was a canary in the democratic coal mine. When you start letting fringe outlets dictate the rules, the fringe becomes the fabric.

So the final score? No knockout punches. Just confirmations. Poilievre played to his base with rage, repetition, and wrecking-ball rhetoric. Carney stayed statesmanlike and reminded voters that policy still matters. Singh had fight, but maybe not enough runway. Blanchet looked like he was in the wrong election.

In the end, this debate won’t decide the race — but it underlined what’s at stake: the cost of every promise, the risk of every shortcut, and the question of whether we still value the institutions that hold this country together. Because if we don’t — someone like Trump doesn’t need to tear us down. We’ll do it ourselves, one sound bite, one scapegoat, one constitutional override at a time — until democracy becomes just another thing we say we used to have.

Canada is shifting — and last night, we watched the fault lines widen in French. The French-language debate wasn’t about applause lines or slick rehearsals. It was a political MRI — and the scans were revealing. Pierre Poilievre walked in like a man told to behave — and it showed. Gone were the shouty soundbites, the rage-tinted slogans, the performative anger. What we got instead was the quiet version of Poilievre… and honestly? There was nothing there! No TikTok cadence. No faux-fury. Just awkward pauses and the unsettling realization that without the noise, he doesn’t actually have much to say. Jagmeet Singh looked good. Sounded good. But left almost no mark. Yves Francois Blanchet was bold, biting, and very Quebec — he played to his base, but his base isn’t what it used to be. Mark Carney, the guy they all came for, stood there calmly -answering, clarifying, sometimes stumbling, but never flinching. His French wasn’t perfect, but it was enough. He didn’t perform. He persevered. There’s a difference. And it matters.

Now, with the French debate in the rearview, we shift to the final stage: Thursday, April 17-the English-language leaders’ debate. This is it. The last chance to see all the leaders side by side, speaking in a language they all understand, on a stage where no one gets to hide behind subtitles or hometown crowd advantages. So what should we expect? Poilievre will try to recalibrate. Expect him to swing between slogans and smirks. But now that we’ve seen what happens when the volume drops, don’t expect much substance. Singh will bring the heart. But it may land like déjà vu unless he can carve out something new. Blanchet will toss cultural grenades from the sidelines. Because even in English, he knows how to make Quebec heard. Carney will be the wildcard again. Still not polished. Still not a seasoned politician. But maybe that’s the point. No stunts. No script. Just well-informed responses and calm.

So, indulge me for a moment as I have my own debate question… I am just curious Mr. Poilievre, if you want to lead Canada, could you pretend you don’t want to burn half of it down to win? Let’s start with what we’re all pretending not to see. The Freedom Convoy crowd didn’t disappear — they just traded their rigs for lawn chairs at your rallies. And from the looks of it, they’re not just supporting you… they might be writing the damn agenda. And where are you, Pierre? Right there. Not just watching it happen — encouraging it. You’ve got convoy cosplay at every rally, flag-bearers with a vocabulary that begins and ends with “F***” and you haven’t said a word. Not one. First it was F** Trudeau*. Now it’s F** Carney*. Tomorrow? Probably F** Literacy* -as long as it fits on a flag and keeps the rage machine running. So here’s the real question, Mr. Poilievre: Will you ever look your base in the eye and say, “This is not the Canada I want”? Because until you do, you’re not just tolerating it. You’re endorsing it — with silence, winks, and staged rallies so sanitized, even Fox News might call it propaganda-lite. But of course you won’t say that. Because to denounce them is to lose them. And without them, your campaign isn’t a movement — it’s just a merch stand with a podcast. Do you lead these people? Or just read their comments section and call it policy? Because if you can’t, or won’t say that the flag-waving hate mob doesn’t represent your vision for Canada, then we’ll have to assume that it does. And at that point, let’s be honest: You’re not running to be Prime Minister of Canada, you’re auditioning to be manager of the Maple MAGA outlet. Same rage. Different flag. Because this one isn’t about politics anymore. It’s about whether you actually give a damn about this country or do you just want to watch it burn from the top floor of 24 Sussex with a smirk and a slogan.

And now that I’ve emptied that political junk drawer here we are. The French debate peeled back the polish. The English debate may expose some gaps. And the question Poilievre will never answer is still hanging in the air like smoke from a fire he helped start. And now? Now we vote. Not to relive history — but to stop it from repeating what’s happening next door. Because this isn’t about slogans or seats anymore. It’s about sovereignty – ours. And whether Canada steps forward with spine… or follows the convoy into a country it won’t recognize by Christmas. So vote like the border just caught fire. Because actually it kind of already did.