Canadian News

Last week, Canada’s highest court held two days of hearings in relation to an ongoing case that challenges the constitutionality of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA).

The act criminalizes purchasing of sexual services and gaining a material benefit from the sale of another’s sexual services. Appellants of the case argue that PCEPA violates a sex workers section seven Charter rights to liberty and security of the person. 

Groups who have mobilized against PCEPA include the Sex Workers’ Action Network (SWAN) and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. These groups say PCEPA still criminalizes sex workers and forces them into unsafe work conditions. 

Concertation des luttes contre l’exploitation sexuelle (CLES), a Quebec organization against sexual exploitation, said they hope PCEPA survives this court challenge because it criminalizes pimps and sex buyers while immunizing sex workers. 

“Canada adopted PCEPA in recognition of the fact that prostitution is violence and an obstacle to true equality between men and women,” said Jennie-Laure Sully, a community organizer at CLES. 

Organizers with sex-worker led groups say it is harmful to view sex work as inherently exploitative. 

“Arguments that sex work is inherently exploitative not only go against evidence, they reinforce assumptions and stereotypes that construct racialized sex workers as snapshots; people without a voice, without dimension and in need of saving,” said Kelly Go, program manager at SWAN. “These stereotypes increase physical violence against sex workers and render them disposable and deportable by the state in the first place. It’s important to understand migrant sex work in the context of labour rights and international labour migration.” 

However, Sully and CLES maintain that PCEPA criminalizes pimps and sex buyers. Sully said CLES has not heard of any cases of women being charged for selling their own sex acts since the law was passed in 2014.

“We celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the law because we see that it has changed the power dynamic in the sex industry and that we are moving towards better protection for women and girls,” Sully wrote in an email to rabble.ca 

Crystal Laderas, communications manager at SWAN Vancouver, said PCEPA does not translate to better protection for sex workers because it criminalizes those who do support work within the sex industry, For example, the law criminalizing third parties in sex work can affect receptionists, drivers, security staff and other workers. 

“Anti-sex work opponents are the biggest cheerleaders of PCEPA despite a decade of these laws putting workers at greater risk of violence and exploitation,” Laderas said. “It’s disappointing to see organizations that willfully ignore evidence and have a clear moral or religious bias against sex work, being granted intervenor status in this case. Meanwhile, sex workers and organizations that support migrant sex workers, including the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, have been excluded.” 

Addressing sex workers’ needs through a labour rights lens has been a demand from many organizations. In 2019, MoveUp became the first known union in Canada to publicly declare its support for the decriminalization of sex work. The union wrote on its website that labour must support all workers. 

“Sex work is work,” the union wrote. “Sex workers want rights, not rescue.” 

In an academic article published in 2021 by Social Sciences, an international peer-reviewed journal, researchers concluded that sex work and exploitation related to it comes from the exploitative relationships that exist between many workers and employers. 

Thaddeus Blanchette, Ana Paula Da Silva, and Gustavo Camargo, authors of the article, wrote that labour relations can be exploitative because a worker has to sell a large chunk of their day to whoever can buy it. 

“It seems to us that the only way to properly reform prostitution law is via the same means which labor laws in general have been reformed in the west: through the political inclusion of self-organized sex workers at the decision-making table,” the authors wrote.

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Around one in 10 babies does not have a family doctor or pediatrician, according to a survey published Wednesday morning by the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ), with the proportion much higher among low-income families and those whose parents were born outside Canada. Read More

Regina received between 10 and 15 centimetres of snow overnight Monday and through to Wednesday morning, prompting the city’s first major snow response of the season.

A volunteer group has donated $60,000 to KHSC’s KidsInclusive as it winds down after 119 years, ensuring support for children’s care over the next five years.

Two proposed class-action lawsuits in the U.S. allege that four companies conspired to fix prices on frozen potato products over the past three years.

The organization oversees more than $160 billion in funds.

Premier François Legault refused to say whether he still believes in Northvolt's Quebec project on Wednesday, while in Ottawa, federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne remained cautiously optimistic. Read More

Toronto police said Wednesday officers were investigating reports of a missing infant around Marlee and Roselawn avenues, near Eglinton Avenue West and Allen Road, in North York.

Saying the U.S. election result is a blow to climate policy is a massive understatement. It could also spell trouble for the U.S. and global economies. Are there any flickers of hope?

After winning his first presidency in 2016, Donald Trump immediately committed to withdrawing from the international Paris climate agreement. His administration also rolled back more than 100 environmental rules, covering air and water pollution and emissions, drilling and extraction, wildlife protection and more. This time, the president-elect has vowed to reverse even more climate progress and “drill, baby, drill.”

From his statements, it’s clear the incoming president doesn’t understand climate or science and that he prioritizes coal, oil and gas billionaires over the people he was elected to represent.

There’s no doubt he could seriously hinder the already inadequate efforts to head off catastrophic global heating.

Climate isn’t the only thing he and his party seem determined to worsen. If he’s able to follow through on just some of his promises, life will get more difficult for women, people of colour, immigrants, working people, anyone who doesn’t identify as heterosexual, the global community and more.

Meanwhile, as countries gather for the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan, climate scientists say this year will be the hottest on record, igniting more costly extreme weather events, droughts, floods, heat domes, wildfires, intense storms, increased human migration, animal and plant extinctions, water shortages and potential changes to ocean and air currents.

It’s insane that so many people in power not only fail to heed the indisputable scientific evidence, but also ignore the proof staring them in the face. For decades, researchers from around the world — including those working for the fossil fuel industry — have been warning that we face an existential crisis like nothing humanity has ever seen. As predicted, the costly and visible consequences are growing by the day.

What hope is there?

Governments move slowly at the best of times, relying as they do on brief electoral cycles and short-sighted economic solutions. With constant electoral changes, it often seems we’re moving two steps forward, one step back — or worse, one step forward, two steps back.

We can’t ignore the role of governments, and many are working to resolve the climate crisis and other issues — although few treat it as the emergency it is. The current U.S. government has implemented many sound climate policies that also benefit the economy (while simultaneously ramping up fossil fuel production), as has Canada’s. But those are constantly under threat from state and provincial governments and opposition parties that seem more inclined to protect massive oil and gas industry profits than the citizenry they’re supposed to represent.

There’s reason for optimism, though. In the U.S., the clean energy boom has benefited those in “red” states even more than in “blue,” creating jobs and opportunities. Repealing some recent climate and clean energy policies could push US$80 billion of investment to countries such as China and cost the U.S. as much as $50 billion in lost exports, recent analysis shows. It will be tough to roll back policies that are helping so many people. Globally, the renewable energy boom is unstoppable.

Just as some provincial and state politicians are fighting against sensible, effective climate policies, others are implementing their own. California, which has the world’s fifth largest economy, representing 15 per cent of the U.S. economy, has vowed to continue efforts to protect people and the planet.

Renewable energy is booming even in oil-rich Texas, with a “70-fold increase in the amount of electricity it gets from the sun and a nearly 95-fold increase in battery capacity since 2014,” Environment Texas reports, adding, “Last year, wind and solar energy produced 31% of the state’s electricity” and it “has also seen a 40-fold increase in the number of registered electric vehicles.”

We can’t rely entirely on governments to get us out the mess we’ve created. It will be up to all of us to demand progress, to learn and create better awareness among ourselves, our friends, colleagues and families and those who aspire to represent us in government.

I’ll never give up and neither should you. The next few years may look grim, but that means our efforts are more important than ever.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington.

Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.

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Former prime minister Stephen Harper has been appointed the new chairman of the board of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), the provincial government said Wednesday.

The following is an excerpt from I Don’t Do Disability and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself by Adelle Purdham.

Dundurn Press, Purich Books
Publication Date: November 5, 2024
Find more here: https://www.dundurn.com/books_/t22117/a9781459754539-i-don-t-do-disability-and-other-lies-i-ve-told-myself
Excerpt: The Giving Tree

***

Before it dies, a Douglas-­ fir, half a millennium old, will send its storehouse of chemicals back down into its roots and out through its fungal partners, donating its riches to the community pool in a last will and testament. We might well call these ancient benefactors Giving Trees. — The Overstory, by Richard Powers

MY NEPHEW ROWAN’S birthday is in early June, when the spring flowers of my in-­ laws’ replete gardens bloom and appear in their full resplendence. I crack open the hard cover of the book Dan and I have gifted him — Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree — to the first page. Dan and I are in the spring of our romance — babies, really. I feel a need to perform in front of his older sister and parents, to impress upon them that I will one day be a fantastic teacher. Look how well I read! And that I will also be an amazing mother and wife. Look how generous I am with my time! Look at how I adore children and hold their attention!

When the actual time comes, there will be no doubt about my superior skills.

I open my reading with verve and zeal.

“And the boy loved the tree … very much. And the tree was happy.” Overexaggerated smile.

Undoubtedly, my young nephew was paying close attention.

At some point, the enthusiasm in my voice might have faded. You can’t help but let melancholy seep in when you read The Giving Tree. The boy takes what he wants and leaves the tree, who loves him, behind. The tree isn’t happy until she’s given everything of herself, absolutely everything, to the boy. And the boy isn’t happy until he’s taken away every part of the tree.

Where’s the joy in that?

“And so the boy cut down her trunk and made a boat and sailed away. And the tree was happy … but not really.”

Reading the book then, I felt a sense of indignation on behalf of the tree. Why did the boy have to be so greedy as to take it all? The tree gives everything to the boy — and for what?

It is only at the beginning of his life and nearing its end that the boy is able to appreciate the tree for her true worth: for what she is instead of what she can provide. I’m reminded of a line from Haruki

Murakami’s memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: “I don’t think we should judge the value of our lives by how efficient they are.” The same could be said for trees, and for humans.

I’m not sure whether my nephew hung on to my every word.

I can’t even picture where the two of us were sitting, as the Earth outside renewed itself around us. Was he snuggled into me on the couch or sitting in the armchair across from me? Was I in the armchair and he on the couch? The specifics don’t matter. What was important was that when I finished reading that book, I knew one thing: I never wanted to be the tree.

More than ten years later, the school day is nearly done. I tuck three mini boxes of Smarties into my coat pocket to dole out, one for each girl. I greet you with a kiss on the forehead and take your backpack from you. You hand it to me today, which is nice. Sometimes you leave it for me on the ground. Often you throw it on the ground.

The wind feels rough, bitter cold. Winter whispers her frosty breath.

You refuse to wear a hat or put your hood up or wear gloves. Your hands are bright pink, but you don’t seem to mind. We’re on our way home and it’s just another day. The Smarties will keep you happy for a while.

We walk in a small cluster: me, you, your older and younger sisters. Your hands slide inside the too-­ long sleeves of your jacket and I hold loosely onto your sleeve in an attempt to keep our cluster moving, to keep you happy. And you are fairly happy. Smarties! This makes you smile and so I am smiling.

You say something, something I can’t understand. I ask you to repeat, but I can’t quite catch the meaning.

We approach Charlie, your favourite crossing guard, and you find your place by his side, take his hand, and we safely cross the street.

I offer to take back the now-­ empty Smarties box.

“Yes.” You hand me the miniature cardboard container.

I think this is all you need. I hope.

But on the other side of the crosswalk, you ask again for something. Again, I do not understand you. Softly, I ask you to please repeat, but I don’t stop walking, I press on. I sense things are moving in the wrong direction and, when this happens, I just want us to be home.

You don’t try to explain again. You won’t; instead, you start to scream. “No! No! No!”

“Honey, honey, what’s wrong?” I ask, even though I know it’s because I haven’t understood you. Once we’ve reached tears, we have moved beyond solving what is wrong.

Frustration prevents words and what comes out are wails and screams.

This happens so fast, this transition from walking along the sidewalk together, smiling and eating Smarties, to you screaming and wailing, and I just want it to stop.

“Stop, Lysie!” your little sister yells at you.

Your big sister walks apart from us, way far ahead.

On the surface I remain kind, perplexed, even with the feeling of sinking dread settling in. This is an all-­ too-­ familiar scenario.

The thing you tried to say: what was it?

I stop walking now and face you. Crouch down to your level.

What else is there to do?

“Are you cold? Are your hands cold? Here.” I pull up your hood and you wail louder.

I plead with you for a while. “Please, Elyse, stop screaming. What’s wrong?”

But the words are drowned out by a flood of tears.

I change my strategy, pick up my pace. We live only five hundred metres from the school.

“Come on, Elyse, let’s go home. It’s cold outside. We can talk at home.”

I avoid the words I usually say in this scenario: “Daddy’s at home. Let’s go see Daddy.” Daddy is always the prize. Daddy gets to be the prize and I feel like the problem. He tells me she does the same thing to him, in reverse, but I think he is only trying to be nice.

***

Excerpted with permission from I Don’t Do Disability and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself (Dundurn Press, November 5, 2024) by Adelle Purdham. For more information go to https://www.dundurn.com.

The post ‘I Don’t Do Disability and Other Lies I’ve Told Myself’ out now appeared first on rabble.ca.

The game will be played Feb. 16 at Rogers Place.

The World Health Organization has authorized the first mpox vaccine for children, a decision experts hope will help make immunizations more widely available.

Queen’s University will install North America’s first carbon-sequestering field turf at Nixon Field, enhancing sustainability while supporting sports and research.

The good news: DreamLand Cafe, a casual, fun pasta eatery on Preston Street cracked this year's OpenTable list of the top 100 Canadian restaurants. Read More

The Montreal Alouettes signed American linebacker Tyrice Beverette to a one-year contract extension through the 2026 season on Wednesday. Read More

Building the Réseau express métropolitain in Montreal is costing more than expected, Quebec's auditor general has concluded. Read More

December is fast approaching, the holiday decorations are going up across town, and snow is coming. Read More

St. Nicholas and Plainsview schools in Regina are closed Wednesday due to impassable roads.

Calgary Zoo officials confirmed on Wednesday that the recent death of a two-year-old gorilla last week was an accident resulting from human error.