David Webster
@dwebster.bsky.social
Historian: Canada, Quebec, Asia, Timor-Leste, human rights, development. Latest book Challenge the Strong Wind https://www.ubcpress.ca/challenge-the-strong-wind . On unceded Abenaki land, maintenant connu sous le nom Estrie/Eastern Townships.
Reposted by David Webster
if university students are ever going to read and write again, universities will need to abolish evaluations and improve faculty working conditions, but also faculty will need to give up some level of autonomy to implement standardized practices such as grade norming at the departmental level.
November 29, 2025 at 4:36 PM
if university students are ever going to read and write again, universities will need to abolish evaluations and improve faculty working conditions, but also faculty will need to give up some level of autonomy to implement standardized practices such as grade norming at the departmental level.
There *is* there is nothing special about America's institutions and laws, its civil services, its patterns of life and social norms, its historical developments.
American is a country, not an exception to countries.
American is a country, not an exception to countries.
The reactionary worldview is shot through with a deep-seated disdain for America.
In this post, for example, the underlying assumption is that there is nothing special about America's institutions and laws, its civil services, its patterns of life and social norms, its historical developments.
In this post, for example, the underlying assumption is that there is nothing special about America's institutions and laws, its civil services, its patterns of life and social norms, its historical developments.
November 30, 2025 at 5:45 PM
There *is* there is nothing special about America's institutions and laws, its civil services, its patterns of life and social norms, its historical developments.
American is a country, not an exception to countries.
American is a country, not an exception to countries.
Reposted by David Webster
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) says it’s against the memorandum of understanding that Canada and Alberta Thursday morning.
The MOU explicitly endorses the construction of a massive new bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast.
The MOU explicitly endorses the construction of a massive new bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast.
‘The answer is no and always will be’: UBCIC on Alberta-Canada MOU
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) says it’s against the MOU signed Thursday morning to build a massive new bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast.
www.aptnnews.ca
November 28, 2025 at 12:41 AM
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) says it’s against the memorandum of understanding that Canada and Alberta Thursday morning.
The MOU explicitly endorses the construction of a massive new bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast.
The MOU explicitly endorses the construction of a massive new bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast.
Reposted by David Webster
I think it’s bad, actually, to play political chess with Indigenous rights.
November 27, 2025 at 11:34 PM
I think it’s bad, actually, to play political chess with Indigenous rights.
Reposted by David Webster
People who care about climate change are “dreaming nostalgically about the past.” - Minister Hodgson
Gotcha. That explains a lot.
Gotcha. That explains a lot.
November 28, 2025 at 2:03 AM
People who care about climate change are “dreaming nostalgically about the past.” - Minister Hodgson
Gotcha. That explains a lot.
Gotcha. That explains a lot.
Reposted by David Webster
J’ai informé le premier ministre de ma décision de démissionner comme ministre de l’Identité et de la Culture canadiennes, ministre responsable des Langues officielles, ministre de la Nature et de Parcs Canada, ainsi que comme son lieutenant au Québec.
Ma déclaration complète:
Ma déclaration complète:
November 27, 2025 at 10:31 PM
J’ai informé le premier ministre de ma décision de démissionner comme ministre de l’Identité et de la Culture canadiennes, ministre responsable des Langues officielles, ministre de la Nature et de Parcs Canada, ainsi que comme son lieutenant au Québec.
Ma déclaration complète:
Ma déclaration complète:
Reposted by David Webster
Yesterday I was up on that pipeline route and a First Nation land guardian was explaining to me the riskiness of shipping oil on those waterways and I kept thinking: how f-ing broke is Canada that it’s thinking of doing this? This is ‘selling your kidney’ level of desperation.
Lets face it, this is a good day for oil companies, businesses, and those in the oil sector. Its a bad day for the environment and for reconciliation with Indigenous nations whose lands this thing will go over. As Blanchet stated, this is the official end of Canada's climate commitments.
Ottawa-Alberta agreement clears federal hurdles for west coast pipeline, suspends clean energy regulations
Federal government won’t implement its oil and gas emissions cap, and both sides will consult with B.C. on project, MOU says
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Yesterday I was up on that pipeline route and a First Nation land guardian was explaining to me the riskiness of shipping oil on those waterways and I kept thinking: how f-ing broke is Canada that it’s thinking of doing this? This is ‘selling your kidney’ level of desperation.
Yesterday I was up on that pipeline route and a First Nation land guardian was explaining to me the riskiness of shipping oil on those waterways and I kept thinking: how f-ing broke is Canada that it’s thinking of doing this? This is ‘selling your kidney’ level of desperation.
Lets face it, this is a good day for oil companies, businesses, and those in the oil sector. Its a bad day for the environment and for reconciliation with Indigenous nations whose lands this thing will go over. As Blanchet stated, this is the official end of Canada's climate commitments.
November 28, 2025 at 9:01 AM
That's it i am voting Bloc
November 28, 2025 at 7:05 AM
That's it i am voting Bloc
Love the joy on the face of the Dean of Philosophy and Human Sciences as she talks about plans for a new History department at the National University, Timor-Leste. At a History departments gathering organized by UNESCO, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
November 25, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Love the joy on the face of the Dean of Philosophy and Human Sciences as she talks about plans for a new History department at the National University, Timor-Leste. At a History departments gathering organized by UNESCO, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Reposted by David Webster
This might be the single funniest thing that has happened during this incredibly cursed year
November 21, 2025 at 9:59 PM
This might be the single funniest thing that has happened during this incredibly cursed year
First they came for the
Quiet Piggy
Quiet Piggy
November 21, 2025 at 1:19 PM
First they came for the
Quiet Piggy
Quiet Piggy
Facebook wants me to rate the product "Mark Carney." I am not satisfied with this product. It did not deliver the good or service that was promised.
November 21, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Facebook wants me to rate the product "Mark Carney." I am not satisfied with this product. It did not deliver the good or service that was promised.
Reposted by David Webster
Terrific piece! “LLMs predominantly reflect western cultural values and epistemologies. They overrepresent certain dominant groups in their outputs, reinforce+amplify the biases held by these groups+are more factually accurate on topics associated w/NA+Europe.”
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
What AI doesn’t know: we could be creating a global ‘knowledge collapse’ | Deepak Varuvel Dennison
The long read: As GenAI becomes the primary way to find information, local and traditional wisdom is being lost. And we are only beginning to realise what we’re missing
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Terrific piece! “LLMs predominantly reflect western cultural values and epistemologies. They overrepresent certain dominant groups in their outputs, reinforce+amplify the biases held by these groups+are more factually accurate on topics associated w/NA+Europe.”
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
Reposted by David Webster
The Access to Information Act is a complete shambles and suffocating Canadian history, exhibit 3007.
It is wild – and tragic – that a briefing on the general contours of Canada's foreign policy regarding Europe from 1951 are still closed.
It is wild – and tragic – that a briefing on the general contours of Canada's foreign policy regarding Europe from 1951 are still closed.
November 14, 2025 at 4:18 PM
The Access to Information Act is a complete shambles and suffocating Canadian history, exhibit 3007.
It is wild – and tragic – that a briefing on the general contours of Canada's foreign policy regarding Europe from 1951 are still closed.
It is wild – and tragic – that a briefing on the general contours of Canada's foreign policy regarding Europe from 1951 are still closed.
Reposted by David Webster
Harris and her fervent backers spent months saying “I’m only Vice President! What can I do?” And of course after the worst of the genocide is over she and other Biden Admin officials admit they had lots of leverage to halt the genocide and were just complete cowards and that protesters were right.
‘We Should’ve Done More’: Kamala Harris Slams Biden Admin Over Netanyahu Support and Praises Pro-Palestine Protesters
‘We Should’ve Done More’: Kamala Harris Slams Biden Admin Over Netanyahu Support and Praises Pro-Palestine Protesters
Kamala Harris criticized Joe Biden's Administration, saying they should have been more willing to publicly criticize Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu over Gaza
The post ‘We Should’ve Done More’: Kamala Harris Slams Biden Admin Over Netanyahu Support and Praises Pro-Palestine Protesters first appeared on Mediaite.
dlvr.it
November 12, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Harris and her fervent backers spent months saying “I’m only Vice President! What can I do?” And of course after the worst of the genocide is over she and other Biden Admin officials admit they had lots of leverage to halt the genocide and were just complete cowards and that protesters were right.
Reposted by David Webster
there's a moment in PARADISE LOST where Satan arrives in Eden and realizes Hell isn't a place; it's a thing he carries within him and it'll follow him wherever he goes. and i think about that when i see these awful rich men whose monstrous wealth has enriched them not at all
“whatever club he’s invited to join has been devalued by the invitation”
November 11, 2025 at 6:31 AM
there's a moment in PARADISE LOST where Satan arrives in Eden and realizes Hell isn't a place; it's a thing he carries within him and it'll follow him wherever he goes. and i think about that when i see these awful rich men whose monstrous wealth has enriched them not at all
Damn if only we had a way to fight measles
November 11, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Damn if only we had a way to fight measles
Toronto also has an immigrant democratic socialist mayor but people don't notice
November 6, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Toronto also has an immigrant democratic socialist mayor but people don't notice
If Americans killed by guns this century were a country, it would have more than double the population of Iceland.
Shootings have killed more than 800,000 people and injured over 2 million others in the U.S. since the start of the 21st century. Earlier this year, 60 thought leaders from multiple disciplines met to create a roadmap for substantially reducing gun violence by 2040.
Here’s what they came up with.
Here’s what they came up with.
A Blueprint for Reducing Gun Violence by 2040, According to Experts
The JAMA Summit on Firearm Violence convened thought leaders from a wide array of disciplines to discuss ideas for preventing shooting deaths and injuries.
www.thetrace.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:04 AM
If Americans killed by guns this century were a country, it would have more than double the population of Iceland.
Reposted by David Webster
An update on my column: Parliamentary committee drops most contentious parts of its demand for data on research funding. It now wants aggregated, not disaggregated data. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
November 6, 2025 at 2:29 AM
An update on my column: Parliamentary committee drops most contentious parts of its demand for data on research funding. It now wants aggregated, not disaggregated data. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
A missed opportunity that undermines other aspects of Canada's foreign and trade policy. Countrr productive.
Canada is retreating from its international assistance commitments in Budget 2025. Details are vague except for cutting $2.7 Billion in aid spending between 2026 and 2030.
A missed opportunity for Canada to redouble efforts in face of American abandonment of aid.
budget.canada.ca/2025/report-...
A missed opportunity for Canada to redouble efforts in face of American abandonment of aid.
budget.canada.ca/2025/report-...
Chapter 5: Creating a more efficient and effective government | Budget 2025
Chapter 5: Creating a more efficient and effective government — Part of Budget 2025.
budget.canada.ca
November 5, 2025 at 5:46 PM
A missed opportunity that undermines other aspects of Canada's foreign and trade policy. Countrr productive.
Random performative cuts to aid will only hurt Canada globally when we need new friends and diversified trade. Short term thinking remains the problem.
I don’t object to cuts to Canada’s international spending per se
I object to the capricious, callous and dismissive way it’s being done
I get this is feminized, wooly stuff. Not like hard, tangible economics, or hanging out with private equity talking billion dollar deals
I object to the capricious, callous and dismissive way it’s being done
I get this is feminized, wooly stuff. Not like hard, tangible economics, or hanging out with private equity talking billion dollar deals
November 5, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Random performative cuts to aid will only hurt Canada globally when we need new friends and diversified trade. Short term thinking remains the problem.
Reposted by David Webster
Pre-Trudeau, First Nations communities suffered under a 2% annual funding increase cap. That cap didn't keep pace with population growth. Under Carney's Liberals, it's not just a 2% increase cap - it's a ZERO percent cap, a freeze. Literally worse than Harper. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
November 4, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Pre-Trudeau, First Nations communities suffered under a 2% annual funding increase cap. That cap didn't keep pace with population growth. Under Carney's Liberals, it's not just a 2% increase cap - it's a ZERO percent cap, a freeze. Literally worse than Harper. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
well this sucks
Here's the biggest PSE story you haven't heard yet: the Canada Student Grant for low-income students is being cut from $4200/year to $3000/year as of next August. It's implicit in the budget tables but the government is too chickenshit to actually say so directly.
November 4, 2025 at 11:47 PM
well this sucks