I expect the neighborhoods with the newest arrivals are, ironically, the least woke. Oliver is....well, yikes. (I only moved here [from ON] last July, so I plead ignorance.)

Richard Wagner has spent his time as Chief Justice turning himself into the self-appointed guardian of Canadian democracy: annual press conferences, speeches about the rule of law, warnings about democratic backsliding. The old convention was that judges speak through their rulings and otherwise keep quiet. Wagner seems to find that beneath him. He wants to be a public figure, not just a judge. The irony is that every time he steps up to the microphone to defend the court’s legitimacy, he’s the one politicizing it. A judiciary that lets its work speak for itself doesn’t need a spokesman. Wagner has made himself one anyway, and the institution is worse off for it.

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau on fame and dark moments: "One day you're speaking on a stage. The next you're sitting alone by the water" nationalpost.com/news/canada…

As @nspector pointed out earlier today, this segment did the national broadcaster a disservice. Three voices — ideologically and geographically aligned, all writing for Toronto-based publications — delivered virtually identical negative reviews of @PierrePoilievre's speech. Yet it resonated with Alberta's persuadable voters, its intended audience. Given what is at stake, surely that effectiveness is what should matter to the @cbc. But this panel seemed incapable of recognizing it because Alberta is as foreign to them as Mississippi. In some ways, it highlights one of this country's enduring challenges: we claim to celebrate our regional diversity while, in practice, fostering a narrow centralization — and hegemony — of opinion.

Canadian leaders are too afraid to engage seriously with the frustration many normal people feel about immigration after the last few years. But I share many of their concerns. We have made honest conversation too difficult. And in Ontario especially, we have been naive about the effects of sudden population growth on housing, wages, infrastructure, public services, and yes, social and cultural cohesion. Immigration has historically been one of Ontario’s greatest strengths. It helped build our industries, our cities, and our prosperity. But many Ontarians feel gaslit if they express frustration about current circumstances. Young people watched rents explode. Entry-level work became more competitive and lower paid. Colleges transformed into immigration pathways. Infrastructure and healthcare struggled to keep up. It has changed our politics, too. People are not imagining this. Ontario experienced a genuine immigration shock. This at least is somewhat acknowledged. And while Ottawa deserves plenty of blame, Ontario cannot pretend this simply happened to us. Doug Ford’s government helped create the conditions for this crisis by blowing up the higher education funding model. They froze tuition, underfunded colleges and universities, then allowed institutions to make up the difference by massively expanding international student enrollment. That turned parts of our higher education system into an immigration-processing business. Now Ontario now needs a reset. And because immigration policy is ultimately federal, Ontario will need to work closely with (and pressure) Ottawa to pursue a system that is sustainable, orderly, and capable of maintaining public trust. Permanent immigration should return to a more normal and sustainable baseline, and no longer be subject to insiders claiming “labour shortages”. Over the next 5-10 years, Canada should gradually unwind the enormous temporary resident population from roughly 5 million people nationally to well under 1 million. Some, of course, should be offered a path to stay, but many cannot and we need to honestly acknowledge that. That likely means a prolonged period of near-flat population growth. Going forward, temporary worker, asylum, and student streams need to shrink substantially. More than they have. Visa rules need to actually mean something. Asylum claims cannot quietly become a parallel permanent residency system. At the same time, we should reward people who follow the rules. If someone came legally, worked or studied honestly, avoided welfare, and left when required, they should receive a meaningful advantage if they later apply to immigrate permanently. And finally, we need to remember what immigration policy is for. It is not primarily a humanitarian program. It is a civilization-building and economy-building program. Ontario and Canada should prioritize immigrants with the skills, education, economic potential, and cultural compatibility to help build a prosperous, cohesive, high-trust society.

Last month, I was startled awake by a car ramming attack that killed a senior in my West End neighbourhood. My @nationalpost piece today explores urgently needed solutions to stop severe untreated mental illness from leading to more stranger violence. nationalpost.com/opinion/mar…

Staying cool under pressure is part of the job. Happy National Iced Tea Day to everyone keeping Canada secure, one calm, collected sip at a time. Strong brews. Stronger defenses.

justin trudeau walking on dirt so katy perry’s dress stays clean 😭😭

The oil industry is going to get the taxpayers to build their pipeline for them, a de facto subsidy to the highest carbon oil in the world.

People who think they are part of a conservative movement in Canada should actually just rename their parties to Dunning Kruger. They are all much smarter than judges, lawyers, doctors, professors, anyone with experience, historians, business owners, and people who raised functional children.

If Canada becomes the 51st state Trudeau will get elected President.