Democracy

Where is Canada’s digital inclusion strategy?

Jul 23, 2015
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When Alex first arrives at the drop-in computer class at his local neighbourhood house he’s never used a keyboard or surfed the Internet before. But he’s determined to learn so he can apply for government services he needs as a recently unemployed person with disabilities. Alex attends the weekly drop-in classes faithfully, working with a… View Article

A Conversation on Climate Justice

Apr 9, 2015
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In February and March, the Climate Justice Project hosted This Changes BC: A Conversation on Climate Justice. Over four Saturdays, a group of 34 citizens from Metro Vancouver gathered to talk about what climate solutions could look like in their lives and our province. Having worked on these issues for many years now, we had a… View Article

BC needs a Human Rights Commission – now

Dec 10, 2014
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Human rights are everyone’s business. The social climate we live in affects us all. When people are subjected to prejudice and discrimination because they are aboriginal or because of their gender or because of their sexual orientation or for some other reason, it creates a society that is more ugly, less safe and less human… View Article

Preventing discrimination before it occurs

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The human rights process starts with the filing of a complaint of discrimination. In BC, the complaint is filed with the BC Human Rights Tribunal. Filing an effective complaint requires a good deal of time and effort. It can be hard to devote that time and effort if, for example, someone has been fired because… View Article

From discrimination against temporary foreign workers to sexual harassment, there’s no shortage of issues a human rights commission could tackle

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British Columbia is the only province in Canada that does not have a Human Rights Commission. That makes us the weakest province when it comes to fostering human rights awareness and preventing discrimination. Currently BC only has a Human Rights Tribunal, which mediates and adjudicates complaints about discrimination after it has occurred. The Tribunal does… View Article

Upcoming Municipal Elections: Business as Usual?

Mar 27, 2014
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With municipal elections on the horizon in British Columbia, it is worth paying attention to the nature of political discourse in this province – and considering its implications and alternatives. Increasingly, business parlance is finding its way into what still holds the pretence of being a democratic institution.  As with our most recent provincial election,… View Article