Mariel's blog

When the first wave of H1N1 hit this past spring, it was quickly apparent that this new strain of flu was not affecting people equally. Individuals of First Nations descent, particularly in the Prairie provinces, were disproportionately vulnerable to the virus. Read more »

Last year, when I began my internship, I was a part of a number of discussions that arose within the policy team about pluralism and diversity in Canada. In response to some of my questions about pluralism, Chandra recommended Shifting Boundaries: Aboriginal Identity, Pluralist Theory, and the Politics of Self-Government by former CPJ staffer Tim Schouls as a book that offers insight into pluralism in Canada. Read more »

During the last few weeks of August, I was reflecting on my return to university when an article in the Globe and Mail caught my attention. Dave McGinns had written a piece describing some of the creative strategies used by university students to stretch out their often meager food budgets throughout the school year. I thought some of his ideas – which included using coupons and taking advantage of student discounts – were pretty practical. But the article also made me reflect about the very real challenges that many students face in meeting basic needs such as food while pursuing their studies. Read more »

In 2002, Quebec became the first province in Canada to introduce a poverty reduction strategy. Now, New Brunswick is one step closer to establishing its own strategy to reduce poverty for the approximately 100,740 people in the province living on low income. Read more »

Here’s a question for you. Which of the following increases your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer or respiratory illnesses the most?

a) a sedentary lifestyle
b) a poor diet
c) smoking
d) poverty

  Read more »

The week before last, I reviewed George Lakoff’s “Don’t Think of an Elephant! Know your values and frame the debate” but did not have enough time to explore in detail the moral frameworks that he explains in his book.

According to Lakoff, people have two basic frames of morality that they use to understand the world around them: the ‘strict father’ model and the ‘nurturant parent’ model. Read more »

Last week, the Bank of Canada announced that the Canadian economy had begun to forecast positive growth – however slight – indicating the end of the recession.

This announcement surprised me, to say the least. Unemployment in Canada is still rising, record numbers of people are now on EI, and thousands more who cannot access it are struggling to make ends meet. Read more »

I have been thinking lately as to how care for the environment can be lived out in our consumer-driven society, and what our society might look like if we did.

I find that for many people, knowledge about climate change – that driving cars and over-consuming is causing harm to the environment – is often not enough to change their lifestyle in order to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. What will then? Read more »

Yesterday, I reviewed “Don’t think of an Elephant,” by George Lakoff. Lakoff argues that U.S. conservatives have had such success in the past in gaining public support for their agenda because they have used language and framing to appeal to peoples’ emotions.

I found that this understanding of voters as being driven by their emotions and not simply rational thought to be a compelling argument, and one worthy of exploring further. Read more »

Once in awhile, a book comes along that significantly changes your perspective on a subject.

I recently finished reading “Don’t think of an Elephant! Know your values and frame the debate” by American linguistics professor George Lakoff, and this little gem of a book has made me understand how politics and policies are communicated in a whole new way. Read more »