The global pet trade is a multi-billion dollar business that moves tens of millions of animals around the globe annually. Some pets are released into the wild by their owners — or escape — and have a go at making it in their new home. Some, like the Burmese pythons released into the Florida Everglades decades ago, do a pretty good job of it, and new research finds that invasive ants may be the next pet to watch out for.

Today in The Conversation Canada, Megan Frederickson from the University of Toronto writes about invasive ants and the havoc they can cause. Yellow crazy ants, for example, have been blamed for savaging Christmas Island’s famous red crabs and decimating the wedge-tailed shearwater on the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. A new study finds invasive ants are widespread in the global pet trade.

Frederickson, who is a myrmecologist — someone who studies ants — also finds them fascinating. They make great pets, she says, but be careful, because they can also make great pests.

Also today:

Regards,

Hannah Hoag

Deputy Editor | Environment + Energy Editor

The European fire ant, Myrmica rubra, is one of the invasive ant species in Ontario. They are known for their painful sting. (Jon Sanders)

Ant invasion: How pets become pests

Megan Frederickson, University of Toronto

Animals that are traded as pets are more likely to be invasive species, including a relatively new pet: ants.

By identifying the need to tackle systemic discrimination instead of colonialism, Trudeau is reinforcing an established idea in Canadian politics: that colonialism is history. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Not in the past: Colonialism is rooted in the present

Liam Midzain-Gobin, Brock University; Heather Smith, University of Northern British Columbia

Narratives that historicize colonialism are not new. Canadians and our leaders have a long history of denying our settler colonial present.

Protesters display placards during a rally held to support Stop Asian Hate, March 21, 2021, in Newton, Mass. (AP/Steven Senne)

The model minority myth hides the racist and sexist violence experienced by Asian women

Jiyoung Lee-An, Carleton University; Xiaobei Chen, Carleton University

The invisibility of anti-Asian racism is inextricably connected to the model minority myth, which serves to disguise the violence experienced by Asian American and Asian Canadian women.

The Supreme Court of Canada rejected the request to strike down national carbon pricing. The plan is key to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

What the Supreme Court ruling on national carbon pricing means for the fight against climate change

Nathalie Chalifour, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; David Robitaille, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

In its decision, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the gravity of climate change and upheld the idea that Parliament has the authority to act on matters of "peace, order and good government."

A person sits on a tripod platform high above the street as protesters occupy an intersection during a demonstration to call for government action to on climate change in Vancouver in February 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Climate action, job creation are top post-pandemic priorities for Canadians

Michael M. Atkinson, University of Saskatchewan; Haizhen Mou, University of Saskatchewan

As Canada emerges from the pandemic, creating jobs and achieving full employment are top priorities. Relegated to the back burner are balanced budgets and reducing debt.

Québec Premier François Legault chairs a premiers virtual news conference as premiers Brian Pallister, Manitoba, and Doug Ford, Ontario, are seen on screen on March 4, 2021 in Montréal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

The disingenuous demands of Canada’s premiers for $28 billion in health-care funding

Tom McIntosh, University of Regina

The premiers are demanding more funding from the federal government for health care. Yet more cash without real change would be the real betrayal of Canada's public health-care system.

La Conversation Canada

Des personnes âgées attendent leurs vaccins contre la Covid-19, le 1er mars, à Montréal. Les débuts de la campagne de vaccination ont été lents, mais les objectifs des gouvernements restent ambitieux. Sont-ils réalistes? La Presse Canadienne/Ryan Remiorz

Vaccination de masse : la bataille ne sera pas facile

Lavagnon Ika, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Gilles Paché, Aix-Marseille Université (AMU)

La campagne de vaccination contre la Covid-19 a débuté lentement au pays. Elle s’accélère, mais seul l’avenir nous dira si elle peut être qualifiée de succès.

Environment + Energy

Politics

COVID-19