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This Week's Round-Up: May 18, 2026 |
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A sweeping new report traces how online campaigns are amplifying division inside Canada
BY B.E. RYBAK |
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Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, leaders of Alberta’s separatist movement have met with senior US officials on at least three documented occasions. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent publicly described an independent Alberta as a “natural partner” for the United States. Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon, Benny Johnson, and Tim Pool have all used platforms with audiences in the millions to amplify Alberta separatist and annexation narratives. The DisinfoWatch report is explicit: these influencers command larger reach than most traditional Canadian media or politicians, and the content they produce moves fringe narratives into mainstream political debate.
The convergence of Russian and American influence on Alberta is not circumstantial.
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On April 30, 2026, a court injunction forced the Centurion Project to take down a database containing the personal information of millions of Albertan voters. How were investigators able to confirm which organization’s legitimate copy of the electoral list had been leaked to the Centurion Project? |
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On May 26, join us in Toronto or online for The Walrus Talks AccessAbility, a live recording of Courage Inc. hosted by Duncan Sinclair, Deloitte Chair of Canada and Chile, who brings years of leadership and expertise to this urgent discussion. Featuring talks by five speakers from the disability community on policy frameworks, leadership, and innovation, the importance of technology, corporate rollbacks on DEI, and the persistence of ableism, the talks will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Sinclair. |
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A MESSAGE FROM THE WALRUS LAB IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CIBC. |
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Do you want to make the most of your money? Build wealth for your future? Better manage your debt? Smart Advice is a podcast that brings you financial advice, investment strategies and economic trends.
Join CIBC’s financial advice expert and Certified Financial Planner, Carissa Lucreziano, for conversations about money and investing with insights from leading experts. You’ll learn how to make the most of your money and how to make sense of this economy. |
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In this episode, Nathan speaks to Gabrielle Drolet, whose first book, Look Ma, No Hands: A Chronic Pain Memoir, was a finalist for a 2026 Lambda Literary Award. They talk about some of the more ethically dubious gigs she has taken on as a freelance writer, about writing using voice-to-text software and how that has changed her style, and about her worries that her next book, which is not a memoir, might have less of a hook in comparison with her first. |
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Can Pros and Can Cons
In “Cohere Is Canada’s Biggest AI Hope. Why Is It So American?”, Julie Sobowale posits a Canadian purity test that Cohere should pass in order to qualify to do work for the federal government and, in doing so, ignores the derivative nature of the technology. There is no such thing as an AI that is not dependent, at some level, on international technology developed outside of our borders. We are facing a critical moment. Perhaps it would be best if we got out of our own way and let our best and brightest move us forward without having to apologize for not being Canadian enough.
Dan de Souza
Collingwood, ON
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— Camille Dundas
Director of Development, The Walrus |
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