‘It’s long overdue’: unions, FBEC weigh in on top leadership’s push for greater diversity, inclusion in federal public service
Union leaders and a Federal Black Employee Caucus representative say the steps are “long overdue,” following Privy Council Clerk Ian Shugart’s recent “call to action” to senior bureaucrats to diversify the leadership ranks in the federal public service, and Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos’ recent announcement to increase diversity and inclusion within the larger bureaucracy and address […]
Canada should pass an order in council against systemic racism
OTTAWA—My family watched the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. We shared with millions of people the awe and relief that grace and leadership has returned to the White House. Tears were shed to witness so many BIPOC on podiums that day and evening. And then my daughter asked me, “why doesn’t our prime minister […]
Post controversy, Green Party executive director position remains unfilled
Three months after the Green Party’s executive director exited his post amid controversy, the position remains unfilled, and, as speculation of an early election mounts, a party spokesperson says the search for a replacement has yet to begin. Prateek Awasthi started his job as the Green Party’s executive director in May 2020, becoming the first person […]
Bloc’s Blanchet is the one who has questions to answer after Alghabra attack
Last week must have been a rollercoaster for Liberal MP Omar Alghabra. After more than 15 years spent in and around federal politics, he was elevated to the government’s front bench, named as the new transport minister in a Jan. 12 cabinet shuffle. Barely 24 hours after that high, Mr. Alghabra had to deal with […]
If we’re going to dismantle white supremacy, let’s not whitewash it
CALGARY—Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is finally being held to account for months of white supremacist dog whistles. On Jan. 18, he moved to kick Derek Sloan out of caucus—a.k.a. The Bare Minimum—after PressProgress revealed that Sloan, at the front of the “which Conservative Party member courts more racism” queue, had accepted a political donation from neo-Nazi […]
Canada’s new year’s resolutions must focus on gender justice
In so many senses, 2020 was a year of testing. The position of women in Canada and our national progress toward the goal of gender equality over three decades was tested and found terribly wanting. Can progress so swiftly reversed in crisis be progress to count on? As we move into a new year that […]
The CBSA must protect our borders from the far right
People around the world struggling against dictatorships and fighting for democracy have often looked to the United States for inspiration. But America’s democratic credentials have been tarnished. The assault on democracy on Jan. 6 was the culmination of years of Donald Trump inciting his base with hateful rhetoric and radicalizing people, who eventually led an […]
One white supremacist in CAF ranks is too many
OTTAWA—In his final media interview as Canada’s chief of the defence staff, General Jonathan Vance openly addressed the issue of white supremacists within the ranks of the Canadian Armed Forces. Specifically, Vance pointed to a July 2017 incident involving members of a right-wing, anti-immigration group known as the Proud Boys. What was a fairly benign […]
Canadian conservatives content to keep courting the whitelash
CALGARY—Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, will be a day that will live in infamy—the day armed domestic terrorists laid siege on Capitol Hill, the first time since we did it in the War of 1812. The year 2021 is already making 2020 feel as soothing as a Supermud Glam Glow mask from Sephora. On the morning […]
Will 2021 be any better than 2020?
OTTAWA—The first five days of 2021 seemed promising, until the American insurgency went down on Jan. 6. The world stood wide-eyed in shock, Twitter lost its collective mind, and there went all hopes of a dry January. In 2020, the moments of calm were even more notable when surrounded by grim numbers of COVID cases […]
