I thank Ambassador Michel Miraillet for inviting me to join the Bastille Day celebrations at the French embassy. These are dispiriting times in international affairs, so it was a great solace to chat with him about our ongoing, unfinished work, to build a world of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.

In its darkest days, the French Revolution infamously “devoured its children”. But in Ottawa, the descendants of the Revolution fed their guests bountifully.

He is about to embark on a solo, 2'200km journey across Canada’s Northwest Passage, on a standing paddle boat. My friend and colleague Alfredo Martínez Serrano, Spain’s Ambassador to Canada, presented Antonio with an expeditionary flag for the voyage.

I was delighted to represent the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (@rcgssgrc.bsky.social) at the Spanish Embassy (@embespcanada.bsky.social) dinner to honour Antonio de la Rosa. Antonio is an ultra-endurance athlete, and a former Captain of the Red Bull Adventure Racing Team.

I spoke with @CTVYourMorning.bsky.social, on Mark Carney’s trip to Saudi Arabia. His embrace of the Saudis breaks with Trudeau’s rhetoric, but continues its substance. Carney deserves credit for being candid about his policies, but whether Canadians find his policies creditable remains to be seen.

#EveryoneOutdoorsTogether is a new movement, to strengthen our connection to the natural world and one another. On Saturday 18 July, my @NatureCanada.bsky.social colleagues and I will participate in #EOT’s moment, when people across Canada will pause, step outside, and experience nature together.

All these years later, Harry Forbes’ theme song has lost none of its power. Hearing it washes away the decades, and I see a childhood version of myself watching @weareTVO.bsky.social’s Magic Shadows with my grandfather. Elwy Yost’s love of cinema was joyous, infectious, and untouched by cynicism.

I am grateful to Seniors for Climate Action Now (@SeniorsfCAN.bsky.social), for inviting me to speak for Nature Canada (@NatureCanada.bsky.social) at this webinar. The event is open to all and free, with registration. 🎟️ per.maharaj.org/scan

I have been speaking with my colleagues at the @coe.int, about the prospects of Canada signing the “Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law”. It criminalises ecocide: wanton acts that inflict long-term destruction across large areas of nature. 🌱 per.maharaj.org/ecocide

Canada has never been defined by a single language, ethnicity, or faith. We are bound together by shared values and mutual responsibilities. The escalating incidents of antisemitism in Canada are attacks not only against every Canadian Jew, but also against all Canadians and against Canada itself.

The interim peace agreement between Iran and the US is astonishingly brittle. It declares an end to combat in Lebanon, where Hezbollah and Israel are locked in a pitiless war. Yet, neither Hezbollah nor Israel has signed the agreement. I spoke with Chris Glover on @CBCradioCanada.bsky.social.

Anita Anand (@anitaoakvilleeast.bsky.social) joined us at the Munk School, to discuss her objectives as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. She focussed on expanding our web of trade partners, especially as Canada, Mexico, and the US continue renegotiation of the #CUSMA free trade agreement.

I thank Space Canada for inviting me to their evening with the crew of the Artemis II. The Canadian Museum of History was an apt venue: the crew had travelled further from Earth than any other human beings. They project a sense of personal humility and public pride. 🚀 per.maharaj.org/artemisii

I enjoyed speaking with Nathalie Seddon of @biology.ox.ac.uk, on her role leading the People’s Assembly for Nature in the UK. I am considering whether a Canadian assembly could generate the momentum to sweep Canada’s political leaders into acting on the wisdom of Canada’s people. 🌱 bit.ly/4vcXZTJ

There may come a day when I will be able to drive past the Big Apple in Colborne, without stopping for an apple pie or to visit the animals. That day is not today. Tomorrow seems unlikely as well. As do all the succeeding days. 🍎 thebigapple.ca

I spent three days at with my colleagues on the Canadian Environment Domestic Advisory Group, in deliberations with our EU @eesc.bsky.social counterparts. Our mandate is to advise our governments on implementing CETA, in ways that will increase prosperity for all and lift environmental standards.

The US tariff wars make it imperative that Canada diversify our trade partnerships. Negotiating new agreements is important, but they will take years to come fully into force. The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement is in place now. We must realise its full potential, urgently.

My @rcgssgrc.bsky.social colleagues and I cheered on James Cameron, one of our Fellows, as he was inducted into France’s Legion of Honour. I enjoyed our conversation on his work as a filmmaker, to rouse people everywhere to the defence of nature, and to sustain our hope that our cause will prevail.

Torontonians would be horrified to fall into a fever dream where I served as their Mayor. But I was happy to respond to the @thestar.com’s question of what I would do in that role. I would change land use rules, so everyone would have fair access to parks and green space, irrespective of wealth.

New federal proposals would allow Ministers to exempt industrial projects from environmental protection laws, without legislative oversight. My @NatureCanada.bsky.social colleagues & I thank @StevenGuilbeault.bsky.social for our conversation on defending parliamentary democracy & local communities.

Everywhere, we see the war of all against all. The common power that can draw us together is not the might of governments, but our determination as people to offer others the same compassion that we hope to receive from them. 📆 Sat, 23 May 2026 ⏰ 15h00 EDT 📍 3500 Cambrian Rd, #Ottawa 🎟️ gandhiji.ca

We are living through multiple, concurrent, urgent crises. At the Ottawa DemocracyXChange #DXC26, we discussed how Canadians can insist on public policies that are not only fast, but also effective, efficient, just, and legitimate. I was impressed by the shared spirit of defiant optimism.

This year’s @DXCsummit.bsky.social drew a sold-out crowd. I especially enjoyed @PeterMacLeod.bsky.social’s discussion of his book, Democracy’s Second Act: Why Politics Needs the Public. He made a compelling case that politics are far too important to be left entirely in the hands of politicians.

I am delighted to welcome my friend @BobbyRae48.bsky.social as the new Visitor of @MasseyCollege.bsky.social. The Visitor is our ceremonial head. My colleagues at Massey’s Governing Board and I were unanimous, that his eminence in public service would bring honour to the role and to @UToronto.ca.

Canada is beset by many urgent crises. Can our institutions respond with speed, without compromising accountability or oversight? 📆 30 April 2026 ⏰ 14h45 EDT 📍 330 Sussex Dr, Ottawa 🎟️ democracyxchange.org/ottawa I look forward to being a panellist at the @DXCsummit.bsky.social Ottawa gathering.

Anyone who claims that the Iranian-Canadian diaspora is of one mind on the Iran war is deceived, dishonest, or both. The community is large, diverse, and politically fractious. It harbours commensurately broad views. I spoke with Miranda Anthistle of @GlobalNews.ca on the balance of opinions.

The @ox.ac.uk alumni in Ottawa are delighted that the Rt Hon Joe Clark will be the guest of honour at our annual dinner, open to all. 📆 Tue 12 May 2026 ⏰ 18h00 ET 📍 Canadian Forces Officers’ Mess 🎟️ via.maharaj.org/oxjc He will discuss how Canada can make a positive difference in a turbulent world.

The Iran war is lurching between frenzied threats of a nuclear apocalypse and fragile offerings of a temporary truce. All the while, Yemen’s civil war bubbles at the edges, and the Houthis threaten to pour into the conflict. I spoke with CTV’s @ctvYourMorning.bsky.social on Yemen and the Iran war.

I enjoyed speaking with Anna Suzuki, Japan’s diplomat for nature and environment, at her embassy in Ottawa. My @NatureCanada.bsky.social colleagues and I look forward to working with the populace and government of Japan, to protect nature as the shared heritage of the world’s peoples.

Canada is home to a fifth of the world’s fresh water, a quarter of the world’s boreal forests, & the world’s longest coastline. @NatureCanada.bsky.social has been pressing the federal government to commit to tangible steps to protect Canada’s share of nature, for the common good of the human race.