Archive for the ‘Equality Debates’ Category

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Why assume Indigenous peoples speak with one voice?

Thursday, July 23rd, 2020

… while many Indigenous communities might share certain cultural traits or values, our experiences and approaches remain distinct from one another… And, by virtue of the broad diversity of experiences and histories, Indigenous nations will have different needs and priorities… it’s normal, and even healthy, to see these diverging opinions and approaches. Nations’ different economic, cultural and spiritual considerations will inherently lead to different thoughts and opinions.

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Organizations call for wealth tax to bolster Canada’s recovery

Saturday, July 11th, 2020

Canadians for Tax Fairness estimates an annual net wealth tax at modest rates of 1% and 2% on fortunes of over $10 million could raise over  $10 billion annually.  That amount of money could fund 100,000 nurses or more than four-million affordable childcare spaces. A more ambitious wealth tax –complemented by other tax fairness measures such as closing unfair loopholes and cracking down on tax havens– could do even more.

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J.K. Rowling backlash shows how progressives are turning on their own kind

Saturday, June 20th, 2020

Political correctness is a mocking term; the irony is that its substance is indeed (mostly) politically correct. It is correct to acknowledge and try to redress historical wrongs… Enough scolding, enough censorship, enough dogma and enough beating up on good people. Cannibalism is a lousy recruitment strategy. Progressives everywhere need a lesson in the importance of not being so angrily earnest.

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There have always been two Canadas. In this reckoning on racism, both must stand together for Indigenous people now

Monday, June 15th, 2020

Why has all of Canada not stood up with us? Canada’s unique brand of racism can be quiet and loud. It manifests as indifference and it has crept into all public institutions, government agencies, corporations and in the way you look away from the homeless Indigenous man you see sitting on the sidewalk… The will of the majority must stand up and commit to equity, to giving all of our children that same, fresh start.

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Systemic racism is a Canadian problem, too

Monday, June 15th, 2020

Grappling with such truths is not somehow unpatriotic. It is the sign of a mature society — one honest enough to recognize when it falls short of its values and that believes in those values enough to at least try to live up to them. The reality is that, of course, there is systemic racism in Canada. The question is, in this moment of truth, what are we going to do about it?

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Racism makes life a constant struggle for Black Canadians

Sunday, June 14th, 2020

The current crisis sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the glaring inequalities generated by exclusion. We now see clearly how the most vulnerable communities, Black communities in this instance, are more strongly affected by the pandemic and its collateral damage.

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My Black ancestors fled America for freedom. I left Canada to find a home. Now both countries must fight for a better world

Sunday, June 7th, 2020

… some might think that the kind of racism that exists in Canada – in my opinion, more insidious, harder to name and therefore challenge, and always operating under the cloud of plausible deniability – is somehow better than the in-your-face racism of the U.S. But I’ve experienced both, and I’d rather face the enemy that can at least be named than the one Canadians deny even exists.

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On child care, politicians are doing exactly what they said they wouldn’t. Women are paying the price

Saturday, June 6th, 2020

Despite all the goodwill of officials and the commitments from politicians and business leaders, they’ve done exactly what they said they wouldn’t do: opened the doors to recovery without opening the doors for parents, especially mothers. It doesn’t work for families, it doesn’t work for employers who need a broad range of employees to come back, and it certainly doesn’t work for a fair recovery.

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Canada has a racism problem, and it’s uniquely ours

Saturday, June 6th, 2020

As individuals, we are perfectly capable of descending into racism or intolerance indistinguishable from what we see elsewhere. By accident of history and geography, we have developed a culture of accommodation and compromise. But we also benefit from a political inheritance that sets us apart. Sociologists often make reference to Canadians’ deference to authority. To me, it’s our preference for collectivity that counts.

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‘What white privilege?’ ‘Why can’t you be more civil?’

Thursday, June 4th, 2020

Denial is essential to keep any supremacist system running for the benefit of some, to the detriment of others. By keeping the public discourse focused at the level of “does racism exist?” denial demands no change, no reflection, no accountability. Denial is complicity. When it comes to anti-oppression, none of us has all the answers; we are all at different points on the continuum of knowledge and experience.

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