I hang around here sometimes, despite my better instincts. Vancouver - Calgary - Toronto. 🇮🇱 🇺🇦 🇮🇷 🇹🇼
Toronto, ON, Canada
Joined May 2023
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Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
Canada still reviewing F-35 purchase after RCAF received its first jets: minister ctvnews.ca/politics/article/…
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
This is a thoughtful piece.
I'm genuinely happy for Cohere that they're growing and scaling, but I will admit I've been asking myself a lot of bigger picture questions since this was announced, starting with: what problem does this solve?
Cohere isn't short of capital. Schwarz, Nvidia and Aramco invested. And the $1.68B announced comes after $240M in federal compute funding and stakes from PSP, EDC and BDC in earlier funding rounds.
So if it's not capital, what is the goal? The AI minister himself was quoted in a Betakit article saying the stake gives Ottawa "a seat at the table to control" this technology.
What does that mean? What are the terms of the deal? Is the intent here really for the Government of Canada to control the technology that Cohere is developing? I think Canadians deserve to know what kind of control is contemplated.
Beyond this specific deal, the bigger picture points to an evolving pattern in Canada’s industrial policy.
Equity stakes in private companies have historically only been taken by the Government of Canada in times of crisis to rescue strategically important companies. Most lost taxpayers money, e.g. GM, Trans Mountain, de Havilland. Cohere isn't in crisis, which makes this feel like a new policy direction, not a rescue.
$1.6B in Cohere. A $500M tech fund built to take equity in tech companies. A $1.75B government VC plan. A proposed sovereign wealth fund. Canada Growth Fund. On top of EDC and BDC and our pension funds which have a mandate to invest public dollars.
Ottawa is becoming the owner, the funder, the customer and the regulator of the same companies. That trend towards state-led capitalism is hard to reverse and Canadians should be asking questions abut the long term implications of that direction on our economic competitiveness.
Big picture: Canada wins when markets reward builders, not when ministers pick them.
The better path we might consider is focusing on making Canada the best place in the world to build and scale. Competitive taxes. Faster approvals. Real AI adoption.
We should be focusing on ensuring our most successful companies won't need a federal cheque to stay.
Ottawa is taking an equity stake of up to $1.6B in Cohere, a company with no shortage of private investors.
It follows a $1.75B venture capital plan that entrepreneur groups applauded.
When our entrepreneurs cheer for handouts, 🇨🇦 has a problem
Latest charleslammam.substack.com/p…
"They wanted to be in the EU and NATO – as is their right as sovereign nations –because they understood Russia remained a threat to them. It is in our failure to embrace them that these threats have come to pass."
theglobeandmail.com/opinion/…
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
Today’s edition of the New York Post, a newspaper read in Republican offices in Washington and New York.
As Americans watch the evacuation operation in Oleshky, they must remember who bears responsibility for the countless deaths in Ukraine. Their blood is on the hands of Putin and the russians. To end this war, the United States must pressure russia, not Ukraine.
Three organizations – Razom for Ukraine, American Coalition for Ukraine, and Nova Ukraine – placed the following advertisement in the New York Post.
Translation of the advertisement:
“You are a humanitarian, sir, and I pay tribute to you for that,” – Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Putin.
Just days earlier, russia bombed a residential building in Zaporizhzhia, killing 17 people, including a mother and child who were holding hands.
Pressure russia, not Ukraine.
Source: translated from the text of Ostap Yarysh
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
262 days.
It’s been 262 days since you were airlifted to BC Children’s Hospital.
262 days since we were told, “We did everything we could, but we don’t think she’s going to make it through the night.”
Since then, I’ve watched you fight for every single one of those days.
251 days ago, you opened your eye, moved it, and shifted your leg only to be rushed back for emergency surgery that morning when hydrocephalus set in.
238 days ago, you were extubated and breathed on your own for the first time.
230 days ago, you felt the sun on your face again.
224 days ago, the cranioplasty we had planned turned into yet another emergency when an infection was discovered.
214 days ago, your EVD was finally removed.
213 days ago, you sat on the edge of the bed with a little help, and I wrapped my arms around you for the first time since the morning I left for work before any of this began.
191 days ago, the NG tube came out, and I saw your beautiful face completely clear of tubes and tape.
179 days ago, your prosthetic skull was placed. Your fifth surgery, and the one that finally stuck. After that, things slowly began to feel possible again.
145 days ago, you smiled for the first time (intentionally) while we played thumb war.
140 days ago, I wheeled you off hospital grounds for the very first time.
61 days ago, I heard your voice again.
40 days ago, we celebrated your 13th birthday at the Foo Fighters.
And today, today you’re being released.
There was never a day I stopped believing we would get here. The road ahead is still long, but this is a milestone no one thought we would reach. Maya, you are the bravest person I know. You are an inspiration to so many people. Giving up was never an option for me, and it clearly never was for you either. You refused to accept the words we heard 262 days ago when you came out of the OR. Look at you, my girl. You blew every expectation out of the water.
Thank you to the incredible nurses, doctors, and therapists who walked every step of this with us. Thank you to everyone who supported Maya and our family we could not have done this without each and every one of you.
Now it’s time to leave these hospital walls behind and keep moving forward, Maya Bear.
I love you forever and always.
—Dad ❤️
.@cityoftoronto: You sent me an "estimated" water bill that is 110% higher than usual. I can only call 311 and report my actual meter reading, and then wait (hope?) for a credit. Until transmitters are replaced, how about letting us submit meter readings online? Then your estimates won't be so wildly out of whack.
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
Me forcing every "proportional representation" wiener to watch an Israeli election.
I'm not sure that either of those candidates represent "decency and the rule of law", but evidence suggests that Lula's the one furthest from qualifying.
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
I must say that I’m more invested in the success of the incoming Doerkson government than I’ve been in any goverment in nearly a decade.
What interests me most is the potential fecundity of the premier-elect’s back-to-basics, normie conservatism. Doerkson isn’t offering political dopamine. His whole pitch is about competent government, economic growth, and public institutions that fulfill their basic purposes. The magnitude of his victory is a sign of how broadly that proposition can appeal.
The story, in a nutshell, is a guy from Williams Lake offered a recognizable conservatism that could win in Vancouver-Yaletown. His temperament helped bring together rural communities, suburban families, and urban voters around some straightforward expectations about how their province should work.
Schools should teach. The justice system should protect the public. Hospitals should treat patients. The civil service should deliver services competently and impartially. These institutions have important yet bounded missions. They should discharge them effectively and resist the temptation to become vehicles for every passing political or ideological cause.
The same practical instinct should guide economic policy: make it possible to build homes, grow businesses, develop resources, and attract investment. Give people reasons to believe that hard work and initiative can produce a better life here.
This is the politics of normalcy in practice. And even if its rhetoric is moderate, its ambitions are considerable. Restoring focus and competence to institutions that have lost them will require conviction, persistence, and capable people.
That’s another reason for optimism: the quality of the candidates and potential front bench, along with the talented people Doerkson’s leadership drew to the campaign. @gavindew is someone to watch in particular. His interest in both economic growth and making government more productive—including through AI—could make him an important contributor to this governing agenda.
The test now is governing. There will be hard choices and inevitable disappointments along the way. But this is a conservatism that I want to see succeed—and an unusually promising opportunity to show what it can accomplish.
I celebrate this too, but I'm growing weary of the "first Conservative government in a century" talk. Conservative *branded*, sure, but at minimum it lacks precision to imply that the Bennett and Campbell governments I campaigned for were devoid of conservative values or policy.
Last night British Columbia elected a majority Conservative government for the first time in a century. British Columbians wanted change, and voted for it in a big way.
Playing a part in this campaign as Director of Communications has been one of the coolest things i've ever done. An incredible team that had to be put together on the fly, and pulled off a truly remarkable accomplishment. I'm so proud of so many people.
The future looks bright for BC.
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
Thank you, British Columbia.
Tonight, you voted for change. You voted for a government that will listen, keep life affordable, and never take your hard-earned money for granted.
I want to thank every volunteer who knocked on doors, made calls, and put up signs in the rain. I want to thank our candidates, who stepped forward in a snap election with no time to spare. And I want to thank my wife Shelley and my family for standing beside me every step of the way.
To those who didn’t vote for us: I will work just as hard for you. This is your government too.
The work starts now. Let’s get to it.
Wish I was in BC for the vote, but replaying this while following #BCVotes election results and hoping for similar energy.
On this date in MLB history (Oct 23, 1993) Joe Carter hits the only come from behind walk-off to clinch a #WorldSeries title. Carter had been 0-4 lifetime against Mitch Willams before his historic HR led the @BlueJays to the Game 6 win over the @Phillies at the Skydome in Toronto
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
Socialists be like: “Capitalism is a failure. Anyway, here’s how I’d distribute all the wealth it produced.”
It'd be nice if #BCVotes would close their polls at 5pm so I didn't have to stay up so late bating my breath.
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
theglobeandmail.com/opinion/…
Getting my grubby little paws on actual evidence.
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
I’m trying to imagine how extreme you must be to believe that people like Erin O’Toole and Scott Aitchison are scary right-wing bogeymen.
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
Brad Bradford started 17 points behind Chow and has passed her in the final stretch of the race with a narrow 2 point lead.
I expect that gap to grow this week. Toronto is ready for change.
#Vote4Brad
cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/t…
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
I'm shocked - SHOCKED - that the top separatist leader believes that Albertans' mail-in ballots were part of a rigged process and federalist conspiracy.
Who could have seen this coming from a guy who propagates conspiracy theories about:
- Chem trails
- Vaccines
- Shadowy globalist forces controlling Canada
- King Charles' plan to assassinate him
- Chinese Communist soldiers staging in Canada (because he saw six ethnically Chinese men at the West Edmonton Mall)
- Canadian politicians personally receiving $ hundreds of millions in illegal kickbacks from vaccine companies, foreign aid, etc.
- Mass illegal organ harvesting in Canada, etc..
Hard to believe that such a person would be sceptical about the democratic process.
Edward Parker 🇨🇦 retweeted
Myriam was a 7-year-old French Jewish girl. She witnessed a terrorist break into her school and kill two of her classmates.
She tried to run but tripped while grabbing her schoolbag, causing her ballet slippers to fall out. She stopped to pick them up. He chased her and grabbed her by the hair, shooting her in the head at point-blank range.
The man was Mohamed Merah, and a rap song honoring him and other Muslim terrorists has become the unofficial anthem of the ‘student protests’ in France.
🚨 ALERTE - Des élèves ONT BLOQUÉ le lycée François Villon, à Beaugency (45), en écoutant MRH, un titre faisant référence à des TERRORISTES ISLAMISTES.
« À la Mohamed Merah, v-esqui' les caméras. Bataclan, je l'ai shooter à l'œil, chasse à l'homme, Salah Abdeslam »
« J’ai pas peur, j’ai pas peur de l’enfer, le pacte est intact, à part Allah qui peut m’arrêter. Bataclan, faisaient les morts, allongez-vous, je vais en shooter à l’œil ».