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Michael Connolly

@mikeconnolly.bsky.social
626 followers 955 following 141 posts

PhD Candidate at Loyola Chicago. Historian of the Gilded Age/Progressive Era. Proud 🇨🇦. Former Alberta NDP MLA. He/Him 🏳️‍🌈

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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
#ableg trivia: Calgary-Shaw tonight was only the second time ever that the Alberta NDP picked up a seat in a by-election. The first was Pincher Creek-Crowsnest(!) in 1966.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Courtney Theriault @ctheriault.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
NEW: Alberta NDP takes Calgary-Shaw from the UCP, as Kyle Campbell defeats Mike Derry. Seat was vacated after former UCP minister Rebecca Schulz stepped down, who had twice won the riding.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Charlie Angus @charlieangus104.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Le Parti québécois ne tiendra pas de référendum en raison de la menace que représente Trump pour notre souveraineté. The Parti Quebecois will not play politics with our nation at this time. Meanwhile Danielle Smith and the quisling brigade continue to try and destabilize our country.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Alberta NDP @albertandp.ca · 07/08/2026
Danielle Smith called for a massive $130 million separatism referendum knowing Elections Alberta doesn't have the resources to run it. This is going to be a mess with long voting lines. Request your mail-in ballot now. www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/art...
ctvnews.ca
‘Like recruiting for a federal election’: Elections Alberta less than halfway to hiring goal 3 months before referendum
With just under three months before the province heads to the polls for a multi-ballot referendum, Elections Alberta has fielded 25,000 applications for workers to keep voting day running smoothly.
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
I’ve been on hold with UPS for 20 minutes and I can only assume that this is what those calls with Mitch McConnell have been like.
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Farage’s resignation reminds me of New York Senator Roscoe Conkling, who resigned his seat to protest President Garfield and civil service reform in 1881. He believed the New York Legislature would reelect him immediately, showing his power. They didn’t and he died in near obscurity. #skystorians
Roscoe Conkling
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
"We've got a beautiful country. If you don't want to be part of it you're free to leave. You won't be taking any land with you.”—Great statement by AFN Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. #ableg
cbc.ca
AFN chief rebukes Alberta separatists in meeting with King Charles | CBC News
The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations rebuked the Alberta separation movement during a meeting with King Charles at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Getting ready for #SHGAPE2026! Can’t wait to see everyone for our inaugural conference this weekend. #skystorians
3 cups of coffee
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Heather Campbell @thatheatherc.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
This article digusted me so much that I read it twice to ensure the details were as horrible as I first thought they were. Ugh. www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
theglobeandmail.com
U.S. church leader Doug Wilson declares strong support for Alberta independence movement
Secession is a step toward establishing a government ruled by Christian principles, pastor says
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Paul Renfro @renfro.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
“Historian here”! Masculinity is pretty much always in “crisis,” which suggests that American masculinity itself is the crisis. 🗃️ www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | America Has a Masculinity Crisis
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Scott Robertson @sarobertson.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Wab Kinew on fact-checking Danielle Smith: "Somebody's got to stick up for Canada. And I love this country so much ... if there is going to be a referendum, I don't want fake news to be framing it up."
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
New thread about the history books I have used to kill bugs around my apartment. Apologies to all the historians listed below. 🗃️
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
This referendum question on a referendum question violates the Clarity Act and the federal government should step in. It’s also ridiculous to begin with. #cdnpoli #ableg
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Ari Berman @ariberman.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Today's demolition of Voting Rights Act by Roberts Court will likely trigger largest drop in Black representation since end of Reconstruction. They're taking America back to Jim Crow, when white supremacy and one party rule enshrined across South www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Supreme Court deals a death blow to the Voting Rights Act
The "now-completed demolition" of the law could take us back to the Jim Crow era.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Paul Renfro @renfro.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
“We do not need to be lectured. We do not need to be rescued. What we need is support. Many of us see staying not as an ethical failure, but as the very fulfillment of our values.” This Florida man says, “Amen.” Thank you so much for writing this, Ben. 🗃️
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
I'm starting to get the sense that referendums in Alberta are performative exercises instead of ways to resolve policy disputes.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
first in my bloodline to see someone get excommunicated by a community note
"Magataotao" on Twitter writes: "I am Catholic. This👇is not my Pope."

Attached is a video of the Pope saying that we should search for peace and reject war.

A community note under their tweet says: "You are not a Catholic if you do not accept the Pope, but rather a schismatic.

Canon 751: “Schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff,” ie. the Pope.

https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib3-cann747-755_en.html"
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Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 09/04/2026
I mean, it’s a brokerage party And it’s been a brokerage party for the Eastern Canadian bourgeoisie since time immemorial The problem isn’t that the Liberal Party suddenly doesn’t understand what it is, the problem is that it understands what it is all too well
Globe and Mail:

Besides winning, what does a Liberal Party that will accept Marilyn Gladu actually stand for?

ROBYN URBACK
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Shannon Phillips 🇨🇦 @sphillipsab.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Legendary line
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Quite the sign at the (thoughtful and well designed) Gateway Arch museum in St Louis. It asks patrons to report “any signs or info that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.”
Plaque at Gateway Arch National Park:
“Gateway Arch National Park belongs to the American people, and the National Park Service wants your feedback. Please let us know if you have identified (1) any areas that need repair; (2) any services that need improvement; or (3) any signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans or that fail to emphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Boo!-per Lund @cooperlund.online · 22/03/2026
Every time I’m in Union Square I think about how Tammany Hall, the seat of power for New York for decades, is now a Petco
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Heather McPherson MP @heathermcpherson.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
We should be building on the success of our provincial parties! By reaching beyond our base and working and building together, we can win more seats and deliver more wins for people.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Shannon Phillips 🇨🇦 @sphillipsab.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Here is a clip of @avilewis.ca and @naomiaklein.bsky.social being gleeful that the Alberta NDP only had one term in govt. Sure, I get it. They think my record as Environment Minister is something to be ashamed of. Coal phase-out, renewables, indigenous equity, energy efficiency etc…
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Heather McPherson MP @heathermcpherson.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Reconnaissante de l’appui de Leo Piquette et Michael Connolly. Leo a défendu les droits des francophones, même au prix politique. Michael s’est battu pour les jeunes LGBTQ+ et les communautés francophones. Leur exemple montre pourquoi il faut élire plus de néo-démocrates.
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
I’m proud to endorse @heathermcpherson.bsky.social for @ndp.ca leader.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Janet French @jantafrench.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
What books did Alberta schools *actually* pull off the shelves in response to a provincial order? It took a lot of work to find out. We still don't have a complete picture. And some schools are still pulling material. Free speech advocates say it's ban unmatched in Canadian history. #AbLeg By me.
cbc.ca
By the book: Alberta schools pull at least 160 titles from shelves to meet provincial order | CBC News
Alberta school divisions complying with a provincial order have removed dozens of graphic novels from their shelves, from illustrated versions of literary classics to coming-of-age memoirs and dramati...
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The Breakdown AB @thebreakdownab.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
If you watch 2 minutes of video today… Make it this. A masterclass on oratory and personal responsibility is on full display. #abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli
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Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 23/02/2026
Pierre Poilievre has launched a “free speech” petition in support of Barry Neufeld, an anti-LGBTQ+ bigot and antisemitic conspiracy theorists with a history of filing anti-free speech SLAPP lawsuits against his critics www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Pierre Poilievre:

“This is insane and Orwellian.

Governments and kangaroo courts now chill freedom of expression instead of fighting crime, censoring people who dare to speak their minds. Just ask the B.C. school board trustee who got slapped with a $750,000 fine for saying there are two genders.
Enough is enough. We must defend the truth and free speech against these mad censors.
Sign here to support free speech”

NATIONAL POST
The Canadians being punished by the state for not believing in gender ideology
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
On the big, loaded questions that referendums will pose to Albertans. By me. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
ANALYSIS | The big questions Danielle Smith poses to Albertans as referendums | CBC News
Alberta's premier used to want rapid growth in newcomers and enjoyed surplus budgets. Now in deficit, she's pointing a finger at immigration levels.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 20/02/2026
So Alberta is holding an anti-immigrant referendum to help create an excuse for why Danielle Smith is running multibillion dollar deficits? “Smith’s address comes one week before Finance Minister Nate Horner tables the 2026 provincial budget which is expected to have a multibillion-dollar deficit”
cbc.ca
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces fall referendum on immigration, constitutional questions | CBC News
Premier Danielle Smith wants to hold a referendum in October on measures to limit immigration to Alberta and changes she believes would give the province more rights under the Constitution.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Courtney Theriault @ctheriault.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
"The level of racism and hate that has been expressed has risen undoubtedly, and it is aligned with this premier's... attempt to pin all of her failings on newcomers to this province." ABNDP's Rakhi Pancholi argues Premier Smith's referendums are designed to anger and distract.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Dead McCoy 💀🖖 @tedmccoy.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
The UCP has been in power for 51 of the last 55 years but according to Danielle Smith it's the family who arrived six months ago that is wrecking the province.
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
What Danielle Smith is proposing is a racist and xenophobic referendum to distract from her failures as Premier. Our social services are failing and investment is down because of her policies, not immigration.
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Danielle Smith is the worst Premier in the history of Alberta, and one of the worst in the history of Canada. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
cbc.ca
Man behind the Clarity Act has choice words for Alberta separatists and Danielle Smith | CBC News
Former Liberal cabinet minister Stéphane Dion is lambasting the brewing separatist movement in Alberta and demanding Premier Danielle Smith clarify her position and lay out the next steps depending on...
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 06/02/2026
The digital archive brings together every edition of An Gaodhal, which was published in the United States between 1881 and 1898.
rte.ie
Digital archive of first Irish language newspaper opens
A digital archive of the world's first Irish language newspaper has been launched by the University of Galway.
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The Serfs (youtube.com/theserfstv) @theserfstv.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation currently implemented or passing in Canada
A map of Canada showing Alberta and Saskatchewan being in the red for anti trans legislation passed and Quebec and Ontario turning red rapidly
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Forgetting where I put my book on ADHD that I said I’d read 3 years ago is really peak ADHD.
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
I’ve been feeling very smug watching Chicago close its schools and museums for the day because it’s a low of -22°C. These people wouldn’t last 3 hours in Ottawa.
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Reposted by Michael Connolly
Niko Stratis @nikostratis.com · 21/01/2026
For CBC Arts, I wrote about why I think Canada needs to revel in the beauty of its weirdest impulses www.cbc.ca/arts/canadia...
cbc.ca
OPINION | Canadian TV needs to get weird again | CBC Arts
In the ‘80s and ‘90s, English Canadian screens were filled with bizarre, fever dream-like shows. Writer Niko Stratis argues that we need to back to that
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Canada should make so many good tv shows that other nations voluntarily adopt CanCon rules.
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Senator Paula Simons 🇨🇦 @senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
The CBC has just posted a transcript of my recent As it Happens interview about X and Grok. I’m posting a couple of screen shots here - since they are a bit too long for alt text, I’ll post the link to the full transcript below. #cdnpoli #X #Grok #yeg #CSAM
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
I can’t wait to explain to all my American friends what the Treasury Board of Canada is. #heatedrivalry
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
After reading 376 books, writing 3 essays, and enduring an hour and a half interrogation by 3 historians, I have been crowned with the Tiara of Knowledge and passed my comprehensive exams with distinction.
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Michael Connolly @mikeconnolly.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
“I never thought leopards would eat MY face,” sobs woman who Helped create the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party.
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Jason Markusoff @markusoff.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
That’s 4 invocations of Notwithstanding Clause for Danielle Smith within a month, with this these of transgender policy bills set to stand regardless of the Charter rights they violate. The premier mused about Alberta behaving more like Quebec in Confederation. This is one way to do it.
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Cathleen D. Cahill @cathleendcahill.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
Our most recent @shgape.bsky.social pod dropped this week. We are revisiting a few of Michael Cullinane's 100 great episodes (w/ some help from @mikeconnolly.bsky.social ) so tough choices--which are your favorite past episodes & why? Let us know in the comments embed.acast.com/$/6116856492...?
embed.acast.com
Acast Embed Player (377a84a64c1c2ad341d434d7b5fd740d87cc6381)
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Senator Paula Simons 🇨🇦 @senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
Yeah, we did. We ruined it for misogynists and sexual predators and office lotharios and drunks and lazy loafers who had their secretaries and assistants do their actual work.
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Naheed Nenshi @naheednenshi.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
For the first time in Alberta history, Danielle Smith will use the notwithstanding clause preemptively to shield her bills targeting vulnerable trans children from legal scrutiny. Her actions are simply cruel and wrong. Read my full statement below:
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Heather Campbell @thatheatherc.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
I want to know how much the Alberta government is spending on legal costs for all of their anti-science & anti-inclusion, anti-diversity, anti-equity, and anti-accesibility efforts. What's the spend to fight trans kids in court? What did the book ban cost? How much for the vaccine rationing? 1/
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