Danielle Smith is the solution not the problem...

Far too many in central Canada, especially the media, just want to hate her.

Too many people in central Canada just want to hate Danielle Smith and for no good reason. Right now, she’s sounding the alarm on rising support for separatism in Alberta, and too many people, especially establishment media types, want to act like she’s the problem rather than the solution.

If you haven’t been on the prairies lately, then trust me when I tell you that the mood is sour and has been for some time.

When Justin Trudeau was still PM, there was a lot of anger over his antagonistic attitude and policies towards the West. Mark Carney replacing him and then winning the election has had a bit of a double effect, some are even angrier that central Canada elected another Liberal government, while others say he’s not Trudeau and they will take a skeptical and cautious wait and see approach.

That’s the camp that Smith is in, just the same as Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe.

That doesn’t mean everything is hunky dory.

In a by-election earlier this week, an Alberta separatist candidate took 18% of the vote in Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills. That prompted Smith to give a warning.

“I’ve never seen such a high level of separatist sentiment,” she told reporters on Thursday.

Her answer, Ottawa needs to deliver for Alberta.

This isn’t a threat, it isn’t a con to try and get money – that would be Quebec’s ploy – it's a request for respect, a request to allow the province to let their industries thrive without constant interference from Ottawa.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has a choice. He can continue to antagonize Alberta and Saskatchewan like his predecessor did, or he can make peace and deal with a national unity issue.

I know what I would choose.

BTW, I’ll be on the prairies next week, possibly longer. Heading to Saskatoon for a few days and then driving into Calgary for the Stampede. Say hi!

The cost of a seat at the table...

It costs good money to have nice things, but did you see the story that the desk used at the G7 in Kananaskis cost more than $250,000. I get these events are important, but for a desk that will be used once?

Is this justice?

Remember back in December 2022 when news broke of a gang of young teen girls killing a homeless man in Toronto? Well, another one of the perps has just been sentenced to 12 months of probation.

Seems like an outrageously light sentence, but my colleague Michele Mandel covers court cases like this for a living and seems to think it appropriate. Mandel is no bleeding heart when it comes to the justice system and goes through the judge’s ruling in detail including explaining that this girl, just 14 at the time of the incident, was the least responsible of the eight girls involved in the death of Kenneth Lee.

It’s a tough one, read Michele’s column and drop a comment on your thoughts below.

Canadian dies in ICE custody but...

It sounds bad to say that a Canadian dies while in ICE custody in the United States. Especially with all the controversy about ICE raids in big American cities and the protests against them.

What I noticed about all the early stories about a Canadian, Johnny Noviello, dying in ICE custody was that they never explained why the Americans might be interested in him. Thankfully, we have this thing called “the Google” and a quick search of his name shows that he was convicted of drug trafficking and racketeering charges.

Now, that explains why ICE was interested in detaining him, not why he died. There will need to be an explanation for that, but with Johnny Nociello never taking out American citizenship, the Americans decided he should become our problem once again.

So, a bit about books...

Not trying to be all about Amazon, but I’ve got a couple of books to talk to you about.

I spoke with Bob Plamondon on Thursday for an upcoming episode of the Full Comment podcast. Bob has written six books and his latest is all about Canada’s 13^th Prime Minister, John George Diefenbaker.

Plamondon is trying to set the record straight on Dief the Chief after decades of the Laurentian Elite, CBC and others trash talking him.

Diefenbaker’s legacy is a strong one, but a false narrative has been built up that reduces everything to his correct decision to kill off the Avro Arrow. There were valid reasons for that decision and Deif’s legacy is actually found elsewhere.

His fight for human rights, against discrimination, his push to expand the North were all admirable.

Bob’s book is now available, worth the read.

Where are you...

On Thursday night I hosted an event to help launch a new book by Dr. Ted Rosenberg. If you haven’t heard Dr. Ted’s story, it’s a disturbing one.

He’s originally from Toronto, then grew up in Winnipeg and established a medical career in Victoria, British Columbia. He’s still an active physician but in January 2024, he resigned from his faculty position at the University of British Columbia citing rampant antisemitism.

His book, available now, is called Ayekha Where Are You?: A Memoir and Reflection about Antisemitism, Anti-Zionism and the Western Response to October 7, 2023.

After Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Life, God asked them: “Ayekha?” “Where are you?”

After Moses fled the suffering of the Israelites to Midian, God asked him “Ayekha?”

After the Hamas massacre on October 7th, with the explosion of antisemitism in the West, the author asks the world: “Ayekha?”

I’d say that Ayekha is a question we should be asking Canadian media who have been, for the most part, horrible on the issue of antisemitism and on Israel’s right to exist.