Catherine Fife and Debbie Chapman speaking to protesters. It feels like we turned a dark corner in Ontario. In my hometown in particular. Doug Ford came to K-W to be greeted by tons of protesters including overt representation from ETFO, OSSTF, OECTA, CUPE, OBSCU, Liberals, Greens, and, of course, the
Continue readingTag: child labour
Alberta Politics: Making Child Labour Great Again! Alberta’s new labour law breaks old ground while undermining unions
Alberta’s about to Make Child Labour Great Again! If you think this is a breakthrough, you’re probably a fast-food franchise owner. Cabinet’s “private sector union liaison,” MLA Searle Turton (Photo: Screenshot of Alberta Government video). Yesterday, Premier Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party introduced a bill called the Restoring Balance in
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: This Is Us
Humanity has achieved much since evolution gifted us with self-reflective intelligence. Our technological accomplishments envelop us daily, for both good and ill. Stories of courage, compassion and self-sacrifice abound. That we have the potential for greatness has never really been in doubt. But unalloyed goodness is not something we can
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Depraved Indifference
When you think about it, almost all of us are guilty of it. Toronto Star 14 Jun 2017Re Caution: children at work, June 13 Recognizing child labour as a violation of children’s and workers’ rights, trade unions are joining with families and community organizations to combat child labour, to move
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Mohawk Institute: the "Mushhole"
My class toured this historical “museum of conscience” with a survivor of the school as a guide. It operated as a residential school from 1828 to 1970. We weren’t in the original building because it had been burned down and rebuilt twice. Some schools…
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Mohawk Institute: the "Mushhole"
My class toured this historical “museum of conscience” with a survivor of the school as a guide. It operated as a residential school from 1828 to 1970. We weren’t in the original building because it had been burned down and rebuilt twice. Some schools…
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On the Courage to Care
It’s snowing in Australia and Alaska is on fire, but what really worries me is some police overstepping the bounds of their authority. Just on my facebook feed today, they’ve punched a kid with autism, barged in on a naked woman illegally, and provoked or directly caused suicides in jail,
Continue readingLeft Over: The Fundamental(ist) Reasons for It All…..
Rise of the ‘precariat,’ the global scourge of precarious jobs Barely one in four of the global workforce has a stable job, UN reports By Brian Stewart, CBC News Posted: Jun 01, 2015 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Jun 01, 2015 8:36 AM ET Back in the 7-‘s, when i was
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: They Said What?
Funny how right-wing non-profits with charitable status can be political whenever they want with no fear of tax audits, whereas those with progressive credentials are singled out repeatedly by the Harper regime for special attention from the CRA. Take as an example The Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a right-wing
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Tabacco Farming – Child Labour in the USA
The news: If you’re a 7-year-old in the U.S., you are by law too young to buy a cigarette at the counter — but you are old enough to work in the tobacco fields as a day laborer. Human Rights Watched released a disturbing report Wednesday on child labor in
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Question To Ask Any Day Of The Week
I’m working on installing some flooring in the house today, so for now, here is a question that deserves to be asked by all critical thinkers: Recommend this Post
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Flag Waving
The twin-cities, Kitchener and Waterloo, have both decided to put a rainbow flag inside city hall for the duration of the Olympics rather than fly one outside the building. From The Record: [Coun. Frank] Etherington [who proposed the motion] was critical of the city’s flag solution. “My argument was (putting the
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: A Little Hope is Effective…
A lot of hope is dangerous. – President Snow This may be a little hokey, but I think Catching Fire is an important film to see right now. And it’s awesome! I read the books ages ago, but even though I know how they each end, it didn’t stop me
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Can Animals Provoke Action?
Whenever I talk about atrocities around the world in class – slavery, oil spills, and the like, and I get the class to talk about what bothers them most or what most influences them to change, or get them to do a project on it, a good 70% of the
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: ObamAnt’s State of the Union Address
Inspired by the U.S.A.’s State of the Union Address last night.
Continue readingGreen Assassin Brigade: Child labour should equal a Commonwealth Games boycott
I think its disgusting that India’s Commonwealth game venues have been built in part by child labour. Call me nuts, but I believe that under no circumstances should a 4 year be digging ditches for electrical cables and other menial chores on a 13 hou…
Continue readingGreen Assassin Brigade: Child labour should equal a Commonwealth Games boycott
I think its disgusting that India’s Commonwealth game venues have been built in part by child labour. Call me nuts, but I believe that under no circumstances should a 4 year be digging ditches for electrical cables and other menial chores on a 13 hour shift, yet this is happening
Continue readingGreen Assassin Brigade: Child labour should equal a Commonwealth Games boycott
I think its disgusting that India’s Commonwealth game venues have been built in part by child labour. Call me nuts, but I believe that under no circumstances should a 4 year be digging ditches for electrical cables and other menial chores on a 13 hour shift, yet this is happening
Continue reading