First of all, Heather Kuttai. 

She has been one of my personal heros for the last three decades. Heather has been a Human Rights Commissioner for nine years and I'm sure it broke her heart to have to resign in protest from a position she was so eminently suitable for and so good at. 

But she did it:

Heather Kuttai's resignation letter (Oct. 16, 2023) to Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.

Kuttai served for 9 years as a Commissioner on the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.

(Letter posted in CBC Sask story by @jessieanton_ ) pic.twitter.com/806Vbe45H6

— Sean Tucker (@SeanTucker16) October 17, 2023

Next, I know this was pretty small potatoes really, but I admired our new House of Commons Speaker for at least TRYING to get the Conservative MPs to clean up their act in the House of Commons:

So, during his statement before Question Period, Speaker Fergus quoted the speaker from 2012. Who was that? Well none other than former leader of the #CPC, @AndrewScheer.

So I wonder what Scheer said to Fergus during this exchange after today's QP‽ pic.twitter.com/79Q1FIF5Qu

— Jason Pugh 🏳️‍🌈 (@TheJasonPugh) October 18, 2023

And actually, the way Poilievre treated Fergus during his statement demonstrated exactly why the statement was necessary. 

Also this week, Trudeau told Smith that her attempt to dismantle the Canada Pension Plan ain't gonna happen:

Letter today from PM Justin Trudeau to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on the province's proposal to exit the CPP: "The harm it would cause is undeniable," he writes. "We will not stand by as anyone seeks to weaken pensions and reduce the retirement income of Canadians." #ableg pic.twitter.com/mAiEmuNDuD

— Lisa Johnson (@reportrix) October 18, 2023

Next, we should all be thanking the Canadian civil servants and armed forces members who are working day and night to help Canadians get out of the Middle East:

These people have worked tirelessly all week to get Canadian citizens out of Israel, safely. They deserve thanks, not harassment and constant criticism 🙌🏼 https://t.co/QHZFbcvAhO

— Suburban Polly©️ (@SuburbanPolly) October 15, 2023

Another two @CanadianForces flights left Tel Aviv today — bringing our total number of flights to ten.

Flights will continue for as long as possible. We’re committed to helping as many Canadians, permanent residents, and eligible family members as we can. pic.twitter.com/OOt3Psm9V9

— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) October 17, 2023

I thought is was amazing that Joe Biden went to Israel. He could have been killed:

Biden seem to apply a simple rule to all of the complex situations he deals with: he figures out the right thing to do, and then he does it.

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 😷🏳️‍🌈 (@CathieCanada) October 18, 2023

Continuing on with recent news about the Israel-Hamas War, here are some thoughtful comments:

Is there any position in the horrible Hamas mess which is more disingenuous than the declaration “we support Israel’s right to defend itself”, while objecting to pretty much every way for it to do so?

— Rick Anderson 🇨🇦🇺🇦 (@RickAnderson) October 15, 2023

And this gave me pause:

Somebody asked me today, "Do you think we'll ever get past this?"

I answered, "We don't eat bread for eight days because we're still mad at Raamses II."

— David Frum (@davidfrum) October 15, 2023

Two things are pretty well established now: first, Israel did not bomb that Gaza hospital; and second, millions in the Middle East will always believe they did.