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  Today is a national day of mourning. Flags on Parliament Hill are at half mast. The Senate sitting today was very short - with only statements on the tragedy of Tumbler Ridge - and the double child homicide in Kitigan Zibi, Quebec. Two small communities facing unimaginable sorrow. So many children lost. As Canadians, we grieve together - even as we struggle to understand.

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  With so (so) much talk about Alberta separatism. But what about a counter factual? Suppose Rupert’s Land had never joined Canada in the first place? I explored that idea in this essay 8 years ago. It seems apt to share it again here - as we prepare for Truth and Reconciliation Day. It offers a useful reminder that Alberta didn’t enter Confederation the way that BC or Newfoundland or PEI did, and that our history is radically different than the Upper/Lower Canada paradigm. But I don’t think my co...

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  Why does Alberta have so many different “No” campaigns? Why is there no one big group opposing the referendum questions? I get the answers from political strategist Stephen Carter of Alberta’s Voice, poli sci prof Jared Wesley of Lead, Not Leave, and human rights lawyer Avnish Nanda of Our Alberta Advantage. An urgent must-listen of a podcast for #cdnpoli and #abpoli folks, as we go behind the scenes of the final push. https://open.spotify.com/episode/4hSEeUhFqqgpKaFO6ANYe7?si=bP3gmY6vSYG3Pnoc8G...

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  The CBC has just posted a transcript of my recent interview with As It Happens, calling on the government to quit using X. I’m attaching a couple of screen shots here; since they are a bit unwieldy for alt text, I’ll attach a link to the full transcript below. #CBC #cdnpoli #Twitter #X #Grok #CSAM #yeg

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  Excited and proud to be joining this great panel tonight to discuss the meaning of the noxious nine referendum questions, and how to mobilize around them. If you’re in Edmonton, come join us! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/referendum-teach-in-tickets-1997805759807 #yeg #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #Alberta #Canada #notothenine

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  Alberta Unbound is available on every major podcast app - and can always be streamed from my Senate webpage. https://senatorpaulasimons.ca/en/media/alberta-unbound/

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  Delighted to share episode 3 of the Kreisel Lecture series - a powerful conversation with Canadian authors Richard Van Camp, Shani Mootoo and Lise Gaboury-Diallo. https://open.spotify.com/episode/0BU0ksBRTRYDIlHraUUNlE?si=R4jId20zT4eXpJmVdmzSFQ&utm_source=copy-link #AlbertaUnbound #ualberta #yeg #Alberta #canlit #Canada

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  Happy Canada Day! A message to Canadians - especially my fellow Albertans.

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  A very special episode of Alberta Unbound for you! This year marked the 20th anniversary of the University of Alberta’s Kreisel Lecture, named for the great Edmonton author and academic, Henry Kreisel. Normally, CBC Radio’s flagship doc program IDEAS broadcasts the annual literary lecture. But this year, IDEAS opted not to do so - which means WE have the honouring of sharing the podcast with you. . This year’s special anniversary lecture featured three remarkable authors - Richard Van Camp, Sh...

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  I am really disturbed at the way the Senate is being “pressured” to pass complex, important and deeply flawed legislation without proper study and debate. Bill C-16 is just the latest example. Under the cover of protecting victims, the government is rolling back important constitutional protections. Few people have noticed. So I’m telling you. https://youtu.be/vhfJqlJdc3A?si=EWWI9vtR6zJD8zjd #BillC16 #cdnpoli #SenCa #femicide #coercivecontrol #Jordan

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  Tonight, I sent my public Facebook page into hibernation. I am leaving up as an archive of my work in the Senate and my work as a journalist. But I no longer find it fun or useful to post there - and my algorithm sends me is a never ending stream of racist, transphobic and smutty posts. That - plus the standard chronic abuse from trolls, which had always been there - and I’m done. Tomorrow I delete my Senate Instagram account too. Ah well. It was fun while it lasted. #Meta #Facebook

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  For those of you tooting in real time -- you can, if you are keen, use this link to watch the live stream of the special Senate Committee of the Whole on Bill C-62, the bill which would delay the inclusion of mental illness as a grounds to receive MAID. Senators will be questioning the ministers of health and justice on this difficult issue. https://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony #SenCa #SenateofCanada #cdnpoli #Canada #MAID

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  As many of you will know, I’ve been campaigning for more than a year to get the Govt of Canada off X. This week’s Grok nonsense pushed me over the edge - and I said a very bad word! https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2026/01/07/get-the-fk-off-there-mps-senators-call-on-government-to-abandon-x-twitter-following-wave-of-grok-porn/487023/ #cdnpoli #X #Grok

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  As I get deeper into Mastodon, I'm torn about whether and how much I actually want to recreate the "other place" experience here. There are some people I followed avidly on the bird site, that I'm not entirely sure I want to follow here, for example. And I'm not sure how much I want to use this space to be political. I want to engage here. I want to have conversations with people about everything from Senate reform to the future of agriculture. But....

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  https://albertareferendumb2026.ca/#top #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli (I didn’t make this. But I’m delighted to share it. I hope others will too.)

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  RE: https://mstdn.ca/@Paulatics/116444287287689324 This story just gets darker and weirder. AI slopaganda combined with foreign interference and good old fashioned greed. Are Dutch YouTube influencers sabotaging Alberta politics and Canadian unity just for lols and cash? Or are they themselves being manipulated by someone with a malicious political agenda? #cdnpoli #Canada #Alberta #separatism #abpoli

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  Disturbing story on the intersection of AI and foreign interference in Alberta’s separation campaign. It raises many troubling questions. Who is paying for AI slop disinformation? And who is consuming it? And how on earth can those on the No side compete? #ableg #abpoli #Alberta @thetyee https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/04/21/Dishonest-Online-Campaign-Support-Alberta-Separatism/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial

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  A new and timely Alberta Unbound - playwright and author @martychan on Alberta’s noxious Bill 28, book bans and the racism renaissance. This is - I guarantee - a delightful listen, because Marty is a delightful story-teller. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/alberta-unbound/id1511810939?i=1000761098829 #AlbertaUnbound #ableg #abpoli #bookbans #cdnpoli

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  Bill C-9 sets out to address the very real threat of hate and hate crimes in Canada. But striking the balance between protecting our safety and protecting of civil liberties isn’t easy. I dig into some messy questions and painful histories here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=mtaZjAmQZxE&si=vGRpVw3B3rgxNzMY #cdnpoli #Alberta

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  Why yes. I did give a speech in the Senate about the joy of sex. A speech about sex and libraries, and the dangers of trying to censor what our teens can read and watch and do online. In a world full of digital risk, we need to teach our kids media literacy, and sexual literacy too. https://youtu.be/mEsf_qQzvpg?si=dCTTLIW5dBDjanVs #ableg #abpoli #Bill28 #porn #bookbans #cdnpoli #BillS209 #SenateofCanada #AI

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  A must-read for every Canadian - most especially those with American work or student visas. Powerful testimony about the soul-stripping consequences of being caught up in the American for-profit immigration detention system. Thank you, Ms. Mooney, for bearing witness - and leveraging your privilege to speak for those without voice. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney #Canada #ICE #cdnpoli

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  Happy World Théâtre Day! I’m blessed to live in Edmonton, a city with such a brilliant and inclusive theatre scene. To honour the day, I rummaged through my archives, to share this documentary we made about the resilient, remarkable Edmonton Fringe Festival! https://youtu.be/UnX77xl5skw?si=pfsWY6RFn7LdBFC7 #yeg #Edmonton #WorldTheatreDay #EdmontonFringeFestival #cdnpoli

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  I have already done so! https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/simons-paula/interventions/684894/28#hID

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  My latest column, on the false promise of LLMs and generative AI. I’m not afraid of machine intelligence. I’m afraid of human stupidity. We are taking what could be a useful tool, and abusing it to delude each other and ourselves. https://albertaviews.ca/ai-fever-dream/ #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #AI #yeg #Edmonton

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  RE: https://mstdn.ca/@Paulatics/116336509060028476 ICYMI

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  My new column for Alberta Views. An essay on why I fell in love with Twitter - and why I’ve left it. And about the way the golden age of social media remade our world. https://albertaviews.ca/goodbye-to-twitter/ #Twitter #Facebook #Alberta #Edmonton #yeg #ableg #yegcc #senateofcanada

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  No. No. Nine times no. Five very smart Albertans, from across the province, and across the political spectrum, tell me why they think Danielle Smith’s nine referendum questions are racist, or useless, or both. And we ask - why is there no No campaign as yet?? Please do give this vital episode a listen! https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/alberta-unbound/id1511810939?i=1000756773602 #ableg #abpoli #Alberta #AlbertaUnbound #yeg #yyc #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #DanielleSmith #NaheedNenshi

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  RE: https://mstdn.ca/@Paulatics/116213166754427310 ICYMI Debate on Bill C-12 continues today, with two more amendments pending. #cdnpoli

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  Well. Senate debate on C-12 is over. The bill has now gone back to the House with two amendments- but to my sorrow, all our other amendments failed. Still, I’m proud of the two dozen or so senators from all parts of the Chamber who stood together to fight for justice for immigrants, refugees, international students and those on work visas. We made our arguments with passion, reason, evidence and courage. I hope courts will take note in the future. #C12 #BillC12 #cdnpoli #Canada #immigration

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  With C-12 headed back to the House, we have resumed debate on another troubling piece of legislation, C-14, which purports to reform our bail system. Here’s what I had to say about that last night at second reading. https://youtu.be/ETH4j0C51X4?si=RWBLuWLOalkYupCt #cdnpoli #yeg #bail #Edmonton #Alberta #remand