Archive for the ‘Equality’ Category

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Ottawa’s focus on data a good step in addressing gender-based violence

Friday, June 23rd, 2017

An epidemic such as gender-based violence can’t be solved without first understanding who is affected and how… the Trudeau government’s sensible new strategy on gender-based violence, which was announced this week, will focus foremost on modernizing research and collecting up-to-date data. These are crucial steps in addressing a deep-rooted problem ignored by Ottawa for far too long.

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Should Indigenous ancestry dictate public policy?

Friday, June 23rd, 2017

The logic of these developments is to allow anyone who can demonstrate any degree of Indian ancestry to apply for registration, that is, to receive legal Indian status… Some First Nations welcome the increased numbers, but many believe they cannot afford to provide services. They sometimes also fear that newly registered Indians who have lived off-reserve for decades no longer share their traditional culture.

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Today, trans Canadians celebrate Bill C-16. Tomorrow, the work begins for us all

Friday, June 16th, 2017

… 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.

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Liberals’ reverse discrimination comes at a cost

Sunday, June 11th, 2017

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.

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Indigenous rights in Canada: Significant work still needed

Thursday, June 8th, 2017

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.

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Ottawa continues to fail Indigenous children

Tuesday, June 6th, 2017

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.

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Feds say they can’t accept Senate changes to bill aiming to end Indian Act sexism

Sunday, June 4th, 2017

… 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.

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What will it take for Ottawa finally to tackle Indigenous child-welfare crisis?

Tuesday, May 30th, 2017

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.

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Finance Minister Bill Morneau vows to close ‘unfair’ tax loopholes

Friday, May 26th, 2017

“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…

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Never forget the lessons of Europe’s concentration camps

Tuesday, May 23rd, 2017

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.

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