Work across the aisle to advance gender equality in the Arctic
I was raised by a single mother of four boys—not an easy task in the 1960s and ’70s. But she managed to keep food on the table and clothes on our backs and care for us all by working three to four jobs at the same time. After I was born, she needed to change […]
Alexa McDonough and the cost of blazing trails
Trailblazing isn’t easy, but those who knew her say Alexa McDonough had the character and resilience to do it with grace, earnestness, and always a sense of humour. Since her recent death, McDonough has been described as a “role model,” an “icon,” and the reason many women in politics who came after her were able […]
Feminism on the rise in Canada, but experts say more policy action needed to match
Feminism is on the rise in Canada, according to a recent poll commissioned by Independent Senator Donna Dasko, and while gender representation within political parties is improving, concrete policy action still leaves a lot to be desired, experts say. The poll, commissioned by Dasko (Ontario) from the Environics Institute for Survey Research (related to the […]
A Grade 3 teacher and the children of Chelsea spark promising movement to bring down Bill 21
CHELSEA, QUE.— Standing in an ice-covered parking lot outside the office of Gatineau’s CAQ MNA, Robert Bussière, and listening to several protest speeches in French and English doesn’t seem like a pleasant way to spend a lunch hour. But things are not always as they seem. For one thing there were the kids, lots of them, […]
Some interesting reads about Canadian politics in 2021
Political scientists authored many interesting books about Canadian politics in 2021. Here’s a sample published by three of Canada’s largest academic publishers: University of British Columbia Press (UBC Press), University of Toronto Press (UTP), and McGill-Queen’s University Press (MQUP). I am going to begin and conclude this synthesis with women and Canadian political books, for […]
The state of gender justice
At the end of 2021, it’s clearer than ever that 30 years of progress on gender equality is at risk. There are three areas that give us a sense of the scope of the challenge we face today: economic opportunity, safety, and discrimination. Almost half a million women in Canada lost their jobs by January […]
A century of women MPs, but gender parity still major issue
December 2021 marks a historic milestone in Canada’s Parliament, the 100th anniversary of the first woman MP being elected. But since Agnes Macphail’s campaign victory on Dec. 6, 1921, only 374 women have been voted into federal public office in Canada. In the 2021 federal election, 103 women MPs won a seat in the House of […]
Most diverse House in Canadian history a step toward policies ‘that work for more Canadians’ says new MP
As the most diverse Parliament in Canadian history meets in Ottawa this week, one of the signs of a changing House has already taken place at a movie theatre in Iqaluit, Nunavut, more than 2,000 kilometres from Ottawa. Lori Idlout, the new NDP MP for Nunavut, was sworn in on Nov. 12 at the Astro […]
Smart procurement needed to address crisis in Canada’s military
The current crisis in the Canadian military is not simply one of misconduct or leadership. What Canada’s Armed Forces are facing are the consequences of poorly conceptualized integration policies. Procurement needs to be part of the solution. Take, for example, the integration of women. In 1989, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered the military to […]
The future of Canada’s diplomacy is gender parity
In the hallowed hallways of Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC’s) Lester B. Pearson building, portraits of former ministers and deputy ministers adorn the walls, reminding us of some of the country’s most distinguished diplomats who carved Canada’s identity in the nascent days of nation-building. Canada’s role in international relations was influenced by notable men, including O.D. […]
