If the future is now, real work to improve Black lives needs to be present
As it has for the past 25 years, the start of February marks the beginning of Black History Month in Canada. In this country, we have Jean Augustine, the first Black woman elected to the House of Commons, to thank for the motion that made it official. On Dec. 14, 1995, Ms. Augustine moved that […]
Political platitudes do nothing for Black Canadians stuck at back of the bus
CALGARY—Malcolm X once said, “The white man will try to satisfy us with symbolic victories rather than economic equity and real justice.” This has been the strategy of the Liberal government since their 2015 majority win, but they’re not the only performance in town. Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole, in an effort to look more […]
Sinclair says next GG should be Indigenous, ‘would contribute to reconciliation in a significant way’
Murray Sinclair is a trail blazer. Appointed associate chief judge of the Manitoba provincial court in 1988, he was later the first Indigenous judge appointed in 2001 to the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba and the second Indigenous judge appointed in Canada. He was co-commissioner of Manitoba’s Public Inquiry into the Administration of Justice […]
‘It’s long overdue’: unions, FBEC weigh in on top leadership’s push for greater diversity, inclusion in federal public service
Union leaders and a Federal Black Employee Caucus representative say the steps are “long overdue,” following Privy Council Clerk Ian Shugart’s recent “call to action” to senior bureaucrats to diversify the leadership ranks in the federal public service, and Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos’ recent announcement to increase diversity and inclusion within the larger bureaucracy and address […]
Canada should pass an order in council against systemic racism
OTTAWA—My family watched the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. We shared with millions of people the awe and relief that grace and leadership has returned to the White House. Tears were shed to witness so many BIPOC on podiums that day and evening. And then my daughter asked me, “why doesn’t our prime minister […]
Post controversy, Green Party executive director position remains unfilled
Three months after the Green Party’s executive director exited his post amid controversy, the position remains unfilled, and, as speculation of an early election mounts, a party spokesperson says the search for a replacement has yet to begin. Prateek Awasthi started his job as the Green Party’s executive director in May 2020, becoming the first person […]
Bloc’s Blanchet is the one who has questions to answer after Alghabra attack
Last week must have been a rollercoaster for Liberal MP Omar Alghabra. After more than 15 years spent in and around federal politics, he was elevated to the government’s front bench, named as the new transport minister in a Jan. 12 cabinet shuffle. Barely 24 hours after that high, Mr. Alghabra had to deal with […]
If we’re going to dismantle white supremacy, let’s not whitewash it
CALGARY—Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is finally being held to account for months of white supremacist dog whistles. On Jan. 18, he moved to kick Derek Sloan out of caucus—a.k.a. The Bare Minimum—after PressProgress revealed that Sloan, at the front of the “which Conservative Party member courts more racism” queue, had accepted a political donation from neo-Nazi […]
Canada’s new year’s resolutions must focus on gender justice
In so many senses, 2020 was a year of testing. The position of women in Canada and our national progress toward the goal of gender equality over three decades was tested and found terribly wanting. Can progress so swiftly reversed in crisis be progress to count on? As we move into a new year that […]
The CBSA must protect our borders from the far right
People around the world struggling against dictatorships and fighting for democracy have often looked to the United States for inspiration. But America’s democratic credentials have been tarnished. The assault on democracy on Jan. 6 was the culmination of years of Donald Trump inciting his base with hateful rhetoric and radicalizing people, who eventually led an […]
