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? #SenateofCanada #Xodus, #X #cdnpoli #GovernmentofCanada #Canada #Twitter #Mastodon

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

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. #SenateofCanada #NotwithstandingClause #cdnpoli #Alberta #abpoli #Vriend

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?)

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

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.

Protecting Trans Kids: a Conversation with Alex Marshall and Kristy Harcourt | Alberta Unbound

Senator Simons talks to Alex Marshall and Kristy Harcourt about proposed legislation that will negatively affect the health and privacy rights of t...

#Alberta #ableg #Bill26 #Bill27 #Bill 29 #TransRightsAreHumanRights

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. #Canada #SenateofCanada #refugees #deportation