Archive for the ‘Equality’ Category
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Today, trans Canadians celebrate Bill C-16. Tomorrow, the work begins for us all
… trans and gender non-binary Canadians are now recognized as formally equal citizens. But the work of real equality has only just begun… As the history of movements for racial justice and women’s rights has shown, anti-discrimination laws are limited in their ability to tackle structural inequalities. And the structural inequalities that trans and gender non-binary individuals face are monumental.
Tags: featured, ideology, mental Health, multiculturalism, participation, rights
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Liberals’ reverse discrimination comes at a cost
The government’s emphasis on equity and diversity is central to its branding. Its 50-50 cabinet has won universal praise. But now it has embarked on a campaign of reverse discrimination that deeply undermines the concepts of fairness and excellence… The new quotas for Canada Research Chairs are: 31 per cent women, 15 per cent visible minorities, 4 per cent disabled, 1 per cent aboriginal. And woe to you if you do not comply.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, multiculturalism, participation, rights, women
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Indigenous rights in Canada: Significant work still needed
Our Constitution requires governments to consult with Indigenous peoples before taking actions that may affect their rights. However, Canadian courts often state that consultation will typically not require consent, and – fearful of a veto power – government officials frequently argue that consent is not required. International laws also require that consultation be “free,” “prior,” and “fully informed,” and that Indigenous people are able to participate fully in decisions affecting them.
Tags: featured, globalization, ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Ottawa continues to fail Indigenous children
Between 1870 and 1996, more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were shipped off to residential schools as the centrepiece of a policy of “aggressive assimilation” of Indigenous peoples. A more accurate description is state-sanctioned cultural genocide. Somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 children sent to residential schools died, and many more were victims of physical, mental and sexual abuse.
Tags: budget, Health, Indigenous, jurisdiction, poverty, rights, standard of living, youth
Posted in Equality History | No Comments »
Feds say they can’t accept Senate changes to bill aiming to end Indian Act sexism
… the government that came to power promising not just a better relationship with Canada’s Indigenous people but also a more gender-inclusive approach to governing will have to stick with some of the sexism in the act or face enormous new costs… eliminating all of the sex-based discrimination could increase the number of people who have Indian status by 80,000 to two million… Each is entitled to such things as tax breaks, supplementary health benefits and money for postsecondary education.
Tags: ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, rights, women
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
What will it take for Ottawa finally to tackle Indigenous child-welfare crisis?
Last January, the Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Ottawa was failing in its legal duty to apply Jordan’s Principle, which says that no First Nations child should be denied welfare services due to jurisdictional disputes. Three months later, the tribunal found the feds still had not taken action and issued a compliance order. In October, it issued a second… The federal government has spent nearly $1 million defending itself against these tribunal complaints over the last year. It lost every time.
Tags: budget, child care, featured, Health, Indigenous, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Finance Minister Bill Morneau vows to close ‘unfair’ tax loopholes
“When people see that the tax system is stacked against them, they can get frustrated. We need to make sure that everyone — especially including the middle class, the large group of people who don’t have access to these sort of planning methodologies — feels that the system is working for them.” … The secrecy afforded to private corporations is a central concern in the fight against tax unfairness…
Tags: crime prevention, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, privatization, tax
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Never forget the lessons of Europe’s concentration camps
It is time to remind ourselves why we developed such a passionate and, we thought, unshakeable commitment to democracy and human rights, to remember the three lessons we were supposed to have learned from the concentration camps of Europe: Indifference is injustice’s incubator; it’s not just what you stand for, it’s what you stand up for; and we can never forget how the world looks to those who are vulnerable.
Tags: featured, ideology, immigration, multiculturalism, participation, rights
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Don’t abandon impoverished people who need legal aid
An independent audit released on Tuesday found little to criticize about how the organization has handled its budget. And Legal Aid itself has argued that the deficit is a result of increased demand for services. As a result, the provincial and federal governments must come up with the money to cover this year’s deficit so that impoverished people caught up in the court system are properly represented.
Tags: budget, crime prevention, ideology, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Why rich kids deserve free drugs from pharmacare
… the rich don’t get a free ride either way. They pay more than their fair share in our (still) progressive tax system, for which they derive the same benefits as everyone else under medicare… Pharmacare isn’t charity, it’s efficiency. In future, as the private sector slowly rolls up drug benefits the way it has phased out pension plans, the pressure will increase on governments to pick up the slack.
Tags: budget, disabilities, featured, Health, ideology, mental Health, participation, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
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