Political bodies, our choice
OTTAWA—Under his eye, indeed. Across the border, Republicans and conservatives alike are remaking the United States in the image of the Republic of Gilead. On Monday night, Politico broke the story of the year so far, which is that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is poised to overturn one of the most […]
Mixed reviews for Liberal solution to protect Quebec seats
The Trudeau government recently tabled its solution to stop Quebec from losing a seat in this year’s riding redistribution process, but the proposal, which would set a new minimum seat count for provinces, is getting mixed reviews from opposition MPs. “This is a good step in the right direction,” said NDP MP Daniel Blaikie […]
‘Racism plays a role in immigration decisions,’ House Immigration Committee hears
“Kids in India are not back-packers as they are in Canada” reads a note appended to a slide in a presentation used to train Canadian immigration officials in mid-2019. In a recent access to information request, Immigration lawyer Steven Meurrens said he received a copy of the presentation which was used in a training session […]
When keeping it (performatively) real goes wrong
OTTAWA—As I sit here writing this column on the third anniversary of the massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand—driven by Islamophobic, white supremacist ideology—it’s come to my attention how far we’ve fallen as western societies. Ignoring the warnings of BIPOC voices, while platforming those who are far-right ascendant, the western world is now full-throttle into Nazi […]
We need to talk about Azov
OTTAWA—I didn’t want to write about this topic, but every time I try to get out, white supremacy just pulls me back in. There has been a lot of Russian disinformation accompanying their invasion of Ukraine, an accoutrement to the ground war. Russia’s pretext to the invasion, in Vladimir Putin’s own words, as printed in […]
Canada dragging its feet on #MeToo efforts
Canada’s commitment to combatting sexual harassment in the workplace is waning. One example: a key provision of its first anti-harassment legislation (Bill C-65) of the #MeToo era has been stalled for years. The bill’s sunshine clause, which I proposed in a series of op-eds and in a submission to the House of Commons Human Resources […]
Decolonization is at the heart of effective climate action
Let’s face it, the environmental movement has always centred white voices. When you think of a climate activist, who do you envision? Would it surprise you that millions of people engaged in greenhouse gas mitigation and adaptation live in African nations? And that many of them are women? Black History Month spotlights the legacy of […]
Bloc bill seeks to protect Quebec seats as riding redraw gets underway
The Bloc Québécois has begun its push to protect Quebec’s share of seats in the House of Commons through a new private member’s bill from MP Martin Champoux, following leader Yves-François Blanchet’s vow to “unleash the fires of hell” if the province loses a seat through the now-ongoing electoral redistribution process. Tabled on Feb. 8, […]
Amid the tide of whitelash, we remain unmoored
OTTAWA—#MakeOttawaBoringAgain is closer to a reality after a weekend of arrests and removals of convoy occupiers. Only, we didn’t win anything. In fact, we lost. We are lost. As the waters recede, what is left is a white supremacist, authoritarian movement that has grown in strength, in support, in finances, and in political influence. For […]
‘We’re stronger together’: African Senate Group responds to protest, seeks ‘meaningful’ change in Red Chamber
Since Feb. 2, Ontario ISG Senator Bernadette Clement has gone to work on foot, walking from her downtown Ottawa apartment through the protest encampment along Wellington Street to her East Block office, and on to the Senate of Canada Building. Worried about the anti-lockdown occupation that took root in Ottawa on Jan. 28, friends and […]
