Gordon J Holtslander

Public service cutbacks or tax policies that challenges wealth without work?

“ Rather than using the tax system to prevent wealth concentration .. our current tax system promotes wealth concentration. – those who earn income from wealth have more income left over after taxes, allowing them to accumulate wealth more quickly than others.

If Canada does not rebalance our tax system to prioritize work over wealth, we may soon find ourselves with a runaway wealth inequality – billionaires in control of our politics.

A tax system that promotes efficiency and fairness will reinforce our democracy and protect our sovereignty in the face of the challenges represented by Trump and those putting their wealth ahead of our democracy.

#cdnpoli

https://www.taxfairness.ca/en/resources/news-views/how-canadas-tax-system-puts-wealthy-above-workers

@McRocker@mstdn.ca
Another part of my Methane Pyrolysis rant.

Even in Alberta's heavy oil industry, M pyrolysis would lower costs (and emssions) "Upgrading bitumen requires generous amounts of hydrogen, typically produced through steam reforming of natural gas" pyrolysis can do the same job, cheaper, without the carbon emssions.

https://www.oilsandsmagazine.com/technical/alberta-bitumen-upgraders

New Democratic Party MP Lori Idlout is crossing the floor to join the Liberals, NDP Leader Don Davies said Tuesday evening.

#cdnpoli

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/idlout-crossing-floor-liberals-9.7123443

@skinnylatte@hachyderm.io

If you still follow whales ..

3 unidentified orcas spotted in Vancouver Harbour never before documented in B.C.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/3-unidentified-orcas-spotted-in-vancouver-9.7121475

16 Canadian-headquartered companies supported politicians who voted not to certify the 2020 election through corporate PACs

https://theijf.org/article/canadian-companies-election-deniers

“Liberal MP Wade Grant says a staff member for Vancouver MLA Dallas Brodie crossed the line, by storming into his constituency office on Friday in an aggressive manner”

Brodie’s provincial constituency (Vancouver-Quilchena) is within Grant’s federal constituency (Vancouver Quadra). Both “represent” some of the same people.

Brodie arguing one can’t both represent Canadians and Indigenous

Brodie's Vancouver Quilchena constituency consistently votes conservative

#bcpoli

https://globalnews.ca/video/11720917/demolition-begins-for-etobicokes-six-points-interchange-improvements

https://338canada.com/bc/1082e.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Quadra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver-Quilchena

When you drive by a gas station and gasp at the advertised price, remind yourself that the oil market is a yet another tool to manipulate resources for wealth.

Will the voices that shout about the cost of living do anything to challenge market manipulation by the world's wealthiest?

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/679d4ed301fa26e771ccafaa/68e7f6f5455ed72dca79079d_FalseProfits-March2025-Counting%20the%20Costs.pdf

"World oil prices are not determined by fundamental physical supplies of, and demands for, actual petroleum. The leading benchmarks are set in highly volatile financial forums, called ‘futures markets’, in which the vast majority of participants have no intention of ever buying or using physical oil..

liquidity, expectations, and fears are far more important in shaping price movements than real economic fundamentals (like cost, productivity, and growth)..

the supply of physical oil is also corrupted by cartel behaviour, geopolitics, and monopoly power..

the price signals emanating from financialized, speculative global casinos should not be accepted as
rational indicators of efficient market forces. And the costs and damage done to economies and living standards by those processes should never be accepted as natural, inevitable, or efficient."

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/679d4ed301fa26e771ccafaa/68e7f6f5455ed72dca79079d_FalseProfits-March2025-Counting%20the%20Costs.pdf

With Iran, Its 2022 again on oil pricing?

"the oil price spike of 2022 was a needless and very costly episode that caused a cascading
worldwide disruption. It was not the result of fundamental economic forces; it was the result of
speculation, financialization, geopolitics, and monopoly power. Canadians paid massively for this spike, and continue to do so. The petroleum industry profited, with higher consumer expenses flowing into industry profits on a near dollar-for-dollar basis..

When price spikes do occur, excess profits to the petroleum industry should be recouped by
government through stronger royalties or excess profits taxes.
"

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/679d4ed301fa26e771ccafaa/68e7f6f5455ed72dca79079d_FalseProfits-March2025-Counting%20the%20Costs.pdf

“ Incentives for disinformation

At the root of the problem, according to Lavigne, is the design of social media algorithms to optimize for engagement.

“Conspiracy theories tend to provoke some sort of outrage,” said Lavigne. This makes the content more engaging, keeping users eyeballs fixed on social media apps longer, which generates more advertising revenue..

The Media Ecosystem Observatory report found that Elon Musk’s X was the epicentre of Canadian conspiracy content, accounting for 70 per cent of likes and the majority of posts..

Despite being a hub for deepfake pornographic images and misinformation, the platform remains a primary communication tool for Canadian politicians. And evidence is mounting that its algorithms are shaping people’s beliefs.”

https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/25/news/conspiracy-content-report-canada

Tanille Johnston:

"Health, Care and Recognition

We have long been known as the party of healthcare, but we have let Liberals own our successes as of late. It is time we reclaim that title, not just for our party but for all healthcare advocates who fought long and hard to build our public healthcare system. Liberals and Conservatives systematically dismantled public services through privatization and our healthcare system has not been spared."

#cdnpoli
https://www.tanille.ca/platform/health

Carney Allowed Gas-powered AI Data Centres After Lobbying From Alberta Energy Company
The Alberta gas giant Capital Power lobbied the government 37 times in the lead-up to an accord suspending clean energy regulations, federal records show.

#cdnpoli
https://www.desmog.com/2026/02/25/carney-allowed-gas-powered-ai-centres-after-lobbying-from-alberta-energy-company/

Carney Government Knew Carbon Capture Was ‘Very Limited,’ Docs Show

DeSmog reveal the Carney government had major knowledge gaps about CCS even as it made the technology central to its climate plan.

#cdnpoli

https://www.desmog.com/2026/02/20/carney-government-knew-carbon-capture-was-very-limited-docs-show/

Poilievre:

Hatred and Ignorance is Free Speech

#cdnpoli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyUXxx_YpLY

"During the 2019 federal election, the Manning Centre, now known as the Canada Strong and Free Network, raised and donated more than $300,000 to Canada Strong and Proud and its affiliates, which in turn “only disclosed the Manning Centre as the sole source of the funds.”

Canada Strong and Free (Manning centre) is a US based conservative advocacy organization.

Is it being used by Americas to influence and interfere with Canada's politics?

Both Canada and US allow charities to be opaque over where their funding and support comes from.

#cdnpoli #AtlasNetwork

https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/02/24/How-Right-Wing-Influencers-Dodged-Spending-Rules/

https://web.archive.org/web/20201101115633/https://www.atlasnetwork.org/partners/global-directory/canada

"Climate policy has not failed, it has been defeated. Key to this defeat is the organised production, by and for fossil fuel interests, of strategic counter-science and anti-climate policy disinformation, which is probably the largest component by sheer volume of the total quantity of disinformation encountered by Australian citizens"

The same climate misinformation network is active in Canada, with many of its conservative politicians members of the same.

Jason Kenney pres of Taxpayer’s
Aaron Gunn Taxpayers Fed Videographer
Jamil Jivani pres of Canada Strong & Fr**
Danielle Smith Intern @ Fraser Inst
Gordon Campbell Fraser Inst
Michael Harris Fraser Inst
Preston Manning Fraser Inst
Chis Alexander McDonald Laurier
Ed Fast McDonald Laurier
Sonya Savage McDonald Laurier

#cdnpoli

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/400008577_How_fossil_capital_built_the_global_disinformation_machinery_of_the_Atlas_Network_to_defeat_climate_policy_and_disable_democracy_Australian_Senate_Select_Committee_inquiry_on_Information_Integrity_on_

https://web.archive.org/web/20210413232301/https://www.atlasnetwork.org/partners/global-directory/canada

If anyone needs a little help this Monday morning https://www.youtube.com/live/AcvoSoUT7EE?list=RDAcvoSoUT7EE&start_radio=1

@thegreenpagesBC@mstdn.ca YES! "when the French Senate asked a senior Microsoft France official if he could guarantee that data from French citizens would not be transmitted to the United States without the authorization of French authorities, he said Microsoft could not guarantee data sovereignty to customers in France. There is no reason why his response would not also apply to Canada. In fact, it’s probably more likely since French privacy laws are stronger than Canada’s." #cdnpoli https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2026/01/29/Big-Tech-Spearheads-US-Threat-Canada/#:~:text=sovereignty-washers

While Canada contends to be an energy super power by chasing the fictions of a northern pipeline and "clean oil and gas", Australia's Hazer Group continues to make market leading developments world wide. Is Canada being left behind from the dominance of political noise compromising ambitions? "Converting Emissions into Energy and Critical Minerals Affordable. Scalable. Now." https://app.sharelinktechnologies.com/announcement-preview/asx/3537e0c687dbc4e79b3fd12d94c73e5a

@Nerdfest@mastodon.online Here is a list on Lisa Marie Barron efforts to allow Canadian citizens to make an informed independent decision on PR. Every vote of MPs from 44th Parl. Both Poilievre (& almost every conservative) & Trudeau ( and most Liberals) voted against (viii) a citizens' assembly on electoral reform would give citizens a leadership role in building consensus on a specific model for electoral reform for Canada; and (b) in the opinion of the House, the government should create a Canadian citizens’ assembly on electoral reform, which would, (i) consist of citizens selected by sortition, an impartial selection process to ensure the assembly’s independence and non-partisanship, (ii) reflect the diversity of the Canadian population, ... (iii) determine if electoral reform is recommended for Canada, and, if so, recommend specific measures that would foster a healthier democracy. #ProportionalRepresentation https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/votes/44/1/634 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/44th_Canadian_Parliament