Don’t piss on our shoes and tell us Black lives matter
OTTAWA—Burn. It. All. Down. We’ve marched. We’ve bent the knee. We’ve attended your diversity and inclusion workshops that don’t include us and are run by some random privileged white woman. We’ve been on your mostly white diversity panels and working groups. We’ve reported racism. We’ve spoken nicely to the police. We’ve gotten an education (and […]
Creating a better world for future generations means speaking out on racism now
OTTAWA—It will shock nobody who reads this column to learn that I am a slow learner. Specifically, I always thought it quaint, but attached no real meaning to it, when friends who were parents used to say you see the world differently when you have a child. As someone who became a dad just shy […]
Stuck with Trump in a nation-defining moment, there’s no turning back for the U.S.
OTTAWA—In 1989, as five young teens (four Black, one Latino) were going to trial in New York for allegedly beating and raping a woman who was jogging through Central Park, Donald Trump took out full-page ads in New York city newspapers suggesting they should be executed. “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!” […]
Trudeau condemns violence at anti-racism protests in Montreal, says it detracts from ‘very real issues’ country faces
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the actions of some protesters responsible for disrupting what had largely been a peaceful demonstration against anti-Black racism in Montreal over the weekend. Thousands of Canadians held demonstrations in Montreal amid the pandemic, joining several thousands more across the country, in the U.S., and Europe in expressing solidarity with the […]
Online tool tracks more than 100 pandemic-related racism incidents since February
Preliminary research shared Thursday by a group of Chinese-Canadian organizations that is encouraging the public to log experiences of racism throughout the COVID-19 pandemic found more than 100 reported cases in the last three months, with the vast majority of incidents registered in May. Since February, there have been 138 cases of racism related to […]
Health agency reveals race-based data guideline as calls grow for nation-wide collection
In response to calls for better demographic data to understand health inequities and COVID-19, this week the Canadian Institute for Health Information is releasing an interim race data standard that public health agencies can use. Many advocates, though, are pushing for more than advice, saying the federal government has a leadership role to play to […]
Feds should use anti-racism strategy to tackle anti-Asian sentiments in wake of pandemic, say experts
Amid reports of a rise in anti-Asian racism driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, some advocates and critics are calling on the federal government to use its anti-racism strategy to respond to those threats, with experts saying it should redirect funds to more targeted initiatives. Avvy Go, a director with the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal […]
Women leaders are running this country, and we should keep it that way
OTTAWA—One really couldn’t say I’m a raging feminist, but I am Tlingit, and in my culture, women lead. That’s the way it has always been. Women are essential in leadership because good decisions can’t be made without them. The reverse is also true in a fully functioning society; good decisions can’t be made without men. […]
Child-care support emerging as key consideration in economic rebound, say advocates
As Canada gradually loosens COVID-19 restrictions, there are growing appeals for Ottawa to bolster support for child care amid concerns that women who have been furloughed or laid off may struggle to resume work. The federal government has “already been dipping its toes” in boosting support for child care, but the pandemic crisis, which forced […]
Pandemic used as a cover for increased persecution of women human rights defenders globally
Reem Al-Ksiri is a Syrian-born lawyer who now lives in Vienna, Austria. Like millions of other Syrians, she was forced from her home by war and the brutality of a regime that instead of protecting its citizens has bombed, imprisoned and tortured them. Reem works to release women currently imprisoned in Syria. She also works […]
