My contribution to @thewalrus.ca
on what the coverage of #IranWar is missing:
External war does not automatically produce democratic transition. It can strengthen the very security institutions that suppressed the #WomanLifeFreedom movement.
thewalrus.ca/iran-foreign...
My short text, along with 7 others (including Maral Karimi, Janice Stein, Wesley Wark, Greg Fyffe, others), for The Walrus:
My main point - “The real test now is turning tactical dominance into strategic success.”
thewalrus.ca/iran-foreign...
I'm just saying, we could still do this
Here is the episode with Michelle. We cover a lot of dark subjects—white supremacist movements, the new Trump era, Guantanamo Bay, etc—but also how she manages to not get emotionally crushed while covering all these.
Here's my latest essay for @thewalrus.ca. As a parent, I understand the impulse to protect kids. Danger is real. And on the other side of danger? Unimaginable loss. But safety, I've come to believe, is inversely correlated with freedom—which, for kids, is sacrosanct. thewalrus.ca/is-it-danger...
"To me, it was more proof that as an abused woman, I couldn’t trust the police to help keep me and my family safe."
I've been waiting to read Lisa Banfield's account of what happened at Portapique and after, and it's chilling (via @thewalrus.ca)
thewalrus.ca/lisa-banfiel...
Spoiler for tomorrow’s episode, which gets, uh, *heated*.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT is presented by @thewalrus.ca
Find it at all the podcast places.
thewalrus.ca/podcasts/wha...
After Canada imposed duties on China’s EVs, steel, and aluminum, Beijing targeted Canadian commodities, closing a multi-billion-dollar market. Now the governments are negotiating. This week with @cstarnino.bsky.social, editor of @thewalrus.ca, I unpack PRC tactics and strategic ambitions. Link ⬇ 1/7
"The United States is in an ideological K-hole, disassociating and disoriented, paralyzed and lost somewhere in its own private reality."
Fantastic line!
But seriously, this is a great piece about post-neoliberalism and Canada needing to find its way in the new reality.
On the left: an image of Souvankham Thammavongsa sitting on a concrete floor. On the right: text that reads "Souvankham Thammavongsa doesn't mind if you're jealous of her career. In both her writing and life, the two-time winner of the Giller Prize does exactly what she wants.”
Souvankham Thammavongsa is a woman wholly uninterested in shrinking.
The Walrus associate editor Ariella Garmaise sits down with the two-time Giller Prize winner to talk about ambition, self-possession, and why she refuses to perform humility for anyone: thewalrus.ca/souvankham-thamm...
"The energy sector really likes this deal. Everything we’re hearing is that it’s Christmas come early for that sector."
I'm late to this great @stewartprest.ca & @cstarnino.bsky.social chat, but struck by this comment. Says everything one needs to know about the MOU.
thewalrus.ca/alberta-bc-p...
My latest...👇
Bro, Enough with the Protein. You’re Just Making Expensive Pee thewalrus.ca/enough-with-... via @thewalrus.ca
The protein blitzkrieg has been felt. Consumers are responding. Marketing has won.
Reality: "People have lost their minds on this one."
Needed: Healthy & balanced!
On the left: Photo of politician Nate Erskine-Smith sitting at a desk with a microphone and Toronto Blue Jay's hat. On the right: text that reads “Nate Erskine-Smith Has Built a Political Career on Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud. Reddit threads, podcast rants, and candid Substacks: the Liberal MP is testing how far honesty can take him.”
From childhood picket lines with his teacher parents to challenging his own party on climate, housing, and Indigenous rights, @beynate.bsky.socials career asks a simple question: How far can honesty really take you in politics? thewalrus.ca/nate-erskine-smi...
On the left: an image of two hands holding up a record with a maple leaf design and a pair of headphones. On the right: text that reads “Amid Buy Canadian, should we “Listen Canadian” too? Rising tensions with the US have disrupted tours, festivals, and the economics of being a musician”
For music to be considered "Canadian content," two of the following criteria must be Canadian: music, artist, performance, or lyrics. But can a rigid set of rules established in 1971 successfully protect the industry from modern day threats? thewalrus.ca/amid-buy-canadia...
On the left: a collage of three images of prime minister Mark Carney speaking at a podium. On the right: text that reads “Mr. Carney, about that pipeline deal—we need to talk. You’re acting like Indigenous consent matters only when convenient. Please prove us wrong”
Reconciliation rooted in truth, backed by action—that is the path Canada vowed to walk. Here, writer and filmmaker Julian Brave NoiseCat urges Prime Minister Mark Carney to stay the course—even when the political winds shift. thewalrus.ca/mr-carney-about-...
@nickhunebrown.bsky.social, you're a prince. Human to human, thanks so much for taking time.
"You can’t have a mix of things that are true and not true in your news publication or the whole thing is destroyed." Smart, thoughtful Q&A between @nickhunebrown.bsky.social and @thewalrus.ca's Carmine Starnino about AI's creep into journalism thewalrus.ca/the-phantom-...
Is Canada Helping Identify Boats the US Is Blowing Up? Read John Kirk's and my essay in The Walrus.
thewalrus.ca/us-boat-stri...
On the left: an image of CSIS director Daniel Rogers. On the right: text that reads “Spy boss Dan Rogers has the hardest job in Ottawa. He takes the helm amid Trump’s return, internal turmoil, and a shifting threat landscape”
The threats Canada is facing “have evolved considerably over the past twenty-five years,” says Dan Rogers, director of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service. Here, he speaks to Wesley Wark about the many ways the Service has adapted: thewalrus.ca/spy-boss-dan-rog...
My Family’s 240-Year Journey Shows Why Canada Will Never Bow to Trump
thewalrus.ca/my-familys-2...
On the left: a photo of a blue sky featuring several different flying drones. On the right: text that reads “Canadian army to ‘flood the zone’ with drones, commander says. In a candid interview, Lieutenant General Wright outlines plans to dramatically overhaul how the military fights”
From Ukraine, the lesson is clear: adaptation matters. Lieutenant General Michael Wright speaks to Wesley Wark about his plan to “flood the zone” and harness bottom-up drone innovation across the Canadian Army. thewalrus.ca/canadian-army-to...
Here's the digital version of my latest poem from The Walrus.
thewalrus.ca/grawlix/
On the left: a black and white photo of a politician. Behind him is a monochrome blue photo of a crowd holding signs that read “Oui.” On the right: text that reads “‘If it stays like this, they’re going to win!’: the 1995 referendum that nearly ended Canada. Inside the moment a Montreal journalist realized Quebec might actually leave the country and tried to warn everyone”
Polls weren’t budging, separatists were gaining momentum at the last possible moment—the 1995 Quebec referendum was a true political cliffhanger. Writer Paul Wells recounts how close Canada came to splitting apart: thewalrus.ca/quebec-referendum/
On the left: a photo showing a crowd of people below a graph line in decline. On the right: text that reads "Are we in a recession? Technically, no, But Carney will have a tough job convincing Canadians drowning in debt and raising prices"
When America sneezes, the world catches a cold—and with a trade relationship worth $1 trillion a year, Canada stands to get sick. Writer @davidmoscrop.com breaks down how the US trade war is one force pushing Canada in the direction of a recession: thewalrus.ca/are-we-in-a-rece...
How Canada can modernize its military by capitalizing on drone technology developed right here at home. thewalrus.ca/how-canada-s...
Thanks to @thewalrus.ca for agreeing to publish my thoughts on the proposed elimination of school trustees in Ontario.
#OntEd
thewalrus.ca/im-a-school-...
School trustees have existed since the early 1800s, serving as a link between classrooms and communities. Now, Ontario education minister Paul Calandra wants to eliminate them. Writer @scottpiatkowski.bsky.social examines what's at stake: thewalrus.ca/im-a-school-trus...
More than ever before, there’s a feeling that someone on the internet knows better and the distrust seems to be getting worse. If we’re serious about reducing preventable suffering among kids, we need to relearn how to talk across our differences.
thewalrus.ca/how-alberta-...
