Michael Byers | Lightnews

Michael Byers 🇨🇦

@michael-byers.bsky.social

510 followers 300 following 240 posts

Co-director, Outer Space Institute
Chair, Salt Spring Forum
UBC Professor
Author, citizen, troublemaker
He/him

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Michael Byers is a Canadian legal scholar and non-fiction author.

Source: Wikipedia

Political science 60%

Physics 18%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 1d

I grew up with a family rumour about Indigenous ancestry. As a young adult, I checked it out with genealogical research and DNA testing. I am not Indigenous. Neither, it turns out, is Thomas King.

Inconvenient Indian author Thomas King says he is not part Cherokee

Writer ‘still in shock’ after a whistle-blowing organization showed him genealogical evidence that he wasn’t part Indigenous as he originally assumed

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Michael Byers

Alex Neve @alexneve.bsky.social · 2d

Minister McGuinty, what gives? Surely the Canadian military has no interest in learning IDF lessons about waging genocide. We need confirmation no Canadian soldiers took part. And if they did, a whole lot of explaining & accountability.

Minister ‘Can’t Confirm’ If Canadian Officers Went To Israeli Seminar

The seminar reportedly focused on Israel’s experiences in waging its genocidal war on Gaza.

www.readthemaple.com

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 3d

Mark Carney continues to distance himself from Justin Trudeau. But if there's a political calculation here, I can't see it.

No more feminist foreign policy, Carney says

Prime Minister, who made the comments at the G20 summit in Johannesburg, has placed less emphasis on feminist policies than the Trudeau government

www.theglobeandmail.com

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 5d

Andrew Coyne is visiting the Salt Spring Forum tonight -- for a community discussion about Canadian democracy, the topic of his new book.

The Crisis of Canadian Democracy - Sutherland House Publishing

Andrew Coyne, one of Canada’s most esteemed political thinkers, delivers a powerful exposé of the nation’s crumbling democratic institutions. With characteristic wit, insight, and rigor, Coyne disma...

sutherlandhousebooks.com

Reposted by Michael Byers

Senator Paula Simons 🇨🇦 @senatorpaulasimons.bsky.social · 5d

On this Trans Day of Remembrance, I hope Albertans will remember that trans kids and teens are living breathing humans who just want to be themselves, without fear of hate and discrimination. Demonizing kids merely to score political points in some weird culture war is craven and cruel.

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 6d

Political appointees overruled a senior U.S. military lawyer who was concerned the strikes "could amount to extrajudicial killings."

Top military lawyer raised legal concerns about boat strikes

The lawyer at U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the operations against alleged drug-smuggling boats near Venezuela, disagreed that the strikes are legal and was overruled, according to six sources...

www.nbcnews.com

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 6d

Sloppy reporting by @theguardian.com, which should have made clear that foreign vessels are free to enter the 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone, which is different from the 12 nautical mile territorial sea.

Russian spy ship enters British waters and shines lasers at military pilots

Defence secretary reveals details of recent incursions as he warns UK is facing ‘new era of threat’ from hostile countries

www.theguardian.com

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 7d

Turns out that Russian officials weren't the only ones reading my op-eds in the Globe and Mail about their war crimes and crimes against humanity.

I remain in awe of the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people.

Reposted by Amir Attaran

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 9d

In 2002, political hacks in the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel produced the notorious "torture memos".
They're at it again now, trying to excuse extrajudicial killings on the most implausible of legal grounds.

Memo Approving Boat Strikes Is Said to Rely on Trump’s Claims About Cartels

www.nytimes.com

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 10d

95-year-old Richard Falk detained by Canadian border officials, questioned as possible "national security threat".

Prominent legal scholar detained at Canadian border while on his way to a conference on Palestine | CBC News

A well-known academic and former UN special rapporteur says he was detained by customs agents in Toronto while on his way to speak at a conference on human rights violations against Palestinians.

www.cbc.ca

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 13d

Lloyd Axworthy is right: Canada needs to do the right thing, especially when the U.S. is not.

Canada should pull out of refugee pact with U.S. over Trump policies, says former Liberal foreign minister

Lloyd Axworthy says the U.S. should no longer be considered a safe country for Canada to return asylum seekers to

www.theglobeandmail.com

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 18d

What is Canada’s Role in Upholding the Rule of Law and Multilateralism?
That's the title of Sabine Nolke, Stephen Toope, Kristen Boon and my panel at the Canadian Council of International Law annual conference next Friday in Ottawa.

2025 Conference | ccil (English)

SAVE THE DATE: 54th Annual Conference of the CCIL. November 13 and 14, 2025 in Ottawa. Theme: "Friends, Enemies and Frenemies: Engagement and Retaliation in International Law". Please stay tuned for ...

www.ccil-ccdi.ca

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 18d

“Canada exports millions of dollars’ worth of weapons and systems to the U.A.E., which supplies the RSF" -- the militia that's presently committing what looks like genocide.

Sudanese fighters accused of massacres use Canadian-made rifles | CBC News

The Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, accused of civilian massacres, have posted numerous images posing with rifles bearing the logo of a small B.C. manufacturer called Sterling Cross Defense Systems. Ex...

www.cbc.ca

Reposted by Michael Byers

CIPS / CÉPI @cepi-cips.bsky.social · 19d

Did you miss the October 24th event titled "Canadian Security Interests and Trump 2.0"?

@michael-byers.bsky.social @mattkorda.bsky.social @brankamarijan.bsky.social
@kerrybuck.bsky.social

📽️ Watch all 6 panels here ⬇️

youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Canadian Security Interests and Trump 2.0 - YouTube

October 24, 2025 Presented by the Canadian Pugwash Group (CPG), the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) and the Outer Space Institute (OSI) Canada...

youtube.com

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 22d

"The Canadian military should stay home – far away from Donald Trump’s latest illegalities."

My latest (as a gift article):

Canada risks complicity in the high-seas killings committed by the U.S.

Canadian technology is being used to target boats off the coast of Venezuela

www.theglobeandmail.com

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 24d

The US president is sundowning. Would someone please tuck the poor man into bed?

Trump threatens to go into Nigeria ‘guns-a-blazing’ over attacks on Christians

US president says he ordered Pentagon to begin planning for action, without mentioning Muslim persecution

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Michael Byers

Sarah Kirchberger @sarahkirchberger.bsky.social · 25d

This reminds me of a 🇫🇮 Finnish war hero General’s experience during a Cold War visit to the UK. A 🇬🇧 counterpart supposedly asked him:
“So how many Soviet troops are currently in Finland?”
- “About 100,000”.
“Oh, so many? Where are they stationed?”
- “Along the Eastern border, 6ft underground.”

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · 26d

SpaceX's hegemony is affecting the Canadian space industry.

MDA shares tumble on fears of satellite contract loss

U.S. telecommunications company Globalstar Inc. is exploring a sale to SpaceX, according to a Bloomberg report

www.theglobeandmail.com

Reposted by Michael Byers

Raffi_RC @raffic.bsky.social · 26d

dear @bluejays.com, i'll be in Toronto on Friday and would love to sing our Canadian anthem at game 6. whaddaya say? #BlueJays #WantItAll #WorldSeries ⚾️

Reposted by Michael Byers, Charles W. Smith, Robert Wolfe , and 1 more Michael Byers, Charles W. Smith, Robert Wolfe, Richard M. Carpiano

Stewart Prest @stewartprest.ca · 28d

Canada will remember.

Michael Byers 🇨🇦 @michael-byers.bsky.social · Oct 27

In Toronto next week, I'll be speaking about the enforcement of international law at this free public conference organized by the Ukrainian Bar Association.

Justice Under Fire: The Legal Profession’s Role in Ukraine’s Response to Aggression

uba.ua

Reposted by Michael Byers

Amir Attaran @amirattaran.bsky.social · Oct 25

Golly gee, you think?!

“The fact that we don’t have robust explanations for why AI models sometimes resist shutdown, lie to achieve specific objectives or blackmail is not ideal”