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Erika Shaker

@ershaker.bsky.social
1.6K followers 584 following 1.1K posts

Director, CCPA National Office bsky.app/profile/policyalternatives…

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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 7h
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... ‘The proliferation of AI is awash in immediate harms, but the benefits remain elusive. Widespread AI adoption is thus a costly bet—a gamble on future prosperity with our jobs, our planet & very minds at stake. Welcome to the AI casino’ @policyalternatives.ca
policyalternatives.ca
All in at the AI casino | CCPA
The federal government is betting everything on an AI future that may never exist
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 9h
'Carney and his team obsessively read Canadian media. They are sensitive to criticism from it, so they’ve simply opted to go around it...But as one Liberal pointed out to me: “You can get away with a lot when you’ve got a 10-point lead.”'
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 9h
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... 'Working people across Canada got us through the COVID19 pandemic and they are putting their elbows up to stand with the government in this current tariff fight. The government would be wise not to abuse that support with Bill C39' @policyalternatives.ca
policyalternatives.ca
Bill C-39 undermines Canadian workers’ right to strike | CCPA
The federal government is acquiescing to the business lobby’s attempt to tip the scales and water down workers’ rights
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... ‘Calling any of these “guardrails” is doublespeak in the strict sense: a word chosen because it means the opposite of what the clause does.’
thestar.com
Mark Carney says he’s protecting Canadian workers. It’s Orwellian doublespeak
Subject to ministerial review, the right to strike is likely to be much weakened by Bill C-39.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... ‘Rents are driving up the cost of living & the minimum wage is not keeping up…if rent increases are outpacing inflation, that’s not because of the invisible hand of the market but…the outcome of this govt’s decisions’ @policyalternatives.ca @ricardotranjan.bsky.social
thestar.com
Essentials are expensive. Donald Trump’s tariffs loom. A small raise for thousands of Torontonians isn’t going to cut it
Hundreds of thousands of people will still not be making a living wage
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... 'This research study analyzes how the ON govt’s policy direction favours the for-profit surgical & medical imaging industry over public hospitals & evaluates whether this policy direction is reducing wait times & serving the public interest.'
policyalternatives.ca
Not adding up: Surgical and diagnostic privatization in Ontario | CCPA
The Ontario government favours for-profit delivery of surgeries and medical imaging, but the evidence shows this isn't good health policy
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/arti... ‘The study…found that since Ontario has started outsourcing more key procedures, wait times for these medical imaging services and surgeries are actually going up.’ @alonghurst.bsky.social @policyalternatives.ca
ctvnews.ca
Wait times increasing for some medical procedures outsourced to for-profit clinics in Ontario: report
Outsourcing surgeries and imaging to private for-profit clinics has not resulted in a drop in wait times for most procedures, according to a new study released Monday.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
ca.news.yahoo.com/israeli-mili... ‘McPherson said Canada should follow the European Union's example and demand that Israel pay to repair the infrastructure it has damaged, along with damage to projects that the Israeli military has allowed settlers to inflict.’
ca.news.yahoo.com
Israeli military, settlers damaged aid projects backed by Canada: documents
OTTAWA — Canada has contributed to dozens of aid projects in the Palestinian territories that have since been damaged or destroyed by the Israeli military and Israeli settlers, according to a document...
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
www.cbc.ca/news/politic... ‘Casey said he received a call from the Atlantic desk of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Thursday saying that he was being replaced. He described the conversations with both the whip and the PMO as "direct" and clearly referencing his support for Kwan's bill.’
cbc.ca
Liberal MP says he was demoted for supporting NDP bill targeting arms export controls | CBC News
Charlottetown MP Sean Casey says he was removed from his position as parliamentary secretary to the minister of veterans affairs because he voted against the government and supported an NDP private me...
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
youtu.be/kfI-_5HhABM oh boy, you’re in for a treat—check out the 2026 Rosenbluth Lecture featuring @lindamcquaig.bsky.social, Neil Brooks and their newest book ‘Cancelling Billionaires.’ @marclee.bsky.social @policyalternatives.ca
youtu.be
Cancelling Billionaires Before They Cancel Us
YouTube video by Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... ‘the reality is that the PMD opens the doors to a lot of dirty investments, including oil and gas pipelines, (higher-carbon) LNG facilities and mining investments.’ @marclee.bsky.social @policyalternatives.ca
policyalternatives.ca
The Canadian government's new “mega” corporate tax cut  | CCPA
What you need to know about the Productivity Mega Deduction, the latest measure purportedly designed to induce an investment boom.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... 'Together, these new laws are likely to significantly increase business and employer health care costs—just as private health insurance drives up business costs in the United States.' @policyalternatives.ca @alonghurst.bsky.social
policyalternatives.ca
Alberta’s U.S.-style health care reforms will increase costs for businesses | CCPA
The benefits of single-payer medicare are undeniable. Alberta’s reforms upend the economic benefits of public health insurance
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... ‘Health Canada said Wednesday it had suspended the licence of the Taylor Avenue location, further complicating Grifols’ plans to reopen it.’ @alonghurst.bsky.social
theglobeandmail.com
Health Canada suspends licence of Grifols site in Winnipeg
A 22-year-old donor experienced heart problems at the site and later died
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
www.oise.utoronto.ca/len/events/t...
oise.utoronto.ca
Toward Liberation: Dreaming and Designing the Education We Need
This full-day opening gathering invites K-12 teachers, principals, community leaders, and scholars to lay the relational and imaginative foundation for the Liberatory Education Network's 2026/27 acade...
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... ‘CDA must not leave workers vulnerable by ignoring the importance of labour cooperation & enforcement through our relationship with Mexico, or by shirking the hard but essential work of building on the earlier progress forged by CUSMA’ @ccpa-tirp.bsky.social
policyalternatives.ca
A worker-first agenda for Canada-Mexico trade | CCPA
Canada has an opportunity to advance workers' rights through its relationship with Mexico amid Trump’s tariffs.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.thestar.com/politics/fed... ‘Government officials and cabinet ministers touted the legislation — which was applauded by at least one major business organization — as a way to create certainty for investments in development projects.’
thestar.com
Carney government tables sweeping bill to overhaul environmental and labour rules
The federal government tabled new legislation Monday to make sweeping changes to environmental and labour rules, in Prime Minister Mark Carney's latest effort to remove what he sees as barriers
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com... ‘There are good symbolic and policy-related reasons to prioritize deeper ties with Europe….What is needed is not a new label, but steps that encourage more buy-in from all levels of government, business and civil society.’
theglobeandmail.com
Opinion: Carney’s beautiful Euro vision must meet harsh reality
While there are good symbolic and policy-related reasons to prioritize deeper ties with Europe, talk about ‘associate membership’ is much less compelling
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art... ‘the government plans to introduce a bill called the Building Canada Strong Act that would ensure that federal projects face a single review and a decision within one year.’
theglobeandmail.com
Carney government to introduce major economic bill as Parliament returns Monday
Building Canada Strong Act would ensure that federal projects face a single review and a decision within one year, Prime Minister said last week
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art... ‘The sources tell CTV News the government has conveyed to them that the legislation will be aimed at introducing binding mediation before strike action is taken.’
ctvnews.ca
Feds could introduce new labour legislation as soon as next week: sources
A senior government source tells CTV News that plans are underway to introduce such legislation following a review of the Canadian Labour Code that began in April.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... CDA’s glacial progress in reducing gender wage disparities speaks to the scale of the challenge involved in rooting out intersectional gender discrimination w/in a context of increasing income & wealth polarization@policyalternatives.ca @kjscott.bsky.social
policyalternatives.ca
Dismantling gender pay discrimination in Canada: Current trends and policy responses | CCPA
The gender pay gap has narrowed but remains unacceptably wide, with the average woman earning only 72% of what men earn
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.thestar.com/politics/pol... ‘Canada’s major airports are currently run by not-for-profit authorities that redirect their revenues — $3.95B in 2022 — into infrastructure and operations. They also send Ottawa millions in lease payments — $525M in 2025, with Pearson alone paying $236M’
thestar.com
Althia Raj: Mark Carney’s flight plan means turbulence for Canadian air travellers
Pension funds seek the stable returns that airports provide, but it's less clear what passengers get out of privatization, Althia Raj writes.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... "...the caregiver story points to a broader tendency in Canadian public policy. Govts respond to enduring problems through instruments designed to expire: pilot programs, one-time benefits, interim measures & funding envelopes that they must actively renew"
policyalternatives.ca
Canada can’t stop relying on temporary pilot programs | CCPA
From worker supports to immigration to housing, the federal government has a really hard time committing—but pilot programs aren’t a mode of governance
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
globalnews.ca/video/120612... @davidmaccdn.bsky.social @policyalternatives.ca
globalnews.ca
PM seeking to privatize Canada’s four largest airports | Watch News Videos Online
Watch PM seeking to privatize Canada’s four largest airports Video Online, on GlobalNews.ca
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... 'In 2025, the MB govt signed a five-year contract with Dynacare that effectively locked these private-sector lab workers into wages 20 - 50% below their public sector co-workers performing the same work in public hospitals.' @policyalternatives.ca
policyalternatives.ca
Dynacare workers are standing up to U.S. health care greed in Manitoba | CCPA
The private lab—owned by a U.S. corporation—oversaw a relative drop in workers’ wages. Manitoba stepped in on the side of the company.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/serial/alter.... 'While the federal government may present these choices as natural, inevitable responses to the crisis of U.S. aggression, they are indeed choices—and ones that, in many ways, will create an effect opposite of their stated intentions.'
policyalternatives.ca
Alternative federal budget 2026-27: Bridge to independence | CCPA
A roadmap to a Canada made truly strong by its commitment to solidarity and dignity for all
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Reposted by Erika Shaker
Simon Enoch @simonenoch.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
In the end, privatizing Canada’s airports doesn’t solve any of the problems we face. Instead it risks making air travel even more expensive and less pleasant. And Canadians would be giving up democratic control over a critical public asset for generations. www.thespec.com/opinion/cont...
thespec.com
Don’t fall for Ottawa’s airport privatization trap
Privatizing Canada’s airports could mean higher costs for travellers and less control over a critical public asset.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... 'A privatized airport authority wouldn’t balance revenues and expenditures, instead it would attempt to drive up revenues and/or drive down expenditures to create a profit that it could pay to shareholders.' @policyalternatives.ca @davidmaccdn.bsky.social
policyalternatives.ca
Air travel in Canada is about to get more expensive | CCPA
The impacts of airport privatization on travellers and workers
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
'Under the current system, democratic institutions have control over how we want our airports to operate and the ability to change them if we want them to operate differently....we shouldn’t be surprised if [privatized airports] no longer operate in our interest.' @simonenoch.bsky.social
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... 'privately controlled public assets rarely operate in the public interest. And why would they? The private investor has every incentive to minimize their costs and maximize their returns for the life of these multi-decade contracts' @policyalternatives.ca
policyalternatives.ca
Privatizing Canadian airports means less safety and higher costs | CCPA
The feds may announce an “asset recycling” scheme for Canadian airports at their investment summit in Toronto. It would make air travel in Canada worse.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... ‘Been sleeping through the trade war, so far? Let’s catch you up.’ @marclee.bsky.social @policyalternatives.ca @ccpa-tirp.bsky.social
policyalternatives.ca
Trump’s new trade escalation: What is going on? | CCPA
Unpacking the tangled mess of the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and Canada, beginning with the latest measures that came into force early September
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
www.readthemaple.com/cija-is-lobb... “It undermines the idea that we’re a sovereign state with rights and obligations.”
readthemaple.com
CIJA Is Lobbying To Expand Grounds For Revoking Citizenship
Experts say CIJA’s demands would have troubling implications for the rights of naturalized Canadian citizens.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
futurism.com/artificial-i... ‘As part of the bootcamp, students are also required to pass an eyebrow-raising heart rate challenge, in which they’re hooked up to live monitors in front of their classmates and presented with a pre-recorded video of their parents berating them’
futurism.com
AI School Hooking Children Up to Heart Monitor in Front of Class While Playing Critiques of Their Work
The controversial AI-focused private school Alpha School is making its students do some unusual things before enrolling.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
www.ipolitics.ca/2026/09/08/c... ‘In a joint statement, those countries say they “will bring forward national measures to ban trade in settlement goods” and are joining others condemning the Israeli government over the “rapidly deteriorating” situation for Palestinians.’
ipolitics.ca
Canada to join European ban on Israeli settlement goods amid rising violence
Canada, the United Kingdom, France and other countries are accusing Israel of enabling settler violence and working to expand settlements that are widely understood to be illegal under international l...
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
theijf.org/article/phil... ‘Alongside the activities cited by the CRA as contravening Canadian policy or international law, Howe said that many charities named in this story also supported programs that would be recognized as legitimate charitable causes.’
theijf.org
Philanthropists critical of Nakba exhibit donated $4.8M to groups later sanctioned for funding illegal settlements, Israeli military
CRA alleges groups carried out or served as conduits for ineligible activities
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
This has always been a deliberate strategy, articulated by former Ed Minister Snobelen during the Harris government in the 90s: push polls, maligning public schools and those working in then, centralizing control and decentralizing responsibility while underfunding the system.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
www.thestar.com/news/gta/a-t... ‘years of underfunding have degraded the public education system. “From a public service perspective, if we can’t provide the service people expect, they’re going to look for alternatives.”’
thestar.com
Why is Ontario public school enrolment dropping? Inside the trend setting off alarm bells for school boards
Ontario public school enrolment is declining as parents look for alternatives. Read why families are leaving and how boards face financial strain.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-... ‘Scientists who contributed to the paper shared their concern that a report of this magnitude was quietly released by the federal government.’
ctvnews.ca
‘Effectively irreversible’: Changes to Canada’s climate permanent, federal report says
The effects of climate change are impacting Canadians even more than scientists predicted less than a decade ago, according to a new report released this week.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
montrealgazette.com/quebec-elect... ‘Still on the theme of private health-care expansion, Fréchette also said she would expand the scenarios in which the government funds private-sector services.’
montrealgazette.com
Fréchette says CAQ would allow more private health care to reduce wait times
The proposal would also allow doctors to work in both the private and public sectors, reversing a policy introduced by the CAQ.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
www.cma.ca/about-us/pre... ‘The new rules clearly violate the Canada Health Act & the principles of fair and timely access to health care for all…the federal govt must stand up for Albertans & all Canadians to ensure this new legislation doesn’t create a new normal of health care haves & have-nots.’
cma.ca
Federal government must strongly oppose Alberta's latest move toward American-style health care: Canadian doctors
Today, many Alberta doctors can now work in private clinics, billing patients’ credit cards while working in the public system at the same time. The Alberta government has taken this extraordinary ste...
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Reposted by Erika Shaker
The Breakdown AB @thebreakdownab.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Holy crap. Danielle Smith issued an "Alberta Day" statement this morning... And then reissued it, removing the acknowledgement of First Nations peoples in Alberta. And included a shout out to oil and gas instead. #abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... indispensable back-to-school analysis for ON students and families, educators and education workers from @policyalternatives.ca’s @ricardotranjan.bsky.social
policyalternatives.ca
Doing more with less: 10 facts about school funding in Ontario | CCPA
The numbers show that schools and educators in Ontario are being asked to do more with less, and students are paying the price
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Four alarm firesale.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news... ‘Mr. Barton brings extensive experience in global business, investment, and public service. He is the Chair of Rio Tinto and of LeapFrog Investments and spent more than 30 years at McKinsey & Company, including nine years as Global Managing Partner.‘
pm.gc.ca
Prime Minister Carney announces the appointments of new Chair of the Board and CEO of Invest in Canada
Invest in Canada is a key player in this mission – guiding investors from initial interest to shovels in the ground.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... ‘An additional word to the federal govt: Stop laying off workers. Pursuing austerity at this moment is a massive own-goal—not only in terms of the state’s capacity to deliver critical public services, but as an economic stabilizer during difficult times’
policyalternatives.ca
Standing up to Trump requires standing up for workers | CCPA
The government’s support package for workers and business will need to be scaled up if we are to successfully build a strong and independent future
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... 'As it once did long ago, the federal government should immediately begin working with provincial governments on emergency stabilization funding to prevent lasting damage to the vital sector.' @policyalternatives.ca
policyalternatives.ca
Missing in action: Federal leadership on post-secondary funding | CCPA
The federal government needs to reclaim its role as a leading funder of universities and colleges in Canada
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
www.thegrindmag.ca/campus-antis... ‘despite claiming to be a report on “antisemitism,” the authors cast watermelon earrings, Peabody Award-winning journalism, and peace activism as intolerable campus expression.’
thegrindmag.ca
Campus Antisemitism Report Hid a Key Finding that Turns the Results Upside Down
In early August, mainstream outlets repeated the findings of a flawed report describing alarming levels of antisemitism on university campuses. Two weeks later, the authors stated that 92 per cent of…
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
drilled.media/news/new-zea... “This goes beyond climate change. These immunity waivers set a dangerous precedent. If the oil and gas industry wants immunity for climate lawsuits, what else do they want immunity from? Oil spills? They can say they were just doing their job.…
drilled.media
New Zealand to Become First Country in the World to Lock the Courthouse Door on Climate Change
Borrowing a tactic from the United States, New Zealand will adopt a law authored by industry to give legal immunity for tort claims against fossil fuel producers and big emitters.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
www.cbc.ca/news/politic... ‘Since the plan was first launched in 2022, the Liberal government has eliminated key measures needed for Canada to achieve the 2030 target. The lawsuit alleges that not updating the climate plan violates Canada's climate accountability act’
cbc.ca
Carney government asks court to strike down climate litigation | CBC News
The federal government is asking a court to toss out a high-profile environmental lawsuit, arguing it has no business directing Canada's climate policy.
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
‘The Canadian left, long opposed to free trade and closer integration with the US, now finds common ground with a broad, multipartisan consensus that Canada must move on from the economic relationship it has known for the past 40 years: one of ever-deepening integration’ @policyalternatives.ca
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Erika Shaker @ershaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
jacobin.com/2026/08/carn... ‘calls are growing across party lines for Canada to start taxing energy exports to the US rather than offer them up as a solution to US energy dominance. The conditions are ripe…for democratic industrial strategy and other economic alternatives to free trade’
jacobin.com
Trump’s Art of the Bad Deal Comes to Canada
Donald Trump’s trade demands, which would have killed off whole sectors of the productive economy, like auto, were impossible to accept. The negotiations’ collapse could open space for democratic indu...
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