Health agency reveals race-based data guideline as calls grow for nation-wide collection
In response to calls for better demographic data to understand health inequities and COVID-19, this week the Canadian Institute for Health Information is releasing an interim race data standard that public health agencies can use. Many advocates, though, are pushing for more than advice, saying the federal government has a leadership role to play to […]
Feds should use anti-racism strategy to tackle anti-Asian sentiments in wake of pandemic, say experts
Amid reports of a rise in anti-Asian racism driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, some advocates and critics are calling on the federal government to use its anti-racism strategy to respond to those threats, with experts saying it should redirect funds to more targeted initiatives. Avvy Go, a director with the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal […]
Women leaders are running this country, and we should keep it that way
OTTAWA—One really couldn’t say I’m a raging feminist, but I am Tlingit, and in my culture, women lead. That’s the way it has always been. Women are essential in leadership because good decisions can’t be made without them. The reverse is also true in a fully functioning society; good decisions can’t be made without men. […]
Child-care support emerging as key consideration in economic rebound, say advocates
As Canada gradually loosens COVID-19 restrictions, there are growing appeals for Ottawa to bolster support for child care amid concerns that women who have been furloughed or laid off may struggle to resume work. The federal government has “already been dipping its toes” in boosting support for child care, but the pandemic crisis, which forced […]
Pandemic used as a cover for increased persecution of women human rights defenders globally
Reem Al-Ksiri is a Syrian-born lawyer who now lives in Vienna, Austria. Like millions of other Syrians, she was forced from her home by war and the brutality of a regime that instead of protecting its citizens has bombed, imprisoned and tortured them. Reem works to release women currently imprisoned in Syria. She also works […]
‘Senseless’ violence is a crock of nonsense in a country built on patriarchy
OTTAWA—Not all men. However, when it comes to mass murder, it is indeed all men. The shootings in Nova Scotia were shocking, until they weren’t. The shooter had a history of domestic violence, which is something that the police made only perfunctory mention of, and his first victim (though not killed) was his girlfriend. Seems […]
No more Hill parties, after coronavirus pandemic forces Parliament Hill to shut down
As COVID-19 cases continue to exponentially grow in Canada and around the world, possibly the only thing spreading faster is cabin fever. Ottawans are shut in because everything has shut down. Seemingly half the city has taken up running in an effort to stave off insanity. Thanks to these keen folk, Sparks Street has actually […]
Former MP Bossio now working for Gender Equality Minister Monsef
Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development Minister Maryam Monsef’s office includes her former caucus colleague, Mike Bossio, who’s been hired on as a senior adviser for rural affairs. Mr. Bossio was the MP for the riding neighbouring Ms. Monsef’s, Hastings-Lennox and Addington, Ont., from 2015 until last fall, when he was defeated by […]
Law enforcement’s got a racism problem, and it’s set to get worse
OTTAWA—NWA really produced a timeless banger with their seminal song about the police. Yeah, you know the title. As discussed in this column last week, “Surveillance is the way white supremacy has controlled populations by controlling their movement, who they associate with, and the spaces they occupy.” Surveillance is also intended to create labels for […]
In a time of adversity, anger gets us nowhere
OTTAWA—STFU. That was the reply I received from a Montreal woman the other day on Facebook. The discussion focused on a Conservative private member’s bill proposing to reduce sex-selection abortions. I suggested something should be done in the way of education or empowerment to reduce the abortions of females, mostly among the Asian diaspora. While […]
