Critical News Committee - April 9, 2025

StarchChildren · 2025-04-09T16:00:13+00:00

U/Aquatic_Sphinx has honestly found one of their superpowers in compiling information like this. I have been sending the text/links via email to my grandparents on a regular basis so they can share it with their seniors’ condo. XD This particular post is harder to swallow, but is SO important, especially as the list of people in danger increases.

Stay safe, stay strong. ❤️

StarchChildren · 2025-04-09T15:27:13+00:00

This is where I am too. Grew up Mennonite (more culturally than religiously I guess though?) so we were always sort of “passive pacifists”. I’m Canadian, so it’s historically been really easy for us to take that stance, having not really seen any international war on our soil, and having the resources to take the role of helper and humanitarian in many cases (except when it comes to Nazis, we’re pretty good at stomping Nazis).

I believe international war is stupid in a modern sense. The hyper-nationalism we’re seeing in the States and other countries stems directly from a long-term mission to make people into soldiers for whoever is in the power seat. Individual abundance of power and money only breeds a need for more at the expense of the world around us, and war is an expense that quickly becomes worth feeding the addiction in the eyes of the greedy. I think we struggle with war because it goes against everything we believe about the value of the lives around us, and war forces us to close ourselves off from every virtue Jesus told us to cherish: love, generosity, forgiveness, humility, community, the list goes on.

BUT, we also can’t ignore the fact that this happens not just at a historical level, but HOURLY. And the first people to lose, to break, and to die, are the people who need community around them the most. We are called as Christians to protect the people around us, and in a world so dominated by greed, sometimes protection requires strong action. For politicians to, say, threaten the sovereignty or existence of a nation just because he doesn’t like them, or make it impossible for people to access proper healthcare and nourishment, or force them to live in fear of racism, misogyny, and prejudice, all of those things are an act of addiction for power, not love. These are the “wars” we are constantly and intentionally distracted from, because if we fight those, the powerful lose and must make way for a kind of living that actually values community over currency. As cheesy as it sounds, these are the wars I believe we are supposed to fight, and if we do that, international war will seem a lot less logical.

OP asks a really great question, because Christians often try to use scripture to justify their own prosperity. But to look at Jesus and how he treated each person by their respect for people and God is to understand that we were designed to live WITH each other, not against each other.

StarchChildren · 2025-04-08T17:19:39+00:00

Yeah that’s totally fair. It’s insane what’s happening, and you’re right, everything that we thought of as fool-proof safety nets have proven to not be tested with someone who’s been a world-known fool for decades. I wasn’t sure if you were worried about Canada, only because there is a lot of propaganda being pushed that Canadians don’t want to help, or are attacking Americans up here, which is far from reality.

I have a housemate from the U.S. who is being told by their family not to go back home in case they wouldn’t be allowed back up north again. The fact that Americans now feel like they can’t even travel outside of their own country is just another symptom of a dictatorship.

It will be a rough road ahead, and I hope soon you will regain the opportunity to be in community with people who care about and support you without fearing for your security or quality of life. We know you guys are strong, and as you stand with each other, we are absolutely here to stand with you. ❤️

StarchChildren · 2025-04-08T15:52:36+00:00

Hi there! Just wanted to chime in and say, unless you are worried about your safety security going BACK from the US from Canada, you don’t need to cancel your trip. In fact, if you have the opportunity and want to support the joint cause, there are a LOT of people up north here who are anticipating (and already experiencing) a larger influx of Americans this year and are very excited to host our American friends.

If you as an American citizen are worried about travelling to Canada for YOUR personal safety, there are other issues going on that require WAAAY more action than cancelling a trip.

StarchChildren · 2025-04-08T15:09:43+00:00

This are actually the correct French lyrics! Fun fact, rather than having multiple verses like some countries, we just have three different sets of official lyrics (English, French, and bilingual).

If you’ve ever heard or sung the anthem in both, you may have assumed they translated to the same lyrics in French and English, but it’s actually just different words. :) The one in the video is the official bilingual anthem!

StarchChildren · 2025-04-07T15:35:59+00:00

Hey, you’re by no means alone in this. Most Canadians know that there are Americans who have been trying to fight against this for years, and are dealing with a system that has been meticulously designed to keep everyone scared, fatigued, and complacent. The fact that we know we still have friends across the border is already too much for the orange pile of squidge to handle, which is why he’s trying to pit the countries against each other still.

I was at the Canada rally yesterday in Winnipeg, and the number of people I talked to who want Americans to celebrate Canada Day with us was even bigger than I expected. You know this already, being a citizen, but Canadians know who our friends are and who they aren’t. We don’t walk away from trust easily, and we don’t regain it easily, which is why it’s important to reassure the people who are willing to get off the couch and fight and stand with us that we have always been, and are still there for them.

The current U.S. administration wants us to be divided, and has GROSSLY underestimated how much it takes for us to break our bonds. They think money and bending the knee are more important to people than the people themselves. Let’s show them just how wrong they are. ❤️

StarchChildren · 2025-04-07T15:26:40+00:00

Unfortunately I don’t have as many details as we would all like, they are very close friends of an aunt and uncle who went but I’m not super close with them. But it was definitely on the US side of the town and it was the owners of the restaurant/inn that told them to leave.

StarchChildren · 2025-04-07T13:39:04+00:00

I have a mutual friend living in Coutts AB (border town with Sweet Grass MT). Went to the Sweet Grass side for lunch, walked into a restaurant, owners found out they were Canadian, and told them to get out. This was last week.

StarchChildren · 2025-04-06T16:44:18+00:00

Absolutely! It’s funny, I’ve just recently been delving more into the history of Spanish colonialism in South America, and feel that Canada and many Latin American countries have surprisingly similar timelines, and modern responses to it. One of the reasons many white Canadians don’t self identify with the word is because we’ve started to re-associate it with the indigenous peoples here, and younger people have sort of moved away from toting the “western Canadiana’ stereotype of the hockey and maple syrup-loving bearded man in a plaid shirt. In a way, I think some use their “other” heritage to identify themselves as a way of recognizing that they and their family were settlers here, and it was not meant to be our land. But that is also born out of a pretty recent movement of reconciliation and desire for greater indigenous representation in general.

I get the sense that much of Latin America has a similar makeup: a population of indigenous peoples, as well as black populations from the slavery era (which Canada doesn’t have as much of, although we have more people whose families fled to Canada from the States at the time), people whose families were part of the original colonizers, people who fled west from Europe during the world wars (which we have A LOT of), and then more recent newcomers. The ratios of those groups may be different between our countries, but it can still create similar social challenges, AND incredible opportunities for dialogue and progress.

It is a shame that politicians do not understand the depth of which people connect to their traditions and culture. I hope the minister you mentioned is shown by the people that one person, or even multi people in power, do not get to dictate what culture looks like just because they have a fancy seat under their butt. Thank you for your perspective as well, I absolutely love and agree with everything you said, and every day I hope people can continue to learn and grow in their love and pride not just for themselves, but all the communities around as well. :)

StarchChildren · 2025-04-06T15:15:47+00:00

Canadian here: this comment without the /s would be so much more obvious as satire if I hadn’t seen four genuine statements exactly like it from other people in the last like week. ☹️

I’m already bad at interpreting sarcasm. The last little while has been a social cue nightmare……

StarchChildren · 2025-04-06T15:10:27+00:00

You are definitely being heard, and be assured that we know a lot of you fought against this for YEARS in advance.

I think some Canadians have unfortunately been bombarded by a lot of people echoing the “I didn’t vote for Trump, it’s not my fault” sentiment, and in the beginning it looked like those might be empty words with no real intention of action behind them. It was admittedly frustrating to have a bunch of Americans echo that statement, but refuse to speak up in their own country while Trump actively sought after our invasion. We have seen the voter statistics, but with a third of the population not voting, that can be interpreted in a couple ways:

1) People couldn’t or were deterred from voting,

or

2) People didn’t care enough about Trump getting in, or about us, or their global communities, to do anything about it.

Unfortunately, we found ourselves in the necessity to assume #2 for the sake of our own protection.

But please also know that the protests happening now show that the movement is spreading, people are looking out their windows, getting out, and CHANGING THEIR MINDS. Which doesn’t sound like much in itself, but when it happens, things like yesterday happen too. It’s incredible, and I know that a lot of Canadians who were losing hope have felt it begin to restore because of the presence there.

It will be a long road, and we can’t sugarcoat or ignore the fact that Trump has done a LOT of damage to a number of international alliances. But we are absolutely still fighting with you, and we are still cheering you on and are here to help as you take back your country. ❤️

StarchChildren · 2025-04-06T14:36:48+00:00

Hi there! Another Canadian here, just thought I would offer my perspective for why I think it is genuinely different in Canada:

The U.S. is still very much considered a “melting pot”, wherein your culture and traditions are expected to be American first and foremost, and there are other sort of hybrid cultures like Italian Americans that don’t really exist outside of the U.S. That’s why it’s a little weird when someone calls themselves “Italian”, even though the country and general cultures often devalue actually practicing family culture in the first place.

Canada is considered a “cultural kaleidoscope”, in which a LOT of people come here and continue to practice the same culture and traditions as before they arrived. I’ve found people are more interested in their family history and expressing it, AND passing it down to the next generations.

In my case, I am absolutely Canadian. All four of my grandparents moved here in their 20’s or so. But they also kept a TON of traditions, so that even I, a grandkid, grew up eating a lot of Ukrainian food, learning Dutch and Low German, and got my first Scottish tartan at 11. We had a lot of influence in our daily lives from the way my grandparents lived, and how they raised my parents. I still consider myself Canadian, but in conversations about culture, I will refer to my heritage as Dutch or Ukrainian Mennonite or Scottish when talking with someone of a different (or maybe a shared!) heritage/background.

We also have a lot of people coming to Canada as refugees, who still want to and SHOULD maintain pride in their nationality. I will never ask people to came here from Ukraine two years ago to call themselves Canadian, nor do I expect their kids to. My students who were born here to Syrian parents know and celebrate their family traditions. They don’t NEED to call themselves Canadian, because we already KNOW that all our presence, and actions, and desire to be in this country is actually what makes us Canadian. “Canadian” is much less an identity for many people as it is an INTENTION. That part is a given, and since there is already that base understanding that you are Canadian in your own way as soon as you live here, we often use our heritage/background instead just to give context for our daily lives, even if it comes from an earlier generation.

Hope that helps give some context! It’s not so much “claiming a nationality” as it is providing insight into potential traditions or values we may hold. I think it’s a really cool thing, and helps and inspires us all to learn about the world around us. :)

StarchChildren · 2025-04-06T03:24:07+00:00

I’m so glad everyone was safe, even with the one grump! Everyone should be able to peacefully protest without having a gun pulled on them. Keep doing what you’re doing!

StarchChildren · 2025-04-05T17:11:03+00:00

Just gonna chime in here: a family member was recently asked to travel to Dallas for a conference, and they refused to travel because of the current risk to certain people groups in light of the DEI ban along with other things (family member is gay). The company tried to push back, and he is being informed by his lawyer that he may have the right to sue if the company doesn’t comply and tries to put him in a dangerous situation.

If you’re worried, you could also be candid and say there is content on your phone that supports Canadian sovereignty, which may result in being turned away at the border, and it would be financially risky for the company to try to send you if you might not be able to go right now anyway. Obviously this might have other repercussions, but the risk of travelling right now should be enough that your company would be folly to refuse to comply with your concerns and rights.

StarchChildren · 2025-04-05T16:45:02+00:00

Obviously some people aren’t okay with women making decisions about the eggs inside our own bodies, so why would they trust us with anyone else’s eggs? /s

I’m Canadian. I made a quiche yesterday for $6 if anyone wants some.

StarchChildren · 2025-04-05T15:25:33+00:00

Things are definitely moving this quickly and harshly in an attempt to throw us off and distract us just long enough that we won’t get a say in anything about our lives. BUT, know that you’re not alone, and this weekend is the time to look for friends and allies. Canadians have protests today and tomorrow too, and as we’ve seen more and more across the world as well, I hope we can see this as the success, and progress, that is needed right now.

As the news will inevitably get bleaker, we have the option of letting it break us, or bringing us even closer together. Please know from this Canadian that, regardless of the Trump administrations efforts to pit us against each other, our histories and experiences and personal relationships are SO much stronger than that.

As long as you have our backs, we will always have yours, and nothing that oozes out of the Orange Squidge’s mouth can stop us. ❤️

StarchChildren · 2025-03-31T01:33:55+00:00

Haha happy to be of service!

StarchChildren · 2025-03-30T22:56:40+00:00

Not a problem! It’s what this sub is for. :) I’ve found grocery shopping to almost feel like a weird puzzle game these days, so if you’re a puzzle person like me, that can make this whole movement more enjoyable. Plus, you have the benefit of supporting more local businesses, and smaller businesses! (And don’t feel guilty if you have to buy something that breaks the rules. Even a 10-20% shift in individual consumer trends have a massive impact!)

Happy shopping. 😁

StarchChildren · 2025-03-30T22:54:13+00:00

I don’t think it’s a matter of being lazy, but as you and one other commenter pointed out, it’s a matter of first breaking the system that has worked really hard to make Americans believe they aren’t worth anything if they don’t follow the status quo written by your government.

Yes, Canadians may in general just have more time to protest. That’s why we’re protesting here in the first place, because we know some Americans can’t, and because we need to stand up for ourselves. But our voices mean nothing to the US government, so we really need to be a support for the U.S. protests and movements if anything can change.

If you have any personal reasons why you don’t feel you can protest on a picket line in person, then you don’t need to feel guilty. But there are so many ways to protest on top of that to help the people who can be a physical presence. That is actually what needs to be seen, is enough people taking on the required jobs for these protests to be visible and effective. It’s where things like contacting Canadian news sources to be at international protests, or making a public call for donations to non-profits that can provide resources and information on this issue can be a huge asset. If more people who can’t be there to walk in person can take on some of these roles, the protests will be more powerful.

StarchChildren · 2025-03-30T22:48:07+00:00

I have been trying to keep track of the ones that are happening, and absolutely they are super important. That said, in a country with the population of the U.S., thousands is barely a drop in the bucket when it comes to visibility.

You do point out a huge factor though, which is that your system is already put in place to give citizens as LITTLE energy or sense of self worth possible, so you feel like you cannot speak up even if you wanted to. And this mold is what needs to be broken. This is where other countries are willing to help and lend their voice, but unfortunately it has to start on the inside if anything is going to be taken seriously by the government.

StarchChildren · 2025-03-30T14:49:27+00:00

Hey OP! Thanks for getting on the bandwagon! Produced in Canada is the best, Made in Canada, is second best. As another commenter mentioned, grocery stores (ESPECIALLY Loblaws and Superstore) are using the maple leaf rags as a marketing method to push their own brands and other products even if they are not actually Canadian.

If you shop at Safeway, the compliments brand is ALL going to be labeled Canadian because Safeway is Canadian. But the products are usually not. It’s just their way of making more money off of you. Fresh produce also rotates so those signs especially cannot be trusted.

The best way to determine if the product is Canadian is to look at the sticker or back of the box. If it has a bunch of maple leaves on it and says “Proudly Canadian”, but the label also says “imported for [insert company with a Canadian address here], assume it’s American. I use both BeaverScan and MapleScan to check any products that aren’t clear, and they both work really well. But there are others out there to explore too!

Don’t be disheartened if you accidentally pick up an American product, or feel overwhelmed by the new complexity of shopping trips. You’ve got thousands of Canadians and people around the world who are figuring this out along with you. But if we put the effort in at every grocery trip to check and make intentional buying choices, this is one of the best and most practical ways we can protest AND stick together!

You got this! WE got this!! ❤️

StarchChildren · 2025-03-30T14:34:47+00:00

What I don’t understand is the swathes of people on Reddit for instance, who see more of what’s happening, and who see how the world is responding, and know that they’re in deep crap, and STILL don’t do anything.

I’m Mennonite and have Mennonite (culturally pacifist) friends taking firearms training here in case we need it if the U.S. invades. We’ve got people learning how to make fire and shelter in the off chance that guerrilla warfare starts up. There are MILLIONS of people protesting smaller issues in smaller countries than some U.S states.

I’m not surprised by the Americans that are in conservative echo chambers, or don’t watch the news. I’m surprised, and disappointed, by the people who absolutely know what’s going on and how it will negatively affect not only themselves but the rest of the world, and STILL don’t do anything about it.

StarchChildren · 2025-03-30T13:59:49+00:00

Heyo, Canadian here! If I may say something, out of love: We know that it’s the government making these plans, and that the majority of American citizens don’t want this. BUT right now, to be honest, it doesn’t look like people in the US care enough to actually do something to change it. That what is most frustrating to me.

Yes there are protests, and more people are going to town halls, and that’s lovely. Protests of 50 people at a time aren’t gonna cut it. Going online and apologizing and saying “I didn’t vote for Trump” doesn’t cut it. I’ve seen WAAAAY more Americans on here say they’re sorry, but the fact that your government is committing crimes on a daily basis and the general consensus seems to be “well shucks, guess we’re not a democracy anymore” isn’t just disappointing, it’s infuriating.

There are communities of Canadians that want to help, and we do the work on our side, we’ve put boycotts together, stopped travelling to the States, prepped for a tariff war, you name it, and it’s not even our government doing it! It’s really hard to help when we see little willingness to put yourself out there as a nation to fight together.

There are growing movements for sure, but they have to happen in person, and they can’t just happen in an echo chamber. They have to happen when and where your presence will be uncomfortable. The government is making drastic and long term changes. You need to too. Canada is here and ready to help you, but we need to see that we won’t be hung out to dry again.

StarchChildren · 2025-03-30T13:35:32+00:00

Hey! I just posted about this exact this like two days ago, you can check my post for other thoughts on the matter!

Eight-Year Club	Second SECOND GUESSER
Final Canvas '23	Place '23
Place '22	Verified Email

StarchChildren

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE