Archive for the ‘Equality’ Category

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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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Canada has a long, documented history of racism and racial discrimination. Don’t look away

Sunday, June 14th, 2020

“Canadians have inherited a contested past. Like their forebears, they face conflict, struggle and loss alongside success, accomplishment and hope. They steward an acclaimed but imperfect democracy, a beautiful but threatened environment, a revered but relative civility. Their vision and generosity, wisdom and compromise will be their own legacy – for Canada, and the world.”

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Let’s save some outrage for treatment of Indigenous people

Saturday, June 13th, 2020

… Indigenous children under 15 make up 4 per cent of the provincial population but 30 per cent of children in foster care. There’s a straight line from those figures to family poverty, inadequate housing, untreated addictions and a woefully underfunded child welfare system… why is the response so muted when it comes to the racism faced by Indigenous peoples?

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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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One year after a landmark report on violence against Indigenous women, we’re still waiting for action

Saturday, June 6th, 2020

The police remain a primary tool of enforcing colonial violence against Indigenous peoples, and government departments have been and continue to be agents for the colonization, assimilation and attempted erasure of Indigenous peoples… it is imperative that affected MMIWGT2S+ families and supportive grassroots organizations led by Indigenous women play a leading role in developing a plan to end that violence… They have the answers to what is required…

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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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To overcome racism, we must raise our voices

Monday, June 1st, 2020

So many of you are asking: What can I do? There is a sense of helplessness, but that must not paralyze us. Your voice matters, especially when you are a leader or influential figure, and especially if you are white. Leaders have to be bold enough to state the obvious and call out racism. The conversation can no longer be avoided because it is hard. We have to have it. Now.

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