Graduate Showcase 2011
The women with informed opinions that we’ve trained, inspired or supported have published hundreds of commentaries in daily newspapers and prominent online sites, generating additional interview requests and exposure as a result. Here are just some of the analyses they’ve contributed as a result:
Tunisian women debate constitutional rights
The Kingston Whig-Standard by Bev Baines 22 December 2011
As Tunisia looks to rebuild its society in the new Arab Spring era, must women speak with one voice? The spoke with one voice when they demonstrated against the president who was ousted on Jan. 15, 2011, and when they successfully advocated a gender parity law for elections to the National Constituent Assembly.
Getting into the same canoe: Climate change post-Durban
letstalkenergy.ca by Velma McColl 20 December 2011
The outcome at the international climate change conference in Durban marks a significant shift in both climate change politics and implementation. For the first time, all countries agreed to formally commit to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—particularly the US, India, China, Brazil and other emerging economies. Even small island states facing serious affects of climate change today agreed to reductions.
Occupy over-indebtedness
The Globe and Mail by Stephanie Ben-Ishai 19 December 2011
Lululemon share prices fell recently after the do-good/feel-good yoga-wear chain printed bags associating the company with the “free market at all costs” philosophy of Ayn Rand. Shareholders had a sense that middle-class consumers might be willing to pay $90-plus for a pair of yoga pants but not if it meant being associated with the controversial author’s individualistic ideology.
Give to yourself by helping others
The Montreal Gazette by Patricia Rossi 18 December 2011
Hands up: how many of you felt anxious a few weeks ago when holiday decorations started popping up everywhere? Some people say the holidays are their favourite time of year, but for others the season is not so merry. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the pressure to buy more, eat more and do more.
Canadian politics: it shouldn’t take a revolution
iPolitics by Jane Hilderman 15 December 2011
Reflecting on the images coming out of Egypt recently – where millions waited hours to cast their ballots – it is tempting to lament Canadians’ comparable political apathy. The year 2011 has demonstrated, time and time again, that our politics – federally and provincially – has a participation problem that is getting worse. It is now routine to expect, in the wake of any election, a news story on the often sorry state of turnout. Questions of democratic legitimacy are inevitably raised and non-voters are implored to see the error of their ways.
Still too few women in local politics
The Vancouver Sun by Cathy Huth, Carolyn Jack, Catherine Murray and Janet Weigand 6 December 2011
On the Monday after the recent civic elections, The Vancouver Sun celebrated equality on its front page: two big photos side by side, the same size and scale, of a woman — Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts — and a man — Vancouver’s Gregor Robertson — who had won the opportunity to lead their cities.
Polygamy ruling should trouble feminists
The Toronto Star by Bev Baines 29 November 2011
In deciding that polygamy should remain a crime, B.C. Chief Justice Robert Bauman might think he plays to a feminist audience by repeatedly stressing that the purpose of the prohibition is to protect women and children. Yet he renders a decision that is not feminist either in its reasoning or in its outcome. We need nly examine the three features of his decision – his assessment of the evidence, his analysis of the law’s purpose, and his approach to the government’s justification for infringing freedom or religion – to understand its feminist deficit.
Vigilantism no fix for gender violence
The Vancouver Sun by Catherine Murray and Jen Marchbank 24 November 2011
Public support for the four cloaked young men from Chilliwack, who trolled online for men soliciting young women for sex, shows a desire to take a stand on gender violence in British Columbia. However, outing such pedophiles is not a reality show, and vigilantism is hardly the right response. But this episode proves two things.
Let’s actually do something about bullying
The Ottawa Citizen by Amy Johnson 19 October 2011
I was angry reading the front page of Monday’s Citizen. Thinking of the five kids I have at home, and the 500 I’m responsible for at school, I asked myself, “How is A.Y. Jackson, the school community currently grieving the tragic death of Jamie Hubley, different from Opeongo High, in the heart of rural Ottawa Valley, where I work as principal?”
The short answer is, it’s not.
When family and doctors disagree on when to end life
The Toronto Star by Hilary Young 21 September 2011
In 2010, Hassan Rasouli had surgery to remove a brain tumour. Unfortunately, there were complications and his doctors say Rasouli is now in a permanent vegetative state. According to them, he will never regain consciousness or be able to survive without the help of a machine that breathes for him. They think it’s medically inappropriate to keep him on a ventilator and want it turned off. His physician wife, however, disagrees with the diagnosis and still hopes for a miracle. Unable to agree whether to “pull the plug,” the wife and doctors went to court.
Missing-women inquiry exclusions deny justice: Province’s refusal to fund lawyers for affected groups is discrimination
The Vancouver Sun and The Times Colonist by Catherine Morris and Gail Davidson 14 September 2011
The refusal of the BC government to provide representation to groups granted standing at the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry is more than a national shame. It’s part of Canada’s internationally known pattern of international human rights violations against women and indigenous people.
Love and hate in times of sorrow
The Toronto Star by Jill Scott 5 September 2011
The untimely death of a celebrated Canadian political icon and the upcoming 10th anniversary of a terrorist-driven tragedy don’t, on the face of it, have much in common.
Insist police answer for their actions
The Ottawa Citizen by Kim Pate 29 July 2011
Human rights violations are supposed to happen in other countries, aren’t they? So why do we keep seeing alleged cases of abuse of citizens denied and covered up, only to be exposed by video? This seems to be now routine in Canada. How can it be? Why do we allow it to continue?
Schlock Proof Your Child
The Tyee by Özlem Sensoy 30 June 2011
This week marks the start of summer vacation for most kids. For many, that means a serious season of television watching.
The average home has more television sets than people, more than 85% of B.C. teens have two or more screens in their bedrooms, and over the course of a year kids spend many more hours with media than in school with teachers.
Out of the shadows – addressing elder abuse
The Vancouver Sun by Sherry Baker 13 June 2011
Last winter a 58-year-old woman in Ontario was found near death in an unheated garage adjacent to her son’s home. The whole country was outraged that something like this could happen in Canada. Did no one in the community notice that something was amiss?
For Canadian women, consent is an ongoing obligation
The Vancouver Sun by Danielle Fostey and Heather Cassells 13 June 2011 Could you imagine how horrifying it would be to be sexually assaulted by your partner or date? Imagine going to the police to report the assault and being told, “We can’t do anything. That happened in an intimate relationship.” Suddenly, the nightmare is even worse.
Supreme Court got it right in a ruling against ‘advance consent’
The Chronicle Herald and The Vancouver Sun by Elizabeth Sheehy 1 June 2011
A win for women at the Supreme Court of Canada last week in the J.A. decision had a worrying subtext: all three dissenting justices who argued in favour of decriminalizing sex with unconscious “consenting” women were men. The majority in the 6-3 decision, written by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin and joined by the other three female and two male justices, ruled against the idea of “advance consent” to sexual assault. They properly concluded there can be no consent in law when a woman is unconscious.
Les femmes inconscientes ne sont pas disponables sexuellement
Cyberpresse.ca by Elizabeth Sheehy 30 Mai 2011
Une victoire obtenue pour les femmes à la Cour suprême du Canada la semaine dernière dans l’arrêt J.A. comportait toutefois un sous-texte préoccupant: chacun des trois juges dissidents qui se sont dits favorables à la décriminalisation des rapports sexuels avec des femmes inconscientes «consentantes» sont des hommes.
Girls and boys learn differently
The Toronto Star by Dawn Chan 28 May 2011
Would you put two groups of students, who speak completely different languages, in the same classroom with one teacher?
Probably not. You would most likely argue that to thrive, they need to be taught in their own languages. Yet, in a co-ed classroom, the divergent development of boys and girls means that this is essentially what happens every day.
Parliament gets a makeover: An influx of young women could help change Canadian politics for good
The Ottawa Citizen by Nancy Peckford 6 May 2011
Image makeovers – large and small – in the world of politics have have long history: Preston Manning worked on lowering his vocal register; Hillary Clinton lost the headband; and Jack Layton abandoned his trademark orange tie. But this week’s election has arguably resulted in a radical makeover of the House of Commons.
Violence: lorsque la prison devient une solution de rechange
Acadie nouvelle by Elizabeth Sheehy 14 avril 2011
Les gens commettent parfois des actes sous l’emprise de pressions insupportables, auxquelles succomberait toute personne ordinaire.
When prison is what you want
The Winnipeg Free Press by Elizabeth Sheehy 14 April 2011
When does prison become a desirable alternative? Nicole Patricia Doucet’s case provides a chilling example.
Power down for Screen Free Week: The thought of giving up all screens for a week may be daunting but it could be worth it
The Vancouver Sun by Özlem Sensoy and Elizabeth Marshal 14 April 2011
The prospect of a screen-free week is now as daunting to most adults as it is to the kids it was first invented to reach. Ever since its organizers abandoned Turn Off the TV Week and replaced it with the scarier prospect of turning off ALL screens (including laptops, desktop computers and smart phones), resistance has risen along with the stakes.
‘Family’ tax cut will miss most families: Plan favours wealthy households over those who need tax relief
The Times Colonist by Elisabeth Gugl 8 April 2011
On March 28, the Conservative party issued a press release with the headline “Harper announces the Family Tax Cut: Families with children under 18 will save $1,300 on average.”
But the average Canadian family will save far less. In fact, the release modifies this statement later in the text stating, “The Family Tax Cut will provide significant tax relief for almost 1.8 million families who will save, on average, $1,300 per year.”
Campaign all a’tweet as social media weighs in
The Province by Janni Aragon 5 April 2011
It is fair to say the 41st federal election in Canada is the first real social-media election in this country.
During the first 36 hours of the campaign, 14,000 tweets related to the election were posted on Twitter. Web 2.0 platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and countless others have changed political campaigning and offered a new online political environment.
Why party subsidies are fundamentally democratic
The Vancouver Sun by Kathleen Cross 2 April 2011
On April 1, Stephen Harper announced that he was still hoping to end the per-vote public subsidy of political parties in Canada, a policy he has publicly disliked from its introduction.
Answers Vote Compass won’t give you
Samara by Heather Bastedo 29 March 2011
With 675,00 respondents and counting, kudos to the folks at Vote Compass for creating a way to get Canadians talking politics.
People-centred science will attract more women to the field
The Vancouver Sun by Claire Cupples 15 March 2011
For more than 20 years I have encouraged young women in my research lab and in my science lectures to consider a career in science. Almost to a woman, they have expressed their disinterest, sometimes when they are still undergraduates and sometimes when they are close to finishing PhDs. The reason that they all give, in one form or another, is that they “want to work with people.” Science, in their minds, does not offer them that opportunity.
The war for women’s rights is not over
The Mark by Janni Aragon 10 March 2011
The progress women have made in recent times shouldn’t be used to demean the challenges they still face.
Wouldn’t it be great if the Globe and Mail ran a regular column that responded to Margaret Wente’s? It doesn’t, and I’m not a journalist, but I will respond here to her op ed of March 8 (International Women’s Day).
Is Christy Clark a tipping point for Canadian women in politics?
The Globe and Mail by Nancy Peckford 7 March 2011
Does Christy Clark’s election as B.C. Liberal Party leader make female politicians the new Hush Puppies?
Author Malcolm Gladwell famously used the brand’s astonishing transformation from uncool but comfy to sexy and sought-after to illustrate the power of the tipping point, the moment when a trend reaches sufficient critical mass to finally stick.
Oak Bay police review highlights difficulty in solving inequity in the workplace
The Times Colonist by Rebecca Johnson 18 February 2011
When allegations of discrimination and inequality within the Oak Bay Police Department sparked an external investigation into its human resource issues, no one would have predicted one of retired judge Alan Filmer’s conclusions: “Oak Bay cops underworked.”
UVic’s green gloss can’t cover corporatization
The Martlet by Renée McBeth 10 February 2011
The attractive image on the front of UVic’s Strategic Plan is a testament to its appeal: a vivid high-angle shot of a green campus surrounded by ocean, forests all down the peninsula and an awesome view of Mount Baker across the sea.
Law must see animals as more than ‘property’
The Times Colonist by Maneesha Deckha 3 February 2011
The thought of Nora crawling over the bodies of her peers and fighting to stay alive with half her face blown off is unbearable. She was just one of close to 100 sled dogs killed in Whistler by a dog-sledding company facing a drop in demand for its tours post-Olympics.
ShakeOut: Shaking us out of complacency
Provincewide drill a reminder that surviving disaster is up to all of us
The Times Colonist by Robin Cox 27 January 2011
Twelve-year-old Martina Maturana saved the lives of her family and her neighbours because she knew exactly what to do when one of the biggest earthquakes in Chile’s recorded history rocked her community last year. Ten-year-old Tilly Smith saved her family and hundreds of other tourists on the island of Phuket because she had learned to recognize tsunami warning signs in geography class at school.