jean26.bsky.social
LightNews LightNews
jean26.bsky.social
@jean26.bsky.social
250 followers 320 following 0 posts
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
parismarx.com
If the government is serious about digital sovereignty, there is plenty of low-hanging fruit within its control: it can work collaboratively on systems to get the public sector off Microsoft and Google so the US can’t hold it hostage if relations sour even further.

disconnect.blog/escaping-the...
Our ambition cannot stop there though. In far too many cases, our governments, universities, schools, and other public institutions—not to mention private businesses—are run on Microsoft or Google services. Now is the perfect time to get governments off Microsoft 365 and schools off Google Classroom by properly resourcing a new public agency or Crown corporation dedicated to building technology in the public interest. European state, local, and even departments of national governments are already taking the initiative to move in that direction. There are ample open-source tools already out there that could be adapted to those institutional use cases, with a mandate to work in close collaboration with public institutions to ensure their new suite of digital services properly meets their unique needs. Governments could even think about bringing tech development closer to communities, building on a model not dissimilar to public libraries.
January 16, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
parismarx.com
As we embraced US tech, we also allowed those companies to chip away at rules that were meant to protect workers’ rights, the public, and society as a whole.

It was supposed to be a worthwhile tradeoff for convenience, investment, and jobs. It hasn’t worked out.

disconnect.blog/escaping-the...
Our dependence on U.S. tech has long been a problem, just one that many people in power did not want to touch because of how it would anger the United States. Even proposing basic tech regulations prompted rebukes from the U.S. government and threatened the prospect of investment from those digital colonizers. But that dependence left us without the tools to get a handle on key avenues for communication and commerce. As U.S. tech companies fought to roll back workers’ rights in the gig economy and beyond, allowed false information to spread across social media platforms, decimated the funding model for journalism, and had countless other negative social impacts, the Canadian government was limited in its ability to respond. All the while, as more Canadians—both individuals and companies—became dependent on U.S. digital services, the profits were siphoned back to the United States, fueling a growing economic divide that has prompted economists to start sounding the alarm.
January 16, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
parismarx.com
When countries get hooked on US tech, their governments are constrained in reining in tech’s harms while most of the economic benefits accrue to the United States.

It’s time to break out of that trap — but that means challenging the Silicon Valley model, not creating our own digital colonizers.
Escaping the trap of US tech dependence
Canada needs real digital sovereignty, not our own digital colonizers
disconnect.blog
January 16, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
charlieangus104.bsky.social
This is not a good move. If Greenland falls, Canada is next. Canada needs to stand with Europe so that if the time comes, they will stand with us.

www.thestar.com/politics/fed...
Canadian troops won’t be joining European military force in Greenland
Small numbers of troops from European countries — including Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Britain — are being deployed to the Arctic island.
www.thestar.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
christyceeck.bsky.social
Important work on the Skills Development [Slush] Fund story from @thetrillium.bsky.social.

#OnPoli
The Trillium confirmed that owners, directors, CEOs, presidents or other executives of at least 70 companies awarded grants from the SDF’s fourth and fifth rounds were PC donors by cross-referencing Elections Ontario’s official donor data with various public sources of information, including those published by the businesses or contained in their corporate reports. That work was coupled with a wider review of hundreds of grants the Ford government has given out through the program that, for months, has been attacked by opposition parties as a “slush fund.” This examination reveals that the $2.5-billion Skills Development Fund’s benefits have increasingly been directed to for-profit businesses while the shares given to municipalities and not-for-profits have shrunk. And, while Piccini’s office insists that political donations bear no weight on its grant decisions, this analysis of the data shows the extent to which SDF funding for businesses that haven’t financially supported the party in power is dwarfed by funding for those led by PC donors.
January 16, 2026 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
andrewlewisfc.bsky.social
PCPO donors just had 80% of the best applications because they are the best companies and the smartest and best people who run them. Nothing to see here, folks. Nothing. Stop asking questions. Why are you bothering me? Go away.

www.thetrillium.ca/news/the-tri...
Labour minister has given PC donor-led companies 80% of for-profit businesses’ Skills Development Funds
Most became donors or increased their donations after the SDF was created
www.thetrillium.ca
January 16, 2026 at 1:11 AM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
glengower.ca
Spoiler:
Yes.
January 15, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
bhaggart.bsky.social
This is an act of self-harm to Canada. Especially coming at a time when the United States is destroying its own statistical capacity and reliable data has never been more needed.

It's another signal that this Liberal government sees no value in the work of government. Utter, utter foolishness.
January 13, 2026 at 3:04 AM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
rzaichkowski.bsky.social
Thanks @alan-carter.bsky.social of CityNews for covering Parkside Drive and how their residents were denied a safer street because of Doug Ford's bans on speed cameras and removing traffic lanes for bike lanes. #BikeTO #WalkTO #TOpoli #VisionZero toronto.citynews.ca/2026/01/12/r...
Residents worry about safety along Parkside Drive after speed camera ban
With the banning of automated speed cameras by the province, some residents fear the issue with speed on Parkside Drive has been forgotten.
toronto.citynews.ca
January 13, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
emmettmacfarlane.com
"If the Government of Canada can’t be bothered to do the easy things, to preserve the most basic sense of principle and dignity in the face of glaring red line offenses, then we can’t possibly trust it with the more difficult and complex issues."
emmettmacfarlane.substack.com/p/is-canada-...
Is Canada morally leaderless?
For anyone born in the 70s or 80s, it is abundantly clear we’re living in the most perilous period of our lifetimes.
emmettmacfarlane.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
rachelgilmore.bsky.social
The concept of posting “Canada is not considering a ban of X” as a QUOTE of your post condemning deepfake sexual abuse happening **ON X** of women and kids………….
Evan Solomon posts, quoting his post condemning deepfake sexual abuse, that “Contrary to media reports, Canada is not considering a ban of X.”
January 11, 2026 at 5:51 AM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
mehlerpaperny.bsky.social
Canada isn't banning X and its ministers continue to use it. Ok. What are the consequences of creating child sex abuse material and deepfake porn? www.thestar.com/news/canada/...
Canada not considering a ban on X over deepfake controversy, AI minister says
The platform, which is owned by Elon Musk, has been embroiled in controversy over sexualized deepfakes of women and children created by X’s chatbot Grok.
www.thestar.com
January 11, 2026 at 8:20 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
lizrenzetti.bsky.social
I see that @evansolomon.bsky.social has posted on X that Canada "is not considering a ban of X"
There are countless other steps Ottawa could take: regulation, sanctions, getting ministers off X.
Our AI minister has not posted here, but continues to post on the site that degrades women and children
January 11, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
bhaggart.bsky.social
This list reminds me of the Canadian debate about how to respond forcefully to Trump circa Feb/March 2025. Then we elected Mark Carney.
quantian.bsky.social Quantian @quantian.bsky.social · 6d
If I was advising the EU—and I 100% should be—my advice is that you prepare three sets of sanction packages:
1. Deliberate targeting of personal/corporate assets of Trump, Musk, Andressen, Sacks, etc like they’re Russian oligarchs by doing stuff like seizing Gigafactory Berlin. This gets used first.
January 11, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
theserfstv.bsky.social
Should be bigger news that the bureau chief of Toronto Sun is celebrating an unarmed woman being executed in the street
Bryan Passifiume "in this case the far left ended up catching a few well deserved bullets for their miscalculation " Bryan Ottawa bureau chief
January 10, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
pavlovforgoths.com
the discourse on what jobs are acceptable to replace with generative AI reveals a lot about what we think of other people's jobs
recently my friend's comics professor told her that it's acceptable to use gen AI for script-writing but not for art, since a machine can't generate meaningful artistic work. meanwhile, my sister's screenwriting professor said that they can use gen AI for concept art and visualization, but that it won't be able to generate a script that's any good. and at my job, it seems like each department says that AI can be useful in every field except the one that they know best. It's only ever the jobs we're unfamiliar with that we assume can be replaced with automation. The more attuned we are with certain processes, crafts, and occupations, the more we realize that gen AI will never be able to provide a suitable replacement. The case for its existence lies on our ignorance of the work and skill required to do everything we don't. By magicmosshka, yesterday's
January 9, 2026 at 6:48 AM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
emmettmacfarlane.com
We see this similar garbage logic in Canada. There are people defending timid-ass statements from our leaders because speaking out to defend democratic and law-based norms won't move Trump or might antagonize him. As if Trump is the only audience. The public reinforcing of norms is its own good.
nicholasgrossman.bsky.social Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 10d
Unreal how many Democrats—politicians, pundits, posters, etc—advocate complacency on the grounds that they won't get Republicans to remove Trump.

Yes, you draw public attention to Trump malfeasance, make Republicans publicly defend it, and distract the regime, but don't get Trump out of office. OK.
January 7, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
theomoudakis.bsky.social
Please enjoy my cartoon for Wednesday's Toronto Star
January 6, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
rachelgilmore.bsky.social
Canada finally reacts, through our foreign affairs minister (not our prime minister).

Really, embarrassingly timid statement when you consider what just happened.
anitaoakvilleeast.bsky.social Anita Anand @anitaoakvilleeast.bsky.social · 14d
Please see my statement on the situation in Venezuela:
January 3, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
parismarx.com
Abysmal statement from Canada on the illegal US action in Venezuela.

It doesn’t matter how much you dislike Maduro, that doesn’t justify a violation of international law and the UN Charter. You can’t call on “all parties” to respect international law and not call out US lawlessness.
anitaoakvilleeast.bsky.social Anita Anand @anitaoakvilleeast.bsky.social · 14d
Please see my statement on the situation in Venezuela:
January 3, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
parismarx.com
the canadian government could never 🫠
chadbourn.bsky.social Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 15d
French Foreign Ministry: “The removal of Maduro from power and the violation of sovereignty constitute a serious act of aggression against the dignity of the Venezuelan people and their right to determine their own future.
January 3, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
maritstilesndp.bsky.social
It i now expected to cost double what was initially projected. And Metrolinx has 118 VPs getting paid an average of $243,000. 118. That’s not a typo. Doug Ford’s government has wasted billions while communities like Little Jamaica bear the cost.
December 27, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
lloydalter.bsky.social
This is outrageous, Doug Ford rips out Ontario’s speed cameras and then uses taxpayers money to run ads about nonexistent police, useless signs and speed bumps. He takes from us and then rubs it in our face.
December 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
thestar.com
#Breaking: Ethics watchdog to investigate Ontario's labour minister over Skills Development Fund
Ethics watchdog to investigate David Piccini over Skills Development Fund
Integrity commissioner's office confirmed the probe after the New Democrats and Liberals complained the minister violated the Members' Integrity Act.
www.thestar.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Reposted by jean26.bsky.social
emmettmacfarlane.com
Yeah, as I've been saying, we overcompensated because the media ran with the stupid 'GDP per capita' and 'immigrants hurt housing' framing. This is long-run damage to the economy by short-term thinking, feeding xenophobia, and helping to further destroy Canada's world class universities.
December 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM