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Husband, father to 4 boys. Exploring the ethics, values, and motivations driving the people behind the scenes that keep our lights on and society functioning.

Alberta, Canada
Joined September 2020
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
The admirable consistency of Pierre Poilievre’s conservatism Pierre Poilievre’s leadership review results were ultimately anticlimactic. Nearly 90 percent of convention delegates endorsed his leadership and his vision of conservatism. What is that vision of conservatism? We got a window into it during his convention speech last night. At a time when centre-Right parties around the world are abandoning traditional conservatism in favour of culture wars and dirigiste economics, and some are calling on the Canadian Conservatives to follow in the same direction, Poilievre’s own conservatism, which hasn’t changed since he was a young man, remains notably orthodox—in a good way. He talked about the hidden costs of big government—not just what it spends, but what it invisibly prevents: investment that never happens, businesses that never form, ambition that slowly gets regulated out of existence. It echoed the old Bastiat insight that public policy must account for what we can easily see as well as the consequences that never make it into the political spotlight. Poilievre’s cultural message was similarly restrained. It wasn’t framed as a campaign to purify institutions or to wage war on enemies within. It was closer to a small-l liberal ethic: let people live their lives and let government “mind its own business.” That idea has a lineage of its own—one that runs through classical liberalism and into postwar conservative thought, including the Hayekian suspicion that states which claim to reorder society seldom stop at the margins. And then there was his aspirational thread about recovery, addiction, and rebuilding lives. This was more than a simple law-and-order message. It was a moral claim about agency and redemption and the equal dignity of individuals, including those who’ve fallen. Call it Burkean, call it Christian realist, call it a form of civic faith. It was a powerful expression of Polievre’s case about what kind of citizens remain once government steps back. There was even a flash of Ronald Reagan’s old axiom about the tendency of governments to regulate, tax, and subsidize things. This was a speech that will disappoint those calling for a major pivot to the threats and provocation of Donald Trump and who wanted Poilievre to directly address the president’s threat to Canada and Trumpism’s threat to Canadian conservatism. Instead, he mostly focused on the growing gap between the Carney government’s rhetorical ambitions and its actual results and the socio-economic consequences for Canada. But just because Poilievre didn’t explicitly call out Trump and Trumpism doesn’t mean that he didn’t address it. His articulation of a conservatism rooted in limited government, personal freedom, and the dignity of the individual—what he characterized as “smaller government for bigger citizens”—was an implicit expression of traditional conservative ideas and a rejection of Trumpian illiberalism and those who believe that the Conservative Party ought to remake itself broadly in that image. In a moment of conservative heterodoxy, Polievre deserves credit for his orthodoxy. Notwithstanding the strong endorsement of Conservative supporters, it’s hard to know if Poilievre will ultimately become Canada’s next prime minister. As we were reminded last year, politics has a way of humbling confident predictions. But his speech was a sign that, either way, he isn’t going to change who he is or what he thinks Canadian conservatism should be. There’s something admirable about that.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
Get married, have kids, and stop partying into oblivion. Leave a legacy, be courageous. Happy Sunday God Bless all the parents out there 🙏
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
We must all strongly denounce the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Political violence is NEVER justified. The attacker must be brought to justice. And free speech must be upheld. Pray for Mr. Kirk and his family.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
The person who believes every conspiracy theory is just as gullible as the person who believes every story from the corporate press.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
Democracy Watch Blows the Whistle on Carney’s Ethics Sham So here’s something the media doesn’t want to talk about because it shatters the entire illusion they’ve built around the man they now call Prime Minister: Mark Carney. The technocratic savior, the former banker with all the right globalist credentials, the guy who jets between Davos and Ottawa with a PowerPoint and a carbon tax. And yet, today buried under polite headlines and careful euphemisms a watchdog group in Canada finally said what should’ve been obvious to anyone paying attention. Mark Carney’s ethics screen and his so-called “blind trust” are scams. Period. That’s not hyperbole. That’s from Democracy Watch, one of the last remaining ethics organizations in the country that hasn’t been swallowed by the federal funding machine or bullied into silence by the PMO. In a statement released this week, they laid out—point by point—how Carney’s financial arrangement is not just flawed, but a “loophole-filled, unethical smokescreen.” Their words. And they’re right. Let’s go through it. Carney, who now controls the federal government, holds investments in over 550 companies. Five hundred and fifty. That includes stock options in Brookfield Asset Management, where he used to be vice-chair, and a major stake in Stripe, the Silicon Valley payment processor. Yet we’re told, by government and press alike, that all is well because he’s placed these assets in a “blind trust.” Sounds reassuring, doesn’t it? But here’s the problem. It’s not blind. Not even close. According to Democracy Watch, Carney knows exactly what’s in that trust. Why? Because he put the assets in himself, he chose his own trustee, and he was allowed to instruct the trustee not to sell anything. Read that again. He told the trustee: keep my investments intact. And that trustee? Free to give him updates. So, what part of this is blind? The answer is: none of it. And it gets worse. Carney holds stock options in Brookfield Corporation and Brookfield Asset Management—options that he cannot sell for years. Which means even if he wanted to claim ignorance, he can’t. He knows he owns them. Everyone knows he owns them. And now he’s making policy decisions that shape the very industries those companies operate in—climate policy, tech investment, financial regulation, you name it. Let’s call this what it is. It’s a conflict of interest so massive it makes Justin Trudeau’s WE Charity scandal look like a lemonade stand. And yet, this isn’t even the worst part. Carney’s ethics screen, the list of 103 companies he’s supposedly recused from dealing with—doesn’t cover the full 550+. It only applies to a fraction. But even among those 103, the federal Conflict of Interest Act contains a loophole so big you could drive a solar-powered Brookfield wind turbine through it. It’s called the “general application” exemption. Under this clause, public office holders like, say, the Prime Minister; can fully participate in decisions that impact industries or economic sectors as a whole, so long as those decisions aren’t “targeted” at a specific company. So if Carney signs off on a $10 billion green tech fund that pumps value into Brookfield’s renewables portfolio? That’s legal. Because it’s general. In fact, according to Democracy Watch, that loophole applies to “99% of the decisions” cabinet ministers make. So despite having personal investments tied to hundreds of companies, Carney can still sit in meetings, shape policy, and direct subsidies that increase the value of his trust, without technically breaking the rules. Lets call this what it is, this is legalized insider dealing. And remember this: every time a public official recuses themselves, they’re supposed to make a public declaration. That’s the law under Section 25(1) of the Conflict of Interest Act. But former Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson—remember her?—helped invent a system of “ethics screens” that lets politicians bypass that requirement. Set up a screen, tell the public you’re recused from everything, then quietly participate in decisions behind closed doors. No disclosure. No accountability. No paper trail. Justice Parker, way back in 1987, warned us about this. In his landmark commission on conflicts of interest, he recommended banning blind trusts outright and requiring all top officials to sell their private investments. Why? Because it’s the only way to guarantee integrity. You cannot serve the public while holding shares in private companies that rise or fall based on your decisions. Period. And yet here we are. The new Prime Minister. Over 550 investments. A fake blind trust. A self-policed ethics screen. And a legal loophole so wide open, it makes lobbying look quaint. Now here’s the part no one will say out loud: this system is designed to be abused. It’s not broken. It’s working exactly as intended. The people writing the rules are the same ones benefiting from them. And Carney? He’s not breaking norms—he is the norm. Democracy Watch is right. The only solution is for Carney to sell his investments, including his Brookfield stock options. End the charade. Choose public service over private profit. But he won’t. And the reason is simple: the swamp doesn’t drain itself. This isn’t transparency. This isn’t accountability. This is how the ruling class launders power through legal technicalities, and then has the audacity to lecture you about ethics. And if you still believe that a man who used to run a trillion-dollar fund, who sits on hundreds of corporate stakes, who appointed his own ethics babysitter and told them not to sell anything—that this man is governing in your interest? Then I’ve got a “blind” trust to sell you. Source : democracywatch.ca/pm-carneys…
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
Replying to @globeandmail
No, they are not. Stop gaslighting an entire generation! FFS
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
Our Federal Government seems convinced that basic economic principles and physical laws do not apply within Canada's borders. And in the eternal battle between ideology and reality, reality remains undefeated.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
Karl Marx's father didn't like Marxism either. Brutal.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
THIS is how far Canada has fallen, the year was 2015: -Canada had the richest middle class in the world -Canada was named the "most admired" country in the world -Canada's debt was roughly 1/4 of what it is now -Housing cost half as much -Rent was $950/mo -foodbanks weren't overloaded -Canada and the USA were EQUALLY as wealthy per capita -The USA and Canada were best friends -Canada and the US were tied for richest countries in the G7 -Canada wasnt involved in any major trade wars -Immigration was 1/3rd of what it was in 2024 -We were the 5th happiest country in the world -The median house was only 5x the median income (now its close to 8) ....you know what we should probably do -- vote Liberal again.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
If you only read one post of mine this election cycle, please read this one.đź§µ /1
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
NEW Freeland's resignation letter in Dec claimed that she was resigning because: "Canada needs to keep its fiscal powder dry.... we need reserves for the trade war ..." and "political gimmicks" were too costly. She is now supporting Carney's deficits which are TWICE as high.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
Remember how we got here…Christia Freeland resigned as FinMin because the Trudeau deficit was so irresponsibly huge. Today, Carney upended that deficit and promised an even bigger one.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
The last thing you see before you are priced out of a house, forever.
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
Remember when they told us the carbon tax wasn't inflationary? ... but the Bank of Canada's Monetary Policy now says it's removal is disinflationary? "The removal of the consumer carbon tax permanently lowers the path of consumer prices and lowers inflation for one year"
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
#BREAKING: Government watchdogs have found that China is interfering in our election to promote Mark Carney's policies on America. Why?
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
If Canadians elect a Liberal government again for another (4th) term in a row, the following things are likely to happen in 🇨🇦. Depending who you are, it may be important to you. 1/
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
Ian Lee on CBC this AM, watch all of this! "Trump is the symptom of our problems. I know most Canadians, starting with our national leadership say Trump is our problem." "Trump has exposed fundamental problems in our economy of rapid declines in productivity." "We're avoiding the really serious problems." "Can we really pivot a trillion dollars two way trade with Canada and the US and walk away from the United States to go 10,000 kilometers across the ocean to the European Union, which his friend Mark Carney's friend Mario Draghi says are experiencing similar collapses in productivity and competitiveness?" "So these issues are not being addressed in this campaign by any of the leaders" "A German geostrategist said yesterday on the Globe, we don't want your cars. We want your natural resources. We want your LNG." "Every study I've read shows that we're going to suffer far more than the US. In fact, the OECD said this just this last week"
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
1/2 This should be the first Canadian election that focuses on migration @MarkJCarney is bringing in people who support high migration policies. The Conservatives are breaking Canada's old taboo against talking about it. #Election2025 #cdnpoli #cdnimm vancouversun.com/opinion/col…
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
American Financial YouTuber just murders Canada’s housing and immigration issues
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PlaidJacketPhilosopher🎙🇨🇦 retweeted
1/ Today’s Globe story is a retelling of previously aired allegations - with new info that Mr. Poilievre’s leadership campaign was targeted. As someone who’s been targeted by foreign interference, I’d like to give my perspective. #cdnpoli theglobeandmail.com/politics…
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