Anti-harassment bill passes: a first step, but an essential one
Harassment and violence have no place at work or anywhere else. People have been coming forward to share their experiences inspired by the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, and the high-profile cases involving well-known public figures have helped those affected by these pervasive behaviours bring their stories forward to be heard. But no one is […]
Liberals’ anti-racism strategy in need of systemic reboot
Oh, to be a fly on the wall of the conversation that must have occurred between Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and the Prime Minister’s Office last week. Mr. Rodriguez, who was named to cabinet in the July 18 shuffle to take over the heritage and multiculturalism files from the poor-performing Mélanie Joly, stuck his foot […]
Time for global collaboration to address sexual, reproductive health and rights
Parliamentarians from more than 150 nations are gathering in Ottawa this week to tackle one of the most serious challenges facing humanity. At the International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD Program of Action, or IPCI, a forum for all global regions, political leaders will work towards collective action on issues related to population […]
More than 150 international parliamentarians to meet in Ottawa to defend sexual, reproductive health, rights
Sexual and reproductive health and rights aren’t controversial, they’re essential and life saving. Rights and health services related to gender, sexuality, and reproduction support each person’s ability to make decisions about their own bodies (like if and when to have children), help build a culture of consent that protects personal safety and support the end of gender-based […]
Great expectations, and racism, but immense pride and learning: Asian-Canadian MPs share their experiences
For NDP MP Jenny Kwan, it’s a privilege to serve as one of Canada’s few Chinese-Canadian MPs, especially for her downtown Vancouver East, B.C., riding with many new Canadians who turn to her constituency office for help navigating Canada’s immigration system. She can speak Cantonese, and all three of her current constituency staff can speak […]
Proposed Quebec ban on religious symbols isn’t freedom, it’s oppression
After defeating the ruling Quebec Liberals earlier this month, premier-elect François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec announced that some public employees may be banned from wearing religious clothing under a proposed “secularism law” in the province. Restrictions would be placed on all religious symbols, including a kippah skull cap or a hijab, and would apply to […]
Taking the law into their own hands: citizens in the South are strengthening access to justice for women, and Canada must support them
Tanzania feels like one of the most challenging places in the world to be a woman. Almost half of all Tanzanian women have faced physical or sexual violence, and while 70 per cent of people live on less than $2 per day, poverty is highest among female headed households. I learned this as I trekked […]
It would have been ‘cheeky’ for Trudeau to intervene on notwithstanding clause, says reader
Re: “Trudeau should have stood up to Ford over notwithstanding clause,” (The Hill Times, letter to the editor, p. 8). Alykhan Pabani writes that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is no leader. Prime Minister Trudeau has sidestepped the Supreme Court by refusing to revise abortion legislation, which the Supreme Court struck down, and instead took it […]
Nike scores a touchdown with Kaepernick ad
OTTAWA—While coaches and sideline staff in the Canadian Football League come out on the field in “Diversity Is Strength” T-shirts, the president of the United States regularly whips up his base by denigrating professional players who kneel during the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality. The CFL shirts are meant to celebrate diversity […]
Is #MeToo in danger of becoming the new McCarthyism?
OTTAWA—Is #MeToo in danger of becoming the new McCarthyism? The editor of The New York Review of Books exited last week after publishing an essay by Jian Ghomeshi entitled, “Reflections from a Hashtag.” It is unclear whether he quit or was fired, but editor Ian Buruma was widely attacked for his editorial decision to offer […]
