The most concerning element of the WE Charity scandal is not that Justin Trudeau aided an organization with ties to his family, but rather the backing of an organization that is a caricature of white saviourism. The real scandal is that all of the corporations, media organizations, schools, and celebrities that enabled WE have also done so at the service of Canadian imperialism.

When unprecedented crisis situations arise, protectionist laws are implemented, bills are amended, and policies changed. However, for those under temporary or vulnerable legal status in Canada, exploitative conditions are continuously normalized. It is time for Canada and its universities to reassess their treatment of international graduate students.

The verdict is in: not only have Ford and his PC government not stepped up during the pandemic, but their response to the crisis has been delayed, negligent, and ineffectual. To claim that Ford has shown strong leadership during this crisis requires deliberately closing one’s eyes to the ugly realities confronting Ontario’s most vulnerable.

One way to evaluate the seriousness of the Trudeau government’s stated objectives in seeking to oust Venezuela’s elected government is to examine their policies elsewhere in the region. While the Liberals talk about upholding the “rules-based international order,” democracy and human rights in Venezuela, they ignore these lofty ideals in Haiti.

Unity through political action and the capacity to mobilize targeted communities into supportive public action is critical to act as a bulwark against oppression by armed bodies whose raison d’etre is to enforce laws that protect those with property against those without it. Nothing less will work.

Free period supplies at the workplace is “the tip of the iceberg” in terms of rectifying an outdated and harmful social ethic that compels individual women to “manage periods at work,” rather than pushing organizations, institutions, and companies to adapt to and support the natural functions of women’s bodies. No more hiding, no more whispering. The time for change is now.

Without proactive and big-dreaming progressive leadership at all levels, the municipal financial crisis will only grow worse. As we ask about the city we want, the question then becomes: what kind of leaders do we want, and what kind of leaders should we kick to the curb? Is their urgency proportionate to the scale of our city’s crises? Is it life and death to them as it is to us?

To mark the 30th anniversary of “Oka,” and as global movements to end systemic racism rage on, CD’s Sean Carleton had the opportunity to speak with legendary Toronto hip hop icon Wesley Williams (better known as Maestro Fresh-Wes or Maestro) about his music and the song “Nothing At All” specifically—and what they can teach us today, if we take the time to listen.

Before the strongest measures were introduced, a study by economists Jeffrey Sachs and Mark Weisbrot found sanctions imposed by the United States were responsible for 40,000 deaths between August 2017 and the end of 2018. Yet Ottawa has not criticized the devastating US sanctions. Quite the opposite. It has egged the bully on.

MeToo is attempting to redress a miscarriage of justice that stems from systemic inequity and a lack of recognition. Like any social movement, this mobilization should be viewed critically. However, it must also be viewed in the context of a failed justice system that is currently unable to restore justice and dignity to survivors of sexual violence.