Judge’s Ruling on Standing Rock a Second Chance for Justice
The federal court’s recent ruling on the Dakota Access Pipeline saga could start a new chapter guaranteeing the rule of law and protection of water protectors, argues Mark Trahant, the…
The Canadian Progressive
Mental illness the go-to excuse for white men committing acts of terrorism against people of color
The label “mental illness”, when referred to white men who’ve committed acts of terrorism against people of color, downplays racism and elicits sympathy for the bigoted murderer, argues Zenobia Jeffries,…
Full text of Trump speech announcing US withdrawal from Paris climate accord
Announcing the United States’ unprecedented withdrawal from Paris climate accord, Donald Trump cited the “draconian financial and economic burdens the agreement imposes on our country.” The post Full text of…
Canada’s vanishing point: Reconciliation and the erasure of Indian personhood
According to Tara Williamson, a singer-songwriter and poet from Manitoba, one of the many problems inherent in Canada’s current effort to reconcile with Indigenous peoples is this: “We must be…
Research sheds light on dark corner of B.C.’s oil and gas industry
A field study by the David Suzuki Foundation and St. Francis Xavier University found methane pollution from B.C.’s oil and gas industry is at least 2.5 times higher than B.C.…
The role of NGOs in Africa: are they a force for good?
Some critics argue that the neo-liberal policies advanced by powerful non-governmental organizations, NGOs, limit states’ influence and sovereignty while benefiting NGOs. In Africa, NGOs also place Africans at the mercy…
With Syria missile strikes, Trump turns from non-intervention to waging war
The US’ cruise missile strikes against Syria’ Shayrat airforce base mark President Donald Trump’s first big foreign policy test. For foreign policy realists, Trump’s swift turn from non-intervention to waging…
What will it take to get Canada’s Arctic off diesel?
The planned Innavik Hydro Electric Project will provide clean energy and propel the indigenous Inukjuak community in Northern Quebec off its dependency on dirty diesel energy. But the project faces…
How Chicago Became the First City to Make Reparations to Victims of Police Violence
The recent passage of historic reparations legislation in Chicago means black people who have experienced racial violence at the hands of the police can be granted reparations. The post How…
Cybersecurity should protect us – not control us
The cybersecurity debate can undermine human rights and the international obligation on governments to protect them, argues Lucy Purdon, a policy officer at Privacy International. The post Cybersecurity should protect…
Federal budget must take action on inequality and boost economy
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ latest annual Alternative Federal Budget urges the federal government to table a budget that makes good on its promises to reduce income inequality and…
International Women’s Day: yes, we still need to protest this shit
On International Women’s Day 2017, we still need to “protest this shit” because, for example, Donald Trump got elected president of the US and he “endorses positions of feminine passivity…
The Mental and Physical Trauma of “Dreamers” Living With Deportation Threats
Since Trump’s election, the future of Daniela Vargas and more than 750,000 recipients of former president Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has been uncertain. Most of them now…
Oscars Best Picture blunder drowned out an overwhelmingly political ceremony – how apt
What was supposed to be the most political Academy Awards in history ended up in racial controversy as La La Land was initially awarded the Oscars Best Picture crown, which…
Trump’s border plan for Canada? So far, not a wall
The fist meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Donald Trump seems to have made it clear that there will be no wall between the 8,891 km Canada-US border.…
Celebrity charities just compete with all other charities – so why start one?
Since there is already an “enormous number of charities in the world,” most of which compete with other charities for our hard-earned donations, does it make any sense for celebrities…
Van Jones Unleashes His Love Army Against Trump’s Muslim Ban
So far, more than 100,000 people have joined social justice champion and longtime civil rights activist Van Jones’ #LoveArmy campaign against Donald Trump racially-loaded exclusionary policies targeting immigrants and other…
A guide to the Geneva Convention for beginners, dummies and newly elected world leaders
In the wake of the Donald Trump’s controversial Executive Order suspending the US Refugee Admission Program for 120 days, German Chancellor Angela Merkel explained the Geneva Convention to her newly…
How the everyday use of militaristic jargon makes us more combative
The language of warfare and violence dominates public discourse in the United States and around the world, even when war isn’t part of the conversation. Nan Levinson, a writer, teacher,…
Trudeau’s approval of Kinder Morgan pipeline a call for Standing Rock-style intervention
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approval of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project spurred anger. We need strategy to stop the project. The post Trudeau’s approval of Kinder Morgan…