On this day of remembrance of women lost to violence, here is Carolyn Egan, a woman I am proud to call friend and comrade, accepting the the Constance E. Hamilton Award on the Status of Women.
Continue readingTag: human rights
wmtc: doctors vs jason kenney: the fight continues
The Harper Government continues to scapegoat the most vulnerable among us, demonizing refugee claimants, denying them due process, forcing them out of Canada. Yesterday we heard that four people arrested at the border were part of a human smuggling ring. Peter Showler, director of the Refugee Forum at the University
Continue readingCanadian Progressive: Jewish human rights group condemns Harper government’s UN vote on Palestine
by Independent Jewish Voices | December 3, 2012 A Canadian Jewish human rights group is condemning the Harper government’s opposition to giving Palestine non-member observer state status at the United Nations. In a vote taken this week by the General Assembly, 138 countries voted to grant Palestine this status. “Once again the Harper government has embarrassed […]
Continue readingwmtc: this is what jason kenney’s canada looks like: family deported to libya, father is tortured, court cites bias and lies
A family that was ordered to leave Canada by Jason Kenney’s IRB was – as they predicted – separated and detained, and the father was tortured by Libyan authorities. The Benhmuda family lived in Canada for eight years, and included two children born in …
Continue readingCanadian Progressive: No Stevie Wonder for the Israel Defense Forces
High-impact anti-Israeli apartheid online activism by peace makers around the world forced Stevie Wonder to cancel his planned performance for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The American singer, songwriter, and activist had been scheduled to perfo…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading.- Louise Story reports on tax goodies and direct giveaways to businesses at the local level (which of course seldom deliver the promised economic return). That said, it’s worth noting that we’re desperately lacking…
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: Trans Human Rights in Canada: Progress, Stalls and Confustication.
The Province of Nova Scotia passed Bill 140, the Transgendered [sic] Persons Protection Act, today. The Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project (NSRAP) commented on Facebook: “Bill 140 passed today with unanimous support in the Nova Scotia Legislature. “Debate” isn’t the right word to express what happened – it was an outpouring of support for adding
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Go Back To Sleep America, At Your Own Peril
I never reprint other people’s writings, no matter how good – but I will make an exception for this. This article is a true must-read. Please, take the time to read it. Then act. Good morning America. It’s time for a new day. Kudos and warm thanks to Jill Dalton
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on the need to question both the importance of trade agreements compared to other forms of interjurisdictional cooperation in general, and the Cons’ warped priorities in particular.For further reading…- Again, here’s the Council of Canadians’ n…
Continue readingwmtc: saturday across canada: end the siege of gaza
This Saturday, across Canada and around the world, people will gather to condemn Israel’s massacre of Gaza. The call:Stop Israel’s war on Gaza!Stop the killing. End the blockade. Free Palestine. Support BDS.In Toronto:Rally & MarchSaturday, Novembe…
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Savita Halappanavar’s Death – Victory for the Irish Catholic “Pro-Life” Murder Brigade
I needed some time to digest this story… Sorry folks but that is a lie. I needed some time to come back to a (relatively) coherent state before I could write reasonably about what went down with Savita Halappanavar. A post filled with nothing but white-hot rage and invective against the pustulant ass-pimples known as […]
Continue readingwmtc: pollitt: when "pro-life" kills: honour savita’s memory with a donation to help other irish women
Who is more valuable, a living woman or a dying fetus? The Catholic Church has given its answer, and Savita Halapannavar is dead. If this was Islam, we’d never hear the end of it.Follow developments, including notifications about protests and demonst…
Continue readingDented Blue Mercedes: LGBT human rights in Uganda, and John Baird’s dilemma.
Recent attention from both ends of the political spectrum has focused on the efforts of the Harper government to safeguard the safety and human rights of lesbian and gay people around the world. I’ve commended Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird for taking the lead on this before, and without prompting. But what has been
Continue readingCanadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: Canada’s Laws Fuel Migrant Worker Exploitation: Report
by Metcalf Foundation Canada’s reliance on low-wage migrant workers with temporary immigration status is growing but our laws make them vulnerable to abuse, says a new report published by the Metcalf Foundation. Made in Canada: How the Law Constructs…
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Gay People and their Straight Friends
I've been so busy celebrating Obama's big victory, that I haven't been able to do this story justice.For it too was an amazing victory, and a tribute to all those gay Americans who never gave up the struggle despite one bitter defeat after …
Continue readingwmtc: remembrance day: all the victims of war, not just the ones who did the killing
Richard Jackson:I would wear a red poppy if it was a symbol of remembrance for all the victims of war, and not just the ones who did the killing. By excluding the non-military victims of war from remembrance, the red poppy upholds a moral hierarchy of …
Continue readingwmtc: early dispatches from movie season: graffiti mystery, legal murder
I can’t believe how much I’m loving having access to US Netflix through our Roku device. For the price of a new router and some easy-to-follow instructions, my leisure time has been hugely improved. This is close to what I’ve always wanted for TV and movies: true on-demand viewing. Among
Continue readingwmtc: illegal detention abroad, censorship and media propaganda at home: solidarity with palestine under attack
As you may have heard, the ship The Estelle, sailing in international waters, was illegally boarded by the Israeli navy, and its occupants taken into custody. Among those being held are Jim Manley, a Canadian, and a former New Democrat MP. The Estelle is part of the Freedom Flotilla movement,
Continue readingCanadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: How an Accused Guatemalan War Criminal Won U.S., Canadian Citizenship
by Sebastian Rotella | ProPublica In May 1985, a Guatemalan Army lieutenant named Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes deserted, flew to San Francisco and requested political asylum, asserting that leftist guerrillas in his war-torn homeland were gunning for him. The 27-year-old officer described his combat exploits in his application for asylum. He said he
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