Speak no evil, see no evil: The importance of talking ‘politics’ at work
OTTAWA—The old adage that one shouldn’t talk politics at work is yet another measure of professionalism that shapes company culture and can leave the most educated employees ignorant of the context of the world around them. Nearly a year after organizations wrote their pithy Black Lives Matter statements, many struggle with talking about racism with […]
Time to address the age of #MeToo in First Nations organizations
OTTAWA—Once upon a time, not so long ago, First Nations and many Indigenous societies governed with balance—men and women, including Two Spirits, equally shared the roles of leadership to serve a community. It wasn’t perfect. No governance structure is perfect. Then came the Canadian government, overly influenced by the church and paternalism which created the […]
Suffering from PTSD should not be a literal ‘get out of jail free’ card
OTTAWA—Last week, yet another disturbing story surfaced regarding the military and sexual misconduct. A retired Special Forces major told the CBC that he felt betrayed when senior military leaders provided glowing character references to the fellow soldier who was convicted of sexually assaulting his wife. The incident occurred in 2017 following the conviction of Major […]
Canada must support establishment of UN Permanent Forum for People of African Descent
It was on the eve of 2021 when Canada, right along with the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Israel voted against the comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action: Racial Discrimination Program Implementation. This vote was crucial at the UN General Assembly for the eventual proposal and […]
Power maintains power in politicians’ reticence to overhaul policing
OTTAWA—The Derek Chauvin conviction may not be the victory it’s purported to be, given that within 24 hours of the verdict, police in America gunned down six Black people as a show of dominance. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response to the verdict was exceptionally mealy-mouthed (he essentially said that systemic racism is bad, which is […]
The U.S.A. is not ‘the shining city on the hill’
MONTREAL—In the moments following the conviction of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in a Minnesota courtroom, a Montreal radio host put up a note on Facebook: “Guilty on all counts. Did you cry?” My knee-jerk reaction was to respond: “Get a grip. This took place in a foreign country with serious problems.” […]
Online hate targeting women journalists hurts us all
The best journalism, whatever the medium, relies on one essential element—an unflinching willingness and ability to gather and report the facts. The journalist’s role, always, is telling truth to power, whether challenging people in authority, unveiling corporate malfeasance, reporting the facts about COVID-19, or examining complex issues of social justice. In an era of “fake […]
Context is critical: response to letter on the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
On April 12, I read with interest a letter to the editor published in The Hill Times entitled “Reforms needed at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, say activists.” As with virtually any piece of information, it can be misleading to not provide its broader context. Unfortunately, the context which was missing was the fact that, […]
Time for widespread gender-neutral language in federal policy, legislation, say advocates
The very act of not being included in government policy is discriminatory, says Estefan Cortes-Vargas, former Alberta MLA, diversity consultant, and one of the first openly non-binary people elected in Canada, referring to the sparse use of gender-neutral language. It’s an issue the federal government says it’s trying to fix, piece by piece. This area […]
New language-learning app named after late Liberal bilingualism champion
A new CBC-based language-learning app, Mauril, hopes to instil the same love of language as its namesake, the late Liberal MP Mauril Bélanger. Mr. Bélanger, who died from ALS in 2016 at the age of 61, had a long history of fighting for Canada’s linguistic duality. He was decorated as Commandeur de l’Odre de la […]
