It will take more than a law to change ‘archaic’ Hill culture, says Senate sponsor of anti-harassment bill
Government legislation aimed at handling and preventing sexual harassment in federally regulated workplaces and Parliament Hill won’t be enough to stop the longstanding problem, says the bill’s Senate sponsor, but it’s a step in the right direction towards a much-needed change to the Hill’s “very archaic” culture. Bill C-65 is “not going to fix everything,” […]
What Canadian media and government can learn from Black Panther movie
The fact that Black Panther has grossed over $1-billion at the box office reflects the deep yearning among racialized communities to see themselves positively portrayed in the media. “Those of us who are not white have considerably more trouble not only finding representation of ourselves in mass media and other arenas of public life, but […]
Liberal MP Caesar-Chavannes trends on Twitter with #HereforCelina, speaks out against racism
Rookie Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes began trending last Tuesday night on Twitter with hundreds using the hashtag #HereforCelina after she spoke out against systemic and anti-black racism. “So tired of being attacked as a racist b/c I question racism or speak up against it. The label that does not belong to me. I will not […]
Inaugural Women on the Hill shindig draws 500, and MPs from all parties
The inaugural Women on the Hill event, hosted by Earnscliffe Strategy Group’s Velma McColl at the Sir John A. Macdonald Building last Monday night, attracted nearly 500 guests who mingled, networked, and celebrated a belated International Women’s Day, which was on March 8. Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsef posed for photos with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna […]
NDP MP Erin Weir met with harassment investigator last week
NDP MP Erin Weir says he met with the person investigating harassment allegations against him for the first time last week, more than a month after the investigation started. The Saskatchewan MP said NDP caucus services had asked him not to disclose information about the investigation and he has respected the request. But he said […]
Mandatory anti-harassment training coming for MPs’ staffers on and off the Hill
This fall, anyone working in an MP’s office can expect to follow in their boss’s footsteps and be required to take in-person anti-harassment training, following a House of Commons Board of Internal Economy decision earlier this month. The group of seven MPs who oversee House finances and administration, chaired by House Speaker Geoff Regan (Halifax […]
U.K.’s Daily Mail takes a run at Trudeau
The U.K.’s trashy tabloid, the Daily Mail, skewered Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a March 8 story, calling him “the world’s most PC politician” and asserting he “has voters worrying if there is any real substance to their superstar premier.” “He banned the word mankind and cried when he met his wife…is Canada’s PM Justin […]
Recognition of Viola Desmond a positive step, but we need more than symbols to reach full equality
OTTAWA—Viola Desmond made history back in 1946 when she refused to sit in a segregated balcony at the cinema in New Glasgow, N.S. That was nine years before Rosa Parks became a symbol of the American civil rights movement by refusing to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus. So why […]
University professors call for more women in the sciences
Today, as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we wanted to reflect on what it meant to be a woman in 2018. We feel privileged to hold a professorship in a Canadian university, and today, we are reminded that this privilege cannot be taken for granted. We are privileged because historically, women could never aspire to […]
Trudeau made some rookie mistakes in India because feds lack diverse staff, says former Freeland staffer
Diversity among the political staffers who populate Parliament Hill has come far from days past, but more needs to be done to increase multiculturalism at the staffing level, and recent gaffes on Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to India are a symptom of this problem, says former staffer Omer Aziz. “It’s not enough to […]
