Rebekah Sears looks at the proposed changes to the refugee system, questioning whether they emphasize Fast at the Expense of Fair? Rebekah notes several conditions the proposed changes need to meet in order to ensure the system remains fair. Read more »
By Rebekah Sears | Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 - 9:45AM
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Today, April 22, is Earth Day. Initiated by US Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 as a national movement for education and promotion of environmental care, Earth Day eventually was recognized and is now celebrated around the world.
The first International Earth Day was held in 1990, with over 140 countries joining the movement. Today, with over 170 countries involved, Earth Day is one of the biggest movements in the world in terms of global environmental education and action. Read more »
Controversy swirls as world leaders prepare to gather in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Summit. Global warming caused by human action is still denied by some, while others perceive it to be the defining issue of our age. How are we to know what to believe? For CPJ members, a public justice framing of the complexities of climate change yields some helpful perspectives. Read more »
Signed by most states, the UDHR is an important benchmark in the development of international human rights standards. The 30 articles outline the basic principles, rights, dignities and freedoms to which every person is entitled. Some of these include the right to fair and equal treatment under the law, freedom of expression and thought, and the right to an adequate standard of living. Read more »
Human rights are often defined in terms of political and civil liberties. However, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed 61 years ago this December, also includes economic and social rights. As the world attempts to recover from the impacts of a global economic crisis, the need for protection of such rights is greater than ever. Such need has prompted individuals and organizations in Canada and abroad to pressure governments to get involved, creating opportunities for fresh action in the promotion of human rights. Read more »
By Rebekah Sears | Friday, November 13th, 2009 - 11:43AM
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Yesterday Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney released a new study guide for prospective Canadian citizens. Entitled Discover Canada: The rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, the guide is much more extensive regarding Canadian history, and the forming of our country than the old guide.
Much of the historical emphasis, especially pre-Confederation history, is on the role of Aboriginal peoples, as well as the various English and French groups. But the expanding diversity and ethnic and cultural backgrounds among many of the more recent immigrants is also mentioned as well as the role of such immigrants in shaping Canada. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 - 10:21AM
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Today, the leaders of world’s eight most powerful industrialized countries meet in L'Aquila, Italy, to discuss a range of pressing global issues.While the focus of the meetings will likely be dominated by concerns about the current recession, it is crucial that this does not detract attention from the need to take decisive and sustained action on global poverty and climate change. Read more »
By Karri Munn-Venn | Tuesday, May 19th, 2009 - 10:35AM
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On April 30, the Rideau Institute hosted a gathering of social justice and human rights organizations for an update on the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of Canada. Bruce Porter of the Social Rights Advocacy Centre and Leilani Farha of the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation provided some reflections based on their engagement with the UPR process in Geneva and subsequent discussions of Canadian government officials. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Friday, March 6th, 2009 - 4:13PM
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Since it was first announced in November’s Economic and Fiscal Update, I have been following the federal government’s proposed changes to pay equity with a mix of worry and cautious optimism.
Along with many others, I was concerned about the prospect that these changes could be passed into law and the hard-won right to pay equity in the federal public service could be reduced to little more than a bargaining chip. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 - 4:53PM
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Last Thursday, December 4th, Chandra and I went to Southminster United Church in Ottawa to see Senator Douglas Roche (Retired), who is a CPJ member, speak on “The Human Right to Peace.” Read more »
Controversy swirls as world leaders prepare to gather in Copenhagen for the UN Climate Change Summit. Global warming caused by human action is still denied by some, while others perceive it to be the defining issue of our age. How are we to know what to believe? For CPJ members, a public justice framing of the complexities of climate change yields some helpful perspectives. 
