Perhaps the most important episode of Alberta Unbound we’ve ever recorded. How should we respond to those 9 nasty questions? https://www.podbean.com/ei/pb-tfx3t-1a7c4d3 #ableg #abpoli #AlbertaUnbound #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli
Just Say No: 9 questions, 5 voices

Political scientists Melanee Thomas and Yasmeen Abu-Laben, political strategists Ken Boessenkool and Zain Velji, and constitutional lawyer Patricia Paradis, dive into the nine referendum questions and how Albertans should respond. Here are the nine referendum questions below:  1. Do you support the Government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities? 2. Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services? 3. Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for social support programs as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring all individuals with a non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for any provincially funded social support programs? 4. Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family’s use of the health care and education systems? 5. Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election? 6. Have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and Appeal courts? 7. Abolish the unelected federal Senate? 8. Allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education, and social services, without a province losing any of the associated federal funding for use in its social programs? 9. Better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving a province’s laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the province’s laws and federal laws conflict?   

Senator Senior’s amendment to Bill C-12 passed - a nice surprise. I had less luck with the amendment I proposed tonight, to try to put some meaningful parliamentary oversight on the mass cancellations of visa and permanent residency cards. I thought my amendment was elegant. But it may have been too clever for its own good! https://youtu.be/AFPJWRPW9O4?si=toJ-9Thv51U0XiNG #C12 #BillC12 #immigration #cdnpoli #Canada #SenateofCanada
Bill C-12: On immigration, Parliament should not surrender its prerogatives to the executive branch

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Today, I was a guest on the Borderlines immigration law podcast, to talk about Bill C-12 and the role of the modern Senate in reviewing difficult legislation. With a conclusion that looks at Danielle Smith’s anti-immigrant discourse. https://youtu.be/sgaggc8uv_Q #BillC12 #C12 #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #ableg #Alberta #Canada
#206 - The Importance of the Canadian Senate with Senator Paula Simons

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RE: https://mastodon.social/@fcjrefugeecentre/116127458962721295

Please join me today - and a panel of legal experts - to talk about Bill C-12. #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #C12 #immigration

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
It's time to make an X-it: Senator Simons questions the Canadian government's continued use of X

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My efforts to convince the government to create a stand-alone sovereign verified traveller program for Canadian airports continues! Here is my recent QP exchange with government representative Pierre Moreau on that quest. https://youtu.be/W7u7L_kPLdo?si=Lvx52a92duP6ceaj #cdnpoli #DHS #SenateofCanada #PBO #Canada #airports #HomelandSecurity #NEXUS
Asking again for a domestic verified travellers program for Canadians. Once more, with feeling!

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Next up - Bill C-12. Thursday night, I rose in the Senate to call out the so-called “reforms” to our immigration & refugee systems, which have been condemned by civil society groups across Canada. I was the only Senator to give a speech in opposition to the bill - perhaps because, as an Albertans, I have already witnessed the dangers of demonizing new Canadians and asylum seekers. https://youtu.be/U1QAtaBy-sM?si=np2nmi9xbGJs1Jdk #C12 #BillC12 #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #SenCa #Alberta #ableg #abpoli #DanielleSmith #immigration #ICE
Don’t undermine immigration policy by appeasing xenophobia: Senator Paula Simons critiques Bill C-12

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I’m so sorry - I’m a bit behind on my Mastodon posting. Last week was crazy busy. So let me give you a recap of all the trouble I’ve been making in the Senate. First up - my exchange with Justice Minister Sean Fraser about Premier Danielle Smith’s threat to stop funding new superior court judges in Alberta. https://youtu.be/4qW6MudvW7M?si=mM_Sk-vk7xUl9THv #cdnpoli #abpoli #LCJC #Alberta #SenateOfCanada #DanielleSmith #SenCa #ableg
Justice Min. Sean Fraser responds to Danielle Smith's threats to withhold funding for judges.

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Happy World Soil Day! In honour of the occasion, here’s a flashback to a speech I gave earlier this fall on the need for Canada to have a national soil health strategy. https://youtu.be/cwTJOKQcwW8 #WorldSoilDay #Soil #UnitedNations #cdnpoli #Canada #SenateofCanada
Don't spoil the soil: the need for a national strategy on soil health

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Some Canadians are counting down the days till Christmas. Some are counting the nights till Hanukkah. But in the Senate, we're counting down the sitting days until we receive Bill C-4, which will, among many other things, exempt federal political parties from provincial privacy law. At QP today, I had questions. I think anyone who cares about privacy rights will want to listen. https://youtu.be/ZB501otrMwQ?si=jbJj626Pcd7P47U9 #BillC4 #C4 #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #LCJC #privacy #BillC2 #BillC8 #BillC12 #privacy
Bill C:4 - A tax bill's encroachments on the privacy of Canadian voters

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