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…
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.…
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 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.…
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…
“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…
Despite our politicians’ proud proclamations, there is actually much less to them than meets the eye: Recommend this Post
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction. It is impeccably researched — nearly every page yields another revelation —…
Dimitri Lascaris is an accomplished lawyer, journalist and activist. Among his many achievements, Dimitri ran for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada in 2020, finishing second out of…
Read this information from Stand For Health Freedom (below) before you form an opinion set in stone. And remember, as Emerson said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little…
What side are you on? And are you sure?
I have always been, and always will be, on the side of the anti-fascists and anti-authoritarians. At present, in 2021, that represents about 30% of the people. That may sound…