Liberal plan to double women entrepreneurs ‘very ambitious,’ money not flowing to grassroots, say observers, critics
This spring, the Liberals will announce the winners of the $20-million Women’s Entrepreneurship Fund, but University of Ottawa professor Barbara Orser says it’s not a lot of money to support women-owned or women-led businesses and help them grow. And while the minister in charge of the program says it’s the “right thing to do,” opposition […]
Rewrite Senate anti-harassment policy, says Upper Chamber subcommittee
The Senate needs to start from scratch when it comes to its anti-harassment policy, instead of merely updating its existing decade-old document, says a group of Senators tasked with studying the Upper Chamber’s anti-harassment rules. “When the subcommittee was charged with reviewing the current policy, members knew that they were undertaking a considerably broad task […]
Black public servants looking for political champions to fight battle in House, Senate
A new group advocating for the rights of Black public servants says that to combat the systemic racism employees face, specific data on Black Canadians is required to get a better picture of the issues it says need to be addressed. And with less than six years left in a UN decade for people of […]
Trudeau to meet with Black youth who experienced alleged racial profiling on the Hill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet Thursday with a group of young people who experienced an alleged instance of racial profiling earlier this month on Parliament Hill, days after the House Speaker apologized in the Chamber for the actions of a member of the Parliamentary Protective Service. During the third annual Black Voices on the […]
Trump, the promise keeper
LONDON, U.K.—Donald Trump is a man of his word, and he promised his base to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico to stop an “invasion of gangs, invasion of drugs, invasion of people.” It turns out that Mexico isn’t willing to pay for it after all, but a promise is a promise. So […]
Canada’s not ready to take Black History Month off the calendar
Black History Month in Canada has had some recent powerful successes. There’s a growing, greater understanding and appreciation of the intrinsic value of black contributions, in science, business, education, music, sports, and public policy throughout our nation. These advances in heightening the awareness in our country to the contributions of African Canadians is perhaps best […]
Hill security, House Speaker to probe alleged racial-profiling incident
The Parliamentary Protective Service has offered an apology after an alleged case of racial profiling on the Hill by one of its members. On Feb. 6, Liberal MPs Andy Fillmore (Halifax, N.S.) and Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer, Que.) raised a question of privilege in the House of Commons, asking Speaker Geoff Regan to investigate after participants […]
No snow pants allowed: here’s your guide to the hottest winter and spring shindigs
Just so we’re all clear, snow pants are okay for commuting, but they’re not proper party attire. The wintry outerwear has sparked a hot debate among Ottawa residents lately about whether snow pants are in fact needed to wear to work during Ottawa’s bone-chilling winters or too hideous to wear in public. Party Central is […]
Trudeau ought to go toe-to-toe with Chinese ambassador
Re: “China’s ambassador: why the double standard on justice for Canadians, Chinese?” (The Hill Times, Jan. 9, 2019, p. 11). Like most Canadians, I think Canada should not let Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to Canada, fire off an article in The Hill Times claiming “Western egotism” and “white supremacy” without slamming the basketball back in […]
Using women’s growing power to combat gender-based violence
Spearheaded by women around the world, a global movement is afoot. At every level of society, it’s redefining power. Women-led movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp—and regional movements like Ni Una Menos, which challenges gender-based violence in Latin America—are moving full speed ahead to change the status quo. It’s time to talk about how we channel […]