Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Stephen Lautens

@stephenlautens.bsky.social

3.2K followers 590 following 1.3K posts

Writer, communications consultant, legal gadfly, velvet jacket enthusiast. Big believer in the rule of law. Desperately trying to remain optimistic against all the odds. Posts are clearly my own.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · Mar 4

Today's mood. #cdnpoli

Keep Calm & Buy Canadian (feel free to share)

5 95 300

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 32m

I keep getting ads pushed out to me on FB about cemeteries and wills. Seriously guys, it's just a cough...

1 9

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 12h

What is it with dictators and models of cities?

1 3 8

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 17h

www.ipsos.com/en-ca/six-te...

Six In Ten Canadians (58%) Approve of the Liberal Government’s Performance Under PM Carney

Liberals (43%) Remain Ahead of Conservatives (39%) as Parliament Resumes, Poilievre Takes His Seat in the Commons

www.ipsos.com

1 3

Reposted by Stephen Lautens

Theo Moudakis @theomoudakis.bsky.social · 19h

Please enjoy my cartoon for Wednesday's Toronto Star

54 340 900

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 18h

As if they have a solution. Diplomacy and successful negotiation doesn't include virtuous posturing designed only to make you feel better about yourself. That is perhaps why electoral success eludes the NDP.

1 3

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 20h

For example, werewolves.

1 5

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 21h

Watching the inevitable critics of Carney's performance with Trump today, I am reminded of the two bits of advice I used to give clients: Don't antagonize people who can inflict serious harm on you. Don't start fights with crazy people. There are other routes to success than confrontation. #cdnpoli

32 81 280

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 22h

Sadly accurate. #Democracy youtu.be/QCphS4_Rp3w?...

Honest Government Ad | Democracy™ [Blocked in 🇮🇳]

YouTube video by thejuicemedia

youtu.be

4 5

Reposted by Stephen Lautens

Laura Babcock 🇨🇦 @laura-babcock.bsky.social · 22h

“He’s a world class leader. He’s a man who knows what he wants. I’m not surprised he won substantially and he’s probably more popular now. He’s a good man. He does a great job but he’s a tough negotiator.”

I think I just heard Pierre Poilievre’s heart break. #Cdnpoli 🇨🇦

18 31 130

Reposted by Stephen Lautens

Colette @ccope.bsky.social · 22h

Stop bashing 🇨🇦 PM Carney because he won't start a war with the demented guy in the White House. The PM is being diplomatic and handling him with kid gloves because the madman could make matters far worse for Canada on a whim. If anyone doesn't understand that, I'm glad they're not in government.

23 100

Reposted by Stephen Lautens

RichardJR @electricbluesfan.bsky.social · 1d

1/7
🇨🇦 LIBERALS TO TABLE NEW BORDER BILL, STRIPPING OUT CONTROVERSIAL CLAUSES 🇨🇦

Facing united opposition & concerns from civil liberties groups, the federal government is set to introduce a new version of its #BorderSecurity #legislation this week.

Kate McKenna, CBC News
#CdnPoli #ParlVu

3 7 26

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

He's just mad they spend slightly more for food than he does at Stornoway.

1 1 10

Reposted by Stephen Lautens

Steve Valeriote @stevev68.bsky.social · 1d

For sure, this is the party I want to take on Donald Trump....#cdnpoli

4 3

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

Poilievre tells Carney he's willing to meet with the Americans to help move trade talks along. He can speak to Trump as one petulant child to another. #cdnpoli

2 7 32

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

There's a whole section of the Department of Justice whose job it is to look at legislation and tell the government that it violates the Charter before presenting it to Parliament. Conservatives hated them.

1 1

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

Stricter bail laws (which may violate the Charter and that whole "presumption of innocence" thing) require the provinces to hire a lot more judges to process them and build a lot more jails to house them. Our low-tax, small govt (mostly Conservative) provinces won't. Jails are already overcrowded.

2 4 9

Reposted by Stephen Lautens

Jeff's Fact Checker @thunderbayed.bsky.social · 1d

PP was called out

He wants the PM to violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by enacting bail laws that are almost identical to laws that were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Entire video:
vm.tiktok.com/ZMAHmVGLY/

14 28 81

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

Or that the union is grandstanding for leverage and making an unsubstantiated ("we feel...") correlation when the larger workforce pool is already fairly diverse to begin with...

1 1

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

Getting rid of someone in the civil service for whom there is an accommodation is so fraught with labour relations pitfalls, they are the last HR wants to let go, whether you embrace DEI or not.

1 1

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

Likely a holdover from the backlog (now cleared) of unprocessed passport applications created by Covid.

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

Is it a Ruth Bader Ginsberg thing? Traditional lawyer robes were always a wing collar and tabs for both sexes.

Stephen Lautens @stephenlautens.bsky.social · 1d

OK. This is a union grabbing headline because they are unhappy about contract employee layoffs. The claim of discrimination is unproved and doesn't pass any smell test of credibility given the culture of the civil service. And there is no chance the PM is remotely involved www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...