Charles Smith
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profsmithsask.bsky.social
Charles Smith
@profsmithsask.bsky.social

Teaching labour politics in Treaty 6 territory, the Paris of the Prairies. Co-Editor of Labour/Le Travail and President of CAWLS. Terrible guitarist. Even worse Pianist. Proud father of twins. Blue Jays nut. Fair weather runner. Opinions are my own. .. more

Economics 27%
Political science 20%

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

A majority of Albertans support a general strike in response to Danielle Smith and the UCP invoking the Notwithstanding clause to suspend teachers’ Charter rights.

#Canada #CanadaSky #Alberta #abed #abpse #abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

Talked about the prospect of another pipeline and Carney's recent comments on my Monday political panel.

As I said, the biggest impediment isn't regulations or even Indigenous opposition but the lack of a viable business case.

www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/23/o...
Danielle Smith’s pipeline still doesn’t have a business case
The biggest obstacle standing in the way of another pipeline to the West Coast isn't the tanker ban or federal climate policies. It's oil prices and the nature of the businesses that rely on them for ...
www.nationalobserver.com

Some good news out of the court.
SCOTUS Denies Request to Revisit Gay Marriage Ruling

We've known what to do, we've known how to do it, and yet the power of capital means governments in so many countries, mine included, refuse to make significant changes.
‘It will never be forgiven’: UN climate chief warns world to act or face disaster
Faltering governments will be blamed for famine and conflict abroad, and face stagnation and inflation at home, says climate chief at start of Cop30
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

SCOTUS Denies Request to Revisit Gay Marriage Ruling

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

For those who long for a return to a simpler time … when young children in wealthy, industrialized countries got to face life-threatening diseases on a regular basis as God intended
www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...
Canada expected to lose long-standing measles-elimination status
Public-health researchers say the return of endemic measles would carry serious health consequences
www.theglobeandmail.com
“This was a very very bad vote”

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

In a stunning display of "talk with confidence & people will believe you"...

Smith goes from blaming school boards, to saying she might eliminate admin roles, to saying classroom caps don't work to saying she wants to get to caps...

Really.

#abpoli #abed #cdnpoli #abed

Wow. Even within the limits of liberal democracy this is absurd. Also, I love that the AB premier dropped this in while announcing that their 'concession' to teachers about classroom complexity--the creation of a task force--won't include actual teachers on it. Honestly AB, this is embarrassing.
Premier Danielle Smith says courts should be more 'constrained' in making decisions
Alberta premier Danielle Smith commented on the justice systems involvement in deciding matters like the use of the not withstanding clause.
calgaryherald.com

I agree with Professor Muir. The longer you wait, the more likely you lose momentum.
An Alberta general strike raises many questions. Key among them are if — and when | CBC News
What are the legalities around a general strike? What moves could the Alberta government take to stop it? And if it does go ahead, when should it happen?
www.cbc.ca

I always hate the wordle days where I have to look up the word to see if it is an actual word. And those days I wonder: how have I never heard this word in over 45 years of speaking and studying the language?

⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩
⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Highly recommend the new #Frankenstein on Netflix. It hit all the right notes for me. A little heavy handed in places perhaps, but a fascinating adaptation. Visually stunning.

How the Trump Administration Is Giving Even More Tax Breaks to the Wealthy
How the Trump Administration Is Giving Even More Tax Breaks to the Wealthy
www.nytimes.com

Honestly, let's hear the arguments. But I'm curious how this is true given the costs of nuclear.

"Jeremy Harrison, the minister responsible for SaskPower, recently confirmed that nuclear power is a done decision for the province, and the question now remaining is which technology will be used."
Large reactors entering the conversation as Sask. moves closer to nuclear: Cameco CEO
While Saskatchewan has been investigating the idea of small modular reactors for several years now, Cameco CEO Tim Gitzel said recently, they’ve also been talking about larger reactors.
www.ckom.com

Funny, the party has no problem taking multinational corporate money from out of province. The hypocrisy is real.
Moe says proposed change to Saskatchewan Party membership rules 'not limiting anyone'
Premier Scott Moe defends the Sask. Party's consideration to preclude permanent residents and youth from voting in party matters.
leaderpost.com

Interesting. One of the narratives of the 2024 #Saskatchewan election was that the government was tired and out of touch--and out of ideas. Without renewing central leadership like his predecessor did in 2017, this will make this narrative even stronger in 2028.
'100 per cent': Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he will run for third term
Premier Scott Moe, speaking ahead of the Saskatchewan Party Convention this weekend in Saskatoon, says he's running again in 2028.
leaderpost.com

Great piece Marc!

"Invoking the notwithstanding clause to short-circuit collective bargaining makes a mockery of the democratic process. It tells educators, parents, and students alike that your voices don’t count."
Opinion: Governments that silence teachers hurt students

What these premiers don’t understand or are unwilling to acknowledge is that teacher strikes are rarely about pay alone. They are acts of advocacy for the conditions that make real learning possible.

thestarphoenix.com/opinion/opin...
Opinion: Governments that silence teachers hurt students
What these premiers don’t understand or are unwilling to acknowledge is that teacher strikes are rarely about pay alone.
thestarphoenix.com

Musk's fascism, racism, xenophobia, and sexism is on full display.
Elon Musk makes himself far-right fixture after White House departure
The Tesla CEO once hinted he was done with politics – but he’s been leaning further into the international far right
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

Opinion: Governments that silence teachers hurt students

What these premiers don’t understand or are unwilling to acknowledge is that teacher strikes are rarely about pay alone. They are acts of advocacy for the conditions that make real learning possible.

thestarphoenix.com/opinion/opin...
Opinion: Governments that silence teachers hurt students
What these premiers don’t understand or are unwilling to acknowledge is that teacher strikes are rarely about pay alone.
thestarphoenix.com

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

I'm sure the party's underway in the slums of the world's megacities, where they understand 'radically innovative capitalism' better than anyone else. #ElonMusk #Trillionaire

Today’s bookstore pick up.

This is infuriating and I can only imagine the stress for couples and their nuptials. I really hope this goes nowhere and that the fines (plus legal costs are upheld), but with this SCOTUS and this POTUS...
A Decade Later, Supreme Court Is Asked to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision
www.nytimes.com
 Canadian multimillionaire and Shark Tank guy Kevin O'Leary went on TV to say he's upset Zohran won't talk to him: "I and others who invest in real estate have tried to get a meeting to figure out what's rhetoric and what's policy. So far for me it's been crickets."
Hi Bluesky 👋

Small life update: I’m at the centre of a multimillion dollar lawsuit in Alberta launched by a failed candidate for Jason Kenney’s UCP

It may be the longest and most expensive media trial in Canadian history

I’m ready to go public about it and I want to share more details with you 🧵

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

I’m a broken record on this, but Peter Drahos predicted this outcome in his 2021 book Survival Governance: The US (Canada even moreso) are simply too embedded in a carbon economy to resist the all-encompassing political and economic pressures. And so we get short-sighted policies and politicians.

The destruction of local news is really one of those stories that needs to be told and understood. It is undermining local democracy in hundreds of different ways.
No room for debate - J-Source
Postmedia quietly whittles away local viewpoints from the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post. Photo by P.W. Elliott
j-source.ca

Reposted by Charles W. Smith

The need to challenge racist borders and to fight for the rights of #migrants and #refugees has never been greater and it can only increase.

Not just ceding leadership, undermining it.
The US announced it'll skip the climate talks #COP30 climate conference — they are using lobbying & economic threats to thwart emissions-cutting and environmental initiatives around the world.

"The US is ceding global leadership," @nikkireisch.bsky.social.

👉 www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

The axis of Liberal/Conservative/Authoritarian/Billionaire politicians just abandoning the climate crisis really spells disaster for life on this planet. It is shocking how countries have just given up on trying to stop global warming.
Opinion: The fight against climate change appears to be officially dead
Rich countries are feeling less inclined to fight emissions in the years ahead, which will affect the world’s most disadvantaged
www.theglobeandmail.com

The world burns and these companies and lobbyists just don't care.
How thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists got access to UN climate talks – and then kept drilling
Exclusive: Research shows oil, gas and coal firms’ unprecedented access to Cop26-29, blocking urgent climate action
www.theguardian.com