‘It’s really me. I’m here, and I’m coming to social media’: Mark Carney starts promotional machine
Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, who held the same job overseas in England, is dealing with coronavirus-wrought isolation in a way familiar to millions—by turning to social media. Mr. Carney, the UN special envoy for climate action and finance and “informal adviser” to the Trudeau government, returned to Twitter on Feb. 15, posting […]
The latest case of police racism is yet another travesty of justice
MONTREAL—Montreal is a great place to live. Unless you are a person of colour. Mamadi Fara Camara, a 31-year-old PhD student and instructor from Guinea, found this out on the evening of Jan. 28. He had been stopped by Montreal police for using a cellphone while driving, an offence he says he did not commit. […]
Black History Month has turned into HR blackface
CALGARY—Instead of organizations creating positive, inclusive environments to celebrate Black History Month with their employees, what has transpired is nothing less than an onslaught of microaggressions that would leave anyone disillusioned and depressed. Many organizations use their “celebration” of Black History Month to promote their minstrelsy. We are now into the first half of Black […]
Indigenous groups wary but hopeful as consultations start on co-developing distinctions-based health legislation
The Liberal government’s promise to co-develop distinctions-based Indigenous health legislation is being welcomed as an opportunity solidify jurisdiction by some Indigenous groups, who are also cautious of Ottawa’s approach to consultations. For many, self-determination and the provincial and territorial transfer of health service delivery to Inuit, Métis, and First Nations is the key outcome. Any legislation […]
A seat at the table: inside efforts to boost diversity, Black representation in federal candidate nominations
Achieving a representative House of Commons requires diversity among the candidates nominated for election, and since 2019, new efforts are being made both within political parties and beyond to increase diversity, including Black representation, in federal politics. But new rules only go as far as a party has the will to take them, and Samara […]
Political parties need to field as many women candidates as men
When Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet last month, he retained the gender balance that earned him headlines back in 2015. No one commented, because six years on, it’s become the default for the federal Liberals. That’s good news for the roughly 50 per cent of the population who identify as women. But it’s not enough—and […]
Events and activity herald the arrival of Black History Month
Speaking at a virtual conversation Feb. 1 with the first Black NHL player Willie O’Ree, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explored the topic of progress for the Black community. “We still have a lot of work to do to make a better present and a future for everyone,” Mr. Trudeau, who serves Papineau, Que., said. “And […]
Does the response to the Payette scandal signal a change in the treatment of bullying and harassment victims?
The scandal at Rideau Hall appears to have brought #MeToo back to life in Ottawa. It’s toppled its biggest figure yet, the governor general. It also may have brought about a change in the way whistleblowers on abuse and harassment are treated. It’s about time. The workplace is littered with the broken careers and shattered lives […]
COVID-19 is not gender-blind
Women are at greater risk both of direct exposure to the virus due to their over-representation in health care and service settings, and of pandemic-related job losses. Quarantine, isolation, unemployment, financial insecurity, violence, and a fragile work-family balance are all health risk factors exacerbated by the pandemic. All these may lead to persistent economic and […]
Canada should be speaking up against Moïse’s authoritarian measures in Haiti
A meaningful way to honour Black History Month is by questioning Canada’s role in a country born in struggle to make Black Lives Matter. In Haiti today, Ottawa is supporting a government that is reviving the spectre of the infamous Papa Doc and Baby Doc Duvalier dictatorship. More than two centuries ago, Africans in Saint-Domingue rose […]
