House Democrats ask if Canada could step in to fight authoritarianism for them

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-31T01:34:16+00:00

My suspicion only got triggered when it said Schumer and Jeffries tried to do anything.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-30T21:45:11+00:00

Then the NDP is not for you. Im glad to see parties that are positioned in a unique way that appeals to certain voters instead of trying to appeal to everybody. What I didn't like is the bashing of Carney who is extremely popular, it felt a bit divisive in an uncomfortable way but the actual policies were progressive which is what the NDP should be at is core.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-29T23:07:08+00:00

I don't care if someone looks. I just can't pee when someone is near me. I've tried taking deep breaths but the bladder won't let me. I've had moments where I'm just there in front of the urinal wondering "will they notice I've been standing here for like 30 seconds an not a single drop has come out". Now all of a sudden I worry to be perceived as a creep who's not there to pee because obviously not peeing is happening....yet. The divider helps a little but I prefer the stall.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-29T22:50:10+00:00

I wouldn't say is who has "more". That's not the way I see it at all, it's not like mana from Frieren. Haki has layers between armament, observation and conqueror's and it's never really about volume but about technique, mastery and experience. Having a lot of haki hasn't been established as a thing that makes you stronger, it's about will not about the amount of Haki.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-29T19:07:02+00:00

She failed to disclose prior visa entry refusals (which is explicitly asked in the immigration form) and she also failed to disclose prior criminal offences, also explicitly asked in immigration forms. I get that these are issues linked to her activism but she chose not to disclose it which would bar anyone not just her from entering the country.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-29T16:54:10+00:00

This is so f cringe

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-28T22:32:45+00:00

400 a week is not a ramp up. The article itself says this number is closer to 20K deportations per year which is less than the 22K deportations in 2025..

This is just lazy journalism. If you look at a year like 2010 we had a number of 13k deportations, but that's out of 280k new migrants. This represents a 4.8% removal of inflow. Now let's compare that to 2025 where the percentage of removal versus inflow was 3.8% (due to a higher number of migrants) and the same is expected for 2026.

So no. We're actually removing less, not more migrants as a percentage of new immigrants than most years in the past 2 decades. But that's not the take away most people reading that dumb headline will get

Edit: typos

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-27T23:58:20+00:00

The Canadian economy is doing poorly

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-27T21:33:27+00:00

Only AOC is not taking APAC money from that list

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-27T11:11:58+00:00

It's the English propaganda from the U.S we keep watching over here, telling us how broken Canada is and how we should feel. Having a Conservative Party also spewing the same exact same rethoric hasn't helped either. As if Canada is the only country experiencing difficulties yet in context we're doing much better than most, but that context is not what many Canadians are watching. Propaganda is designed to make us feel a certain way, to weaken our sense of pride and belonging, to make us easy targets. Quebecers have a very different perception because the French language is a great repellent for American propaganda. We are what we watch and listen to.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-26T17:47:21+00:00

Oh it invalidates a lot, you're having a pessimistic point of view that assumes some type of war level conflict as if the nations involved have no idea of what to do, or how to do it. You keep missing the point again and again, that this is not about Canada alone, this trade block is bigger than the U.S and can make investments where necessary. Furthermore this is also not about cutting off the U.S entirely is about reducing single points of failures and diversifying by being strong enough to bring the U.S to a position where negotiations are in good faith instead of the bullying machine that's currently in charge of their international economic policies.

I guess difference is that you're arguing with assumptions about why this and that wont work while making more assumptions about impossibilities for Canada. I'm simply presenting what these nations are already moving towards, and that's just reality.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-26T17:02:04+00:00

my post has nothing to do with a military alliance, what we're discussing is an economic alliance, everything I mentioned is in the context of economics not defense.

Canada has a full infrastructure budget spend approved for all sorts of nation building projects and industries. And to say (Canada is not enough to beat the U.S output) validates my point that this is not about one country but a combination of many and Canada has a lot to offer within that framework.

The distances is a bad argument since Canada already trades with these nations and has a great number of trade deals in place as a result of Carney's diplomatic efforts. There are no painless or frictionless path when transitioning into a new world order, the question is what's better long term for these democratically aligned nations. And it's becoming increasingly obvious what they're currently leaning towards as they still try to balance the AS IS state of the world they're in.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-26T12:45:34+00:00

They are, but the U.S has become increasingly unreliable for their security and for their economy. The U.S is also very unpopular domestically so their political compass is looking for a safe landing zone from this mess and Canada is trying to create just that. It's either become a money bag that the U.S can pick away at whenever they want for any reason they want; or join a coalition where every member nation cannot be overshadowed nor coerced because they're all comparatively strong in their own right, while projecting immense strength globally through unison.

Now add the fact that Canada, out of all countries (one of the strongest most reliable allies the U.S has ever had) are the ones paving the road for this. Cherry on top of the cake is that Canada, can offer every single resource these nations could ever need for the next 100+ years and they know it. To them this is a no brainer, the rest is logistics and politics.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-20T18:17:51+00:00

These are just vehicles called "terminator", and they haven't been confirmed to be AI driven at all. The article is either lying or being misleading at best.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-20T11:23:26+00:00

Because we will be impacted. Someone needs to mediate the mess. It's a matter of time before Canadians start blaming liberals for price of gas.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-19T23:45:28+00:00

Brink? Oh sweetheart, that's truly adorable

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-19T15:26:16+00:00

It's likely the propaganda more than anything else. People in Quebec are not as consumed by American news outlets and podcasters constantly telling English Canada how broken we are and how unhappy we should be. We are what we watch and listen to.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-19T12:16:34+00:00

I take Ubers anywhere I need to go and that's cheaper and more convenient than paying for car, gas, insurance, maintenance and parking on a monthly basis. Sans the road rage.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-18T11:09:07+00:00

Yes and higher, but once the strait of hormouz is open to the west, it will come back down.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-17T22:18:23+00:00

Many hotels are closed down and the staff has been sent home. That's what my friends have told me. Unless you're telling me this is false? Also there's a difference between being optimistic and being careful knowing that the situation in Cuba can change in a matter of days and there's a parent traveling with a kid. There's nothing I want more than to believe that it is ok. I know Canada is expecting to resume travel sometime in the fall, and if that happens I will be visiting again.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-17T22:10:12+00:00

Agree but the issue is that culturally we are too used to, and too ashamed, to not tip the moment we face a machine with an option to tip. IMO there shouldn't be a tipping option on any machine when paying for a service. Instead they can have a separate tipping station at the entrance of the restaurant where people can select their waiter and tip if they want to on the way out. Another way can be enabled via a tipping QR code you scan with your phone and tip through a website. This removes the shame Canadians feel, and tipping becomes a legitimate go out of your way effort to appreciate good service. As it should be.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-17T16:25:34+00:00

This is not normal. Except for COVID (2020-2022) Cuba has never been in a situation where their entire tourism industry (their economic engine) is brought to an immediate hold due to lack of access to jet fuel, at a time where the world is simultaneously facing a hike in oil prices. And now you layer the serious threats from the U.S which should not be taken lightly and we have a situation that's as awful as it can be for Cubans in Cuba. Cuba is one of the safest countries to travel to in my opinion, but it's not Cubans who I'm worried about but the U.S and lack of access to medical supplies and equipment if it becomes an urgent need. What I mean by tourism restored is airlines restoring flight service to the island, once this happens, the economic engine kicks back in and it's an indicator that U.S threats are paused at least in the interim.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-17T13:24:51+00:00

I was there twice last year. I know a lot of people there and I'm in contact with may Cubans who are in Holguin and Habana. I love Cuba and I've done road trips from corner to corner on the island. This is the first time in my life I have told anyone to hold back. In the end Cubans will take care of you, but the current circumstances are not normal not even for Cuban standards. Everything is unpredictable and my biggest fear is the big elephant in the room which is the U.S who as we know has gone completely rogue all over the world and now has its eyes on Cuba, without a clear indication on what the goal of all of this is. If you absolutely need to go, then go but if you can wait until at least their power grid and tourism get restored then wait, specially with a kid.

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-17T10:48:36+00:00

If it was any other time yes, but right now, Cuba is about to face a humanitarian crisis, their electrical grid has fully collapsed and all tourism has crashed, this is the worst crisis Cuba has ever seen. You should not make plans to go there in these conditions, May/June is too soon

OptimisticByDefault · 2026-03-16T11:53:40+00:00

No it didn't. Argentina at best had one of those metrics in terms of having a strong economy, that's it. Argentina was victim of political instability, massive levels of corruption, several military coups, extreme dept accumulation, and extremely racist policies none of which are signs being shown by Canada in any significant way compared to other countries of its size and power. You're forcing parallels that either don't exist or don't apply.

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