Africa’s anti-gay madness—the Christian connection
Uganda recently passed an anti-gay law described by United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk as “probably among the worst of its kind in the world.” Anyone engaging in gay…
human rights
You Do NOT Roll Over For Fascists
So, on Saturday, Jen Gerson published a column in the Globe and Mail titled “The Backlash Against Drag Artists Is Unfair, But It’s No Mystery Why It’s Happening”. I read…
judy heumann, rest in power
Judith Heumann, one of the founders and primary movers of the disability rights movement, died recently at the too-young age of 75. Judith Heumann was a force of nature. She…
Justice for Hassan Diab
Professor Hassan Diab is a Canadian citizen and academic who is facing extradition to France to stand trial in connection with the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue. This even…
What about the atheists?
We hear a great deal about religious bigotry these days. Islamophobia so concerns the federal government that it recently appointed an anti-Islamophobia representative—Amira Elghawaby. (Ms. Elghawaby immediately got into hot…
Will Frances Widdowson get her job back?
Frances Widdowson was not Miss Popularity at Mount Royal University in Calgary. Over 6,000 people signed a petition calling for her firing. They wanted her gone. And gone she was.…
Conservatives Are Dismantling Western Democracies
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind lately, but there are some very disturbing patterns emerging in the politics of western democracy these days. At the top of the list,…
The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism: a viable way forward for anti-racist action
The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism accomplishes the task of clearly identifying antisemitism in such a fashion that it is unlikely to upset anyone, writes Taylor Noakes. Photo by Ted Eytan.…
in which i have nothing new to say: just write for rights #w4r22
It’s that time of year again: time to Write for Rights. Looking back on my write for rights posts for the last several years, it appears that I’ve been recycling…
Notwithstanding politicians, the Charter prevails
“The government blinked,” read the CBC headline. The Ontario Minister of Education Stephen Lecce confirmed that his government will repeal Bill 28 “in its entirety.” He was referring of course…
About Canada’s Much-Vaunted Reputation On Human Rights
Despite our politicians’ proud proclamations, there is actually much less to them than meets the eye: Recommend this Post
Why I support Collin May’s lawsuit
In May of this year, lawyer Collin May was appointed by cabinet order as chief of the Alberta Human Rights Commission after serving on the commission for three years. Then…
Must we not criticize Islam?
Calgary lawyer Collin May began a new job last week. He was promoted to chair the Alberta Human Rights Commission after serving on it since 2019. Mr. May’s appointment was…
the end of roe: a day we expected for so long still has the power to shock and stun us
We’ve been expecting this for 20 years. More than forty years of anti-abortion legislation, escalating every year and every decade, then Trump, then finally, the leaked draft. So I thought…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Dianna Chang et al. examine the correlation between social and political factors and COVID-19 spread and mortality. And Crawford Kilian discusses how Canadian…
Guest Post by Brad Lafortune: Edmonton’s proposed encampment strategy violates human rights
The reality about human rights is that while they may be enshrined in international and federal laws, they are negotiated and often ignored every day in our streets and communities,…
we can stand with ukraine but i cannot stand the hypocrisy
Every day brings new images of war crimes and atrocities, destruction and suffering in Ukraine. Every day brings new declarations of love and solidarity for the Ukrainian people. And every…
Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Kai Kupferschmidt reports on the recognition among scientists around the globe that the Omicron COVID variant is almost certain to precipitate another major…
take a social media human rights challenge: write for rights 2021 #w4r21
Advanced planning is no match for the calendar! Despite my early preparation, December 10 — Human Rights Day — still caught me off-guard. I haven’t reviewed any cases or set…
get ready for write for rights 2021 #w4r21
Write for Rights, Amnesty International’s annual global human rights campaign, begins on December 10. I like to think of W4R as a month-long event, and generally spend the month of…