Time is ticking for MPs, Senators to pass human rights bills
There is an enormous amount of consequential human rights legislation approaching the parliamentary finish line. The time to get it across shrinks daily. Only four sitting weeks remain in this session of Parliament for MPs, five for Senators. Rather than return to Parliament in the fall, MPs will be out hustling for votes. That means […]
Canada should weigh in on the crisis in Central America
OTTAWA—The history of United States’ intervention in Central America is a long, bloody, and depressing story. How many tens of thousands of civilians—mostly peasants—were tortured and killed by U.S. soldiers and their proxies and the right-wing dictatorships Washington has backed for a century in the region is unknowable. But the record of atrocities and suffering […]
Let’s show international solidarity for flood victims
For the past several days, many of our fellow citizens have been going through situations of angst with the floods that have hit the eastern part of Canada. This horrible occurrence should at least open us a bit to the fate of countries of the South. In India, the country is dealing with a violent cyclone, and in Mozambique, floods just appear […]
Global Fund calls on feds to increase funding by ‘at least’ 15 per cent, as development observers criticize Liberal foreign assistance
A multinational humanitarian organization is looking for the Canadian government to increase its funding by 15 per cent to fight global epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, at the same as the Liberal government’s foreign assistance funding is being questioned. The Global Fund is seeking $14-billion from its donor countries in October to cover the […]
The world’s at a crossroads with malaria. Canada can help push it over the edge
April 25 is World Malaria Day. Little known by most Canadians, malaria threatens almost half the global population: more than three billion people. Hundreds of thousands die each year. New strains of multi-drug-resistant malaria are emerging and need to be destroyed quickly before they have a chance to spread and create a global catastrophe. Thankfully, the […]
Budget misses the mark on international development
On March 19, Finance Minister Bill Morneau released his government’s fourth federal budget. In an election year, it sought to reach potential voters on what matters to them: millennials with support for home ownership, parents with child-care subsidies, seniors with pensions, and workers with skills training. It also used spending and incentives to signal a […]
United Church condemns anti-Semitism, hatred
Re: “Feds fund group promoting campaign they condemn,” (The Hill Times, April 3, p. 11). The United Church of Canada has a firm and explicit zero-tolerance policy on all expressions of racism, including anti-Semitism. The church also takes very seriously its commitment to due diligence in establishing long-term partnerships founded on shared principles and values, including […]
Feds fund group promoting campaign they condemn
JERUSALEM—When the Liberal government came to office, there was excitement over how both domestic and foreign policy would take on a more feminist approach. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau created a gender-balanced cabinet at home, while the government established its Feminist International Assistance Policy for work abroad. Among its goals, the policy seeks to enhance “peace […]
Making an equal WAGE: Monsef talks new department
In a few short weeks, Maryam Monsef has gone from being a junior minister in charge of an oft-sidelined agency, to juggling managing one full-fledged department and part of another. On Dec. 13, Ms. Monsef’s (Peterborough-Kawartha, Ont.) portfolio was transformed from Status of Women, the agency, to Women and Gender Equality (WAGE), the full department, […]
Two Senate staffers launch national feminist network, kick off at UN women’s commission
Two Senate staffers have formed a national organization aimed at bringing feminist youth into international action, which they say has been life-changing for them. Katrina Leclerc and Alexandria Kazmerik founded the Canadian Council of Young Feminists this year and are using the 63rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, in […]
