NigelBankes
@nigelb.bsky.social
Retired law prof ucalgary law; I principally post on energy, resources and climate change issues; committed to intergenerational equity; grateful settler on Treaty 7 lands.
When the entire staff of a publicly funded non for profit resigns on a matter of principle we must both applaud their bravery and stand in solidarity with their efforts to resist government interference.
The entire staff of the foundation!
NEWS: the entire staff of the Alberta Law Foundation has resigned in the wake of Bill 14, which gives the justice minister more say in how the independent org operates. This is according to a board member who says she was ousted by the law society for speaking out edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/a...
January 17, 2026 at 2:04 AM
When the entire staff of a publicly funded non for profit resigns on a matter of principle we must both applaud their bravery and stand in solidarity with their efforts to resist government interference.
For background on the importance of the Alberta Law Foundation and government efforts to exercise control over its funding decisions see this ABlawg post from the Spring: "Disaster in the Making"
#abpoli #cdnpoli
ablawg.ca/2025/04/28/d...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#abpoli #cdnpoli
ablawg.ca/2025/04/28/d...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Alberta Law Foundation sees 2 directors removed, mass resignation in wake of new government powers | CBC News
The Alberta Law Foundation's 14 staff members have stepped down from their roles a little over a month after provincial legislation was introduced that gives the justice minister more control over the...
www.cbc.ca
January 17, 2026 at 12:59 AM
For background on the importance of the Alberta Law Foundation and government efforts to exercise control over its funding decisions see this ABlawg post from the Spring: "Disaster in the Making"
#abpoli #cdnpoli
ablawg.ca/2025/04/28/d...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#abpoli #cdnpoli
ablawg.ca/2025/04/28/d...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
The UCP started to assert control, over the Alberta Law Foundation in the Spring with Bill 39. It followed that up in the fall with Bill 14. The disaterrous results are now clear for all to see
We wrote about Bill 39 here:
ablawg.ca/2025/04/28/d...
#abpoli
edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/a...
We wrote about Bill 39 here:
ablawg.ca/2025/04/28/d...
#abpoli
edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/a...
Alberta Law Foundation board members ousted, staff resign in wake of controversial justice bill
Moira Vane says she and another lawyer were told the Law Society of Alberta is removing them from the board of the Alberta Law Foundation.
edmontonjournal.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:27 PM
The UCP started to assert control, over the Alberta Law Foundation in the Spring with Bill 39. It followed that up in the fall with Bill 14. The disaterrous results are now clear for all to see
We wrote about Bill 39 here:
ablawg.ca/2025/04/28/d...
#abpoli
edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/a...
We wrote about Bill 39 here:
ablawg.ca/2025/04/28/d...
#abpoli
edmontonjournal.com/news/crime/a...
Lots of dictators have offshore banks accounts to which they illegaly siphon national natural resource revenues.
Now we can add President Trump to that list - except that he siphons the natural resources revenues of another country to an a/c he controls.
#cdnpoli
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
Now we can add President Trump to that list - except that he siphons the natural resources revenues of another country to an a/c he controls.
#cdnpoli
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
Exclusive: US gets first $500 million Venezuelan oil deal, holding some proceeds in Qatar
The details shared with Semafor mark an initial milestone in the administration’s plan following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
www.semafor.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Lots of dictators have offshore banks accounts to which they illegaly siphon national natural resource revenues.
Now we can add President Trump to that list - except that he siphons the natural resources revenues of another country to an a/c he controls.
#cdnpoli
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
Now we can add President Trump to that list - except that he siphons the natural resources revenues of another country to an a/c he controls.
#cdnpoli
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
Thanks for this; trying to follow up but the LSA's search engine (for names like Rath - and many others I have entered) seems to be broken.
How convenient.
#ableg #abpoli
How convenient.
#ableg #abpoli
New from me: the Alberta lawyer leading the charge for separatism had a law society hearing today over his COVID-era correspondence with government and public health officials — some of whom he threatened with prosecution for “crimes against humanity” edmontonjournal.com/news/politic...
Alberta separatist lawyer threatened 'war crimes,' 'murder' charges over COVID vaccine, law society claims
Separatist lawyer Jeffrey Rath is challenging claims he breached professional conduct rules by writing to government officials during the COVID-19 pandemic — but admits he used "overly aggressive" lan...
edmontonjournal.com
January 14, 2026 at 6:18 AM
Reposted by NigelBankes
Ahhhhh, #PedophileProtector gets under his skin?
It would be a shame if #PedophileProtector goes viral.
🤷♂️
It would be a shame if #PedophileProtector goes viral.
🤷♂️
Trump took the F-150 factory tour. A worker on the line hollered, 'pedophile protector,' and Trump replied, 'fuck you,' and shot the bird at him.
#UAW 🫡
#UAW 🫡
January 14, 2026 at 2:43 AM
Ahhhhh, #PedophileProtector gets under his skin?
It would be a shame if #PedophileProtector goes viral.
🤷♂️
It would be a shame if #PedophileProtector goes viral.
🤷♂️
Reposted by NigelBankes
New from me: the Alberta lawyer leading the charge for separatism had a law society hearing today over his COVID-era correspondence with government and public health officials — some of whom he threatened with prosecution for “crimes against humanity” edmontonjournal.com/news/politic...
Alberta separatist lawyer threatened 'war crimes,' 'murder' charges over COVID vaccine, law society claims
Separatist lawyer Jeffrey Rath is challenging claims he breached professional conduct rules by writing to government officials during the COVID-19 pandemic — but admits he used "overly aggressive" lan...
edmontonjournal.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:34 AM
New from me: the Alberta lawyer leading the charge for separatism had a law society hearing today over his COVID-era correspondence with government and public health officials — some of whom he threatened with prosecution for “crimes against humanity” edmontonjournal.com/news/politic...
President Trump has directed US agencies to take immediate action to withdraw from numerous multilateral & global Int’l agreements & institutions on the basis that they are “contrary to the interests” of the US. The list is staggering. The result is splendid & ugly selfish isolation.
#cdnpoli
#cdnpoli
Withdrawing the United States from International Organizations, Conventions, and Treaties that Are Contrary to the Interests of the United States
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United
www.whitehouse.gov
January 8, 2026 at 6:26 AM
President Trump has directed US agencies to take immediate action to withdraw from numerous multilateral & global Int’l agreements & institutions on the basis that they are “contrary to the interests” of the US. The list is staggering. The result is splendid & ugly selfish isolation.
#cdnpoli
#cdnpoli
Reposted by NigelBankes
We’ve just received word that other tribes in Alberta will be following suit.
Treaties are unbreakable law and the Alberta separatists can go and eat a nice shit sandwich.
#Alberta
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Treaties are unbreakable law and the Alberta separatists can go and eat a nice shit sandwich.
#Alberta
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
First Nation suing Alberta over changes enabling separation petition | CBC News
Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation is suing the Alberta government over its actions that it says allowed the Alberta Prosperity Project to start collecting signatures in support of a referendum on the province...
www.cbc.ca
January 7, 2026 at 4:13 PM
We’ve just received word that other tribes in Alberta will be following suit.
Treaties are unbreakable law and the Alberta separatists can go and eat a nice shit sandwich.
#Alberta
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Treaties are unbreakable law and the Alberta separatists can go and eat a nice shit sandwich.
#Alberta
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Reposted by NigelBankes
Two legacies, two very different Albertas.
Lougheed used the law to build a public shield for our rights and our healthcare. Danielle Smith is using it to dismantle them for private power.
From the Bill of Rights to the hospital floor: the Great Reversal is here.
#AbLeg #AbPoli #Cndpoli
Lougheed used the law to build a public shield for our rights and our healthcare. Danielle Smith is using it to dismantle them for private power.
From the Bill of Rights to the hospital floor: the Great Reversal is here.
#AbLeg #AbPoli #Cndpoli
January 7, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Very powerful piece.
Miller is one of the more odious members of the Drumpf regime - “Dime-store Goebbels”, as others have referred to him. Some of his own relatives aren’t big fans.
Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle.
If my nephew’s ideas on immigration had been in force a century ago, our family would have been wiped out.
www.politico.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Very powerful piece.
Reposted by NigelBankes
This guy has it bang on
January 7, 2026 at 2:04 AM
This guy has it bang on
Reposted by NigelBankes
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/97434e9... Podcasters who were harassing Carrie Tait and former AHS board member Sandy Edmonstone were being paid by an Edmonton lawyer with close ties to Sam Mraiche. Probably just a coincidence.
Podcaster accused of harassing former AHS board member says he was hired by Edmonton lawyer, court records show
Legal documents identify Bryan Ward, who has acted for Sam Mraiche on multiple occasions, as the lawyer
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 7, 2026 at 2:12 AM
www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/97434e9... Podcasters who were harassing Carrie Tait and former AHS board member Sandy Edmonstone were being paid by an Edmonton lawyer with close ties to Sam Mraiche. Probably just a coincidence.
Reposted by NigelBankes
i just don't think you get to say "America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. But these are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, that will never ever happen" in your election speech and then say stuff like this
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney clarifies position on the United States using military force to annex Greenland:
"We stand with Denmark, we stand with Greenland, our closest partnership is with the United States, and we'll work with everybody to make sure we move forward together"
"We stand with Denmark, we stand with Greenland, our closest partnership is with the United States, and we'll work with everybody to make sure we move forward together"
January 7, 2026 at 2:08 AM
i just don't think you get to say "America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. But these are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, that will never ever happen" in your election speech and then say stuff like this
Reposted by NigelBankes
What right? Except the right given by the UN Charter?
How about this?:
How about this?:
January 5, 2026 at 11:37 PM
What right? Except the right given by the UN Charter?
How about this?:
How about this?:
A complete renunciation of international law (among other "international niceties") by the White House.
The only laws mentioned are the "iron laws" of strength, force and power - in other words back to the beginning of time when there were no laws and life was nasty, brutish and short.
#cdnpoli
The only laws mentioned are the "iron laws" of strength, force and power - in other words back to the beginning of time when there were no laws and life was nasty, brutish and short.
#cdnpoli
Stephen Miller: "What the president said is true. The United States of America is running Venezuela ... by definition we are in charge because we have the US military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions ... for them to do commerce, they need our permission."
January 5, 2026 at 11:36 PM
A complete renunciation of international law (among other "international niceties") by the White House.
The only laws mentioned are the "iron laws" of strength, force and power - in other words back to the beginning of time when there were no laws and life was nasty, brutish and short.
#cdnpoli
The only laws mentioned are the "iron laws" of strength, force and power - in other words back to the beginning of time when there were no laws and life was nasty, brutish and short.
#cdnpoli
Reposted by NigelBankes
January 4, 2026 at 11:51 PM
Jan 3, 2026 has been a dark day.
Instead of celebrating a rules-based international order I am forced to witness, once again, the exercise of raw power: Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela.
My grain of sand is insignificant when raw power is everything, law is nothing and my government is spineless.
#cdnpoli
Instead of celebrating a rules-based international order I am forced to witness, once again, the exercise of raw power: Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela.
My grain of sand is insignificant when raw power is everything, law is nothing and my government is spineless.
#cdnpoli
January 4, 2026 at 7:08 AM
Jan 3, 2026 has been a dark day.
Instead of celebrating a rules-based international order I am forced to witness, once again, the exercise of raw power: Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela.
My grain of sand is insignificant when raw power is everything, law is nothing and my government is spineless.
#cdnpoli
Instead of celebrating a rules-based international order I am forced to witness, once again, the exercise of raw power: Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela.
My grain of sand is insignificant when raw power is everything, law is nothing and my government is spineless.
#cdnpoli
Methinks it's time for a fiscal update from Alberta's Minister of Finance Nate Horner.
But my guess is that we'll have to wait until after the early election call, which, as of this morning, just became a lot more likely ... "To respond to the external crisis" (or similar).
#abpoli #ableg
But my guess is that we'll have to wait until after the early election call, which, as of this morning, just became a lot more likely ... "To respond to the external crisis" (or similar).
#abpoli #ableg
ANALYSIS | How Venezuelan crude could shake things up for Canadian producers | CBC News
Venezuela's bitumen-heavy oil is virtually identical to Canada's and the South American country has the largest proven reserves in the world. But Venezuelan oil has essentially disappeared from world ...
www.cbc.ca
January 4, 2026 at 4:24 AM
WB Yeats, The 2d Coming - seems apt for Jan 3
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
January 3, 2026 at 11:06 PM
WB Yeats, The 2d Coming - seems apt for Jan 3
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Reposted by NigelBankes
January 3, 2026 at 9:49 PM
Reposted by NigelBankes
"Trump’s new world order is now very much a reality. It has no obvious rules, no real allies, celebrates the jungle and is almost always about money. There is a lot of wealth under Venezuela’s soil. Trump is now committed to extracting it." My column. Free to read. as.ft.com/r/08b22b7a-4...
Trump now owns Venezuela
[FREE TO READ] The US president has a growing appetite for military adventure
as.ft.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:28 PM
"Trump’s new world order is now very much a reality. It has no obvious rules, no real allies, celebrates the jungle and is almost always about money. There is a lot of wealth under Venezuela’s soil. Trump is now committed to extracting it." My column. Free to read. as.ft.com/r/08b22b7a-4...