Marcia MacDonald

(she/elle) geneticist, biotech nerd, open science and co-op community enthusiast, equity and #AntiRacistSTEM, #DecolonizeSTEM

Uninvited guest on lək̓ʷəŋən land aka #VictoriaBC

Public Key

npub1hp77cv9gcfl83ay3phw037zatchjgknfqzqg339d63lc9sc93mnq4retwp

NIP-05 Address

marcia_at_spore.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqstsl0vxz5vylnc7jgsmh8clpw4uteytf5spqygcjkagluzcvzcaespz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dslstra7

Publishing to

nostr-pub.wellorder.net

relay.damus.io

Author Public Key

npub1hp77cv9gcfl83ay3phw037zatchjgknfqzqg339d63lc9sc93mnq4retwp

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Last Notes

2026-10-29 23:33:04 UTC

April Thomas, a Secwépemc Matriarch and Land Defender, is looking for help getting the word out that tomorrow is her last appearance until the Supreme Court of Canada sentences her for trespassing on unceded Sewépemcúlecw, for breaching the #TMX injunction as they desecrate and continue to violate sacred lands and waters without Secwépemc consent.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Cu7Q99bND/
She is still in need of funds for travel and legal fees.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/indigenous-matriarchs-appeal-to-supreme-court-of-canada
#Secwépemc #pipeline #ClimateJustice

2026-07-03 19:06:37 UTC

What will it take for MPs in the climate caucus to finally oppose the federal government's actions?
I called my MP (@npub10uw…d8pa) today to ask for another meeting to ensure we don't let Big Oil profit at our expense by fast-tracking the distruction that would be caused by a new climate-burning pipeline.
Find the number for your MP's constituency office here:
https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/constituencies
And tell your MP to sign the People's MOU:
https://win.newmode.net/mou
#CdnPoli #climate #pipeline

2026-03-06 18:50:28 UTC

Statement on AB Government, Oil Companies’ Announcement of Tailings Cleanup Projects
https://environmentaldefence.ca/2026/03/06/joint-statement-on-the-government-of-alberta-and-oil-companies-announcement-of-tar-sands-tailings-cleanup-projects/
From
@npub1k32…tlcd
@npub1ncx…5vr6
[@cape_doctors](https://kilogram.makeup/users/cape_doctors )
@npub1xe9…rn9n
@npub1vwj…zdmp
#ABPoli #oil #environment

2026-03-05 03:29:53 UTC

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I also liked the description of Galen Weston doing the world's stupid Les Mis LARP.
#enshittification

2026-03-05 03:27:08 UTC

I'll remember this quote from @npub1fdr…lvhs tonight:
"Shopping your way out of a monopoly is like recycling your way out of a wildfire."
#CdnPoli #enshittification

2026-01-21 18:54:15 UTC

What Mark Carney gets wrong about the end of the rules-based order
-Carney diagnoses a rupture in the global order while leaving intact the economic framework that helped produce it
https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/what-mark-carney-gets-wrong-about-the-end-of-the-rules-based-order
#CdnPoli

2026-01-20 17:11:52 UTC

Bill C-15 would allow corporations to be exempt from most Canadian laws
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/bill-c-15-would-allow-corporations-to-be-exempt-from-most-canadian-laws/
The article includes some analysis of Canadian corporate networks from researchers with the World Elite Database
https://worldelitedatabase.org/teams/#canada
#CdnPoli

2025-11-28 20:07:36 UTC

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@npub19y9…jd8u
Greaves doesn't seem to have said anything since the MOU was announced yesterday, though Victoria's former MP Laurel Collins (NDP) released a statement on Instagram.
I've called Greaves 2x already asking him to resign from the Liberals in protest.

2025-07-31 21:12:09 UTC

@npub1cds…8luu @npub1rwf…rcwx
I don't think there's any need to try hard to recruit US scientists. Even if science funding were tripled in Canada there would still be large numbers of good applicants from here.
It's mainly the low-paid temporary contracts (i.e., for early-career scientists that are known as "trainees" for >10 years) that remain unfilled, and those aren't very attractive to US applicants, especially if they check out our housing crisis.

2025-07-31 20:10:26 UTC

@npub1rwf…rcwx
This is a super interesting read.
I had no idea that the Soviets had banned the study of genetics, but it makes sense now, thinking of where the big discoveries came from.
I hope Canada can at least maintain current levels of support for science, but career opportunities for Canadian scientists aren't that great and will only get worse with more competition from migrants from the US.
#CdnPoli #science #SupportOurScience

2025-06-26 23:00:23 UTC

Unleashing Anishinaabe Matriarchal Relationships, Roles, Responsibilities, and Reciprocity for Climate Justice
26-Jun-2025
Statement from Indigenous and environmental groups demanding a full repeal of all the 2025 federal and provincial legislation and pending legislation that infringes on Indigenous Peoples' Right to Self-Determination
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1G9V6AeuJp/
#IdleNoMore #C5 #CdnPoli #DecolonialSolidarity #ClimateJustice #JusticeClimatique

2025-06-26 20:57:18 UTC

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Oh no! I didn't have high hopes for this government, but it's still devastating to see how things are developing.

2025-06-26 20:49:09 UTC

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, thank you for speaking up to oppose Bill C-5!
I called 3 other senators yesterday about Bill C-5, using a script from For Our Kids.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1z5hKvc65WLhCXp1ocK6_EhaoVQ5H7gVt_Zh3IAQrK8s
TODAY is our last chance to call (or email) senators to share concerns about Bill C-5, before their vote by the end of the day tomorrow.
Leadnow also has a tool and example text we can use to help with emails.
https://leadnow.ca/campaigns/senate-billc5-ett/
#SenateofCanada #cdnpoli #C5 #DecolonialSolidarity

2025-06-07 22:36:30 UTC

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I wish American robins looked like that.

2025-04-15 16:37:38 UTC

I'm joining thousands across the country today, the day before the federal leaders debate, to make Palestine unavoidable. Join us!
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/april15
https://votepalestine.ca/
#VotePalestine #StoptheGenocide #ArmsEmbargoNow #CdnPoli #elxn45

2025-04-11 13:26:15 UTC

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@npub1vfh…afql @npub1spc…3gwu
I think media is not linking because it's formatted like a campaign website. If there had been a PDF version of the letter maybe they'd have linked, but it's still like 3rd party election advertising.

2025-03-06 19:15:50 UTC

It fills me with hope and joy to share this essay written by 12 youth who I've had the immense honour of working with over my two years at Research for the Front Lines.
Raihan J, Smiles ND, Vincent JG, Banerjee R, Marquis S, Quinn S, et al. Research-as-Solidarity, with Youth Leading the Way. Youth 2025;5:21. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth5010021
#research #climate #ClimateCrisis #environment #CdnPoli

2025-03-05 22:03:38 UTC

Do i understand correctly that Canada is launching a program to sequence 100K human genomes, 13 years after the UK launched their 100,000 Genomes Project? The Canadian version is proudly "AI-powered". It's also expected to
- "enhance health care options for all Canadians";
- drive "clean economic growth"; and
- "combat major public health threats, including pandemics"
Canada launches $200M #genomics data initiative to drive #PrecisionHealth and economic growth
https://genomecanada.ca/canada-launches-200m-genomics-data-initiative-to-drive-precision-health-and-economic-growth/

2025-03-03 20:15:46 UTC

de Mères au front :
Le 8 mars, rendez-vous à 11h devant un lieu symbolique des Etats-Unis.
À Montréal, le rendez-vous sera devant le Consulat Général des Etats-Unis : 1134, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest
Raison d'être :
Le 8 mars a été sauvagement effacé de l’agenda officiel de Google, jetant avec lui les mots « journée internationale des droits des femmes ».
https://www.meresaufront.org/actions/montreal-ensemble-pour-nos-filles
#PourToutesLesFemmesEtLesFilles #ForAllWomenAndGirls

2025-02-27 02:43:07 UTC

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"As the omnicrisis polyshambles unfolds around us, we have the means, motive and opportunity to craft Canadian policies that bolster our sovereignty, protect our rights, and help us to set every technology user, in every country (including the USA) free."
https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/26/ursula-franklin/#
#tariffs #IP #CdnPoli

2025-02-27 02:37:19 UTC

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"We don't have to stop at exporting reasonably priced pharmaceuticals to Americans! We could export the extremely lucrative tools of technological liberation to our American friends, too.
"That's how you win a trade-war."
https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/26/ursula-franklin/#
#tariffs #IP #CdnPoli

2025-02-27 02:36:21 UTC

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"Canada could become a tech export powerhouse, while making everything cheaper for Canadian tech users, while making everything more profitable for anyone who sells media or software in an online store. And – this is the best part – it’s a frontal assault on the largest, most profitable US companies, the companies that are single-handedly keeping the S&P 500 in the black, striking directly at their most profitable lines of business [...]"
https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/26/ursula-franklin/#
#tariffs #IP

2025-02-27 02:33:58 UTC

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"But we can sign up new customers, by selling jailbreaking software and access to Canadian app stores, for every mobile device and games console to everyone in the world, and by pitching every games publisher and app maker on selling in the Canadian app store to customers anywhere without paying a 30% vig to American big tech companies."
https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/26/ursula-franklin/#
#tariffs #IP #CdnPoli

2025-02-27 02:33:06 UTC

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"Let Canadians stand up a Canadian app store for Apple devices, one that charges 3% to process transactions, not 30%. Then, every Canadian news outlet that sells subscriptions through an app, and every Canadian software author, musician and writer who sells through a mobile platform gets a 25% increase in revenues overnight, without signing up a single new customer."
https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/26/ursula-franklin/#
#tariffs #IP #CdnPoli

2025-02-27 02:31:45 UTC

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"Abolish the Canadian laws that protect US Big Tech companies from Canadian competition. Make it legal to reverse-engineer, jailbreak and modify American technology products and services. Don't ask Facebook to pay a link tax to Canadian newspapers, make it legal to jailbreak all of Meta's apps and block all the ads in them, so Mark Zuckerberg doesn't make a dime off of us."
https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/26/ursula-franklin/#
#tariffs #IP #CdnPoli

2025-02-27 02:30:14 UTC

I'm still waiting to see a movement to make it legal to jailbreak US tech in response to US tariffs, as @npub1fdr…lvhs has been recommending.
Are there signs our gov is listening?
Ursula Franklin Lecture:
With Great Power Came No Responsibility, 2025-Feb-24
https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/26/ursula-franklin/#
https://vimeo.com/1059798497
#tariffs #IP #CdnPoli

2025-02-21 16:48:54 UTC

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#Montréal #PlateauMontRoyal
Laurier--Sainte-Marie 4 Palestine
Join us to make Palestine an election issue!
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/rejoignez-nous-pour-faire-de-la-palestine-un-enjeu-electoral-join-us-to-make-palestine-an-election-issue
#Palestine #LSM

2025-02-21 16:47:45 UTC

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#Montréal #PlateauMontRoyal
Laurier--Sainte-Marie pour la Palestine
Nous sommes un groupe de quartier qui se dédie à soutenir la lutte pour une Palestine libre. Par le biais d'actions locales, d'éducation et d'événements communautaires, nous travaillons à assurer la fin de la complicité canadienne dans le génocide et l'apartheid israélien en Palestine. Rejoignez-nous dans nos efforts pour faire la différence — ici même, dans notre quartier.
#Palestine #LSM

2025-02-21 16:46:56 UTC

#Montréal #PlateauMontRoyal
Laurier--Sainte-Marie pour la Palestine
Rejoignez-nous pour faire de la Palestine un enjeu électoral !
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/rejoignez-nous-pour-faire-de-la-palestine-un-enjeu-electoral-join-us-to-make-palestine-an-election-issue
#Palestine #LSM

2025-02-08 15:34:03 UTC

Quebec Schools Turn to AI to “Analyze Risks” to Students
The Quebec government says it does not require parents’ consent to give students’ personal information to an AI.
By Isaac Peltz
https://therover.ca/quebec-schools-turn-to-ai-to-analyze-risks-to-students/

2025-02-02 19:01:07 UTC

For anyone else looking for more specifics:
List of products from the United States subject to 25 per cent tariffs effective February 4, 2025
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2025/02/list-of-products-from-the-united-states-subject-to-25-per-cent-tariffs-effective-february-4-2025.html
#tariffs #CdnPoli

2025-01-23 00:21:41 UTC

Advice wanted: I'm looking for tips on a good instance for a grassroots org to join to help us grow our community outside of Meta. (We've stopped using X but still have a profile there.)
The ideal instance would have the following:
- a good proportion of folks who live in Canada
- a good proportion of frontline folks involved in climate and environmental justice
...
#FediTips

2025-01-16 15:54:35 UTC

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Would definitely be a bold move, but maybe we could convince someone to announce their candidacy for Liberal leader and get media attention highlighting this policy. They'd have a week to push it before the first (refundable) $50K is due, but then a non-refundable $50K is due Jan.30.
Any strategic ideas about who might be readily influenced or who might fund this?
Other ideas for a rapid campaign?

2025-01-16 14:47:25 UTC

I find these suggestions from @npub1fdr…lvhs to be super intriguing and would like to see others run with them, including possibly expanding to IP in the biotech/pharma industry. So many science and tech workers could potentially benefit, along with all the other folks facing tech enshittification, who can't get people's vaccines, etc.
Is there already a movement behind this? Anyone want to organize one with me?
Canada shouldn't retaliate with US tariffs
https://pluralistic.net/2025/01/15/beauty-eh/#its-the-only-war-the-yankees-lost-except-for-vietnam-and-also-the-alamo-and-the-bay-of-ham
#tariffs #IP

2024-10-20 14:45:46 UTC

Anyone still trying to understand the story being #BCElxn2024 results might appreciate Mary Stuart's research on far-right organizing published in @npub1ccc…32l5 last month.
Hot Ticket: BC’s Populist Right Town Hall Meetings
How BC Rising taps conspiracy theories and government mistrust to energize Rustad’s base.
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2024/09/26/BC-Populist-Right-Town-Hall-Meetings/

2023-04-30 17:45:04 UTC

Hello! I’m Marcia (she/elle), originally from BC and currently living in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. I’m a geneticist interested in #science policy (#OpenScience), equitable tech workplaces (#AntiRacistSTEM), and community organizing for #ClimateJustice in solidarity with #Indigenous peoples. Je fais aussi des « pouets » en #français.
I recently moved from https://mastodon.lol/@marcia.
#Introduction