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Sarah Jama at the opening of her Hamilton Centre constituency office, Nov. 14, 2023. Jama opened the office as an Independent MPP after the Ontario NDP kicked her out of caucus for posting a statement in support of Palestinians. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Silencing Sarah Jama diminishes Canadian democracy

Left: People gather around the coffins of British-Israelis Lianne Sharabi and her two daughters, Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13, on Oct. 25. They were killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. Right: Palestinians look for survivors of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in Rafah on Oct. 23. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit and AP Photo/Hatem Ali)

Why the Israel-Gaza conflict is so hard to talk about

A historian whose family was taken hostage by Hamas, and a geographer with family in the West Bank, get together to discuss a way forward in the Middle East.
Tents at an encampment in Crab Park, Vancouver, in August 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. proposed bill on ‘alternative shelter’ risks doing serious harm to unhoused people

If passed, B.C.‘s Bill 45 will trample over the constitutional rights of unhoused people by ignoring shelter barriers, Indigenous rights and the need for daytime shelter
Former president Donald Trump greets the crowd at a campaign rally Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, in Claremont, N.H. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha)

The media must stop enabling Trump’s attention-seeking use of fascist rhetoric

Instead of giving Trump’s fascist rhetoric a wider audience, news organizations must simply point out he’s attempting to dehumanize his fellow citizens, create a path to violence and destroy democracy.
The Palestinian village of Bayt Mahsir near Jerusalem circa 1940. The agricultural community was one of hundreds of Palestinian villages depopulated by Israeli forces during the 1948 war. (UNRWA)

Colonialist depictions of Palestinians feed western ideas of eastern ‘barbarism’

The dismissal of Palestinians as “barbaric” or somehow less human is rooted in a long history of colonizing narratives, including how the land and people were first viewed as “uncivilized.”
Smoke from the McDougall Creek wildfire fills the air and nearly blocks out the sun as people take in the view of Okanagan Lake from Tugboat Beach, in Kelowna, B.C., in August 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada should stop treating climate disasters like humanitarian crises

Canadians should demand greater accountability from their governments to reduce the need for last-minute humanitarian efforts in the face of climate-related disasters in their communities.
A worker rakes wheat in a granary on a farm near Kyiv in August 2023, a month after Russia pulled out of a deal aimed at protecting ships carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Grain as a weapon: Russia-Ukraine war reveals how capitalism fuels global hunger

The Ukraine war’s impact on food insecurity is critical, but there is more to the picture. The main problem is that capitalism allows food and other basic needs to become precarious commodities.
China’s President Xi Jinping, right, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in June 2023. (Jade Gao/Pool Photo via AP, File)

The war in Gaza opens up new opportunities for China in the Middle East

The Israeli attack on Gaza is undermining the West’s international standing, offering opportunities for China to enhance its regional and global diplomatic influence.
A hot spot from the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire burns in Scotch Creek, B.C., in August 2023. Provincial premiers have increasingly turned their backs on climate action, forcing the federal government to largely go it alone. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Are freeloading premiers undermining Canada’s climate strategy?

A little more than five years ago, there was a strong federal-provincial consensus around climate action. With the election of several Conservative premiers since then, that consensus has vanished.
A man butters a dinner roll as he eats a Thanksgiving meal at the Ottawa Mission in Ottawa in October 2023. Food insecurity is on the rise in Canada, particularly in households with children. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Food insecurity in Canada is the worst it’s ever been — here’s how we can solve it

The persistence of food insecurity in Canada is a policy choice. By not doing more to improve the adequacy and stability of household income, governments are choosing to let food insecurity fester.
Police officers are seen in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa in September 2023 at the conservative ‘1MillionMarch4Children’ protest. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

Canadian cities continue to over-invest in policing

Despite public calls to defund the police in 2020, the budgets of Canadian police forces have continued to rise.
A swan stands between dumped plastic bottles and waste on the Danube river near Belgrade, Serbia, on April 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

True climate action means not viewing our efforts as a ‘sacrifice’

Climate action should be framed not as a sacrifice but as an investment that can generate economic savings and improve human and ecosystem health today.
In a year, Joe Biden and Donald Trump will likely square off again – two aging and flawed men each with their own set of weaknesses, though Biden is not under four indictments. (AP Photos/Michael Wyke/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Trump vs. Biden, the sequel, is a battle of two old men with big liabilities

On Nov. 5, 2024, Americans will likely have to choose between two older men as president. Here’s what to watch out for in the second showdown between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan embraces the president of the longshore workers union from the Port de Québec that’s been locked out for a year, at a rally for federal anti-scab legislation on Parliament Hill in September 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Levelling the playing field: The case for a federal ‘anti-scab’ law

Unions have long advocated for a ban on replacement workers, arguing their use unduly shifts power to employers and gives the boss an unfair advantage in collective bargaining.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets China’s President Xi Jinping in Woodside, Calif., prior to their meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

What Joe Biden’s meeting with Xi Jinping means for geopolitical tensions

Relations between the U.S. and China have been particularly tense for the last few years. Can one summit between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping significantly improve relations?
Admitting refugees based on their skills risks setting a dangerous precedent, and Canada would be wise to proceed with caution. (Shutterstock)

Canada’s refugee pilot programs risk making refugees prove their worth

Canada has cultivated a reputation for being welcoming toward refugees. However, a new pilot program risks jeopardizing that reputation by making asylum seekers prove their economic worth.

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