Women in politics still facing challenges not shared by men
OTTAWA—On the eve of the 100th anniversary of some women in Canada gaining the federal franchise in 1917, women in Canada are enjoying newfound success and power in politics. Despite the fact that elected women are often held to higher performance standards, endure rampant online bullying, and “everyday sexism” at work, progress is nonetheless discernible. Particularly encouraging […]
French burkini ban perfect example of how not to fight racism
OTTAWA—By prohibiting body-covering swimwear on beaches in the south of France, Gallic politicians have actually managed to make the situation worse. The image of police officers surrounding a woman on a Nice beach and forcing her to disrobe at gunpoint should frighten any citizen who values freedom of democratic choice. Instead, French politicians weigh in, […]
Powers wrong on Supreme Court bilingualism
Re: “Supreme Court, like Parliament, can accommodate unilingual members” (The Hill Times, July 27, page 10). Tim Powers is a conservative lobbyist. Last week, he published an article in which he maintains that knowledge of the two official languages wouldn’t be necessary to become a judge at the Supreme Court of Canada. Mr. Powers, are […]
What we really, really want is an end to violence against women
To mark its 20th anniversary, artists from India to Nigeria recently revamped the Spice Girls’ world-famous Wannabe video. What they “really, really want” this time around is an end to violence against women. I really, really want that too. Because I know that our world continues to be an unequal, dangerous, and even deadly place […]
Feminist approach to peace, security requires more than words
On July 1, we marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The slaughter of hundreds of thousands of young men echoes through the century. I am Canadian because of my Scottish grandmother. She turned 19 the year the First World War ended. She looked around and saw that “there were no young […]
Harassment of female politicians done to ‘silence and intimidate’: experts
Politicians, civil society groups, and labour unions are raising concerns about the political harassment of female politicians after a golf tournament in Alberta welcomed players to take a swing at a cut-out of the province’s premier, Rachel Notley. “It’s outrageous and unacceptable,” said Nancy Peckford, executive director of Equal Voice, an organization dedicated to boosting women’s presence in […]
There’s something particularly pernicious about how women politicians are singled out
This past week, Equal Voice spoke at a quickly convened memorial for the late Jo Cox, the U.K. legislator who was stabbed and gunned down in her constituency. In a world where women remain a distinct minority in elected office, the death of Jo Cox, who was a passionate and outspoken advocate for the disadvantaged, […]
Women in STEM is necessary for an innovative and prosperous country
Canada is most prosperous when all Canadians have a fair chance to succeed. These were the words used by Navdeep Bains, minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, during the Canadian government’s announcement of its innovation agenda last Tuesday afternoon in Ottawa. We at Ladies Learning Code could not agree more. Over the last five […]
Women and weed tipping point in last election
OTTAWA—Women and weed were the tipping point in the last election. According to last week’s Elections Canada 2015 voter update, the number of young women voters rose an astonishing 20 per cent. Similar positive results were posted for first-time young male voters, with a 17 per cent increase in their turnout. Those hikes meant more […]
What the response to Christy Clark’s sex-assault story says about life for women in politics
Last week, British Columbia Premier Christy Clark waded into the broader discussion of sexual assault by breaking her own silence about her experience of sexualized violence. She recounted her childhood, which, she noted, included not one but several advances from strangers who flashed her, groped her, and spied on her. Worse, however, was how, at […]
