social issues

Comment March 15, 2022

Women need better representation in politics

Though the path to a successful career in politics is not the same for all, especially for women who have additional gender-based barriers, it is important that we encourage strong women who are active community leaders. Though progress is slow, we need to start and continue breaking the constructs that have oppressed women. Let this be a reminder that International Women’s Day is not a meaningless reason to congratulate the female figures of your life. Rather let’s make it a daily goal to empower women and offer our authentic support for them so that they can achieve their vision of a more equitable world.

Comment March 8, 2022

Suzuki’s keynote hit the right chords

Where many politicians refuse to denounce out-of-control economic growth and inequality as the main factor contributing to global warming, Suzuki expresses important anti-capitalist principles in his activism.

Editorial March 8, 2022

Sporting organizations right to penalize Russia

By not treating these issues equally, sporting groups demonstrate the lack of concern they have for racialized people. Those who are complicit in murdering the innocent and pursuing wars of conquest have zero place in athletics. It is time that the Olympics, FIFA and the rest of the sporting world take a stand against large-scale violence. If nations forge a path of destruction and division, then they should not be permitted to participate in the unifying nature of sports.

Research & Technology March 8, 2022

Preserving Ukrainian identity amid assaults

On Feb. 24, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, reigniting a war that affected the region for eight years. Western observers immediately turned to experts on the region to understand what, to many, seems like a senseless massacre ill-fitting to 21st-century expectations of peace between states. This has meant a litany of media and academic speaking engagements for Yuliia Ivaniuk, co-ordinator of the centre for Ukrainian Canadian studies. 

Arts & Culture March 7, 2022

Building an inclusive space in music production

Despite recent strides, inequality and a lack of representation persist in the music production world. This field in particular is a very male-dominated space, with women representing only 2.6 per cent of producers credited on the highest-charting songs of the 2010s in America. Local songwriter, artist and producer Lana Winterhalt sees a complex history behind this issue.

Comment February 16, 2022

Grade-school system should embrace critical literature

There is a strong tendency in the Canadian public school system that assumes teaching curriculums that maintain the status quo in our social lives is somehow politically neutral. Teachers steer clear of hard and polarizing topics in the humanities and social sciences to avoid angry parents who might disagree with them. As a result, high school often consists of preparing students for the sciences while leaving social topics to English class and a selection of outdated western literature that has little relevance to a large portion of the class.

Editorial February 15, 2022

Single-use fees are for waste reduction, not profit

Businesses should not stand to profit from climate initiatives. Instead, businesses should be required to contribute all fees collected and put them toward climate action plans. Without mandates on how to spend these fees, franchise owners may be tempted to pocket the money to make up for revenue lost as a result of COVID-19. Worse, they may be tempted to hoard the extra income for a rainy day fund to offset potential losses in the event that COVID-19 restrictions lead to more closures. We cannot afford to leave the decision up to businesses any longer — with the climate emergency we find ourselves facing, it is imperative corporations prioritize the environment over profit.