JamesSeesIt!

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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

@bear_ing Needs more Chin Straps. Or CowBell!

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

22 MINUTES. $26 BILLION. NOT ONE QUESTION. 🇨🇦

On October 29, four Canadians held a press conference on Parliament Hill questioning Canada’s involvement in Ukraine.

NATO. Corruption. Failed diplomacy. The origins of the war. Billions in Canadian assistance.

They called for an independent audit and renewed peace negotiations.

CPAC broadcast it.

When the moderator invited questions from the media?

NOT. ONE. QUESTION.

I don’t know why.
But I know I have plenty.

And I’ve been asking many of them for YEARS.

⸻

THIS DIDN’T START IN 2022.

Russia’s full-scale invasion began February 24, 2022.

But the conflict in eastern Ukraine began in 2014.

Eight years of fighting, civilian casualties and failed ceasefires.

NATO EXPANSION?

Discussions during German reunification in 1990. Subsequent eastward expansion. A 2008 declaration that Ukraine would eventually join.

Russia’s security objections were documented.

GEOGRAPHY?

Crimea. Sevastopol. The Black Sea Fleet.

Strategic interests that don’t disappear because we disagree with Russia.

ESCALATION?

The OSCE recorded 3,231 ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine between February 18 and 20, 2022.

That doesn’t establish who was responsible.

But it raises questions about what preceded the invasion.

None of this excuses Russia’s actions.

IT HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY.

⸻

NOW REVERSE THE COUNTRIES.

If a Western nation faced similar security tensions, would we examine its historical grievances and strategic interests?

Would we apply the same standards?

And what about Europe?

We’re told Ukraine can win, while European governments increase military readiness and prepare for potential escalation.

SO WHAT DOES VICTORY LOOK LIKE?

What is the endgame?
What are the risks?

And how much more will Canadians be asked to contribute?

⸻

FOLLOW THE MONEY.

Canada has committed billions in assistance.

What’s been delivered?
Who’s auditing it?
How are we measuring results?

Accountability isn’t an accusation.

IT’S AN OBLIGATION.

⸻

Here’s what bothers me.

Too many people have incredibly strong opinions about this war without understanding what happened BEFORE February 2022.

And too often, asking questions gets mistaken for choosing sides.

I don’t support Russia’s invasion.

I don’t blindly accept the presenters’ claims either.

I WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S TRUE.

That means questioning governments, media, politicians AND the people challenging them.

Because the truth isn’t determined by who delivers the message.

⸻

Four presenters.

Twenty-two minutes.

Billions of dollars.

A war involving nuclear powers.

And not one question when the floor was opened.

I don’t know what that silence means.

BUT I KNOW WE SHOULD BE ASKING MORE QUESTIONS.

⸻

READ THE FULL STORY: I’ve connected more of the historical dots, examined the uncomfortable questions and explained why I believe Canadians deserve a much deeper conversation.

👉 Read the full story on my Facebook profile:
https://t.co/J8MsowsnX5

I’ll also share the original CPAC presentation in the comments.

⸻

Clarity is Courage.

If you’ve held a strong opinion about this war since 2022, how much of its history have you actually investigated?

Because sometimes the most dangerous part of a narrative isn’t what it tells you.

IT’S WHAT YOU NEVER THINK TO QUESTION.

🍪🍪 SHARE MY COOKIES!

If you believe the truth matters more than the headline, share my cookies.

Because the truth doesn’t need your loyalty.

IT NEEDS YOUR CURIOSITY.

#ClarityIsCourage #ShareMyCookies #CriticalThinking #QuestionTheNarrative #CanadaUkraine #Accountability

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

Pierre nailed this one.

“If Canadians could put announcements on their dinner table or fill their grocery cart with comments, then every stomach would be full in Canada.”

⸻

Because wow…

If ANNOUNCEMENTS were groceries, Canadians would need bigger refrigerators.

We have announcements about housing.
Announcements about food prices.
Announcements about affordability.
Announcements about jobs.
Announcements about investments.

Announcements announcing the announcement where they’ll explain what they announced last week.

WE ARE RICH IN ANNOUNCEMENTS. 😂

⸻

Unfortunately, No Frills still doesn’t accept them at checkout.

And this is the part of government that drives my risk-management brain absolutely nuts.

I don’t give a shit what you INTENDED to happen.

I want to know what ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

⸻

Did groceries get cheaper?
Did housing become affordable?
Did Canadian workers get the jobs?
Did the project get built?
Did the problem get better?

⸻

Because spending money is not an outcome.

Creating a program is not an outcome.

Holding a press conference is definitely not an outcome.

And putting “historic investment” in front of a number does not magically make it a success.

⸻

Eventually somebody has to walk past the podium, open the spreadsheet and ask:

DID IT WORK?

⸻

That shouldn’t be Conservative.

It shouldn’t be Liberal.

It shouldn’t be left or right.

It should be the bare minimum standard for anyone spending our money.

⸻

Because Canadians cannot eat announcements.

They cannot pay their mortgage with talking points.

And the cashier is probably going to look at you funny if you try to tap a government press release on the debit machine.

⸻

Although at this point…

I wouldn’t be surprised if Ottawa announced a pilot project. 😂

Clarity is Courage.
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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

I HAVE A VERY PERSONAL INTEREST IN THIS ONE.

And I have for a long time.

Dean Allison:

“Canadians with documented, serious and permanent COVID-19 vaccine injuries have been waiting years for help.”

That sentence matters to me.

Because recently somebody asked whether I was vaccinated - apparently as a test of my credibility.

So let’s make this easy.

I WAS VACCINATED.

⸻

I worked in federally regulated rail and for a fire department.

The message was pretty clear:

GET VACCINATED OR LOSE YOUR JOB.

I had two school-aged boys.
A mortgage.
Bills.
A career I loved.

I also had education that included toxicology.

So I looked at the information available, the consequences and my responsibilities to my family.

And I made a decision.

Do I regret getting vaccinated?

ABSOLUTELY.

Do I stand by the decision I made at the time?
YES.

Those two things can exist at the same time.

⸻

I have also been open about what happened to me afterward.

Can I prove the vaccine caused it?
NO.

Did significant things happen in close proximity?
YES.

That distinction matters.

CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION.

But correlation is also not permission to refuse to investigate.

Canada itself recognizes that serious vaccine injuries can occur. It operates a compensation program where medical reviewers assess whether a probable causal relationship exists.

Rare does not mean impossible.

⸻

And now people are finally being given another opportunity to speak.

The Allison Inquiry is not a formal government inquiry and it cannot make findings of fact.

Its stated purpose is much simpler:

TO LISTEN TO CANADIANS.

Good.

Listen.
Then investigate.

If people were injured, help them.
If evidence supports causation, acknowledge it.
If it doesn’t, say that too.
If policies or programs failed, fix them.

That isn’t misinformation.

THAT IS HOW SCIENCE IS SUPPOSED TO WORK.

Observe.
Question.
Investigate.
Challenge.
Correct.
Learn.

You don’t have to believe every claim.

But we should have stopped pretending the conversation itself was illegitimate years ago.

READ THE FULL STORY:
https://t.co/J8MsowsnX5

Clarity is Courage.
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#JamesSeesIt #VaccineInjury #COVID19 #Accountability #Science #Canada

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

THAT WAS A CRAZY GAME OF POKER. A♠️

Except I’m starting to think Canada is playing GO FISH. 🐠😂

Pierre Poilievre said:

“The prime minister made a big show of promising to buy and build Canadian, but it was all talk and no results.”

⸻

Forget Pierre for a second.

There’s a much more useful question:

WHERE ARE THE CANADIAN RESULTS?

CANADA STRONG.
BUY CANADIAN.
BUILD CANADIAN.
PROTECT CANADIAN JOBS.

Great.

⸻

But Canadian steelworkers and manufacturers are getting hammered while major contracts, fabrication and opportunities continue going elsewhere.

At some point, the nouns have to match the verbs.

If we’re BUILDING Canadian…

we should occasionally see something MADE IN CANADA heavier than a press release. 😂

⸻

And this is where politics gets stupid.

Instead of asking whether a claim is TRUE, we argue about who said it.

Pierre is too angry.
Carney is too polished.
Trump is Trump.

Who cares?

IS THE CLAIM TRUE?

Challenge the evidence, not the messenger.

⸻

Because the geopolitical poker table is getting ridiculous.

Trump looks like he has a mitt full of aces and four more up his sleeve.

Xi apparently has three suspiciously attentive waitresses standing behind Carney.

The EU is asking the cage to extend its credit.

Zelenskyy is checking whether anyone left their wallet unattended. 😂

And Canada?

“Anybody got any fours?”

⸻

This isn’t poker.

IT’S GEOPOLITICAL GO FISH.

And somehow we brought the snacks. 😂

⸻

That’s the bigger lesson.

Countries act in their own interests.
Companies act in their own interests.
Political parties act in their own interests.

Canada needs to be very clear about ours.

Because these aren’t casino chips.

They’re jobs.
Industry.
Manufacturing capacity.
Resources.
And Canadian paycheques.

⸻

Clarity is Courage.

You don’t have to like Pierre.
You don’t have to like Carney.
You definitely don’t have to like Trump. 😂

Challenge the claim.
Check the receipts.
Then make up your own damn mind.

That’s the whole point.

⸻

Share my Cookies. 🍪🍪

If this made you think, share it with someone else who still believes evidence matters more than the name attached to it.

Apparently everyone else already got the memo that geopolitics isn’t a gentleman’s game. 🐷😂

⸻

READ THE FULL STORY:
https://t.co/J8MsowsnX5

#JamesSeesIt #ClarityIsCourage #Canada #CanadianPolitics #PierrePoilievre #MarkCarney #BuyCanadian #BuildCanadian #CanadianJobs

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

IS THIS CANADA STRONG, MARK?

Because apparently while Ottawa is busy selling us “Canada Strong”…

Quebec’s incoming premier is standing on a victory stage talking about:

SURVIVAL.

⸻

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon:

“A referendum is an opportunity to decide for ourselves. It is an act of democracy. It is up to no one but us, as a people, to determine our national future.”

And then:

“It is a question of survival.”

⸻

Okay.

That deserves considerably more attention than another slogan.

Because Quebec just elected a minority government.

That is a mandate to govern.

It is not automatically a mandate to break up the country.

⸻

But don’t ignore the rest of the map.

The Quebec Conservatives also emerged as a serious force.

So PSPP now has to govern with a strong federalist opposition on both sides of him.

⸻

And Ottawa?

The Liberals should not expect Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives to quietly help them manage a national-unity crisis.

And I genuinely hope they don’t.

That makes this considerably more complicated than one election-night speech.

⸻

Those are two very different things.

And this is exactly where Canadian politics gets weird.

Federally, we are being told:

CANADA STRONG.

Buy Canadian.
Build Canadian.
Stand together.

Reduce our dependence on the United States.

Strengthen east-west trade.

One Canadian economy.

⸻

Meanwhile, one of the most consequential provincial election results in the country has put sovereignty right back in the middle of the conversation.

Not quietly.
Not theoretically.

As a question of “survival.”

⸻

So I have questions.

What exactly is supposedly facing extinction?
The French language?
Quebec culture?
Quebec political autonomy?

Or Quebec’s future inside Canada?

⸻

Because those are not the same argument.

And if we are genuinely entering an era where Canadian unity is supposed to matter more than it has in decades…

then perhaps Ottawa should spend a little less time branding the country as strong and a little more time asking why a serious political movement believes leaving it is necessary for survival.

⸻

That seems like a fairly important question.

Canada Strong?

Maybe.

But somebody should probably check whether everyone still agrees on the Canada part first.

Clarity is Courage.
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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

Is she being serious right now? 🤔

This might be one of the most spectacularly out-of-touch things I have ever heard from someone talking about heavy industry.

⸻

Canadian steelmakers lose access to a massive chunk of their traditional U.S. market because of a trade war and 50% tariffs…

And the answer is essentially:

MAKE DIFFERENT STEEL.

⸻

Oh. Okay.

Well why didn’t anyone at Arcelor Mittal - Dofasco, Algoma, Stelco or the rest of the industry think of that? 😂

⸻

Just CHANGE THE STEEL.

Easy.

Apparently a steel mill is like changing the flavour at Dairy Queen.

Today we make automotive sheet.

Tomorrow?

Defence steel.
Structural sections.
Housing products.

Whatever Canada happens to need.

Just turn the big steel making knob over to:

DIFFERENT.

⸻

Except that is not remotely how heavy manufacturing works.

Different steel products can mean different chemistries, grades, rolling equipment, finishing lines, heat treatment, quality systems, customer approvals, certifications, tooling, capital investment and years of market development.

And automotive steel is especially demanding.

⸻

You don’t just wake up Monday morning and tell a mill built around supplying one of the most integrated automotive markets on Earth:

“Guys, trade negotiations aren’t going particularly well. Can you make something else?”

⸻

This is exactly why government and industry so often speak completely different languages.

Government thinks in announcements.

Industry thinks in furnaces, equipment, metallurgy, throughput, customers, specifications, approvals and billions of dollars of sunk capital.

⸻

Could Canadian steelmakers diversify?

Of course.

They already do.

⸻

Should Canada create more domestic demand for Canadian steel?

Absolutely worth discussing.

⸻

But presenting a major industrial transition as though steel companies simply need to develop “different types of steel” skips over the hardest part:

THE ENTIRE INDUSTRIAL PROCESS BETWEEN THE IDEA AND THE PRODUCT.

⸻

You don’t fix a trade problem by pretending a blast furnace is a Keurig.

And this, right here, is why people who have actually worked around heavy industry sometimes listen to government talking about manufacturing and just stare at the screen.

It’s like watching a squirrel 🐿️
Play chicken 🐔

With a F’n Freight Train 🚂

⸻

Because somewhere between Ottawa and the mill floor…

reality got lost.

Clarity is Courage.
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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

I’m sorry.

I cannot read this without hearing Matt Stone and Trey Parker somewhere in the distance warming up the South Park theme. 😂

⸻

Donald Trump has announced the creation of the:

SUPER INTELLIGENCE FORCE.

The acronym?

SIF.

Because apparently “AI task force” just wasn’t dramatic enough.

⸻

And then, because subtlety has clearly left the building, he says this whole thing is:

“bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet”

according to…

“many say.”

Ah yes.

The legendary many.

Always nearby.

Never available for comment.

Somehow permanently standing just off camera confirming every enormous claim in modern politics. 😂

⸻

Here’s the funny part:

AI actually IS a massive deal.

Potentially civilization-changing.

Economically disruptive.
Politically disruptive.
Workplace disruptive.
Security disruptive.

Probably one of the biggest technological shifts most of us will ever live through.

⸻

So there is a serious conversation to be had here.

But the second you call it the:

SUPER INTELLIGENCE FORCE

my brain stops hearing public policy and starts seeing a South Park command centre where Randy Marsh is wearing a headset, Cartman has somehow secured a federal contract, and everyone is screaming because ChatGPT is…

“Taking our jobs!”

⸻

That’s the problem.

Reality keeps drifting into satire.

And Matt and Trey keep looking less like comedians and more like cultural prophets.

⸻

Because somehow they always understood the formula:

Take a genuinely serious issue.

Add political ego.
Add bureaucratic branding.
Add panic.
Add money.

Then stand back and watch the adults make it weird.

⸻

Welcome to the Super Intelligence Force.

What could possibly go wrong? 😂

Clarity is Courage.
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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

I REALLY LIKE THIS ONE.

Not because I necessarily agree with Killer Mike’s politics.

In fact, I think celebrities should just keep their opinions to themselves and stick to entertaining.

However, I recognize exactly what he’s doing.

⸻

“Vote locally in thirty days. And hold the [expletive] you vote for accountable.”

That is CULTURAL CHANGE.

And most people completely misunderstand how cultural change actually happens.

⸻

Everyone looks at the top.

The President.
The Prime Minister.
The Premier.
The CEO.
The Chief.

And they think:

“If I can’t change that person, I can’t change anything.”

Bullshit. 🐂💩

⸻

Sometimes you can’t change the top.

So you change the BASE.

You teach people how to think differently.
You teach them to ask better questions.
You teach them to challenge assumptions.

You teach them that voting - or hiring someone, promoting someone, electing someone - isn’t the end of their responsibility.

⸻

Then something interesting happens.

The pressure starts moving UP.

I’ve spent years doing exactly this in safety and organizational culture.

If I couldn’t convince the executive table directly, I worked on the supervisors.

The workers.
The trainers.

The people actually making decisions at 2:00 in the afternoon when nobody from corporate was standing there.

⸻

Change enough conversations at the bottom and eventually the conversation at the top changes too.

You TEACH UP.
You INFLUENCE UP.

And frankly?

It works.

⸻

That doesn’t mean Killer Mike and I are trying to create the same political outcome.

We’re not.

But the mechanism?

Absolutely.

⸻

He understands something a lot of leaders never figure out:

REAL CULTURAL CHANGE DOESN’T ALWAYS START WITH THE PERSON HOLDING THE BIGGEST TITLE.

Sometimes it starts with thousands of ordinary people deciding they’re going to think differently.

And then refusing to shut up about it.

⸻

That part…

I understand completely.

Clarity is Courage.
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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

I’M GOING TO OUT MYSELF ON THIS ONE.

I held a grudge against Conservatives for YEARS.

Specifically Mike Harris.

That bastard crushed my dreams. 😂

Because I went into Natural Resources and Environmental Science back when almost nobody gave a shit about either.

I was the environmental guy in a family of steelworkers.

The weird kid. 🌲😂

And here’s the important part:

I STILL BELIEVE IN IT.

Environmental science matters.

But somewhere along the way, we started treating science like politics.

IT’S A SCIENCE, YOU FUCKING IDIOTS.

Physics doesn’t vote Liberal.

Chemistry isn’t Conservative.

A tonne of CO₂ doesn’t care whose lawn sign you have.

To be fair, CH₄ is different.

WHO SMELT IT, DEALT IT.

Scientific fact. 😉

⸻

Which brings me to Mark Carney’s shiny new PACIFIC LINK pipeline.

And here’s the funny part:

I AGREE WITH THE BASIC IDEA.

Canada is ridiculously dependent on one customer for our oil.

Getting it to additional markets makes strategic and economic sense.

So build the business case.

Show me the engineering.

Show me the economics.

Show me the environmental impacts.

Show me the lifecycle emissions.

And most importantly:

SHOW ME WHO IS CARRYING THE RISK.

Because this isn’t simply a pipeline.

It’s tied to carbon capture, government participation, financing, carbon policy, Indigenous equity and private investment.

Even Pembina is protecting itself until it makes a final investment decision.

Smart.

So who holds the bag in the meantime?

Hello, taxpayer. 👋

⸻

Carbon capture isn’t imaginary either.

We can capture CO₂ from industrial emissions, compress it, transport it and inject it underground.

The question isn’t whether the technology exists.

The questions are:

AT WHAT COST?

HOW MUCH ENERGY?

HOW MUCH CO₂ IS ACTUALLY AVOIDED OVER THE FULL LIFECYCLE?

WHO PAYS?

And does the economics still work without government support?

THAT is where science meets engineering, economics and risk management.

Politics decides what we’re willing to pay for.

Those are not the same thing.

⸻

So forget the sales pitch.

SHOW ME THE LOAD CALCULATIONS.

Show me the assumptions.

Show me what happens when those assumptions change.

Show me who gets paid.

Show me who carries the downside.

And show me where the science ends and the political decision begins.

I believed environmental science mattered when almost nobody gave a shit.

I still do.

That’s precisely why I’m pissed off.

IT’S A SCIENCE.

Treat it like one.

Your move, Mark.

⸻

READ THE FULL STORY:
[LINK]

⸻

Clarity is Courage.

Forget the sales pitch. Show me the science.

Do I think this pipeline actually gets built?

I’ll quote my dad:

“Not a snowball’s chance in hell.” 😂

Put two identical apples beside each other. 🍎🍎

One costs 30¢ more.

Which one are you buying?

Welcome to Grade 3 economics.

Watch where people are willing to put THEIR OWN MONEY.

That usually tells you more than the press conference.

⸻

Share my cookies. 🍪🍪

And if someone tells you the 30¢-more apple is cheaper because the government helped pay for it…

Congratulations.

You’re starting to understand Canadian economics. 😂

I’m not here to deliver the news. I’m trying to help people ask better questions:
https://t.co/J8MsowsnX5

#JamesSeesIt #ShareMyCookies #ClarityIsCourage #CanadianEnergy #EnvironmentalScience #RiskManagement

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

This guy is a one-man wrecking ball. 😂

Ruin B.C. - CHECK.
Blame Ottawa - CHECK.
Blame Trump - CHECK.
Now stand up to the oil and gas companies - CHECK.

⸻

But somebody please explain this to me like I’m five.

We have modern double-hulled tankers, vastly improved navigation, monitoring and spill-response technology, and tankers already moving up and down the Pacific coast every day.

Yet on B.C.’s north coast, Canada legally prohibits large tankers carrying crude or persistent oil from loading or unloading at Canadian ports.

⸻

Meanwhile, Alaska exists.

So apparently an oil tanker passing the B.C. coast is acceptable…

It just becomes environmentally terrifying if the oil came from CANADA. 🤨

⸻

And if the alternative is eventually moving more Canadian energy through increasingly remote northern routes, somebody explain the emergency-response logic to me there.

Because if shit hits the fan in ice, tundra and hundreds of kilometres of nowhere, response doesn’t exactly get EASIER.

⸻

I keep hearing what we’re against.

Trump.
Pipelines.
Tankers.
Oil companies.

Cool.

What exactly are we FOR?

Bueller?
Bueller? 😂

Clarity is Courage
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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS ASKING ME:

“Okay James… what do we actually DO about these problems?”

Fair question.

But before we can fix anything, we have to understand what the actual problem is.

And that’s harder than it sounds. 🤨

⸻

I started with a three-minute video.

Propane cylinder on fire. 🔥

Most people see:

HOLY SHIT. FIRE.

My brain sees:

Fire.
Pressure vessel.
Crowd.
No exclusion zone.
Garbage.
Waterway.
Environmental exposure.

Then I ask the question that matters:

WHY DOES NOBODY THERE SEEM SURPRISED BY ANY OF THIS?

⸻

That’s where the investigation changes.

Because one of the most dangerous things I’ve encountered in 30 years isn’t stupidity.

It’s NORMALIZATION.

Do something wrong enough times without consequence and eventually it stops feeling wrong.

Safety people call it:

NORMALIZATION OF DEVIANCE.

⸻

And suddenly I’m not investigating a propane cylinder anymore.

I’m asking:

What conditions allowed this?
What controls failed?
What behaviour became normal?
What changed?
And WHY?

Then you try to prove yourself wrong.

Otherwise you’re not investigating.

YOU’RE DECORATING AN OPINION.

⸻

That rabbit hole eventually took me from a burning propane cylinder…

to garbage and waterways…

to illegal dumping in Canada…

to enforcement…

to population growth…

to civic assimilation…

and ultimately to government accountability.

Because whether we’re managing a workplace or a country, the principles don’t magically change.

Communicate expectations.
Ensure understanding.
Reinforce them.
Enforce them.
Measure whether the controls actually work.

⸻

That’s the lesson.

People keep asking:

“WHAT CAN WE DO?”

First?

UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM PROPERLY.

Because if you misunderstand the root cause, you can spend an enormous amount of money fixing something…

and still have the same fucking problem.

🔗 FOR THE FULL LESSON:

https://t.co/J8MsowsnX5

⸻

Clarity is Courage.

You cannot manage a risk you refuse to properly identify.

Share my Cookies. 🍪🍪

This rabbit hole starts with a propane cylinder on fire.

Trust me.

It gets weird. 😂

#JamesSeesIt #ClarityIsCourage #RiskManagement #RootCauseAnalysis

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

Apparently the Atlantic Ocean changes the sales pitch.

Two weeks ago, Mark Carney stood before the European Parliament welcoming the idea of Canada becoming the EU’s first “associate member,” calling deeper Canada-Europe integration an “alliance for the future.”

Meanwhile, across the pond, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham merely reopened the question of whether the UK might someday rejoin the EU - and Nigel Farage reacted like someone had just handed him a campaign contribution.

The Brexit question remains politically potent enough that Farage told a Doncaster rally:

“He might just have given me the biggest boost in my career I’ve ever had. Thank you Andy if you’re watching.”

Same European Union.

Very different brochure depending on which side of the Atlantic you’re standing on. 😂

Clarity is Courage
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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

Does anyone else hear Alanis Morissette singing quietly in the background?

Yesterday, Mark Carney stood in Fort McMurray and declared:

“We will build Canadian, we will use Canadian steel, with Canadian workers, trained by Canadian unions.”

Today: LNG Canada confirms its $33-billion Phase 2 expansion will use Chinese-fabricated steel components.

But one day apart?

🎶 Isn’t it ironic… 😂

You couldn’t schedule the punchline better if you tried.

Clarity is Courage
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[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

WELL, THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY. 🤨

This morning I wrote a profanity-laced rant that somehow started with a lineup at Costco and ended with one question:

If Canada has the people, resources, steel, energy and work that needs doing… why aren’t we building more of it here?

A few hours later:

LNG Canada confirms major Phase 2 modules will again be fabricated in China.

Apparently I didn’t need a crystal ball.

I needed to wait until after lunch. 😂

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

WARNING. I’M GOING TO SWEAR.

Because when more than 1,100 PEOPLE line up for jobs at Costco before sunrise, I have questions. 🤨

And the NEXT DAY another 1,300 people showed up at a Windsor job fair.

So can we stop saying:

“PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO WORK.”

Bullshit. 🐂💩

Maybe people want work that actually leads somewhere.

A wage.
A skill.
A career.
A home.
A future.

⸻

That got me thinking about something much bigger.

Canada has the people.

We have steel.
Natural gas.
Nickel.
Minerals.
Energy.
Industrial knowledge.

And we’re about to spend tens of billions building major projects.

So why aren’t we obsessed with connecting those fucking dots?

⸻

LNG Canada Phase 2 could require thousands of construction workers.

Welders.
Pipefitters.
Electricians.
Operators.
Truck drivers.
Engineers.
Safety and environmental professionals.

But those are only the FIRST jobs.

Someone makes the steel.
Fabricates the pipe.
Builds the modules.
Supplies the valves.
Services the trucks.
Feeds the workers.

PEOPLE WITH PAYCHEQUES BUY SHIT.

That’s an economy.

And the multiplier follows the money.

Build it somewhere else?

The paycheques multiply somewhere else too.

⸻

Which brings me to Canadian steel.

Phase 1 of LNG Canada had major modules fabricated in China.

So when Mark Carney was asked whether Phase 2 would use Chinese or Canadian steel, part of his answer was:

“IT’LL BE FOR THEM TO DECIDE.”

WHAT? 🤨

This government says Canada needs jobs, productivity, investment, skilled trades, infrastructure and markets for Canadian steel.

Then one of the biggest projects in the country comes along…

and whether Canadian industry gets the work is apparently somebody else’s decision?

We already watched B.C. Ferries borrow up to $1 billion from the Canada Infrastructure Bank while ordering four major ferries from a Chinese state-owned shipyard.

Canada finances it.

China gets a big chunk of the work.

That seems like a strange way to rebuild Canadian industry.

⸻

No, everything doesn’t need to be Canadian.

Trade matters.

But why the fuck wouldn’t we try to KEEP MORE OF THE VALUE CHAIN HERE?

Mine it here.
Process it here where practical.
Fabricate it here.
Weld it here.
Build it here.
Maintain it here.

Train people.

A welder doesn’t crawl out of the womb holding a MIG gun.

WE MAKE THEM.

Give someone an opportunity.
Teach them.
Apprentice them.
Let them become valuable.

Then PAY THEM WHAT THEY’RE WORTH.

Eventually some start businesses and train the next generation.

Holy shit.

We accidentally invented an economy. 😂

⸻

And that brings me right back to Costco.

More than 1,100 people standing in line before sunrise looking for an opportunity.

THE PEOPLE ARE FUCKING STANDING THERE.

Maybe Canadians don’t need another lecture about productivity.

Maybe we need to give them something worth being productive for.

We have the people.
We have the resources.
We have the knowledge.
We have the work.

CONNECT THE FUCKING DOTS.

⸻

Clarity is Courage.

Sometimes the complicated problem becomes remarkably simple when you stop staring at the spreadsheet and start looking at the lineup.

Share my cookies. 🍪🍪

Apparently we’re going to need a bigger bakery.

⸻

Read the full story:
https://t.co/J8MsowsnX5

#JamesSeesIt #Canada #CanadianJobs #SkilledTrades #Manufacturing #Steel #LNG #BuildCanada

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

I THINK I’M STARTING A NEW SERIES.

There are plenty of serious political issues worth arguing about.

This isn’t one of them.

Sometimes somebody just says something so spectacularly dumb that it deserves to be preserved for future generations. 😂

And Doug Ford has graciously volunteered to go first.

⸻

On September 3, Doug was in Mississauga announcing up to $401 million tied to housing development charges. Podium? Check. Cameras? Check. Government livestream? Check.

Reporters?

Ahhh… shit. Forgot those.

⸻

As he wrapped things up, Ford actually said:

“Thank God we don’t have the media. No questions, no answers, we’re good to go.”

He later explained that the comment was “tongue-in-cheek.”

And you know what, Doug?

I believe you.

Nothing says “just kidding” quite like holding a press conference without the press. 😂

⸻

I don’t care what party you belong to. Left, right, centre, politician, celebrity - if you say dumb shit in public and I can produce the receipt…

you might get a poster.

This could be fun. 🤣

Clarity is Courage.
Share my cookies. 🍪🍪
#jamesseeit

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

I THINK WE’RE FIXING THE WATER DAMAGE WHILE IGNORING THE HOLE IN THE ROOF.

Mark Carney responded to the Stelco layoffs by pointing at Trump’s tariffs and saying:

“THERE’S MONEY ON THE TABLE.”

But Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves says money isn’t the problem.

CUSTOMERS ARE.

“No amount of money” fixes it.

His point is brutally simple:

“There’s only one solution. We need to be able to export.”

⸻

And he’s not alone.

KPMG surveyed 275 Canadian manufacturers.

61% said they CANNOT SURVIVE without access to the U.S. market.

42% have moved production south or are considering it.

57% have reduced, paused or cancelled capital investment.

Meanwhile, Canadian businesses are pointing at tariffs, trade uncertainty, taxes, operating costs and regulatory barriers.

And Canadian steel producers are STILL fighting dumped foreign steel.

STEEL DUMPING IS REAL.

I worked in steel.
I come from a family of steel workers.

Canada has been investigating this shit for decades.

⸻

So look at the whole roof:

Not enough domestic customers.
Dumped imports.
Regulatory barriers.
Higher costs.
Lost investment.
And uncertainty around access to our largest export market.

THOSE ARE THE HOLES.

Trump’s tariffs are the rainstorm.

And yes, you deal with the water damage.

Loans.
Relief.
Worker supports.

But eventually somebody has to FIX THE FUCKING ROOF.

Because Canada is an export economy.

You cannot replace customers with subsidies.

You cannot replace geography with a press release.

And taxpayers cannot keep buying new drywall every time it rains.

⸻

Clarity is Courage.

You can’t solve the right problem until you’re willing to identify the real one.

Share my cookies. 🍪

Before somebody subsidizes those too.

⸻

For full story:
https://t.co/J8MsowsnX5

#JamesSeesIt #CanadianBusiness #Manufacturing #Stelco #Trade #CanadaUS

[JamesSeesIt! @JamesSeesIt]

THIS ONE HITS HOME.

Stelco is indefinitely idling its cold-rolled and coated operations at Hamilton Works.

Up to 500 employees could be affected across Hamilton and Lake Erie.

For Hamilton, this isn’t just another restructuring.

THIS IS STELCO.

Steel helped build that city.

Generations of families made their living there.

My family made a living there.

And the lesson from Hamilton’s industrial north end was pretty simple:

YOU HAVE TO MAKE THINGS.

And the people making them have to be able to compete.

⸻

This didn’t start with Trump.

Or Carney.

Or Trudeau.

Or Harper.

Canadian steelmakers have been warning governments about dumping and unfair competition for more than 30 years.

Different governments.
Different countries.
Different trade agreements.

Same warning.

Eventually, the spreadsheet wins.

Production gets cut.

Investment stops.

And people lose jobs.

⸻

That’s why this Mark Carney comment hits differently today:

“HOW MUCH STEEL DO YOU USE THESE DAYS, TODD?”

Wrong question.

You probably don’t buy galvanized steel at Costco.

But you use steel ALL DAY.

Cars.
Bridges.
Buildings.
Factories.
Energy.
Rail.
Defence.
The electrical grid.

Steel is the economy underneath the economy.

⸻

I’m not blaming today’s Stelco announcement on one politician.

The receipts don’t support that.

This problem crosses governments and decades.

But before making enormous decisions about Canada’s future, our leaders should understand the history of the industries those decisions touch.

Because once foundational industries disappear, you don’t rebuild them with a press conference.

⸻

Today, another piece of Hamilton’s steel history goes quiet.

And there are hundreds of families behind that sentence.

That part isn’t funny.

⸻

CLARITY IS COURAGE.

Before you change something, understand what you’re changing.

Learn its history.
Listen to the people doing the work.
Understand what happens when you pull one lever.

Sometimes the most expensive lesson is discovering the value of something after you’ve lost it.

Share my cookies. 🍪🍪

If you want to know how a generational steel worker thinks, read the full story:
https://t.co/J8MsowsnX5

#Stelco #Hamilton #CanadianSteel #CanadianManufacturing #MadeInCanada