Indigenous women in the U.S. and Canada are taking on Big Oil — and winning. By Catherine Traywick “Most people don’t know what a subsistence way of life is,” says Faith Gemmill, an environmental activist from the Gwich’in territories in northern Alaska. “In other places, if you need anything you just go to the grocery […]
Canada
Stories about Canadian politics and social issues.
Canada Offers “Duress” Defense for Battered Women
Nicole Ryan had endured more than 15 horrific years of domestic abuse when, in 2008, she plotted to have her husband killed. Unbeknownst to her, the hired “hit man” was an undercover police officer who quickly had Ryan charged with “counseling to commit murder”. But last week, Ryan was acquitted in a Nova Scotia provincial […]
Wearing a Tube Top Does Not Equal Consent
In a disgraceful judgment by the provincial court of Manitoba, Canada, Justice Robert Dewar allowed a convicted rapist to walk away with nothing but a curfew and a mandatory letter of apology to his victim. The reason? She was wearing a tube top, high heels and make-up the night of the rape–and she was drinking […]
Canada’s Wrong Turn
Our neighbor’s rightward drift hits women and the poor hardest By Alison Brewin We Canadians are nicer and less violent than our southern neighbors.We address conflict through compromise, smile politely when faced with difference and only get drunk and belligerent when hockey is on. At least that’s what we like to think of ourselves. We […]
One Feminist Asks, ‘Is Polygamy Inherently Bad for Women?’
The British Columbia Supreme Court is currently undertaking a fascinating and controversial review of Canada’s polygamy law, which has outlawed the practice since the 1890’s. The law is under review for possible violation of religious rights guaranteed under the Canadian constitution. Polygamy–whereby an individual (man or woman) has more than one spouse–has long been a […]
Remembering the Montreal Massacre
Many writers talk about the story that claws its way out from your core. I have such a story. It haunts me as it haunts women all over the world. On December 6, 1989, 21 years ago today, 25-year-old Marc Lépine entered the University of Montreal engineering school, École Polytechnique, with a Sturm and Ruger […]
Canadian Ads Shift Blame to the Real Perps: Rapists
It’s a basic legal principle in Canada and the U.S.: Women who are severely intoxicated are not capable of giving consent, and taking advantage of their mostly-or-completely-unconscious state is rape. And yet, both grim statistics and all-too-frequent rape-apologist statements show that many still do not understand that an unconscious woman was not “asking for it.” […]
Newsflash: Canadian Court Strikes Down Anti-Sex-Work Laws
The provincial court of Ontario, Canada, struck down several key provisions that limit sex workers’ ability to work safely, a victory being hailed by sex workers’ rights activists. On September 28, three anti-sex-work laws were deemed “unconstitutional” and a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Justice Susan Himel, a high-level Ontario court […]
O Canada: Pay Heed to Tough-on-Crime Policies, Not the National Anthem!
Days after the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, mentioned in his Throne Speech (yes, in Canada that is what it is called) that his government would ask Parliament to potentially change the English version of the national anthem to be gender-neutral–specifically the “all thy sons command” line– this idea was scuttled due to overwhelming […]