Senator Paula Simons🇨🇦

Independent senator from Alberta. Host of Alberta Unbound. I live on Treaty Six Territory. she/her Vive le Canada! Forever a Canadian.

Website: www.senatorpaulasimons.ca
YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/SenatorPaulaSimons
Pronouns: She/Her
Alberta Unbound: https://senatorpaulasimons.podbean.com/

Public Key

npub12j4eutygfh9mpj9csz4pu0w7pvplhvere7vffd6tzk0vscarvsgq8wvque

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs9f2u79jyymjasezugp2s78h0qkqlmkv3ulxy5ka93t8kgvw3kgyqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds86k37r

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub12j4eutygfh9mpj9csz4pu0w7pvplhvere7vffd6tzk0vscarvsgq8wvque

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Last Notes

2026-04-02 18:24:12 UTC

My latest column, on the false promise of LLMs and generative AI. I’m not afraid of machine intelligence. I’m afraid of human stupidity. We are taking what could be a useful tool, and abusing it to delude each other and ourselves. https://albertaviews.ca/ai-fever-dream/ #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #AI #yeg #Edmonton

2026-03-26 14:10:36 UTC

Elon Musk wants to put a million new satellites into space. Meantime, his old ones keep falling out of the sky - and landing on the Canadian prairies! This week, I rose in the Senate to launch my inquiry in the many problems caused by satellite pollution. (With many thanks to @npub1dgc…cla4) https://youtu.be/mH-FDPCtiXM?si=zOZV-GPn4qyOVkOf #cdnpoli #Starlink #SpaceX #saskatchewan #Canada

2026-03-22 19:14:51 UTC

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The Senate IT department is scathingly negative about Mastodon. They do not think I should be using it myself.

2026-03-22 14:39:56 UTC

Out of curiosity- what instances are y’all on - and why? What are the pros and cons of the various instances you have chosen?

2026-03-15 12:52:50 UTC

Friends, Mastodonians, Countrymen - lend me your ears! It’s the Ides of March. Beware, already! https://youtu.be/eV_b3Tpyckc?si=zmhwcuj0sAIyyywu

2026-03-11 23:36:37 UTC

I usually take time to craft and hone and practice my Senate speeches. But yesterday I rose unprepared and impromptu to address an amendment to Bill C-12, thru the eyes of an Albertan, haunted by the official xenophobia of my province. Turns out, if you’re angry enough, you don’t need notes. https://youtu.be/7U4evGu-jks?si=5YNOEJFxfJxXbwNo #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #Alberta #immigration

2026-02-15 18:24:02 UTC

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I really like Mastodon. I’ve been here for three years, and I have lured other Canadian senators here. I resisted joining Bluesky until a few months ago - but there is no doubt the Canadian political conversation is brisker there.

2026-02-14 18:09:05 UTC

I had the chance to rise in Senate QP this week, in the wake of the Grok deep fake scandal, to ask the government, yet again, why it is so committed to X, and so unwilling to try Mastodon or Bluesky. Here’s what I heard. What do you think? https://youtu.be/eVlQBnGqZ_U #cdnpoli #Grok #X #Canada #SenateofCanada #NewBrunswick #Fredericton #Mastodon #deepfakes

2026-01-11 21:43:04 UTC

The CBC has just posted a transcript of my recent interview with As It Happens, calling on the government to quit using X. I’m attaching a couple of screen shots here; since they are a bit unwieldy for alt text, I’ll attach a link to the full transcript below. #CBC #cdnpoli #Twitter #X #Grok #CSAM #yeg
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2026-01-08 21:02:48 UTC

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And here is my more recent exchange with CBC executives, wherein I called on them to set up a Mastodon instance! https://youtu.be/lJUeQZlvD-E?si=S7QniO7pES3s4Gtv #CBC #TRCM #Mastodon

2026-01-08 20:58:52 UTC

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Here is my exchange with the then government representative Marc Gold, from 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1D7PlvSFTE #Twitter #X #Grok #Mastodon #cdnpoli

2026-01-08 20:55:22 UTC

As many of you will know, I’ve been campaigning for more than a year to get the Govt of Canada off X. This week’s Grok nonsense pushed me over the edge - and I said a very bad word! https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/01/07/get-the-fk-off-there-mps-senators-call-on-government-to-abandon-x-twitter-following-wave-of-grok-porn/487023/ #cdnpoli #X #Grok

2026-01-05 21:35:41 UTC

OK. Here it is. My full-throated rebuttal to the Alberta separatists and useful idiots trying to destroy the country I love. Please read. Please share. Please stand up for Canada. https://albertaviews.ca/the-case-for-sticking-around/ #Alberta #Canada #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli

2025-12-15 02:10:32 UTC

In grief and defiance, joy and love, Edmonton gathered tonight to light the giant Hanukkah menorah at the Alberta Legislature. #ableg #Hanukkah #Chanuka #yeg #Edmonton #Alberta
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2025-11-11 02:50:41 UTC

Argh. I took down my Senate Instagram account a few months ago, as part of my Meta cleanse. Alas, someone has now made a fake account in my name there. If you are still on Instagram and you happen to to see it, could you please do me a favour and report it as a fraud? It seems to be Senator_paula.simons (Also? Please don’t tag it. It is 100% fake.)

2025-11-05 20:14:01 UTC

Today, Dr. David Wishart, a professor of biology AND computer science at University of Alberta won Canada’s highest honour for science & engineering, the Herzberg Gold Medal, for his pioneering work in metabolomics. Years ago, I worked with Dr. Wishart’s equally brilliant wife, Debby Waldman, when she wrote a humour column and book reviews for the Edmonton Journal. So it was a double thrill to be at the big NSERC reception, hosted by House of Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, to cheer on one of Edmonton’s scientific giants. Mazel tov to David and to the University of Alberta.. #yeg #UAlberta #Edmonton #NSERC #metabolomics #ComputationalMetabolomics #cdnpoli

2025-10-28 18:23:06 UTC

In the wee small hours of the morning, the Alberta legislature passed a bill that preemptively invoked the notwithstanding clause, ordering striking teachers back to work, and imposing on them a contract they had already rejected. Today, by coincidence, the Senate's Transport and Communications committee began a study of strikes in the transport sector. Since we had two great expert witnesses before us - labour lawyer Paul Champ and business professor Ian Lee - I seized the opportunity to ask what precedent Danielle Smith's bill might set. https://youtu.be/oKSYDrSCx8U?si=ItXTHkQemJOqZLSW #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #ableg #abpoli #ATA #AirCanada #Alberta #DanielleSmith

2025-10-21 18:08:03 UTC

Today, senior executives from CBC/RadioCanada came to testify before the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications. I had the chance to ask a lot of questions. But I made sure to ask why the CBC is still committed to X - and why they haven't investigated Mastodon (and Bluesky). Here's my exchange with CEO Marie-Philippe Bouchard and Editor in Chief @npub1ln3…h43j. #CBC #Mastodon #X #Bluesky #SRC #Canada #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #TRCM #CanadianBroadcastingCorporation #SocialMedia https://youtu.be/lJUeQZlvD-E?si=msTknV5VyaI-drCD

2025-09-25 01:11:17 UTC

Ooo, I've been itching to give this speech for ages. WHY is Canada relying on US Homeland Security to approve Verified Travellers in Canada? Why are we contracting out to a country that discriminates against trans, 2 spirit, gender nonbinary and intersex Canadians and doesn't provide service in French. Here is my RANT calling for the creation of a made-in-Canada verified traveller program, without American oversight. Time to patriate airport security, and give all Canadians the right to apply for life in the fast lane. https://youtu.be/yInsw13pkI4?si=c41OK4OqGq9gGmHv #Canada #SenateofCanada #NEXUS #HomelandSecurity #ElbowsUp https://youtu.be/yInsw13pkI4?si=c41OK4OqGq9gGmHv

2025-09-19 02:18:21 UTC

Canadian Press (CP) is reporting tonight, based on a leaked memo, that the Alberta government is preparing to invoke the notwithstanding clause to strip rights from LGBQT students. It’s time for Albertans to stand up for justice - just as they did the first time Alberta invoked the clause. https://albertaviews.ca/stripping-away-rights/ #ableg #abpoli

2025-08-03 01:54:45 UTC

As Food Day Canada draws to a close, let me tell you how I marked this day, which celebrates Canadian food growers, producers, and chefs, and calls on us to recognize the excellence of Canadian agriculture and cuisine. First, a trip to Edmonton’s downtown farmers market, for the best in Alberta and BC produce. #FoodDayCanada #yeg #yegdt #Edmonton #YEGdtMarket #Canada
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2025-07-11 03:34:05 UTC

Wrote this in January. It seems more timely than ever. We must not let ourselves be worn down by these bait and switch tactics. Nor can we afford to turn against one another. In the face of existential threats to our economy, our sovereignty and our reason, we must not lose our resolve. https://albertaviews.ca/quibbling-with-quislings/

2025-07-09 03:04:12 UTC

I quit Twitter two and a half years ago, when the Nazis were still largely organic and free range. Now that X is featuring mass produced AI Nazis, I’m feeling smugly prescient. Thank you, Mastodon, for being here. https://albertaviews.ca/goodbye-to-twitter/

2025-06-26 00:31:48 UTC

This afternoon, I rose in the Senate to speak to Bill C-5, particularly the Building Canada Act. In this speech I tried to contextualize my concerns about what this bill, which fast-tracks "projects of national interest" could mean for environmental protection, Indigenous rights, and project certainty. And I tell Albertans bluntly that no one will build a pipeline in the shadow of separatist threats. https://youtu.be/vsYGr8O3BAM?si=8WqtMch1DpluIwSG #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli #C5 #C69 #ableg #abpoli #Alberta

2025-06-03 14:01:10 UTC

Back in 2020, before I was on Mastodon, I wrote this column on the politics of pipelines and the politics of co-dependent regional grievances. As the national pipeline debates kick off again, this piece seems freshly relevant. Dig in! https://albertaviews.ca/fates-intertwined/ #abpoli #cdnpoli #C69 #SenateofCanada

2025-05-08 01:57:42 UTC

Never did I ever think Salt Lake City, Utah, and Boise, Idaho, would be leading the resistance. But as an Edmontonian, I should have known better - you can be a progressive city even in a conservative state or province. Anyway, I applaud the moral courage of the Salt Lake and Boise city councils. Long may your flags fly! #Boise #SaltLakeCity #Edmonton

2025-05-04 14:54:23 UTC

1) A twice divorced, currently married, non-Catholic can’t be Pope
2) America did not “win” WWI
3) November 11 is not a day of celebration.
4) And we’re still not the 51st State
But none of this hateful deluded offensive nonsense actually matters. It’s all distraction. A firehose of filth in a funhouse, desensitizing us all through outrage overload.

2025-05-02 16:30:03 UTC

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Thank you! I’m fascinated. But TBH, I think I might prefer to keep the two accounts distinct. Different audiences. And as Edmonton’s own Marshall McLuhan said, the medium is the message. Especially when messages are the medium!

2025-05-02 03:08:21 UTC

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Hmm. Do I want to do that? Or would I just end up spamming my Mastodon followers with second hand posts?

2025-05-01 22:53:06 UTC

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Sorry, I don’t always cross post. Try to keep things a bit separate for separate audiences!

2025-04-26 21:09:52 UTC

Happy Independent Bookstore Day to all who celebrate! #CanadianIndependentBookstoreDay #IndependentBookstoreDay #yeg #Edmonton
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2025-04-24 02:01:28 UTC

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But think about that. A measly 40 million Canadians buy more American exports than do a billion people in China or India. That’s because of geography of course - but also because of Canadian affluence. Here’s a thought. If you strive to destroy our economy, do you think we will be able to buy MORE of your stuff? Or that we’ll want to? #Trump #tariffs #Canada

2025-04-24 01:55:51 UTC

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Trump keeps shrieking that Canadians don’t buy as many American goods as Americans buy Canadian goods. That’s true. That’s because your population is ten times larger than ours. You buy more stuff, because you have 400 million people and we have 40 million. We actually buy MORE American goods than any other country in the world! More than China. More than Japan. More than Mexico. Or at least, we did. Our own buying habits are shifting now.

2025-04-24 01:51:37 UTC

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Now, if you hate free market competition and capitalism, then by all means, block or impede Canadian goods from entering US markets. Your prices will go up, and the quality and variety of goods you can buy will go down. No, Canadians will not pay the tariffs. Your importers will. And they will, naturally and reasonably, pass those higher prices onto American consumers. Tariffs aren’t a toll Canadian producers pay. They are a tax YOU pay. A regressive tax at that. #Trump #tariffs #Canada

2025-04-24 01:44:44 UTC

For all my American followers - let me unpack Trump’s subsidy lie. No, the US government is not paying subsidies to Canada. Instead, private American companies are choosing to buy Canadian products. As are American consumers. It’s called competitive free market capitalism. To say you’re subsidizing us is like saying I’m subsidizing my grocery store or dry cleaners when I spend money there. #Trump #subsidies #tariffs #cdnpoli #Canada

2025-04-19 02:48:48 UTC

Awful news. The first major wildfire of the season in this part of Alberta - and the wonderful Ukrainian Heritage Village is at risk. If you are in Lamont County, you may need to prepare to evacuate. https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/out-of-control-fire-closes-highway-16-at-elk-island-national-park/ #Wildfire #Alberta #Edmonton #LamontCounty

2025-04-15 15:52:03 UTC

Registrations for Edmonton’s 2025 Jane’s Walks are now open! I’ll be leading a walking tour of the grounds of the Alberta Legislature. (It shows as sold out, but I am generally open to a few extras.) But there are SO many other great great free tours to take! https://janewalksyeg.wordpress.com/ #yeg #Edmonton #JanesWalk #urbanism #UrbanPlanning #ableg #yegdt

2025-03-25 13:17:06 UTC

Earlier this month, I had a chat with Edmonton based American expat author & journalist Debby Waldman. She has a mostly US audience and doesn’t often write about politics. So this was a chance to explain Canada/US tensions in a fresh way. https://debbywaldman.substack.com/p/mafioso-tactics-the-end-of-integrated?triedRedirect=true #cdnpoli #Trump #tariffs #Edmonton #yeg #TradeDeficit #ElbowsUp

2025-03-23 14:58:43 UTC

Happy Birthday to my best girl Issa, who turns 8 today. #DogsofMastodon #PWDofMastodon #yeg #Edmonton
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2025-03-19 14:50:51 UTC

A must-read for every Canadian - most especially those with American work or student visas. Powerful testimony about the soul-stripping consequences of being caught up in the American for-profit immigration detention system. Thank you, Ms. Mooney, for bearing witness - and leveraging your privilege to speak for those without voice. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney #Canada #ICE #cdnpoli

2025-03-13 12:25:07 UTC

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It just occurred to me that American progressives have no damned idea how angry and worried Canadians are about your president’s repeated threats to our sovereignty and economic security. Please stop. This is not a joke to us. And your “cute” imperialist conceit that you should conquer us just to solve your own internal crisis is deeply insulting. Signed, a really truly Canadian senator struggling hard not to use unparliamentary language.

2025-03-12 13:30:57 UTC

An excellent piece from Daniel Dale, demolishing Trump’s latest lie; that Canada has some of the highest tariffs in the world, a claim so patently false as to be absurd..https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/12/politics/fact-check-trump-canada-highest-tariffing-nations/index.html #Canada #cdnpoli #tariffs #USMCA #CUSMA

2025-03-11 16:57:35 UTC

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Ontario exports the most, but Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador also supply American markets. We have a continentally integrated electrical grid - which makes tremendous sense if you are long term allies with free trade and integrated economies and supply chains. If. #Canada
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2025-03-11 16:53:36 UTC

Perhaps you - like a certain American president - were surprised to learn how much electricity Canada exports to the US. Here are the latest figures from the Canada Energy Regulator. #electricity #tariffs #tradewar #cdnpoli #Canada #Trump #Ontario
https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/data-analysis/energy-commodities/electricity/statistics/electricity-trade-summary/

2025-03-11 15:34:29 UTC

Trump’s “announcement” this morning that he intends to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%, shut down Canada’s auto industry and declare a state of emergency in northern states facing higher Canadian electricity prices, is chilling. To grasp the psychology, the politics and the economics, listen to my convo with Bloomberg’s White House correspondent Josh Wingrove. You can stream it here. https://senatorpaulasimons.ca/en/media/alberta-unbound/ #steel #tariffs #Trump #cdnpoli [@bloomberg](https://flipboard.com/@bloomberg )

2025-03-07 18:12:03 UTC

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I’m old enough to remember when in Edmonton we ate a whole lot of raisins and prunes and canned pears in the winter. So yes, we take our options for granted. But it’s pretty nice to be able to buy rambutans from Thailand in February!

2025-03-07 17:59:01 UTC

Trying to find groceries made or grown in Canada can be an adventure. And trying to find non-American “warm weather” produce can be an even bigger challenge. If you can buy at a farmers market or direct from a farmer, you obviously know the provenance of your food. But I’ve also had fun - and success - visiting stores like T&T and HMart, as well as Edmonton independents like Spinelli’s Italian Centre, Lucky 97 and 99 Supermarket. #tariffs #yeg #Edmonton #yegfood #elbowsupcanada

2025-03-04 04:28:21 UTC

Elbows up. https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/statements/2025/03/03/statement-prime-minister-trudeau-on-unjustified-us-tariffs-against-canada #cdnpoli #Canada #tariffs #SenateofCanada

2025-02-26 14:50:21 UTC

My staff just shared with me that the Supreme Court of Canada is closing down its X account. #X #Canada #cdnpoli #SupremeCourtofCanada #SCC
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2025-02-20 17:17:53 UTC

Orwell said, “Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present, controls the past.” As the Trump regime seeks to erase Black history, trans history, women’s history - and our border - here’s my #AlbertaUnbound with author & activist Jesse Lipscombe. We discuss his family’s Black history in Alberta, Trump’s attacks on DEI, and how to find the courage - and build the coalitions - to resist. #BlackHistoryMonth #DEI #Morehouse #AmberValley #Alberta #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #yeg
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2025-02-15 22:59:36 UTC

I have always been a bit suspicious of flag waving and performative displays of patriotism. I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated Flag Day before. And the way far right Covid conspiracy-mongers hijacked our maple leaf made me queasy. Yet, on this 60th anniversary of our beautiful red & white flag, I find myself displaying one in my living room window (for lack of a flag pole.) #FlagDay #Canada #SenateofCanada #Edmonton #yeg
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2025-02-13 00:14:05 UTC

Well. I guess you have to admire their commitment to the bit. But our polite Canadian laughter grows more hollow and forced every day. With Trump’s approval rating among Americans at more than 50 per cent, it’s more than a little unnerving to imagine what’s coming next. https://bsky.app/profile/alexpanetta.bsky.social/post/3lhzcxvzezs2p #NotASnowballsChanceInHell

2025-02-11 03:55:21 UTC

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Part of this is a protest against Zuckerberg’s craven sell out to Trump and bro culture. And some of it is just a protest against American technocracy, writ large. But mostly, I’m just tired of needing a bleach wash for my eyes. I had curated a wonderful community of 12,000 fans, and I’ll miss them. I hope some will follow me here. But tonight, I’m feeling a mix of regret and relief, as this era comes to an end, thanks to entropy and enshitification.

2025-02-11 03:51:52 UTC

Tonight, I sent my public Facebook page into hibernation. I am leaving up as an archive of my work in the Senate and my work as a journalist. But I no longer find it fun or useful to post there - and my algorithm sends me is a never ending stream of racist, transphobic and smutty posts. That - plus the standard chronic abuse from trolls, which had always been there - and I’m done. Tomorrow I delete my Senate Instagram account too. Ah well. It was fun while it lasted. #Meta #Facebook

2025-02-06 03:28:09 UTC

One of the reasons I left the bird site two years ago wasn’t political at all. I just got tired of people insulting my personal appearance. It was unrelenting and I am a bit embarrassed to admit how much it upset me, no matter how hard I tried to laugh it off. I’ve been on Mastodon more than two years now without someone making a joke about my being fat/ugly. Alas. That streak was broken this week. And I was struck by how much it bothered me! I’ve been spoiled by Mastodon’s culture of civility.

2025-02-04 03:58:36 UTC

Well. Today I cancelled my Amazon Prime subscription and took the Amazon app off my phone…right after my last Amazon order arrived: enough N95 masks to last till I can find a local source. The irony seemed apt.

2025-02-03 03:32:59 UTC

Just in case you were interested. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/rounds-invitations/category-based-selection.html

2025-02-02 17:36:49 UTC

A full listing of US products that will be subject to countervailing tariffs. If patriotism isn’t sufficient incentive to buy Canadian, economics may be. There is no doubt these reprisal tariffs will hurt Canadian consumers. But Trump’s unprovoked economic attack requires some kind of response. And I think Canadians are grimly determined. Even if we have to give up orange juice and California wines. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2025/02/list-of-products-from-the-united-states-subject-to-25-per-cent-tariffs-effective-february-4-2025.html

2025-02-02 06:16:02 UTC

It’s been a rough few weeks for Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who will be stepping down next month. But tonight he gave a powerful speech that should make all Canadians proud. It wasn’t carried by American television. But my American friends, I hope you will watch it and share it. And understand that for us, this betrayal is about more than economics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I #Canada #tariffs #cdnpoli #tradewar

2025-02-02 01:13:12 UTC

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Tonight, as a Canadian, as an Albertan - and, incidentally as a once-proud graduate of Stanford University - I stand with my country. With our farmers. Our energy workers. Our auto workers. Our forestry workers. All our exporters. And all our consumers. This is going to hurt our economy in ways we can’t yet imagine. But I believe we will hold fast and hold strong.

2025-02-02 01:07:39 UTC

I will never forget that this is what Americans voted for. Not by accident. Not for the lolz. Not as a protest. On purpose. And yes. I know “not all Americans.” I know that many Americans on this site, in particular, opposed him. But not nearly enough of you. You have declared economic war on us, your most loyal ally and trading partner. You have torn up trade treaties and a century of friendship over a lie. There is virtually no fentanyl coming over the Canadian border. And very few migrants.

2025-01-24 23:58:42 UTC

Interesting. The Senate recently did a big update on our Microsoft computers. When the dust settled, it came up with a new configuration that pushed MS News at us. Primarily FOX News and some very "bro" centric lifestyle sites. All pro-Trump all the time. With the help of my staff, I was able to resent my configurations to Canada, and get CP and CBC instead. But. The Microsoft default was right wing news sites, sports, and pictures of women with big boobs. (No thanks , I've already got some.)

2025-01-24 03:47:56 UTC

Someone explain PixelFed to me. Can I use it to make it easier to post photos to Mastodon on this account? Or is it a completely different thingy? (By thingy I mean platform or instance.) I don’t find it easy to post photos or short video clips here. Would PixelFed fix that? Or is is just a different realm where people share pictures? #PixelFed #Mastodon #mstdnca

2025-01-21 15:16:34 UTC

If you need a quick reminder of why Nazis are bad, and why Nazi salutes played for lolz or shock value are in what might be politely described as poor taste, I suggest following @npub1ncp…zvaq for a little clarity. A curated feed that literally puts a human face on genocide.

2025-01-18 19:18:00 UTC

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Yay wanna piece a this? Really? Yay wanna piece a this?
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2025-01-18 18:34:46 UTC

So. Trump’s inauguration is being moved inside because of “extreme cold.” How extreme? -7 C. What we in Edmonton call t-shirt weather! Not quite sure what that bodes for Trump’s Canadian annexation plans. But my dog and I just got back from a jolly sunny walk under crisp -27 C blue skies! https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-inauguration-be-moved-indoors-due-cold-temperatures-cnn-reports-2025-01-17/

2025-01-02 22:28:20 UTC

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Slow Horses is so so good! Alas, that I have finished it all.

2025-01-02 21:28:41 UTC

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PS - I am grateful to the Mastodon culture and community for making this feel like a relatively safe place to post this piece! Of course, the Meta media ban means I can’t post it on Facebook - which is perhaps just as well!

2025-01-02 21:21:02 UTC

Yes. I am still wearing a mask. If that makes you angry or uncomfortable - ask yourself why. My latest column for Alberta Views - and probably the most controversial piece I’ve written in years. https://albertaviews.ca/masking-fear/ #Covid #masks #masking #SenateofCanada #Canada #Covid19 #yeg #Edmonton

2024-12-29 03:15:50 UTC

I am terrible at making latkes. Indeed, pancakes of any sort defeat me. I blame my (only diagnosed by me) ADHD. I either get impatient and flip them too soon - or get distracted and wander off, leaving them to burn. So these crispy perfect latkes were grated and fried by my daughter, who is home for the holidays. Tomorrow is her birthday, and I feel so much love & pride for her, for so many reasons. But tonight I love her ‘cause she made us latkes! #HappyHanukkah #latkes
https://cdn.mastdn.ca/media_attachments/files/113/733/910/761/987/032/original/be33ed92fad77d29.png

2024-12-05 18:51:47 UTC

This is a hard week for Alberta’s trans community & for the parents of trans teens, who’ve just been robbed of the right to make medical decisions for their own children. It is so ugly, to see politicians manipulating and weaponizing transphobia as a wedge issue, exploiting vulnerable kids to whip up a moral panic and score political points. Disgraceful. #TransRightsAreHumanRights #Alberta #ableg #abpoli

2024-12-03 19:26:12 UTC

I am filled with admiration today for the brave South Korean parliamentarians of all parties who stood unanimously, united, in defying the martial law edict of President Yoon Suk Yeol. South Korea is an important Canadian ally and trading partner, and a beacon of democracy. My thoughts today are with all the people of South Korea who are rallying to defend and protect that democratic legacy - and with all Korean-Canadians who are watching and worrying. #SouthKorea #martiallaw #SenateofCanada

2024-11-29 00:21:19 UTC

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On here, you can follow @npub15ev…0zst who is a great LGBQT+ advocate, @npub1tx6…8c83, a fierce advocate for Métis rights, @npub1w8s…ct3j, the delightful former mayor of Banff, and @npub1zax…l762, who has smart thoughts about technology & climate change. I haven’t been able to lure anyone else here. But I’m trying! (I’ll show this to Pau Woo - maybe your kind words will convince him.) #SenateofCanada

2024-11-26 15:08:00 UTC

Once, we thought antibiotics & public health campaigns had eliminated syphilis. Now, Alberta is in the grips of a full-scale syphilis crisis, which is killing babies & leaving newborns with congenital syphilis. How has this happened? In this Senate speech, I provide a disturbing history lesson. In the wake of the Covid pandemic, when public health itself is under political attack, how do we fight back? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-PMyu9ChCw #SenateofCanada #syphilis #Alberta #ableg #cdnpoli #publichealth

2024-11-23 18:32:39 UTC

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I was lucky. I joined an instance, mstdn.ca, that was run from my own city of Edmonton. And @npub170y…28tz, who runs the instance, helped me migrate from the first instance I’d joined. But honestly, the whole process seemed pretty intuitive to me. I’ve been here for two years now, and I love the engagement and mostly troll free interactions. I’ve met a few mansplainers, but on balance, this seems much more welcoming space for women, than Twitter did in its prime.

2024-11-23 16:45:02 UTC

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And everyone, please welcome Senator @npub15ev…0zst, who is new to the Senate of Canada and new to Mastodon! (I’m trying to convince him that Mastodon is THE place to be, so give him a follow.) https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/wells-kristopher/ #SenateofCanada #MacEwan #LGBQT #Alberta #ableg #TransRightsAreHumanRights #cdnpoli #Canada

2024-11-21 01:39:05 UTC

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This, btw, is a column I wrote in late 2022, right after I quit Twitter - and joined Mastodon. Perhaps even more relevant now. https://albertaviews.ca/goodbye-to-twitter/ #X #Xodus #Twitter #Alberta #Edmonton #yeg

2024-11-20 21:45:18 UTC

Should the Government of Canada continue to use the bird site to share important official information? That was a question many of you asked me. So today, during Senate question period, I asked your question of Senator Marc Gold, the government representative in the Senate. Here's our exchange. What do you think? https://youtu.be/y1D7PlvSFTE?si=vKUvGdP_CRjfO_V9 #SenateofCanada #Xodus, #X #cdnpoli #GovernmentofCanada #Canada #Twitter #Mastodon

2024-11-15 03:43:20 UTC

For anyone new to Mastodon this week - welcome! I am Senator Paula Simons. I am a Canadian Senator, who represents the western province of Alberta. Like most of my Senate colleagues I am independent and non-partisan, and I belong to no political party. Follow me for an insider’s perspective on the Senate and Canadian politics in general. #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli #Canada #introduction #Senate #Alberta #abpoli #Edmonton #yeg

2024-11-13 03:27:43 UTC

When Merv Leitch and Peter Lougheed created the notwithstanding clause, they couldn't have imagined a Canada where premiers could invoke the clause without political or moral hazard. The Senate is now debating a provocative proposition. Should we vow, preemptively, to refuse to pass any law that preemptively deploys the clause? Here's my take - which starts with a little history lesson. https://youtu.be/IEnAWFmLdjE?si=8pSfngoXZJ2fYDMV #SenateofCanada #NotwithstandingClause #cdnpoli #Alberta #abpoli #Vriend

2024-11-13 02:41:51 UTC

Despite all the Elon antics, I’m not seeing signs of a big migration from X to Mastodon. It looks as though more are opting for BlueSky. But I have to say, I’m still quite happy here, despite the relatively small number of users. Maybe it’s that very exclusivity that makes the general discourse here so pleasant? (I sure wouldn’t mind a few more followers though. Is that needy narcissism? Or political pragmatism?)

2024-11-07 19:43:08 UTC

Sometimes, even when a big door slams shut, a little window opens. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/holt-government-abortions-funding-1.7376879

2024-11-07 17:03:07 UTC

Whenever I have suffered the death of someone close to me, I cope with my grief by getting busy: I clean, I plan, I organize, I plow pain into action. We can't rewrite the events of this week. But we can can work to ensure that toxic transphobia, anti-immigrant sentiment, and misogyny are not normalized in Canadian political discourse. Reposting this #AlbertaUnbound today, as a tonic. https://senatorpaulasimons.podbean.com/e/protecting-trans-kids-a-conversation-with-alex-marshall-and-kristy-harcourt/ #Alberta #ableg #Bill26 #Bill27 #Bill 29 #TransRightsAreHumanRights

2024-11-07 00:34:18 UTC

I had American election results very much in mind during Question Period today - specifically what a second Trump regime might mean for Canadian border security and for our refugee system. If we are overwhelmed with asylum claimants, escaping Trump deportation sweeps, are we going to be able to offer refuge to those who need it? What happens to our safe third country system? I had questions. It may be too soon for answers. https://youtu.be/kjBcPuff3hY?si=2WsJzP1MXKcxsDA4 #Canada #SenateofCanada #refugees #deportation

2024-11-05 00:52:17 UTC

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I shared Murray's love of Fluevog footwear. Once, during a Senate break, I took a picture of my small Fluevog-clad foot next to his enormous one. I have looked all day, without success, for that photo. It seems to me the perfect found metaphor. Murray Sinclair leaves such large shoes to fill. May his memory be for a blessing to all who knew and loved him - and for everyone who never had the chance to meet him, but whose life was shaped by his work and his words. #MurraySinclair #SenateofCanada

2024-11-05 00:49:02 UTC

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Today, many are mourning Murray Sinclair as a secular saint. I understand. He was a larger than life moral champion, who forced us to accept the full horrors of the residential school system, who called on us all to be better Canadians, and who carried a sense of the numinous in his wake. But I am also mourning a very funny guy, who loved flashy Fluevog shoes, who loved a good joke, who loved the cut and thrust of Senate debate, and getting one over on the other guy. #MurraySinclair #cdnpoli

2024-11-05 00:42:57 UTC

I learned the news of the death of the Hon. Murray Sinclair early this morning, just before my flight left Edmonton for Ottawa. Ever since, I've been thinking about his extraordinary legacy as a lawyer, jurist, Senator and champion of truth and reconciliation. I was so privileged to work alongside him during my early years as a Senator. But I want to say, that is was also a joyous experience. He was so funny, so full of mischief. #SenateofCanada #MurraySinclair #TRC #cdnpoli

2024-10-30 18:36:02 UTC

Now that the Alberta government has introduced its controversial amendments to the Alberta Bill of Rights, I want to reshare my recent conversation with the Hon. Ron Ghitter, one of the architects of Alberta’s ORIGINAL Bill of Rights. His view of this new amendments? “Ludicrous.” https://www.podbean.com/wlei/pb-t2b6w-1711f1a #Alberta #ableg #abpoli #BillofRights #SenateofCanada #antisemitism #cdnpoli

2024-10-26 19:22:28 UTC

When I was 11 years old, a babysitter took me to see All the President’s Men. I think she was in love with Robert Redford. But that afternoon, I fell in love with journalism - and the ideals of the crusading Washington Post. Maybe that was a Hollywood fantasy. But the WaPo remained my ideal all through my own journalism career. What a bathetic end to a legacy of excellence. Democracy dies in cowardice, it would appear. #WashingtonPost #WaPo

2024-10-23 21:16:29 UTC

In Canada, the police cannot search letters and packages while they are in the hands of Canada Post. Bill S-256 would change that, and allow police the power to open letters and parcels in transit - with a warrant. Some Indigenous leaders say they need police to have those powers, to stem the flood of fentanyl onto reserve. But I have serious misgivings about eliminating very historic privacy rights. https://youtu.be/J1jXoRH3e3M?si=P0_b_sj3x9s1Eppe #SenateofCanada #CanadaPost #Canada #fentanyl

2024-10-13 14:30:46 UTC

Everybody these days, it seems, has a podcast. But David Gray, former host of the CBC’s Calgary Eyeopener, has a plodcast - where he interviews his subjects as they walk. We talked about political polarization & radicalization as we rambled along the Rideau Canal. Have a listen! https://www.graydiocanada.com/episodes/episode-12-the-senator-paula-simons #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli #Canada #Alberta #Ottawa #yow #abpoli

2024-10-06 15:47:45 UTC

I shocked some Senate colleagues, with my speech about the dark history of the eugenics movement in Alberta. Vitally important context, to our debate on Bill S-250, a bill sponsored by my Senate colleague Yvonne Boyer, a Metis human rights lawyer who has spent years drawing attention to the issue of non-consensual sterilization of Indigenous women in Canada. https://youtu.be/DXYdhZ1ZqdY?si=Wu5k7Epl3WHQm0x3 #eugenics #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #Alberta #Canada #ableg #abpoli #Famous5

2024-10-01 18:54:46 UTC

Yesterday, on the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, I had the privilege of attending a ceremony at the Canadian Museum of History to unveil the new residential schools monument, created by Kwagu’l master carver Stanley C. Hunt. Taking its inspiration from the traditional west coast totem pole, it is both ominous and inspiring. #OrangeShirtDay #TruthAndReconciliation
https://cdn.mastdn.ca/media_attachments/files/113/233/644/989/677/249/original/f036db4b4654ef09.png

2024-09-18 14:25:56 UTC

Alberta Unbound is back! And we kick off September with a humdinger. Come meet Kris Wells, one of Alberta’s two new Senators, who was sworn in yesterday. The right wing blogosphere has dubbed him Canada’s most dangerous senators. In this episode, I’ll introduce you to the real @npub15ev…0zst, in his own words. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/alberta-unbound/id1511810939 #AlbertaUnbound #SenateofCanada #Alberta #Canada #cdnpoli #trans #Edmonton #yeg

2024-09-17 20:09:33 UTC

Good news - Health Canada has just announced its approval of the new Moderna Covid vaccine, which targets the KP.2 variant. https://covid-vaccine.canada.ca/ #Covid19 #Covid #vaccine #Canada #HealthCanada #kp2 #Spikevax

2024-09-06 17:52:10 UTC

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I have asked the Senate to consider it. They rejected the idea - in part because setting up their own instance and monitoring it would be so much work, and expose them to potential liability. It’s a challenge, to be sure.

2024-09-03 03:11:55 UTC

And another Senator enters the chat! I had a big walk and talk with @npub15ev…0zst this morning. I mentioned how much I enjoy Mastodon. I guess I made a compelling pitch! So please don’t make a liar out of me - instead, join me in welcoming my new Senate colleague to this wonderful community. #SenateofCanada #Edmonton #yeg #MacEwan #lgbtq #cdnpoli #Alberta #Canada

2024-08-18 13:55:58 UTC

Have you found your Fringe? I’ve kicked off my Fringe this year with a smorgasbord of theatre including Microwave Coven, The Flying Doctor, Mass Debating, Estimated Wait Time, and Accidental Beach. Today, we’re off to see Trial by Jury and Murder, She Improvised. Have you checked out Canada’s largest theatre festival - and North America’s original Fringe - yet this year? Picks? Pans? #Edmonton #yeg #Fringe #EdmontonFringe #EdmontonFringeTheatreFestival