TOD’S RANT
We’ll Be Okay.
History Proves It.

Here’s the thing about Canada.

We are not—and have never been—a nation that came together because we all saw the world the same way. We came together because we had no choice but to find a way.

That’s our superpower. Not sameness. Not certainty. Not even consensus. Our strength is in the difficult task of sticking together when everything seems to be pulling us apart.

Right now, things feel like they’re fraying.

A global superpower, our closest trading partner, is threatening to annex us. The cost of living is squeezing families like a vice. East versus West. Rural versus urban. Convoys vs Carney. 

There are fights brewing over everything from carbon taxes to clean energy. Sometimes it feels like we’re one referendum away from asking each other if it’s even worth sticking it out.

But take a breath. And a look back.

We’ve been here before.

This is not our first rodeo with division. We didn’t always come out the other side because things got better—we came out because we stayed together, even when it hurt. 

The October Crisis, 1970.

Armed soldiers patrolled the streets. The Prime Minister invoked the War Measures Act. People who lived through that time will tell you it was terrifying. A country divided between civil liberties and state power, between Quebec and the rest of Canada. But we got through it. We didn’t break. And Quebec didn’t leave.

The constitutional wrangling of the 1980s. 

The patriation of the Constitution was a full-contact sport. It divided provinces. It sidelined Québec. It was messy and painful. But we emerged with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that’s now the envy of the world. We didn’t get it all right, but we got things better than they were. 

The Kanehsatà:ke Resistance in 1990.

Some media called it the Oka Crisis. A dispute over land for a golf course escalated to a full military crisis. It shook us. It revealed the fractures in the story we told ourselves about our relationship with the indigenous peoples whose land we took. And while reconciliation is far from complete, it forced us to start confronting our past. Painful? Yes. Progress? Also yes.

The creation of universal healthcare.

When the Prairies were ravaged by the Great Depression, ignored by the east and the west, local politically active people created the precursor to the NDP. From that came new political voices. And out of despair came medicare. Universal healthcare—a defining part of what it means to be Canadian—was born not from unity, but from conflict.

Division is not new to us. Stress is not new.

What is uniquely Canadian — something our friends to the south probably wish they had more of — is that we don’t give up on each other. 

Panic is a liar.

Right now, it feels like everything is urgent. Like every headline is screaming and every debate is existential.

And that’s real. People are hurting.

But panic is a liar. It tells us that because things are hard, they must be breaking. That if we’re fighting, we must be failing. That because we disagree, we’re doomed.

Our history says otherwise.

We are a country formed by improbable bargains and impossible compromises.

• A place where French and English agreed to live together without becoming the same.

• Where oil-rich provinces and car-manufacturing provinces figure out a way to share a budget.

• Where the coldest parts of the planet are somehow home to the warmest hearts.

• Where we keep showing up for each other, even when we disagree about how.

We’ll be okay.

So if you’re feeling the stress, I get it. I am too.

But let’s not mistake the noise for collapse. Don’t let the chaos convince you that we’re coming apart. We’ve shouted, slammed doors, and stood our ground—but we’ve never stopped believing in this place.

Yes, it’s stressful. But we’ll be okay. We have always been okay.

We are not a country that survives despite our differences.

We survive because of them.

- 30 -

Join me Tuesday night for “Hope (and Sanity) in the Age of Collapse”.
How do you stay calm, sane, and hopeful when politics feels like a never-ending crisis? Clinical psychologist Dr. Katie Moore joins me to share clear-headed advice for keeping your emotional footing and your spirits bright, no matter how dark the headlines. Get a reminder.

THIS WEEK IN CANADA
The News You Didn’t Hear… But Should Have

First, the Good News 🙂

• Beatlemania Surprise
  A Vancouver record shop owner randomly played an old tape labelled "Beatles 60s demos"—and it turned out to be a rare, high-quality copy of the Beatles' 1962 Decca audition. It's likely been sitting unnoticed since the '70s. Fans are losing it online. more

The Election 🗳️

• Fake “How Will You Vote” Texts
  People across Canada this week got weird election survey texts from “ERG National Research” asking how you’ll vote. Then, your postal codes. Then, your name. It’s raising red flags because the company’s shady—no website, unclear links, and not a legit polling group. Experts say don’t reply, not even with “STOP.” Just block it. more

• “Stop being so Trumpy or you’ll lose”
  Conservative insider Kory Teneycke warns Poilievre’s campaign is tanking because it’s too negative and too Trump-like. Voters want a serious plan for dealing with U.S. threats, not pet names and punchlines. Polls don’t lie. more

At Least It Wasn’t You 🤣

• Mid-Air Memory Fail
  About two hours into a 13-hour flight to China, a United Airlines plane had to U-turn because the pilot left their passport at home. The flight landed in San Francisco, delaying everyone by hours. Passengers got £15 vouchers. Barely covers airport snacks. more

Science News You Missed 🧪

• Road Rage, Bird Edition
  Scientists this week have found Galápagos yellow warblers near roads act way more aggressive—likely because traffic noise is drowning out their songs, which they use to warn rivals. Some even sing higher-pitched tunes to be heard. more

• Tiny Tummy Tech
  UK scientists have built a tiny magnetic robot that rolls inside your gut. It scans tissue in 3D to spot cancer early—no painful biopsy needed. It’s first time it has been possible to generate high-resolution 3D ultrasound images taken from a probe deep inside the gastrointestinal tract. All from a robot the size of a coin. more

• Sip Safe
  Researchers at the University of BC have invented a drink stir stick that changes colour if it detects date rape drugs like GHB or ketamine—within 30 seconds. It’s discreet and works in any drink. more

Business

• Facebook's Midlife Crisis
  Facebook just turned 21, and while it's still a giant in digital ads, it’s struggling to stay cool with young people. Once the centre of viral trends and social connection, it’s now packed with AI-generated junk and aging users. Gen Z? They’d rather do literally anything else. more

The Dystopian Hellscape 🔥

• Deepfake Deception
  Scammy fake CBC articles are popping up all over Facebook, pushing shady crypto schemes. Some even feature AI deepfakes of Mark Carney and Elon Musk, pretending it’s a government-approved investment. Meta and others shut some down—but it’s like Whac-A-Mole. more

• Puffed-Up Politics
  The man behind Pirate’s Booty snacks went full mutiny in Sea Cliff, NY, claiming he was mayor and trying to fire everyone. The actual vote? 1,064 to 62. He still insists he’s in charge. Bless his cheddar heart. more

THE NEXT LIVE EVENT
Hope (and Sanity) in the Age of Collapse

This Tuesday, March 31 • 7pm Pacific: How do you stay calm, sane, and hopeful when politics feels like a never-ending crisis? Clinical psychologist Dr. Katie Moore joins me to share clear-headed advice for keeping your emotional footing and your spirits bright, no matter how dark the headlines.

Dr. Moore received her doctorate in Applied Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Irvine, CA. She now owns Affirming Psychological Services, a practice that focuses on LGBTQIA+ affirming care and trauma treatment.

Get your reminder here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoUZdBZXYRQ

MY WORK THIS WEEK
In Case You Missed It

BLUESKY’S BEST POSTS THIS WEEK
The LOL Side

HOW CANADA’S COMPANIES ENDED THE WEEK
The Market

FOLLOW TOD ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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