So my prediction missed. The upcoming tariffs were dropped with a small song and dance, and then the whirlwind continued. Threats against Panama, plans to relocate everyone in Gaza permanently, then temporarily, then not at all. In the meantime, Elon takes over government payments and stops USAID, despite being unelected and having no authority provided by Congress or anything else.

Then just recently the hot mic of Trudeau announcing that Trump’s talk of absorbing Canada into the United States is not just idle talk, but an actual strategy that he and the right-wing in the United States want to pursue.

Even as a Canadian, just reading about the US government’s activities is exhausting, it’s understandable that so many Americans just check out of the whole thing.  Which is probably what’s intended.  I’ve heard the saying that evil is what happens while good men do nothing, but I don’t remember ever thinking that it would be used as a strategy.

Meanwhile, here in Alberta, the CEO of Alberta Health Services was fired just a couple of days before a scheduled meet with the auditor general to talk about procurement and contracts within the Alberta Health system, in specific a $75 million deal to import children’s pain medication in 2022, where only 30% of the paid for medication was received, and what was received didn’t meet safety requirements. Oh, and those children’s medicines were just part of over $614 million delivered to MH Care for supplies and other services, a company owned by one Sam Mraiche, who also happens to have bought luxury tickets to NHL games for Premiere Smith and much of her staff.  She also maintains that she was under significant pressure while in the job to sign additional commitments to private surgical facilities that had significantly increased proposed costs.

In addition, the rest of the Board has now been let go, in what the Alberta Government says was a planned transition, with Deputy Minister of Health, Andrew Tremblay, being put in charge of the entire thing, and maintaining that the review of the procurement processes will continue.  Though no mention has been made of what will happen to the final report now once the investigation is complete.

All of which is to say don’t get exhausted or distracted by the shenanigans in the U.S. There is unfortunately very little we can do about those. Pay attention to what’s going on here at the local level.  If you look back at what has happened in the US, that’s how they started everything.  Get involved in the small boards and communities at your local level, the school board, the boards of your city and town, and we absolutely must start to get involved in our provincial political parties. Take Back Alberta took over the conservative party here in Alberta, and these types of things are the results.

Whether you’re of conservative or progressive leanings, centralizing provincial power to a smaller and smaller group of ministers and deputy ministers is not bringing that power closer to you or making government more responsive to your particular needs, but to stop it, you need to get involved. Or at least try to bring this stuff up to your friends and relatives; at least point out the stories where problems are being had so that the government does not get a chance to just sweep them under the rug. They’re far too good at hiding things already, we don’t need to make it easier.  Enjoy the read!