Today is a heavy day. We’re concerned with the anti-trans bills that were tabled today.
As a politician I will tell you that I have been in every corner of this province these last four months. We’ve talked to Albertans of every background and I will tell you that punching down on trans kids does not appear in the Top 50 of the things Albertans are concerned about.
We knew today’s bills would be about punching down on vulnerable youth. We were surprised that, on Halloween, they also resurrected the COVID bogeyman of the past, weighing these bills down with all kinds of anti-health conspiracy theories.
Yet, a quarter of this government's legislative agenda this fall is anti-trans legislation, something no one is asking for. The only bills about education and health care this session are bills to satisfy people who may or may not vote for the Premier this Saturday. There is nothing about hiring more education assistants or putting more money to the lowest funded per student education system in the country. There is nothing about improving access to emergency rooms or hiring more family doctors.
As an uncle, and as a teacher, I know today is a rough day for young people. Albertans from across the province will be asking themselves, “Is there is a place for me here? Is this a place where I can grow up and have a decent life and live an authentic life with dignity and opportunity?”
And I'm not just talking about trans kids.
Every single kid who maybe thinks they are different in some way, in other words, every kid, is asking themselves one question today: “Am I next?”
This Premier doesn’t act like a Premier. She has no interest in governance. She’s acting like the Premier of a party, not of a province. This callous and cruel act that they are bringing forward today doesn't help anyone, except perhaps Danielle Smith at her leadership review.
To the kids being targeted by this hate and misinformation, know that you are not alone. You are loved, and Alberta’s New Democrats will always stand with you.
To the families, friends and allies of everyone in Danielle Smith’s crosshairs, please hold your loved ones tight. Let them know that no matter what this government does, they belong here and will fight for them and with them.
Albertans deserve so much better.
As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen!🙏😊
To make it worth sharing, here's a proud, plump Puffin checking me out! 😍😁🐦
Thank you very much!❤️
We started with 300 songs in December. Through 1.5 million votes in daily polls, we came down to our last two songs yesterday.
One song emerged victorious.
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by the legend Gordon Lightfoot.
Thank you to everyone who took part!
As Iran launches missiles at our ally Israel, I ask my colleagues who voted for a motion to not authorize arms sales to Israel, which would include defensive ones, whether they understand the implications of what they voted for. This misguided policy must be reversed now.
Let's dispense with a few lies you will likely hear in the coming days:
Lie #1: "Israel started this with its airstrike in Damascus."
False. Iran has been maintaining a constant assault on Israel for decades via its proxies in the region – chief among them Hezbollah, which is wholly funded, armed, and controlled by the Iranian regime. That assault has only intensified since October 7. Hezbollah has fired rockets and missiles into northern Israel on a near-daily basis for more than six months, causing the depopulation of much of northern Israel. Tens of thousands of Israelis have not seen their homes in half a year due to this Iranian-directed assault; many of their homes no longer exist, having been destroyed by Hezbollah's rockets. The Houthis, another Iranian proxy group based in Yemen, have also fired numerous missiles at southern Israel. Finally, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have been funded, armed, and trained by Iran for years and the Iranian regime views the Palestinian terror groups as part of its offensive efforts against Israel. There has not been a single day in the past six months in which Iran, via its various proxies in the region, has not attacked Israel. The airstrike in Damascus targeted individuals directly responsible for Iran's ongoing assault on the Jewish state.
Lie #2: "The target of Israel's airstrike in Damascus was a diplomatic facility."
False. The notion that the target of the Damascus airstrike was a mere "Iranian consulate" is laughable. The building was a local headquarters of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian military that has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and multiple other countries. Those killed were senior figures in the IRGC, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the IRGC's foreign operations unit who was responsible for liaising with Hezbollah, and his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Hajriahim. Five other IRGC officers were killed in the airstrike, as were five Iranian-affiliated militiamen, one Hezbollah operative, one Iranian military advisor, and two apparent civilians. The airstrike was aimed at military figures in a military facility and the targets were directly involved in orchestrating attacks on Israel. The fact that the building was adjacent to the Iranian embassy does not change its military character.
Lie #3: "Israel carried out the Damascus airstrike in order to provoke a wider war."
False. For months, Israel has limited its military response to the ongoing assault by Iranian proxy groups to tit-for-tat airstrikes and artillery fire directly targeting the sources of the attacks. The reality, however, is that large swaths of northern Israel have been uninhabitable due to the ongoing Hezbollah attacks, which are being directed by the group's patron, Iran. The only way to force Hezbollah to stop its assault on northern Israel and restore calm is to target the Iranian military officials behind the attacks. That is what the Damascus airstrike was intended to do: to end the impunity enjoyed by Iranian military officials as they oversee ongoing attacks targeting the people of Israel.
Lie #4: "Any Israeli response will cause the situation to escalate further."
False. The unprecedented Iranian assault on Israel, which involved hundreds of missiles and drones, was the escalation. It has been roundly condemned around the world. Israel will respond to this unparalleled act of aggression as any sovereign country would, not least in order to deter the Iranian regime from carrying out further attacks against Israeli territory and send the message that Israel will not tolerate massive attacks on its sovereign territory by a foreign state.
Lie #5: "The relatively limited damage from the Iranian attack means it's no big deal and Israel should let it go."
False. The Iranian assault was absolutely unprecedented in its scope and severity. The only reason it didn't cause widespread damage and massive casualties is because Israel and its allies have, for years, invested billions of dollars in developing sophisticated air defense systems against the threat posed by Iran. Most of the missiles and drones were intercepted before they reached Israel's borders because Israel and its allies were prepared for them. But make no mistake: this Iranian attack was meant to rain death and destruction on the people of Israel. If Israel doesn't respond, it will open the door to further and more severe attacks by Iran, which has stated its desire and intention to destroy the Jewish state on numerous occasions. No other country would be asked to put up with that. Neither should Israel.
Since "from the river to the sea" is *literally* a call to wipe out Jews and the Jewish state, running around and accusing others of "genocide" is a bit hypocritical, isn't it?
I grew up as a minority inside a minority inside a minority, in the only Jewish state in the Middle East.
Both my parents are simple blue collar workers. My dad never studied at a University, and my Mom is illiterate.
I took it upon myself to serve my country, travel around the world and become the first of my family's generation to ever complete high academic studies.
By 25 I achieved everything I wanted, took advantage of every opportunity my country provided. And most importantly: I was never a victim.
Neither of a fake "Apartheid" or of my circumstances.
Last Thursday, I was invited by @710humanchain to meet with the family members of some Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, and I specifically met the families of Ron Benjamin and Almog Sarusi.
This is a rather unique thing, as obviously I am from the "other side" of the conflict, and it is controversial for a Palestinian to do this sort of thing—and probably I will get a lot of heat from it—but nonetheless, it was an opportunity to hear things from a unique perspective.
The families seemed utterly bewildered and grief-stricken by losing their family members, and it came across to me like a similar human grief to what I have seen what I have when I have spoken to Palestinians who lost family members in the conflict.
Speaking to Palestinians and Israelis who both lost family members hardened my resolve in trying to make peace between the two sides, and trying to create a situation whether two sides can live together without war, or bombs, or terror, or military occupation.
I hope very much that the hostages are all released as soon as possible unconditionally, and the innocent people on both sides will stop suffering 🙏🕊️❤️🇵🇸🇮🇱
Heartbreaking news out of West Africa today…
Lawmakers in The Gambia have voted to repeal the ban on female genital mutilation.
Advocates for the ban have three months to convince lawmakers to change their minds but even they concede that that’s unlikely to happen.
My story: https://t.co/PvEqS3jjx4
The Israeli Bedouin Muslim Ali al-Ziadna asks the Palestinian ambassador to the UN “why did you kidnap my brother”?
His brother & nephew are held hostage in the terror tunnels below Gaza by Hamas
The Ambassador says: “don’t let them (the Jews) use you”