White male rage always gets a pass
OTTAWA—White men have a collective problem of violence and they need to take some personal responsibility and pull themselves up by their bootstraps. On Aug. 27, during the prime minister’s campaign stop in Bolton, Ont., the CBC reported, “dozens of angry protestors that outnumbered Liberal supporters began chanting obscenities before Mr. Trudeau could make his […]
Much to be desired in party outreach to marginalized, minority communities this election, say advocates
Representation in politics matters, and from policies announced to the party candidates nominated, many diversity advocates who recently spoke with The Hill Times say it’s still too early to tell which party is doing the best to reach out to marginalized and minority communities this election, but they know what they want to see. While […]
Politicos worry snap election, short campaign a barrier to nominating women in key ridings
With the snap election announced in August, political insiders and analysts say they’re worried the pandemic and short campaign period may deter women from raising their hands to run this year and prevent parties from putting women in ridings where they have a chance. “I think what’s going to end up happening is you’re going […]
Let’s not go back to the way we engaged with government pre-pandemic
A child-care consultation earlier this year simultaneously included stakeholders from Yellowknife, Winnipeg and Toronto. Late last year, 36 youth held 25 meetings with MPs across eight provinces and territories to talk about how COVID is impacting their health, employment, and communities. Gender equity advocates from across the country spoke with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland about […]
Emancipation Day a missed opportunity for action on anti-Black racism
The first federally recognized Emancipation Day in Canada took place on Aug. 1. It commemorated the date in 1834 that the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire. The act freed more than 800,000 enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and South Africa, as well as thousands in what would later become Canada. […]
Normalizing surgeries on intersex infants amounts to torture, says new legal challenge, but ministers won’t commit to change
A recently launched court challenge could overturn laws that allow non-consensual surgeries on intersex infants, but while Justice Minister David Lametti has acknowledged concerns, government ministers were mum on where specifically they fall on this issue. On June 15, EGALE Canada, a national LGBTQI2S organization, filed an application with the Ontario Superior Court to “challenge […]
Government-run diversity challenge ‘hypocritical’ until public service meets private sector targets: experts
A challenge from the government meant to spur diversity in the private sector is odds with the feds’ own record on diversity in the public service and is lacking accountability measures to ensure results, say industry experts. The 50-30 Challenge, originally launched by Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada in December 2020, asks Canadian companies, non-profits, […]
Racism with a side of brie: the Green Party’s continued self-combustion
OTTAWA—The Green Party is internally combusting like the engines its worked so hard to rid Canada of. For the last six weeks, the Conservatives-in-tree-pose party has been embroiled in accusations of anti-Black racism and sexism towards its leader, Annamie Paul, in internal hostilities over the defection of its star MP, Jenica Atwin, to the Liberals. […]
Is the climate for women in politics getting colder?
Nearly six years after Justin Trudeau declared he’d appointed women to half the seats in his first cabinet “because it’s 2015,” the hurdles facing participants who look different from the white, male, middle-class MP prototype seem ever higher. Four developments in the past month cast doubt on Trudeau’s idea that, by itself, the passage of […]
Paul’s treatment exposes Green Party’s mud pit of institutional toxicity
OTTAWA—The “Conservatives in tree pose” are not respecting their chakras. Instead, they’re a mud pit of institutional toxicity. In October 2020, the Green Party elected Canada’s first Black and first Jewish female leader, which was a shot in the arm of the paltry representation in decision-making roles across the country. As I have written before, […]
