Convoy-inspired protests reach Winnipeg
Ottawa declared a state of emergency Feb. 6 in response to the convoy of truckers with white supremacist ties currently occupying the city in protest of COVID-19-related restrictions and vaccine mandates.
Canada
Canada’s settlement does not reconcile lost childhoods
Although the $40 billion could potentially prevent future abuses, no amount of money can reconcile stolen childhoods. The government is responsible for these abuses and, like Blackstock noted, Canadians cannot surrender this critical fact in light of this large settlement. It is far from time to exhale in relief. Rather, it is imperative that the federal government does not capture the settlement’s narrative and skew it as a fortune of the Liberal party’s goodwill.
The Queen should not be Canada’s head of state
It is no secret that colonialism is devastating for Indigenous peoples, and by upholding figureheads who played a crucial role in this damage, Canada is setting itself on a self-defeating trajectory regarding reconciliation.
More questions than answers in speech from the throne
The Liberal Party of Canada pitched itself as the progressive option on the campaign trail, but the speech from the throne on Nov. 23 lacked bold new ideas. Instead of emphasizing challenges of Canadians — such as the absence of universal pharmacare or ending fossil fuel subsidies — the new Liberal government presented a plan that lacks vision and heavily relies on past promises that have yet to be fulfilled.
Traffic blocked in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en
Activists blocked traffic on Portage Avenue as part of several rallies organized by Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition on Friday. The rallies were in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en land defenders and in opposition to the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline.
Canadian electric vehicle manufacturing on a tightrope
The North American Leaders’ Summit, held after a five-year hiatus, showcased trilateral dialogues between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico about building a united front to counter the various challenges the continent faces. A Canadian delegation led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emphasized issues like climate change, pandemic recovery and the supply chain, but the elephant in the room was U.S. President Joe Biden’s protectionist policies which may have great impacts on the Canadian auto-manufacturing industry. Such aspects of Biden’s Build Back Better Framework are putting the historic friendship fostered by each leader in doubt.
Canada must demilitarize to achieve climate neutrality
By using the military for Canada’s climate crises, Trudeau is implying Canadians are on their own until after the damage is done. The prime minister clearly prefers to adapt to global warming rather than mitigate it. The military is part of the problem, not the solution.
CRB, wage, rent subsidies replaced with reduced benefits
The federal government is scaling down a number of COVID-19 financial programs that were set to expire last week, including the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB). The programs will be replaced with reduced benefits, although due to parliamentary delays, these benefits may not be accessible until late November.
Restrictions on snowbirds prompt open season on vulnerable travellers
We warned them, but they did not listen. After months of escalating restrictions, multiple lockdowns, and the government all but begging Canadians not to travel,…
The private production of COVID-19 vaccines represents a moral failure of colossal scale
As Canada enters its second month of the tenuous COVID-19 vaccine rollout, citizens are becoming unnerved by its disorganized distribution. Although impatience is surfacing, slow…