May 24, 2013 0
London Mayor Boris Johnson has added his voice to those supporting a Bill that would grant new powers to UK intelligence agencies to track emails and phone calls. But Conservative Minister Eric Pickles says he doubts that any such measures could have prevented the death of soldier Lee Rigby, who was killed in a knife attack in London that has been described as a terrorist act.
May 24, 2013 0
The Boy Scouts of America has voted to end a longstanding policy of excluding openly-gay boys and young men. At a national meeting held in Grapevine, Texas, the organizations’ national leaders voted more than 60% in favor of a new policy that no one can be excluded from joining “on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.”
May 23, 2013 0
Quebec’s PQ government has decided to delay fulfilling one of its election promises to the fall. The controversial “Charter of Secularism”, a proposal to define reasonable accommodations of religious minorities, will also be broadened and renamed to a “Charter of Quebec Values”.
Bernard Drainville, Minister of Democratic Institutions, has said he is responding to civil society groups which would like the benefit of more time and a summer break to prepare for such an important debate.
The proposed changes to the Charter will enshrine values such as gender equality. Drainville points to polls showing widespread support in Quebec for defined rules on religious accommodations and wide belief that an end to “unreasonable accommodations” would promote a more integrated society.
There has been disagreement over the definition of “unreasonable accommodation”, such as when Drainville recently objected to a Montreal borough’s practice of waiving parking restrictions during Jewish high holidays while Liberal leader Philippe Couillard lauded the parking “agreement”.
But the opposition Liberals also argue the Charter could breed intolerance. The original proposal would have prohibited employees in public institutions from wearing “overt” religious symbols at work, but would have exempted necklaces such as crosses.
Others, such as Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, say the proposal wrongly prioritizes certain values over others. Constitutional lawyer Julius Grey has argued the original proposal could not have passed Charter scrutiny.
Critics and supporters alike will now have to wait a few more months to know what MNAs will be voting on, and whether the revisions will respond to their concerns.
May 23, 2013 0
Inuit organizations stated that they intend to fight “tendencies of linguicide” and to promote linguistic diversity in the face of development pressures at the 12th session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York this week.
According to Nunatsiaq Online, the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) stated that the Inuit language is rapidly disappearing in North America. The ICC represents Inuit across the Arctic Circle and has embarked on an “Arctic Indigenous Language Project”.
The ICC stated also that Arctic cultures must be a “focal point” in development decisions, particularly because culture and environment are inextricably linked. They stressed the importance of democratic decision-making and consent of local peoples in agreements with resource extraction companies, in ways that are both inclusive and preserving of culture.
May 23, 2013 0
A motion to ban Gay-Straight Alliance student clubs in Catholic schools, submitted by Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) Scarborough Trustee, Garry Tanuan, is set to be heard at the TCDSB’s monthly public meeting tonight (Catholic Education Centre, 80 Sheppard Ave. E., on Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m.). The motion directly conflicts with provincial legislation under The Accepting Schools Act, which came into effect last June, and mandates that “[e]very board shall support pupils who want to establish and lead activities and organizations that promote a safe and inclusive learning environment, the acceptance of and respect for others and the creation of a positive school climate, including [. . .] organizations with the name gay-straight alliance.” Briefly put, the Act is intended to counteract the deeply harmful effects of harassment and discrimination experienced by students as bullying within schools. Read the rest of this entry »
May 23, 2013 0
Gay men who have been celibate for five years may now donate blood. Health Canada has approved the new policy, known as a “deferral period” (of five years), for men who have sex with men (MSM). Until yesterday, there had been a complete ban on blood donation by gay men.
May 23, 2013 0
The U.S. government has acknowledged that four U.S. citizens have been killed during its controversial drone attack program. One of the four, Anwar al-Awlaki, was deliberately targeted, while the other three were not targeted but were reportedly killed during drone strikes aimed at others suspected of being terrorists.
May 23, 2013 0
A seniors’ advocate is arguing that the mandatory medical testing for 80-year-old drivers in B.C. is arbitrary. B.C. drivers are required to have a medical assessment specific to driving skills conducted by a family doctor at the age of 80 and after this birthday they need to have a medical test every two years. The test assesses their cognitive and physical ability to drive but a road test is not required. Read the rest of this entry »
May 23, 2013 0
Alberta’s proposed information sharing legislation puts citizens’ abilities to control their personal and health information at risk, according to Information and Privacy Commissioner Jill Clayton.
May 22, 2013 0
The B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) won a constitutional challenge at the B.C. Court of Appeal enabling them to freely express their political views through buttons and posters.
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