March 16, 2010
Stand up for women’s rights: don’t ban the burka
We must protect women from religious coercion… Two Afghan women wear burkas in Northern Afghanistan. Creative Commons photo by Steve Evans. Banning burkas has long been a popular idea among immigration hardliners on the European right, who claim that the head-to-toe woman’s garment is a matter of national security. Canadians may scoff at such paranoia, but the idea is gaining some momentum... [More >>]
March 11, 2010
Review: The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book by Gord Hill
In The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book, Vancouver-based writer Gord Hill blends his visual and literary talents to tell the story of aboriginal life since the arrival of Europeans in the Western Hemisphere in 1492. If the book’s title isn’t enough to tell you what perspective Hill, a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw nation, is taking, the names of the book’s three sections certainly will: Invasion,... [More >>]
March 9, 2010
Interview: Globe and Mail Afghanistan correspondent Graeme Smith
Globe and Mail Afghanistan correspondent Graeme Smith. Illustration by Peter Mitchell. Calgary Herald reporter Michelle Lang was the first Canadian journalist to die covering the conflict in Afghanistan. She was killed on December 30, 2009. Her death brought to mind the dangers faced there not just by the military but by the media as well. From September 2005 to February 2009, Globe and Mail... [More >>]
March 8, 2010
Canadian military quietly preps for longer Afghan mission
Canada’s troops are supposed to leave Afghanistan in 2011. As the conflict drags on and the death toll rises, the Canadian government and military plan for the next decade of war—this time with Canadian jets dropping the bombs On Monday, November 3, 2008, while on patrol in Afghanistan, near the village of Wech Baghtu in the district of Shah Wali Kot in Kandahar province, international and... [More >>]
February 26, 2010
When Canada flouts its own aid promises, we fail Haitians—again
This editorial appears in the March-April 2010 issue of This, which will be in subscribers‘ mailboxes and on newsstands next week. Haitians awaiting relif supplies in Port au Prince, January 15, 2010. The earthquake that devastated Haiti on the afternoon of January 12, 2010, viscerally illustrated the need for responsible, long-term, sustainable development. For many thousands of Haitians, poverty... [More >>]
February 17, 2010
Interview: sealskin clothing designer and lawyer Aaju Peter
Europe’s sealskin ban threatens her runway-ready apparel—and maybe the entire Inuit way of life Aaju Peter. Illustration by David Donald. A majority of the 27 member states of the European Union voted to ban the trade of seal product imports such as pelts, oil, and meat last July. The ban comes into effect in August 2010. Although the EU did allow a partial exemption for Inuit populations,... [More >>]
January 27, 2010
Banned at home, Canada continues exporting deadly asbestos worldwide
Microscopic image of Asbestos. Despite being banned here, Canada remains the West's biggest exporter of the deadly mineral. Over the past two decades, Canada has spent millions stripping asbestos from the walls and ceilings of schools, the Parliament Buildings, and hospitals. The national outcry against asbestos has led to some government restrictions on its use and production, causing many Canadians... [More >>]
December 1, 2009
“Give a Day” campaign makes fighting HIV-AIDS all in a day’s work
Dr. Jane Philpott, founder of the Give a Day to World AIDS campaign. Photo by Molly Crealock. One day’s salary might not mean much to most of us, but to Dr. Jane Philpott, founder of the Give a Day to World AIDS campaign, it might be just enough to save a life. In 2004, the Markham, Ont.-based family physician gave a presentation to her colleagues about the AIDS epidemic. Knowing that she couldn’t... [More >>]
November 25, 2009
James Loney: Canada came to rescue me. Why not Arar, Khadr, Mohamud?
Some of these Canadians are not like the others. Left to right: Brenda Martin, James Loney, Omar Khadr, Maher Arar, Suaad Hagi Mohamud. In November 2005, I travelled to Iraq in violation of a Foreign Affairs travel advisory. It was my third trip. Four members of an international delegation, including myself, were kidnapped and held by Iraqi insurgents for four months. One member of our group, an American... [More >>]
November 23, 2009
The Ecuadorian village that’s taking the Toronto Stock Exchange to court
Marcia Ramírez is suing the Toronto Stock Exchange over a violent incident with a Canadian mining company's security service. Photo by Malcolm Rogge. Marcia Ramírez is in for the fight of her life: suing the Toronto Stock Exchange for listing a company that it knew might cause her harm. In early December 2006, Ramírez was one of some 30-odd residents of the remote Intag valley in northwestern... [More >>]
