dailynewsnblog
Thomas Lukaszuk (photo by Serena Mak)
Mobilizing to Stay
You know, it occurred to me today that Danielle Smith may well have shot herself in the foot with her Referendum Lite stuff.
She jury-rigged the motion to add a separatist referendum question onto her previously-announced list of nine constitutional questions. I’ll bet she thought that adding the separatism question to her list would get her a larger turnout.
But if Alberta anger at the separatists generates a significant “Stay” turnout, then we might well see Smith lose on all of her anti-immigrant anti-federal, pro-MAGA “questions”.
We’re seeing lots of Stay supporters in Alberta now – a substacker who calls himself “FortBison” will be writing about them daily until referendum day in October. Today FortBison is writing about the bus tour of former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk:
I like Thomas Lukaszuk’s “Forever Canadian Unity Bus” tour of Alberta, as it mostly runs on heart. That one red-and-white RV could be called the official vehicle of the “Stay Side” who will vote in the province-wide October 19 referendum on whether Albertans wish to stay in Canada or not.
The bright red-and-white maple leaf wrap of the Unity Bus is loveable because it is so unlikely a sight in Alberta. In a land that prefers not to think of national patriotism, thank you very much, the Lakaszuk Forever Canadian Unity Bus does so unabashedly.
Lukaszuk, a former deputy premier of Alberta, posted this on social media: “My strategy for separatism is the same as my strategy for pierogies; stab it with a fork, deal with it directly, and don’t leave any leftovers.”….
The whole article is worth reading.
Moving on, here is some ridiculous AI fantasy the Alberta separatists are using to try to make their case – reminds me of Poilievre’s campaign slogans from last year:
Relevant to this post, here’s Cory Morgan (from the Western Standard) highlighting the AI slop they are workshopping to appeal to separation. Have a look.
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— Holly Hoye 🇨🇦 (@hollyhoye.bsky.social) June 4, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Meanwhile, more on the Stay side:
Swinging against Poilievre
I think this is Jane Dewar, an Ontario politician – in any case, she has a good point:
So on Monday Poilievre blew off the installation ceremony for our new Governor General Louise Arbour so he could give a speech in Alberta opposing separatism. Amazingly, he told Alberta that the only things they need are exactly the same slogans that he himself and the Conservative Party of Canada ran on in the 2025 election – more housing and guns, less taxes crime and immigration.
So Pierre’s message for national unity is “Please, let me be prime minister”…
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— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 12:55 PM
Poilievre: Liberal governments have intruded into provincial jurisdictions, seizing the lawful firearms of law-abiding Alberta farmers, First Nations and rural people. And the federal government has become bigger and bossier than ever before.
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— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Poilievre: After all of that, and after all we’ve been through the last decade, Albertans are not even looking for an apology or compensation. They’re looking for Ottawa to get out of their way and off their backs for the province to finally have respect within Confederation.
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— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 12:43 PM
David Cochrane puts up with no shit on his Power and Politics show!
I cannot stress enough how dangerous it is that the Conservatives are trying to make their support for Canadian unity conditional on getting their own way, especially when their grievances are fictional, and they have done nothing but lie about what happened over the past ten years. #PnPCBC
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 3:06 PM
This interview with Mike Lake is making me absolutely crazy. So much of what he’s saying is just utterly divorced from reality, and Cochrane is trying to push back, but it’s just an absolute torrent of bullshit. #PnPCBC
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Meanwhile, on a side note, the Shawinigan Handshake strikes again!
For my American friends, this is even funnier when you know Jean Chrétien is a 92-year old former Canadian Prime Minister.
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— Glendon Mellow (@flyingtrilobite.com) June 8, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Oh fuck the Knicks lost.
And it was really all Trump’s fault. New York will never forgive him.
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— Governor Gavin Newsom (@governor.ca.gov) June 8, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Donald went to the Knicks game and they lost for the first time in over a month.
Everything he touches turns to shit.
— God (@thegodshow.com) June 8, 2026 at 9:32 PM
And he fell asleep during the game.
BREAKING NEWS: Wildly unpopular president met with “thunderous boos” from thousands of onlookers.
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— Mother Jones (@motherjones.com) June 8, 2026 at 8:09 PM
😂😂😂😂😂😂
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— Anthony’s Spinning Circles here too! (@circlesspinning.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 7:35 PM
06.08.2026
Rise and resist at Madison Sq Garden.
The good people of New York have spoken: GO KNICKS‼️[image or embed]
— Rise and Resist (@riseandresist.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 8:30 PM
No surprise Trump got blasted with boos at MSG during NBA Finals Game 3.
But I’m at a huge watch party in Huntington — the heart of the Long Island suburbs. Every time his face popped up on the Jumbotron, the entire crowd erupted in boos.
Even the burbs are over this clown. 😂
— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Heard even in Oklahoma
Today’s Screwworm Chronicles
This disaster started in February 2025, when DOGE started ripping up the US government without any rhyme or reason:
I can see the DOGE tweet: “We canceled a contract for Panamanian screwworms, saving $165 million dollars!!!” [https://t.co/Bip6tKzkG1]
Meanwhile: “The slightest oversight could undo all the work that came before.” pic.twitter.com/OlOW7tJ8M2
— Stuart Buck (@stuartbuck1) February 15, 2025
So this weekend:
Update: The screwworm is on the right.
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— Bryan Edward Stone (שָׁלוֹם) (@bestonetx.bsky.social) June 6, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Canada is temporarily restricting the import of livestock from Texas over concerns about a parasitic fly with flesh-eating larvae.
https://cheknews.ca/canada-temporarily-blocking-livestock-from-texas-due-to-new-world-screwworm-1329048/
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— CHEK News (@cheknews.ca) June 5, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Here’s some history:
Tempted to write a little case-study of New World Screwworm eradication to push back against every lazy citation of Seeing Like A State. Good book and all but that bit in the preface where he says “I was originally going to include the TVA but ̶f̶o̶u̶n̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶k̶e̶d̶ the case was too complicated” 🤨
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— Kieran Healy (@kjhealy.co) June 6, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Bad news: Screwworm is back in the US.
Good news: We know how to fight it. With millions of sterilized male screwworm flies.
Bad news: We don’t have enough capacity to produce all the flies we need.
My latest for @wired.com:
www.wired.com/story/us-pla…
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— Emily Mullin (@emilymullin.bsky.social) June 5, 2026 at 12:24 PM
On Monday:
New: Three more cases of the New World screwworm were confirmed in Texas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to five.
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— Texas Tribune (@texastribune.org) June 8, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Andy Rooney on D-Day – back when 60 Minutes said important things
I know this is a little late, but it is still a remarkable piece of art, possibly the best thing Rooney ever did.
Canada wins the U18 Americup!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=/jX14LoJcilk
Ah yes, the annual Pride meltdown 🌈
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— George Takei (@georgetakei.bsky.social) June 3, 2026 at 11:51 AM
A very moving thread:
My day job is at a rural branch of a public library, and we have a Pride display. Yesterday I was at the desk when a man came in. Fifties, maybe, or sixties. Plaid shirt, mesh trucker cap, suspenders. He went up to the display and just stood there for a long moment. Then he came up to the desk. 🧵 1/
— J. Anderson Coats (she/her) (@jandersoncoats.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 11:24 AM
Not gonna lie, I braced. I mentally ran through the spiel I’ve prepared for when someone complains about a display. Especially a Pride display. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens enough. Freedom to read. Something in the collection for everyone. Here’s my supervisor’s card. 2/
— J. Anderson Coats (she/her) (@jandersoncoats.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 11:25 AM
He glanced at the display. Then he ran a hand down his face. Graying whiskers. Sunbrowned. Then he said in a very quiet voice, “You know, when I was young, we weren’t … we could never…” And he gestured to David Levithan’s “Two Boys Kissing” with the cover that shows, well, two boys kissing. 3/
— J. Anderson Coats (she/her) (@jandersoncoats.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 11:26 AM
“Yeah,” I replied quietly. And I leaned closer and I asked, “Want me to go over there with you? Help you pick one?” 4/
— J. Anderson Coats (she/her) (@jandersoncoats.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 11:27 AM
Right away he shook his head and took a step back and sputtered, “No. Thank you. No. No.” Then he glanced at the display again and went on in this quiet, wistful voice, “But. I just … I’m glad you’re doing this. For the young ones.” 5/
— J. Anderson Coats (she/her) (@jandersoncoats.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 11:28 AM
“Yeah,” I said again. Then I said, “For you, too. These books are here for everyone.”
He nodded. Looked at the display. Stood in front of the desk for a moment. Looked at the display again.
Then away he went toward the holds area. 6/
— J. Anderson Coats (she/her) (@jandersoncoats.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 11:29 AM
It kinda broke my heart, if I’m honest. But he’s not ready, and that’s okay. I hope he is one day. But today is not that day.
So it’s okay if you’re not ready. Maybe one day you will be. The books are always here. They will be waiting for you when you are ready. 7/7
— J. Anderson Coats (she/her) (@jandersoncoats.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 11:30 AM
