Oct 12, 2023 _ Section 38…
The Conversation (Queen’s) – Jeffrey B. Meyers
It’s time to banish the notwithstanding clause, the slow killer of Canada’s rule of law
Meyers is concerned at the increasing willingness of Canadian politicians to invoke Section 38 – The Not-withstanding Clause of the Canadian constitution. The invocation allows politicians to supress fundamental rights because there is a perceived conflict between rights. “Section 33 is called the “notwithstanding clause” because it permits the federal Parliament or provincial legislatures to make laws “notwithstanding” the fundamental rights guaranteed by Sections 2 and 7-15 of the Charter. Meyers includes good detail and explanation about these sections and a comparison between the autocratic US far right approach and the reality of Canada’s constitution. A good primer for anyone confused about the rights discussion. Meyers fears a loss of the rule of law in Canada and reviews the notion of a constitutional amendment for Section 38. https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-banish-the-notwithstanding-clause-the-slow-killer-of-canadas-rule-of-law-215106?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20October%2012%202023&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20October%2012%202023+CID_c851c0e76ebfce59c58f9df8c3c334d5&utm_source=campaign_monitor_ca&utm_term=Its%20time%20to%20banish%20the%20notwithstanding%20clause%20the%20slow%20killer%20of%20Canadas%20rule%20of%20law
NBC News (US) – Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton
A transgender student, her crusading mom — and an English teacher caught in the middle – A mother said an educator “infected” her teenager with lies about gender. “I lost my son,” she told the school board. Her child tells a different story.
This link may offer at least to support the notion that the question around the use of pronouns is a complex one if the starting point is to protect children. “Ren was coming of age in the midst of a stark generational shift in America. In an era of rapidly expanding acceptance, the number of young people identifying as trans had nearly doubled from a few years earlier. But a new backlash movement had been brewing, fueled by an emerging — and largely unsupported — belief among some parents that social media and peer pressure were causing teens to change genders.” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/transgender-student-texas-grapevine-podcast-rcna118116 Related article: CBC News Sask. premier doubles down on school pronoun policy, bypassing courts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9lVzoUPdA8 Related article: Global News Saskatchewan premier defends plan to use notwithstanding clause to pass school gender pronoun policy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRzqGPEFgzQ
Canadian Press – Sarah Smellie
Newfoundland jail death renews calls for accountability in provincial corrections – N.L. jail death renews calls for accountability
The link offers a scathing denunciation of the seven deaths in the St. John’s Penitentiary since 2017 and points to the terrible living conditions in the jail, already serious but even more steadily deteriorating. “Unlike the federal corrections system, there is often no independent oversight of provincial jails in Canada. Federal prisons are monitored by the Office of the Correctional Investigator, and Correctional Service Canada publishes statistics on inmate deaths. The agency alerts the press whenever an inmate dies, and deaths that are not from natural causes are investigated by a four-member team and reported on.” Since the provincial jail handles those with less than two years sentences, the lack of accountability within the system includes the lack of almost all rehab programs, to say nothing of the actual physical conditions. https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/atlantic/newfoundland-jail-death-renews-calls-for-accountability-in-provincial-corrections/article_1b9f90e7-7f84-5e75-a933-0b334c0ce20d.html?utm_source=thecanadianpressnews.ca&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletter%2Foptimize%2Fdaily-newsletter%2F%3F-dc%3D1696861829&utm_medium=email&utm_content=read%20more
Reuters – Rick McKay
U.S. judge upholds suspension of right to carry guns in some New Mexico parks
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico decided the lives of innocents too precious to allow legal gun carry around children and she ordered a temporary prohibition in children’s parks and playgrounds. She decision has just had an approval ruling from U.S. District Court Judge David Herrera Urias who refused to rescind the law after gun lobbyists appealed. https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-judge-upholds-suspension-right-carry-guns-some-new-mexico-parks-2023-10-12/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social
Trent University and KIP needs participants…
“Do you know a youth between 12-17 years old who is separated from a parent in prison in Canada? We would love to hear their experiences. For those who are interested in participating in our study, please text 647-881-5606 or email kidsofprisonersstudy@gmail.com.” Thank you!” The recent Thanksgiving, like most major holidays, invites reflection on the impact of parental incarceration on the children. This proposed study by Jessica Reid, a founder of Kids with Incarcerated Parents (KIP) needs grass roots response and may be helpful in furthering this cloudy side of carceral practices in Canada. https://x.com/JessicaReidKIP/status/1712446009727402377?s=20
Homeless Hub (Canada) – C.L. Michel
Prison: A Homelessness Factory
The link is an intriguing look at what the carceral state generates starting with a proclivity to silence rather than transparency or openness. “One reason for this is that prison produces silence. The voices of prisoners are cut off from the world, and what happens inside prisons only makes the news in the most extreme cases. This lack of attention is problematic because the prison system is central to how many different forms of oppression reproduce themselves. For instance, it maintains class society and economic exploitation. It is a tool of racist and colonial violence that keeps whole communities down, and it produces gendered forms of trauma on a mass scale.” Homelessness, says Michel, follows on imprisonment. https://www.homelesshub.ca/blog/prison-homelessness-factory?utm_campaign=hh&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter (Cf also National Conference on Ending Homelessness scheduled for Halifax Nov 8-10 https://conference.caeh.ca/ )
Passblue.com (US) – Laura E. Kirkpatrick
The Current Crop of Women Leaders Shows Political Shifts to the Right
The recent UN General Assembly (Sept 19-26) included a review of the Sustainable Goals. Kirkpatrick notes that only 21 of the 192 leaders who spoke were women. Given the UN commitment to gender equality. Kirkpatrick further remarks that the expectation that women constitute a block of similar opinion is also misleading – they in fact constitute a similar spread of political opinion found in general populations. Distressingly, though, she also notes a growth in the political right. “Don’t fall in the trap of gender essentialism. Don’t assume women are a political monolith,” said Gabrielle Bardall, a visiting professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. “We should expect women leaders to represent an even spread of political ideologies.” Kirkpatrick describes the political make-up of the contribution from the women. https://www.passblue.com/2023/10/11/the-current-crop-of-women-leaders-shows-political-shifts-to-the-right/