Canada’s human rights museum was meant as a unifying force, but, so far, has only inspired criticism

2013/09/28 Leave a comment

Good overview of some of the criticism from the various communities on how their particular historical experience is portrayed in Canada’s national human rights museum in Winnipeg, opening next year. There is no way to satisfy any or all of the groups completely, given the nature of their experience and the understandable strong feelings that each of them have on how it is depicted.

And to further complicate matters, each group looks at their experience both in the particular sense, as well as making comparisons with how other groups are portrayed (or not).

However, one positive outcome (hopefully) will be more discussion about the historical experiences of these communities, and improve awareness.

Canada’s human rights museum was meant as a unifying force, but, so far, has only inspired criticism | National Post.

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As a student of David Gilmour, and a feminist, I say put away the rope – The Globe and Mail

2013/09/28 Leave a comment

A bit off topic but as it relates to political correctness, have been following the “public lynching” of David Gilmour, a well-known author and professor at University of Toronto, who in a clumsy interview, explained why he only teaches male authors because those are the ones he relates to best.

Given that UofT also offers specialized courses by geographic region and community (e.g., Canlit, American, African, Asian, British and Jewish literature), gender (including LGBT), Shakespeare,  post-colonial etc., I find the criticism excessive. Students can choose or not to take the course, and the issue for the university is not that each course should be a survey type course. Rather, the English department has to ensure that there is a full-range of course themes to provide students with a broad perspective on writing and literature, and looking at the undergraduate calendar, that would appear to be the case.

As a student of David Gilmour, and a feminist, I say put away the rope – The Globe and Mail.

David Gilmour controversy: Margaret Atwood says universities places for ‘free expression’

‘Down the hall’ from David Gilmour

Filed under Multiculturalism Tagged with , ,

PQ leader Pauline Marois losing her feminist allies: Hébert | Toronto Star

2013/09/27 Leave a comment

One of the ironies of the debate over the proposed Charter.

PQ leader Pauline Marois losing her feminist allies: Hébert | Toronto Star.

And in other Charter-related news, Tom Mulcair, Leader of the Official Opposition and NDP, maintains his position against the proposed Charter but will not provide any funding for a legal challenge, trimming his sails somewhat:

Charte des valeurs québécoises – Thomas Mulcair modère ses intentions

And no surprise, the hijab is largely accepted, the niqab is not. Previous polls in English Canada are similar; covering the face is rejection and separation, not integration:

Pour certaines personnes, c’est le concept de la domination homme-femme. D’autres ont tout simplement un sentiment anti-islam. Mais il y a aussi le fait que le niqab crée une distance entre les gens qui est en dehors des normes sociales. Des gens vivent un inconfort par rapport à ça.

Sondage sur la tolérance des Québécois: le hijab oui, le niqab non

Filed under Charte des valeurs québécoise, Interculturalisme, Multiculturalism, Religion Tagged with , , ,

Canada’s info czar warns against federal government’s new obstructive tactics – The Globe and Mail

2013/09/27 Leave a comment

More on just how broken Canada’s Access to Information system is. So much for government accountability.

Canada’s info czar warns against federal government’s new obstructive tactics – The Globe and Mail.

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Why Teach Multicultural Literature? | Bhakti Shringarpure

2013/09/27 Leave a comment

I would call it world literature, and agree that more exposure to different perspectives is better (and we are fortunate in Canada to have many Canadian writers who draw upon their formative experiences in their country of origin).

This is a bit of an over-the-top debate between a student, commenting on Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and his professor, Bhakti Shringarpure. However, illustrates the sensitivities of some.

Why Teach Multicultural Literature? | Bhakti Shringarpure.

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Muslim extremism: That’s just calling it like it is | Toronto Sun

2013/09/27 2 Comments

A number of columns by critics of Islam and Muslims (Michael Coren, Farzana Hassan), who focus on the extremists among them, without recognizing that all religions have their fundamentalists, conservatives and extremists, as well as the majority who are more moderate believers.

The issue is more how extremism manifests itself; unfortunately, in the case of Muslims, it manifests itself in terrorism and blowing people up. And that is the problem, unlike most other communities where it is more internal to how people live their lives (e.g., the choices made by conservative Jews, Christians, Sikhs and the like), although there are also issues from an integration perspective.

I could not find the source reference to Imam Soharwardy (the Calgary Imam referred to in the second article), just the blog commenting on it without a direct link.

Muslim extremism: That’s just calling it like it is | Home | Toronto Sun.

Calgary imam to Muslims: “Go home”

Filed under Hate crimes, Honour Killings, Multiculturalism, Radicalization, Religion Tagged with , ,

Deeper Than God: Ronald Dworkin’s Religious Atheism

2013/09/26 Leave a comment

A good review and overview by Stanley Fish in the NYTimes of Ronald Dworkin’s last book, Religion without God. Some of the argumentation is complex, but treating belief and non-belief as equal rights (freedom of and freedom from religion), and how liberals recreate an ethnical framework, is of interest. Quote:

By “ethical independence” Dworkin means the individual’s independence to decide for himself or herself how to acknowledge the “felt conviction that the universe really does embody a sublime beauty.” One form of acknowledgment might be the practice of theism — traditional religion with its rituals, sacred texts, formal prayers, proscribed and prescribed activities; but the conviction of the universe’s beauty does not, says Dworkin, “suppose any god” as its ground. Once we see this, we are on the way to “decoupling religion from a god” and admitting into the ranks of the religious those who are possessed by that conviction but do not trace it back to any deity. They will be, Dworkin declares, “religious atheists.”

Deeper Than God: Ronald Dworkin’s Religious Atheism

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Tories’ lead Quebec minister on PQ values plan: Nothing about it upsets me

2013/09/26 Leave a comment

Mixed messages are never a good communications strategy.

Tories’ lead Quebec minister on PQ values plan: Nothing about it upsets me – Need to know – Macleans.ca.

Rien de précis dans la charte ne choque le ministre Lebel

Filed under Charte des valeurs québécoise, Interculturalisme, Multiculturalism Tagged with , , , ,

Canada needs to take advantage of being ‘Diaspora Nation’ | Toronto Star

2013/09/26 Leave a comment

An opinion piece by Matthew Mendelsohn of the Mowat Centre, arguing that we should benefit more from the diaspora networks created by immigration. Not too much new here but bears repeating:

Diasporas provide linkages. They help information circulate. They provide cultural knowledge where it didn’t exist before. They can help establish trust and deepen social capital.

Their knowledge can lower transaction costs and reduce the time it takes to enter new markets and form new partnerships. They connect people, ideas and understanding….

We are failing immigrants and Canada when we fail to recognize the cultural knowledge, international experience and global networks of our people. We can do better.

The private sector could deepen its connections with ethnocultural chambers of commerce, professional immigrant networks, alumni networks and immigrant resource groups within firms. All these networks can help businesses better understand opportunities in emerging markets. Successful firms are already doing this.

But capitalizing on our potential requires more than the private sector. It requires governments to ensure that rules and regulations from a half century ago are not undermining our capacity to fulfil our potential as a diaspora nation.

Canada needs to take advantage of being ‘Diaspora Nation’ | Toronto Star.

Filed under Government, Immigration, Multiculturalism, Public Policy Tagged with ,

Julie Miville-Dechêne, Gérard Bouchard et moi – L’actualité

2013/09/25 Leave a comment

A lengthy but interesting discussion by Stéphane Gobeil in L’Actualité of laicité and Canadian multiculturalism. Again, too much in the past, too much caricature, too little understanding of the commonalities between interculturalisme and multiculturalism. And no acknowledgement of the recent emphasis in Canadian multiculturalism on integration, largely returning to multiculturalism’s roots. Nevertheless a good read to better understand some of the Quebec debates.

But borders in the absurd, with the assertion that Canadian multiculturalism is the most “perfidious and insidious” form of racism, ignoring the strong integrative and equity aspects:

C’est l’essence de l’idéologie du multiculturalisme canadien, qui comme le déclarait l’autre soir Micheline Lanctôt, chez Bazzo, représente la forme la plus perfide et insidieuse de racisme. Elle n’est pas la première à le dire et ceux qui sont déjà grimpés dans les rideaux feraient bien de retourner lire l’essai de Neil Bissoondath, Le marché aux illusions: la méprise multiculturelle. …..

Le multiculturalisme à la canadienne est insidieux en ce sens que sous couvert d’ouverture, il institue des catégories de citoyens et les pousse à entrer dans un moule culturel dont beaucoup ne veulent plus.

Julie Miville-Dechêne, Gérard Bouchard et moi – L’actualité.

Filed under Charte des valeurs québécoise, Interculturalisme, Multiculturalism Tagged with , ,

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